Core.Com @ Glenrothes College: Higher Tasks – Summary of Contents
Higher Tasks: Summary of Contents
Introduction and Background
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Core.com - what is it? An introduction to this disk and its background.
What are 'core skills'? A brief overview of what core skills are and where
communication fits in.
Student notes Student guide to what’s involved at Higher level.
Welcome and Introductory Exercises – a selection of exercises designed
for a flexible learning student or a late start. The completed work should
give the tutor an idea of strengths and weaknesses and confirm that the
candidate is working at the right level.
Writing tasksheet A summary of likely tasks for summative writing
assessment at Higher.
Talking task sheet Summary of likely talking tasks for summative
assessment at Higher.
Jargon buster A brief glossary of terms for the candidate new to
communication study.
Outcome 1: Reading
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Answering Main Ideas Questions – an exercise to introduce the idea of
summary techniques on complex texts. This can be combined well with
generic questions at Higher and includes exemplar summaries on two
texts. One of these Separation: After the Fact is also used as an example
of reflective writing elsewhere - sharing experience . The other article used
as an example is simpler (Alps are alive with the bloom of youth) and
might be a better place to start.
Go Home and Change Now - A fairly entertaining article about the mixed
feelings young people have regarding school uniform. This is straightforward
in language and content – a good bridge between Intermediate 2 and Higher
level reading, but easier than a summative reading piece would be. Can lead
into a discussion and persuasive essay exercise – see Persuasive essay college students should wear uniform!
 text
 questions
 answer guide
I’ve got you under my skin - an article about facial genes and the way a
picture of the human face may, in the future, be able to be recreated from hair
or skin samples.
 text
 questions
 answer guide
Glenrothes College: Core Skill Communication 2004—2005
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Core.Com @ Glenrothes College: Higher Tasks – Summary of Contents
A Marked Man for Life - an article by a prison doctor about the effect tattoos
have on people. Fairly short but linguistically and conceptually demanding.
 text
 questions
 answer guide
Homework goes Bach to the Future – a fairly light piece arguing that
playing music while doing homework is a bad idea, despite recent research
results. There are no graphics and the piece is more difficult than it looks
because of continued use of irony. This is also used as an example of
persuasive writing in the writing exercise Persuasive essay.
 text
 questions
 answer guide
Business can play a vital role in tackling social problems – a piece from
the Business and Financial Section of the Scotsman reviewing a recent
conference on young male suicides. The writer thinks there should be less
soft soap from social workers and educationalists and more ‘hard
entrepreneurial edge’. This is fully summative level of difficulty – perhaps a
good practice before summative assessment. The answer guide is very
detailed. The article can also be used to stimulate discussion.
 text
 questions
 answer guide
Smacking – an Unnecessary Solution A real essay submitted by an
evening class student who is also a nursery nurse. This connects with the
writing exercise essay on physical punishment of children and the discussion
topic smacking children.
 text
 questions
 exemplar answers
Articles for formative use with Generic reading questions:
 Separation - After the Fact An article by a woman who has recently
separated from her husband.
 Anorexia article – extracts from an article by William McIlvanney about a
pro-anorexia militant group called the “Annas”. This article is also used to
stimulate discussion, but could equally be used as a formative reading
exercise.
 Parents demand the right to smack – an article in response to results of
the Scottish Parent Teacher Council survey into public views on smacking.
There are suggested answers to the generic questions on this article. Can
be linked to Discursive essay - physical punishment of children. There is
also a discussion exercise on the same topic.
Glenrothes College: Core Skill Communication 2004—2005
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Core.Com @ Glenrothes College: Higher Tasks – Summary of Contents
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Pay-per-mew television – a tongue-in-cheek article about a video
produced for cats. This is insufficiently complex for summative work, but
it’s an amusing way to introduce a discussion of tone and purpose. Also
could be used to develop generic questioning confidence in students who
are fed up with heavy and complex texts.
Is it wrong to save a child from danger? A more discursive newspaper
article on one aspect of the smacking debate.
Ideal readers understand journalistic technique – a fascinating website
article about the way people should read newspapers. This is a good
introduction to reading at higher, because it introduces the skills required
in a higher reading candidate. Could be used as basis of class discussion
also.
Outcome 2: Writing
Articles
 General – writing an article for a quality publication on a subject of the
student’s own choice. Remit sheet included. Link to helpnotes on writing
magazine articles and exemplars.
 Personal experience – an open topic for reflective or analytical writing.
Link to helpnotes on writing magazine articles and exemplar.
 Adults in Education – a personal piece for a quality newspaper about
experience of education. Link to helpnotes
Essays
 Argumentative essay on subject of student’s own choice. Links to essay
writing helpnotes; discursive essay helpnotes ; discursive essay exemplar
and helpnotes on essays with references.
 Discursive essay - physical punishment of children. This involves research
and can be easily linked to a discussion exercise on the same topic.
 Persuasive essay - topic of student’s own choice, but there are
suggestions. The reading text ‘Homework goes Bach to the future’ (is
suggested as an exemplar.
 Persuasive essay - college students should wear uniform!
 Reflective essay - general – connected with essay writing helpnotes and
two reflective essay exemplars – with analysis exercise.
Reports
 Report on famous person – a descriptive and analytical report. Refers
student to introductory report helpnotes (but these are very simple) and
also to complex report help.
 Investigative report - general. Among other helpnotes, students are
referred to carrying out an investigative interview and help with devising
questionnaires.
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Core.Com @ Glenrothes College: Higher Tasks – Summary of Contents
Reports (cont.)
 Report on rise in young male suicides – an exercise connected with a
reading exercise and a discussion topic. The rise in young male suicides
and self-harm in Scotland is apparently alarming – and much higher than
in England and Wales. A reading text refers to this, but students are
invited to pursue the topic and find out more about it.
 Report on curricular relevance – a case-study-based report that invites
student to analyse part of their study programme in terms of vocational
relevance and improving employability.
 Report on jobsearch facilities. This task invites students to investigate the
resources available to help them find work.
 Evaluative report on study programme. As class representative, the report
writer is required to collect class views on a various aspects of the course,
then present these in the form of an evaluative report with
recommendations. Can be combined with talking exercise - Course
Evaluation Meeting.
 Report on work placement. This task works well for students who are
already undertaking a work placement as part of another subject and who
probably already need to reflect on the learning experience. They may
choose to do small group discussion on the same topic: this provides
extremely interesting and high-level interaction about real experience.
Outcome 3: Talking
Meetings
 Group Trip Meeting. A meeting to present proposals for spending a sum of
money on organising a class ‘trip’. Formal presentation methods required.
 Course Evaluation Meeting. A business-style meeting with agenda, to
encourage students to collect class views about different aspects of their
study programme, present them to a meeting and make constructive
recommendations for change. This exercise works well, provided class
group feels reasonably positive about their course of study. It can be
combined with a subsequent writing task – see Evaluative Report on
Study Programme.
Discussion
 Discussion - general. Students come up with their own topics. Reference
to discussion helpnotes.
 Discussion on best video ever – this task also involves each group
member in preparing a short presentation. Could be adapted to best film,
best play, best footballer, best writer etc
 Name and Shame discussion – an exercise that would only be appropriate
for specific vocational group – perhaps Care students. It involves
discussion of the idea of public paedophile registers.
 Discussion - the "Annas" – an exercise which involves first reading an
angry commentary by William McIlvanney on the “Annas”, a militant proanorexia group. The focus of the discussion is both anorexia and
individual freedom – how far should it go?
Glenrothes College: Core Skill Communication 2004—2005
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Core.Com @ Glenrothes College: Higher Tasks – Summary of Contents
Discussion (cont.)
 Smacking children – a discussion of the issues, connected to the Scottish
Executive consultation paper February 2000. Students are encouraged to
undertake some research before starting the discussion – this could also
provide the basis for a report or discursive essay. A good topic for any
student hoping to train as child carers and/or teachers. Can be linked to 3
reading texts: Parents demand the right to smack (newspaper article);
Smacking - an unnecessary solution (essay) and Is it wrong to save a
child from danger? (newspaper article)
 Work Placement – each participant prepares a five-minute overview of
work placement experience so that group as a whole can evaluate the
relative merits of their placements. Can be combined with work placement
report exercise.
 The increase in young male suicides – connected to reading exercise
Business can play a vital role in tackling social problems. Students will
need to do further research before discussing the issue, and this could
also form the basis of an investigative report.
Presentations
 Presentation - general. Emphasis here on greater formality than at
Intermediate 2, but same reference to solo talk helpnotes.
 Presentation - double act. Invites students in pairs to deliver ‘for’ and
‘against’ arguments for a controversial topic.
 Career Choice presentation. Students gives the lowdown on a job of which
s/he has some real practical experience.
 College course choice. Speaker is invited to give a short presentation to
an audience of school leavers about his/her choice of college course.
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