Thursday 29 July: Hey You Down There, nature and nurture

Well done to everyone who wrote thoughtfully about what makes people commit evil acts on yesterday's blog post - I will write well dones for you this morning.  For those who did not complete this on time, you will get to do this at interval today. 

Connotation

Another definition: the ideas we have around a word that are not exactly what it literally means.

For example: The exact meaning of 'Fire drill' is where we all assemble on the field and have the roll taken and a check that all buildings are clear.  The ideas (connotations) that go with it are excitement (if you wanted a break from class), fear (if you are in the middle of an NCEA assessment, what will happen), suspicion (who set the fire alarm off this time).

What other ideas do you have when you hear the phrase 'fire drill'? 

What makes a person evil?

 1. How would you define "evil"?  Write your definition of what 'evil' means to you.

2. What makes a person 'evil'?  Are they born evil or is evil developed by the environment a person is in?

3. (write your answer to this as a paragraph in the comments section on this blog) What makes people commit evil acts (e.g. murder)? List and explain factors you think makes a person kill.  Use full sentences to create a convincing paragraph.

10B: Work for Thursday 8 July 2021

 Kia ora koutou

You have a choice of activities to work on today while I am off sick:

1. For students who missed the reading test yesterday (Leah, Bridget, Latesha, Cullam, Tristan, Paige & Nicky) - copies of the texts for the reading test are on my desk.  To access the test, please go to your email.  If you have difficulty opening the test, just wait a wee bit and then refresh and it will work.  This only happens on library chromebooks.

2. If you have not finished every task for the utes comic strip, please can you finish that.

3. If you have a novel to read, you are welcome to read for part or all of the lesson.

4. If you are in desperate need of finishing your Science fair project, you can.  You have permission to do this in the English classroom.

Close reading: a comic strip on utes

Today we are exploring a comic strip about the growth of utes in New Zealand in the last decade.  

1. Read this article
2. Make a google doc in your English folder.  Copy the questions from here and add your answers in.  
3. Answer the questions thoughtfully and with supporting detail.  This task is preparation for our reading comprehension test next week, and for the unfamiliar texts exam that you will all sit next year.
4. The title of this article uses alliteration.  Copy the title and explain why you think the author chose this title - what ideas did Morris want to suggest to us?
5. Explain what a double cab ute is in your own words.
6. Who is speaking in the green image below?  [The idea of a 'nuclear-free moment' is a reference to when Labour Primer Minister David Lange declared New Zealand a nuclear free zone in 1987.  It made New Zeakand famous at the time.]
   
   
   
   
7. Do you think Aucklanders have a big need for utes?  Give examples/evidence to support your answer.
8. List the top five selling vehicles in 2010.
9. List the top five selling vehicles in 2020.
10. Why do you think there has been such a change in patterns of buying vehicles?
11. Describe the link between climate change and driving larger vehicles, in your own words.
12. Who is Greta Thunberg and what is she famous for doing?
13. Looking at the image above, is the author saying that builders, plumbers and mechanics are the cause of the explosion in sales of large utes?  Give examples and evidence to support your answer.
14. Find an example of an advertisement on the internet that suggests that driving a large ute will reconnect you to nature.  Copy it into your document, and explain in your own words how the advertisement is suggesting that you will feel more connected to the outdoors if you buy/drive their vehicle.
    
    
    
    
    
    
15. Describe the safety issues caused by large utes.
16. What is a tax loophole?  Do you think the tax loophole described in this article is okay?
17. What do you think "disconnect between our intentions and actions" means?
18. In your opinion, are large utes a menace or a wonderful vehicle?  Write 1-2 paragraphs persuading me of your point of view.