Poetry Party!

Hi - just a quick post to give you the link to the Stephen Fry book on poetry. This is a really good read and gives you little tasks to do which will increase your confidence and skills when reading and writing poetry. Highly recommended! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ode-Less-Travelled-Unlocking-within/dp/0099509342/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258988796&sr=8-1-spell

Thanks everyone - expect more of this in the next few lessons!

Mr Boulter

Extension Reading

Hi all,

Further to the homework that you've been set below, if you are aiming for an A / A*, and if you are considering doing Eng Lit at A-Level, you would really benefit from doing some extension reading around this text. To this end, we've subscribed to a website: http://www.emagazine.org.uk/ which has loads of short articles and film clips to help you.

When you go to the site, click on Enter Subscribers' Site, then use the following:
username - emagazine7
password - z94k33

Have a look round by all means, and browse to see if there's anything that interests you in particular (books you've read, authors you enjoy), but in particular, you might want to read the articles in the Novel section on Mary Shelley and Frankenstein. I honestly believe that the more you put in to this subject, the more you will get out and the more you'll enjoy it. Therefore, have a go at doing some of this reading and be ready to use what you've learnt in class discussions.

Have a great weekend,

Mr Boulter

Learning from Frankenstein lesson today!

Language techniques
1 – Careful control of imagery and descriptive detail, eg November
2 – Control of atmosphere and setting
3 – Use of onomatopoeia
4 – Symbolism, eg candle
5 – Control of colour imagery

What's that coming over the hill?

Hello everyone.

Well, it's been a long time since I last posted, mainly as you have been busily completing your Inspector Calls drafts in class - well done on the excellent way that you approached this by the way. It's going to take me a little while to mark them, but I'll get them back to you ASAP, then you'll have a week or so in which to make any improvements you need to.

We have had a slight change of plan - I've had to shuffle the units and we are now going to do the pre-1914 Prose unit (using Shelley's Frankenstein) before we do Macbeth. The novel is a brilliant piece of writing, and a really gripping tale. Time constraints mean that we aren't going to be able to read the whole thing in class, but you really need to read the book in its entirety at home; in class well focus our study on deeper analysis of key extracts, learning about the writer's craft, use of language and structure, and the influence of the historical context on the novel.

So, your homework is as follows.

1) Get hold of a copy of Frankenstein. These are available for £2 from Borders or Waterstones, or here from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frankenstein-Wordsworth-Classics-Modern-Prometheus/dp/1853260231/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258134799&sr=8-1 . Alternatively, you can get it from the library, or it is easily available online (difficult to read the whole thing online though I reckon!).

2) Start reading it, aiming to have it finished by 7thDecember - this gives you three weeks to buy and read the text. It's quite challenging, but you need to stick at it!

Well - that's it! If you finish it quite quickly, it would be well worth reading other novels from this period - see me for ideas.

Have a great weekend year 10 and well done for your continued excellence this year,

Mr Boulter