Exploring topical issues on the West Coast

Essay writing

Do now:
write down all your thoughts on legalising cannabis.

Then we are going to use this document to start planning and then writing our essays.

Essay writing: thinking about a controversial issue

On Friday we looked at Mike Hosking's opinion on the proposed changes to the laws in New Zealand on cannabis.

We frontloaded some new vocabulary together in groups:

the department of common sense

myriad social ills

Colmar Brunton poll

the legalisation of cannabis

the dope market

MMP

New Zealand First

Andrew Little

We watched Mike Hosking here. 

We read an adapted version of his article here.

Lily suggested that we draw up two columns - one for reform of the cannabis laws to make it legal to smoke cannabis in New Zealand and one against this reform.  Everyone participated in our group discussions and contributions to entering ideas in each column.

Exam preparation: reading & writing

1. Do now: at each table, there is a plastic packet with ten pieces of paper in it. In your groups, please write a word which uses onomatopeia on each piece of paper.  Use a new word for each piece of paper.

2. Resources for the exams in week nine:
Exam timetable:

Resources to help you prepare:
Reading + Writing (Essay)
Reading + Writing (SEXY paragraphs)

Today's focus: reading
In groups, you can choose what to do:
1. Sign up for https://readtheory.org/ and work through the tasks there.
2. Using an A3 copy of the poem My Sister and I, annotate the poem to identify each of the language techniques used in the poem, and to show understanding of what each stanza is about.  Ms Quick will give each group more guidance on how to do this.

Do now: go to Socrative, and complete the questions on your storyboard on bullying.

Room : MSQUICK

LO: To show understanding of a theme in Akeelah and the Bee SC: We can identify techniques in our storyboards which develop the idea of bullying We can describe the difference between an idea and a theme We can explain how  the events that happen in Akeelah and the Bee work together to create a theme

Idea vs theme

Idea - something developed to link events or objects together.  e.g. I have an idea on how to fix your car.  e.g. I have an idea on how we could dress up for the party.  e.g. Do you have any idea where I left my keys? e.g. One idea I have about Akeelah is that she doesn't like school because it is boring and the building is really rundown.

Theme - when an idea is developed over a longer text and has a message for us, something we can learn from it.  e.g. a theme in Mr England's speech at assembly is that we will all feel better about being GHS students if we wear our unifr

Writing our own paragraphs

Over the past few lessons we have been building up our skills with identifying film techniques and explaining the effect of each technique in a particular piece of film.  Below are the paragraphs that I wrote and then cut up and that each group assembled on Tuesday.  Now we are each going to write our own paragraph that answers the question:

What do we learn about Akeelah's life from the opening scene in Akeelah and the Bee?

Write your own paragraph in your Akeelah and the Bee document in your English google folder.  Later in the lesson I will ask everyone to add their paragraphs to Socrative. 

Wednesday 8 May: Akeelah & the Bee

Learning Objective: to identify, describe and explain the use of film techniques in Akeelah and the Bee.
Success criteria:
1. We can define a range of film techniques in our own words
2. We can give an example from the trailer for Akeelah and the Bee
3. We can explain how the technique develops or emphasises an idea about a person or event in the film trailer.

Do now: Open your document on film elements from yesterday.  Read through what you wrote and see what more you can add.  Make sure your definitions are in whole sentences which show your clear understanding of each element.  Add an example from Akeelah and the Bee wherever you can.

Today we are going to use the trailer for Akeelah and the Bee to learn a range of film techniques.

The techniques are well explained in this resource from Prime Education.  There are some good examples of cinematography techniques in this resource from Adorama.

Using the resources above, you are going to:

1. add the following techniques to your "film elements" table: wide shot, close up, medium shot, diegetic sound, lighting, non-diegetic sound, low angle shot, + 3 more that you choose.
2. write a definition in your own words
3. Give an example from the trailer.  This will be a still which you have captured from the trailer using a screen shot.
4. Explain, underneath each still, how this technique develops or emphasises an idea from the trailer.

Tuesday 7 May: Cartoons, resilience, Mrs Newton & Still I Rise

Learning objective: to develop our understanding of what resilience is through a range of texts.

We have several activities on offer today:
1. Mrs Newton is working with a group of students, building on the skills and discussion developed in her last session: Ikhlas, Dayton, Blake, Jaxon, Isaac (+ Troy, Lakin & Ridge?)

2. For students who have not yet completed their work on three cartoons from the Diary of a Part Time Indian, you have time to work on this.  Instructions are here.  Remember to use your wider knowledge of the book to help you pull out the significance of each cartoon (ideas in the cartoon and why they are important).

3. For students ready for some thing new, our next text exploring resilience is Still I Rise by Maya Angelou.  There are lots of versions of this poem online.  For the text only, see here.  This visual + audio version uses images from throughout history to add meaning to her words.  It links in beautifully to our focus on film which starts later this week.

Take some time to read the poem (I will have printed copies) and to watch the visual+audio version.  You may also want to read about Maya Angelou herself before you work on the Socrative questions.  If you google "Maya Angelou biography" you will get plenty of quality options.

Then please log onto Socrative.  Your room is MSQUICK. The quiz is waiting for you to do.  You do have to use your real name please, but I won't reveal the names - only I will have that access.

Cartoons in Part Time Indian & Resilience

Welcome back! Term Two English 2019

At the end of last term we took some circle time to reflect on what is working and what we would like to change and to have more help with.  Here are the key actions I noted that relate to English:

• Lots of people want to do a film study
• The pace of our learning is too fast when people have been absent
• Students would like to do some collaborative learning with 10WH and Mr Hanson
• Please don't threaten to call parents

So... our next steps.  We will finish The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian this week, and then move on to a film study.

I will put more information on the blog to help people know what they have to catch up on when they have been away.

Mr Hanson and I are meeting this week to plan a combined session of 10QI and 10WH which will run next Thursday 9 May.  We hope to make this a weekly session which will focus on English skills.

Our starter today is a paper activity helping us to remember the key characters and events in Diary of a Part Time Indian.  Then we will read more of the novel, and finally we will have a class discussion on the challenges Junior faces at home and school.

Good Dad Bad Dad

Do now #1: silent reading
Do now #2: go to Socrative.  Your room is MSQUICK
The task is on Socrative.  Use the novel, particularly pp150-1 to write really detailed, thoughtful answers.

Mary writes to Junior, and Thanksgiving

Learning objective: to show understanding of the challenges Junior's sister Mary is facing in her new life.
Success criteria:
1. We can read Mary's letter to Junior.
2. We can read on, between and beyond the lines to show our understanding of Mary's letter
3. We can use research skills to show our understanding of the references to Indians and Pilgrims in the chapter on Thanksgiving

Do now: listening/reading pages 99-103 of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.

We are working on our reading comprehension questions today via Socrative.  Log in here.  The screen will look like this:

Your room name is MSQUICK. When you join the room, you will see a quiz ready for you to attempt at your own pace.  You must use your own name.  Only I can see the results, not other students.

The next part of the lesson is about the chapter on Thanksgiving.  I am interested in what you know about the key words in this chapter: thanksgiving, pilgrims, pumpkin pie.  Watch this clip below, and then write a paragraph explaining why Junior is not sure why his family celebrates thanksgiving.

Focus on reading comprehension and paragraph writing

Today we are bringing together all the learning we have made through our drama work on the chapter "Fighting Monsters". 

Each student needs to complete this form.  Focus on getting the reading comprehension questions done first - I have moved the paragraph work to a separate document and shared a copy with you into your English folder on your google drive (that document looks like this).