Congrats to my Year 9 class. They put together a book of short stories last year, and I’m happy to announce its availability. All profits go to the school charity, and it’s a great read – well worth a fiver of your money!

Turned out nice, I reckon!

Mr Meltz from Mr Prestney on Vimeo.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

via sniffyjenkins.

Christopher Marlowe, Dr Faustus. Possibly describing the start of a new school year. Possibly.

Welcome back, one and all. A new term, a new year, and a new beginning. If you are dropping by for the first time, welcome indeed – I will be posting all sorts up here, from exam technique to small flights of fancy, so stop by frequently. Please feel free to comment on anything you wish – I do censor to stop spam, yet I censor but lightly. I am always keen on your opinion, things that you’d like to see here, and ways in which I can help you. So let me know – I’m all ears.

Your homework is to construct, in pairs, a presentation on your given scene (or scenes) for presentation next week. You will have two further lessons to prepare for the presentation, as well as a homework. You need to ensure that you touch on the following subjects:

more after the break

What should you talk about?

a) Give an overview of the scene. What happens in it?
b) Talk about the language in the scene. Is it very formal? Is it in verse or prose? Does it contain a lot of metaphors, or is it quite straightforward? How does this help our understanding?
c) Pick out and explain one metaphor which they think is particularly good. What is Shakespeare trying to get across? Is there more than one aspect of the metaphor that we should be aware of?
d) Explain how this scene affects our view of Richard. Do they refer to him in the scene? Does it show him in any particular light? Pay particular attention to Richard as an actor

Lastly, if you can think of a short exercise or activity to demonstrate what you have been talking about, feel free to do it after your presentation has ended. If it will make people remember your point, I’ll be very impressed…

How should you do it?

Remember, you have to try and make this presentation interesting to the rest of the class, who will be learning from you. As such, you may use Powerpoint to help in your presentation. However, you may not put any words up on the screen. As such, if you want to use Powerpoint, you may only use images to help you. (Maps? Stills from a Film? Visual examples of a metaphor? You can use film footage of the play, as long as you don’t use sound, and it doesn’t interrupt your presentation.) The one exception that I will make is if you want to talk about Shakespeare’s language – in this case, you may project a short piece of writing, no longer than two lines, which you may then annotate with board markers to make your point.

Lastly, you are not permitted to read word for word from a pre-prepared document. You may use a maximum of four index cards each, with a maximum of twelve words written upon each one. You may not save words from one to add to another, and you may not have a single sheet of paper with 48 words on it. If your notes do not meet these criteria, I will take away the offending article. You may have the text with you, which you may refer to.

Resources

What can you use to help you in your research?
1) The Internet – Feel free to use the internet for your research. Googling for “Richard III Study Guide” or “Richard III notes” will yield a number of results – feel free to use them in your research.
2) Modern translations and study guides – These are excellent resources. York Notes, Cliff’s Notes, Letts Study guides – all of these are designed to take you through scene by scene. Hint – some of these are available on line…
3) The edition that you are reading! It’s got loads of good stuff in there – a summary at the top of each page, notes and translations of difficult words. Also, make sure that you take a look at the longer summaries at the beginning of the book – you will need to know what has happened before your scene in order to understand what’s going on.
4) YouTube - it’s well worth seeing if you can find your particular scene on YouTube – there are often a number of good versions, and seeing them can be a great help. Remember, however, that films often edit the text quite drastically, so should not be taken as your main source of information

Use your imagination, chaps, I’m looking forward to these…

For your homework, please do either question 3 or 4 from the June 2006 paper. These are as follows:

EITHER
3 Write a letter to a magazine called The Explorer arguing for or against expeditions to dangerous places. (27 marks)
OR
4 A group of students from your school or college wants to go on an adventure trip abroad. Write the text of a speech to local business people persuading them to sponsor the group. (27 marks)

Essential advice after the break. Don’t attempt this question unless you have read it.

We haven’t done a great deal on writing to argue, persuade or advise, but you should follow the following basic structures:

Writing to Argue

The important thing to note here is that you have to give two sides to an argument, then make sure that the side that supports your opinion is stronger. This is important – if you answer an “argue” question only giving one side, you will lose marks.
1. Start with an opening statement. This should give your opinion on the matter in hand.
2. A series of paragraphs, giving both argument and counter-argument. The reason you give counter arguments is to then knock them down with your own arguments. Remember, one point per paragraph.
3. A concluding paragraph, giving a summary and restating your opinion.

Writing to Persuade

This seems simpler, as you only have to give one side of the argument – imagine you are proposing the motion for a debate. However,you need to make much better use of rhetorical devices to get the marks – rhetorical questions, emotive language, the rule of threes, similes and metaphors.
1. Start with an opening statement. Make it a good, strong opening, something to grab the reader.
2. A series of paragraphs, making and elaborating upon your points. Remember, just stating your opinion won’t get you marks. You need evidence, and your full range of persuasive techniques.
3. A concluding paragraph, giving a summary and restating your opinion.

I have attached some advice and pointers which you might like to look into for further ideas – ignore the Writing to Inform bits – you don’t need them.

Good luck, chaps.

I can promise you, being able to write and communicate will be one of the most important skills you will ever carry with you through life. Whether it’s writing a letter of application, or the simplest email, having a mastery of the language, and being able to communicate precisely what you want, will serve you better, and make you seem better at your job, than virtually any other single skill.

Click through for more musings.

This came to mind recently because I was taking a look at Derren Brown’s blog. Now, he’s a magician, so one might think that that would have very little call for a mastery of the written word. But then I came across a delightful blog post, where he ruminates upon the state of corporate hotels (bland and ghastly) vs. the levels of service, and, generally being kind to your fellow man. And it struck me that one of the reasons that he clearly has got his position in life (to a certain extent – the man’s skills have great breadth) is a high level of eloquence. The subject is small, but the sentiment is great.

I am sitting in the bar area of a fundamentally depressing Novotel in Wolverhampton which is currently accommodating our little family. The Novotel is the epitome of the invisible hotel: you walk into a bland fug of white corners, cheap nineties’ bright sofas and pine-veneered tables, corporate banners advertising their Brand New Loyalty Programme and a wash of non-music that, if it were any more insipid, would fail to sound at all from the well-hidden ceiling speakers that are set into the uniform white foam tiles above you. The bleak hotel has been built to its soulless template next to an inexpressive roundabout just off a utilitarian dual-carriageway, next to which Wolverhampton itself seems to thrive and bustle with local character, curving charming alleyways and the hum and buzz of life and work. I remember once seeing a photograph of a similar hotel being built, an image which depicted the room units being dropped by a crane as a whole into place: each constituent of accommodation pre-built and inoffensively, mildly decorated; complete with dazzlingly worthless watercolour prints and waterproofed carpet with its practical, forgiving, busy design. All that was left for the staff to do, presumably, was to supply the miniature kettles, and the regulation two-pack of stem ginger biscuits. That and to check that the sheets are not large enough to tuck properly under the mattress, while making sure the duvet can be secured firmly thereunder on all four sides, making it a ludicrous act of strength and courage to get into bed: a process which involves standing and wrenching the quilt from beneath the heavy mattress, thereby bringing the inadequate sheet up and out with it, then continuing the course of action with the end of the bed so that you can at least get in and try to sleep on the flaccid, tangled sheets without feeling like a dog is lying on your feet; then, some time later, fight against your own weight while trying to kick the rest of the bedding free in order to have the breezy pleasure of exposing your legs to the dry cool-ish air being noisily rasped out by the room’s ineffectual air-conditioning.

Click through for the whole thing – it’s beautifully written, and a perfect lesson – something as simple as posting on a blog can, if done right, be an art form. Think of that next time you bang out a text message.

Via Derren Brown

Lower School Exam Rubric

EXAM FORMAT: LOWER FIRST – LOWER THIRD FORM

The exam will consist of:

a) a comprehension exercise

b) a creative writing task

You will be asked to spend equal time on both sections.

The comprehension exercise can be based on either a poem or a piece of prose, and will test your understanding of the passage.  It will test your vocabulary and your understanding of stylistic features and effects.

You may be asked to:

• Show your understanding and appreciation of particular aspects of plot, character, setting and atmosphere;
• Define words as they are used in the passage;
• Find misspelt words and spell them correctly;
• Comment on the use of punctuation;
• Show some general knowledge of basic literary history;
• In the Upper First you will be required to comment on the use of language in specific phrases or sentences: this will require you to make observations about the effect of literary and poetic devices such as imagery, metaphors, similes and alliteration, although you will not necessarily be expected to use these terms.
• In the Lower Third, you will be required to identify and explain a variety of literary and poetic techniques, such as imagery, metaphors, similes, personification, alliteration and sibilance, assonance and onomatopoeia.

This year, the creative writing task will, in some way, use the Mary Rose exhibition as a stimulus.  This does not mean that you will be tested on your historical knowledge, or gain / lose marks depending on how much you know about the Mary Rose; since this is an English exam, you will instead be rewarded for writing engagingly and accurately.  But you will probably be asked to engage imaginatively with the story of the Mary Rose’s sinking, or with what is displayed in the exhibition.  Paying attention when you visit the exhibition in the first half of term, and thinking about what you saw and learnt, may give you ideas about what you could mention or include in your writing. 

EXAM ADVICE: LOWER FIRST – UPPER THIRD FORM

• Read the passage through several times.
• After your first read-through, look at the questions that you have to answer, and then read through the passage again.
• Read the questions very carefully so you don’t misunderstand them.
• You may find it helpful to underline or highlight important parts of the passage.
• Have a go at all questions, even if you’re not sure of the answer.
• When deciding how long to spend on each answer, look carefully at the mark scheme.
• Pay careful attention to whether the question asks you to explain in your own words, or to support your answer with a quotation from the passage.

REVISION

• There is little formal revision that you can do for these exams; they test the reading and writing skills that you have developed over this academic year.
• You can make a list of spellings that your teacher has corrected over the course of the year and learn them.
• Your teacher will have given you some tips over how to tackle a comprehension exercise effectively, as well as some practice over the summer term.  You may also find the tips on this site helpful.

Click through for links and more info.

I have included links to plain text versions of the files in case you don’t want to download any new software, but I would recommend the epub versions, which means that you have to download a reader as well, such as Calibre, which can be found here. It will make your reading experience much more pleasant.

Those of you with iPhones and iPods Touch should definitely get the free Stanza program, which is an excellent way to get out of copyright works on the go, and has the complete works of Fitzgerald.

So, the links you need:

Software:
Epub readers: Calibre, and Stanza for Desktop and iPhone. I’ve used the first, and it’s pretty good, but can be slow. Haven’t tried out Stanza for desktop, but it looks pretty.

Literature:
All Fitzgerald works on Project Gutenburg. Take your pick.
Flappers and Philosophers – I guess the one to go for here is “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”, which has themes which fit in very nicely, but feel free to read around. Plain text, or the better epub version.
Tales of the Jazz Age – again, you can see why this would be useful. “The Diamond as Big as The Ritz” is very different in tone, being a somewhat fantastical little tale, but in terms of wealth and covetousness, is a pretty good one for comparison and contrast. Plain text, and epub.

This is definitely a poem.

creampuff via an extremely circuitous route via penllawen.

You are going to write me an epic poem, with each of you contributing two pairs of lines over the next week. Your first task is to write, in the comments, two lines which follow on from what has been written.

Instructions after the jump:

Some rules:

a) When signing up, use firstname.lastname as your username
b) Make sure that you read everything that has come before before setting down your lines – I will be watching out for those who are not continuing the story.
c) Using rhyming couplets – i.e. your pairs of lines must rhyme, but don’t have to rhyme with anyone else’s.
d) Give it rhythm – I don’t want lots of uneven lines, or lines which are far shorter than the rest. Try and keep it regular.
e)Make sure it makes sense – again, read everything that has come before, not just the last two lines.

And now, your subject.

“The Adventures of Bert, Mr Prestney’s Rabbit”

Remember, first half should be complete by Wednesday evening (i.e. you should have done the first of your pairs of lines, but not your second), the second half by Monday. Enjoy!

Imagine that you are writing the lyrics for a song, telling of the last voyage of Ged on his way to defeat his Shadow. Write me a three stanza (verse) poem, of four lines per stanza, recounting the tale of the final battle between the two.

You might like to talk of Ged’s voyage out to meet his enemy – how did he get there? What was the journey like? You will also have to talk about the battle itself, how Ged “defeats” his shadow. Perhaps you might speak of the friendship between Ged and Vetch, and how they helped each other.

Make sure that you check your spelling and grammar, that the poem rhymes, and that it has a really good sense of rhythm. Other than that, enjoy!

via While You Were Gone, Via Penllawen.

Observe.

L1JT’s performance of Paul Fleischman’s “Fireflies.” And what a great job they do!

Have a great Easter, guys, and I’ll see you when you get back.

Feedback time, y’all.

What do you think of English, as a subject? Why is it worth studying? Indeed, is it worth studying? I’ve got my own ideas, but would love to hear yours, whatever year you’re in – so sound off in the comments.