On your post-it…

1. On your post-it… Write down the names of five TV shows that you loathe. Below are some ideas for possible inspiration!

2. On your post-it… Now circle the TV show that enrages /irritates you / you loathe the most. This is the TV show you will focus on for your assessment. PS. If there is no particular show that you find unbearable, you will have to do a good job of convincing the reader that you feel passionately about it!!!

3. The Big Picture In the world of work, writing is usually “Commissioned.” Somebody needs something writing and they find the best person to do it and “commission” (employ) them to do it. What are we doing? We are writing a “commissioned” piece of writing: A newspaper invites young people to write an articleabout a television show they loathe. Write the piece you would send to the newspaper.

4. A reminder of the skills you will be assessed on AO4 Writing • Write to communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, using and adapting forms and selecting vocabulary appropriate to task and purpose in ways that engage the reader. • Organise information and ideas into structured and sequenced sentences, paragraphs and whole texts, using a variety of linguistic and structural features to support cohesion and overall coherence. • Use a range of sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate punctuation and spelling. At least one-third of available credit for AO4 should be awarded for the use of a range of sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate punctuation and spelling.

5. You must remember there are two parts to this assessment • Communicating clearly and organising your ideas effectively. This means: • Presenting interesting ideas and opinions in a clear way. • Making it clear that you are writing for a newspaper audience. • Choosing your words and phrases for effect. A mark out of ten for this • Using sentence structures and writing accurately. This means: • Using a varied vocabulary • Using a range of sentence types • Using accurate spelling • Using a variety of punctuation accurately A mark out of ten for this

6. What irritates you? Key thing to remember: You are not writing for you. You will be writing for an audience who want to enjoy reading about your thoughts on a TV show that you loathe so you need to try and write in a way which will get people nodding along and laughing. You need to think carefully about how you establish a connection with your readers. So, although they may not share your view, your ideas must be things that they are familiar with too. For example, Jeremy Clarkson has expressed some highly controversial and interesting views and ideas about issues such as the environment and strike action and people may have been outraged and offended by his comments. They may find him arrogant and insensitive.

7. What irritates you? • Now that you have decided which TV show you will focus on, use your sheet of TV templates to compile a list of reasons why it is irritating, hideous, loathsome etc. • Put one reason in each TV.

9. Find a friend • Discuss with your partner what irritates you about your chosen show. Be absolutely specific about this. • Share the reasons you came up with for loathing your chosen show. Can your partner add anything to this? You will have to elaborate upon your reasons in your writing remember! • Swap roles and repeat the process. 3mins

10. What irritates you? • The presenter (cheesy, dull, arrogant?) • The format (repetitive, uninspired, unimaginative?) • The acting/cast/storylines (awful, wooden, amateur, unconvincing, implausible?) • The music/theme tune/opening credits? • Costume? • The guests/contestants? • The content? • The concept of the show? • The setting?

11. Important advice alert! It’s not just the words you choose which are important. You’ve also got to know the TV show really well to have valid reasons for your rant or you’ll lose your audience. Over the course of this week, make sure you do your research!!!

12. Today’s aims • We will concentrate on the style and tone of your writing and how it creates an impact on and appeals to your audience. • We will also think about the power of words as you must ensure you choose them wisely. • We will consider a number of ways to make your writing varied, from using a range of punctuation to incorporating a range of sentence structures.

13. We’re going to watch a clip from this show • It’s called Room 101 and it is essentially a show where celebrities get to put things they loathe into a special room known as Room 101.

14. Room 101 • You are going to write in a persuasive manner in your assessment, so convincing your audience to agree that your chosen TV programme must be be put into Room 101 will give you a clearer focus. • As you watch the clip from youtube, write down as many persuasive techniques that are used as you can. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rqID3X4vqg 5 mins

15. Is this seriously what the Great British public pay our TV license fees for?! To be subjected to a constant onslaught of dross and drivel? Give us a break! Perhaps the worst example of such TV tripe I have had the misfortune to witness in recent years is Strictly Come Dancing. How is Bruce Forsyth still with us? And why, more to the point, do I have to endure him for an hour of prime time TV every week, attempting to raise a laugh with his tired, cliched jokes and comforting Z-list celebrities who have just been dragged around the dance floor, only to be derided by a panel of has-been judges? The line-up is like a who’s who of the 1980s. Enough now. Another series would be beyond a joke.

16. Remember you need to use as many of the following techniques as possible to add variety and demonstrate your ability to manipulate language and use it for effect. • Colloquial style (informal words eg ‘class’, ‘mint’ etc) • Personal pronouns (you, we, us etc) • Imperatives (orders / being told what to do or think) • Hyperbole (exaggeration) • Statistics and facts • Superlatives (the best/worst/most/least) • Humour • Cluster of three • Rhetorical questions (questions which don’t need answering) • Contrastive pairs / lists of three • Short or elliptical sentences (...) • Emotive language • Repetition or listing • Semantic fields / subject specific lexis

17. P E R S U A D E R Personal Pronouns Emotive language Rhetorical Questions Statistics and Facts Use of metaphors and similes Alliteration and Anecdotes Description and Imagery Exaggeration Repetition and group of 3 The Persuader Task: With reference to the TV show you have decided to write about and using a range of persuasive devices, write the opening paragraph of an article focused on having that TV show banished to Room 101.

18. Swap with a partner… Swap your work with your partner and give a mark out of ten for how successfully they did the following in their opening paragraph: • Used the first line to create a dramatic impact • Used a variety of effective persuasive techniques • Incorporated interesting, engaging vocabulary • Used a variety of sentence types • Used a range of accurate punctuation

19. Examples of effective first lines Imagine the look of pure horror etched upon my face when I discovered I would have to endure Hollyoaks every single day of the week. Whoever created the concept of Splash needs to take a long, hard look at themselves! Leave it to the professionals! What have we done to deserve this drivel being inflicted upon us? Are our lives not hard enough without having to endure looking at George Galloway pretending to be a cat?! This is not entertainment.

20. Effective first lines Now have another look at your first line. Could it be made more engaging or powerful? Could you use any more interesting or unusual vocabulary? Could it be more persuasive? Decide on your best first line. This will be the first line you write in your assessment.

21. Effective first lines You must create a positive impression right from the beginning of your piece so the first line must really grab your reader’s attention and effectively create a bond with them. Remember, in a way you are trying to convince the reader round to your way of thinking about your chosen TV show, so you need to be persuasive and write in a way that people will be able to relate to. Make a note of your first line.

22. Hard-Hitting Headlines… The headline/title of your piece must be engaging. Humour or alliteration are excellent ways to instantaneously appeal to your reader. Here are some examples: Great British BACK off!!! Million Pound Stop. Big Brother: why bother? Geordie Bore Jonathan Dross

23. What will your title be? You have three minutes to come up with three different options for the headline/title of the piece you will write for your Controlled Assessment task. Write them in your notes. Now label yourselves A, B,C and D Go around the table in order and share your three titles. The other members of your group must vote for the one they like the best. Record the number of votes each one receives next to it. What will your title/headline be?

24. Selecting appropriate and engaging vocabulary When writing about a TV show you loathe, you need to include some engaging, interesting vocabulary. Make a list of at least 20 words you want to include. Here are some examples: Loathe – excruciating, mind-numbing, bland, forgettable, random, repetitive, irritating, misogynistic, infuriating, predictable, irrelevant, dull, vomit-inducing, tiresome, vile, vexing, torturous, hideous, unbearable, odious, repulsive, revolting.

25. Some possible phrases to include… # your TV show sucks Seriously guys, what were you thinking? Why must we be subjected to this hideous montage of cheesy guff? What a pile of pathetic, painful, pitiful garbage. How this managed to get onto tv is beyond me! Dodgy dross. End of. Total trash. Give us a break; why should we endure this tripe? What a shambles! Disastrous.

26. Practising punctuation Now, using the previous slide as a model, write down five sentences which could be included in your piece of writing, focusing on using each item of punctuation below : : … ? ! “ () ,

27. Here’s a good example of persuasive writing to take inspiration from. . . The media are keen to talk about the X-Factor, but where has Britain’s creativity gone? After the Olympic glow has faded and the last of the bunting has been ripped down, we are left with a vacuum which can supposedly only be filled with our craving for crude TV. If I hear about one more 16 year old talk about their ‘journey’ or ‘final chance’, I will have to punch myself in the face. The X-Factor, our weekly dose of TV tripe, predictably pulled in 8 million viewers.While these figures represent a decline of nearly 2 million from the same time last year, it is still nearly twice the amount that tuned in for the Paralympic closing ceremony. It seems we are more interested in Luke from Kilbride, mucking his words up, than Ellie Simmonds being awarded for her super-human efforts. What can’t those people in TV land make a show that doesn’t have a Westlife soundtrack, involve 3 months of audience participation, and inevitably under deliver in every department? Turn off, tune out and try something new, Simon Cowell: your recipe for success is starting to bite the dust.

28. Let’s look at a rant together Could you take any ideas from it to use in your own writing? How good do you think it is? What language techniques can you see? Take one paragraph and improve it by using at least three of the following language techniques: cluster of three, rhetorical question, hyperbole, superlatives, imperative, simile, alliteration.

29. Time to plan You will now have ten minutes to complete your planning sheet. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask!!