Personal Study Written

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Personal Study (Written)

• Guidelines Advice

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What Is It?

• Its a NAB.
• Internal assessment Unit 3.
• Its important to gain a pass at the course level
  youre aiming for at the end of S5 (or S6).

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Whats Involved?

• You study a literature or non-fiction text
  INDEPENDENTLY (not taught by the teacher).
• Then you write a critical essay on the text
  studied using a topic youve chosen.
• You will be shown some Personal Studies to help
  you get the idea.

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How Is It Assessed?

• The examiner is looking for the same skills as
  the critical essay
• Understanding
• Refer to the parts of the text that are relevant
  to your topic and show your understanding.
• Analysis
• Explain how the writers techniques add to your
  understanding.

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How Is It Assessed?

• Evaluation
• Make a personal response, i.e. give an opinion
  about the text, supported by evidence.
• Expression
• Your essay is planned out and ordered relevantly.
• Your express yourself clearly.
• Technically accurate.

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How Is It Assessed?

• In other words, USE YOUR SKILLS for CRITICAL
  ESSAY WRITING when you write your Personal Study.
• Its nothing you haven't seen or done before!

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What Do I Have to Do?

• Although the teacher is always there to give
  advice and help, you have to do these stages ON
  YOUR OWN

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What Do I Have to Do?

• Choose your own text.
• Read it in your own time.
• Make notes on the text.
• Decide on a topic to study.
• Re-read the text, making notes on the topic.
• Make a plan for your essay.
• Write your essay in an hour in class.

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Dont Worry!

• Actually its not as daunting as it seems!
• Youve studied texts in class from S1.
• Youve written critical essays.
• Your teacher will give you support and advice.
• Ready...?

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Stage 1 Choosing a Text

• You cant choose a text that is taught in school.
• Your teacher has to agree on your choice.
• Although its possible to study the same text as
  someone else in the class, your topic must be
  different.

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Stage 1 Choosing a Text

• You can choose from
• Fiction
• Poems
• Short stories
• A play
• A novel
• Non-fiction
• Autobiography
• Biography
• Travel writing
• Books on hobbies

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Stage 1 Choosing a Text

• Choose a text you UNDERSTAND. If you struggle to
  understand it, you will find ANALYSIS and
  EVALUATION very difficult to do.

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How Do I Find a Text?

• Ask for recommendations from family friends the
  librarian teachers and bookshops like Ottakars,
  Waterstones and Borders.
• Pick a text, then read the blurb and the first
  two chapters.
• Dont spend too long choosing theres lots more
  to be done before the June deadline.

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Stage 2 Reading Your Text for the First Time

• You need to read your chosen text through, from
  beginning to end, to get a complete idea of what
  it is about the big picture.
• You will be given a worksheet to fill in after
  the first reading to help you sort out your
  understanding of the text and to help you get
  ideas for a TOPIC.

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Stage 3 Choosing the Right Topic

• Your topic must
• Permit understanding, analysis evaluation of an
  aspect of the text.
• Be do-able, using your text.
• You dont have to write about everything to do
  with your text, just one aspect.

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Stage 3 Choosing the Right Topic

• Your teacher will demonstrate how to select and
  word a topic, using texts your class has studied
  this year.
• The topic will read quite like a critical essay
  question one youve set yourself to answer.

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Remember!

• You teacher must agree on your choice of topic to
  ensure that it is do-able!

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Stage 4 Making Your Notes

• Now you have a TOPIC, it is time to read your
  text AGAIN to
• Find the relevant information.
• The techniques for analysis.
• Think about the texts effect on you.

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Stage 4 Making Your Notes

• As you do your second reading, you should be
  making notes on what is relevant and important to
  answer your topic.
• Your teacher will demonstrate this you will be
  given a note-sheet to help you make useful notes.

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Stage 5 The Plan

• Once you have completed your note-making, you are
  ready to make an essay plan.
• The plan consists of two sides of A4 on which you
  write all you need to know to write your Personal
  Study essay.

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Stage 5 The Plan

• The plan should include
• Your introduction.
• The topic sentences which relate to your topic.
• The P.E.E. chains you will use to analyse.
• The quotations you will use.
• The literary techniques you will mention, e.g.
  theme, metaphor, etc
• Your personal responses / evaluation.

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Stage 6 Writing the Personal Study NAB

• Written in class under exam conditions.
• You have one hour.
• You are allowed
• Your text.
• Your plan.

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Stage 6 Writing the Personal Study NAB

• Your teacher will read and discuss one or two
  Personal Study exemplars with the class to show
  you what is expected at the level of course
  youre aiming for.
• You can try assessing these Personal Studies
  using the 4 criteria
• Understanding
• Analysis
• Evaluation
• Expression