1. English Language Arts 30-1
Diploma Exam Preparation – “Part A”
Written Response

3. Part A – Written Response (50%)
Personal Response to Texts
40%
one hour
Critical/Analytical Response to Literary Texts
60%
two hours

4. Personal Response to Texts ASSIGNMENT
What do these texts suggest about ?
(texts may be visual, poetry and/or prose selections)
In your writing, you must
use a prose form
connect one or more of the texts provided in this examination to your own ideas and impressions

5. Initial Planning
To which of the texts are you responding? What is the connection between the text and your response?
What idea do you intend to explore and how does it address the topic?
State your choice of prose form. Chose from prose forms that you have practised in ELA You may respond using a personal, creative, or analytical perspective. Do not use a poetic form.

6. prose forms short essay rant journal entry newspaper article editorial
interior monologue
short story
personal observation
letter
eulogy
interview
rebuttal
screen play
speech
anecdote
commentary
et cetera

7. Critical/Analytical Response to Literary Text
Do not use the texts provided in this booklet for the Critical/Analytical Response to Literary Texts Assignment. Choose from short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, poetry, films, or other literary texts that you have studied in ELA When considering the works that you have studied, chose a literary text that is meaningful to you and relevant to the following assignment.

8. The Assignment
Discuss the idea developed by the text creator in your chosen text about _____ .
In your planning and writing, consider the following instructions:
Carefully consider your controlling idea and how you will create a strong unifying effect in your response.
As you develop your ideas, support them with appropriate, relevant, and meaningful examples from your choice of literary text.

9. Initial Planning
Use this space for your initial planning. This information assists markers in identifying the text you have chosen to support your ideas. The markers who read your composition will be very familiar with the literary text you have chosen.
Literary Text and Creator:
(Note: Write the title of your chosen literary text on the back cover of this examination booklet.)

10. Personal Reflection on Choice of Text
Briefly explore your reasons for selecting the literary text as support for your response. Markers will consider the information you provide here when considering the effectiveness of your supporting evidence.

11. “N – E – X - T” in your paragraphs!!
Introduction – title, author, genre – thesis statement
Body paragraph ONE – supporting reason #1
evidence / explanation
Body paragraph TWO – supporting reason #2
Body paragraph THREE– supporting reason #3
Conclusion

12. CONNECTIONS – Part “A”
Each text studied this term was studied in a particular thematic unit. You will make connections across these units, reviewing the texts to determine what each has in common with a text from another unit.
The connection you make does NOT have to fall under one of the themes studied - hardship, self-preservation vs competing demands, or individual perspectives. The potential for connections between any two texts is limitless. You may want to use the Word document "essay questions" for connection ideas.

13. PREPARE – Part “A”
1. Choose three pieces of text that were studied this semester about which you would feel confident to write.
2. For EACH piece of text list and explain the following:
- title, author, genre
- important characters
- symbols, motifs
- theme
- brief quotations (3-5?) that are central to the piece

14. texts studied Hamlet A Streetcar Named Desire “Dulce Et Decorum Est”
The Kite Runner
The Shawshank Redemption
“The Iron Road”
“Grinning and Happy”
“Shining Houses”
“The Painted Door”
“On the Rainy River”
“Dulce Et Decorum Est”
“Guilt”
“Field of Vision”
“Where There’s a Wall”
“The Uninvited”
Refugee Mother & Child”
“Students”
“The Lady of Shalott”

15. REVIEW theory unit final exam preparation tutorials
CARL notes
CARL rubric
CARL exemplars/rationales
personal response notes
personal response rubric
final exam preparation tutorials
previous and sample diploma exams
three pieces of text
U5L1, U5L2

16. Part A – bring:
dictionary
thesaurus
pen / pencil for planning – even if you are writing on the computer
highlighter(s) for marking key ideas / phrases on the exam
Be aware that your books and pencil cases will be checked for extraneous information, which none of you will be carrying, anyway.  

17. Part A – check when finished:
Once your assignments have been printed off, and stapled into your exam booklet, be sure of the following:
it is YOUR work
it is complete – all assignments have been printed
it is in the proper order
your 6-digit registration number is on each page
each page is numbered
each assignment is stapled into its appropriate page in the exam booklet
You are NOT allowed to take anything out of the exam room other than what you brought in.  This includes any copy of the assignments you completed on the exam.

18. Part A – et cetera
Bring photo ID.
Aim to arrive at RVLC (or your school) by 8:30 am for EACH diploma exam you write.
Go to bed early and get a good night’s rest!!