sLaM dUnK 2023 & wRiTiNg WeLL-StRuCtUrEd aNaLyTiCaL EssAyS
MUSIC FOCUS: Yellowcard; Kids In Glass Houses; Underoath; Charlotte Sands; Creeper; Boston Manor; Trash Boat; The Menzingers; Maggie Lindemann; Enter Shikari; ... Read More...
PvRiS @ HaMMeRsMiTh aPoLLo
MUSIC FOCUS: PVRIS.
ACTIVITY FOCUS: Review an album or live show and practise writing about structure!
PVRIS, Hammersmith Apollo
PVRIS have never be... Read More...
We’LL aLwAyS hAvE PvRiS: tHe EnDuRiNg iNfLuEnCe oF wHiTe NoiSe
PVRIS are back in England (well, almost!!) - and they're bringing the ludicrously brilliant Maggie Lindemann and Charlotte Sands with them!! Life hasn't been t... Read More...
LoCaTiOn, LoCaTiOn, LoCaTiOn PaRt 1: WiTh tRoPhY eYeS, yUnGbLuD. sOmEtHiNg CoRpOrAtE & FeVer 333
Think about where your favourite songs are 'located' and develop your understanding of setting within your GCSE/A-Level texts - and your own writing!
It's e... Read More...
LoCaTiOn, LoCaTiOn, LoCaTiOn PaRt 2: WiTh CaLviN HaRRis, eLLie gOuLDiNg, MaGGiE LiNdEmANN, yUnGbLuD & mAcHiNe GuN KeLLy
Think about where your favourite songs are 'located' and develop your understanding of setting within your GCSE/A-Level texts - and your own writing!
... Read More...
MaGGiE LiNdEmAnn: tHe MarLa SiNgEr oF aLt-PoP
Read Sound of Pen's essay about Maggie Lindemann's 'SUCKERPUNCH' and fuel your own investigations into the literature of love.
MUSIC FOCUS: Maggie Lindemann... Read More...
yUnGbLud: 21sT cEnTuRy ShAkEsPeAre
Read Sound of Pen's essay about YUNGBLUD - and prepare to get very excited about the links between 'weird!' and Shakespeare's 'Sonnet 116'!
MUSIC FOCUS: YUN... Read More...
AgAiNsT tHe CuRReNt’S FiGhT fOr ReDeMpTiOn
Read Sound of Pen's essay about Against The Current's 'That Won't Save Us'. The song underlines ideas that will feel so relevant to your A-Level Lit study.
... Read More...
BrAiNsToRm WiTh ArM’s LeNgTh, ChAt PiLe, cArLy CoSgRoVe & BaRtEEs StRaNgE
Our brainstorm activities don't so much focus on one idea as collate a whole stack of thoughts - all of which will feel absolutely relevant to one or other of ... Read More...
HoW tAyLoR sWiFt HeLpEd Us SmAsH oUr eNgLiSh LiT eXaMs
Read Sound of Pen's essay about Taylor Swift and develop your ability to make interesting points + to address context/typicality + to incorporate critical quot... Read More...
GaViN RoSSdALe & OtHeLLo: DoN’t LeT tHe DaYs Go bY
Lots of our texts examine the importance of self-belief. Let's listen to the music of Bush and work out what we'd say if asked to explore that very theme.
M... Read More...
tHiS iS wHaT tHe SoUnD oF pEn cLAss 2022 hAd To SaY!
While you may well be working on a Sound of Pen activity at home, I do run classes in school. We are thinking about how to make these live sessions more widely... Read More...
tAyLoR sWiFt & PeRsUaSiVe wRiTiNg
Our review of Taylor Swift's 'Lover' will serve as the launchpad for your own successful piece of persuasive writing. ... Read More...
ThE bEsT 75 sOnGs Of 2022 & wRiTiNg ExCiTiNg iNtRoDuCtiOnS
How do the best songs of 2022 help us make sense of the texts we're studying at school? Look at the list of our top 75 tracks of the year - then have a go at t... Read More...
ToP TeN sOnGs: jAy gATsBy
Jay Gatsby (aka James Gatz). Dignified? Desperate? Deluded? Here are the songs to help you make sense of Fitzgerald's most famous character. Okay, so they migh... Read More...
tAyLoR sWiFt & CrEaTiVe wRiTiNg
It's impossible to read 'Where The Crawdads Sing' or listen to Taylor Swift's 'Carolina' and not feel inspired! Our aim today is to write a description that so... Read More...
bLaCk WiTh LoLo, MaGGiE LiNdEmAnn, dAvE, cArLiE hAnSoN & GiRLfRiEnDs
Looking at writers' use of colour is a worthwhile exercise - how many pieces of writing don't refer to a colour of one sort of another at some point?! Today, w... Read More...
ToP TeN sOnGs: cOMMuNiCaTiOn & TeChNoLoGy
In most stories, there's a letter being posted... or a phone ringing... or an email being sent. Characters are communicating and - whatever the era - they're u... Read More...
ToP TeN sOnGs: CoLoUr
A lot of songwriters make use of colour in their lyrics - and some of those artists employ blacks, whites, greens, pinks etc. as potently as actual painters. H... Read More...
tAyLoR sWiFt & LoVe PoEtRy PaRt 5
This is the final part in a series we created so that you can indulge your love for the inimitable Taylor Swift AND develop your confidence with unseen poetry ... Read More...
tAyLoR sWiFt & LoVe PoEtRy PaRt 4
This is the fourth part in a series we created so that you can indulge your love for the inimitable Taylor Swift AND develop your confidence with unseen poetry... Read More...
tAyLoR sWiFt & LoVe PoEtRy PaRt 3
This is the third part in a series we created so that you can indulge your love for the inimitable Taylor Swift AND develop your confidence with unseen poetry ... Read More...
tAyLoR sWiFt & LoVe PoEtRy PaRt 2
This is the second part in a series we created so that you can indulge your love for the inimitable Taylor Swift AND develop your confidence with unseen poetry... Read More...
tAyLoR sWiFt & LoVe PoEtRy PaRt 1
This is the first of a five-part series which will allow you to indulge your love for the inimitable Taylor Swift AND develop your confidence with unseen poetr... Read More...
DoWnLoAd fEsTiVaL & PeRsUaSiVe wRiTiNg
Is there anything more fun that writing about the things you REALLY love? And is there anything any of us love more than going to a festival?!
MUSIC FOCUS:... Read More...
aNaLySiNg WoRd ReLaTiOnShiPs WiTh YeArS & YeArS
Get ready for the best hour of your day. A class soundtracked by the beautiful Years & Years. What more could you ask for?
MUSIC FOCUS: Years & Year... Read More...
pOp-pUnK & tHe LiTeRaTuRe oF LoVe
Listen to lots of artists inc. Olivia Rodrigo, Maggie Lindemann, MGK, Holding Absence - and secure your ability to analyse any text (seen or unseen) about love... Read More...
sYmBoLiSm WiTh ChArLi XcX, DaShBoArD cOnFeSSiOnaL, EtHeL cAiN & MoRe
If you’re looking to finetune your use of symbols, you’re in the right place. This class works brilliantly all on its own, but you might also want to think of ... Read More...
sTrUcTuRe WiTh ThRiCe, AgAiNsT ThE CuRReNt & MoRe
Special thanks to my Year 8 class for providing the musical inspiration for this class!
Check out their favourite songs here.
You may wish to download th... Read More...
ReViEw wRiTiNg WiTh oLiViA rOdRiGo
Review writing can be tricky. You might love a record or a film or a book soooooo much - but how do you possibly pack all the positive energy you're feeling in... Read More...
ReViEw wRiTiNg WiTh tAyLoR sWiFt
NOTE: THERE IS ONE MOMENT OF SWEARING DURING THE TRAILER.
Review writing can be tricky. You might love a record or a film or a book soooooo much - but how d... Read More...
sOpHiStiCaTEd VoCaBuLaRy WiTh nOvA tWiNs, BMTH, MgK, WiLLoW & mOrE
If you’re looking to develop your vocabulary, you’re in the right place. This class works brilliantly all on its own, but you might also want to think of it as... Read More...
aLLuSiOn WiTh mY cHeMiCaL rOmAnCe, FoXeS, DoRiAn eLeCtRa & MoRe WITH POETRY LESSON LINK
If you’re looking to develop your understanding of allusion, you’re in the right place!
This class works brilliantly all on its own, but you might also ... Read More...
SiMiLeS & mEtApHoRs WiTh bMtH, SiGriD, TaTe McRaE & mOrE
Here's a selection, not just of our favourite songs of the year, but of our favourite similes and metaphors EVER!
If you're looking to finetune your creativ... Read More...
wRiTiNg PoEtRy WiTh aViCii
Start today's poetry writing class by watching this tribute to the superstar DJ/humble songwriter...
https://youtu.be/FhWDZExRacE
TASK 1
Watch the '... Read More...
LiNKiN pArK, bMtH, eNtEr sHiKaRi & mOrE: aNaLySiNg dArKnEss
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...
AgAiNsT ThE cUrrEnT, aLLiTeRaTiOn & DiGGinG DeeP
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...
AgAiNsT ThE cUrrEnT & ThE MoNsTeR MoTiF
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...
AgAiNsT ThE cUrrEnT & TyPiCaLiTy
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...
gLaStOnBuRy & wRiTiNg WiTh aTTiTuDe
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...
BiLLiE EiLiSh & MeTaPhOrS
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 & aNaLySiS oF UnSeeN TeXtS
Swiftogeddon
Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, Leeds
18th February 2022
Outside Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, the queue stretches up the hill. T... Read More...
wHaTeVeR hAppEnEd tO dAiSy BuChaNaN? aN inVeSTiGaTiOn WiTh tAyLoR sWiFt
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...
A-LeVeL: tAyLoR sWiFt & LoSS oF LoVe
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 & ErNeSt dOwSoN
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...
bEsT aLbUms/ePs oF 2021 & ShAkEspEaRE’s nEoLoGiSmS
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...
BeSt SoNgS oF 2021
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...
tAyLoR sWiFt: FiFtEEn & UnSeeN PoEtRy
Being a teenager is hard! But one thing we know for sure - listening to Taylor Swift makes us feel way less alone!
Here's 'Fifteen'...
https://youtu.be/... Read More...
AgAiNsT ThE cUrrEnT: cOnTeXt, ThEmEs & KeY QuOtEs
CLASS FOCUS:
Understanding how context impacts on the significance of key vocabularyIdentifying key themes/messages within course textsCollecting quotes tha... Read More...
JoHn fLoReANi, YoNaKa, oLiviA RoDRiGo & MoRe: aNaLySiNg aLLiTeRaTiOn
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...
aViCii: MaKiNg pOiNtS & PlaNNiNg EssAyS
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...
sLaM DuNk: TexT MeSSaGeS
CLASS FOCUS:
Identifying key themes within course textsIdentifying vocabulary used for effectExploring use of language techniques in relation to theme
Sl... Read More...
HoLdiNg AbSeNcE & yOnAkA: aNaLySiNg LiGhT
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...
SoNgS oF 2021 So FaR: MaKiNg pOinTs & DeVeLoPiNg VoCaBuLaRy
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...
tAyLoR sWiFt: LaNgUaGe aNaLySiS
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...