Homework, 16th October, 2017

This week I can post the text I would like you to read as it is a short story I wrote myself! Once you have read it, answer the questions that follow. The formatting is a little off due to it being copied and pasted across from a Word document, but it should make sense anyway. 

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, October 17th). 

Nightmares

I wake with a jolt, as if someone has just switched me on. I am drenched in sweat, I ache all over, and my heart is racing. I sit for a few seconds, desperately trying to calm down. This is the third morning in a row this has happened. Before I have time to think about it anymore, however, Sam floats into the room, arms outstretched, holding a tray with my morning cup of coffee sitting, as always, in the dead centre. I take it and drink.

                ‘Thanks Sam,’ I say.

            ‘You’re welcome,’ she replies. I say she; she’s actually an ‘it’, genderless, but to me there is something feminine about her compassionate manner. I know it is compassion that has been programmed and is therefore not real, but I am convinced that, over the years she has been with me, she has started to develop her own personality. Perhaps I should be scared by that, but I’m not. I can always switch her off if I need to.

                I finish my coffee, then hoist myself out of bed and rub the sleep from my eyes. For a second I am calm, but then I remember the nightmare and begin to worry. The same bad dream three nights in a row can’t be good.

                Sensing my anxiety, Sam enquires, ‘shall I make an appointment for you to see Doctor Wells?’

                ‘Um … yes, actually,’ I reply, ‘thank you.’                                                             

*     *     *

               ‘So, three nights in a row,’ says Doctor Wells. He has a kind face, sandy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. His voice is soothing, although the soft lighting and comfortable chair with its embracing arms all contribute as well. And then there’s the animated artwork on the walls; there’s something strangely calming about it which I can’t quite explain.  

                ‘Yup,’ I reply.  

                ‘And what happens in this dream?’ he asks.

              ‘It’s scary … people suffering, explosions, people fighting … politicians arguing with each other. It’s like a whole world which is different from ours but somehow familiar, like it’s from a time long ago.’

                ‘Hmm.’ He takes a deep breath.

                ‘What do you think?’ I ask after a few uncomfortable seconds of him not replying.

               Without him saying anything to me, he picks up his telephone. ‘Trisha,’ he says into the receiver. ‘Could you cancel my next appointment please?’ There is a pause while Trisha says something back to him, but I can’t quite make out what it is. ‘Yes,’ he eventually says. ‘The fifth one this week.’ He hangs up. ‘It’s okay,’ he replies, turning to me. ‘Stay calm and look at the painting on the wall opposite you. You feel sleepy. Your eyes are heavy …’

*     *     *

I am coaxed gently out of unconsciousness by the comforting voice of Doctor Wells. ‘It’s okay,’ he says. ‘You’re going to feel slightly disorientated, but that’s normal. Everything is fine.’ His room gradually comes into view.

                ‘What happened?’ I ask, yawning. I feel a little groggy.  

                ‘You came to see me about some bad dreams you were having, but it’s all fine now. Everything is fixed.’

                ‘Oh, right …’ I have a vague memory that I was having nightmares, but I can’t remember what they were about. I sit there for another few minutes while he types on his computer.

                ‘How are you feeling now?’ he asks.

                ‘Fine,’ I reply. ‘Great, in fact.’

                ‘Good. You can go. Just book a follow-up appointment with Trisha on your way out for … let’s say, a week’s time, just so I can make sure you’re still okay, which you will be.’ He smiles.

                I thank him and leave.

*     *     *

When I get home, Sam is waiting for me with dinner on the table. Pasta. Good old Sam, I think to myself. I sit down and begin eating. As always, it’s the best food I’ve ever tasted. But then, something strange happens … an image … in my mind …

1. What is the narrator drenched in when she wakes up?

2. How many mornings in a row has this happened?

3. What does Sam bring for her?

4. What does the narrator say she probably should be scared of, but isn’t?

5. What is the name of the doctor Sam makes an appointment for the narrator to see?

6. What colour is the doctor’s hair?

7. What word is used to describe the arms of the chair in the doctor’s office?

8. Write down one thing that is scary about the dream that the narrator describes.

9. What does the doctor do to make time to hypnotise the narrator?

10. When she wakes up from having been hypnotised, the narrator yawns, then says she feels what?

11. What do you think this word means, based on how it is used in the story?                           

12. After telling the narrator to book a follow-up appointment, what does the doctor say to reassure her?

Extension questions

13. This is a Science Fiction story. Write down one thing about it that fits with the Science Fiction genre.

14. Look at your answer to question 4. Why do you think the writer says she should probably be worried about this?

15. What particular theme does this address?

16. How does the writer create suspense at the very end of the story?

17. There is an example of personification somewhere in the story. See if you can find it and copy it out.

18. This story is deliberately vague about what is actually happening. Why do you think this is?

                                                                                                                                           

19. What do you think is going on? 

Homework, October 2nd, 2017

This week I would like you to read another extract from War Horse. This time, it is a description of Corporal Samuel Perkins, the soldier who trains Joey before he goes to France to fight. 

Once you have read it, you will need to answer the questions that go with it. Everything you need is in your homework folder. 

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, October 3rd)

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

Hooray!

Homework, Monday 18th September, 2017

This week I would like you to read the extract from War Horse and answer the questions that go with it. Unfortunately, I can't publish the extract here as I don't own the copyright, but everything you need is in your homework folder. 

This is due tomorrow (Tuesday, September 19th). 

Welcome to Mr. Quillfeldt's year 9 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 400 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.