For my students of class: Arts, Architecture/Engineering, and German

The texts to be studied for the year ahead would be as listed below:

Novels: Desert Flower by Waris Dirie
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah

Films and Documentary: The Japanese Story
Australia
An Inconvenient Truth (Documentary)


The list would be updated from time to time. Additional text that is deemed suitable would be added to the list as we go on.

thank you.

Derick Tenh

Dear 2010 EALD students

There is an updated version of the novels and movies that has just been passed to me by the WACE council.So please don't purchase Tuesday with Morries or Good Will Hunting.

Instead We are still using Adeline Yen Mah's "Falling Leaves".The movie that has been chosen is Billy Elliot, a British movie.The documentary chosen is "An inconvenient Truth."

Sorry for the inconvenience

Ms. Chan

Please rent or get hold of the movie "Good Will Hunting"(1997) starring Robin Williams and Matt Damon.



What kind of emotional baggage in his past deterred Will from realising his unique potential as a maths genius?

How far do friends and family contribute to the success of the individual?


Clarification

Exercises for 2011 EALD students are marked "supplementary" meaning that these are optional exercises meant for self improvement whereas those marked " holiday homework" or "compulsory" have to be done during the holidays and we'll discuss them in class so please come prepared with notes you've made for the discussion.

BTW,you can read the script of the movie on the IMDB site.type script for the movie "Good Will Hunting"

Enjoy your reading and viewing.

Ms. Chan

1. How do gender roles in the western culture differ from that of their eastern counterparts? Discuss

In Desert Flower there are certain rites of passage that mark the transition from one stage of life to another.What are rites of passage in a traditional culture?
What is the significance of a rite of passage?

Waris Dirie

In Desert Flower,what is the attitude of Waris when it comes to overcoming obstacles in life?
" In the desert, no one accepted the excuse 'I can't".My mother told me to find water,so I had to find water."

This non-fiction novel has touched and changed the lives of millions who has read and learned from it. it is a book that contains life lessons that are not only useful for my students to answer relevant essay questions, but are also applicable to their latter part of life. Not to mention the fact that many of you had come across this book before, and have already read it. hence, the more reasons to further analyse it.

below are quetions for you to ponder over in reading and appreciating the novel:

1. What is the significance of the pink hibiscus plant that sits on the ledge in Morrie's study. How is it a metaphor for Morrie's life, as well as the cycle of life in general?

2. What does Morrie mean by the statement "Love or perish"?

3. Explain Morrie's idea of "detachment." What does "detachment" mean to Morrie, and how does he use it to cope with his disease?

4. What are Morrie's religious values? Does he steep himself in the theology of one religion, or many?

5. How does Morrie's dislike of the media's role in popular culture contradict his willingness to be interviewed by Ted Koppel for the television program "Nightline"?

6. How has Morrie's childhood affected his behavior as an adult? Explain how each of his family members, including his mother, father, stepmother, and younger brother, have affected his development.

7. What reasons does Morrie give for rejecting the mores prescribed by the popular culture. How has he created his own culture, and what values does it consist of?

8. How does Morrie rationalize his thoughts that aging is growth, and not decay, as most people see it?

9. Explain Morrie's relationship with Ted Koppel. What does Morrie see in Koppel that others fail to?

10. Who inspired Morrie's passion for books and education? What inspired his passion for people? Why did he decide to become a professor of sociology?



and some of the memorable quotes that is worth your thoughts:

-- Take my condition. The things I am supposed to be embarrassed about now — not being able to walk, not being able to wipe my ass, waking up some mornings wanting to cry — there is nothing innately embarrassing about them. It's the same for women not being thin enough, or men not being rich enough. It's just what our culture would have you believe. Don't believe it.

-- You see, . . . you closed your eyes. That was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them, too — even when you're in the dark. Even when you're falling.

-- As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed as ignorant as you were at twenty- two, you'd always be twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It's growth. It's more than the negative that you're going to die, it's the positive that you understand you're going to die, and that you live a better life because of it.

-- After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not move quickly enough. No more playing music at half-empty night clubs. No more writing songs in my apartment, songs that no one would hear.


and last but not least...

--'The truth is . . . once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.'


happy reading ;)

Coherence in writing essays

Coherence can be created by repeating key terms,pronouns and synonyms.

COHERENCE TECHNIQUES

1. Repeating key terms or phrases.This helps readers stay focused on the subject you are discussing.

Examples:

The use of symbolism in Lisa's short story was fascinating.This symbolism was found throughout the story.

The Concorde is the fastest passenger jet in the world.However,after a terrible crash in 2000,many people wondered if the Concorde was a safe airplane.


2. Using a pronoun to refer to a previous noun or noun phrase.

This method adds coherence by helping readers clearly follow the flow of information.

Examples:

Sally shocked everyone in her family.She decided to become a hot-air balloonist.

The system of checks and balances is used to guarantee that none of the three branches of government has too much power.It promotes equity of power.


3.Using synonyms. Synonyms help maintain coherence by avoiding unnecessary repetition of information.

Examples:

The Olympic Games are played every four years in different countries.This international competition involves thousands of athletes from around the world.

J.D. Salinger became an international success for his book The Catcher in the Rye.This novel touched millions of young people's lives.

Read the following paragraphs.Underline and identify the three coherence devices and write KT (repetition of key term),P (pronoun) or synonym (S) above them.

1. Dr.Louis' lecture took place at 8 pm. last night.His important lecture covered a wide variety of historical topics,including political warfare in Africa and its effects on the local population.This conflict has been going on for more than twenty years,and it will probably continue for the forseeable future.

2. I wonder who the creator of the hourglass was.I wonder how this person changed people's lives by this invention.What did they use it for?Did they appreciate this hourglass or end up resenting it?

3. The TOEFL is a trademarked exam created by Educational Testing Service.This exam evaluates student performance in the skills of listening comprehension,grammar and,more recently,essay writing.These skills are necessary in order to achieve academic success in university settings.The TOEFL is widely used in the United States and Canada,and it is administered through testing centers around the world.

In the novel.Falling leaves by Adeline Yen Mah the following words are used.Find out the meaning of the following words and explain the differences in meaning.


1.earnest/earnings:



2.tenaciously/tenuously:


3. insolent/indolent

4. scathing/scalding:


5.interminably/intermittently


6.disdainfully/disreputably

7.self-effacing/self-indulgent

8.abject/object

9.unintelligible/unintentional


10.incessantly/instantaneously

Vocabulary (Supplementary exercise)

Explain the meaning of the idiomatic/colloquial/simile language in bold.


1. If you think you need money,come directly to me.Money doesn't grow on trees. Pg 51

2. His child has done no wrong.But every day her presence is like a thorn in their side. Pg 86

3. We had to assert ourselves against all odds and when we finally graduate there are few shrinking violets amongst us.Pg207


4. I was the ostracized outsider longing for acceptance;the ugly duckling hankering to return as the beautiful swan. pg210

Attention

For students of the Ausmat 2011 EALD programme, we will be updating the reading list to include a thin biography .

1.Albom Mitch "Tuesdays with Morrie" an old man,a young man and life's greatest lesson.

please finish reading all the three novels during the holidays.

The following is the holiday homework.You will be required to bring it to class on the first week class resumes.Make powerpoint presentation based on the following questions.(3 mins)


With reference to the three novels , Desert Flowerby Waris Dirie, Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah and Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.

(Compulsory exercise for all students taking EALD)

Choose any ONE question to answer.(DO NOT GIVE A NARRATION OF THE PLOT OR THEME)


Q1. What attitudes,beliefs or view of the world do the novels put forward?


or


Q2. How would you define " a successful life"? and have the main characters(protagonists) in any one of the three novels achieved " success" according to your interpretation?



EALD Homework

School is over!!!!!!!!!!

The textbook for EALD next year can be purchased from any bookshops.

1. "EAP Now" ! English for Academic Purposes -students' book by Kathy Cox& David Hill
Pearson Education Australia (Upper Intermediate) Blue cover

2. "Desert Flower" by Waris Dirie

Please check this site for posts on holiday homework.There will be a starting test on 5.1.11.