yr 10 english gsce struggle

[galaxymummy]

Any english teachers out there?
my g&t son excels all sciences is dyslexic and is finding shakespeare a challenge
he is straight A in most everything else
only got c grade for hard times
has to do language and stagecraft of merchant of venice over xmas for coursework
he just does not understand what content required and what makes a good essay. his ideas are ok but putting them down in followable thread is difficult
help dd and dh dyslexic too so I am the only proof reader he is getting so p... that has revolted and playing rome total war(likes classics)
help

Hi
I am an English teacher and am teaching MOV to my year 10s. What is his title? Maybe I could jot down a few thinking points?

how does shakespeare use language imagery and stagecraft in mov to heighten the religious intolerance between antonio and shylock
it is the analysis that he is finding challenging
xx

Hi Galaxymum,

I realy hate that schools don't teach children some very simple techniques to help develop their writing skills.

I do a lot of writing, proposals, reports, college assignments and graphic organisers much of the time. Especially cloud/cluster as they are ideal at looking at the issues involved and picking out the main points. I then do a very rough draft which lays out the main points in the order I am considering writing them. At this point I often move things round so they flow logically. Then write up the results. Depending how complex it is I may do one or two edits.

I sometimes use more then one type of organiser if the subject is especially difficult.

You can get some printable organisers at enchanted learning. An explanation of how they are used are given on the page, as is a flow chart to help choose the right type of organiser for the task at hand.

It can seem to be 'adding' to the work load however with practice it can make the process quicker and improve the finished product. My daughter uses these a lot and it is reflected in her work and results.

Tell him to use the point, quote, comment strategy. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence. I would suggest that the opening paragraph should be a summary of the historical context behind the religious intolerance. He should then move on to discuss Shylock as a character. Why has Shakespeare portrayed him in the way he has? Weave in comments about imagry and language specific to Shylock's character and actions and how this encompasses his religious beliefs. (as that is how Shakespeare has portrayed this character). Then the next section should be the same on Antonio. A section should be devoted to the final trial of shylock. What is the audience's reaction to this? What are the potential problems of staging this. He could also mention stereotping of characters - how is the stereotypical jew presented - think about Fagin, Fiddler on the Roof, etc. If he makes references to other works then that is A*.

Either as a seperate section or weaved in (if he's dyslexic it might be best as a seperate bit) discuss how audiences have changed over the ages - ie, how does a modern audience differ to the differences in religious beliefs, intolerance. Anti semitism was prevalent and acceptable then but now??? Different cultural reactions - would for example an audience in Hitler's Germany react differently to one now???

Also A* would be if he considers Shylock and/or Antonio in the role of a villain. Are They????? Compare them to Shakespeare's two main villains, Richard III and Iago in Othello. Both of these (particularly Iago) are shown to be evil and part of the dark side. Shakespeare has also had history of being interested in outsiders - think about Othello being the first black hero (albeit tragic) in English literature.

If your son goes through his notes carefully, ensures he uses point, quote, comment, includes historical and social context, makes references to various interepretations and offers in depth analysis then he should do better than a C.

I'm sorry I can't be more use - I have never taught MoV and haven't read it recently.

Good luck

thanks guys much help will pass on to son