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?

Easter holiday homework, 2017

There are two tasks I would like you to complete this Easter:


1. Read the speech and answer the questions (it is from a textbook so I can't post it here but everything you need is in your homework folder).


2. Complete the end of term quiz (which is included below), which is based on speeches, reviews and articles.


Everything is due the first day back after Easter (Monday, 24th April).

End of term two massive English quiz!

 

1. What should always go at the top of an article?

 

2. List three things you could comment on the quality of when writing a review, e.g. acting.

 

3. Which technique is the following an example of:

 

          ‘He was as strong as an ox’?

 

4. What should you do in the first paragraph of a review?

 

5. What should each paragraph of an article have above it?

 

6. When you write down something someone said in speech marks, this is called a what?

 

7. Write down an example of a rhetorical question.

 

8. Re-write the following sentence so that it has the correct spelling, punctuation and grammar:

 

          i was speaking to a young lady just the other day she said it’s just so           tough being a single mum i wish someone could help me

 

9. Which technique is the following an example of:

 

          ‘I’ve told you million times that chewing gum is bad for you!’?

 

10. In which of the three text types we have covered this term (reviews, articles and speeches) would you expect to find the following sentence:

 

          ‘The plot moves along at breakneck speed, and the directing is             

           great.’?

 

11. Write down an example of a metaphor.

Homework, Monday, March 20th, 2017

Read the speech extract below and answer the questions that follow. This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, March 21st). 

The following is an extract from a speech by the human rights activist Malala Yousafzai delivered to the youth version of the United Nations on July 12^th, 2013.

…

I don't know where to begin my speech. I don't know what people would be expecting me to say. But first of all, thank you to God for whom we all are equal and thank you to every person who has prayed for my fast recovery and a new life. I cannot believe how much love people have shown me. I have received thousands of good wish cards and gifts from all over the world. Thank you to all of them. Thank you to the children whose innocent words encouraged me. Thank you to my elders whose prayers strengthened me.

…

There are hundreds of Human rights activists and social workers who are not only speaking for human rights, but who are struggling to achieve their goals of education, peace and equality. Thousands of people have been killed by the terrorists and millions have been injured. I am just one of them.

So here I stand: one girl among many. I speak, not for myself, but for all girls and boys. I raise up my voice, not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights: their right to live in peace, their right to be treated with dignity, their right to equality of opportunity, their right to be educated.

…

Dear sisters and brothers, we realise the importance of light when we see darkness. We realise the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way, when we were in Swat, the north of Pakistan, we realised the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns.

The wise saying, “The pen is mightier than sword” was true. The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them. And that is why they killed 14 innocent medical students in the recent attack in Quetta. And that is why they killed many female teachers and polio workers in Khyber Pukhtoon Khwa and FATA. That is why they are blasting schools every day.  Because they were and they are afraid of change, afraid of the equality that we will bring into our society.

I remember that there was a boy in our school who was asked by a journalist, “Why are the Taliban against education?” He answered very simply. By pointing to his book he said, “A Talib doesn't know what is written inside this book.” They think that God is a tiny, little conservative being who would send girls to the hell just because of going to school. The terrorists are misusing the name of Islam and Pashtun society for their own personal benefits. Pakistan is peace-loving democratic country. Pashtuns want education for their daughters and sons. And Islam is a religion of peace, humanity and brotherhood. Islam says that it is not only each child's right to get education, rather it is their duty and responsibility.

1. Where does Malala think she should begin her speech?

2. Who does she thank first?

3. Complete the sentence: ‘I have __________________ thousands of good wish cards from all over the ____________.’

4. What word in the second paragraph means the same as ‘striving’ (you may have to look ‘striving’ up in the dictionary)?

5. Who, according to the third paragraph, does Malala speak for?

6. Complete the sentence: ‘I raise up my ____________, not so that I can shout, but so that those ________________ a voice can be heard.’

7. What four rights does she list in third paragraph?

8. Find the sentence in the fourth paragraph which contains the word ‘Swat’ and copy it out.

9. Based on how it is used in the sentence, what do you think ‘Swat’ means?

10. What saying does she mention in the fifth paragraph?

11. What word is used in the fifth paragraph which means ‘not guilty’?

12. How does she describe Pakistan in the final paragraph?

Extension questions:

13. Why do you think Malala refers to the people in the audience as ‘brothers and sisters’?

14. In the final paragraph, she mentions a boy from her school. Why do you think she does this?

15. How does Malala get across a sense that she does not consider herself to be special?