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Picture the scene: last July I see my 2018/19 timetable in my pigeonhole. It has all my new classes, including AS Level Literature. I’m nervous – we split classes, 1 teacher teaches Othello and love poetry, the other Tess of the D’Urbervilles and unseen prose. Othello and poetry? That’s my jam. I’d feel happy there. Hardy and his endless ramblings about pastoral Wessex? Not so much… So, obviously I end up teaching Tess. Hardy and I have history and I still hadn’t quite forgiven him for autumn term in my second year at university where I spent so many hours bashing my head against Far from the Madding Crowd.
He’s one of those writers that I eyerolled about and believed his “genius” was overrated. I’ll happily admit that I’ve been wrong about Victorian Literature before (flashback to Christmas of AS year where I struggled to read Wuthering Heights, declared it nonsense… and 6 weeks later, thanks to some brilliant teaching, realised it’s the greatest love story ever) and this term I’ve realised I was wrong again. What struck me reading Tess over the holidays and again with my class is that Hardy loads his characters with allusions and ideas seen throughout Literature all the way from Ancient Greece right up to his contemporary peers.
This added a whole new dimension to my understanding and I can’t help but wonder if I just didn’t know enough the first time around to ‘get’ Hardy. There’s so many in there (and I have a whole list of other texts that are relevant to themes, ideas and characters in Tess) but unless I happen to get a book deal for this, I’ve managed to cut them down to the key allusions.
Here are my top 5
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In this anthology, there are 48 sample extracts which are based loosely around eight themes to allow for comparison and illustrate the range of genres described above. Students should build up in their learning a wide portfolio of sources that they can use beyond this in preparation for the exam. Within the Anthology, there is a discussion on how to use this material effectively in the classroom, a discussion of the assessment objectives, a guide to what examiners are looking for and one sample set of questions with indicative content for each theme.
For this component, learners study one modern prose or drama text and one C19th novel. The focus is on learners engaging with their reading through exploring key themes, ideas and issues, characterisation and settings in order to build confidence in their skills of critical evaluation. Study of a modern text is enhanced through comparative study with unseen modern prose.
Join Edusites English for Eduqas English Literature and English Language constantly evolving in collaboration with trusted teachers, specialists and academics, always with your classroom in mind. Edusites is renowned for subject expertise and targeted resources – including support for post-16 and resit teachers.
The ability to compare and contrast is one of the most important and challenging skills to master for the 9 to 1 English Language and English Literature. Previously compare and contrast techniques was tested only by Controlled Assessment in one of the four units of English Literature: now it reaches across both specifications as detailed below. It takes on much greater significance because some reading passages in English Language and English Literature are unseen.
There is frequent mention of a range of commands: see Edusites English Glossary of Frequently Used English GCSE Terms in Associated Resources but ‘evaluate’ needs clear definition here. The OED gives us ‘appraise’ ‘assess’. In turn we get to ‘estimate the worth of’ and ‘estimate the quality of’. So as far as we are concerned it means to make qualitative judgements about what has been read: with the constant proviso that these are supported by evidence from and reference to the text.
Join Edusites English for Edexcel/Pearson English Literature and English Language constantly evolving in collaboration with trusted teachers, specialists and academics, always with your classroom in mind. Edusites is renowned for subject expertise and targeted resources – including support for post-16 and resit teachers.
The ability to compare and contrast is one of the most important and challenging skills to master for the 9 to 1 English Language and English Literature. Previously compare and contrast techniques was tested only by Controlled Assessment in one of the four units of English Literature: now it reaches across both specifications as detailed below. It takes on much greater significance because some reading passages in English Language and English Literature are unseen.
Presented at both The Team English Conference and the ResearchEd National conference this series of resources combine the latest research to improve creative writing. Directed towards improvements for the GCSE English Language Paper this resource can be used in conjunction with any qualification which includes a Creative Writing element.
Edusites English Macbeth Allusions booklet is not only useful for the teaching of Macbeth, but also in other texts where these biblical and classical allusions are made. We’re preparing our students for the language exam, where the text could be taken from anywhere. We are preparing our students for A Level, where good Bible knowledge is necessary for every text on the syllabus.
Power and Conflict Poetry Edusites English has teamed up with The Royal British Legion in partnership with Never Such Innocence would like to invite young people all over the world to share a message of Remembrance and hope, by saying “Thank You?" to the First World War generation.
