Tap, tap, tap! Attention National 5s!

Hi everyone,

SQA have just produced a table which suggests some past papers (Standard Grade Credit and Int 2) which could be used to help support your study. You can find them HERE.

We will certainly be making good use of this in class in the weeks to come, but I know many of you are already preparing for the external exam (go you!) and I wanted to make sure you had this information as soon as possible. The papers are all recent, so you should be able to get them (with mark schemes, although use with some caution) on the SQA English subject website (SG here and Int 2 here).

Happy revising!

Higher Poetry: e.e. cummings

Here's the poem we looked at today. We will finish up with it on Monday, then continue with Fern Hill:

[in Just-]

BY E. E. CUMMINGS

in Just-

spring          when the world is mud-

luscious the little

lame balloonman

whistles          far          and wee

and eddieandbill come

running from marbles and

piracies and it's

spring

when the world is puddle-wonderful

the queer

old balloonman whistles

far          and             wee

and bettyandisbel come dancing

from hop-scotch and jump-rope and

it's

spring

and

         the

                  goat-footed

balloonMan          whistles

far

and

wee

Higher interpretations

Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows. –John Betjeman


Today we worked in our groups, considering the topic of childhood through the lens of the above quotation. 

Our responses:

“As a child, everything is new and exciting, and sensory, but when you get older, things are more reason-based, and everything gets duller, realising you have to think about everything and do something with your life.” 
Thus spake the Pink Toothbrushes.

“When you’re younger, there’s no complex meanings behind anything, and you’re totally carefree. The ‘dark hour’ represents adulthood, and how you always have to think about things. Nothing is as simple anymore.” 
So sayeth those guys wot have no name (Orange Watch) J 

“As a child, you just take things as they are; you don’t analyse them. But when you get older, your innocent view of the world gets distorted, and you begin to realise the evil in the world.” 
More guys with no name… duuuuuuuuuude. (Blue Strawberry)

“Your childhood is limited, and there is no need for complex thoughts. Everything is simple, and it’s based on your sounds, smells and sights, however when you grow up, you realise that not everything is good, and your innocence is distorted by the darkness of reason.” 
The green footwear have spoken.

“The quote describes the wonder that children feel for the world through experiencing different senses, however, this innocence is replaced with a burden of responsibility and a new kind of reality. The reality experienced when they’re younger is perhaps more real than our adult rationalisations.” 
Violet Alphas… get that!

“When you’re a child, you observe everything and take everything in, and it’s all new and good, but when you grow up, you become quite one-track-minded, and only observe what you want to. The world’s all right, but the novelty wears off!” Cosy jumpers… not so cosy when the novelty wears off! Or in summer. 
–the Charcoal Knitwear Band

“Childhood is measured in experiences and sensations. Adulthood is a record of what happened, not the impact it holds emotionally. Adults are seen as dark and boring to a child.” 
100 Burned Books (not just the banned ones).

S1 Poetry Homework

Find and print/email/post a poem which deals with the theme of love. You may post below in the comments.