Sec 2 English Language 2009-2010

2010-08-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

Dear students who have been given the honour of presenting on this challenging topic, you guys looked so worried I felt I had to offer some possible approaches to this topic. Don’t feel restricted to these ideas though, feel free to take off with your own interpretations. It’s not always a matter of who is wrong or right, but a matter of who manages to make the most convincing argument. Relax, and enjoy yourselves!

Race matters.

Questions to ponder:
What exactly is race? What is ethnicity?
Race is often confused with religion or nationality.
Are there biological differences between races?
Does race matter to people?
Should race matter?
Is race a useful category to define humans?
Can categorising people by race lead to discrimination?
Is it possible to be proud of one’s race without looking down on other races?

Possible approach for -
Proposition: Show that race does matter to people, it influences their decisions, forms part of their identity, and this is NOT necessarily a bad thing. Acknowledging differences can lead to mutual respect. Can show that it would be naïve of us to assume that racial differences can be erased from people’s consciousness so easily. Show examples of historical events which show clearly that race matters to people, for better or for worse. Proposition can take the stand that it is an undeniable fact that race matters, and your evidence has proven this beyond a doubt. The proposition’s task is to prove that the statement is true.
Opposition: convince the audience that race SHOULD NOT matter. There is little if any evidence of biological differences between races. Humanity is or should be moving towards an integrated existence, rather than one based on differences. Have to acknowledge that there are differences, but these differences are only superficial; humans all generally have the same needs and desires. Race, ethnicity, nationality – these are all social constructs that have meaning only if we choose to give them meaning. Can show examples of people and groups or communities for whom race does not matter. Opposition could take the stand that race matters only in our minds, it is NOT a natural or desirable outlook, and to say that it matters is to propagate a false idea created by man. The challenge the opposition face, and their task, is to take the moral high ground and show that race SHOULD NOT matter, and to show that those who say race matters are only looking at surface differences. When it comes to basic human qualities, the goodness or evil in one’s heart, the ability to tell right from wrong, our basic human emotions and needs and desires, we are overwhelmingly alike.

What do you see?

2010-01-25T13:35:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, a photograph can capture a moment in time that would be impossible to describe as well in words...but impossible is nothing :) so we'll try anyway!

Look at the picture below...what do you think the photographer was trying to capture? How would you describe the expression on the boys face...what do you think he is feeling at that moment?

Using the comments function, describe what you think is going on in the picture and what emotions the boy is experiencing. What do you think the photographer was trying to capture?

Going Gaga!

2010-01-25T13:10:00.000-08:00

Remember we talked about persuasion in class and all the different ways humans try to persuade one another to do things? Well, we all agreed that magazine covers have one purpose in mind - make us buy the magazine! Experts are hired to make the covers as appealing as possible to their target audience.

I've scanned in a recent cover of 8 Days and identified one technique that made the cover more interesting and appealing - the use of a creative visual layout to communicate information clearly. Can you identify more features? Explain how the feature works to attract people as well. Best responses have a nice surprise in store!

Comprehending Comprehension

2010-01-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

The process of reading is pretty complex - when we read a text, we predict what it's going to be about, using clues like the title, author, cover design and so on. Our understanding of the passage is based on our prior knowledge, as well as our vocabulary and ability to understand how words are arranged and used to communicate the author's message.

This term, our first comprehension passage was from our textbook, Essential Non-Fiction, in the form of an extract from Christy Brown's autobiography, My Left Foot. Christy Brown is amazing; he didn't allow his disabilities to stop him from communicating. He was an author, painter and poet. His example makes me feel bad about complaining about life sometimes. There are so many examples of people who keep positive despite facing so much hardship.

One important thing I hope we remember from the lesson as well as from the comprehension practice questions is that often the question provides many important clues to help you come up with an accurate answer. Things like number of marks allocated, identifying the type of question and scanning the passage for relevant information are examples of vital reading comprehension skills.

While it is true that we can't 'study' for comprehension, we can most certainly prepare for it! Reading more does help because experienced readers are more likely to be able to better understand the various writing techniques authors use.

As you read, keep a dictionary nearby so you can immediately look up unfamiliar words.

That's all folks, too sleepy to continue,but hopefully will post tomorrow on EPS, persuasive writing and football. G'nite!

read, review, rest...read some more!

2010-01-20T06:24:00.000-08:00

Yes, have finally found some time for a new post! As promised, this one is about book reviews. I've been eagerly waiting to read your book reviews, and I hope to return them by next week. If there's one important thing to take away from the book review lessons, it is this: a book review is a review, not a plot summary or synopsis. It is crucial to understand this because with any assignment, the first step is to understand the question and identify what exactly it wants. Being able to do this is a very important skill, especially as you progress and attempt more directed writing assignments.

I wonder if you guys realized that many of you are reading or are interested in the same kinds of books. There seem to be many Twilight and Artemis Fowl fans in 2DL and 2MD, as well as fans of fantasy stories. There were of course a few exceptions, such as the Jodi Picoult or Terry Goodkind reader. As a bookworm myself, it's great seeing what books others love to read. As a child, I loved reading books about animals, especially on dinosaurs and big cats. As I got older, a fascination with horror started, and I remember being mesmerised by Edgar Allan Poe's short stories and Christopher Pike's high school horror tales.

My mum was a teacher and she'd bring home books that publishers provided for review and I would devour them at first sight. On weekends my sis would have classes at Yamaha (Marine Parade) and I would take the opportunity to browse the cramped but cosy second hand bookshop at the wet market (it's still there!). The 'Choose Your Own Adventure' and 'Lone Wolf' series and Archie comics were favourites. One of the books that really changed my idea of what books could be was 'Lord of the Flies' by William Golding. It's a story about a group of schoolboys who are shipwrecked on an island and have to survive on their own without any adults. Their descent from civilised young boys to savages fighting for survival and jostling for power was riveting.

I hope you continue to explore the wonderful world of books and open windows to new perspectives and ideas. Visit fantastic settings and be thrilled by engaging storylines...fall in love with compelling characters and despise ruthless villains...marvel at the strength of the human spirit, and cringe at its weakness and fragility too.

Enough talking, go read! :)

Refreshed, reawakened, raring to go!

2010-01-09T05:43:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, welcome to the Sec 2 EL blog, 2010. If you look for the first post of the blog, you'll find out why it's called biggestbellyboutique :)

It's been a great start to the new year and decade. 2DL and 2MD, you guys are lively and responsive, and I look forward to discovering new things with you in the amazingly ancient yet modern and constantly changing world of language.

"Language has power".

Yup, that's what we discussed in our introductory lesson, and looking back at the evolution of language, we can see how closely it is linked to issues of cultural, economic, even military power. In our everyday lives, language has a great impact, because it is the medium through which we communicate (in fact, I was watching this documentary on TV, I think it was 'Our Earliest Ancestors' or something, that suggested that the physical evolution of our jaws made it possible for us to produce complex sounds and hence develop sophisticated language, something we assume is unique to humans...).

One thing we talked about too is how learning a language is not just about learning how to communicate (we can all communicate; most if not all living things can communicate), but about learning how to communicate effectively. Language empowers us, and the more effectively we use it, the more 'powerful' we are. Let's hope we all use our powers for the greater good, of course! :)

For our English files, can we all use green ring files? Im hoping we can recycle files from last year (save our planet!). Do keep up with the self-study exercises too. Although these will not be marked, they are a very useful activity for your independent learning, and will be checked periodically, according to register numbers. Most of the exercises can be done in our journals (the rest can be done in the textbooks themselves when possible). And feel free to write about anything you want in our journals, and decorate them any (creative and decent) way you like. Prolific writers are encouraged to hand in your journals voluntarily anytime you have something for me to read :)

My second post will be on book reviews, which we discussed during our second lesson. In the meantime, take care, and have a good weekend!

~Mr. Ahmad

Is it already wk 5?

2009-02-02T23:35:00.001-08:00

Wow, time sure flies! I thought the year started out quite leisurely, but things have speeded up...with all the holidays and half days, I'm having a hard time tracking which class covered what! To keep things less complicated, I'll combine the lesson summary and learning points for Wk 3 and 4 in one post.

Lessons in Wk 3 and 4

Continuing with our theme of reviews this term, we explored game reviews. Our starting point was the 'Halo' game review in Essential Non-Fiction. We listed down some of the essential elements of a game review, and took a mini-journey through the history of video games. Remember the gameplay videos of Pacman, Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter, Nintendogs and Silent Hill? I used to play a lot of video games as a teenager, and Street Fighter was one of my favourites. Of course, times have changed, and gaming is now a multi-million dollar industry which even our government is trying to tap into by offering courses and diploma/degree programs in ITEs, polytechnics and universities. Of course, gaming does have its drawbacks, as it can be an unnecessary distraction or even an addiction.

I was very glad to see the majority complete the homework (Halo worksheet). We could then spend the time reviewing our answers and exploring other topics. Our next homework assignment was to download and play World of Goo, a great game from 2D Boy. After the CNY holidays, we used the computer labs to come up with a layout for a game review, based on designs and notes we compiled the week before.

This week, week 5, we'll have our first CNA lesson (I know 2LY had the lesson last week), and then we'll move on to book reviews. Along the way, we'll also cover comprehension passage analysis (what we do whenever we go through any of the passages in essential Non-Fiction) and oral communication skills, focusing on reading aloud and picture discussion.

There'll be a caption competition soon too!

Take care, eat well (not too well!) and get enough rest - there seems to be a nasty flu bug in the air.

Lesson 5 Week 2 Term 1

2009-01-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

I'm really glad most of you completed the homework that was set - exercise 2-3 to 2-8. I'm sure you'll agree that it's more productive to go through the answers when you've already attempted the questions.

It does seem that it's not as easy as it looks to narrow down the topic of a paragraph. Don't worry though, you'll get better with practice! Remember, the general rule is that you should have one specific point in one paragraph, and this point is one of several points that support your stand in the essay.

For example, if your essay topic is 'School uniforms are necessary. Do you agree?', your stand could be that yes, they are indeed necessary. Your supporting points could then be 1) uniforms are vital in establishing a school identity, 2) uniforms can help prevent gang affiliation in schools (through wearing 'gang colours') and 3) uniforms help instill discipline and good grooming habits. Each of the 3 supporting points support your stand, which is that uniforms are necessary.

One way to practice is to brainstorm and make quick lists of points for different essay topics. Here are a few to start with:

a) Is war necessary?

b) Caning in schools should be abolished. Do you agree?

c) The Internet is more of a menace than a blessing. What are your views?

2009-01-22T06:26:00.000-08:00

Scanned the cover of the Life section of the Straits Times - sorry that it's a poor scan! I was intrigued by the use of the title 'Hitman' because although it may seem out of the blue, unrelated, and an odd choice for a title (it doesn't seem to have much to do with the brief summary of the article - At the grand old age of...), it actually makes sense once you consider who it is being used to describe (or put another way, once we consider the context).

Clint Eastwood is a veteran actor who starred in many 'tough-guy' films where he was the lone gunslinger or trigger-happy cop. Hence the term 'hitman' is appropriate when we take into account his acting history and his roles in those films.

In his later years, he started to direct films, which have done very well at the box office, winning awards and critical acclaim. Therefore, his films were 'hits', making him the 'hitman'!

The play on the word 'hit' is what makes the title work - it takes advantage of the two possible meanings of 'hit' - an act of violence, or a succesful project, product or venture.

Just thought I'd share this for fun! Are there any hidden layers of meaning you've spotted and would like to point out?

2009-01-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

Language constantly evolves

A while ago I received a flyer in the mail, emblazoned with the words 'Calling All Recessionistas' at the top. I'd never heard of the word 'recessionista' but it did sound like 'fashionista'. A quick google search solved the mystery:

(first let's look at 'fashionista') "This is a gently sarcastic term for a person who is an enthusiast for fashion. It covers not only the dedicated followers of fashion who wear the clothes, but also those who write about them. And it can refer to those who design, make, model and publicise clothes, and the fashion buyers whose decisions determine the success of a collection...
...It’s formed from fashion by adding the suffix -ista from Spanish, equivalent to our -ist ending..." This explanation is from www.worldwidewords.org, the link is provided below:
http://www.worldwidewords.org/turnsofphrase/tp-fas1.htm

'Recessionista' has been formed in the same way, and wiktionary.org provides a concise definition:

"recessionista (plural recessionistas)

A person who is able to stick to a tight budget while still managing to dress stylishly."

It's nice (and perhaps a little alarming) to think of languages as constantly evolving entities...many would say one must change with the times to remain relevant. Others however might feel that we should resist the urge to change or add to a language because then it wouldn't be 'pure' anymore...

Did you know that languages can become extinct if no one uses them anymore? Do a google search for 'extinct languages'. In fact, there's even a difference between a 'dead' and an 'extinct' language! Wikipedia has quite an extensive article on the subject, as well as a list of extinct languages.

So, besides 'recessionista', what other words that you've heard of do you suspect have only been created recently? List your suspects by replying to this post. Have fun exploring the wacky world of words!

Answers for homework exercises in Focus On Writing Chapter 2

2009-01-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

These are the answers for the homework exercises:

(Note that some of the answers are only suggestions, and alternative answers are perfectly fine. If in doubt, please ask :) )

Activity 2-4

2. b

3. b

4. not too sure about this...what do you think?

5. a

The main idea here is that a better topic sentence is one that is specific and focused.

Activity 2-5

2. The Sengkang River is one of the best features of my hometown.

or One of the reasons my hometown is such a wonderful place is the peace and quiet of the neighbourhood.

3. One area our school needs improvement in is the maintenance of our sporting facilities.

4. Exercise is good for you because it helps you burn harmful calories.

5. Driving a car at night can be hazardous because the poor visibility can lead to accidents.

6. One benefit of computers is that it helps us perform tasks more efficiently.

7. One interesting thing to do at the park is to feed the ducks in the pond.

8. Watching too much television is bad for you because it can damage your eyesight.

(typing this during the recess period, and the bell's just gone! Will add the rest later!)

Okay, let's continue:

Activity 2-6

(topic is in italics, and controlling idea is in bold)

1. Another interesting area of research has to do with the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

2. What makes the agreement shaky ... is that it is based on an overly optimistic estimate of the river's average flow.

3. The population of tigers in the world today is diminishing and the situation is not encouraging.

The population of many tiger species, like the South China Tiger, is probably too few and far between to maintain a viable population ever again.

4. His nose and body were unforgettable.

5. We write because we want to understand our lives.

6. I never cease to marvel at the sights and the exotic history of my hometown.

Activity 2-7

Answers are subjective, so i'll just provide one sample.

Narrowing down topic:

a memorable teacher

secondary school

form teacher

Mr. Teo

My most memorable form teacher must be Mr. Teo.

narrow down further:

Mr Teo was a memorable teacher because he would walk around the classroom during tests and examinations and point out mistakes in our answers.

Activity 2-8

Topic Sentence: Smoking cigarettes is hazardous to your health.

Support:

1) US government's study linked the intake of tar and nicotine with the development of cancer in laboratory animals

2) Evidence was so overwhelming that the government required cigarette manufaturers to put a warning on the outside of each package of cigarettes.

3) Smoking can also aggravate or promote other health problems like asthma, emphysema, smoker's cough and bronchitis.

4) Recent studies have shown that smokers are more susceptible to common colds and flu.

Conclusion: Whether you get a simple cold or something more serious like cancer, smoking is hazardous, so surely it's not worth it, right?

That's it for now, all the best for your assignment!

~Mr. Ahmad

Lesson 4 Term 1 Week 1

2009-01-13T04:05:00.000-08:00

Reminder! CA1 Assignment 1 is on the day of the last EL lesson this week! That means: 2CR and 2LY will be having your assignment on Friday, while 2FG will be having yours on Thursday.

Okay, back to our regular summary...for our fourth lesson, we looked at something new - Paragraphs! We referred to our Focus On Writing textbook, Chapter 2. We discussed how paragraphs are important for organising our ideas. This is especially so for persuasive writing. We talked about how we can find paragraphs in all sorts of texts, such as manuals, newspaper articles, reviews, argumentative essays, brochures and even websites.

Then we read a sample paragraph in our textbook, and discussed what the gist or topic of the paragraph was. We tried writing down the gist or topic of several paragraphs in our textbook, and it wasn't as easy as it may have seemed. Remember, an essay may have a broad topic like 'smoking is bad for you', but a paragraph within the essay needs to be more specific, 'such as 'one reason smoking is bad for you is that it is an expensive habit' or 'smoking causes throat cancer'.

We practiced narrowing down topics such as 'Mexico' and 'Singapore'. Tomorrow, we'll continue looking at paragraphs and how we can develop good paragraphs.

Homework: Read page 14-21 of Focus on Writing and do exercises 2-3 to 2-8.

Note: at the beginning of the lesson, I briefly summarized Chapter 1 on strategies for Pre-writing. Please read the Chapter if you haven't done so. The most important thing to take away from this chapter is that it is very important to plan before writing. How you plan is a personal choice, whether you prefer listing down your points or drawing a mind map. A few seconds of thought and planning can lay the foundation for a great essay :)

Lesson 3 Term 1 Week 1

2009-01-13T03:39:00.000-08:00

"Penelope Pitstop is in peril, having fallen once again into the clawing clutches of the Hooded Claw!" I really miss the days when cartoons were so simple and fun :) Many thanks to Penelope and her loyal protectors, the Anthill Mob, for helping demonstrate the use of alliteration in class.

For this lesson we learnt how to spice up our book reviews, specifically by using alliteration in our titles. A title like "Fowl Fouls it up!", "Prissy Princess is too perfect" or "Harry goes hairy - has Potter gone potty?" does two things - 1) it attracts the reader's attention and 2) it reveals the reviewer's tone or attitude towards the book in a creative, fun way.

I hope you guys enjoyed watching 'The Letter' (2CR hasn't yet, we'll watch it after our first assignment, okay?), even though it was hard to catch some of the jokes! Yup, you really need to pay attention to how British comedians play with words. Puns are great to use in a lighthearted review, because it adds interest and livens up the tone. Of course, there is such a thing as 'too much of a good thing', so don't overdo it! Sprinkle a few puns here and there in your review and have fun!

Thank you to those who shared their alliterative titles and puns in class - in class is where we can share and try out new things and ideas, so don't be afraid to try!

Lesson 2 Week 1 Term 1

2009-01-09T16:01:00.000-08:00

It's good to see more people visiting the blog, and I've had some requests such as adding a tag board. It's a great idea, so I''ll be adding that once I figure out how :)

Anyway, for our second lesson, we cleared up some words/ideas we may have missed during the first lesson, and then we moved ahead to Chapter 2: Review and Rewind. Do read the other autobiographical or biographical texts in Chapter 1 on your own, though, and try and see what differences and similarities there are between the different passages. Have you read any other autobiographies or biographies? It's now become the fashion for celebrities (football players especially!) to write autobiographies and tell 'their side' of the story. Do share if you've read any interesting ones!

Now on to the main focus of our second lesson - book reviews. We looked at a book review of Lemony Snicket's 'An Unfortunate Series Of Events' by Julia Durango. We read the review, and noted some of the features commonly found in book reviews. Some of these include:

- the reviewer may include quotes from the book or mimic the style of the author so as to give the reader a better idea of what to expect from the book

- the reviewer will also make his opinion of the book quite clear from the beginning. The reader can usually tell from the title of the review or perhaps the first line or paragraph what attitude the reviewer has towards the book.

- we looked at the author's use of connectives to organise ideas within an essay, and follow smoothly from one paragraph to the next.

- we discussed whether the reviewer's job is to convince the reader to agree with his or her opinion of the book, or simply to give the reader enough information to decide for themselves. What do you think? The answer may not be so simple...

Although the reviewer should be objective and fair, reviewers often try to be creative and adopt a certain style of their own while writing their review. After all, if the review appears in a magazine or newspaper, these publications (which are profit-seeking businesses after all) would prefer an entertaining review that attracts readers. Therefore, while the review is supposed to give readers an idea of what the book or movie is like, it's not exactly a 'public service'. The reviewer may also want to show off his writing skills and produce an entertaining piece. Sometimes a controversial reviewer can help pull regular readers, because people want to know what 'Reviewer X' feels about the book. Directors, playwrights and authors have been known to fear certain reviewers who can be very scathing in their comments.

We also briefly discussed how it can be useful to compare the book you are reviewing to other similar books, either by the same author or other authors. This shows that the reviewer has a breadth of knowledge and can make objective comparisons. If you are reviewing books form the fantasy genre such as Harry Potter, it might be useful to point out the differences and similarities between Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl, which is also a book involving fantasy characters but with a slight twist.

One other thing we discussed is how the gender and age of the reviewer could influence how the review is written. Een the publication the review is included in matters - whether it is published in Teen Magazine or 8 Days would make a difference in terms of how the review is written because of the different readership of the two magazines. One targets an audience comprising mostly teenage girls, while the other targets mostly young adults and housewives.

Well, that's all for now! If I've forgotten something, do let me know! Have a great weekend :)

~Mr. Ahmad

Lesson 1 Week 1 Term 1 - Biggest Belly Boutique!

2009-01-06T05:55:00.000-08:00

Remember the picture of the sign outside the shop I showed you in class? I'm sure you can guess where the inspiration for the name of this blog came from. There are many more examples of such ambiguous phrasing, so if you do see one, snap a picture and share it with the rest of us. I think it makes language more fun when we can interpret a sentence in different ways. Wait till you see the puns William Shakespeare wrote into his plays!

(By the way, if you're wondering, a pun occurs when we are confused by the deliberate use of a word or phrase that has several meanings or sounds similar to another word in such a way that it could refer to more than one meaning. Try googling 'puns' and you'll come across many examples!)

Well, I've started this blog as a kind of 'after-class' reflection, and as a kind of lesson summary and record of what we covered in class. Please feel free to add comments and ask questions. Just remember to include your name and class.

I'll start off with a summary of our first official lesson (I actually typed it out on my iPhone on the way home from work):

Lesson 1 Week 1 Term 1

We looked at the picture of the sign outside a shop: Biggest Belly Dancing Boutique, and we discussed how words, phrases and sentences can be ambiguous.

We also started analysing our first passage - Seize The Moment, from our textbook, Essential Non-Fiction. We explored how writers use different techniques to make their writing more effective, such as alternating between long and short sentences, using technical terms / jargon, using connectives and different tenses.

We'll be focusing more on analysing passages and learning strategies that will help us better understand the passages. Knowing the techniques writers use not only helps us understand the passage better, it helps us write better too!

New words / ideas we looked at today:

gist

schema

ambiguous

verisimilitude (note: not all classes did all the words, so do remind me to cover any word you see here which we didn't cover in class)

Don't forget to start working on your self study exercises! :)

~Mr. Ahmad