Apirana Taylor

Apirana Taylor

Apirana Taylor will perform to the seniors of our school on Tuesday 17 June during period 5. The cost is a measly gold coin. This will be followed by a writing workshop for a select number of students (so please let me know soon if you are interested).

I attend poetry readings regularly and I'm also interested in astronomy. I heard Apirana perform at a Matariki celebration at the Carter Observatory a few years ago and he blew me and my sons away. He uses his voice as an instrument and once you've heard him then his voice stays within you forever. He has a very direct, no nonsense style and is a distinct, unique poet. He is not to be missed!

You can find out more about him at his website and read his poem Hinemoana's daughter at the NZ Electronic Poetry Centre.

Of Mice and Men resources

Talofa lava

All of these resources can help you think about the novel and prepare for your essay. I recommend the Sparks Notes resource.

Of Mice and Men Sparks Notes.

Of Mice and Men Novel Guide.

Of Mice and Men Survival Guide.

Of Mice and Men essay questions

Here are your questions of for Mice and Men. We will have some time in class next week to write to essay. These are very similar to the questions you'll answer on the novel at the end of the year in your NCEA exam.

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Choose ONE topic. Make sure you understand BOTH parts of the topic before you start writing.

Write an essay of AT LEAST 200 words for your answer.
Support your points with specific details from the text.
Make sure you answer BOTH parts of the question. Each part is equally important to help you show understanding of the text.

TOPICS (Choose ONE)

1. Describe an important change that happened to ONE character or individual in the text.Explain why this change was important.

2. Describe an important event at (or near) the end of the text.Explain how this event helped you understand an idea (or ideas) in the text.

3. Describe an idea (or ideas) in the text that you found interesting.Explain why you found this idea (or ideas) interesting.

4. Describe an important character or individual in the text.Explain why he or she was important in the text.

5. Describe at least TWO techniques used to make a character or individual in the text interesting.Explain why these techniques made the character or individual interesting.
Note: “Techniques” could include language, structure and / or narrative point-of-view.

6. Describe an important aspect of setting in the text.Explain how it helped you understand a key idea (or ideas) in the text. Note: “Setting” may refer to time and / or place.