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.