ELZ: English

Holiday Support
Summer 2019

Extension​
Year 10 Punctuation Revision
Year 10 Punctuation Quiz
Year 10 Sentence Length
Year 10 Spellings

Exam Board Specs

Articles

Revision and Practice
Years 7-9

“The act of reading…is a powerful predictor of life success by any measure. It is the best predictor of who goes to university regardless of socio-economic background. It is the best predictor of life income, career options, even life partner choices. And neuroscience is proving that reading fiction is one of the most powerful means of developing sympathetic individuals, with better social skills and higher levels of self esteem, resulting in increasing self improvement and positive social behaviours.”
The Huffington Post, article on recent research into reading habits of young people, 2018 If you are in Years 7-9, your English summer homework is all about reading for pleasure.

  1. Read a fiction book for pleasure. This could be a novel or a collection of short stories; it might be something written very recently, or something written a long time ago. You could visit the School Reading List Website for recommendations or ask for reading recommendations from friends and family; your class teacher; local library or book shop. You can also find a number of books to read online for free, at places like the Guttenberg Library.
  2. If you already read a lot, then set yourself a challenge to read something you would not usually read – perhaps a different author or genre. If you’re a reluctant reader, then persevere: keep looking for a book that is just right for you.
  3. Use the Reading ‘Takeaway Menu’ (see link) to help you engage even further with what you have read. You can choose to complete as many of these tasks as you like.
  4. You should be ready to talk about what you have read in your English lessons after the summer break, and to share with your teacher and class the activities you have done based on your reading.
  5. Finally, enjoy it: read outside on sunny days, or curl up and get cosy when it rains. Read on the beach; in bed; in the garden; on the plane or in the front room. But allow yourself a little time away from other distractions to really focus on what you’re reading.
  
Year 10

Your class teachers may have set specific homework for over the break based on the needs of your class. You should, however, also spend some independent study time to do the following in order to take control of your own learning and to get ahead in your studies.
  1. Compulsory: When you return to school after the summer break, you will begin to study a 19th Century novel for GCSE English Literature. Find out as much as you can about this period in history. In particular, you should try to make notes on the following areas which will help you to understand some of the key ideas in the text. You should be ready to share your learning in your first English lessons after the break:
  • The differences between the life experiences of ‘the rich’ and ‘the poor’ in Victorian Britain.
  • What people in the 19th Century enjoyed reading and hearing about
  • Religion in 19th Century England
You may find the following link useful: http://www.victorianweb.org/
  1. Extension: You will already have learnt a lot about the context of Macbeth, which was written during the reign of James I, also known as the Jacobean era. To extend your knowledge, watch the following documentary, "The King & the Playwright A Jacobean History" and make brief notes in response to the following questions to the best of your abilities:
  • Why was the Jacobean audience so concerned with ideas of treason and how is this echoed by Shakespeare in Macbeth?
  • Why was the Jacobean audience so concerned with ideas of rightful kingship and succession, and how is this echoed by Shakespeare in the play?
  • What was the relationship between England and Scotland at the time?
  • What religious tensions existed in Britain at the time, and why are these relevant?
  • What do you learn about ‘Tragedy’ and ‘Tragic Heroes’ towards the end of the documentary?
  • Extension: How was the Jacobean context relevant to other plays by Shakespeare, such as Anthony and Cleopatra or King Lear?
  • You should be ready to share your understanding in your lessons after the summer break.
 
You may also find it useful to consolidate your revision notes on the poetry you have studied so far, as well as An Inspector Calls and Macbeth.
  
Year 12

English Language
When you return to school following the Summer break, you will begin to learn and about the history of the English Language and how it has changed over time. In order to take control of your own learning, you should complete the following tasks and be ready to share your findings in lessons after the holiday:
  1. Compulsory: Find out what is meant by the term ‘etymology’ and add this to your Language Glossary. Next, find out the etymology of your surname. Where did it come from, and what does it mean? Then, see if you can find out more about your surname and family history using the following link: https://www.bl.uk/subjects/family-history If you struggle to find any useful results, then think about the reasons WHY.
  2. Compulsory: Choose one of the following domestic items: car; washing machine; personal hygiene product. Find two examples of an advertisement for this type of item. One should be from 1990s onwards, the other should be from 1900-1960. These may be very different in terms of genre and mode, and may involve printed text or film.
  • Consider the ways in which these two texts are different using the following frameworks: lexis; grammar; discourse; graphology; semantics
  • Consider the ways in which your two texts are similar and different, especially in terms of persuasive techniques
  • Consider the ways in which social and historical context might have influenced changes to the genre of advertising.

Extension: Read The Adventure of English by Melvyn Bragg – a really enjoyable and accessible book!
You should be ready to share your chosen texts and findings following the summer break. You should also spend some time consolidating your notes.
 
English Literature
You should use the summer break to continue preparing for your coursework.
  1. Compulsory: Read Phases 2 – 4 (up to page 227) of Tess of the D’Urbervilles using the commentary provided in class to support your understanding. You may like to watch these sections of the novel in the BBC TV adaptation available on YouTube , but do not substitute watching for reading the text: you need to do both. Make notes on the content and themes of each chapter on the sheets provided in class.
 
  1. Compulsory: Watch the BBC documentary ‘The Romantics – Nature’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liVQ21KZfOI) and make notes on the content.
Read the introduction to Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge and the five poems taken from the collection that you have been given in class, using the commentaries provided. Answer the questions on each of the poems.          

Extension:  Choose any other of Hardy’s novels to widen your reading.
Bring your completed sheets on Tess and Lyrical Ballads to your first lesson following the summer break.