HSC Study tips for the Summer Holidays.

The Summer Holidays are the longest and perhaps the best time of the year to get productive although it might not feel like it. I mean, how often will you get a good two months or so school free? Other than having a good break and relaxing, this is my best time to get some work done ready for the beginning of 2010. Here are my HSC friendly study tips!

1. Write GOOD essays based on Belonging.
2. Develop your thesis statements.
3. Read the next HSC texts that you will study. Make notes as you go along.
4. Start writing/altering/shortening your study notes. This is good revision.
5. Write a few GOOD creative writing pieces which explore the area of study (AOS) best.

Let me know if you need more holiday study tips! Get working!

Picture books: Shaun Tan

If you are looking for some texts to use as related pieces, be sure to check our picture books and artwork by renowned author and artist, Shaun Tan. His pieces are deep and unique however provide enough scope to work with in terms of entertainment and annotating. I'm positive you will be mesmerized by his pieces.

HSC 2009 Paper One: Are you prepared?

Thanks to one of my newly finished year 12 student, I have managed to get a copy of the exam questions which appeared in the 2009 Higher School Certificate in Paper One. The questions are as followed:

1. "Drawing on the ideas in ONE of these quotations, write an imaginative piece that celebrates the ways relationships contribute to a sense of belonging." Stimuli were "Human beings, like plants, grow in the soil of acceptance, not in the atmosphere of rejection" or "When someone prizes us just as we are; he or she confirms our existence."

2. "Understanding nourishes belonging... a lack of understanding prevents it. Demonstrate how your prescribed text and ONE other related text of your own choosing represent this interpretation of belonging."

Would you be ready to answer these?

Good Luck Year 12!

I just want to wish all of the year 12 students good luck for the upcoming exam period! Hope for the best, revise your essays, refine your thesis statements, re-annotate your quotes and with that little bit of extra luck, you should all be fine. Avoid burning out by the middle of examination period and keep organised and confident. You will be so grateful for the moment it is all over. If you have any last minute pieces you wish for me to mark, email me and I will get it to you as soon as possible. Moderation, persistence and confidence is key. Good luck!

Board of Studies.

To everyone who is either going to Year 11 in 2010 or Year 12 in 2010, please check the Board of Studies website so that you can have a look at what the English Syllabus requires of you. There are different categories of English which can be studied from Standard English (2U), Advanced English (2U), Extension One (3U) English, Extension Two (4U) English and ESL (2U). Hope the links below assist in your subject selection process.

Standard and Advanced English:
http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/english-std-adv.html

Extension One English:

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/english-ext1.html

Extension Two English:

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/english-ext2.html

ESL:

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_hsc/english-esl.html

Study help: Wordle

Forget mindmaps and brainstorms, Wordle is the new way to go when it comes to writing your own notes in order to memorise particular key words to assist with your studies and revision. The site states that: 'Wordle is a toy for generating "word clouds" from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts and colour schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like." Check out www.wordle.net for more information. Enjoy!

Study Splurge: The Filofax.

Add it to your Christmas (or birthday) wishlist if you must but the Filofax will have to be the ultimate luxe way to study and stay organised for the rest of the year and everyday after that. You might all know that I have the Finchley A5 in 'Vintage Rose' (yes that chunk of a diary is indeed a Filofax) and it's definitely had it's perks in keeping my life organised. Available in a huge variety of colours, fabrics and sizes, along with your choice in what goes onto the pages, it is the quality of organisation which money can actually buy even if you need to save every penny along the way, it's totally worth saving over. Otherwise, get it for your birthday like I did. It's the best.(Above) Finchley leather Filofax in 'Vintage Rose': $399.95, visit www.filofax.com.au for info.

Literary Terminology.

Until you can recite the definitions and effects of the following literary terms, I can tell you now that you are in for a long ride. Lucky for you, these words have hyperlinks leading to their definitions but I can tell you that perhaps you won't be so lucky next time...

Allegory
Alliteration
Allusion
Amplification
Anagram
Analogy
Anaphora
Anastrophe
Anthropomorphism
Antithesis
Aphorism
Apostrophe
Authorial Intrusion
Archetype
Assonance
Asyndeton
Bibliomancy
Bildungsroman
Cacophony
Caesura
Characterization
Chiasmus
Circumlocution
Conflict
Connotation
Consonance
Denotation
Deus ex MachinaDiction
Doppelganger
Ekphrastic
Emulation
Epilogue
Epithet
Euphemism
Euphony
Faulty
Parallelism
Flashback
Foil
Foreshadowing
Hyperbation
Hyperbole
Imagery
Internal Rhyme
Inversion
Irony
Juxtaposition
Kennings
Malapropism
Metaphor
Metonymy
Motif
Mood
Negative Capability
Nemesis
Onomatopoeia
Oxymoron
Paradox
Pathetic Fallacy
Periphrasis
Periodic Structure
Personification
Point of View
Plot
Polysyndeton
Portmanteau
Prologue
Puns
Rhyme Scheme
Rhythm & Rhyme
Satire
Setting
Simile
Spoonerism
Stanza
Stream of Consciousness
Syllepsis
Symbol
Synecdoche
Synesthesia
Syntax
Theme
Tone
Tragedy
Understatement
Verisimilitude
Verse

By the way, this is just to name a few.

Website of the day: www.eventful.com

I've found a site which is so handy for all my senior students who are planning to have a blast after the HSC and who don't want to go to typical Byron Bay or QLD. Check out eventful.com, a website that has the world's largest collection of events in every country, state, city and suburb imaginable! From festivals, to concerts, to sporting events and more, this site covers it all in one place. Enjoy!

Discussion Topic: Area of Study

Area of Study: BELONGING HSC 2009

What defines Belonging? What are the certain parameters and limits to which one can belong? What types of belonging is there? Is there a connection between an individual and society in determining how one may belong or feel as if they belong?

Create a five lined thesis statement which epitomises your views on the topic.

High School Certificate Trials.

Good luck with your English Higher School Certificate Trials! I am positive that you will all do perfectly. Feel free to email me any essays and creative writing pieces which you have written so that I can provide feedback and critical comments to assist your preparation with the 2009 High School Certificate Exams. My new email is analyse_english@gmail.com Remember to balance study with relaxation and spend your time wisely for a second wasted is a second you will never get back! I look forward to seeing you all soon.