Last shot at extra credit!!!

Read the essay on moral courage located at http://www.ethics.org/download.asp?fl=/downloads/Moral_Courage_Definition_and_Development.pdf

Respond to Ms. Miller's work. In your response, comment on the arguments she makes about courage and/or "moral courage." Do you agree or disagree with her? Why or why not?

The End

...is in sight. We have finished EOG testing and, in a bit past two weeks, we will finish up our year together.

As a final posting,
1. What types of reading do you expect to be doing next year in class?
2. What types of reading do you intend to do this summer?
3. What book would you recommend to me to read over the summer and why?

Include all three parts in your responses.

May post--limited time only!

In honor(?) of EOGs next week...

Some people claim that standardized tests represent a genre in the same way that mysteries, poetry, or short stories are all genres.

1. What evidence would someone use to support this claim?
2. Do you agree or disagree with this claim?
3. What reading strategies do you employ when dealing with this genre of material?

Answers must address all three questions to count.

May Posting

Now that National Poetry Month has passed, I'd like you to reflect on poetry as a genre. What makes a poem a poem? What is the most important element or defining characteristic of poetry? What ultimately separates poetry from prose? In other words, what is your definition of poetry?

Include an example and a non-example to support your ideas. (If you missed the notes on prose poetry, take a moment to investigate this topic before responding to this post.)

April/May Posting Option--Reasons for Reading

This post is inspired by bedell15d's response to bedell13m on another posting.

What is the reason (or, what are the reasons) for reading a text? Is it possible to read something for the wrong reason? In what ways do your strategies change based on the reason for reading? Provide some examples from your own life. Be sure to explain your examples fully!

April Posting, Extra Credit Option!!!

They don't come along often, so take advantage of them when they do...

Go to the Voices of Civil Rights website and choose three stories from North Carolina. Read the stories. Then, write a response here. Be sure to tell us which stories you chose and why, as well as your reactions.

http://www.voicesofcivilrights.org/search_results.asp?p7=North%20Carolina&page=1

April posting, 2nd option

For those of you who are racing to stay ahead of the curve and want to finish two postings this month...

What was the most challenging book you've read? Include in your post

• why you decided to read it
• why it was challenging for you
• what you learned or how you grew as a result of rising to the challenge
• what advice you would give a classmate who might want to tackle this text

For example, the most challenging book I've read was Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian. I decided to read it over the summer in 2003 when I was expecting my first child, partly because I'd been curious about it since Gao Xingjian won the 2000 Nobel Prize in literature and partly because I knew it would be a long time before I had the freedom to tackle such an intense work once I had kids.

This book was incredibly difficult for me. There isn't a "plot" in the traditional Western sense, and perspective shifts between first, second, and third person. I frequently had to reread in order to understand the different threads that run through the text. The translation/cultural barrier added another, profound layer of difficulty. The book is translated from Chinese and draws heavily on Chinese tradition. Additionally, the author, although Chinese, has been living abroad in exile for many, many years. Because I lack an extensive background in Chinese culture and history, I found myself rereading and researching to understand some of the allusions. I'm sure I missed most of them.

However, when I did finish the text, I felt a great sense of satisfaction. The writing is incredibly beautiful, almost like poetry, and the text is thought-provoking. I found myself for months afterwards mulling over the issues of exile and loss that Gao Xinajiang explores. I'd like to reread this book, perhaps next summer when Sam is a little older and I have a little more freedom again.

If you are interested in reading this book, I would suggest reading translations of classical Chinese literature first and researching the author. I would also suggest that you have great determination and patience, as this is a radically different type of text than most of you have experience reading. I might even suggest waiting a few years.

The Final Nine Weeks, First Option!!!

This post is inspired by "My Life in Books," a weekly feature in Newsweek magazine. Famous authors (and lately, filmmakers and musicians) are interviewed about the books that shaped them over the years. However, a question that I always find intriguing is the "rejection" question, in which the interviewees are asked some variation on the question, "What book let you down?"

So, for this month, what book let you down, and why? It may be a childhood favorite that, upon rereading, you discovered to be filled with faults. It may be a bona fide classic that just didn't do it for you. It may be a best seller that you thought didn't live up to its hype.

For example:
A book that let me down was Pretties. I'd read Uglies and greatly enjoyed the roller-coaster ride (sorry, bad pun). Although I knew it wasn't brilliant literature, it was a fun read. Tally's dilemma seemed like a good match for the kinds of discussions I wanted groups to have, and the fast pacing kept me hooked far too late into the night. The cliffhanger ending left me obsessing over what might happen, and I waited (impatiently) for several of you to finish passing around my copy of the sequel.

Sadly, when it was finally my turn for Pretties, I was sorely disappointed. The gripping plot twists in the first gave way to overblown stunts, and I didn't buy the love story. The characters seemed flattened out, cartoonish. The vibrancy of the writing and the real investment in the characters by the Scott Westerfield was missing. Although I understood the artifice of Tally's world, for me, the artifice in the writing was distracting and too self-indulgent to be effective. Overall, Pretties was a letdown for me.

Looking forward to hearing about your letdowns!

March 2008 posting, final option

What defines the "adventure story" genre? In your opinion, is it distinct from other genres of story? If not, with which other genres does it share certain characteristics?

1. List the characteristics that you believe define "adventure story".
2. Explain how these characteristics are unique to adventure stories OR explain with which other genres it shares these characteristics.
3. Give an example of an adventure story and a non-example, and justify your choices. If you have mentioned Harry Potter in any blog response thus far this year, please go beyond it for the purposes of this post.

(all three parts are required for full credit.)

Remember:
Your posts and responses for this nine weeks are DUE by March 31st! Don't let three big "not-handed-ins" pull down your grade!

March posting, 2nd option

For this post,

1. Interview three people (not classmates). Find out what their favorite poems are and why.

2. Read at least one of the poems yourself and respond to it.

3. Post the results of your interview and your reading here. Incude citation information so your classmates can find the poems as well.

March Posting, 2008

We're halfway through the third nine weeks!

For this post, find and share a favorite poem. In the space below, summarize the poem for us. Explain why it is your favorite. Include citation information and at least three quotes from the poem.

February 2008, Second Option

Don't forget--your first posting and your first response for this nine weeks are due by 2/25/08!

In addition to types of nonfiction (e.g., memoir, news article, essay, etc.), there are various nonfiction structures. For example, NC 7th graders learn about problem/solution structure in great depth as they prepare for the writing test. Other common nonfiction structures include cause/effect, compare/contrast, sequence/chronological order, and description. (Some include "question/answer" as an additional category.)

Identify a piece of nonfiction writing that you would like to share with your classmates. Include a summary of the piece, your reason(s) for recommending it, and what you believe to be the text structure. Justify your choice of structure using information from the text.

If you would like more information on nonfiction types versus structures, ask me in class. If you are at home, you can check out these links:

Types:
http://www.npusc.k12.in.us/high_school/languagearts/Characteristics%20of%20Nonfiction.pdf
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/english/files/nonfictionposters.pdf

Structures:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/reading/bestpractices/nonfiction/fiveTextStructures.pdf
http://www.umass.edu/wmwp/ReadingInitiative/Reading%20Strategies%20Page.htm
http://www.somers.k12.ny.us/intranet/reading/signalwords.html

Favorite Books

The posts here are posts that did not respond to the prompt I asked, but instead were posts about favorite books. I have moved them because they were potentially confusing for other students who were looking for response opportunities. I appreciate your enthusiasm for the materials you are reading, but please remember to read the prompt before you post.

This posting option will remain open as a place to discuss favorite books, but it is a non-credit posting. (*I will give credit to 21e for the response I moved over.)

What Your Friends Are Saying...

The other 8th graders are blogging as well. The Eagles are up and running and the Falcons and Hawks are on their way.

Check out what your friends have to say about books:

http://stanbackeagle.blogspot.com/ (Ms. Henchey's students)

http://stanbackfalcons.blogspot.com/ (Ms. Watts's students)

http://thehawksreadingroom.blogspot.com/ (Ms. Johnson's students)

http://blackbearslunchbunch.blogspot.com (Ms. Slonecker's students)

February 2008 Posting

For this posting, you will need to locate a piece of nonfiction writing, such as a newspaper article, a magazine article, or a journal article.

1. Briefly summarize your source. Include citation information. If the article came from a website, you may provide a link to the article in your post.
*Tip: Go to http://citationmachine.net/ to help you format your citation.

2. Evaluate your source for possible bias. Some things to consider:
*How logical is the argument? Where is it sound? Unsound?
*Does the writer attempt to use neutral language, or is the language loaded?
*Has the writer included or left out opposing viewpoints?
*For newspaper articles, especially: how long is the article? Does the length of the story seem commensurate with (seem to match) the importance of the story? Sometimes, publications will "hide" important pieces of news by shortening the article to the bare minimum amount of facts. Publications may also "overinflate" the impact of a piece of news by doing an in-depth article on something of lesser importance. This practice can reveal the bias of the writer, magazine or paper.

3. Include your reaction to the article.

To get full credit for this post, you must include all three parts. I would recommend typing your response in a word-processing program first in order to take advantage of the editing and revising capabilities. Afterwards, copy and paste your work from the word processor into your blog posting. As always, you may turn this in as handwritten work. You may also use the computers in our classroom!

Remember, your first posting and first response are due no later than Feb. 25, 2008! You are welcome to post earlier...

Your teacher,
Ms. Bedell

January 2008, Second Semester Post

Welcome back, all!
This is a short post window, only for the next week or two.
With the honoring of Dr. King last Monday, the word "hero" has been present in much of the media lately.

What is a hero? Choose a character from a book you are reading or one you have read recently to illustrate your definition. Use specific, cited evidence from the text to demonstrate why this character is (or is not) a good example of a hero.

January Posting Option #2

Since some of you will need to complete two posts this month, I felt as though I ought to give you a second prompt, or else there would be much repetition.

Therefore, consider this:

In your text, identify the major conflict. Locate three key pieces of information that the writer uses to develop the conflict. Then retell the story from the perspective of the main antagonist. Include the same three pieces of information in your retelling, but the impact of that information may change based on the new character's perspective.

As always, identify the title and author of the text and include your UserID.

Happy posting!

Extra Credit Option 2

In the New Year's vein, your extra credit option is a bit of self-reflection. Looking back over the course of the (school) year, assess yourself as a reader. What are your strengths? Weaknesses? In what ways, if any, have you grown as a reader? In what ways, if any, do you feel that you aren't growing? What strategies can you name? Which ones do you actually use? What concrete steps can you take to become a better reader?

As before, I will accept thoughtful answers as extra credit towards reading logs. Because this is a more difficult subject than the last, you may earn up to 8 points for well-articulated, honest reflections.

Happy posting!

January Post (Post your responses here!)

Dear all,

Happy New Year!!

I hope you had a lovely break. I've enjoyed reading your posts. In the coming year, you can expect to see me commenting on some of them, so be sure to check in frequently!

In honor of the New Year's tradition, this month's post will be about New Year's resolutions. What resolutions might your protagonist choose to make?

Your response should not only include the protagonist's goal(s), but should also address at least one character flaw that keeps the protagonist from easily reaching said goal. Other goals may be included as long as they relate to the story. All goals should have a brief supporting statement that ties them directly to the text. For example, Little Red Riding Hood's goal is to get to Grandma's house. However, her naivete and innocence get her in trouble with the Big Bad Wolf. A set of resolutions for Red might read something like:

"In 2008, I will:

1. Eat fewer baked goods. (All these cookies are starting to turn me into Not-So-Little Red.)

2. Visit my ailing grandmother more frequently. (If the Woodsman hadn't happened along just then, Grandma and I would both have been the Wolf's dinner, and I never would have the chance to know her as a person. I've been given a second chance, and I'm not going to waste it!)

3. Be more guarded around strangers. (If only I had listened to Mom, who warned me time and again not to talk to anyone in the woods, the Wolf would never have known where I was going, and the whole eating-Grandma thing would never have happened.)

4. Learn tae kwon do. (Just in case I find myself stalked on my next trip to Grandma's.)

Signed,
Little Red Riding Hood"

As always, include the title of the text, the author, and your UserID in your post. *There is at least one post from last month without a valid UserID, so I am not able to give credit to the writer. Please double-check all of your postings and let me know if you missed adding that vital piece of information!

Looking forward to your ideas!

Ms. Bedell