It's Going Around...

So I was home today with a sick little boy. In class, you looked at Codi's emotional return to Grace. Finish the novel tonight to see how it all wraps up.

We'll spend some time on vocab tomorrow--the vocab quiz is Wednesday.

Finding home...

may be easier than Codi thought. In the reading for today, she discovers that she is a descendant of the Gracela sisters. Hallie is still missing and it doesn't look good. The good news is that we're near the end of the book, where all of these situations will hopefully be resolved. Your job this weekend is to read pages 285-323.

Also, don't forget to complete the blog assignment before you go to bed on Sunday night. Scroll down to find the assignment--it is described in the post entitled, "Blog It Up!"

Have a good weekend.

The Scream...

of the teakettle probably expresses Homero's feelings about his daughter's disappearance. Yep, Hallie has been taken by the Contras. Where is she and what will Codi do without the person she referred to as a god? Tonight's reading may give us the answers...

Read pp. 253-284 for tomorrow!

Finding Self/Finding Home

Today we started thinking more analytically about Codi and how she is changing in the novel. Tomorrow we will discuss the writing that you completed today. Don't forget the blog assignment due Sunday!

BLOG IT UP!

It's time to begin blogging on a regular basis. Our trip to the computer lab on Tuesday will give you some time to solve any problems related to the creation of your blog. Also, you may use the time to work on completing your first major blog assignment--due Sunday, September 21st.

The following is a list of requirements for your first blog assignment:

1. Add a list of your favorite books (minimum 3) to the side bar of your blog.

2. Post a 150-word paragraph about something you've read recently (other than Animal Dreams). Begin by naming the title and author of the reading. Then, provide the thesis of the piece (just as you do for Reading Minute). Discuss how the author proved the thesis. Do you agree with the author's position? Did you like the piece?

3. Use your character bubble map and character tree map to write a 250-word paragraph, comparing two characters in Animal Dreams. Focus on specific adjectives that either describe both characters, or show the differences between characters. Provide specific evidence from the text to support your comparison.
**Extra credit if you create a double bubble map of the two characters and post it to your blog (minimum of 10 total adjectives)

4. Comment on the blogs of 10 classmates. These classmates should be in your hour of English 10, and should be students with whom you do not regularly interact.

Again, the above should be posted to your blog by Sunday, September 21st. Happy blogging!

Codi, Loyd, Homero, Hallie, Jack, Emelina, J.T...

Today we analyzed these characters using bubble maps. On Monday we'll present what we did, and hopefully gain a better understanding of the novel's characters. Prior to Monday, be sure to complete the vocabulary sheet--each word needs a dictionary definition as well as an original sentence. Also, you should be through page 170 in your reading.

Check out the burgeoning blogs of your classmates on the side bar! Have a great weekend.

Finding Self

Our A to Z taxonomies about finding self are excellent! Most importantly, we created some excellent thesis statements about how people find themselves.

Please find your way to page 142 by tomorrow. If you're behind in the reading, please put in the extra time tonight and over the weekend to get caught up.

Blog URLs are due tomorrow. Check out the blogs of some of my 1st hour Blog Stars--on the right side of the page.