'York Notes for GCSE' offers a useful approach to English Literature and aims to help readers achieve a better grade. Updated to reflect the needs of today's students, the new editions are filled with detailed summaries, commentaries on key themes, characters, language and style, illustrations, exam advice and much more.

Which exam? AQA GCSE (9-1) English Literature First teaching: September 2015 First assessment: June 2017 A targeted way to build key skills for the new AQA GCSE (9-1) English Literature exams (assessment from 2017). To create this workbook, we identified the most common barriers that students face when they're studying Romeo and Juliet. Target's structured approach develops the key skills you need to overcome these obstacles and work towards your expected grade at GCSE. Target workbooks' unique approach builds, develops and extends key exam skills. Step-by-step exercises get you exam-ready, with each book providing 70+ pages of structured practice. Full of ready-to-use examples and activities. Designed for those working towards Grade 5, but with stretch to reach Grade 6. See your progress easily, with step-by-step exercises and exam-style questions that build key skills. Focus on the parts of the text that you find difficult - each workbook addresses a range of common problems and misconceptions. Use the workbooks in class or at home - the exercises are easy to use independently. Visit our website for the full range of Target English and English Literature workbooks.

Build up to better results With its flexible and progressive approach, this unique 3-Step Test Booster book is the ultimate way to help children test their reading skills whilst efficiently and effectively preparing them for the official tests. Practise and prepare for SATs success Fast 10-minute tests will help children get to grips with SATs-style questions. As they advance to the more challenging 15- and 20-minute tests they'll quickly begin to build their stamina and feel pride in their progress as they get plenty of practise putting their reading and comprehension to the test. Boost skills and confidence Children can mark and track their achievements throughout using the expert answer key and feedback notes to identify their weaknesses and build on their strengths. As they work step-by-step through each test they'll finish feeling confident, prepared and ready to sit their KS2 English SATs.

Gary Paulsen, a three-time Newbery Honor winner, has written over 175 books for young adults and adults for over twenty years. His stories of adventure and survival are beloved by readers, teachers, librarians, and critics. This volume examines a sample of the most widely-known and widely-studied books by Paulsen. A biographical chapter demonstrates how Paulsen's life experiences, notably the Iditarod, have influenced his writing. Each book is analyzed for plot, characterization, setting, and themes, written at a level that is accessible for young readers, yet providing in-depth information for older readers. Books analyzed in this volume include: -Brian's Winter -Dogsong -Hatchet -The Island -Winter Room

A practical guide to Sylvia Plath's works for middle and secondary school students One of the most dynamic and admired poets of the 20th century, Sylvia Plath wrote work about war, motherhood, jealousy, rage, grief, death, and mental illness that challenged preconceptions about what poetry should be about. The enduring power of Plath's poetry and prose continues to attract and fascinate a multitude of readers. Best known for her poems "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus" and the novel The Bell Jar, Plath starkly expressed a sense of alienation closely linked to both her personal experiences and the to the wider situation of women throughout mid-twentieth-century America. With an eye towards demythologizing Plath and focusing on her achievements, Breaking Down Plath aims to contextualize Plath's work in the larger scheme of Cold War-era gender politics, debates about mental health, and anxiety about global conflict. Breaking Down Plath informs readers of essential facts about Sylvia Plath's life and explores the works of the influential and controversial American poet, novelist, and short-story writer. Author Patricia Grisafi contextualizes and clarifies important underlying themes in Plath's works while providing insight into how interest in Plath's work developed, how the story of Plath's life has been told, what we still need to discover about her, and why her life and art matter. Breaking Down Plath: Presents a critical biography of Plath's life Offers a thematic tour through Plath's, short fiction, journals, and letters Explores the recurrent themes in Plath's poetry Features an overview of the reception of Plath's work Discusses the role of Plath in contemporary popular culture This book is a primer for younger or new Plath readers and a welcome addition to the toolbox used by educators, parents, and anyone interested in or studying Plath's life and work.

The complete and comprehensive way to support your studies and assessments in 2021 and exams in 2022. Get to the heart of every poem with crystal-clear notes, focused analysis and expert summaries. Quickly demystify historical contexts and get to grips with the poems' form, language and structure. Build confidence with unique sections on comparing poems and approaching 'unseen' poems. Power up your essay-writing skills, learn how to write top-grade answers and feel fully ready and equipped to excel in any test or assessment. York Notes are the long-established experts in English Literature, and we take your success seriously. So whether you're studying the AQA Love and Relationships Anthology for GCSE at home, online or in the classroom, York Notes is your best bet for the best grades. Packed with more powerful features than any other guide, this essential AQA Love and Relationships Anthology study companion is easy to use, brimming with essential info and will quickly become your go-to buddy as you navigate your GCSE course, build your confidence, stay motivated and get ready to impress in any test, assessment or exam. To make sure you feel really ready for the unique challenges of assessment and to get the grades you know you deserve, why not use this Study Guide with the York Notes Workbook for the AQA Love and Relationships Anthology? Just search for 9781292236803. Looking for a speedier way to refresh and remember what really matters? Our unique Rapid Revision Cards are fast, fun and have all the answers. Just search now for 9781292273693.

Exam Board: SQA Level: National 5 and Higher Subject: English First teaching: September 2017 (N5) / September 2018 (Higher) First exams: Summer 2018 (N5) / Summer 2019 (Higher) Understand, analyse, evaluate, succeed. This study and revision guide takes you through every aspect of The Cone-Gatherers, with exam advice for the National 5 and Higher English Critical Reading papers. Fully up to date with SQA's latest exam requirements, this book is written by an expert who knows what exam success looks like. > Develop understanding of plot, structure, characterisation, themes and language. Clear explanations and detailed commentary are supported by definitions of key terms and unfamiliar words > Build critical and analytical skills. Students are encouraged to think more deeply about the text and consider the writers' ideas, choices and techniques > Receive advice on the Scottish Texts section of the exam. Sample questions with model answers and examiner-style commentary are supported by additional practice questions for students to do > Prepare for the Critical Essay section of the exam. With tips and examples for planning, structuring and writing a top-grade essay, plus practice essay questions for students to answer > Remember key quotations. A selection of quotes are highlighted throughout, so students can use them in the exam to make comparisons between different parts of the text > Review your learning. Quick questions at the end of each chapter check students' understanding of the text

Walter Dean Myers, acclaimed author of African American books for children and young adults, published his first book, "Where Does the Day Go?" in 1969. He is most widely known for his coming-of-age novels including the Newbery Honor books Scorpions (1989) and Somewhere in the Darkness (1993). A prolific author of both fiction and nonfiction, novels and historical works examined here include Fallen Angels, The Glory Field, Monster, and Shooters. Myers has written over 70 books, the most recent also illustrated by his son Christopher. He volunteers at local schools to encourage students in their reading and writing.

Explains how the study of poetry, by providing experiences similar to those produced by poetry therapy, can help students discover themselves and develop their potential to effect change in the world.

Exam Board: SQA Level: National 5 Subject: English First Teaching: September 2015 First Exam: June 2016 Sailmaker Plus offers the full text of the widely popular drama text, Sailmaker, by award-winning writer Alan Spence, which is a set text for National 5 English. It also provides an introduction by the author outlining his motives in writing it, and a wide range of background material by Jane Cooper, offering a historical perspective and detailed support for students who wish to write about the play in literary contexts, especially for examination purposes. Although suitable for a broad range of students, the play is likely to be particularly suitable for study at National 5 English.

The complete and comprehensive way to support your studies and assessments in 2021 and exams in 2022. Get straight to the heart of the text with crystal-clear notes, focused analysis and expert summaries. Quickly demystify historical contexts and get to grips with the text's form, language and structure. Efficiently unpick plots, contexts and themes and sharpen your memory of key facts, quotations and characters. Power up your essay-writing skills, learn how to write top-grade answers and feel fully ready and equipped to excel in any test or assessment. York Notes are the long-established experts in English Literature, and we take your success seriously. So whether you're studying Lord of the Flies by William Golding for GCSE at home, online or in the classroom, York Notes is your best bet for the best grades. Packed with more powerful features than any other guide, this essential Lord of the Flies study companion is easy to use, brimming with essential info and will quickly become your go-to buddy as you navigate your GCSE course, build your confidence, stay motivated and get ready to impress in any test, assessment or exam. To make sure you feel really ready for the unique challenges of assessment and to get the grades you know you deserve, why not use this Study Guide with the York Notes Workbook for Lord of the Flies? Just search for 9781292138091. Looking for a speedier way to refresh and remember what really matters? Our unique Rapid Revision Cards are fast, fun and have all the answers. Just search now for 9781292273679.

Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation is an exciting new book developed to identify for teachers how to better connect adolescents with good literature. Comprehensive enough to ensure that teachers understand today's adolescents and the literature that will engage them, yet slim enough to ensure readers have the opportunity to read the books themselves, this book will help teachers provide a rich educational experience for adolescents throughout the middle and secondary curriculum while nourishing their love of reading. This book addresses adolescent culture and the types of literature that engage adolescents, including horror, graphic novels, comic books, and many forms of media, more thoroughly and insightfully than any other on the market. Middle and Secondary Inservice Teachers and Reading Specialists.

This brilliant CGP Workbook for A Christmas Carol has the latest Grade 9-1 GCSE English Literature exams covered. It's brimming with questions on the plot, characters, context, themes and the writer's techniques - with answers included at the back. There's also a section of exercises for students to practise the different skills needed for the exam, and the book is rounded off with a comic strip that summarises the whole novel. This Workbook for A Christmas Carol perfectly matches our Text Guide (9781782943099).

An improved, larger-format edition of the Cambridge School Shakespeare plays, extensively rewritten, expanded and produced in an attractive new design. An active approach to classroom Shakespeare enables students to inhabit Shakespeare's imaginative world in accessible and creative ways. Students are encouraged to share Shakespeare's love of language, interest in character and sense of theatre. Substantially revised and extended in full colour, classroom activities are thematically organised in distinctive 'Stagecraft', 'Write about it', 'Language in the play', 'Characters' and 'Themes' features. Extended glossaries are aligned with the play text for easy reference. Expanded endnotes include extensive essay-writing guidance for 'Julius Caesar' and Shakespeare. Includes rich, exciting colour photos of performances of 'Julius Caesar' from around the world.

Whether you want a super-speedy refresher, a quick and easy way to get into the text for the first time, or an exciting new way to revise, the 55 cards in this pocket-sized pack are brimming with everything you need to plan, practise and perfect your study of the poems included in the AQA anthology. In no time at all, you can whizz through all the essential info you need to quickly and efficiently refresh your knowledge and catch up. Key quotations on aspects of the poems such as settings and contexts, language imagery and themes - it's all here. Think more deeply sections invite you to answer questions such as: How does Heaney show the conflict between man and nature in 'Storm on the Island'? We've even included powerful quick-fire tips and practice cards to engage your brain and get your skills back up to scratch as quickly as possible. York Notes are the experts in English Literature, so if you're looking for THE ultimate smart, fast and highly effective way to get ahead with Power and Conflict AQA Poetry Anthology, then these clever cards are all you need.

This CGP Text Guide contains everything you need to write top-grade essays about John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men'. Inside, you'll find clear, thorough notes on the novel's context, plot, characters, themes and the writer's techniques - with quick questions, in-depth questions and exam-style questions included at the end of every section. There's also detailed exam advice to help you improve your grades, plus a cartoon-strip summary to remind you of all the important plot points! A separate Foundation Level version of this Text Guide is also available - see 9781847627216.

Charles Dickens is arguably the greatest storyteller in English Literature and his novels have been loved and respected for nearly two hundred years. As accurate reflections of Victorian society they are unparalleled. Vivid characters and realistic settings are created in the mind of the reader, all laced with Dickens inimitable humour, wit and lacerating political comment.

This book aims to bring alive these characters and settings in the minds of children. It provides a comprehensive resource for children not only to learn about the literary heritage of the English language, but also to encourage them to create meanings from these classic stories through their personal, social and cultural experiences. The authors set each novel in context, providing a synopsis of the book, as well as characters, settings themes and symbolism. Works covered include:

• A Christmas Carol
• Bleak House
• David Copperfield
• Great Expectations
• Hard Times
• Oliver Twist

But this book doesn t just aim to introduce classic literature to children; it also provides a wide range of truly contemporary tools with which they can respond creatively, including: drama and film, blogs, web 2.0 technologies, multimodality and animation and graphic novels.

The book is also accompanied by a CD which contains chapter outlines, extended text extracts, and practical resource sheets, including PowerPoint presentations, book review templates and flash cards, as well as a set of 8 week lesson plans for each novel.

The Essential Charles Dickens School Resource provides essential classroom learning material for teachers and literacy co-ordinators teaching Key Stages 1 -3, as well as CPD students and those studying on PGCE English/Drama courses.

In her own voice, acclaimed author and poet Nikki Grimes explores the truth of a harrowing childhood in a compelling and moving memoir in verse. Growing up with a mother suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and a mostly absent father, Nikki Grimes found herself terrorized by babysitters, shunted from foster family to foster family, and preyed upon by those she trusted. At the age of six, she poured her pain onto a piece of paper late one night - and discovered the magic and impact of writing. For many years, Nikki's notebooks were her most enduing companions. In this accessible and inspiring memoir that will resonate with young readers and adults alike, Nikki shows how the power of those words helped her conquer the hazards - ordinary and extraordinary - of her life.

Hairdresser Rita feels that life is passing her by. She wants an education. But does Frank have anything to teach her? Willy Russell's play gives a hilarious - and often moving - account of a young woman's determination to change her life.

'This book is clear, approachable, and true. The elegant simplicity of its good guidance is the product of years of practical experience in the classroom. I wholeheartedly commend it to primary school teachers everywhere.'

Michael Boyd, Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company

Shakespeare s plays are widely regarded as the greatest inheritance in English literature and recent years have seen a growing interest in introducing them to children in their primary schools. In this book, the authors bring a blend of clear thinking, playful and inventive practice and straightforward practical advice to bear on teaching Shakespeare in the primary school.

Children who encounter Shakespeare early have the opportunity to become comfortable with the plays, their stories, characters and settings, long before they might become intimidated by their associations with exclusivity and high culture. They are also given the chance to become familiar with and absorb his powerful and complex language at a stage when they are constantly encountering new vocabulary. To do this most effectively demands a dynamic pedagogy, one which recognises that the plays are best explored and understood through active, physical engagement.

Beginning Shakespeare 4-11 offers a sound rationale for teaching Shakespeare in primary schools and shows how to engage children with Shakespeare through story, through the very best of early years practice, and through his rich and sensual language. It also illustrates how engagement with the plays and their language can have a dramatic impact on children s writing. And because plays are for performing, there is helpful and practical advice on how to develop the work and share it with the whole school, parents and the wider community.

This accessible and comprehensive guide is ideal for teacher trainees and practising primary teachers everywhere.

Develop a love for poetry at key stage three with the trusted Touchstones series. This diverse selection of over 150 poems features thought-provoking contemporary voices and much-loved favourites. Touchstones: A Teaching Anthology of Poetry will help you to: * Explain and contextualise poems across a broad range of genres and themes * Support your lessons with over 100 ready-made activities designed for independent, paired and group work * Challenge your students with additional activities specifically designed to stretch their learning * Build the skills required for the poetry element of the latest GCSE English Literature specifications, with chapters dedicated to comparative and unseen poetry * Introduce a range of poets commonly studied at GCSE, from William Wordsworth to Imtiaz Dharker * Introduce a range of contemporary poets, such as Kate Clanchy and Holly McNish, alongside more familiar classics * Support the implementation of the 2014 national curriculum at Key Stage 3 Michael Benton has recently published a new collection of poetry: 'In the Mind's Eye'. Available in bookstores now.

Teaching Poetry is an indispensible source of guidance, confidence and ideas for all those new to the secondary English classroom. Written by experienced teachers who have worked with the many secondary pupils who 'don't get' poetry, this friendly guide will help you support pupils as they access, understand, discuss and enjoy classic and contemporary poetry. With an emphasis on active approaches and the power of poetry to enrich the lives of both teachers and students, Teaching Poetry: Provides a succinct introduction to the major ideas and theory about teaching poetry Covers the key genres and periods through tried and tested favourites and a range of less well known new and historical poetry Illustrates good practice for every approach covered, through case studies of theory and ideas in action in the classroom Includes activities, ideas and resources to support teaching at Key Stages 3, 4 and 5. Teaching Poetry tackles head on one of the aspects of English teaching that new and experienced teachers alike find most difficult. It offers both a comprehensive introduction to teaching poetry and a rich source of inspiration and support to be mined when faced with an unfamiliar text or an unresponsive class.

Barbeau reconstructs the system of religion that Coleridge develops in "Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit" (1840). Coleridge's late system links four sources of divinity--the Bible, the traditions of the church, the interior work of the Spirit, and the inspired preacher--to Christ, the Word. In thousands of marginalia and private notebook entries, Coleridge challenges traditional views of the formation and inspiration of the Bible, clarifies the role of the church in biblical interpretation, and elucidates the relationship between the objective and subjective sources of revelation. In late writings that develop a robust system of religion, Coleridge conveys his commitment to biblical wisdom.