Mock Exam change to time!

Next Tuesday's Mock exam will now commence at 2.15pm. Please ensure you meet us outside Boothroyd Hall at the latest 2.05pm.

If you are a travelling student you will be here in enough time as you are usually for lesson - so this is no excuse!

Mr. D

You will need a black pen!

Revision Strategies

Please note: You'll need to evidence 4 hours of revision by Monday 12/12/11

As you have your mock exam next week, we thought we'd collect some useful revision strategies in the one place for you. Try these on for size:

Re-read key section of Frankenstein - you may decide on key scenes by looking at key moments where the narrative is moved forward, characters are developed, themes are explored or motif used (think weather, violence, religious imagery).

Re-read the poems we've covered and develop further your annotations - look at the list of devices in your annotations book, choose one, for example Pathos/Bathos, and find examples of the technique across all the poems.

Complete poetry circles on key images from the novel and poems - W:\STUDENTS SHARED RESOURCES\English\A Level\Browning

Listen to the mp.3 files from our Tuesday lectures - W:\STUDENTS SHARED RESOURCES\English\A Level\Browning

Answer the 15 questions on the back page of you annotations books for all the poems we've covered. For each poem, record your answers on A4 paper and glue it to the edge of the pages for that poem.

Take some A3 paper from us - do a theme or character map. Find quotations and textual reference to evidence the themes (not give quotes was a key deficiency in your VIMAs)

Re-read all you wider reading for Browning. Then, combine the key points into a table by them or concept.

Review the material on Feminism, Karlin's Double Vision, The Philosophy of the Imperfect and Romanticism - create a PointPoint presentation that explains the concept and provide evidence from the poems.

Respond to the question on your revision cards - you have 150 questions of prompts to work from!!

Key features of the thought process for planning

Here are the key features of the thought processes behind planning and writing an A level response that you developed in lesson. Review them for you Mock Exam next week.

What is the question asking you to do?

What argument are you going to take? As a result what evidence do you have - or do you have to find evidence first?

Are there any literary ideas you can use to shape your argument (Karlin's Double Vision, Feminist reading, Philosophy of the Imperfect - or are you cirtical of this level of optimism? or Satire)

The thinking process before writing is as important (if not more) than the actual writing

How will i thread together my argument? When will i return to my argument to summarise - should i do this earlier that my conclusion?

What alternative/imaginative interpretations can i offer - why stick to the normal response?

Cheers,

Mr. D & Ms F

Some links c/o Olivia in regards to Frankenstein...

Here's some links to some gothic horror stuffs I like, (Jeffrey Comb's related things OBVIOUSLY)

A Clip of Comb's (the original Herbert West) reading the second from last chapter of H.P Lovecrafts Herbert West: Re-Animator, which is a homage to Frankenstein: http://fuckyeahjeffreycombs.tumblr.com/tagged/audiobook

A link to part 1 of the film adaption of Edgar Allen Poe's: The black cat, the rest can be found on youtube - warning this contains animal violence, blood and death: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT0RV7CQFuU also its nto entirely the same as the book version but is still a good watch

A link to a website on H.P Lovecraft himself with all of his books on the website electronically for free reading: http://www.hplovecraft.com/

A similar website this time has all of the works by Edgar Allen Poe along with biography and stuff like that for an interesting read: http://poestories.com/index.php

Notes from today's lesson on Pictor Ignotus

Context to the poem
The poem's title is Latin for 'unknown painter', a note that Browning would have seen written in art catalogues or on gallery labels when he was looking at Renaissance art.

This dramatic monologue begins abruptly, with the speaker's claim that he would have painted in the style of the youth whose work is evidently admired by the 'you' of the poem. This youth is usually understood to be the celebrated and influential painter Raphael, who lived from 1483 to 1520.

It is a psychological study of a man who is incapable of making full use of his talents, but is at the same time keenly aware of what he might have been, in contrast to what he is.

Implicit throughout this monologue is the sense of the painter's failure, both as an artist and as a human being.

Plenary
In this dramatic monologue, Browning presents the reader with an image of what a man such as Fra Bartolommeo (real life character this poem is suggested to be base upon) may have been like, stressing his timidity and portraying him as considering heaven and worldly success as two mutually exclusive ambitions.

Thus, Browning creates a speaker who can be regarded as a failure because he has retreated from life and failed to use the gifts he has been given (opposite of the Philosophy of the imperfect).

Browning’s aim in this monologue is to present/depict men complete with their failings and the compromises they’ve had to make to achieve success.

The speaker here justifies his failures by claiming to reject the commercialisation of art, but he also suggests that he realises he has wasted his talents and that his creative spirit has been quenched.

He may claim that the worldly successes and praise are transitory, but Browning leaves the readers in no doubt that these rationalisations cannot obscure the truth that he has buried his talents and passions (through his withdrawal).

What am I responsible for each week...

We've had a high number of students not completing their weekly preparations and not bring the required resources to lessons. This puts extra pressure on the teaching staff as we have to catch up the work missed after school Tuesday and places pressure on our relationship as you are usually not impressed at being sent home to retrieve your resources or being kept behind on Tuesdays.

Record this check list in you planners and check everyday before you leave home!

• You must bring your Portifolio to each lesson



• You must have your annotations book on Monday and Tuesday



• Your yellow Frankenstein note book and Frankenstein text for Fridays

Everytime you forget a resource you miss vital teaching!

Also, people aren't completing the preparation for poetry lessons and it shows in some students' understanding already.

For each Monday, you must complete the diction column, highlight strong images and now you can find and explore an symbols in the poems. These are all elements you can do independently before teaching and are skills well below A Level difficulty.

Also for Monday, you need to complete the reading (none of which has been over an A4 page back and front). You need to highlight important information and then record the 10 most important points on paper and place these in your portfolio.

If you are given homework on Friday, it will be due the following Friday.

In Summary:
Poetry Homework Monday to Monday
Frankenstein Homework Friday to Friday
You must bring your Portifolio to each lesson
You must have your annotations book on Monday and Tuesday
Your yellow Frankenstein note book and Frankenstein text for Fridays

Work due on Monday 26/09/11

You should have by Monday...

Posted your creative response on the blog (thankyou for the excellent responses so far!)

Completed the poetry reading reading (Browning on Love) - the material should be annotated and notes in portfolio,

Completed preparatory annotations (diction column and highlighted strong imagery)

Lecture notes written up neatly (mp3 file avialable in the student shared area - W:\STUDENTS SHARED RESOURCES\English\A Level\Browning).

Those students not uptodate will remain after school Tuesday to ensure all is complete.

Mr. D/Ms. F

Frankenstein reading

All students must have completed the reading of Frankenstein by Friday the 23rd of September. You will be tested on your knowledge to check.

Strategy 1

Break your reading down:

Read the letters
University life and the build up to the creation of the monster
his return home
the consequences of his creation
the monster's story

Strategy 2
Set minimum amounts to read per night.

Let us know if you have any problems.

Welcome to A Level Literature

Welcome to all the new students who have applied to study Literature at A Level. We wish you all the best for you results day and hope to see you in September!

Mr. D, Ms. Foulds and Mrs. Gibbons

Poem Revision....

You need to revise, as a priority, the following poems:

Strange Meeting
Apologia Pro Poemate Meo
Anthem for Doomed Youth
Arms and the Boy
The Show
Futility
The Last Laugh
The Sentry
Mental Cases
A Terre

You should visit in the first instance, your annotations and notes from lessons and then the Wilfred Owen society for analysis (see weblink below).

These poems, although you may touch on the for Ao4 references, and hence need some limited revision, should not be on the exam as they have been named before.

Dulce Et Decorum Est
Exposure
Insensibility
Miners
Disabled

We'll discuss this in lesson and talk about what you'll need to show to evidence this revision.

Easter Revision School

On Wednesday the 13th of April, we'll be running a day of support to finalise your coursework essays. I will be at school from 8:00am and will be available for people to work through any coursework issues with me from this time. As people need varying levels of support, please take this into consideration when working out what time to arrive. All the English classrooms will be open for you to utilise computer facilities and you'll be able to print if required. The final coursework deadline, complete with bibliography is on the first day back, Tuesday 26th of April. Mr. D

Homework for Mr Leamon (Gatsby)

DUE THURS 13th.
Read chapter 2 and make notes on events and discussion points – as we talked about.
(N.B Last weeks ‘Contextual quotes traffic-lighting’ homework is due for Thursday too.)

DUE TUES 18th
Complete Chapter 1 sheet.

Mr. L