Homework, 5th December, 2016

Read the letter and answer the question that follows, using the writing frame to help you. This is due tomorrow (Tuesday). 

Mark Quillfeldt

12 Amberley Crescent

Putney

SW1 7EG

4^th November 2015

Sunrise Café

12-15 Fulham Palace Road

Fulham

SW6 6EG

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to you because I am interested in applying for the position of barista in your establishment. I believe I would be ideal, for the reasons given below. 

Firstly, I am an excellent communicator and am very good at interacting with customers. Secondly, I am calm and cope extremely well under pressure. Thirdly, I am hard working, energetic, and am punctual. I have outstanding leadership skills, but I am also able to work effectively as part of a team. 

In terms of experience, I spent three years working in a branch of Starbucks in Putney, where my duties included making and serving drinks, cleaning and washing dishes, managing the stock, which involved signing off on deliveries and making sure the stock cupboard was always full. During this time, I was promoted to the role of manager, which involved me making sure nothing went wrong, managing the staff and overseeing the general running of the café. I also have several relevant qualifications, including a GCSE in Food Technology and a health, hygiene and food safety certificate. 

For these reasons, I am sure you will agree that I am the perfect candidate for the job and I look forward to hearing from you soon. 

Yours faithfully

Mark Quillfeldt

You are going to answer the following question using the writing frame below. You can write in pen or pencil on the sheet, or you can write your whole answer out on a separate piece of paper.

How does the writer try to persuade the manager of the Sunrise Café to give him a job? 

The writer uses positive adjectives (describing words) to describe himself such as:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

He also mentions that he possesses ______________________________and can work _______________________________________________________

In addition to this, the writer tells us about his previous experience. For example, he spent three years ______________________________________

and two years ___________________________________________________

Homework, 28th November, 2016

Read the Top Gear complaint letter and answer the reading comprehension questions that go with it. 

This is due on Tuesday, 29th November. 

Charlotte Simpson

122 Evergreen Terrace

Springfield

SP1 8YH

14^th December, 2014

The Editor

Top Gear Magazine

13 Sunrise Road

London

W4 8GH

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to express my disapproval about an article I read in your magazine last week. The article was about the poor quality of the roads in Mexico.

As someone with Mexican heritage myself, I have to say I found the article to be extremely offensive, as it was very negative about Mexicans. Instead of focussing on the roads, the main argument of the article seemed to be that Mexicans are bad drivers because they are stupid, and, while this might be true about some Mexicans, it is equally as true about some English drivers, and is certainly not true of all Mexicans. To suggest that it is, actually borders on racism, because you cannot make judgments about an entire race of people based on the behaviour of a few.

I think it would be a very good idea for your journalist to rewrite the article in a more positive light, focussing more on the poor quality of the roads and the fact that not a lot of money is spent on maintaining them which is, after all, what the article was supposed to be about.

I hope you will take my suggestion on board and, if you wish to contact me regarding this issue, please use the address above.

Yours faithfully,

Charlotte Simpson

1. Scan through the article and underline the following words:

Disapproval     Quality     Heritage

Negative     Focussing        Rewrite

2. Complete the sentence: ‘I am writing to express my _____________ about an article I read in your ______________ last week.

3. What was the article about?

4. What group of people did the article apparently offend?

5. The article seemed to focus on the idea of them being bad drivers rather than what?

6. Complete the sentence: ‘To ___________ that it is, actually borders on _______________ because you cannot make _______________ judgments about an entire race of people based on the ________________ of a few.’

7. What does the writer of the letter suggest that journalist who wrote the article do?

Now, if you want to really challenge yourself, have a go at the following, slightly harder questions:

8. Why are the first and last paragraphs quite a bit shorter than the others?

9. Why would the writer of the letter be more offended by the fact that it is negative about Mexicans than if it was negative about, say, Italians?

10. Look at the second paragraph. The purpose of it is to explain why the writer is complaining. What is the purpose of the third paragraph?

11. In what ways do you think the letter is effective in getting its point across? Think about the language the writer uses, the details she mentions and how the letter is laid out.

Homework, 21st November, 2016

Read the extract from The BFG and answer the comprehension questions that go with it. 

This is due on Tuesday, 22nd November. 

Homework, 14th November, 2016

Hi,

This week I would like you read the extract from The BFG and answer the comprehension questions that go with it. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to publish the extract here, but you have everything you need in your homework folder.

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, 15th November).

Homework, 7th November, 2016

Read the informal letter and answer the questions that follow. 

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, 8th November). 

 Samwise Fair

67 Rake Street

Chelsea

SW5 8UG

1^st November, 2016

Dear Nan and Grandad,

How long has it been? Three years? How have you been? Grandad, how have you been after the greenhouse fell down? Have you managed to get a new one yet? Nan, have you got any new knitting projects on the go?

I am writing to you to tell you what I would like for Christmas. I feel a bit bad about this because I haven’t seen you for so long, but mum and dad said you really wanted to get me something. So, what I would like is a memory foam pillow. I need one because I have been having trouble with my neck, and apparently memory foam is good for this. You can buy them on Amazon for around £25.99. If you could get me one of those, that would be great. If you can’t find one, or if it’s a little bit too expensive, then you can get me some Lego. You might be thinking that I’m a bit too old for that, but there are Lego sets for all ages now. I would love anything from the Star Wars range. Some of the stuff is quite expensive, but there are cheaper sets you can get for around £10. Again, you can get these on Amazon, or in most toy shops. They even have specialist Lego shops, which are quite fun to visit if you fancy a day out of the house.

Anyway, I have to go now because I’ve got loads of revision to do for my exams, which are coming up soon. I’m really looking forward to seeing at Christmas.

Lots of love,

Samwise

Questions

1. Who is the letter written to?

2. What happened that may have caused Grandad an injury?

3. What is the purpose of the letter?

4. How do we know this?

5. Why does Samwise need a memory foam pillow?

6. How much does one cost?

7. What does Samwise suggest as a day out for Nan and Grandad?

8. According to the last paragraph, what is coming up soon?

If you’re feeling brave, have a go at the following questions, which are a little more difficult because you have to make inferences from what is written in the text:

9. How do we know that Nan likes knitting?

10. How do we know that Samwise likes Star Wars?

11. How can tell that Samwise is probably older than, say, ten?

12. How can we tell that Nan and Grandad might not get out of the house much?

Homework, 31st October, 2016

Hi,

This half term we will be learning how to write letters. For your first homework, I would like you to read the example of an informal letter and answer the comprehension questions that follow. As always, you have everything you need in your homework folder, but just in case anything is missing, it is all below for you:

Mark Quillfeldt

12 Bishop’s Avenue

Fulham

SW6 6EG

1^st October 2015

Dear Tiffany,

How are you? Actually, that’s kind of a silly question – I know how you are, you’ve got a broken leg. But how are you generally? I’ve been okay – a bit nervous about exams, so I haven’t been sleeping that well, but I’m mainly good. What are you going to do about your exams? Will they let you take them in the hospital?

I was thinking that when you get out of hospital, we could go bowling. Remember how we used to love going when we were kids, well, we haven’t been for years, so we should do that again. It was always so much fun. We could also go to the cinema – there are loads of new films out that I want to see, although I guess they’ll all be finished by the time you’re out. Oh well, I’m sure there’ll be loads of new films out by then. I must get by the hospital to come and see you soon. I haven’t been yet because I’ve been revising so hard, but that’s not really much of an excuse because friends are more important than exams. How about next Wednesday? I should be free from about 2pm onwards.

Anyway, I have to go – got more revision to do, obviously, but hopefully I’ll see you soon.

Lots of love,

                             Mark

Friend in hospital letter questions

Read the letter and answer the questions below

1. What is at the very top of the letter?

2. What is the date, according to the letter?

3. What has happened to Tiffany (the person the letter has been written to)?

4. What question is asked in the last line of the first paragraph?

5. In the first line of the second paragraph, what activity does Mark (the person writing the letter) suggest he and Tiffany do?

6. What other activity is mentioned in the paragraph?

7. Why has Mark not been to visit Tiffany yet?

8. What, according to the letter, is more important than exams?

9. Why, according to the last paragraph, does Mark have to go?

Half term homework, October 2016

Over the half term I would like you to have at go at the reading comprehension activities based on an extract from The Hobbit. 

I'm not able to put any of the materials on this post, but, as always, everything you need is in your homework folder. 

I would like this handed in on the first day back, which is Monday, October 31st (Halloween!). 

Good luck!

Homework, October 17th, 2016

Hi,

Today I would like you to complete the comprehension questions based on the extract from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. 

You will find the extract and the questions in your homework folder.

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, October 18th). 

Good luck!

Homework, 10th October, 2016

Hi,

Read the extract from The BFG below, then answer the questions that follow. 

This is due on tomorrow (Tuesday).

Good luck!

The Giant ran on and on. But now a curious change took place in his way of running. He seemed suddenly to go into a higher gear. Faster and faster he went and soon he was travelling at such a speed that the landscape became blurred. The wind stung Sophie's cheeks. It made her eyes water. It whipped her head back and whistled in her ears. She could no longer feel the Giant's feet touching the ground. She had a weird sensation they were flying. It was impossible to tell whether they were over land or sea. This Giant had some sort of magic in his legs. The wind rushing against Sophie's face became so strong that she had to duck down again into the blanket to prevent her head from being blown away.

          Was it really possible that they were crossing oceans? It certainly felt that way to Sophie. She crouched in the blanket and listened to the howling of the wind. It went on for what seemed like hours.

          Then all at once the wind stopped its howling. The pace began to slow down. Sophie could feel the Giant's feet pounding once again over the earth. She poked her head up out of the blanket to have a look. They were in a country of thick forests and rushing rivers. The Giant had definitely slowed down and was now running more normally, although normal was a silly word to use to describe a galloping giant. He leaped over a dozen rivers. He went rattling through a great forest, then down into a valley and up over a range of hills as bare as concrete, and soon he was galloping over a desolate wasteland that was not quite of this earth. The ground was flat and pale yellow. Great lumps of blue rock were scattered around, and dead trees stood everywhere like skeletons. The moon had long since disappeared and now the dawn was breaking.

The BFG comprehension questions

Read the extract and have a go at answering the questions below on the lined paper provided. They get more difficult as they go along.

1. What word does the author use to describe the change that takes place in the way the BFG runs?

2. Complete the sentence: ‘He seemed suddenly to ...’

3. What happens the landscape as their speed increases?

4. ‘She had a weird sensation they were flying.’ What is the adjective in this sentence?

5. Look at the last sentence of the first paragraph (it begins ‘The wind rushing …’). How does the author create a sense in this sentence that they are going very, very fast?

6. ‘She crouched in the blanket and listened to the howling of the wind.’ What two verbs are used in this sentence?

8. Which of the following literary techniques are used in the sentence?

a)   Simile

b)   Personification

c)   Metaphor

d)   Rhetorical question

9. ‘Sophie could feel the giant’s feet pounding once again over the earth.’ How does the writer create a sense in this sentence that the BFG is very, very big?

10. Look at the last five lines of the extract (beginning ‘He went rattling through a great forest …’) How does the writer describe the landscape?

EXTENSION ACTIVITY (You only have to do this if you want to push yourself!):

Write your own description of the landscape that is described in the extract. Try and avoid using the words used by the author in his description.

Homework, 3rd October, 2016

Hello!

This week I would like you to read a short story and answer the comprehension questions that go with it. Unfortunately I only have hard copies so I can't provide you with a link, but everything you need is in your homework folder. 

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday). 

Good luck!

Homework, 3rd October, 2016

Hello!

This week I would like you to read a short story and answer the comprehension questions that go with it. Unfortunately I only have hard copies so I can't provide you with a link, but everything you need is in your homework folder. 

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday). 

Good luck!

Homework, Monday 19th September

This week I would like you to read the short story, Digging to China, and answer the comprehension questions on the back. Everything you need is in your homework folder. 

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday). 

Good luck!

Homework, Monday 12th September, 2016

I only found out late on Friday that Monday was going to be the homework day for Year 8 English, so I have not had time to prepare any worksheets. 

Therefore, this week, it would be great if you could find an example of a short story and bring it in to share with the rest of the class. It could be in a book, or on a piece of paper, or you could provide a link so that we can find it online. At the very least, try and think of a story you have read which you can tell us about. 

This homework is due tomorrow (Tuesday, 13th September).

Good luck!

Welcome!

Welcome to Mr Quillfeldt's Year 8 English blog. There are already loads of posts on here, but they're from several years ago, so ignore them.

The main purpose of this blog is to keep you up-to-date with homework, so if your son or daughter's homework diary has mysteriously disappeared and/or they tell you there is no homework, you can check.

I will, from time-to-time post other stuff here, like suggested reading, copies of worksheets and maybe even some of the pupils' work (with their permission, of course). I will also keep you up to date with what we are studying in class.

On that note, we will be doing some creative writing this half term, building on the work done on the same topic this time last year. This will involve writing the first draft of a short story of between 300 and 1000 words before spending some time learning about genre, themes, how to structure a story, how to create characters, how to describe settings, how to use dialogue, how to use paragraphs and various other important elements of the creative writing process. The pupils will then revisit their first draft and make improvements to it based on the things they have learnt in lessons so that they end up with a final, finished piece that would make Dickens himself envious. We will also spend some time learning how to answer fiction-based reading comprehension questions using a variety of texts from different genres.