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These are the victims of the MSD school shooting. Take a few minutes out of your day to read about them. They deserve to be remembered. 

Alyssa Alhadeff: 

Alyssa was 15 years old.

She played soccer and was on the track team.

Alyssa was said to have been introverted and very close to her family and friends.

She was a straight A student.

Alyssa attended a jewish sleep away camp during the summer.

Scott Beigel: 

Scott was a geography teacher at the school.

He is pictured above with the cross country team he coached.

He was killed after unlocking the door to let students into his classroom to hide from the shooter. 

Scott was also a counsellor at a summer camp in Pennsylvania.

Jaime Guttenberg:

Jaime was 17 years old.

She loved dancing and was in a local competitive dance program.

She was described as being kind-hearted and having a contagious smile.

Her facebook page has been memorialized as tributes pour out.

Martin Duque: 

Martin was a 14 year old freshman.

His brother described him as very funny, outgoing, caring and very sweet.

His family is devastated at the loss of Martin, he was very loved.

A gofundme page was set up by his brother, to help cover the funeral costs. The link is: https://www.gofundme.com/32z7etk

Nicholas Dworet:

Nicholas was 17 years old.

He was given a swimming scholarship to the University of Indianapolis.

He also played for the school water polo team.

Nick aspired to be in the 2020 olympics.

He was described as being very charismatic and a very likeable guy.

Aaron Feis:

Aaron was a football coach at the school.

Aaron was shot and killed, shielding students from bullets.

He was also reported to have been a security guard.

He was loved by students at the school.

Chris Hixon:

Chris was the school’s athletics director.

He was described as the kind of person who would do anything for anyone.

He had a son with special needs who followed him everywhere.

Luke Hoyer:

Luke was 15 years old.

He loved playing basketball.

He is described as being very laid back, never causing any trouble.

His family is devastated, saying that “it doesn’t feel real”.

He was very happy-go-lucky. Never getting upset.

Cara Loughran: 

Cara was 14 years old.

She was a great student.

She loved the beach.

Her family says that her death is “too horrible to be processed”.

Gina Montalto:

Gina was 14 years old. 

She was a member of her school’s marching band.

Her mother described her as being smart, caring, and brightening any room she entered. 

Joaquin Oliver:

Joaquin was 17 years old.

He was born in Venezuela, officially becoming an American citizen on January 17th.  

He was described as being extroverted and always trying to make new friends.

Alex Schachter:

Alex was 14 years old. 

He was a member of his school’s marching band. 

He was described as being a great kid, full of love and life. 

Carmen Schentrup:

Carmen was 16 years old.

She was a national merit scholar semifinalist. 

A family member described her as being the smartest 16 year old they had ever met. 

Alaina Petty:

Alaina was 14 years old.

She was part of her school’s JROTC program.

She devoted countless hours to volunteering.

Alaina was described as vibrant, determined, and loved by all.

Meadow Pollack:

Meadow was 18 years old.

She planned to attend Lynn University next year.

Happy September, everyone!

As we all get our gears in motion to start a new year, I thought I would share my top tips for scoring the highest marks in English Literature essays. 

(P.S. Lots of these tips are applicable to other subjects too)

1. Don’t write about the character as if they are real

Unfortunately, this is a common error in English Lit essays. It is absolutely imperative to remember that a character is not a person, but is a construct of the writer in order to present an idea or theme. No matter the question, you should be linking your answer back to the writer’s ideas and theme of the text, even if it doesn’t seem obvious what the theme is on the first inspection of the question. Using the author’s name frequently in your essay will demonstrate that you recognise the character is not a real person - ‘Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle as…’

2. Don’t analyse the plot

Avoid analysing the plot or when things happen in the text. Don’t write ‘When X happens it makes us think Y’. Instead:

Analyse the writer’s use of language, structure and form to create meaning

Do a close language analysis of specific words/phrases, including a sound analysis (plosives, assonance, etc.)

Do a structural analysis of what happens when and why that’s important (Freytag’s pyramid)

Do an analysis of form (stage directions, dramatic monologue, etc.)

3. Keep your answer relevant throughout

You need to be explicitly answering the question - not going off on a tangent nor trying to change the question to suit an answer that you want to write. One way of avoiding this is by starting each paragraph with a topic sentence, summarising what that paragraph is going to be about and how it answers the question. Another method is simply by rewording the question into your answer at the start and end of every paragraph. At least. For greater impact, include synonyms of the word, which can also help with the readability of your answer.

4. Avoid PEE/PEEL/etc. where you can

Thousands of students are taught the same, basic Point-Evidence-Explain (or variant) analytical paragraph structure. If you want to stand out, show academic strength, and achieve the highest marks then you must break free from the chains of PEE! (This also applies for your introduction format. ‘In this essay, I will argue…’ gets pretty dull after reading it 100 times)

For my students, I will be teaching them to write What-How-Why paragraphs:

WHAT has the writer done?

HOW have they done it?

WHY have they done it/is it effective?

This way, your focus is always on why the writer has chosen to use that specific language/structure/form, but it allows you to be creative in crafting your response. Being able to discuss the ‘why’ of literature is the key to unlocking the highest grades. Reading through examiners’ reports this summer has made one thing clear - it is not enough to merely spot linguistic devices or structural features. You must explain why the writer has chosen them and why that is an effective choice (or not).

5. Avoid sweeping statements about context

The main advice here is to only include comments about the context of the text if it adds to the analytical point that you are making. They should not be a bolt-on sentence, but they should enhance your answer.

Further, sweeping claims like ‘All Jacobean women were oppressed by society’ is far too vague. On the other hand, a comment like ‘Lady Macbeth is a disturbing example of womanhood because she denies her gender at a time where the role of a woman was clear-cut, even patriarchal, in Jacobean society’ suggests that you have a greater understanding of how context can influence the writer’s choices.

6. A plan is your best friend

Always, always make time to plan your answer. A method I recommend is, first, circling the key words in the question (character/theme, what you are asked to do, where in the text you are asked to look, etc.). Secondly, write all of your ideas down onto the page, highlighting parts from the extract if you have that in front of you. Finally, select a judicious number of points that you are going to talk about (quality not quantity here) and number the order in which you are going to make them.

If you are writing a comparative essay, each paragraph must start and end with a comparative point about whatever it is you are comparing (characters/themes/etc.) I suggest the following format:

‘X is presented in both text A and text B. However, in A the author uses device 1 and 2 to demonstrate X. On the other hand, in B, the author demonstrates X via use of device 2 and 3.’ Then write one paragraph for each text. Repeat this again for another similarity. And again for a third - if you think that is appropriate.

Click HERE if you want more top tips/resources/essay advice/study motivation!!

Click HERE if you want more top tips/resources/essay advice/study motivation!!

Now that we’re older and embrace our moods: