Thursday 30 October 2014

Comic Strip- Language Features

Copy and paste the link below to see a comic strip. The dialogue contained in this comic strip features a number of language features. Please try to identify which ones are being used by Abdul, Nicky, Candace, Abisola, Tanaka and Beatrice ( I hope I mananged to spell all your names correctly). 



http://www.toondoo.com/public/m/i/a/miad15/toons/cool-cartoon-8072391.png

Exploration of the Ideas and Perspectives of the Writers.

Language Features PowerPoints

Please find below links to the PowerPoints you completed during the revision sessions. You now have the opportunity to see what your colleagues did on the day you did not attend.

Please do use these for your own information. I was very impressed with both; they are engaging and contain correct information. You can use these to aid your revision. 


https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/180H5pQ25N5328EiOQCz7SM-1-8fIU5Lks9aeZGV0TN4/edit?usp=sharing


https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fMigxfSYZMKDkrg4qzMnP4VaJl-HLIJm6WTbTJyopSo/edit?usp=sharing

Images- Denotation and Connotation

Images and Language Used to Explore their use

Denotation: What an image shows us superficially.


Connotation: What can be inferred from the image. 


Look at the images below and write down one sentence, or two if you feel more confident, that captures and analyses what the following images connote and denote. 





Using the sentences you created initially for each one, please create a paragraph following the PEE structure making use of all three images.

N.B You must use the words denotation/denotes and connotation/connotes. You must also define these terms in your own words. 

Sunday 26 October 2014

Please do NOT respond to this until after you attend your revision session

Tuesday 28th October 2014

Structure for the day

1. In pairs I want you to look at the mark scheme. Focus on band 3, 4 and 5. Underline and highlight important parts. Explore with one another what exactly you need to do to achieve each band.

2. In groups of 4 read the excerpts from your Mock assessments. Decides which ones are following the PEE structure. highlight, underline and signpost them to explain why their approach is ill formed or appropriately written.

3. Go over PowerPoint on language features- practise writing PEE structures. 


Lunch- yipee


4. You will now create a collaborative PowerPoint on language featurs (Google Docs- explanation). 




5.Write a poem-no less than 15 lines- using at least 7 of the language features. 


6. Pass your poem to a colleague and let them identify what language features you have used. 

Home time- yay!!

Please note!!!

Your assessment is approaching- 3rd November. Please spend time annotating the materials. Locate all the necessary features prior to sitting down to sit the controlled assessment. This is the benefit of having a seen assessment. You must fully exploit this fact. 

You will receive clean copies on the materials, but it will not take you more than ten minutes, at the beginning, to annotate the clean ones if indeed you did this at home. If this seems daunting, look at the way I annotated the front cover and how this informed my model answer.


Remember!!

Time and tide wait for no man. 

Procrastination is the thief of time.


Important Information Regarding Your Mock and Controlled Assessment


Record audio or upload mp3 >>

Saturday 25 October 2014

GCSE Mock- Day Group


Dear all, 

I wanted to remind you that you will be sitting your Mock the first week back after half-term (3/11/2014). Are you excited?

I was very pleased with the outcome of your first controlled assessment. You set the bar pretty high for the evening group.

Please continue to engage with the syllabus during your break and I shall see you on Thursday (30/10/2014). 

Best wishes, 

Maria. 







Mock Results- Evening Class

Dear all, 

 I wanted to make you aware that your Mock assessments have been marked and I am pleased to announce that in the main I was delighted with your efforts.

 As stated in class, I have taken into account that a majority of you have had very limited input due to late enrolment.

 However, I wanted to make you aware that I was very pleased with the quality of some of the responses. Surprisingly these were provided by students who joined the class late. I hope you will not mind me saying, but Madina, sabah and Nyase did particularly well. Both Saba and Madina joined on 13/10/2014. 

Therefore, this is proof that where you start is not important. It is how you finish that matters. You all have potential and access to the same resources. 

As long as you apply yourself and engage with the content, you will secure the grade you are looking for. 

 In an ideal world I would like to take full responsibility for Madina, Sabah and Nyase’s success, but the truth is they put in the hard work.

I hope their success not just inspires you, but encourages and motivates you to want to achieve! 


Maria. 



Audio Clip- Accompanies Previous Post


Audio recording and upload >>

Revisiting Your Ariana Grande Homework Task- How to Annotate!



Ubiquitous 2- which language feature is this?










Which language feature is this?


What is it that creates the effect? Look or sound?


What does its use tell us about the Metro? Could we expect this from the Sun and the Times? 


Would you be impressed if you spotted this kind of word-play in either of these newspapers?

Of Mice and Men

As promised, please find below the version of the text you will receive in the exam (Approximately mid-late June).



The digits below are the ISBN for this copy. This will help you to locate the text from a bookshop. 

 7801410023571 

I would recommend that you do not begin reading this until the Christmas break; you are currently having to engage with a lot of material within a very short space of time.

However, if you feel you would like to begin reading, please write a brief summary of each section. It will enable you to refer to the plot more easily at a later date as we begin to analyse it. 

 If you feel confident to read it simultaneously there are benefits; it will give you ample opportunity to engage with the skills you need for the first controlled assessment. If so, as you are reading your text, annotate it in-line with the language features you have recently been acquainted with. Please do this in pencil.

Tuesday 14 October 2014

Language Features Table


Please find the link to the Language Features table that learners who joined in previous weeks received. Fill this out from memory; it is always good to test your knowledge. When you've done this, and only then, use the PowerPoint on Language Features to help you. 

Please note, there a few on the sheet that do not feature on the PowerPoint. For these, you will need to research. This a skill that we all need to be constantly developing. Wouldn't you agree? (which language feature is this?) 

https://app.box.com/s/ueh0ck13nj2re4k4g1me

Assessment Materials

Dear all,

You mentioned yesterday that you experienced some difficulty accessing the controlled assessment materials. Please find attachments to them below:

https://app.box.com/s/h5w0j1u9v8209nra8yk0

https://app.box.com/s/6avo1vlgfvj730h58578

https://app.box.com/s/r7m10r254qlmv8wff7sr


All you need to do is copy and paste these links. If you have any problems, please email me personally. 


Please print these out and begin to annotate these documents with the information I have provided you with already.

For those of you who started just yesterday evening, please just look at the language features- try to identify these. If you feel confident enough explore the PEE structure we went through briefly yesterday. 

For those of you who have attended from the beginning or from the second week, I want you to try to identify and annotate both the leaflet and article in relation to colour, images, camera angle and language features.  If you feel confident, start linking your observations to the effects these choices have on the audience/readership and explain how they have targeted their readership and audience by making these choices. 

Good luck and have a productive week!

Maria. 

Thursday 9 October 2014

Beginnings of a Model Response

It is abundantly clear that the creator of this front cover has developed this with the target audience in mind. The typography, linguistic choices, colours and camera angle explicitly target the magazine's teenage girl audience. 

The words '# good hair day' have been strategically positioned to attract the audience of this magazine. Teenage girls often aspire to appear and be just like Ariana Grande. This typography has been emblazoned over her luxurious locks and directs the audience to her hair. Moreover, the creator has embedded a hash tag sign just before this statement. This makes reference to the conventions you can find on a known social networking site exploited by the younger generation, of which teenage girls are a part. 

Equally if one observes the statement 'Spend No Money & Still Go Shopping', it can be argued that this is also fitting with the target audience. These are the types of things young people often utter in conversations with their parents when in pursuit of the latest fashion. 

Ariana Grande is also pictured smiling. The photographer has made use of an eye level angle and this encourages young girls to believe that she is addressing them on a personal level. This is especially important as young females not just idolise her, but want to meet her. 

There are a number of other features that you can analyse (as I am sure you are aware). This is just a very brief, five minute, analysis and I expect you to dedicate a lot more time to this activity.

For example, 'Is Tumblr messing with your mind?' What language feature is this? (We explored this recently). You need to undertake a thorough analysis of the materials you have been provided with and these are the features you need to be able to identify and then explain the effectiveness of its use. 

Wednesday 8 October 2014

Summary and Perspective Task

I have just posted an article about bullying on Facebook. I Would like all of you to attempt two activities. 

The first thing I want you to do is read the article and then write a one paragraph summary on the text.

I would then like you to think about the answers to these questions-

Does a summary contain nice to know information or need to know information?

Should your summary be longer than the original text?

Should your summary contain quotations from the original text?

Please feel free to send me your summary for marking via email.


The second task is to re-read the text and try and locate the perspective of the writer. Once you feel you understand this, write at least three sentences 
explaining what you believe this to be. Please embed quotations to do this- remember the PEE structure. 

Monday 6 October 2014

All documents for First Controlled Assessment

Mark Scheme

Below is the mark scheme/criteria for your first assessment. I hope that you will be able to identify which ones represent each band. I have only made reference to band 3 (C grade), band 4 (B grade) and band 5 (A grade). I have purposely done this because I expect you all to be at least working towards these boundaries. However, my desire is for you to reach for that A grade. 

They are in ascending order, so there is no effort involved in working this out. Although I want you observe the differences and when you are annotating the text and thinking about your response to keep this information in mind.

Maria.  

Saturday 4 October 2014

Homework Task


Please find attached the front cover used in yesterday’s class. For your homework, you need to analyse both the front cover provided and one of your choice. You need to make reference to how they appeal to their target audiences with their use of colour, camera angle, typography and image. You need to complete this by next week’s lesson.
 
My recommendation is that you annotate both covers first and then follow the PEE structure we looked at in class.
 






Welcome

Dear all, 

Welcome! 

Here you will find as many resources as I can possibly post to aid your learning. You now have no excuse not to do homework, because I will be posting it here, and no excuse not to catch-up with missed work or content. I urge you to exploit this provision because it has huge potential to benefit your learning. I do not anticipate that any of you will have any issues navigating around my blog; you all seem to be more computer savvy than me. However, this does not mean that you cannot approach me for assistance with anything IT related. It may just be the case, though, that I direct you to IT services.

 Best wishes, Maria.