English Department Update
4th November 23
Armistice Day
Here at DLD, we are lucky to be located so close to the Imperial War Museum which has a permanent exhibition about the First World War. Known at the time as the Great War, this cataclysmic 4-year-long struggle led to the death of millions, the fall of empires and the creation of a new world order.
To commemorate this year’s Armistice Day, Year 10 English students have been busy preparing a display centred on the great war poet Wilfred Owen. He gave an unforgettable voice to the ordinary soldiers who suffered the unimaginable horrors of modern trench-warfare.
The Ten-Book Challenge
After World Book Day last March, the English Department launched the Ten-Book Challenge. Separate book lists were drawn up for Years 10, 11, Year 12 and one for DLD staff. Students and staff were tasked with the challenge of reading great literature in a specified time-period. Lily P, a Year 12 student, won the student challenge and was awarded a year’s membership to the prestigious London Library.
This year the Department will extend the Ten-Book Challenge by making a list available to parents. With the advent of AI generated novels, George Orwell predictions in 1984 about “novel-writing machines” churning out junk literature seems to be coming true. Reading great books, written by human beings from different times and places, is a unique and enriching experience, one which we need to preserve and foster always.
Year 9
The introduction of a Year 9 at DLD has been a welcome addition to the Department’s teaching. With a new tailor-made curriculum, embracing both English Literature and Language, these younger-years students have an opportunity to build and develop critical reading and writing skills which will stand them in good stead for the GCSE courses they will start next year.
Simon Pearson, Head of English
