Homework, 24th November, 2016

Hi, 

As always, this homework is due on Monday. 

Last night you watched a programme on the BBC about the role of women in society which you found offensive. You are going to write a letter complaining.

You can use the following address:

Head of Programming

The BBC

Media City

Salford

SA1 4TH

Below is an example of a similar kind of letter you can use to help you, and below that, a guideline sheet:

Maggie Simpson

122 Evergreen Terrace

Springfield

SP1 8YH

14^th December, 2020

The Editor

Top Gear Magazine

13 Sunrise Road

London

W4 8GH

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to express my disapproval about an article I read in your magazine last week. The article was about the poor quality of the roads in Mexico.

As someone with Mexican heritage myself, I have to say I found the article to be extremely offensive, as it was very negative about Mexicans. Instead of focussing on the roads, the main argument of the article seemed to be that Mexicans are bad drivers because they are stupid, and, while this might be true about some Mexicans, it is equally as true about some English drivers, and is certainly not true of all Mexicans. To suggest that it is, actually borders on racism, because you cannot make judgments about an entire race of people based on the behaviour of a few.

I think it would be a very good idea for your journalist to rewrite the article in a more positive light, focussing more on the poor quality of the roads and the fact that not a lot of money is spent on maintaining them which is, after all, what the article was supposed to be about.

I hope you will take my suggestion on board and, if you wish to contact me regarding this issue, please use the address above.

Yours faithfully,

Maggie Simpson

Generic letter of complaint structure

Your address, e.g.: Mr Quillfeldt 12 Bishop’s Avenue London SW6 6EG

The date in long form, for example: 15th September, 2015

Start Dear Sir/Madam if you don’t know their name or Dear Mr or Mrs, followed by their surname if you do.

In the first paragraph write one or two sentences explaining why you are writing. This paragraph doesn’t need to be very long. You can start: I am writing to you to express my disappointment about …

In the second paragraph, start by being positive, but then go on to explain what it is you are complaining about. For example: Overall, I thought the programme was very good, however …

In the third paragraph, explain what the consequences of the negative experience were. For example: As a result of this, I had to spend several days in hospital …

In the fourth paragraph, outline how you think the problem should be resolved. For example: I am sure you will agree that some form of compensation in is order …

Sign off Yours faithfully if you don’t know the name of the person you are writing to, or Yours sincerely if you do.

Write your full name.

Homework, 17th November, 2016

This week, I would like you to read the letter written by Nigel Farage (just to be clear, he didn't actually write it!) then answer the following 10 mark exam-style question:

How does Nigel try to convince us that he is not a racist, that the article he read is biased and that Brexit is good for Britain?

Nigel Farage

132 Hammond Street

Sutton

SU8 9IK

16^th November 2016

The Editor

The Guardian

34 Jermyn Street

London

WS2 8HG

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to you in response to an article I read in your publication last week entitled Brexit – The Facts. I will say straight away that I was, quite frankly, appalled by the article, for the reasons laid out below.

Firstly, whilst I acknowledge that there are several quite convincing arguments in favour of Britain staying in the European Union, most notably among them that there are certain benefits to being part of a free trade zone, the article seemed to suggest that there are no credible reasons whatsoever to leave, which couldn’t be further from the truth. As a supporter of Brexit, I have to say I found the level of bias in the article almost offensive, especially in its portrayal of Brexiteers such as myself as racist and backwards.

In actual fact, I and many of my friends are well-informed on the subject and, whilst the opportunity to take back control of our borders is undoubtedly a tempting proposition, our reasons are more to do with the economy than immigration. When Britain finally comes out of the EU, we will be in a very strong position to negotiate new trade deals with any one of the many hundreds of non-EU nations from around the world, something we are not currently able to do due to regulations which, to put it bluntly, are strangling small business owners.

On the issue of immigration, I have already stated that taking back control of our borders is of paramount importance if we are to avoid the population spiralling out of control, but this does not mean that I believe we should have no immigration whatsoever; indeed, my wife is an immigrant from Germany, and I have friends from all over the world who have come to our great country to work and contribute.

Your article failed to mention any of the positive factors around Brexit, however, and is further evidence of the liberal bias that exists in the mainstream media. I don’t expect you to do anything about this, of course, because you have an agenda and you are going to keep pushing it come what may, but I simply couldn’t read an article like that and keep quiet about it.

Yours faithfully

Nigel Farage

Homework, 10th November, 2016

Howdy, 

This week I would like you to read the letter below, then answer the questions that follow. 

This is due on Monday, 14th, 2016

Phillip Smith

12 Bishop’s Avenue

Fulham

SW6 6EG

16^th December, 2015

The Editor

TV Choice Magazine

17 Cardinal Road

London

W1 7YG

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to you to express my views on the topic of reality television, following an article I saw in your magazine last week.

Reality television is a controversial subject which divides opinion. On one side there are people who think it is very boring and silly, and isn’t even very real because many of these programmes are based on unrealistic situations, for example I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, in which celebrities who aren’t even that famous are put on an island and forced to survive, which is a situation most people will never find themselves in. Then there is Made in Chelsea, in which rich Londoners have conversations in expensive bars about their relationships, which is clearly scripted and most people who live in London don’t live that kind of life anyway.

My feeling, however, is that, although reality television might not be very realistic, it has a place on television because it is entertaining and can be quite educational. I’m a Celebrity, whilst it might be quite over the top in places, does give us a view into people’s minds, so, although we may not learn very much about survival techniques, we do learn about people, and, as we are surrounded by people everyday, I would argue that this is actually more useful. It is also very entertaining, as there is just something interesting and often quite funny about the things the celebrities say and do, especially when they are arguing with each other, so it works in the same way as a comedy.

For these reasons, I believe that reality television has a place in our society and I hope there are enough people who agree with me to keep it going.

Yours faithfully,

Phillip Smith

Reading task

1. Scan through the letter to find and underline the following words (some of the words appear more than once):

·         Controversial

·         Unrealistic

·         Famous

·         Relationships

·         Scripted

·         Entertaining

·         Educational

·         Techniques

·         Interesting

2. What is the overall purpose of the letter?

3. In the first line, what word could have been used instead of ‘express’?

4. Does the second paragraph confirm that the person who wrote the letter is anti-reality television?

5. How do we know this?

6. Based on how it is used in the first line of the second paragraph, what does the word ‘controversial’ mean?

7. What, according to the letter, are the two main problems with I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, as far as some people are concerned?

8. Which word in the second to last line is used to tell us that Made in Chelsea isn’t actually real?

9. What are the two main arguments in favour of reality television that are put forward in the third paragraph?

10. What, according to the third paragraph, can we learn from watching I’m a Celebrity?

11. Re-write the last sentence of the third paragraph, which begins ‘It is also very entertaining …’ in your own words.

12. What is the overall conclusion of the letter?

13. Looking at the letter as a whole, why are the first and fourth paragraphs so much shorter than the second and third?

Writing task

Some people argue that, with programmes like Game of Thrones and Westworld, there is too much violence on television. Write a letter to the editor of a magazine (you will need to make up the name and address of the magazine) giving your views on this topic.

Homework, 3rd November, 2016

You recently broke your arm and are now recovering in hospital. Your best friend has written you a letter wishing you a speedy recovery. Write a reply. You can use the guideline sheet (see HW folder) to help you. You can write it on a computer and print it out, or by hand on a piece of lined paper. You should aim for around 350 words. 

Below is an example of an informal letter. This is the kind of thing you are aiming to write. 

Samwise Fair

67 Rake Street

Chelsea

SW5 8UG

1^st November, 2016

Dear Nan and Grandad,

How long has it been? Three years? How have you been? Grandad, how have you been after the greenhouse fell down? Have you managed to get a new one yet? Nan, have you got any new knitting projects on the go?

I am writing to you to tell you what I would like for Christmas. I feel a bit bad about this because I haven’t seen you for so long, but mum and dad said you really wanted to get me something. So, what I would like is a memory foam pillow. I need one because I have been having trouble with my neck, and apparently memory foam is good for this. You can buy them on Amazon for around £25.99. If you could get me one of those, that would be great. If you can’t find one, or if it’s a little bit too expensive, then you can get me some Lego. You might be thinking that I’m a bit too old for that, but there are Lego sets for all ages now. I would love anything from the Star Wars range. Some of the stuff is quite expensive, but there are cheaper sets you can get for around £10. Again, you can get these on Amazon, or in most toy shops. They even have specialist Lego shops, which are quite fun to visit if you fancy a day out of the house.

Anyway, I have to go now because I’ve got loads of revision to do for my exams, which are coming up soon. I’m really looking forward to seeing at Christmas.

Lots of love,

Samwise

Homework, Thursday, October 13th, 2016

Hi,

Read the short story, Initiation, then fill in a story planning sheet for it. Then answer the comprehension questions. Everything you need is in your homework folder, but if you lose it, it is all below, apart from the planning sheet, which won't copy across. This is due on Monday, October 17th. 

Initiation

As she walked up to the school gates, Sam shuddered slightly, but not from the cold. The building loomed there in front of her, foreboding, menacing. Its bricks were a lifeless, dirty grey, and in the centre, above the main entrance, was an imposing tower that stood like a sentinel. The new school would have obliterated her primary school in a fight.

            ‘Don’t worry,’ said Sam’s dad in his best attempt at a reassuring voice as they came to a halt, ‘you’ll be fine. Grace’ll look after you.’ As he spoke, he adjusted her blazer, which was about two sizes too big for her, although she was very petite, so was used to clothes not fitting her properly.

            ‘Yeah …’ Sam replied, although she wasn’t sure she would be.

            ‘Bye then,’ said her dad awkwardly as he dispatched a peck on the head and started to walk away. He had never been that good at making his youngest daughter feel comfortable.

            Sam gave him a final desperate look, then began shuffling nervously through the gates, her bag, heavy with books, hanging clumsily off her shoulder. All around her children ran, shouted, played, or just congregated in huddled, conspiratorial groups, as if they were plotting some mischievous deed. She felt like a thousand pairs of eyes were all staring at her, even though she knew they weren’t.

            She remembered from her taster day a few months previously where she was supposed to go: her form room was at the end of the main corridor, on the left, so she made a beeline for it. She knew she should probably try talking to people, but she didn’t really feel like trying to socialise in that moment. In fact, what she actually wanted to do was curl up into a little ball in a corner somewhere.

            When she found the room, she looked inside, but it was vacant. The bell hadn’t rung, so she waited outside. As she waited, a gaggle of three chirping girls approached her. They were all a few years older than her and their faces were caked in makeup. Sam shrank back against the wall.

            ‘Aaah,’ said one of the girls, who was slightly taller than the others and had long hair that had been considerably lightened by peroxide. ‘It’s one of the new year sevens. How sweet!’

            For a second, Sam relaxed; it seemed like they were just being friendly, but then one of the other girls reached out and snatched her bag right out of her hand.

            ‘What’s in here?’ she said gleefully as she began rifling through Sam’s belongings. ‘You won’t be needing these,’ she continued as she the pink pencil case Sam’s mum and dad had given her for Christmas spilt out onto the floor, followed by some of her exercise books.

            Sam wanted more than anything to stand up for herself, to tell the girls to stop, but she just couldn’t muster up the courage to say anything. Instead, she felt her eyes begin to moisten.

            Then, through the tittering of her torturers came a new voice. ‘What’s going on?’ it asked, authoritatively. The voice belonged to another girl. She was about the same age as the other three, but there was something about the way she spoke that betrayed a maturity beyond her apparent years.

            ‘We’re just making sure this year seven is settling in,’ said the blonde.

            ‘Come on,’ the new girl said, ‘I didn’t have breakfast this morning. Let’s go and get some food.’

            As the four girls walked away, the new girl glanced back at Sam and winked.

           

The rest of the day went surprisingly well. Sam made friends with some of the other girls in her form, all of whom were in the same boat as her: nervous and new. When she got home that evening, her sister Grace was sitting in the living room.

            ‘So,’ she asked, ‘how was it?’

            ‘Yeah,’ Sam replied. ‘Not too bad.’ Then, after a pause, she said, ‘thanks for helping me out this morning. Those girls were really mean.’

            ‘I know,’ Grace said. ‘I should really get some new friends.’            

            The two girls smiled at each other and, in that moment, Sam knew that, however difficult big school got, she would always have her big sister around to look out for her.

Initiation comprehension questions

1. In the first line, if it wasn’t the cold that caused Sam to shudder, what was it?

2. Write down three adjectives that could be used to describe the school that haven’t already been used in the story.

3. There is an example of simile in the first paragraph. Copy it down.

4. There is also an example of personification in the first paragraph. Copy it down.

5. What word does the writer use in the first paragraph that could be replaced by ‘destroyed’?

6. Write down one sentence to describe Sam’s dad.

7. As well as stating that she is petite, what detail does the writer give to emphasise the fact that Sam is very small?

8. Based on how it used in the story, what do you think the word ‘conspiratorial’ means?

9. How does the writer create a sense of foreboding about the school? Mention the following things:

·         The description of the building

·         The description of the children playing outside it

Try and write around 100 words for this. You can use the following sentence starters:

            ‘The building is described as … This creates the impression that it is … The children                       playing outside it are ... This creates the impression that they are …’

You can also use the following words to help you:

Foreboding                      menacing                    big                    daunting                      scary

Huddled                      conspiratorial                      unfriendly                      antisocial

10. Now think about the girls who bully Sam. How does the writer create a sense that they are unpleasant? Aim to write around 100 words, but this time without any sentence starters or key words to help you.

11. Why do you think the writer doesn’t tell us that the girl who helps Sam out is her sister until the end?

12. Why do you think the story is called Initiation?

Homework, 6th October, 2016

Hi!

This week I would like you to have a go at a GCSE exam-style exam question from the fiction paper. It gets you to think about how information is revealed to the reader. This will obviously help you with the reading section of the paper, but will also help you improve your own creative writing as it will get you to think about how you structure what you write. 

This is quite difficult, so don't worry if you struggle with it, but do have a go. We will go through it all in class. 

Because I have photocopied the activity from a book, I can't provide you with a link to it here, but everything you need is in you homework folder. 

Good luck!

Homework, 29th September, 2016

Hi,

The following tasks are due on Monday, October 3rd. 

Good luck!

Read the descriptions below. They describe two parts of hotel: the lobby and the ballroom.

They made their way across the room and emerged into a lobby. There was a grandiose staircase that swept down from a mezzanine level, a fountain that would have been spectacular had it not dried up years before, couches and coffee tables, artwork on the walls, rugs on the floor, and a reception desk. It was a tired homage to the glitz and glamour of a long since forgotten era.

They wound their way through the cookers and countertops, and came out into a spectacular ballroom. It was furnished with round tables and chairs with velvet-covered cushions, and from the ceiling hung an impressive chandelier. Each one of the tables was fully laid, but covered in dust, and there were cobwebs in the corners of the room, as if the scene had been frozen in time for many years. The room was a corpse, decaying and dead, but the person it was once was still just about visible.

1. Now go back through the two descriptions, underline all the adjectives you can find, then write them down in a list. The first adjective you will find is ‘grandiose’.

2. Have a look at the following exam-style question:

How does the writer create a sense that the location was once magnificent, but is now neglected and run-down?

You are going to answer this question by referring to the second description, but, before you do, read the following answer, which is based on the first:

The writer sets up a comparison between what the lobby used to look like and what it looks like now by using powerful adjectives such as ‘grandiose’ and ‘spectacular’ to describe its former glory, and describes how the staircase ‘swept’ down, almost as if it was moving, which is a form of personification. He then goes on to describe the fountain as ‘dried up’ and the whole scene as a ‘tired homage to the glitz and glamour of a long forgotten era’. This puts an image in our mind of people in expensive clothes looking very elegant in their opulent surroundings, but makes it quite clear that this picture no longer applies, which is actually quite tragic. He also uses alliteration in ‘couches and coffee tables’ to make the writing more rhythmic.

Notice how the answer mentions the use of adjectives before going on to refer to other details, such as personification and alliteration.

Now write your answer to the question based on the second extract.

2. Write two new descriptions of the two locations in your own words. Each description should be around the same length as the two provided (around seventy words).

Homework, 22nd September, 2016

This week I would like you to work on your comprehension skills by answering the questions below, which are based on Lamb to the Slaughter. As it is Founders' Day weekend, question 13 is optional!

It is due on Tuesday, September 27th. 

Lamb to the Slaughter comprehension questions

Page 1

1. How many tall glasses were on the sideboard?

2. How can we tell from what is written in the first paragraph that it was dark outside?

3. How can we tell from what is written in the first paragraph that two people lived in the house, but there was only one person there at that moment?

4. What did Mary do when the clock said ten minutes to five and how can we tell from this that she was looking forward to her husband getting home?

5. ‘Then she walked over and made the drinks, a strongish one for him, a weak one for herself …’ What does this sentence tell us about Mary’s attitudes towards the differences between men and women?

6. Write down three things that Mary loved about her husband, according to the paragraph which begins ‘For her, this was always a blissful time of day.’

7. What is the first clue in the story that something was up?

Page 2

8. What detail does the author mention that lets us know that the husband’s drink was strong?

9. Why do you think the author has chosen to draw attention to this?

10. How can we tell that Thursday was usually the night they would eat out?

11. ‘She moved uneasily in her chair, the large eyes still watching his face. “But you must have supper. I can easily do it here.”’ What does this sentence tell us about Mary’s personality?

12. ‘Of course I’ll give you money and see you’re looked after. But there needn’t really be any fuss. I hope not anyway. It wouldn’t be very good for my job.’ What does this tell us about the husband’s personality?

Pages 1 and 2

13. How does the writer build a sense of tension and suspense over these two pages? Your answer should be around a third of a page long and should refer to the following:

-          How the characters behave

-          The things they say

Homework, 15th September, 2016

Hi!

As you may not yet know, you will now be getting two homeworks per week per subject. Your homework days for English are Thursday and Friday, so most weeks I will set one big task to cover both slots, and you will have until Monday to complete it. 

This week I would like you to read the short story Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl and create a character profile of Mary Maloney using the worksheet. Hard copies of both of these are in your homework folder, but I have provided a copy of the worksheet below, just in case. Unfortunately I can't post the text of the story here as I don't own the copyright, but I can provide you with a link to the story online and a link to a short film version of the story on YouTube. 

Film version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTuovX1Q0KE

Online text:
http://www.depa.univ-paris8.fr/IMG/pdf/lamb_to_the_slaughter_by_roald_dahl-2.pdf

This homework is due on Monday, 19th September. 

Good luck!

Mary Maloney

You are going to write a profile of the character Mary Maloney from Lamb to the Slaughter. Aim to write around 200 words and use the following points to help you (if there are any words you do not know the meaning of, look them up):

Kind               Caring              Compassionate                   Dutiful Quiet               Meek                  Respectful                             Evil                Sadistic                           Angry                         Emotional                                   Sad                              Insecure

These are just for guidance. If you can think of any other words, you can use those too.

You should also mention the following things and what they tell us about her:

·        Her relationship with her husband

·        How she acts before he gets home

·        How she acts when he gets home

·        How she reacts to what he tells her

·        The murder

·        What she does after she has murdered him

Ultimately, you must decide if she is a cold-blooded killer, or if the murder was a crime of passion, i.e. it was not the kind of thing she would usually do.

You can write your profile on lined paper, or type it up and print it out.

Example:

Katniss Everdeen from Hunger Games

Katniss is a kind, compassionate character, but also very brave and sometimes quite serious and maybe a little insecure. We know that she is kind because of the way she looks after her sister when her mother is too sick to. She takes this one step further when she actually puts her life on the line by volunteering to take her place in the Hunger Games. This is also how we know she is brave.

We know that Katniss is generally quite serious because she does not laugh and joke a lot and when she has to go on television for the first time, she does not seem to enjoy it. She is clearly very angry about the whole idea of the Hunger Games.

She seems a little insecure because of the way she is with Gale. She clearly likes him, but isn’t sure if he likes her. If she wasn’t so insecure and had more confidence in herself, she might tell him how she feels and not worry so much about him rejecting her.

Ultimately, Katniss is a very strong character; despite her insecurities and fears, she can look after herself and others.

Welcome!

Welcome to Mr Quillfeldt's Year 11 English blog. There are already loads of posts on here, but they're from several years ago, so ignore them.

The main purpose of this blog is to keep you up-to-date with homework, so if your son or daughter's homework diary has mysteriously disappeared and/or they tell you there is no homework, you can check.

I will, from time-to-time post other stuff here, like suggested reading, copies of worksheets and maybe even some of the pupils' work (with their permission, of course). I will also keep you up to date with what we are studying in class.

On that note, we will be doing some creative writing this half term, building on the work done on the same topic this time last year. This will involve writing the first draft of a short story of between 300 and 1000 words before spending some time learning about genre, themes, how to structure a story, how to create characters, how to describe settings, how to use dialogue, how to use paragraphs and various other important elements of the creative writing process. The pupils will then revisit their first draft and make improvements to it based on the things they have learnt in lessons so that they end up with a final, finished piece that would make Dickens himself envious. We will also spend some time learning how to answer fiction-based reading comprehension questions using a variety of texts from different genres.