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New Videos!

Hey all, Lots of new videos on the "Poetry Videos" tabs and more coming tomorrow. Enjoy!

Biblical Parallels

Objective: To explore, analyse and criticise the links between LOTF and The Bible

Task:

As a comment on this post, write at least one paragraph in answer to the question:

What does the reader learn from Golding's portrayal of the character Simon?

Ensure that you:

• Include both similarities and differences to The Bible
• Link your analysis to what we learn about human nature

Use the video guides to help improve your analysis if you need to.

Homework on Simon

Homework for Friday is to complete the annotation of the character analysis of Simon by adding quotations to support all of the points. Try to draw on as wide a variety of evidence as you can.

Lord of the Flies

We got to 44 minutes...

Homework due on Wednesday

Write your own answer to the June 2011 Of Mice and Men Exam question using the plans you created in the lesson today and the structure which you learned in the lesson.

Homework due on Monday 22nd

For Monday, please watch all six of these videos. If there is anything you disagree with or anything which you find particularly interesting, please post it as a comment.

New Video

Hi all,

A new video for you summarising the plot and key events in "Of Mice and Men" and drawing more than a little inspiration from Toby and Damian's work from last year:

I've also created a new playlist on Vega pulling together a number of videos on "Of Mice and Men" which I'll be adding to over the next few weeks.

Holiday Homework

Don't forget, over Easter you should aim to re-read both "Lord of the Flies" and "Of Mice and Men". We'll be starting with "Of Mice and Men" when we get back so make sure this is done by next week please.

You can also access loads of "Of Mice and Men" resources on this website:

Of Mice and Men Revision Website

Homework due Thursday 28th

Your homework due on Thursday is to write a poem in which you imagine you are holding your infant child in your arms for the first time. The poem should outline your thoughts and feelings about the child and your hope for their future.

Marking

The cat is absolutely determined that I will not mark your books (apologies Xanthe- I'll pick the hairs off!)

Homework on Poetic Devices due Thursday 7th March

Watch these four videos and annotate the examples used in your copy of the anthology:

Homework due Tuesday

Watch this video of Simon Armitage talking about his poem "Manhunt":

As a comment on this post, answer the following question:

What is Manhunt about?

Homework due Friday 1st March

Our focus has no shifted from "Lord of the Flies" to poetry. In today's lesson, we studied the peom "Nettles" by Vernon Scannell and focused on the relationship between father and son. Some of the key points we discussed were:

• The naivety of the father in believing he can protect the son from the evils of the world
• The father's futile anger as manifested by his destruction of the nettle bed
• The son's loss of innocence (as represented by the "watery grin" which could imply his smile is no longer innocent and is forever blurred and tarnished by the pain he has now experienced
• The strength of the protective bond between father and son
• The son's reliance on his father for protection

Your homework, due on Friday, is to answer the following question.

How does Scannell use “Nettles” to show the anguish of parenthood?

I'm expecting 200-400 words or around one to two sides in your exercise book. Make sure you use quotations.

Half term Homework

Hi all, Your homework over half term is to complete two of the following essays in timed conditions (45 minutes):
1) What do you think is the importance of Simon in LOTF?
2) How does Golding present violence in LOTF?
3) How does Golding present Piggy as a "true, wise friend"?
4) What do you think is the importance of Jack in LOTF and how does Golding present him?
5) How does Golding make the conch so important in the novel?
6) How does Golding make Roger such a terrifying figure?
7) How does Golding use the setting of the island to impact on his reader?
8) How does Golding make the Beastie so important in the novel?

 Don't forget to use the videos to help you. Any questions (or work) can be posted as comments here. Good luck!

Getting the A*!

Objectives:

• To learn to analyse Golding's portrayal of Ralph
• To learn to write an A* paragraph

Task 1:

When you have logged on and opened the blog, find a learning partner for the lesson and discuss the following question with them: In what way is teh story of LOTF similar to the story of EGA?

Task 2:

Add as many words as you can to the following Answer Garden to describe the character Ralph:


What words would you use to describe Ralph's personality?... at AnswerGarden.ch.

Task 3:

Read the example answer you have been given and annotate where it meets each of the A* success criteria

Task 4:

In a word document, answer the following question: How does Golding present Ralph in "Lord of the Flies"?

You have 25 minutes so I should be seeing around two paragraphs

Task 5:

Post your answer as a comment on this blog post then read you learning partner's work. Reply to their comment with a post explaining WWW and EBI

Task 6:

Read the feedback your partner has given you. Now re-draft and improve one paragraph of your answer so that it meets the targets you have been set. Use the videos on the tab at the top to help you and also look at the work of other members of the class to see who has met your targets.

Task 7:

Post your re-drafted answer then, on a post-it note, complete the following sentence: I demonstrated progress when I re-drafted my work because I...

In case you've ever wondered why it takes me so long to get my marking done...

That's Toby's book he's sitting on!

Alternative Interpretations

Objectives:

• To learn to offer alternative interpretations of a quotation
• To learn to analyse the character of Jack in detail

Task 1:

Complete the poll on the right hand side of the blog by selecting the character who you believe is most to blame for the horrific events of the novel. Be prepared to explain your choice.

Task 2 Silent Debate- It's a debate Jack, but not as we know it!

The following quotation describes Jack towards the end of the novel:

"The Chief snatched one of the few spears that were left and poked Sam in the ribs." p.224

Does quotation suggests that Jack is the main cause of the problems on the island?

Use the comment and reply functions to debate around the class. The room should be silent as all communication should be online!


Task 3:

Is Jack to blame for what has gone on? Answer in detail as a comment on this post including the quotation, detailed analysis and at least two different interpretations.

Homework due on Tuesday 12th

Homework due on Monday:

"Lord of the Flies" is a terrifying novel. To what extent do you agree with this statement? What methods does Golding use to lead you to your view?

3 main quotes, 45 minutes. The mark scheme can be downloaded here (page 9). You can complete this task either in your book or on the blog.

A Terrifying Novel?

Objectives:

• To learn to analyse the whole novel in answer to a question
• To prepare an answer to a real exam question

Task 1:

Write as many different answers as you can into the following answer garden:


In what ways is "Lord of the Flies" terrifying?... at AnswerGarden.ch.

Task 2

Choose an answer (either yours or someone else's) then write a comment on this post in which you explain your choice and give a quotation from the novel (don't forget to include the page number).

Homework due on Monday:

"Lord of the Flies" is a terrifying novel. To what extent do you agree with this statement? What methods does Golding use to lead you to your view?

3 main quotes, 45 minutes. The mark scheme can be downloaded here (page 9). You can complete this task either in your book or on the blog.

Homework due Monday 4th

Your homework due Monday is to finish reading Lord of the Flies. Next week, we will being our exam preparation in earnest and so it is really important that the book is read to leave us with enough time to focus on the exam and what you need to do to get that A* grade. Any questions about what is happening or bits you don't understand, please feel free to post them on here.

Homework due on Wednesday 30th

Your homework for Wednesday is to read as far as the end of chapter 6. It is a very good idea to keep notes on key events and quotations in your exercise book or on the blog.

Characterisation in Chapter 3

Here are the revision sheets you made on the characterisation of Jack, Ralph and Simon in Chapter 3:

You can download all six sheets as a PDF by clicking on this link:

Download Chapter 3 Revision Sheets

Homework due Monday 28th January

Your homework due Monday is to write a mini-essay in answer to the following question:

 How does Golding present the relationship between Ralph and Jack in the first three chapters?

You need to make three different points (so three paragraphs total with at least one quotation in each) and you should look to follow the following AOs in each one:

AO1: Answer the question with a full sentence
AO2: Inlcude a quotation
AO3: Begin explanation with "this shows..."/"this implies..."
AO4: Analyse the lanugage of the quotation
AO5: Analyse the symbolic meaning of the quotation
AO6: Use Golding's name frequently
AO7: Use a sophisticated vocabulary

Please write your answer as a comment on this post. Don't forget to select Name/URL from the drop down menu then type your name into the space provided (leaving URL blank).

Civilisation & Savagery in Chapter 1

Awesome new video, thank you guys!

Innocence and Experience in the Opening of LOTF

Please use this lesson summary to catch up on any notes which you didn't manage to get written down in the lesson.

In today's lesson, we focused on the theme of innocence and experience in the opening of the novel and on how these were represented in the characters of Ralph and Piggy. Some of the ideas which you came up with are as follows:

Ralph
Whilst Ralph might, at first, seem a confident and mature character, particularly when compared to Piggy, closer examination reveals him to be more innocent and naive than it might initially seem the case.

Innocence:

Whilst Ralph might, at first, seem a confident and mature character, particularly when compared to Piggy, closer examination reveals him to be more innocent and naive than it might initially seem the case.

• "Not yet old enough for adolescence to have made him awkward." p.15 Here, Golding is at pains to point out that, despite certain of his behaviours, Ralph is still very mush a child and therefore carries with him the naivity and innocence of childhood
• "He stood on his head and grinned at the reversed fat boy. 'No grown-ups!'" p.12 Shows his innocent excitement and failure to realise the dangers of the situation in which they find themselves.
• "When he gets leave he'll come and rescue us." p.19 Here, Ralph again shows the naive certainties of youthful innocence. His belief in his father is misguided but also demonstrates a childish reliance on the adult world (a world which the boys will try to recreate for themselves in the novel).

Experience:

• "'How does he know we're here?' Because, thought Ralph, because, because." p.19 Ralph's realisation that his father may not come for him demonstrates the beginning of his loss of innocence.
• "'Get my clothes,' muttered Ralph." p.20 In realising that their situation is far more dire and less fun than he had first thought, Raph's mood changes markedly.

Piggy

Piggy, through his lack of independence, might at first seem a more childlike character but, in this opening, there are clues that, the the harshness of the life he has lived to this point, he is in fact a more experienced and less innocent character than we first presume.

Innocence:

• "Looked at the water with bright, excited eyes." p.15 Shows his childish enthusiasm and sense of magic and wonder at the situation in which they find themselves
• "So long as they don't call me what they used to call me at school."p.16 Piggy naively reveals his greatest fear to Ralph, relying on his good nature not to use it against him. Ralph is, of course, a child (and one who is no longer bound by adult rules) and therefore picks on this weakness immediately
• "He laid a hand ont he end of a zipper that extended down his chest. 'My Auntie-'" p.16 Piggy's reluctance to disobey his Auntie's instructions, even in removing his wind-cheater (an item of clothing totally unsuitable for the climatic conditions in which he finds himself, demonstrates his youthful reliance on the adult world

Experience:

• "' My dad's dead,' he said quickly, 'and my mum-'" p.19 Piggy reveals the hardships of his past which have resulted in his more mature and adult outlook on the world around him. His desire for a sense of order and justice could well stem from the tragedies of his early childhood.
• "We got to do something." p.21 It is Piggy who first proposes means to establish order and routine on the island, thus laying the foundation of the primitive society which comes to exist.

Homework Due Tuesday 15th January

Read Chapter 1 of "Lord of the Flies". Write a paragraph summarising the key events of the chapter. You can either complete this in your exercise book or as a comment on this blog post.