For very good reason the last several years has witnessed an explosion in thinking about effective revision strategies, with an increasing focus on self-testing and retrieval. As we increasingly use and model these skills in our own classrooms so too do students increasingly use them in their own independent practice. Yet, whilst we may be […]
Read more Recently, I’ve been playing around with and using a lot of Oxford University Press Shakespeare materials and resources, which are proving to be excellent. In particular, I’ve been experimenting with their ‘Macbeth GCSE Revision Workbook’ by Graham Elsdon, which is part of the Oxford School Shakespeare series. I’ve been using this in the more traditional […]
Read moreGraham Elsdon looks at ways to help new sixth form students deal with the aftermath of cancelled GCSEs Next term’s new year 12 students may well begin their new course feeling like one of those pop acts who’ve scored a number one, but haven’t actually played on the record. The necessary cancellation of exams has […]
Read more
This much-anticipated holiday is the ideal time to make a start on reading your To Be Read pile! Members of the Oxford English and Secondary Schools marketing team share what they will be reading this festive period. Kirsty: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, this Pulitzer Prize winning novel tells the story of Cora and […]
Read more
Author: Gwen Nelson Reading a set for exam reports for AS and A-Level for different versions of the A-Level course is no mean feat, but nowhere near as difficult as actually doing the marking and leading a bunch of exhausted assistant examiners. So, to all assistant examiners and team leaders, I thank you for a […]
Read more
I am not sure about you, but I am constantly curious about how plays get their titles, as some appear to be quite random; think of Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, or A Streetcar Named Desire or Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano. Have your students ever asked you why Miller called his play […]
Read more
‘It’s dollars and cents, nickels and dimes; war and peace, it’s nickels and dimes, what’s clean? Half the goddam country is gotta go if I go,’ All My Sons, Act 3 Arthur Miller’s All My Sons (1947) has been attracting audiences with two major revivals: Sally Field and Bill Pullman star in the acclaimed Old […]
Read more
The lasting popularity of Arthur Miller’s plays is undeniable. As I write this, there are two Miller productions in the West End: ‘The Price’ (1968) and ‘The American Clock’ (1980). Upcoming productions include the hotly anticipated ‘All My Sons’ (1947) starring Sally Field at the Old Vic and ‘Death of a Salesman’ (1949) at the […]
Read more
Macbeth is often presented as a villain and it is difficult to defend him without taking the obvious route of blaming Lady Macbeth for his actions. In my view, it is not all about her manipulation of him. As I said in a previous blog , I think he has made his mind up to act on […]
Read more
Themes that are understood Romeo & Juliet is sometimes perceived as ‘just too silly’. I disagree. In my experience teenage students relate to R&J and enjoy it. Why? Because the themes are themes they understand. The characters are people they can to some extent relate to. Although it’s a tragedy (and I must admit I […]
Read more