New Year's Resolution

Extra Credit! Due Tuesday, January 5, 2010

As you celebrate the New Year, take a few minutes to think about something you could do to improve your life or make yourself a better person. You new year's resolution should be something that you dedicate yourself to for the duration of 2010 - in other words, set an on-going goal for yourself and start working toward it immediately.

Think carefully. What are your shortcomings? What about you needs improvement? What types of things could you do now to help you achieve your goals in the future?

For instance, if lack of organization is keeping you from reaching your maximum academic potential, you may resolve to put everything in it's place rather than just shove things in your backpack, desk drawers, closet, etc. Or maybe you feel so tired after school that you tend to confine yourself to the couch and watch t.v. all afternoon and you feel like you don't have much fun on the weekdays. You could resolve yourself to exercising or eating a nutritious snack when you get home to get your energy level up and then head out with friends and have fun before dinner.

Think for a while about what you would like to improve about yourself or your life and make a new year's resolution. Write at least two paragraphs - one focusing on your inspiration for this goal (your shortcomings or areas for improvement) and the other focused on the goal itself and your on-going plan for achievement.

This needs to be realistic and must be something you can work on every month of the year - not just during one sport season, etc. The goal does not have to be academic. Plan carefully! I'm going to check in with you on this throughout the second half of the school year.

Good luck and happy 2010!

Animal Farm Project: Post to Blog by Thursday, 12/17

Animal Farm Project

DIRECTIONS: Create an artistic project that portrays how one of the themes is shown in the novel and post it to your blog. Present the project in class on Thursday, December 17.

Projects must be posted to your blog - each group member must post his/her project by the due date.

Ideas for projects include:

Group options (up to three or four people can get credit for the same project if they all contribute equally to the production of the project.)

·      Make a movie – either live action or stop-animation (Playmobile/Lego/other toys, etc.) Be sure it is clear that your characters are animals (some type of costume, such as pig ears or noses, would be appropriate). Extra credit is available for quality work.

·      Movie trailer – use voice over, titles and music to show a theme’s usage in several scenes from the book.

·      Write and perform a song. Record the song and post it or post the lyrics and perform the song in class.

Individual options

·      Write a narrative or epic poem (at least one page in length).

·      Create a representation of one of the themes and its impact on the novel using Photoshop.

·      Make a children’s book or comic strip teaching important lessons using a computer drawing program.

·      Your own idea – see Mrs. Gilman for approval prior to beginning.

Presentation/Writing:

·      Before you show your project to the class, give a brief (30-60 second) speech about the theme of your choice and its impact on the novel. Showcase your in-depth understanding of the novel. All group members must participate in the presentation.

·      Write a page of analysis of the theme’s use in the novel and write COMMENTARY on how your project highlights the theme. GROUP PROJECTS – Specifically describe what you contributed to the project and how much time you spent working with your group.

Grading Criteria: 50 points possible

·      Projects will be evaluated on relevance to the novel, understanding of the theme, effort, and creativity.

·      Writing will be graded on insightful understanding of the theme and use of commentary.

Poetry Out Loud Performances

Go to the Poetry Out Loud website (poetryoutloud.org) and watch at least two performances, in addition to the performances we watched in class. Write two paragraphs about one of the performances in which you discuss how the student conveys the meaning of the poem with his/her performance.

The first paragraph should primarily discuss the effectiveness of the performance. Include language from the scoring criteria (physical presence, voice and articulation, etc.) The second paragraph should deal with your interpretation of the poem's meaning, with an emphasis on how specific details of the performance enhances the meaning. Be sure to include the title of the poem.

Due Friday, December 4.

Mockingbird Motif

At the beginning of the year we discussed the meaning of "motif" as it relates to a work of literature. How has reading To Kill a Mockingbird enhanced your understanding of the term "motif?" What is the "mockingbird motif" and how does it add a symbolic level of meaning to the other themes in the novel?

Write at least two well-developed paragraphs in which you address the questions above. Showcase your understanding of the characters, events, and themes in the novel as well as your ability to analyze literature thoroughly and with insight.

Post due Friday, November 20.

Extra Credit: Symbolism

Find and post a photo of something that you interpret as symbolic of one of the character's you are portraying in this week's dramatic reading. Briefly state why you think this symbol accurately represents the character.

To receive extra credit you must:

• Post a photo on your blog.
• The photo must be symbolic (not a picture of a person who reminds you of the character for whatever reason.)
• Spell the character's name correctly.
• Briefly explain your choice of symbol.

This post is due Saturday, November 14.

Life Lessons

In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout learns many lessons from her father, Atticus. Atticus' insightful observations about life help Scout to understand the world around her and the actions of adults. This week we will be discussing indirect characterization of Atticus - specifically, things he says that impact his children.

Think of something insightful that one of your parents or another influential adult may have told you. This should be something meant to help you understand the world around you or the actions of others that resonated - something that you have thought about or considered since.

Write two paragraphs: the first paragraph should explain the context and what was said, the second paragraph should discuss when and how you have thought of this since and the life lesson you learned as a result.

Post and comment by Friday, November 6.

Characterization: Your Best Friend

As we read To Kill a Mockingbird we will be focusing on how the author, Harper Lee, creates vivid characters through both direct and indirect characterization. Characters are created by both what the author directly tells us about them as well as by what they do, say, think, look like, and what other characters say or act around them.

Think about your best friend and the things that make him/her unique. Write a paragraph of indirect characterization - details about his/her physical appearance, things he/she does, opinions or thoughts, things he/she says, or how other people perceive him/her. Write about things that show his/her personality.

Then write a paragraph of direct chacterization - tell specifically what type of person he/she is. This paragraph should be a reflection of the previous - for example I might write that my best friend built her own bed and doesn't own a t.v. in the first paragraph and then write that she is creative and a non-conformist in the second.

Each paragraph should be well-written, well-developed, descriptive, thoughtful, and interesting. If your best friend is not very interesting you can write about someone else!

Post and comment on a classmate's blog by Friday, October 30.
Extra credit! Use words from Word Power, Session 1. You must embolden or underline the words to receive extra credit and use them correctly in context.

Point of View: 1st Person

This week we will be discussing and analyzing point of view, and then we will begin reading To Kill a Mockingbird. As in the passage from Eudora Welty's autobiography, To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated in first person with an adult looking back on childhood experiences. In this type of narration, memories from childhood are illuminated with an adult eye - the narrator can use childlike words and phrases and more sophisticated language simultaneously to enhance the story and give the viewpoint of both the child and the more mature person.

In this week's blog, tell the story of one of your earlist memories - try to think back ten or more years. Vary your narrative voice between that of tiny-you and that of the more sophisticated freshman in high school that you are now.

Your story should be at least two paragraphs in length.

Extra Credit Opportunity! 5 points. Include a photo in your blog that enhances the story you are telling.

Post due Friday, 10/23

Outside Reading: The Why

As you complete your outside reading project this week, you are sure to be thinking about the "why" component of your dominant literary element. Follow these instructions for this post:

1. Title your post with the title of your book and the literary element you are discussing, for example "Slaughterhouse 5: Irony." This way your classmates will be able to immediately see what your post will discuss. 
2. Discuss the question, "why did the author use this literary element so heavily?" Write at least two paragraphs. Your response will not be graded as part of your project, but should help you hash out your ideas in order to do address the idea more clearly on the actual project. 
3. Comment on the blog post of a classmate who is reading a book that you read either over the summer or for this assignment. In your comment, give him/her feedback as to what you think of his/her "why."
   

This post and comment is due Thursday by 7:00 p.m. - do it early so you have more time to focus on your project due Friday!

No Blog This Week.

Hi everyone. I will be back at school on Thursday. Due to my absence and inability to help those of you who haven't been able to access your blogs, we will take the week off from blogging. Please use your extra time to do a great job on your outside reading projects!

Outside Reading

Write a few paragraphs about the book you are reading outside of class. Be sure to include the title of your book. Address the following topics:

• How are you enjoying the book so far? Is it the type of book that immediately grabs your attention? Is it hard to get into? Why?
• Which of the five literary elements from the assignment seem to be dominant at this point? Are you unsure or is it obvious?
• Begin thinking about why the author may be using these literary elements. Write some ideas as to why the book may have been written in this manner.
• What is the tone of the novel? Does the tone shift from chapter to chapter? Explain.

Answering these questions may lead you to consider how best to present your findings in a graphic organizer. Begin thinking about a way you can convey the tone of your novel through the graphics or layout you choose. 

Also, several other students may have read your book. If you have questions or issues about your book that another student may be able to clarify, put them in your post and you might get some answers in the form of a comment by a classmate!

Due Friday, October 2.

Writing About Reading

As you begin your outside reading novel, remember that by opening the cover of your new book you are entering a distinct fictional world created by the author. As you read the first few words, paragraphs, and pages, you will have to acclimate yourself to the new surroundings. Sometimes this is not easy.

Ideally, when one sits down to read one should be in a quiet, comfortable place with minimal distractions. The environment should reflect solitude and create an atmosphere of focus. However, necessity sometimes compels us to read late at night, after an away game, on a jostling school bus. Or up-side down on the couch next to your obnoxious sister with the t.v. blaring. Whatever the cause of less-than-ideal reading conditions, be it due dates or your inability to put the book down, they happen. And they might cause you to miss something.

Write a few paragraphs about reading. How do you get into a new book when the first few pages don’t exactly capture your fascination or, quite simply, confuse you? How do you cope when that ideal reading place free of distractions isn’t available? What is your reading style? And attempt to answer the question that for some of us might be like asking why we breathe, why do you read fiction?

Please write this in class on Tuesday, September 22. Write descriptively, conscious of diction, and allow your personality to emerge in your blog post.