Welcome to English

• As we wait for everyone to arrive please complete the Two Stars and a Wish sheet for your child.

Reflection - Two Stars and a Wish

Two stars = Two things you think your child is good at in English.

A wish = Something that you wish they were better at.

A question = something that you hope I’ll answer this evening.

The Power Of Words

GCSE English Language

GCSE English Literature

Aims

• To explain the route through GCSE English Language and GCSE English Literature that your child is taking this year.

• To show you the skills that they are developing for the English Language exam.

• To help you to support your child at home.

English Language

One exam worth 40% One Controlled Assessment folder worth 40% One speaking and listening folder worth 20%

Background

• Your child’s controlled assessment folder was submitted in June.

• They are now in a new class where they can have another go at the controlled assessment to make sure that they achieve at least a grade C next summer.

Controlled Assessment

• Throughout year eleven your child will have another go at four controlled assessment pieces for English Language: – Moving Image – Spoken Language Investigation – Extended Reading – Creative Writing They will also write a controlled assessment piece for Literature comparing ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to a collection of poems.

Controlled Assessment

• • • • This means: Students have a time limit Produced under the supervision of their teacher but their teacher cannot help They can not take a draft in with them They cannot use the notes that they have in their files.

The Challenge

Reducing their notes

And then expand them again

This means

• • • • Students must take every opportunity to prepare thoroughly.

Students should reread and review their notes.

They should complete short writing tasks for homework and hand them to their teacher for feedback and guidance.

They must talk to their teacher before the assessment lessons begin.

Exam

• • Your child will be able to have two attempts at the English Language exam if they require it.

Their first attempt will be in January. This is what we would like to focus on this evening.

Unit One Language

• • • • • • To be successful students must be able to: Make inferences Offer interpretations Use quotations Make connections Read an image Analyse Language

With this in mind . . .

• • We aim to make students curious about language.

We want them to be observant and notice things about language and question how people use language . . .

It can be used to say stupid things

Peter Kay all about idiomatic expressions http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2nez3_pet er-kay-stupid-things_fun

Our Aims

We want students to be able to appreciate how others use language to persuade and influence others and learn how to adapt their own language for a variety of purposes and audiences . . .

It can persuade and unite

One voice can change the world Obama speech 2.22 mins in length could show up to 1.22

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRqLRLI0q4g

Our Aims

We want students to enjoy English and understand the power of language. We want students to be able to make connections between the texts that they read and the images that accompany it.

They need to be able to evaluate how successful writers’ choices of language and images are.

For example

For example:

Here you would be expected to comment on: The awkward-looking pose of the Prince!

The long, medium and close-up pictures – showing us the scale and height of the building and the abseil The pun in the headline The honest statement of fear in the sub-heading! Also perhaps… • The amount of safety equipment • The army guy instructing him • The building itself and its name

Unit Three Language Controlled Assessment

• This comprises four pieces of writing produced in controlled conditions (high control): – Two pieces of creative writing – A piece of writing analysing spoken language – A piece of writing responding to a literary text (eg ‘An Inspector Calls’) which assess their ability to read and interpret.

These are the same skills that are developed when studying unit one – inference, analysis, making connections, offering interpretations, crafting a piece of writing for a specific purpose and audience.

General Tips

• • • • Read as widely as possible.

Encourage your child to read newspaper or magazine articles and newspaper letters pages.

When a controlled assessment is approaching they will have homework. Please ask them to talk to you about it.

Encourage them to check their spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Our Text Till Dog Do Us Part

Note: as we are only looking at one text today it is longer than the ones you will get in the exam. In exam you will have three shorter ones.

Question One

• • Read Source one the online newspaper article, ‘Till Dog Do Us Part’ by Gavin Newsham.

What do you learn from Gavin Newsham’s article about bringing a new puppy into a family.

• AO3i. Read and understand texts, selecting material appropriate to purpose, collating from different sources and making comparisons and cross-references as appropriate.

Till Dog Do Us Part

• Read the text carefully aiming to understand what the writer is saying about dog ownership. You might want to

underline or highight

any sentences that reveal how he feels about this topic.

In each little print write a point and quotation.

Write your main point here. A general point summing up the writer’s view. For example whether he is positive or negative about the puppy. This will help you begin your answer tomorrow.

Question Two

Your first task is to look closely at the cards in front of you.

Can you match up the correct headline, sub headline, image and article? Look for clues!

There will be a prize for the first table to match up their cards correctly.

Newspaper articles

Select one of the articles that you have pieced together.

Can you fill your post-it note with an explanation of how you worked out which pieces went together?

Question three

• What do we learn about Gavin Newsham’s feelings on his family’s new puppy?

• Match the emotions shown on the dog’s face with the appropriate section of the article.

For example

• ‘The dog is a miniature chocolate labradoodle. The very name makes me cringe.’

Question Four

• • Comparing Language: Students will be asked to compare language used in two pieces of texts (perhaps comparing an article with an autobiography).

• We’ll have a go at comparing headlines instead.

How do the writers of the headline use language for effect?

Comparative connectives: Cowell’s lead role for dogs SIMON Cowell is launching a new talent show — dubbed Strictly Come Dancing for DOGS.

Pudsey book is no Pup Fiction PAW little Pudsey was having a ruff time coming up with a title for his memoirs – until The Sun fetched one for him.

Whereas However Comparatively Alternatively In contrast to Contrastingly Similarly Moreover In comparison with

Cowell’s lead role for dogs SIMON Cowell is launching a new talent show — dubbed Strictly Come Dancing for DOGS. (Text A) Pudsey book is no Pup Fiction PAW little Pudsey was having a ruff time coming up with a title for his memoirs – until The Sun fetched one for him. (Text B) 4. How do the writers of these headlines use language for effect?

The writer of text A uses words like . . .

This has the effect of . . .

Whereas Alternatively However In contrast to Comparatively Alternatively Contrastingly Also Similarly Equally while

The writer of text B uses words such as . . .

This creates the effect of . . .

Writing

• • There are two tasks on this section of the exam A shorter task based around informing, explaining or describing A longer task based around arguing or persuading.

• Accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar are essential.

Writing

The important elements for students to consider are purpose and audience

Varied Vocabulary, Sentence Types and Punctuation

Encourage your child to read

• • • Next Controlled assessment is on ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and a collection of poems.

Students will be asked to write about strong feelings or the voices of the characters and how they are presented to the reader.

This will be held during the week beginning 19 th November.

We are very grateful that you have taken the time to come along tonight.