Monday, November 10, 2008

Get Reporting!

Watch some of the news reports here.

Task Find a story or article that interests you and imagine that you are the reporter on the scene. Write a news report to be presented on television suitable for an adult audience. Use formal language and explain what has happened.

You could use PowerPoint to help illustrate your report.

You may want to choose to write about a sports event, fashion, celebrity news, education, anything else that may interest you.

You could use the Newsround Website and BBC News website to help you research.

Get Reporting!

Read the article below.


An Unexplained Visitor!
Yesterday, an extraordinary event occurred at a school in Leyton, London.

George Mitchell School had a very unusual visitor in the form a dragon.

Police arrived at the school at 2:15pm after receiving a number of calls from local residents reporting that there was a dragon in the school’s main playground.

Disbelief

When the police arrived they found a blood red, 13ft dragon casually standing in the playground, leaning over the gates to chew at the leaves of nearby trees. Staff and students were watching in disbelief from the safety of the school building.

During the schools lunch break students had begun shouting out ‘there’s a giant dragon’ in the canteen. However, staff ignored this, mistaking their cries for some kind of prank.

Mrs Jeffrey, the school’s headteacher, said ‘It was unusual for the students to be shouting like this, but their claim was so outlandish we ignored it at first. It wasn’t until one of the staff members came running into the office, frantic as a chicken, claiming that there really was a dragon on the school premises that we took the claim seriously.’
Experts have taken the photograph to for a thorough examination.

Stench

Local residents were the first to realise something very unusual was going on. One neighbour said, ‘I went out to hang my washing and could smell something awful. The stench was like horse manure. I looked around, but couldn’t see any horses. Then I heard a huge roaring sound. It was as loud as a clap of thunder.’

Another passer-by was struck by the dragons hideous appearance. ‘He had these flaming eyes that were red-hot like the sun. I’ve never seen anything like it!’

Expert opinion

Experts were escorted to the scene to examine the creature, but by the time they had arrived there was no trace of the dragon at all. Professor Flyer of the Prehistoric Creatures Association is still sceptical as to whether or not the dragon was merely a hoax. He claims, ‘a creature like this has not been seen for thousands of year. I believe that like I believe Elvis is still alive!’

By

An Reporter






TASKWrite your own newspaper article about a strange or bizarre incident that occurred at school. Use your imagination!

Reviews - Your Opinions Count!

Read one of following film reviews here and here.

Reviews usually include the following parts:

Plot – storyline
Best bits
Worst bit
Favourite characters/stars,
Would you recommend it and why?
Hit or miss
Star rating
A picture

Use the subheadings above to write your own review on one of the options below. Make sure you include all the parts above.

Choose from one of the following options:

A book you have read
A film you have seen
A music video you have seen
A song you have heard
A programme you have watched
A computer game you have played

Persuasive Writing - Get Campaigning!

As many of you know, Barack Obama was recently elected as the new president of the United States of America.
When he was elected, he delivered a very powerful and meaningful speech to the people of America.

1) Watch the video of Barack Obama’s speech here. Below the video, you can also find a written version of his speech.

Once you have watched the video, read through his speech.
Copy and paste the speech into a word document.
Highlight and label all of the rhetorical devices listed below that Obama uses in his speech.

Rhetorical devices you should look for:

Emotive language

Sound patterns (alliteration, assonance etc)

Contrast

Repetition

The ‘rule of 3’

Description and Imagery (Similes, metaphors, personification)

Rhetorical questions are of course another device, although they are not present in Obama’s speech.

2) Now, imagine you are campaigning to become school president at GMS. Write a speech for an adult audience that you would deliver to teachers, staff, parents and school governors to persuade them that you are the best candidate. Why are you suitable for the role? What do you have to offer the school? Why should the staff vote for you? Use rhetorical devices listed above.

Speaking and Listening - Get Campaigning!

As many of you know, Barack Obama was recently elected as the new president of the United States of America.
When he was elected, he delivered a very powerful and meaningful speech to the people of America.
1) Watch the video of Barack Obama’s speech here. Below the video, you can also find a written version of his speech.

Once you have watched the video, read through his speech.
Copy and paste the speech into a word document.
Highlight and label all of the rhetorical devices listed below that Obama uses in his speech.

Rhetorical devices you should look for:

Emotive language

Sound patterns (alliteration, assonance etc)

Contrast

Repetition

The ‘rule of 3’

Description and Imagery (Similes, metaphors, personification)

Rhetorical questions are of course another device, although they are not present in Obama’s speech.

2) Now, imagine you are campaigning to become school president at GMS. Write a speech you would deliver to students of the school to persuade them to vote for you. What would you change in school? What personal qualities do you have that would make you a good school president? Use rhetorical devices listed above.

Speaking and Listening

As many of you know, Barack Obama was recently elected as the new president of the United States of America.
When he was elected, he delivered a very powerful and meaningful speech to the people of America.

1) Watch the video of Barack Obama’s speech here. Below the video, you can also find a written version of his speech.

Once you have watched the video, read through his speech.
Copy and paste the speech into a word document.
Highlight and label all of the rhetorical devices listed below that Obama uses in his speech.

Rhetorical devices you should look for:

Emotive language

Sound patterns (alliteration, assonance etc)

Contrast

Repetition

The ‘rule of 3’

Description and Imagery (Similes, metaphors, personification)


2) Make a collage to represents some of the issues and topics he discusses in his speech.

For example, you could include a picture of his family, as he talks about his wife and children.