Year 8s are studying ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ by John Boyne this term. This week they were tasked with researching the historical context of the novel. They each were assigned a specific area of interest and then challenged to present their findings to the class. It is fundamentally important to understand the period of time which influences a writer’s setting or moral message of a story. Moreover, contextual skills (AO3) are a key part of the KS3 and KS4 National Curriculum, with marks being awarded on this as part of the English Literature GCSE examination.
Indeed, the Year 8 pupils have wholeheartedly grasped a firm enthusiasm for this, leading to a fantastic afternoon of presentations involving The Holocaust, Auschwitz, Rudolf Hoss, Poland and Judaism to name but a few topics! Well done Year 8! This knowledge has also ignited some excellent written work in the form of character inferences and analysis. Year 8’s are really starting to place themselves within the characters’ shoes and they look forward to unearthing more information as we continue our study of the novel.
Categories: English News Category 1 Year 8