Introduction: How to use this resource

Welcome to the All Of Us anthology. All the resources within this teacher pack can be downloaded from the Collins website: collins.co.uk/AllOfUs/download

This anthology is, in part, an answer to the question: how should teachers prepare students for the challenge of facing an unseen text? As a resource, it means teachers don’t have to find time in a demanding schedule to source suitable, engaging unseen texts. Teachers know that it is such a challenge to find new material that really engages young people, that promotes discussion and makes them want to read or explore further.

So, the texts in this anthology have been carefully selected not just to support teachers delivering A-level and IB Diploma courses in English, but also to enrich and expand their teaching. Certainly, the anthology will help teachers develop their students’ skills in unseen text analysis as this is perhaps the biggest challenge on any A level or IB Diploma English course. But, more than anything, these texts should encourage students to discuss, question and explore. The poetry, fiction and nonfiction selection included in All Of Us is culturally diverse, thought-provoking, and often challenging; the range of voices here has been specially chosen to reflect our rich world of many cultures and life experiences.

For each text, contextual information has been included about the author, when and why the text was first published, and about important themes or issues tackled. There is also detailed information about the way writers have used language, structure and style and the effects these choices might have. These devices are described using terminology which is relevant to both language and literary focused study, to build confidence and accuracy in close analysis. But, as ever with the study of English, we should never close off different approaches or other responses. The examples provided here are therefore not an exhaustive checklist, but a helpful starting point for further exploration.

The anthology can be used flexibly in the classroom as it includes texts which are applicable across different specifications in A Level English Literature, English Language and Literature, and English Language and IB Diploma courses in Language and Literature, and Literature. Teachers can use their judgement to select what is most relevant for their classes and, to make this selection easier, we’ve included a table at the beginning of the pack that gives a brief overview of each text. All Of Us is a resource that can be adapted to fit; all the texts and teacher notes can be downloaded in Word or PDF formats ready to print, project or edit to suit individual departments’ needs.

If a text is used for unseen practice, for example, then it could be shown initially to students with minimal contextual information. It could prompt a series of questions. What is our initial response? What are the text’s themes? What is interesting about its structure or style? Are there any significant words, phrases, or techniques which we’ve noticed on first reading? What effects do they create? After this, the discussion questions and teacher notes can then be used to develop and refine these first impressions and shape deeper analysis. The texts can also be set for individual unseen practice, as a homework or extension task, and the notes could also be used by students themselves, to aid peer-assessment.

The study of English is not just about analysing the words of others, but about shaping our own writing, our own self-expression. Within the teacher notes for each text, therefore, there are suggestions for creative and recreative responses. Students might want to pick up or develop some of the themes or issues raised, try writing in the same genre, or ‘flip’ the genre or viewpoint. Creative writing tasks are a popular feature of A-level study, particularly in English Language and Literature and English Language, but they also provide an excellent way of really connecting with a text, of learning through creativity.

The teacher notes conclude with suggestions for further exploration , including links to other plays, poems, novels, articles, films, documentaries and literary theories or movements. These links can help students explore connections with other relevant texts, as comparison is a key component of advanced level English study. Importantly, they could also support the development of NEA or coursework tasks by providing inspiration for potential coursework texts, genre study or style models for creative writing.

In many ways, however, the most significant function of the ‘explore further’ section is to promote wider reading. To encourage young people to follow a thread of thought or a moment of inspiration or connection and to navigate their own way through a world of new texts, new words and new ideas. We hope that All Of Us will not only give teachers the confidence and tools to use these wonderfully diverse texts but will also help students to shape their own views, their own individual voices.

We hope you enjoy using this anthology.

Maria Cairney, series consultant