London Trip

Hi folks,

Hope you’re all having a lovely summer. Just a reminder to ask your folks to drop me an email to say if you’ll be able to attend the London trip – I’ve already heard from some of you, but if you can let me know, I can get flights etc sorted as soon as possible.

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London Trip

Ladies, can you swing by before the end of the day to collect your letters for the London and theatre trips?

Ideally, I’d like the London trip ones back before the holidays so I can get flights booked.

‘Blackberrying’ Annotations

Suggested annotations to add to your own, folks.

Hello, new Advanced Highers!

As ever, I’m looking forward to geeking out with this class over the next year.

Our texts this year will be:

• Poetry: Sylvia Plath’s nature poetry (booklet here)
• Prose: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
• Drama: A Doll’s House and Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen

I would recommend you all buy your own copy of these texts – for the Ibsen plays, a good one is the Bloomsbury Student edition.

In the meantime, some reminders about deadlines (already, I know):

Dissertation

• Dissertation texts and topic decided on: before summer holidays
• Dissertation primary texts read: August 2019
• Dissertation draft 1: Friday 11th October 2019
• Dissertation draft 2: Friday 15th November 2019
• Dissertation draft 3: January 2020

Suggested texts for dissertation (very helpful):

SUGGESTIONS FOR DISSERTATIONS TEXTS

 

Literary Study texts

• Prose texts read: August 2019
• Drama texts read: January 2019

 

Portfolio

• Draft deadlines: throughout year
• Final draft: Friday 3rd April 2020

 

Below are the handouts given out so far, in case yours go astray:

Dissertation Guide

Dissertation Making notes

Advanced Higher English Course Guide

Advanced Higher English Dissertation Guide

 

 

 

Good luck!

Good luck, guys!

I’ll be in tomorrow before the exam, loitering somewhere in the English corridor with the baby. Come by and see me.

You’ll be fine. You’re all totally capable, and you’re going to do yourselves proud, I know it.

Get a good night’s sleep.

Urgent – Folios (again)

Catherine, Anna – you need to get your folios in NOW.

Urgent: Folios

Folks, your completed folios should be with the teacher who has been providing feedback by now.

Catherine and Anna, Mrs Fuller has asked you to email yours over to her ASAP – Anne.fuller@fife.gov.uk

PLEASE get this done.

Prose Literary Study Feedback

Hello dears,

Some feedback on your lit. study responses from last week:

• Ensure you are specific in your introductions – it’s not enough to say that a variety of techniques are used, give us examples.
• There’s a lack of quotes in some of the responses – you should know these texts inside out by now, and should aim to quote extensively in your essays.
• Consider how the writers’ depiction of their characters, etc. impacts us as a reader, particularly in our feelings towards them, and our relationship with the narrator. For example, Jane’s depiction of the isolation she faces at Gateshead immediately create sympathy for her – does that also, perhaps, encourage us to find her a more reliable narrator than a less sympathetic character?
• Still need to be more comparative in your analysis of both texts – explore fully the similarities and differences in your response to the question.
• Technical accuracy, folks – this is most decidedly not optional. Miss a line between paragraphs; actually take new paragraphs; check your punctuation, especially after a quote – unless it’s embedded in a sentence, you need a capital letter after it; PHRASING – please, please, please read over what you’ve written. There’s a few examples of nonsensical ramblings here.
• Conclusions are important – reiterate your evaluative stance and overall argument, and summarise the points you’ve made. LEAVE TIME TO DO THIS.
• Some of you need to watch your handwriting (you know who you are). I realise I’m old, so therefore have rubbish eyesight, but if they can’t read it, they can’t mark it.

REVISE. Any questions, let me know. For my own amusement, I’ve also included a photo of Sophia, who is concerned about the depth of your analysis:

 

Plath Revision Task

Analyse how Plath’s poetry explores the following themes:

• Dissolution of the self
• Belonging
• Isolation
• The Sublime
• Nihilism
• Longing/desire

Try to be comparative in HOW these themes are explored, e.g. through imagery, symbolism, etc.

Here’s some notes from last year’s class to help:

Folio

Folks, have had some worrying reports from teachers in the department regarding your folio pieces, particularly focusing on the fact that some of you are simply not taking on board feedback and failing to edit and improve your pieces accordingly.

I saw a couple of these pieces when I was in on Thursday, and they would not pass on technical grounds alone. Even more worrying was the fact that they had barely changed since I gave feedback on them several months ago.

I will remind you once more: the coursework for this qualification is YOUR responsibility. If you choose not to take on board feedback, then it is your decision, but you will be throwing away a possible 15-30% of your overall mark. You will also have wasted my time, the other teachers in the departments’ time (who are doing you a huge favour in taking your work on in addition to their already enormous amount of marking), and, lastly, your own time.

You’re all capable of doing incredibly well. Don’t waste that by becoming lazy in the final weeks.

I’ll be coming in to see you the day of the exam. In the meantime, if you’ve any questions, just respond to a comment on the blog.

Also, REVISE!