BARBARA STANNERS
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Secondary English Blog
- Critiques and highlights.

November 03rd, 2020

3/11/2020

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November 03rd, 2020

3/11/2020

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An excellent 'Advanced Course' choice for Texts and Human Experiences
Shakespeare's representation of themes relating to power, discrimination and vengeance helps account for many drama critics arguing that 'The Merchant of Venice' remains as relevant to modern audiences as it ways to those in Elizabethan England. The nexus between individual and collective human experiences is strengthened by the bard's representation of enduring human qualities, values, beliefs and motivations linked to notions of justice and honour. Students also have the benefit of having access to a wealth of critical analysis of the play's contentious issues and ambiguities.
I have taught this play several times and am enjoying working with it again as a 'Human Experiences' text.
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November 03rd, 2020

3/11/2020

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February 06th, 2020

6/2/2020

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Busy Days-Term IV

15/10/2019

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August 21st, 2019

21/8/2019

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The link between life and Textual             Representation

29/1/2019

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In almost every lesson, English teachers understand how textual impact can reshape a responder's attitudes, perceptions and values. Photographers are now fusing art and reality to jolt the viewer's sensibilities. This is the first of a series of images I will post in upcoming posts.  It evocatively challenges us to ponder experiential human issues. 
            How could you use it in class?
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The enduring power of 'The Crucible'

29/1/2019

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cf_salemwitchinfographic_091514_final.pdf
File Size: 1823 kb
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why_i_wrote.doc
File Size: 55 kb
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the_crucible-snapshot.docx
File Size: 18 kb
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arthur_miller_the_crucible_digital_resources.docx
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Orwell depicts a totally oppressive society and plays on his readers' fears of powerlessness and personal and collective experiences of oppression.  His journalistic style is coupled with elements  of 'literary naturalism' to represent a society that has been systematically debased and dehumanised. Even Winston holds little faith that the Proles will rise up and topple the regime. 

1984_historical_background_-homework_preparation.doc
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The following 'Theatre Guides' for 'The Crucible' offer some excellent resources for the play. They focus on the play's 'dramatic' elements' and offer students a sense of the historical context and exigency as well as universal themes explored within the play itself. 
shaw_study_guide_crucible.pdf
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tragedy_and_the_common_man.pdf
File Size: 23 kb
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     Possible Prelim Text to use from the past 
​"A Beautiful Mind"

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Historical Context-Cold War Snapshot
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/what%20was%20the%20cold%20war.htm
Interview with Ron Howard
http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aa121501b.htm

A good contextual documentary for this film can be found:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNRrDYE74ZE
http://classes.yale.edu/film-analysis/index.htm
The Yale site is also an excellent resource.

“As students view a film, we want them to pay special attention to those areas of the film we consider important and to draw conclusions from their experience with the film.  Only then does a passive viewer become active; for by thinking about the film’s content, the student is interacting with the film."-Resch and Schnicker
Some general understanding of the Cold War Period is needed to as well as the treatment and effects of Schizophrenia. What becomes quickly apparent when researching this film is the fact that the' biopic' representation offered by Ron Howard, is largely fictionalised and reworked in 'Hollywood' terms.  

Good Starters for the 'Reading to Write' Module

'Language is never neutral but carries within it, within in the cultural and attitudinal meanings embedded, a way of seeing the world.' 'Language is not a transparent medium in which we simply name and describe reality, but is influential in constructing our attitudes to the world.'
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Such a pity that Extension 1 Genre Study has ceased.

I loved teaching and writing about Crime Fiction as well as creating this tribute clip. Hope you enjoy it. 


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"1984" - Orwell's Dystopic Vision of the Future

29/3/2018

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Orwell created his novel as a warning to society about the dangers of totalitarianism. Students need to be able   gauge Orwell's contextual motivations and worldview. Orwell asserted, 
​‘What I have most wanted to do throughout the past ten years is to make political writing into an art. My starting point is always a feeling of partisanship, a sense of injustice. When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, “I am going to produce a work of art.” I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing. But I could not do the work of writing a book, or even a long magazine article, if it were not also an aesthetic experience.”
Contextual resources can reinforce student understanding of the didactic purpose of the novel's confronting political satire. An audio version of the text is available on a site listed below. Contextual articles such as contemporaneous reviews and examining Orwell's articles and essays help clarify Orwell’s political purpose. 
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1984_--_an_introduction_to_george_orwell.pdf
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audiobook_link_for_1984.doc
File Size: 22 kb
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key_features_of_a_dystopic_text.docx
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    ​

    I am an experienced English Head teacher and author of many Senior English textbooks. 

    I have written for Phoenix Education and Five Senses. I have also worked extensively as a TTA workshop presenter as well as designing School Based workshop for staff and/or students. .

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