Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Marxist and Feminist approaches to "A Doll's House"
Two interesting articles on Ibsen's play. Read them critically. Always forge your own ideas. Secondary sources are there to offer perspective not to replace your own ideas.http://noelle89.hubpages.com/hub/Marxist_and_Feminist_analysis_of_A_Doll_House
http://www.wakeyourmind.co.uk/issues/WYMAutumn2010.pdf
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Written Assignment (World Literature Essay) Assessment Criteria - reposted
Mr. C.'s IB English Blog - BD SOMANI INT SCHOOL MUMBAI- IB ENG 2013: IB ENGLISH WORKS IN TRANSLATION ASSESSMENT CRITERI...: Part 1: Texts in Translation. Mark Scheme (SL and HL) Criterion A: Fulfilling the requirements of the reflective statement To w...
Monday, 25 June 2012
Romeo and Juliet - Interview With Leonardo DiCaprio
In an earlier post, I have reminded students that for Paper 2 we all must submit the text to rigorous close reading. No film is ever a substitute for that process of reading and imaginative response to text. Those who seek to use film as a sort of 'sparks notes' on the screen, do a great disservice to the original text, to the film adaptation and not least to the their own intelligence.
I love books. I also love film. I sometimes like films based on books and sometimes I don't.
There is often a kind of snobbery at work. where some people think it makes them seem more intelligent if they make snide remarks about film. This is incredibly ignorant.
I suggest that they watch "Il Postino" and see that film can entertain and inform, just like books.
I do NOT promote film as a 'slick' alternative for lazy students, it is a case of both genre being different types of art.
Some of you may love this and some may hate it.
Keen readers prefer to create images from the words as they read and translate the words into images. That is wonderful. However, my mission is to provide many different approaches and empower students to make informed decisions about how to engage with text.
Some students may also prefer to watch the more traditional and very fine BBC interpretations and indeed I have posted clips from the Zefferelli classic film version in an earlier post.
As a teacher I believe that if students move past the idea that Shakespeare is 'hard' and I can soften resistance to the text. because there are also students for whom the language may seem different at the beginning of study, the power of the poetry in Shakespeare's words will hold us all in awe. I have seen this film contribute to this process with students who were reluctant to 'open their minds' to Shakespeare but not everyone will like this approach and that is part of the diversity of views that we encourage in IB life -long learners.
I love books. I also love film. I sometimes like films based on books and sometimes I don't.
There is often a kind of snobbery at work. where some people think it makes them seem more intelligent if they make snide remarks about film. This is incredibly ignorant.
I suggest that they watch "Il Postino" and see that film can entertain and inform, just like books.
I do NOT promote film as a 'slick' alternative for lazy students, it is a case of both genre being different types of art.
Some of you may love this and some may hate it.
Keen readers prefer to create images from the words as they read and translate the words into images. That is wonderful. However, my mission is to provide many different approaches and empower students to make informed decisions about how to engage with text.
Some students may also prefer to watch the more traditional and very fine BBC interpretations and indeed I have posted clips from the Zefferelli classic film version in an earlier post.
As a teacher I believe that if students move past the idea that Shakespeare is 'hard' and I can soften resistance to the text. because there are also students for whom the language may seem different at the beginning of study, the power of the poetry in Shakespeare's words will hold us all in awe. I have seen this film contribute to this process with students who were reluctant to 'open their minds' to Shakespeare but not everyone will like this approach and that is part of the diversity of views that we encourage in IB life -long learners.
Monday, 4 June 2012
Waiting for Godot Supervised Writing -300-350 words
Beckett’s Waiting for
Godot (1953) Supervised Writing
Choose one of the following only:
1 How important is
the opening phrase ‘Nothing to be done’ in exploring your response to the play.
2 Compare and
contrast the four main characters as examples of the human condition.
3 What role does
language play in this drama? Does language assist meaning and understanding or
does it sometimes obscure meaning as the characters to form relationships with
one another?
4 To what extent does
a knowledge of the cultural context of post-war Europe help us in exploring
meaning in the play (You may refer to some of these topics: Theatre of the
Absurd, a feeling of hopelessness in a ‘godless’ universe, the intellectual
climate of existentialism, the blending of tragic and comic elements, a sense
of disorder in society, fragmentation, alienation from ourselves and each
other. Our attempt to find meaning by relying on ‘someone’ outside of ourselves
to ‘fix’ our problems.)
Sunday, 3 June 2012
"Godot" - Thank you Motley Productions cast and crew for a great performance.
http://www.ncpamumbai.com/event/waiting-godot-english-play
Our thanks to the Motley Productions cast and crew of "Waiting for Godot" for an enthralling performance and a most informative Question and Answer session after the play. We really appreciated it as the actors and support staff stayed on late to share their experiences with us.
Students:
Remember that you should research Theatre of the Absurd - this is a good page on Wikipedia -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_the_Absurd
also - Guardian UK newspaper review of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan production
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/may/07/waiting-for-godot-theatre-review
today before you attend the play and we will conduct the Supervised Writing Task on the play in class on Monday and Tuesday.
Students who were absent for any of tasks need to see me and complete the tasks urgently!
If you were absent for any of the interactive orals, reflective statements or supervised writing tasks, come and see me Monday or asap to arrange to do it in one of your free or study blocks before the exams start. If you do not take care of this it will impact on your semester grade. Be an independent learner and take responsibility please, let's get everything finished this week :)
I am tracking 66 students over 4 different tasks so your help in reminding me if you were not present will ensure that we complete all processes correctly.
Under IB rules, you cannot begin your World Lit (Works in Translation Essay) until these tasks are complete. Then you can email your draft essays in the vacation and I can have all 66 students processed before we return for Grade 12.
August 2012:
This will leave us free to move on to IOC texts when we return in August.
(Wilfred Owen's poetry, Martin Luther King's Speeches and HL "Palace at the End of the World".)
Our thanks to the Motley Productions cast and crew of "Waiting for Godot" for an enthralling performance and a most informative Question and Answer session after the play. We really appreciated it as the actors and support staff stayed on late to share their experiences with us.
Students:
Remember that you should research Theatre of the Absurd - this is a good page on Wikipedia -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_the_Absurd
also - Guardian UK newspaper review of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan production
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/may/07/waiting-for-godot-theatre-review
today before you attend the play and we will conduct the Supervised Writing Task on the play in class on Monday and Tuesday.
Students who were absent for any of tasks need to see me and complete the tasks urgently!
If you were absent for any of the interactive orals, reflective statements or supervised writing tasks, come and see me Monday or asap to arrange to do it in one of your free or study blocks before the exams start. If you do not take care of this it will impact on your semester grade. Be an independent learner and take responsibility please, let's get everything finished this week :)
I am tracking 66 students over 4 different tasks so your help in reminding me if you were not present will ensure that we complete all processes correctly.
Under IB rules, you cannot begin your World Lit (Works in Translation Essay) until these tasks are complete. Then you can email your draft essays in the vacation and I can have all 66 students processed before we return for Grade 12.
August 2012:
This will leave us free to move on to IOC texts when we return in August.
(Wilfred Owen's poetry, Martin Luther King's Speeches and HL "Palace at the End of the World".)
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