Just like us, lots of our GCSE and A-Level English Lit characters accessorise! But what does each character's choice of accessory suggest about them? Let's ask... Read More...
14 lines, written in iambic pentameter and inextricably linked to feelings of love - the short and sweet sonnet packs as much punch as your favourite three-min... Read More...
If you’re looking to develop your understanding of allusion, you’re in the right place!
So, what do we mean by allusion?
An allusion is a reference, typically brief, to a person, place, thing, event, or other literary work. If th... Read More...
Bright Star is locked in her manager’s office, Cynthia is locked in a friend’s basement and Ayley is locked in her bedroom. Sound of Pen’s ‘fTrE’ novel explore... Read More...
Taylor Swift is a feminist icon. Let's listen to 'folklore' and have a think about how the singer uses language to ensure her ideas about equality hit as hard ... Read More...
We delved back into our favourite albums of 2022. Then we matched the best 20 records of that year with the best 20 words of all-time!!
Listen to our playlist right here!
20. Pretty Sick: Makes Me Sick Makes Me Smile
Ethereal and evocat... Read More...
Bright Star is locked in her manager’s office, Cynthia is locked in a friend’s basement and Ayley is locked in her bedroom. Sound of Pen’s ‘fTrE’ novel explore... Read More...
Bright Star is locked in her manager’s office, Cynthia is locked in a friend’s basement and Ayley is locked in her bedroom. Sound of Pen’s ‘fTrE’ novel explore... Read More...
To rhyme or not to rhyme, that is the question!
ACTIVITY 1
Match each of the lyrics below with the relevant type of rhyme. Choose from:
absent: no rhyme.
assonant: rhyming vowel sounds.
rhyming couplet: a rhyming pair of successi... Read More...
The Sound of Pen students spent a session exploring the significance of love in Taylor Swift's 'dorothea'. Here's an essay built from the ideas discussed durin... 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 lyric (in purple) and get ready to explain what techniques the writer uses to underline the... Read More...
Our top ten songs about rain are all GORGEOUS. But what do they mean? What does the rain symbolise?
Typically, rain is used to signify sadness. Perhaps ... 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... 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 your course texts.
MUSIC FOCUS: The best new alternative music from Arm's Length, Carly... Read More...
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...
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 the activities at bottom of this page!
MUSIC FOCUS: Years & Years; LOLO; Maggie Lind... Read More...
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...
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...
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. Here are the 10 songs that make the most impressive, inspired use of tints and tones!
MU... Read More...
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...
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...
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 tasks. Before working through these activities, you'll probably want to look at part 1 the... Read More...
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...
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...
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 do you possibly pack all the positive energy you're feeling into one snappy write-up?! Look... 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 star is dealing with the same kind of emotions that consume the likes of Jay Gatsby and Ot... 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...
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...
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 own analytical writing!
Okay, let's run through our top 50 songs of 2021 so far! You ca... 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...
You know how easily you remember the lyrics to your favourite songs? Let's make sure you can recall all the 'Romeo & Juliet' quotes with the same amount of... 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 world IS a better place with you in it.
Now all we need to do is make sure you've got ... 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...
