BISP Ending Prediction (22/2/12)

I feel that there are several possible endings for the characters in The Boy In Striped Pyjamas

Bruno
-He goes back to Berlin and leads a normal life
-He stays in Out-With and continues being a friend with Shumuel, but I think something will happen and the relationship will either end or continue
-He discovered the horros of the camp

Gretel
-She goes back to Berlin and leads a normal life
- She discovers the relationship that Bruno and Shumuel has and either tells other people or keeps it a secret

Mother
-She goes back to Berlin and leads a normal life
-She has an affar with Lieutenant Kolter

Father
-He continues working for the Nazi's
-He withdraws himself from the Nazi's

Maria
-Follows the family back to Berlin

Patel
-Presumely dies in the camp
-Continues working in Out-With

Kolter
-Goes to Switzerland to stay with his father
-Continues working in Out-With

After Chapter 18 Update:

I feel that Bruno would discover the horros of the camp when he and Shumuel look for his papa, or perhaps he might end up getting trapped in the camp and no one would know eher he went and he may end up as a Jewish prisoner and presumedly be trapped there for the rest of his life or dies. The rest of the characters remain the same.

After Chapter 19 Update:

Bruno and Shumuel accidentally entered the gas chamber when a gassing was taking place. Bruno and Shumuel  and the end pages is confimed dead due to the toxic gas that was released into the chamber. The rest of the characters remain the same.

Afer Chapter 20 Update

Several months later, they are still looking for Bruno and Mother and Gretel head back to Berlin. Father decides to go back to the scene were Bruno's clothes were found and found that the base of the fence was not properly attached, his mind came up with a horrifying conclusion that Bruno had wandered into the camp and died there. When I read this, I was shocked and a bit emotional that the main character a little boy of the Commandment who still had so much to offer, died in a Nazi gas chamber which gives a sense of irony

BISP Lit Circles Reflection (Illustrator) (21/2/12)

Today we did yet another lit circle on chapter 16 and 17 of the BISP novel. I think most of us were a bit tired today so today's lit circle we did not really discuss that much.

Starting with Nazrel, he did an OK job being a discussion director but basically slogged the group through task and didn't really live up to his role. Then Victoria was a good summarizer, she explained the story in a nutshell perfectly. Rui was also a good quote finder, explaining and elaborating the quotes well. I myself did a pretty good job today, and my illustrations caused some laughing and giggling due to its slapstick from of humour.

Overall, not a very good lit circle, could have been much better

BISP Lit Circle (Illustrator) (20/2/12)

Role: Insightful Illustrator
Story Title(s):__The Boy In Striped Pyjames
Date: ___20/2/12


Insightful Illustrator’s Role: -

• Vring an image related to the short story; it could be directly linked or something the story reminded you of – an emotion; an event; an idea…
• It can be:-

• a sketch
• a cartoon
• a stick figure scene
• a diagram
• an image from a magazine or the internet
• a mood board etc.

• It can be based on:-

• a character
• the setting
• an exciting part
• symbolism
• figurative language
• a twist or surprse
• a problem
• the theme etc.

• It must be detailed and show thought and effort
• Follow the instructions below when contributing to the discussion

My Drawings

Chapter 16: Back From The Dead

Chapter 16 (ii): The Border Difference

Chapter 17: Mother and Bruno's thoughts

This Week's Reflection (13/2-19/2)

This week we did many activities that involved the BISP novel, some activities included a drama and Literature Circles. I have learned many valuable skills such as improving listening skills, understanding how to effectively record grammar and useful tips on combating spelling errors. I feel that as the weeks grow further my understanding of how to master the English language has totally changed, back in government  English was so easy i barely glanced at my textbook, but now being thrown into this situation with the English level harder than I thought, I feel that English now must be taken seriously as a subject and I shouldn't underestimate it.

I am particularly impressed with my drama performance as I thought I had set my personal target too high but with a bit of hard work and effort I was able to achieve it, also I am happy that I was able of control and guide my drama group into performing a nice drama of Chapter 11. Some things that were a bit lackluster this week were my listening skills as I would get distracted during the Lit Circles and Rui had to snap me out of my daze a couple of times, I can correct this by ensuring that I maintain contact with the speaker at all times, to ensure I don't get lost along the way.

Overall a good week and I'm hoping that next week I can improve and learn additional new skills.

BISP Lit Circles Reflection (Quote Finder) (15/2/12)

Today we did yet another Lit Circle which we discussed on what was going on with Chapter 14,15. I played the role as a Quote Finder and my group agreed that I found some useful and relevant quotes, especially the phrase: "He knows which side his bread is buttered on" which Rui was intrigued when I explain the quote. I felt my weakest link was listening to other people talk and Rui had to shake me out of my dazed state a couple of times, I feel that my listening skills need some improvement before the next Lit Circle or any other group project

Rui did an excellent job as a summarizer and he summarized both Chapters 14 and 15 nicely and he was sort of the "boss" of the group and was able to keep me and Nazrel on track. Victoria was a good Discussion Director but she was quiet and did not really participate that much. She did her job as a Discussion Director and she guided us smoothly through the Lit Circle, Nazrel did a decent job as a Vocab Finder but tends to get distracted by the task at hand.

I feel that this Lit Circle was well organized and proceeded smoothly, some parts such as listening and participating skills should be worked on before the next lesson.

BISP Lit Circles (Quote Finder) (15/2/12)

Role: Quote Finder
Story Title(s):_The Boy In Striped Pyjamas_____________________________ _______________ Date: __12/2/12_____________________

• choose three important, revealing, or interesting sentences/passages from the text:-

• they might tell something about a character
• describe something well
• capture an important moment
• be confusing, funny, scary, ironic, interesting, puzzling, powerful etc.
• contain figurative language, etc.

• explain why you chose the quote, what you think it shows, or why it is important in your opinion


Quote #1: _Every day Bruno asked Shumuel whether he would be allowed to crawl under the wire so that they could play on the other side of the fence but every day Shumuel refused as it was not a good idea(p.80         )

Why I chose it/what it shows:  This shows that Shumuel probably does not want to let Bruno see the horrors of the camp, or maybe he’s concerned about Bruno safety just in case he gets into trouble or perhaps he is embarrassed to show the life he’s living to Bruno, either way this quote ha s several meanings, which I find interesting

Quote #2: _He always in the living room with Mother and she laughed at his jokes more than she laughed at Father’s jokes (p.  85       )

Why I chose it/what it shows:  _This could probably signify an interest with Lieutenant Kolter perhaps Mother is having an affair with him?Maybe she finds Liutenant Kolter more “interesting” compared to Father.There is a probability that the relationship can be seen in future chapters

Quote #3: When he heard lieutenant Kolter arriving at the house and speaking to someone although he didn’t hear anyone answer back, A few minutes later as he was coming downstairs, he heard Mother giving instructions of what needed to be done and Lieutenant Kolter saying , don’t worry this one knows which side his bread is buttered on” laughing in a nasty way (p. 86        )

Why I chose it/what it shows:  When I first read it I assumed Pavel had returned, or it could have been some other Jewish prisoner that was doing the household chores and since they either weren’t allowed or did not dare to talk back, hence the quote: He didn’t hear anyone answer back” When Lieutenant Kolter said : “He knows which side his bread is buttered on” this part could mean he know where his loyalties lie or maybe it shows that he understands what he’s doing and will not mess up the job.

Reflection Chapter 11 Drama (14/2/12)

Today we were doing a "thought tracking" drama exercise where we played out a drama where we would act out and Miss Abena asked us to freeze at random intervals and we would have to state out the thoughts of the character.

My group did fairly well with this exercise, but some of our members we were easily distracted and team cooperation was weak but we did the job fairly well. Jo Yee commented on our drama and told me that I was achieving my personal target of at least band 2 for all aspects or two band 3 aspects.

Miss Abena saw our performance and I felt that I was stuttered a bit but a spoke and remained in character most of the time, I saw my rubric and I had achieved two band 2's and two band 3's which means I have achieved my personal target, I try my best to keep up my performance.

BISP Lit Circles (Quote Finder) (14/2/12)

Role: Quote Finder
Story Title(s):_The Boy In Striped Pyjamas_____________________________ _______________ Date: __12/2/12_____________________

• choose three important, revealing, or interesting sentences/passages from the text:-

• they might tell something about a character
• describe something well
• capture an important moment
• be confusing, funny, scary, ironic, interesting, puzzling, powerful etc.
• contain figurative language, etc.

• explain why you chose the quote, what you think it shows, or why it is important in your opinion


Quote #1: _Every day Bruno asked Shumuel whether he would be allowed to crawl under the wire so that they could play on the other side of the fence but every day Shumuel refused as it was not a good idea______________________________________________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________________

     ____________________________________________________________________ (p.80         )

Why I chose it/what it shows:  This shows that Shumuel probably does not want to let Bruno see the horrors of the camp, or maybe he’s concerned about Bruno safety just in case he gets into trouble or perhaps he is embarrassed to show the life he’s living to Bruno, either way this quote has several meanings, which I find interesting ____________________________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________________


Quote #2: _He always in the living room with Mother and she laughed at his jokes more than she laughed at Father’s jokes______________________________________________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________________

     ____________________________________________________________________ (p.  85       )

Why I chose it/what it shows:  _This could probably signify an interest with Lieutenant Kolter perhaps Mother is having an affair with him?Maybe she finds Liutenant Kolter more “interesting” compared to Father.There is a probability that the relationship can be seen in future chapters___________________________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________________


Quote #3: When he heard lieutenant Kolter arriving at the house and speaking to someone although he didn’t hear anyone answer back, A few minutes later as he was coming downstairs, he heard Mother giving instructions of what needed to be done and Lieutenant Kolter saying , don’t worry this one knows which side his bread is buttered on” laughing in a nasty way _______________________________________________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________________

     ____________________________________________________________________ (p. 86        )

Why I chose it/what it shows:  When I first read it I assumed Pavel had returned, or it could have been some other Jewish prisoner that was doing the household chores and since they either weren’t allowed or did not dare to talk back, hence the quote: He didn’t hear anyone answer back” When Lieutenant Kolter said : “He knows which side his bread is buttered on” this part could mean he know where his loyalties lie or maybe it shows that he understands what he’s doing and will not mess up the job.___________________________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________________


Include here, one question you’d like to discuss during the session:
Did any of the quotes I said, bring any other meanings that I did not say?

Reflection (BISP Lit Circle) (Summarizer) (10/2/11)

Today, we did another literature circle and this time I was the summarizer, I felt I did a pretty good job, but some parts were a bit undeveloped and they were a bit too rushed. The rest of the group did fairly well but we didn't really discuss much of the topics and there were a few awkward silences.

Rui did a good job being a discussion director, he kept everything and everyone on track. Victoria was a Vocab Finder, she found many words that were useful, but I hoped next time she would include better definitions and example sentences, Nazrel was alright as a Illustrator, but he was slightly unprepared as he only had one picture and he did not really define it well.

Overall, I thought this Lit Circle was ok but could and should have improvements

BISP Lit Circle (Summarizer) (10/2/12)

Chapter 12

_In this chapter, the story continues with Shumuel talking about his past, his father was a watchmaker and Shumuel himself used to have a gold watch until the soilders took it away from him. He also remembers one day when he came back from school and his mother asked him to wear an armband with a six pointed star, representing the Jews. Bruno says that he does not wear one but his father does , he drew the symbol and it was the symbol of the Nazi’s Then Shumuel said that he couldn't live in his house anymore and Bruno jumped saying that he too could not live in his old house Shumuel the talked about how his family lived cramped in one room and this boy Luka who keeps hitting him. Shumuel remembers getting on a train and Bruno asks why didn’t he get off but Shumuel said that there were no doors the more Shumuel talked about his past the sadder he got and Bruno decided to stop the conversation . Bruno talks about dinner and Shumuel wonders if he had any food but Bruno declined, saying that he should come for dinner sometime. As he was walking back, Bruno wondered if father, mother or even Gretel would allow this friendship to continue he then decided the better if it and kept it a secret instead

Chapter 13

In chapter 13, Bruno asks maria about Patel's past, she was reluctant at first but eventually told him asking him to never tell anyone what she had told. Afterwards Bruno brought food for Shumuel and asks about Patel but Shumuel knows nothing saying that there were thousands of them on the other side of the fence so he would not know who Patel was, They then discuss occupation and Shumuel thinks of working with animals Bruno says of becoming a soldiers which angers Shumuel and Shumuel mutters he will never understand how he is treated. Later at dinner, Lieutenant Kolter came to dinner and Bruno was saying how he hated geography and history and Kolter said about him learning from his father, Bruno's father asks about his father and we he stays in Switzerland and dos no come back to the Fatherland as they need aid more than ever and he is reluctant to say to say much, he only says that his father is in Switzerland and he has not spoken to Kolter in years, father stops the subject and says it is a matter for a different time, Patel comes in and he was already very nervous and shaky at the start of dinner dropped a bottle of wine on the floor causing Lieutenant Kolter to beat him up, no one bother to stop him, at the end Bruno tries his hardest to remember how his friends look like, but only remembers one is a ginger and the rest was blank  
Include here, one question you’d like to discuss during the session:

Did any of of feel differently? Was there anything else that needed to be added to the summary?

Reflection: Performance Rubric

Today we did a performance rubric to categorize and grade the different aspects of our performance that we were going to perform, we divide the rubric into four sections body language, character knowledge, tone of voice etc. and each of them had a grade 1, 2 or 3 each with it's own set rules and targets to achieve  .

I wasn't there to see the rubric's creation, but I heard there were arguments and group mates not working cooperatively, with a little push and discipline, we can achieve and perform better next time we do a rubric.

My personal target was to achieve either a 2 in every aspect or at least 2 two 3's in two aspects, I what to challenge myself and see how far my drama and acting skills will take me

Drama Performance Rubric (8/2/11)

Performance Rubric - Year 10

Scale → Skill ↓	1 (developing)	2 (intermediate)	3 (expert)
Body Language	Learner uses and body language at all, is very stiff. Learner uses body language that is hard to understand.Audience can’t interpret the character. The learner isn’t confident with his/her performance, keeps fiddling.	Learner uses some good body language with motion that describe their mood Learner uses some understandable body language. Audience, slightly understands The learner is sometimes confident with his/her performance. Fiddles occasionally.	Learner uses a range of body languages to portray the character. Learner uses easy body language that portray the character. Audience understands it perfectly. The learner is always confident. With minimum fiddling, or sometimes none at all.
Facial Expression	Learner is dull and does not express any facial expression. Learner might be smiling or chuckling even though their character might not be like that	Learner sometimes expresses emotion but does not express enough to be convincing. Learner sometimes loses character.	Learner always expresses the emotion of the character clearly. Learner portrays character all the way through.
Understanding of the Character	Learner has little understanding of the character. They have the tendency to be out of character Does not evoke emotions from audience. Learner is not able to react at all when something unexpected happens. The audience is not able to figure out the character played by the learner by simply watching the performance.	Learner has some understanding of the character. Learner tries to stay in character. Learner evokes little emotion from the audience. Learner looks uneasy when something sudden happens, and thus is not able to react in accordance with the character. Audience have a slight hint of the character played, but it is not obvious.	Learner has total understanding of the character. Learner is always in character. Learner evokes emotion from the audience Learner is able to react to a sudden situation in a way that the character would. The audience is aware of the character the learner is playing.
Tone of voice	Learner has variation in his/her tone while not being able not to speak accordingly. The learner might tend to stutter, showing nervousness Learner has enunciation issues like stuttering, mumbling etc.	Learner has variation in his/her tone while speaking according to the emotion. Has variation but does not make it lively enough. Learner might sometimes stutter but sometimes speak in a confident tone	Learner always changes his/her tone while speaking according to the emotion and character Learner speaks in a very confident tone. Learner applies enunciation in speech.

My Personal Target: My personal target is to achieve at least all grade “2” in the rubric, all work my best to ensure I reach a grade “3” in at least 2 aspects of the drama

Hitler and Eva Activity (8/2/12)

This paragraph shows the history of the relationship between Hitler and Eva

This Week's Reflection (30/1-5/2)

This week we did a few activities which included exploring character and literature circles. I have learned many things this week as how to judge and decipher a character and understand more on the BISP novel when we read through the chapters 9 and 10

I feel that I have learn some skills this week such as interpreting and analyzing characters, being able to judge and decipher a character's personality by just their physical appearance, to able able to work as a team and to play out a role well with responsibility. I also feel now I work mich better in a group and can take responsibility for my role in a group instead of before when I did not take a role seriously and would sometimes goof off. I am particularly happy about myself this week as I was able to finally finish organizing my english blog as before it was a complete mess, what I want to improve is to keep a good record of everything I do in english class so it will become much easier the next time i refer back .

I can achieve that by listening carefully towards Ms Abena's instructions and record everything before leaving the class.

BISP Lit Circles (Discussion Director) (2/2/12)

Role: Discussion Director

Story Title(s):_The Boy In Striped Pyjamas_____________________________ _______________ Date: __3/2/12_____________________


• List at least five questions you would like the group to discuss

• Questions should require more than one word answers; do not ask simple fact-recall or closed questions - the goal is to stimulate discussion; focus on literary elements, explicit and implicit meanings etc., start with “Why…, How…, If…”
• Direct the whole session using the ‘Discussion Agenda’ (page 5)

As a last resort you may use the questions listed below

- What was going through your mind while you read today’s reading?

- How did you feel while reading this story?

- What was discussed in this story?

- What questions did you have when you finished today’s short story?

- Did anything surprise you? Why?

- What are one or two of the most important ideas found in the story?

(1)  What were your first impressions on Shumuel?
___________________________________________________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________________

(2)  __Did you think Bruno knew about the life that Shumuel was living? Why? ___________________________________________________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________________

(3)  _Does Shumuel know about the conditions his is in currently? How does his perception of his condition compare to Bruno? ____________________________________________________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________________

(4)  What contrast can you see from Bruno and Shumuel in this chapter? What similarities and differences do they have? _____________________________________________________________________________

      _____________________________________________________________________________

(5) _Have you found any key ideas related to the chapter? Discuss and explain____________________________________________________________________________

     _____________________________________________________________________________

DISCUSSION AGENDA

During the Literature Circle session, the Discussion Director is responsible for facilitating the group discussion.   Here is your checklist/agenda for the session:

_/__ 1.   Start the meeting by reviewing which story was assigned, and which group member is responsible for each role
_/_ 2.   Ask the Summariser to read his/her summary
_/__ 3.   Ask the group: “Does anyone have anything to add to the summary?”
_/__ 4.    One at a time, ask your discussion questions (see below).  Allow group members to provide several different answers; your goal is to have a discussion.  If any group members remain silent, feel free to call on them
_/__ 5.   Have each member in turn ask their discussion questions (if different from yours)
_/__ 6.  Ask the Quote Finder to share his/her quotes
_/__ 7.  Ask the group: “Does anyone have any comments about any of the quotes?”
_/__ 8.  Ask the Insighful Illustrator to share his/her work (they have their own agenda to follow)
_/__ 9.  Ask the Vocabulary Enricher to share their work (they have an agenda to follow)
_/__ 10.  Complete the evaluation forms
_/__ 11.  Complete a reflection on your Blog thinking about:-

• What did you learn today?
• Can you think of any connections between the story and the outside world? Think about:-

• the characters
• the setting
• the author’s style
• the events of the story
• the genre
• the theme
• your own life
• other stories/books/poems

• Are there any questions you have from today’s reading that weren’t asnwered in discussion or came from discussion?
• Would you recommend this story? To whom? Why/why not?
• Would you recommend this story? To whom? Why/why not?
• Any other thoughts or comments?

Exploring Character (2/2/12)

   Exploring your character
Discuss and make notes on the following things.

·   Describe the person’s clothes or any other aspects of their physical appearance.

·   Think of 3 adjectives that describe their general behaviour, e.g. happy, proud, quiet.

·   How do other people treat them?

·   What does the writer suggest about the person or people underneath the appearance? How does he do this?

1.

•    His black boots sparkled
•   Yellow blond hair that was parted at the side and held        perfectly in place
• Striding around in a uniform that looked to have been ironed while he was wearing it

2.

• Sense of authority
• Respectable
• Dignified

3.

• People treat him with respect and honour

I feel that Boyne suggests a seemingly perfect person within Kotler due the the fact his appearance was described so perfectly, Evidence is showed “his black boots sparkled” “Yellow blond hair that was parted to he side and held perfectly in place” this showed that Kolter likes to be well groomed, to look like the perfect solider dressed neat, tidy and disciplined. Underneath all all groomed gear, he wants to become someone who is respected, to be recognized as a  man with power and authority and someone who is dignified. In summary, he wants people to treat people with respect and honour

Improving Writing (26/1/12)

Original Text: I woke up.It was raining.It was cold.It was dark. I went downstairs. I made coffee. I sat at the table.I noticed a shadow at the door. I was curious. I went to the door, I opened the door. nobody was there.

My eyes shot open, I was breathing heavily. Must have been another bad dream I thought to myself. I glanced outside pane of the window the rain was pattering softly against the pane, a gentle yet eerie rhythm. I got out of bed and walked outside towards the hallway, a nice walk should help me get back to sleep, the house was chilly and the surroundings were pitch black, somehow I had a feeling tinging in my spine that something malicious was watching me, I muttered to myself about not watching anymore horror films before bed even though mum chided me not to as I fumbled my way down the hall.

A flash of lightning and a burst of thunder resounded around me, the feeling of being watched intensified, I could feel somebody hot and moist breath breathing down my neck, when I spun around, there was nobody there. As I advanced my way into the living room, another bolt of lightning illuminated the room, followed by the crash of thunder, as the room was lit up, in the corner of my eye, I spotted a grim black figure with evil eyes, he was muttering help me help e..but soon as the light faded he was gone. My heart thumped wildly, but logic kicked in, must be your imagination I told myself.

As I stepped into the kitchen, I decided to have a mug of coffee, it always helps me when I have the jitters. As the smooth and comforting taste of coffee beans warmed and soothed me, I saw a glimpse of a shadow near the door to the backyard, curiosity got the better of me, as i inched slowly towards the door, as I moved ever so closely towards the door, my throat became dry, my heart thumping and pounding my mind screaming to get away from the door, to ignore the being I saw, but I didn’t listen, and I swung open the door expecting a horrific sight.

All I saw was the dark backyard, with the rain outside and the yellow streetlights trying their best to brighten the darkness and gloom. I closed the door, and I laughed, nervous laughter, must have been a wild animal or something. All of a sudden I felt a cold presence behind me, I slowly turned around and the coffee mug crashed onto the floor. The next morning, a bloody sight greeted the morning sun, letters written in blood with a dead body laying prostate on the ground. the letters wrote: help me help me help me before I kill somebody again.