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Student Exercise Unit 1
Why “The Simpsons” is the Best Show on TV
Student exercises based on Elevate
Education’s “Study Skills Kick Start Seminar”. For more information contact Elevate Education on 0207 256 4249.
I have to admit it. I am a big “Simpsons” fan. I love
nothing more in life that lying on the couch for 3 or
4 hours and getting lost in a “Simpsons” marathon.
Being a big fan I’ll stand up to anyone who tries to
talk trash about the show. Like the other day when
a friend tried telling me that “The Simpsons” is
rubbish. He wanted to know what is so good about
it. And that was a good question, because as
much as I love the show, I had never really thought
about what makes it so good. So I decided to find
out why “The Simpsons” is the best show in the
world and this is what I found:
Best scripts
Any “Simpsons” fan will tell you that what sets the
show apart is the quality of its scripts. A fan will tell
you that the show’s characters, the show’s jokes
and the show’s storylines are all better than any
other show on TV. This is no accident or fluke.
One of the reasons that “The Simpsons” scripts
are so good is “people power”. Ever heard the
saying, “2 heads are better than 1”? Well, if 2
heads are good, imagine how good 15 heads
would be. “The Simpsons” uses 15 writers on the
show. That’s 3 times more writers than you would
find on your average show. This rule of three also
applies to how long writers are given to come up
with a script. On average it takes 3 months to write
a script for one, half hour episode. Again, this is 3
times longer than it takes to write most other
shows. During this time they take a series of ideas
and like putty, mould these ideas into a complete
script. Matt Groening, says the fact that the show
doesn’t rush the writers is critical.
Freedom
The second reason “The Simpsons” is so good is
that the actors are given the freedom to play
around and be creative. What do I mean by being
given freedom? For example, the actors are all
allowed to adlib, or add to the lines in the script.
Each of the actors has played their character for
over 10 years and after awhile they began to take
on the feelings and personality of their characters.
So when they are doing voice-overs and they
suddenly have an idea or something funny comes
into their heads they can say it, rather than having
to stick strictly to the script. The freedom also
extends to allowing actors to make changes. For
example, from Season 1 to Season 5, Homer’s
voice goes through a big change. This change
was made by Dan Castellaneta, the actor that
provides Homer’s voice, because he felt it would
allow him to do more with the voice and as a result
make Homer’s character more colourful.
Castellaneta didn’t have to ask for permission to
make these changes because the producers
trusted his creative instincts.
Soundtracks
Finally, a good show needs a good soundtrack,
and as any fan of “The Simpsons” will know, the
show is full of fantastic songs and music. Who will
forget songs like, “Monorail”, the theme music for
“Itchy and Scratchy” or the opening theme music
for the show itself. There are a number of reasons
that the music is so memorable. In part it comes
down to having a musical director who is referred
to as a “musical genius”; Danny Elfman. Elfman
has won just about every music award under the
sun including a Grammy, an Emmy and an Oscar.
It is also no wonder the music in “The Simpsons”
is so memorable when it is recorded in a studio
with a 35 piece orchestra, unlike other shows
which use simple computer generated music.
Finally, how could a sound track not standout
when some of the world’s greatest musicians such
as Michael Jackson, Smashing Pumpkins, U2 and
Greenday have performed or written music for
“The Simpsons “.
So upon reflection, I feel completely justified when
I tell someone; “The Simpsons” is the greatest
show on earth.
Why “The Simpsons” Is the Best Show
Once you have completed the reading, go through and answer the following questions:
Question 1 – Why Am I Reading This?
Question 2 – What Are the Key Points?
1. ______________ ________________
2. ______________
3. _____________
Question 3 – What is our Evidence?
Key Point 1
__________ __________
Key Point 2
_________________
Key Point 3
____________ ____________
• • •
• • •
•
“The Simpsons” Dynamic Reading Exercise
Using the Elevate note-taking structure turn the information you extracted from your reading into a
set of notes paying special attention to: headings, sub-headings, bullet-points, trigger words, colour
and the use of your own words (don’t use the exact words from the reading).
“The Simpsons” Note-Taking Exercise
Turn your notes into a mind-map.
“The Simpsons” Mind-Mapping Exercise
© Elevate Education 2010
Student Exercise Number 2
How “The Simpsons” Has Changed The World
Student exercises based on Elevate
Education’s “Study Skills Kick Start Seminar”. For more information contact Elevate Education on 0207 256 4249.
© Elevate Education 2010
If I were to say to you that a certain character from
history, say Martin-Luther King, was an important
historical character, you would be within your
rights to ask me “why?” In order to answer your
question I might point to the impact he had on
history and how he changed the world around him.
Most people would consider that compelling proof.
Now I could argue that “The Simpsons” is the
greatest show in the world until I am blue in the
face, but at the end of the day, that would just be
my opinion. It certainly wouldn’t be a fact. But what
if I could show you how “The Simpsons” has
changed the world? Then you would have to admit
that it is an important show, right?
Influence on Language
Worldwide each year, more than a million TV
shows are screened in English. How many of
these do you think have made an impact on the
English language? The answer would be very few.
You could probably count them on your hands.
“The Simpsons” is one of these very rare shows
that has impacted the English language as we
know it. This impact can be seen in the creation of
new words, the most famous of which is Homer’s
famous grunt, “D’ho” which was recently added to
the Webster and Oxford dictionaries, where its
meaning is given as “frustration at the realisation
that things have turned out badly.” Beyond adding
new words to the English language, “The
Simpsons” has also added a number of new
expressions. People around the world use Mr
Burns’ catchphrase “Excellent” to show that they
have a hidden agenda or intend to do something
devious. Nelson Muntz’s “Ha-ha” is used by
millions of people as a way of laughing at the bad
luck of another person. These words may not be
new, but the expressions (the words and the way
they are said) have added a new meaning
and significance.
Influence of TV
The impact of “The Simpsons” moves beyond
influencing the English language. The show has
had a massive impact on TV. They say that
copying someone is the highest form of
compliment you can give them, and “The
Simpsons” has been copied by a range of recent
TV shows and in doing so, changed the way TV
shows are made. The first change the show made
is that it made cartoons cool again. Prior to “The
Simpsons” the last year a cartoon was shown on
prime-time TV was 1970. Many people thought
that a cartoon couldn’t interest everyone so people
stopped making them. The success of “The
Simpsons” showed the world that cartoons could
be cool and enjoyed by the entire family. Within a
few years, 10 new cartoons including the likes of
“South Park” and “Family Guy” were on prime time
TV. Beyond making cartoons cool, “The
Simpsons” also made a massive impact on TV
comedy, by removing “canned laughter” the sound
of a studio audience laughing to help the viewer
know when to laugh. The creators of “The
Simpsons” believed that people were smart
enough to figure this out for themselves, and
removed the soundtrack. Again, within a few years
most new comedy shows, including “The Office”
and “Malcom in the Middle” ditched the “canned
laughter”.
.
How “The Simpsons” Has Changed the
World
© Elevate Education 2010
Question 1 – Why Am I Reading This?
Question 2 – What Are the Key Points?
Question 3 – What is our Evidence?
Key Point 1
Key Point 2
• •
• •
“The Simpsons” Dynamic Reading Exercise
© Elevate Education 2010
Using the Elevate note-taking structure turn the information you extracted from your reading into a
set of notes paying special attention to: headings, sub-headings, bullet-points, triggers words,
colour and the use of your own words (don’t use the exact words from the reading).
“The Simpsons” Note-taking Exercise
© Elevate Education 2010
Turn your notes into a mind-map.
“The Simpsons” Mind-Mapping Exercise
© Elevate Education 2010
© Elevate Education 2010
Student Exercise Number 3
What Can We Do About Global Climate Change
Student exercises based on Elevate
Education’s “Study Skills Kick Start Seminar”. For more information contact Elevate Education on 0207 256 4249.
© Elevate Education 2010
You would have been living under a rock if you
hadn’t heard the growing protest and concern
about climate change. Climate change has gone
from being an issue only scientists discussed, to
being a leading social issue. The problem is, with
all of this talk of Global Warming, many people get
lost or overwhelmed. Many people are left
pondering the question, “What can I do. I am only
1 person. What kind of difference can I make?”
The good news is, every single person makes a
difference. You don’t need to be a government or a
big corporation. We can all make small changes,
which, when added up, become giant leaps in
saving our planet. Here are a few small things we
can all do.
Conserve Electricity
Global warming means that the temperature of the
earth’s atmosphere is increasing. Scientists
believe that the principle cause of this increase in
temperature is the increase in greenhouse gasses.
There are a number of greenhouse gasses but the
important one is Carbon Dioxide or CO2. CO2
enters the atmosphere every time we burn fossil
fuels such as coal in order to make electricity. And
the problem for the world is, the more energy we
need to live our lives, light our homes, cook, travel
etc, the more fossil fuel we need to burn and more
CO2 is released into the atmosphere. The solution
seems quite simple then. Reduce the amount of
energy we use, then we reduce the amount of coal
we burn and presto – reduce the amount of
Carbon Dioxide entering the atmosphere. And this
is a really easy thing for anyone to do, because at
the end of the day, we all know we have been
guilty of needlessly wasting electricity. So, why not
use the clothes line instead of using a dryer? By
switching off our driers it is estimated we would
save 700 pounds of Carbon dioxide every year.
How about this for a simple action tip: switching off
appliances at the wall. Even though your video
or TV may be turned off, if it is on standby, it is still
consuming electricity. It is estimated that 5% of
total energy consumption goes into powering
appliances that are off but plugged in! By
unplugging these appliances we would save 18
million pounds of carbon dioxide a year. And when
we buy appliances, why not only buy appliances
with only the highest energy rating? If everyone in
the US bought the most energy efficient
appliances it is estimated that the US would save
175 million pounds of carbon dioxide a year.
Recycling
Recycling is another effective way to cut down the
amount of energy used to produce the goods we
need. By simply keeping a regular bin and a
recycling bin and taking the time to sort our
plastics and paper from the normal rubbish we can
make a big difference. Recycling plastic reduces
the amount of energy needed to make a drink
bottle by 40% and recycling paper cuts down the
energy needed to make an exercise book by 70%
as compared to using raw materials. We can also
support recycling by purchasing recycled goods
wherever available.
Take Action
Finally we can all make a change by taking action.
Taking action doesn’t have to mean joining a
protest or chaining yourself to a tree. We can take
action by choosing to support environmentally
aware companies where ever possible. Virgin Blue
is the first airline in Australia to carbon off-set
flights, so for a few extra dollars, your flight is
carbon neutral. Why not take action, by voting
green. Vote for the party you think will do the most
to reduce greenhouse emissions, search for clean
energy sources etc. Finally, take action by making
a noise. Speak to your friends and speak to your
family.
What Can We Do About Climate Change?
© Elevate Education 2010
Answer the following questions using the dynamic reading process from the “Study Skills Kick
Start Seminar”.
Question 1 – Why Am I Reading This?
Question 2 – What Are the Key Points?
1. ______________ ________________
2. ______________
3. ______________ ________________
Question 3 – What is our Evidence?
Key Point 1
____________ ____________
Key Point 2
_________________
Key Point 3
____________ ____________
• • •
• • •
• •
Global Warming Dynamic Reading
Exercise
© Elevate Education 2010
Using the Elevate note-taking structure turn the information you extracted from your reading into a
set of notes paying special attention to: headings, sub-headings, bullet-points, triggers words,
colour and the use of your own words (don’t use the exact words from the reading).
Global Warming Note-taking Exercise
© Elevate Education 2010
Turn your notes into a mind-map.
Global Warming Mind-Mapping Exercise
© Elevate Education 2010
© Elevate Education 2010 19
Student Exercise Unit 4
What Personality Type Are You?
Student exercises based on Elevate
Education’s “Study Skills Kick Start Seminar”. For more information contact Elevate Education on 0207 256 4249.
© Elevate Education 2010 20
Have you ever wondered why you do the things you
do? Why you love some things whilst disliking
others? Have you wondered why one of your friends
always wants to pick an argument with someone,
whilst another always sticks up for their friends? Well
psychologists say that there is a reason for all of
these things happening. They say it is because each
of us has a specific personality type, and this leads
us to act in a certain way. They say that there are
four main personality types and that if you know
someone’s personality type you can understand
them better and even guess how they will behave.
The question is, which personality type are you?
How to Pick if You Are a Creator
The first personality type is called the “creator” and
researchers say 35% of the entire population fall into
this category. The creator has a few clear traits,
which make it easy to identify if this could be your
personality type. First and foremost creators are
people that like doing things. They are driven by new
sensations and want to experience as many new
things as possible. These are the kind of people,
who if you are going on a road-trip, or plan to do
something different or a bit out there like sky diving,
will be the first people to say “yes”. Secondly,
because creators are so open to new sensations,
they are also, just as the name would imply, very
creative. These people tend to make great artists.
Famous creators include people like Eddie Murphy,
Madonna and Bart Simpson.
How to Pick If You Are A Protector
Our second personality type is the “protector”.
Researchers say that the majority of the population,
43% of people in fact, fit into this category. We can
pick a protector because they also have a number of
key traits. The first and main characteristic is that
they are very stable people, they like continuity and
hate change. When they like something, they will
continue liking it. This makes them different to an
entertainer, who may be in love with something one
day and then have forgotten about it and moved
onto the next great thing the day after. The second
characteristic of the protector is that they are very
responsible. They are the kind of person who would
try and talk you out of going sky diving by explaining
each of the risks one by one. Finally, you can pick a
protector because they are highly organised. In fact
they love having routines to do something. They are
always on time and they don’t miss trains. They
probably have a really clean room where everything
would have a set place. These people can seem so
organised that a creator sometimes thinks they are a
bit of a weirdo! Famous protectors include the
Queen and Tony Soprano from the “Sopranos”.
How to Pick if Your Are an Intellectual
Our third personality type is the “intellectual”. This is
the smallest category, made up of only 10% of the
population. These guys are very easy to pick, first
and foremost because they love to argue. To them
an argument isn’t a fight, but rather a test of how
much you know about a subject. Sometimes these
people will argue for something they don’t even
believe in, simply to test the other person’s
knowledge of the subject! We all know someone like
that don’t we! Intellectuals are also quite hard to
offend. They are less sensitive than a lot of people,
especially creators and visionaries. Intellectuals are
also very good problem solvers. They love
approaching problems, whether it is a Maths
problem or a question of how to tune the TV into the
DVD player. Finally, intellectuals are very curious
people. They love founding out “why” things happen.
They tend to ask a lot of questions and love to read.
Intellectuals include Bill Gates, Tom Hanks, Gandalf
What Personality Type Are You?
© Elevate Education 2010 21
from “Lord of the Rings” and Mr Burns from “The
Simpsons”.
How to Pick If You Are a Visionary
Our final personality type is the “visionary”. This
group makes up 12% of the population. The easiest
trait to identify in a visionary is that they are
sensitive, caring, compassionate people. The
visionary is the person who hates to see someone
get picked on in the play ground. Because they are
sensitive they can be easily upset, unlike an
intellectual. In fact, the intellectual is often the one
upsetting the visionary! The visionary might think the
intellectual is rude and arrogant and the intellectual
will think the visionary is super sensitive. The second
key characteristic of the visionary is that they are
idealistic and support good causes. These are the
people who will sponsor a child in Africa, do 40 hour
famine, wear a white wristband to end poverty and
write letters for Amnesty International. Famous
visionaries include Jonny Depp, Ben Stiller and
Oprah Winfrey.
Now that you have had a chance to look at these
personality traits, which personality type do you think
you are? Are you a creator, a protector, an
intellectual or a visionary? Which personality type
would you put your friends into?
© Elevate Education 2010 22
Once you have completed the reading, go through and answer the following questions:
Question 1 – Why Am I Reading This?
Question 2 – What Are the Key Points?
1. __________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________
Question 3 – What is our Evidence?
Key Point 1
_______________________
Key Point 2
_________________________
Key Point 3
__________________________
• • •
• • •
• •
•
Key Point 4
•
•
Dynamic Reading Exercise
© Elevate Education 2010 23
Using the Elevate note-taking structure turn the information you extracted from your reading into a
set of notes paying special attention to: headings, sub-headings, bullet-points, trigger words, colour
and the use of your own words (don’t use the exact words from the reading).
Note-Taking Exercise
© Elevate Education 2010 24
Turn your notes into a mind-map.
Mind-Mapping Exercise
© Elevate Education 2010 25