Powerful sentences on fighting

Ms Quick's main body paragraph on fighting and handling conflict:

Fighting may be wrong, but is it avoidable?  I believe we can avoid fighting if we make careful choices to communicate respectfully.  Knocking someone over the head just because they didn't choose you for their sports team in PE class is definitely wrong, and surely avoidable.  Some people show their anger in punches and kicks, while others show it in loud, strident voices.  Both punching and shouting show a lack of control.  I think that rather than focusing on fighting in schools, we should focus on how to communicate our ideas, concerns, worries and frustrations through talking it through and especially through listening to others.  This could lead to much more enjoyment of school life for all students.

I have printed a paper copy of this for everyone to annotate to identify:

• at least five sentences
• a short sentence
• a sentence with listing within it 
• a sentence with one or more subordinate clause
• alliteration
• detail about a person or place that helps us imagine a lot more about the person/place.
• adventurous vocabulary

Wednesday 27 November 2019

Do now: silent reading

Learning objective: to create powerful sentences.
Success criteria:
1. I can describe the benefits of varied sentence types (short, long, subordinate clauses, lists within sentences).
2. I can identify the effects of different vocabulary choices.
3. I can apply my new knowledge to making my own formal writing more powerful.

Short sentences are most useful for making impact.  e.g. He died.  e.g. Then I dropped the whole thing.

Using subordinate clauses within a sentence allows us to create a more complex idea.  e.g. Before I could even get in the door, the screams from the other side led me to be very nervous indeed.

Using lists within a sentence can increase the impact of the idea you are developing.  e.g. As I made my way up the path to the front door, I saw Aunty Mary, Uncle John, six snotty-nosed cousins from Hokitika, my older brother's very pregnant girlfriend, my older brother, Grandma and Dad all staring at the present that I was trying to hold still in my arms, without much success.

Vocabulary

Can you use different words to increase the power of the idea you are developing?

Can you use a rhetorical question, or a simile?

How will you link information through alliteration to focus the reader on a particular detail?

Next activity is via Socrative.  Log in as a student here.  Room name = MSQUICK

You will each be given a party scenario.  You are going to describe the party using:

• at least five sentences
• a short sentence
• a sentence with listing within it 
• a sentence with one or more subordinate clause
• alliteration
• detail about a person or place that helps us imagine a lot more about the person/place.
• adventurous vocabulary

Commas

Grammarly guide: When to use a comma

Khan Academy video: all about commas

What kind of cafeteria food do we want in 2020?

Morena
Today our focus is on making a difference in our school.  The current managers of our school cafeteria are leaving the school at the end of this year.  So we get to put our views to the school management and to the tender process.  Student voice is really important in this! 

A tender is when organisations put in a bid to run our cafeteria, and the one with the best proposal (quality food and affordable prices) gets the contract.

Here are some resources to help you make your recommendations:

• The Ministry of Education's guidance on healthy food in schools.
• Government's plan to give free school lunches to primary school students in poor schools.
• Why do we love hot chips so much?

I have put the questions on socrative, which you can access here.  Room name: MSQUICK

1. The first question links to the writing on the cafeteria which many of you worked on last term.  You can use this writing!  I would really like Mrs McKnight and Mr England to see your careful, thoughtful, wonderful thinking!
2. Design your own menu!  Think about affordability, taste, healthiness.

Learning for Tuesday 12 November 2019

Morena 10QI
I am off school sick today.  I've had to change the activities around a bit due to not being with you.  I've also set up a workspace, as I know that is what you are often used to in other subjects.

Please go to your student dashboard and find the workspace called 10QI Ncea Preparation (the link is for your relief teacher).

Your first activity is a writing one: what would you like to be doing when you are 25 (link for reliever here).  You have one minute of planning and question time, and then 12 minutes of silent writing.

Secondly, please watch the NCEA video.  It is a bit corny, but hopefully useful.  Your reliever and you can work out together whether they play it on the big screen, or you watch it individually on your chromebooks.

Thirdly, I want you to work in groups to make a 'highlights of year 10 video."  Instructions are also on the workspace.  Link for reliever here.

Focus on poems

Poem #1 is about friendship.  Make a document in your English folder called "October poetry," read the poem and answer the questions below it.

Insurance taken out to protect a friendship from ending - Poem by Glenn Colquhoun

We should swap heads.
Yours would be a circle
And mine would be a square.

We should swap arms.
Yours would be two apples
And mine would be two pears.

We should swap legs.
Yours would be an elephant's
And mine would be a fox.

We should swap lungs.
Yours would be two bags of wind
And mine would be two socks.


We should swap toes.
Yours would be from Mexico
And mine would be from Spain.

We should swap ears.
Yours would be like blocks of ice
And mine would be like flames.

We should swap hearts.
If you ever go away
I could just explain

How part of me has left with you
And part of you remains.

1. What do you think this poem is about?

2. How does Glen Colquhoun show the contrast in personality between the two friends?

3. Is this poem mostly similes or mostly metaphors?  Give examples to back up your answer.

4. Copy this poem into your document.  Find pictures to illustrate each verse (stanza) so that you are showing the images the poet creates in your head.

5. Imagine you are writing this poem about a friend and yourself, or about a sibling and yourself.  Have a go at writing your own poem about insurance from a friendship ending.

6. You can read your own book once you have done this work.

OR you can try this poem instead.  Click on the link, read the poem and answer the questions, writing in the same document as you made at the beginning of the lesson.

What would you do?

Today we are going to watch a short film called Bend in the Road.

After we have watched the film, we will have a discussion, and then write a paragraph relating to the film, using a range of sentence structures and fabulous vocabulary.

Writing on white lies

White lies - necessary or evil?
In groups, come up with two paragraphs:
1. that white lies are necessary
2. that white lies are evil

Writing prompt

Words can do more harm than fists.

Do you agree or disagree?
What arguments are there for each side?

Next steps: close reading on protest in New Zealand

Some of you will have studied protest movements in New Zealand Studies last year, or possibly in Global Studies this year.  The reading test next week uses texts from across the Maths, Science, Social Studies (Global) and English learning areas.  The more familiar you are with the topics, the easier it is to focus on the reading comprehension skills in the test.  Below, I have added some reading material and tasks.

Article from here.

This article and video focuses on the famous Hamilton game, where protests against the South African (all white - black players were barred) team playing forced the game to be cancelled.

In Auckland, flour bombs and flares were dropped on the game, which was the last in the tour.  You can read about that here.

The protests against the 1981 Springbok tour changed New Zealand forever.  Families were divided by their beliefs about whether the tour should happen and more people protested about this tour than anything ever before in New Zealand.

For many Maori, it also prompted questions about the white protestors, who were so keen to fight against racism in South Africa, but didn't seem to be so interested in challenging racism here in New Zealand.

Questions

1. What does injustice mean?
2. What does racial injustice mean?
3. The phrase "flour bombs and flares" is an example of which language technique?
4. In your own words, explain what a flour bomb is, and how it was used in the protests against the rugby tour and games.
5. Do you think the current climate action protests are as important as the Spring Bok Tour protests in 1981?  Give reasons to support your answer.

Thursday 26 September 2019

Kia ora 10QI students
What happened yesterday?  I can't see any writing from anyone in your English folders on Google Drive, and no one emailed me at the end of the lesson with one thing they had learned and one question/thing they needed help with.

Your brainstorms on A3 paper from Tuesday will be on my desk.  The two prompts to choose from for your writing are here.  I made an exemplar of a plan, an introduction and a SEXY paragraph here.  I've made a few changes this morning at the bottom of the document.

I want you all to have a really good go at this work.  The skills are useful for your writing in lots of subjects next year, and will prepare you for the asttle writing test next term.

If you are stuck and no one around you can help, please email me.  The bug I have means I am asleep a lot, but if I am awake, then I will definitely be happy to help.

Essay resources

Kia ora koutou
I am off sick today, but I've made some resources to help you with your persuasive writing.

Please start the lesson with 15 minutes of silent reading.  Hopefully you have brought your dystopian novels with you to class.

Then I want you to carry on with your planning for your essays on hope vs despair or on the priorities of the school cafe.  I have made some resources for you here to show you how to move from first brainstorm to planning what will go in each paragraph.  Then I have included the parts of an essay, a reminder about a SEXY paragraph and an exemplar of an introduction and a SEXY paragraph.

Today I want you to make a detailed plan, and to write your introduction.

In the last ten minutes of the lesson, I want each of you to email me with:
1. One thing you have learned or achieved today
2. One thing you need more help on tomorrow.

Thanks.  Ngā mihi, Ms Quick

Writing to persuade

The last week of term!
This week is about writing to persuade.  We are going to use the context of our reading dystopian novels.  I have put two choices for you for your writing.  

For each one, I am looking to see you:

• develop ideas with supporting details and examples and explanations
• to use powerful vocabulary
• use the essay writing structure (introduction, SEXY main body paragraphs, conclusion)

Choices:

Hope is more powerful than despair

Do you agree or disagree?  Based on your reading of dystopian novels, are there ideas to support both sides of this topic?  Write to persuade your reader of your ideas.

OR

Our school cafeteria should focus on healthy food

Do you agree or disagree? Are there ideas to support both sides of this topic? Write to persuade your reader of your ideas.

We will start with brainstorming ideas, and looking at what it means to meet each level of the ideas criteria:

1. Ideas are relevant and begin to show some complexity AND Text has one elaborated idea OR Text has several ideas that have some elaboration

2. Ideas are complex and elaborated

3. Ideas show insight, originality and some authority and/or reflection on the wider world 

Ideas are deliberately selected, effective and elaborated