KZN Radio Broadcast How to approach Paper 3

KZN Radio Broadcast How to approach Paper 3 for English Home Language Mrs Rodelle Govender – Maritzburg College Ms Jacqueline Naicker - Durban Girls Secondary

We will be using the NSC 2019 Paper 3 for our discussion. This presentation will focus on the following: ▪ Essay Writing o Where to begin o The Planning Phase o The Editing Phase o The Final Product ▪ Transactional Writing o Understanding Real World writing o Types of Transactional Writing o Planning o Avoiding Common Errors o Final Product

Essay Writing ▪ How to interpret the topics and the rubrics – See NSC Paper 3 2019 ▪ Refer to the KZN Resource Booklet for Paper 3

Genre – See the notes on the KZN Funda Portal for Paper 3 – Resource Pack Genre NARRATIVE Acronym SPICED Meaning STORYLINE, PAST TENSE, INTRODUCTION, CONCLUSION, ENGAGE, DESCRIBE DESCRIPTIVE IFES IMAGERY, FIGURATIVE, EMOTIVE, SUBJECTIVE REFLECTIVE ARGUMENTATIVE KIT PORS KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE, IMAGERY, TENSE PRESENT TENSE, OPINIONS, REASONS, STRONG CONCLUSION

How is the essay marked. . . What are we looking for under each of these criteria? CRITERIA MARKS Content and planning (60%) 30 Language, style and editing (30%) 15 Structure (10%) 5 TOTAL 50

Use the 10 minute reading time to make your choices ▪ QUESTION 1 ▪ Write an essay of 400– 450 words (2– 2½ pages) on ONE of the following topics. Write down the NUMBER and TITLE/HEADING of your essay. ▪ Note the length of the essay. You should have an idea of how many words you write per line beforehand. Before you write this examination, you should already work out, on average, how many pages it would be for you to write 400 – 450 words. Do not forget to write down the number and the topic in your answer booklet. Also label your Planning, First Draft and Final Effort.

Essay topic analysis 1. My inner landscape [50] ▪ Note that the word ‘my’ in this topic, lends itself to a REFLECTIVE ESSAY. This is a personal piece of writing. A key aspect of this writing is a sincere tone. Try to write from your personal experience. This could be an essay about your [INNER] philosophy in life (an introspective/internal view about yourself). This essay could probably look at the journey [LANDSCAPE] of YOUR [MY] life – your way of thinking, your challenges, the paths you have chosen, the things that matter to you and make up your world.

1, 2 'No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings. ' [William Blake] [50] Quotations open themselves to interpretation. Your essay should reveal your understanding / interpretation of this quote. This quote may be interpreted as: one may not achieve as greatly in isolation. It captures the spirit of ‘ubuntu’; where we need each other to be better people. The essay could be written as a narrative – perhaps, a story where this message is reflected. It could also be written as a reflective essay – where you look at how this message applies to your own life or the experiences of others that you have observed. You may also write an argumentative essay where you consider how this quotation applies to the society you live in and try to ‘prove’ that this message is either true or untrue using evidence/observations.

1. 3 Breaking the code of silence [50] A code of silence may be interpreted as an unwritten rule to withhold what is believed to be vital or important information voluntarily or involuntarily. You could write about your experience or the experience of someone else focusing on themes of courage by speaking up. This topic lends itself to a narrative essay. So, you can have a few characters, a clear plot (one aspect of CONFLICT not an entire life story) and a resolution of the event in the conclusion. Do not focus on only TELLING the story, but rather on HOW you tell the story (use vivid descriptions and make it exciting). You could also write a personal reflective essay or even a discursive or expository essay.

1. 4 'Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow, " and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater. “ But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. ‘ [Khalil Gibran, The Prophet] [50] This topic could be interpreted in many ways – literally or figuratively. This is a multi-layered topic. The essay must therefore include the understanding of the FULL QUOTATION in CONTEXT and NOT just a line or two. The essay must discuss the ‘inseparable’ nature of joy and sorrow. Joy and sorrow in one’s life is intertwined. This topic focusses on the complexity of life or one’s life journey – one cannot ONLY have joy OR sorrow; both are a part of one’s life.

1. 5 Stolen glimpses [50] A glimpse is a glance or even a moment. The word ‘stolen’ implies something secretive. This topic is also multi-layered and one cannot really explore the kind of writing style that appeals to them. You could write a personal reflective, a descriptive, a narrative essay or even a combination of genres – the possibilities are endless! The key, though, is to ensure that you plan the essay well so that you do not digress. See notes later on for more on this.

Picture topics ▪ You will be penalised if you do not show a clear link between the picture and your essay. That means, that you should consider all the elements of the picture (particularly the foregrounded images) and then formulate a message / context, which you then capture as a topic. Do not write an essay where you merely describe the pictures. The picture topics give you an opportunity to create your own topic based on the picture.

Looking at the pictures – much like visual literacy Questions to ask yourself What is the dominant picture? What stands out? How can you understand this picture – literally or figuratively? Maybe it makes you think of your own life or what is happening around you? What are themes/key aspects that come to mind? How can I fit this into one of the genres? Is this a narrative or a reflective essay?

The Planning Phase ▪ Understand “The Big Picture” Your essay need to demonstrate a clear beginning, middle, and ending. Understand how paragraphs flow throughout an essay. Basic Essay Structures: • Introduction – Cause – Effect – Conclusion • Introduction – Cause/Effect #1 – Cause/Effect #2 – Conclusion • Introduction – Cause #1 – Effect #1 – Cause #2 – Effect #2 – Conclusion • Introduction – Problem – Solution – Conclusion • Introduction – Similarities – Differences – Conclusion • Once Upon a Time – Rising Action – Climax – and They Lived Happily Ever After

The Planning Phase – Spider diagram, mind map ▪ Understand “The Big Picture” Your essay need to demonstrate a clear beginning, middle, and ending. Understand how paragraphs flow throughout an essay. Basic Essay Structures: • Introduction – Cause – Effect – Conclusion • Introduction – Cause/Effect #1 – Cause/Effect #2 – Conclusion • Introduction – Cause #1 – Effect #1 – Cause #2 – Effect #2 – Conclusion • Introduction – Problem – Solution – Conclusion • Introduction – Similarities – Differences – Conclusion • Once Upon a Time – Rising Action – Climax – and They Lived Happily Ever After

Aspects to consider: ▪ REGISTER = The TONE (how you come across to the reader) and STYLE (the way you convey your message) must be appropriate. For example, the writing must be in the FORMAL REGISTER and therefore all grammar rules must still be obeyed. Avoid contractions and slang. ▪ VOICE = Who is the narrator of your story? Whose story is this? This influences AUTHENTICITY – Make it real. ▪ STYLE = Word choice/Diction, Imagery (think of the 5 senses) ▪ WRITE OUT YOUR FIRST DRAFT!

THE FIRST DRAFT ▪ Editing phase VOCABULARY – IS THE BEST WORD? DOES IT CAPTURE WHAT I WANT TO EXPRESS? SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION – IMPORTANT – READ IT AS SOMEONE ELSE WOULD – LETS EAT GRANDMA, USE CONJUNCTIONS (COMMA SPLICE ERROR), CHECK PUNCTUATION, DANGLING PARTICIPLE, CONCORD ERRORS TENSE – THINK ABOUT WHETHER YOUR TENSE IS CORRECT PAST TENSE, FUTURE TENSE PARAGRAPHING!

THE MASTERPIECE ▪ Sentence variation – contrasts, analogies, emotive words, punctuation ▪ Appropriate use of language ▪ Authentic ▪ Links to the topic ▪ Avoids cliché’s ▪ Flows / Coherent

TRANSACTIONAL WRITING ‘Real World Writing’

Understanding Real World Writing q Writing that is used to communicate in real world situations q Your writing must work in the real world. q Know the purpose of the piece- see topic

Types of Transactionals Category A Category B Category C Category D Letter to the Press Formal Letter (request, application, business, complaint, sympathy, congratulatory, thanks) Informal Letter CV and Covering Letter Obituary (not the same as a Eulogy) Formal/Informal Report Review Newspaper/Magazine Article/Editorial Agenda and Minutes of a Meeting Dialogue Interview Formal/Informal Speech *KNOW THE PURPOSE & FORMAT*

PLANNING S - STRUCTURE/FORMAT T - TOPIC/ PURPOSE A - AUDIENCE R - REGISTER : FORMAL/INFORMAL T - TONE S - STYLE

HOW WILL IT BE MARKED CRITERIA MARKS Content and planning (60%) 15 Language, style and editing (40%) 10 TOTAL 25

AVOID COMMON ERRORS Letters • • • Formal vs informal letter format Letter to the editor: format, purpose & audience Letter of request/ sponsorship/complaint : tone CV and Covering Letter TOPIC CENTRED- LOOK AT REQUIREMENTS/ RELEVANCE Obituary Reviews Don’t confuse with eulogy. Format & Audience ELEMENTS OF A REVIEW – rating/ not plot centred/ details/tone/audience Reports Format /audience/tone Articles Format/audience/register Dialogue/interview Setting/ two characters/development Speech Topic/Audience/ Tone/ Editorial Don’t confuse with letter to Editor. Purpose/Audience/Elements

Final Product q. Review STARTS q. Will your piece achieve the desired result in the real world? q. Proofread and edit

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS FROM STUDENTS What can you do to make your introduction more inviting to your reader? Do we write in 1 st person or 3 rd person? Owethu Ngwazi , Durban Girls Secondary For Paper 3, should we try to use big/ fancy words to impress the marker or is that actually just being verbose and should we rather focus on style? Jordan Bense, Maritzburg College