Year 12 to 13 Bridging Materials for
September 2015
Contents and General Notes
Bridging materials have been written to help you make the transition to the higher
level of study expected.
It is expected that you complete this work during private study and independent
study before you return to school in September.
The Summer term provides an opportunity for you to bridge the gap between AS and
A2 level study.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Subjects
AS Accounting
•
AS Applied Science
•
AS Art & Design
•
AS Biology
•
AS Business Studies (Single &
•
Double)
AS Chemistry
•
AS Computing
•
BTEC Creative Media Production
•
Level 3 BTEC Subsidiary
•
Diploma in Dance
AS Drama & Theatre Studies
AS Economics (Micro & Macro)
AS English Language
AS English Literature
AS French
AS Geography
AS Geology
AS German
AS Government & Politics
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
AS Graphics
AS Health & Social Care
AS History
AS Italian
AS Mathematics & Further
AS Media
AS Music
BTEC Music
Level 3 BTEC Subsidiary
Diploma in Performing Arts
(Acting)
AS Photography
AS Physical Education
AS Physics
AS Product Design
AS Psychology
AS Religious Studies
AS Sociology
AS Spanish
AS Travel & Tourism
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
Wider
research
A2 Accounting
Revision of some basic AS terms which will lead into A2 material on Accounting from
Incomplete Records, and the Accounts of Manufacturing Firms
Begin working on Sources of Finance as an introduction to Unit 3.
The following online sites will give you an overview of these topics:
http://beta.tutor2u.net/business/reference/sources-of-finance-for-a-startup-or-smallbusiness
http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/business-theory/finance/sources-offinance.html#axzz3arGJrIy0
http://www.tutor2u.net/business/presentations/accounts/sourcesoffinance/default.html
http://www.accounting-basics-for-students.com/accounting-for-manufacturing.html
Guidance is available on Showbie.
The Showbie Code is 2NHM8
The following online sources will give you an insight into the general world of business:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/
http://www.ft.com/home/uk
Written
tasks
Task 1 Sources of Finance
1.1.
Write up explanations for each of the following. You must give a definition and
state what the advantages and disadvantages are from the point of view of (a) the
business (b) the investor:
Definition
Advantages
for use in the
Business
Disadvantages
for use in the
Business
Advantages
for the
Investor
Disadvantages
for the Investor
Internal Finance
External
Finance
Ordinary
Shares
Preference
shares
Debentures
Bank loans
Bank overdrafts
Mortgages
Private equity
Capital
Business
Angels
1.2 Case Study
Josie plans to open her own fitness centre. She has some savings and several of her
friends and family are interested in and supportive of the project. She is unsure where
to get finance from to buy the equipment she needs. She has found premises to rent
but she wants to buy her own property in the long term. If successful, she believes she
could turn the business into a national chain.
Explain and justify what forms of finance would be appropriate for Josie in the (a) short
and (b) long term.
Task 2 -Cash Flows
2.1. What are Cash Flows
2.2 What is the function of the cash flow forecast?
2.3 Explain the format of the cash flow forecast and include examples
• Operating Activities.
• Investing Activities.
• Financing Activities.
Task 3 International accounting standards
Write notes on what each of the International accounting standards are and why they
are important.
IAS 1 Presentation of financial statements
IAS 2 Inventories
IAS 7 Statement of cash flows
IAS 8 Accounting policies, changes in accounting estimates and errors
IAS 10 Events after the reporting period
IAS 16 Property, plant and equipment
IAS 18 Revenue
IAS 36 Impairment of assets
IAS 37 Provisions, contingent liabilities and contingent assets
IAS 38 Intangible assets
Subject
Context
A2 Applied Science
The Student Guide is a necessary starting point for all students studying Applied
Science A-level single award. In Year 13 we will be studying Units 7, 11 and 15. The
areas of study are detailed on page 4 of the Guide.
In Unit 7 (coursework) you will carry out an investigation within a commercial context.
In Unit 11 (exam unit) you will study Controlling Chemical Processes.
In Unit 15 (coursework) you will study The role of the Pathology Service.
Wider
readings
Student Guide - http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/AQA-8771-73-76-79-W-SG.PDF
Wider
research
Applied Science Spec - http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/AQA-8770-W-SP-14.PDF
(for reference)
Unit 11 - http://www.chemguide.co.uk http://www.s-cool.co.uk/a-level/chemistry
http://chemrevise.org/revision-guides are 3 general Chemistry resources for you.
Task 1
Both written tasks are compulsory
Written
tasks
Written
tasks
Unit 11 – Write notes about the Contact Process for making Sulphuric Acid and the
Haber Process for making Ammonia. Include raw materials, equations, reaction
conditions (temperature, pressure and catalysts) with reasons for choice.
Task 2
Unit 15 – The Role of the Pathology Service
The work you produce for this task will form part of your coursework. Your document
needs to be written electronically and be ready to submit in the first lesson in
September.
The pathology departments in a hospital are responsible for diagnosing a variety of
conditions, such as;
• Diabetes
• PKU
• Atheroma
• Emphysema
• Leukaemia
• Sickle cell anaemia
Written
task
For each condition write a paragraph which covers;
• The cause(s) of the condition
• The damage done to the body
• The symptom(s)
• How the condition is diagnosed
• Possible treatment(s)
• What can be done to reduce the number of people with the condition?
Websites
for task 2
Diabetes
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Diabetes/Pages/Diabetes.aspx
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/
PKU
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Phenylketonuria/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.nspku.org/information/whatispku
Atheroma
http://patient.info/health/Atheroma
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Atherosclerosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Emphysema
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-obstructive-pulmonarydisease/pages/introduction.aspx
Leukaemia
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/aboutcancer/type/leukaemia/?gclid=CjwKEAjwhbCrBRCO7-e7vuXqiT4SJAB2B5u7oifLsqxBrJVkcRx_D5oPMqN1w965aFr8kaOOE8YUxoCvcPw_wcB&dclid=CJzwirGw7sUC
FcWQwgod2IIADw
https://leukaemialymphomaresearch.org.uk/patientinformation/leukaemia?gclid=CjwKEAjwhbCrBRCO7e7vuXqiT4SJAB2B5u7MVlft3EH7oZQm7PHyX1o2DccxVjgSRSCQmfG7XrgTxoCgVP
w_wcB
Sickle cell anaemia
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Sickle-cell-anaemia/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sca/
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
A2 Art & Design
Unit 3 is a practical unit but also includes the 1000-3000 personal study.
This year's theme is 'Flaws, perfections, ideals and compromises'
You will receive a help and advice document which provides the necessary support
and guidance to get you started. This document has detailed information about post
exam and summer work.
Please select the most appropriate reading below relating to your project.
The Royal Portrait: image and lmpact by Jennifer Scott, The Royal Collection Great
Britain, Royal Collection Publications, 2010
Lessons in Likeness: Portrait Painters in Kentucky and the Ohio River Valley, 18021920 by Estill Curtis Pennington, The University Press of Kentucky, 2010
The Subject in Art: Portraiture and the Birth of the Modern by Catherine M. Soussloff
Duke University Press, 2006
Romanticism by Jessica Gunderson, Creative Education, 2008
Andreas Gursky, Volume 1, by Louise Neri, Gagosian Gallery, 2010
The Art of Peter Prendergast by Richard Cork, Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 2013
Greek Sculpture: The Late Classical Period: and Sculpture in Colonies and Overseas
by John Boardman, Thames and Hudson, 1995
lncarnate: Marc Quinn by Marc Quinn, Harry N. Abrams, 1998
Woodturning: Major Works by Leading Artists edited by Suzanne J. E. Tourtillott,
Sterling Publishing Company Inc, 2009
Still Life and Trade in The Dutch Golden Age by Julie Berger Hochstrasser, Yale
University Press, 2007
Photorealism by Louis K. Meisel, Harry N. Abrams, 1989
Wider
research
Written
tasks
www.tate.org.uk
www.nationalgalIery.org.uk
www.iniva.org
www.britishmuseum.org
www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk
www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
www.getty.edu
www.moma.org
www.metmuseum.org
www.sfmoma.org
www.cnac-go.fr
www.guggenheim.org
www.designmuseum.org
www.craftscouncil.org.uk
www.artincontext.org
www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk
www.vam-acuk
www.photonet.org.uk
www.bfi.org.uk
To develop your personal study by gathering resources including:
3 articles/ chapters/ books relevant and central to developing your study, a range of
high quality images of work by referenced and relevant artists.
Design title
Written introduction (minimum 200 words)
Outline plan for the body of the study describing your key areas of focus and an outline
structure for the study.
Subject
Context
Written
task
Written
presentation
Written
task
A2 Biology
Some of the topics taught at AS are fundamental to Biology and the examiners will
assume that you have a working knowledge of these topics. At the beginning of
September you will be studying units about Ecology. This topic will be examined by
short answer questions at the end of the year. As part of your A2 EMPA exam you will
be expected to carry out statistical tests. You have covered all three tests in the run
up to the summer holidays.
Task 1 – Fundamental AS Biology topics
There are some AS topics that AQA require you to know for A2. You need to produce
an A4 summary sheet for each of these areas of the specification. You can display
this work in whatever way suits you but you must bring them to your first biology
lesson in September and store them in your folder. The topics you must cover are:
• Protein structure and how the rate of enzyme controlled reactions are
influenced by temperature, pH, inhibitors and substrate concentration.
• Structure of the membrane and how chemicals can be transported across it.
The structure of DNA and how genetic information is stored and passed on in mitosis.
Task 2 Research an interesting ecosystem
In September you will study Ecosystems. The topic introduces many terms which you
must be able to use correctly.
First define the following terms: abiotic, adaptations, biotic, community, ecosystem,
environment, habitat, interspecific competition, intraspecific competition, niche,
population and species.
Secondly you need to research an ecosystem of your choice and produce a written
presentation/poster describing this ecosystem in detail. This can be produced
electronically or by hand. Choose your ecosystem carefully – we do not want 20
presentations about woodlands. Your presentation should:
• Describe the abiotic conditions in the ecosystem.
• Give a description of the adaptations shown by the plants and animals living
there.
• Describe how the biotic and abiotic factors influence biodiversity in the area.
• Use the terms defined.
This work needs to be brought to your first Biology lesson in September.
Task 3 Statistical tests
Complete the statistics section of three Unit 6 papers. All three statistic tests will be
used.
1. The effect of different concentrations of sodium chloride on the growth of
lettuce seedlings.
2. An investigation into the effect of competition for oxygen on the growth of
yeast.
3. Turning behaviour of maggots.
Bring your written answers to your first Biology lesson in September.
You will find sample data and the papers in Showbie account DPFT2
Subject
Context
Wider
research
Single Business Studies: A2 A Business Plan for the Entrepreneur Coursework
Unit 10
This unit forms the basis of any entrepreneurial start-up. A business plan is required
to establish successful foundations for any business and a provider of finance (such
as a bank) will need to see a detailed business plan to help them assess their risk
before agreeing loans.
Your business start-up will be a local, small, bespoke business which may be artisan,
ethical or on-trend. You can choose from the following list but once chosen you will
NOT have the option to change later.
o A juice/ smoothie bar (eg Shake 'Em)
o A gift/ stationery shop (eg Tinc)
o A florist (eg Regal Florists)
o A confectioners/ bakery (eg Farrars)
o An ice-cream/ milkshake parlour (eg Vanillis or Crepes and Cream)
Choose the type of business that most interests you and then stick with it!! This is an
in depth business plan and you can’t afford the time to change your mind.
The assignment guidance is in Showbie, it has details of the research which needs to
be carried out.
The Showbie Code is N4BVT.
It is your responsibility to collect a copy of all secondary sources used. This may
include basic supermarket websites through to specialist equipment suppliers but
these starting points might help you:
www.google.com
www.costco.co.uk
www.ikea.co.uk
www.argos.co.uk
www.amazon.co.uk
Written
tasks
•
•
•
Deadline
Set up a spreadsheet with 6 tabs named costs, revenues, cash-flow, break-even,
balance sheet, profit and loss
In the costs tab produce estimated running, variable, fixed, variable, unit, total
costs
All your research will be applied to your chosen business and must be clearly
labelled in an appendix.
The spreadsheet costings and supporting appendix needs to be ready for the first
lesson in September.
Subject
Context
Wider
research
Double Business Studies: A2 Business Law – Unit 17 – Examined Unit
This unit provides an introduction to the laws affecting businesses in the UK. It
provides a basic introduction to business law for those wishing to study the area
further. This unit is also relevant for candidates planning further studies in business in
higher education.
You will sit an exam for this Unit in June 2016.
The following online videos will give you an overview of the basic ideas of how laws
are made:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_ecJOUlHCY
http://beta.tutor2u.net/law/blog/legslative-process-for-the-iwb-video
The Showbie code for this assignment is CUEDR
Written
tasks
Prepare a presentation which explains precisely how the following laws are formed:
•
•
•
Common/Case law
Statute law (Acts of Parliament)
European Union law (including Treaties, Regulations and Directives)
The slides should be clear and easy to follow with a prepared talk aimed at Year 11
students who are considering studying Law at A Level.
Deadline
Include examples of the laws being tested in court and the outcome.
These presentations need to be ready for the first lesson with Mrs Tinker in
September.
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
A2 Chemistry
This work is to consolidate and develop your understanding of the analysis topic in
unit 4.
The following online pages will give you an overview of NMR spectroscopy:
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/analysis/nmrmenu.html
http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/wiki/Introduction_to_NMR_spectroscopy
The following online pages will give you an overview of chromatography:
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/analysis/chromatogrmenu.html
https://learning.hgs.n-yorks.sch.uk/chemistry/ks5/chm4/411-structuredetermination/chromatography
The above contains links to videos you may find interesting related to
chromatography.
Wider
research
Written
tasks
Challenge reading:
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/analysis/nmr/background.html#top
http://chem.ch.huji.ac.il/nmr/whatisnmr/whatisnmr.html
The following online sources will give you an insight into use of NMR and MRI in
medical applications (not on spec).
http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/mri.html
Use of Chromatography in forensics:
http://www.chromatographytoday.com/news/gc-mdgc-gcms/32/breaking_news/how_is_gas_chromatography_used_in_forensics/30185/
NMR:
Write an overview of the basics of NMR spectroscopy. Include:
- Details on information given by chemical shift values.
- Information is given by integration values.
- What information is given by splitting patterns and how to analyse splitting
patterns.
Extension:
If you are confident with the basics explain the principles of how NMR works you
should explain what gives rise to chemical shift, and spin-spin coupling.
Chromatography:
For each of the following techniques you need to explain in detail;
- The application(s) of the technique (what it is used for),
- How and where separation occurs,
- Details of equipment and how it is used.
1) TLC,
2) Gas Chromatography,
3) Column Chromatography.
Presentation:
Based upon the above research you should plan and produce resources (such as a
keynote document) for a presentation that you will make to the rest of the group on
the first lesson back in September. You should including the basics of NMR and one
chromatography technique plus any related interesting facts/exciting developments
that you have found.
Subject
Context
A2 Computing
In Y13 you will continue to have both theory and practical lessons. In the theory
lessons you will be preparing for a two hour examination in June 2016. In the
practical lessons you will be working on your Computing Practical Project.
The Computing Project provides an opportunity for you to demonstrate your
knowledge and understanding of computer programming. You will be creating a
complex program that could involve a computer solution to:
-
a data-processing problem of an organisation
a scientific or mathematical problem
a computer-aided learning system
Wider
readings
a simulation of a real-life situation
The following online articles give an overview of the python structures required to
complete your project.
Wider
research
• Python Basics
• Dictionaries
• Modules
• Functions
• Input/Ouput
• An Introduction to Classes and Inheritance (in Python)
The following online sources will give you an insight into the algorithms you will need
to incorporate into your Computing Project.
1. Read this article on the basics of sorting in Python: Sorting in Python
2. Use these sources to create a Bubble Sort, a Quicksort and an Insertion Sort in
Python
• BubbleSort Algorithm
• Quicksort Algorithms
• Insertion Sort
Coding
tasks
3. Compare their operation to the in-built sorting functions.
Tkinter is the standard Graphical User Interface (GUI) library for Python. Creating a
GUI application using Tkinter is an easy task. All you need to do is perform the
following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Import the Tkinter module
Create the GUI application main window
Add one or more widgets to the GUI application
Enter the main event loop to take action against each event triggered by
the user
Simple! Follow this tutorial to create your first GUI - Tkinter Tutorial
In September you will use this experience to create your first prototype.
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
BTEC Creative Media Production
One of the units you will cover in Year 13 is all about web design and publishing
content online. This work will prepare you with the background code that underpins
all web pages.
The following website will give you an overview of the basic ideas encountered in
writing HTML and CSS. These are the core languages used to make web pages.
http://learn.shayhowe.com/html-css/
Wider
research
Challenge readings
http://learn.shayhowe.com/advanced-html-css/
The following online resources will give you further information about how HTML and
CSS are used. The challenge research links are further tutorials you could finish
beyond the task required for you to complete the bridging material.
http://www.w3schools.com/
http://htmldog.com/guides/
Tasks
Challenge research
http://www.codecademy.com/skills/make-a-website
Complete the codecademy course at
http://www.codecademy.com/tracks/web
This will step you through a practical tutorial on writing HTML and CSS. All details are
on the pages from this link.
You will have been given usernames and passwords. Make sure that you use these
so that your progress can be tracked. It will be taken as zero progress if you don’t!
Subject
Context
Dance
You need to understand the work of differing choreographers, applying the theories
to your own work.
Wider
readings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFytsCVwfY0
Watch and LEARN the choreography. We will perform this in the first week of next
term.
Wider
research
Tasks
Challenge choreography:
Choreograph movement in a different style to the same music.
Research DV8.
Challenge research:
Analyse two of DV8s work, considering how their approach will affect your own
choreographic approaches.
Write a set of notes explaining how you approach choreographing a solo dance for
another student and a group dance. This work will be submitted in the first week of
the autumn term.
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
A2 Drama and Theatre Studies
You will complete Unit 3 in December: create and perform a devised piece of theatre,
accompanied by a 3500 essay. In order to prepare, you will need to undertake a
large amount of research into the chosen theme or topic and the practitioner you are
referencing.
The following online articles will give you an overview.
http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/drama-andtheatre-studies-2008.coursematerials.html#filterQuery=category:PearsonUK:Category%2FSpecification-and-sample-assessments
http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/drama-andtheatre-studies-2008.coursematerials.html#filterQuery=PearsonUK:Category%2FExam-materials
Challenge readings
www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CD0QFjAF
&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.plantsbrookschool.co.uk%2FHTML_files%2Fresources
%2Fcreative%2520arts%2FDrama%2F%2527A%2527%2520Level%2FA2%2FUnit
%25203%2FEXAMPLE%2520SWEDS.pdf&ei=rAYxVaexNI74aNuWgYAB&usg=AFQ
jCNGr4YVvA2ZLaJh5p3nd5uLCYpNNtQ
Wider
research
The following online sources will give you an insight into devising theatre from
scratch
www.theguardian.com/culture-professionals-network/2014/dec/16/devised-theatreten-tips-collaboration.
www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/backstage/devising
Tasks
Challenge research
www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CDwQFjAE
&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.complicite.org%2Fpdfs%2FTeachers_Notes_Devising_
Pack.pdf&ei=HwcxVZylA8XW7AbbjIC4BA&usg=AFQjCNE2RrXvj6YdrAhXvV0S6sSR
V66-rg
Gather together all the resources that interest you; find pictures, songs, poems, news
articles, video clips engaging with a theme or topic you might want to explore in your
devised piece.
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
A2 Macro Economics - The National and International Economy
Macro Economics analyses government macroeconomic aims and methods of
government intervention.
The following books will give you an overview of the theory covered during the
course.
Text Books
Alain Anderton
G Bannock et al
Lawrence, Jim
Sloman, John
A Level Economics
The Penguin Dictionary of Economics.
QA Economics A2: Student’s Book
Economics
As well as this the HGS PTA have funded a new Economics collection in the
Learning Resource Centre, so there is lots to choose from.
Wider
research
Guidance is available on Showbie.
The Showbie Code is NF7D2
The following websites will give you an overview of the theory and current events
covered during the course.
BBC
UK Treasury
The Bank of England
The Office for National
Statistics
This is Money
Tutor to You
Economics online
www.bbc.co.uk
www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
www.bankofengland.co.uk
www.ons.gov.uk/welcome.htm
www.thisismoney.co.uk/economy
www.tutor2u.com
http://economicsonline.co.uk
Challenge websites
Khan Academy
Written
tasks
https://www.khanacademy.org
Students must complete one of the following essays.
Essays must be between 1,000 to 2,500 words.
1. “Countries like Greece caused the Eurozone crisis by running up too much
debt, so it is only fair that they should bear most of the burden of fixing it."
Discuss.
2. Should the Government support manufacturing? If so, how?
3. Should raising GDP be the primary objective of economic policy?
4. “The rising gap between rich and poor is not just bad for society, it is bad for
growth." Discuss.
5. Should “fracking” be allowed? If so, who should benefit?
6. "High saving promotes faster growth. So having more savers in the global
economy should be good for our long run prosperity."
7. “Does the economic case favour a new airport runway at Heathrow, Gatwick
or elsewhere?”
The deadline for all Harrogate Grammar School essays is Friday 11th
September. Miss Scully and Mrs Tinker will be judging these to choose the top 5 in
terms of research, quality of written communication and overall analysis and
evaluation. The winner will be declared Harrogate Grammar Economic Scholar 2015
(HaGES)
For those of you who wish to enter the Royal Economics Society (RES) essay
competition information is available from
http://www.res.org.uk/view/essayEduTraining.html. The first prize is £1,000 together
with an engraved trophy together with cash prizes for the other leading
essays.Tutor2U will cover many of these topics in their blogs - further details from
Tutor2U. The deadline for submitting essays is Tuesday 30 June 2015 at 2359
hours (GMT).
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
A2 English Language
When you begin the A2 course we will continue the study of accents which you began
in your project at the end of the AS Level.
The following online resources will give you an overview of the basic ideas
encountered in the first term.
www.bbc.co.uk/voices
www.newi.ac.uk/englishresources/workunits/alevel/lang/jgchilblain.html
Word of Mouth BBC Radio 4 Podcasts
Challenge reading
www.crystalreference.com/David-Crystal/index
Wider
research
The following online sources will give you an insight into the key linguistic areas
covered in the course:
http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/lang/pragmatics.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sociolect
Challenge research
Written
tasks
FREEBORNE, Dennis Varieties of English, Macmillan (ISBN0333589173)
THORNE, Sara, Mastering Advanced English Language, Macmillan, 1996 (ISBN
0333628322)
Read the newspaper article “English as it is Spoke.” Write a short essay explaining
five key points of argument about language change given in this article. For each
point explain the key idea raised, support it with textual reference from the article and,
where possible, illustrate it with examples from your own wider reading and
experience.
British identity and society
The Observer
Nigella Lawson
English as it is spoke
So the queen speaks estuary English. I can't honestly say that I'd noticed, but then, I
wasn't around in her more clipped Celia Johnson days. But now you come to mention
it, although she's not quite Jamie Oliver, there is a certain mellowing of her vowel
sounds. Why should one be surprised? Standard pronunciation across the country
has also changed.
Furthermore, the age of deference is dead, so where once broadcasters, opinionmakers and other more vocal setters of the spoken word aped the accents of the
court, now the remnants of the class élite are sinking into the speech patterns of the
people. Language is nothing if not a social tool; as society changes so must speech
change with it.
There are precedents or pertinent analogies. In the nineteenth century, before the
coming of the railways, time was not regularised throughout the country, but rather
each major town set its own time, determined each day by setting the town's clockhands to 12 when the sun was at its highest.
But obviously, once there were trains and, therefore, train timetables, there needed to
be a consistent, standardised time throughout the land. We would surely find it
curious to live now in a country divided into different time zones. Is the consternation
voiced now at the erosion of our once-various accents any more logical?
For it is patently the case that as the telegraph and the train set a standard for time,
so television has set a standard for speech. Much as people may baulk at the
influence of the metropolitan élite (which, while it may not be a social élite in the class
sense, is certainly a geographical élite), it isn't surprising that a form of London accent
has prevailed. This is a small country and a far more centralised one than any other in
Europe and certainly far more so than America.
The type of estuary English that most broadcasters (certainly most broadcasters
under 40) speak has become the vernacular of the age. It isn't a case of a
widespread adoption of mockney, or symptomatic necessarily of what are taken to be
the inverted snobbery and anxiously democratising principles of the age, but a
reflection of the obvious powers of mass communication. In much the same way,
many children's speech patterns now betray a certain transatlantic twang; after all,
most of the linguistic influences they receive are through American television
programmes.
But what is so wrong with a democratising principle governing our speech habits?
Why do we hold so nervously to our old, class-defining patterns and accents? Of
course there are casualties, though I don't say this in a spirit of self-pity. When I was
a child, my accent, for example, was Received Pronunciation; now I am given to
understand it is posh. I can live with that.
To change one's accent consciously would be the act of a phoney and shifts in
pronunciation are piecemeal rather than the product the sort of Meryl Streep-like
virtuosity brought about by a dialogue coach. What it means simply is that what
constitutes RP is different.
Furthermore, if we feel that a standardised spoken language is against natural laws,
we should also remember that the notion of standardised spelling is relatively recent.
The age of mass literacy required a shared system of spelling, brought about by the
power of the public prints, and we would find it as odd to return to an age that
dispensed with this as we would to adopt the jumble of timescales that once
unquestioningly pertained.
But as with all change, the shift in speech patterns is hardly sudden. For all that the
Australian linguists have only recently offered their apparently inflammatory
breakdown of the monarchical tongue, it was many years ago that John Honey made
just such claims in Does Accent Matter? (Faber 1989), a book that investigated the
history, influence and susceptibilities of accent.
Not only should Does Accent Matter? never have been allowed to go out of print, but
it should be used as part of illuminating textual analysis in every school in the country.
Among many other cases, John Honey recorded the shifts in the accent in which
Princess Diana spoke in the first 10 years of her public reign, for want of a better
word.
It might sound vehemently anti-democratic to site (or cite) confirmation of language
change by concentrating on the evolving accents of the royals, but it is pertinent,
nevertheless. If the idea of a shared accent makes any sense, it has to be shared by
all levels of society.
For whatever reason, we do not have the ability of, for example, the Germans, who
find it seamlessly easy to speak in their native dialect at home and in standard
hochdeutsch in public. We are not nearly so versatile and therefore need to accept
that our language will reflect that.
If the only reason that we want variety in speech is to hold on to the old prejudices,
then we are truly better off with an impoverished system. The fact that the royal
family, voluntarily or not, have become part of our linguistic reductionism does not in
itself makes it either a good or a bad thing. But surely what colours our judgment is
what the change, or changes, do away with, namely, precise stratification and instant
labelling.
No one can be naive enough to believe that a standardised spoken language denotes
a truly egalitarian age - and I can see the argument that it props up a hidden and
even more subtle classification - but it is most definitely a prerequisite of it.
Subject
Context
A2 English Literature
When you start this course you will study texts which you will use to write a 3000
word coursework essay about. The topic is gothic literature and you will have read
one text (two Coleridge poems) already. We will start the course assuming you have
read the second text “The Bloody Chamber” by Angela Carter. You will also need to
choose a third text of your choice which you will also have read over the summer.
Some examples of the third texts you could read and choose from are:
“Dracula” by Bram Stoker
“The Woman in Black” by Susan Hill
“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte
“Macbeth” by William Shakespeare
“Perfume” by Patrick Suskind
A selection of tales and poems by Edgar Allan Poe
“The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson
“The Phantom of Opera” by Gaston Leroux
“Northanger Abbey” by Jane Austen
“The Castle of Otranto” by Horace Walpole
or one of your own choice.
Wider
readings
We will ask you to read and research critical views of gothic literature and theories
about your own text choices.
You may find online and published OCR Guides and Advanced York notes helpful.
In addition, the online Jstore Library is a useful source of gothic text reviews. There is
also much information about gothic literature in school and public libraries such as
Cambridge Contexts in Literature “The Gothic Tradition” by David Stevens.
Wider
research
To widen your appreciation of the gothic genre you could read other texts from the list
which you will not write directly about and/or writing by the same authors of the
chosen three texts.
Andrew Graham-Dixon ‘The Art of the Gothic’ is a very interesting and engaging
introduction to the subject. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04mj17l - there are
four programmes in the series.
Written
tasks
You must produce a short 5 minute presentation about your third text choice. This will
include an explanation of its gothic features, your favourite passage and how it links
and compares to the other two texts.
Subject
Context
Wider
Reading
(Grammar)
A2 French
As part of the A2 French course, we will study 2 different Cultural Topics. Both are for
discussion in the oral exam (Unit 4) and you will also have to write an essay, worth 40
marks, on just one of the two topics, in Unit 3.
We have chosen the following two Cultural Topics;
• The works of a film director – Jean-Pierre Jeunet
• The study of a Francophone region – Québec
We will begin in the summer term with the study of certain works of the film director,
Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
The following online articles will give you an overview into the life and works of Jeunet. As
you read, please make notes to add to your Fact-file.
http://www.screenwize.com/archives/598 - GENERAL INTERVIEW
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000466/ - His IMDB entry
http://www.jpjeunet.com/ - Official Website
http://www.empireonline.com/interviews/interview.asp?IID=101 - Interview about Amélie
http://www.ecrannoir.fr/films/01/amelie/jeunet.htm - Article in French on Amélie
http://collider.com/writer-director-jean-pierre-jeunet-interview-micmacs/ - Interview about
Micmacs and trailer
The Following links will take you to Interviews with Jeunet, in which he talks about what
has influenced him and where his ideas have come from. Watch them and add any notes
from each to your Fact-file.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhqZDUUNtmA - short clip with Jeunet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n65ttIt7r-w – A tribute to JPJ, 9 minute clip montage
of all his films
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ukTd3BIDoU – Media Interview with JPJ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEBndrIXPLA – 1 hour 42 minute Masterclass in
French with jean Pierre Jeunet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8FhzLz3Hf8 – Interview in English with Jeunet 13
minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5d_557eOdY – 5 minute interview on Micmacs
Wider
Research
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLCNNSDFh84 – short interview on influences
The following films are ones which we will study in detail;
Delicatessen
Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain
Micmacs à Tir Larigot
They are all available from the LRC or on Netflix if you subscribe – Try to watch each of
them before September.
Other works by Jean-Pierre Jeunet you could also watch;
La cité des enfants perdus
Un long dimanche de fiançailles
The Young & Prodigious Spivet
Written
Task
1. Choose one of the films you have watched and write a film review in French. Give
some history about the film, release dates, cost of production, box office sales,
cast etc. Describe the storyline and the style of film it is. How does it appeal to
the audience? Did you enjoy it? Why/why not? Would you recommend this film
and to what type of audience?
2. Create a fact-File about Jean-Pierre Jeunet himself with as much information as
you can find. This could be in the format of an iBook, with links to useful web
pages or video interviews you have found.
Grammar
revision
Unit 3 of the A2 course includes translation both from French into English and from
English into French. You will need to have a really good grammatical basis from which to
begin mastering the techniques necessary, to develop good translation skills.
Here are some good starting points for a thorough refresh;
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dig out your purple Elan Grammar workbook and start from the beginning…….
You can get an answer booklet from KLM/TXH;
www.zut.org.uk – various grammar sections to revise from, which get marked for
you online; Account ID: 2484 Password: China
https://www.memrise.com/ - really good for drilling of the conjugations (and
vocabulary);
See “grammar workshop” on Showbie.
Sign up to www.kahoot.com if not already – search for French grammar quizzes
and test yourself – make some of your own for us to use in class
www.alevelfrench.com – Username: Harrogate password: password21
www.mfl.jimdo.com
www.quizlet.com – search for A level French sets of vocabulary tests
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
A2 Geography
The A2 Geography exams course includes 2 exams. The first covers 4 taught units
including Ecosystems: Change and Challenge and Development and Globalisation.
The second exam is a skills based paper which involves studying an advanced
information booklet (this means that AQA send you material to look at before the
exam). In the skills based exam you will be asked a variety of questions to show you
have analysed the information in the booklet and can apply your geographical
knowledge and skills to the topic.
The bridging work will give you practice at using an advanced information booklet.
The booklet is about Kenya, the development challenges it faces and the significance
of its environment in the context of its development. The work will also develop a
case study for the Ecosystems unit on human use of a tropical biome and enable you
to explore issues facing a developing country.
The following resources will support your understanding of some of the knowledge
and skills covered in the advanced information booklet.
A level geography skills booklet (see choropleth maps section) – uploaded to
Showbie
Kenya background – uploaded to Showbie
Background on the Millennium Development Goals http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/4119098.stm
Challenge / additional reading
Additional reading on Kenya - http://www.theguardian.com/globaldevelopment/datablog/2013/dec/12/kenya-how-changed-independence-data
Additional reading on Riders for Health and how they support achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals - https://riders-livecms.s3.amazonaws.com/OurImpact/Riders%20for%20Health%20%20Supporting%20Achievement%20of%20the%20MDGs.pdf
For real challenge go beyond the instructions in the advanced information booklet
and look at chapter 1 of the Kenya atlas http://www.unep.org/dewa/africa/kenyaatlas/
Wider
research
The following online sources are linked in Item 5 in the advanced information booklet
and you must look at them – take care to follow the instructions in Item 5 so you are
clear in what to look at in each site.
http://www.ke.undp.org/content/kenya/en/home/mdgoverview/
http://www.unep.org/dewa/africa/kenyaatlas/
http://www.wri.org/publication/content/9373
http://www.riders
Challenge / additional research – you may find it helpful to also look at these videos
to support your work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrhjKTWyIfs
https://youtu.be/Vln9DtWax14
Written
tasks
To complete these tasks you must use the resources on Showbie including the
advanced information booklet.
Your work should be handwritten.
Deadline: first Geography lesson in September
Using Item 2 in the advanced information booklet (make reference to at least 3 maps)
describe and explain the pattern of population density in Kenya (approximately 150
words).
Using Item 3 in the advanced information booklet outline the main challenges facing
Kenya’s healthcare system (approximately 80 words).
Using the Kenya Atlas video (link in Item 5) describe how Kenya’s growing population
is putting pressure on its natural resources (approximately 150 words).
With reference to all of the items in the advanced information booklet justify the need
for Riders for Health in Kenya (approximately 250 words).
Subject
Context
Core
readings
/
viewings
A2 Geology
From September you will be studying A2 Geology. It is comprised of the following
units:
F794: Environmental Geology- 1hr paper, 90 UMS
F795: Evolution of Life, Earth and Climate - 1hr 45mins, 150 UMS
F796: Practical skills in Geology 2- Practical tasks 60 UMS
You will be taught by one teacher who will cover all the content for the year.
The following website is a link to the specification. This will give you a feel for content
in each of the units.
http://www.ocr.org.uk/images/77538-specification.pdf
Have a look at what people are saying about A Level Geology:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1533645
Wider
The following online sources will give you an insight into current geological issues:
research
http://geology.com/ This site contains a vast amount of information about all areas of
geology. A great source to use as you prepare for the course. Look at careers in
geology.
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/ British Geological Survey- Research up to date information on
shale gas exploration in the UK. Consider how the process works. What are the
advantages and disadvantages of this industry?
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/ The Geology Society
http://www.sciencedaily.com/search/?keyword=geology Keep up with Geology in the
news, see what has happened over the last year.
Written
tasks
Written
tasks
continued
F794- this section is intended to take about 4 hours
1. Describe the formation of coal
2. Using a blank map of the UK locate the UK’s main coal fields. Describe their
distribution
3. Describe the formation of oil and gas.
4. Using a blank map of Europe. Locate and name the oil and gas fields in the North
Sea.
5. Describe and explain the distribution of oil and gas fields in the North Sea.
6. Research a major oil company e.g. Shell, Exxon Mobil, BP. Write a concise fact file
about the business.
F795 Bridging task: Create a geological column poster showing key events in
climate, palaeontology and palaeogeography.
This task is intended to take about 6 hours.
The purpose of this task is:
• To introduce you to some of the fossil groups that you will be studying over the
course of Y13
• To revise the chronology of the geological column
• To identify key changes in the palaeoenvironments of the UK
• To practise some of the presentation and study skills which will be required of you at
A2
Having completed this work you should have created a fantastic revision resource
which you can use throughout Y13 and add to as you progress through the course so if
you end up with empty space on your poster that’s a good thing, you can add to it later.
Before you start you will need:
• A very LARGE piece of paper. A piece of sugar paper, a number of pieces of A3
stuck together or (even better) the back of an old roll of wallpaper/wall lining paper
(ask your parents!). You’ll also need lots of space for your big paper.
• Coloured pens. Think about whether you want one colour for each geological period
or one colour for each type of event.
• A ruler
• Internet access
• A photocopy of the table from the MacLeish textbook (Ms Phillips will give you this
and there is a scan on Showbie).
• Your textbook.
Task:
Draw a scaled (i.e. the eras that were longer take up more space!) geological column
vertically down the left hand side of your paper, this should not take up too much
space. Write the names of the periods (called systems in the textbook) and eras in with
dates. For the Precambrian you don’t need any more detail than just “Precambrian”.
This is a good place for the dates
http://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/time/timechart/phanerozoic/home.html Click
on “Precambrian” link for the Precambrian.
Next to your geological column create columns for “palaeontology”, “climate”,
“palaeogeography”, “UK geology” and “other events” so that your column looks like
this:
Era Period Palaeontology
Global
Palaeogeography
UK
UK
Other
Climate geology events
Using the textbook (you’ll have to flick from page to page and may need to supplement
information using the internet) fill in the palaeontology column with when the following
major fossil groups appeared and became extinct. It is up to you whether you write in
when each appeared and disappeared or whether you draw a line through the periods
in which they were alive to show their range.
• Trilobites
• Rugose, Scleratinian and Tabulate corals
• Brachiopods
• Regular and irregular echinoids
• Bivalves
• Gastropods
• Belemnites
• Crinoids
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pollen
Graptolites (extension: include how these changed over time)
Nautiloids
Ammonoids (extension: include how these changed over time)
Fish
Amphibians
Dinosaurs (extension: include Ornithischian and Saurischian dinosaurs and
Archaeopteryx).
• Birds
Go back over the palaeontology column and highlight the British zone fossils (using the
previously mentioned photocopy).
In the palaeogeography column add the formation and break up of Gondwanaland,
Laurasia and Pangaea. Add the opening of the Atlantic, the closure of the Iapetus and
Tethys oceans and the existence of the Zechstein sea.
In the UK geology column add the joining of Scotland and the rest of the UK. Add the
following rock types in the right periods: Chalk, shale, coal, till, desert sandstone,
cyclothems, limestone. Remember some rocks may appear in a number of periods.
Having done the UK geology add in the UK climate. Include the latitude of the UK.
In the other events column add the K-T extinction, P-T extinction, evolution of humans,
the Solnhofen limestone deposits, the Burgess Shales, the Cambrian explosion. You
will have to look these up in the textbook.
Extension: What can you add about the Precambrian?
Subject
Context
A2 German
Cultural Topics
As part of the A2 German course, we will study 2 different Cultural Topics (taught by
Mr Stipetic). Both are for discussion in the oral exam (Unit 4) and you will also have
to write an essay, worth 40 marks, on just one of the two topics, in Unit 3.
In recent years we have studied the following two Cultural Topics which have proved
really popular, fun and interesting:
• The study of a play by a German-speaking dramatist. I don’t want to give too
much away about it, as there is a lot of suspense and I don’t want anyone
reading to the end and spoiling it! However we can practice some key vocab
to be able to talk about it and consolidate your grammar. We’ll begin the play
in September.
• The study of what went on in Germany between 1945-1990 with the key
events being: the end of the Second World War, Germany dividing into two
different countries (East Germany – die DDR, West Germany – die BRD), the
building of the Berlin Wall, the wall falling and Germany becoming reunified
as one country again. You/we may choose to focus on one particular part of
this era, or even on a film which concentrates on part of this era. By the start
of Y13 you should do background reading in English so you know what went
on and why, as well as watching the films that I suggest below.
Social topics
In addition three broad social topics are taught by Mr Strange:
• Environment;
• The Multicultural Society;
• Contemporary Social Issues.
These topics form the basis of the listening, reading and translation components of
the A2 exam. They also provide the material for one third of the speaking test.
Cultural Topics
Wider
readings
As part of the study of the historical topic, please watch the following three films:
(/viewings!) der Untergang (Downfall) – about the end of World War 2 – be warned that it’s not
very uplifting, joyous viewing, but it is quite factually accurate.
das Leben der Anderen (The lives of others) – about life in the former East
Germany (die DDR) where the people were spied on by the Stasi (secret police)
Goodbye Lenin – about the end of East Germany (die DDR) as a country, a woman
who falls ill before reunification and her family who try to pretend that East Germany
still exists to keep her happy and calm.
Social topics
To prepare for the first of the social topics please complete the reading
comprehension exercises here
Cultural Topics
Wider
Research
Anything you learn about the following will only help you. Type these into Wikipedia
and see what you can learn:
• Division of Germany
• The Berlin Wall
• The end of World War 2
• Stasi
• JFK – “ich bin ein Berliner” (and watch the speech on Youtube)
• Ronald Reagan – “Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall” (and watch the speech
on Youtube)
• Willy Brandt
•
•
Konrad Adenauer
Erich Honecker
Social topics
You will need to develop a general knowlege quickly to enable yourself to express
an opinion on current affairs. Google, wiki and check the media for information on :
• Atomic power
• Pollution
• Global warming
• Alternative energy
Written
Task
Choose one of the films you have watched and write a film review in German. You
could give some history about the film, release dates, cost of production, box office
sales, cast etc. Describe the storyline and the style of film it is. How does it appeal
to the audience? Did you enjoy it? Why/why not? Would you recommend this film
and to what type of audience? etc
Choose an environmental issue that interests you. Prepare a 5 slide presentation in
German on this topic. The slides should not contain a script of the information you
are to say.
Grammar
Revision
Learn the environment vocab here.
Subject
Context
A2 Government and Politics
Create pen portraits of each of the following people, including:
- any key political post they have held,
- when they took it on and
- why they are significant in US politics:
Ted Cruz
Nancy Pelosi
Marco Rubio
Harry Reid
Scott Walker
Joe Biden
Jeb Bush
John McCain
Mike Huckabee
Bernie Sanders
Hilary Clinton
Chris Christie
Paul Ryan
Ben Carson
Mitch McConnell
Rand Paul
John Boehner
Rick Perry
Kevin McCarthy
Rick Santorum
Martin O’Malley
Elizabeth Warren
Mitt Romney
Newt Gingrich
Al Gore
Michele Bachmann
Clarence Thomas
Rudy Giuliani
Sonia Sotomayor
Sarah Palin
John Kerry
Research each of the following presidential elections to identify:
the key issues in the election;
the result of the election;
which groups of people (white/Hispanic/black, women/men, age groups etc)
voted which way;
and reasons why the winner won/the loser lost.
For the midterm elections, identify:
- which party won and which lost, as well as why;
- and the consequences for control of the Senate and the House of
Representatives.
1992 Presidential election
1996 Presidential election
2000 Presidential election
2004 Presidential election
2006 congressional midterm
2008 Presidential (and congressional)
elections
election
2010 congressional midterm
2012 Presidential (and congressional)
elections
election
2014 congressional midterm
elections
Wider
readings/
research
Deadline
Finally, sign up to the Washington Post email alerts and follow the American news
closely over the summer to familiarise yourself with what is going on- I will want to
see your own notes on events over that time when you come back in September.
And Mr Bulley will also be providing his own updates on Firefly- see the ‘Examples’
heading of the American politics section.
2nd week back in September 2015
Subject
Context
AS Graphics
The A2 graphics course is split in to 2 units of work.
A Personal Investigation (which includes a 1000 word essay related to your chosen
area of study). This is worth 60% of your A2 mark.
Task
A Controlled Test (15 hours). This is worth 40% of your A2 mark.
When you return for the remainder of the summer term you must choose one of the
following themes for your personal investigation:
Branding: Logo design, promotional material, packaging etc. for a:
Sports Team/Club
Band/Music Event
Café Bar/Restaurant
Festival
Fashion Event/Clothing Company
Educational Establishment
Cosmetics/Perfume Company
Travel Company
You are also free to suggest a different theme providing you can show that you can
obtain enough relevant primary research.
1. Firstly you need to choose your theme.
2. Produce a detailed Pinterest board relating to graphic outcome for your
theme.
3. Obtain primary and secondary research that is relevant to your theme.
Subject
Context
Written
task
Research
and
written
task
Revision,
research
Written
task
A2 Health & Social Care
Some of the topics taught at AS are fundamental to Health and Social Care and the
examiners will assume that you have a working knowledge of these topics. At the
beginning of September you will be starting your portfolio work
Task 1 – Fundamental Health and Social Care topics
• Decide which two job roles you are going to study for your portfolio. One of
them must be a job in which you can interview an individual with that job (eg
someone you know holds that job role).
• Select which caring skills are appropriate for one of the job roles, and
describe how the post holder applies them in their job. You can use a role
from the care setting you studied in HSC01 if you wish. Each care skill should
have at least 2 relevant and specific examples applied to it. This should be
around 3 sides of A4 in length.
Task 2 Research your self
• Find 3 online personality tests and complete them, record the results.
• For example use http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp
• Or http://www.freepersonalitytest.co.uk/index.html
• Devise a short anonymous questionnaire and ask your friends and family
what their perceptions of you are (eg Is X kind?, would you ask X for help if
you were having a problem?, does x make you laugh?, where X is your name)
• Make a summary using these findings to describe your personality.
Task 3 Immunisations
Revise your GCSE science work on vaccinations. Use BBC bitesize to help with this.
Imagine you are travelling around the world after you finish your A levels. Research
what vaccinations you would need for several different countries, state them and
describe why you would need them.
Bring your written answers to your first Health and Social Care lesson in September.
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
Written
tasks
A2 History
In order to start Year 13 with the contextual knowledge and foundations required to
succeed, it is essential that the following tasks are completed in full.
Elizabeth:
Use the page references guiding you through the documents on Showbie
African American Civil Rights:
Conduct your own research into your chosen theme using local libraries, JSTOR,
Googlebooks
Elizabeth:
Complete all questions on the task sheet using the reading material on Showbie
African American Civil Rights:
•
•
•
•
1000 word literature review
Must include 5 different historians
Summaries the main arguments of each historian
Include claims on which historians agree and claims on which they disagree
Subject
Context
A2 Italian
As part of the A2 Italian course, we will study a book. The new teacher Miss Page
will give you more information on this and will set you some reading/work to do.
You will also need to be prepared for debating issues in the Oral exam. So that we
can start practicing this please would you prepare a short presentation to give your
point of view on an issue which interests you e.g. Celebrities have a right to privacy/
We should only eat organic food/ Soft drugs should be legalised/Smoking should be
made illegal/Computer games lead to violence among young people.
As part of a topic on prejudice/racism/anti-semitism we shall be talking about the film
La Vita è bella. Please find an opportunity to watch this film if you can and be
prepared to discuss it
Wider
Reading
These are some websites which are useful for learning how to debate issues in
Italian.
http://doc.studenti.it/
http://www.atuttascuola.it/TEMI/di_attualita/
http://www.skuola.net/appunti/
http://saggibrevi.studentville.it/
http://saggibrevi.studentville.it/
Interview with Roberto Benigni
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnvuQcbV_uA
Information about the film La vita è bella
http://www.globalcinema.eu/single.php?sl=tragedia-olocausto
Written
task
Grammar
Revision
Please write an essay of approximately 220-250 words on the following title :
Cinema: solo divertimento o anche una forma di cultura?
Unit 4 of the A2 course includes translation from English into Italian as well as
essays to write. You will need to have a really good grammatical basis from which to
begin mastering the techniques necessary, to develop good translation and essay
writing skills.
Here are some good starting points to thoroughly revise the basics;
Get out your copy of Azione Grammatica and revise the following chapters:
2/3/4/5/6 on nouns and adjectives.
14 on the present tense
16 – perfect tense
17 - imperfect
19 – future tense
24 – reflexives
You should try all the exercises and check your work – the answers are in the back
of the book.
You can also use various grammar websites
http://www.oneworlditaliano.com/english/italian/italian-grammar.htm
http://www.italianlanguageguide.com/grammar/
You can refresh your vocabulary knowledge by browsing www.quizlet.com
Subject
Context
A2 Mathematics - C3 Module
Exponentials and Logarithms
Wider
readings
Refer to the Collins A2 C3/C4 textbook and the Exponentials section of C3 on
Mymaths
E1 Understand the Exponential function.
(A2 Core notes)
E2 Understand the natural log “ln " and its relationship with
(Ex 4A)
E3 Use Laws of Logs to solve problems.
(Ex 4B)
E4 Graphs of exponential functions and lnx.
(Mymaths C3 Graphs)
E5 Understand exponential growth and decay.
(Mymaths C3 Growth and Decay)
Wider
research
Mymaths C3 Exponentials…..Four key Online Homeworks:
Exponential Function (E1)
Natural Logarithms (E2 & E3)
Graphs (E4)
Growth and Decay (E5)
+ Online Worksheet
Written
tasks
=
Extensions: RISP 31 Building Log Equations
RISP 35 Index Triples
Ex 4C (Review)
Revision Ex 3
Subject
Context
A2 Mathematics - C3 Module
Functions
Wider
readings
Refer to the Collins A2 C3/C4 textbook and the Functions section of C3 on
Mymaths
Wider
research
F1 Recap transformations of graphs.
(Ex 5E)
F2 Definition of function, mapping, domain and range.
(Ex 2C)
F3 Composite functions
(Ex 2D)
F4 Types of Function: Odd, Even, Periodic.
(Mymaths C3 Types of Function)
F5 Inverse Functions
(Ex 2E)
F6 Modulus Functions including sketching and solving
(Ex 5C)
Mymaths C3 Functions…….Five key online homeworks:
Functions (F2 & F5))
Composition (F3)
Types of Functions (F4)
Modulus Functions (F6)
Transformation of Graphs (F1)
+ Online Worksheet
Extension: RISP 18 Composite Functions
Written
tasks
Ex 2G Review Q1-10
Test Yourself sheet Q 1-6
Subject
Context
Core Mathematics - Surface Area and Volume Module
Iconic World Buildings
Wider
readings
Refer to the AQA Mathematical studies 1350 route map.
Volumes and Surface Areas on Mymaths
V&S 1 Calculate the volumes and surface area of each of the iconic buildings.
V&S 2 Estimate the mass of each building and put in order of strength of foundation
required.
V&S 3 Report on the design of one of the buildings giving possible reasons for the
design.
V&S 4 Either design your own structure to educate all the students 4-19 in Harrogate
or make a model of three of the structures.
Wider
research
Mymaths Volumes of cones and spheres two key Online Homeworks:
Complex surface areas one Online Homework:
Peaches Investigation
Volumes of Cones and Spheres
Complex surface Areas
Written
tasks
Extensions:
Max Box investigation
1. Detailed calculations of each Volume and Surface area.
2. Strength of required foundations report with explanations.
3. Design report
4. Design/model completion
Subject
Context
Further Mathematics - AS FM1 Module
Conics
Wider
readings
FM1 Parabola _ using parametric equations to define a parabola (Ex 3A)
FM2 Find the focus and directrix of a parabola
(Ex 3B)
FM3 Use the focus and directrix properties to solve problems
(Ex 3C)
FM4 Finding the equation for tangents and normals from parametric equations
(Ex 3D)
FM5 Solving problems
(Ex 3E)
Wider
research
Written
tasks
See home learning tasks on Showbie
Subject
Context
Further Mathematics - AS FM1 Module
Complex Numbers
Wider
readings
FM1 Manipulation of i, and representing square roots using i. (Ex 1A/B)
Wider
research
Written
tasks
Chapter 3 Review
Mixed exercise
(Ex 3F)
FM2 Use of complex conjugate (z*)
(Ex 1C)
FM3 Using an Argand Diagram
(Ex 1D)
FM4 Writing a complex number in modulus-argument form
(Ex 1E/F)
FM5 Solving equations and finding square roots
See home learning tasks on Showbie
(Ex 1G/H)
Chapter 1 Review
Mixed exercise
(Ex 1I)
Subject
Context
Further Mathematics - A2 M1 Module
Kinematics Newtons Laws and Moments
Wider
readings
Refer to the Peason M1 textbook and the Kinematics, Newtons Laws and
Moments on Mymaths
K1 Kinematics of a particle moving in a straight line.
(M1 notes chapter 2)
N1 Newtons Laws of Motion
( M1 notes chapter 3.1-3.8)
M1 Moments
(M1 notes chapter 5)
Wider
research
Mymaths Kinematics three key Online Homeworks:
Newtons laws five key Online Homeworks:
Kinematics graphs
Motion in a vertical circle
Revise Kinematics
Newtons First law
Newtons Second Law
Revise Newtons Laws
Extensions:
Moments
Written
tasks
Mixed Ex 2E odd number questions 1-19
Mixed Ex 3I odd number questions 1-25
Subject
Context
A2 Media
The first half of the A2 course will see the completion of your Advanced Portfolio;
following the same pattern as at AS, we will approach exam preparation in the
second half of the year.
The A2 portfolio consists of the front and second page of a local newspaper, a
website for that paper and a poster to advertise the paper as well as the Research
and Planning and an Evaluation.
During the summer term, you will research the generic conventions of local
newspapers, consider how to write newspaper articles and explore what makes an
appropriate image to accompany said article.
Core
readings
We suggest you familiarise yourself still further with the format and conventions of
local newspapers, the scope of subject content and mode of address. You should
also consider what constitutes a good photograph, how to frame and crop images to
best effect by looking at and comparing examples in newspapers.
The following might help:
How to write a good newspaper article
What makes a good press photo
What is a newspaper photograph
You may find online and published OCR advice helpful.
Wider
research
Written
tasks
You may also find it useful to explore the websites of a range of local newspapers
and their archived articles.
You may like to follow these links to read about the development of local newspapers
(the most enduring genre within the newspaper industry)
The development of local newspapers
investigate the history of the newspaper industry to better understand the place of the
local newspaper in the world of the Media
The History of British Newspapers
Consider how far developments in technology are signalling the death knell of
newspapers
BBC news article: can newspapers survive the online age
Time is limited given the scale of the Advanced Portfolio; over the summer, therefore,
we will ask you to write at least 3 more articles for your newspaper (at least one for
the front page) and to provide an annotated contact sheet of possible images to
accompany each article (at least 3 pictures from which you will select one in each
case).
Remember that your Research and Planning for A2 will all be saved as blog entries;
if you choose to make notes on anything your read, you can save this and add it to
your blog to evidence wider reading.
Subject
Context
Listening
A2 Music
There are three units for AQA A2 Music. Unit 4 is the exam and consists of a
Listening Paper and two essays, one on the set work and the other on a set genre
and period. The set work is Shostakovich 5th Symphony in D minor. The set period
and genre is ‘Four decades of jazz and Blues 1910-50’. Unit 5 is very like the
compositional unit from last year. You will be required to compose a 16 bar 4 part
and a 16 bar string quartet. Unit 6 is the performance element, which entails a 1015 minute solo recital of about grade 8 standard.
You should listen to the entire Shostakovich Symphony. There are many different
recordings on Youtube but Ms Segal would particularly recommend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTqsU7tQW48. Listen to as many different
recordings as possible, the more you get to know how the piece ‘sounds’ the
easier the analysis of the score becomes. I will be giving you copies of the score
and it is very useful to listen to the piece whilst following the score. Please listen to
the following tracks, which are a selection from the chosen genre and period:
Jelly Roll Morton: Sidewalk Blues (1926)
Louis Armstrong: West End Blues (1928)
Benny Goodman: Stompin’ at the Savoy (1936)
Count Basie: One O’Clock Jump (1937)
These are all available on Youtube.
Performance You should be prepared to perform a piece of music on your solo instrument within
the first couple of weeks of the new academic year. The important thing is to play
something that you are happy and comfortable with.
Written
tasks
Below are a number of articles on the historical, sociological and political context
behind the composition of Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony. Also below is a brief
background summary. Make your own notes after reading the different articles on
the key points that influenced the composition of this work.
Write a 1000 word essay on….
‘What are the key musical differences between Ragtime, Blues and Jazz?’
Begin with a definition of each and their musical characteristics before comparing
them. Look at some key pieces that you believe are excellent examples of each.
ARTICLES ON SHOSTAKOVICH SYMPHONY
ARTICLE 1
The Fifth Symphony of Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975) memorializes the
intense politics that surrounded its creation and the clash between stifling ideology
and irrepressible creative impulse that has coloured its interpretation.
Shostakovich's brilliance and originality emerged in his very first symphony, written
at age 19 as a graduation exercise from the Leningrad music conservatory. A
remarkable work by any standards, its youthful drive and bold orchestration is
balanced by ardent reflection and sardonic wit, signaling a burgeoning force of
prodigious, daring and wide-ranging talent. But Shostakovich was the first great
composer to mature under Communism, and ideology smothered his second and
third symphonies, both of which, despite impressive quiet moments and
suggestions of striking developments, devolve into drab descriptive choral endings
commemorating the October Revolution and May Day. Yet, modernist tendencies
erupted in his 1933 opera Lady Macbeth of Mzensk, a violent and erotic tale of
murder and depravity depicted through suitably frank musical effects (including
trombone glissandos during lovemaking). In the wake of its sensational success
both abroad and at home, Shostakovich was widely acclaimed as Russia's
greatest living composer and his fortune appeared secure.
But then in January 1936 Joseph Stalin attended a performance of the opera and
was appalled. According to Stalin, music had to inspire and unite the Soviet people
with uplifting messages. His taste was simplistic, but his power absolute. The
Pravda party newspaper immediately branded Shostakovich an enemy of the
people and condemned his work as chaotic, vulgar and perverted. The episode
launched a full-fledged general attack on modern art as bourgeois formalism
(whatever that was supposed to mean) and left-wing degeneracy. Shostakovich
was the bulls-eye. The abrupt reversal of official attitude took Shostakovich
completely by surprise and plunged him into deep despair. He was snubbed,
performances of his works were cancelled and his career seemed over. Yet, he
soon found a constructive cure for his pain.
Shostakovich was in the midst of rehearsing his Mahleresque Fourth Symphony,
but immediately withdrew it, and with good reason. When finally performed in
1961, it emerged as long, bittersweet, atmospheric and crammed with ideas - fine,
forward-looking stuff, but destined at the time to be more fodder for Stalin's cultural
cannon. Instead, he plunged into work on a new, more traditional symphony. There
would be no mistaking its purpose. Shostakovich titled it “An Artist's Creative
Response to Just Criticism” and announced its program as “the stabilization of a
personality of a man with all his experiences.” He proclaimed: “There can be no
greater joy for a composer than ... having assisted by his works in the elevation of
Soviet musical culture ... to contribute to the growth of our country.” When
presented in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Revolution, it was
acclaimed a masterpiece, embracing the soul of the Russian people. Shostakovich
would again fall out of favor - trying to vaunt an image of progress and unity,
Khruschev didn't appreciate the 1962 Symphony # 13 which evoked the Jewish
massacre at Babi Yar. But for now his redemption was complete.
From that point forward, most of Shostakovich's music took two divergent paths.
His public music (symphonies, ballets, concertos) mostly retreated to the safety of
ideologically-correct programs and crowd-pleasing music. Only in more private
works, especially his magnificent quartets, did boldly inventive personality enliven
his forms and ideas. This duality, together with the unevenness of his output, led to
the notion of a promising artist crushed by the boorish Communist regime, a
paradigm which held potent symbolic appeal to the West in the throes of the Cold
War. Thus, the 1947 American Concert Companion called Shostakovich “an
active cog in the Soviet machine,” unable to extract himself from the straitjacket
of party dogma. The exhaustive 8,000-page 1954 British Grove's Dictionary of
Music and Musicians dismissed him in a brief note as being forced into
insignificance through a trite and cheap style of deliberate calculations and
conventional simplicity. Shostakovich had become a compelling and convenient
paradigm for propaganda.
But attempts to categorize artists as one-dimensional souls often fail and, indeed,
there's another side to Shostakovich. Late in his career, the composer left a bitter
memoir in which he viewed his life as one of vast regret that repression had
destroyed his urge toward creative expression. Those who knew him well agreed
that he was deeply unhappy. They further claimed that his outward capitulation
was a mere ploy and that he had survived as an artist of integrity by sneaking
hidden agendas into his music while paying lip service to the demands of the
authorities. In a 1981 US News and World Report interview, his son Maxim decried
as defamation the Soviet depiction of his father as an ardent Communist, insisted
that he hated Stalin and had joined the Party only under threat of blackmail, and
called his music “a profound expression of protest against the circumstances in
which he found himself.” As for the Fifth Symphony, the composer had publicly
announced the finale as “resolving the tragically tense impulses of the earlier
movements into optimism and the joy of living.” Looking back in times of détente,
though, he claimed that the end was deliberately strained, a false optimism created
under a threat, which he likened to sadistic torture of being forced to smile while
being beaten: “You have to be a complete oaf not to hear that.”
Orchestral music is inherently abstract and thus amenable to diverse narrative
interpretations. The first three movements of the Fifth can be viewed consistent
with the composer's official program as depictions of his artistic “mistakes ”and
soul-searching, a catalogue of evil to render his ultimate salvation all the more
convincing. The first movement is constructed in a long, continuous arc, mounting
from a brooding opening through a central climax of a shrill, minor-key, mockmilitaristic march which then withers into fatigued contemplation. Next comes a
lumpy, clumsy waltz and then a magnificent Largo, another long arc but this time of
a bittersweet, aching intensity that pointedly contrasts with intentional shallowness
of the preceding material. While the heartfelt Largo is the work's emotional core,
it's the finale that carries the narrative weight, beginning in exhausting aggression,
subsiding into penetrating reflection and concluding with a sustained repetitious
march. In most European or American interpretations, the end is stirring and
triumphant, a confident and decisive victory over doubt, fully consistent with the
composer's written program and the brisk tempo marking in the published score
(188 beats per minute). In all Russian versions, though, it tends to be agonizingly
slow - grueling, heavy, labored and grim, pounding away at a single repeated
chord with far more desperation than joy. Which approach is apt?
Although he made some piano records, Shostakovich never conducted his
symphonies before the microphone. Fortunately, we have over a dozen recordings
of his Fifth by Yevgeny Mravinsky, an unknown rising conductor whom the
composer chose to lead the world premiere and who became his foremost disciple.
Their shared success on that occasion not only restored Shostakovich to favor but
launched Mravinksy's half-century career as the permanent director of the
Leningrad Philharmonic, Russia's foremost orchestra. For the rest of their lives, the
two remained close associates - Mravinsky introduced most of Shostakovich's
further symphonies, while the composer extolled the conductor's dour demeanor
and somber approach as fully realizing his intentions. Months after their premiere
of the Fifth, Mravinsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic cut a set of 78s which
never appeared on LP or CD, but they returned to the studio in 1954 for a
magnificent remake (now on BMG/Melodiya CD 29404), straightforward and
focused, yet sharp and caustic, that culminates in that oppressively lumbering
finale. Numerous Mravinsky/Leningrad concert tapings (on Russian Disc and other
labels) present subtle variations of the same fundamental interpretation.
In his prestigious position, Mravinsky was bound to respect official expectations,
and undoubtedly tempered his readings accordingly. A yet stronger claimant to
authenticity was even closer to the composer - his son Maxim, who made a career
of leading his father's work. Of his three recordings of the Fifth, the most revealing
is the last - a beautifully played and recorded 1996 Czech concert (Supraphon
3327) that's also the slowest on record, with the conclusion so deadly turgid as to
leave no possible doubt as to its import. Was his son's final reading how the
composer really wanted his work to sound? My guess is that it was. Not only does
Maxim's lineage suggest unique insight, but he had defected to the West and was
free of expressive constraints.
Perhaps the most curious episode in the history of Russian performance of this
work occurred in 1958. In a goodwill gesture marking an early thaw in the Cold
War, Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic included several Russian
stops during their first European concert tour. The programs boldly featured
unfamiliar American and modern music, but their most daring gesture was to
include the Shostakovich Fifth. Typically, Bernstein played the work with searing
emotional heat and whipped up the conclusion to twice the accepted tempo. He
was recalled for dozens of curtain calls and official critics hailed the depth of
feeling, dramatic intensity and especially the dynamism of the finale. The irony, of
course, is that the acclaim arose from an audience of Party loyalists to whom the
young American's approach validated the composer's proclaimed intent of vaunting
Socialist Realism far more forcefully than the shrewdly dissident domestic
interpretations to which they were accustomed. Upon returning home, Bernstein
and the Philharmonic recorded their triumph for Columbia. Vibrant, sharp and
pulsing with vitality, it remains a remarkable document (Sony 47615).
In part, the Russian fervor for Bernstein arose from their isolation and resultant
ignorance of a parallel interpretive custom as venerable as their own. In the same
year as Mravinsky's premiere recording, Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia
Orchestra had launched a tradition of playing the Fifth with overt fervor (Pearl
9064). That tradition was extended through superbly muscular mid-'fifties
recordings by Dimitri Mitropoulos and the New York Philharmonic (Columbia) and
Artur Rodzinski and the Philharmonic Symphony of London (Westminster), the
latter a remake of Rodzinski's 1941 78s with the Cleveland Orchestra, which
featured the fastest (albeit slightly cut) conclusion of all (Lys CD 139). But fittingly,
it was Stokowski again, at a youthful 82, who ignited the work to its whitest heat in
a spectacular 1964 London Symphony concert (Music and Arts 765).
The irony of the acclaim for the Bernstein tour still resonates to skew critical
opinion, which generally ignores or scorns recordings that lack the charismatic
energy of the more overtly striking ones. Yet, perhaps these "uninspired"
conductors deliberately bypassed the superficial appeal of electrifying the score
with a dynamic interpretation, and had the true measure of the work after all.
Among these are the stolid inertia of Bernard Haitink and the Concertgebouw
(London 410017), the arid expanse of Sergiu Celibidache and the Milan RAI
(Arkadia 765), and especially the edgy nervous imbalance of Stanislaw
Skrowaczewski and the Minneapolis Symphony (Mercury 434 232).
So - was Shostakovich a Party pawn or a subtle subversive? Perhaps he and his
compatriots had the last say by embedding a sly but potent message in the finale
of his Fifth Symphony for those willing to discern it - aesthetically numb and
ignorant ideologues (and unsuspecting Western musicians) could believe his
submissive words and find a trove of excited triumph, but anyone with receptive
ears, a responsive heart and a sensitive soul would grasp his torment and despair
for his country's trampled but enduring spirit.
ARTICLE 2
An old Cold War complaint was that Shostakovich was just a "propaganda"
composer. Yes, he wrote things like the “Song of the Forest,” a cantata
glorifying Stalin’s reforestation program (imagine an American composer writing
a large-scale choral work extolling the virtues of the Bush Administration’s
argument for increased oil drilling in the Alaskan Wilderness) but we in the United
States have not lived under the kind of threat artists in totalitarian regimes deal
with on a daily basis: while we may argue about Freedom of Speech, we do not
necessarily fear for our lives as a consequence. Under Stalin, someone speaking
out against the government would simply ‘disappear’ in the middle of the night,
when a late-night knock on the door could be from the dreaded KGB, the Soviet
secret police, coming to arrest you and subsequently, as happened to various
friends of Shostakovich’s, imprisoned or executed.
The 1936 denunciation appeared in the state-run newspaper Pravda (“Truth”)
the day after a performance of his most recent success, the opera Lady Macbeth
of the Mtsensk District had been attended by Stalin and his wife who then famously
stormed out in the midst of it. The opera had already received rave reviews, had
already been running for about 90 performances each in Moscow and Leningrad
when it had even been hailed as the “prototypical Soviet music-drama,” and yet
when the unsigned article, “Chaos instead of Music” appeared on page 3 –
Shostakovich himself, six-months shy of his 30th birthday, discovered the article
after buying a paper in a train station while on a concert tour – even his staunchest
supporters dropped him for fear of any contamination.
It was not just a bad review: it was clear the article came not from some
disgruntled critic but quite possibly from Stalin himself, whoever may actually have
written it.
A week later another scathing attack appeared, this one about his ballet The
Limpid Stream, and he was now labeled an “enemy of the people.” He'd seen
others arrested for merely espousing non-Soviet principals or pro-Western “
decadence” in their art – when would they come for him?
During this year, then, a former companion, a family friend, his mother-in-law and
brother-in-law and an uncle were all arrested by the NKVD, the People’s
Commisariat for Internal Affairs. In the midst of composing his 5th Symphony, he
himself was called in to be interrogated by the NKVD about his association with a
powerful military figure, Mikhail Tukachevsky, a fan of Shostakovich’s music who
had recently been implicated in a plot to assassinate Stalin.
The story is told by a friend who recalls the composer telling him how he had been
“interviewed” on a Friday but since he could not recall ever discussing politics
with Tukachevsky, just music, he was told to return on Monday as if, perhaps, his
memory might improve. That weekend, Shostakovich hardly slept. When he left for
his second “interview,” his wife had prepared a little bag for him with traveling
stuff (like warm underwear) because they feared he would not return but be sent
off to a prison like many of his friends.
This time, his name was not on any list of “interviewees” and he was again sent
home, only to discover later the officer interrogating him had himself been arrested!
Shortly after Tukachevsky was executed, Shostakovich’s close friend, the
musicologist Nikolai Zhilayev, was arrested and executed. A short time before, the
composer had shown him part of the new piece he was working on at the moment,
his Fifth Symphony. A couple of years later, the poet who wrote the words
Shostakovich had set in his film-music, The Counterplan, was executed as well as
the poet who wrote the book for his ballet, The Limpid Stream. Even the great
theatrical director Vsyevolod Meyerhold was arrested, tortured and executed,
implying even an internationally recognized figure like Shostakovich was perhaps
not immune from Stalin’s Terror.
Given that atmosphere, you might understand how a composer who wished to
survive to write another day might decide to do the dictator’s bidding only to put
his true soul into music that could be left, by the very nature of art, a secret.
Someone called Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony “a Soviet artist’s practical
response to just criticism,” a comment that stuck (I think it’s even inscribed in
the published score) and on the surface the music genuinely responds to the
Pravda attack: instead of screaming dissonance and an acute lack of melody as
his earlier music had often been described (or derided), this work veers away from
the more aggressive harmonic direction his music had been taking in the previous
decade, creating something simpler that could be called a “populist” tone.
Consider, however, the history of his 4th Symphony which he’d begun writing the
year before this Pravda article, then completed four months afterwards. After ten
rehearsals – wow! – and just days before its scheduled December premiere, he
was talked into withdrawing the work, an hour-long extravaganza for a huge
orchestra and two nearly half-hour long movements separated by a brief scherzo,
music full of violence and violent contrasts that perhaps was even more deserving
of Stalin’s complaint about “neurotic” music. Whether it was out of fear or
dissatisfaction with the piece, he put it aside (it would not see the light of day for
another 25 years).
In mid-April four months later, he began work on the 5th Symphony which he
completed in three months: its premiere in November, then, would establish him as
an artist rehabilitated. It went on to become perhaps his most popular piece, if not
his greatest symphony.
Reports say that during the last movement, many in the audience stood as if
royalty had entered the room, as one described it; the ovation at the end,
depending on whom you read, lasted a half-hour, 40 minutes, almost an hour.
Clearly, Shostakovich had proven he could write a symphony that would reach the
Soviet masses.
In many respects, it is a symphony about the struggle with fate – like Beethoven’s
5th, Mahler’s 5th, Tchaikovsky’s 4th and 5th (perhaps it's a 5th Symphony
Thing to struggle with fate).
In lectures about his father’s music, Maxim Shostakovich who later became
famous for conducting his father’s music, called the 5th his father’s “Heroic”
Symphony, quoting his father that “the hero is saying, ‘I am right. I will follow the
way I choose.’”
At this point, it becomes impossible to avoid the book that has changed the West’
s perception of the composer from a political doormat to a raging undercover
dissident, Semyon Volkov’s Testimony which purports to be Shostakovich’s
memoirs as told to the author in numerous meetings in the years before his death
in 1975, then smuggled out of the country and published in 1979.
In it, we read many new and surprising comments made by the composer
regarding many of his major works, including the 5th Symphony, one of the most
famous quotes – so famous, it has become part of the Shostakovich Canon –
pertaining to the last movement: “I think that it is clear to everyone what happens
in the Fifth. The rejoicing is forced, created under threat, as in [Mussorgsky’s]
Boris Godunov. It’s as if someone were beating you with a stick and saying, ‘
Your business is rejoicing, your business is rejoicing,’ and you rise, shaky, and
go marching off, muttering, ‘Our business is rejoicing, our business is rejoicing.’
What kind of apotheosis is that? You have to be a complete oaf not to hear that.”
ARTICLE 3
Shostakovich could have easily played it safe in response to Pravda’s criticisms
and composed a socialist cantata or something based on folk tunes.30 He instead
composed a symphony based on his own material, tonal yet full of dissonance,
using elements he had been criticized for (such as the satirical tone of the second
movement), yet refining them and fitting them organically to the symphony as a
whole, and throughout rising to the challenge of creating his best symphony yet.
Though the subtitle “A Soviet Artist‟s Reply to Just Criticism” did not originate
with Shostakovich, he nonetheless seems to have taken Pravda’s criticisms
seriously, if critically. In this respect he did not betray his artistic integrity and
creative development while also continuing to adhere to the socialist realist.
The opening phrase of the first movement immediately gives the listener a sense
of tension and resolution. Here Shostakovich manages to define the D minor
tonality while pushing beyond its limitations, and immediately set the tone of
tension and resolution characteristic of the symphony as a whole through the
gradually smaller intervals and the ending on A (suggesting a cadence given the D
minor key). Much of the material that will be used and built upon throughout the
movement is introduced in these first five measures.
ARTICLE 4
Within sociology is an exciting field, the "sociology of knowledge." Its name is
unfortunate, because it not only studies knowledge, but also error, as well as
things like law, religion, and art that cannot easily be categorized "true" or "false."
The sociology of knowledge, especially the subfield the “sociology of sociology,”
is somewhat similar to historiography in history and epistemology in philosophy. In
the words of Karl Mannheim, a pioneer, "The principle thesis of the sociology of
knowledge is that there are modes of thought that cannot be adequately
understood as long as their social origins are obscured." Historians might say, we
must locate a speaker within his/her own time and situation to understand him or
her fully. This notion can provide useful insights to students of law, science,
religion, art, and other areas of human thinking.
The sociology of music has not been the most vibrant sector within the sociology of
knowledge. Of course, sociologists, like historians, can study Bob Dylan and his
times and come up with useful insights into his lyrics, even his musical influences
and styles. When it comes to classical music, however, especially instrumental
music with no libretto, no "program," what can we say? What insights might we
provide about a symphony, for example?
This little essay cannot answer that big question. It does, however, offer some
insight into the meaning of the most popular symphony since Mahler's: Dmitri
Shostakovich's Symphony #5
Shostakovich composed it during the Great Purge, surely the lowest point of
Joseph's Stalin's despicable regime. In that period—often listed as 1936-38, but
actually longer—Stalin purged the Communist Party itself of anyone whose loyalty
to him he mistrusted. In the West the longer era is often known as “the Great
Terror,” the title of a famous book about it by the British historian Robert
Conquest.
During and after the Russian Civil War (c. 1918-21), the newly dominant
Communist Party declared that the new Soviet state demanded a new Soviet
citizen, to be created by a new Soviet culture. In the first rush of idealism, artists
hastened to invent this culture. From the canvases of Kasimir Malevich to the films
of Sergei Eisenstein, the new Soviet culture astonished the world. Artists had
considerable freedom in the first decade of the Soviet era. Shostakovich came to
the fore internationally in 1927, when Bruno Walter conducted his Symphony #1 in
Berlin.
By the 1930s, however, the increasingly authoritarian Soviet regime felt
increasingly threatened by its artists. Or maybe Stalin, et al., simply felt that they
should determine what was done in the arts as in the economy as in the political
life of the country. In any event, by the 1930s, painting had pretty much been
reduced to Socialist Realism. Abstraction was forbidden. Stalin kept his eye—all
right, his ear—on music, too. Even though a symphony might seem by definition
apolitical, neither Stalin nor the Soviet of Composers thought so.
The Terror was a deliberate attempt to smash conventional social relations, again
to foster the new obedient Soviet Man. In the Soviet Union of the '30s, children
informed on their parents, workers on their co-workers, and lovers on each other.
Meanwhile, like slaves in the Old South, everyone had to wear a grin. "It was
essential to smile," recalled Nadezhda Mandelstam. "If you didn't, it meant you
were afraid or discontented." The U.S.S.R. became a nation of masks.
In 1936, Shostakovich became "the first musician to take a blow," in the words of
Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, also the wife of cellist and conductor
Mstislav Rostropovich. His opera Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk premiered to great
popular acclaim at the Bolshoi. A month later, Pravda, the official Communist
newspaper, published a vicious attack on it titled "A Mess Instead of Music." "The
music quacks, moans, pants, and chokes," said Pravda. Demanded was "Socialist
Realism" in music, as in sculpture and the other arts. Stalin, who had attended and
not liked the opera two days earlier, probably instigated the article. Certainly
everyone thought he did.
In this atmosphere of terror, Shostakovich realized that not only his career but
even his life were at stake. He responded eventually with his Fifth Symphony.
Before its premiere, he called it "a Soviet artist's practical creative response to just
criticism," or at least signed a statement containing those words. He also gave a
private premiere to Party officials at which he told them it ended "on a joyous,
optimistic plane." They bought it. Party-line critics in the U.S.S.R. developed a
Hamlet-like interpretation, in which the symphony celebrates the transformation of
the hero, perhaps Shostakovich himself, from alienated individuality into a
triumphant identification with the State.
Many Western commentators bought this interpretation as well. The phrase, "a
Soviet artist's response to just criticism," became something of a subtitle, and a
millstone in the West. Taking that at face value, Western commentators for years
were not sure whether it was a good thing that Western audiences liked the work
so much. They called the symphony a concession to political pressure and an
example of Socialist Realism.
The audience at the world premiere of Symphony #5 in Leningrad heard the work
very differently. The first two movements are full of unpleasant repeated notes,
sarcasm, and what Ian MacDonald calls a "Stalin motif." Then comes the largo, the
heart of the symphony, its lyrical grieving slow movement. "Its intensity of feeling is
more nakedly direct than anything the composer had written before," according to
MacDonald. It comes across like a requiem, and it was during this movement that
the audience began to weep. The final movement sounds triumphant, but only on
its surface. As Vishnevskaya put it in her autobiography, "beneath the triumphant
blare of the trumpets, beneath the endlessly repeated A in the violins, like nails
being pounded into one's brain—we hear a desecrated Russia..." She goes on to
describe what happened next, at the premiere:
Each member of the audience realized that it had been written for him and about
him. And the people reacted. They jumped from their seats shouting and
applauding, and continued for half an hour, expressing their support for the
composer....
A more complex view of Shostakovich surfaced after his death in 1975, particularly
with the release of Solomon Volkov's book Testimony in 1979. Volkov claimed
Shostakovich dictated or at least read every page. In his 1990 book The New
Shostakovich, Ian McDonald summarizes the controversy about that claim. He
concludes that Volkov got Shostakovich right overall, even if Testimony is not by
the composer.
I have long been interested in whether and how instrumental music, that most
abstract art form, can convey ideas. Shostakovich's Fifth seemed to invite a test of
some sort. Accordingly, some years ago I played it to a class of advanced
undergraduates at the University of Vermont—not music majors but students in
sociology and education.
I set it up as a lab experiment. One third of the students read program notes that
described the symphony as Socialist Realism—the triumph of the New Man.
Another third read notes based on from Vishnevskaya's memoir, describing the
work as "a huge complex of human passions and sufferings." The final third
received a neutral description, noting its four movements and telling about its
instrumentation.
The entire "laboratory" was new to most of my students, who had never listened to
a full symphony before. It's astounding to realize how insulated most young adults
are today from classical music. At the time (1994), the University of Vermont was
the most expensive state school in the United States and drew a student body from
the top end of the national income structure. They came largely from the suburbs
of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. Even from these elite
families in metropolitan locations, many had never attended an orchestral concert.
Not one in a hundred knew that Beethoven wrote an "Emperor Concerto." Nobody
knew anything about Shostakovich.
But they listened. Indeed, they listened well. When that final thundering tympani
blast had faded to a distant echo, I asked them all to write down their impression of
what the music was about. The third group, with neutral program notes, spoke first.
To my surprise, they told of the anguish of the music, of passion and suffering,
agreeing with the Vishnevskaya notes they had not seen. Indeed, even students
who had received notes describing the symphony as a Socialist Realist triumph
were converted by what they heard into a more tragic interpretation.
You can perform this experiment at home. Find someone you love—yourself, if you
don't already know this symphony—and give them a CD of it—perhaps conducted by
Rostropovich, a close friend of the composer. In the name of novelty or
appreciation of another culture or Christmas, encourage them to listen to it, all the
way through, doing nothing else, volume up high. Then ask them what it was
about.
Shostakovich 5th Symphony in D minor: background summary
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Shostakovich was born in Russia in 1906 and died in 1975. He is regarded
as one of the 20th centuries most significant composers and the greatest
symphonist of the mid-20th century
He was just 11 when the Bolsheviks took control. He was a child of the
Russian revolution.
The indications are that the young Shostakovich identified strongly with the
new, revolutionary order though he did not become a member of the
Communist party until later in his life.
He is often referred to as the voice of Soviet Russia by musically
expressing the experience of living under the oppression of communism
and the dictator Stalin whilst managing to avoid serious confrontation with
the regime.
The communist party took considerable interest in the work of composers
at the time. They were quick to condemn any forms of artistic expression
that could be considered critical of the regime, or that included ideas from
the ‘decadent West’
Soviet composers were directed to emulate ‘russkaya klassika’ This
classical tradition would signify a return to ‘healthy, normal musical values’
after the excesses of earlier modernism.
The symphony was a public form in the USSR. It was the form expected to
embody some identifiable human content or story. All his 15 symphonies, in
varying degrees, are felt in some sense to be programmatic.
It is well known that Shostakovich described his 5th symphony, written in
1937, as ‘a Soviet artist’s reply to just criticism’. His opera, Lady Macbeth of
the Mtsensk District, was premiered in 1934, at a time when Shostakovich
was very much under the spotlight. Initially, the reception was favorable.
However, this all changed after Stalin himself attended a performance. An
article appeared 11 days later in the communist paper Pravda. It was titled
‘Muddle instead of music’ and it castigated Shostakovich for his new opera,
which was then banned.
•
Videos to
watch
Overnight Shostakovich had lost his position as one of the USSR’s leading
composers. Friends wouldn’t return his calls and people crossed the street
to avoid him. His 4th symphony was due to be premiered but after many
rehearsals was withdrawn. It is unclear whether this was due to pressure
from the authorities.
• Shostakovich avoided arrest (in the years 1937-38 it is estimated that 7
million Russians were taken to the gulags and over half a million executed)
and in 1937 took the remarkably courageous path of writing a new
symphony
• Why a symphony? If his intention had merely been to rehabilitate himself,
he could have written a patriotic cantata and been more certain of
achieving the desired positive response from the authorities.
• According to an article in Soviet Music magazine in 1938, Shostakovich
‘chose the line of greatest resistance, the only true line: that of
fundamental, organic, overcoming of his formalistic errors by an intense
internal struggle’ or perhaps one could say a re-engagement with the
symphonic mainstream.
• Shostakovich wrote ‘the theme of my 5th symphony is the making of a man.
I saw a man with all his experiences in the centre of the composition, which
is lyrical in form from beginning to end. In the finale the tragically tense
impulses of the earlier movements are resolved in optimism and joy of
living’
• The 5th symphony was begun only 4 months after the 4th was withdrawn
and was completed in only 3 months. It was premiered on the 21st
November 1937 and one can only imagine the pressure Shostakovich was
under awaiting the verdict from those in authority. In the event the hall was
packed with many breaking down and weeping in the slow movement and
the ovation at the end lasting more than half an hour.
• Shostakovich returned to being an approved artist. The authorities heard in
the symphony a more taut and economic musical language than had been
heard in Lady Macbeth. The party considered that the music represented
the journey of an intellectual from individualism to solidarity with the peoplea journey that implicitly underlined the communist creed. In the climatic end
to the symphony they heard the deification of that communist creed.
• It is possible that Shostakovich and the general public of the time, however,
heard the music differently. In the slow movement they heard a lament for
the many who had ‘disappeared’ – a means of public grieving and the
finale, not a triumph of communism but an expression of the resilience of
the people.
• In a book published after his death in 1979, Shostakovich is quoted as
saying about the finale (though the authenticity of the book remains
questionable) ‘What exultation could there be? I think that it is clear to
everyone what happens in the fifth. The rejoicing is forced, created under a
threat…It’s as if someone were beating you with a stick and saying “Your
business if rejoicing, your business is rejoicing” and you rise shakily and go
marching off muttering ‘Our business is rejoicing, our business is rejoicing”
what kind of apotheosis is that?’
• The underlying programme (story, theme) of the 5th symphony is one of
conflict and triumph, of minor to major - a tradition that can be seen in 3
other 5th symphonies – Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Mahler.
http://pbs.org/keepingscore/video-shostakovich.html
The above is an excellent look at the Shostakovich by conductor Michael Tilson
Thomas, which takes you through the key points in the score.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qfhsp
Composition
4 part harmony – please read carefully.
4 part harmony is very important to the work that you will be doing over the next
year. Even if you have already done some work on this it is good to be able to
revise and reinforce what you have already learnt.
You should know all your major and minor key signatures up to and including 4
sharps and 4 flats.
You should also know which keys 4 part pieces are likely to modulate to when you
are presented with a 4 part to do.
EG. If the 4 part is in C major it is likely to modulate to some or all of the following
keys: G major (the dominant), a minor (the relative minor of C major), e minor (the
relative minor of G major), F major (the sub dominant), and d minor (the relative
minor of F major). This will be the same for all major keys. Minor keys are similar.
You should also understand the concept of cadence points. There are four to learn
about. Perfect, imperfect, plagal and interrupted.
Perfect : Chord 5 (V) to Chord 1 (I). Eg in C major a G chord to a C chord
Imperfect : Chords 2 (ii), 4 (IV) and 1 (I) to chord 5 (V). Eg in C major a D minor, F
or C chord to G
Plagal : Chord 4 (IV) to chord 1 (I). Eg in C major an F chord to a C chord
Interrupted : Chord 5 (V) to chord 6 (vi). Eg in C major a G chord to an Am chord.
This applies for all keys and so you must learn the important chords of 1 (I), 2 (ii), 4
(IV), 5 (V) and 6 (vi) for each of the sharp and flat keys I have asked you to learn
about. It is important to be able to be able to harmonise notes of a melody correctly
(which chord can be used underneath a melody note). Initially, each melody note
will have three alternative chords that could be used to harmonise with it. For
example if the melody note you are trying to harmonise is a C then the note C is
found in a C chord (CEG) an A chord (ACE) and an F chord (FAC) and therefore if
my piece of music is in the home key of C major the C melody note could be
harmonised using Chord I (CEG), chord vi (ACE) or chord IV (FAC).
You must also learn how to use roman numerals as this is important in harmonic
analysis. To help you understand a little of what we are going to do, I have
attached two links. The first is a Method Guide on how to write 4 part harmony.
This is a guide to how to do this in the style of Bach but is equally applicable to
those coming into year 12. The second is a link into how to approach Cadence
Points in Bach, again equally applicable if you are coming into Year 12.
Take time to read and look at these guides as they will help enormously and give
you support before you return in September.
Bach Method Guide
http://www.choraleguide.com/bachchoralemethod.php
Bach Cadence Fingerprints
http://www.choraleguide.com/bachcadenceresources.php
Subject
Context
Written work
BTEC Music
You will complete another 3 units next year. These are on Popular Music,
Ensemble Playing and the continuation of your presentations on different genres
and improvisation styles.
You will need to produce either an essay or radio programme on the Development
of Popular Music looking at different genres and particular pieces that changed
the way Popular Music was thought of and listened to. As a class you produced a
list of 30 works, which were felt had an impact on the development of Popular
Music and is attached. Please go through these songs and listen to them
carefully. Then write a sentence or two, which you feel justifies their place on the
list. Remember that this needs to focus on the musical aspect, first and foremost,
and then look at the social, cultural and political context of each.
Presentations You are expected to deliver your 2 presentations by the end of this academic
year. Some of you have already delivered one and should continue working on
your second one. Those of you who have not yet presented your first need to
ensure that this ready to go within the first week or so.
Practising
Continue practising, logging your progress through short video diaries. These
should be attached to SMART goals, which will be worked on in the lessons.
Ensembles
Imagine you are being interviewed for a programme on Ensemble Playing. Think
about what an ensemble is and the different types of ensembles. Do they share
something in common? What makes them different? What skills does a great
ensemble player need? What sort of person would you want in your ensemble
and why?
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
Wider
research
BTEC Subsidiary Diploma in Performing Arts
You will perform a piece of classical theatre using the style of physical theatre in the
Autumn term of Year 13.
The following online websites will introduce you to physical theatre:
www.anglepd.co.uk/vtol
www.dv8.co.uk
Challenge readings
www.franticassembly.co.uk
www.iainfisher.com/berkoff
The following online sources will give you an insight into classical theatre:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_theatre
http://www.londonclassictheatre.co.uk/
Challenge research
www.historyworld.net/timesearch/default.asp?keywords=Theatre&viewtext=extende
d&conid=timeline&event_number=20&gtrack=pthc
www.apgrd.ox.ac.uk/learning/online-resources
Written
tasks
Read either A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Oedipus. Write 500 words or create a
story board explaining how you might perform the play using physical theatre.
Subject
Context
AS Physical Education
Psychological aspects that optimise performance – Mr McDonald
When you start this course we will begin by studying a module on ‘Cognitive and
Somatic Arousal’. By the end of the topic you will be expected to begin applying your
knowledge to explain weaknesses in your own practical performance. This will be
ultimately be assessed as part of a 12,000 word assignment.
Evaluating contemporary influences – Mr Tweedle
Wider
readings
This aspect of the specification deals with optimisation of performance to achieve
elite status and covers areas such as:
•
World Games and their impact on the state and individual.
•
The Olympic ideal and its place in modern-day sport.
•
The causes of deviance in sport and the link between sport and the law.
Psychological aspects that optimise performance
The list below gives you the case studies and key concepts we will examine at the
beginning of year 13. You will be receiving readings relating to the below list.
Students will chose some of the topics listed to include in their coursework
assignment over the summer.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Arousal – the state of general preparedness of the body for action, involving
physiological and psychological factors
Somatic and cognitive signs
Hull (1943) Drive theory – arousal has a linear relationship to performance
Spence and Spence (1968) adapted Hull - performance = habit strength and
drive P=HD
Yerkes and Dobson (1908) inverted U theory – optimal performance when
optimal arousal.
Catastrophe theory – rapid decline in performance resulting from high
cognitive and increasing somatic.
Attentional narrowing – focusing on too narrow a range of info – miss cues
Reversal theory – the way performer views arousal
Zone of optimal functioning – optimal performance
Zajonc (1965) Evaluation apprehension – social facilitation v social inhibition
The effect of anxiety on performance
The following clips will give you a flavour of the topic we will be covering in the first
term:
Inside the mind of champion athletes: Martin Hagger
Are athletes really getting faster, better and stronger: David Epstein
Rory McIlroy: Why do sportsmen choke?: Matthew Syed
'Choking' in sport: Professor Lew Hardy
Anxiety in sport: Professor Lew Hardy
Evaluating contemporary influences
Wider
research
You will be given a list of resources to help you prepare for the topic covered in the
first term.
The readings provided in the summer term will give you an overview of the theories
and material encountered in the first term and will help you develop a deeper
understanding of the topics covered on the course.
Written
tasks
Deadline: Friday 11th September
Finish Section B, identifying two weaknesses in your own practical performance in
each of the following areas (6 weaknesses in total):
1.
2.
3.
Attacking play
Defensive play
Application of tactics and strategies
Writing approximately 500 words for each of the 6 weaknesses, you should aim to
answer the following questions:
•
How can your weakness be described?
•
When did your weakness last happen in competition and what were the
consequences for you and your team/partner?
•
Can you analyse the breakdown of your technique using relevant technical
terminology, e.g. movement terms, contraction types, muscle names, plane and axis,
etc.?
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
A2 Photography
Unit 3 is a practical unit of work which also includes the 1000-3000 personal study.
This year's theme is 'Flaws, perfections, ideals and compromises'
You will receive help and advice documents which provides the necessary support
and guidance to get you started with detailed information about post exam and
summer work.
Please select the most appropriate reading below relating to your project.
Buried by Stephen Gill, Nobody, 2006
Cornelia Parker by lwona Blazwick and Yoko Ono, Thames and Hudson, 2014
The Genius of Photography by Gerry Badger, Quadrille Publishing, 2011
Alina Szapocznikow: Sculpture Undone: 1955-1972 by Elena Filipoyic and loanna
Mytkowska,
The Museum of Modern Art New York, 2011
Still Life by Irving Penn, Little, Brown and Company, 2001
Aaron Siskind by James Rhem, Phaidon Press Ltd, 2003
MagnumMagnum by Brigitte Lardinois,Thames and Hudson, 2009
Martin Parr (5Ss)by Sandra Philips, Phaidon, 2013
Richard Avedon Portraits by Maria Morris Hambourg, Harry N. Abrams, 2002
Ansel Adams' 400 Photographs by Ansel Adams, Little, Brown and Company, 2007
Jeff Wall: Photographs 1978-2004 by Sheena Wagstaff, Tate Publishing, 2005
Ugly: The Aesthetics of Everything by Stephen Bayley, Goodman Books, 2012
Wider
research
www.tate.org.uk
www.nationalgalIery.org.uk
www.iniva.org
www.britishmuseum.org
www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk
www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk
www.getty.edu
www.moma.org
www.metmuseum.org
www.sfmoma.org
www.cnac-go.fr
www.guggenheim.org
www.designmuseum.org
www.craftscouncil.org.uk
www.artincontext.org
www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk
www.vam-acuk
www.photonet.org.uk
www.bfi.org.uk
Written
tasks
To develop your personal study by gathering resources including:
3 articles/ chapters/ books relevant and central to developing your study, a range of
high quality images of work by referenced and relevant artists.
Design title
Written introduction (minimum 200 words)
Outline plan for the body of the study describing your key areas of focus and an
outline structure for the study.
Subject
AS Physics
The A2 Physics course requires the further development of certain mathematical
skills. Regardless of whether you are also doing any post-16 mathematics
qualifications, you will need to ensure that these skills are developed and
maintained. In particular, there is emphasis on the use of exponential and
logarithmic relationships.
Context
The best way to learn these skills is to practise them, and even more interesting in a
context! Space isn’t a big feature of the A-Level course, so now is the perfect
opportunity to explore it. In particular, unit 5 next year will feature a topic on
radioactivity and radiation, for which these tasks will provide a deep understanding.
Wider
readings
Wider
research
Download the booklet “NASA – Radiation Math – Reading” (about 25 pages) using
this link: This reading material will help you access the questions in the written task
below.
Beware that this is an American resource, so there are a few differences in their
conventions (for example, they use “gm” rather than “g” to represent the unit of mass,
the gram).
The following online resources will give you further insight into some of the theory
involved in these topics.
www.hyperphysics.org
http://www.nasa.gov/
Written
tasks
Download the booklet “NASA – Radiation Math – Questions” using this link:
https://learning.hgs.n-yorks.sch.uk/physics/ks5. There are 34 individual problem
pages I have selected, each with a little reading/some data and about 3 mathematical
problems. Try to average one page a day, and you’ll soon get through it!
Answer on paper (or in your year 12 homework books if you still have them).
Answers are also provided via the above link - “NASA Radiation Math – Answers”,
but your year 13 teacher will expect to see that you have attempted the questions
honestly, and then use the answer booklet to check your answer or make corrections
as necessary. The page number in the top right corner will help you identify the
correct answer page.
A2 Product Design
When you start the course you will be expected to draw up a detailed design plan
for your major coursework project. Sketching a range of design ideas and
developing them using solidworks CAD is a key requirement.
Design
You are expected to produce x3 A3 pages of showing a range of ideas with some
Development development and detailed annotation.
You are expected to develop some of these ideas using 3D CAD presenting these
on 3-4 powerpoint slides. If CAD is not available you will be expected to show
detailed sketch development with models made from styrofoam/card.
Resources
A number of project examples are available that typify the quality of design
development expected for A2 coursework. These will be on a dropbox link emailed
to you.
Solidworks is available to download using the student license for use on
WINDOWS only laptops/PC's/Macs.
You are also encouraged to use sketchaday to develop your sketching skills in 3D.
These will only improve with lots of practise.
Subject
Context
Further
research
You are encouraged to conduct as much primary research as possible by visiting
retailers, manufacturers, museums and recording your visits using images/mini
movies/interviews. You can also revisit the following:
www.vam.ac.uk
www.designmuseum.org
www.designcouncil.org.uk
You tube - "genius of design"
You tube - "Dieter Rams"
You tube - "Jonathan Ives - Objectified"
www.dyson.co.uk
Challenge research
http://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/engineering-andtechnology/design-and-innovation/design/design-nutshell
Subject
Context
A2 Psychology
The first topic that you will cover in A2 psychology will be aggression. You will be
learning about different psychological/social and biological theories of human
aggression. The exam is essay based so you will be learning how to structure 24
mark essays on different theories of aggression.
The following task aims to get you thinking and talking about a key issue in
aggression. I want you to do your own independent thinking and research on this
question. Therefore I have only given you a few sources to use – only if you get
stuck.
"Men are more aggressive than women".
•
•
•
•
Wider
readings
First, think hard about the statement. Do you agree with it? If not, why not? If
you agree, why?
What does the word "aggression" mean? How might psychologists go about
testing the statement?
What theories are there as to why men may be more aggressive than
women?
What evidence is there to support these theories.
Explore the TED Talks website and see what you can learn about male and female
aggression. https://www.ted.com/talks
Explore the internet for relevant articles. Articles from Nature / New Scientist / BBC
and The Guardian are generally fairly trustworthy!
Here are a few other articles that you may find interesting:
Why are men more violent? An article setting out different theories of gender
differences in aggression
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/homo-aggressivus/201409/male-aggression
Are toy preferences innate?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm9xXyw2f7g
Do we interpret boys’ behaviour differently from girls’ behaviour?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20923057
Testosterone link to aggression may be all in the mind
http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091208/full/news.2009.1131.html
The testosterone of trading
http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080414/full/news.2008.753.html
Wider
research
Written
tasks
Book available in the library: “The trouble with testosterone” - Sapolsky
"Men are more aggressive than women"
Discuss this statement drawing on theories of aggression and relevant research
evidence. (24 marks)
Subject
Context
A2 Psychology - Designing your own Psychological Research
Purpose of the project
The Unit 4 exam next year will test your understanding of the practical aspects of
designing, running and analysing research studies. The best way to learn this is to
actually design your own psychology study. You are going to design a study that links
an aspect of psychology to whatever you want to do at university or in a job.
Designing your own study will enable you to write about what you have learned from
the project in your UCAS application / job application. (Not many students will have
designed research relevant to their job / degree so this will help you to stand out
from the crowd!!!!!)
Wider
learning
You will need to have done some background reading on previous research relevant
to the study that you wish to design. You may find relevant background research in
the textbooks in the library or by using key terms in the search engines below. I will
also help you find suitable background research.
Google scholar:
https://scholar.google.co.uk
Pub Psych:
http://pubpsych.eu
You will also need to get familiar with the structure of a psychological report.
Resources for this will be in a Showbie folder called “Design a psychology study”.
Written
tasks
You need to design a psychology study related to what you want to do at university or
as a job. Details of exactly what is required can be found in the Design a Psychology
Study Showbie folder. You will need to write up the introduction and the method
section for your proposed study in the format that would be found in a scientific
paper. The report must include the following sections:
Title, Introduction, Method (Design, Participants, Materials, Procedure), Ethical
considerations
Deadline – Thursday 9th July 2015
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
A2 Religious Studies: Philosophy of Religion and Ethics
Part of the A2 course involves the study of philosophical articles. To support this
work, you will need to have a background knowledge of some of the challenges to
religious belief, including atheism, psychology and sociology.
The following readings will give you an overview of the basic ideas:
Understanding Philosophy of Religion by Libby Ahluwalia – this is the textbook you
were given at the beginning of Year 12.
1. Atheism – pg. 219-224
2. Challenges from sociology – pg. 224-227.
3. Challenges from psychology – pg. 227-234
Main
study task
You will need to watch the following debate on ‘The God Delusion’ between Richard
Dawkins and John Lennox.
http://www.fixed-point.org/index.php/video/35-full-length/164-the-dawkins-lennoxdebate
There is also a transcript of the debate for you to refer to:
http://www.protorah.com/god-delusion-debate-dawkins-lennox-transcript/
You will need to access the study guide here:
fixed-point.org/media/phocadownload/GDD_discussionguide.pdf
Ignoring the biographical section, you need to work through each section and answer
the questions in as much detail as you can.
Written
tasks
You should upload your answers to Showbie.
Your final task is to attempt an A2 exam question. Aim to produce four PELEL
paragraphs, two for each critique.
Examine the key ideas of two critiques of religious belief. (18)
Wider
reading
Upload your paragraphs to Showbie
In the Showbie folder there is a copy of ‘The God Delusion’ by Richard Dawkins as
well links to the audiobook version. If you want to read more about how Dawkins
justifies his views on the pointlessness of belief in God then read on!
Subject
Context
Wider
readings /
viewings
A2 Sociology
On this course you will study topics as diverse as suicide, religious cults and
organised crime. A2 Sociology is both global in outlook, and esoteric, in as much as
few of us may have direct experience of topics such as those outlined above! Think
of A2 sociology on a subject that encourages you to leave the comforts of the world
that is familiar to you: school and family life, to embark upon an exhilarating and often
confusing adventure into the world of the unknown – or at least, not yet known.
The following online articles will give you a glimpse at some of the themes and ideas
encountered at A2 level Sociology.
https://www.d.umn.edu/~bmork/2306/readings/chambliss.w99.htm
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/feb/17/paul-mason-kicking-off-review
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jun/30/stephen-emmott-ten-billion
Other challenging reads
http://www.culturewars.org.uk/2004-02/identity.htm
Wider
research
Written
tasks
https://socialsciences.arts.unsw.edu.au/tsw/Marx.html
The transition to A2 Sociology requires students to adopt a more critical, evaluative
and interpretative approach to the range of theoretical issues and empirical evidence
that they encounter. Students need to display an understanding of sociological
thought and methods of sociological enquiry in greater range and depth, and
demonstrate more highly developed critical appraisal, evaluative and reflective skills
in their learning.
Whose side are we on?
1. Define the following terms using a Sociology dictionary.
Secularisation
Church Sect Cult Denomination
Primary Deviance
Secondary Deviance
Anomie
Marginality
Cultural Transition
Cultural Deference
Globalislation
Recidivism
Delinquency and drift
2. Write one to two paragraphs about each founding father – Marx, Weber, Durkheim
using the following structure:
Biography
Key ideas
Problems with the theory
3. Complete two 9 mark questions.
•
•
Identify and briefly explain three features of a sect. (9)
Identify and briefly explain three seasons why sects are short-lived. (9)
A2 Spanish
When you start this course, we expect you to be confident with the grammar we
studied at AS level i.e. you can complete the AS Q9 gap-fills with ease!.
We would also like you to get a head-start on the new A2 topics (Environment, The
Multicultural Society and Contemporary Social Issues) by practising key vocabulary
Grammar:
Wider
Reading
• Use your Animo workbook to tackle the aspects of grammar you are least
(Grammar
confident on. Complete at least 5 sections and take evidence of what you
and
have done
Vocabulary)
• Complete the Q9 PDF practise booklet on Showbie
• Extra – www.language-gym.com (Verb Trainer)
• Extra – www.langaugesonline.org.uk (Grammar Section)
Subject
Context
Wider
research
Vocabulary:
• Learn as much of the vocabulary from the booklet provided as possible
• Create a Quizlet for your designated topic (TBC) to add to the Y13 group
• Use Memrise to practise the key terms
From January onwards we will be studying our two cultural topics;
La Casa de Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca &
The film director Alejandro González Iñárritu (focusing on Amores Perros & Biutiful)
Any wider reading you do about Lorca or Iñárritu will be extremely useful.
Translations of the play are available online and you may wish to watch any of the
following films to get a flavour of the director:
Listening
Task
Amores Perros (2000)
21 Grams (2003)
Babel (2006)
Biutiful (2010)
Birdman (2014)
In order to keep your Spanish up-to-date, here are some useful sites to use over the
Summer:
listenlive.eu
zachary-jones.com
fluentu.com
veintemundos.com
newsinslowspanish.com
Don’t forget to maximise your use of the Internet – YouTube, social media, online
newspapers etc to keep topping up your Spanish over the break.
“Little and often… Practice makes perfect!”
Subject
Context
Wider
readings
A2 Travel and Tourism
Unit 11: The Guided Tour
This work covers the preliminary tasks of the first coursework project for A2 Travel
and Tourism. At the end of the project, you will have researched, planned, resourced
and carried out your own guided tour. You will produce a portfolio of evidence to
show that you have carried out the necessary tasks and shown the appropriate skills.
The assignment guidance which is in Showbie has details of the research which
needs to be carried out.
The Showbie code is RKY74
The following books will give you an overview of the theory covered during the
course.
Pond K L Blackman, Smith, Rowe and Stewart - The Professional guide
Travel and Tourism for OCR
Wider
research
The following websites will give you an overview of the range of guided tours that
exist and can be used during this course.
www.blue-badge.org.uk
www.driver-guides.org.uk
www.kfki.hu/arthp/tours
www.visitengland.com
www.directholidaysme.com
www.bigbustours.com
www.planet-travel-tours.com
www.orienttours.ae
www.altayer-travel.com
http://www.visitharrogate.co.uk/
Written
tasks
Task 1 - A01a
Explain and give examples of the main purposes of guided tours, e.g.
• to familiarise tourists with a particular area,
• to tell visitors about the history of a facility or artefact
• to describe the history of an area
• to outline the life of a famous person
Find examples of at least three of these, and evidence your findings with relevant
screen shots. Explain all the screenshots fully.
Task 2- A01b
Draw up a table to show the various sub - types of guided tour, using the template
overleaf. Find at least three examples of each sub-type. Some examples are
available on Showbie. Explain all examples fully taking into account who the target
market is.
Type of Tour
Guided by a person
Method
Walking
Coach
Written tours
Map
Book
Audio tours
Mobile
I pod / MP3
Virtual / Computer based
tours
Internet
Interactive touch screen
Examples