Homework Essays

OK - well done everyone for today, and I hope you enjoyed 'Golden Friday'. Homework essays are to choose from:

1) Do you regard OMAM as a tragic novel?
Write about:
- what seems tragic about the novel to you, or not
- how Steinbeck makes the novel seem tragic, or not

2) Write about the ways Steinbeck uses animals in OMAM.

3) Many readers find that OMAM is a sad book. How far do you agree?

4) Read the passage at the beginning of Section 6 of the novel and then:
- write about the ways the writer uses details in this passage to make the reader think about the characters, events and ideas in the novel
- write about the ways the writer uses details in this passage to prepare the reader for the ending

Look forward to them!

Thanks
Mr Boulter

Links and stuff

Hi all,

Thanks to Emily for finding this link to an audio version of OMAM online - here it is: http://www.dedicationtechnologies.com/oman/ Also, don't forget the department website, www.wix.com/cheneyenglish/gcse and also this one www.wix.com/teacherinmypocket/english which has some brilliant videos to watch and target your weaker areas (sample here):



Best to watch the vid, write down what you learnt, watch it again, and check you've got everything you need.

Looking forward to essays tomorrow, and a MASSIVE well done for EVERYONE GETTING THEIR ESSAYS IN LAST WEEK! Only three slightly missed deadlines (you know who you are!!!).
Mr Boulter

Homework help

Hi all,

To help with your homework this weekend, follow this link: http://store.aqa.org.uk/qual/gcse/qp-ms/AQA-3712-H-W-CEX.PDF
This takes you to some sample essays, including the A grade one I gave out in class. Also, this link: http://store.aqa.org.uk/qual/gcse/qp-ms/AQA-3712H-W-MS-JUN08.PDF takes you to the mark scheme, including the sheet I gave you in class.

The essay question is:
How does Steinbeck make us feel sympathy for Lennie in Of Mice and Men?
Remember to spend 45 minutes on the actual writing, but you may want to spend longer on preparing your ideas.

Look forward to receiving them,
Mr Boulter

Welcome to 2011 and the best year of your school life!

Well, sort of. Should be a good summer anyway, once you get the pesky exams out of the way...

Points I'd like to make:

1) Well done on your mock performance, which was generally very encouraging I thought! The most important thing is that you understand which areas were your most successful and which were weak, and that you know what you need to do to sort this out.

2) I hope you're ready to work! Now that mocks are out of the way, we really need to kick on with the Literature element, studying the novel and the poetry in detail, before returning to some Language revision nearer to the exam. THIS LINK will take you to a document showing you exactly what we'll be studying in class, and also giving you your homework tasks. I'll give it you in class also. Can I also say, though, that we have to be able to work in a way which doesn't put too much pressure and stress on ourselves (I'm counting myself in this as well as you!)... part of being a successful student is recognising that some stress is OK, but being able to manage time, work sensibly, take breaks, remember to take opportunities to switch off and enjoy yourselves, and keep things in perspective!

3) You are going to be writing a lot. That's writing in class, and writing at home. This is not because I am an evil masochist who enjoys seeing people suffer, but because it is simply the most effective, guaranteed way to ensure that you succeed. So make sure you approach this with a positive attitude, get into a habit of writing at a particular time in the week, and put in the hard work you need to get the rewards.

Right, see you all soon, hope you had a lovely Xmas and all that,

Mr Boulter

ps- an amazing, yet to be decided on prize to whoever correctly identifies the bird!