So I am going to give you some fish to feed. Click the mouse to create food for them, which they will eat.
Dont' forget to feed them over the holidays!
And looking forward to seeing a few of you over pre-6th, as I'll be a year 12 tutor next year
Sunday, 27 June 2010
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Sunday, 6 June 2010
Past Papers for paper 1
As I said, they're hard to find on the net because of copyright issues. If you haven't already looked, though, the BBC Bitesize revision English Mock is a good example of what you might get in the paper, and it also has a markscheme.
There's also some revision help on this site about persuasive writing.
And, of course, you will have a session tomorrow morning from me for last-minute stuff.
Hope this helps...
There's also some revision help on this site about persuasive writing.
And, of course, you will have a session tomorrow morning from me for last-minute stuff.
Hope this helps...
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Paper 1 practice
Internet off again....and on again....now I have a lovely new computer, so hopefully will work for more than 8 hours this time.
The board tend not to put up paper 1 because they are often things which are copyright-heavy, so they can have them for the exam, but can't put them up on the web. That's why it's good to think of your own possible paper 1 pieces.
There will certainly be standard questions; always one to test your understandiong (like a precis), asking you to briefly out line the argument; always one to compare texts--perhaps layout or language or often both--always something that is testing how you respond to and if you can distinguish between fact and opinion.
The exam board have given really precise guidelines here:
GCSE English (Specification A): Paper 1 Section A
The following AOs will be assessed in all questions in Section A rather than in specific
questions:
• read, with insight and engagement, making appropriate references to texts (AO2 (i));
• select material appropriate to their purpose (AO2 (iv))
HIGHER TIER
• Question 01 tests the ability to follow an argument (AO2 (iii))
• Question 02 tests the ability to distinguish between fact and opinion (AO2 (ii))
• Question 03 and 04 will test the ability to understand and evaluate how writers use
linguistic, structural and presentational devices to achieve their effects (AO2 (v))
• Either Question 03 or 04 will test the ability to make cross references (AO2 (iv))
Hope this helps!
The board tend not to put up paper 1 because they are often things which are copyright-heavy, so they can have them for the exam, but can't put them up on the web. That's why it's good to think of your own possible paper 1 pieces.
There will certainly be standard questions; always one to test your understandiong (like a precis), asking you to briefly out line the argument; always one to compare texts--perhaps layout or language or often both--always something that is testing how you respond to and if you can distinguish between fact and opinion.
The exam board have given really precise guidelines here:
GCSE English (Specification A): Paper 1 Section A
The following AOs will be assessed in all questions in Section A rather than in specific
questions:
• read, with insight and engagement, making appropriate references to texts (AO2 (i));
• select material appropriate to their purpose (AO2 (iv))
HIGHER TIER
• Question 01 tests the ability to follow an argument (AO2 (iii))
• Question 02 tests the ability to distinguish between fact and opinion (AO2 (ii))
• Question 03 and 04 will test the ability to understand and evaluate how writers use
linguistic, structural and presentational devices to achieve their effects (AO2 (v))
• Either Question 03 or 04 will test the ability to make cross references (AO2 (iv))
Hope this helps!
Thursday, 3 June 2010
I'm Back!
Did you notice I was gone? All revising too hard for next week, no doubt. My internet has been down, but now I'm back, o joy and bliss.
So.... next week it's the whole paper 1 business... I hope that you're still practising with your media notebooks!
So.... next week it's the whole paper 1 business... I hope that you're still practising with your media notebooks!
Sunday, 23 May 2010
REVISION SESSIONS TOMORROW
Just to remind you all that there are revision sessions tomorrow, at the normal time of our English lessons. I'll be going through the format of the paper, looking briefly at Of Mice and Men and explaining strategies for answering questions and planning essays.
Some of you have asked if you can go to the 'other' session because of language exams. Of course, that's absolutely fine (and should work perfectly in terms of numbers), but I wouldn't recommend (as some have suggested) that you should try coming to both sessions, as though I appreciate such keenness, you'll just find them a repeat of each other.
Looking forward to seeing you all again!
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Literature exam queries
Oh Rupert--I'm sorry! Of course there are textual variants, though that may just be my bad memory. Stick with the Anthology version, it's what will be in the exam...
In answer to Paridhi... In the literature exam you will be given (probably) two named poems, though they do sometimes vary this, for instance by giving you two lists from which you can pick. They will never give you more than two named poems, but they can choose from either Duffy, Armitage or the pre-1914 poetry bank.
You can compare the poems however you like--you don't have to compare two and two--in fact, if you do you may limit what you can say. For instance, when looking at a comparison involving 'My Last Duchess', 'The Laboratory', 'Havisham' and 'Hitcher', you might well want to compare the two Browning poems, but then move on to consider how female speaking voices are created by Duffy and Browning.
Good practice for this paper is to make cards with all the poem names on them, and question cards, and pick up four poem cards, trying to make connections between them quickly with regard to a particular question--this will sharpen you up for the quick thinking you need in the exam! In the same way, writing introductions rather than full essays can be good practice for establishing that initial comparison. I've just been doing this with the revision groups, and although you do come up with some strange combinations (compare parent/child relationships in 'Inversnaid' and 'My Last Duchess' for instance) at the least it makes you realise how relatively easy the exam is in comparison! I'm assuming here that you have detailed notes on all the poems and know them well--that is the very first step for revision.
I'll post a list of question openers below, which you could use for that game if you like...
• Compare how attitudes towards other people are shown
• Compare the ways relationships between parents and children are presented
• Compare the ways family relationships are presented
• Compare features of language which have interested you
• Compare the ways suffering is presented
• Compare the ways the poets present violence
• Compare how strong feelings are presented
• Compare how memories are presented
• Compare how death or the threat of death is presented
• Compare how women are presented
• Compare the ways the poets present family relationships
• Compare how attitudes to loved ones are presented
• Compare how speakers are presented (male or female)
• Compare how young people are presented
• Did you enjoy reading the poems in the AQA English Literature Anthology?
Compare your responses to…
• People sometimes have strong reactions to the poems in the AQA English Literature Anthology. Compare your responses to…
In answer to Paridhi... In the literature exam you will be given (probably) two named poems, though they do sometimes vary this, for instance by giving you two lists from which you can pick. They will never give you more than two named poems, but they can choose from either Duffy, Armitage or the pre-1914 poetry bank.
You can compare the poems however you like--you don't have to compare two and two--in fact, if you do you may limit what you can say. For instance, when looking at a comparison involving 'My Last Duchess', 'The Laboratory', 'Havisham' and 'Hitcher', you might well want to compare the two Browning poems, but then move on to consider how female speaking voices are created by Duffy and Browning.
Good practice for this paper is to make cards with all the poem names on them, and question cards, and pick up four poem cards, trying to make connections between them quickly with regard to a particular question--this will sharpen you up for the quick thinking you need in the exam! In the same way, writing introductions rather than full essays can be good practice for establishing that initial comparison. I've just been doing this with the revision groups, and although you do come up with some strange combinations (compare parent/child relationships in 'Inversnaid' and 'My Last Duchess' for instance) at the least it makes you realise how relatively easy the exam is in comparison! I'm assuming here that you have detailed notes on all the poems and know them well--that is the very first step for revision.
I'll post a list of question openers below, which you could use for that game if you like...
• Compare how attitudes towards other people are shown
• Compare the ways relationships between parents and children are presented
• Compare the ways family relationships are presented
• Compare features of language which have interested you
• Compare the ways suffering is presented
• Compare the ways the poets present violence
• Compare how strong feelings are presented
• Compare how memories are presented
• Compare how death or the threat of death is presented
• Compare how women are presented
• Compare the ways the poets present family relationships
• Compare how attitudes to loved ones are presented
• Compare how speakers are presented (male or female)
• Compare how young people are presented
• Did you enjoy reading the poems in the AQA English Literature Anthology?
Compare your responses to…
• People sometimes have strong reactions to the poems in the AQA English Literature Anthology. Compare your responses to…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)