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I N T R O D U C I N G M E

2 Introducing me

English is the study, use and enjoyment of the English language and its literature, communicated orally, visually, and in writing, for a range of purposes and audiences and in a variety of text forms.

Learning English encompasses learning the language, learning through the language and learning about the language.

By engaging with text-based activities, you will become increasingly skilled and sophisticated speakers and listeners, writers and readers, presenters and viewers.

Literacy in English gives you access to the understanding, knowledge, and skills you need to participate fully in the social, cultural, political and economic life of New Zealand and the wider world. To be a successful participant, you need to be an effective oral, written, and visual communicator who is able to think critically and in depth.

(New Zealand Curriculum, 2008 p 18)

English is structured around two interconnected strands: Making Meaning from ideas and information received and Creating Meaning for yourself or others. Within each strand there are three modes. See the chart below.

StraNd ModE

MakiNg MEaNiNg

ReadingListeningViewing

CrEatiNg MEaNiNg

WritingSpeaking

Presenting

What is English?

3Introducing me

All of the information that you share with your teacher will help them plan your programme for the year. Please fill out the form below.

Personal Profile

Full Name:

Preferred Name:

Email Address:

ID Number:

Date of Birth:

Rate yourself on the following aspects of school work

Needs lots of help No problem

Writing 1 2 3 4 5

Reading 1 2 3 4 5

Listening 1 2 3 4 5

Speaking 1 2 3 4 5

Spelling 1 2 3 4 5

Presenting (Art work etc) 1 2 3 4 5

Computer Skills 1 2 3 4 5

Do you have a computer at home? Y N

Do you have Internet access? Y N

Do you use Facebook/Bebo etc? Y N

What was the last book you read?

What was the last film you watched?

Name two television programmes you have watched recently:

1.

2.

Circle the things you might need help with this year:

Spelling Paragraphing Ideas Speaking in a group

Speeches Presenting Reading instructions Editing

Listening Contacting your teacher Understanding instructions

4 Introducing me

This year you will be asked to do a number of different pieces of writing for different audiences and purposes. Your teacher will assist you to improve on your spelling, vocabulary, punctuation, grammar and structure.

You should take the time now to set up a writing folio. Your teacher will send you extra information about this. Your folio could be an exercise book, a clearfile, a folder or an e-portfolio. The most important thing is that you send writing in to your teacher on a regular basis. It is important to keep all of your writing together so you can read and reread your teacher’s feedback and see your improvements over the year.

1 Write a letter to your teacher telling them about any of the following:

• your interests

• your background

• your goals and aspirations

• your favourite things to do

• your family

• your previous school

• a highlight of your life

• a memorable occasion

• your favourite things to do

• your strengths

• things you will need help with

• your dream job

• your friends

• the best meal you ever ate

• your most memorable birthday

• your favourite holiday destination

• what you would do if you were the prime minister.

Use the exemplar on the following page as a guide for your writing.

Writing (Creating Meaning)

task

5Introducing me

ExEMPlar – lEttEr

22 Smith Street

Johnsontown

RICHMOND

29 May 2011

Dear Teacher

My name is Simon and this is my first year at Te Kura. I have enrolled because I am currently travelling through the United Kingdom with my parents. Before this I went to primary school in Christchurch.

My favourite subjects are Art and Science but I am quite good at Maths and Technology as well. I am also sports mad. In summer you can find me on the tennis court or touch field. In winter I play rugby and also squash. I don’t really like reading much apart from Moto-X magazines but I have completed some books for school.

Outside of school and sport I like to spend time with my friends at the bike track. We spend most Sundays there making new tracks or jumps.

This year I am taking English, Maths, Science, Social Studies, Health and Computing. I am also going to take French because we are planning to travel through France half way through the year.

I am hoping to become a builder when I leave school. I will probably keep going until the end of Year 12 and then I will go to polytechnic or get an apprenticeship with my uncle. I like designing plans for houses too and have found some good programs on the computer that help with this.

It would be great if I could do some of my studies online this year. I would like to be able to contact other students the same age as me because I haven’t met many guys my age yet.

You will like teaching me this year because I have a good sense of humour and I work hard most of the time. My mum is going to supervise my sister and me. I’m not sure if this is a good thing because she is a teacher and she always makes me go over my work and check it.

The best way to contact me is by email at sjones@gmail.com. I am probably going to do most of my school work in the mornings (my time) because I am hoping to do tennis in the afternoon.

Talk to you soon.

Simon Jones (1033467)

6 Introducing me

7Introducing me

This year you will read a number of different texts that are teacher selected or from your own choice. Often they will relate to the theme you are studying. You may be asked to read to your teacher over the phone, complete a book study, answer questions about a text and show your understanding of a topic. You can join the library and be sent books from there. Aim to read for at least 15 minutes a day which will improve your vocabulary, comprehension and writing. Keep a record of what you have read in a reading log. Your teacher will send you more information about this.

2 Fill out the following reading response about a text that you have read recently. If you haven’t done much reading lately, you will need to find something to read before completing this task. It could be a book, magazine/newspaper article, non-fiction text etc. Use the exemplar on page 8 to help you.

Title:

Author:

Type of text: Novel / Magazine / Newspaper article / Non-fiction text (please circle)

Other:

This text was about:

The part of the text that I liked the best was:

Because:

I recommend this text to: (age/gender group)

Because:

reading (Making Meaning)

task

8 Introducing me

ExEMPlar – rEadiNg rESPoNSE

Title: My Sister’s Keeper

Author: Jodi Piccoult

Type of Text: Novel

This text was about: A girl who was conceived by her parents in order to help her older sister who had cancer. She was subjected to lots of invasive medical procedures so that she could give her sister bone marrow and plasma and other things which would keep her alive. It gives a lot of different points of view on the same issue and covers a span of about 15 years.

The character I liked best was the lawyer who had a pet dog which he was allowed to take everywhere with him. He was asked by everyone why he needed such a dog and he always had an excuse such as, ‘I’m an alcoholic and he stops me from getting a drink’ and other such random comments. It is not revealed until the end of the book that the dog is there to help him with medication for epilepsy.

I recommend this book to girls who like sad stories. It is written from the perspective of all of the characters so some boys would probably enjoy it too. However don’t read this book if you are expecting it to be like the movie because it is totally different.

9Introducing me

3 Read the following poem and answer the questions below.

Dreams

Soft white feathers to hold my weary head, 1

Warm blankets covered in beautiful flowers, 2

Lie over my single queen bed. 3

I fall deeply into my life of dreams, 4

Where strange creatures live, some hard to be seen. 5

Some live in tree trunks, big and small, 6

To visit these creatures you have to bend your way down and crawl. 7

Playing their games and enchanting my mind, night after night, after night 8

Filling my sleep with the unexpected, until my room is filled with the beautiful morning light. 9

I am quite fond of my land of dreams and the adventures I pursue. 10

Magic fills my nights now; everyone should have their own dream land too. 11

Comprehension questions

1 Find an example of rhyme in this poem.

2 Find an example of repetition.

3 What other word could be used instead of ‘creatures’ in lines 5 and 7?

4 What time of day is this poem set?

5 What thing is the poet describing in line 1?

6 a. What does this author think about dreams?

6 b. How do you know this? (Give examples from the poem.)

task

10 Introducing me

4 Please tick the boxes that relate to your personal reading preferences. (Add your own choices in the ‘other’ sections.)

Popular Authors:

□ Stephenie Meyer

□ Michael Morpurgo

□ Roald Dahl

□ Tessa Duder

□ David Hill

□ Maurice Gee

□ Joy Cowley

□ Margaret Mahy

□ C.S. Lewis

□ J.R.R. Tolkein

task

□ Other:

□ Other:

Popular Magazines or Topics of Interest

□ Crème

□ Girlfriend

□ Music

□ Fashion

□ Wheels

□ Top Gear

□ MotorCross

□ Hunting and the Outdoors

□ Rugby

□ Fishing

□ Other:

□ Other:

11Introducing me

In English you will be asked to view visual images/texts such as posters, pamphlets, advertisements, magazine covers, films and websites. It is important that you learn how to analyse visual texts using appropriate visual language terms.

5

Have a look at the following invitation for a birthday party and answer the questions related to it on the following page.

Viewing – QuestionsRefer to the poster above when answering the following questions.

1. What is this poster advertising? (Give three details.)

Viewing (Making Meaning)

task

2. Why do you think the colours: red, blue and white were chosen for this poster?

3. Where is the concert being held?

4. Where can you buy tickets?

5. Who is featuring at the concert?

6. Where is the money from this event going?

7. What are three visual language features that this advertisement has used?

8. What else would make this advertising poster even better?

12 Introducing me

In English you will be asked to create visual texts such as posters, pamphlets, magazine covers, slide shows and/or websites.

It is important that you read the instructions carefully and use colour, words, pictures and symbols etc, that are appropriate to the task, purpose and audience.

6 Create a poster that advertises a music concert. Use the following information.

• Name of Concert: Hip Hop Aotearoa Festival

• Music Genre: Hip Hop mainly

• Date: Saturday 26th February 2011

• Time: 7.30 pm – midnight

• Venue: Vector Arena, Auckland

• Ticket price: $40 per person

• Where to buy tickets: Ticketek

• Pictures relating to the concert (your choice)

• Some of the Acts appearing at the Concert:

• Che Fu

• Scribe

• Savage

• Sisters Underground

• Nesian Mystik

• King Kapisi

• Deceptikonz

presenting (creating Meaning)

task

Use the poster in the Viewing task to help you create your own concert poster.

Complete your advertising poster on the next page, of if you’d like to make it bigger than A4 size, use a separate piece of paper and remember to send it in with the rest of this booklet.

13Introducing me

14 Introducing me

Speaking is an important part of English and a different way of communicating to Writing and Presenting. This year you will have opportunities to talk about personal experiences, points of view and dramatic or oral texts. There are a number of different ways to send in your speaking work to your teacher. You can phone your teacher, record on an MP3 player, SKYPE, record on the computer and email. It is important that you let your teacher know which of these methods you prefer to use. If you are a dual student, do this with your supervisor and ask them to write a comment on how you did.

7 Write and record a one minute presentation which gives your teacher your point of view on one of the following topics. You can choose your own topic if you prefer.

• rules

• friends

• new technologies

• dreams

• heroes

speaking (creating Meaning)

task

SPEECh ExEMPlarMy heroes are the people who work for the United Nations. My cousin works for the UN and is currently based in Baghdad. I believe that these people are heroes for a number of different reasons. Recently there was an earthquake in Haiti. People from the UN flew in as soon as they could and began to help the people who had nothing left except the clothes on their backs. They began to try and distribute water and food to the people there but there just wasn’t enough. Every day they saw dead bodies, starving people and ruined buildings but still they worked on to try and save what was left.

My cousin is currently in Baghdad but she has worked in a number of war-torn countries. She mainly works to try and put peoples’ lives back together after they lose their homes, their family or their country. Quite often she has to live/sleep in pretty poor conditions and her life is constantly in danger. She works for many weeks at a time before she goes to a nicer, more civilised country for a break.

People who work for the UN are heroes because they don’t think about themselves, but rather they are working for the good of humanity. Often they are not paid that much money, but they don’t care because they believe they are there to save lives or to make terrible lives better. The sad thing is that their job is never done because there is always a war or a natural disaster to attend to.

Not everyone could work for the UN. You would have to be prepared to be separated from your family and friends for long periods of time. Sometimes they have to go for many days without sleep or good food and they don’t stay in 5 star accommodation. The most dangerous part of the job is that they are never far away from suicide bombers, or desperate, hungry people.

I think all the people who work for the UN are heroes.

15Introducing me

Speech title

Checklist

Before you send this work back to your teacher, check to make sure you have completed all sections. Tick the appropriate boxes below.

□ Personal Profile

□ Task 1: Letter to Teacher

□ Task 2: Reading Response

□ Task 3: Reading Comprehension

□ Task 4: Personal Reading Preferences

Self-assessment

□ Task 5: Viewing an Advertising Poster

□ Task 6: Presenting an Advertising Poster

□ Task 7: Speech

□ Set up Reading Log

□ Set up Writing Folio

When you have ticked all the boxes above, please send all the work in to your teacher for assessment. Congratulations on completing your first English unit for the year!

The task I am most proud of is ...

Because ...

The task I could have done better on is ...

Because ...