Seven Steps to Poetry Heaven

Hey Folks

Analysis of text? Follow the seven steps to heaven, as discussed yesterday.

http://www.box.net/shared/tk49brpk4k

Clickety click.

S5 - Your first Textual Analysis

Hi Everyone and welcome to MrSharpeTheTeacher. If you promise to keep coming back, I promise to keep running this as a useful resource for you to become excellent!

Look at the picture I've embedded here - what do you see? Do you see an old woman, or a beautiful young lady?

The truth is, both are there. This is an optical illusion, and if you look hard enough, suddenly you can clearly see one, then the other.

So here's my point: the answers are always there on the page - you just need to look. Sometimes you need to squint a bit, sometimes change your point of view slightly. And there's no wrong answer, just a range of right ones with varying levels of justification.

If you are still with me, well done. If not, we'll try something else!

Test Answers

You had a wee shot at a textual analysis piece on Thursday. Hopefully you were instructed to come to this blog for the answers, which are below.

Don't cheat. I don't mind if you get them all wrong, or all right. No one wins, no one gets eaten by a lion. What is important here is that we (you and I) work out what skills you already have, and what needs work.

1 a) his wife had an accident (1 mark)
b) the gatekeeper (1)
c) what has happened to her (1)

2 a) water (1)
b) "torrent", "bobbed" (1 for each)
c) reference to "a tap had been turned on inside her" and "a gush of words" (1 for each)

3 a) women - some kind of gloss on "heavy flesh trembling on cheeks and chin" + quote. Son - gloss on "gaunt, high cheekboned face" + quote (3)

4 It contradicts itself (oxymoron) (2)

5 a) vain, glamorous, conscious of her appearance (1), outgoing, sociable, independent (1) - any of the above ideas for one mark each, total of 2)
b) disapproves "any decent woman" or "i told her it wasn't right" or "a judgement" (1)
6 a) they live with her (1)
b) tries to follow her son when he goes to see Sylvia (2)

7 a) there is a large age-gap (15 years) (1)
b) "words had never come easily to him" or "inarticulateness" or "wordless misunderstanding" (1 for any one)

8 a) (the horror of) what has happened to Jock's wife (1)

9 a) reference to "this'll cure her vanity" (1)
b) variety (1)

10a) "like a woman's hair" (1)
b) story is about the accident involving Sylvia's hair (1)

11 anything along the lines of how much he loves her (1)

12 reference to the domination of the mother, Sylvia's striving for glamour and/or independence and Jack appearing to be caught in the middle. (2)

Well done for getting this far! Total marks are out of 30.

S3 Panic-aversion Therapy

Hey Everyone

Here are the links from yesterday's last minute revision session for the S3 English exam. Remember, be cool and think about your power song!

Follow these links for more help on revision for the exams.

• BBC Bitesize - http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/bitesize/standard/english/tandard/english/
  
• SQA – www.sqa.org.uk – downloadable papers and mark schemes
  
• The podcast

"A Candle for the Birthday Boy" - Christopher Hawkins

OK, so this week we spent some time on this text. It's not to everyone's taste but it does the important job of being a short prose piece, and it plugs an important gap in preparation for the exam: readiness to be able to write on the structure of a text.

The question you were asked was about the ending of the book, and why it was good. As previously, below are my thoughts about how I would answer it. The important thing to note is that, for a question about endings, you need to show how the action creates this ending, and how it is a suitable way to finish the text.

You are all experts on writing introductions now, so I'm just going into the main points. This is what I would do for this question:

• "The kid was turning six, and he was missing the whole thing" - I'd establish that this is the opening line to the story, and it sets up the plot. The story becomes about a missing boy - where is he?
• Next, I'd go on to establish the threatening presence (or actually absence) of Tabby: "One who scared him sometimes with the feral look that seemed to come over her like a storm" with analysis of key words - "feral" meaning wild, and the simile "like a storm" which effectively create an impression that she is dangerous and unpredictable
• Next, I'd use the line "And, of course, there was the pinata" which stands out as a paragraph on its own. It focuses the reader on the pinata. It catches our interest. It is "big and garish, an eyesore in the shape of a bloated sheep" which starts to suggest a menacing mood, with connotations of sickness, disease and even death. However, I'd also explain that the pinata is used as a red herring, to deliberately mislead the reader.
• Next I'd show how the suspense is built by the continued mystery of the pinata. It is held in place by a rope tied "like a noose" (which has futher connotations of death, and possibly even execution, because Tabby is getting her vengeance on Nate) and I'd use a quote to show how Nate is worrying about the contents as the plot builds towards it's climax: "But if it was just paper, why didn't it move with the wind? If there was only candy inside, why did it need such a thick piece of rope to hold it in the air?"
• I'd go on to show the dramatic climax of the story - when the pinata is broken to reveal "its contents in a slush upon the ground" but that it is just pig entrails and a pig's head, and Danny is revealed to be safe.
• Finally, I'd show the resolution of the story - the surprise twist in the tail. The punch is poisoned: "But it was too late. The cup was almost empty, and all around him, children were starting to fall." I can now refer back to the pinata as a red herring, when in fact all the clues, about "dead flies" and Tabby, who had "filled the punch bowl and covered it with plastic wrap to keep out the bugs"

So that is how I would have answered this question. The key fact is that the tension mounts all the way through the story, the mystery of what is hidden inside the "grinning" pinata is revealed in the climax to be a red herring, and the the ending is appropriate / effective / good / surprising because in the final resolution, Tabby manages to get her revenge in the most surprising way.

Ten days people. Tick tock. Tick tock. Close reading this week. See you Tuesday,

S3 - Ranting with all my Rantingness

OK, so you all enjoyed reading (and critiquing!) my own "Write your Views" piece about reality TV. For those who missed it, it's reproduced below.

On Thursday you will be writing your own editorial rant about Reality TV in a "Write your Views" essay yourself.

It's important to remember that this should be your own thoughts, not mine, and that it is fine to be opinionated: you aren't expected to be balanced or neutral. Just tell us what you think.

Enjoy the weekend and see you on Tuesday.

“Reality TV – Look at the Pretty Colours” By Mr R Sharpe

Last weekend, my friend Tom’s parents won a reality TV show. The basic idea was very simple. A load of people they didn’t like came round for dinner. You could tell that they won because at the end because they got given £1000.

The thing is, that £1000 was funded, in part, by me. I, along with 25 million others, pay £139.50 every year for the right to own a TV. That means that £0.0004 of the money that went to Tom’s parents came from my pocket.

The irony to all this, of course, is that I could have just gone round for free, and I wouldn’t have had share the experience with an unwashed student or anyone else. The show hasn’t been aired yet but I imagine that if I were to watch it, I wouldn’t recognise the two people on the screen, in spite of knowing them well.

The show, like all reality TV, doesn’t take much planning. Take some normal people, throw in some abnormal people, and wait for something to happen. If it doesn’t, make something happen.

The truth behind these shows is often more sinister than the empty-headed logos suggest. The clever use of editing can trick the audience into believing almost anything. Even more worryingly, recent improvements in sound editing has created so –called “Frankenbites”. This new word, a combination of “Frankenstein” and “soundbite” describes where individual words, said by the “stars” across, say, an episode, are edited together into a single sentence which was never actually said.

The growth of reality TV as a genre has, like all organic growth, been slow. It surfaced with Candid Camera in the 50’s, when normal people were “pranked” by professional comedians. Big Brother, an idea originated in George Orwell’s book “1984”, was an early sign of things to come. Yet we, the modern audience, couldn’t wait for organic growth. We needed Jade Goody now, dammit! So we added some artificial fertilizer, left it out in the sun, and wham! Today it has spawned a million hybrid children. We have Celebrity Big Brother, American Big Brother, and each follows the same, braindead formula. “How to Look Good Naked”, a more recent evolution (there should be an opposite of that word) should be the shortest series ever commissioned. I can picture how it should have been:

“Hi, I’m Gok, and this is how to look good naked. Eat less and do some exercise. Thanks for watching, now over to some professionals with a programme and a script”

If it sounds like I am being unfair, it is because I am. But I like my entertainment to have some kind of purpose. If I’m to watch someone on the screen, I’d like them to have put some thought into what they are going to say and do. Perhaps practiced once or twice. Is it too much to ask that maybe they even receive a little training in front of the camera? Big Brother can be recreated in your own home (provided you have neighbours) with an electric drill, a couple of video cameras and Microsoft Moviemaker. And from what I can gather from the show, the way to look good naked is to buy more stuff.

The Romans used to have a phrase – “panem et circenses” to describe this way of keeping the lowest of their citizens entertained. It translates as “bread and circuses” and meant that if you kept the fools fed and gave them clowns to laugh at, they wouldn’t revolt and start cutting heads off the government.

Today’s bread and circuses involve watching failed celebrities, low-grade celebrities, and wannabe celebrities all desperately being uniformly unique. The development of reality TV has been at the cost of intelligent programming. It’s free to make and, because millions watch it, it rakes money in from advertising. But the hidden cost is that each time they make a show, another Jade Goody could be born. Then we have to clean up her dirty nappies for as long as her career lasts. It is the worst possible picture of the future of humanity. Our culture once tried to touch the stars, now we like to watch milkmen eating tadpoles.

Or, if you prefer the edited Frankenbite summary of the previous paragraph: Reality TV is intelligent programming. The future of humanity is free. Jade Goody is a star.

Mr R Sharpe©

S3 - At Home With the Doggs: answers and explanation

Dear All,

If you missed the class on Thursday, 17th, the you missed us going back over the answers to the practice close read quiz last week. You can get a copy of the slideshow by clicking here. It's worth having a look because I've not only shown the answers, but colour coded the questions so it should be really easy to work out not just what the answer is, but why the answers are what they are.

Once again, a hearty congratulations and solid slaps on the back to all who completed this task. As the whole thing was done independently, it would have been easy not to do the task. But you all did. So good on you!

Intermediate 1 Easter Revision notes

Hello Everyone,

Well done to those of you who came to the Easter revision session.

I'm testing new files storage websites: you should be able to click here to download the SlideShow used to revision close reading skills.

Feel free to download, re-read and share with the naughties who didn't come along...

Mr Sharpe

S5 - In Mr Sharpe's Absence

Hello all,

As I said last week, I will be covering a different class for Tuesday's class, and you will have someone else for the day.

Remember that you had some creative homework - to complete a newspaper report on the distasteful happenings of "Playing Sandwiches" by Alan Bennett - which should have been a helpful revision tactic to embed the basic plot and characters in your mind. This can be handed in at the English base into my tray.

With just days (13 lessons!) left until the exams, you can use this time well. If I were you, I'd be looking at some of the questions below and practicing answering them:

1. Read the question and underline any key terms - what is being asked of you? Should you be talking about setting, character, structure and/or theme?
2. Decide what you would need to answer it - no fewer than 5 quotes and PEE paragraphs for each
3. Write a skeleton plan for each question: a full introduction and link, then the PEE notes for each paragraph, and a full conclusion.
4. Bring the evidence of the work you complete to Wednesday's class, and I'll go over them with you
5. Keep a note of any questions or areas where you are unsure for further discussion on Wednesday.

Questions

Choose a text which has a surprise ending.

Briefly say what happens in the story and then go on to show why the surprise ending makes a good finish to the story. In your answer you should refer to such features as: the plot of the story, its structure, character, or any other appropriate feature

Choose a text which has an important turning point that changes things for one of the characters.

Show how the story builds up to the turning point and say why it is important for the character. In your answer you should refer to such features as: structure, character, or any other appropriate feature.

Choose a text which deals with a topic of importance to society.

Say what you learned about the topic from your reading and whether you felt sympathy for the people involved. In your answer you should refer to such features as: theme, character, or any other appropriate feature.

Choose a text in which one of the main characters has to make a decision.

Explain what the decision is and show how it is important for the rest of the story. In your answer you should refer to such features as: turning point, character, or any other appropriate feature.

Choose a text which deals with a subject which interests you, or amuses you, or makes you sad.

Say what the subject is and why it has aroused this feeling in you.In your answer you should refer to such features as: the ideas, characters, plot, or any other appropriate feature.

S5 - Brooklyn Cop

Hey folks,

I'm sure we are all revising hard, what with the exams less than a month off now. Tick tock, tick tock.

The question set today was "Choose a poem which you know well which has a memorable character. Write about the character, explaining why you found it memorable."

If I were looked at this question in an exam, I'd follow the following 8 paragraph plan:

Introduction - "Brooklyn Cop" is a poem, by Normal MacCaig. There's my triangle of text, genre and author. Then I'd have a couple of sentences summarising the poem - explaining that it is about a tough cop working a dirty beat in Brooklyn, USA. I'd explain that it is about how the cop confronts violence every day in his job, and that a part of him likes this. I'd make sure I explained that this was why I thought he was memorable.

My link paragraph would talk about the areas I was going to explore, and what I was going to show in each. For example: The character is memorable for his size and strength and his frightening appearance. MacCaig uses extended metaphor, careful words choice, and symbolism to suggest that not only is he a man who enjoys his violent job, but a well rounded three dimensional character, who also loves his wife and fears that one day he might not return.

Then I'd write PEE paragraphs in following areas:

• "Gorilla" - talk about extended metaphors, physical description of him, and why he needs to be so big, savage and beastial.


• All other the physical bits here - "heiroglyphs" etc - and talk about the suggestion that he likes and even seeks out the violence. This would lead me onto ...


• "Nightstick" - I'd talk about how he is memorable (see - referring back to the question) because his baton means he gets to be close to the people he is hitting, and how, unlike a gun, you can use it again and again. This also creates the impression that he likes violence. I'd also talk about symbolism of "night" in nightstick - is our eponymous cop the barrier that stops the "night" taking over the streets - maybe even referring back to "Hotel Room, 12th Floor" to show how clever I was


• I'd talk about his softer side, and how he is a three dimensional character, by showing how he says "see you, babe" to his wife.


• Finally, I'd discuss the deliberately ambiguous ending, and say it makes for a memorable character because it has so many interpretations - "And who would be who have to be
  his victims?" - because it is strange to think of policeman as having victims. Maybe he is so brutal, we feel sorry for the criminals who will become his victims.

In my final paragraph, which would be my conclusion, I'd sum up what I'd said and make sure I'd answered the question. I'd probably say something like "this was a great poem because I've never thought about policemen enjoying the violent side of their job before, and it helped me to understand more about what it must do to a person to be so close to agression every day."

Then I'd nad in my essay and take a 20 minute break before turning up for Mr Sharpe's after school exam practice session. But that's just me.

Brooklyn Cop
by Norman MacCaig

Built like a gorilla but less timid,
thick‑fleshed, steak‑coloured, with two
hieroglyphs in his face that mean
trouble, he walks the sidewalk and the
thin tissue over violence. This morning,
when he said, "See you, babe" to his wife,
he hoped it, he truly hoped it.
He is a gorilla
to whom "Hiya, honey" is no cliché.

Should the tissue tear, should he plunge through
into violence, what clubbings, what
gunshots between Phoebe's Whamburger
and Louie's Place.

Who would be him, gorilla with a nightstick,
whose home is a place
he might, this time, never get back to?

And who would be who have to be
his victims?

Get dog, Dawg. This is some wack beats, ya'll

OK, as we all know, Mr Sharpe is not cool. In fact, we should all wear T-shirts that say this. However, below you will find a copy of the questions from today's reading test. The answers are also included so you can mark your own. A copy of the text is also below. If you missed today's lesson, please give this a try without cheating!

This means you have the opportunity to cheat. But why would you, my trustworthy hoard?

If I don't have time to post all the answers now, the rest will be up by Friday teatime. Homework is to mark your answers and be ready to talk abuot them on Thursday 17th April.

At home with the Doggs ...by Emma Forrest (..adapted from..)

Look at paragraphs 1 to 3

1. What does Snoop Dogg do which is surprising at the start of the interview? 1-0
He answers all the interview questions to himself in the mirror = 1
2. Quote a phrase which shows how Snoop Dogg is more concerned with his own appearance that in answering the interviewer’s questions. 2-0
"the self-love reflected here" or "he ansers every question to his reflection" - either = 2
3. In your own words, explain why the author thinks his actions might be linked to Owen Wilson 2-1-0
Owen Wilson was in Starsky and Hutch (1) and Snoop Dogg was also in this film (1)
4. Name three things Snoop Dogg was famous for. 2-1-0
Protege of Dr Dre / smoking pot / popularising "izzle" / run ins with the law / misogyny = any three = 2 marks, any 2 = 1 mark. One/none = 0 marks
5. How does the context help you to understand the meaning of “misogyny” (paragraph 2). 2-1-0
Misogyny means hatred of women (1). You can work this out because earlier in the passage it shows that gangsta rap is seen as exploitative of women / sexist, and then shows Dogg's music as an example of this sexism (1)
6. Quote a phrase which tells you that in despite changing labels, the content of his records remains the same. 2-0
"When he moved from Death Row records to Master P's No Limit label, he incorporated P's Dirty South sound but stuck to the same theme" (2) - shortened verse using elipsis ( ... ) accepted :)
7. Explain, in your own words, what leads to Snoop Dogg being denied an entry visa into the United Kingdom. 2-1-0
He was involved in some kind of fight ("fracas") (1) at the airport which lead to him going to prison overnight (1)

Look at paragraphs 4 to 8

8. Why do you think the author is surprised at his latest business venture? 2-1-0
The new show shows him as a nice, family man (1) whereas in fact the author thinks he is a crook / ganster / not a very nice chap. (1)
9. “’It’s a blessing’, he reflects to his reflection.” How effectively does the author use humor here? 2-0
It's really effective (!) because it is a pun - reflect means both the image in the mirror, and how Snoop is thinking about himself deeply. = 2 - you must explain that reflect has two meanings to get the marks here.
10. “Respect is often found in the level of your wealth, not the quality of your music.” Explain, in your own words, what the author means. 2-1-0
It doesn't matter if your music is rubbish (1) so long as you are rich (1)
11. How does the author show that it is his business skills, not his music, that has made him successful? 2-1-0
Either: use of metaphor - "Tesco of rap" + explanation of metaphor OR uses a list of businesses he has contrasted against "one record in the 90s thast was both catchy and unique"...either = 2 marks
12. Quote the word that shows Snoop Dogg is almost in a coma with boredom. 1-0
"catatonic" = 1

Look at paragraphs 14 to 16

13. Why does the author laugh at his answer? 1-0
He lists himself as the most inspirational black leader today, it's very arrogant and the author thinks he is an idiot! = 1, anything along those lines would get 1 mark
14. How does the author suggest he has a menacing undertone to his personality? 2-1-0
He reacts threateningly and frightens the author (1) OR uses simile to compare winding up Snoop Dogg to poking a lion with a stick. Both end in bloody results (2) - the simile explanation answer is the better one.
15. How does the author think that Snoop Dogg is at odds with the rest of rap culture at the time? 2-1-0
Rap culture at the time was moving towards women's rights, even more so than mainstream America (1) whereas Snoop Dogg's music was becoming even more hostile towards women (1) - MUST SHOW THE COMPARISON FOR TWO MARKS
16. What does he do that finally makes up the author’s mind about him? 1-0
He released his music as a ring tone, which the author thinks is tacky/makes him a sell out = 1
17. “And laughing all the way to the bizzle” How effective is this as an ending to the article? 2-1-0
It's a great ending because it uses humour and links back to how Dogg popularised the word "izzle". (1) It shows how rich he is (1) "Bizzle" sounds silly and makes fun of Snoop Dogg because the author thinks he is a joke (1) - score on merit but looking for relevant and well-developed answer for full two marks.
***********************************
At home with the Doggs ...by Emma Forrest (..adapted from..)
The moment Snoop Dogg walks into the suite of The Grafton in West Hollywood, he sits down on the bed opposite a mirror and proceeds to stare at himself. It's a fancy hotel room on the debauched Sunset Strip: I imagine all manner of interesting things have taken place in front of this mirror. But never the self-love reflected here by the 37-year old rapper. Smoothing his pig-tailed hair, he answers every question to his reflection, to the point where I wonder if it's an acting exercise this ex-Crips gang member picked up from Owen Wilson on the set of Starsky and Hutch (Snoop played Huggy Bear, one of his several forays into film).
Until recently, Snoop, who rose to fame in the 1990s as a protégé of NWA's Dr Dre, was most famous for smoking pot, for popularising the slang suffix "izzle" and for run-ins with the law. When gangsta rap was at the centre of arguments in favour of women’s exploitation, many focused on the misogyny of his records. When he moved from Death Row records to Master P's No Limit label, he incorporated P's Dirty South sound but stuck to the same theme.
In 2004, he signed to Geffen and, produced by Pharrell Williams, saw Drop It Like It's Hot go to No 1. Having been cleared of a gang-related murder charge in 1993, it was small potatoes when, in 2007, following a fracas outside the BA first-class lounge that led to a night in jail, his visa request to enter the UK was rejected.
Incredible as it may seem, now that reality TV is the order of the day, Snoop has rebranded himself as a family-friendly guy, starring in a reality show about himself called Snoop Dogg's Father Hood, featuring his wife Shante and their children, on the E! cable channel.
"It's a blessing," he reflects to his reflection, "to have been in the rap game for so long and to remain so relevant, to remain talked about with the newest and the latest and the hottest, freshest."
The thing that makes hip-hop different from other genres is that respect is often found in the level of your wealth, not the quality of your music. Snoop put out one record in the 90s that was both catchy and unique, “Gin and Juice”, and from that he's launched his own video games, DVDs, a soft drink, movie roles, and now the reality show. Snoop Dogg isn’t necessarily a good rapper. He is simply the most convenient. He is the Tesco of rap musicians.
"I earned the right to call my album Ego Trippin'," he tells the mirror. "Nine records in 15 years, top 10 every time.. I earned the right to do that. “
His publicist has warned me to make his album the focus of my questions, but the truth is that he has very little to say about it. Fair enough, music is not necessarily any fun to discuss. His responses are near catatonic, with an edge that suggests if only he weren't so bored by the questions they would be making him angry. But he comes to life when I raise the subject of Barack Obama's recent speech on race.
I ask why it is that Snoop doesn't address his strong political convictions in his music. "I feel it affect me, but I don't need to be crying about it on my records."
Not like Mos Def or Talib Kweli, whose music carries the message. Snoop is bored again. So bored. I am riveted because I was sure, as a businessman, he would have stayed on family-friendly message. Isn't he supposed to be just a regular family guy now?
"But I am. That's what I always been. People in London always get information on me as far as when I go to jail and my criminal record. Negative things. They never hear about my football team, my wife, my kids, my standing in the community, the gang interventions that I do. They don't give a ---- about it!"
He nods at his reflection in deference to his own nice doing, and I ask who he considers the most inspirational black leaders in America today. "Minister Louis Farrakhan. Snoop Dogg."
I laugh. He purses his lips and gives the mirror a look so deadly it tells me that accidentally laughing at Snoop is equivalent to accidentally poking a lion with a stick.
One of the most frustrating things about Snoop is that he and his pimpdom were already abnormal when they emerged. The majority of hip-hop voices at that time (groups like A Tribe Called Quest and Public Enemy) had been more socially progressive on everything, including attitudes to women, than the mainstream American culture of Playboy magazine and the Hooters restaurant chain. But, as the industry went corporate and the record labels weeded out the non-pimp, non-gangsta acts and brought in artists who called women bitches and ho's, the Snoop-ification was rapid and lucrative for everyone from the Dogg himself, to the companies peddling his clothing lines.
Taking women dressed in diamond collars and leads down the red carpet at awards shows has been labelled hip-hop behaviour, when it's really just recycled blaxploitation imagery and misogynist foolishness. But he will do any dance and put on any persona, if that's what he thinks will command the most attention. Recalling that, last year, Snoop was the first artist to release his track as a ringtone prior to a single, it occurs to me that he is actually the ultimate ho, being pimped out by the industry in a fantasy of hyper-sexualised criminality. And laughing all the way to the bizzle.

Intermediate 1 Easter Revision Session

Hi Everybody (Hi Dr Nick...)

Just reminding you all that the Int 1 revision session will be going ahead on Friday, 4th April - that's this Friday - from 9am until 12 noon. When you arrive, wait in the school reception and I'll collect you from there as I've not decided what room we will be in yet.

We'll be covering a range of work from basic revision of the texts, to practicing specific skills, and ending by preparing for Close Reading.

I'm assuming you have all done at least some revision over Easter so there will be no going over the basic stuff - you need to know text names, authors, characters and plot for each of the texts we are going over!

See you Friday, Hudson will be with me, but in the car. You are welcome to join us for a walk around the school before and after the session!

Mr Sharpe

Reading, Writing, Reflecting

I'm sure that S3 will be won over by the sheer wonderfulness of the blog here. But until they do, there is just the three of us keeping this going for those who miss the class.

Today we looked at personal, reflective writing skills. These are vital because they make up a sizeable chunk of exam questions, they can be used in your folios this year and next, and when you are famous rock stars, footballers and beauty therapists you'll want to be able to write your autobiography.

The keen beens amongst you have signed up for the emailed weekly synopsis of the lessons. If not, just remember this:

• Emotions, emotions, emotions!


• Make it vivid, improve, improve, improve it


• A nice way to catch the readers attention is to include all 5 senses in the first paragraph, to describe feelings, but also to keep a sense of tension to encourage the reader to read on!

Next week you're going to be putting this into practice under exam conditions on Thursday. The question is Choose a time in your life when you have experienced conflict. Write about this, and remember to include your thoughts and feelings. You'll have an hour and ten minutes, but feel free to prepare as much or as little as you want to.

But as you sow, so shall you reap.

Also next week, we'll find out whether Millington is guilty or innocent in Conduct Unbecoming, we'll watch as much of the video as we can get through, and on Monday, we'll be doing a group talk graded task. More on that next week.

Finally, homework. Creative writing pieces are due on Thursday, 13th March - write a story in which one of the central characters experiences a conflict. However, none of the main characters can be a human.

S3 Exam Preparation: Comprehension Questions.

In today's lesson we learned how to answer comprehension questions. Comprehension questions ask you to find information about the author's feelings, attitudes and opionons in the text. These will cover tones such as angry, sad, emphatic, sympathetic. We also in the class had an example of a comprehension question which is on Mr. Sharpe's power point presentation which he will e-mail to you if you are on his school mailing list, in case you have missed a lesson or you need help with a type of question in the presentation.

S3 - Exam Skills

In class today we looked at how to answer Comprehension Questions.

Comprehension questions ask you to look at the author's attitudes, ideas, opinions and feelings.

We looked at tones, such as sarcastic, angry and conversational.

S5 - Intermediate 1 & 2 - Exam Skills

Don't worry folks, I've not forgotten about you either!

Close reading help is at hand, with the first two presentations on Close Reading skills downloadable below.

Click me

S3 - Exam Skills

Your end-of-year exams are approaching fast - just 8 more lessons to prepare!

For those who haven't subscribed to my mailling list, you can download the first Exam Skills powerpoints below for your viewing pleasure!

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