Happy New Year!

News

Happy New Year to one and all, now that the festive season is over and our offices are open again, we have lots to look forward to this year.

We have more books in the Mysteries of Stickleback Hollow series to look forward to, the next two trilogies in the Chronicles of Celadmore, more books in the Children of Snotingas series, the all new Children of Danelaw books, a new story arc in the Children of Ribe series, the all new space series – Rendezvous, the anxiously awaited Alpha Sigma books, more from Nicolette Mace: the Raven Siren, new editions in the Shakespeare Simplified series with work schemes, work schemes for other titles, series companion guides and a new author with a rather whimsical book that has some fantastic illustrations.

If all that wasn’t enough to look forward to, there will be some big changes to the Mightier Than the Sword  UK site that include exclusive access areas, all new micro sites for each book series and a whole host of other changes.

2018 is set to be a big year here at Mightier Than the Sword UK and we hope that you all have amazing years as well! Keep reading!

The Merchant of Venice

C.S. Woolley, News

You might be aware of C.S. Woolley’s work with Foxton Books, modernising the classics and simplifying them so that those learning English can enjoy reading the complicated narratives even when they know only a small portion of the language.

Well this is not the only way that she is working to help education. She has produced a pilot work scheme that is centred around Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. The aim of the work scheme is to bring those children that have failed Key Stage 2 and are entering Key Stage 3 to not only pass Key Stage 2 but get up to the desired Key Stage 3 level in a single term.

This is accomplished by the use of workbooks that contain a modernised version of the Merchant of Venice, written by C.S. Woolley, that matches with the original text, line for line. Along side the text there are a series of assessments and writing frames that include phonics, prepositions, verbs and adverbs, conjunctions, recall and expansion of ideas. The workbooks have an accompanying Teacher’s Guide which contains the Key Stage 3 assessment criteria, the answers to the assessment questions and definitions to help with teaching grammatical tools such as prepositions and conjunctions.

Each of these items is for sale separately through Amazon or as a work scheme package through the Mightier Than the Sword UK online store. The work scheme package includes 24 workbooks and a teacher’s guide for the price of £80. The scheme is still in the pilot stage and feedback on it is appreciated, and there are plans to roll out similar schemes for all of Shakespeare’s work across all Key Stage levels and adding workbooks that cover both the subjects of History and English.

Mary Sidney Herbert, Countess of Pembroke

Women in Literature

Happy International Women’s Day!

Mary Sidney HerbertWe thought we’d take some time today to highlight some of our favourite female figures in literature starting with Mary Sidney Herbert.

Many people will know that the Sidney family had quite a literary bent, (Sir Philip Sidney for example), however the Countess of Pembroke was one of the first women to ever forge a reputation in literature as a poet, a patron, poetic translation and other literary works.

There are also people who believe that Mary Sidney Herbert was the real identity of William Shakespeare.

 

Here is an extract from one of our favourite pieces by Mary Sidney Herbert that is entitled “To the Angel Spirit of the Most Excellent Sir Philip Sidney”

 

Truth I invoke (who scorn elsewhere to move,
Or here in aught my blood should partialize),
Those precious rights well known best minds approve;
And who but doth, hath wisdom’s open eyes,
Not owly blind the fairest light still flies,
Confirm no less? At least ’tis sealed above

 

Where thou art fixed among they fellow lights;
My day put out, my life in darkness cast,

Thy angel’s soul with highest angels placed
There blessed sings, enjyoing heav’n-delights,
Thy maker’s praise, as far from earthly taste
As here they works so worthily embraced
By all of worth, where never envy bites.