Themes Archives | Sound of Pen

ThE NaTuRe oF dReAmS iN a-LeVeL LiTeRaTuRe WiTh YeArS & YeArS, AtC & MoRe

JCMarch 16, 2023

The texts we study are so full of dreams. Which sounds lovely. But - like love - dreams are complicated, unwieldy things. Here are the ten songs you should lis... Read More...

A-LevelLanguage AnalysisStudyText Specific 4

bLaCk WiTh LoLo, MaGGiE LiNdEmAnn, dAvE, cArLiE hAnSoN & GiRLfRiEnDs

JCSeptember 15, 2022

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...

A-LevelGCSELanguage AnalysisStudyText MessagesVocab 4

ToP TeN sOnGs: cOMMuNiCaTiOn & TeChNoLoGy

JCSeptember 14, 2022

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 using the latest technology to facilitate that interaction. Not that it's only novelists an... Read More...

A-LevelGCSELanguage AnalysisStudyText Messages 4

yOnAkA: WoRmHoLes

JCJuly 18, 2021

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...

A-LevelGCSEWormholes 2

HoLdiNg AbSeNcE: WoRmHoLeS

JCJune 15, 2021

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...

A-LevelGCSEWormholes 2

30sTm & GiRLfRiEnDs: TeXt MeSSaGeS

JCMay 10, 2021

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 Watch: Video Watch: Video Once you've created your own sign, send it to ... Read More...

A-LevelGCSEText Messages 2

A-LeVeL: AgAiNsT ThE CuRRenT & ReDeMpTiOn: pArT 2

JCFebruary 18, 2021

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...

A-LevelEssay WritingHandmaid'sText MessagesText Specific 2

A-LeVeL: AgAiNsT ThE CuRRenT & ReDeMpTiOn: pArT 1

JCNovember 29, 2020

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...

A-LevelHandmaid's 2

A-LeVeL: AgAiNsT ThE CuRRenT & ReDeMpTiOn: eSSaY

JCNovember 22, 2020

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...

A-LevelEssay WritingEssays KS5Handmaid'sText MessagesText Specific 2

YoNaKa: LeT Me SpEak

JCJuly 15, 2020

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...

A-LevelClassContextText Messages 4

HoLdiNg AbSeNcE: FoRm

JCMay 1, 2020

So we've heard a bit about why the rock song structure fitted Holding Absence’s needs PERFECTLY. Now, it's time to think about how Lucas Woodland's ideas serve... Read More...

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