HELP!!

18/1/2013

 
Picture
We (I mean I of course) are a little out of touch with all of the new media concepts and technology available to you younger digital natives these days. The English department needs your help!
I would like you to have a look at the word document below, where I have put down some technical vocabulary (as much as I know anyway) such as new buzz words like 'tweeting' and 'bebo generation'. I'm sure that you all know lots of media and technology jargon that I don't (I feel like a dinosaur!). Could you post a new word to the blog (MAKE SURE IT IS RELEVANT TO MEDIA STUDIES PLEASE) and give a quick explanation as to what on Earth you are talking about. Images and diagrams will get extra marks in the continuous assessment. Remember, please ensure accurate grammar and spelling online. We are being watched......
p.s. I hope to create a 'dictionary' of important media studies jargon. Your help is much appreciated.

media_studies_lexicon.docx
File Size: 10 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

 
Picture
So, what did you think of this story?

Comment on Dahl's characterisation of Mary Maloney.
Can you comment on the irony in the story?
Talk about Dahl's use of foreshadowing? How does he create tension? 
What/where is the crisis?

Christmas Reading

17/12/2012

 
Picture
I hope you all have a book or two on your Santa lists! After the Christmas dinner, you should begin to read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon.

We will be doing a group reading of this when we return from the holidays. Please pay special attention to the character (Christopher) and the idea of crisis and resolution. We will be preparing an in-depth character profile.

Feel free to continue reading other books also. Some of you may have got the Dahl short story bug. I got it when i was eight and it has never left me.

Another novel that I highly recommend is The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. This fantastic book has just been released as a blockbuster movie. I implore you to read the book BEFORE seeing the movie. Indeed, it may warrant a debate in class.
I want to wish you all a very happy Christmas 



Book Review

12/11/2012

 
                     GIRL,MISSING

Genre: Adventure
Author: SophieMckenzie

PLOT
Lauren has been wondering about her life before she was adopted . When she finds an old website advertising missing children, she spots a face that she recognises. Lauren is determined to find her biological parents and find out if she was that girl in the ad and why is she listed as missing if she was adopted? Why isn't anyone answering her questions? The story starts off in England but as Lauren enrolls on her adventure she ends up in America searching for her parents. Lauren's best friend James helps her on her adventure and his mom Carla. Carla uses hypnotherapy to help Lauren remember her past but all Lauren can remember is being on the beach with a lady she presumes is her biological mother. As Lauren gets closer to finding out all the secrets that have been kept from her her whole life the flashback of being on the beach makes more sense. The more Lauren finds out the more danger she is in.

CHARACTERS 
Lauren Matthews (Martha-Lauren Purditt) is the protagonist in this story. Lauren is fourteen years old and has brown hair and blue eyes. She lives with her adoptive mom and dad, Mr and Mrs Matthews. She also has an adoptive brother named Rory Matthews. They all live together in England. Lauren is a friendly, likeable girl. I find her a very realistic and believable character along with all the other characters. My favourite character in this story is either Lauren or her best friend James (Jam). I find them both humorous and realistic. I could imagine both of them as real people. My least favourite character is Sonia Holtwood. I dislike her the most because she is a very cruel character only caring about herself even though she a very clever well thought out character. 

EVALUATION
I really enjoyed this book all though I thought I wouldn't. This book really intrested me. It is a romance and adventure all in one. It is a very fast paced book, I couldn't seem to put it down. It is an addictive read with an engrossing plot. I really liked the style of the story and the way it was written. It is probably my favourite book to read and i could read it many times and it would never get boring. The adventure starts from the first page and doesn't end until the last.  Overall, this was an absolute brilliant story and was very well thought out. 

RECOMMENDATION
I would recommend this book to anyone from ten to fifteen years old. I would recommend it for boys and girls. This book is suitable for anyone who loves adventure. It is such an enthralling book, full of excitement, you really don't know what will happen next! If you like exciting adventures you will definitely love this book.

STAR RATING
I would give this excellent book a 5/5! 

Ella Caird

The Visitor

24/10/2012

 
The Visitor

Sliding in slippers along the house-side
You find fragments of the turkey’s carcass
Beneath the toppled dustbin lid. And there
On the lawn's snow quilt, a line of paw marks.
Town fox, that wraith of winter, soundlessly
Thieved here as frost bit hard and stars shivered.
This bleak morning, under a raw-boned sky
You stoop to examine the frozen tracks
And print yours where a spectral guest came late to share a Christmas dinner. From the
Gable-end a starved wind razors and
From the split gutters icicles hang like fangs.

Q1. What, do you think, is the message in the poem?

Q2. What words/images best capture the harshness of winter?

the_visitor.docx
File Size: 11 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

Haiku

23/10/2012

 
So how are we getting on with our Haiku compositions? It's harder than you think, isn't it?
Here are some guidelines in case you get stuck.
Make Basho proud folks.

Metaphor poems

16/10/2012

 
Please submit your metaphor poems here. I would love to see you commenting on each others work. The best of the best will be forwarded to Ms Howard for publication. Also, please do NOT leave your email addresses on this site; there's no need. All I want is your first name and first initial of surname. Thanks to those who have posted. Also, please be extra careful with your punctuation...we are an English blog after all...ha ha.
 
dulce_et_decorum_est_text.doc
File Size: 30 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

dulce_et_decorum_est_background_notes.doc
File Size: 33 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

 
Christopher Hitchens recites Wilfred Owen's WW1 poem 'Dulce et decorum est'.
I look forward to reading your comments....

October 10th, 2012

10/10/2012

 
Remember to vote on the theme for the next poem we examine in class. Thanks to those who have already voted. Also. let me know if you wish to enter the fantasy writing competition. So far I have ONE entry...thank you Jack.