Comments

I commented on the following blogs:

Puay Shaun Yu ==> http://shaunyulablog2011.blogspot.com/

Alastair Pang ==> http://alastairlanguageartssec22011.blogspot.com/

Chee Keng Jin ==> http://cheekengjin-2a1-language-arts-2011.blogspot.com/

Lua Jiong Wei ==> http://2a116languagearts.blogspot.com/

Blended Learning - Dead Poets Society

A new student:

"In the first year, Welton Academy graduated five students. Last year, we graduated 51..." the headmaster droned on and on about the school's achievements. I was extremely nervous when I entered the school. My parents had invested a lot of money to put me into this school, and to make things worse, my brother was one of the most successful students from Welton Academy, so I had to live up to the expectations. Suddenly, the headmaster commanded us to recite the 4 pillars. All of the students around me stood up immediately, and recited, " Tradition. Honour. Discipline. Excellence." The students said in unison. I had no idea what the 4 pillars were. I had so much to learn about the school...

The headmaster:

Another year. Another batch of new students. The same old speech. These were the things going through my head as I walked up the stage, preparing to give my "great" speech. I straightened my coat and stood there, awaiting the entrance of the students. Suddenly, the doors swung opened and a group of students paraded to the front of the hall. The sound of bagpipes were blaring loudly and the students were holding 4 banners, each stating one of the 4 pillars. Soon, the bagpipes stopped. It was so silent you could hear a pin drop. I then gave the signal to commence the lighting of the light of knowledge...

Term 1 Week 5 Assignment

The Hwa Chong Clock Tower, in the middle of the school campus, as majestic as a lion. In front of it, the Tan Kah Kee statue, overseeing the entire field, as if every morning when the students gather for assembly, he is watching over all the students.

However, the clock tower is no ordinary building. It is a national monument, and also the main building of Hwa Chong's history. Inside, privileged students study in the tower block classrooms. In the middle of the block, there is a dome, and a small flight of stairs leads further up into the tower.

There are more classrooms on the next floor, each one is cozy and has a classic feel to it. Up there, the gentle breeze caresses the cheeks of students, as if blowing away all of their worries, their stress melting away. The upper floors of the tower provide people with a beautiful view. Lush greenery, the trees that line the hills, children playing and running around in the fields.

The Hwa Chong Clock Tower is like a beacon of light, illuminating the darkness and guiding students to success. It is truly a sight to behold.

Term 1 Week 7- Weekend Assignment

I have learnt many things from the enriching language arts lessons in school, especially about how to write good short stories. During the classes, we have revised the elements of a short story that we learnt last year, and at the same time teaching new ones. The teacher taught us how to describe a character in a story vividly and realistically, using sophisticated vocabulary and other methods to portray a character that the reader could picture in his mind what the character was like.

I like the language arts program because our teacher, Mr Lum, teaches language arts with passion and a lot of feeling. Also, he also puts a lot of effort in making the classes as interesting as possible, instead of just writing a pile of essays. He prints out short stories to show and exhibit the proper techniques in writing a good short story. Also, although he is strict in terms of handing up homework and a certain level of discipline in class, he is not too strict, and even laughs at some of my classmates' jokes, unlike some teachers.

To be honest, I think that how the class is being conducted currently is almost flawless. However, I think that there are not enough ACE opportunities for language arts. As of now, we have only one way of getting ACE points, which is blogging. We have not received any assignments or chances to participate in external competitions, such as Doors to Diplomacy for Intergrated Humanities. Since ACE is part of "Independent Learning", we should be able to get more by doing our own independent work instead of just through the assignments given by the teacher.

I particularly liked the lesson where we read the short story " All Summer in a Day". I felt that the story had a lot of good literary devices and elements of a good short story that we can learn from. Also, after answering the questions behind, we learnt the story's true meaning. The Sun appearing once every few years symbolizes opportunities that are rare and only come once in a blue moon. We must learn to seize them and use them to their fullest potential. I thought that the story was excellent with an original plot and and meaningful moral of the story.

Characterisation Story Excerpt

Charlie the Unicorn

"Charlie, wake up!" His friends shrieked at him. "This had better be important," Charlie groaned. "Wake up, Charlie, we found the map to Candy Mountain! Let's go to Candy Mountain!" They said hysterically, "Let's go!" Charlie grunted. "Candy Mountain is not a real place, I'm going back to sleep now," he complained. "But Charlie, you have to follow us to Candy Mountain! It'll be a fun adventure!" His blue friend said, at the same time his pink friend jumped on him. "Okay, okay, I'll follow you guys," Charlie whined.

"Look Charlie, we're in a magical forest!" His friends exclaimed. "Yeah, it's really magical, all right," Charlie said sarcastically. "Look over there, it's a magical creature! Let's ask him for directions!" They said as they pointed to a Liopleurodon. The creature then began to make sounds. "Alright, we have to go that way now, Charlie!" They exclaimed, pointing to a dangerous looking bridge that was precariously hanging over a huge cliff. "Oh no, there's no way I'm getting on that bridge," Charlie complained, but to his dismay, his friends dragged him along anyway. Wild thoughts rushed through his head as he started thinking about possible outcomes of the trip.

Techniques used for Characterisation

I used words such as complained and whined to portray Charlie being stubborn and ignorant. I also used speech to show sarcasm and show that Charlie was not a very positive being. He is also very cowardly and does not really dare to take risks. He is stubborn, rude and negative and this was the characteristics that I was trying to portray.