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 - sometimes you just need to find the words that feel like YOU!
Further info re: the sk... Read More...
Your voice is EVERYTHING. But how to say all the things you need to? Well, it's so funny that you should ask! Enter Shikari's impassioned frontman Rou Reynolds... 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 of the songs inspiring us right now.
Read these reviews simply because you're looking f... 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...
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...
Watch: Video
Secret Love Story Part 2 by Little Mix:
We keep behind closed doorsEvery time I see you, I die a little moreStolen moments that we steal as the curtain fallsIt'll never be enoughAs you drive me to my houseI can't stop thes... 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... 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, are exactly the same ones you'll need to explore whatever poem does end up on your English ... 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 treat those songs as poems (because that is ABSOLUTELY what they are when you mute the drums ... 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...
Some people think listening to the unstoppable Kim Petras isn't the answer to EVERYTHING. Which is obviously ridiculous.
All you need to do to improve your ... 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 techniques to highlight the very same issues!
Shakespeare's 'Othello' may have been writte... 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...
Punk dramatists, Creeper, explore themes of loss, struggle, friendship, class, hopelessness, anxiety and free will. Explore how they do it in order to deepen y... 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 will help you to feel confident with the concept. She'll also show you what it means to fight... Read More...
Favourite artists: Against The Current, Holding Absence, Trophy Eyes, Taylor Swift, Kim Petras
Favourite album: Blind Melon: Blind Melon
Favourite song: The Used: Taste of Ink
Best gig: 30 Seconds To Mars @ Main Square Festival, July 2013
Lyric worth remembering: Live right now, just be yourself; it doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else
Most likely to feel: Inspired and determined
Favourite month and why: June – the start of festival season
