Year 9 revision

Revision for next week's test is here. Revise hard - I want you to get 100% next week!

Year 9 Poetry homework - due first lesson back after Easter holidays

Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle Received from a Friend Called Felicity

During that summer

When unicorns were still possible;

When the purpose of knees

Was to be skinned;

When shiny horse chestnuts

    (Hollowed out

    Fitted with straws

    Crammed with tobacco

    Stolen from butts

    In family ashtrays)

Were puffed in green lizard silence

While straddling thick branches

Far above and away

From the softening effects

Of civilization;

 

During that summer--

Which may never have been at all;

But which has become more real

Than the one that was--

Watermelons ruled.

 

Thick imperial slices

Melting frigidly on sun-parched tongues

Dribbling from chins;

Leaving the best part,

 

The black bullet seeds,

To be spit out in rapid fire

Against the wall

Against the wind

Against each other;

 

And when the ammunition was spent,

There was always another bite:

It was a summer of limitless bites,

Of hungers quickly felt

And quickly forgotten

With the next careless gorging.

 

The bites are fewer now.

Each one is savored lingeringly,

Swallowed reluctantly.

 

But in a jar put up by Felicity,

The summer which maybe never was

Has been captured and preserved.

And when we unscrew the lid

And slice off a piece

And let it linger on our tongue:

Unicorns become possible again.

 

John Tobias

 

Year 9 English Homework Task 1

     

1.   Before you read the rest of the poem, what does the title suggest that the poem will be about?   Try to think of 2 ideas and explain each idea.  (4 marks)
    (4 marks – 1 mark for each valid answer and 1 mark for each valid explanation.)
    
2. Choose a word/phrase/line from Stanza 1 which you find interesting and explain the poet’s choice of words and what you think he meant or was trying to achieve? (1 mark for valid quotation and 1 mark for valid explanation)  (2 marks)
    
3. From the rest of the poem find TWO examples of a word/phrase or line which provides evidence that the poet enjoyed his childhood.  (4 marks – 1 mark for each valid answer and 1 mark for each valid explanation.)  (4 marks)
    
   Total: 10 marks

Year 9 Poetry Terms homework

Homework for two weeks (I said it was due March 10th, but that's interform, so March 11th)

·        Learn the definitions. You should know what all the terms mean and be able to give an example. Get someone to test you or try here: https://quizlet.com/_ol9je

·        Learn how to spell the terms.

·        Create a beautiful poster on one of the techniques, demonstrating your understanding of it. Include a definition, a way to remember how to spell the term, and some different examples from poetry (plenty of poetry books in library – Mrs Fletcher will help if you ask). You may wish to use your own examples.

Onomatopoeia	Words or groups of words that are used to imitate the natural sounds of things. “the pitter patter of rain on the windows”, “Pow!”,
Repetition	The use of the same words, or phrases, used close together
Rhyme	The echoing of sounds within or at the end of lines E.g.     I travelled among unknown men,             In lands beyond the sea;             Nor, England, did I know til then             What love I bore to thee.
Pace	The speed of the poem; whether the words and rhythm make you want to read it quickly or slowly
Simile	When one thing is said to be like another; a comparison. E.g. She was as white as a sheet It dried up, like a raisin in the sun
Stanza	Another word for verse. It refers to the groups of lines in a poem
Rhythm	The beat of a poem, particularly the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables
Personification	An inanimate object is given human qualities E.g. the wind kicked the window and laughed out loud
Alliteration	The repetition of a letter or letter sound, especially at the beginning of words. Used for emphasis and to link ideas. E.g. five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Metaphor	When one thing is said to be another. E.g. The moon was a ghostly galleon
Line	A formal structural division in a poem. May vary in length from one syllable to a large number of words.
EXTENSION:
Assonance	An imperfect form of rhyme which counts only the vowel sound of the chief rhyming syllable: a half-rhyme
Hyperbole	Write your own definition here:
Enjambment	Write your own definition here:

Year 9 half term homework on Caliban

I suggest that you do this as quickly as you can after today's lesson - don't leave it until after half-term, or you'll forget what we did in the lesson. Sorry - it looks a bit strange on the page as I've copied it from Word, but you should still be able to follow it.

Act 2, scene 2: Another part of the island. Caliban meets Trinculo and Stephano.

 

Enter CALIBAN with a burden of wood.

CALIBAN

All the infections that the sun sucks up
From bogs, fens, flats, on Prosper fall and make him
By inch-meal a disease!

(A noise of thunder is heard)

His spirits hear me
And yet I needs must curse. But they'll nor pinch,
Fright me with urchin--shows, pitch me i' the mire,
Nor lead me, like a firebrand, in the dark
Out of my way, unless he bid 'em; but
For every trifle are they set upon me;
Sometime like apes that mow and chatter at me
And after bite me, then like hedgehogs which
Lie tumbling in my barefoot way and mount
Their pricks at my footfall; sometime am I
All wound with adders who with cloven tongues
Do hiss me into madness.

Enter TRINCULO

Lo, now, lo!
Here comes a spirit of his, and to torment me
For bringing wood in slowly. I'll fall flat;
Perchance he will not mind me.

 


My notes on text:

Inch-meal = every inch (every bit of him)

What does Caliban want to fall onto Prospero?

(He thinks the thunder is Prospero’s spirits spying on him.)

“yet” = but
“I needs must” = I can’t help myself
“nor” = not
They won’t pinch or frighten me with illusions (urchin-shows)
“firebrand” = piece of wood set alight and used as a torch
“pitch me i’ the mire” = throw me in the swamp
“bid” = commands
“every trifle” = every little thing
“mow” = make faces
“cloven” = forked
"perchance” = maybe
“mind me” = notice me
 Homework: use my notes, a dictionary, and maybe the internet, to help you understand this small extract. You need to do exactly what we did in class with the first extract.

What are your ideas about Caliban here? My thoughts about Caliban are that…

How does Shakespeare give you those ideas? (find some quotations from the text and underline particular words that give you these ideas)

Make notes on the questions above, then write your ideas into a PEE paragraph, explaining how the quotation you have chosen supports your opinion about Caliban.

Aiming higher? Explore the point (more than one quotation?); offer an alternative view (this could also mean...); link to the audience at the time; link to Shakespeare's viewpoint.

Library homework: learn the following terms and their definitions ready for a test:

Adjective	Describes a noun, eg the horrible cat.
Noun	The name of a person, place or thing, eg Paris, Sarah, table, love, hatred
Adverb	Describes or gives more information about a verb or adjective, eg she swiftly walked, he was very cold.
Verb	The word that carries the action of the sentence (doing or being), eg. She gazed out of the window, he was annoying
Pronoun	Stands in place of a noun, eg he, she, we, it, you, they

 

Year 9 Sonnet homework due Tuesday 9th February

I can't post the sheet for this one, so if you lose it, you'll have to beg, borrow or... ask for it!

Your task is to familiarise yourself with the form of poetry called the sonnet. Shakespeare loved them. They were usually about love, and it is nearly Valentine's day!

Year 9 Caliban homework

English Homework. Set 26/1/16. Due 2/2/16

Do some research into how Caliban has been presented through film, theatre and paintings. Choose one image that appeals to you. Write a beautifully crafted paragraph describing what he looks like in your image, so that someone who couldn’t see the picture would be able to imagine it.

I expect you to use:

·         Adjectives

·         A range of sentence types and lengths

·         Powerful vocabulary

·         Accurate spelling and punctuation

You might also use:

·         Imagery (Similes, metaphors)

·         A range of punctuation (semi-colons, colons)

·         Some complex sentences

·         Ambitious vocabulary (you may use a thesaurus)

Even though this is only a paragraph, you should still spend 30 minutes on this. I expect to see evidence in your book of drafting, corrections, improvements and corrections. I will be placing more value on crafted and creative writing than on neat books. 

Y9 Miss Luce letter homework

This letter (sorry - it is very small!) was written by John Steinbeck to Claire Luce, an actress who was playing Curley’s Wife on Broadway, and who had expressed worries about playing the character. Answer the following questions in your books in full sentences. (Ignore the questions at the bottom of the letter)

1.    Read the letter carefully.

2.    Look up any words you don’t understand in a dictionary. Make a note of their meaning.

3.    What was Curley’s wife’s ‘fixation’?

4.    Why does Steinbeck suggest that she had become a hard character?

5.    What does Curley’s wife crave above all else?

6.    Why does he suggest that you would never get to know the real Curley’s Wife?

7.    Does this letter change the opinion you had of Curley’s Wife? Explain why or why not.

8.     *Extension: read this article on the blog about Curley’s Wife and write a short response explaining how this further adds to your understanding about the character.

Year 9 Homework - Curley's Wife Set Friday 6th November

Imagine you are Curley’s Wife. Write a letter home to your sister, telling her what life is like for you on the ranch.  Are you happy? How is your marriage working out? How do you fill your days?

You are aiming to show my your understanding of the character, but should also write accurately and well. (No non-negotiable errors!)

Due Tuesday 10th November. You will need to do this on paper, as I have your books.

Year 9 Library homework

Each week, unless you are told otherwise, this will be your homework from your library lesson. It will be set on a Thursday and will be due the following Thursday.

1. Reading Homework: Read your library book (or a book of your own) for 15 - 20 minutes. Write 3 sentences in the back of your English book about how the story has progressed. You have a sheet in your English book with more details about this. Your three sentences should be totally accurate. The marking focus is on the accuracy of your writing, not your understanding of the book.

2. Spelling and Vocabulary work: Use any spelling errors from your English book, combined with words I have given you to make a list of 10 spellings to work on. Learn them!

3. If you are already a confident speller, you should work on your vocabulary instead. Using the list I have given you, spend 10 - 15 minutes extending your vocabulary instead of working on spellings.

Year 9 Homework project set 16/10/15

Homework Project

This is a personal development homework. You must show evidence that you have worked on an area of writing that will support your targets. This should be:

• Spelling
• Vocabulary
• Punctuation development
• Sentence Variety

·   You should spend at least 90 minutes on this homework. I will want to see your evidence on Friday 6^th November.

Spelling: Quizlet is a good website. Put in the spellings you want to learn and practice! There are probably other apps out there too – Squeebles is one. Good old ‘Look, Cover, Write, Check’ is still worth trying, and writing them out over and over again. Look for patterns in words; say them in a silly way that emphasises the spelling.

Vocabulary: Read a newspaper (preferably a broadsheet). Try guardian.co.uk or telegraph.co.uk. The comments section will have some interesting articles. Read an article that interests you and note down all the unfamiliar vocabulary. Keep a list of words and try to use them in conversation. Write sentences containing them. Can you write the opening line of a story using the word?

Play freerice (google it). It helps you develop your vocabulary at the same time as donating food to people without any J

Punctuation. There are lots of things online to help you. Try search terms like ‘how to use commas’, ‘what is a comma splice’, ‘how to use semi-colons’ etc. If you can’t find anything helpful, see me.

Sentence variety. Try copying the sentence structures that you see in books. Take the first paragraph of a book, then write something similar. Keep the sentence structure, but change the content. Remember the REPTILE work that we did? Revise that, and apply it to a paragraph of writing. Keep improving a piece of writing until you have improved the structure.

What I need to see in your books:

Area I have chosen to work on:

What I have done to improve my skills:

Evidence: Choose one of the following tasks. All should be completed with a view to demonstrating how much you have learnt in your chosen area.

·         Write the opening two paragraphs of a story.

·         Write part of a leaflet that explains something you know / care about.

·         Write the opening of a speech to be read in assembly about something you care about.

·         Write the first two paragraphs of a letter to John Steinbeck telling him what you think of the novel so far.

·         Write a description of your bedroom.

·         Write two paragraphs describing somebody important to you.

·         Re-write a section of your Weed newspaper report.

Y9 Homework Set Friday 9th October

Due - Friday 16th October

Write a couple of paragraphs answering the question: What is your first impression of Curley's Wife?

You should use the quotations you have from the lesson to help you write PEE paragraphs.

Use this example about Curley to help you.

The first impression that we get of Curley is that he is an unfriendly and even aggressive man. He is described as glancing "coldly" at George, which suggests that he has no warm feelings towards the new men, and is being very unwelcoming. He is not even prepared to give them a chance - his reaction is immediately unfriendly. We also get the impression that he is quick to pick a fight, and is always ready to defend himself. As he looks at George, his arms gradually bend up and "his hands closed into fists". This suggests that his body is used to springing straight into a position where he is ready to fight; perhaps he has done this so often it is an unconscious reaction. 

Y9 Homework set Tuesday 22nd September

Due Friday 25th Sepember

Using the ideas you have gained from Tuesday's lesson, I would like you to write a list of quotations from each person that you have interviewed. What are they likely to have said to you, that you could use in your newspaper report? You need at least two quotations from each person (the victim, the Sheriff and the Boss)

For example:

Mary Lou Hobbs: "It was awful - he just wouldn't let go of my dress."