Study Hub for CXC English A & B

This poem focuses on the wishes of a black boy. He is facing discrimination and he dreams that his quality of life would not be determined by the colour of his skin. He does not like the fact that he is prevented from realizing his dreams and expressing himself freely because of his race. He wishes for recognition from his teacher. He looks forward to being hugged (commended) when he kicks a goal. He also wishes that whenever he has the answer in class he does not hold back. He makes reference to the fact that he is not 'a wood chopper like all ancestors'. This means that he is not a slave and as such he should not be afraid to speak or assert himself. He further wishes for the opportunity to receive the best education and earn 'good money'. He does not want to degrade himself by doing demeaning things in order to receive favours. He uses the term 'licking boots' to highlight that he does not want to have to be subservient to people in order to get ahead...

Your Written Report should fulfill certain requirements. Note below what it should cover. Paragraph One (Describe the process)           What is the group’s theme/topic?           What are the sub-themes/sub-topics focused on by the group members?            How was the group formed?           How did you choose your theme and why?           How were the sub-topics of the group members selected?     Paragraph Two (Describe the procedure) How did the group members go about searching for their pieces? Did the group members help each other to source their pieces? What process or system was used by the group to select the three (3) pieces for the group activity and written report? Did the group have meetings? Did group members have discussions? Were group members given the opportunity to defend the usefulness of their pi...

FEATURES OF ORCHIDS Note: These features are being provided so as to put the actions in the poem into context. - Many of them are difficult to grow and keep alive. - Many people find it hard to get them to bloom. - They do not require a lot of watering. - They are used to good air circulation and light. - The appearance of orchids often gives clues about how they should be cared for. - They are valued by many people. Key Points by Stanza Stanza 1 and 2:  The persona in the poem is packing up to move from a place she has stayed for five-weeks. She intends to send the items she has packed to the new place.  Stanza 3:  One thing captures the persona's attention - a spray of orchids she got from someone. Stanza 4:  The orchids are described as having no fragrance and having purple petals.  Stanza 5-6:  The persona watered them when they were in full blown but instead of dying as she intended they are resilient and continue to thrive. S...

Bird hunting is a sport that is often engaged in for enjoyment or competition purposes. In her poem, 'Birdshooting Season,  Olive Senior shows the activities and attitudes of people who are connected to this sport. Stanza 1 This stanza shares that the men are very close to their guns during this season. Men come from far to prepare for birdhunting in the speaker's father's house. Stanza 2 The women work hard all night preparing the food and drink for the men to carry with them. They are described as being unhappy. Also, before they leave out the men drink rum that is not diluted by water. Stanza 3  The men leave in the darkness with their packs and guns. Stanza 4 The children watch the men as they go. The boys look forward to being birdhunters one day and the little girls want the birds to escape so the men will come home empty-handed. Literary Devices * Contrast: There is a contrast between how the little boys and the little girls feel about birdshooting. The li...

Your summary writing skills are tested on Section A of the English A examination. You are given 40 minutes to write a summary of no more than 120 words.  Below are several tips you can apply as you prepare your summary piece for the English A                  examination. Read ALL instructions that are connected to Section A and adhere to them. Read the passage at least twice. The first reading is for you to get an overall understanding of the extract's focus and the other readings should allow you to identify the main idea and its supporting points. As you read, pay attention to how the extract is organised. For example: Is the passage aimed at presenting cause, effects and solutions associated with a specific topic? Since the passage focuses on a general topic, what does each paragraph highlight about it? Underline key sentences and make jottings as you work on identifying the main idea and su pporting details. You ca...

  CXC highlights that summary writing involves two processes: information gathering and information giving . Information gathering includes reading, identifying, interpreting and  selecting what is necessary. Information giving includes combining, organizing and writing the  ideas that have been selected. Over the years, CXC has made several observations about the summaries that students have  produced. These are areas of concern that you should do all you can to avoid. They have been  outlined below. AREAS OF CONCERN *   The information is misinterpreted by some students. Where students misinterpret the content of the original extract, they write a summary that includes details that were not in the given extract.  *    Although paraphrasing is required when writing a summary, some students lift chunks of texts according to CXC. This means they use sentences or phrases verbatim (word for word) from the passage.This is a ...

Whenever you are going to prepare to write a short story, consider the following questions: 1.          What is the story going to be about? 2.        What is the theme of the story? 3.        Who are the characters? How will they behave? How will other characters react to them? 4.        Where will the events in the story take place? 5.        Will any special techniques be used in the story such as a flashback, twist and so on? 6.        How will the story begin? 7.        What is the problem in the story? What is the conflict? 8.        What are the actions in the story? 9.        How will the story be resolved?      Use these questions to guide what you incl...