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?

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!

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

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!

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!

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?

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.