Category Archives: English 2015

Relationships in “Charles.”

The theme of this semester in English is “Relationships.” When we read or look at something significant, we will examine the relationships within that piece.

Here are a couple of definitions of “relationship” that fit what we’re looking at (there are others.)

  • the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected: the study will assess the relationship between unemployment and political attitudes.
  • the way in which two or more people or organizations regard and behave toward each other: the landlord–tenant relationship: she was proud of her good relationship with the household staff.

Take another look at this video that we watched earlier, and see if you can spot the significant relationships covered in the video.

List the significant relationships, and describe them.

Then, look again at “Charles.” and make another list of relationships and describe/define those.

There are 2 really obvious ones:

  • a)
  • b)

I listed 3 others that might require a bit more thought:

  • a)
  • b)
  • c)

Your job is to come up with something that demonstrates a SIMILAR relationship. You can use real people you know (or yourselves) but describe or demonstrate a situation where people are interacting in a similar way to the way that people interact in the story.

  • eg: Nick Cannon’s grandma. Tell a story from the perspective of a parent/uncle/aunt/guardian of some sort, and make the relationship between those two people mirror the relationship between Laurie and his parents.

You can choose how to do this!

Easy:

  • Write it out. (using enough detail to get a good sense of who these people are and how they relate to one another.)
  • Act it out. (using body language, tone of voice, etc. to make this relationship easy to understand.)

More creative (but more work.) (More work=more marks!)

  • Draw a comic book.
  • Make a short movie.
  • Write/sing a song
  • Write/recite a poem

This is a test to see whether you can do something like this. If you aren’t able to work together and get work done with good quality, you won’t do it this way again. Easy!

Writing Reflection

After completing any project or piece of writing, two things are extremely helpful in making sure that your finished product is as good as it can possibly be.

1) Take a look at the piece yourself and ask you some questions about how effective it is. Ask things like

  • is my point absolutely clear?
  • have I used effective word choices to make sure that my point gets across well?
  • is my spelling and punctuation correct?

2) Ask someone else to look over your work and ask similar questions.

After writing your piece about someone that has made a difference in your life (or any other assignment), take a look at the document below. Answer it honestly yourself (don’t just say “it’s good enough.”) Really pay attention to how well you did your job. Then give your writing to someone else and have that person ask the kinds of questions you find on the back.

personalheroreflection

People who make a difference

Today I want to get you thinking about someone who’s made a significant difference in your life. People who reach out and help someone through their actions, creations, ideas, or experiences can really make a world of difference, and I would like you to tell me about someone who you think has changed your life for the better.

You will need to not only tell me how this person has affected your life, I want you to try to make me feel how truly important this person is. You need to describe (or show) in detail, using powerful language:

  • Who is this person?
  • Why is he/she so significant?
  • How did this person directly (or indirectly) influence your life?
  • How you feel about this person
  • What you would like to do or say to show this person how much he/she has meant to you

Write or create something that really explains the significance of this person.

PersonalHero