Tips for 1119 SPM 2012 : ENGLISH LITERATURE

Here's an interesting acronym that was shared by an experienced teacher, Mr. Adnan. I've came up with a graphic depiction of the acronym to make it easier to remember. In the context of the novel, make sure that you are well-versed on finding the evidences pertaining to all of the literary elements.

The main characters in Lee Su Ann's The Curse.I've taught my students the AMA acroynm (Azreen/Madhuri/Asraf) to make it easier for them to remember the main characters in the novel. The images in the infographic above are the actual thespians who starred in the well-executed Curse Musical Theater in 2011, directed by my friend, Hafeezah.

Analysis of past years questions. The safest way is to familiarise with the main characters and how they reacted to the events in the novel. Focus on the family bond, how the relationship evolves amidst all the chaos and unexpected truth. 

Do check out My Lit Project to explore the digital notes and try out the interactive activities. You can also check out my Slideshare for other novels and online resources. All the best!

The Curse, Catch Us If You Can & Step by Wicked Step

Based from my blog stats, I've discovered that there are quite a number of visitors who were looking for materials on the Form 5's novels ( The Curse, Catch Us If You Can and Step by Wicked Step). Although I blogged more on The Curse as that is the novel that I am teaching in my school, I thought it would be good to jot down a blog entry on all the three novels for easy reference. Enclosed are materials on all of the aforementioned novels. They are provided by the Curriculum Development Division (CDD), MOE and I've shared them on my Scribd as well. I hope that would assist any student or teacher who is in need of extra reading material.

Step by Wicked Step Catch us if you can The Curse

I Wonder & Heir Conditioning

For Form 2 students and teachers who are looking for PowerPoint materials on Jeannie Kirby's I Wonder and M. Shanmugalingam's Heir Conditioning, I would like to share the materials I've received from the Johor Bahru's English Language Officer. For more English Lit materials, do check out my Slideshare's site.

I Wonder - Jeannie Kirby

View more PowerPoint from Nor Fadzleen

Heir Conditioning

View more PowerPoint from Nor Fadzleen

Around The World in 80 Days

For those looking for materials to teach Jules Verne's Around The World in 80 Days, enclosed is the material provided by the Johor Bahru Education Office during the Johor Bahru's F3 English Literature Workshop recently. Thanks to Ms. Ruzana for the materials. Sharing is caring :)

Around The World In 80 Days

View more PowerPoint from Nor Fadzleen

SPM Past Year's Questions : Novel

YEAR	EXAMINATION ITEM	ELEMENT TESTED
2004	Choose an event in the novel you have studied which you find to be most memorable. Give reasons for your choice and with close reference to the text, discuss the event.	Plot
2005	‘Love is important in a family.’ How is this shown in the novel you have read? Support your answers with close reference to the text.	Theme
2006	The writer describes the main character as a very determined person. Using details from the novel you have studied, write about: -some instances that show the character’s determination. -how the determination affects his/her family.	Character & Characterisation
2007	‘It is important to have a person you look up to in your life.’ From the novel you’ve read, write about one character that you looked up to. Give a reason why you choose him/her.	Character & Characterisation
2008	Describe what happens at the end of the novel and explains why you find the ending happy or sad.	Plot
2009	Using the details from the novel you have studied, write about a difficult decision made by one of the characters.  With close reference to the text, do you think this was the right decision?	Character
2010	Based on the novel that you have read, write about an important incident that you remember. Give reasons why you remember the incidents.	Plot

This morning, I facilitated the Curse Item Building Workshop organised by the Johor Bahru's English Language Panel at SMK Sultanah Engku Tun Aminah (SETA). Despite the fact I just got back from a week meeting with CDD in KL last night, I felt it's my responsibility to be there and assist my team mates ( the ever esteemed Pn. Jamiah and resourceful Pn. Ho).  The main objective of organising this workshop is to assist the teachers in facilitating revision for the Curse as it is the first time it would be tested in SPM this year. Thank you to all the teachers who took part in designing the module. If you are interested to use the module, check out my Scribd doc. Thanks to Ms. Ruzana Saat, the District English Language Officer for her ideas and sponsoring our food :)

Changes in the format of the English Lit Component in SPM 111/2

A friendly reminder to all the English Language teachers and students out there. Effective 2011, The Examination Board will make amendment to Section D (English Literature Component) in the SPM 1119/2 paper.

Recent Format	New Format (2011)
Section D Poem : 5 marks (structured item) Short Story : 5 marks (structured item) Novel: 15 marks (open response) Total : 25 marks	Section D Poem: 5 marks (structured item) Novel: 15 marks (open response) Total: 20 marks

THE CURRENT ASSESSED GENRE		THE ASSESSED GENRE EFFECTIVE 2011
Poem	One of the poems studied in Form 4	Poem	One of the poems studied in Form 4 or Form 5
Short Story	One of the short stories studied in Form 4	Short Story/Drama	Won’t be tested in SPM
Novel	Novel studied in Form 5	Novel	Novel studied in Form 5

The format for other sections in Paper 2 will remain unchanged. Despite the fact that short stories and drama will not be assessed in public examination, English Language teachers still need to teach the aforementioned genre in the classroom. This is in accordance to the circular No. 7/2009, The 2nd cycle of the Malay and English Literature Component for Secondary School (Form 1 to Form 5). I do wonder why short stories are not assessed any longer, it would be interesting to know the others' views pertaining to this matter.

Addendum : For the circular, you can visit Kak Rahmah's blog.

Nature by H.D. Carberry

I have to admit that I haven't invest much time in developing new material for the English Literature Component due to my super hectic schedule. Nonetheless, I've managed to spare a wee bit of time to design one for H.D. Carberry's Nature. I'm planning to use it tomorrow to assist my students in understanding the poem better. I'm in the midst of preparing interactive materials for the poem as well, so do check out this blog from time to time for latest updates!

1119 English Literature: An Analysis

Poetry and Short Stories

YEAR	SHORT STORY	POETRY
2004	The Lotus Eater	Sonnet 18
2005	Looking For A Rain God	Si Tenggang’s Homecoming
2006	The Drover’s Wife	The Road Not Taken
2007	The Lotus Eater	Si Tenggang’s Homecoming
2008	The Sound Machine	Si Tenggang’s Homecoming
2009	The Necklace	Monsoon History

Tips:  The answers to the first three items on the short story and poem can be found in the extract given while the last item requires candidate to provide personal responses with close reference to the poem/short story. 

The Novel

YEAR	ELEMENT TESTED	EXAMINATION ITEM
2004	Plot	Choose an event in the novel you have studied which you find to be most memorable. Give reasons for your choice and with close reference to the text, discuss the event.
2005	Theme	‘Love is important in a family.’ How is this shown in the novel you have read? Support your answers with close reference to the text.
2006	Character & Characterisation	The writer describes the main character as a very determined person. Using details from the novel you have studied, write about: -some instances that show the character’s determination. -how the determination affects his/her family.
2007	Character & Characterisation	‘It is important to have a person you look up to in your life.’ From the novel you’ve read, write about one character that you looked up to. Give a reason why you choose him/her.
2008	Plot	Describe what happens at the end of the novel and explains why you find the ending happy or sad.
2009	Character & Plot	Using the details from the novel you have studied, write about a difficult decision made by one of the characters.  With close reference to the text, do you think this was the right decision?

Tips:  The length of a candidate's answer does not guarantee one will receive better marks. Giving a direct and apt response with appropriate justifications will garner extra points. A candidate must also provide close reference to the text as it shows the depth of one's understanding of the chosen text.

SPM Countdown: The Pearl Pop Quiz flashcards

I've discovered this awesome web-based application called Quizlet via Zaid Alsagoff. The site features flash cards, vocabulary memorisation and study games. Now, who says learning is a bore? To me, this is definitely a fun way to study. I find that it is an apt platform to assist English Language teachers in teaching vocabulary and terminology in the virtual classroom. Did I mention that it is also FREE OF CHARGE? :)

Another plus for Quizlet is it's a fuss-free application. Even for web-novice, it is quite easy to build your own set of  flashcards on any topic that one desires. For instance, I've decided to design The Pearl Pop Quiz flashcards to assist my Form 5 students in revising for their upcoming SPM examination. Even if I am not able to be in school to teach them, they still can retrieve the material 24-7 as long they are connected to the Internet. No reason for not studying even if the teacher is not around.

I love the fact that one can login via one's Facebook account. Since most of my students are perpetually online (especially checking out their Facebook accounts), I believe this would be a great way to coax them to study while oogling their friends' latest photos or updates. To me, the possibilities are endless with Quizlet. I intend to explore more with this freeware and hopefully, I can come up with more flashcard sets to perk up the students' interest in learning. Do check it out!