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Friday, December 9, 2016

Q2: Week 8 - Posts for 12/12 - LAST POSTS OF 2016

Post 1: Student prompts!  Pick one of the prompts below.  If your prompt is listed, congratulations!  You get to skip this prompt :)

Sa'Veon:  Do you set your goals according to what you to want to achieve or according to what you think you are capable of achieving?

Charles: Describe the most memorable moment that has happened in your life so far and why it is memorable.

Lathan:  Prompt: Describe what a perfect world would be like.

Trevor:  What if all currency was replaced with cookies. More valuable cookies have more value and worth while cheap cookies are low forms of cash. Freshness and condition of the cookies also plays a role in the value (fresh, condition=value)


Sarah: How have your priorities changed from middle school to high school?

 Sydney: Create your own character. Describe him/her in detail. What's his/her name? Age? What is his/her story?

 James: Who is one person or a group of people that have inspired you to be who you have been today?

 Maia: Write about how you see yourself living in the future and how you wish to fulfill your life to the best of your ability. How do you want to look back on your life and remember it ? What things do you wish to accomplish, and what will make you happy in the long run ?

Post 2: Reflect on your visit to the writing center in a 2-paragraph post.  What did you and your writing fellow work on?  What was helpful?  What progress did you make? (If you didn't go to the writing center, please say so and reflect on your revision process more broadly.)
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Friday, December 2, 2016

Q2: Week 7 - Posts due 12/5

1. Literary Analysis Process: Update us on your literary analysis work: What has been most difficult or easy about this draft?  What have you done or what resources have you used to help you find your way?  What are you struggling with, or what advice would you give to peers who are struggling?

2. Free Post: You need a topic, but it's up to you to choose.
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Friday, November 18, 2016

Q2: Week 6 - Posts for 11/28

2 creative posts for the break:

1. How-To: We have had two recent chapel talks in which teachers have shared how to make green bean casserole, with a purpose.  Create a post that teaches your readers how to do something.  This could be something practical, like how to make a pom-pom out of yarn or catch a fish or tie your shoes, or something less concrete, like how to survive life with a sibling or know what's going on in the world or not be overwhelmed.  This post should be in 2nd person POV, because you are talking directly to readers.  You are welcome to include pictures if they are relevant.  Please post all writing directly to the blog, though, and not in an attachment.

You are welcome to put this in the form of a poem if you'd like.  Here are some possibilities for inspiration:
- Wendell Berry "How to Be a Poet"
- Lee Herrick "How to Spend a Birthday"
- Sherman Alexie "How to Write the Great American Indian Novel"
- Judith Beveridge "How to Love Bats"

2. Sybmolism: Write a brief story that uses symbolism in some way.  At the end, identify any symbols you used and what they stand for (or what you wanted them to stand for).  You may want to, but don't have to, tie this to Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope your break is safe, fun, restful, and filling!
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Thursday, November 10, 2016

Q2 - Week 5: Posts due 11/14

Post 1: Choose a critical scene from LOTF - one that you think especially matters to the novel and that it is particularly important for us to understand.  Explain what readers need to notice, ask, and consider in this scene.  Make sure to include page numbers and some quoted phrases.  Then, explain why you think the scene is so important to the novel as a whole.  You are encouraged to refer to class discussions, but don't have to.

Post 2: Free Post (Suggestions: gratitude, your family's Thanksgiving, mid-second quarter check-in, responding to a peer's prompt from one of the blogs you read last week, LOTF or independent reading response).
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Thursday, November 3, 2016

Q2 - Week 4: Posts for 11/7

2 posts for this week:

1. LOTF Response: Choose a brief passage from any section through chp. 8 to analyze and respond to in 2 full paragraphs.  You will use the same close reading techniques that we've been working on, but write up your results in paragraph form rather than in notes on the text itself.  Explain why this passage is significant in the book.  You may choose any of the following passages or one of your own.

The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away.  Once there was this and that; and now--and the ship had gone. [... Jack refusing to give Piggy the floor when he has the conch...]
"The rules!" shouted Ralph.  "You're breaking the rules!"
"Who cares?"
Ralph summoned his wits.
"Because the rules are the only thing we've got!"
But Jack was shouting against him.
"Bollocks to the rules!  We're strong--we hunt!  If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down!  We'll close in and beat and beat and beat--!" (91)

-----

[Piggy:] "I don't agree with all Jack said, but with some.  'Course there isn't a beast in the forest.  How could there be?  What would a beast eat?"
"Pig."
"We eat pig."
"Piggy!"
"I got the conch!" said Piggy indignantly.  "Ralph--they ought to shut up, oughtn't they?  You shut up, you littluns!  What I mean is that I don't agree about this here fear.  Of course there isn't nothing to be afraid of in the forest.  Why--I been there myself!  You'll be talking about ghosts and such things next.  We know what goes on and if there's something wrong, there's someone to put it right."
He took off his glasses and blinked at them.  The sun had gone as if the light had been turned off. [...]
"Life," said Piggy expansively, "is scientific, that's what it is.  In a year or two when the war's over they'll be traveling to Mars and back.  I know there isn't no beast--not with claws and all that, I mean--but I know there isn't no fear either."
Piggy paused.
"Unless--"
Ralph moved restlessly.
"Unless what?"
"Unless we get frightened of people." (83-84)

------

Ralph chose the firm strip as a path because he needed to think, and only here could he allow his feet to move without having to watch them.  Suddenly, pacing by the water, he was overcome with astonishment.  He found himself understanding the weariness of this life, where every path was an improvisation and a considerable part of one's waking life was spent watching one's feet.  He stopped, facing the strip, and remembering that first enthusiastic exploration as though it were part of a brighter childhood, he smiled jeeringly. [...]
This wind pressed his grey shirt against his chest so that he noticed--in this new mood of comprehension--how the folds were stiff like cardboard, and unpleasant; noticed too how the frayed edges of his shorts were making an uncomfortable, pink area on the front of his thighs.  With a convulsion of the mind, Ralph discovered dirt and decay, understood how much he disliked perpetually flicking the tangled hair out of his eyes, and at last, when the sun was gone, rolling noisily to rest among the leaves. (76-77)

2. Write your own prompt: Write an interesting blog prompt and answer it, in two full paragraphs as usual.  You may want to ask a question, specify a topic, or specify the form of the response or a technique to use.  I will choose prompts written by students for a future assignment; if I choose yours, you will get to skip that post.
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Friday, October 28, 2016

Q2 - Week 3: No Posts

You have four chapters of LOTF due next week in our heaviest reading week of the book.  Please focus on that this weekend.  Blog comments for this week are also cancelled.
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Friday, October 21, 2016

Q2: Week 2 - Posts for 10/24

1.  For Lord of the Flies, we are thinking about human nature.  For this post, explain what you believe about human nature.  For example, do you believe that humans are fundamentally good, bad, flawed, loving, full of possibility, etc.?  For your second paragraph, explain what led you to these beliefs (such as your religion, family, experiences, reading, etc.).  As always, your post should be two well-developed paragraphs.

2. Reading response to outside reading or Lord of the Flies so far (no spoilers if you are reading ahead).
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Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Q2: Week 1 - Posts for 10/17

Wishing you an excellent fall break and happy end of quarter!  For your first week of second quarter, you have two posts:

1. Reading Response to outside reading or a short story (no summary if you are reading something we all read)

2. Fall Break Free Post: You choose a topic.

You will have 60 minutes of reading due this week rather than 120.

Happy writing!
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Friday, October 7, 2016

Q1 - Week 7: Post for 10/10

This week's post is your last for the first quarter!

Read and respond to one of the following articles:

Procrastination: Is Your Future Self Getting a Bad Deal?
How to Rig Elections, the Legal Way
Should We Abandon Louisiana? In Some Ways, We Already Have
Nerd Alert: Reading is Good for your Health

I will not check your annotations of the article, though I recommend doing it.  The post that you write should accurately summarize the author's points and include your own response.  You may use the response suggestions at the end of each article if you wish.  Make sure to reference the article you read with the author and title.  Plan to spend about 30 minutes writing this post, which will be worth 20 points.

**If there are any previous posts that you'd like to rewrite or revise, now is the time.  Please let me know what to look for.
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Thursday, September 29, 2016

Blogger Problem - Addresses for Comments

Some kind of problem in Blogger has made our Blog Lists disappear.  If you haven't done your comments this week yet, you can use the links below to navigate to classmates' blogs.  Remember to post on something that no more than one other person has already commented on.

Block 1

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Q1: Week 6 - Posts for 10/3

1. Reading Response - you may respond to a short story or to your outside reading book.  Please  develop your ideas in at least two full (5 sentences +) paragraphs, and avoid summary, particularly if you are responding to a short story we all read.

2. Free post!  Remember that free post does not mean rambling stream-of-consciousness; choose an interesting topic and use the traits of good writing.

Remember each blog post should represent about 15 minutes of writing.  Set a timer, and try to focus on only that post for 15 minutes.  Use the timer to help you avoid sitting in front of a blinking cursor.  You are welcome to use Grammarly to help you catch editing issues if you'd like.
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Friday, September 23, 2016

Q1 - Week 5: Posts for 9/26

1. Reading response: You may respond to your outside reading book or "Harrison Bergeron."  Please consider either identifying questions at levels 1, 2, and 3 (explanations here) or describing the plot map so far in your outside reading book.
2. A Flash (short short) story - a fictional piece in about 100-200 words - Consider the ones we read in class or see 100wordstory.com for more.  How much story can you pack into this small number of words?
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Friday, September 16, 2016

Q1 Week 4: Posts due 9/19

Two posts this week as usual:

1. Reading Response: you may respond to an outside reading book, or you can reflect on your literacy narrative.  As usual, limit your writing about what is going on in your book or in your literacy narrative to a couple of sentences and keep the focus on your ideas (or your reflections about the process).  

2. Dear ____-year-old: Watch the video "How to Age Gracefully" (from CBC Radio WireTap).  Write a letter of advice to someone at an age that you have passed, based on your experiences.  Make it interesting - try to avoid things they might hear frequently!  (Yes, it should be longer than the advice in the video - please make it the standard 2-paragraph length).
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Thursday, September 8, 2016

Q1 Week 3: Posts Due 9/12



Post 1: Reading Response to your current outside reading book!  Two developed paragraphs with minimal plot summary (no more than 2 sentences).  If you are struggling with what to respond to, try reading as a writer: How does the author engage the reader's attention?  What do you notice about how the book is structured?  What examples do you see of personality, emotion, or vivid detail in the voice?  (Quote if appropriate)

Post 2: This week falls between the anniversaries of two major tragedies of the 21st century.  For your second post this week, please read or view something related to either Hurricane Katrina or September 11th and write a 2-paragraph response.  If you choose to read something (anything from a poem, article, or short story to a novel or nonfiction book), count all of the time you spend reading toward your 120 minutes.  If you choose to view something (like a documentary), you may count up to 30 minutes toward your reading time for the week.  Make sure to identify what you read or viewed (a link would be great, too) - this should not simply be a piece about your own experiences.  Also, please avoid conspiracy theory articles or videos about 9/11.

Reading Ideas: (suggestions, not requirements)

Katrina: Blood Dazzler (poems by Patricia Smith), A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge (graphic novel by Josh Neufield), Zeitoun (nonfiction narrative by Dave Eggers), Voices from the Storm (oral histories of storm survivors, edited by Lola Vollen and Chris Ying)

9/11: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (novel by Jonathan Safran Foer), several other possibilities
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Thursday, September 1, 2016

Q1 Week 2: Posts for 9/6

Our blogging routine has begun!  This week, blogs will be due Tuesday, September 6 because of the holiday Monday.  Once again, you will have two posts this week:

1. A reading response to either your current outside reading book or your second summer choice book.  Remember, don't summarize the plot; instead respond, react, notice things that stand out, etc.  Remember to include the title of the book in italics.

Beginning next week, I will ask you to log your reading with an expectation of 2 hours per week.  That can include the time that you read during my class if you meet certain requirements: you arrive in class with a book (whether yours, the library's, or one that you've signed out from my classroom library; NOT one that you've just picked off my shelf); you are already reading when the bell rings and you read the entire time (if you are running to the bathroom, water fountain, your locker, etc. during reading time, or you are still finding the book on your computer or chatting when the bell rings, you may not count that day's time).

2. For your second post, think about something exciting or story-worthy from the past week or two, or from the summer.  Limit your story to about a five-minute period, and tell it as a scene, using as much vivid detail and imagery as you can.  Try to make your readers feel like they are right there.  Again, no more than five minutes should elapse between the beginning of your story and the end.

As before, please dedicate about 15 minutes per blog post.  Set a timer if you need to.  You may write informally, but please use standard spelling, capitalization, etc.


Happy writing!
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Friday, August 26, 2016

Welcome to English I

Welcome to English I!  I am looking forward to our year together!

As you know, blog posts will be a routine assignment in my class.  They will be an opportunity to share and think through our reading, to try out new genres and writing strategies, and to communicate with each other and with me about how our work is going.

For this week, you will make two posts, due Monday, 8/29 (you may post at any time before the end of that day):

1. A free post.  This is a good opportunity to introduce yourself and your blog, and to discuss your expectations, goals, or concerns about the course, but you may choose another topic if you'd like.

2. A response to one of your summer reading choice books.  Remember that a plot summary is not a response.  For examples of responses, click here to read some of my responses and some strong student responses from previous years.

 Here are some response sentence-starters that might be helpful to you:

 •One thing I noticed was…•I wonder why…•What I liked (or disliked) most was…•Something that surprised me was…•What I find confusing is…•As I was reading, I…•The author wants us to think…•…This is important because…•…I can relate to this because…•…This is similar to…•One strategy I used was…


 You will have time to work on this assignment in class on Friday.
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