Homework, Friday, November 3rd, 2017

Read the following letter and answer the questions underneath. The letter is from the protagonist of The Messenger Bird, Nat, to his dad, who is in prison. 

This is due on Monday, November 6th. 

13^th November, 2012

Dear Dad,

How are you? I mean, I know you’re in prison, so you’re obviously not doing that well, but are you as okay as you can be? Are they treating you well? What’s the food like?

I’ve been following Lily’s trail, but it’s hard trying to piece everything together. You didn’t give me enough information! I found some stuff in the loft: a picture of an eye, but I don’t get what it means. And I found some words scratched into a bucket, but I don’t understand what they mean either. I have a feeling the answers I need are at Bletchley Park, but I’ve no idea how I’m going to get in there. The security around that place must be water tight. If only you could give me more help, but I completely understand that you can’t.

Mum is doing okay … well, she acts like she is but I kind of get the sense that she’s just holding it together for me and Hannah. Hannah is still just being Hannah: moody, not saying much, spending a lot of time in her room.

I’ll keep trying dad, I will, I promise, and I also promise that I will find the evidence we need to prove your innocence and get you out of prison. I worry about you, but I know that if I stay positive we can do this.

Lots of love,

Nat

Questions

1. What is missing from the top of the letter?

2. Why is Nat’s dad obviously not doing very well?

3. Whose trail has Nat been following?

4. Why is it hard following this trail?

5. Where did he find some scratched words?

6. Why is it probably going to be difficult to get into Bletchley Park?

7. Based on what is written in the letter, what kind of person is Hannah?

8. What does Nat promise to keep doing?

9. What does he need to find to prove his dad’s innocence?

10. How does he sign the letter off?

Extension questions

11. How can we tell from the first paragraph that Nat is very worried about his dad?

12. How can we tell from the first few lines of the second paragraph that Nat might be slightly frustrated with his dad?

13. Why might it be difficult to tell if Hannah is really upset about the whole thing?

Homework, Friday, October 6th, 2017

This week I would like you to read the extract from The Messenger Bird and answer the questions that go with it. As always, everything you need is in your homework folder. 

This is due on Monday, October 9th. 

Homework, Friday, September 29th, 2017

Hi,

Very similar to your last homework, I would like you to read an extract from Farm Boy and answer the comprehension questions that go with it. Everything you need is in your homework folder. 

This is due on Monday, October 2nd. 

No homework this week due it being Founders' Day weekend!

Hooray!

Homework, Friday 15th September

This week, I would like you to read the extract from Farm Boy, and answer the questions that go with it. 

This is due on Monday, 18th September. 

Welcome to Mr. Quillfeldt's year 8 English blog!

Hi!

For those of you who are new to the school, or who have never had me as a teacher before, this is where you can check each week to see what the English homework is, as well as find other details about what is going on in English. 

Wherever possible, I will make copies of worksheets and resources available, but, in cases where someone else has created the resource, I might only be able to provide a link to it for copyright reasons. A hard copy of everything will always be provided in the homework folder though, so this blog is more of a backup. 

Homework will start next week, once we have chosen which novel we are going to study as a class, as most of the homework tasks will be reading comprehension activities based on it. In class we will be studying creative writing up until October half term, so hopefully, by the end of the unit, you will be able to write a short story of around 200 words. 

That's it for now. Make sure you check back next week. 

Homework, Monday 8th May, 2017

After a break of a couple of weeks, homework is back!

This week, I would like you to read the report below and answer the questions that go with it. 

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, 9th May). Good luck!

A report to the local council outlining suggestions for facilities for the new youth club

Introduction

The local council is planning to build a youth club in the area. I have been asked to speak to young people in the area and find out their suggestions for facilities that could be included in the youth club. I will outline my findings below.

Athletic facilities

·        A five-aside Astro-Turf football pitch – this was a very popular suggestion and would be a great way of encouraging young people in the area to stay fit, as well as learning skills such as leadership and teamwork.

·        A basketball court – this would be cheaper than an Astro-Turf pitch as it can be put in what is currently the car park and is another way to encourage young people to stay fit and learn new skills.

Leisure facilities

·        A pool table – this was another very popular suggestion as young people in the area love playing pool. There would be space in the building, according to the plans.

·        A bar serving non-alcoholic beverages – obviously alcohol could not be served, but many of the young people I spoke to suggested this as a way to make them feel grown up.

·        Vending machines – several people suggested this and it would be a good way of making extra money, which could be used to pay for other things.

Recommendation

Overall, I would recommend all of the above as they are all very popular suggestions and would all come within the budget set out by the council.

Now answer the following questions:

1. Who is the report being written to?

2. What is the purpose of the report?

3. Does the report use formal or informal language?

4. What are the two categories that the facilities have been divided into?

5. Which of the two athletic facilities mentioned was a ‘very popular suggestion’?

6. What is one of the advantages of a basketball court over an Astro-Turf football pitch?

7. How do we know that there would be space in the building for a pool table?

8. Why do you think alcohol cannot be served at the youth centre?

9. Vending machines would be a good way of making extra what?

10. Which of the suggestions are recommended at the end of the report?

Extension questions

11. How can we tell that the title is the title?

12. Find and copy out the sentence which means the same as ‘Underneath, I’m going to write down what I found.’

12. Why do you think the information is broken into short sentences and paragraphs?

13. What is the purpose of the subheadings?

14. Why do you think the writer has used formal language?