It was a busy Autumn Term for the English Department. Students across College had the opportunity to explore a range of texts and genres, see what they were studying live at the theatre, as well as learn about the history of the English language.
In November, a group of LC1 and LC2 students met to learn more about the fascinating origins of the English language. They were particularly interested to find out more about why English is considered by many to be such a hard language to learn, as well as the brutal and often bloody history of invasions which have influenced the way we speak today. The students had great fun reading some original Anglo-Saxon writing from almost a thousand years ago, as well as working together to translate some terrifying descriptions of the monster Grendel, from the Old English heroic poem, ‘Beowulf’. We are all hoping to meet again in the Spring Term, to explore some of the remarkable poetry of the Middle Ages, particularly ‘The Canterbury Tales’ by Geoffrey Chaucer.
Miss Harrop’s LC3 Reading group have been meeting regularly in the Lower College Library to choose, read and discuss a range of novels. They have just finished reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and are very much looking forward to being a Carnegie Shadowing group next term, which will give them the exciting chance to follow along with the official judging process of the prestigious Carnegie Medal. The students will have the opportunity to vote for their favourites, helping them to develop not only their reviewing and critical thinking skills, but also their love for literature.
In LC3, students have been studying Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. In Ms Bennett’s class, students rearranged their uniform/Christmas jumper outfits to reflect Petruchio's wedding attire as he prepares to wed Katherina.
Beyond the curriculum, we were delighted to welcome the author, Jenny Valentine, winner of The Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, into College on 12th November. Jenny spoke to all of LC3 about her latest novel, Us in the Before and After, as well as leading a creative workshop in which we learned about the value of using our own, everyday experiences to spark an idea for a piece of original writing. Many thanks to Miss Muhlberg for arranging this visit.
UC5, UC4 and LC3 attended bespoke productions of either Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at Cheltenham Playhouse.
UC students are studying one of the 19th century texts for their English Literature GCSE, so we were pleased the performances remained accurate to the texts, whilst also enjoying their creative decisions and the actors’ interaction with the audience.
We were pleased to also invite LC3 students to the appropriate festive production; they will also be studying The Woman in Black this coming term.
Before the Christmas break, SFC English students were taken to see a theatre production of George Orwell’s 1984 adapted by Ryan Craig, and a production of The History Boys by Alan Bennett. See below two student reflections:
Nina, SFC2 A Level English Literature student
Going to the theatre production of 1984 was really helpful in furthering my repertoire of critical interpretations of the novel by considering the deliberate production choices. In particular, I found the way the producers used the centre screen as the ‘eye’ to capture the close ups of actors on stage gave the illusion that they were being watched. This embodied an essential theme of 1984 being surveillance which the production was able to capture really well despite being on a stage. Watching the play was also helpful in revising novel content and nuances of inter-character relationships.
Kaya, SFC2 IB Higher Level English Literature student
Our Higher Level IB English class was lucky enough to catch a production of The History Boys at our local theatre. Being our first impression of the play, it was a great introduction to the storyline and to let us know what to look forward to studying in the next term. The cast balanced humour and themes of community and optimism brilliantly with the flawed characters and darker aspects of the narrative, and really made me reflect on my own life and how I interact with history and literature. I especially enjoyed how they addressed the topic of elitism in academia and higher education: being from a private school ourselves, we all felt a little like we were being playfully teased from the stage! All in all, it was a wonderfully introspective and thoughtful experience, and I would highly recommend the play to anyone interested. I look forward to studying the text!
Last term The Fanthorpe Society, CLC’s poetry reading book club in which students read and discuss the most exciting new poetry, enjoyed reading a selection of the very best poetry books published in autumn. We also shared and discussed our own favourite poems and everyone went home with great reading recommendations for the holidays. Over Christmas, we read Helen Ivory’s new collection Constructing a Witch and will meet to discuss this on Monday of Week 2 in the Club slot.
Any poetry enthusiasts in UC5, SFC1 and SFC2 are welcome to join! We meet every two weeks and the books are sent to us quarterly by the Poetry Book Society. Please contact Dr Haydon for more information.
Miss Brown coordinates and leads provision for multi-lingual learners. See below her reflection of the Autumn Term:
The Autumn Term marked an exciting beginning for Academic English lessons, laying a strong foundation for the students' language development journey. After completing initial testing, all students now have a clear understanding of their proficiency levels, which have been shared with their teachers. This valuable insight ensures that teaching strategies are thoughtfully tailored to support our multilingual learners in their curriculum studies.
Throughout the term, students were actively engaged in honing all core language skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Particular focus has been placed on expanding vocabulary, enhancing grammar knowledge, and mastering reading comprehension, providing students with the confidence and tools to excel in academic tasks.
To further support their progress, students were encouraged to borrow graded readers from the library for independent practice over the Christmas break. This initiative not only cultivates a love for reading but also reinforces key language skills in an enjoyable and meaningful way.
Miss Brown is excited to see how this momentum will carry forward into this new term, helping every learner continue to thrive.
Ms Meyrick, Head of English
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