GCSE English RevisionPod

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Our tenth episode on Romeo and Juliet means that we are starting to explore some of the more niche questions that could come up. But remember, just because this question is an unlikely one, there is a whole lot of stuff in here that could be used in other essays as well. So come with us as we explore how the passage of time - and particularly the speed of its passing - has such a huge effect on our eponymous star-crossed lovers.

Download the all-important handout here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ovC79K-HRUiH1XQkSyYQ7FwdVtQt5uzc/view?usp=sharing

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A dear friend in your time of need, or a traitor and a coward? No, not a question about Mr Forster - although, you'd have a point - but instead an exploration of a seemingly minor but actually very important character within the play: the Friar.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JV3TEBNAU2hSX7ti4jVllMqNd5FxO7gS/view?usp=sharing

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Fate... the idea that everything is predestined, that the very fact that you are here listening to this podcast was somehow preordained and written into the cosmos.

Hopefully you will find the next twenty-five minutes less painful than the fated journey of our eponymous star-crossed lovers, and emerge confident in how to write an essay about this tricky but not too tricky theme.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-mk_uPzuob0ED7K5iAZYnPUa3QvoDJTJ/view?usp=sharing

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You can't really write about A Christmas Carol without getting into Dickens' social message; so why not turn it into an entire essay, we thought. Enjoy!

Get the hand out here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nlAgfmat45jMUce-MY2Jdfp3I_VnVxZeFWB1Kfz5W-4/edit

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Can you become a better person without the help of four spirits? Perhaps so, but it might not be as fun or filled with powerful imagery. Lock in for a spooky journey, as we look at how you turn Dickens' ghostly figures into a top level response.

Get the hand out here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mi9G20TGo0a_yez2yxUsiD_Fr_QXv68Ows32U6Gnbf8/edit

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Hope is a beautiful thing. It rings through Dickens' novella like the bells of Christmas day, but is it the right kind of hope? Let's look at how a relatively simple idea can be transformed into a top-level essay response.

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The best essays will move around a text and show a detailed understanding of the work as a whole. And you will need to be able to do this to ace this question. Can a man who murders his king be called a hero? In order to be a true villain, do you perhaps need something of the hero about you? Complex questions lead to great essays.

Get the hand out here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Mi9G20TGo0a_yez2yxUsiD_Fr_QXv68Ows32U6Gnbf8/edit

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Death, death and more death. But does it have to be as gloomy as all that? Mr Forster and Mr Gallie explore how your essay on death in A Christmas Carol may have a surprisingly uplifting vibe.

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A change is as good as the rest, they say. But is that true for our star-cross'd lovers? Mr Forster and Mr Gallie explore how you would construct and execute a top level essay on what Shakespeare's tragedy teaches us about the power of change.

Get the hand out here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nlAla9Rn9aVsW85PPQZvOTWyirJmtFMY/edit

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An unlikey character question? Perhaps, but one that may unlock interesting ideas for other questions as well. We explore the significance of the Nurse and how you could use her to explore the deeper themes in the play.

Get the hand out here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z29aMaxpryIjCfJYuL6Yq_SeBZm6GcBDb745oU4AR_8/edit

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Happiness, the key to a long and... happy life. In this episode we look at the many forms happiness takes in the novella and ask what does it really mean to be happy (hint: it's not about money!).

Get the hand out here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qNSYgXgppUItME6i3dU47GUiMHaI1dWWZ2PwvNh9fDc/edit

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In this episode of RevisionPod, we look at Macbeth and Banquo's contrasting attitudes to the supernatural and what it can tell us about beliefs at the time (hint: don't trust those witches!).

Get the hand out here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YCQN_xdZ0GHZ--WHweWO-y8WmzMhQ1T9/edit

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A nice cheery one for you today listeners, as we explore the theme of death in Romeo and Juliet!

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Get the hand out here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RNc2vb94gmJ2GcN2dKIiSzpA8jByXd7V/edit

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In this episode, we take you through how to analyse the writer's use of language for AQA Language Paper 1, question 2.

Here is a link to the handout: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HxXHR--EtLV6wzh-GaylEhijPm9E2lt0/view?usp=sharing

And here is a link to the revision pack: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rJ5zh4MVU2FT3QZyWDwpQ8koW7nVU-Sb/view?usp=sharing

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This week, we use the same extract to look at how the writer has structured the text to interest us as a reader. Remember that magic question: when do things change and why?

Here is the handout: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10NfhujHJ-9H6U2f_Xiq67vgDCBtIPsgC/view?usp=sharing

And here is the revision pack: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rJ5zh4MVU2FT3QZyWDwpQ8koW7nVU-Sb/view?usp=sharing

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, revision podders! We hope you enjoy this episode on one of Shakespeare's most interesting characters: Juliet.

As ever, you can download the spectacularly helpful handout right here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C8QuEjMrPD3vs21AXfSQNlzifZpP7fWl/view?usp=sharing

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This episode we look at the role of pride in the older Birling's failure to learn Priestley's message. To what extent does their belief that they are simply better than Eva Smith play into their eventual downfall?

Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I4fZP777l36PfgXRvlK_LOVHTjlemESu/view?usp=sharing

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9 episodes! 9 whole episodes--you lucky, lucky revisers! This week we look at Eric, his terrible deeds and Priestley's perhaps uncomfortable presentation of him at the play's end. Can a modern audience still relate to this message in the same way? We explore all this and more.

Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QrwApBkInOKM4WGgw7KNHnSAGMM957-5

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We explore how Gerald, in spite of having some fragments of good within him, ultimately is unable to learn the lessons he needs to learn.

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We look at how through the depiction of Eva Smith and, to a lesser extent, Sheila, Priestley's play argues that the treatment of women is one of the many things that much change if we want to make a better world.

Download the all important hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1i4ZexcizI-ySIVWPkwC07Tww45B5PTj7

Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.comAnd access all our other podcasts at our website here

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What does it mean to be brave? Neither Mr Forster nor Mr Gallie have much of an idea, but thankfully Shakespeare does!

Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tEDN-LstVhctUSOQHwH6Vorr4Zw-Pgn_/view?usp=drivesdk

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We explore the way Dickens presents the disastrous consequences, both for ourselves and others, of not taking social responsibility but also the chance for redemption if we do take it.

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Two men of science, and yet so different... but also very similar. A man who sees himself as greater than God but also akin to Satan: Jekyll and Hyde is nothing if not full of delicious paradoxes. So sit back, download the hand out, and allow us to explore them for you.

Get the hand out here: https://tinyurl.com/sddv7ku

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Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We hope you have all had a fantastic festive period and are super excited to get back to some hardcore revision. And what better way to start than with a look at Shakespeare's seemingly obvious portrayal of morality in 'Macbeth'? As with all RevisionPod topics, however, things are perhaps not as simple as they first seem...

Download the all important hand out here: https://tinyurl.com/u6nsr4o

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Two poems today that explore the changing nature of parent child relationships, featuring one of Mr Forster’s top ten favourite words ever - you have been warned.

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https://tinyurl.com/y2qsrszk

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Welcome back podders! After a beautiful summer break, we hope you are all ready to get your teeth into some serious revision. This week, we embark on the other AQA poetry cluster: Love and Relationships. Specifically, we have a look at this summer's exam question and talk about how doomed (or perhaps not) romantic feelings are reflected in the bleak landscape of the two poems.

As ever, you can download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1r0bUu4KL3Jczxm3LshbWnR_oEQ-kHeSz

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In the absence of his dear friend Mr Forster, Mr Gallie takes you through everything you need for Language Paper 2, Question 5. Download the all-important pack right here:
https://tinyurl.com/y449jfl9

Click here for examples of opinion based writing:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/commentisfree

And click here for some great speeches:
https://americanrhetoric.com/

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Almost there! Keep on revising, revisers. Here’s a podcast to help you where we tackle AQA Language Paper 2, Question 4.

Download the essential pack here: https://tinyurl.com/y449jfl9

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Welcome back, revisers! Today we take on AQA Language Paper 2, Question 2.

You will need the revision pack which you will find here:

https://tinyurl.com/y449jfl9

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Our second pod of the day looks at question 3 in AQA’s Language Paper 2 and gives you an opportunity to practise those analytical skills.

You will need the revision pack which can be downloaded here:

https://tinyurl.com/y449jfl9

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In an ideal world, you would improve your writing by reading many novels over a period of many years. But do listen in to get some advice on what you can do to revise for this question.

The handout is crucial this week: https://tinyurl.com/y46ovdrx

And do also download the general Language Paper 1 revision guide: https://tinyurl.com/y4uganwu

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Hope you are all feeling good and ready for literature paper 2 tomorrow. Here is a last minute podcast to help you out. Best of luck!

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Best of luck for tomorrow! Here are some last little bits and bobs to help you with your final day’s revising.

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All aboard the language train. In this episode we tackle question four. Lots of marks available and we tell you how to get them!

Download the essential hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_0orantjC4iKTi5CFkEQ6HWy2axgS4k3

And the Paper 1 revision pack here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rJ5zh4MVU2FT3QZyWDwpQ8koW7nVU-Sb

Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

Happy revising

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It’s time to step back, waaaaay back. So far back that you can observe the overall shape and structure of the extract. Put down your language analysis microscope, step back and enjoy the view. Forget about the effect of individual words and phrases and think about where the writer is pointing that focus and where and why that changes. Sounds like fun... right?

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Download the handout below: https://tinyurl.com/yxnxk4bn

And a revision guide for Language Paper 1: https://tinyurl.com/y4uganwu

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It’s time to make the leap—the leap across borders and boundaries into a new world both beautiful and terrifying in equal measure. That’s right, we speak, of course, about the leap from literature to language.

This week we tackle AQA language paper one, question two. Make sure you download the resources below as you listen along; they should really help you!

Here is the handout for this episode: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fZ-iYUI_CzkxrA8O6anaSUJLZ2atrfU8

Here is a pack going through the whole of Language Paper 1: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1rJ5zh4MVU2FT3QZyWDwpQ8koW7nVU-Sb

Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

Happy revising!

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Happy last day of term! A little treat to send you off on your holid... revision break! Here we take a look at perhaps the most important character in the whole play--even though we never actually see her onstage.

And, of course, you can download the handout here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Bb3U1nuJPy-C87rLxgbK5coq-voIQf2X

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We all need to take more responsibility--both for those around us and, equally as crucially, for our GCSE revision. This Podcast will help, perhaps not so much with the former but certainly with the latter.

Email us at englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

And, of course, download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1vLoSqatyeHV0CO7YsrpO-gXhq5WjQHbE

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Back we plunge into the murderous world of Scottish power games. This week, we take a look at Shakespeare’s presentation of Lady Macbeth. Is she a witchlike being, consumed completely by evil thoughts, or a victim of a cruel patriarchal society? Or perhaps a bit of both?

And, of course, download the all important hand out here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DZ7ZB2lpyblHzGD7MP01XaEEx1oAWo0F

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A man governed by fate or an ambitious demon who makes his own choices? But enough about Mr Forster, today we are looking at an essay about choice in 'Macbeth'.

You will also learn about our favourite weather systems.

N.B. if you go to the school where we teach, your text is 'Romeo and Juliet' so ignore this pod!

Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1wO9izQ9fUI2dPirD32R-fUlzDJonwH8p

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For the third time, we plunge into murky waters aboard the good ship Unseen Poetry. This week's poem features some quite explicit material, although it is nowhere near as disgusting as Mr Forster’s onomatopoeia and for this we can only apologise.

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And download not one, but two(!) hand outs below:

Here is the handout for analysing any unseen poem: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EmvEG6IwYzv8tLWxdy1YDBes14xIROc-

And here is the handout for the two poems we are looking at today: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1hUo1tjXDHilimAXHREOPaTMpyYduZ0-b

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Unseen poetry round two! Make sure you pause the podcast and have a go at analysing the poem before you listen to us to make sure you get the full unseen experience.

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Download the two hand outs below:
Here is the handout on how to analyse any unseen poem: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EmvEG6IwYzv8tLWxdy1YDBes14xIROc-

Here is the handout looking at the unseen question we study today: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ymcuuIfduo-urgAwMCl2YKCst-WOlu0u

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It's big, it's bold, it's fresh... it's unseen.

New format this week to help you with the skills you need to face the unseen poetry section of your literature exams.

email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

And download the two... that's right! TWO handouts here:

How to analyse unseen poetry: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1EmvEG6IwYzv8tLWxdy1YDBes14xIROc-

Today's handout on two unseen poems about love: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mauMZUXuSentMnjQm_UT-8DuqBd8H7dH

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We made it! It's been a journey, one filled with endless power struggles and conflict... and that was just us arguing over who got to host the pod.

Our final Power and Conflict pod looks at the representation of identity in 'Checking Out Me History' and 'The Emigree'.

Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

And, of course, you can download the all important hand out here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1S_0rICZVi5e_X1zU1gjHnU16qAucvKh1

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We are almost there! Keep with us, dear listener, as we near the end of our journey into power and conflict. This week, we look at the presentation of regret in both 'Remains' and 'War Photographer'.

Email us: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

And, of course, download the all important handout here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_1iFcsSjkGUA9W7lvilq4ORn9n6ox-OU

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Happy half term! What better way to relax than by easing your worries about the hardest (and, arguably, the worst--at least according to Mr Forster) poem in the anthology: 'Tissue'? Will you let the 'light / shine through' your revision notes? Will the pages of your anthology be 'smoothed and stroked / and thinned to be transparent' as you stress over what these poems explore? Never fear, that is why we are here. Listen to our podcast and download the handout to jot down notes as you go.

Download the handout here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1eENbBZvEsYQSeZ3E5NCF3tQ0nVJ1wTKv

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Happy half term! Enjoy your time off but don't slack off that all important revision. Here's a little something to help you. This episode, we look at how we would compare the chaos and confusion of war in 'Charge of the Light Brigade' and 'Bayonet Charge'. They both have 'charge' in the title for goodness sake! What more do you want?

Download the hand out here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1F7yp37OekgFN0fKBpKq0s08-FQEvZ5P7

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Welcome to your Monday dose of GCSE English RevisionPod. Today we look at how power can be abused, and we're not just talking about the fact that Mr Forster has seized control of the podcast!

Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZtcIc4W1rJoXazcHZ8t-yrJdFGZ2mNyD

And you can contact us at gcserevisionpod@gmail.com

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Happy mocks day to those of you who have just got your results! Today we continue our whirlwind ride through Power and Conflict, looking at the way nature is represented as both beautiful and dangerous. How does one stand tall in the face of a storm? Why, by sticking together of course--something Wordsworth might wish he had known before setting out on that little boat!

Download the hand out here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1-irQbtl1k-L-q-4laia-irL3vmr6EZsy

And contact us at gcserevisionpod@gmail.com

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This next two episodes of GCSE Revision Pod are going to work slightly differently. Mr Forster and Mr Gallie take the same poem, 'Kamikaze', and explore two different ways of answering the same question. Hopefully this will show how important it is to think about multiple different ways that you would connect the poems in this section of the anthology together. In this episode, Mr Gallie argues that there are enough links between 'Kamikaze' and 'War Photographer' to make a fantastic essay. Mr Forster will be presenting an alternative argument in the next pod... Whose will be better? You decide.

Download the hand out here:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1TrDoQJSn4uts_YHwGVjQruJWFnpEVwxY

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Two podcasts in one day! You lucky, lucky people. As promised, Mr Forster now has a go at exactly the same question that Mr Gallie did earlier. It's not a competition (Of course! But we would like to know which one you preferred ;)). Instead, what we hope to show is that having multiple ideas for the same poem is the best way to approach the exam. The more slightly different comparisons you have revised, the more potential questions you will be ready for!

Download the hand out here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CoLlAfRn5trqA9bakuaAk4nypct9WgNK

Contact us at englishrevisonpod@gmail.com

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This week on GCSE Revision Pod, we delve into the world of poetry. With two texts to cover, the analysis comes thick and fast (two words sometimes used to describe Mr Gallie and Mr Forster, respectively) so make sure you have downloaded the hand out here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1OUlawxj14tpeeKdEjHJkXS-Gxgxm6ugg

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Welcome back to Dickensian London -- a world that Mr Forster wishes he was from. As we delve back into the miserly behaviour of Scrooge, we examine how one would write a top level essay exploring change. Find out how both oysters and flint may seem hard and lonely but offer sparks (pun definitely intended) of optimism, how light and heat ultimately must overcome the cold that seems to emanate from Scrooge's very being and how if we are to truly change, we must embrace our past, present and future. Happy studying!

As ever you can download the hand out here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=13Sgcrt8rYdq-jBgTaOwY4DiT8NqH71Ho

And you can contact us at englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

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What better way to spend Friday evening than getting deep into the heart of J.B. Priestley's didactic drama 'An Inspector Calls'? None, I hear you cry, and right you are! Find out in this episode how the Inspector functions as a mouthpiece for Priestley to the extent that it is as if the author himself has wandered into the pages, what the word 'quasi' means and how one tiny word hidden in the stage directions could be the key to you bringing home the big marks!

You can download the handout here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=15rsDlF3l2eT0hJyZ3C248vms_8GGkL-y

And you can contact us at englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

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In our second exploration of J. B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls', Mr Gallie and Mr Forster look at how class division is presented as the root of society's problems. From the comfort of the recording studio (A.K.A. Mr Forster's car), we evaluate how Priestley shows a world in which those with privilege never look down at those they could help, and instead think only of climbing further up the twin ladders of profit and status. Titanic comes up more than it should, and Mr Forster (much like a modern day Mrs Birling) mocks Mr Gallie's 'provincial' ways.

Download the hand out here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qhmIE2PTWZjyyzd2C3SBPd95AvUgaTBQ

Contact us here: englishrevisionpod@gmail.com

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In our first exploration of J.B. Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls', we look at how young people -- young people like your good selves -- are the only hope we have for the future. Through the character of Sheila, we see how having a capacity to change is one of the most important attributes a human can possess. Though her actions may have been horrible, she at least shows the ability to learn and take responsibility. Does this redeem her? That's for you to decide.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VlmkD3UExJXUoQMt_Ku0vOjXcZiJyhxg

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In our third delve into the duplicitous world of Jekyll and Hyde, we find out that Utterson is perhaps not all he seems. Is this man indeed the bastion of Victorian decency, willing to go to any length to help his friends or is there, as with so much in the novella, a hidden side to him? We also explore the shocking revelation that Mr Forster sympathises with the 'boring' member of the group who would much rather be reading a book than out having fun...

As ever, the hand out, complete with all your revision needs is right here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zBl8OwISKIgdE80ua8cHxIivgn9Y0xY0/view

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It's a new year, and what better way to celebrate than another journey into Dickensian London? Find out why even though Scrooge has seen the light by the end of the novella, his Christmas preparation would still have been disastrous - the man clearly knows nothing about cooking times - and how the Cratchits' Christmas Day glass issues have never really gone away.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18xBR3WJ_L95twFwJ_z5PhmtiVD6mvd24/view?usp=sharing

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In the sixth episode of GCSE RevisionPod, recorded in the luxurious surroundings of Mr Forster's car, we delve deep into the miserly world of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Find out why money truly doesn't make you happy, how trees can sometimes represent all that is wrong with the world, while fires, by way of contrast, can depict the best sides of humanity -- thankfully no trees end up on fire or who knows what the imagery would mean!

As ever, you can download the RevisionPod handout here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ElvZs735P2ItXqkP5zhCtgpisYVATicd/view?usp=sharing

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In the fifth edition of RevisionPod, Mr Gallie and Mr Forster look at the importance of place in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Find out why the end of term brings out every teacher's inner Hyde, why London was once a labyrinthine nightmare that played host to all sorts of terrible debauchery and why you should most certainly never judge a book by its cover (or a man by his house).

Download the handout here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dBITO6-NHnSjQTTOGvMXD-FgmrQ9sho6/view?usp=sharing

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In the fourth edition of GCSE RevisionPod, Mr Forster and Mr Gallie celebrate that Friday feeling with a trip into the depths of Victorian London. Find out why Hyde is not actually an outsider (and why that frightens the Victorians so much!), why being ugly could be considered a criminal offence back then, and hear the brutal tale of Mr Forster channeling his inner Hyde by snapping a leg on the rugby field.

Download the handout here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14g4mjdfbCHt3hWwOT-bZ5xdHn37uvXUQ/view?usp=sharing

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In the third episode of GCSE English RevisionPod, Mr Forster and Mr Gallie get all sad as they explore broken families in 'Romeo and Juliet'. Find out why Juliet faces a decision very similar to that of Rose in Titanic, why Lord Capulet perhaps isn't quite as bad as you thought (although he is still pretty bad!) and why a deeper reading of the play shows how family is just another inevitable victim of the violence of Verona (boo!).

Download the handout here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1euAMVvmRoGbp_kPoX10KRfcIV-vON9lx/view?usp=sharing

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In the second episode of RevisionPod, Mr Forster and Mr Gallie discuss how to write an essay on the one question that fills every GCSE student with fear: Mercutio. Find out why Romeo's best friend would have failed his biology exams and how Mr Forster would write a poem about Mr Gallie, if he were a sixteenth century poet (which he basically is). Oh, and learn how you can take ownership of your most feared topic and turn it into one you are actually hoping and praying will come up.

Download handout here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bkVl84GIjXbeKild450WSvm3ynk1g8A8/view?usp=sharing

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In the first episode of RevisionPod, Mr Forster and Mr Gallie discuss how to write an essay on perhaps the most important theme in 'Romeo and Juliet': Love. Find out why Mr Forster thinks that Romeo is a mix of Rhianna and Adam from Love Island, and why Mr Gallie thinks he can hear heartbeats in the words.

Download the handout here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JglcJ9GAyQXx4AWBrrnc5NypNPxqSfuQ/view?usp=sharing

GCSE English RevisionPod: Recent Episodes

Mr Forster, Mr Gallie