English (Form 4)

1) Essay Writing                 (20/1/2011)    

This Smart Online Scrapbook (S.O.S)  is one of my final projects during my last semester at USM. We have to make a scrapbook about sustainable development and its connection to education in PGT436E course. So, all of us have agreed to focus on the problems facing young people today and how to overcome these problems in terms of  the Education and Sustainable Development (ESD). 

Sustainable development can be defined as a way of fulfill human necessity without damaging the environment and the earth so this needs can also be used by our future generations. We emphasized on the five major problems that usually occur among teenagers which are peer pressure, vandalism, drug abuse, bullying and baby abandoned. 

The points given in the scrap blog are useful for you in terms of your essay writing about the problems facing young people today and how to overcome these problems. For instance: 

i) to guide you to understand the concept of sustainable development in general.
ii) to help you understand the definition of each problem.
iii) identify strategies to overcome the problems.
iv) recognise the reasons why young teenagers involving themselves in these problems.
iv) give appropriate examples for each problem. 

Last but not least, the pictures and colourful pages in this scrap blog will aid you to remember all the points easily.  

Here is the URL's link. Smart Online Scrapbook (S.O.S)  
Happy watching!!! 

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2. Literature Component     (4/2/2011)

a) In the Midst of Hardship

  
This is a video clip based on the poem "In the Midst of Hardship". I find that this video is beneficial for teacher as one of a good set induction to help students to understand the message of the poem with the help of pictures and the poem lines .

Students can activate their mental images when they see the pictures as well as the lines and try to relate it with any difficult vocabularies that they cannot understand in the poem. 
Happy Watching ! :)

Literature Component          (12/2/2011)

b) QWERTYUIOP

Do you have any idea about the meaning of 'Qwertyuiop'?

Just take a look at your PDA, computer keyboard, laptop keyboard or typewriter. Now, what do you see across the first row of the letters at the PDA and the computer keyboard? 

Do you aware that actually Qwertyuiop are the letters across the first row of the alphabets on those gadgets. Have you ever think about this before?

PDA

Typewriter

Computer Keyboard

i) Synopsis

Lucy Beck is the fresh out of Belmont Secretarial College who eagerly starts work at Ross and Bannister's. Harry Darke introduces her to the place and gently hints that the electric typewriter is ‘different’. Lucy soon discovers a mysterious presence which hinders her typing efforts and threatens her.The strange word 'QWERTYUIOP' keeps recurring on everything she types. Lucy fights back with correcting ink and manages to complete a few letters. The next day Harry enlightens her about the nature of the hidden presence, which is the spirit of Miss Broome, a long time secretary of the late Mr. Bannister. So, Lucy decides to appease Miss Broome’s spirit by communicating with her through the typewriter. Lucy assures Miss Broome and gives her a reason for living in the next world. At the end, Lucy can focus on being a good secretary and managed to remove Miss Broome from the typewriter.   

Let us watch a video for a better understanding of the story. 

Enjoy this QWERTYUIOP video! 

ii. Plot                                     (19/2/2011)

1) EXPOSITION: Lucy Beck was accepted as secretary in Ross and Bannister's.

2) RISING ACTION: The typewriter gave Lucy problems as it self-typed unnecessary words like QWERTYUIOP.

3) CLIMAX: The typewriter threatened Lucy and tried to scare her away. Lucy battled it with correcting fluid and finally finished typing the letter.

4) FALLING ACTION: Lucy heard about Miss Broome, whose spirit had taken over the typewriter and did not want anyone else to be the secretary. Lucy was determined to hold on to her job.

5) RESOLUTION: Lucy convinced Miss Broome that the deceased Mr. Bannister needed her in the other world. Miss Broome was appeased and did not haunt the typewriter anymore. 

iii) Characters             (26/2/2011)

• 3 main characters: Lucy Beck, Harry Darke, Miss Broome

• 4 minor characters: Mr. Ross, Mrs. Price, Uncle Bert, Lucy's mother

1) Lucy Beck

 
Characteristics:
a)Underachiever (pg9)
She had a lonely 'O' level and a typing speed that would make a tortoise laugh.

b)Low self-esteem (pg 9)
Whoever will want to employ me? 

c)Courageous (pg 20)
She might be young and shy and a little slow, but she was not a coward!
d)Punctual (pg 12)
She was early. She smoothed down her windy hair and waited.

2) Harry Darke: 

 
Characteristics:
a)Helpful (pg12)
Anything you want, just ask old Harry.
b)Judgemental (pg13)
You can take a telephone message without getting the names muddled, can't you?

3) Miss Broome

 
Characteristics:
a)Bad-Tempered (pg20)
The machine went mad. QUERTYUIOP! QUERTYUIOP. QWERTYUIOP! It screamed , shaking and snapping its keys like castanets..
b)Lonely (pg25)
Didn't have anywhere worth going to- a bedsit, a gas ring... The old bag didn't have any family who'd own her.
c) Loyal (pg25)
Been here 43 years, girl, woman and old misery.

4) Mr. Ross

 
Characteristic:  

Concerned (pg23)
Did you have trouble with the machine, Miss Beck?

5) Mrs. Price

 
Characteristic:  

Caring (pg 9)
Good luck my dear, she said kindly...

6) Uncle Bert

 
Characteristic: 

Alcoholic (pg9 and 10)
He's not drinking up my pay pocket. That's for sure.

7) Lucy's mother

 
Characteristic: 

Patient (pg9)
Lucy loved her mother but could not help wishing she would sometimes lose her temper. 

Literature Component          (23/4/2011)   

c) The Fruitcake Special   

i) Elements in the Short Story

Click Here: Notes on "The Fruitcake Special"

ii) Video 

Literature Component          (23/4/2011)

d) He had Such Quiet Eyes

 i) Video 

 

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3. Grammar                    (9/2/2011)

a) Modal Verbs                      

Last night, I found a website when I was surfing the net to search for any interesting materials that I can use to teach modal verbs to my students. Let's check this out  :) 
You can learn about modals in enjoyable way through this modals game. Please click here

This song is also useful for you in order to learn modal verbs in fun way. Look at the modals in the lyric for instance, could, can, should and etc...  

b) Present Perfect Tense                 (26/2/2011)

• It is formed using: has/have + PAST PARTICIPLE
• Examples: has walked, has read, have eaten, have stopped and etc
• Generally, it is used to show TWO conditions:

 1) something happened in the past, but the time is not shown. 

        (the time is not stated/ no specific time)

PAST___X_____NOW_______FUTURE_

        Ex: I have eaten my breakfast today. 

               (It is not stated at what time the person eat his or her   

                 breakfast) 

     2) something began in the past and still continues to the
         present time.

PAST____X >____NOW______FUTURE_

 X 

   Ex: They have lived at Seberang Jaya since 2005.

                        (Now, in the years of 2011, they still live at Seberang 

                 Jaya)

Now, can you identify some examples of present perfect tense in this clip? 


c) Subject-Verb Agreement       (26/4/2011)

Guys, do you remember the clip below. I showed this clip to all of you during the lesson of the subject-verb agreement as the introduction for the lesson. What is actually refers to subject-verb agreement? Do you remember?

 The basic rule for subject-verb agreement states that a singular subject takes a singular verb, while a plural subject takes a plural verb.

Example: talks, talk
Which one is the singular form? Which word would you use with she? 

We say, "She talks." Therefore, talks is singular. 

We say, "They talk." Therefore, talk is plural.

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4. Comprehension                  (1/4/2011)

Guys, these are the answers for the comprehension:
"Malaysia's Rare Plants" that we did today. 

(Friday: 1/4/2011)
Please check your answers.
 

Answers:

1) The Rafflesia is a huge flower.
2) It survives by growing on the stems and roots of other plants and using the food produced by these plants.
3) It was gazetted to protect the endangered Rafflesia flowers which grow there.

4a) The leaves are brightly coloured to attract insects.
4b) The slippery inside walls of leaves make insects slip down to   the bottom of the pitcher where they are drowned in the digestive juices.
5) They do not absorb nutrients from the soil like other plants. So, they devour insects for their nutrients.

p/s: You don't have to do the summary part yet.
We will continue with summary next week :) Thanks! :)