Yes, we do know it's the school holidays, but as far as fun activities go, it's hard to think of anything more enjoyable than listening to Creeper, Against The... Read More...
We love Against The Current because they’re fighting the same problems that we're battling with too. In order to ensure we understand this, the band make such ... Read More...
Imagine you're living in the 12th Century, chatting to your friends in Latin and someone uses the word 'monstrum'. You know immediately that they're taking abo... Read More...
The more you read, the easier your life as an English student gets.
And yet sometimes the thought of actually picking up a book which is not on the A-Level ... Read More...
Examiners love students who write with personality and passion. Read the question (in orange) and response (in green) below, then have a go at writing about yo... Read More...
Unbelievably, Billie Eilish's 'Ocean Eyes' song is now more than half a decade old! But it remains as fresh-sounding and relevant as ever...
TASK 1
Read ... Read More...
Swiftogeddon
Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, Leeds
18th February 2022
Outside Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, the queue stretches up the hill. T... Read More...
Taylor Swift’s 2020 albums – ‘folklore’ and ‘evermore’ – are like water. In the surface of them, we see ourselves, as vague and actual as we really are. Undern... Read More...
So many A-Level Literature texts deal with what it means to lose out in love. If you look closely at Taylor Swift's 'Exile', you'll realise our favourite pop ... Read More...
Lil Peep knew how it felt to get his heart broken. And because it's definitely way easier to relate to the rapper's romantic issues than it is to those of Erne... Read More...
Hello, GORGEOUS people. It's time to study our list of 2021's BEST albums and EPs. Once you've done that, crank the playlist up loud and get ready to take your... Read More...
From number 50 to number 1, here are the songs we loved most this year.
50. While She Sleeps, Nervous
49. Doll Skin, Control Freak
48. Creeper, Midnig... Read More...
CLASS FOCUS:
Understanding how context impacts on the significance of key vocabularyIdentifying key themes/messages within course textsCollecting quotes tha... Read More...
Let's be clear: you want your analysis of a writer's alliteration to SPARKLE! Okay, so it's fair to say that a writer often uses the technique to draw our att... Read More...
CLASS FOCUS:
Making clear pointsEstablishing three points per essay Collecting quotes that evidence the family theme
When Avicii died in 2018, we lost an... Read More...
CLASS FOCUS:
Identifying key themes within course textsIdentifying vocabulary used for effectExploring use of language techniques in relation to theme
Sl... Read More...
The 3 purple links below serve as wormholes. They'll take you straight into the pages of the texts you're studying at school. Use YONAKA's ideas to develop you... Read More...
And so we reach the end of another school year. Where did the time go?!
It's been an amazing first twelve months for Sound of Pen. It started with a collect... Read More...
As you read through the below, you'll find our model ideas in orange and green. There are tasks for you to complete in purple.
We always love the summer te... Read More...
The purple links in this article serve as wormholes. Click on them and you'll find yourself walking through the pages of Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture Of Dorian G... Read More...
We've heard so much amaaaaazing music in 2021 already! Here are the songs we've enjoyed most. Each mini-review includes a word that you can try to use in your ... Read More...
So, you KNOW we love it when our favourite artists offer us a way into the texts we’re studying in class. We especially love it when that artist is TAYLOR ... Read More...
Finding the words to describe that feeling our favourite music gives us is never easy. And so we repeat ourselves in the hope that someone will get what we're ... Read More...
A story isn't just a story. It's a message. From the writer to US. But what exactly is the message? Well, let's find out...
Watch: Video
Watc... Read More...
Iago gets to Othello because the eponymous 'hero' has got a head full of voices. The men in charge of Gilead are absolutely ruled by the chattering that only t... Read More...
It's time for us to YELL about our favourite songs of recent times. Have a read of the four reviews below, and remember: it's not always about using BIG words ... Read More...
There are a lot of activities already available at Sound of Pen. And, yes, they'll help you develop the skills you'll want to sharpen in advance of any GCSE an... Read More...
Because work and play can be exactly the same thing, here are 3 more reviews that will introduce you to the best music of recent times AND improve your confide... Read More...
The music we listen to keeps us afloat and fills us with good and lovely feelings. It helps us to remember that WE ARE NOT ALONE. Here are our reviews of some ... Read More...
Listening to the music of the world's greatest pop star, Kim Petras, might be our absolutely favourite thing to do. And now that we know we can improve our ess... Read More...
This is the second part of a lesson which started here. Last time, we looked at approaching unseen poetry questions and we concentrated on that idea of taking ... Read More...
womenrcool. YOU do not need telling. If only there'd been someone with your good sense running Gilead.
Thankfully, the future IS in your hands - and the wor... Read More...
When I started designing this lesson, I was thinking it would be most useful to my A-Level students. But actually these activities will prove just as purposefu... Read More...
In our first live lesson with real students in an actual classroom, we talked in more detail about redemption and Against The Current! It was SO much fun. If y... Read More...
I asked my Sound of Pen students to let me know which songs they were loving right at this moment. I then started to create a series of classes in which we tre... Read More...
We LOVED so much of the music released in 2020. Here are our top 50 songs. Each mini-review includes a word that you should be using when writing your A-Level ... Read More...
In our last class, we reviewed Sound of Pen's best songs of 2020. Who made it to number 1? YUNGBLUD maybe? Or Against The Current? Taylor Swift perhaps? Have a... Read More...
MUSIC FOCUS: Against The Current.ACTIVITY FOCUS: Explore ATC's ideas about redemption, then apply those same ideas to 'The Handmaid's Tale'. Read our analysis ... Read More...
Listen to YUNGBLUD's god save me, but don't drown me out, Bring Me The Horizon's One Day The Only Butterflies Left Will Be In Your Chest... or Against The Curr... Read More...
MUSIC FOCUS: Bring Me The Horizon.ACTIVITY FOCUS: Link BMTH lyrics to quote from 'The Handmaid's Tale' - then create a bookmark to help you remember Atwood's k... Read More...
MUSIC FOCUS: Maggie Lindemann!ACTIVITY FOCUS: Examine techniques used in Maggie Lindemann's 'Pretty Girl' and then see how Shakespeare uses those very same tec... Read More...
Sharpen your ability to deal with unseen poetry, develop your understanding of 'Sonnet 116' and learn to write about love!
MUSIC FOCUS: YUNGBLUD.ACTIVITY FO... Read More...
It's helpful to look at so many of the texts you're studying through a feminist lens. To do that, you need to really understand what feminism is. Kate Nash wil... Read More...
Whenever we record one of our Wormholes podcasts, we use the artist in question's ideas as fuel for a series of related classes. Theresa Jarvis of YONAKA spear... Read More...
