Category: English

AQA · English · Language Paper 2 · Writing

AQA GCSE English Language: paper 2 question 5. Coherence and cohesion 1: importance of planning

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I’ve been working with my Year 11s on their AQA GCSE English Language paper 2 writing question. Before I talk about what we’ve been doing, let me share what I’ve told students not to do: they don’t need to worry about sub-headings, columns, by-lines, standfirsts, or even headlines. And don’t draw any pictures! These are… Continue reading AQA GCSE English Language: paper 2 question 5. Coherence and cohesion 1: importance of planning

Mood as a key concept in English: part one of three
English · Films · literature · Reading skills · Writing

Mood as a key concept in English: part one of three

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A Contemplation of ‘Mood’ Whenever I think of the ‘mood’ of a text, I am reminded of The Fall of the House of Usher, for Edgar Allan Poe’s claustrophobic tale of premature burial, catatonic states, enervation, ennui, despair, and emotional as well as architectural decay, possesses a mood so utterly desolate that it is as… Continue reading Mood as a key concept in English: part one of three

AQA · AQA new specification · For Pupils · Reading skills · Teaching Ideas

Using images to practise summary and synthesis skills for Lang paper 2 question 2

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Updated November 2017: the link to the resources is now here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dojccihmctyepyh/Comparing%20images.pptx?dl=0 A short blog on paper 2 skills. On a recent visit to a school, one of the English teachers talked about how they are using images to help develop synthesis and summary skills for paper 2. Inspired by this, I’ve put together a… Continue reading Using images to practise summary and synthesis skills for Lang paper 2 question 2

AQA · English · For Pupils · Language paper 1 · Reading skills · structure

Y11 – a reminder about Q3 structure (again…)

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Structure is all about how the text is put together, why the writer has done it this way and the effects it has on the reader’s appreciation and understanding of the text. The question wants you to analyse the effects of the writer’s use of structure. You should refer to precise points in the text… Continue reading Y11 – a reminder about Q3 structure (again…)

A Christmas Carol · AQA · For Pupils · literature

Y11 – A Christmas Carol: some quotations

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Here are some quotations from A Christmas Carol. Stave 1 He was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone External heat and cold had little influence (description of Fred) his face was ruddy and handsome every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas should be boiled are there no prisons … are there no workhouses if… Continue reading Y11 – A Christmas Carol: some quotations

AQA · AQA new specification · For Pupils · literature · structure · Teaching Ideas

Poetry: linking structure to language in Blake’s London

mrhansonsenglish7 Comments

Here’s the ‘board shot’ from this morning’s lesson. Remember we were trying to link structure to language so that we don’t just describe the poem’s structural features. This was a fairly simple example to illustrate an idea so I’ve developed it further for you below. Just describing the structural features of the poem is not… Continue reading Poetry: linking structure to language in Blake’s London

An Inspector Calls · AQA · AQA new specification · For Pupils · literature · Teaching Ideas

An Inspector Calls – The importance of Eva Smith

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Eva Smith, it could be argued, is the most important character in An Inspector Calls: from the moment her name is first mentioned, her shadow hangs over every page. Indeed, when the play is over and we read back over those first scenes,  her presence can be felt from the very beginning: from Gerald’s evasive manoeuvres… Continue reading An Inspector Calls – The importance of Eva Smith

William Blake’s London
AQA · AQA new specification · For Pupils · literature · poetry · Reading skills · Teaching Ideas

William Blake’s London

mrhansonsenglish11 Comments

This lesson stands as a one off. We focused on exploring language through Blake’s use of iambic tetrameter (four iambic beats per line – unstressed/stressed) and how the metre was broken by trochees to draw our attention to particular words/lines. We also looked at Blake’s original version which contains some capitalised nouns that are not… Continue reading William Blake’s London