English Extension 2 Question Thread

[elysepopplewell]

Major works are due a week from now, but my teacher is looking for a final copy on Monday (rip). My draft got a 16/20 with limited feedback and I can't find anyone else to read it. Do you have any ideas for getting a fresh perspective of my own work/general adjustments to improve my mark? 

One of the main reasons that a student might not get full marks in a creative is because it doesn't make sense in one section. If this is the case, you certainly aren't the first person to struggle with this! By this I mean, you know your work, you know the characters or the analysis or whatever it is, extremely well. But are you conveying that just as clearly? Or are you glossing over important details because you know them but your reader doesn't? So one of the best places to receive feedback is a friend, another English teacher, a sibling, etc. It doesn't need to be an Ext 2 teacher. If you've written a short story, you only need to pass it on to a friend and then have the friend say, "I didn't understand this bit." That's valuable feedback! Because it forces you to go back and work out why that is - is it because you glossed over it? Is it because your language was shallow? Also ask them, were there boring parts, were there difficult parts, etc.

[Jay_]

Hi, I just stumbled onto this thread and it's really helpful so far, thank you for making it. I was wondering if you had any tips for Speeches as a Major Work?


Thank you 

[jamonwindeyer]

Hi, I just stumbled onto this thread and it's really helpful so far, thank you for making it. I was wondering if you had any tips for Speeches as a Major Work?


Thank you 

Welcome to the forums Jay_! I'm sure Elyse will be along to give you a hand soon; if you need a hand finding anything around the site in the meantime don't hesitate to ask!

[elysepopplewell]

Hi, I just stumbled onto this thread and it's really helpful so far, thank you for making it. I was wondering if you had any tips for Speeches as a Major Work?


Thank you 

Hey Jay! Although I haven't engaged too closely with anyone who has done a speech for their major in order to give you that insider opinion, I can still give you some thoughts. I wrote a speech for my Advanced and Ext 1 creative and really loved doing it. Be prepared to use your voice a lot - speeches are designed to be delivered and only through delivery will you notice the way the words turn into something more than just print. So, obviously, read it out at your desk and in front of a mirror, y'know, the basics. Then consider reading it to other people. When I read my speech in front of my mirror I imagined an audience of some sort and would imagine their reactions to certain aspects of the speech, but when I delivered it to a small group of pals I realised that some things I didn't expect caused a reaction out of them. That's when I realised that I wanted to strengthen my ending a lot because my imaginary audience was really uplifted, but my real audience was smiling pleasantly.

A friend of mine did a play/script for her major work, and she did something that I higgggghly recommend for speeches and plays. She basically gave slots of the play to her friends in the drama class and asked them to play it out as the words sat. This allowed her to see the dynamic of the characters, but also the way her words translated to theatrical presence. If you have any friends, classmates, family, or even your teachers, who would be willing to read over your speech a few times privately and then read it out as they believe it stands, you'll be able to see the way different voices carry different words and sentences. This is important for the way your marker receives your work!

But, all of this comes down the track. Have a very clear intention for your work: purpose, audience, context, setting, tone. These will be essentially for outlining in your reflection statement down the track, and if you haven't done your viva voce yet, you'll be able to touch on these!

I'm excited to hear how you progress, do stay in touch!

[bholenath125]

Hi Elyse,
How do i post my major work draft here?

Im only about halfway there but would most definitely love some feedback!!!!

[elysepopplewell]

Hi Elyse,
How do i post my major work draft here?

Im only about halfway there but would most definitely love some feedback!!!!

Hey there! Perhaps post it here? There's no designated spot for it! If you feel comfortable posting the whole draft, by all means. But if you'd be mainly interested in specific thoughts on character development, setting, wording, etc, feel free to post excerpts

[bholenath125]

Hey elyse
Can i Post my MW here for feedback please?

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey elyse
Can i Post my MW here for feedback please?

Elyse linked you to this thread just above, you should post it there!

[bananna]

Hi

I'm writing a short story on refugees (in Australia) for my major work. I'm thinking of experimenting with writing in first person instead of third person, because I want the audience to develop a strong emotional connection with the characters.

I'd like to know what the common pitfalls associated with writing in first person are, as opposed to third. I'm not 100% confident with first person, but I'm willing to try

Thanks!!

[elysepopplewell]

Hi

I'm writing a short story on refugees (in Australia) for my major work. I'm thinking of experimenting with writing in first person instead of third person, because I want the audience to develop a strong emotional connection with the characters.

I'd like to know what the common pitfalls associated with writing in first person are, as opposed to third. I'm not 100% confident with first person, but I'm willing to try

Thanks!!

Hey! If you aren't used to writing in first person, you'll need to be very alert in your writing (or at least, your editing) in searching for the consistency of narration. I wouldn't say that there are too many common mistakes around writing in the first person, except potentially oversharing. As best as you consciously can, consider how much your audience actually needs to know to make the connection, so that you aren't just pouring your heart out and trying to force a connection. Sometimes noticing tiny little pieces of circumstances will trigger a huge emotional reaction, and it doesn't need to be someone actually explaining their life story to get that.

If you aren't comfortable in the first person even after giving it a shot, I recommend trying the third person limited omniscient narrator. That could do what you hope, by giving that little bit extra to an audience, but it remains in the third person that you are comfortable with

[eyw00400]

Hi! I have a Viva Voce assessment tomorrow and I'm prepared for it but I was wondering if you maybe have some advice for this kind of assessment (if you've done it before that is.)  I've never done this before and I am actually really nervous.

[ssarahj]

Hi! I have a Viva Voce assessment tomorrow and I'm prepared for it but I was wondering if you maybe have some advice for this kind of assessment (if you've done it before that is.)  I've never done this before and I am actually really nervous.

Hey! Elyse might pop in here soon but I thought I'd wish you good luck for tomorrow anyway!

After chatting to a friend who did this exact same assessment last year she was adamant that if you are confident & passionate about your work and have lots to say about it you will be totally fine! It's highly likely that your teacher will be actually really interested in your ideas and will want to know more, so give them what they want without waffling on! 😃 Its one of those assessment types that can be really weird especially when there's nothing like it in the earlier years of high school. Your teacher knows this too so they will be trying to make you as comfortable as possible.

Use your nerves to go smash it!! 

[eyw00400]

Hey! Elyse might pop in here soon but I thought I'd wish you good luck for tomorrow anyway!

After chatting to a friend who did this exact same assessment last year she was adamant that if you are confident & passionate about your work and have lots to say about it you will be totally fine! It's highly likely that your teacher will be actually really interested in your ideas and will want to know more, so give them what they want without waffling on! 😃 Its one of those assessment types that can be really weird especially when there's nothing like it in the earlier years of high school. Your teacher knows this too so they will be trying to make you as comfortable as possible.

Use your nerves to go smash it!! 

Thank you so much!!

[elysepopplewell]

Hi! I have a Viva Voce assessment tomorrow and I'm prepared for it but I was wondering if you maybe have some advice for this kind of assessment (if you've done it before that is.)  I've never done this before and I am actually really nervous.

Hey there! Sorry I didn't get to this a few hours earlier, but just in case you check the forums before school, I'll add to Sarah's comment. Absolutely, know your passion and express that passion in your words! Be articulate, and tick all boxes. So, look into the criteria for the vive voce, or if it isn't supplied, look at the reflection statement criteria. It talks about research into form and concept, among other things. Be prepared to discuss both of these, the research into both! Sometimes we get caught up in the research into concept and forget to talk about form. Your teacher might prompt you to talk about form, but he or she mightn't, so bring it up yourself if possible to ensure you take the discussion that way - particularly if concept and form are interlinked for you at this stage!

If you're reading this after the vive voce, how did you think you went?

[eyw00400]

Hey there! Sorry I didn't get to this a few hours earlier, but just in case you check the forums before school, I'll add to Sarah's comment. Absolutely, know your passion and express that passion in your words! Be articulate, and tick all boxes. So, look into the criteria for the vive voce, or if it isn't supplied, look at the reflection statement criteria. It talks about research into form and concept, among other things. Be prepared to discuss both of these, the research into both! Sometimes we get caught up in the research into concept and forget to talk about form. Your teacher might prompt you to talk about form, but he or she mightn't, so bring it up yourself if possible to ensure you take the discussion that way - particularly if concept and form are interlinked for you at this stage!

If you're reading this after the vive voce, how did you think you went?

Thank you! Ah.. I think I did ok?? Like I answered everything and it was prompted but like I feel pretty iffy about it.
At least it is over!