coombeamy

Sep 2, 202215 min read

Rethinking English Revision Booklets

Too many students revise ineffectively or not at all, which is a source of huge frustration for teachers and parents. We might assume this is down to laziness, apathy or even defiance, but what if they simply lack the skills? It’s a vicious cycle: if you lack the skills, you lack the confidence and consequently fail to prepare for exam success. You give up’. Helen Howell with Ross Morrison McGill, ‘The Revision Revolution

In a previous post, I explored the complexity of creating a GCSE unit plan. There are seemingly infinite possibilities when it comes to choosing which quotations, themes, character and contextual details to teach.

Similarly, for students, there are seemingly endless avenues to explore when it comes to locating revision materials. Sifting through websites, youtube videos, blogs and revision guides can take hours, delaying the all-important hard thinking required to commit knowledge to long-term memory. Revision materials are also often content-based, requiring the student to develop their own strategies for self quizzing, something which many students find challenging.

While long term aims in schools should involve a plan to teach students how to revise effectively, as explored in Helen Howell’s recent book ‘The Revision Revolution’, in my department, we found ourselves with a group of Y11 students, nearing ever-closer to the exam, short of time, and in great need of revision support. With limited time, we did our best to make the challenge of revision easier for our students by creating bespoke revision booklets. These revision booklets have three main advantages:

The content selection mirrors the unit plan, where careful consideration has gone into selecting the most powerful and versatile knowledge for each text.
Students encounter the same knowledge in the revision guide as they do in lessons, meaning the knowledge is revisited more frequently, increasing the likelihood that it’s committed to long term memory.
The revision guide is task-heavy, rather than content-heavy; one or two pages of content for each text is followed by pages of revision activities that students can complete. Instead of passively reading and rereading content, they are completing activities that make them think.

The revision booklet contains two main sections for each literature text:

Priority content: the most powerful and versatile knowledge that students should learn.
Revision exercises: activities students complete to get them thinking about the content.

Priority content

The tough decisions about what content to select will already have been made when creating the unit plan. Our revision guides contained a streamlined version of this content for students to use when revising. Prioritising the most versatile and powerful content within each literature text helps our students avoid overload and focus their revision in the right way.

Example: priority content for ‘Romeo and Juliet’

ROMEO AND JULIET is a play about how strong emotions have tragic consequences.

Shakespeare explores how strong, uncontrollable anger and violence can lead to conflict.
Shakespeare could be suggesting that, if strong feelings of love are ignored by families who force their children into arranged marriages, there can be tragic consequences.
Shakespeare could be suggesting that strong feelings of honour, tied to traditional views around what is manly (masculine) can have tragic consequences.

PLOT & TIMELINE

CHARACTERS (Key quotations are in bold)

Romeo (impulsive and passionate)

Feels ill and in pain through love for Rosaline. ‘madness’ ‘pricks like thorn’
Immediately forgets Rosaline when he first meets Juliet. ‘Did my heart love till now?’
He takes huge risks in order to see and marry Juliet. Sees Juliet as the ‘sun’.
He tries to avoid conflict with Tybalt but, when Mercutio is killed, he kills Tybalt. ‘Fire-eyed fury’
When he learns of Juliet’s apparent death, he instantly makes a plan to kill himself.

Juliet (rebellious and brave)

She agrees to consider Paris as a husband until she meets Romeo.
She is obedient to, and distant from, her mother, calling her ‘madam’.
Takes huge risks to see and marry Romeo. ‘I’ll no longer be a Capulet’ / ‘god of my idolatry’
She refuses to marry Paris, which destroys her relationship with her parents. ‘Hang, beg, starve’
She fakes her death, even though she is frightened. ‘mangled tybalt’
When she wakes to find Romeo next to her, she stabs herself.

Mercutio (witty and loyal)

He mocks Romeo, turning Romeo’s words into innuendos. ‘Prick love for pricking’
When Romeo will not fight Tybalt, Mercutio fights instead. ‘Vile submission’
He blames Romeo for his death, cursing both families. ‘A plague on both your houses’

Tybalt (aggressive and violent)

He threatens to kill Benvolio and calls him a coward. ‘peace! I hate the word’ ‘hate hell’,’Montagues’
He believes strongly in fighting to defend his own and the Capulet honour. ‘Honour of my kin’
He vows to take revenge against Romeo for attending the ball.
He mocks and provokes Romeo, referring to him as ‘boy’ and ‘villain’
He kills Mercutio.

Lord Capulet (patriarchal and authoritative)

He asks Paris to wait a few years before asking for her hand in marriage. ‘stranger to the world’
After Tybalt’s death, he quickens the marriage and threatens Juliet. ‘Hang, beg, starve, die in the streets’
When he discovers Juliet is dead, he ends the feud, offering to build a golden statue of Romeo.

Lady Capulet (cold and distant)

She wishes to see Juliet get married at age thirteen. She is distant from Juliet. ‘daughter’
She demands that Romeo be killed in order to serve justice for Tybalt’s death. ‘shed blood of Montague’
She supports Lord Capulet’s quickening of the marriage, disowning Juliet. ‘I am done with thee’

Benvolio (loyal and peaceful)

He tries to keep the peace at the start of the play. ‘Part, fools!’
He advises Romeo to look for other women. ‘examine other beauties’
He predicts that a fight will happen and tries to persuade Mercutio to go home. ‘We shall not escape a brawl’

Friar Laurence (well-meaning but interfering)

He marries Romeo and Juliet to end the feud. ‘Turn your households’ rancour to pure love’
He advises Romeo to think carefully and slowly. ‘They stumble that run fast’ / ‘dear mercy’

Nurse (well-meaning and witty)

She shows deep affection for Juliet, having raised her since she was born. ‘Lamb’ ‘ladybird’
She helps Juliet and Romeo to marry in order to bring happiness to Juliet.
She encourages Juliet to marry Paris after Romeo’s banishment. ‘Eagle’ / ‘dishclout’

Prince Escalus (authoritative)

He threatens punishment of death if anyone carries on fighting. ’your lives shall pay’
He banishes Romeo.
He says at the end of the play that ‘all are punished’ and all are responsible for the deaths.

CONTEXT:

Patriarchy: Verona is presented as a patriarchal society - one in which men have more power.
Marriage: Arranged marriage was once an accepted part of life, particularly for wealthier families.
Fate: audiences believed that the position of the planets and stars could affect people’s actions.
Religion: the Elizabethan audience were mostly very religious.

THEMES:

Love: Love is an overpowering force that can override all other values, loyalties, and emotions.
Conflict: conflict happens as a result of family honour: if they or their family is insulted, they must fight the man who insults them, or else be considered a coward.
Fate: Shakespeare encourages the audience to question: is fate or the characters’ actions responsible?
Family: Shakespeare challenges distant and traditional families, who ignore their children’s wishes.

STRUCTURE

Prologue: Shakespeare’s deliberate choice to reveal the play’s tragic end in the opening promises the audience that the play will be filled with pain, conflict and overpowering love. It also facilitates several moments of dramatic irony, during which the sense of tragedy is further heightened for the audience.
Pace: The action of the play takes place in just 4 days. Time places pressure on the characters, pushing them to make desperate, and often foolish, decisions.

VOCABULARY:

aggressive - behaving in an angry and violent way

authoritative - someone who seems important and expects to be obeyed

courageous - willing to do something difficult or dangerous even if they’re afraid

fate - a power that some people believe controls everything that happens, in a way that cannot be prevented or changed

feud - a argument in which two people or groups remain angry with each other for a long time

honour - good reputation and character as judged by other people

impulsive - doing things suddenly without careful thought

irresponsible - not taking care properly of the person/things you are supposed to

loyal - remaining firm and unchanging in friendship and support

naive - very willing to believe someone or something is good and that people always have good intentions

obedient - willing to do what someone tells you to do

passionate - strong feelings about something or someone

patriarchal - a society, family, or system is one in which the men have all or most of the power and importance

rebellious - refusing to obey rules or authority or to accept normal standards of behaviour, dress, etc. r

witty - funny in a clever way

dramatic irony - when the audience knows something the characters don’t

imagery - language that causes people to imagine pictures in their mind

stage direction - a note in the play that says what the actor should do

suspense - a growing sense of expectation; a feeling that events are leading to something exciting or tragic

tragedy - a type of literature that is serious and sad and often ends in the death of the main character

tragic flaw - the characteristic in the tragic hero that leads them to making mistakes

Revision Exercises

The majority of the revision guide consists of revision exercises that students can complete in order to practise their knowledge. Exercises are designed to develop students' knowledge in each of the GCSE assessment objectives and have a dual role in that, not only do they revise core knowledge, but they also enable students to practise writing.

Example: revision exercises for ‘Romeo and Juliet’

1.PLOT

Task 1A: Plot Sequence

Order A-F in order that they occur in the plot, labelling them 1-6.

Romeo hears that Juliet is dead, buys poison and takes it at her tomb. Juliet wakes, sees Romeo dead and stabs herself.
Romeo meets Juliet at the Capulet ball and they fall in love. Tybalt vows revenge on Romeo.
The Montagues and the Capulets find their children dead and agree to end the feud.
Tybalt challenges Romeo to a fight. Romeo refuses but Mercutio accepts and is killed by Tybalt. Romeo kills Tybalt and is banished from Verona.
Romeo meets Juliet again by hiding in the Capulet orchard and they agree to marry.
The Prince of Verona breaks up a fight between members of the Montague and Capulet family.
Romeo confesses that he is lovesick over Rosaline. .
Lord Capulet insists that Juliet must marry Paris.
Friar Laurence gives Juliet a potion that means she’ll appear dead and sends a letter to Romeo that never arrives.
Friar Laurence agrees to marry them in secret.

Task 1B: Plot questions, Romeo and Juliet

Who is fighting at the start of the play?
Which character enters and tries to keep the peace?
Which character enters and tries to start a fight?
Which character stops a fight from happening and threatens death to those who continue?
Who is Romeo in love with at the start of the play?
How does he act and feel about this love and why?
Who does Capulet meet and discuss marriage to Juliet?
Why does Capulet suggest that this person waits for a while?
What does Capulet suggest that this person does in the meantime?
How is it that Romeo and Benvolio learn about the Capulet ball?
What happens between Romeo and Juliet at the ball?
Why is Tybalt angry at the ball?
What does Tybalt vow to do to Romeo?
Where does Romeo meet Juliet later that night and what do they agree?
Why does Romeo rush to Friar Laurence?
What does the Friar do for Romeo and Juliet?
Tybalt challenges Romeo to a fight. Does he accept?
Who fights in Romeo’s place and what happens?
What does Romeo do next?
What punishment is given to Romeo?
What plan do Juliet and Friar Laurence come up with?
How does Friar Laurence try to tell Romeo?
Does the news of the plan reach Romeo?
When Romeo realises Juliet is “dead”, what does he do next?
When he sees Paris at the tomb, what does he do to him?
When Romeo sees Juliet in the tomb, what does he do?
When Juliet wakes, what does she do?
When the Capulet and Montague parents arrive and find them dead, what do they do?

2.CHARACTER

Task 2B: Character Actions and Feelings

Why does Romeo feel that love is ‘madness’ and a ‘sickness’ at the start of the play?
Why does Romeo forget immediately about Rosaline?
Why does Romeo climb the wall into the Capulet garden?
Why does Romeo kill Tybalt?
Why does Romeo decide to kill himself?
Why does Juliet destroy her relationship with her parents?
Why does Juliet take a potion?
Why does Juliet stab herself?
Why does Mercutio mock Romeo?
Why does Mercutio curse the Montagues and Capulet households?
Why does Tybalt vow to take revenge against Romeo?
Why does Tybalt fight Mercutio?
Why does Lord Capulet describe Juliet as a ‘stranger to the world’?
Why does Lord Capulet tell Juliet to ‘hang, beg starve’?
Why does Lord Capulet reconcile the disagreement with the Montagues?
Why does Lady Capulet wish to see Juliet married?
What is Lady Capulet asking when she says ‘for blood of ours, shed blood of Montague’?
Why does Lady Capulet say to Juliet, ‘I have done with thee’?
Why does the Nurse encourage Juliet to marry Paris?
Why does Friar Laurence marry Romeo and Juliet?
Why does Friar Laurence help Juliet stage her suicide?
Why does Benvolio say ‘part fools!’?
Why does Prince Escalus threaten death?
Why does Prince Escalus say ‘all are punished’?

Task 2C: Character Actions.

Who says to whom that they should part and put down their swords in Act One Scene One?
Who says to whom that, if the fighting does not cease, they will be punished with death?
Who says to whom that they hate the word ‘peace’ as much as they hate ‘all Montagues and thee’?
Who says to whom that he should ‘examine other beauties’?
Who says to whom that he should ‘be rough with love’ and ‘prick love for pricking’?
Who says about whom that love is like ‘madness’ and ‘pricks like thorn’?
Who says to whom that his child is a ‘stranger to the world’?
Who says about whom that he will take revenge to defend ‘the honour of my kin’?
Who refers to whom as the ‘sun’?
Who says to whom that they are the ‘god of my idolatry’?
Who says to whom ‘they stumble that run fast’?
Who says to whom ‘we shall not escape a brawl’?
Who says about what and to whom, ‘this is dear mercy’?
Who says about what that ‘all are punished’?
Who calls whom ‘Madam’?
Who calls whom ‘daughter’?
Who calls whom ‘lamb’ and ‘ladybird’?
Who calls whom an ‘eagle’?
Who calls whom a ‘dishclout’?
Who says they worry about seeing ‘mangled Tybalt’ and why?

Task 2D: Characteristics and Choices or Actions (choose from the words below to help you)

1. Romeo is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he ...

2. Juliet is presented as _____________ and _____________ because she ...

3. Mercutio is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he ...

4. Tybalt is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he …

5. Lord Capulet is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he …

6. Lady Capulet is presented as _____________ and _____________ because he …

7. Friar Laurence is presented as ___________ and ___________ because he...

8. The Nurse is presented as __________ and ________________because she…

9. Benvolio is presented as ___________ and ___________ because he…

10. Prince Escalus is presented as ___________ because he...

Options: aggressive / impulsive / cold / loyal / distant / brave / rebellious / loyal / violent / protective / authoritative / passionate / witty / kind / well-meaning / peaceful / patriarchal / naive / caring

3. CONTEXT

Task 3A short answer question

What era did Shakespeare write his play in?
Who was on the throne in this era?
Who has more power in a patriarchal society?
What is an arranged marriage?
What were Elizabethan attitudes towards arranged marriage?
What were Elizabethan attitudes towards religion?
What did Elizabethan people believe about fate? (hint: stars and planets / our futures)

Task 3B:What might the Elizabethan audience reaction have been to each character's choice?

1. Romeo’s choice to marry Juliet in spite of the fact that she is a Capulet