GCSE English Literature for AQA Sample by CUPUKschools

Blended digital and print resources specifically created for the new AQA GCSE English Literature specification, available from early 2015.

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Brighter thinking for the new curriculum: • Written by an experienced author team of teachers, partners and advisers. • Rich digital content to engage and motivate learners. • Differentiated resources to support all abilities. • Progression and development at the heart of all our resources.

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ENGLISH LITERATURE GCSE for AQA Sample

Written from draft specification

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Foreword Welcome to the new AQA GCSE English Literature resources from Cambridge University Press. These resources adopt an engaging and progressive approach, specifically supporting the AQA 2015 GCSE English Literature specification. This is a time of change, challenge and opportunity. For the first time in decades, teachers of English Literature face a scenario where assessment is 100% exam based, exams are no longer tiered, and the familiar grading of G to A* is replaced by 1 to 9. The best of English Language and English Literature will be double weighted, provided a student has taken both qualifications. The second best score of English Literature and English Language can be counted in the ‘other’ group of subjects for Attainment 8, if it is one of the student’s highest scores in this group. Students must study and be examined (closed book) on one play by Shakespeare, one 19th-century novel, a selection of poetry since 1789 including representative Romantic poetry, and fiction or drama from the British Isles from 1914 onwards. There must be a minimum of two unseen texts on the exam, and they must be compared. These resources help you meet the challenges and maximise on opportunities at this time of change. They provide practical and purposeful support for classroom and independent use, making literature accessible to students of all abilities. With a combination of enhanced digital resources and print Student Books, they encourage a love of literature, whilst making progress visible and attainable across the ability range, ensuring challenge for the more able and support for those who need it. Free Teacher Resources offer expert support for course planning, teaching and assessment and provide regular online updates for the lifetime of the specification. This new suite of resources will develop students’ skills and knowledge so they are confident and equipped to gain the best grade they can in their GCSE, whilst also making literature in the classroom enjoyable, memorable and a source of stimulus and satisfaction in their lives as well as their GCSE examinations. Peter Thomas, Series Editor

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Authors Series editor and author: Peter Thomas Peter has previously been a Lecturer in Education, an English Teacher and an Advisory Teacher and is involved in English curriculum development and assessment. He has been an Associate Fellow of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth and is currently working with The Globe Education department as well as the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Peter has written for the national press, educational journals, and NATE Classroom on various aspects of the English curriculum and assessment.

Jekyll and Hyde: Sue Brindley Sue taught in secondary schools in East London for sixteen years, where she was a Head of Department, Head of Faculty, Deputy Head and Acting Head. She moved into Higher Education as a lecturer at the Open University and was appointed to the University Of Cambridge Faculty of Education in 1999 to co-ordinate the English PGCE and then the Secondary PGCE courses.

AQA Poetry: Trevor Millum Trevor was an English Teacher and Head of Department for many years before becoming an Advisory Teacher for English and ICT. He has worked with a range of educational publishers producing innovative teaching materials focusing on creativity, poetry and ICT. He was previously the Director of Communications and Development at NATE and is an experienced workshop leader. He is the creator of and poet in residence at Teachitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Poetry Place, where he has written over 150 teaching resources.

AQA Poetry: Andy Mort Andy is an experienced Head of English. He has a particular interest in contemporary poetry and previous experience of writing about poetry appreciation for GCSE students.

Macbeth: Anthony Partington Anthony is a Head Teacher and Executive Leader in the Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust. He was previously Director of English and Media at a federation of schools in Cambridge, and has been involved in research with Institute of Education, London. Anthony is Editor of two Cambridge School Shakespeare plays.

Great Expectations and An Inspector Calls: Jon Seal Jon has been a Teacher for over 25 years with experience as a Head of English, Head of Drama and Media Studies. He has written teacher guides with accompanying DVDs all published by NATE and has written and directed a large number of plays and is a film maker winning a Jerwood Film Shorts Prize for Back To Earth.

Macbeth: Richard Spencer Richard is Vice Principal of Impington Village College in Cambridge and was previously Head of English in two schools. He was previously the Eastern Region coordinator for NATE and is Editor of two Cambridge School Shakespeare plays.

Romeo and Juliet, AQA Short Stories: Chris Sutcliffe Chris taught for 16 years in Grimsby before becoming a Head of English for 22 years. He was a regular contributor to the Secondary English Magazine and has co-written student books and teacher support files. For many years Chris helped to train PGCE students and has regularly undertaken consultancy work.

Romeo and Juliet: Bernard Ward Bernard has been teaching since 1989 and in 2000 became English Co-ordinator at a Pupil Referral Unit. He has been Literacy Co-ordinator in a special needs unit, a Behavioural Advisor, and Head of English. In 2011 he gave up teaching to concentrate on freelance work as a poet, philosopher and as an Educational Consultant. Bernard is Consultant PhD Supervisor for Napier University.

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Our offering Cambridge University Press is delighted to have entered an approval process with AQA to publish resources for their new 2015 GCSE English Literature specification. We are driven by a simple goal: to create resources that teachers and students need to ignite a curiosity and love for learning. As England enters a new educational chapter, we are publishing a comprehensive suite of blended print and digital English resources specifically written for the new AQA English specifications, available from early 2015. Written by an experienced author team of teachers and advisers, our differentiated GCSE English Literature resources have a strong focus on progression and are designed to prepare all students for the untiered linear examination. Providing specific set text coverage for the course, each Student Book is bespoke to the individual set texts, helping students to develop their understanding of the characters, writer’s techniques and context and encouraging a deeper understanding of the whole text. With rich digital content to engage and motivate learners, our simple and affordable resources build on subject knowledge and understanding, preparing students for achievement in the new GCSE English Literature specification. Set text support Shakespeare

Macbeth Romeo and Juliet

19th-century

Great Expectations The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde Jane Eyre Frankenstein

Modern British Drama

An Inspector Calls

Modern British Fiction

Short Story Anthology Lord of the Flies

Poetry

For each set text supported Student Book A print Student Book bundled with our Elevate-enhanced Edition providing specific set text support for developing students’ skills and understanding of the whole text. Elevate-enhanced Edition An enhanced digital resource for students and teachers with customisable content, including engaging videos and opportunities to track and report on students’ progression. Teacher’s Resource Everything necessary for teachers to plan and deliver the specification. Our inclusive print Student Book and Elevate-enhanced Edition bundle offers a sophisticated and cost‑effective solution, including everything necessary for the effective teaching and learning of the new GCSE English Literature specification in one package.

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Our AQA resources Student Book

Elevate-enhanced Edition

Bundled with an Elevate-enhanced Edition, each Student Book has been written specifically for the AQA 2015 GCSE English Literature specifications. Our Student Books provide specific set text coverage for the Shakespeare, 19th-century, Modern British Drama, Modern British Fiction and Poetry genres included in the specification.

Available as a standalone product or as part a print Student Book and digital bundle, our Elevateenhanced Editions provide you with a flexible solution to deliver the new 2015 qualifications. These enhanced digital resources provide a range of tools that will allow students to take ownership of their learning.

Our AQA GCSE English Literature Student Books include: • differentiated support – resources for all abilities with progression and extension built into every unit • a range of active learning approaches using class, group and individual activities, allowing students to build their skills, write a response to texts and develop whole-text understanding • support to develop students’ skills in writing about an unseen text in timed conditions • support with mapping students against Progress 8 and preparing them for linear exams

Our Elevate-enhanced Editions: • feature rich digital content including a range of bespoke videos, audio and differentiated interactive resources, video interpretations of texts and poems encourage students to develop their own interpretations and explorations • allow students and teachers to annotate text, add audio notes and hyperlinks • enable teachers to create groups, and share notes and resources with specific student groups – ideal for differentiation • allow for tracking and reporting in tests and includes a My Work folder that can be used to submit work to teachers • are available online through browsers, or offline through iOS or Android apps, so students can access book content anytime, anywhere.

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Teacher’s Resource Specifically developed for the AQA 2015 GCSE English Literature specification, our FREE Teacher’s Resources, will help with the planning and delivery of the course. Packed with best-practice teaching guidance, each Teacher’s Resource includes: • a full Scheme of Work, mapping the Student Book content to the qualifications and highlighting opportunities to co-teach • support for the integrated teaching and delivery of both the English Literature and English Language specifications • mapping where spelling, punctuation and grammar are taught within the units, for clarity of coverage and application in different contexts • Assessment for Learning help monitor individual and group progress • transition support from Key Stage 3 to GCSE and from GCSE to Key Stage 5 • differentiation opportunities to stretch the more able and provide support for those who need it most.

You can access the Student Book sample chapters featured here online. To view a sample demonstration of the Elevate-enhanced Edition, contact your local sales consultant. For more information visit

www.cambridge.org/ukschools

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Annotated Spread for Student Book

GCSE English Literature: Macbeth

Generic icons

Assessment checkpoints and Show your skills Highlights the Assessment for Learning route through the units, accompanied by exemplification (‘Show your skills’) for assessment purposes.

Tip Icon

Assessment checkpoint

English icons

Chapter Review icon Use strand colour for the circle

You willKeyneed to write extended Checklist/summary responses to point/terms icon Macbeth in timed conditions. Use strand colour for the circle Drawing together the progress you have made Test in this unit, write an extended answer to one of the following questions: a How does Shakespeare establish and Core level Take it further Take it furtherin the early present the character of Macbeth part of the play? b HowElevate does Shakespeare present Macbeth’s audio actions and feelings around the murder of King Duncan? Elevateivideo hint How will know i’ve done thisExam well?

✔ The best answers will explore what Shakespeare does to create character. They Show your skills Elevate question type will offer a personal response and provide many, well explained details. ✔ Good answers will show clearCrossunderstanding Elevate evidence of reference work of how Shakespeare creates character using well-chosen examples. ✔ Weaker answers will only explain what happens to a character without using many examples or mentioning what Shakespeare does as a writer.

GettinG furtHer Looking at the effect of line structure and length Look closely at Act 2 Scene 2 lines 14–46. You will notice that the lines alternate quickly between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, helping to build up a sense of their tension and excitement in the moment. This rapid exchange of lines is a technique called stichomythia. You may also notice that Macbeth’s speech is more broken up with punctuation than usual. 1 What is the effect of the stichomythia in Act 2

Scene 2? How does it reflect and enhance the dramatic action?

Marketing icons

Writing exercise Ebook icon

suggesting or leading the way the actor should deliver their lines? Alternatively, can Critical lens you see examples of the line structure or punctuation helping to create a particular tone or mood?

Connect to the text

the power of similes and equivocation

Research

Mathsstabs icons looked like a breach in And his gashed nature, For ruin’s wasteful entrance. Calculator/Calc icon

Exploring (one icon for all concepts)

Macbeth: Act 2 Scene 3, lines 106–107

•

Did you know

Text to performance

The quotation shown above is taken from Act 2 Scene 3 when Macbeth describes his No Calculator feelings at seeing Duncan’s body. This is a Debating point good example of equivocation, an important theme in the play. Macbeth might party be speaking the truth about how he felt; he External hyperlink is, of course, failing to reveal that he was responsible! Generic icons

3 Can you explain (in fewer than 100 words)

•

English icons

Tip Icon

Chapter Review icon the significance of the simile Macbeth uses to Use strand colour for describe Duncan’s wounds? the circle

Key point/terms icon

Key terms

Writing exercise

Critical lens

Checklist/summary Use strand colour for the circle

Stichomythia is a technique where a pair of Test characters speaks short, alternating lines. It is a powerful way to write arguments or tense Core level moments. Take it further

Connect to the text

Research

Take it further

Shakespeare shows Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s excitement after Macbeth murders DuncanElevate byaudio using stichomythia in their conversation. Equivocation (to equivocate) is to use language Elevate video Exam hint in a deliberately ambiguous or confusing way. It is often the case that someone who equivocates tells a half-truth but not the whole truth. Elevate question type

Show your skills

Elevate evidence of work

Cross reference

Macbeth equivocates when describing his response to Duncan’s murdered body.

Exploring (one icon for all concepts)

Text to performance

Debating point

External hyperlink

2 Can you find any other examples from Acts

1 and 2 of the punctuation or line length

Key terms

Concise definitions of key terms, some accompanied with contextualised examples with pop up definitions featured in the Elevate‑enhanced Edition.

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Unit objectives Progression objectives at the beginning of each unit.

Additional features not included in sample

2 Exploring: Explore character and characterisation

Assess your progress ‘Your response’ (in Getting it into writing) and success criteria

Explore themes, ideas, attitudes and perspectives

A final Assessment for Learning task, accompanied by success criteria.

What are the big themes and ideas that dominate Great Expectations?

Key point Your progress in this unit: • explore and revise an overview of the major themes in the novel • interpret how these help the reader to develop ideas and perspectives • develop your skills in writing about themes

Look at the example below to get you started.

Highlights a piece of significant learning.

Theme: Ambition and self-improvement Quotation in evidence of the theme:

From GettinG closer – focus on details

Work as a class to produce a theme decoration. 1 Divide into about six groups. Each group takes

‘My dream was out; my wild fancy was surpassed by sober reality; Miss Havisham was going to make my fortune on a grand scale.’ (Chapter 18, p. 138)

a theme. Here are some examples: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Ambition and self-improvement Love, loyalty and deceit Society and class Wealth Virtue and good character Self-knowledge and identity Growing up Crime and justice

Explanation: Even at a young age Pip seizes on this chance to better himself. He doesn’t realise what a mistake this is.

3 Make a title page for the novel and put it up 2 Find about ten examples where your theme

is explored in the novel. On pieces of card or sticky notes, write a short quotation as evidence and add a short explanation. Don’t forget to add a page reference number!

as the centre of the display. Make a string trail for each of the themes you have explored, leading out from the title page around the room. Pin up the cards along the string or line up the sticky notes. Your trail will provide reference for the themes of the novel – you can use it to help your revision later.

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Using the Elevate-enhanced Edition Students can personalise their resources through text or audio annotations, adding links to useful resources, inserting bookmarks and highlighting key passages.

The userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s data synchronises when online, so their annotations and results are available on any device they use to access the Elevateenhanced Edition.

Additional functionality includes image galleries, zoomable images, animations, videos and interactive questions.

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Features available online only Teachers can send their annotations to students, directing them to further sources of information, adding activities or additional content.

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Supports deep links, so teachers can link from the Elevate-enhanced Edition to their VLE, and vice versa, helping integrate this ďŹ&#x201A;exible resource into your teaching with minimal disruption.

Media galleries and fully searchable content help users find the information they need.

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Brighter Thinking

Macbeth Student Book

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2 Explore character and characterisation Who is Macbeth and what makes this play great drama?

Your progress in this unit: • explore the way Macbeth’s character is established • identify the significance of Macbeth’s actions and attitudes • interpret the way language shapes our view of Macbeth • develop your written response skills

GettinG started – tHe PlaY and You How Macbeth is established as a hero It is difficult to think of Macbeth as a hero. He does many terrible things throughout the play and becomes a cruel, blood-soaked tyrant. However, the first two scenes of Act 1 establish Macbeth’s heroism. In the Captain’s description of a recent battle against Norwegian invaders and rebellious Scottish noblemen, Macbeth is admiringly reported to have been ‘brave’ and ‘noble’. He and Banquo are compared to ‘eagles’ and a ‘lion’. So before the audience ever meets Macbeth, Shakespeare characterises him as a heroic man of action who is also capable of great violence:

1 Use a table like the one below to list what the

bold words in the quotation make you think of. What connotations do they carry? Words used in relation to Macbeth carve

The Captain: Act 1 Scene 2, lines 16–20

Rough/lacking precision. Butchery.

Disdaining Fortune brandished steel Some productions start with a battle scene, with Macbeth and Banquo fighting bravely but violently like the Captain describes. This is exciting to watch and sets Macbeth up straight away as a man of action. 2 a

Why do you think Shakespeare introduces us to Macbeth in this way? b How do you interpret the Captain’s description of Macbeth? Generic icons c Can you draw any links between the way English icons Macbeth is described here and events Tip Icon Chapter Review icon Use strand colour for later in the play? the circle Key point/terms icon

For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name – Disdaining Fortune, with brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like Valour’s minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave

Associated words or connotations

Key terms

Checklist/summary Use strand colour for the circle

A connotation is an idea or a feeling linked Test to the main meaning of a word. The sun, for example, carries connotations of warmth, life and happiness. A knife carries connotations of Core level Take it further Take it further threat or menace. What a word connotes is what it implies or suggests in addition to its literal meaning. Elevate audio

Exam hint

Writing exercise

Critical lens

Connect to the te

Research

Exploring (one ic all concepts)

Text to performan

2 Explore character and characterisation

Introducing Macbeth: first words and actions We first meet Macbeth in Act 1 Scene 3. He has a memorable opening line:

Generic icons Generic icons

English icons

independently) write a few lines of English icons Tip Icon instruction or advice to anChapter actor Writing exe Reviewon icon how Use strand colour for Tip Icon should speak this line they in performance. the circle Writing exe Chapter Review icon Use strand colour for the circle

So foul and fair a day I have not seen.

Key point/terms icon

Key terms Key point/terms icon

Macbeth: Act 1 Scene 3, line 35

This line tells us a lot about the mood and atmosphere Shakespeare is creating, and gives the lighting designer and director some clues about how to stage Macbeth’s entrance. It also carries a number of possible connotations that the actor playing Macbeth will need to decide how to emphasise. Remember too that, unknown to Macbeth, the Witches are onstage and about to appear to him and Banquo for the first time. The contrast between the words ‘foul’ and ‘fair’ also points towards, or foreshadows, the contrasting feelings we might soon feel about Macbeth himself. 3 a

How might the words ‘foul’ and ‘fair’ be interpreted here? Is Macbeth referring to the weather? Is he referring to their recent success in the battle? b What have you already heard or seen about Macbeth himself that could be described as either ‘foul’ or ‘fair’? c Either work in pairs or a small group to explore different ways of delivering Macbeth’s first line, or (if working

Critical lens

Checklist/summary Use strand colour for the circle

Critical lens

Checklist/summary Use strand colour for the circle

Foreshadowing is the suggestion of what is to Test come later, usually using small details. Test Take it further

Connect to th

Connect to t

Core level Take it further

Research

Take it further Macbeth’s reaction to the Witches

Core level Take it further

Research

Elevate audio

Exploring (on all concepts)

Elevate audio

Exploring (on all concepts)

All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter. Third Witch: Act 1 Scene 3, line 48 Elevate video

Exam hint

Text to perfor

Elevate video

Exam hint

Text to perfo

Watch Macbeth meet the Witches on Elevate Elevate question type

Show your skills

Debating po

Elevate question type

Show your skills

Debating po

The Witches’ prophecy fills Macbeth with conflicting emotions. Shakespeare shows us Elevate evidence of Cross reference work that Macbeth is eager to hear what they have to Elevate evidence of Cross reference work say; he commands them to ‘Stay’, ‘Speak’ and ‘Tell me more’. However, he recognises that their predictions ‘Cannot be ill, cannot be good’. He begins to feel a ‘suggestion’ of a ‘horrid image’ and ‘horrid imaginings’.

External hype

4 Write your own interpretation of what you

think is going through Macbeth’s mind during his aside in Act 1 Scene 3 lines 127–41. Show what his true thoughts are!

Stars, hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires Macbeth: Act 1 Scene 4, lines 50–51

GCSE English Literature: Macbeth

How does Shakespeare want you to view Macbeth’s character? 5 Create a table like the one shown to

investigate statements A to E: A

At the start of the play, Macbeth is a warm, friendly character with many qualities.

At the start of the play, Macbeth is clearly already a murderous and dark figure whom we dislike.

At the start of the play Macbeth is shown to be capable of violence and cruelty but also to be much admired and respected.

The Witches poison Macbeth’s mind with evil suggestions.

After thinking about the statements or discussing them with others, decide the extent to which you agree with each one and tick the relevant box. b Find evidence in the form of quotations to support each statement. Which line or quotation would you use to prove or defend what you think about Macbeth’s character? Write these in too. c In the last row, write your own, original statement of how you feel about Macbeth early in the play, and provide a quotation to support it. 6 How do you think Shakespeare wants you to

feel about Macbeth? Write a statement about Macbeth’s character beginning:

Shakespeare wants us to view Macbeth as …

The Witches merely exploit Macbeth’s own ambition and cruelty. Strongly Agree A

At the start of the play, Macbeth is a warm, friendly character with many qualities.

Agree

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Supporting quotations:

Till he unseamed him from the nave to th’chaps And fixed his head upon our battlements. Captain: Act 1 Scene 2, lines 22-23 4

2 Explore character and characterisation

Getting closer – focus on details How does Shakespeare develop Macbeth’s character in Act 1?

• •

what they say (their language, vocabulary and images) what they do (their actions, their reactions to events and their expressions of feeling) how others respond to them or speak about them (the language used to describe them and how people act or behave in their presence).

King Duncan says of Macbeth: ‘I have begun to plant thee and will labour to make thee full of growing’. He hugs him closely, saying ‘let me enfold thee and hold thee to my heart’. (Act 1 Scene 4, lines 28–32) Lady Macbeth says of Macbeth: (he is) ‘too full of the milk of human kindness’. She shows her physical closeness to him by saying ‘Your face, my thane, is as a book where men may read strange matters’ (Act 1, Scene 6) 1 a

Shakespeare uses soliloquy to allow the audience thoughts of characters directly. Alone English icons on stage TipinIconAct 1 Scene 7 (lines 1-28), Macbeth Chapter Review icon Use plots strand colourto for kill struggles with his conscience as he the circle King Duncan.

Generic iconsthe to hear

Writers develop characters through: •

Using soliloquy to show Macbeth’s conscience and doubts around killing Duncan

What do you learn about Macbeth through King Duncan and Lady Macbeth here? What do these quotations tell you about Macbeth or about how others view him? b What do you think the audience think when they hear these lines? Can you explain why they contain dramatic irony? c Can you find another three examples of actions or statements from Act 1 that you think are significant turning points for Macbeth, or which you think sum up his character effectively? d Thinking of the play overall, where are the clues in Act 1 to the man Macbeth becomes?

Key point/terms icon

Critical len

Checklist/summary Use strand colour for the circle

He’s here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against the murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself. Test

Take it further

Writing exe

Connect to t

Core level Take it further

Research

Macbeth: Act 1 Scene 7, lines 13–16

Exploring (o all concepts

Elevate audio

Listen to Macbeth’s soliloquy on Elevate 1 a

Elevate video Exam hint Text to perfo What reasons does Macbeth give as to why Duncan should trust him? b List five reasons why Macbeth should be Elevate question type Debating po afraid of killing Duncan. Show your skills c List the motivations you think he has to go ahead with the murder. Generic icons Elevate evidence of English icons at the quotations in Cross thisreference unit. Which d Look work External hyp Tip Icon Writing exe words do you think tell you the most about Chapter Review icon Use strand colour for the circle Macbeth?

Key point/terms icon

Key terms

Critical lens

Checklist/summary Use strand colour for the circle

Dramatic Test irony is created when the audience knows something about a character or about plot that an actor on stage isn’t aware of. It can create excitement or tension the Corebecause level Take it further Take it further audience are in a privileged position.

Connect to t

Research

Soliloquy means speaking alone on stage audio (rather Elevate than to someone else). It is a theatrical device that builds an audience’s understanding of, and relationship with, a character.

Exploring (on all concepts)

Elevate video

Exam hint

Text to perfo

Elevate question type

Show your skills

Debating po

Elevate evidence of work

Cross reference

External hype

GCSE English Literature: Macbeth b

GettinG sorted – PuttinG details to use Interpreting Macbeth’s character in Act 1

When you put them together, what does it suggest about Macbeth? Try a number of different ways of delivering the lines.

2 Here are two interpretations of Macbeth’s

character. Which one do you most agree with?

When you think, talk or write about characterisation, you try to identify the most significant details you learn about a character, and interpret what you think the writer (Shakespeare) wanted the audience to think or feel. This is why an actor’s performance is sometimes referred to as their interpretation of a character. Here are some more quotations from Act 1 you might use when doing this:

Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a weak and indecisive character in Act 1.

Macbeth appears torn between his feelings of loyalty to Duncan and his own ambition.

3 High-quality interpretation requires you to use

If good, why do I yield to that suggestion, Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair Macbeth (aside): Act 1 Scene 3, lines 133–4

The service and loyalty I owe, In doing it, pays itself.

evidence and fully explain your position. Take interpretation A or B from Question 2. Develop it further by explaining what Shakespeare does to shape the character of Macbeth. Use at least one supporting quotation. Generic icons Tip Icon

Macbeth (to King Duncan): Act 1 Scene 4, lines 22–3

you shall put This night’s great business into my dispatch Lady Macbeth (to Macbeth): Act 1 Scene 5, lines 65–6

If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well It were done quickly Macbeth (soliloquy): Act 1 Scene 7, lines 1–2

Assessment checkpoint

LookingKeyback over the unit, write a paragraph point/terms icon Checklist/summary Use strandMacbeth’s colour for the circle (or more) interpreting how you think character is established in Act 1. Here are some prompts to get you started. Test • • • • •

We will proceed no further in this business. Macbeth (to Lady Macbeth): Act 1 Scene 7, line 31

• •

Take it further

Core level Take it further

Elevate audio

Elevate video

Elevate question type

Macbeth (to Lady Macbeth): Act 1 Scene 7, lines 46–7

•

This is clear when he says … The line ___ suggests … For example, the word ___ implies … The audience can tell that … We can tell that he feels ___ because … His language is full of … An audience would feel … Lady Macbeth’s response suggests … Exam hint

Writing exercise

Critical lens

Connect to the te

Research

Exploring (one ic all concepts)

Text to performan

How will i know i’ve done this well?

I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none.

1 a

Chapter Review icon Use strand colour for the circle

English icons

Read these lines together as if they were all one speech. You could also insert some of the other quotations you have looked at in this unit so far.

Show your skills

✔ Include your own original interpretation. ✔ Integrate at least one quotation that you Elevate evidence of Cross reference explain work fully. Use key terms. ✔ Explore the way the audience responds to Macbeth. ✔ Use accurate spelling and clear, well punctuated, sentences.

Debating point

External hyperlink

2 Explore character and characterisation If you write about Macbeth you will always need to explore the conflicted feelings he has about the killings he is responsible for; the ‘bloody business’ he refers to in his soliloquy in Act 2 Scene 1.

GettinG closer – focus on details How are we made to question Macbeth’s strength of purpose in Act 2?

1 a

As Act 2 develops, we learn that Macbeth is capable of murder, although he is haunted by visions of daggers and terrified by his inability to say the word ‘amen’.

After he kills King Duncan, his strength of purpose is brought into question when it takes Lady Macbeth to return to the scene of the crime and successfully frame the guards. Generic icons English icons Tip Icon

Chapter Review icon Although Macbeth is King by the end the act, Use strandof colour for the circle we are left with the sense that his conscience is deeply troubled by what he has done. Key point/terms icon

Checklist/summary Use strand colour for the circle

Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? Test

Core level Take it further

Take it further

Sketch the outline of a dagger onto a sheet of paper. Inside the dagger write down words you think best describe Macbeth (some examples are shown below). Outside and around the dagger, write down quotations from Act 2 Scenes 1 and 2 that show the feelings and influences on Macbeth at thisicons point in the play. Marketing

Macbeth’s conscience Ebook points towards Hell icon

Writing exercise

Although in Shakespeare’s time there was a deep religious divide in England between Catholics and Protestants, most people had a firm belief in both Heaven and Hell.

Critical lens

Connect to the text

Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell That summons thee to heaven, or to hell

Research

Macbeth: Act 2 Scene 1, lines 36–39 Elevate audio

Listen to Macbeth’s soliloquy on Elevate Elevate video

Exam hint

Exploring (one icon for all concepts)

Calculator/Calc icon

Hell was widely seen as an inevitable punishment for murder and witchcraft, something Macbeth is Did you know obviously very aware of. Text to performance 2 Search Scenes 1 and 2 of Act 2 and write down

Macbeth’s feelings Elevate question type

Show your skills

Elevate evidence of work

Cross reference

anxiou s

Maths icons Macbeth: Act 2 Scene 1, lines 63–64

Calculator examples of MacbethNo referring to Heaven, Hell, witchcraft or religious belief. These will be important when you come to interpret the way Macbeth’s conscience is presented.

Debating point

External hyperlink

haunt ed

3 Imagine you are Macbeth at the end of Act 2.

doubt ing conflic ted

He has committed a terrible sin. What might he say if he tried to pray to his God? Try to compose Macbeth’s prayer.

terrifi ed determined

GCSE English Literature: Macbeth

GettinG sorted – PuttinG details to use

Macbeth’s state of mind after the murder of King Duncan

Macbeth’s use of imagery in Act 2

Below is a list of short statements made by Macbeth to Lady Macbeth in Act 2 Scene 2 immediately after he has murdered King Duncan. What do you think they reveal or suggest about his state of mind?

The language that Macbeth uses after he kills Duncan in Act 2 is full of doubt and regret. He seems obsessed with the idea that he has sealed his fate and that he will pay a heavy price for his actions. His words start to become full of imagery associated with sleep:

Still it cried, ‘Sleep no more’ to all the house; ‘Glamis hath murdered sleep’, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more. Macbeth: Act 2 Scene 2 lines 44-46

I have done the deed

line 14

This is a sorry sight

line 23

I could not say ‘Amen’

line 31

Macbeth shall sleep no more

line 46

I am afraid to think what I have done

line 55

How is’t with me when every noise appals me?

1 Why do you think Macbeth is struck by the

line 61

idea of not sleeping again? How does this line help you to interpret Macbeth’s state of mind in Act 2 Scene 2?

Wake Duncan with thy knocking; I would thou line 77 couldst.

2 Shakespeare constantly refers to sleep using

a range of imagery. Sleep is ‘innocent’, the Generic ‘death of icons each day’s life’, ‘sore labour’s bath’ the ‘chief nourisher in life’s feast’. Tip Icon Chapter Review icon

1 Complete the sentences begun below with

English your icons

•

After he murders King Duncan, Macbeth is left feeling… The language Macbeth uses suggests… Macbeth appears to be… An actor might portray Macbeth by… Writing exercise

Use strand colour for the circle

Ebook icon

explain or interpret at least two of these images in full Key sentences. Here is an example: point/terms icon Checklist/summary

• • •

Use strand colour for the circle

When Macbeth refers to sleep as the ‘balm of hurt minds’ it implies that he is experiencing mental pain and that he fears he will never again receive the ‘balm’ or relief that sleep provides. This imagery English icons Generic icons reflects the anguish and doubt he is feeling and is an expression of his guilt. Test

Core level Take it further

Take it further

Tip Icon

Chapter Review icon Use strand colour for the circle

Elevate audio Key point/terms icon

Checklist/summary Use strand colour for the circle

Key terms

Marketing icons own interpretations.

Critical lens

Connect to the text

Connect to the text Marketing icons c, detailed Always Research try to make specifi connections when using quotations. Don’t just Maths icons Writing exercise Ebook icon try to show what is explain their basic meaning; suggested what is implied about a character, Calculator/Calc icon Exploring or (one icon for theme allorconcepts) idea. What does the language imply, Critical lens suggest or reﬂect? Did you know

Elevate video

Exam hint

Imagery Test is when descriptive or vivid language is used to plant a strong image in the reader or audience’s mind. It is often used repeatedly Show your skills Elevate question type for emphasis. ects level a strong Take it further Imagery often reflCore Take it further theme. For example, Shakespeare uses several images of sleep in Act 2. Elevate evidence of Cross reference work

Text to performance Connect to the text

No Calculator Debating point Research

Maths icons External hyperlink Exploring (one icon for all concepts)

Elevate audio

Exam hint

Text to performance

Calculator/Calc icon

Did you know

2 Explore character and characterisation

GettinG it into writinG

his ‘sound and fury’ has become too harsh and brutal for an audience to retain any sympathy for him.

Writing about Macbeth as a character When writing about characterisation in the examination, you will need to explore how a character is shown to think and behave at various times in the play. Macbeth behaves and speaks very differently by Act 5 compared to Act 1. You will need to show that you understand how the character is presented through the language that they use. 1 Which of points A to C about Macbeth’s

2 Write a comment for each of the points,

identifying one strength and two things that could be improved. Characters that are ‘tragic heroes’ such as Macbeth are supposed to have an important flaw or to make an error of judgement that leads to their downfall (the Greek word for this flaw is hamartia). What do you think was Macbeth’s flaw or error of judgement?

character do you think is most convincing and exploratory? A

Macbeth is thought of as ‘brave’ and ‘noble’ in Act 1 but changes as the play goes on. By the end he is a ‘butcher’ and Macduff calls him a ‘hell hound’. He changes from good to bad throughout the play.

3 Write an imaginary letter from Shakespeare

to a modern audience member in which he English icons explains what Macbeth’s mistake or flaw is and Icon intends us to feel about him at the end how Tiphe Chapter Review icon Use strand colour for of the play. the circle

Generic icons

The audience get a special insight into the change in Macbeth as the play goes on. Through soliloquy we hear his private thoughts and therefore feel some sympathy for ‘this dead butcher’ who we see has a conscience and whose mind was ‘full of scorpions’. The ‘valiant’, ‘noble’ and ‘worthy’ Macbeth we learn to admire in Act 1 becomes increasingly hard to empathise with. By Act 5

And his gashed stabs looked like a breach in nature, For ruin’s wasteful entrance.

Key point/terms icon

Key terms

Writing exer

Critical lens

Checklist/summary Use strand colour for the circle

Hamartia Test is a word that is used to describe the character flaw or fatal mistake that a tragic hero makes. This hamartia always leads to the downfall The Core level Take itand further death of a tragic character. Take it further word originates from Ancient Greek approaches to writing dramatic tragedies. One of Elevate Macbeth’s biggest character flaws, and audio perhaps an example of hamartia, is the strength of his ambition.

Connect to th

Research

Exploring (on all concepts)

Elevate video

Exam hint

Text to perfor

Elevate question type

Show your skills

Debating poi

Elevate evidence of work

Cross reference

External hype

Macbeth: Act 2 Scene 3, lines 106–107 9

GCSE English Literature: Macbeth

Generic icons

Tip Icon

Assessment checkpoint

English icons

Chapter Review icon Use strand colour for the circle

You willKeyneed to write extended responses to point/terms icon Checklist/summary Macbeth in timed conditions. Use strand colour for the circle Drawing together the progress you have made Test in this unit, write an extended answer to one of the following questions: a How does Shakespeare establish and Core level Take it further Take it further present the character of Macbeth in the early part of the play? b How does Shakespeare present Macbeth’s Elevate audio actions and feelings around the murder of King Duncan? How will know I’ve done thisExam well? ElevateIvideo hint

Marketing icons Writing exercise Ebook icon

suggesting or leading the way the actor should deliver their lines? Alternatively, can Critical lens you see examples of the line structure or punctuation helping to create a particular tone or mood? Connect to the text

The power of similes and equivocation Research

Mathsstabs icons looked like a breach in And his gashed nature, For ruin’s wasteful entrance.

Exploring (one icon for all concepts)

Macbeth: Act 2 Scene 3, lines 106–107 Did you know

Text to performance

✔✔ The best answers will explore what Shakespeare does to create character. They your skills Elevate question type will offer a personal responseShow and provide many, well explained details. ✔✔ Good answers will show clear understanding Elevate evidence of Cross reference work Shakespeare creates character using of how well-chosen examples. ✔✔ Weaker answers will only explain what happens to a character without using many examples or mentioning what Shakespeare does as a writer.

3 Can you explain (in fewer than 100 words) Tip Icon

Key terms

Looking at the effect of line structure and length Look closely at Act 2 Scene 2 lines 14–46. You will notice that the lines alternate quickly between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, helping to build up a sense of their tension and excitement in the moment. This rapid exchange of lines is a technique called stichomythia. You may also notice that Macbeth’s speech is more broken up with punctuation than usual. 1 What is the effect of the stichomythia in Act 2

Scene 2? How does it reflect and enhance the dramatic action?

English icons

Chapter Review icon the significance of the simile Macbeth uses to Use strand colour for the circle describe Duncan’s wounds?

Key point/terms icon

Getting further

Checklist/summary Use strand colour for the circle

Stichomythia is a technique where a pair of Test characters speaks short, alternating lines. It is a powerful way to write arguments or tense moments. Core level Take it further Take it further

Show your skills

Elevate evidence of work

Cross reference

Macbeth equivocates when describing his response to Duncan’s murdered body.

2 Can you find any other examples from Acts

1 and 2 of the punctuation or line length

Calculator/Calc icon

Writing exercise

Critical lens

Connect to the te

Research

Exploring (one ico all concepts)

Text to performan

Debating point

External hyperlink

Brighter Thinking

Great Expectations Student Book

GCSE-English-Lit_section_starts_poetry.indd 2

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2 Exploring: Explore character and characterisation

Explore themes, ideas, attitudes and perspectives What are the big themes and ideas that dominate Great Expectations?

Your progress in this unit: • explore and revise an overview of the major themes in the novel • interpret how these help the reader to develop ideas and perspectives • develop your skills in writing about themes

Look at the example below to get you started.

Theme: Ambition and self-improvement Quotation in evidence of the theme:

From GettinG

details

closer – focus on

Work as a class to produce a theme decoration. 1 Divide into about six groups. Each group takes

‘My dream was out; my wild fancy was surpassed by sober reality; Miss Havisham was going to make my fortune on a grand scale.’ (Chapter 18, p. 138)

a theme. Here are some examples: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Ambition and self-improvement Love, loyalty and deceit Society and class Wealth Virtue and good character Self-knowledge and identity Growing up Crime and justice

Explanation: Even at a young age Pip seizes on this chance to better himself. He doesn’t realise what a mistake this is.

3 Make a title page for the novel and put it up 2 Find about ten examples where your theme

is explored in the novel. On pieces of card or sticky notes, write a short quotation as evidence and add a short explanation. Don’t forget to add a page reference number!

GCSE English Literature: Great Expectations From Getting

TO USE

sorted – PUTTING DETAILS

1 Use a grid following the example here to make

a record of where different themes occur in the novel, providing five examples for each theme. Use your work from Units 5 and 7 and the work you did to create your theme trails earlier. Find examples for each of the themes listed here. Theme

Example

Ambition and 1 Pip finds out self-improvement he has a secret benefactor

• • • • • • • •

Ambition and self-improvement Love, loyalty and deceit Society and class Wealth Virtue and good character Self-knowledge and identity Growing up Crime and justice

Quotation

How does this refer to the theme?

‘My dream was out; my wild fancy was surpassed by sober reality; Miss Havisham was going to make my fortune on a grand scale.’ (Chapter 18, p. xxx)

Even at a young age Pip seizes on this chance to better himself. He doesn’t realise what a mistake this is.

‘I am ignorant what may become of me very soon, how poor I may be, or where I may go. Still, I love you. I have loved you ever since I first saw you in this house.’ (Chapter 44, p. xxx)

Pip displays unquestioning love and loyalty. As a reader we know this is not necessarily best for him!

2 3 4 5 Love, loyalty and deceit

1 Pip goes to Satis House and tells Estella that he loves her

‘I have not bestowed my tenderness anywhere. I have never had any such thing.’ Estella: Chapter 29 12

14 Explore themes, ideas, attitudes and perspectives From Getting

it into writing

1 Choose one of the following titles to respond

b How does Dickens present the theme of society and class in the novel?

to the themes in Great Expectations. You could use the writing methods you have explored and developed over the units, and time yourself for 50 minutes. ✔✔ Underline the key words in the task ✔✔ Take around four minutes to produce a spider diagram or list of thoughts and ideas ✔✔ Take around two minutes to number your thoughts and ideas into an order ✔✔ Make a draft of the opening sentence and closing sentence you might use ✔✔ Write your essay ✔✔ Allow five minutes for revisions and proof reading.

Write about: • •

How does Dickens present the theme of self-knowledge and identity in the novel? Write about: • •

How does Dickens present the theme of ambition and self-improvement throughout the novel?

how Dickens presents Pip becoming a gentleman how Dickens presents Pip’s attitudes to being a gentleman by the end of the novel.

how Dickens develops Pip’s identity throughout the novel how Dickens presents what Pip has learnt by the end of the novel.

d How does Dickens portray the theme of love, loyalty and deceit?

Write about: Write about: •

•

how Dickens uses the meetings with Miss Havisham and Estella at Satis House to encourage Pip’s attitude to self-improvement how Dickens presents Pip’s changing ambitions, hopes and dreams in each of the different volumes.

• • •

how Dickens presents Pip’s love for Estella how Dickens presents the loyalty between Magwitch and Pip how Dickens presents the deceit of Miss Havisham.

Miss Havisham and Estella never sat in a kitchen, but were far above the level of such common doings. Chapter 9 13

Brighter Thinking

Poetry Student Book

GCSE-English-Lit_section_starts_poetry.indd 1

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xercise

Mother, any distance GettinG started – tHe PoeM and You 1 Why do you think Armitage addresses the

poem to ‘Mother’ rather than ‘Mum’ or ‘Ma’? Is it because: a b c d e

his mother is quite formal it makes him seem less like a child it makes the poem read like a letter he doesn’t think of her as ‘Mum’ it makes a difference to your tone of voice when you read the poem? Marketing icons

house and his mother helping him to measure up. He describes the spaces in the house as ‘acres’ of walls and ‘prairies’ of floors. Why do you think he chooses words normally used for spaces far bigger than you would find in any house?

2 AfterEbook a quick first reading of the poem, list five icon

words that you think are most important in the poem.

2 What is the main focus of stanza two? 3 What is the main focus of stanza three?

How would you use these five words in one or two sentences to introduce the poem to someone who has not yet read it?

o the text

4 Choose some details that support the

movement through the poem of any of the ideas below:

3 This poem reflects on leaving home and

putting Maths icons

a distance between yourself and your parents. In pairs, discuss three advantages and icon threeCalculator/Calc disadvantages of leaving home.

one icon for ts)

a b c d

from dependence to independence from present to future from being close to being apart from security to risk

Did you know

Contexts

formance

perlink

The poem is structured in three stanzas with a sequence that leads the reader through the poem. 1 Stanza one sets the scene, with a focus on the

point

GettinG closer – focus on details

Book of Matches (1993), from which this poem No Calculator is taken, contains thirty sonnets written before Armitage’s thirtieth birthday. Each was designed to be read within the time it takes for a match to burn down. Simon Armitage is an award-winning poet, born in 1963. He has been awarded the CBE for his services to poetry. He says:

Poetry is a very compact language, so you can think about where there is another meaning to some of the words; it can be like looking into a pond – will something else come into focus?

Cluster 1 Love and relationships: 1 Mother, any distance

MotHer, anY distance

Mother, any distance greater than a single span requires a second pair of hands. You come to help me measure windows, pelmets, doors, the acres of the walls, the prairies of the floors. You at the zero-end, me with the spool of tape, recording length, reporting metres, centimetres back to base, then leaving up the stairs, the line still feeding out, unreeling years between us. Anchor. Kite. I space-walk through the empty bedrooms, climb the ladder to the loft, to breaking point, where something has to give; two floors below your fingertips still pinch the last one-hundredth of an inch â&#x20AC;Ś I reach towards a hatch that opens on an endless sky to fall or fly.

Simon Armitage

pelmet (3): panel used to cover the top part of curtains prairies (4): uninhabited area of open, treeless grassland in America

GCSE English Literature: Poetry

Getting sorted – putting details to use Interpreting ideas, perspectives and context When you show your understanding of the poem, you need to use details to support your explanations. 1 Using the table below to get you started,

choose two other points that show your understanding of the poem, along with supporting detail. Understanding the poem

Supporting detail from the poem

He is putting more and more distance between them

‘Unreeling’ and ‘leaving’

He is grateful for his mother’s help

Some jobs need ‘a second pair of hands’

2 Now read the following interpretations about

the poem and add a detail that supports each one. Interpreting attitudes and feelings He is looking forward to his freedom as an adventure He wonders if he is able to break free He understands that his mother finds it hard to let go

3 Armitage makes the poem more interesting

by using the situation of measuring in a new home to reveal something about the feelings and ideas that spring from close relationships. This is where the reader interprets from what the writer thinks and feels. a

When you interpret, you take understanding further and suggest why something matters to the writer, or to the reader. You find motives, feelings and attitudes in what you read.

reporting metres, centimetres back to base

Supporting detail from the poem

Armitage describes his mother as an ‘anchor’. Explore some of the ideas and connections with anchors and ships: • What does an anchor do? • Why is an anchor necessary? • Where, usually, do ships anchor? • What happens if a ship loses its anchor?

Cluster 1 Love and relationships: 1 Mother, any distance b Armitage describes himself as a ‘kite’. Explore some of the possible connections: • A kite is built to fly high above the ground • A kite is controlled by a kite-flyer • A kite has no power of its own • What happens if the kite-line breaks? c What do you think Armitage means at the end of the poem where he wonders Generic icons whether he may ‘fall’ or ‘fly’? English icons Tip Icon

Assessment checkpoint

Chapter Review icon Use strand colour for the circle

The poem is called ‘Mother, any distance’. Key point/terms icon Checklist/summary Use strand colour for the circle Using your work so far, write a paragraph explaining Simon Armitage’s mixed feelings about his mother and the idea of distance from Test her. Use supporting detail from the poem in your response. Take it further

Core level Take it further

Elevate audio

Armitage takes a real situation and uses it to express his thoughts and feelings about his family relationship. Elevate video Exam hint 1 Look at Armitage’s word choice in: Show your skills

two floors below your fingertips still pinch Elevate evidence of work

2 Create a chart with three columns. Label them

like this:

Marketing icons

Column one: Nouns which make the Ebook icon place a realistic context b Column two: Verbs which make the Critical lens activity a realistic context c Column three: Words which may have been used in a literal rather than a Connect to the text metaphorical way a

Writing exercise

3 Now group the words in your chart to these

Research

Analysing language, form and structure

Elevate question type

Armitage makes the situation real by the naming of real things in the house. This is where the nouns matter. He also wants to make the activity seem real, by including specific actions. This is where the verbs matter. As a poet, he also wants to help his readers’ imagination by using words figuratively. This is where the metaphors matter.

categories:

Maths icons

distance

Calculator/Calc icon measurement

Exploring (one icon for all concepts)

connection

Did you know 4 Look at Armitage’s choice of sentence

Text to performance

structures. Stanza two has one long sentence over three and a half lines, followed English icons Generic running icons No Calculator by two words standing as a sentence each. Debating point Tip Icon Chapter Reviewby icon writing What effect do you think he wanted Use strand colour for the circle the two words this way?

Writing exe

Cross reference

To analyse his choice of words, start by thinking of other words he could have used, but didn’t. a

He could have used ‘hand’ or ‘finger’. Why do you think he chose ‘fingertips’ instead? b He could have used a word such as ‘hold’, ‘grasp’ or ‘grip’ to convey his mother’s action. Why do you think he chose ‘pinch’ instead? Nouns which make the place a realistic context

External hyperlink

Key point/terms icon

Key terms

Critical lens

Checklist/summary Use strand colour for the circle

A metaphor is a figure of speech where one Test thing is described as though it is something different. ‘The acres of the walls’ is a metaphor that makes the walls seem muchCorelarger than level Take it further Take it further they are.

Connect to t

Research

Exploring (on all concepts)

Elevate audio

Elevate video Verbs which make the activity a realistic context

Words which may Exam have hint been used in a metaphorical rather than realistic way

Elevate question type

Show your skills

Elevate evidence of

Cross reference

Text to perfo

Debating po

External hype

GCSE English Literature: Poetry

Getting it into writing 1 Read examples A–C of writing about the poem.

In pairs, discuss the way the writers explore the poem more deeply and offer possible interpretations and opinions. How far do you agree with what has been written? Exploring – words and interpretations A

He may mean that he can’t get away because he is tied to her like a ship. Or it may mean he is safe because without an anchor he might drift off and hit the rocks. An anchor can be a restraint or a security. From the rest of the poem I think he means security.

The poem gives us Armitage’s viewpoint as the son. We can imagine the mother’s viewpoint from her movements ‘reeling’ and ‘pinching’, accepting that she has to let her son go but hoping that she can keep some contact, if not control over him. The parent’s perspective is not explicit in the poem but some readers would see it.

2 You need to use your selected details of

language to sustain a comment on the poet’s skill in using words.

Analysing – putting together a group of words to see if there is a pattern B

Perspectives – hints about what the ideas or attitudes may suggest about the way the writer sees the world around.

He uses the word fingertips rather than fingers or hand because the fingertips are the very end of the hand. His mother is only just in touch with him. ‘Fingertips’ also reminds us of ‘hanging on by your fingertips’, which suggests something quite desperate, which may be how one of them is feeling.

Using the words and phrases in the ‘Selecting language detail’ table, explain why you think Armitage selected each of them. Link your explanations to the ideas in the poem. Finish with a sentence or two that sums up what you have discovered. Compare your responses in pairs.

Selecting language detail Language detail

Unreeling

Why has the poet selected this word or phrase?

He is getting further away from her but is still connected. A fishing line unreels but is not always connected to anything (and has a hook on the end). The idea of a kite line is better as the connection remains even though the kite gets further away (and being higher is seen as a good thing).

Endless sky Breaking point (what is the ‘something’ that has to give?) Prairies

A second pair of hands

Tip Icon

Key point/terms icon

Getting further

Writing exercise

Chapter Review icon Use strand colour for the circle

Ebook ico

Critical lens

Checklist/summary

strand colour for the circle Cluster 1 Love Use and relationships: 1 Mother, any distance

Test

Connect to the text

You could read more from Simon Armitage. For Take it further example:

Core level Take it further

Research

Maths icons

•

The Book of Matches, from which this poem is Elevate audio taken. It contains thirty sonnets written before Armitage’s thirtieth birthday. Each can be read within twenty seconds, which is the time it Elevate video takes for a match to be lit and burn out. a prose account of Armitage’s childhood in Little Green Man and his other prose work All Elevate question type Points North.

Did you kn

You could also explore poems about family Elevate by evidence of other writers, such as Gillian Clarke’s ‘Catrin’work or Vernon Generic iconsScannell’s ‘Nettles’. English icons Tip Icon

Chapter Review icon Use strand colour for the circle

Poems to compare

Exam hint

Text to performance

Show your skills

Debating point

No Calcula

reference GoCrossthe ‘Comparison skills’ External unithyperlink to learn about skills in comparing poems.

Marketing icons

Writing exercise Ebook icon

A comparison with this poem might explore Key point/terms icon Checklist/summary Use strand colourfamily for the circle the way this poem and another present relationships. In your comparison you will be using your chosen details to compare: Test

• Critical ‘Before you were mine’ (daughter’s view of lens mother) • ‘Follower’ (son’s view of father) to the text • Connect ‘Walking Away’ (father’s view of son)

• ideas, perspectives and contexts • writers’ methods in using language form and Core level Take it further structure to affect the reader Take it further • your own opinions about what matters in the poems and how they are written. Elevate audio

You could use your exploration of the poem to respond to the following question:

Choose a poem from this cluster to compare this poem with. You might consider:

Calculator/

Exploring (one icon for all concepts)

Research

Maths icons

Compare how poets present attitudes towards in ‘Mother, any parent-child relationshipsCalculator/Calc icon Exploring (one icon for all concepts) distance’ and one another poem from the cluster. Did you know

Elevate video

Exam hint

Text to performance

Elevate question type

Show your skills

Debating point

Elevate evidence of work

Cross reference

unreeling years between us

No Calculator

External hyperlink

to breaking point, where something has to give

Blended digital and print resources specifically created for the new AQA GCSE English Literature specification, available from early 2015.

Brighter Thinking

For more information or to speak to your local sales consultant, please contact us:

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ENGLISH LITERATURE GCSE for AQA Sample

Written from draft specification

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