Since Marky Mark, Mark Wahlberg, has given up his old rapper name, I plan to take it for myself. I have been virtually drowning in marking - I know, it's my own fault - and I even sent the wee one to daycare today just so I could finish marking your research projects and tests.
If you would like to know your updated marks, please check outside my room tomorrow. I'll post them in the usual place. I will be locked in the classroom marking grade 8 exams tomorrow, so if you want your papers, drop by in the morning.
Some general feedback on these two assignments:
Research project: Generally interesting - I learned about a lot of cool stuff! Overall, I was very impressed with your doing the research and the MLA formatting.
1.I did give a mark out of 60, but I did not break it down as indicated on the outline because so many of you had strengths in varying areas. Some of you put so much into your summaries, but then had limited outlines, or had terrific outlines but limited summaries, so I tried to take into account all that you had done to do good research and format a realistic paper.
2.Many of you had research questions that were too general to realistically address in a term paper. That was probably my most common comment. If you had a really general question, it made everything you found on the topic seem like a good source, but then it was hard to create a solid outline that didn't seem to contain wide-ranging, only loosely-related content. So, the take-away from this is to be specific in your research. Instead of looking at how gender affects childhood, look at how gender in television commercials impacts teen-aged boys. Rather than examining how industrialism has damaged the environment, research how chemical fertilizers have damaged frog populations. True, there won't be abundant resources from anywhere to help you answer the question, but the topic will be manageable.
3.Choose sources carefully. Someone's blog, or yahoo, or etalk news are not reliable academic sources. Many of you aced the whole concept of using intelligent, academic research or well-respected news sources, or BOOKS! to answer your questions. Also, a number of you found good graphs, data, and quotes to support your research.
Tests:
1. Clearly attending class and reading the novel help! Marks differed significantly based on those two factors.
2. Detail. In your writing about literature, you need to provide SPECIFIC DETAIL. I know the caps seem loud, but this is imperative for the English 12 exam. Refer with specifics, not generalities to the text.
3. Vignettes are snapshots, pictures, scenes created in the novel, with words. Dramatic irony is irony that occurs because some characters know things others don't or the reader knows things that not all the characters know. Verisimilitude is the appearance of being true; writers include all kinds of detail and statements in their writing to give the illusion of reality to their fiction.
I'll do one last update before the exam, since this is getting rather windy! But, let me say, it was a sincere pleasure to teach you this year. You may not realize how much you have done, and your writing and knowledge has improved. All of you have made strides, and I know there are a lot of universities who will be happy to have you. Good luck!
Ms. M
Anyway, don't forget that for the writing about the texts, you should give lots of supporting detail from the texts. Also, in that section of the exam, try to write more formally. For the composition section, you should be able to write a personal essay or more formal essay, whichever you choose. Keep in mind the composition does not have to be five paragraphs, but you should have a clear introduction and conclusion. Finally, if I were you, I would review the terms sheet Ms. Mountain handed out for the English 12 Exam. Do you know what a parable is? A euphemism? A paradox? Probably worth some studying. 
