Why might a writer choose to order things the way they do? Let's find out.
Whatever stage you're at with your English studies, it's always interesting t... Read More...
Like Shakespeare, Wilde, Stevenson and so many of our course authors, Chrissy Costanza frequently writes about Hell. But why? And when we come across that Hell... Read More...
Here's a list of our favourite Against The Current tracks! See if you agree with our choices, then have a go at using the different techniques used in each short review.
20. 'Chasing Ghosts'
As romantic as a 19th Century novel, 'Chasing Gh... Read More...
Sound of Pen classes use music as a doorway to a deeper understanding of GCSE & A-Level English texts.
Sound of Pen is home to original, unique free les... Read More...
Sometimes, when studying English Literature, it can feel like the experience of love will be utterly joyless. Soooo much pain!
ACTIVITY 1
Read each l... Read More...
The texts we study are so full of dreams. Which sounds lovely. But - like love - dreams are complicated, unwieldy things. Listen to the songs below if you want to really understand their multi-dimensional nature!
Dreams are everywhere in our ... Read More...
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...
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...
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: Download Festival.ACTIVITY FOCUS: Have a read through our letter to Download Festival boo... Read More...
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...
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...
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 Current, Bring Me The Horizon, Enter Shikari, Linkin Park, All Time Low, PVRIS and Lande ... 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 course makes you flinch.
It shouldn't. Want to know why?
Well, let's do what we do s... 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 that evidence the key vocab/themes in an easily revisable way
If we had to listen to one b... 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...
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...
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 they hear. Blanche is alone and yet she's NEVER alone...
There's every chance you'll be ... 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...
Okay, it's unlikely you'll be asked to analyse the awesome Against The Current's lyrics in your exam! The skills you'll use to investigate 'Gravity', though, a... 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 you weren't there, though, DON'T PANIC - you can find part 1 by clicking here, and part 2 o... 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...
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 Current's that won't save us and you'll notice that lots of our favourite artists in 2020 are... Read More...