LET'S REVISE

You have recently read David Copperfield.  How familiar are you with the life and work of its author, Charles Dickens? To which extent is this story autobiographical?

• Find out here:

Charles John Huffam Dickens ( 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic who is generally regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period and the creator of some of the world's most memorable fictional characters. During his lifetime Dickens's works enjoyed unprecedented popularity and fame, and by the twentieth century his literary genius was fully recognized by critics and scholars. His novels and short stories continue to enjoy an enduring popularity among the general reading public.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens


Listen to the first 11 minutes of the lecture (see below) and write down notes about the most important events in Dickens' life.

Consider the following aspects to write a summary:

• Early years and adulthood
• How he gained recognition
• Some of his famous works
• Themes present in his works
• Autobiographical elements

              

                                      

                                        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdROFxYEuBI
                 

The Elements of a Story

 Now recall the story of David Copperfield  and provide the corresponding information

• Setting                                         

• Characters

• Plot (conflict, climax, resolution)

Making Comparisons

Compare Dickens' life and the story of David Copperfield. Write a paragraph stating which aspects seem to be autobiographical. Support your arguments with examples.


                           
                                      

STORIES IN THE NEWS

Let’s review what needs to  be considered when writing a newspaper article.

A typical newspaper article contains five parts: the headline, the byline, the lead paragraph, the explanation, and additional information.

Read the article below, find the right sequence (1-5) and finally label its  parts.

(__)___________________ Daedalus, sobbing from the distant shore where he had landed safely, said, “My last words to Icarus before we left the island was to stay close and not fly too high! He just didn’t listen! Why didn’t he listen to me?” Daedalus and Icarus had been held prisoner by King Minos on the island of Crete, and had been forced to build a labyrinth at the palace of Knossos. It was known to be the most difficult maze in the world to navigate successfully.

 (__) _________________   Icarus, son of the famous inventor Daedalus, plunged into the Aegean Sea and drowned while attempting to escape from the island of Crete early

yesterday afternoon. His body has yet to be recovered.   

                                                                                          

 (__)_________________  High flying escape ends in death 

         

(__)__________________  Icarus and his father had made wings from wax and bird feathers they had collected over the years while imprisoned on the island of Crete. They attached the homemade wings to their arms and, using a flapping motion, lifted off from the island shortly before noon. While making their escape, Icarus flew too close to the sun. As a result, the heat melted the wax on his wings which caused the feathers to drop off. The wings collapsed and Icarus fell into the sea and drowned.

 (__)__________________  By Robin Sloan

Your Turn: Individual Project                

If you notice, the news  article  you have just read was created from a greek myth. 

Now you will do something similar,  using a very well known children's  story.

1. Watch  the video and take down notes.

                              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbzMC6qAzVU 

2. Make a plan of your article keeping  in mind the 5 W’s + how 

(i.e. who, what, when, where, why) that you’ve revised in the story of Icarus  and Daedalus.

3. Based on your notes, write your article. Include the five parts .

  Click on the link below to find the newspaper  press tool to create and publish   

          your article:


                          http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=110&title=

4.  Hand in your plan and your news article for evaluation.

                           

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CkCpx3CE2Q&feature=player_embedded

WHAT'S THE NEWS TODAY?

 Group Project

1. You are going to write a news report for your class newspaper. In pairs and/or groups of three, decide on a type of news  (education, culture, politics, economy, entertainment, environment, health, national, international, etc) Each group should  pick a different area of interest.

2. Once you have decided on a topic, browse the web to get information about it. Below you will find  some useful links.

3. Make an outline of  your  news report. Refer the class guidelines on how to write a newspaper article.

http://www.santiagotimes.cl/

http://www.emol.com/

http://www.latercera.com/

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/

     4. Click on the link below to find the newspaper  press tool to create and publish   
          your article:

                          http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=110&title=

    5. Hand in the outline and the resulting news report for evaluation and marking.
           Cite the  websites  you have used to complete this assignment.

                                  

WHAT'S IN THE NEWS

The Language of Newspapers

Newspaper articles require a different style of writing from what is used when writing a story. When writing a newspaper article, picture a triangle like the one shown here:                               The newspaper article has all of the important information in the opening paragraph. This information includes who, what, when, where, why and how. It is written this way because most people do not read an entire newspaper article all the way through. So newspaper writers put the most important information at the beginning.

          Now, can you spot the parts of a news article?

Choose one of the articles about The X Factor and identify  the five  parts.                            Read the information below to help you.                                                             A typical newspaper article contains five (5) parts: Headline: This is a short, attention-getting statement about the event. Byline: This tells who wrote the story. Lead paragraph: This has ALL the who, what, when, where, why and how in it.  A writer must find the answers to these questions and write them into the opening sentence(s) of the article. Explanation: After the lead paragraph has been written, the writer must decide what other facts or details the reader might want to know. The writer must make sure that he/she has enough information to answer any important questions a reader might have after reading the headline and the lead paragraph. This section can also include direct quotes from witnesses or bystanders. Additional Information: This information is the least important. Thus, if the news article is too long for the space it needs to fill, it can be shortened without rewriting any other part. This part can include information about a similar event.

Home Assignment: Watching the news             

Click on the  links below.

1. Watch  this video and summarize the information.

Study: Multivitamins fail to reduce heart problems

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50134544n&tag=mg;health

2. Watch this video and write  a brief piece of news based on it. Include the five parts of a news article as explained above.

iPad Mini debuts around the world

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50133465n&tag=mg;caughtontape

                            Hand in your work to your teacher.

                           

IT'S TIME TO SQUEEZE YOUR BRAIN!

Suffering from poor 'mechanics'?

First, stop that run-on!

 Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run-on_sentence

   A run-on sentence is a sentence in which two or more independent    clauses (i.e., complete sentences) are joined without appropriate punctuation or conjunction.

  An example of a run-on is a comma splice, in which two independent clauses are joined with a comma without an accompanying coordinating conjunction

          Take a look at these cases:

Ø  A run-on sentence, without any punctuation or conjunction between "gas" and "we":

                       My car is out of gas we cannot reach town before dark.

Ø  A comma splice, which is considered a run-on sentence in English by some usage experts:

It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach town before dark.

           These are possible remedies:

• Use separate sentences. However, this may disconnect related independent clauses and cause some of the meaning to be lost:
• It is nearly half past five. We cannot reach town before dark.
• Use a semicolon. This maintains the connection between the clauses while ensuring a pause between the two ideas:
• It is nearly half past five; we cannot reach town before dark.
• Use a coordinating conjunction.
• It is nearly half past five, so we cannot reach town before dark.

                        

          Now try this quiz to see if you can  repair  the  run-on

          sentences:

                                           

            http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/runons_quiz.htm



You must be hungry now, after doing exercise. How about some sushi?

                   

                                             
http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/freetime/games/sushi-spell

   If you still  want some dessert, you may find something tasty here.
      Why don't you try the double negatives game? Good luck!


                     



                       http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/english/games


                     

                         


                       









                         

WHAT'S THE STORY?

          Group Project                                                                          
                           (Pairwork) 

•         Read  the following story ending :

               

   

But that is not the worst. The worst is that sometimes I am  convinced she is still out there, and I will see her again. Not the little girl in the bunny costume;  Amelie. I cannot get rid of the idea that some Halloween night when  I look out past the little witches and princesses and firemen on our porch, she will  be there too: standing halfway down the path in her  greyish-black raincoat under a pale old umbrella, waiting for me.                                                                                  THE END

     


 

Outlining your story

(Write your assignment on  a separate sheet of paper).

Based on the given  ending and the pictures, brainstorm ideas for :

 1. Setting            ________________________

2. Characters      ________________________

3. Point of view  ________________________

4. Plot              (Go over the outline below to help you.)

              

                                 

5. Do not change the given ending


After you write your draft, edit and proofread your work. Hand  in your outline and your final draft to your teacher for evaluation and marking.


                       

STORY TIME!

The Elements of a Short Story 

In class you have started working on some of the basic elements of a short story: setting and character.

Now let’s concentrate on the plot. It consists of the stages of action which lead to the climax of the story. The plot in a short story is usually simple and can be outlined in a few steps:

                                        

Ø  Listing  the events

Ø  Creating a timeline

Ø  Identifying the conflict

Ø  Finding the climax

Now take a look at  the plot diagram  to review the different stages in a plot:

In order to clarify and fix these concepts, you will do the interactive tasks proposed in the link below:

                                                  

                             http://www.learner.org/interactives/story/cinderella.html

               Once you have completed the tasks, click on 'test your skills' to check your progress.
                              Print a copy with the results and hand it in to your teacher.

                             

TAKE A STAND

Capital Punishment: For or Against?

                                    

You have read 'Eyewitness', a story in which someone has committed a murder. Many people think that the death penalty is the right punishment for this type of crime.

When you take a stand, you adopt a firm position about an issue, and this is what you will need to do once you have completed the activities proposed for today’s session.

You will start by watching a clip which was made to support Amnesty International's campaign against death penalty. 

 (a) Take down notes on actor Jeremy Iron's arguments about the topic.

 (b) Write  a summary. 

                                  

                                 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVMho2cP1NE

                                       

                    Read this information: 

           Most Chileans Approve of Death Penalty

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The majority of people in Chile are in favour of applying the death penalty in their country, according to a poll by Ipsos. 62.5 per cent of respondents agree with capital punishment in Chile, while 36.7 per cent oppose it.

The death penalty was abolished in Chile in 2001, under the presidency of Ricardo Lagos.

Source: Ipsos 
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,522 Chilean adults, conducted from Sept. 16 to Oct. 6, 2009. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.

            

          Now go over some  arguments in favour of capital punishment:

v  The death penalty can prevent crimes and deter potential murderers.

v  Using the death penalty is a way to protect citizens' lives.

v  Capital punishment does not rehabilitate the prisoner and return them to society.

v  Killing convicted murderers will satisfy people’s needs for justice and/or vengeance.

v  guilty people deserve to be punished in proportion to the severity of their crime.

Reference:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/capitalpunishment/for_1.shtml

           

                       Are you for or against the death penalty?

                                                         

Your Turn: 

Write an opinion paragraph supporting your arguments (about 15 lines). Decide on a topic sentence and develop your paragraph using appropriate supporting sentences, a concluding sentence and linking words. Follow the outline below to help you.