GCSE English Week 9

Today (across 2 sessions) Identifying sentence types Breaking down the reading questions in paper 1. HOW CAN YOU GAIN THE HIGHEST MARKS POSSIBLE? Death by Scrabble- an analysis Breaking down question 2, 3 AND 4

TARGETS PLEASE STICK YOUR TARGETS ON THE BACK PAGE OF YOUR BOOKS WRITE: TO BE REVIEWED JANUARY 2018

FROM LAST SESSION… WHAT ARE THE 3 TYPES OF SENTENCES? WHAT ARE THE TWO TYPES OF CLAUSES? WHY DO YOU NEED TO KNOW TECHNICAL TERMS?

Paper 1 In the first part of paper 1 you will be assessed on your reading and analysis skills. What questions will you get asked?

Section A: reading (40 marks) Question 1- pull out 4 facts to describe … (weather, character, setting etc) With this question you can use direct quotes or you can paraphrase. Ensure that they link to the question.

How? Question 2- HOW does the writer use LANGUAGE? Discuss devices the writer has used and WHY they have been used. What effect is the writer going for? Look for language devices in the text and discuss the EFFECT they have on you as the reader. Also look at the length of the sentences. Eg: simple sentences= action and drama Complex sentences= flowing and descriptive (8 marks) Remember to use ‘technical terminology’ where you can

Which device is being used here? ‘The carriage swayed like a drunken man as it fought its way through the mud’ Please copy this in your book

And here? ‘the carriage moved like an eagle swooping towards its prey’ Please copy this in your book

Is the effect the same? Please write a PEE paragraph to explain this… Point- The writer uses personification/ simile to describe the movement of the carriage Evidence- write the quote here Explain- write three or four sentences to explain the effect of this quote Write two paragraphs- one for each of the quotes please.

How do you gain the most marks in your reading assessment? ALWAYS use PEE Point- what point are you going to make? Evidence- quote from the text to back up your point- use ‘quotation marks’ Explain- what is the EFFECT? What does it make you think of? What can you INFER from this? Why has the writer chosen to us this type of language/ structure? You must remember to EXPLAIN your points or you will not get the marks you need!!!

Death by Scrabble This is a short story written by Charlie Fish Follow the story as we go- please do not write on the sheet! Thanks 

What happens in this story? Write a summary of the story (pick out the main points) Beginning Middle End

See if you can identify… 2 simple sentences 2 compound sentences 2 complex sentences Please write them in your books.

Question 1 List 4 things about the main character (the person telling the story) Remember you can just quote four things from the text to gain full marks

Question 2 How does the writer use language to show his frustration? In this section, think about how he describes the weather, his wife and his hatred of Scrabble. Look for: Personification Repetition Hyperbole Onomatopoeia Please find a quote for each device and write it in your books. WHY does the writer use these devices? Remember to look at sentence types here as well.

EXAMPLE PEE PARAGRAPH please copy in your books. (Point) In Death by Scrabble, the narrator uses the onomatopoeia (Evidence)‘clack, clack, clack’. (Explain) This is used to emphasize his annoyance and frustration. It is also repeated to give the impression that is like a pounding headache which builds up the tension in the text. (Point)Personification is used when the narrator states that the sun is (Evidence)‘pushing at me though the window’. (Explain)This reinforces the claustrophobia he is feeling both within his marriage and in the hot room they are in. Even the weather is ‘pushing’ him towards a breakdown. Please write another couple of PEE paragraphs with the other devices you have found.

Foreshadow This is a literary device by which an author hints at what is to come. Foreshadowing is a dramatic device in which an important plot- point is mentioned early in the story and will return in a more significant way. It is used to avoid disappointment. It is also sometimes used to arouse the reader’s interest.

Pathetic Fallacy This is where the weather reflects the mood of the characters in the text It is used to reinforce the happiness/ frustration/ anger/ sadness of a character How is pathetic fallacy used in ‘Death by Scrabble’ Can you find any quotes to back this up?

Question 3 How does the writer use structure to engage the reader? Please write some PEE paragraphs to answer the following pointers. Look at the first line… how does this compound sentence foreshadow the events in the rest of the story? How does the anecdote foreshadow the twist at the end? (Think about Harold swallowing a bee?) – use of flashback When the writer thinks about what he SHOULD be doing, or he fantasises about killing his wife, how does the sentence length change?- real life and fantasy How is pathetic fallacy used?

Question 4 Looking at the whole story… How successful is the writer in creating two characters which are not very pleasant? Points to think about: What do you learn about the narrator?- does he blame himself for the situation he is in? Does he take responsibility for his murderous thoughts? What do you learn about the wife? What kind of characters are they? How do you know this? How do you think they got into this situation? Who is to blame? WHAT DO YOU LEARN ABOUT… HOW DOES THE WRITER ACHIEVE AN EFFECT? Remember this is a 20 mark question. You need to write using the PEE format to gain marks

Reflect What have you covered this session? What new skills have you learned? What have you found easy or difficult? What do you still need to work on?