Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Activity Pack for A Level
Songs of Innocence and of Experience is a satisfying text to teach. The poems are so open to interpretation that they are accessible to, and rewarding for, a wide range of students. This Activity Pack will take students through Blake’s radicalism and idiosyncrasy that make the collection as relevant to the twenty-first century as it was to the end of the eighteenth.
Poems are helpfully juxtaposed to illuminate key themes and to allow students to make thoughtful links.
- Prepare
Pre-reading exercises provide a starting point for study, including an introduction to the collection as a whole
- Explore
Appealing notes and worksheets guide students through the collection, allowing them to gain understanding and analytical skills while remaining engaged by making links and analysing individual poems
- Reflect Whole-text activities show the bigger picture, exploring key areas, including: • Social and Political Protest • Genre • Themes • Attitudes and Values • Language • Form and Structure • Context • Critical Reception
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What do teachers say about this resource? (11694)
Impressive. This resource is academic and ambitious. There are a range of well thought through activities and approaches to the individual poems and also information that sets the poems within a broader context... I liked the introductory activities and particularly the ones on Blake's autobiography and political and social context. The use of Blake's engravings throughout the resource, and the section on them was useful. I liked the debate about structure - the idea that his poems are simple and make use of simplistic structures - a key idea. I like the section with close reading questions on each poem as not every poem has an extended activity. The first activity is excellent, and by looking at reader response and alternative interpretations it makes a perfect start point for the type of disciplinary thinking we want A level students to develop... The different critical perspective sections is really important for an ambitious approach at A level... A high quality resource.
This is an extremely helpful resource. It will not only enhance the lessons of Blake enthusiasts but also provide a good guide for those new to teaching Blake at A Level... The sequencing of the lessons and activities were practical and engaging... The activities are helpfully associated to the specific AO, to help teachers and students understand how what is being learned fits with the demands of the examination. Poems are helpfully juxtaposed to illuminate key themes and to allow students to make thoughtful links.
A comprehensive resource which provides a good companion to Blake's poetry. Provides alternative interpretations to support students... Provides excellent contextual information on Blake - particularly well researched on the historical and political background to Blake's work... Encourages students to develop independent thought and to look at alternative readings of Blake's poetry.
A comprehensive resource... I like the detailed contextual information provided, so that even a NQT who has never taught William Blake before is able to pick up the resources and deliver a relatively intense lesson... The resource provides both individual analysis of some poems and cross comparisons of others. In this way, students are able to develop both their analytical skills as well as their ability to compare and contrast which is very important when answering questions on Innocence & Experience.