PUBLIC SPEAKING UPDATE

Chrystall Prize

Preparations are now underway-- our first round is being held at Central Newcastle High School, on Thursday, November 20th.

The competition is scheduled to commence at 4.15 pm, and all proceedings should be completed by 6pm at the latest.

Light refreshments will be available for you from 3.45 pm onwards in the School Library where the competition will be held; after all girls have delivered their speeches, there will be a break for sandwiches and pastries whilst the adjudicators deliberate.

I'm planning that travel will arranged through the school-- you will be travelling by rail, accompanied by a member of staff, and the cost of a rail ticket will be met by NGHS (yes-- that's right! A FREE trip to Newcastle!). While you will be leaving in the afternoon, you'll be getting back a bit late-- and you'll need to be picked up from Nottingham station.

The topic that has been selected from our shortlist is number 23 – "The cult of celebrity is the death of culture".

Newcastle is already badgering for the name of our candidate, so I'd like all volunteers to prepare about a minute's worth of speaking on this topic, and be ready to go at LUNCHTIME (1:50 PM) on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3rd. I'll be making a choice quickly!

ESU PUBLIC SPEAKING

As yet, still no word from our organisers-- do look through the packs I gave you, and I'll be looking to arrange a team structure the first week back.

Please ensure you're checking this blog throughout the half-term; there may be some more developments next week!

Mr H

Year 11 - Coursework Titles

Dear All:

Here's a list of coursework titles for those of you redrafting/replacing coursework over half-term.

Much Ado About Nothing

1.

• “O God that I were a man!”(IV, I, l. 301).
  
  Examine the role of gender in Much Ado About Nothing, with especial reference to the characters of Beatrice and Benedick.
  
  Comment on:
  · How Shakespeare portrays these characters
  · How these character’s behaviour conforms to or challenges gender roles—both in Shakespeare’s time and ours
  · The dramatic impact of these character’s speech and actions
  

2.
“In Hero and Beatrice, Shakespeare presents two radically different ideas of femininity.”

Compare the portrayal of Hero and Beatrice, with especial reference to I, I; III, iv; and IV, i.

How does Shakespeare create his female characters, and engage audience sympathies with them?


3.
What is the dramatic contribution of Don John in Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’? How might this character be presented to an audience?

4.
Examine the roles of Benedick and Claudio as ‘lover’.

· How do these characters compare in speech and actions?
· How does Shakespeare use the conventions of his time in shaping these characters?
· How do these characters add to the dramatic impact of the play?

• 5.
  Re-examine the events in and surrounding Act IV, Scene I of Much Ado About Nothing.
  
  How does Shakespeare make this scene the dramatic ‘high point’ of the play?
  
  In your answer, you should consider:
  
  How Shakespeare presents characters;
  His use of language and dramatic structure;
  The impact of social conventions or ideas—both contemporary and current—on audience reactions.
  

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

1. How does Stevenson engage his readership and establish intrigue/suspense in the novel? Pay especial attention to Stevenson’s use of language, the structure of the story, and his use of character and incident.

2. Select three passages from the novel, and comment on how Stevenson’s use of setting helps the reader to

· Understand the themes or ideas of the novel
· Experience suspense/tension or other effects
· Learn more about nineteenth-century life and society
· Appreciate his skill as a writer


3. Imagine you are Ms Davis, the Head of English at the Girls’ High School. You have just received the following letter from perturbed parents.

Write a response to the Shuckleburgers’ letter, defending the use of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in your GCSE English studies.

In your response, you should consider:

· How Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde reflects Victorian society or culture, and why it is valuable to learn about such ideas;
· How Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is an example of a literary style/genre, and what students could learn from this;
· The quality of Stevenson’s writing—what techniques does he employ, and what could students learn from him?

Remember that the Shuckleburgers are very sceptical, and will need ample proof from the text itself (i.e., quotations!), for you to succeed in quieting their opposition.

Remember to put your response in the form of a letter—a formal, ‘business’ style would work best.

Dear Ms Davis:

As concerned and child-centred parents, we take great interest in our daughter’s schoolwork, and we regularly snoop through, er, examine the contents of her lessons and homework.

We are rather perturbed by the inclusion of the text of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde as part of Penelope’s English coursework. We both took turns reading the text, and felt that it was inappropriate for study in this day and age.

Put simply, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde strikes us as an irrelevant, outdated Victorian text, with little or nothing of value to offer the student of today. We cannot conceive how our precious Penelope could enjoy this text, or learn anything from a piece of badly-written pulp fiction from 120 years ago.

We do hope that you will swiftly move to replace this text with something a little more contemporary or appropriate: say, Riders by Jilly Cooper, or Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. And sack her dreadful teacher while you’re at it.

Yours sincerely,

Milton and Millicent Shuckleburger

Public Speaking

Hey y'all!

Thanks to those of you who came last Friday for our breaktime meeting... and the rest of you-- do better next time!

1. Chrystall Prize

This is Thursday, November 20th. I will need to know (year 11's only!) if you're available for that date.

Having invited comments on possible topics, I've narrowed it down to:

• The cult of celebrity is the death of culture
• Barack Obama is America’s future
• A woman’s place is where she chooses

I know there were other favourites, but those seemed to get at least 2-3 people agreeing on them!

2. ESU Public Speaking (10's and 11's)

I will be putting some information on the various ESU speaking roles in my pigeon hole in the next couple of days for your perusal.

As of now, I still haven't a date and location confirmed for this yet-- I will be contacting our organiser this week to get a rough idea (certainly, debating first rounds tended to be in late November/early December).

I'd like another meeting-- can I suggest Thursday break?

Ta!

Mr H

Year 8 Book Review Sites

Dear All:

Here are some on-line resources for book reviews. Read a few at random, or search for a book you've read!

The Daily Telegraph Book Reviews:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?menuId=570&menuItemId=10050&view=PICHEADLINESUMMARY&grid=F7&targetRule=14

The Times Book Reviews:
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/book_reviews/

The Independent Book Reviews:
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/

The Guardian Book Reviews:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/books+tone/reviews

A site for book lovers:
http://www.lovereading.co.uk/

…and for children’s books:
http://www.cool-reads.co.uk/

Hope these help get you started!

Mr H

8H/ 8L Book Discussion

Reading Guide—Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Why do you think TJ acts the way he does?
How does the death of TJ affect you?
Should Miss Crocker have been scared? Why or why not?
The blurb reads “…nobody, no matter what colour, is better than anybody else.” How do you respond to this idea?
Does TJ deserve his fate?
“I was intrigued by the start of the book—I ‘got into’ it right away”. What do you think?
What is the ‘message’ of this book?
How do you respond to Little Man? Why?
I would like to ‘rewrite’ this book from a white person’s point of view. Would you?
How far have race relations improved since the time of the novel?
‘I found the book tedious’. Did you?
Is the ending of the book satisfying? Why or why not?
What is your reaction to the title? Do you think it was a good choice?
Is the book more interesting when ‘action’/violence are used? Why?
What use is Christopher John in the story?
Should we be ‘quiet’ about the past, like Mama? Why or why not?
Are Cassie and Little Man guilty for Mama losing her job? Why or why not?
Should Cassie have tried to teach Lillian Jean a lesson?
How would you respond to Cassie’s stresses? Why?
Is Uncle Hammer an exaggerated character? Why or why not?
How do you respond to Mildred Taylor’s style?
How did you react to the passages in the book about “The Land”?
Should Cassie trust her Mama? Why or why not? How does their relationship affect the novel?
Is TJ a friend or an enemy?
Do you feel sympathy for Stacey?
Is this novel an effective discussion of racism? Why or why not?
Why did Mildred Taylor write this book?
Is there stereotyping in the novel?
Do you think this book could have been written better? Why?
“Taylor’s style made me want to carry on reading”. Do you agree?
After reading this book, would you want to read any more of Taylor’s work? Why or why not?
What was your favourite episode in the book?
How would you respond to segregation? Why?
“This book is boring”. Justified?
Who would you recommend this book to—and why?
Is this book an accurate reflection of racism? Why or why not?
What is the genre of this book? Why?
What was your favourite subplot? Why?
Did this book affect you emotionally? Why?
Is it easy to review this book?
Is this a ‘sad’ or uplifting book?
“This author is brilliant”. Do you agree?
Is this a ‘girl’ book or a ‘boy’ book?