Homework, Friday 13th January, 2017

Click on the link below to read Empire magazine's review of The BFG.

http://www.empireonline.com/movies/bfg/review/


Now answer the following questions:

1. Why has Roald Dahl become easier since 1990?

2. Give one reason why he used to rage against filmmakers.

3. What do you think the phrase ‘Some films escaped his wrath though,’ means? (You might have to look up the word ‘wrath’).

4. What word is used to describe the opening of the story?

5. How can we tell from the review that this is Ruby Barnhill’s first role?

6. In what way is the portrayal of Sophie in this film different from Disney’s ‘archetypal heroine’?

7. Copy out the alliteration that is used in the third paragraph.

8. What word is used in the third paragraph to describe the dialogue?

9. What, according to the review, will make kids laugh?

10. What word does the writer use instead of ‘laughing’?

11. Why?

12. What do you think ‘… with scene after scene outstaying its welcome,’ means?

13. What criticism does the writer have of the bigger giants?

14. What word is used to describe Rebecca Hall as the Queen’s maid?

15. Sum the review up in twenty words or fewer.

As always, this is due on Monday (16th January)

Christmas holiday homework

End of term one massive quiz

Creative writing

1. What does the word ‘protagonist’ mean?

2. What is the opposite of a ‘protagonist’?

3. Is the following sentence written in the first or third person: ‘Sheldon screamed as the piano landed in front of him.’?

4. The following is an example of which literary technique: ‘The mouth of the tube station swallowed people in their hundreds’?

5. Roughly how many words should you aim to write for your short story in the exam?

6. What is the fancy word for ‘speech’ (as in, people talking to each other)?

7. Write a sentence in the first person.

8. Underline the adverbs in the following sentence: ‘Elizabeth crept stealthily into the room before quickly disabling the alarm.’?

9. The following is an example of which literary technique: ‘The leopard leapt lithely towards Leonard.’?

10. Put speech marks around the speech in the following sentence: Give that back, screamed Max. No! Lileth snapped back. It’s mine.

Letter writing

1. What always goes at the top of a formal letter?

2. Write down three words you could use to describe yourself in a job application letter.

3. If you sign-off a formal letter with the words ‘yours faithfully’, how would you start it?

4. Should you use surnames in an informal letter?

5. Give an example of a sign-off you could use in an informal letter.

6. Why are the first and last paragraphs of a formal letter usually shorter than the other paragraphs?

7. If you start a formal letter with the words ‘Dear Ms Johnson’, how should you sign it off?

8. What should go in between the addresses in a formal letter?

9. Complete the following sentence as if it was for a letter of complaint about a bad experience you had at a hotel: ‘I am writing to express …’

10. Give an example of a scenario in which you would write an informal letter.

Extension activities (as the Christmas holiday can be a busy time for people, these tasks are optional):

Creative writing

Write a short story of around 700 words using one of the titles:

·        The World In My Wardrobe

·        2026

·        The Girl With Two Brains

·        Cheat

·        Analysing Adrian

Letter writing

·        Your best friend, who lives in Italy, has written you a letter asking you what you would like to do when you visit next month. Write a reply.

·        You recently had a bad experience when you went ice skating with a friend. Write a letter of complaint to the ice skating rink.

Homework, 18th November, 2016

This week, I would like you to read the letter written by Nigel Farage (just to be clear, he didn't actually write it!) then answer the following questions:

1. Looking at the first paragraph, what word does Nigel Farage use instead of ‘newspaper’?

2. Why do you think he uses this word?

3. Nigel Farage is not very happy about the article. What word does he use to make this point clear?

4. What is the effect of the use of this word?

5. What does he do in the second paragraph that makes him sound reasonable?

6. What is it about the article that he is most annoyed about?

7. What does he say in the third paragraph to try and make us think that he is not alone in his opinions?

8. Why do you think he does this?

9. Write down one of the positive things he mentions about Brexit.

10. Find and copy out the sentence that has the same meaning as ‘None of the good things about Brexit were mentioned in the article and this makes it biased in favour of the liberals who make up much of the mainstream media.’

Now answer the following exam-style, 10 mark question:

How does Nigel Farage try to convince the reader that he is not a racist, that the article he has read is biased and that Brexit is good for Britain?

This is due on Monday, 21st November. 

Nigel Farage

132 Hammond Street

Sutton

SU8 9IK

16^th November 2016

The Editor

The Guardian

34 Jermyn Street

London

WS2 8HG

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to you in response to an article I read in your publication last week entitled Brexit – The Facts. I will say straight away that I was, quite frankly, appalled by the article, for the reasons laid out below. 

Firstly, whilst I acknowledge that there are several quite convincing arguments in favour of Britain staying in the European Union, most notably among them that there are certain benefits to being part of a free trade zone, the article seemed to suggest that there are no credible reasons whatsoever to leave, which couldn’t be further from the truth. As a supporter of Brexit, I have to say I found the level of bias in the article almost offensive, especially in its portrayal of Brexiteers such as myself as racist and backwards. 

In actual fact, I and many of my friends are well-informed on the subject and, whilst the opportunity to take back control of our borders is undoubtedly a tempting proposition, our reasons are more to do with the economy than immigration. When Britain finally comes out of the EU, we will be in a very strong position to negotiate new trade deals with any one of the many hundreds of non-EU nations from around the world, something we are not currently able to do due to regulations which, to put it bluntly, are strangling small business owners. 

On the issue of immigration, I have already stated that taking back control of our borders is of paramount importance if we are to avoid the population spiralling out of control, but this does not mean that I believe we should have no immigration whatsoever; indeed, my wife is an immigrant from Germany, and I have friends from all over the world who have come to our great country to work and contribute. 

Your article failed to mention any of the positive factors around Brexit, however, and is further evidence of the liberal bias that exists in the mainstream media. I don’t expect you to do anything about this, of course, because you have an agenda and you are going to keep pushing it come what may, but I simply couldn’t read an article like that and keep quiet about it. 

Yours faithfully

Nigel Farage

Homework, 11th November, 2016

Howdy, 

This week I would like you to read the letter below, then answer the questions that follow. 

This is due on Monday, 14th, 2016

Phillip Smith

12 Bishop’s Avenue

Fulham

SW6 6EG

16^th December, 2015

The Editor

TV Choice Magazine

17 Cardinal Road

London

W1 7YG

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to you to express my views on the topic of reality television, following an article I saw in your magazine last week. 

Reality television is a controversial subject which divides opinion. On one side there are people who think it is very boring and silly, and isn’t even very real because many of these programmes are based on unrealistic situations, for example I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, in which celebrities who aren’t even that famous are put on an island and forced to survive, which is a situation most people will never find themselves in. Then there is Made in Chelsea, in which rich Londoners have conversations in expensive bars about their relationships, which is clearly scripted and most people who live in London don’t live that kind of life anyway. 

My feeling, however, is that, although reality television might not be very realistic, it has a place on television because it is entertaining and can be quite educational. I’m a Celebrity, whilst it might be quite over the top in places, does give us a view into people’s minds, so, although we may not learn very much about survival techniques, we do learn about people, and, as we are surrounded by people everyday, I would argue that this is actually more useful. It is also very entertaining, as there is just something interesting and often quite funny about the things the celebrities say and do, especially when they are arguing with each other, so it works in the same way as a comedy. 

For these reasons, I believe that reality television has a place in our society and I hope there are enough people who agree with me to keep it going. 

Yours faithfully, 

Phillip Smith

Reading task

1. Scan through the letter to find and underline the following words (some of the words appear more than once):

·         Controversial 

·         Unrealistic

·         Famous

·         Relationships

·         Scripted

·         Entertaining

·         Educational

·         Techniques

·         Interesting

2. What is the overall purpose of the letter?

3. In the first line, what word could have been used instead of ‘express’?

4. Does the second paragraph confirm that the person who wrote the letter is anti-reality television?

5. How do we know this?

6. Based on how it is used in the first line of the second paragraph, what does the word ‘controversial’ mean?

7. What, according to the letter, are the two main problems with I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, as far as some people are concerned?

8. Which word in the second to last line is used to tell us that Made in Chelsea isn’t actually real?

9. What are the two main arguments in favour of reality television that are put forward in the third paragraph?

10. What, according to the third paragraph, can we learn from watching I’m a Celebrity?

11. Re-write the last sentence of the third paragraph, which begins ‘It is also very entertaining …’ in your own words.

12. What is the overall conclusion of the letter?

13. Looking at the letter as a whole, why are the first and fourth paragraphs so much shorter than the second and third? 

Homework, 4th November, 2016

You recently broke your arm and are now recovering in hospital. Your best friend has written you a letter wishing you a speedy recovery. Write a reply. You can use the guideline sheet (see HW folder) to help you. You can write it on a computer and print it out, or by hand on a piece of lined paper. You should aim for around 350 words. 

Below is an example of an informal letter. This is the kind of thing you are aiming to write. 

Samwise Fair

67 Rake Street

Chelsea

SW5 8UG

1^st November, 2016

Dear Nan and Grandad,

How long has it been? Three years? How have you been? Grandad, how have you been after the greenhouse fell down? Have you managed to get a new one yet? Nan, have you got any new knitting projects on the go?

I am writing to you to tell you what I would like for Christmas. I feel a bit bad about this because I haven’t seen you for so long, but mum and dad said you really wanted to get me something. So, what I would like is a memory foam pillow. I need one because I have been having trouble with my neck, and apparently memory foam is good for this. You can buy them on Amazon for around £25.99. If you could get me one of those, that would be great. If you can’t find one, or if it’s a little bit too expensive, then you can get me some Lego. You might be thinking that I’m a bit too old for that, but there are Lego sets for all ages now. I would love anything from the Star Wars range. Some of the stuff is quite expensive, but there are cheaper sets you can get for around £10. Again, you can get these on Amazon, or in most toy shops. They even have specialist Lego shops, which are quite fun to visit if you fancy a day out of the house. 

Anyway, I have to go now because I’ve got loads of revision to do for my exams, which are coming up soon. I’m really looking forward to seeing at Christmas. 

Lots of love, 

Samwise

Homework, October 14th, 2016

Hi,

Read the short story, Initiation, then fill in a story planning sheet for it. Then answer the comprehension questions. Everything you need is in your homework folder, but if you lose it, it is all below, apart from the planning sheet, which won't copy across. This is due on Monday, October 17th. 

Initiation

As she walked up to the school gates, Sam shuddered slightly, but not from the cold. The building loomed there in front of her, foreboding, menacing. Its bricks were a lifeless, dirty grey, and in the centre, above the main entrance, was an imposing tower that stood like a sentinel. The new school would have obliterated her primary school in a fight.

            ‘Don’t worry,’ said Sam’s dad in his best attempt at a reassuring voice as they came to a halt, ‘you’ll be fine. Grace’ll look after you.’ As he spoke, he adjusted her blazer, which was about two sizes too big for her, although she was very petite, so was used to clothes not fitting her properly.

            ‘Yeah …’ Sam replied, although she wasn’t sure she would be.

            ‘Bye then,’ said her dad awkwardly as he dispatched a peck on the head and started to walk away. He had never been that good at making his youngest daughter feel comfortable.

            Sam gave him a final desperate look, then began shuffling nervously through the gates, her bag, heavy with books, hanging clumsily off her shoulder. All around her children ran, shouted, played, or just congregated in huddled, conspiratorial groups, as if they were plotting some mischievous deed. She felt like a thousand pairs of eyes were all staring at her, even though she knew they weren’t.

            She remembered from her taster day a few months previously where she was supposed to go: her form room was at the end of the main corridor, on the left, so she made a beeline for it. She knew she should probably try talking to people, but she didn’t really feel like trying to socialise in that moment. In fact, what she actually wanted to do was curl up into a little ball in a corner somewhere.

            When she found the room, she looked inside, but it was vacant. The bell hadn’t rung, so she waited outside. As she waited, a gaggle of three chirping girls approached her. They were all a few years older than her and their faces were caked in makeup. Sam shrank back against the wall.

            ‘Aaah,’ said one of the girls, who was slightly taller than the others and had long hair that had been considerably lightened by peroxide. ‘It’s one of the new year sevens. How sweet!’

            For a second, Sam relaxed; it seemed like they were just being friendly, but then one of the other girls reached out and snatched her bag right out of her hand.

            ‘What’s in here?’ she said gleefully as she began rifling through Sam’s belongings. ‘You won’t be needing these,’ she continued as she the pink pencil case Sam’s mum and dad had given her for Christmas spilt out onto the floor, followed by some of her exercise books.

            Sam wanted more than anything to stand up for herself, to tell the girls to stop, but she just couldn’t muster up the courage to say anything. Instead, she felt her eyes begin to moisten.

            Then, through the tittering of her torturers came a new voice. ‘What’s going on?’ it asked, authoritatively. The voice belonged to another girl. She was about the same age as the other three, but there was something about the way she spoke that betrayed a maturity beyond her apparent years.

            ‘We’re just making sure this year seven is settling in,’ said the blonde.

            ‘Come on,’ the new girl said, ‘I didn’t have breakfast this morning. Let’s go and get some food.’

            As the four girls walked away, the new girl glanced back at Sam and winked.

           

The rest of the day went surprisingly well. Sam made friends with some of the other girls in her form, all of whom were in the same boat as her: nervous and new. When she got home that evening, her sister Grace was sitting in the living room.

            ‘So,’ she asked, ‘how was it?’

            ‘Yeah,’ Sam replied. ‘Not too bad.’ Then, after a pause, she said, ‘thanks for helping me out this morning. Those girls were really mean.’

            ‘I know,’ Grace said. ‘I should really get some new friends.’            

            The two girls smiled at each other and, in that moment, Sam knew that, however difficult big school got, she would always have her big sister around to look out for her.

Initiation comprehension questions

1. In the first line, if it wasn’t the cold that caused Sam to shudder, what was it?

2. Write down three adjectives that could be used to describe the school that haven’t already been used in the story.

3. There is an example of simile in the first paragraph. Copy it down.

4. There is also an example of personification in the first paragraph. Copy it down.

5. What word does the writer use in the first paragraph that could be replaced by ‘destroyed’?

6. Write down one sentence to describe Sam’s dad.

7. As well as stating that she is petite, what detail does the writer give to emphasise the fact that Sam is very small?

8. Based on how it used in the story, what do you think the word ‘conspiratorial’ means?

9. How does the writer create a sense of foreboding about the school? Mention the following things:

·         The description of the building

·         The description of the children playing outside it

Try and write around 100 words for this. You can use the following sentence starters:

            ‘The building is described as … This creates the impression that it is … The children                       playing outside it are ... This creates the impression that they are …’

You can also use the following words to help you:

Foreboding                      menacing                    big                    daunting                      scary

Huddled                      conspiratorial                      unfriendly                      antisocial

10. Now think about the girls who bully Sam. How does the writer create a sense that they are unpleasant? Aim to write around 100 words, but this time without any sentence starters or key words to help you.

11. Why do you think the writer doesn’t tell us that the girl who helps Sam out is her sister until the end?

12. Why do you think the story is called Initiation?

Homework, Friday, 7th October

Hi!

This week I would like you to have a go at a GCSE exam-style exam question from the fiction paper. It gets you to think about how information is revealed to the reader. This will obviously help you with the reading section of the paper, but will also help you improve your own creative writing as it will get you to think about how you structure what you write. 

This is quite difficult, so don't worry if you struggle with it, but do have a go. We will go through it all in class. 

Because I have photocopied the activity from a book, I can't provide you with a link to it here, but everything you need is in you homework folder. 

This is due on Monday. 

Good luck!