In case you just can’t wait for the school website to post the summer reading…

Here is the summer reading assignment for 10th honors lit.  You must complete the assignment by the first day of school if you are taking honors or TAG lit in 10th grade.

Required Reading: 

Of Mice and Men  by John Steinbeck

            Read the novel thoroughly, annotating the text as you read. You may neatly write these notes in the margins of your book (if you own the book) or you may use Post It notes (or a facsimile) and stick them on the pages as you read. 

The quality of these notes will be assessed during the first day of school.

 Information on annotating a text as well as a copy of the rubric that will be used for this assignment can be accessed via additional links under NHS Summer Assignments on the NHS Website.

Additional novel:

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

or

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

            Read and annotate one of these novels. 

Be prepared to complete an in-class essay assignment involving your annotations.  The topic and format of the essay will be assigned by your teacher on the first or second day of school.

Links for the summer assignment:

http://slowreads.com/ResourcesHowToMarkABook-Outline.htm     OUTLINE of Adler’s “How to Mark a Book”

http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/adler.html          copy of Adler’s ESSAY, “How to Mark a Book”

Your Book

In the next post you will find the first ten chapters of the children’s book version of Great Expectations that you created.  I couldn’t load any more pages without the site telling me I was attempting to spam it.  I guess I was trying to upload too much too quickly.  I will try to add more chapters later!  I hope these are readable… they are in the best resolution possible on the scanner.

Blog Prompt for 5/10-5/16

It’s week 18 at last!

For your last blog of the school year, please write on the following:

1. Having blogged for a year as part of this class, do you think you will continue to blog (either on this one or elsewhere on the web)?  Why or why not?

2. Having read classmates’ blogs for a year as part of this class, are there any blogs you would continue to visit if their authors continued to post on them?

As always, don’t forget to comment on two classmates’ blogs.

Blog Prompt for 5/3-5/9

It’s week 17 and this is your second-to-last blog assignment!  I am posting the assignment early in case you want to get ahead.

For this week’s post, I want you to rank the books/plays that we read this school year from your favorite to least favorite (or most bearable to least bearable).  Feel free to provide comments about what you liked or didn’t like about the works (length, topic, style, etc.).  Don’t forget to comment on two classmates’ entries!

My List: (Though I like everything we read to some degree, I, too, have favorites.)

1. The Glass Menagerie
2. Speak
3. Fahrenheit 451
4. Animal Farm
5. Cold Sassy Tree
6. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
7. Ender’s Game
8. 1984
9. Great Expectations
10. Romeo and Juliet
11. The Odyssey
12. Whirligig

No Blog for 4/26-5/2

It’s EOCT week, and I know you are all busy studying for tests and finishing your research project.

No post necessary, but post if you feel moved to do so!

Blog Prompt for 4/19-4/25

It’s week 15!

On Wednesday we will be starting our final unit, which is about style and voice in writing.  For this week’s entry, share an author you enjoy who has a unique style in his/her writing.  Explain what you like about his/her style.

Don’t forget to comment on two classmates’ entries!

Blog Prompt for 4/12-4/18

I’m getting a little ahead by posting the week 14 prompt today so that anyone who wants to get ahead can do so. 

For this week, I want you to think about the final weeks of the semester.  We have 5 weeks left before finals (and one of those weeks is the week of EOCTs!), so you have limited time left to either keep your grades up or bring them up!  For your entry, describe one specific plan you have to bring up or maintain your grade in one specific class (it doesn’t have to be lit).  An example:  “I plan to maintain my lit grade by getting an awesome grade on my research project.  Here’s how…. blah blah blah, plans for project.”

Don’t forget to comment on two classmates’ entries.

Spring Break 4/5-4/11

No blog assignment this week… but if you want to post, you are more than welcome!

Blog Prompt for 3/29-4/4

It’s week 13!  Since next week is spring break and there will be no blog prompt, share your spring break plans in this week’s entry.  Make sure to post by Sunday the 3rd at 11:59 pm, as my spring break plans include grading these blog posts! 

Don’t forget to comment on two classmates’ entries.