One of the things that I've learned as I've become more experienced as a teacher is the importance of giving homework. It's true that not everyone will do it, but even if only one student does it, it will have been worthwhile setting it. Some students feel pressure to do the things that their teacher recommends. In the long-run this is beneficial as students who do their homework learn faster (at least, I assume that they do).
As it is the Christmas holidays, the homework needs to be fun. We've talked quite a lot about English/ British history recently so it seems like a good opportunity to deepen our knowledge about this fascinating topic.
I'd like all of my students to watch at least one film about the British monarchy. This could be any of the following films, or a film of your own choice. Make sure to watch the original English language version with subtitles, if needed. The films in the list below are In historical order but you can watch them in any order that you like. Pay attention to the music, and see if you can identify anything by Handel!
Elizabeth
The Favourite
The Madness of King George
The King's Speech
For anyone who wants to take on a massive challenge, (maybe for 2021) I can recommend Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, it's a fabulous novel set in the times of Henry VIII. If anyone manages to read this and the two follow-up books in English, I'll be incredibly impressed and you'll win 'Star Pupil of the Year' (or even decade!)
Happy reading!
Adrienne
P.S. Next term, we'll be listening to one of the Reith lecture given by Hilary Mantel where she talks about her approach to writing historical fiction.