Back

Back to Basics

We tend to understand genres intuitively, but articulating their definition can be tricky. These lively resources will have students debating rom-coms, horror, thrillers, sci-fiand more

24th January 2014, 12:00am

Tes Editorial

1. The blurbs

What is it? A unit of work that introduces literary and film genres, including group discussion on four real back-cover blurbs

What users say “Professional quality. Better than most lessons commercially available on the net.”

2. Guess the genre

What is it? A lesson exploring genre in literature, with a quiz inviting students to guess the genre of book extracts

What users say “Colourful and precise, with opportunities for developing students’ creativity.”

3. Rusty ruins

What is it? A clear introduction to determining the genre of a text, including a tale about “rusty ruins” that challenges students to identify the genre of a passage of text

What users say “Excellent resource. Offers a holistic, panoramic overview of recognising the genre of a text.”

4. Learn hard

What is it? A presentation that introduces students to genre in film, making use of trailers for Up and Die Hard with a Vengeance

What users say “Great presentation for beginning to think about key conventions of different genres.”

5. Fantasy foundations

What is it? An exploration of the fantasy genre, comparing Shakespeare’s The Tempest to Japanese classic Spirited Away

What users say “A very original and exciting way of accessing Shakespeare.”

6. Crime time

What is it? An introduction to genre using crime and horror stories

What users say “A fantastic resource. Really innovative.”

7. Superplan

What is it? The first in a series of presentations on key features of the superhero genre

What users say “This is good fun and went down great with my class.”

8. Genre genius

What is it? An overview of genre theory for high-level students

What users say “This resource makes students reflect a lot.”

9. Sci-fistarter

What is it? An introduction to science fiction that leads to creative writing

What users say “Includes a variety of activities and could easily be incorporated into a wider unit of work.”

10. Poster prompt

What is it? The codes and conventions of different genres explored through film posters

What users say “A real time and sanity saver. Exactly what I was going to make myself, but now I don’t have to.”

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Register Log in

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
Exclusive subscriber-only stories
Award-winning email newsletters

Subscribe now

Tes Editorial

Recent

Back to Basics

Want to keep reading for free?

Keep reading for just £1 per month

Read more