A level English Literature: OCRThe John Lyon School English Department

Independent Reading Learning Journal and COURSEWORK GUIDANCE

Student Name:

English Group: Year 13

(You will submit this journal monthly to your English Teachers)

KS5 A level English Literature course

Seamus Heaney (b. 1939)John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath (1939)

Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis (1915)

W.H.Auden (b. 1907)

John Milton, Paradise Lost (1667)

Lewis, The Monk (1796) *G

William Wordsworth, Lyrical Ballads (1798)

John Keats, Ode (1819)

Dr Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language (1755)

Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (1726)

Jane Austen (b. 1775) doesn’t belong to a

specific literary period

William Blake (b. 1757)

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)

George Eliot, Silas Marner (1861)

Charles Dickens (b. 1812)

Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary (1857)

Voltaire, Candide (1759)

Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Fautus (1604)

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene (1590)

William Shakespeare (b. 1564)

500

1000

1300

1500

1600

1700

1800

1820

1840

1860

1880

1900

1920

1940

1960

1980

2000

Medieval 500-1500

Enlightenment (Neoclassical) 1700-1800

Renaissance and Reformation (English) 1500-1670

Romantic Period 1798-1870 / 1785-1837Gothic Period 1790-1890 (*G)

Victorian Period 1837-1901

Realism 1820-1920

Existentialism 1850-present

Modernism 1910-1965

Naturalism 1870-1920

The Bloomsbury Group 1903-1964

The Beat Generation 1945-1965

Post-Modernism 1965-present

Beowulf (circa 1000)

Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (circa 1390)

Jean-Jacque Rousseau, Emile (1762)

Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights (1847)

Lord Byron, Don Juan (1819-1824)

Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891)

Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre (1847)

F.Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)

Robert Browning (b. 1812)Bram Stoker, Dracula (1897) *G

Ann Radcliffe (b. 1764) *G Edgar Allan Poe (b. 1809) *G

Christina Rossetti (b. 1830)

Virginia Woolf (1882)

E.M.Forster, Howard’s End (1910)

Allen Ginsberg, Howl (1956)

Jack Kerouac, On the Road (1957) E.M.Forster, Howard’s End (1910)

)William S.Burroughs, Naked Lunch (1959)

Dylan Thomas (b. 1914)Wilfred Owen (b. 1893)

Robert Frost (b. 1874)

Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea (1952)

T.S.Eliot, The Waste Land (1922)

Albert Camus, The Stranger (1942)

Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot (1949)

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967)

Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children (1981)

Khaled Hossieni, A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007)

George Orwell, 1984 (1949)

Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange (1962)

Literary

Perio

“Studying English was my first and probably my biggest step towards mental freedom and independence. It was like falling in love with life.”

"The rule of the writer is not to say what we can all say but what we are unable to say."

Originality does not consist in saying what no one has ever said before, but in saying exactly what you think yourself."

Autu

mn

Term

1

(Yr1

2)

Target

Reflection

Autu

mn

Term

2

(Yr1

2)

Target

Reflection

Chris

tmas

Hol

iday

(y

12)

Target

Reflection

Sprin

g Te

rm 1

Target

Reflection

Sprin

g Te

rm 2 Target

Reflection

Sum

mer

Ter

m 1

Target

Reflection

My Reading Targets

Set yourself at least one target per half term, focussed on developing your reading; this could be expanding the range and variety of texts you read; becoming a more active and critical reader; discussing your reading more frequently; developing your vocabulary, etc.

Year 13 Teacher 1 Teacher 2 Cwk reqd Deadlines (TBC) notesWinter term 1 Milton Cwk texts yes Draft NovemberWinter term 2 Milton/ Lear Webster yesSpring term 1 Lear Webster/Milton yes Final: januarySpring term 2 Lear/revision Exam practiceSummer term 1 revision revision

Teacher 1 Teacher 2

Milton/Lear JWP GRI

Cwk/Webster/Milton BRD MAM

Course Schedule

Teacher 1 Teacher 2Term 1

September 2015

Week 2

Independent Learning 1 DUE:

Read 3-5 articles from any source, relating to the Milton and the contexts of production of Paradise Lost and make detailed mind-maps or learning mats summarizing the main ideas learned.

Assessment:

Week 4Independent Learning 2 Find and read two articles relating to Jacobean Tragedy. Summarise them in note form

You will have two teachers, one for each unit; you will have 6 lessons per week, split 3 and 3

Traditional homework tasks will not be set; instead, students will be expected to develop their reading (the amount of texts, the range and variety of texts, and analysis skills) by undertaking a series of independent learning opportunities focussed on wider reading – the fortnightly assessments will look to assess the skills being developed.

You will submit your Independent Reading Learning Journal once per fortnight so that your teacher can learn about your projects.

One lesson per fortnight will be an in-class assessment, usually a timed condition written task linked to class work such as exam or coursework texts, although on occasion it may be a one-to-one oral assessment (linked to exam, coursework and independent reading texts, etc.).

Work not completed in class will be completed independently, ready for the next lesson.Work missed due to absence will be completed independently, ready for the next lesson. Students will be required to prepare for lessons, usually requiring the re-reading of specific passages from set texts, preparation of coursework and research.

DUE:

Assessment:

Week 6Independent Learning 3 Half term work

Annotate a passage from Paradise Lost 9 from two different critical perspectives – one perspective will need to be feminist, the second is your choice. Look at how the reader perceives how power, in society and in relationships, is presented from different critical viewpoints. The passage or poem should be copied twice with separate annotations for the two critical perspectives.

Assessment:

Winter term 2

Teacher 1 Teacher 2

Wk1

Wk2

Independent Learning 4 DUE:

Watch a film version of King Lear. Write a review of the production. There are films on the school video server.

Assessment:

AWk3BWk4Independent Learning 5 DUE:

Find out about: The Man Booker Prize and World Book Night 2016. Select a previous winner of The Man Booker and one of the titles for 2016 World Book Night and start to read both books! You will need to speak to the librarian

Assessment:

AWk5BWk6Independent Learning 6DUE:

Look through back copies of The English Review (in the library) and find 3 articles that are connected to any of your exam texts. Make copies of the articles, annotate each and create resources based on what you have learned.

Assessment:

AWk7

Spring 1BWk1Independent Learning 7 DUE: Find 3 articles discussing the depiction of women in 16th and 17th century texts. Make a revision resource

which can be shared with the group. You might need to discuss with the History department Make this relevant to your texts.

Assessment:

AWk2BWk3Independent Learning 8 DUE:

Read at least 3 critical articles relating to the nature of evil in King Lear. Summarise the key features and produce a revision guide.

Assessment:

AWk4

ABWk5Independent Learning 9 DUE:

Listen to a Radio 4 programme (literary or cultural). Make notes on what you learned, paying special attention to developing and expanding your vocabulary.

Assessment:

Assessment:

SP2

AWk1BWk2Independent Learning 10 DUE:

Your choice! (E.g. attend a cultural event, such as: a poetry or literature reading by a writer; a literary festival; an exhibition; the British Library; Shakespeare’s house; a lecture; a theatre production, etc.) Be ready to share with the class.

Assessment:

AWk3BWk4Independent Learning 11 DUE:

Your choice

Assessment:

AWk5

Mock exams?

BWk6

SP2

AWk1BWk2Independent Learning 12 DUE:

OWN CHOICE

Assessment:

AWk3BWk4Independent Learning 13 DUE:

OWN CHOICE

Assessment:

AWk5

Easter HolidaysSU1

BWk1

Preparation for exams

Independent Learning 14 DUE: Own choice with revision focus

Assessment:

AWk2BWk3Independent Learning 15

DUE:

Assessment:

AWk4

May Study leave?

BWk5

May Study leave?

AWk6

May Study leave?

Independent Reading Projects

When your independent reading project has not been specified in the course schedule, you can select a project from the list to complete. Make sure to choose a variety of projects that will challenge you and develop your skills. Remember to write the task in the course schedule so that you can keep a track of what you have completed. Have fun!

Read 3-5 articles from The English Review on a variety of texts and make detailed mind-maps or learning mats summarizing the main ideas learned.

Find out about: The Man Booker Prize and World Book Night 2014. Select a previous winner of The Man Booker and one of the titles for 2014 World Book Night and start to read both books! (September)

Read a collection of poems (at least 15) by a poet laureate who is still alive (there’s only two!) and write to the poet (letter, email to publisher, twitter) telling them of your experience of reading their work.

Read about a pre 20th century writer from the Canon – someone you’ve ‘heard of’ but don’t really know much about – use at least three different sources (e.g. a biography, obituary, NOT Wikipedia). Teach someone else about your newly discovered writer. Start reading one of their books, paying particular attention to how you respond to the text as a 21st century reader (your social and historical context), and how this might differ to the original readers’ responses.

Your choice! (E.g. attend a cultural event, such as: a poetry or literature reading or festival; an exhibition; a lecture; a theatre production, etc.) Be ready to share with the class.

Annotate a passage from a novel or a poem from two different critical perspectives – one perspective will need to be feminist, the second is your choice. Look at how the reader perceives how power, in society and in relationships, is presented from different critical viewpoints. The passage or poem should be copied twice with separate annotations for the two critical perspectives.

Create and present a 5 minute screencast on a wider reading text you have studied this year, arguing why the text should or should not be compulsory study for A level English Literature students.

Watch a performance at The Globe Theatre in London – tickets go on sale in the spring and performances begin late spring/early summer, for £5.00! Perhaps organise to go as a class and have a fun day out after the exams? You will all be expected to evidence your attendance and be able to talk about the performance you saw! (May/June/July)

Read a selection of Wilfred Owen’s poems, including: ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’, ‘Futility’, ‘The Parable of the Old Man and the Young’ and ‘Strange Meeting’. Research and then listen to Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem (a piece of music) and think about how Britten uses music to draw your attention to certain aspects of the poem. Did your experience of the poems alter between the reading of the poems and listening to the poems set to music? Why? (http://www.its.caltech.edu/~tan/Britten/reqtext.html)

Join or start your own book club! Be a poetry promoter! Decide on a poem you think all students and staff should read and promote the poem. You could

display the poem on notice boards around the school; send the poem to students or staff via emails; read the poem in form time (your own and others); give the poem as a a gift to teacher; invite people to a poetry reading, etc. Be creative!

Review an event organized as part of the Union programme and arrange for it to be published in the JLS English review. Speak to 10 members of staff in school and ask them about their favourite books. Read one of their suggestions and email

the teacher telling them your thoughts on that book. Look through back copies of The English Review (in the library) and find 3 articles that are connected to your coursework or

exam texts. Make copies of the 3 articles, annotate each and create revision resources based on what you have learned. Recently, Cambridge University set the lyrics to an Amy Winehouse song for an English Literature exam; analyse the lyrics of a

song that you would like to be part of the A level English curriculum and write a short persuasive letter explaining your reasons.

Watch the black and white film version of To Kill a Mockingbird, Great Expectations and The Big Sleep (all based on novels of the same name).

Read two or more books by the same author from the suggested reading list. Visit the British Library website (or even go in person!), and explore their ‘English Timeline’ which charts English Language and

Literature through the ages. Create your own map of the most significant literary periods and events and start recording your reading against your timeline. Do you notice gaps in your reading?

Create a resource for World Book Day 2016. Liaise with the librarian to see what would be useful. Be creative! Read two books from the year 13 reading list and create a comparative mindmap showing key gothic elements in each.

SUBMIT THIS SHEET WITH YOUR INDEPENDENT READING TASKS TO YOUR TEACHER.

Independent Reading Learning Journal

Project: Date submitted:

Brief description of project or evidence or project:

Self-reflection (skills developed/WWW/EBI/useful because/surprising because/challenging because/next time I need to…):

Teacher feedback:

How to be an active, critical and effective readerOn the first reading:

1. It’s a good idea to approach the text without too much background information. This means that you can interpret the text in your own way, without being influenced by others’ opinions of it. Make note of what stands out to you, in terms of:

o Characterisationo Themes, issues and ideaso Structureo Language

2. Then consider the context of writing: where and when? By whom? Might the author’s biography be relevant/significant/useful? Do they have an agenda?

3. Then consider the critical reception and consider how different critical theorists might interpret the text and its possible meanings; ie how might different readers interpret the meaning of the text differently?

On the second reading:

This time, consider the areas in which you are most interested and read for information.

a) If you are studying the text for an exam, consider possible essay questions.b) If you are studying the text for coursework, ideally by this point you will have chosen a potential

coursework title already and will be reading with this in mind. c) If you reading the text to develop your wider independent reading, try to find connections with

other writers and texts: perhaps identify genre conventions or context clues; draw connections between your reading and your own life experiences. Most importantly, ask questions of the text and of yourself in response to the text – why does the text make you feel and think the way you do – analyse your emotional and intellectual responses.

Gather evidence for AO2, 3 & 4.

“In a good book the best is between the lines.”

“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.”

“It is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between.”

“I can’t imagine a man really enjoying a book and reading it only once.”

Questions to ask when reading – how to be an active, critical and

effective reader

Use the topics below as prompts for asking questions when you are reading.

Setting Narrator Context of Reception

Character Point of View

Context of Production

Action Speech and Dialogue Form

Style Plot Language

Ideas and Themes Structure Symbols

Emotion Author Unanswered questions

“The wise man doesn’t give the right

answers, he poses the right questions.”

Understanding the Assessment Objectives

Assessment objectives

Assessment objective 1

Articulate creative, informed and relevant responses to literary

texts, using appropriate

terminology and concepts, and

coherent, accurate written expression.

Assessment objective 2

Demonstrate detailed critical understanding in analysing the ways

in which structure, form and language shape meanings in

literary texts.

Assessment objective 3 Explore connections

and comparisons between different

literary texts, informed by the

interpretations of other readers

Assessment objective 4

Demonstrate understanding of the

significance and influence of the

contexts in which literary texts are

written and received.

A/B boundary performance descriptions

Candidates characteristically:a) communicate extensive knowledge and understanding of literary texts;b) create and sustain well-organised and coherent arguments, using appropriate terminology to support informed interpretations;c) structure and organise their writing using an appropriate critical register;

d) communicate content and meaning

through expressive and accurate writing

Candidates characteristically:a) identify significant aspects of structure, form and language in literary texts;b) explore, through detailed critical analysis, how writers use these aspects to create meaning;c) consistently make reference to specific texts and sources to support their responses.

Candidates characteristically:a) analyse and evaluate connections or points of comparison between literary texts;b) engage sensitively and with different readings and interpretations demonstrating clear understanding.

Candidates characteristically:a) explore and comment on the significance of the relationships between specific literary texts and their contexts;

b) evaluate the influence of culture,

text type, literary genre or historical

period on the ways in which literary texts

were written and were – and are – received.

E/U boundary performance descriptions

Candidates characteristically:a) communicate knowledge and some understanding of literary texts;b) present responses, making some use of appropriate terminology and examples to support interpretations;c) communicate content and meaning using straightforward language accurately.

Candidates characteristically:a) identify some aspects of structure, form or language in literary texts;b) comment on specific aspects with reference to how they shape meaning;c) make some reference to texts to support their responses.

Candidates characteristically:a) make connections between literary texts or note comparisons;

b) communicate understanding of the

views expressed in other interpretations

or readings

Candidates characteristically:a) comment on some of the relationships between texts and their contexts;b) comment on how culture, text type, literary genre or historical period influence the reading of literary texts.

Keep a record of your reading – create a book shelf on the page of all the titles you’ve read