Thursday 21 June 2012

WELCOME TO OUR PROJECT - ETHAN FROME


NEW ENGLAND

If you are interested in finding out more about Massachusetts and New England, here is a link that might help:
http://www.discovernewengland.org/


This link here will let you know what New England was like at around 1900:
http://www.newenglandtravelplanner.com/history/20th_century.html



TEXT TO SPEECH

Here is a link you can use if you would like to have somebody read a piece of text out loud to you. You can either type in your text, or then copy and paste from anywhere on the net or on this blog. Ask your teacher for help if it does not work.


http://tts.imtranslator.net/LPNT

HOW TO WRITE A SUMMARY


HOW TO CREATE A PODCAST


STRATEGIC SUPPORT - useful links

Monday 11 June 2012

THEMES AND SYMBOLS - crossword puzzle




SYMBOLS - first input

If this presentation is a bit fast, feel free to stop, start and go back as you see fit.

You can watch the same presentation below, without voice, but in a much more comfortable format. Just press the symbol with four arrows in the bottom right hand corner of the presentation slide in order to enlarge it.



THEMES - first input




If this presentation is a bit fast, feel free to stop, start and go back as you see fit.

You can watch the same presentation below, without voice, but in a much more comfortable format. Just press the symbol with four arrows in the bottom right hand corner of the presentation slide in order to enlarge it.



Sunday 10 June 2012

NARRATOR AND PLOT - crossword puzzle

CHARACTERS - test

If you have watched the introduction to characters you may be ready to do a short test to see how much you have understood? Here goes:
Flashcards and educational games by StudyStack

SYMBOLS - further explanations

Hi
If you - after having watched the introductory video on symbols and symbolism - still find it difficult to grasp the concept, maybe you would profit from this video. We found it on the web at www.loveyourpencil.com. Let us know what you think.
Your online teachers

Wednesday 6 June 2012

CHARACTERS - first input

If this presentation is a bit fast, feel free to stop, start and go back as you see fit. 




You can watch the same presentation below, without voice, but in a much more comfortable format. Just press the symbol with four arrows in the bottom right hand corner of the presentation slide in order to enlarge it.




Tuesday 5 June 2012

STORY MAP

To keep track of all the things happening in the novella ETHAN FROME, you might want to fill in a story map as you continue reading. Here's an explanation of what it is and of how to do it. 
Here's a copy of an empty work sheet that you can use if you want to. However, you might prefer to create your own.

And here's another way of writing the story map. Choose the best solution for you. 


THE EFFECT OF THE FRAME STORY



Listen to the avatar, and then do the task that she tells you to do. Please discuss this with your peers before you create your avatar. 


Here is the text if you find it easier to read as well:
Hi. I’m one of your online teachers.
I’m going to give you an exercise to do. It has to do with the frame story in Ethan Frome. Try to identify and discuss the ideas and images that appear in both the inner and the outer story.  What effect do you think the frame story structure has on the novella? Go to www.voki.com and let your avatar tell us your answer. Don’t forget to give the embedding code to your teacher so that she can upload your answer to our blog!

Monday 4 June 2012

EXPOSITION - a quiz

The exposition of the book is the first part where the background, the setting and the characters are introduced. When you have read the frame and the first chapter of the book you can do this quiz to see how much you remember.
Please press this link to get started.




This quiz was made with testmoz.com.

Thursday 31 May 2012

PLOT - First input

If this presentation is a bit fast, feel free to stop, start and go back as you see fit.



You can watch the same presentation below, without voice, but in a much more comfortable format. Just press the symbol with four arrows in the bottom right hand corner of the presentation slide in order to enlarge it.


ETHAN FROME QUIZ



When you have finished reading the book, you can do this ETHAN FROME QUIZ (please press link) to see how much you can remember. All the questions for the quiz are taken from Prestwick House, Activity Pack, ETHAN FROME, 2004.              
Good luck!


The quizmaker was made with testmoz.com.

Wednesday 30 May 2012

TALKING ABOUT NARRATOR - Quiz

If you think you know all the important words to do with narrator, then you can try out these flashcards to see how much you really know. Have fun playing!

More flashcards and educational activitites at StudyStack.com

Tuesday 29 May 2012

THEMES


The theme is the major idea or the central point of a work. What wisdom does this story offer? There may be more than one theme and they may often be subtle and ambiguous. Just like you and your friend may have different interpretations about a film you have seen, you may also have different opinions about what the theme of a story is.
The themes will be consistent with all the other facts and details of your story. The theme is the overall purpose that controls the story. When you think you know what a theme is, look for specific examples in the story to prove your thesis.

SETTING


The setting refers to the time and place of the story, but it can also include social and historical facts. A story may have multiple settings. You should find out in what way the setting fits the themes of the story.


NARRATOR


The third person narrator is one that relates the story by using he/she etc... They are usually outside the story.  They can be omniscient (seeing and knowing everything) with an unlimited point of view. It is also possible that a third person narrator has a limited point of view, so that they cannot see into the minds of some of the characters, for example.

The first person narrator will tell the story using the pronoun I. This narrator can only have a limited point of view. The I-person can be an observer to the story or someone who plays a minor role in the story. However, it can also be the protagonist.
An obtrusive narrator gives commentary and evaluates.
An unobtrusive narrator would describe the events or the characters without much commentary.
Is the narrator in your short story or novel reliable or unreliable? What makes you say so?


SYMBOLS AND IMAGERY

Metaphors: A metaphor is a comparison between two things which are basically quite unlike one another without using the words as or like. Ex. There are daggers in men’s smiles (from Shakespeare’s Macbeth)
Similes: Like a metaphor, a simile is a type of comparison. But while a metaphor says that something is something else, a simile says something is like something else and uses the words as or like. Ex. The storm had blown itself out like a candle.
Symbolism: Something which has two or more meanings. For example a sword may be just a sword, or it may also symbolise justice.
-       universal symbols = symbols anybody can understand, ex. a skull symbolises death; light symbolises wisdom and knowledge
-       constructive symbols are given symbolic meaning by the way an author uses them in a text.
Ex. A red rose is a symbol of love.

Personification is the technique of representing animals or objects as if they were human beings or possessed human qualities. Ex. There was a nasty jolt as the wheels touched the ground, then a sort of shudder seemed to run through the body of the plane.

Recognising symbols in literary works requires careful reading. Symbols will often only become important to you when you fully understand the story on a literary level.


CHARACTERS

The protagonist is the main character around whom the story evolves. The antagonist, if there is one, is his/her adversary, or his/her enemy.
We talk about main characters or minor characters.
The characters can be complex, round characters that develop throughout the story or they can be presented through only one or two characteristic features. They would then be described as flat characters.

Characterization is the manner in which the author creates an impression and gives background information so that we get to know the characters in a story. Sometimes the author will have the characters say or do unpleasant things so that we will dislike this character. It is however possible, that even unpleasant protagonists can win the sympathy of the reader.
It is important to understand that the authors try to manipulate us as readers to think and feel certain ways about the characters. Paying attention to how the writer is manipulating our thoughts/feelings (in other words how they are using characterisation) is a sophisticated analytical skill.

If the author presents the characters by telling the reader about them or by letting other characters tell us something about them, we speak of ‘telling’ or explicit (= direct) characterisation. If the author lets us learn about the characters by showing us what they say and by showing us their actions, we talk about ‘showing’ or implicit (= indirect) characterisation.


PLOT

A plot is more than ‘just’ a summary of the story. You must relate the plot to other elements in the story.

A plot line
Exposition (the setting and characters are introduced)
Rising action (where the conflict is introduced – developed and ultimately brought to a climax) 
Climax (the point when the conflict is brought to a crisis stage)
- Denouement or resolution: the conflict is resolved in some manner.



This resolution often involves a reversion of intention whereby the protagonist’s intended outcome is reversed for better or worse; and this reversal often depends on recognition or a discovery which radically changes the protagonist’s understanding of his or her circumstances.

The story may develop from start to finish in a chronological order. Or there may be flashbacks, where the readers are given details about something that happened earlier in the story. There may also be foreshadowing in the story, meaning that the readers are given hints about what might happen later in the story.


NARRATOR - first input

If the presentation is a bit fast, feel free to stop, start and go back as you see fit.
Here are some words that might help you with the understanding:
limited - begrenzt
omniscient - allwissend
reliable - verlässlich, zuverlässig
judgement - Beurteilung
obtrusive - aufdringlich, penetrant





You can watch the same presentation below, without voice, but in a much more comfortable format. Just press the symbol with four arrows in the bottom right hand corner of the presentation slide in order to enlarge it.



Friday 11 May 2012

LEARNING VOCABULARY


This is good news for all of you who are  smartphone addicted. Use your iPhone to collect and practise new vocabulary. It's easy to use, always to hand :-) and the cards do not get full of fluff and filth from your pockets. The app costs Sfr. 1.-- which we think is well invested money :-)

Look for KARTEIKARTEN in your app store.