The Big Book Show - an introduction to literary criticism for KS3 and GCSE

School Workshop

We can visit your school in: All UK Regions

Why book 'The Big Book Show - an introduction to literary criticism for KS3 and GCSE'

This workshop was created in response to the many requests we received from teachers to help their students write and talk about the novels they read as part of their studies.

Through a variety of drama-based games and activities we provide students with some key tools to help them appreciate and evaluate what they are reading. This workshop will encourage your students to,

• criticise what they’ve read, and say why they did or did not like it.

• look at beginnings and endings and how significant they can be.

• study a book in terms of its characters, setting, atmosphere, and plot.

• consider the deeper meaning of a novel if there is one.

• to compare different genres

Teacher Checklist

Risk Assessments

What activities are available during this educational workshop?

Each point we make in the workshop is illustrated by a game or exercise that focuses on a particular book. These are the books we are using in the current version of the workshop.

The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler)
Normal People (Sally Rooney)
The Hate You Give (Angie Thomas)
Animal Farm (George Orwell)

Students do not need to have read these books - the idea is that the point we are making with each of them can be applied to any book. If there is a particular novel your students are studying we will make sure that we refer to and discuss it during the workshop.

We also have a back catalogue of books we have featured in the past - so it may be possible to use a set piece from a previous version of The Big Book Show.

Which Curriculum Subjects do you cater for?

English

Composition Story writing Creative writing Reading for pleasure

Many students struggle to write and talk about the novels that they read. In this workshop we try to give them a set of simple ideas about reading critically which they can apply to any book they read. This includes ideas for where to start and how to analyse what they think and feel about literature in general. We encourage them to think about structure, themes and genre and how they can use these ideas to make comparisons in their reading.

What size groups do you cater for?

Our audience maximum is 75 students.

People often ask us to accommodate more but in our experience students get the best learning experience when the audience is too big. Our workshops are very interactive, students are encouraged to take part, speak out etc and it can become overwhelming for them when they are in a large audience.

Do you offer access for visitors with disabilities?

Yes of course - we work in a flexible way that allows for the easy adaptation of our sessions to students of all abilities.

Do you cater for visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)?

We have extensive experience working with a range of different needs and abilities with ages ranging from Early Years through to KS4, including much work in SEN and PRU settings, and all our actors thrive on the variety of audiences that we encounter.