Tuesday 21 December 2010

2 Previous Posts from Saqlain


The 1st Item

                                           Why might an ambition man be a dangerous man?

Ambition is surely a human attribute. A man with ambition will certainly be with a man with a future. She shall plan things and make best use of the opportunities, drive out all competitors, make powerful sacrifices, demand similar things from people around herself - all in the name of ambition. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say an ambitious person is also an idealist. But idealism can be sometime very dangerous as it can blind the person, for the ambitions man nothing is more important than achieving the goal. 
            An Edmund Hillary or an Amundsen is ambitious - both of them are idealistic and we take pride in their achievements. But so is the Hitler or Macbeth - one wanted to decide the fate of mankind and the other wanted to see himself at the top through whatever cost. Therefor the ambition is not dangerous in all instances but behind ever ambitious person larks a possibility of recklessness. 
           So, I can even conclude an ambitions person has a strong possibility of become a danger to himself and others. 


The 2nd Item


Sir,

I have read two articles from Secondary Englsih-3
 1.That's Incredible
 2.Fire!
 I have read three more articles from Secondary English-4
 1.The Ages of Man
 2.The Poison Tree
 3.Memory of childhood
Besides this I have read Julius Ceaser from WWW.CUMMINGSSTUDYGUIDES.NET

[My Note: Saqlain, I would have loved it if you could just mention what are the things that you liked most about each of the reading items - especially the Shakespeare item.]

Friday 17 December 2010

The Two Problems that affect the way you write

There are at least two thoughts that visit us every time we settle down to write:
  • I am not being able to write what I am thinking. Is it a problem with vocabulary? Is it a problem with format? Is it a problem with information?
  • What I am writing is probably NOT going to be correct.
How do we address these TWO crises that almost every student are familiar with?

So, here go the answers (not definite but suggestions) -
  1. First - it is not a problem with either Vocabulary, or Format, or Information. It is rather a problem with little amount of experience with writing. So, if you are prolific (look it up in the Dictionary) - there can actually be NO trouble in the end.
  2. There is not a SINGLE way of writing a text - so, whatever you write is to some extent Correct - whether the teacher agrees with it or NOT.
  3. Therefore, Be Prolific.
  4. Read like a Writer - Write like a Reader. 

Friday 10 December 2010

99% Perfection in Writing is NOT Enough

The essay writing today went towards a disaster. The essay topic was titled "Why might an ambitious person be a dangerous man?"

After the disaster we came to the following conclusions -
  1. Read and write more. From Text Books, Novels, Short Stories and WEB.
  2. DON'T work hard - it only makes a Donkey out of you.
  3. Wisdom is treacherous - Don't try to be wise.
  4. Have METHOD in the Madness of writing. 
  5. Things that went wrong - Repetition, Paragraphing, Wrong Sentence Construction, Poor or NO Logic.
  6. Absurdity in Arguments.
  7. Argumentative essays are always supported with Illustrations - except for Saqlain's essay, there were no references or illustrations. 
  8. Extremely Poor Vocabulary.
  9. No one kept her log-book in front wile writing the essays.
  10. Variety of Punctuation was Completely Absent.
TASK for coming Friday:
  • Write a 15 min script that shows the beginning of BAT (Bangladesh American Tobacco) 100 years ago when 11 businessmen came together to to form a Company that dominates a global market that is worth billions of Dollars.
  • Bring Seely's Oxford Secondary English - read the entire 2nd part. 

Reasons for Absense

This is for record that Sakib, Irfan, and Sitab could not attend today's class as they had to prepare for attending King Shahrukh Khan's evening party.

We hope they had a wonderful time - we will want to share it tomorrow morning.

Monday 6 December 2010

An Old Post from Argho

Sir,

I have finished "Sophie's World" and I must say that it's an awesome book and must be read with intervals. 


If this book is read at one go its flavour will be lost. So I suggest that this book should be gone through with breaks. It opens up the mind and clears us of all small questions that bother us generally. "Sophie's World" is a beautiful adventure that opens up in the course of time. A book for teens and adults, "Sophie's World" no doubt have exceeded my expectation.


I would like to stop my reading items for the time being. My half yearly is very near and I have to finish my syllabus. I will meet you on Saturday. 

Friday 3 December 2010

A Mail from Shafat Jamil - I thought that this would be important to Everyone

Hello Sir,

I  am really confused sir. I have many questions to ask, please send me the answers.

          What are the requirements for getting a full scholarship in USA?
          What subjects  should I have to get a scholarship?
          Is it true that I should have at least 8 subjects in o'level to get a scholarship?
          Which subjects I must have to appear in sat exams?
          Some say that 8 subjects are needed to get credit in oversea's universities, is it true?
          What subjects I have to study for sat?
          
Please sir send me the answers, I am in a great mess with these questions and I think you are the only person who can help me.

SHAFAT JAMIL
Shafat, 
Here are answers to ALL your questions. 
  1. Scholarship Requirements for US: Good Grades in O Level and AS Level + High SAT I and II scores + Good Extracurricular Activities and MOST IMPORTANTLY Excellent Quality Application Essays. 
  2. There is no mandatory subjects. But a combination of Math-English-Physics would be excellent. Having Economics will also be a big advantage.
  3. 8 Subjects are NOT required in ANY university - not even in Harvard or MIT. So, 8 subjects is a BIG LIE.
  4. In O Level you should have Maths - Physics - Language as 3 important subjects. Having Literature would be a HUGE advantage.
  5. The whole question of Credit is a misconception. Credit transfer is allowed when you want to transfer from Bangladesh to US universities. But is such case - there is NO scholarship or AID.
  6. For SAT-I you study English and Maths - English is the MOST difficult part. For SAT-II out of Physics+Maths+Chemistry+Literature, you have to take 2 subjects for a 2 hour exam.
Shafat, thank you asking all these questions. I will be happy to answer all your questions if you have any.   

Sunday 28 November 2010

Here is an essay - please do comment - writer's identity undisclosed

An unfair punishment

Me and my grandpa were having a discussion about punishments, what kind of punishment can we give to my dog who had broken my mobile phone. I told grand pa to think that what kind of punishment can i give to it. Grandpa was thinking when suddenly his face fated. I asked him what was the  matter and usual he started to tell a story.
The story was about a boy who lived in grandpa's village when he was a teenager. The boy was called Barko, he was a kind of rough and hot tempered boy. He was a orphan and therefore was hated by every one. None gave him food or shelter so he used to lead his life alone and used to steal foods and clothes from other's house. But he was a good boy because he  always shared food with other poor children.
One day one family came in our village for performing a picnic. Barko thought that he can help them and can earn some money. At night when every slept ,he stole every thing and escaped. but he did not know that the owner of that property was a arm superintendent.
Next day we heard that a thief was caught and everyone said to come in the corn field in afternoon with some stones. I and ma father went there and saw that it was Barko. The superintendent gave some lecture but i was not paying attention to him, i was looking at Barko. He was crying loudly and was crying for help. After few minutes every body started to throw stones.  After sometimes when blood started to roll down his body i came home.
I thought they will set him free but they didn't. They gave so many works to do but didn't give him any food. They kept him starving for two days. After tow days they gave him to eat dog food. Then again for three days they did  not provide any food or water. Once i hide into the bushes and saw that his legs were binded with a tree and he was unconscious. And i saw he was given unboiled meat to eat. I can't imagine this kind of punishment only for stealing something. 
Next day was one of the one of the most happiest day in my life because those were going back. At night when they went far away from the village i went looking for Barko. But there no sign of him where i saw him binded .Then i called my other friends and started to search for him. That we didn't get him. Next day we again went on the search but we did not , then we lost hope.
After three days when a women was pulling water from the lake she saw a hand floating on the water and shouted. Immediately we  went there and pulled up the body. The body was none but Barko's.

An Essay submitted by Saiyudh - you are welcome to send me your comments


The Challenge in Life brings out the best in young people


The true talent within a person is sprouted when that person is at the zenith and he is just about to tip off. All young people are embedded with great potential within themselves which burst out of them in despair or great pressure. When an atom splits it releases colossal amount of energy. This same energy is released under sheer pressure in a human mind which unveils that hidden quality within that teenager.

This is not a rumor but pure blooded factual scientific fact. Every now and then some teenager in some corner of the world is going through this ordeal. It is oracle that such time is bound to come where on encounters sheer difficulty and that he is prone to it. This bursts out such potential in himself that he ends up doing something which ends up living himself dumbfounded. He keeps thinking and stays awed about what he has done. After this ordeal one realizes his potential and goes through idealistic change in him. Eventually learns to augment his potential. This is what enables us to reach to the top and diminish our inferiors. This is also what differs us from animals. For it our brain that helps us to bring out the ‘real us’ and also to unravel those hidden mysteries on earth.

Now taking up the example of a friend of mine. His name was Mir Mizrahi Megabit Mushroom Mike. His work was to only disturb the class and leave the whole school rattled with his mischievous deeds. When he was in class VII he held a grudge against the teachers and took an oath that he would never study. Logically speaking he was bombarding his own life. By the fall of IX he realized he was going wrong. He had put himself in a fathomless depth of no return. His grades were engraved with red. One day in dismay he intentionally jumped in front of a bus to die. He smeared himself in blood and spent the next six months in the hospital after breaking 56 bones in his body. He thought! He finally took the initiative to change himself. Only six month remained before his examination and with little span o recovery for this drastic stage. With miraccaly he sailed through all his tests and even got distinction. He the world astounded. We practically thought he would just pass but he left a mark amongst the top ten before he graduated. Both fear and eagerness brought about this unrealistic change in his character. Well no one really thought that gold was hidden in that rust of ashes. His brain was dumber that a donkey but it turned out sharper than a knife. Well he was in sheer pressure and it did bring out the best in him. So my friend today stands to be a living proof of the fact ‘challenge in life brings out the best in young people’

His remarkable potential has inspired a whole school to follow him. For very few know about this skilled boy. For he is a living proof that the dumbest can lurk out of the mists of fathomless shadow with a gleaming light brighter than the stars which shine brightest in the darkest part of the universe.

Friday 26 November 2010

Learning Vocabulary and Creating MindMap

Yesterday we did some words - chosen by students and discussed those words in proper contexts. There were some 30 something words for which we found out the meanings. Here are some of the words we talked about. 
Discord
Nonchallance
Biocide
Bushwalking
Speleology
Rhythmically
Plaintively
Vainglorious
Vain
Delerious
Prolonging the agony
Repulsive
Delapidated
Seedy
Drenched
Hewed
Hue
Reek
Clammy
Infernal
Brewed
Pliant
Legacy
Discord
Apple of Discord
Adulation
Skeptical
Blunt Pain
Cosseting
Prevaricate
Atrophy
Atropy
Deranged
Lepidopterist
Apart from the words, we also discussed the concept of creating MINDMAP. It is a very useful tool
      
         To Express and Organize Ideas
         To Discover the interconnections between ideas
         To Brainstorm our thoughts    
         To keep in touch with several ideas simultaneously




  

A New Start

Last week we [Nusaiba, Mohini, Noshin, Irfan, and myself] had a class where we had an engaged debate about the BEST way to manage time during exam season. It came out through our conversation that if someone starts the day early in the morning - s/he can perform better and ACTUALLY has more working hours than studying late at night. Irfan was our Case-study and here is the mail I received much to my satisfaction. I mus add that this mail is FAR better than the previous mails he sent. Here it goes - 

Sir,

After Sunday's class, I am really inspired by what you said earlier and I started to follow your instructions carefully. I did not use a notebook that you told me to use where I would write my day-to-day works but instead I kept them in mind and tried to follow them serially. My habit of staying out late during the night has decreased and I concentrated on my studies during the morning hour. Although it was not at all easy for me to change suddenly my regular routine but I am trying and soon I think I will adapt to my new and changed behavior.

I started reading Oxford Secondary English 4, as you previously told me that reading is the key factor to improve my English. So far, I have read some extracts from the Seely:

·         The Ages of Man
·         Memory of Childhood
·         Discord in Childhood
·         New York Subway
·         The Mask (At first I did not notice that it was an extract from Lord of the Flies but afterwards I finished it then I saw it.)

I know these are not much but I am really trying my best to read as more as possible. I also started reading Sophie’s World and also revised some of the Chekhov’s Short Stories. I think I will not be able to finish Sophie’s World before Friday but I will try.

Sir can you please tell me correct spelling of the ‘skeptical’ because in Seely I saw the spelling is ‘sceptical’ but when I inserted it in Microsoft word to know the meaning they are showing the spelling as ‘skeptical’.

Yours Faithfully,

Irfan

Friday 19 November 2010

This is an Old Post from the Bengal Renaissance Blog

Dear O Level Students,

Please kindly send me your reading reports. Those who did not submit homework in the last class about the argumentative essay, are requested to send me mails or bring it in writing in the next class.

I hope to start the great story of Rappaccini's Daughter in the next class - do not worry as I will get enough number of photocopies on the day.

I hope you will mail me regualrly about your progress.

Thursday 11 November 2010

Books and Novels for the O Level Language Class

Oxford Secondary English - Seely
Enjoy English
O Level English - Etherton
New English Course - Rhodri Jones
P S Morell
Secondary English - Book 2, 3, 4.

Suggested Novels


A Village by the Sea
Sophie's World
Lord of the Flies
Kite Runner
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Chekhov's Stories http://chekhov2.tripod.com/

Secret Garden
Moondial
Tom's Midnight Garden
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Rappaccini's Daughter

Cosmos - Carl Sagan
Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy http://jj.thebuchis.de/jj/h2g2.pdf

A Few Important Movies and Animations


Satyajit Ray


পথের পাঁচালী

হীরক রাজার দেশে
গুপী গাইন বাঘা বাইন
জলসাঘর 

Western Movies

Sound of Music
Ben Hur
Bridge on the river Kwai

Tom's Midnight Garden
Moondial
The Jungle Book
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Bicycle Thief
Ice Age 3
Finding Nemo
Madagascar

Monday 8 November 2010

O Level Language with the Anglophiles

Hi Everyone!


Meeting with O Level Students [9th October]

Today after the O Level Language class I had a talk with – Shafat, Argho, Saklaen, Zubaer, Saiyudh, Mohini – regarding how to improve writing volume. I suggested that they can write me reports of their readings, send long mails to their friends, keep a diary of readings and websites visited, and even start a blog which shall be visited by others to get information about the Administrator Group's activities.

Argho suggested that video comments could make the blogs really interesting to watch. He also suggested that writing about images collected from online sources can be interesting too. Saiyudh suggested that the blog could possibly add items that SHOULD be read by other students. [This last comments should be done by the Students themselves and thus is an excellent example of Peer-assisted learning.]

More are coming - so, keep visiting!