IB English

Download a free audiobook version of Measure For Measure HERE. What could be better to accompany you on your daily commute?

A2 Literature

Here's an interview with Philip Larkin from 1964, conducted by fellow poet, John Betjeman.

A2 Communication & Culture

Enrich your appreciation of 'Fictions' with this radio documentary on the development and future of the novel.

AS Literature

Improve your understanding of the context of 'The Great Gatsby' with this documentary on America in the 20th Century.

A2 Communication & Culture

Refresh your understanding of feminism with this excellent radio documentary on the rise of feminism and this show about women's suffragism.

AS Language and Literature

To complement your contextual understanding of 'Things Fall Apart', click here to listen to a programme about the problems facing the African continent throughout history.

IB English

IB students can get a head-start on our second text by clicking here to find an excellent radio discussion of James Joyce's 'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man'. Furthermore, Joyce plays a prominent role in this documentary on Literary Modernism.

AS & A2 Communication & Culture

Please click on the links below to complete a short student survey for your Comms course:

AS Comms:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/C5Z35GN

A2 Comms:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JL98DBP

AS Communication & Culture

The comedian Richard Herring did a radio show last week all about 'Hoodies'. Listening to this is a perfect way to prepare for Coursework A, especially if you choose to write about clothing. Warning: Be quick, as programmes only stay on iPlayer for a few days.

AS Language and Literature

Click HERE to listen to this week's The Write Stuff radio show, which discusses (and jokes about) the work of Tennessee Williams

A2 Communication & Culture

As part of our work on Postmodernism, read THIS article on The Truman Show as a postmodern spectacle.

A2 Communication & Culture

Listen to THIS radio documentary on Feminism called 'Whatever Happened to the Sisterhood'. Could be very useful to sample in your podcasts later on in the year.

AS Language & Literature

Here are two photos of our classroom performance of Scene Seven of 'A Streetcar Named Desire', starring Milford as Stanley, Chrisel as Stella and Aida as Blanche.

AS Language & Literature

As part of your wider reading, you should read another of Tennessee Williams' plays: 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'. HERE's a link to the film version starring Elizabeth Taylor. What similarities are there between this play and 'Streetcar'? What parallels can you find between the events of this play and those of Williams' own life?

AS Language & Literature

A 'Streetcar Named Desire' came to London last year. Read reviews of the performance, starring Rachel Weisz HERE and HERE. If you were staging the play, who would you cast as Blanche, Stella, Stanley and Mitch?

A2 Communication & Culture

News today on changes to Employment Law and discrimination in the work place. Could be relevant to our work on Second Wave Feminism. Click HERE for the story.

A2 Communication & Culture

Read THIS article on the 20th anniversary of 'The Sexual Politics of Meat', which might be useful for those of you that decide to undertake Feminist readings of celebrity behaviour for your coursework.

AS Communication & Culture

Click HERE for a questionnaire which helps you to determine your own Johari Window!

AS Literature

THIS article is a great gateway into lots of stuff about Alan Bennett and his works online. It is useful to get accustomed to Bennett's sense of humour, particularly as it will help you with your homework task.

IB English

Check out THIS article on the best disguises in English Literature. Look out for our old friend The Duke!

A2 Literature

We will be watching THIS video in class this week, but it's a good idea to watch again at home as it's perfect for this week's Reading Journal activity

***Joe this is what you're looking for to catch up!***

AS Language and Literature

To add to your work with the biographical timeline, click here to see an interview with Tennessee Williams or here for a 5 part documentary called 'Wounded Genius'.

A2 Comms

As a follow-up to today's lesson, check out this article on Lady Gaga in the Guardian. Is she a feminist icon?

AS Literature

As a taster for our work on Talking Heads next week, here's a clip of Alan Bennett talking about some of his favourite television programmes.

A2 Literature

Remember to consider the title 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' before tomorrow. Plus, here's a link to a Sparknotes guide to 1984 (For Sayo!)

IB English

Following on from our discussion of titles in literature and drama, you might be interested to read this article on what makes a 'great' title. Also, don't forget to buy your copy of Measure For Measure asap!

AS Language and Literature

So... did you recognise all of the terms used in the guessing game today? If not, find and learn the definition. The terms we used were:

METAPHOR /SIMILE /SOLILOQUY /FLASHBACK /STEREOTYPE /CLICHÉ / GENRE / TRAGEDY /COMEDY / SCENE / HERO /ACCENT / NOUN / PARAGRAPH / LITERATURE / IRONY

... and remember, you need to buy 'A Streetcar Named Desire' ASAP!

AS Comms Recommended Reading

I strongly urge all AS Comms students to buy the course text:

AS Communication and Culture by Peter Bennett and Jerry Slater

You should also bookmark the Communication and Culture website which is written and maintained by a network of Comms teachers across the UK.

IB English Required Reading

It is essential that all of my IB English students buy the following texts asap:

'Measure For Measure' by William Shakespeare
'A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man' by James Joyce

Please note that these are the 2 core texts you'll be studying with me this year - you will also be expected to read other texts by these authors as well as a variety of critical texts.

AS Literature Required Reading

The first text we'll be reading this year is 'Talking Heads' by Alan Bennett. All students will be given photocopies of the relevant sections in class. However, if you'd prefer to buy your own copy, click HERE.

The second text we'll be studying is 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This will not be provided and you must buy your own copy as soon as possible.

Please note that these are the 2 core texts you'll be studying with me this year - you will also be expected to read other texts by these authors as well as critical texts.

Language & Literature Required Reading

It is essential that all of my Language & Literature students (AS and Intensive) buy the following books asap:

'A Streetcar Named Desire' by Tennessee Williams
'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe

Please note that these are the 2 core texts you'll be studying with me this year - you will also be expected to read other texts by these authors as well as critical texts.

A2 Comms Summer Work

ESSENTIAL:
1) Buy and read a copy of A2 Communication and Culture.
2) a) Find 3 different web definitions for the following terms: Marxism, Feminism, Postmodernism, Postcolonialism
b) Using these definitions as a guide, create your own definition for each of these terms in your own words. Complete the phrases below:
Marxism is...
Feminism is...
Postmodernism is...
Postcolonialism is...
3) Watch THIS entertaining beginner's guide to Karl Marx
RECOMMENDED SUMMER READING:
Marx: A Very Short Introduction
Jessica Valenti 'Full Frontal Feminism
'Barack Obama 'Dreams From My Father'
Postmodernism: A Very Short Introduction

A2 Literature Summer Work

ESSENTIAL:
1) Buy, read and annotate a copy of Shakespeare's 'Othello'. Personally I recommend THIS version.
2) Watch a performance of Shakespeare's 'Othello'. There are plenty of versions you can borrow from the library. YouTube's not great as it has dozens of individual scenes, but I can't find a full version. If you feel like splashing out on a DVD, try one of the top three in THIS list.

OPTIONAL:
1) Read and annotate 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' by Junot Diaz. It was one of my three coursework texts this year, but even if I'm not teaching you in September, you won't regret reading it - it's fantastic!
2) For the same reasons, read 'Dreams From My Father' by Barack Obama.
3) You'll definitely be studying Shakespeare next year, so borrow or buy a copy of 'In Search of Shakespeare' by Michael Wood. We watched a couple of episodes in class - it really is a great way to understand the context of Shakespeare's work.