Much Ado coursework

Complete 'Much Ado Nothing' coursework essays for the start of the new term. Also, start to read the W.H. Auden poems in the anthology.

Gatsby chapters eight and nine

Complete reading journal notes for 'The Great Gatsby' chapters eight and nine by Tuesday 18 December.

Gatsby chapters five, six and seven

Complete reading journal notes for 'The Great Gatsby' chapters five, six and seven by Tuesday 11 December.

Gatsby chapters three and four

Complete reading journal notes for 'The Great Gatsby' chapters three and four by Tuesday 4 December.


Not exactly Wilson's Garage, but this painting by Edward Hopper makes me think of it.

Gatsby Reading Journal notes for chapters one and two

Complete reading journal notes for 'The Great Gatsby' chapters one and two. Sum up storytelling techniques and comment on themes that are emerging. Also, make brief notes on what we learn about the characters that are introduced to us.

 To be posted on your blog by Tuesday 27 November.

Much Ado Essay Plan

Write a detailed essay plan in note form for your 'Much Ado About Nothing' coursework assignment. Include a one-paragraph summary of your arguments at the start. Also, provide a list of sources used. Aim to use good references and not just those found after a quick search on the internet.

To get you thinking have listen to this Oxford University podcast on the play.

To be handed in on Tuesday 20 November.

The dramatic significance of a scene from Much Ado About Nothing

Choose one scene from Much Ado and write about its dramatic significance for the play. Make close reference to language, form and structure (AO2). Answer on paper and write no more than 600 words. To be handed in on Tuesday 13 November.

Much Ado Reading Journals

Complete reading journals for all five acts of 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Focus on comedy and any underlying seriousness that you find. Is the play more than just a piece of fun? Are there serious themes that emerge? Post on your blog by Tuesday 6 November.

Much Ado about Nothing Act One

Comment on the comic nature of Act One of 'Much Ado About Nothing'. How is the comedy constructed? Also, what serious elements are emerging and how are they presented to us dramatically? This is the start of your reading journal for the play.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Choose about 50 - 60 lines of 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin' and post on your blog an evaluation of how Browning tells the story in this part of the poem. To be completed by Tuesday 16 October.

Fra Lippo Lippi

Write about the ways Browning tells the story in 'Fra Lippo Lippi' lines 191 - 269. Comment on storytelling methods and focus particularly on structure and voice. To be handed in on paper on Tuesday 9 October. Use the examiner's mark comments to help you form your response. Write your answer for no more than 30 minutes.

This analysis of the poem is good.

Browning poem analysis

 

Choose one of the Browning poems studied in class- 'My Last Duchess', 'The Patriot' or 'The Laboratory' and write a short analysis of it focusing on two narrative elements. Analyse how the story is told in the poem of your choice.

To be handed in on paper on Tuesday 2 October.

Porphyria's Lover

How is the story told in Browning's 'Porphyria's Lover'? Post your response on your blog in no more than 300 words. Use some of the terms the examiner expects you to mention. Give examples to support your points.

Set texts

For unit one (narrative) we'll be studying poems by Robert Browning and W.H. Auden. These will be given to you in an anthology issued by the exam board. The two novels will be F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' and Ian McEwan's 'Enduring Love'. You will need to buy copies of these books.

For unit two (coursework) we'll be studying Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing' and Alan Bennett's 'The History Boys'. You will also need to buy copies of these texts.

Narratives

What are the different ways of telling stories? What techniques can writers use to create a narrative? Explore as many ways of storytelling as you can. As a starting point read the narrative elements that the examiner expects you to use when answering a question.

Try these very short stories and have a go at writing your own. What narrative elements do you identify?

Finally, what do you make of this prose poem?

Post on your blog a brief analysis of 'When I woke up the knife was still there' by Tuesday 18 September.