Leaving Cert English 2012

nicmc

Hi, I was hoping someone could give me some advice. I have just started in a new school and have been given 5th year ordinary level English and I don't know what texts to pick for the comparative study. I was thinking about How many miles for the single text but think it goes well with Inside I'm Dancing for the comparative.

Also I was thinking of the story of Lucy Gault for the single text.

I don't know what to pick and must decide before we start back next week, so any advice or suggestions would be more than helpful.

Thanks!

peanuthead

Hi there

If you go into easons and ask for a book called "The comparative study" it actually goes through about 3 or 4 different combinations and also provides notes on all modes for comparison too.

I have only used it for higher level, but I am sure that there is one for ordinary level.

nicmc

Thanks I'll try that:)

nicmc

I tried Easons and they didn't have that book. One of the staff said they had one a few years ago but it was just for the 2010 leaving cert.

If anyone has used the story of Lucy Gault could you please tell me how you found it as the class I'm taking are weak.

eager tortoise

I haven't read The Story of Lucy Gault but just wanted to say I did Dancing at Lughnasa last year with an O.L class of boys and it went down surprisingly well. It was my first time doing it so I am using it again as part of the comparative for my H.L class this year. Might be worth considering as the film version is also pretty good and as a play it might lend a bit of variety to your syllabus.

Your two texts for the comparative I think will work brilliantly

implausible

I would recommend throwing a play into the mix, instead of using two novels. It'll keep your students a wee bit more interested and there's the option of going to see it or study a film version. I've often found my OL classes to be very resistant to the idea of studying novels, whereas they find a play a bit more interesting. Even the weakest students get a kick out of reading out the parts. D@L isn't the worst, but I'd say The Lonesome West would be entertaining to cover. I've picked Babylon for the single text and my crowd will be comparing Sive and Casablanca.

Does each teacher pick his/her own comparative in your school?

roxychix

yeah im stuck with the comp choice. i teach in an all boys school and have the ord class this year 2012. i have done sive with them before and they dont seem to like it. they enjoyed inside i'm dancing but some of the other texts seem a little tough for my level of an ordinary class i have the lowest stream in ord this year. so if anyone had any ideas of a good mix for that level any help would be greatly appreciated. single text is between dancing at lughnasa and how many miles to babylon

nicmc

Hi guys thanks for all the advice.

Picked the story of Lucy Gault in the end for single text and so far they like it.

Comparative is going to be Inside I'm Dancing, How many miles.. and Dancing at Lughnasa.

Also I was told by one of the English teachers I have to do 3 comparative texts for ordinary level but was told by others that 2 would be enough, what would you suggest? Thanks

implausible

roxychix wrote: »

some of the other texts seem a little tough for my level of an ordinary class i have the lowest stream in ord this year. so if anyone had any ideas of a good mix for that level any help would be greatly appreciated. single text is between dancing at lughnasa and how many miles to babylon

You've probably decided already, but Babylon is handy. Plus, it's a war story which should appeal to boys. Very little actually happens in Lughnasa, which imho, makes it more difficult to write about for weak students.

implausible

nicmc wrote: »

Also I was told by one of the English teachers I have to do 3 comparative texts for ordinary level but was told by others that 2 would be enough, what would you suggest?

Two is all you need for the exam. There's no need to do three, especially if you have a weak group.

alabandical

Our lecturer on the dip advised us to do three with an ordinary group which I tend to agree with - gives the students more personal taste and more ammunition.

peanuthead

deemark wrote: »

Two is all you need for the exam. There's no need to do three, especially if you have a weak group.

I agree with this if they are a weak group. they will get things seriously mixed up if they have to do 2 texts in the one year. I know it sounds crazy but I'm speaking from second-hand experience

alabandical wrote: »

Our lecturer on the dip advised us to do three with an ordinary group which I tend to agree with - gives the students more personal taste and more ammunition.

I agree with this if the group is a stronger one and also if you want to broaden not just their ammunition but also their choice of questions to answer. At times one of the questions will require a comparison of 3 texts. To talk about one in the part (i) and to then compare it to 2 in the part (ii)

implausible

alabandical wrote: »

Our lecturer on the dip advised us to do three with an ordinary group which I tend to agree with - gives the students more personal taste and more ammunition.

That's all very aspirational but there really is no need, either in terms of the curriculum or the exam. Dip lecturers often tend to be divorced from the everyday reality of the classroom. In my experience, it leads to confusion. You can end up spending a lot of time on a unnecessary third text, time that could have been spent on strengthening the students' skills for paper 1. The vast majority of students only answer on two, unless they have dropped from Higher.

peanuthead wrote: »

I agree with this if the group is a stronger one and also if you want to broaden not just their ammunition but also their choice of questions to answer. At times one of the questions will require a comparison of 3 texts. To talk about one in the part (i) and to then compare it to 2 in the part (ii)

OL papers never specify that students answer on three texts. I'd only do 3 texts with OL if the class was mixed.

peanuthead

deemark wrote: »

OL papers never specify that students answer on three texts. I'd only do 3 texts with OL if the class was mixed.

True. I didn't read the original post actually.

Dearbhaile.

What texts are any higher level students doing?we're doing How many miles to Babylon,Inside I'm dancing and Dancing at Lughansa but everywhere I seem to look,it says how many miles is for ordinary level? our teacher doesn't care about us

readystudypass

Dearbhaile. wrote: »

What texts are any higher level students doing?we're doing How many miles to Babylon,Inside I'm dancing and Dancing at Lughansa but everywhere I seem to look,it says how many miles is for ordinary level? our teacher doesn't care about us

For 2012, the 3 texts you mention can be done at higher level for the comparative study. 'How Many Miles to Babylon?' is ordinary level for the single text but can be used at higher level for the comparative.

You can see the full list of texts on the syllabus for 2012 at www.education.ie