Thursday, July 31, 2008

Second Task..

Dearest 6BBT.. Thanks for sending me your short articles about National Service Training Programme.. Well now, we jump into politics..
" If Anwar were to be the MPs of Permatang Pauh, what are his obtacles towards achieving his dream!"
Please write to me using the comment links and make sure to write your name at the end of the essay. Thank u.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

WRITE TO ME

Hi guys,
If you are students from 6BBT, 5CKL, 5DDK, 5TKN and even 4CKL SMKSM, please do write to me using the comments section... Please include your name and class together with your articles, reports, essays or any writing materials. Looking forward to receive something from you guys soon. .Azman Sulaiman.

Good Listening In Class

It is important for you to be a good listener in class. Much of what you will have to learn will be presented verbally by your teachers. Just hearing what your teachers say is not the same as listening to what they say. Listening is a cognitive act that requires you to pay attention and think about and mentally process what you hear.

Here are some things you should do to be a good listener in class.

Be Cognitively Ready to Listen When You Come to Class. Make sure you complete all assigned work and readings. Review your notes from previous class sessions. Think about what you know about the topic that will be covered in class that day.

Be Emotionally Ready to Listen When You Come to Class. Your attitude is important. Make a conscious choice to find the topic useful and interesting. Be committed to learning all that you can.

Listen with a Purpose. Identify what you expect and hope to learn from the class session. Listen for these things as your teacher talks.

Listen with an Open Mind. Be receptive to what your teacher says. It is good to question what is said as long as you remain open to points of view other than your own.

Be Attentive. Focus on what your teacher is saying. Try not to daydream and let your mind wander to other things. It helps to sit in the front and center of the class, and to maintain eye contact with your teacher.

Be an Active Listener. You can think faster than your teacher can speak. Use this to your advantage by evaluating what is being said and trying to anticipate what will be said next. Take good written notes about what your teacher says. While you can think faster than your teacher can speak, you cannot write faster than your teacher can speak. Taking notes requires you to make decisions about what to write, and you have to be an active listener to do this.

Meet the Challenge. Don't give up and stop listening when you find the information being presented difficult to understand. Listen even more carefully at these times and work hard to understand what is being said. Don't be reluctant to ask questions.

Triumph Over the Environment. The classroom may too noisy, too hot, too cold, too bright, or too dark. Don't give in to these inconveniences. Stay focused on the big picture - LEARNING.

Reading Comprehension

Reading Comprehension: The REDW Strategy for Finding Main Ideas

REDW is a good strategy to use to find the main idea in each paragraph of a reading assignment. Using this strategy will help you comprehend the information contained in your assignment. Each of the letters in REDW stands for a step in the strategy.

Read: Read the entire paragraph to get an idea of what the paragraph is about. You may find it helpful to whisper the words as you read or to form a picture in your mind of what you are reading. Once you have a general idea of what the paragraph is about, go on to the next step.

Examine: Examine each sentence in the paragraph to identify the important words that tell what the sentence is about. Ignore the words that are not needed to tell what the sentence is about. If you are allowed to, draw a line through the words to be ignored. For each sentence, write on a sheet of paper the words that tell what the sentence is about.

Decide: Reread the words you wrote for each sentence in the paragraph. Decide which sentence contains the words you wrote that best describe the main idea of the paragraph. These words are the main idea of the paragraph. The sentence that contains these words is the topic sentence. The other words you wrote are the supporting details for the main idea.

Write: Write the main idea for each paragraph in your notebook. This will provide you with a written record of the most important ideas you learned. This written record will be helpful if you have to take a test that covers the reading assignment.

Use REDW to help you understand the information in your reading assignments.

How to improve Reading Comprehension

While most of us are taught to read at a very young age, many of us need to improve our reading comprehension skills. The following tips will help you become an active reader, and can improve your ability to understand everything from manuals to newspaper articles.

'While most of us are taught to read at a very young age, many of us need to improve our reading comprehension skills. The following tips will help you become an active reader, and can improve your ability to understand everything from manuals to newspaper articles.';

Things You’ll Need:
Sticky notes
Writing utensil
Step1
Find a comfortable, quiet place to read. Distractions will prevent you from fully comprehending the reading material.

Step2
Preview the reading material. Your goal is to familiarize yourself with the layout of the piece in preparation for reading. Skim a book for a table of contents, prologue, epilogue, chapters, index, appendix, and/or glossary. Skim an article for headings, sub-headings, pictures, and/or footnotes.

Step3
Read any and all directions given to you.

Step4
On a sticky note, write 2 to 3 questions and/or predictions about what you are going to read based on your preview. Remember, there are no stupid questions or predictions.Sample question: What does the title "To Kill a Mockingbird" mean? Sample prediction: I think this book is about learning how to hunt birds.

Step5
Begin reading.

Step6
On your sticky notes, record any questions or comments that come to your mind as you read, and place the notes next to the related text. On your notes you might argue with the author, highlight a powerful statement, explain theme, summarize, or connect your personal experiences to the text. Sample comment: I understand why Scout is so frustrated with Jem. I feel the same way when my brother ignores me.
Step7
Reread sections of text that don't make sense, and look up vocabulary words that are unfamiliar.
Step8
Periodically, review the predictions you made before you started to read. Decide if you need to change your predictions based on what you have read.
Step9
Periodically, review the questions you asked at earlier points during the reading. Answer as many as you can. Continue to question and comment on the text until you are finished reading.
Step10
If possible, discuss the reading with others, and compare questions, comments and predictions.
Step11
Finally, reflect on the piece once you have finished reading. Determine what you disliked and liked about it, and write down what you learned from reading it.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

writing tips

Dakota State UniversityMadison, SD, USA
Creative Writing: Fiction
Writing Tips
Fiction Writers

Fiction writers learn to write by writing. Although writing is an art, there are skills, tools, and techniques that can be learned in order to develop talent. And constructive criticism and feedback can help this process.
To be a good writer you need to read a lot, listen and observe everything about you carefully, and write a lot. Writing a lot takes discipline, because writing can actually be hard work- but very satisfying. Setting up a routine for writing is important; it is very easy to find something else to do besides writing. A compulsion to write is very useful.
Fiction writers should have a good grasp of the language, but most of all they must be storytellers. A really good story can compensate for less-than-brilliant writing, but brilliant writing will not save a bad story.
Readers of fiction want very much to find the writer's work to be believable. It is the task of the writer to produce a story that does not jolt the reader into recognizing that the narrative is just the writer talking, just fiction. The writer should write about what he or she already knows through experience or can learn about through research. The narrative should read as if the writer really knows what he or she is writing about.

Major Components of Stories
Plot is the organization of events that will take place in the story.
Characters are the people or animals who will be in the story.
Setting is the physical time and place in which the story takes place.
Dialogue is the spoken words of the characters in the story.
Point of view is the relative identification of the narrator with the characters.
Theme is the main idea or meaning behind a story.
Style is the writer's use of the language.

Elaboration
Plot
Plot (and characters) carries the other elements of the story. The plot must be believable, plausible, and interesting. It is a sequence of events connected in a cause-and-effect manner. Generally the plot consists of a series of increasingly more intense conflicts, a climax (the most intense part of the story), and a final resolution. The plot must be advanced as the story unfolds. Usually the closer to the end of the story the climax is placed the better. Long works like novels can have many subplots and secondary climaxes and resolutions. Avoid using subplots in order to have cliché characters. Avoid too many coincidences. Flashbacks have been overused. A story is stronger when it runs chronologically.

Characters
The reader should be able to identify with and care about the characters in the sense that the characters seem real to the reader. The characters must do something, and what they do must seem reasonable for them to have done it. Characters should be introduced early in the story. The more often a character is mentioned or appears, the more significance the reader will attach to the character. Also, the main character should be introduced before setting, so that the setting can be introduced from the point of view of the character. The nature of characters can be brought out through minimal description and the actions, thoughts, and dialogue of the characters. The writer should allow the reader to make judgments about the characters; the writer should avoid making the judgments for the reader. The feelings of the character should be demonstrated rather than told by the narrator. Yet, there are some very good stories in which much of the narration is about a character's feelings and thoughts or in which the narration goes into great detail and analysis of a character's feelings and thoughts at some point. So one rule about writing is that there are no rules, or maybe: If it works, it works.

Setting
Setting includes the place and time in which the story takes place. The setting should be described in specifics to make the story seem real, to set the atmosphere and mood of the story, to place limitations on the characters, or to help establish the basic conflict of the story. Weather can be an important part of setting. The setting can be used for contrast, having something taking place in an unexpected place. Also, the more unfamiliar the reader is with the setting, the more interesting the setting.

Dialogue
Dialogue makes fiction seem real. However, dialogue that copies reality may actually slow down a story. Avoid unnecessary or repetitive dialogue. Dialect in dialogue can be difficult to read. A small amount of it can be used to establish the nature of a character, but overuse will intrude on the story. The level of use of language by the characters- pronunciation, diction, grammar, etc.- is often used to characterize people in a story. Most often the main characters use the best English. Profanity and vulgarisms can be used where they seem appropriate. Overuse amounts to author intrusion and can interrupt the reader's belief in the story. Too much exposition through dialogue can slow down a story. Characters should not repeat in dialogue events which have already happened in the story. Also, one character should not tell another character what the second character should already know just so the writer can convey information to the reader. The conversation will sound implausible: author intrusion. The information can be conveyed in simple narration or by having a knowledgeable character explain something to another character who reasonably should not know the information already. The form of dialogue should be varied to keep the reader interested. However, don't try to find too many different ways to say "said." Interior dialogue is what a character is thinking. Dramatic dialogue is a character thinking out loud, without response from other characters. Indirect dialogue is the narrator telling what a character said. Dialogue should be used to develop character or to advance the story. It should not be used just to hear characters talk.

Point of View
First person point of view has the main character telling the story or a secondary character telling the main character's story. Everything that happens in the story must be seen or experienced by the character doing the narration. The reader's judgment of other characters in the story will be heavily influenced by the narrator. This can be very limiting. Also, a story written in first person usually means that the main character won't die in the story. However, first person point of view gives a sense of intimacy to the story. Third person point of view can be objective or omniscient. An objective narrator describes actions but not the inner thoughts or feelings of the characters. An omniscient narrator can describe all the actions of all of the characters but also all of their inner thoughts and feelings as well.

Theme
The theme of a story is often abstract and not addressed directly in the narrative. It is imparted to the story by the concrete events occurring in the story.

Style
Style is the way the writer uses language. The longer the work the less important language becomes. Above all, the writer's work must tell a story. The writer should not be more concerned with the words used than with the story the writer is trying to tell. Don't be a fanatic about words. The language is less important than character and plot. However, a combination of a good story and good English will be a delight to read. Mistakes in English amount to author intrusion and detract greatly from the story being told. The most effective writing uses the active voice. Shorter, concrete words tend to be stronger. Long words tend to be abstract. Avoid wordiness. Write in a concise, precise, concrete, and specific manner. However, recognize that English has an enormous number of words in it, and the words can have very precise meanings. Sometimes no other word will do. And be specific. Don't mention just a tree; say what kind of tree it was. The choice of words can help set the tone of the story. Beginning writers may get defensive and touchy about their style. When offered constructive (or maybe destructive) criticism about their style, beginning writers may tend to say something like,"Well, that's just my style." The implication being that the reader must like whatever style the writer chooses to use. But that is backwards. It is up to the writer to please the reader, not the other way around.

Other Tips
In no particular order.
Be specific in your writing. The more specific the detail, the more real the story will seem to the reader. The best fiction can come from the preposterous imaginations of writers who are good storytellers. Becoming a skilled typist (on a word processor) is extremely useful to a writer. Very few people make a living at writing fiction. Revision is important. A writer can always do one more revision. At some point the writer has to stop revising and get the work published. Show, don't tell. Avoid starting a story with dialogue. Don't use clichés. The more detail in the story, the more interesting the story. Revise, revise, revise, revise, . . . Avoid author intrusion. Write what you like to read. Don't use exclamation points. Use surprise and irony. The shorter the story, the more important each word becomes. Descriptions and technical details must be authentic; when the reader suddenly realizes that the writer made a mistake, the reader is jarred out his or her temporary acceptance of the story as reality, i.e., author intrusion. Avoid overused words. Success breeds success. The more published you are, the easier it is to get published again. Every word can be used appropriately somewhere in some story. Don't tell what happened; recreate what happened. The beginning of a story must be interesting. Readers can be lost on page one. Scorning the work of a writer does not make that writer a better writer.

A Final Observation
Whatever rules or tips you read about writing you will be able to find some published work that violates them. Sometimes the violation is glaring and amounts to author intrusion. Other times the violation may actually help the story. Usually the latter occurs when the writer actually is an excellent wordsmith and deliberately, with great specific purpose, violates some rule or tip.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

muet muet muet

How to Get Band 6 in MUET
This article on Malaysian University English Test (MUET) preparation, tips and experience was written by Michelle Tam, one of the 176 candidates who got band six in MUET April/May 2007.
MUET Preparation
The only things I did was read up on how to do the summary section as I always find cutting down on words the tricky part. As a former debater and public speaker, I needed no preparation for the speaking section, but only took part actively in class discussions and since I'm quite a chatterbox (and 99% of the time I converse in English, so that helps.)As for the writing section, once again I did not prepare or look out for 'hot' topics, but I am an avid reader, having started at the tender age of 3. I devour books, finishing an average of 2-3 novels/fiction pieces a week. That helped me build a tremendous vocabulary bank and also helped me with the subtle nuances of the English language, allowing me to add flair and flavour to my writing.As for the objective section, I got a perfect score here (135/135, I think?) by simply being careful and using every minute I had to go over the questions.
MUET Tips
The only tips I have would be :
Read as much as you can, not just for the exam, but for your own enrichment and enjoyment. This is seriously the best way to prepare yourself for MUET, as it helps you understand the finer nuances of the language and the subtle meanings and slight but critical differences in the meanings of similar words.
Speak English as much as you can. I speak English all the time (and I mean ALL the time) and this has helped me to speak clearly and confidently. Even if you're weak in it, persist at it. There is no better way to better yourself in this area than by speaking the language.
Participate in the UNSW (University of New South Wales) International Competitions for Schools, English. It is an international competition that I participate in every year, and I find it extremely useful as they give you detailed descriptions of your mistakes, how proficient or accurate you are compared to the rest of the country, and how you rank amongst the students in your country.I've been taking part in it for 3/4 years now, and every year I rank among the top 2% of the country, getting a Distinction. I find it to be very useful as it is MUCH TOUGHER than MUET, and is great help for your objective section, although it does focus on literature and 'deeper' pieces compared to MUET.
Get involved in English based activities. I was actively involved in public speaking and debating in my secondary school, and this helped to further refine and polish my English speaking skills (plus it helps with the counter arguments during the speaking test - quick rebuttals always save the day!). Also get involved in drama as this helps you think creatively and also to express all sorts of emotions/convince the audience etc.
MUET ExperienceMy MUET experience was pretty ordinary. I missed my Band 6 the first time by a mere 4 points and that was pretty upsetting - I breezed through the objective part too quickly, I think, causing me to lose those much needed marks.Second time around, I was more careful. I made sure I went through my objective session thoroughly and also drew on my National Service experience and knowledge to make my essay on firearms convincing. I practiced the speaking section with a group of people on the same level of eloquence and intelligence (such as other national level best speakers + drama champions), ensuring that I wasn't just out talking the rest, but actually facing a challenge with answering their sharp and incisive questions and also thinking on my feet.When I got my Band 6, I was elated, as it wasn't just a scrape through but a comfortable score of 273. I knew I could do it, and I wish I had been more serious during my first try as it would have saved me RM 60, hee.All in all, it was a pleasant journey that was not taxed by arduous preparation. technically, I had been getting ready for it all along, as I read a lot, speak English all the time, enter English related competitions and get involved in English related school activities. I'm glad that it has all paid off - the Band 6 truly was the icing on the cake.About the AuthorMichelle Tam is currently an Upper Sixer in St. Paul's Insititution, Seremban. She is an outgoing, creative person who is highly enthusiastic about all life has to offer, yet practical, sensible and mature when occasion calls for it, due to the many responsibilities shouldered in the past (Asst Head Prefect, Editor of the The Paulian, Sports House Captain, Cheer Team Captain etc etc).She is also an avid reader and writer, as she loves anything and everything to do with the English Language. She takes part in as many writing competitions as she can, garnering Highly Commended's in the international Royal Commonwealth Essay Competition and emerged as runner up in the Oxford-Cambridge Essay Writing Competition in 2005, am the school's drama team's script editor (they are going to the nationals in Langkawi!) amongst a few achievements.