Teach Secondary Issue 14.3

10 THINGS I HATE ABOUTYOU (1999, 12, 94MINS) CURRICULUM LINKS: English, PSHE Transposing Shakespeare’s TheTaming of the Shrew to the setting of anAmerican high school, this fast-paced and very funny filmbrilliantly combines the Bard’s dialogue withmodern teenage anxieties. When newboy Cameron arrives at Padua High School, he instantly falls for Bianca Stratford – but his hopes of winning her heart take a tumble when he discovers Bianca will never be allowed to date by her father, at least until her rebellious older sister Kat has done so first.And so,without her even knowing it, the search for a suitable boyfriend for Kat begins... Discussionquestions: • Is 10Things I HateAbout You a filmthat can be enjoyedwithout any knowledge of Shakespeare? • How are certain themes, such as social hierarchy and sexism, explored over the course of the film? • Why is anAmerican high school a good setting for the story? • Discuss the scene where Patrick follows Kat to the bookshop – what’s the subtext of their exchange, as evidenced through the dialogue and camera shots? Head online to intofilm.org to streamthe filmanddownload our fantasticfilmguide, inwhichyou’ll findTeacherNotes on these discussionquestions andmuchmore. Creative exercises to get students generating new ideas A F E W M I N U T E S O F D E S I G N #35 F ICT IONAL OBJECTS Give one or all of the objects on the other side of this card a meaningful role in a short story. Draw a scene from the story in which the object or objects appear. Kat @learningwhilehuman.com( Bluesky) If we want our children to spend less time on their phones,we should show themhow to do that by spending less time on our phones. If we want themto be thoughtful with their use of technology,we have to be thoughtful with our use of technology. Helen @helenpins.bsky.social I tried to explainTazos and Pogs toY10 today, they askedme what I got for GCSE Maths and I said ‘I didwell in the exams but the courseworkwas horrid’ (we had to figure out howmany packets of crisps we’d need to buy to have enoughTazos to circle the globe) Their verdict: 1990s = lame. Follow us via @teachsecondary (X) and @teachsecondary.bsky.social Get Into Film TEACHER TAL ES True stories fromthe education chalkface In the dog house Backwhen I first started teaching in the 70s, as what was then termed a ‘woodwork teacher’, there was a lovely young lad in one ofmy classes who very deaf, and used a hearing aid that could be switched on and off. He was working on a project to construct a dog kennel that was enormous – as, presumably,was the dog it was intended for. With the project nearing completion, he hadwriggled inside andwas happily hammering away. Unbeknownst tome, however, to preserve his comfort he’d turned off his hearing aid.Towards the end of the lesson I gave out some written work. For reasons best known to himself, the lad in question chose to complete his while sat in his kennel. Thereafter, the lesson ended and I dismissed the class, locked the workshop door andwent off to break. Half an hour later, I let inmy next class and got their lesson underway. Imaginemy surprise – not to mention that of the whole class – when five minutes in, out of the kennel popped a head, closely followed by a body, asking“ Is it break time yet, sir...? ” I was duly obliged to explain tomy colleague why one of his pupils was late for his lesson, and for the rest ofmy time at the school, I was never allowed to forget the incident that had caused such great amusement amongst my colleagues… Real student answers Whatwouldyou expect to get out of a decanter? A ride on a horse Have amemorable true school tale or anecdote ofyour own? Share the details, andfindmore amusing stories, at schoolhumour.co.uk Like and subscribe Who’s been saying what on the socials of late? 09 teachwire.net/secondary N E WS | A P R / M AY