Homework, 11th December, 2017

For your last piece of homework of the term, I would like you to write one more formal letter. It's a kind of letter we haven't looked at in lessons, so this will be a test of how well you can come up with ideas of your own, as well as a test of how well you can remember how to lay out a formal letter and how well you can use formal language. 

The letter I would like you to write is to the manager of a hotel you recently stayed in complimenting her on the excellent experience you had. Things you could mention include:

* The comfortable beds
* The great restaurant
* The politeness of the staff

There  might be other things you can think of as well. 

The address you should use is:

Sunny View Hotel
Sunshine Avenue
Perranporth
PE4 8UH

The letter should be around 400 words long. 

Good luck, merry Christmas and see you soon!

Homework, Monday, 4th December, 2017

Have a look at the sentences below and, for each one, decide whether it belongs in a formal or informal letter, or is just too informal. 

If you decide that the sentence belongs in a formal letter, you then need to decide whether it goes best in a job application letter or a complaint letter.

The first one has been done for you as an example. 

1. I am writing to apply for the position of teacher at the Moat School. This goes best in a formal job application letter. 

2. Wassup bruv?

3. I can't wait to see you next week. 

4. I am writing to express my disappointment at the pair of shoes I bought from you last week. 

5. How are Mike and Julie?

6. She's bare peng innit. 

7. I feel I would be the ideal candidate for the reasons listed below. 

8. In addition to this, I have three years' experience working in retail.  

9. I hope you will make this up to me by giving me a full refund. 

10. I recently started taking swimming lessons. 

11. I was, quite frankly appalled at the service. 

12. Fam, it was bangin', you feel me?

Homework, 27th November, 2017

You recently read an article in a magazine which argued that school uniform should be scrapped in schools in the UK. 

Decide whether or not you agree with this point of view, then write a letter to the editor (the person in charge) of the magazine giving your view. Use the guidelines below to help you. 

It should be around 250 words long. 

Generic letter to the editor structure

Your address, e.g.: Mr Quillfeldt 12 Bishop’s Avenue London SW6 6EG

The date in long form, e.g.: 15th September, 2015

The address of the person you are writing to, e.g.: The Editor Education Today Magazine 567 Brooke Avenue Barnsley BR4 8YG

If you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, start Dear Sir/Madam. If you do know the name of the person you are writing to, start Dear Mr if it is male, or Ms if it is a female.

In the first paragraph, explain why you are writing the letter, e.g.: I am writing to you to express my views on … Give the opposite view first: Some people believe that …

Then give your view: My own view on this topic is that …

Sum up everything you have said: For all of these reasons, I believe …

Sign off. If you know the name of the person you are writing to, use Yours sincerely. If you don’t know the name of the person, use Yours faithfully.

Write your name

Homework, 13th November, 2017

Read the letter from Nat's dad to Nat and answer the questions that go with it. 

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, 14th November)

Dear Nat,

I hope you’re okay. I’m doing well … I mean, I know I’m in prison, but I’m doing as well as can be expected. The other lads in here are treating me well and, believe it or not, the food is not actually that bad. I’m sharing a room with a bloke called Rob. I haven’t asked him what he’s in for; to be honest, I’d rather not know, but whatever it is, he’s been nice to me, so whatever.

I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more information before those Secret Service goons turned up and whisked me away. I thought I had more time. Oh well, you’re smart, so I know you’ll figure out the trail. Just trust your instincts. I’m really sorry I’ve put you in this horrible position and, believe me, I wouldn’t ask you to do what you’re doing if it wasn’t really, really important, and I know it’s especially difficult as you have to sneak around the house without your mum and Hannah knowing what you’re up to, but it will all be worth it in the end, I promise.

Anyway, I have to go; it’s almost time for me to go back to my cell. I know this is all really difficult to deal with, but it will all be fine soon, I promise. Just keep following those clues, and soon we’ll be together again, kicking a football around in the garden just like old times.

Love,

Dad

Questions

1. What three things are missing from the top of the letter?

2. What word does Nat’s dad use to refer to the other men in the prison?

3. What do you think he wants us to think about his relationship with them by using this word?

4. Why do you think he would rather not know why Rob is in prison?

5. What word does he use to refer to the men from the Secret Service who arrested him?

6. What does the use of this word tell us about his attitude towards them?

7. What makes the position dad has put Nat in especially difficult?

8. Why does he have to go?

9. What, according to dad, will he and Nat soon be doing again?

Extension activity

Explain in around 100 words how we can tell that this is an informal letter. Make sure you copy specific parts of the text (although not more than one line at a time) to provide evidence.

Example: We can tell that this is an informal letter because Nat’s dad uses the informal greeting ‘Dear Nat’, as opposed to ‘Dear Sir/Madam’, which is more formal. 

Homework, 7th November, 2017

Read the letter below from Nat to his dad and answer the questions that follow. 

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, 7th November)

13^th November, 2012

Dear Dad,

How are you? I mean, I know you’re in prison, so you’re obviously not doing that well, but are you as okay as you can be? Are they treating you well? What’s the food like?

I’ve been following Lily’s trail, but it’s hard trying to piece everything together. You didn’t give me enough information! I found some stuff in the loft: a picture of an eye, but I don’t get what it means. And I found some words scratched into a bucket, but I don’t understand what they mean either. I have a feeling the answers I need are at Bletchley Park, but I’ve no idea how I’m going to get in there. The security around that place must be water tight. If only you could give me more help, but I completely understand that you can’t.

Mum is doing okay … well, she acts like she is but I kind of get the sense that she’s just holding it together for me and Hannah. Hannah is still just being Hannah: moody, not saying much, spending a lot of time in her room.

I’ll keep trying dad, I will, I promise, and I also promise that I will find the evidence we need to prove your innocence and get you out of prison. I worry about you, but I know that if I stay positive we can do this.

Lots of love,

Nat

Questions

1. What is missing from the top of the letter?

2. Why is Nat’s dad obviously not doing very well?

3. Whose trail has Nat been following?

4. Why is it hard following this trail?

5. Where did he find some scratched words?

6. Why is it probably going to be difficult to get into Bletchley Park?

7. Based on what is written in the letter, what kind of person is Hannah?

8. What does Nat promise to keep doing?

9. What does he need to find to prove his dad’s innocence?

10. How does he sign the letter off?

Extension questions

11. How can we tell from the first paragraph that Nat is very worried about his dad?

12. How can we tell from the first few lines of the second paragraph that Nat might be slightly frustrated with his dad?

13. Why might it be difficult to tell if Hannah is really upset about the whole thing?

Homework, October 3rd, 2017

This week, I would like you to read another extract from Farm Boy and answer the questions that go with it. Everything you need is in your homework folder. 

This is due tomorrow (October 3rd, 2017).

No homework this week due it being Founders' Day weekend!

Hooray!

Homework, Monday, September 18th, 2017

Hi,

This week I would like you to read the extract from Farm Boy and answer the comprehension questions that go with it. This is due on Wednesday, September 20th. 

Good luck!

Welcome to Mr. Quillfeldt's year 10 English blog!

Hi!

For those of you who are new to the school, or who have never had me as a teacher before, this is where you can check each week to see what the English homework is, as well as find other details about what is going on in English. 

Wherever possible, I will make copies of worksheets and resources available, but, in cases where someone else has created the resource, I might only be able to provide a link to it for copyright reasons. A hard copy of everything will always be provided in the homework folder though, so this blog is more of a backup. 

Homework will start next week, once we have chosen which novel we are going to study as a class, as most of the homework tasks will be reading comprehension activities based on it. In class we will be studying creative writing up until October half term, so hopefully, by the end of the unit, you will be able to write a short story of around 450 words. 

That's it for now. Make sure you check back next week. 

Homework, 28th April, 2017

For the next few lessons, we will be looking at how to write reports. We will do lots of work in lessons on how to lay a report out correctly and what kinds of things you might be asked in the exam to write a report about, but this week's homework is all about the kind of language you need to use when writing reports.

This is due on Tuesday, May 2nd. Good luck!

As you read the following report, you will notice that some of the words have been numbered. This is because they could all be replaced with more formal words which, if used, could help get this report a higher mark. In the table below, next to each number, write a more formal alternative to each word. You can choose your alternatives from the selection given. You may have to look up some of the words to find out their meaning.

Report to the head teacher about the possibility of a Year 11 common room

Background

I was 1.asked by the head teacher to speak to 2.teachers and students at the Moat School about the possibility of creating a common room for the Year 11s and, if it was considered to be a good idea, where it 3.would go. Below 4.are my findings:

Arguments in favour

·         It would provide a safe, comfortable place for the Year 11s to relax and study, away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the school. This would be especially 5.useful during exam times.

·         It would make the Year 11s feel valued and would prepare them for life at college, where they will most likely have access to a common room.

·       The common room could contain 6.leisure facilities such as a pool table, table football, tea and coffee facilities and a television, which the Year 11s would very much appreciate.

Arguments against

·         There is 7.not much space available; the common room would have to replace one of the classrooms, and this would have an effect on the school timetable, as some classes would have to be re-roomed.

·         The pool table, table football and other facilities would 8.cost money.

·         The feeling among some of the teachers is that would 9.create extra work for them as it would have to be supervised.

·         Some of the students have pointed out that, as the Year 11s do not have free periods, there is no time during the day when they would actually go and 10.gather there.

·         It would separate the Year 11s from the rest of the students and might create a 11.split within the school.

·         When they go to college, they will have free periods and a common room, so they could just wait a year for that.

Recommendations

My recommendation is that a Year 11 common, whilst a nice idea, would be 12.too expensive and would cause too much disruption to be worthwhile.

prohibitively expensive           make demands of the school’s budget staff         congregate          increase the workload          division a paucity of          I have outlined          would be located requested          recreational                advantageous

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Homework, Friday, March 24th, 2017

This week I would like you to read the speech in your homework folder and answer the following question:

How does the speaker try to put the Year 6 students' minds at ease about the prospect of starting a new school? Focus on:

* What is said
* How it is said

The question is worth 10 marks and you should aim to write around 200 words. It would be good exam practice to give yourself a time limit of 15 minutes. 

Because the speech is from a textbook, I can't post it here, so try not to lose it!

Homework, Friday, March 17th, 2017

Read the extract from the Malala Yousefzai speech and answer the questions that follow. If you want to watch the whole speech, you can find it here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rNhZu3ttIU


When answering the questions, you might want to refer to some of the literary techniques mentioned in the table below:

Example	Technique	What or how?	Why writers sometimes use it
His speech was a million times more effective.	Hyperbole	How	To ram home a point by making something seem more dramatic, powerful or important than it is.
Grizzly intruder loses its bearings	Wordplay/humour	How	To make the reader laugh, which makes reading the text more enjoyable.
Last year, 3.5 million people signed up to Facebook.	Fact/statistic	What	Statistics are used to prove certain points, which gives them more credibility so the reader takes them more seriously.
He was gigantic, with frenetic hair and a magnetic smile.	Powerful, lively adjectives	How	Adjectives are often used to make the writing livelier and more engaging for the reader.
No, no, no!	Repetition	How	You will find this a lot in speeches; the effect on the reader is to make the repeated word or phrase stick in the mind.
John Campbell, 37 from Worcester, has always loved cheese.	Case study of a specific person	What	When you read details about a specific person, you form a connection with that person, and this makes the writing more engaging.
The long, sinewy fingers of the trees reached out towards me.	Personification	How	This is a type of metaphor. The effect on the reader is to make objects easier for the reader to visualise by giving them human qualities.
The fuzzy fiend foraged among the foliage.	Alliteration and wordplay	How	By using several words with the same first letter in the same sentence, the sentence is more likely to stick in the reader’s mind. It also helps to break up the rhythm of the text.
The last race took place in 2013 and drew a huge   crowd.	Example of a specific event	What	Like statistics, details of specific events are sometimes used to back up a point that is being made and make it more credible.
First Miliband, then Cameron, and now Farage.	List	What/how	Like alliterations, lists have their own rhythm, and this makes them more likely to stick in the reader’s mind.
Has the time not come to end this madness?	Rhetorical question	How	By posing a question, the writer is attempting to engage the reader by getting him/her to think of the answer.
Surprise, surprise, James Bond is driving an Aston Martin.	Sarcasm/humour	How	Sarcasm is a way of making a negative comment about something in a way that engages the reader. In this case, the point is that James Bond always drives an Aston Martin, which is a bit boring.
He had a burning coldness about him.	Oxymoron	How	By placing two opposing ideas next to each other in a sentence, that sentence is more interesting to the reader, because he/she has to think about it.
You should really be exercising at least three times a week.	Advice and direct address.	What/how	This is a way of connecting directly with the reader by making him/her think about something he/she should perhaps be doing.
Watching this movie is like being slapped in the   face with a fish.	Simile/hyperbole	How	Like all types of metaphor, similes make a description of something more interesting and therefore more engaging for the reader.
‘I couldn’t believe it,’ said Mr Campbell.	Quote	What/how	Quotes are probably most common in articles, and are a great way of getting the reader to form a connection with the people in the story.
Fernando was a lion among zebras.	Metaphor	How	In this example, the writer wants to think of Fernando as being fierce and possibly quite dangerous. Calling him lion gets this point across to the reader in a more interesting and engaging way.
I just don’t think people really enjoy it.	Personal opinion	What	Although facts give a point credibility, people may sometimes be interested in your personal opinion. This is most common in speeches.

The following is an extract from a speech by the human rights activist Malala Yousafzai delivered to the youth version of the United Nations on July 12^th, 2013.

…

I don't know where to begin my speech. I don't know what people would be expecting me to say. But first of all, thank you to God for whom we all are equal and thank you to every person who has prayed for my fast recovery and a new life. I cannot believe how much love people have shown me. I have received thousands of good wish cards and gifts from all over the world. Thank you to all of them. Thank you to the children whose innocent words encouraged me. Thank you to my elders whose prayers strengthened me.

…

There are hundreds of Human rights activists and social workers who are not only speaking for human rights, but who are struggling to achieve their goals of education, peace and equality. Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions have been injured. I am just one of them.

So here I stand: one girl among many. I speak, not for myself, but for all girls and boys. I raise up my voice, not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights: their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated.

…

Dear sisters and brothers, we realise the importance of light when we see darkness. We realise the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way, when we were in Swat, the north of Pakistan, we realised the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns.

The wise saying, “The pen is mightier than sword” was true. The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them. And that is why they killed 14 innocent medical students in the recent attack in Quetta. And that is why they killed many female teachers and polio workers in Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa and FATA. That is why they are blasting schools every day.  Because they were and they are afraid of change, afraid of the equality that we will bring into our society.

I remember that there was a boy in our school who was asked by a journalist, “Why are the Taliban against education?” He answered very simply. By pointing to his book he said, “A Talib doesn't know what is written inside this book.” They think that God is a tiny, little conservative being who would send girls to the hell just because of going to school. The terrorists are misusing the name of Islam and Pashtun society for their own personal benefits. Pakistan is peace-loving democratic country. Pashtuns want education for their daughters and sons. And Islam is a religion of peace, humanity and brotherhood. Islam says that it is not only each child's right to get education, rather it is their duty and responsibility.

Read the Malala Yousafzai speech extract and answer the following questions:

1. Who does Malala thank first in the extract?

2. Why do you think she does this?

3. How, in the first paragraph, does she try to make it seem like everyone listening is part of the same group?

4. Why do you think she does this?

5. Complete the sentence: ‘Thousands of people have been ___________ by the terrorists and millions have been ________________.’

6. For whom does Malala speak, according to the speech?

7. What two literary devices are used in the last two lines of the third paragraph?

8. Complete the sentence: ‘Dear brothers and sisters, we realise the importance of ___________ when we see ____________________.’

9. What literary technique is this an example of?

10. What ‘wise saying’ does Malala refer to in the fifth paragraph?

11. This saying is an example of which technique?

12. Why, according to the fifth paragraph, have so many females been killed by extremists?

13. There is a case study of a specific person in the final paragraph of the extract. Who is this person?

14. Why do you think Malala has mentioned him?

15. Now have a go at the following 10 mark exam-style question:

How does Malala Yousafzai try to convince us that we should stand up to extremists? Focus on what is said and how it is said. 

Homework, March 10th, 2017

This homework is due on Monday, March 13th. 

This is an extract from a speech delivered by the black civil rights leader Malcolm X in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 3, 1964. Read it and answer the questions that follow. 

Mr. Moderator, Brother Lomax, brothers and sisters, friends and enemies: I just can't believe everyone in here is a friend, and I don't want to leave anybody out. The question tonight, as I understand it, is "The Negro Revolt, and Where Do We Go From Here?" or What Next?" In my little humble way of understanding it, it points toward either the ballot or the bullet.

Before we try and explain what is meant by the ballot or the bullet, I would like to clarify something concerning myself. I'm still a Muslim; my religion is still Islam. That's my personal belief. Just as Adam Clayton Powell is a Christian minister who heads the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York, but at the same time takes part in the political struggles to try and bring about rights to the black people in this country; and Dr. Martin Luther King is a Christian minister down in Atlanta, Georgia, who heads another organization fighting for the civil rights of black people in this country; and Reverend Galamison, I guess you've heard of him, is another Christian minister in New York who has been deeply involved in the school boycotts to eliminate segregated education; well, I myself am a minister, not a Christian minister, but a Muslim minister; and I believe in action on all fronts by whatever means necessary.

Although I'm still a Muslim, I'm not here tonight to discuss my religion. I'm not here to try and change your religion. I'm not here to argue or discuss anything that we differ about, because it's time for us to submerge our differences and realize that it is best for us to first see that we have the same problem, a common problem, a problem that will make you catch hell whether you're a Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Muslim, or a nationalist. Whether you're educated or illiterate, whether you live on the boulevard or in the alley, you're going to catch hell just like I am. We're all in the same boat and we all are going to catch the same hell from the same man. He just happens to be a white man. All of us have suffered here, in this country, political oppression at the hands of the white man, economic exploitation at the hands of the white man, and social degradation at the hands of the white man.

Now in speaking like this, it doesn't mean that we're anti-white, but it does mean we're anti-exploitation, we're anti-degradation, we're anti-oppression. And if the white man doesn't want us to be anti-him, let him stop oppressing and exploiting and degrading us. Whether we are Christians or Muslims or nationalists or agnostics or atheists, we must first learn to forget our differences. If we have differences, let us differ in the closet; when we come out in front, let us not have anything to argue about until we get finished arguing with the man. If the late President Kennedy could get together with Khrushchev and exchange some wheat, we certainly have more in common with each other than Kennedy and Khrushchev had with each other.

If we don't do something real soon, I think you'll have to agree that we're going to be forced either to use the ballot or the bullet. It's one or the other in 1964. It isn't that time is running out -- time has run out!

Questions:

1. What does Malcolm X say in the first paragraph that makes it sound like he and the people in the audience are all members of the same family?

2. Why do you think he does this?

3. Complete the sentence: ‘In my little humble way of ______________ it, it points toward either the ballot or the _______________.’

4. What literary device is the phrase ‘the ballot or the bullet’ an example of?

5. What religion is Malcolm X?

6. Which three people does Malcolm X mention in the second paragraph?

7. What is the effect on the reader/listener of him mentioning specific people?

8. Look at the third paragraph. Copy out one sentence in which Malcolm X tries to make it seem like he and the members of the audience are all in the same situation.

9. What technique doe Malcolm X use in the first sentence of the fourth paragraph?

10. Now have a go at the exam-style question below. It is worth 10 marks, so you will have to write around 200 words. You will need to include some quotes from the speech.

          How does Malcolm X try to persuade us that something needs to               be done about the problem of racism? Think about:

·        What he says

·        How he says it