Week 4 homework

"Emelia is the real hero of Othello".

If this were an essay topic, write an introductory paragraph which presents your thesis and at least two main points in support of this. This is to be posted on your blog by 3.20 pm Friday.

Work for Friday's lesson

Choose one of the following themes in "Othello" and write a paragraph in which you discuss how the theme is presented to the audience focussing on one act of the play:
 
Jealousy
Betrayal
Race
Revenge

Scan your notes to identify which  act might be the most suitable. For example, we know that jealousy is a prominent theme in Act 3.

Discuss at least one positioning technique by which the audience is positioned to understand the play's representation of the theme. Include at least one quotation, trying to incorporate it into a sentence, and punctuating and referencing correctly.

Post to your blog or email to me before the end of today's lesson. If you finish this task, you may work on your homework paragraph.

Term 4 Week 3 homework

 
Why does Othello react so quickly and so strongly to Iago's manipulation? Does the problem lie within Othello? Is Iago just too good at what he does or is it a combination of the two? Argue your case and justify your point of view in a well-structured and detailed paragraph. Refer to at least one theme and evaluate one positioning technique. Incorporate a quotation and make sure it is referenced correctly. Post to your blog by 8.20 Monday morning. I will be checking before the lesson.

Week 2 homework

The character, Othello, is missing from much of the early part of the play. We hear about him and what he has done from discussions among/between other characters - Iago and Roderigo; Brabantio, Iago and Roderigo; Brabantio and the Senat). When he is discussed or referred to, it is using language that we would consider quite racist in modern terms. For example, he is variously referred to as; “the Moor” (I.i.57), “the thick-lips” (I.i.66), “an old black ram” (I.i.88), and “a Barbary horse” (I.i.113). Although Othello appears at the beginning of the second scene, we do not hear his name until well into Act I, scene iii (I.iii.48). Why has Shakespeare chosen to introduce the main character in this way? How is the audience being positioned to see Othello and to see other characters? Write a well-structured paragraph in response, using evidence from the play, including at least one quotation and evaluating the use of aesthetic features. Post to your blog by 8.20 Tuesday morning.

Week 1 Othello homework

Othello Background Research

From the Othello folder in Blackboard, go into the pre-reading research activities folder and do the pre-reading research questions assigned to your group.

I have also saved this document under my blog on the blogs page to make it easier to find.

Write your responses to the question as a paragraph. For example, if you are doing the research on Venice, you will write a paragraph on Venice in which you answer the questions.

You should also produce a Power-Point presentation with some visuals to support your answers. You might include a map, some pictures etc - nothing too detailed. Upload the paragraph to your blog before Monday's lesson. I also want you to print out a copy and bring it to class.

Practice essay

To what extent do the characters in Jane Austen’s novel convey the themes of pride and prejudice? Support your answer by specific reference to the text, outlining some of the positioning techniques used and their effects on the reader.

Identify the key words and any definitions you might need to supply.

Brainstorm ideas about which characters and positioning techniques you might use.

Use the planning sheet to plan your thesis statement, main points and topic sentences in full sentences.

In dot point form, identify your evidence and argument.

Write the essay in full.

Practice essay

To what extent does Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice challenge society's expectations of the individual? Support your answer by specific reference to the novel.

 

Mr Collins

How important a character is Mr Collins?

Write a paragraph in response, clearly arguing your point of view. In developing your thesis, include a discussion of the way the reader is positioned to respond to him and the importance of this for dealing with at least one of the ideas underpinning the novel. Consider the work we have done in class on satire and irony as you plan your response.

Charlotte Lucas

How important a character is Charlotte Lucas?

Write a paragraph in response, clearly arguing your point of view. In developing your thesis, compare her with Elizabeth and Jane. How is the reader positioned through this comparison? Remember to consider ideas, attitudes and values in your response.

Elizabeth Bennet

Read through the notes we have made on Elizabeth Bennet and write a well-structured paragraph response to the following:

"Elizabeth Bennet is a character to whom today's young women can relate very easily because of her attitudes to love and marriage."

Do you agree?

Support your view by referring to the way the reader is positioned to view Elizabeth and her attitudes and values.

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll - Homework task 2

Write a paragraph in which you compare the attitudes of Barney and Roo to the current lay-off.

 

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll - Homework task 3

Write a paragraph in which you compare the attitudes of Johnnie and Bubba to the lives of the main characters, especially the lay-off.

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll - Homework task 1

Write a paragraph in which you compare the attitudes of Pearl and Olive to relationships as seen during Act 1.

Intervening in "Neighbours"

You have read the Tim Winton story, Neighbours. Choose a point at which to intervene in the narrative, writing in the first person as one of the neighbours of the young couple.

Consider the following before you begin:

At what point do you plan to intervene in the story?
Who are you writing as?
What is happening at this point in the story? What topic or issue do you want to articulate your character's attitude to? (This is the 'ideas' part of the 'ideas, attitudes and values' dot point.)
What attitude do you want to show your character has to the topic/idea?
What does your character value in relation to this topic?
 

Where is your character at the start of your narrative?

What is he or she doing?
What is going to happen?
Who else is there?
What dialogue will there be?

Post your work to your blog at the end of the lesson.

 

Week 7 Writing

Intervene in the narrative by telling the story of the walk to the tram stop which occurs on pages 43 and 44 from Johnno's point of view. Write in first person, articulating to the reader Johnno's thoughts and feelings about Dante, the visit and his reaction to what Dante did.

 

Remember that this is a narrative, so you should also narrate actions and include some dialogue.

You should begin by re-reading pages 43 and 44 to establish what the text contributes to our understanding of this situation.

 You should also begin to practise the deliberate use of language features that will make your writing more effective - see the editing checklist.

 

 

Editing checklist 

1           Sentence length – varied length or deliberately chosen length. 

2           Sentence openings – varied openings. 

3           Punctuation – used correctly? 

4           Have you tried to use something other than commas and full stops? 

              Vocabulary – try to use the most effective word – look at verbs particularly.  

              Have you tried to use examples of figurative language or imagery?

 

Who is David Malouf?

 

 

One approach to reading a text is to explore the relationship between it and the author. Read the documents on Blackboard and make notes under the following headings about David Malouf:

 

Full name:

Date of Birth:

Place of Birth:

Where lived throughout his life:

Family background:

Books published (list as many as you can):

Awards received:

What are his passions:

What does he say about why he write 'Johnno':

 

Anything interesting:

Week 6 homework Johnno

Re-read Chapter 1, pages 13 and 14.

From Soapie’s point of view, write a description of a lesson in which Johnno is thrown out.

 

 

 

Practising the feature article genre

Working in a small group, write the following sections of an article about the way work has always been – and still is – a central part of the Australian character.

 

Produce a headline, by-line, picture with caption, an introductory paragraph and a tic toc paragraph in which you refer to the words of the National anthem – both versions.

 

Put your work onto a word document and email it to me.

Monday's lesson

In a group, read one of the three poems dealing with migrants and their experience of Australia and Australians.

Present the text to the rest of the class by:

• reading it aloud
• explaining the point of view expressed and giving evidence from the poem
• sharing an annotated copy of the poem
• discussing this, giving your response to the issues raised

For homework, plan the headline, by-line and opening sentence of a feature article focussing on the contribution of migrants to Australia. Include a picture with a caption as well.

Thursday's lesson

"Be a Proud Aussie Quietly".

Once you have read the article and tried to identify the positioning techniques, have a look at the annotated version to see if you were correct.

Read the poem, Clancy of the Overflow, and fill in the table of nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs associated with the city and with the country. This is in the document "Clancy of the Overflow binary opposition activity".

Some notes on positioning techniques.

The aesthetic features of a text position the reader to understand  and accept its point of view.

 

As we progress through this unit, you will be analyzing various texts to identify the way Australia is represented.  The questions you need to ask yourself are:

 ·         What does this text say to the reader about Australia and Australians?

 ·         How does the text convey this message? What aesthetic features/positioning techniques position the reader to understand the text's messages and to respond?

 
The positioning techniques will be different for different kinds of texts. They will include the following:

Movies: camera angles, camera shots, lighting, costuming, characterisation, dialogue, setting, sound effects, music, structure, filming devices such as slow motion, fast forward etc

Short stories: structure, characterisation, point of view, symbols/motifs, language choices, setting, satire, irony

Poetry: simile, metaphor, alliteration, imagery, assonance, personification, repetition, rhyme, rhythm.

Articles: headline, by-line, visuals, language choices, structure, who is quoted and what they say

 

Week 2 homework 1

Read the article, “Be a Proud Aussie Quietly” which is in the folder of Core Texts on Blackboard. Identify one positioning technique and be able to explain what the technique is and how the reader is positioned by it. For example, you might find that there is a silence in the text or that one idea is privileged over others, as we discussed in class. You might also find an example of a positioning technique that you are familar with from last year, such as a particular language choice, the use of repetition etc. Remember that we are positioned by pictures as well as words. Be ready to speak to the class about what you have found on Wednesday during the lesson. 

Week 1 Homework

1. You have  worked in a group to construct an opening ceremony for a fictional 2014 Student Games.

 

Write a paragraph explaining the representation of Australia created by your ceremony.

 “This opening ceremony is designed to represent Australia as ….”

 

2. Read the article "Not a village?" in the document "People and Places" on Blackboard. Write a paragraph in which you comment on the ways in which she sees her home as being like a village and the ways in which it is not.