Waving goodbye

Well, this is it.

Class finished. Blog finished for this academic year.

I don’t know if any of the class will look at this post – why would they? the class is finished - but I thought I’d say goodbye anyway, particularly to the people who aren’t in the class but who have for some reason landed on my blog – in some cases, quite regularly.

So hello and goodbye to those of you in:

Churchtown, Tel Aviv, Stow, Key West Florida, Jedburgh, Brighton, Swindon, Bathgate, Newtonmore, Kinross, Cupar, Manchester, Maidenhead, Mountain View California

and various other places across the world.

I’d love to know what brought you here and in some cases why you have kept coming back. It would intrigue me greatly if you were to leave me a comment.

Thank you for being a lovely class, if you were in the class. Have a good summer even if you weren't.

And a nice life.

The finishing line...

Good luck for the exam. You’ve worked hard and deserve to do well.

There are really only 2 main things to remember: write as accurately as you can (especially in paper 2) and ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.

Paper 1: remember the standard imagery/context/linking questions and how to do them. If you don’t know, read back in the blog or email me!

Otherwise:
*keep an eye on the marks and make your answer an appropriate length
* explain anything that seems remotely difficult (that the marker might think, if you don’t explain it, that you don’t understand)
* don’t ramble on unnecessarily
*use lots of white space between your answers (paper isn’t rationed and it makes it nice and easy to mark)
* remember that you don’t get marks simply for identifying a technique (eg “It’s a minor sentence”) but by doing so and THEN writing about the exact effect in the context
* remember that, generally speaking, you get the marks for the comment, not the quote. The quote is just to show what bit you’re talking about.

Paper 2: remember that the “questions” comprise a general description of the text followed by a (usually 2-part) instruction.

Sometimes the description might seem a bit alarming but the instructions might be a lot simpler, so do think hard before you choose a question.

Remember, too, that just telling the story will not be enough, but that telling selected bits of the story to illustrate your main points (ie to answer the “question”) will be necessary.

And think of the SECT idea, if it’s helpful, though don’t stick rigidly to the CT bit of it – or not in that order, necessarily. But you don’t want a whole list of statements: SSSSSSSS! If you state something about the text, give evidence to back it up. Evidence = quote or direct reference (ie something particular that happens in the story that illustrates what you’ve said).

And do show awareness of the writer’s techniques – essentially. Mentioning the writer’s name occasionally is useful: “Miller makes Eddie reveal his feelings when….”.

And remember the poor old marker: underpaid, ageing, grumpy, distracted. Write readably. Miss lines. Number accurately. Don’t waffle to no effect.

Good luck!

Room numbers (2) and desk numbers

Rooms and desk numbers

Music Box Auditorium - just opposite office off foyer of Music Box:
Mandy 3, Michelle B 16, James 22, Lyndsay 32, Maggie 34, Emma 39

Music Box 1.23
Rachael (no desk number)

Creative Arts building, 187 (this is in the bit between the MB and the tower block - over the glass bridge, up the stairs and it's on the left)
Allyson 7, Michelle K 16

Creative Arts building, 193 (this is in the bit between the MB and the tower block - over the glass bridge, up the stairs and it's on the left)
Garry 9

Music Box room 9 (into foyer of MB, up to end, turn left, along corridor)
Jason 5, Sarah 11

Music Box room 1.20 (just along from our room)
Gavin 7, Graeme 10

Tower block, room 120

Suzanne (no desk number)

Good luck! You're all stars! I will be back tomorrow with some final words of wisdom!

Room numbers 1

I've been trying to get hold of the exam section to give me a list of the room numbers. They seem to have gone AWOL this morning. There's a list on the noticeboard but it would be easier to post the rooms on my computer from a bit of paper on my desk. However, this is just to say that I WILL post the room numbers today, one way or the other, so watch this space!

The second last post

Revision!

We went over the some of the main things to remember about Close Reading, from a little crib sheet made up by one of my colleagues. Email me if you want this (though it doesn’t have anything new; it’s just a handy reminder, to be propped up against the Corn Flake packet on the morning of the exam).

We also discussed the suitability for our texts of various exam-type questions made up by another of my colleagues, and I suggested that you should have a go at one or two and email them to me by Monday at the latest, to give me a chance to mark them.

We looked at, and tried to assess, another couple of the Critical Essay workshop essays for which the SQA supplied answers. Again, we were not too stunned by their brilliance and therefore encouraged to feel we could all do at least as well.

Finally, we looked at student answers from the 2005 Close Reading workshop and considered the marks awarded.

Next week, as I said last week, I’ll be there and will be happy to do any revision/marking/advice on demand.

Meanwhile, revise your texts! Learn quotes! Despite the evidence from the SQA workshop, I’d still recommend trying to get at least 5 relevant quotations into each essay (many more for essays on poetry) – so this means learning 10 for each of the play and the novel, since the relevance will depend on the question.

Feel free to email me if you have any problems with which you feel I could help: pdonaldson@stevenson.ac.uk

Nearly there...

The class just began at 7.15 and we looked at critical essays: the markers’ instructions from 2008 and some actual students’ essays. I gave out 10 essays and we looked at 2, finding ourselves surprised but (I hope) encouraged by the leniency of the marking. We’ll look at the rest next week; we'll also go over the marking of those close reading answers that was the homework for this week.

If you weren’t there yesterday – not many were – and would like these exemplar essays, do email me and I’ll send them as an attachment. I’d really like you to read them and think about them before the class rather than spending time reading them during the class.

I also, cruelly, made the class write a critical essay in 45 minutes. If you weren’t there, please do this for next week, again in a strict 45 minutes. If you were in class, you might like to do the other one at home; or any essay or close reading.

Here are the titles:

Choose a play in which a character is at odds with one or more than one of the people around him or her.

Show how the dramatist makes you aware of the character’s situation and discuss to what extent this led to a greater understanding of the concerns of the play.

and

Choose a poem which presents a character to whom you react with sympathy, dislike or laughter.

Show how the poet arouses this response from you and discuss how important it is to the overall impact of the poem.

Do come along next week if you can.

The final week, the 12th, I imagine you might prefer to stay at home and revise, but I will be there as usual at 5.45 and available for any tuition on request, so do feel free to come that evening too if you want. If no one turns up by 6.15, then I’ll go, but I’m happy to stay if anyone wants to discuss anything to do with English.

Vitamins and revision

Nothing interesting is going to happen from now on, I’m afraid, people!

This week we went over in some detail the answers to the 2008 Close Reading and I gave you out the workshop materials for the 2005 one, together with students’ answers (unmarked). We looked at the question on both passages and considered if any of them strayed from the “2 marks for turning up and writing something” rule. Please take on the mantle of a marker and grade the various attempts at the other questions for next week!

Also consider doing some critical (literature) essays – and do them within 45 minutes!

We also considered the language on the label of Allyson’s Vitamin Water bottle. Remember to practise your analytical skills as you live your life between now and May 15. Read adverts, labels, leaflets, newspaper articles – anything – and look at the sentence structure, word choice and so on.

Next week we shall be loking at some actual students' essays and the marks awarded to them by the SQA, and then doing a timed essays on literature. So come prepared! No more spoon-feeding…

However, the class doesn’t start till 7.15 because some people have to do reassessments. Do some revision….