Monday's Work: Read, Blog and Trivia

Hello and welcome to my first blog post! I wanted to fill you in on a few things that we will be doing today.

TODAY (1/28)- Reading Response blogs. Please look over the scoring guide so that you know how to get an “A” on the blog. You may use this 90 minute class period to read silently and post to your blog.

Some helpful hints: be sure to include a photo that is NOT the cover of a book; have it be related to the author, the theme of the book or even a symbol. Please also include a quote and be sure to put it in quotations. Also, a quote is not merely two words but it is a phrase or a passage. Explain why you included the quote in your post. Once you are done with your reading response blog post, I want you to watch and read the following links about The Crucible. I think that these will be interesting and some of the trivia may be asked on a later test! Hint, Hint.






Movie Trailer

 


 



Interesting Trivia







 With any extra time you may have today, please read more about Ms. Wood! Here are 10 (and counting) things about me!

· I am from a small Dutch inspired town called Pella, Iowa.

· I have a orange tabby cat and he is named after one of my favorite songs, Mr. Bo Jangles.

· Mr. Bo Jangles knows how to come when called and will fetch pens. He rules the apartment.

· I also have a Cuban Havanese dog named Daisy. She knows all of her toys by name.

· I have an older sister, Ashley, in the Air Guard and she recently got back from a tour in Afghanistan.

· My kitchen is done completely in cupcakes. I am obsessed with them.

· I was involved in Choir, Show Choir, and Theater throughout high school.

· My first job was at a Dairy Queen, so I know how to do the "Q" on top of ice cream cones.

· My parents live in Monett, Missouri.

· If I could do anything, I would become a jazz singer.

Second Semester Thoughts...Welcome Back!

Welcome back bloggers.  It has been a while since we posted.  Though we are busy composing our descriptive narratives about home, I am also anxious to read about what you are reading.  I just started a book I was given over Christmas break, A Dog's Journey, which is a sequel to A Dog's Purpose.  I haven't had much time to read, but I am looking forward to starting it this weekend.  By the way, it was given to me by my secret pal here at school...Think she knows me well?

Several of you read A Dog's Purpose, and as you know, it traces a dog's life through many rebirths and poignant stories about a dog's relationships with his families. It is told through the dog's point of view.  Right away I think of Katie, my dog who took it upon herself to babysit my new grandbaby when she lived her first year at my house.  Katie laid under her crib, sat by her high chair, waited by the bathroom door, and stayed as close as she could to her "new baby."

So dive in!  Tell us about the book you are reading independently this quarter, any connections you have, predictions you make, and so on!

More later...I made a video of the two of them and pasted it above!  Indulge me; grandmothers like to show off their pictures!)

Getting Ready for Gatsby: Let's Travel Back in Time!

Before you read on, ask youself if you have posted your reading responses, "10 things About Me," your Poe reflections, and response to "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge."  Today in the lab you will have an opportunity to get caught up, read other posts, and then read  and comment below about Gatsby!

Together as a class we are beginning another novel.  I know I say this of many books, but The Great Gatsby really is one of my favorites.  The storyline may seem remote to you, however, if you don't know much about the setting.  Today you have a chance to share what you know about the 1920's, the decline of the American Dream, the morals and values of the upper class, and so on.

This is a picture of the Crick estate

This is a picture of the Gould estate

This is Westbury Gardens

This is Princeton Blair Hall



It is hard for some of us to imagine such wealth as the mansions above or what it might be like to be born into such money that finding a job would never be necessary.  This is a time in our history when the rich were getting richer, World War I had just ended, and business was corrupt.  Any of you watch HBO's Boardwalk Empire?  It provides an interesting view into rum running, crime gangs and police corruption, and very wealthy businessmen.  During this time period, class distinctions seem apparent.  "Old money" blue bloods snub the newly rich, and immigrants must struggle against prejudice and lack of opportunity.

Great Gatsby is not only beautifully written (F. Scott Fitzgerald), it exposes truths about morals and unveils hypocrisy in American classes.

Seen the video trailer?  Here's a link!

Reading Online....

Today we will read Ambrose Bierce online.  There is so much out there that is free to read.  We've been reading Poe in honor of October and mystery and macabre.  Today we will continue the short story unit with another story that takes us to the Civil War era and a popular author of the time who wrote historical fiction.  Here is a link to one of my favorites, "The Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge."

Bierce is clearly one of the prominent voices of the Civil War era.  What do you think  about the sequence of events in this story?  How does that perhaps make a statement about the Civil War?  You can include your thoughts about this piece in today's blog post about your book.

The Point of Blogging: READ EACH OTHER!

Have you taken time to browse through our classroom  sites to learn more about each other?  Today you will be challenged to first proofread your own site, your posts, your pictures.  Review your book responses and check for spelling (there is a spell check button) and sentence structure.  Explain why you posted the picture you did for your book.  Explain the quotation you chose, why you chose it and what it means to the story.  Does your title include the title of your book?  Do you briefly give your readers a summary that will clarify what's going on, who is in your story, and where and when it is taking place without retelling the whole story?  Why did you chose the book?

You are  earning credit for your "10 or more things about me" post and also your comment on the Rules of Safety post (mine), your posts and remarks about Poe and Owl Creek Bridge, and your blog post about your book you are currently reading.

When you are satisfied you have completed the assignments to the best of your ability, your job is to get to know each other by reading all the other blogs in our class.  Last class I included a scavenger hunt for your proof of reading!  However, many of you simply asked each other for answers.  That's NOT the point.  That's not how you were supposed to learn about each other.  Today in the library, you will silently converse with each other by posting appropriate and kind comments regarding the writing.  You have posted information on the blog, and your audience is made up of each other.  Please READ each other's posts and do not talk!

Interesting Facts Scavenger Hunt

How well have you read our classroom blogs?  Here are some facts; see how well you've read and can match up the facts!

l.  This person plays violin and sings bass  tenor!

2. This person has had 3 knee surgeries.

3.  This native of KC wants to be a sports agent or be in sports medicine.

4. This shoe lover is learning ASL.

5.  This basketball player also runs track.

6.  This sports fanatic is a dog person but would love to own a piranah.

7.  Who was born on Ground Hog's Day?

8.  This skaterboarder hates spelling.

9.  This football player throws track.

10. This person has a boss who sprays Gucci and Prada perfume on the cat.

11.  Who has seen all the Twilight movies and has owned 5 vehicles?

Reading, Blogging, and Commenting: Getting the Most Out of Community!

Fellow bloggers,

First, I want to congratulate you on learning a new genre/form of writing, one that I believe will serve you well in the future.  Posting to a blog enables our class to share thoughts while building an academic community.  This is a great place to reflect on your reading, ask questions of each other, and share points of view.  You will gather information about other books and this will help you decide on your next book choice.  You will get practice reading with the eye of a writer, analyzing power passages, storyline, character, and author's purpose.

First thing to remember:  post to your own blog, not this one.  I will reserve this space for posting about what we are doing in class.  If you have questions of me, you can always leave a comment in the comment box below the post.  Next, I hope you'll take time to read everyone's posts and leave thoughtful comments, connections you have with other bloggers,  their posts, or the books they are reading.  There is nothing better than knowing someone has taken the time to think about and respond to your writing.  So finally, always be aware of your audience when you post.  The blog is public AND it is academic, so remember to be respectful and careful in your writing.

Happy reading, blogging, and commenting!