Holiday Context Preparation

 Hi gang;

               in order to make the transition into the “Brave New World” of the Context as painless and – more to the point – as stimulating and energising as possible, you have TWO tasks for the holidays: ONE, complete the Gattaca preview questions on the attached GattacaScenesNotes. They are designed to familiarise you with some detail of the film, but also to start you thinking about some of the concepts we’ll be dealing with in this part of the course. The SECOND task is to watch one of the films on the list below that deals with the future (here’s an info sheet: ContextFilmStudy10. When we return, we’ll each present – verbally – what we find out. To help this happen, and to broaden and deeeeepen our understandings, I have constructed a Wiki so that all this can be shared! The URL is http://futureperfectcontext.wikispaces.com/ Once you have watched your film (or, indeed, read your book!) go there, and add your bit. If your film is not among the pages already created, just add it in as a new page. If you want to add something to a film others have commented on, feel free to do so. The more, the merrier! If you check your school email, there’s an invitation from me to join (it’s a closed Wiki) so use the link to sign up and away you go. If it’s all too techo for you, email me what you write, and I’ll put it up for you. Go to it! – And ENJOY!!!!!

Please check the ratings on some of these before you watch them!

12 Monkeys

1984

2001: a space odyssey

AI: Artificial Intelligence

Bladerunner

Brazil

Children of Men

The Day after Tomorrow

The ghost in the shell

I am Legend

I, robot

The Island

The Matrix

Planet of the Apes

Solaris

The Terminator (1 and/or 2)

V for Vendetta

Hello Brave New (Year 11) World!

Hey: start the holidays with a laugh check this link out!

http://www.cracked.com/article_16241_6-most-frequently-quoted-bullsht-statistics.html

Welcome to the world of VCE English. It’s not only a “brave new world” of Senior Homestead and getting serious about study (a very novel experience for some!) but it’s a “brave new world” because  of the nature of the Year 11 English course in Semester 1 (also Unit 1) in 2010.

What am I talking about? Well, there are three parts of the  year 11 course – called (imaginatively) Area of Study 1, 2 and … yup, 3. AOS 1 is a text study. It’s properly called “Reading and Responding”. In Unit 1, that will be Triage, by American writer Scott Anderson. In Unit 2, a David Williamson play: Brilliant Lies.

The second area of study is called “The Context” – also known as “Creating and Presenting”. The context is like a combination of a concept study “Future Perfect” (based around a core text – the film Gattaca), together with a creative “craft of writing” study. As well, you will be expected to be able to perform the task of writing in response to a “prompt” comment related to the future theme, using the core  text, in a style that you choose … all under exam conditions. Easy, no? No. Never mind – we’ll get there!

The third part of the course is the “issue”. It’s now known as “Using Language to Persuade”. In this part of the course, you will be looking first through “The IssuesBook” at how writers – often in the print media - use language to influence how people feel and think about the issues they cover. It’s an extension of what you did at Year 10, with a sharper focus.

If you follow this link, there’s a PowerPoint that gives you a general overview of the whole course. 2010CourseIntro There’s also a Course Timeline, to help you keep track of what’s when: YR11 ENGTline10

Through this blog, you’ll be able to access information and resources related to the course, as well as specific material that is generated in our classes. You can also respond yourself, so that the pages become a dynamic representation of our progress through the course. I hope that you will comment – your questions and responses will almost certainly be percolating round in others’ heads, so ask or comment away, so that we can all learn together! (I know, I know … but it might even work like that! Remember Tinkerbell? If you don’t believe ….)

Good luck!

David

Using language … to persuade?

                                 Dredging                   Schoolies

I know that you will all be frantically working through the reading … Triage and Gattaca. (Well, watching Gattaca!) AND doing the response questions. BUT if you’re feeling on top of it, and able to take a little peek ahead, you can do something now that will save you time, trouble and hassle later on.

The issue study in Unit 1 consists of using “The Issues Book” (which you should collect in your book order) to take a step-by-step walk through the way reports appear in the media in ways intended to affect the way/s we think and feel about the issues involved. Remember that: you’re looking for ways language is used to create or enhance opinions and feelings.

Many of these strategies will be familiar to you from your studies in Year 10 (I’d list them, but, you know, you’d remember something really urgent you had to do, like … taking out the garbage or washing the goldfish.) Time emough for that later. If you wanted to prepare, the best strategies involve becoming a (more) regular reader of newspapers. TV news or Current Affairs programs are useful, but only in the sense that watching “Get Smart” prepares you for a James Bond movie.

 Which is closest to the truth?        

Get to know the issues that are around; get to know the columnists (they have clear styles, and “hobby-horse” issues they bang on and on about); and get to the point where you are starting to recognise subtly manipulative strategies – like headlines that contain words like “scam”, “rort”, “leak”, “scandal”, “shock”, “blitz”, “disgrace”, “splurge”, “rogue”, “victim” … stop me when I’ve reached the back page!

If you spot any rippers, email them to me, and I’ll put them on the blog (or register, and post a comment!) Check out the Using Language to Persuade page for more!

The Context study: The Future

                       

The Context study for Unit 1 is “The Future”.

Although we will be working towards developing your own writing in relation to this Context, you should begin by trying to inject some coherence into your ideas and opinions about the future. As a first foray into the future, here’s an introductory Future Powerpoint that contains information about the study, the core text, some writing ideas  and some other, related texts you might like to examine.

Importantly, start with the reading: 1984. Along with Animal Farm, 1984 is Orwell’s defining work. Its grim and foreboding look at the future has given us so many words that are now commonplace to describe the social, political and technological environment we live in. “Big Brother”, “the Thought Police”, “Newspeak”, “Room 101″ … all the hallmarks of what used ominously to be called an “Orwellian world”!

In many ways, despite the title referring to a date more than 20 years ago, 1984 (this link is to a study guide: consider the discussion questions at the end …) seems more hauntingly apt than ever! Read it over the holidays. There are some requested responses for you in the Course Handbook that you were given in O’Week, as part of the holiday 2009 preparation tasks. Here’s a Powerpoint that gives an overview of the course for the year. 2009courseintro2

                                                                    

You should start this Context study in two ways; first, think about the Future. Don’t just do it in your head. Start a Word document, or do it on (gasp) paper! At the same time, over the Christmas break (start early: that’s my tip!) read 1984. Complete the questions in the holiday preparation pack, and email the responses to me. Once you have done that, relax! But add any other thoughts  or ideas about the future (whether related to 1984 or not) as you go.

                                              

From the start of term 1, we’ll only focus tangentially on the Context … Each week, in one class, we’ll touch on one of the holiday questions and explore. At these times, you can add material that others contribute to you own. After Camps Week, we will begin two exercises, in classes. The first will be a series of writing exercises and discussions related to 1984. The second will be to study, in pairs, selections from a clutch of films which focuses on aspects of the future. We will contribute short film presentations to our class, each one containing a short writing exercise. In the first weeks of Term 2, you will have four lessons in which you finalise your Context collection. At the end of these sessions, you must submit three original pieces of writing which explore the Context and which relate in some way to the core text – 1984. As well, you must submit a written explanation of what you have tried to do, in your writing. Here’s an introductory PowerPoint: wotiscontext   See how 1984 is STILL relevant?

Here are some notes from one of last year’s ideas lessons: futurevisions Note that we didn’t fill in ALL the blanks … that’s (one of) your opportunities! DO peck away at this stuff … Build your belief that you can do it and do have something valuable to offer. Develop a sheet full of ideas from films, or books, or newspaper articles … Great way to start off.