Critical literacy Matrix question - Group work

In groups, we had to choose a movie trailer and a PSA (Public Service Announcement), and write a SEXXXY paragraph for each video and describe 1 film aspect which was used in each of the videos. After finishing our paragraphs we were to complete 4 critical literacy questions about our writing. 

SEXXXY Analysis written about "Walk The Line" :

The effects of fading are used deliberately throughout the trailer "Walk The Line" by James Mangold. For example, we see in the trailer scenes of Cash being happy which drastically changes to him looking unwell or angry furthermore under the influence of drugs, as one scene fades into the other. This shows the audience the highs and lows of Cash’s life. The audience feels intrigued by the scenes shown in the trailer and confronting as Cash’s addiction is displayed. The director has done this to depict the struggles and achievements in pieces of which Johnny has dealt with in his journey through the music industry and dealing with addiction. The fading between scenes works well with the music that is playing in the background. "Ring of fire" creates a mix of meaning and emotion which is why it works perfectly. In the trailer, Walk The Line, directed by James Mangold, Johnny Cash can be heard singing the lyrics, "The taste of love is sweet" while Johnny Cash and June Carter are together. This scene fades as Johnny Cash sings "I fell into a ring of fire" and is shown in an enraged state, having a run-in with the police.

SEXXXY Analysis written about PSA "Sisters" 

Facial expressions were used effectively in Meth Project's ad titled "Sisters". This is seen at the beginning of the ad when the sisters approach three middle-aged men. The older sister of the two is in the front and has a neutral expression as if she is used to it, although behind the expressionless look she appears helpless. The young sister's emotions are visible through facial expressions. She appears scared and upset as she stands behind her sister. This shows everyone how being influenced by drugs has effected the sister's lives and the lengths in which the older sister is willing to go to in exchange for drug money. She is willing to exploit her younger sister so she can feed her addiction. And the reaction of which they have upon it. The director's purpose of it was to show the sad reality in the life of a drug addict, in this case with meth. They become slaves to their addiction and will do anything in order to get their fix. The troubles of which they have gone through are shown on their bodies. The aspect of facial expressions worked well with the body language that was put into the ad. Throughout the entire film their bodies remain slim and constricted the entire situation, their bodies then tighten as they all enter the bathroom. 

Critical Literacy Questions asked to both videos: 

What views of the world is this presenting?

In the film "Walk the Line" it shows the backstories of which celebrities go through before getting to the top. It also reveals he gets to the point where he falls from the top and goes down-hill in life along with his career. We see the truth behind Celebrities/singers in their careers and life and how addiction can affect their entire lives and careers. The video "Sisters" shows us the levels of which people go to when under the influence of drugs. It shows us the wreck of which the world is with what these substances are causing. 

Who is really in the text?

In both videos shown are based on real events. "Walk The Line" Is written about a famous country singer whose life had horrible twists and how his life was constrained by the control of drugs such as amphetamine. The video "sister" Is about real-life events that are happening around the world affecting anyone at any age who have been introduced to the substance of Meth and has gotten so lost that it has controlled their lives.

What does the author of this text want us to know?

For "Sisters" video, It gives us a glimpse in the reality of what being influenced by drugs truly does to you and what it causes you to do just to soothe your desires of that feeling of what Meth produces. By the "Walk The Line" trailer, the director wants us to see how far celebrities go before they fall in their life or career and how addiction takes control of everything after introduced to it. Furthermore the "Sisters" PSA and the movie trailer and incredibly the same with what they are presenting to us. 

Film aspect writing

Two-shots were also incorporated. This occurred at the start of the film when Ardel gave Miss Purday the ring he saved for her. This showed us that the rest of the film will be based around some drama about Ardel proposing to his teacher. The purpose of this shot was to give us the idea that the film will be based on Miss Purday and Ardel. Matching with this aspect is the music played in the background. It worked well together due to the moment, the nice instrumental calm music puts us in a happy mood and makes us think its a special moment.

Close up shots were used effectively in the short film ‘The Crush’. For example, the director Michael Creagh, used the close-up shot of Ardel’s face after Miss Purdy was revealing her new engagement ring to Ardel and his mother. This showed the audience that Ardel was frustrated, jealous and disconcerted about Miss Purdy wearing a new engagement ring and not the one he gave her. The director did this to show the audience how hurt Adrel was when he saw Miss Purday’s new ring. There was a sense of betrayal in his eyes because she was supposed to marry him not the man she was engaged to. Coinciding with the shot was Ardel’s facial expressions, from excited and happy to sad and angry.

Various types of music were used further in the film. This was demonstrated when Ardel was walking merrily through the park after proposing to his teacher Miss Purdy. The cheery and exciting music displayed in the background shows us that Ardel is happy which made us feel weird but happy. The purpose of this was to tell us Ardel was happy in different ways. This worked well with his facial expressions and body language. He was walking with a smile on his face and his expressions were portraying a good feeling. This aspect can be contrasted to the same long shot later on in the film when Ardel was walking in the field but his expressions were different, he was more upset than happy.

A low angle was also included successfully in the short film. For example, a low angle was used when Ardel was glaring at the white cupboard in the bathroom where his father placed the gun. This showed me that Ardel was going to take the gun to the dual that he set with Miss Purdays Fiance Pierce. The director’s purpose for this was to foreshadow that something serious is going to happen including him using a gun. This reminds me of the low shot that was used when he was at his desk with his marriage planner and he was looking up at his cowboy poster putting the idea of a dual in his mind. Corresponding with this aspect was the use of the black filter around the frame/lens was used to create suspense.

40 minute persuasive writing

Topic- Movies are better than books.
Arguing both sides.

planning- 
Movie- 
Both sides shows better
Match less in story
Can be less engrossing
Enjoy acting

Book- 
Imagination
Movies leave stuff out
More personal
Start and stop when you want

Not only books imagination

Writing
Your always getting that same question. Are movies better than books?. Sometimes its hard to choose depending on what your reading or watching. Throughout my writing I will argue both ways saying movies are equal to books. My points behind these are books improve your literacy and vocabulary with the different levels of reading you choose to read. Movies on the other hand has more of a visual effect which makes it more enjoyable, interesting and exciting to watch as there is different scenery taking part and catching our eye. Though reading books boosts your imagination which helps with reading and improves your creativity, though reading books come with the down side. Sore arms.

Reading books doesn't quite give us that visualising part, looking at stained tan paper for hours isn't all that interesting But it gives us the best visuals in our minds. Our imagination goes wild. With reading we can do some much more such as imagine the characters to relate back to us, change the way we imagine them, the way they look or speak. Its kinda hard doing that in movies as they are already set out they were made to be. Reading just gives that advantage that movies dont.

Not only

40 minute persuasive writing

Topic- Team sports are better than individual sports.

Arguing both

Planning;

Improves communication though causes problems for people who dont listen

Focus more on winning yourself instead of worrying about what others might do 

Some 

Writing; In this essay, I will argue both sides of the topic, which is Team sports is better than individual sports. My points behind my argument are communication issues in team sports, though it improves some communication in ways. Making new friends or meeting new people and my last point is focusing such as with what you need to do or what your plan is on how to win.

Team sports are all about communication. Communication is the main key to winning in sports whether its Football, Basket ball or even Tennis. All team sports need it. Though there are troubles with communication such as not planning before a game or talking to team players on the field to pass the ball or to spread out. In Individual games communication isn't really all that needed. 

Additionally, team sports and individual sports are both best with meeting and making new friends and people. So its a win for both. 

Furthermore, Individual sports is more to focus and centre yourself to one thing. So not having to worry about distractions such as other people, 

In conclusion, both ways of playing are equally the best. Team sports helps with conclusion though also can go down hill if not communicating well. Individual sports helps centre your focus onto one thing with no distractions in your way. And in both team sports and individual sports you meet incredible people and make great friends.

40 Minute writing - Persuasive writing- History has no value in present day society.

History has no value in present day society. 
Against

Pros:
Education
Experience 
Help us be better people

Cons:
Influence

Introduction:History is apart of all of our lives. I disagree with the statement 'History has no value in present-day society'. following reasons behind these are: The history educates us on the past and what has been achieved or lost If history repeats itself we wouldn't be experienced or we wouldn't know how to overcome the situation at the time or fix it. 

Paragraph 1: Without the education of history, we would be blind to dangerous circumstances that have happened in the past. With the knowledge, we would know how to solve the situation and with the new generations more intelligent we can resolve the problem with more high-level technology. For example, earthquakes that have been happening for more than 50 years, throughout the years we have constructed the buildings to make them more sturdy and earthquake safe. 

Detailed adjectives, verbs and adverbs sentences

Exercise 1 

From each set of words in brackets choose the one word or phrase which most effectively conveys

he heat of the scene being pictured:

Beneath the glaring sun the land was brown. Blades of grass, shrivelled by the fierce rays, clung to the

crumbling, scorched soil. Even to move was an effort. The slightest motion was enough to cause a
sweat, but even perspiration was forced away almost instantly by the merciless heat.

Exercise 2 

Some words have been left out in the following sentences. From each group in brackets, choose

the word or phrase that most effectively suggests the idea of noise.

1 Thunder boomed off the mountains. The weeping of the wind as it blasted through the narrow valleys

was almost drowned out by the drumming of huge raindrops on the rocky ground.

2 The clatter of broken glass woke him. He listened intently and heard the slight screech of a hinge as a

door slowly opened. There was the faintest scrape of a shoe on the wooden floor of the hall.

3. She was startled at first by the harsh squawk of a sea gull. The distant clatter of the sea and the howl of the gentle breeze through the palms lulled her.

Exercise 3 

From each set of words in brackets choose the one word or phrase which most effectively conveys

the scene being pictured:

Bright lights radiate merrily through the evening darkness. The steady flickering of the larger lights
was reinforced by the sparkle of an array of grinning smaller ones chasing each other in a lively,

never-ending race. The hum of conversation, the crack of glasses, and the whiff of steaming food all
drifted enticingly across the still night air.

Exercise 4 

Here is a short descriptive passage. From each group in brackets, choose the word or phrase that

most effectively fills each gap. Bear in mind the impression the writer is trying to give.
The face, in the brief instant when the lightning flashed was like some hideous carving. The forehead
was topped with a tangle of hair which gleamed in the light. The lower part of the face was masked
by a/an untidy cluster of wiry beard. The eyes, deep-set under thick brows, glittered evilly as they caught the light. Mark’s heart thrashed in fear at the sight. Lightning flickered again.

Creating Writing- Special FX Personification, Onomatopoeia, Alliteration.

Complete these sentences with examples of personification to make them interesting for readers. 

1. The waves were calm with sadness  
2. Clouds crashed with horror 
3. The train paced with boredom 
4. Fear overwhelmed the balloon 
5. The bulldozer roared with anger 
6. Bells rung with joy

Persuasive Writing Practice - Bees

Persuasive Writing Practice - Topic: Bees are the most important creatures on the planet.

Pros:

• Without them we wouldn't have nearly enough food as what we have now 
• Our fruit being pollinated so we can eat it 

Cons:

• Some people are highly allergic to bees 
• 
  

Main Points:
No Food
No Flowers

My Writing: The bees we see around in our garden. In my opinion I believe bees are the most important creatures on the planet. The reasons behind this is without them we would not have nearly enough fruit and veges as what we have now, we wouldn't have the beautiful flowers we see or/and grow. Lastly bees are

Season Similes

Spring looks like blossoms 

Spring tastes like fruit  

Spring smells like daffodils 

Spring feels like the warm sun 

Spring sounds like birds 

Summer looks like sunshine and rainbows  

Summer tastes like ice blocks and ice cream 

Summer smells like stink feet from running outside 

Summer feels like heat waves everyday

Summer sounds like children running around screaming 

Autumn looks like leaves blowing around everywhere 

Autumn tastes like dust in your mouth 

Autumn smells like dirt and grass 

Autumn feels like cool breeze 

Autumn sounds like crunch of leaves 

Winter looks like storms and snow 

Winter tastes like milos on cold days 

Winter smells like pee in snow from the dog 

Winter feels like cold wind everyday 

Winter sounds like heavy raindrops against the windows 

English- Persuasive Writing - Patho, logos

What is Pathos? Pathos is the emotional appeal, persuading the audience with emotion.

It is used to -  It is used in a to convince your audience in an argument by using emotion to make a more convincing story.

For instance -

What is Logos? Logos is the appeal to logic meaning convincing the audience by use of logic and reason,

It is used to - It is used to convince others using

WTE sentences

LO: Identify WTE sentences to improve our writing.

The simple sentence:

Very short sentence: 

Drugs in sports should be illegal.

The power sentence:

Red, White and blue:

 The reason behind this is it leaves bad look, reputation and bad long-term effects on your health. 

The adverb start:

Surprisingly, many people are using drugs in competitive sports. 

Begin with a preposition:

 Within conversation in the.. interaction with enhancing drugs in sports should be illegal.

The -ing start:

The -ed start:

 Gifted sports players are being defeated by cheating competitors who are using drugs. 

The semi-colon:

The em-dash:

The  W-sentence:

 When others are using drugs it ruins the sport competition for others.

Explore the subject:

Enhancing drugs, 

English - My persuasive writing- Should drugs be allowed in sports

Sports and Recreation - Drugs should be allowed in sports. Arguing against

Planning:
With the use of drugs in sports it has put a major effect on unbalancing the fair chances in sports.
Drugs such as... have various effects on your body and health.
Pros:
Improves performance
gives you advantages

Cons:
unfair advantages
it ruins the point of sports
Effects on your health long-term
bad reputation
harsher consequences OR rehabilitation

Main Points:
Unfair
Effects your health
Bad reputation

Olympic sports are being ruined by drug use. I strongly believe that performance-enhancing drug use in sports should be banned. This is because it gives the users an unfair advantage over genuine competitors as well as a negative reputation. This results in not only detrimental short-term and long-term health effects but also can damage the person's sporting image severely.

Any interaction with performance-enhancing drugs in sports should be illegal. Many famous sports players put all of their time and effort into training to be good and be rewarded, but drug intake take puts unfair advantages who have worked very hard to get where they are and where they are going to. Sportsmen such as Tyger Woods who consumed many drugs in 2015 such as Xanax, Vicodin and a couple more. Many other players used steroids to enhance their appearance and body strength, for instance, Ben Johnson with a 100-meter dash, Roy Jones Jr for boxing and Shoaib Akhtar with his cricket career.

However, unfairness isn't the only thing that drugs ruin. Your health is another one. Any drug usually has bad effects such as bad breakout of acne, liver disease, heart disease, increase the change of mood and over an excessive amount of oil in the face and hair. These dangerous effects can stick with you long term depending on what substance is taken. While consuming drugs they can also lead to suicide and depression thoughts due to not being in the right mindset or headspace.

Lastly, children who are exposed to athletes taking drugs through media may influence them into consuming drugs especially if the athlete is considered a role model. For instance, if a child's athlete role model has been discovered using drugs, a 50% chance the child could possibly copy their actions. If a child idolizes an athlete and wants to follow in their footsteps, they may think the drugs the athlete takes is a step toward being more like them.

In conclusion, The main reasons drugs should not be in sports are; unfair advantages on others who do not consume performance-enhancement drugs in their sport, bad effects on your physical and mental health, and may also influence and encourage children to use stimulant drugs. 

Critical Literacy-English

Salvation Army Winter Appeal 

Question 1

What does the author of this text want us to know?

The author wants us to know the struggles the families have and how everything due to pricing increasing is lowering their health needs, And how we can help.

Question 2

What is the text about? How do we know? 

The text from the Salvation Army article is about how the winter is affecting the families who are struggling and the statistics of the pricing of heating, lighting and power. We know this from the information that is shown clearly on the second page of the article.  

Question 3

Who would be most likely to read this text and why? 

Adults will be most likely to read this text since its around there type of thing and they are more able to help. Young adults could be interested as well if they are wanting to focus on helping others.

Skellig - David Almond

What are the images? 

Birds or Objects to do with wings and flying because they came  up with the story. For example Skellig was known to have wings.

What genre does this text belong to?

The genre of the text is fiction because Skellig is not true due to thee  imaginary  sights (Skellig having wings or just Skellig in general) 

In whose interest is this text?

Teens or children above the age of 8 because they could find it more enjoyable when kids younger could find it a little scary and because the main character is in his teens.

Macbeth

Valiant soldier or violent schemer at the beginning? Macbeth was a valiant soldier

Why is he obsessed with killing Banquo? (oh yeah, and Fleance too) He feared that Banquo suspected that Macbeth was the murderer of king Duncan so he had to get rid of Banquo to release the fear.

Has he completely lost it in the Banquet scene? (do you think the Ghost is real or imaginary?) Yes because he hallucinated Banquo in is vision after receiving the news that he was dead.

Visits the Witches for a second time. Why? How does he react? Because he needed to know if he was going to be killed and by who in the end fight, his reaction during the visit was fearless knowing the information that he gathered from the witches he thought he did not need to fear about.

How does he justify his decision to proceed down the path of evil? He continued down the path of evil because he already had the guilt from his first killing.

Critical Literacy Matrix Questions

Outsiders novel:

How else could the text have been written?

From Johnny's point of view or Darry and could add extra characters such as Johnny's parents could be more involved in the text and mentioned a little more.

Who is missing from the text?

Johnny's parents or Ponyboy's parents before they died. if could be a little more interesting adding those characters.

What has been left out of the text?

They didn't mention why Johnny's parents acted way they did towards Johnny and the text didn't mention what dally was holding in or feeling after Johnny died.

Macbeth

What am I learning? 

I am learning to summarise and find 

How am I learning it?

What questions do I have? 

King James 1 

• Became King of England, Scotland, and Ireland 
• Was interested in Witchcraft and took part in the North Berwick witch trials in Scotland 
• Was known for his lack of manners and his disgusting behavior 
• 
  

The Gunpowder Plot

• A group of Catholic conspirators plotted to assassinate King James I of England (and VI of Scotland) in 1605
• kegs underneath filled with gunpowder to blow up King James I 
• the traitors (Catholic conspirators) were sentenced to torture as punishment 

Witchcraft in Shakespeare Time and The North Berwick witch trials 

• King James, I wrote a book called "Daemonologie" in which he supported and encouraged the trials of witches.
• there was a period of witch-hunting where people were tried and often executed for being witches. all throughout Europe and America and lasted for more than 150 years
• if people were behaving strangely or were around when bad things happened they would be accused of being a witch 
• The North Berwick witch trials took place in 1590 in Scotland, when a number of people from East Lothian were accused of witchcraft. They ran for two years and implicated seventy people. This was the first major witchcraft persecution in Scotland.