8A1 have been making revision activities to ensure they know 'Blessing' really well. They're better than I can make, so I've uploaded the best ones here for you to print out/do online.
Click on the links to open the resources.
Kai Mohammed-Grange and Will Garland made a sorting task to revise key terms. It can be printed HERE.
Morgan James, Milan Traynor and Libby Hannington made a really brilliant quiz to test your knowledge of the poem. Find it HERE.
India Latham and Kimmy Slough made a Box Challenge activity for those of you who want to practise your box-planning skills. Find it HERE.
Phoebe Blencowe and Louise Brennan made a great PowerPoint that analyses key parts of the poem. Find it HERE.
Some really great revision activities here - all great for quick revision over the half-term!
SEE YOU IN TWO WEEKS!
Friday 30 March 2012
Y8&9: How to structure a great response!
Students are always asking how to structure a response. It's really easy to do, so long as you know how to PLAN. In our classes, we use the BOX PLAN to plan a great response.
Firstly, you need to do a WPSLIP analysis of your poem. In case you don't remember, here's what the acronym means:
W: What's it all about?
P: What's the point of view?
S: Structure - how is the poem built?
L: Language - what words are used to create effect?
I: Imagery - which techniques are used to build a strong image?
P: Personal response - what do you think of the poem?
Next, you scribble down a box plan. It should look like this:
In the top box - the introduction - you need to make some bullet points for W and P.
In the top box - the introduction - you need to make some bullet points for W and P.
In the middle boxes, you need to write three PEAR chains - one for structure, one for language and one for imagery. Make short notes.
The bottom box is used for your CONCLUSION - your personal response.
Each section is ONE paragraph. Your plan should look like this:
If you use this plan, you will be sure to end up with a well-structured essay - and you won't run out of time!
GOOD LUCK!
Thursday 29 March 2012
BLESSING - An unusual insight
Lui White from 8B4 came up with this excellent insight today:
The poem 'Blessing' makes lots of references that make me think of the end of the world. For example, the "liquid sun" makes me think that the sun is melting; it is falling out of the sky. Also, "the skin cracks" makes me think of people falling apart. There are lots of references to God, too. It is all very negative and makes me believe that the poem thinks that even though the water is good, bad things are still on the way.
The poem 'Blessing' makes lots of references that make me think of the end of the world. For example, the "liquid sun" makes me think that the sun is melting; it is falling out of the sky. Also, "the skin cracks" makes me think of people falling apart. There are lots of references to God, too. It is all very negative and makes me believe that the poem thinks that even though the water is good, bad things are still on the way.
ANTHEM FOR DOOMED YOUTH and DEVASTATION
9C2 have been looking at the theme of 'devastation' in the poem 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' by Wilfred Owen.
Here's what they had to say:
Georgina Freeman and Caroline Pfeiffer commented on structure:
In stanza one it is more angry with more of a bad mood. In stanza two it is more calm and not so stressed out. This could show the instability of war and how quickly people's feelings can change following the death of a loved one.
Jodie Kinnersley, Nas Ahmadi and Mark Goldson commented on imagery:
"Monstrous anger of the guns" uses a metaphor (personification) to show the devastation of war. It is effective because it makes the guns seem scary; it creates fear. Comparing the guns to monsters works as we are frightened of monsters.
Charlie Banks commented on imagery:
"Rifle's rapid rattle" is powerful alliteration. This gives you good imagery on how the war really is.
STOP!
Compare Charlie's response with the one above it.
It is missing one key thing: it doesn't tell us HOW the war really is.
What is DOES do is tell us that Owen uses alliteration - this is good!
Read this improved response:
"Rifles' rapid rattle" is powerful alliteration. This gives us a good image of the war as it makes us think of the repetetive gunfire on the battlefield. The war is devastating as people are constantly being shot and killed; there is no stopping the constant gunfire. The alliteration emphasises this repetition.
Can you see the difference?
NEVER write an answer that doesn't explain your ideas thoroughly. Imagine that the examiner has never read the poem before. Use the word 'because' to explain WHY you think what you do.
Here's what they had to say:
Georgina Freeman and Caroline Pfeiffer commented on structure:
In stanza one it is more angry with more of a bad mood. In stanza two it is more calm and not so stressed out. This could show the instability of war and how quickly people's feelings can change following the death of a loved one.
Jodie Kinnersley, Nas Ahmadi and Mark Goldson commented on imagery:
"Monstrous anger of the guns" uses a metaphor (personification) to show the devastation of war. It is effective because it makes the guns seem scary; it creates fear. Comparing the guns to monsters works as we are frightened of monsters.
Charlie Banks commented on imagery:
"Rifle's rapid rattle" is powerful alliteration. This gives you good imagery on how the war really is.
STOP!
Compare Charlie's response with the one above it.
It is missing one key thing: it doesn't tell us HOW the war really is.
What is DOES do is tell us that Owen uses alliteration - this is good!
Read this improved response:
"Rifles' rapid rattle" is powerful alliteration. This gives us a good image of the war as it makes us think of the repetetive gunfire on the battlefield. The war is devastating as people are constantly being shot and killed; there is no stopping the constant gunfire. The alliteration emphasises this repetition.
Can you see the difference?
NEVER write an answer that doesn't explain your ideas thoroughly. Imagine that the examiner has never read the poem before. Use the word 'because' to explain WHY you think what you do.
BLESSING: An Analysis
Here are some ideas about DRAMA in Blessing, from 8A1:
Laura Levy Cameron talked about imagery:
The line "the skin cracks like a pod" could reflect the cracks in society in Mumbai - the rich people in the cities vs. the poor people of the slums. These cracks have led to the rich having lots of water but the poor having none.
Louise Brennan talked about language:
The word "echo" makes me think that apart from the drip of the water, nothing else is present. There is nothing else around to occupy the people; there is only the small drip of the water pipe. It echoes because of the empty space.
Kai Mohammed-Grange and Blay Wynn added to this:
"Echo" could show that everything has slowed down. Everyone is tired and thirsty. It could be like the feeling you get when something is so important, time comes to a stop. That relates to "drip", too.
Carise Lownds talked about imagery:
The phrase "liquid sun" could imply that the people are so very thirsty that they have started to hallucinate; the sun is no longer in the sky but has become liquid, falling all over them.
Jason Todd talked about imagery:
The phrase "liquid sun" could mean that even though the people have water, the sun is reflected in it. This reminds us that even though the people have water for a moment, in it is reflected the thing that will ultimately kill them - the heat.
Tori Cook talked about structure:
The poem is structured in a way that makes me think that the poet wants us to remember nothing is forever. It starts negative, then builds up to a positive event. However, it then ends with the line "over their small bones", which makes me think that the children are still starving, and the water was only short-lived.
Carys Broom added to this:
The basic message is that the water is a miracle, and that miracles are short-lived. The poet brings us back to earth with a bump.
Kimmy Slough talked about language:
The juxtaposition of "flow" and "roar" is important because it shows the contrast between the people and their surroundings. The water is calm, but the people are not. The people are roaring because the sudden flow of water has awakened their animal instincts; they have become animals and lost all of their human features. It's an angry noun.
Well done 8A1! Please check back tomorrow for some more original ideas about Stanza 1.
Laura Levy Cameron talked about imagery:
The line "the skin cracks like a pod" could reflect the cracks in society in Mumbai - the rich people in the cities vs. the poor people of the slums. These cracks have led to the rich having lots of water but the poor having none.
Louise Brennan talked about language:
The word "echo" makes me think that apart from the drip of the water, nothing else is present. There is nothing else around to occupy the people; there is only the small drip of the water pipe. It echoes because of the empty space.
Kai Mohammed-Grange and Blay Wynn added to this:
"Echo" could show that everything has slowed down. Everyone is tired and thirsty. It could be like the feeling you get when something is so important, time comes to a stop. That relates to "drip", too.
Carise Lownds talked about imagery:
The phrase "liquid sun" could imply that the people are so very thirsty that they have started to hallucinate; the sun is no longer in the sky but has become liquid, falling all over them.
Jason Todd talked about imagery:
The phrase "liquid sun" could mean that even though the people have water, the sun is reflected in it. This reminds us that even though the people have water for a moment, in it is reflected the thing that will ultimately kill them - the heat.
Tori Cook talked about structure:
The poem is structured in a way that makes me think that the poet wants us to remember nothing is forever. It starts negative, then builds up to a positive event. However, it then ends with the line "over their small bones", which makes me think that the children are still starving, and the water was only short-lived.
Carys Broom added to this:
The basic message is that the water is a miracle, and that miracles are short-lived. The poet brings us back to earth with a bump.
Kimmy Slough talked about language:
The juxtaposition of "flow" and "roar" is important because it shows the contrast between the people and their surroundings. The water is calm, but the people are not. The people are roaring because the sudden flow of water has awakened their animal instincts; they have become animals and lost all of their human features. It's an angry noun.
Well done 8A1! Please check back tomorrow for some more original ideas about Stanza 1.
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