Close Study of Text - The Cohen Curricula | Quality ... · Close Study of Text ... ideas (message) Punctuation and its impact in shaping tone Purpose Audience Key themes in the text:

© Pamela Cohen 2014 thecohencurricula.com.au Page 1

Close Study of Text

Tomorrow When the War Began (1993)

By John Marsden (fiction)

NAME_____________________________________________

Created By

Pamela Cohen B A Hons Dip Ed

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3598680320/tt145


Concepts and language features implied by the questions will be

studied in your coursework in class.

You will learn about:

Language forms, features and structures of texts including grammatical and figurative

language.

Themes, issues, ideas (message)

Punctuation and its impact in shaping tone

Purpose

Audience

Key themes in the text:

Survival

Power

Friendship

Grammatical Features:

Verbs

Adverbs

Adjectives

Nouns

Abstract nouns

Proper nouns

Pronouns


Figurative Language features:

Metaphor

Simile

Alliteration

Assonance

Onomatopoeia

Hyperbole

Jargon

Colloquial language

Slang

Formal language

Technical language

Informal language

Objective language

Subjective language

Repetition

Tone

Cliché

Contradiction

Euphemism

Pun

Double entendre

Implication

Inference

Irony

Paradox

Symbolism

Personification


Chapter One

16 pages

Vocabulary and Spelling

agreement business desperate meantime react

allowed casual difficult mountains restaurant

alternative certificates existence murderer rewrite

ancestors chronological friend narrow rudely

answers colonised guttering operate spectacular

appreciating concentrate healthy optimistically squishing

authority conversations immediately persuade surprisingly

avoid curious jealous permission trouble

beautiful decision magistrate pressure undergrowth

believe defence meant puzzled wholesome

Write these spelling words out in your books and rehearse writing

them for three nights.

We will have a spelling test after three nights and the words that you

write incorrectly will be rewritten for the next two nights. We will then

test again.

Select five of these words and write definitions

Select a further five words and write a sentence for each

Select five words and write acrostic poems using a thesaurus to locate

synonyms - other words that mean the same thing


Use the reading strategies below as you read.

READING FOR MEANING

Read the questions first – identify what the question is asking –

comprehension, purpose, language, audience

First we skim read:

Skim reading means:

Read the first paragraph completely and closely- concentrate

Read the last paragraph completely – concentrate and think about the links between the

two

Read the topic sentence of each paragraph ( the first sentence)

Now read the full texts – concentrate

Read the questions again to link between the text and the context of the question

Underline and annotate key words for ideas as you go – identify ANY WORDS for which YOU DO

NOT KNOW THE MEANING and write them in the glossary at the end of the study guide. Look them

up straight away and record their definition. Reread the text or question to see if you now can

determine the meaning.

Speed Reading: How can you speed read the text?

Find the main idea in each paragraph – underline key ideas as you go, topic sentences

hold the key to the argument- also read the final sentence of each paragraph

How to answer comprehension questions:

Read the questions

Read the text

Your skim reading should help you direct your eyes to where the answers are

Reread to determine if the answer if present in this section

Read the paragraph before and the paragraph after to check if the answer is present in

this section

Examine alternative answers for ambiguity

Underline the part of the text where the correct answer is

Recheck other answers then select your correct answer


After reading the opening chapter with the class, read the following questions then reread the

chapter yourself and attempt the questions.

Chapter One

1. Why is the speaker of the text thinking ‘Rack off guys! I’ll never get this done’.

(a) because he/she has been chosen to record events

(b) because he/she cannot concentrate

(c) because everyone is crowding around

(d) because his/her peers are stressed about events which are about to unfold in the text

2. Why does the writer state ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this’.

(a) the writer is nervous

(b) the writer is under stress

(c) the writer knows the process is more than recording events, it includes emotions and

feelings

(d) because she is sitting on a fallen tree and it is hard to write

3. Which quote best reflects the tree the speaker is sitting on?

(a) ‘nice tree’

(b) ‘rotten tree that’s been eaten by witchetty grubs’

(c) ‘ a young one with a smooth reddish trunk’

(d) ‘it looks so healthy’

4. What is the meaning of the word ‘ sleepless’ in the context of the sentence ‘Busy,

anonymous, sleepless insects’.

(a) tireless

(b) unable to sleep

(c) sleepy

(d) exhausted


5. What grammatical feature is used in the following sentence to create onomatopoeia? ’Or

when humans came squishing out of the mud and slime, dropped off their flippers and

fins, and started to walk’. (page 3)

(a) adjective

(b) adverb

(c) pronoun

(d) verb

6. What figurative language feature is used in the phrase ‘go feral’ in the context of the

passage? (Page 3)

(a) simile

(b) euphemism

(c) personification

(d) metaphor

7. What is a euphemism? Provide a quote from page 2 that uses two euphemisms in the

same sentence.

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8. Explain what the speaker means when he/she uses these euphemisms.

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9. Provide a characterisation description for each character: Ellie, Corrie, Robyn, Fiona, Lee,

Homer, Kevin and Chris based on the first chapter.

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10. Write a letter to Lee’s Mother and Father persuading them to allow him to go on

the bush trip with Ellie and her friends. Your letter will take the perspective that

Lee has gone without telling his parents and has left the letter explaining who,

what, where, when, how and why he has decided to go on the trip.

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Chapter Two

12 pages

Vocabulary

serious vehicle trawler exaggerating decisions

ascent knoll surgeon descending distributed

bounced commemoration suggested pensioner rationalised

exited admired route swollen protuberances

actually occasional thrown committee misunderstood

Write the vocabulary list out alphabetically.

Provide a definition for each of the vocabulary words. Write the definitions in your

English book.

Write a sentence using each of the vocabulary words showing you understanding its

meaning in a new context.

Write an acrostic poem using three of the vocabulary words. You must use a

thesaurus and construct your acrostic poem with synonyms and acronyms.

Create syllabic delineations: e.g. pen/sion/er; identify any specific spelling rules

associated with the syllabic structure.

After reading the chapter together as a class, develop a

cartoon or comic strip of one event or episode. Use the

vocabulary from the chapter in your speech bubbles.

Use this website to help you:

http://www.kidzdom.com/tutorials/

http://www.kidzdom.com/tutorials/


Answer the following questions. You must use full sentences to develop your

responses.

1. What time did the group leave? How effective is the use of accumulation to create a sense of passing time?

2. How have verbs and capitalisation been used to identify the direction and location of the destination?

3. How many kilometres had they travelled by 10:30am? What is the composer’s purpose in establishing a sense of time?

4. Why did Homer need to carry the chainsaw? How is tone created and how does that tone contribute to the characterisation of Homer?

5. What descriptive language is used to present the challenges of the track?

6. How have verbs and sentence structure been used to describe the purpose for the ‘unscheduled stop’?

7. The text uses hyperbole. What does the ‘whole country’ stop for?

8. How is a sarcastic tone established through the verb ‘excited’?

10. What does ‘shank’s pony’ mean? What language feature is being used here?

11. What language feature is used in ‘deep and dark’ and ‘district, dotted...’?

12. When Ellie states that ‘two things guys are addicted to...’ what language feature is she using?

13. What is the purpose of listing the contents of Fi’s pack?

14. What is Marsden’s purpose when the narration states that ‘Corrie said, with surprising firmness’?

15. What is an example of an alliterative phrase on page 24?

16. Marsden cleverly constructs imagery of the location on page 25. Provide five examples of the descriptive language he uses.

17. List five verbs used on page 27 and explain what imagery, tone or characterisation they provide?

18. What is an example of onomatopoeia used on page 27?

19. What comparison is made on page 28?

20. How effective has Marsden been in shaping suspense in this chapter?


Chapter Three

5 pages

Vocabulary

leaves secured beneath refreshing kingdom

compared shadowy brought sensitive minutes

marvelling exotic massive anyway middle

metre beautifully obvious someone yawning

Place the list in alphabetical order

Create lists that identify the words in terms of grammatical function

Find definitions for any vocabulary you do not know or understand clearly

Draw something shadowy

Draw an image of the bridge using the specific descriptions from the text

Select three vocabulary words and use them in a creative sentence to describe yourself.


Chapter Four

11 pages

Vocabulary

overlooked pushed panicked crawl replaced

planning poured trembling struggled invaded

stretched realised pointing sprinkled scrutinising

imagining considering descending surrounded occurred

decided slithered produced frightened celebrating

What grammatical feature is common to each of the vocabulary words

Place in alphabetical order

Do a spelling test

Write out the words you get wrong five times correctly

Which of the words have silent letters?

Locate five of the words in the text and write out the quote of the full

sentence they are used in. Work out the tone of the sentence from the verb

or the presence of any adverbs that are used.

Locate the dictionary definitions of any words you do not know.

Write a short story about your best friend/s using as many of the vocabulary

words as you can. Add interesting adjectives and adverbs to develop your

work.

Develop a summary of the chapter suggesting Marsden’s development of the

plot.

Compare this chapter with a similar scene from the film text. Does the film

achieve the same impact as the use of language? How? Why? How not? Why

not?


Chapter Five

10 pages

Vocabulary

serious condensed proper public

different cruel heavy impenetrable

exchange disgusting regretful unkind

rubbish favourite biggest traditional

powdered wrong narrow unusual

What grammatical feature is present in each of the vocabulary words?

What is the purpose of this grammatical feature in texts?

Locate the noun each of these words modifies in the text and write them out. Are

any implied metaphors created?

What imagery or descriptive evidence do they provide for the reader?

What memories do any of these words evoke for you as the reader?

What do we, the readers, learn about each of the characters in this chapter? Write a

list of all the characters, what they do, think or see and analyse how effective

Marsden has been constructing language that has allowed you to understand each

character.

What foreshadowing is present in the final pages of the chapter?

Why do you think Marsden has taken so long to establish characterisation, setting

and relationships between the characters before he gets to the action?

Create a South Park character cartoon of your favourite character from this chapter

using the website below:

http://www.customsouthparks.com/

Print out your character and glue into your English book. Explain why you have

chosen this character, what visual features you have used (colour, shape etc.) and

how you want the viewer to interpret this image.

http://www.customsouthparks.com/


Chapter Six

14 pages

Vocabulary

around faster desperately briefly

whenever wildly anxiously calmly

quickly terribly magically sadly

rationally sarcastically urgently eagerly

brutally strangely suddenly dumbly

What grammatical function applies to each of the words in the vocabulary list?

Find the verb they modify in the text and write out the phrase as a quote ( use the

correct punctuation)

What figurative language feature does each phrase construct?

What is Marden’s purpose in using this vocabulary in the chapter?

What suspense is created in this chapter?

How is the suspense created? (What language or sentence structure is used to create

the suspense?)

What is the purpose of this chapter?

How effective is Marsden in engaging the reader?

What do you learn about each of the characters and their resilience factors in this

chapter?

What clues to the ‘invasion’ are evident in this chapter? Did you read the clues in

earlier chapters? Go back and find the clues and reread the passages to remind

yourself about how Marsden uses foreshadowing to develop his plot.


Chapter Seven

24 pages

Vocabulary

necessary invisible electricity probably

delirious ecstasy cistern manoeuvres

sympathetic gratitude passageway guerrillas

cautious reconnaissance seldom compromise

uneventful despair emptiness concentrating

unaffected unglamorous logical distractions

Fill in the gaps with other words from the chapter that you do not know the

meanings of.

Divide each word up in order of the number of syllables they contain

Place the words into patterns relating to common prefixes, suffixes, silent letters,

double letters and complex vowel phonetics.

Select ten words from the list; locate definitions and write in your English glossary.

Write a Who, What, Where, When, How and Why question about the characters and

events in Chapter 7. You will swap these questions with other students in the class

and then write the answers in your English book. The ‘How’ question must be about

the effectiveness of a specific language feature.


Chapter Eight

12 pages

Vocabulary

chorus spectator cubicle wrecked

eventually straight language quarters

occasionally patriotic disappearing surprising

frustration bicycle meaningless osmosis

astonished fuelled grafittiing moseyed

ammunition unearthly wrecked dramatic

One word from each page of the chapter has been placed in the vocabulary list.

Locate the word and write out the sentence exactly as written in the chapter, with all

appropriate punctuation and in quotation marks.

Locate definitions for any vocabulary you do not understand the meaning of.

Identify an example and suggest how is anaphora used for effect on page 93?

The text uses intertextuality on page 93. Research these two lines of lyrics and who

sang them. Can you interpret their meaning? Why are they used by Marsden here?

What is the danger in using lyrics in a text?

Identify and record the accumulation of verbs used by Ellie. How do these verbs

create insight into her emotional state?

How has third person been used as a narrative device on page 95? What concept is

Marsden trying to persuade you, the reader, to understand or empathise with?

What does the euphemism ‘tore up the rule book’ mean in the context used on page

97?

How does Marsden introduce humour into the text on page 97? Why is the use of

humour effective as a narrative strategy?

Examine the use of complex punctuation in this chapter. Identify colons, ellipses and

other forms of complex punctuation. Select five different examples. Analyse how the

punctuation has been used for effect.


Chapter Nine

16 pages

Vocabulary

agreement ordeal disbelief emerged

rituals recapture meaningless innocent

innocence countryside movement admitted

pursuit endlessly ultimately incredibly

desperate depressed camouflage arguments

valuables scrutinised suspicious Inadequate

fascinated sinister diabolical circuit

Reread the chapter then close the text.

Locate definitions for each of the words in the vocabulary list.

Write a summary of events in the chapter using all the vocabulary words

above. 28 sentences maximum.

Identify the adverbs from the vocabulary list. Suggest how Marsden has used

adverbs to effectively convey his characters actions and emotions.

Discuss the effectiveness of the rural context setting provided in this chapter.

What veracity does Marsden’s description bring to the textual integrity of his

text?

Identify the similes are used in this chapter. What comparisons are being

made and how effective are these comparisons in the context of the

experience of the protagonists?

Identify a range of sentence structures – simple, complex, compound,

compound/complex etc. in this chapter that have been used to create

specific effects. Write out these sentences and suggest how Marsden has

used sentence structure to effectively convey tone and mood.


Chapter Ten

18 pages

Vocabulary

wreckage crude confrontations possibility

confirmation instinctively unmistakable prone

furtively grudgingly impatiently Professionals

impression conscripts momentum pressure

tolerating soldiers dangerous vehicles

Source the root word for each of the vocabulary words. What connotations

are constructed through Marsden’s vocabulary choices?

How does this chapter develop the plot of the narrative?

Identify and suggest how the colloquial place names develop a sense of

community that the protagonists want to protect.

Discuss how the use of dashes in this chapter has added information and

inference to the characters and events.

Discuss the use of ellipses on page 140 and analyse their effectiveness in

shaping the tone of the passage.

Identify the euphemisms in this chapter and analyse their effectiveness in

adding veracity to the characterisation.


Chapter Eleven

15 pages

Vocabulary

reverse weaknesses manoeuvring straightened ploughing

route reluctantly coordinated rasped ricochets

savage dimness slaters anxiously tactic

stationary clambered concentrate sanctuary neutral

Identify the grammatical features of each of the vocabulary words.

Locate each word in the text and identify if they are used literally or metaphorically

Draw a plot graph of events in this chapter

Evaluate the effectiveness of the language used in this chapter to suggest a changing

notion of childhood and adolescence for the protagonists

Evaluate how the theme of survival is explored in this chapter

Evaluate to what extent the protagonists have learned new ideas about

responsibility for humanity in this chapter.


Chapter Twelve

10 pages

Vocabulary

visitors jewellery fascination swollen priority

envied lifestyle vividly seriously embarrassed

attachment widespread passionately violent merciless

logical luxuries ravenous argument raucous

Locate examples of each of the following in Chapter Twelve.

Similes

Colloquial language

Allusion

Metaphor (p 163)

Imagery

Place and belonging

Development of relationships

Develop TEPA sentences for each technique.

Identify language features that support the ideas of place,

belonging and relationships. Develop TEPA sheets that

analyse how these ideas are explored and to what effect in

the text.


Chapter Thirteen

13 pages

Vocabulary

rituals solemn fruitless particular explanation

reluctantly extended expanded urgency exotic

humanitarian imbalances impassive isolationism outrage

neighbours stubbornly insulated automatically finesse

Identify, from the vocabulary list, any words you are not very clear about the meaning of.

Locate definitions. Write the words into sentences that demonstrate your understanding of

their meaning.

How does Marsden suggest ritual is a way of maintaining a sense of connectedness with

values in a changing world?

How does the technology used in this chapter date the text? Is there an impact on the

reader in terms of engagement or disengagement when the text becomes dated by events

or ideas? In what ways could we argue that despite the dated nature of the text the values

and contexts are still relevant today?

The radio transmission suggests a justification for the invasion. Do you think there is any

justification for one country invading another? Why or why not?

What historical events are juxtaposed against the current crisis in this chapter? Why has

Marsden created the parallels?

The text uses a range of Australian colloquialisms throughout. How could Marsden’s use of

such language limit the audience for the text?

How has idiom been used effectively in this chapter? Provide examples and discuss the ways

in which Marsden uses this language to mimic the voice of youth.

Identify the simile on page 172 and discuss its effectiveness in sustaining a tone of suspense

and fear in the text.

How does this text highlight the confusion caused by having to be a teenager in an adult

world?


Chapter Fourteen

12 pages

Vocabulary

eventually curiously forgiveness possibility recovered

associated intense necessarily definite business

undergrowth vegetation canopy vertical reverential

atmosphere interior gradually originally askew

Locate examples of each of the following in this chapter.

Literary allusions

Metaphors

Biblical referencing/religious allusions

Contrast

You are to write a narrative script, from the perspective of

Ellie’s mother, using the same literary features, and as many

words from the vocabulary list as possible. The theme of your

narrative is ‘belonging’.


Chapter Fifteen

19 pages

Vocabulary

mobile exception immune sedimentary specialty

assumed yawned fascinated occasional metamorphosed

violated feminism rhythms reconstituted unthinkable

encouragement cancel confidently nervous technique

calculating interference filtered geometrically straight

Use a thesaurus and locate a range of antonyms and

synonyms for the vocabulary list.

Locate examples of the following techniques in the text and create TEPA sheets

and suggest how effective Marsden is in using the events of this chapter to

provide insight into the experiences and new understandings of his

protagonists.

Literary allusion

Intertextuality

Capitalisation

Verbs to create personification

Verbs to construct tone

Biblical allusion to construct similes creating a metaphorical comparison


Chapter Sixteen

10 pages

Vocabulary

documents unjustly tongues cavity ordained

degrees obvious consciously complained gravely

disadvantage charitable instinct begrudging brutal

detentions syringes tortuous consolation console

Locate definitions and root etymology of the words in the vocabulary list for

this chapter.

Locate example sand analyse the following:

Paradox: what paradox is established about humanity in this chapter?

Biblical intertextuality and allusion: how has intertextuality and allusion

been used to establish metaphysical meaning in this chapter?

Values: what is the range of values presented in this chapter and

establish Marsden’s purpose in presenting them in this chapter?

Theoretical and intellectual context: how are these evident in this

chapter? What language is used to present Marsden’s perspective?


Chapter Seventeen

16 pages

Vocabulary

knocked dangerously unofficial souvenired licence

manslaughter assault immature committing morality

concentrating whistles casualties guerrillas anxious

aggravated menial heirloom interjected martial

agony conspicuous defiant surrounding disloyalty

Locate definitions for any words you do not understand the meaning of

in the vocabulary list.

Write each word into a line of dialogue from one of the characters’

perspectives that address their role in this chapter.

List the most evocative adjectives used in this chapter.

List the colloquialisms used in this chapter.

Write a paragraph on how imagery is established through Marsden’s use

of evocative adjectives.

Write a paragraph on the impact and effectiveness of the use of

colloquial language in this chapter.


Chapter Eighteen

8 pages

Vocabulary

actually perched reception burrowing passionately

intelligent sensitive exterior radiate simultaneously

adjusted recommend surrendering invitation conscientious

miserable guarantee absolutely impression logical

happened nevertheless appalling fascinated vicious

Place the vocabulary words in alphabetical order. Select the words with similar suffixes (endings).

Attempt to determine what the spelling rule might be for those endings. Research the spelling rule.

Marsden uses repetition for effect in a number of instances in this chapter. Identify incidences of

repetition, write them out, deconstruct for grammatical features and analyse the effect? Are there

any implied allusions?

What is Marsden suggesting a bout books and reading in this chapter?

Complete a re-evaluation of each character at this point in the text. How has change been presented

on a continuum from the beginning of the text? Begin by drawing up a plot graph for each character

and present the major events in the narrative to this point that has signified change of opinion, shifts

in values, alteration of perceptions of others or the world.


Chapter Nineteen

11 pages

Vocabulary

probably hesitation slightest silhouettes scheme

culvert blundering activate unobtrusive interrupting

unnatural frighteningly explosion volunteered emphatically

betrayed efficient crouched lectern promptly

controlled professional exhausted distributor arrangements

Develop a table with the headings: Verbs, Adverbs, Adjectives and Abstract nouns

Go through the chapter and locate at least ten of each.

For each selected word, analyse its effectiveness in shaping characterisation and tone in this

chapter.


Chapter Twenty

11 pages

Vocabulary

outdoors gracefully gearstick

commonplace moonlight windscreen

rouseabout dipstick drainpipe

without gearbox downhill

overconfident jackknifing sideswiped

The words in the vocabulary list all have something I common. What is it?

Identify a range of verbs, adverbs, adjectives that are used to construct similes,

metaphors and tone in this chapter.

Write the evidence into a TEPA sheet and analyse for purpose and

effectiveness.

What is the purpose of this chapter in the text?

Add the characterisation shifts to your plot graph.


Chapter Twenty One

8 pages

Vocabulary

infatuated designer elegant confidently graffiti

delicate recognised invisibly confidently nominate

travelling temporarily permanently incredible activity

accelerator pylon disappeared unwelcome pyromaniac

Locate dictionary definitions and at least one synonym for

each word in the spelling list.

Examine how punctuation has been used for effect in this

paragraph. List the punctuation into simple and complex and

determine how Marsden has been effective in conveying tone

through the punctuation.

In this penultimate chapter of the text, how effective is Marsden in presenting

the climactic events of his narrative?

Write at least three paragraphs, use language features drawn from a close

reading of the chapter to present your ideas.


Chapter Twenty Two

9 pages

Vocabulary

tactic guards alignment exclamations

silences frenzy fatigue soundlessly

stampede unbelievable premonition cruel

taught bizarre machinery rationally

reflectively consequences tableau concentration

Select five words from the vocabulary list and create

anacrostic poems that address the themes of the text.

Locate examples of each of the following in the chapter and

evaluate how Marsden has used these features for effect.

Accumulation of verbs

Colloquial language

Recount

Similes

Use of dashes

Rhetorical questions

Onomatopoeia

Adverbs

Metaphor

Documents

Close Study of Text - The Cohen Curricula | Quality ... · Close Study of Text ... ideas (message) Punctuation and its impact in shaping tone Purpose Audience Key themes in the text: