Homework, 6th November, 2017

Read the 19th Century letter and answer the questions that follow. 

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, 7th November)

3^rd March, 1875

My dearest Horatio,

It is my sincere hope that this letter finds you in robust health, or at least, as robust as can be expected given the latest outbreak of influenza. I do hope your family has not been ravaged to the extent that many have in recent months; I don’t doubt the doctors are doing all they can, but there always comes a point where their expertise and ability with remedies and potions must surrender to the iron will of God Himself, for better or for worse.  

For my own part, I am well, as are Madelaine and the children. Maximilian is now two and Rebecca five, and they do so fill my heart with joy with the merest smile or salutation. That said, it is true what they say about the terrible twos: despite his generally delightful demeanour, little Max, when in the right frame of mind, could try the patience of even the most devout of saints. I steady my hand with the thought that it is an affliction and therefore he cannot be held accountable for his own actions.

But enough of such trivialities. The true purpose of this correspondence is to implore you and your family to grace Madelaine and myself with the pleasure of your company this summer at Hamilton House. Please do not even countenance the notion that it might, in any way, be an inconvenience as we so love having company and it feels like an eternity since we last saw you, which, I’m sure you will agree, is far too long by anyone’s reckoning.

It is therefore with great anticipation that I await your reply, which I am sure, will be in the affirmative.

Yours ever,

Fabian

Questions

1. What is missing from the top of the letter?

2. What might have caused Horatio to be in less than robust health?

3. What verb does Fabian use in the first paragraph to describe families being affected by influenza?

4. Which literary technique could this be an example of?

5. What evidence is there in the letter that Fabian might be religious?

6. Which phrase in the letter means the same as ‘he can be very annoying sometimes’?

7. Based on how it used in the letter, what do you think the word ‘affliction’ means?

8. What would be a more informal way of saying ‘implore you and your family to grace Madelaine and myself with the pleasure of your company this summer at Hamilton House’?

9. Based on how it is used in the letter, what do you think the word ‘countenance’ means?

10. Does Fabian think Horatio will accept the invitation? How can we tell that this is the case?

Homework, October 16th, 2017

Hi, 

This week I would like you to read the short story below and answer the questions that follow. This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, October 16th). 

Nightmares

I wake with a jolt, as if someone has just switched me on. I am drenched in sweat, I ache all over, and my heart is racing. I sit for a few seconds, desperately trying to calm down. This is the third morning in a row this has happened. Before I have time to think about it anymore, however, Sam floats into the room, arms outstretched, holding a tray with my morning cup of coffee sitting, as always, in the dead centre. I take it and drink.

                ‘Thanks Sam,’ I say.

                ‘You’re welcome,’ she replies. I say she; she’s actually an ‘it’, genderless, but to me there is something feminine about her compassionate manner. I know it is compassion that has been programmed and is therefore not real, but I am convinced that, over the years she has been with me, she has started to develop her own personality. Perhaps I should be scared by that, but I’m not. I can always switch her off if I need to.

                I finish my coffee, then hoist myself out of bed and rub the sleep from my eyes. For a second I am calm, but then I remember the nightmare and begin to worry. The same bad dream three nights in a row can’t be good.

                Sensing my anxiety, Sam enquires, ‘shall I make an appointment for you to see Doctor Wells?’

                ‘Um … yes, actually,’ I reply, ‘thank you.’                                                             

*     *     *

                ‘So, three nights in a row,’ says Doctor Wells. He has a kind face, sandy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. His voice is soothing, although the soft lighting and comfortable chair with its embracing arms all contribute as well. And then there’s the animated artwork on the walls; there’s something strangely calming about it which I can’t quite explain.  

                ‘Yup,’ I reply.  

                ‘And what happens in this dream?’ he asks.

                ‘It’s scary … people suffering, explosions, people fighting … politicians arguing with each other. It’s like a whole world which is different from ours but somehow familiar, like it’s from a time long ago.’

                ‘Hmm.’ He takes a deep breath.

                ‘What do you think?’ I ask after a few uncomfortable seconds of him not replying.

                Without him saying anything to me, he picks up his telephone. ‘Trisha,’ he says into the receiver. ‘Could you cancel my next appointment please?’ There is a pause while Trisha says something back to him, but I can’t quite make out what it is. ‘Yes,’ he eventually says. ‘The fifth one this week.’ He hangs up. ‘It’s okay,’ he replies, turning to me. ‘Stay calm and look at the painting on the wall opposite you. You feel sleepy. Your eyes are heavy …’

*     *     *

I am coaxed gently out of unconsciousness by the comforting voice of Doctor Wells. ‘It’s okay,’ he says. ‘You’re going to feel slightly disorientated, but that’s normal. Everything is fine.’ His room gradually comes into view.

                ‘What happened?’ I ask, yawning. I feel a little groggy.  

                ‘You came to see me about some bad dreams you were having, but it’s all fine now. Everything is fixed.’

                ‘Oh, right …’ I have a vague memory that I was having nightmares, but I can’t remember what they were about. I sit there for another few minutes while he types on his computer.

                ‘How are you feeling now?’ he asks.

                ‘Fine,’ I reply. ‘Great, in fact.’

                ‘Good. You can go. Just book a follow-up appointment with Trisha on your way out for … let’s say, a week’s time, just so I can make sure you’re still okay, which you will be.’ He smiles.

                I thank him and leave.

*     *     *

When I get home, Sam is waiting for me with dinner on the table. Pasta. Good old Sam, I think to myself. I sit down and begin eating. As always, it’s the best food I’ve ever tasted. But then, something strange happens … an image … in my mind …

1. What is the narrator drenched in when she wakes up?

2. How many mornings in a row has this happened?

3. What does Sam bring for her?

4. What does the narrator say she probably should be scared of, but isn’t?

5. What is the name of the doctor Sam makes an appointment for the narrator to see?

6. What colour is the doctor’s hair?

7. What word is used to describe the arms of the chair in the doctor’s office?

8. Write down one thing that is scary about the dream that the narrator describes.

9. What does the doctor do to make time to hypnotise the narrator?

10. When she wakes up from having been hypnotised, the narrator yawns, then says she feels what?

11. What do you think this word means, based on how it is used in the story?                           

12. After telling the narrator to book a follow-up appointment, what does the doctor say to reassure her?

Extension questions

13. This is a Science Fiction story. Write down one thing about it that fits with the Science Fiction genre.

14. Look at your answer to question 4. Why do you think the writer says she should probably be worried about this?

15. What particular theme does this address?

16. How does the writer create suspense at the very end of the story?

17. There is an example of personification somewhere in the story. See if you can find it and copy it out.

18. This story is deliberately vague about what is actually happening. Why do you think this is?

                                                                                                                                                  

19. What do you think is going on? 

Homework, October 3rd, 2017

This week I would like you to complete the reading comprehension task based on the fiction extract. Everything you need is in your homework folder. 

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, October 3rd). 

No homework this week due it being Founders' Day weekend!

Hooray!

Homework, Monday, 18th September, 2017

This week I would like you to read the fiction extract and answer questions A3 and A4. Everything you need is in your homework folder. 

This is due on Wednesday, September 20th. 

Welcome to Mr. Quillfeldt's year 11 blog!

Hi!

For those of you who are new to the school, or who have never had me as a teacher before, this is where you can check each week to see what the English homework is, as well as find other details about what is going on in English. 

Wherever possible, I will make copies of worksheets and resources available, but, in cases where someone else has created the resource, I might only be able to provide a link to it for copyright reasons. A hard copy of everything will always be provided in the homework folder though, so this blog is more of a backup. 

Homework will start next week, and will usually be a reading comprehension task based on fiction. In class we will be studying creative writing up until October half term, so hopefully, by the end of the unit, you will be able to write a short story of around 450 words. 

That's it for now. Make sure you check back next week. 

Homework, 27th April, 2017

For the next few lessons, we will be looking at how to write reports. We will do lots of work in lessons on how to lay a report out correctly and what kinds of things you might be asked in the exam to write a report about, but this week's homework is all about the kind of language you need to use when writing reports.

This is due on Tuesday, May 2nd. Good luck!

As you read the following report, you will notice that some of the words have been numbered. This is because they could all be replaced with more formal words which, if used, could help get this report a higher mark. In the table below, next to each number, write a more formal alternative to each word. You can choose your alternatives from the selection given. You may have to look up some of the words to find out their meaning.

Report to the head teacher about the possibility of a Year 11 common room

Background

I was 1.asked by the head teacher to speak to 2.teachers and students at the Moat School about the possibility of creating a common room for the Year 11s and, if it was considered to be a good idea, where it 3.would go. Below 4.are my findings:

Arguments in favour

·         It would provide a safe, comfortable place for the Year 11s to relax and study, away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the school. This would be especially 5.useful during exam times.

·         It would make the Year 11s feel valued and would prepare them for life at college, where they will most likely have access to a common room.

·       The common room could contain 6.leisure facilities such as a pool table, table football, tea and coffee facilities and a television, which the Year 11s would very much appreciate.

Arguments against

·         There is 7.not much space available; the common room would have to replace one of the classrooms, and this would have an effect on the school timetable, as some classes would have to be re-roomed.

·         The pool table, table football and other facilities would 8.cost money.

·         The feeling among some of the teachers is that would 9.create extra work for them as it would have to be supervised.

·         Some of the students have pointed out that, as the Year 11s do not have free periods, there is no time during the day when they would actually go and 10.gather there.

·         It would separate the Year 11s from the rest of the students and might create a 11.split within the school.

·         When they go to college, they will have free periods and a common room, so they could just wait a year for that.

Recommendations

My recommendation is that a Year 11 common, whilst a nice idea, would be 12.too expensive and would cause too much disruption to be worthwhile.

prohibitively expensive           make demands of the school’s budget staff         congregate          increase the workload          division a paucity of          I have outlined          would be located requested          recreational                advantageous

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