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Summary for Lesson 1
In today’s lesson we began our work on Freedom (1783) thinking about the historical background of the novel in order to help us understand the choices the author has made and the way the theme of slavery is presented. We began with a discussion of what we liked and didn’t like about the book, before moving on to a discussion task on the notion of freedom and what it means. We thought about the history of the 1700s, thinking about the contrast between the ideals of the Enlightenment and the brutal practice of slavery. We learned about the transatlantic slave trade, then linked this to the perspective of the novel, told through the eyes of Nat, a young enslaved boy. The class considered how slavery is presented in the novel, talking brilliantly about how Nat’s character allows the reader an insight into the everyday reality of slavery and the personal struggles of enslaved people. Finally, the class completed a research task where they presented their findings on historical figures mentioned in the novel, such as Olaudah Equiano and Granville Sharp, which they did excellently. Wonderful work today class, well done for all your thoughtful and mature conversation on the historical context behind this story. Keep up the great work and I’ll see you next week 🙂
Video on the slave trade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NXC4Q_4JVg&t=3s
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Summary for Lesson 2
In today’s class we continued our work on Freedom (1783) thinking about the chronology of the story and how Johnson creates suspense and rises and falls in the plot. We opened with an analysis of the way the story opens, focusing on the opening line and thinking about the use of imagery, setting and mystery in the first two pages. The class then wrote their own openings to the story, which were fantastic. We thought about the myth of England that Nat believes in the novel and how the destruction of this hope demonstrates the colonial relationship between England and Jamaica, drawing on an essay by another author on the subject. The class wrote some excellent monologues in Nat’s narrative voice before finally discussing his greatest challenges and turning points within the story. Excellent work today everyone, well done for your writing which was particularly creative and captivating. Keep up the fantastic ideas and see you soon 🙂
Video on first lines in writing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K66Km2r4Njw&t=1s
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Summary for Lesson 3
In today’s class we completed our work on Freedom (1783) thinking today about the big questions of morality and legality underpinning the book. We began with a discussion of characterisation in the book, debating how the author touches on the theme of evil and morality through her presentation of antagonists. We then spoke about the purpose of the Zong trial in the novel, discussing how it demonstrates the brutality of the slave trade and the legal enforcement of slavery. The class wrote some excellent abolitionist news columns reporting on the trial, using powerful arguments to demonstrate why the case of the Zong helped to establish the abolition of the slave trade. Finally we thought about the ending of the novel and the way in which the students’ interpretation of the theme of freedom has changed before watching a video exploring how theme works on an advanced literature level. Amazing work today everyone- well done for your contributions and your writing which was particularly good. Keep up the great work and see you soon 🙂
Video from today on theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5KZcdAmWLw
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From the story I learned that there is a very big change between modern England and England in the past. In the 18th century, England was full of slaves who were sold from South America to England as mere cargo. However, today the slave trade is banned and everyone share equal right in education, votes, social welfare and public facilities. After I read this story, I learned that it’s not an easy achievement for black people to get the same freedom as white people and we should help the make their voice heard in our society.
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Summary for Lesson 4
In today’s class we began work on Twelve Minutes to Midnight thinking about the history behind the book. We began by discussing how the class thought about the book before conducting research on Victorian London. The class then shared these thoughts and discussed differences to modern life. We learned about Bedlam, the hospital in the novel, looking at a piece of writing by Dickens on the place. We watched a video that explained the history and discussed how this adds to the gothic nature of the story, before finally talking about what Penny Dreadfuls were and why Penelope’s magazine is called that in the book. Wonderful work today everyone- you analysed the history behind this novel fantastically really digging into the way in which Victorian society juggled contrasting views- from the supernatural to the hyper-scientific, from the morally pure to the penny dreadful. Fab work, well done 🙂
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Summary for Lesson 5
In today’s class we continued Twelve Minutes to Midnight, thinking about genre and how it is utilised in the novel. We began by thinking about the different genres used by the author before watching a video of him talking about his writing process. The class analysed an extract from the text thinking about how mystery is created through the language, discussing the central mystery of the novel and how it unfolds. Finally we completed a creative task where the class designed their own magazines using The Penny Dreadful as inspiration and we discussed the use of an unusual detective (Penelope) in the book. Creative work today class, well done for all your really interesting ideas and analyses of the use of mystery in the book and your thoughts on how to reinterpret this book in your own way. Well done and see you next week 🙂
Video of Christopher Edge interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyeRLF1QzsQ
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Summary for Lesson 6
In today’s class we completed our work on Twelve Minutes to Midnight, thinking today about overarching themes and the big ideas explored by the story. We started with a discussion on seeing into the future, thinking about how it could be a super-power or a curse, and connecting this to Lady Cambridge’s aims within the novel. We then hot-seated her character, digging into her underlying motivations and thinking about her thirst for power. The class then analysed a quote bank, thinking about how Edge explores some of these central ideas through language, and we thought about how the class would continue this story into another book. Finally we discussed Penelope having to keep the story a secret and how this ties off the book. Fab work today class, your quotation analysis was excellent and I loved hearing your philosophical analyses of the future. Well done and see you in a few weeks 🙂
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Summary for Lesson 7
In today’s class we began A Wrinkle in Time, thinking about some of the most important ideas behind the book. We began by discussing the novel before thinking about the 1960s context of when the novel was written. We spoke about the way in which this book deals with scientific ideas and thought about the notions of multiple dimensions and string theory. We touched on the ways science fiction is written and watched a video of the author describing her world-view. We then came up with some questions we’d ask the author before finally learning about why this book was controversial due to its combination of religious ideas and quantum physics. Lovely work class- you thought carefully about how what we learn about the author can inform our understanding of the story and her wider philosophical ideas. See you next week 🙂
Video on the science behind the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R1A9JxbRnY
Madeleine L’Engle video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJm5tTeG0vk
Is Time Travel possible? article that might be interesting to read: https://www.space.com/21675-time-travel.html
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Summary for Lesson 8
In today’s class we continued our reading lessons on A Wrinkle in Time, thinking about the philosophies in the book and what we can learn from comparing the world of IT to the ideas of Mrs Who, Which and Whatsit. We began by discussing the idea of philosophy as a concept, touching on notions such as the good life, difference vs. normality and how the idea of what is normal can be constrictive. We then looked at different themes from the novel such as freedom, difference, love, and thought about what IT would say vs. what the others would say about these ideas. We analysed how IT’s world is different from our own ideal worlds and thought about how the people of Camazotz could propose an alternative to IT’s vision. Finally we looked at the concept of faults being useful to us in some way and finished with a discussion of the homework. Fab work today everyone- your philosophical ideas were really interesting and nuanced. Well done and see you next week 🙂
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Summary for Lesson 9 and Lesson 10
In the first half of today’s class we finished work on A Wrinkle in Time, thinking about the moral to take from the novel. We began by discussing the theme of prejudice and how it is explored in the book, linking this to the symbolism of IT being represented by a brain. We spoke about how the class would design sets based on the sci-fi worlds in the book, imagining them for the stage and thinking carefully about the symbolic and visual representation of the author’s ideas. Then the class debated questions on the book, thinking about the moral, ethical and philosophical questions the novel raises. Finally they discussed what message they felt the book had imprinted on them.
In the second half of today’s class we began our work on Anne Frank’s Diary, beginning by learning about the sensitivity of the topics we’ll be studying and discussing any questions the class had about the diary. We spoke about the emotions the book made the class feel and then thought about the historical context, learning about the Nazi regime and the anti-Semitism that led to the Holocaust. The class saw a video of Anne Frank from before the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands and saw a video tour of the secret annex she lived in during the occupation. Lastly we discussed any queries the class had about what happened in this time period. Really good work today everyone- very thoughtful and sophisticated ideas throughout. I was really impressed by your work- well done and see you Wednesday 🙂
Anne Frank video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hvtXuO5GzU
Anne Frank video tour link: https://www.annefrank.org/en/anne-frank/secret-annex/
Holocaust CBBC link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/16690175
The iceberg homework sheet and article on the Holocaust are attached below
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Summary for Lesson 11 and Lesson 12
In today’s class we continued work on Anne Frank’s diary, thinking about who she was as a person and her feelings, relationships and ideas about the world. We began by discussing in what ways she lived a different or similar life to other teenagers, how her self-expression developed, and thinking about how she changed over the two years the diary records. We learned about her friendship with Hanneli and spoke about what she represents to Anne, with the class then researching who Hanneli was and thinking about what this can tell us. The students then wrote letters to Anne Frank before reading the famous Niemoller poem about standing up to oppression and reflecting on why it is important to learn stories such as Anne Frank’s.
In the second half of the lesson, we began with a discussion of themes in the book, thinking about the way Anne presents her experiences of things such as loneliness, identity and war. We then completed some close textual analysis, thinking about how to interpret what she does and, crucially, does not share about her life and thinking about the greater purpose behind her diary. The class then came up with some fantastic essay questions before we finally imagined a happier future for Anne. Excellent work today everyone- your hard work and focus were brilliant and the ideas you came up with about the ways in which we can uncover who Anne was at her core were beautifully constructed and expressed. I was hugely impressed with your work today- very well done and see you soon 🙂
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