Hello

• So, we have made it to the end of term! One last review of some of the basic grammar terminology we have come across thus far! Have a play for 10 minutes or so!

Language Terminology Games

• Next, do a quick linguistic analysis of the following Christmas song. Identify as many different parts of the sentences as you can e.g. pronouns, verbs, adjectives, noun phrases, conjunctions, nouns, prepositions.

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know

Where the treetops glisten

and children listen

To hear sleigh bells in the snow.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas

With every Christmas card I write

May your days be merry and bright

And may all your Christmases be white.

• Finally, we are moving on to thinking about different genres of fiction in the first few poetry lessons after Christmas. To start off, let's think about the key features of the romance genre. Read the extract from a Mills & Boon novel. How many language points can you make?  Whose point of view is it from? Are there any stereotypes? What type of sentences are used? What interesting verbs and adjectives are used?   Romance Genre
• Write a paragraph in the style of a romance novel. Write about the moment a woman catches sight of a man she finds attractive for the first time. Have fun with it!! Post on your blog!

A2 Coursework Checklist

Just some areas to think about while you are finishing off your first draft.

• check spellings - particularly of the names of the writer / poets (who is Larking?!) and the poems
• use italics for the collection of poems or the name of the play
• use '....' for the name of the poem
• check overall accuracy with particular focus on apostrophes
• write in the third person.
• check your sentence structure - do they make sense? This takes time!
• make sure you get the genre right - play / poem
• use comparative topic sentence which links to the attitudes to the theme
• give a range of examples to support your main ideas and explore how the language links to meaning
• make sure your example has a context - what is being referred to and what does it mean within the context of the poem?
• integrate your quotations or introduce with a colon (:)
• use as much specific terminology as possible
• make sure you have commented on all four texts equally throughout the whole essay
• comment on a wide range of frameworks - have you made points about structure & discourse, lexis & semantics, grammar and phonology?
• make sure there is an introduction and a conclusion

Please can you make sure your name is put at the top of every page and can you include the word count at the end of your essay. Hand in (whatever you have) on Tuesday at 12.10 (lesson). I will give (lots of) feedback the first week back.


There will be work to do over Christmas - so don't think you have it easy!!




Thanks!

Chapter One of AHWOSG

Hi All

We are focusing primarily on sentences today and will discuss how Eggers uses them in a couple of key sections in Chapter One. But first there is a chance to review some terminology!

Review of language levels: Introduction to word classes and grammar. Have a look through this powerpoint if you would like to revise word classes. If you feel quite confident, have a go at the game below and see what you know.

Silly game to review key word class terminology: Word Class Game

Sentences: 

We have considered the different functions of sentences so far: interrogative, imperative, declarative and exclamatory.

Sentences can also be divided up in terms of their grammatical construction:

Minor / Simple / Compound / Complex - write a definition of each of these sentence types. Post on your blog / padlet page. There are some examples in the powerpoint but try and create your own or find examples from AHWOSG.

Task 1:

Read Page 14 from " I have plans for them.....I'll run them over with my car". What is happening in this section? What is Eggers sharing with the reader? What emotions is he feeling?

How does Eggers use different sentence types and different sentence functions to add to the overall tone of the Section? Post on your blog / padlet page.

Task 2:

Read from page 41 - 45. What is happening in this section?  How does Eggers use different sentence types and different sentence functions to add to the overall tone of the Section? Post on your blog / padlet page.

Preparation Task: Download this to help you prepare for the task next week.


Don't forget to use your blog / padlet page to create your poetry notes. It is also a good idea to keep chapter summaries of AHWOSG

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

TASK 1:

I would like you to find out as much as you can about Dave Eggers and his book 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius'.

Read these two reviews to start with:  The Guardian Review and New York Times Review

Make notes on what you find out about the main characters and themes. What do you find out about the plot and some of the key events of the narrative? What is mentioned about the style of Egger's writing?  Please post your work on your blogs.

EXT: find some other reviews - Amazon is quite a good place to look. What is controversial or problematic with the book according to some critics / reviewers?

TASK 2:

You will be given a section of the very opening to explore.

What is it about? Who is involved? What do we find out about them? What do we find out about the narrator? Does it touch on any of the key themes?  Can you identify any key language patterns or interesting use of language? How does it match our expectations of autobiography?

Reminder of the key themes:

• Death and loss
• Family responsibilities and relationships (parental, sibling)
• Friendship
• Love
• Sex
• Coming of age – growing up
• Change
• Guilt
• Fiction vs reality
• Self-awareness

Some language focus:

• Use of dialogue
• Symbolism
• Repetition
• Pronoun use
• Use of bracket (parentheses)
• Length and punctuation of sentences
• Use of humour
• Descriptive language – use of adjectives and noun phrases
• Use of tense – past / present
• Colloquialisms and expletives

Post your work on your blog and put it on the padlet page: AHWOSG padlet page

Homework: For Monday Read to Page 45 and make notes on the key areas of focus.

We are going to explore the presentation of the mother next week, so start building up a bank of key quotations. You can post these on the padlet page - try not to repeat a quotation already used.