A-level
-
The Turn of the Screw: The Study Guide Edition
This edition of Henry James’s haunting narrative contains a comprehensive study guide as well as activities that stimulate and engage. Aimed specifically at pupils reading the book as an exam text, there are detailed instructions about how to understand the challenging language, to appreciate the novel’s contexts and to write effective essays.
-
Brontë’s Wuthering Heights: The Study Guide Edition
Aimed specifically at pupils reading the book for exams. The complete text is punctuated by analysis and questions on every chapter with answers provided at the back. Essential reading for all students and teachers!
-
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: The Study Guide Edition
This edition of Shelley’s classic horror novel contains a comprehensive study guide, as well as extensive questions for students to help their understanding. Buy the paperback, and you get the e-book for free, so you can use the embedded web links.
-
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: The Study Guide Edition
Aimed specifically at students and teachers reading the book as an exam text, with a detailed introduction that outlines the historical context of the novel, the ways in which it was influenced by the other genres/writers and how it is structured.
-
Year 13: June 2007 St. John’s Wort Language Change Question AQA Spec B English Language — student answer
Audience: Text H appears to be possibly aimed at a doctor or ‘physitian’- description of precise look, smell, touch as well as place to find and when to find it. This information id provided in detail in order to direct the would be doctor to gathering the plant; whereas the website, gives no information as […]
-
Year 13: Heather and Sarah’s Powerpoint on CLA theories
Behaviourism (B.F. Skinner 1950s-60s) Language is learnt by positive reinforcement (offering a reward for ‘good behaviour’) and negative reinforcement (for ‘inappropriate behaviour’) Language is a particular social behaviour that follows this model. Positive reinforcement can be verbal praise or reassurance, and negative reinforcement could simply be correction. Skinner wanted to apply his theory to all […]
-
Year 13: Going beyond Chomsky and Skinner in Language Acquisition — Notes and question adapted from Myszor
Many researchers followed up on what Chomsky speculated upon: children’s knowledge of grammatical rules. However, the idea of impoverishment (parents’ language is insufficient) prompted others to look in more detail at language experience, with an emphasis on social circumstances and the language of adults. Two key factors are important: 1. Social or experiential factors 2. […]
-
Year 13: Exam question on Language Acquisition
Here is Adam, in the year following his first word combinations at the age of 2 years and 3 months (Pinker, 1994a). The numbers by the transcript indicate his age, so 2;3 means two years, three months and so on. Look carefully at the following changes in his language development, and using the systematic framework […]
-
Year 13: English Language Revision quiz on Acquisition
English Language A Level Revision Quiz – key theories Explain what these terms mean which Michael Halliday uses for his taxonomy: Instrumental use of language Regulatory Interactional Personal Representational Heuristic Imaginative What were John Dore’s complaints about Halliday’s taxonomy? He replaced them with: Labelling, repeating, answering, requesting action, calling, greeting, protesting, practising Why is very […]
-
Child Language Mock Exam Question 2 by FGI/Myszor
Read the following extract very carefully. This transcript is a conversation between Katherine at 27 months and her mother. Consider the aspects of the baby’s speech: ability to use verbs (tenses, tag questions); functions and conversational (pragmatic) skills; use of inflexions; the MLU, the comparing the score with Brown’s stages (see page 3 of Myszor); […]
-
Halliday’s Functions of Language in the Child Language Acquisition Debate (by Nick Christodoulou)
Several attempts have been made to catalogue the different functions of language, and to chart child language development in terms of the increasing range of these functions to be found in the growing child’s repertoire. Michael Halliday’s taxonomy is documented below:- Instrumental: Language used to fulfil a need on the part of the speaker. Directly […]
-
H G response to mock Child Language Acquisition exam question with teacher comments
Read the following extract, and using your knowledge of Skinner, Chomsky, Piaget and Bruner, analyse the interaction between child and mother discussing The Snowman by Raymond Briggs. M is mother, K is Katherine, 2 year old.M: So what’s this book about? K: Snowman M: Mmm. What’s the snowman doing? K: ‘S flying. M: Mmm. Who’s […]
-
Useful Child Language Acquisition links
Useful websites on Child Language Acquisition http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/lang/acquisition.htm
-
Are A-Levels still the gold standard they used to be?
My answer is a resounding “No!” Several things have made it a lot easier to get an A grade: The Assessment Objectives: if pupils tick the right boxes, they’ll get a good grade Re-takes Less stringent marking. The old English A Level was a difficult exam to get an A grade in. Overwhelmingly, you had to write […]
-
Rewarding the bad, punishing the good
‘Oi, you little c**t, why can’t you hurry up you slow coach?’ I heard a mother say to her son last week outside a swimming pool changing rooms. An eight-year-old boy was doing his best to stuff his wet towel into his bag but it wasn’t fast enough. A little later, he started banging a […]