MOCK EXAM WORKSHOP Block B

In general…  The mock exam is a learning experience  It lets you see how timing is really important  Take the comments we have given you and use these to improve on November 5 th  We wrote a lot of comments! Don’t let this intimidate you. We hope they are helpful.

In general…  Higher level papers have more sophisticated use of language, quote integration, and ideas.  It is possible that you hit all of the main points and don’t get a 6.  Your style of writing is important too!

Stand alone -- positives  Most people included the title, author and prompt  Most people used quotes to support their points  Most people successfully focused on the character of Marusa

Stand alone -- ways to improve  Answer the prompt in your introduction  Instead of:  In the story “Head Cook at Weddings and Funerals” by Vi Plonikoff, Marusa is the main character.  Try:  Marusa, in the story “Head Cook at Weddings and Funerals” by Val Plonikoff, is a head-strong girl who eventually gives in to the pressures of her community.

Stand alone – ways to improve  Stay focused on the prompt  Read the text carefully  Many of you misread the ending  Use proper quote integration techniques  Use only one paragraph  Watch your time here!

Synthesis -- positives  Everyone used a point by point comparison style  Most people used quotes as proof  Most people had a fully developed essay  Intro, body paragraphs, conclusion  Most people cited their quotes

Synthesis – ways to improve  Answer the prompt in your introduction  Use proper quote integration techniques  Develop your points  Details!  Work on developing a stronger conclusion

Original Comp -- positives  Great ideas!  Original stories – very creative!  Many people wrote narratives  Everyone was on topic

Original Comp – ways to improve  Write a narrative (tell a story)  It is hard to score above a 4 with an expository essay  Write correctly  Many of you had run-on-sentences and sentence fragments!  Use sentence starters  Don’t always start with a subject – ex. I  Show vs. tell  Describe what is happening rather than just telling

Re-Writes  If you would like to re-write a section of the exam, I will give you time next class.  You will not be re-writing the exact same piece.  You will be offered a new selection to write about.  I would suggest starting with the section where you need to improve the most.

PROVINCIAL EXAM TIPS Yes, you should take notes!

Poetry tips  Reread the poem  Examine the multiple choice questions  TPCASTT  Read the poem out loud – whisper read  Annotate the poem; think with your pen  Focus on the beginning and end of the poem  Examine the title of the poem  Focus on what you do know  Consider doing poetry section last

Poetry  Tone – “High School Senior”  Contrast – “Summer in Yakima Valley”  Metaphor – “Prelude to Jumping…”  Symbolism – “Birthday Present From…”  Theme – “Railway Club Blues”  Irony – “Ordinary Life”  Oftentimes deals with nature  See if you can tie to theme

Tone  Attitude  Feeling  Adjectives are essential - nostalgic  Avoid re-telling of plot  Avoid happy, mad, sad, glad  E.g. “Basement Stairs,” “High School Senior” and “Quarry Pigeon Cove”

Contrast  Can be done in two paras  Equal time  Look for shift in poem:  yet, but, and  Stanza break, line break, white space  E.g. “Summer in the Yakima Valley”

Symbolism & Metaphor  X = Y  Need to explain both sides of equation  Need multiple examples  E.g. “Birthday Present from First Born” “Wordsmith”

Theme  Look at end of poem  Examine the title  If a character learned something, you should too  Should be stated in subject verb format  Difference between lyric and didactic poetry themes  E.g. “Railway Club Blues”

More than one topic  MUST deal with both prompts  Not necessarily equal but cannot be one sentence either  Generally the second topic is theme (see theme page for details)  E.g. “Crab” (imagery and attitude) “Quarter Horse Colts” (imagery and theme)

Writing Tips  Author, title and prompt in topic sentence  “title of poem”  “speaker” not narrator  Don’t confuse author/poet with speaker  “~~~~~~” (l. 14).  “~~~~~[changed text]~~~~” (l.14).  “~~~~~/~~~~~~/~~~~~” (l ).  Be sure you have a concluding sentence

Irony  There will be a lot of irony – not just one or two examples of it.  Explain why it is ironic.  Be sure to use APE here.  Examine why the poet is using irony…what is its effect.  E.g. “Ordinary Life”

Synthesis tips  Read the prompt first  Mark up the texts  Read the texts multiple times. You have the time to do this! Use it.  Check bibliography on last page for citing  Select quotes carefully and avoid over or under quoting  Integration of quotes is a higher level skill  Be sure to answer the prompt

Synthesis Writing Tips  Title, author, and prompt in introduction  “Title” or Title – check the reference page  “narrator”  Do not confuse author with narrator  “~~~~~~~” (para. 2).  “~~~~~ [changed text]~~~” (para, 2).  “~~~~~…~~~~” (para. 2).  Vary quote integration; limit full sentence quotes

Possible Synthesis topics Compare and contrastmost grade 10 topics Who is more / less XBe-ers and Doers vs. Most Powerful How would x respond to yHap vs. Andy Warhol What qualities do they share?Blindly vs. Versabraille Assess… (to what extent)Circus in Town vs. Happyness ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Answer the prompt in the intro and use the body paragraphs to answer the question “why”. Give as much evidence from the texts as possible. Use synthesis words between stories to smooth information

Original Composition  The markers want to see what you have learned in 12 years of education. This is your time to show off. Consider doing this section first so fatigue isn’t a factor.  This section should NOT be completed in less than an hour.  I strongly advise you edit and proofread this section carefully.

Original Composition - Avoid  “In this paper I will…”  “It is very interesting / important / unique because…”  “As you can see…”; “So you can see I have proven…”  “It was a dark and stormy night…”  “And then I woke up…”  happy, mad, sad, glad, bad and other bad diction  Dialogue punctuated incorrectly or over done  Vulgar language or content  “And then…” structure that ends in too much plot  Long boring narratives  Cliches  Poorly done parodies

Original Composition - Do  Have an interesting opening line  Answer the prompt fully  Try to illicit an emotional response  Focus on something small and do it well  Go over 300 words  Show off. It is about content AND style.  Remember your audience. The marker will not be impressed that you wrote from a male perspective if they have no idea you are female. And, they can usually spot fabrications.

The difference between a 5 & 6 IS STYLE…  most students write persuasively – maybe try something different or a combination of styles. Narratives work well.  sentence variety  sentence starters: noun, -ly ending, -ing ending, subordinate conj.,  try using similes, metaphors, irony, foreshadowing, flashbacks, personification

Past Topics  The best gifts are the simplest ones  Role models influence our lives  Experiences shape relationships  We learn most from those closest to us  Memories influence our lives

Past Topics Continued  Our views of the past change as we mature  Self awareness leads to meaningful change  Certain events change our impressions of life