GCSE Poetry Live!

On Friday 7th March, the year 10 students went on a school trip to GCSE Poetry Live which was held in the Dominion Theatre. We had the chance to listen to the poets whose poems we will be studying in our GCSE anthology. We also heard from an experienced examiner, who gave us important advice on how to do the best that we possibly can in our GCSE exams.

Carol Ann Duffy was one of the poets who spoke in front of us. Her poems were about relationships, which is the topic we are going to be studying in our anthology. In her poem 'Quickdraw,' two of the stanzas are set out like guns. She taught us that the layout of poems is also important to look at.

Another speaker was Imtiaz Dharker; her poems were about conflict. Her poems were intriguing because they brought a sense of her culture into them.

It was different hearing the poems read aloud because we could feel the meaning of the poem coming through the voice of the poet.

'My favourite poet was Simon Armitage. He engaged me with his poem about Punk.  It was visceral and real.' - Sophia

'I really enjoyed listening to John Agaard.  As a black poet, I could relate to him.  His poem 'Flag' explored culture.  He involved the audience and performed his poems with great energy.' - Marylyne

'Gillian Clarke's poetry dealt with the mundane and everyday. What was interesting was the variety of poetry performed during the day.' - Clara

Year 10 visit The Bard

Year 10 with Mistress Quickley from Merry Wives

On a wet October morn we sojourned north to pay homage to the man most responsible for British schoolchildren's appreciation of theatre. Or in his words, for the 'schoolboy creeping unwillingly to school...'

We were regaled with songs and enactments from Shakespeare's plays and enjoyed a superb workshop lecture on Romeo and Juliet. 

The trip was designed to bring to life Shakespeare as a poet, man and playwright and for the girls to contextualise the myth in preparation for a GSCE Controlled Assessment task they will undertake after half term. 

A busy Elizabethan market street

'It is always really useful to have ideas about texts confirmed, as the girls meet members of the RSC and SBT, actors, librarians, PhD students, all of whom have specialist knowledge. They add to the girls arsenal of developing appreciation and support the girls in feeling their way for personal evaluations of the texts.  It is vital that the texts leap from the page for the girls to enjoy and understand these complex works.'

In time with our visit to Shakespeare's birthplace, the sun dried up the grey clouds and we were able to amble merrily without being showered.

A big thank you to Mrs Warnock for organising.

A Right Royal Occasion

Year 8 went agog over the Royal Diamond display, the Queen's Art Collection and the Royal Mews on their trip to Buckingham Palace last week.

"The journey to Buckingham palace was quite long. On the way we saw many beautiful areas and statues. The rooms in the Palace were quite big and each room had a special purpose.  Some of the rooms were very calm, for example the blue drawing room. We also went to the Queen's art gallery and saw some magnificent paintings.   As we walked up the grand stairs to the first room we were greeted by paintings from the Tudor times.  We watched videos on how to make lace as in those days lace was quite popular.  Then we entered another room, with more paintings and clothes from the Stuart period.

We were fascinated to see all the jewellery and the dresses that were worn by the Queen on her Corontion.  The jewellery was solid gold and diamond. It looked quite heavy to wear!

We then visited the Mews, where a man showed us round the famous carriages; Our favourite one was the golden Coronation Carriage.  Apparently, nobody liked sitting in it because it would make them feel sick with the swaying from side to side. We saw two types of horse to pull the carriages, Bay and Greys.  The Bays pulled everyone in the Royal family except for the Queen; the Grey pull the Queen.  The tour guide told us so many interesting stories about the royal family.

This trip to Buckingham Palace was a fun and educational trip.  Thank you to Mrs Warnock." 

- Year 8

We Read...Do You?

Yesterday, Year 8 went to UCS to participate in the annual We Read conference.

The day was an opportunity to hear current popular children's writers talk about their work; to ask questions and to purchase signed copies of their latest books.

We broke into 4 groups during the day to listen to:

Sarah Crossan  - The Weight of Water Water, Breathe and Resist

Lydia Syson - A World Between Us

Anna Perera - The Glass Collector, Guantanamo Boy

Elizabeth Wein - Code Name Verity, Rosa Under Fire

'I enjoyed listening to how the authors get published' - Saskia
'I liked being able to ask the authors questions about their research and characters' - Sarah
'It was interesting to find out about the authors' perspectives on their books' - Olivia
'Discovering the contexts of the book especially about the Spanish Civil War was fascinating' - Mayuka
'I liked the trip as I enjoyed meeting my favorite author' - Lucy

Go to We Read link for more information

Thanks to Mrs Ransley for organising.

'Wherefore art thou Romeo?'

...In Stratford....obviously, where 30 year 10 pupils went in search of Romeo and Shakespeare on a sunny October Day....

As part of our understanding Shakespeare's language and context, we went to Shakespeare's birthplace where the girls were given a tour of both the museum and the house where Shakespeare was born and lived until he went to London as an adult to seek his fortune in the theatre. 

We also enjoyed a workshop on the aspects of entertainment for an Elizabethan audience in Romeo and Juliet.  The functions of plays in a religious and violent society were to reflect life and amuse the citizens with light relief.  Audiences went to 'hear' a play rather  than delight in a visual feast and the London audience of  the 1590s was one of the most theatre literate of any age.  Of a population of 300,000, 100,000 Londoners would make their way out of the City walls, past Traitors' Gate, across the river to the liberalising air of Southwark on a regular basis and the theatres would compete for business with the bear pit!

The violence and tragedy taking place in the streets of Verona in Romeo and Juliet reflected the society of the time and the lovesick children caught up in an adult world still rings truths for teenagers today.

Thank you to Mrs Warnock and Mrs Hutchings.
BH

Year 8&9 Tread the Bard's Boards...

On Friday 12th October 45 girls wended their way to Southwark for a tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre followed by drama workshops from Shakespearean actors who took them through their paces variously on 

A Midsummer Night's Dream 
and Twelfth Night.


The theatre exuded a real majesty which photos can only start to suggest and the golden Autumnal light cast beams of history down the ages to be lapped up...

Thanks to Mrs Warnock for fastidious organisation.  
The trip was a great success.

Provisional English Trips Schedule 2012-13

English Department trips are designed to support the English curriculum, enriching the girls' contextual knowledge of literature and contemporary theories.  Key to interpreting any literary text is an understanding of Historical, Social, Political and Economic issues at the time of writing.  As modern, multicultural  readers, we can then add our own values and belief systems to the mix, impacting on our appreciation of the text.

Working with other departments to provide a variety of co and cross curricular experiences, demonstrates to the girls how subjects should not be seen in isolation, but as inter-connected and educationally supportive.  For example one should consider the historical context of Shakespeare's theatre in the light of Elizabethan expansionism and post Reformation Anglicanism; or the impact of Galileo on the poetry of the Metaphysicals and the Theories of Darwin and Marx on Victorian and Fin-de-Siecle Literature. 

 Equally, conflict, in terms of World and regional Wars has a huge bearing on the literary outpourings of both the soldiers and the ordinary men and women involved, directly and indirectly.

The above programme should help to bring alive some of the texts and periods we study in English.  Whilst we hope that the programme will be adhered to, there may be unavoidable changes to it during the year.  Letters will be sent out for each individual event.  Additionally, some of the above events take place in school and are designed to develop the girls' skill sets more broadly in reading, writing, speaking and listening, adding to the research skills developed by the trips programme.  

We look forward to an exciting year ahead.  If for any reason your daughter is unable to attend an event, we do hope that you will be able to take her separately.  BH

To find the programme, click here or link at top left.

Buckingham Palace - Year 7 - Queen for A Day

....On July 4th Year 7 went to visit Buckingham Palace to see the Royal Mews, where the State Carriages are kept and then on to the Palace itself where we visited the opulent State Rooms, the Royal Gallery and Diamond Collection and the Royal Gardens.

The visit was fascinating and enabled the girls to see how modern Monarchy works and functions alongside its subjects.

At present Year 7 are studying 'Two Weeks with the Queen' so the trip gave some background to the setting of the novel as well as a more historical context in preparation for Year 8 Literature. 

Unfortunately the Queen was unable to join us for tea as she was in Balmoral.

A Big Fat... Midsummer Nightmare?

21st June - Year 8 & 9 trip to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre to see Matthew Dunster’s interpretation of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'...

   

Under the shadow of the met office, tension built all day. 'To be or not to be?'

 ...on or off? 

But the 'good ole' British weather seemed to be on our side for once...and we set off for Regent's Park Open Air theatre in trepidation and excitement with forty Year 8s and 9s clad mostly in macs and winter woolies for our midsummer sojourn into the world of the Bard. 

'Athensfield' a gypsy encampment - The modern setting for the play, was a dream not yet built and unlikely to be finished, complete with crane and trailers and 'men at work' signs.  It promised to be an exciting interpretation of magical mischief. 

Rather like the set, the production got underway but was another unfinished dream.  More than spritely charms fell from the skies. At first a teasing drizzle fell.  As scenes of mayhem unfolded before us and we were led deeper into the woods and the complex world of love gone awry; of the comedy of the mechanicals (with a Rasta labourer portraying....Thisbe); and the setting up of Bottom by the fairies, we were left with a tangled web and all to resolve. The heavens opened and drowned us out.

The interval was filled with hot chocolate, plastic macs, screams, mad dashes to the loo and a grab for rugs.  Despite the stoical determination not to be beaten by a bit of rain, the Mount girls returned to their seats to watch the final act and see balance restored to Athensfield.  

It was not to be...

The plug was pulled; the theatre drained and a hastily recalled coach brought us back to school half an hour early, rather damp but still in high spirits.

Despite the alternative and abrupt ending to the play, a great evening was had...

Thanks to Mr Davies for organising.

"Rebecca Oldfield delivered a deliciously

 ditsy, despairing drab as Helena."

"I liked the visual gags and puns 

that appeared throughout." 

"Bottom was a wonderful ass..."

http://openairtheatre.org/production/a-midsummer-nights-dream