Supported Study Revision N5 RUAE Supported Study Revision

Learning Intentions To find out what we already know about RUAE To revisit strategies that help you understand the passage To revise formulas for answering specific question types

What do you know? Task 1 With a partner, create a mind-map to show all that you associate with RUAE

First Look at a Passage When faced with an RUAE passage for the first time, ALWAYS read it all the way through before you start answering questions. The purpose of this reading is simply to gain a basic understanding of what it is about. DON’T worry about language, vocabulary or techniques at this stage.

5-5-1 Strategy After reading the passage, try to sum it up in 5 sentences. Using those 5 sentences, now try to sum it up further in 5 words. Finally, what 1 word could summarise the who passage?

Highlighting Using a highlighter is a great tool in an exam – but don’t go daft! Highlight with focus Anticipate what the question will be

Question Types Understanding Analysis Evaluation Questions look at WHAT was written and test whether or not you have understood what you have read. Questions get you to think about HOW it was written and how effective the language is. Questions consider WHY the piece was written and whether or not the writer has been successful.

Understanding Questions These questions will focus on how well you have understood what you have read by asking you to answer ‘in your own words’ or by getting you to ‘summarise’ the key points the writer has made.

Own Words Can you remember the 3 command words that are commonly used for ‘in your own words’ questions?

Command words “Identify” – pick out an idea from the text, answering in your own words “Explain” – show you understand by using your own words “Summarise” – show you understand a longer section of the text by using your own words and selecting only key/relevant points Each of these command words will require you to answer in your own words

Example As an underground phenomenon involving running through cities and leaping over obstacles, parkour is the epitome of cool for its growing army of fans. Participants are known as traceurs (or traceuses for females) and the parks and city structures of Scotland are rapidly becoming theirstage. “I really like the ability to move in the way you want, rather than being bound by the way the street designer wants you to move,” says Glynn Forsythe (24), one of the traceurs assessing the obstacles dotting the campuses of Strathclyde University.“It might be faster to go across that railing than to take the path. I like that,” he says. “It makes things interesting.” There are no rules and no projected outcomes; parkour simply advocates that individuals “find their own way”. The aim is to improve strength, both physical and mental, while developing your technique to overcome even greater barriers. Using your own words, give two reasons why parkour appeals to Glenn Forsythe. (2)

Example As an underground phenomenon involving running through cities and leaping over obstacles, parkour is the epitome of cool for its growing army of fans. Participants are known as traceurs (or traceuses for females) and the parks and city structures of Scotland are rapidly becoming theirstage. “I really like the ability to move in the way you want, rather than being bound by the way the street designer wants you to move,” says Glynn Forsythe (24), one of the traceurs assessing the obstacles dotting the campuses of Strathclyde University.“It might be faster to go across that railing than to take the path. I like that,” he says. “It makes things interesting.” There are no rules and no projected outcomes; parkour simply advocates that individuals “find their own way”. The aim is to improve strength, both physical and mental, while developing your technique to overcome even greater barriers. The text in green could all be chosen as answers. How could you write the same idea without using the words in the passage?

Analysis Questions These questions test your knowledge of language and your ability to explain why a writer has chosen to use particular effects.

The Beating Heart of Language

Word Choice Word choice questions are testing your understanding of vocabulary and your knowledge of connotations. What are the connotations of a word? Show-Me Board Activity

Word Choice When answering on word choice you should follow this approach: “quote” the word State the connotations (what it suggests) Explain the effect this has (in relation to the question)

Example The miserable town began to dampen his spirits – often quite literally! Not a day went by without at least a few hours of drizzle, the sort of rain that seeped into the bones, making it hard to even consider doing anything, leaving the holidaymakers huddled round fireplaces staring blankly at the board games they really didn’t want to play. Explain how the word-choice in lines 1- 5 helps create an impression of the mood of the holidaymakers. (2)

Example The miserable town began to dampen his spirits – often quite literally! Not a day went by without at least a few hours of drizzle, the sort of rain that seeped into the bones, making it hard to even consider doing anything, leaving the holidaymakers huddled round fireplaces staring blankly at the board games they really didn’t want to play. The text in green could all be possible answers. Here is one suggestion, following the lay-out explained on the previous slide: Word choice of “blankly” has connotations of being empty, of nothingness and something bleak. This suggests the holidaymakers were depressed and not enjoying the experience.

Imagery Imagery is looking at how a writer creates pictures (vivid images) in a text through the use of particular techniques. Which techniques are the most likely in N5 imagery questions? How do we structure an answer to an imagery question?

Imagery Most common techniques used are: Simile Metaphor Personification Onomatopoeia (sound of the image) Alliteration (sound of the image)

Imagery To answer a question on imagery you should take the following approach: State the technique being used “quote” where it being used State what is being compared to what (or what is being personified as what) Explain the effect of the comparison, using Just as... so to ...

Imagery Example “His raven hair was slick with gel and gleamed under the bright lights, like a wet road at midnight”

Imagery Example “His raven hair was slick with gel and gleamed like a wet road at midnight” Simile – “His raven hair...like a wet road at midnight.” His hair is being compared to a wet road. Just as the road would be dark at midnight with the car headlamps reflecting on the puddles of water on the road, so too his hair would be dark in colour and seem to shine under the lights where it is wet with gel. This has the effect that ....

Example Shivering in the grey light, I looked around at all the goosebumped, goggleeyed and wetsuited competitors, a decidedly middle-aged bunch, with more women than men. The sky was threatening, the wet pebbles beneath my feet cold to the touch. Racers made last-minute adjustments to pacing watches and heart-rate monitors. We were bunched up like a school of fish trapped in the shallows. I overheard murmured discussions about the various ghastly forms of protein one was supposed to have taken to enhance performance. Show how the writer’s imagery shows how many racers (participants) were involved. (2)

Example Shivering in the grey light, I looked around at all the goosebumped, goggleeyed and wetsuited competitors, a decidedly middle-aged bunch, with more women than men. The sky was threatening, the wet pebbles beneath my feet cold to the touch. Racers made last-minute adjustments to pacing watches and heart-rate monitors. We were bunched up like a school of fish trapped in the shallows. I overheard murmured discussions about the various ghastly forms of protein one was supposed to have taken to enhance performance. Simile, “We were bunched up like a school of fish trapped in the shallows.” Here the racers are being compared to a school of fish. Just as a school of fish are large in number and all group together to travel in the same direction, so too there were a large number of racers all crowded in at the starting line.

Evaluation Questions These questions often ask you to consider the whole passage you have read, or to think about how effective a section of it has been.