Wednesday, 30 September 2015

AS Language Opinion Articles Task

Hi everyone,

Today we looked at two different opinion articles written about the same topic - the refugee crisis.

We looked at the similarities between the two articles and the shared techniques. In Thursday's lesson, you will be starting to develop your own opinion piece on a topic related to language so the techniques you identified are crucial for getting the structure right - well done for your thorough identification of these techniques.

For your homework I would like you to complete the second task we started in class which was to forget about shared techniques and identify the differences between the two. This is very difficult as they are so similar, but it will improve your eye and ability to identify more subtle techniques which is a crucial analytical skill in language.

Your task is to write 2 fully formed PEE analytical paragraphs about the differences you have found and post these to your blogs. Again, this is a difficult task but try to dig a little deeper and notice the subtle variations in language use.

Please post your paragraphs by the end of Thursday so I can look at them over the weekend.

Claudia


Wednesday, 23 September 2015

Excellent article on idioms, very useful for both AS and A2

Have a read if you find idioms difficult to identify or explain, well worth a read:

Waiting with bated breath to learn how idioms took flight

AS Language Travel Writing Task - Padlet Page

Hi everyone,

Excellent work on your travel writing pieces over the last 2 lessons, some lovely writing techniques being used and I am looking forward to reading them all.

In tomorrow's lesson we are going to start thinking about the commentary that will accompany the creative writing, in which you will critique your writing and analyse it. To make a start on this, I would like everyone to complete this 5 minute task before tomorrow's lesson:

Post to the new Padlet page, link here: Padlet Page, with the first two sentences of your travel writing pieces. Then below that, write a short sentence which identifies any techniques you have used. You don't have to include your name on this; it can be completely anonymous if you like!

Looking forward to reading your introductions.

Claudia

Tuesday, 22 September 2015

A2 Language Coursework Support Booklet

Hi Everyone,

Here is an electronic copy of the A2 Language coursework booklet.

Link

Claudia

Wednesday, 16 September 2015

Wednesday 16th September - AS Research Task

Morning everyone,

Today your task is to consolidate the knowledge and analysis skills you have built up over the last few lessons and complete a short research task on the language of blogs and travel writing.

The first thing you need to do is find an example of a blog and of a piece of travel writing. There are lots of examples of travel writing on the Guardian (link here), and there are also blogs written by celebrities such as Frankie Boyle on the Guardian too, try to avoid Charlie Brooker as we have already used his blog as an example. Many celebrities will have personal blogs, and there will be examples of blogs by YouTube stars online too; there are plenty of options but you may have to do a bit of digging to find some.

Next, do some technique and feature spotting in your 2 examples. Blogs and travel writing are similar, so what kind of language techniques are used? Do they share techniques? If they do share techniques, do they have a different effect on the reader?

Once you have done your research, write up your findings and post to your blog, comparing and contrasting the 2 genres.

If you have any questions, come and see me.

Hope you enjoy the task!

Claudia

Tuesday, 8 September 2015

A2 Language - Tuesday 8th

Morning A2 Language

We have the computer room today, so we will be doing more work on the research for your investigation.

I will be having a conversation with you all individually today to discuss the topic and potential hypothesis of your investigation and how you intend to make a start on putting it together to gather your research.

Your tasks for today are as follows:

1. Research 5 different theories for your investigation, summarise them on your blogs with a short discussion as to how they are relevant. This is the same kind of thing we were doing on Friday when you were researching articles.

2. Start mapping out your introduction. You should follow this structure:

INTRO (400 WORDS):
- Why I am interested
- Theories / Research
- What the theory/research leads me to expect (Hypothesis)
- Frameworks to test hypothesis



As with all of your work we have done so far, please post to your blogs.

Come and ask me if you need any help!

Friday, 4 September 2015

AS Language Grammar & Word Class Powerpoints

Hi AS Language,

Below are links to the grammar frameworks and word class PowerPoints we looked at in class on Thursday.

Look back through them over the weekend and try to familiarise yourself with them - we will be doing some analytical work in class next week so you'll need to put your knowledge to good use.

Grammar Frameworks

Word Classes

Please email me your blog URLs if you haven't done so already, and update your blog with the write up of your 'Linguistic Fingerprint'. Also, you will need to follow my blog so you can see when I have updated. If you go to your blogger homepage, you will see an orange link on the right hand side called 'Reading List'. Below this there is an 'Add' button. Click the button and paste the link to my blog (claudialanguageblog.blogspot.com) into the box and then click follow. The blog will then be added to your reading list.

Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend!

Claudia

Thursday, 3 September 2015

Welcome back to my A2 group!

Hi everyone, welcome to your A2 language year!

You will need to use your blogs weekly this year as we have a lot of content to get through. This will help you to organise your notes and ideas for your coursework and will be really valuable when it comes to revision.

Your first task is to post to the A2 Language Padlet wall (link below) and make a shortcut to it on your phone as we may use this in class from time to time. This is relatively straightforward and here is a link which explains how to add a webpage to your phone's homescreen.

Link to Padlet wall.

For homework, please complete the extended analysis of the Guardian article and hand this into me at the beginning of Tuesday's lesson. I will then mark it and give it back to you with feedback. After you have made the changes I have suggested, you will then post this analysis to your blog.

Claudia

Wednesday, 2 September 2015

AS Language - Welcome!

Welcome to all of the first year language students. It was excellent to meet you all and I look forward to our lessons together!

Below is a link to the Language Padlet page. Remember to post to the page with your name as the title and your non-fiction review. In addition, try to make a shortcut to the Padlet page on your phone. This is relatively straightforward, but if you're having trouble then here is a link which explains how to do this on all smartphones.

Padlet Page

Also, remember to email me your blogger URLs to cal@stbrn.ac.uk

Happy blogging!

Claudia