Very often, rap music employs similar techniques to the poetry that we study at leaving cert level:

- similes
- metaphors
- assonance
- alliteration
- repetition


These lyrics from Insomnia (Faithless) demonstrate these techniques:


But there's no release, no peace
I toss and turn without cease
Like a curse, open my eyes and rise like yeast
At least a couple of weeks
Since I last slept, kept takin' sleepers
But now I keep myself pepped
Deeper still, that night I write by candle light
I find insight, fundamental movement, uh
So when it's black this insomniac take an original tack
Keep the beast in my nature under ceaseless attack
I gets no sleep
I can't get no sleep


YOUR TURN! I want you to write your own rap song in the comments section. Try to use some of the techniques mentioned above...

A girl with special needs was recently expelled from her school due to her challenging behaviour and psychological problems. Read the full article here. 

Do you think the girl deserved to be expelled from her school? Give your opinion in the comments section. 

In the spirit of Halloween, we are embracing all things dead. Write a story whose last line is "...and that is how I died" You can submit your story as a comment. 

So far this term, we have been graded on seven pieces of work. Sometimes we put a lot of effort into our assignments, only to receive a disappointing grade. 

Please read this article about the day a man met his Internet troll. 

How does this article make you feel?
Can you relate to any of it?
Do you agree with how it was resolved?

This is the link to the cartoon on Macbeth ...

These are the notes on Macbeth taken from www.cliffsnotes.com. I will also print them off for you. 

Happy World Teachers' Day! Sorry I can't be there to accept my champagne, chocolates and flowers in person. I'm off collecting my award for Best Teacher in the Universe. 

In today's class I want you to write an essay about the teacher that has inspired you the most. Please keep in mind that I most certainly AM open to flattery and praise. If your essay is entitled 'Miss Cullen ... my hero', you WILL get favourable marks. 

http://nfs.sparknotes.com/macbeth/


Above is the link to the No Fear Shakespeare website, where they translate Macbeth into modern day English. 

This is an article that appeared in the Irish Independent on Thursday September 27th 2012. It tells of the drama that residents are facing because of anti - social behaviour by third level students. 

Read the article and give your opinion on it. 

Are the residents over-reacting?
Are students entitled to behave in this manner during rag week?
Should rag week be abolished?

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/education/latest-news/rowdy-students-face-boot-in-antisocial-crackdown-3242104.html 

The press recently posted topless pictures of Kate Middleton. Do you agree that they should have been published or did the press cross the line? Write your opinion in a comment below...

Good luck to all fifth years who are receiving their Junior Certificate results today! I hope that you get the marks you've been hoping for. 

   I will be posting all homework assignments to this blog in the future.  
                 Keep an eye out on THIS post for daily updates. 
          You will be graded on all homework that is posted to here. 

Due 3rd September: 
Write an article for a serious newspaper or magazine on the twin issues of discrimination and tolerance. (2011 Exam Paper 1 page 8)

Due 4th September:  
Identify and comment on the effectiveness of at least three features of Colum McCann’s writing style in this extract. (2011 Exam Paper 1 page 5)

Due 5th September:
Write one page on 'A mysterious incident'

Due 10th September:
Write a modern fairytale (2011 Exam Paper 1 page 8)

Due 18th September:
Write an article for a popular magazine in which you identify the people you admire and explain why you admire them. (2012 Exam Paper 1 page 8)

Due 19th September:
Write an article in which you give your opinion on the recent pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge - invasion of privacy or freedom of speech?


Due 25th September:
Write about a time in your life when someone or something inspired you
                                                          OR
                Write a short story set in the future (2011 Exam Paper 1)

Due 5th October:
Write a personal account of the challenges of making and keeping friends (2010 Exam Paper 1)

Due 10th October:
Write a personal response to this cyber-bullying article that appeared in the Irish Examiner 

Due 23rd October: 
Choose one of these questions to do for homework (page 8)


****Christmas continuous assessment begins with work below****

Due 16th November:
1. Macbeth is a tragic character, who falls victim to the need for power. How much is
    Lady Macbeth to blame for his downfall?

2. Choose one of these questions to do for homework (page 8)

Due 23rd November:
‘Bill Gates sharing success....’
Write the talk you would give to a class about the importance of helping others (2007 Exam Papers).

Due 30th November:
Write a personal account of an occasion when you felt you were being ignored (2011 Exam Papers).

Due 7th December:
Write about a time in your life when you achieved something that really mattered to you (2011 Exam Papers).

Due 14th December:
Write a humorous article about camping (2010 Exam Papers).

         *****Christmas continuous assessment ends*****
             
           *****Easter continuous assessment begins*****
Due 25th January:
Write out the talk you would give to parents about your experience of being a teenager.

                                                          OR
“What a relief!” 
Write a short story ending with the above phrase. (2006 Exam Papers)

Due 29th January:
‘Grab life with both hands.’        
Write the speech you would give to a group of young people on the importance of having a positive attitude towards life. (2008 Exam Papers)

Due 1st February:
“And then there’s the phone!”
Write an account of the importance of the mobile phone (or any communications technology) in your life. (2006 Exam Papers)

Due 27th February:
Today we read the poem "The Net" by Julie O'Callaghan. Imagine you are the poet when she is in her teens attending school. Write the diary entry in which she describes her experiences during a day at school.  

Due 13th March:
Write a letter to the Board of Management (Dead Poet's Society) persuading them not to sack Mr. Keating.

Due 13th March:
Answer the following three questions on Dead Poet's Society:

1. Write a personal response to this movie (how it made you feel/ your opinion)
2. Do you think the English teacher, Mr. Keating, behaved in an inappropriate manner? Give reasons for your answer. 
3. The Dead Poet's Society was a club that encouraged critical thinking and the appreciation of poetry. Would you like to be a member of such a group? Why/ why not?

Due 19th March:
Today we read 'This is just to say', a poem by William Carlos Williams. Answer the following questions:

1. Do you think this poem (33 words) is too short to be a poem?
2. In your view, what turns a piece of writing into a poem? Is it the language, the use of rhyme, the emotions expressed, or something else?
3. Write your own poem (33 words) about an ordinary, everyday object. Write it in the same style as Williams. 

Due 20th March:
"Twenty dollars a week doesn't go far"

- Write an article for students giving them advice about making the most of the money they have. You may take a serious or a light-hearted approach (completed during class).

Due 20th March:
“Giving it all away”

- Write a short story based on the idea of 'giving it all away' ('It' can refer to anything you want it to)

Due 21st March:
Comprehension Section 1, Text 1, all questions from 2006 exam papers. 
               *****Easter continuous assessment ends*****

Believe it or not, teachers and examiners must adhere to strict guidelines when correcting your exams. "She only gave me that mark because she hates me" ... "The teachers love him and always give him great marks" ... not true! 

Below is the criteria that your teacher and examiner will mark all your work by.


1. Clarity of Purpose (P) - 30% of the marks available for the task
    
    Examiner (and I) will be looking for ...

                               - engagement with the set task
                               - relevance
                               - focus 
                               - originality 
                               - freshness
                               - clear aim
                               - understanding of genre

2. Coherence of Delivery (C) - 30% of the marks available for the task

    Examiner (and I) will be looking for ...
                                - sustain the response over the entire answer
                                - continuity of argument
                                - sequencing
                                - management of ideas
                                - choice of reference
                                - use of examples
                                - engagement with texts
                                
3. Efficiency of Language Use (L) - 30% of marks available for the task


    Examiner (and I) will be looking for ...


                                 - control of language for clear communication
                                 - wide range of vocabulary
                                 - proper syntax
                                 - good sentence patterns
                                 - paragraph structure
                                 - appropriate punctuation
                                 - use of lively interesting phrasing & style

4. Accuracy of Mechanics (M) - 10% of the marks available for the 
    task

     Examiner (and I) will be looking for ...


                                 - spelling 
                                 - grammar

When it comes to poetry, there is quite a difference between the Honours and Ordinary level questions. The entire poem is published at Ordinary Level but not at Higher Level. 







                                           


                                            Higher Level

                            ***Eight poets must be studied***
               *** You must study at least six poems from each poet***

BISHOP, Elizabeth

The Fish 
The Bight 
At the Fishhouses 
The Prodigal 
Questions of Travel 
The Armadillo Sestina 
First Death in Nova Scotia 
Filling Station 
In the Waiting Room

DICKINSON, Emily

“Hope” is the thing with feathers 
There’s a certain Slant of light 
I felt a Funeral, in my Brain 
A Bird came down the Walk
I Heard a fly buzz – when I died 
The Soul has Bandaged moments 
I could bring You Jewels – had I a mind to 
A narrow Fellow in the Grass 
I taste a liquor never brewed 
After great pain, a formal feeling comes

HEANEY, Seamus

The Forge 
Bogland 
The Tollund Man 
Mossbawn: Two Poems in Dedication (1) Sunlight 
A Constable Calls 
The Skunk 
The Harvest Bow 
The Underground 
Postscript 
A Call 
Tate’s Avenue 
The Pitchfork 
Lightenings viii. (The annals say...)

KINSELLA, Thomas

Thinking of Mr D. 
Dick King 
Mirror in February 
Chrysalides
from Glenmacnass VI Littlebody
Tear 
Hen Woman 
His Father’s Hands from Settings Model School, Inchicore
from The Familiar VII
from Belief and Unbelief Echo

LARKIN, Philip

Wedding-Wind 
At Grass 
Church Going 
An Arundel Tomb 
The Whitsun Weddings 
MCMXIV
Ambulances 
The Trees 
The Explosion 
Cut Grass

MAHON, Derek

Grandfather 
Day Trip to Donegal 
Ecclesiastes 
After the Titanic 
As It Should Be 
A Disused Shed in Co. Wexford 
Rathlin 
The Chinese Restaurant in Portrush 
Kinsale 
Antarctica

PLATH, Sylvia

Black Rook in Rainy Weather 
The Times Are Tidy 
Morning Song 
Finisterre
Mirror 
Pheasant 
Elm 
Poppies in July 
The Arrival of the Bee Box 
Child

YEATS, William Butler


The Lake Isle of Innisfree 
September 1913 
The Wild Swans at Coole 
An Irish Airman Foresees his Death 
Easter 1916
The Second Coming 
Sailing to Byzantium 
from Meditations in Time of Civil War: 
VI, The Stare’s Nest by My Window 
In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markiewicz 
Swift’s Epitaph 
An Acre of Grass from Under Ben Bulben: V and VI 
Politics
________________________________________________________

                                           Ordinary Level

                     ***The poems will be divided into two lists***                             
                        ***One list of poems must be studied***

BEER, Patricia                       The Voice

BISHOP, Elizabeth                 The Fish
                                           The Prodigal
                                           Filling Station

DICKINSON, Emily                I felt a Funeral, in my Brain
                                           I heard a fly buzz — when I died

DUFFY, Carol Ann                  Valentine

GALLAGHER, Tess                 The Hug

HARDIE, Kerry                      Daniel's Duck

HEANEY, Seamus                  A Constable Calls
                                           The Underground
                                           A Call

HERBERT, George                 The Collar

KENNELLY, Brendan              Night Drive

KINSELLA, Thomas               Thinking of Mr. D
                                          Mirror in February

LARKIN, Philip                      Ambulances
                                          The Explosion

LOCHHEAD, Liz                   Kidspoem/ Bairnesang
                                         
MAHON, Derek                    Grandfather
                                         After the Titanic
                                         Antarctica 

NEMEROV, Howard              Wolves in the Zoo

O’CALLAGHAN, Julie            The Net

PIERCY, Marge                    Will we work together?
 
PLATH, Sylvia                      Poppies in July
                                          Child
                                          The Arrival of the Bee Box

SHUTTLE, Penelope              Zoo Morning

SIRR, Peter                         Madly Singing in the City

THOMAS, Dylan                   Do not go gentle into that good night

WHEATLEY, David                Chronicle

WILLIAMS, William Carlos     This is just to say...

WYLEY, Enda                       Poems for Breakfast

YEATS, William Butler          The Wilde Swans at Coole
                                         An Irish Airman Forsees his death

_______________________________________________________


Marking Scheme

1. Honours Level -
    
    35% of Paper Two    ***Unseen poem = 10% Prescribed poetry = 25%***   
    17.5% overall          ***Unseen poem = 5% Prescribed poetry = 12.5%***      



2. Ordinary Level - 

    35% of Paper Two    ***Unseen poem = 10% Prescribed poetry = 25%***
    17.5% overall          ***Unseen poem = 5% Prescribed poetry = 12.5%***


 

For the comparative question, students must compare either two texts or a text and a film. During the course of the two years, we will study three texts (may include one film). The following are the options available to us. The original document can be found here. 


***Higher level MUST study one Shakespearean play***

ABRAHAMSON, Lenny (Dir.)            Garage (Film)
ADIGA, Aravind                             The White Tiger
AUSTEN, Jane                                Pride and Prejudice
BALLARD, J. G.                              Empire of the Sun
BINCHY , Maeve                             Circle of Friends
BRANAGH, Kenneth (Dir.)               Much Ado About Nothing (Film)
BRONTË, Emily                              Wuthering Heights
CUARÓN, Alfonso (Dir.)                   Children of Men (Film)
CURTIZ, Michael (Dir.)                    Casablanca (Film)
FRIEL, Brian                                  Translations
HAMILTON, Hugo                           The Sailor in the Wardrobe
HARRIS, Robert                             Pompeii
HEMINGWAY, Ernest                       The Old Man and the Sea
IBSEN, Henrik                                A Doll's House
ISHIGURO, Kazuo                           Never Let me Go
JOHNSTON, Jennifer                        How Many Miles To Babylon?
JONES, Lloyd                                  Mister Pip
KAY, Jackie                                     Red Dust Road
KEANE, John B.                               Sive
KEEGAN, Claire                               Foster
LEVY, Andrea                                  Small Island
LEONARD, Hugh                              Home Before Night
LESSING, Doris                               The Grass is Singing
McCARTHY, Cormac                         The Road
McGUINNESS, Frank                        Observe the Sons of Ulster  
                                                     Marching Towards the Somme
MILLER, Arthur                               All my Sons
NGOZI ADICHIE, Chimamanda         Purple Hibiscus
ORWELL, George                             Nineteen Eighty-Four
PICOULT, Jodi                                 My Sister's Keeper
ROSOFF, Meg                                  How I Live Now
SALVATORES, Gabriele (Dir.)            I'm Not Scared (Film)
SALINGER, J.D.                               The Catcher in the Rye
SANSOM, C.J.                                 Dissolution
SCOTT, Ridley (Dir.)                        Blade Runner (Film)
SHAKESPEARE, William                    Macbeth
                                                     Othello
TÓIBĺN, Colm                                  Brooklyn
TREVOR, William                             The Story of Lucy Gault
TWAIN, Mark                                   Huckleberry Finn
____________________________________________________

The texts must be studied under the following modes:

Higher Level -

(i)   The cultural context
(ii)  The general vision and viewpoint
(iii) Theme or issue 

Ordinary Level - 

(i)   Relationships
(ii)  Social setting
(iii) Theme
___________________________________________________


Marking Scheme

1. Honours Level - 

   35% of Paper Two
   17.5% overall 

2. Ordinary Level - 

    35% of Paper Two
    17.5% overall 

So it's our first day back at school and we're already talking about the layout of the Leaving Cert paper! "Seriously Miss?!", I can hear you all saying. In order for us to commit to either the honours or the ordinary level course, it is important that we familiarise ourselves with the syllabus. 

So here it is:


Stand alone text

H = Appropriate for honours
O = Appropriate for ordinary
H/O = Appropriate for both

AUSTEN, Jane                      Pride and Prejudice (H/O)              
BINCHY, Maeve                    Circle of Friends (O)
BALLARD, J.G.                     Empire of the Sun (H/O)
FRIEL, Brian                        Translations (H/O)
ISHIGURO, Kazuo                Never Let Me Go (H/O)
JOHNSTON, Jennifer             How Many Miles to Babylon? (O)
KEANE, John B.                    Sive (O)
LEONARD, Hugh                  Home Before Night (O)
SHAKESPEARE, William        Macbeth (H/O)


- Students must study ONE text from above. 

Marking Scheme


1. Honours Level - 


   30% of Paper Two 
   15% overall 

2. Ordinary Level - 

    30% of Paper Two
    15% overall