Final assignment- modern novel

Welcome to a new week.
I hope the work on your report went well.
Obviously many of you are still working frantically with your project so do not panic about handing in your report.
However, last week should have given you a chance to get started and come some way to a structure for your English 7 report.

We now come to the final assignment for the modern novel.

As for the Shakespeare there are three assignments- one based on the language (in this case the etymology of words in "Letters from the Inside").
The other two assignments are based on the context of the two books and are designed to give you an opportunity to discuss the content of the works.

Here are the second assignments again(in case you have forgotten!)
200-300 words please

CHOOSE 1 out of the 4 assignments.

Exodus
1.
What makes a leader of people? Courage? Conviction? Resourcefulness? Foolhardiness? All of those things, but perhaps above all a leader has a vision of the future. A dream.
Mara isn't a leader of people when this story starts. She's just a young girl eking out her existence with her family and a few other villagers on a tiny, remote, sinking island. In Mara's world global warming has taken its toll. The ice caps have melted, sea levels have risen and the world has sunk beneath the waters. Storms and tidal surges batter the few remaining, scattered settlements. For all Mara and the people of the tiny island of Wing know, they may be the last souls left alive on planet earth. There is nothing out there beyond their encroaching shores except a vast and angry ocean.
So when they finally have to abandon Wing, it is a desperate and fearful group of people who take to their tiny fishing boats. And they are almost entirely without hope, except for something that Mara has told them. She has accessed the old technology, found her way into the Weave:

Above the scrolling text, the on-screen simulation shows a cluster of towers, colossal trunks of towers, rising out of the flooded ruins of an old city. Now a vast, geometric construction - tiers and branching networks - begins to grow out of the central trunk, cresting higher and higher into the sky, mapping the air space between the towers with amazingly complex patterns, while massive roots bore down through the seabed, deep into the Earth.
Mara's parents gaze in astonishment at the vast structure that rises out of the ocean - a giant city in the sky.
'Impossible,' says Coll. 'It would blow down. How could it withstand a storm?'

Trace the steps by which Mara changes from a fifteen-year-old-girl to a courageous leader

2. "Exodus"- Science fiction or a realistic scenario?

Letters from the Inside
1.
Write a newspaper article about Tracey. You are a reporter from a youth magazine who has interviewed Tracey and then decided to write an article about her.

2. Analyse the concepts of freedom and confinement(isolation) presented in the book. Who is free and who is not? What does the ending of the book say about this theme?

The final (third) assignment is as follows:

Letters from the Inside
 Write an alternative ending to the book using the same style as the author...

Exodus
Write a letter to the author expressing what you liked (or disliked) about the book. Were there any questions you had about the plot, characters or inspiration for the book? Name them here.

Next week we will be doing the Speaking part of the Cambridge Advanced Examination. This Friday you will have the opportunity to examine what the test consists of and practise for it in small groups.

Report Week

There will be no classes this week.

Report- Clarification
4. Introduction
In this section you should include

• Background- some information about why you chose the area/subject you did
• Aims/goals- what was the purpose of doing what you did
• Method- what methods did you use to obtain your goals

  Then you can go on with
5. Findings
This is called "Results" in other reports

If you have any queries please contact me.

You will have the opportunity to work on your report and complete the assignments which go towards your final grade.

Let me remind you which those are:

Shakespeare

1. One page analysis
2. 10 questions
3. comparison- film and book

Modern Book

1. Etymology 10 words from British English, American English and Australian English based on "Letters from the Inside"
2. Assignment 2 for "Exodus" OR "letters from the Inside"

Click here

1. Final assignment for the book (not given yet)

Formal Writing

1. CV
2. Covering letter

If you missed the lesson on Friday, the instructions for the report writing are on the blog.

Good luck!

Report Writing

Today we begin our last major piece of work before tackling some of the papers from the Cambridge Advanced Exam.

This is what is written in the curriculum about writing assignments

• Muntlig och skriftlig produktion och interaktion i olika situationer och med olika syften, där eleverna argumenterar ur olika perspektiv, ansöker, resonerar, värderar, utreder, förhandlar och motiverar sina åsikter.
• Muntlig och skriftlig framställning inom valt fördjupningsområde.
• Strategier för användning av olika typer av källor, med källkritisk medvetenhet och vedertagna sätt att ange källor, inom valt fördjupningsområde och inom andra områden.

That is why we will be writing a report based on your so-called
"Gymnasiearbete".

Here is the basic structure for your report:

Simple Report Writing: Structure

Standardly, your report should contain the following elements:

1.      title page;

2.      contents;

3.      abstract; (summary + key words)

4.      introduction;

5.      findings;

6.      discussion;

7.      recommendations (if appropriate)

8.      conclusion;

9.      references;

 
Since the focus of the report is on CONTENT and not on FORMALIA the following applies:

Simple Report Writing: Style

Since the main objective of any report is to present 

information in a most distinct way, mind the following:

• keep the language simple and easily readable;
• avoid heavy constructions and too long sentences.  

 With regard to the presentation of the report the following applies:

Simple Report Writing: Presentation

The way you lay out your report is crucial for its readability:

1.      structure your report with obvious highlighted headings;

2.      use an accepted system for sources and footnotes;

3.      make a glossary of special terms at the end if necessary

How many words?

Your report should be between 600-900 words 

Adaptation for different programs
 For the social science, natural science and technology programme the report should cover your "gymnasiearbete" as it stands.

For the music programme the report should focus on a general presentation of the concert project but with the possibility of going deeper into one of the following areas:

• The choice of theme and songs/music
• The marketing and preparations for the concert
• the challenges of organising and co.operating in a project like this 

This report will need to be completed after the actual performances in order to be able to conclude it successfully.
 
For the economists the report should focus on the "YE" (Young Enterprise) company where the introduction explains the choice of company (service/retail sector) etc. The findings should cover the actual carrying out of the company activities and the discussion should focus on the problems and possibilities faced.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. We will begin today to focus on the basic materials needed for writing the report and how to start going about it.

As previously stated the focus is on content but, obviously, the report needs to have a clear structure and be consistent in its use of formalia. 

No lesson today. here is the assignment for Exodus and Letters from the Inside

This morning we will be welcoming officially our friends from Soroti who will be spending the week with us.

Hence, we will not have an English class and the students from SA11 will be involved in the meeting.

So I have given you two assignments each for "Exodus"  (by Julie Bertagna) and "Letters from the Inside" (by John Marsden)


200-300 words please

CHOOSE 1 out of the 4 assignments.

Exodus
1.
What makes a leader of people? Courage? Conviction? Resourcefulness? Foolhardiness? All of those things, but perhaps above all a leader has a vision of the future. A dream.
Mara isn't a leader of people when this story starts. She's just a young girl eking out her existence with her family and a few other villagers on a tiny, remote, sinking island. In Mara's world global warming has taken its toll. The ice caps have melted, sea levels have risen and the world has sunk beneath the waters. Storms and tidal surges batter the few remaining, scattered settlements. For all Mara and the people of the tiny island of Wing know, they may be the last souls left alive on planet earth. There is nothing out there beyond their encroaching shores except a vast and angry ocean.
So when they finally have to abandon Wing, it is a desperate and fearful group of people who take to their tiny fishing boats. And they are almost entirely without hope, except for something that Mara has told them. She has accessed the old technology, found her way into the Weave:

Above the scrolling text, the on-screen simulation shows a cluster of towers, colossal trunks of towers, rising out of the flooded ruins of an old city. Now a vast, geometric construction - tiers and branching networks - begins to grow out of the central trunk, cresting higher and higher into the sky, mapping the air space between the towers with amazingly complex patterns, while massive roots bore down through the seabed, deep into the Earth.
Mara's parents gaze in astonishment at the vast structure that rises out of the ocean - a giant city in the sky.
'Impossible,' says Coll. 'It would blow down. How could it withstand a storm?'

Trace the steps by which Mara changes from a fifteen-year-old-girl to a courageous leader

2. "Exodus"- Science fiction or a realistic scenario?

Letters from the Inside
1.
Write a newspaper article about Tracey. You are a reporter from a youth magazine who has interviewed Tracey and then decided to write an article about her.

2. Analyse the concepts of freedom and confinement(isolation) presented in the book. Who is free and who is not? What does the ending of the book say about this theme?

Darwin's Nightmare II

First of all some information about next week.
 There will be no class on Monday since we will be welcoming our visitors from Soroti ( SA11 you will be involved in this in Room 1108).
However, the task for "Exodus" and "Letters from the Inside" will be on the blog..
Next Friday we will start working on  writing and presenting  your report. Meet at 8 a.m.in room 1203 as usual to go through the requirements for this.

Today we will be watching the second part of "Darwin's Nightmare" I refer to the questions I put on the blog last time for the different student groups.

Here are the areas of study for the Music students which I wrote on the whiteboard last time but forgot to put in the blog
 
1. What kind of music is used in the film? What is the connection to the documentary?

2. What is the importance of music and dance in the traditional cultures around the Lake? (Do some research)

3, What changes do you think are brought about by the fish industry in the music/culture of the area?

Finally comment on this statement:
"One man, one bucket in one afternoon"

Film Week- Documentary

This week is film week.. During the autumn we watched an Australian film "The Rabbit-proof Fence"

This term we will watch a documentary which is very relevant in our world today.

The title is "Darwin's Nightmare"

Here are the questions for the different groups:

Natural Scientists
 What effects on the eco-system around the Lake are shown in the film?

What other ecological effects on the Lake are also a result of the introduction of the Nile Perch? (Do some research!)

What can be done to re-balance the eco-system (if anything)?

Social Scientists
What are the  social effects portrayed in the film(both negative and positive) on the society around the Lake ?

What stereotype images can you see in the film?

What has happened to the traditional fishing community?

Economists 
What economic changes are presented in the film?

Who are the winners and who are the losers?

What kind of entrepreneurs are shown on the international, national and local level?

What areas can be described as "dirty business"?

Technologists
What is the role of technology in the fish business described?

What are the positive aspects of technology and what are the negative aspects?

Whose responsibility is is that technology is used in a positive way to improve communities?

We will begin to look at the film today and then see the rest of it on Friday.

Good viewing!

 

 

Welcome to P-Day!

When we were planning the course after Christmas, a suggestion which came from more than one group was the study of poetry.

So welcome to P-Day! It would appear that poetry is a very universal means of expression. It appears in every language and culture in one shape or another.

It goes back to the ancient languages of Greece and Rome; yet it is still with us today...

By the way don't forget... At nine O'clock we will meet up all of those who missed the job interview..

Make sure you have hard copies of your CV, covering letter and job interview questions

Back to our poetry. The first relevant question must be to ask ourselves is:
"What is the point in studying poetry?"

Check out the following website:
http://www.virtualsalt.com/usefulpoetry.html

In small groups discuss which of Robert Harris's arguments seem most relevant (if any!).

The second question ought to be:
How can we study poetry?

Have a look at:
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/

Here you will even find my favourite poet- Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Look at any of the poems/poets mentioned.

What aspects of the poems do they concentrate on?
Why do you think this is?

Our next stage is to look at some poems.

Use the following resource:

http://poetry.about.com/od/poems/u/readpoems.htm

You can choose 2 different paths-

Decide in your small group if you will:

i) look at one of the theme poem collections

 OR

ii)  choose one of the collections of classic poems.

Read some poems and discuss them.


Finally
Look at some of the poetic forms described on the website and try your hand at writing your own poem.

Hope you have an enjoyable experience!

Welcome back!

Welcome back after the mid-term break. 

Whether you have been on a cruise on the Baltic Sea or skiing 90 kilometres or just chilling in front of a screen or two I hope you got something positive out of your break.

On this course we will now turn to the first book assignment. It is based on the language of "Letters from the Inside". 

The book contains a lot of slang used by the two girls. Some expressions are clearly from the USA, some from the UK and others are from Australia.

We are going to do a little etymological study to try and find out (where possible) from which "English" they come. In the Fun day Monday I have put a little example worksheet we can go through together. 

Now here comes the real thing
Use the links suggested in the document as well as your own google searches to find the answers.

As you can see  on Friday we will be doing some poetry analysis in small groups and also giving those who missed the interviews a chance to do so.

We will try to get it organised today.

Good luck!