Outside Reading Blog Assignments

Our first quarter outside reading assignment is for you to read text, including novels, nonfiction books, poems, plays, magazine and newspaper articles, websites, blogs, etc. Starting next week, you must post TWICE a week (by Wednesday and by Sunday) regarding your outside reading.

Here are the due dates for your outside reading posts:

Post #1, Sun. October 5
Post #2, Wed. October 8
Post #3, Sun. October 12
Post #4, Wed. October 15
Post #5, Sun. October 19
Post #6, Wed. October 22
Post #7, Sun. October 26
Post #8, Wed. October 29

What should the posts be about?
Write thoughtful responses to the texts that you read. The responses should be about 150 words. That’s about six, detailed sentences. You must cite the selection and author. Some possible ways to respond to texts include: pick a quote and comment on its significance, make connections to the book (self, text, world, media), analyze the protagonist, pretend you're writing an email to author or a character, or identify the thesis and discuss the supporting evidence. Just think of all of the reading minute thesis statements that you’ve written. You must attempt to use correct spelling and punctuation and capitalization

Commenting
You should make brief comments on your classmate’s blog posts, and remember that you can explore all EHS sophomore blogs through www.ehsenglish10.blogspot.com.

Other Blog Posts
Occasionally, you will be informed of other blog assignments and due dates that include writing and thinking maps on class content and discussion points.

GRADING OF BLOG POSTS: (50 points)

A - You have all of the posts. You have always posted on time. Your response was always highly thoughtful and reflective. You used correct mechanics almost all of the time.

B - You have all of the posts. You mostly posted on time. Your responses were mostly thoughtful and reflective. You used correct mechanics most of the time, but there are some glaring errors.

C - You have 6-7 of the posts. You sometimes posted on time.You responded to the text. You have several errors in mechanics.

D - You have about 4-5 posts total. You rarely posted on time. You somewhat responded to the text. Your responses do not make an attempt to use proper mechanics.

F - You have 0-3 posts. You did not do what was asked of you in the post. Your responses do not make an attempt to use proper mechanics.

Animal Dreams Essay

A main idea of Animal Dreams is that Codi is physically returning home. Codi has never felt emotionally secure, and her journey in the story is to actually feel "at home" for the first time in her life. Discuss what Kingsolver believes about finding your true self by analyzing three things (people, objects, places or ideas) that help Codi “come home” and “find herself.”

Literary analysis goes beyond summarizing the plot and also discusses theme and style. The theme (or main lesson about life the reader learns from the book) should be discussed throughout the entire essay in the thesis statement, paragraph topic sentences and other analytical statements in the body paragraphs, and the conclusion. In addition, the best essays will discuss the connection between the finding self theme and Barbara Kingsolver’s use of symbolism and characterization in the novel.

Essay Checklist

____ I have completed two multi-flow maps in my notebook that analyze the causes and effects of Codi coming home, both literally and thematically. I have reviewed these maps for ideas for my essay.

____ I have a completed an A to Z Taxonomy on “Search for Self” in my notebook, and I have reviewed that taxonomy for ideas on theme and symbolism.

____ My essay is at least two pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, with one inch margins.

____ I have included a creative title for my essay.

____ My introduction paragraph has an attention-grabbing device like an anecdote or relevant quotation.

____ The book’s title and author is incorporated into a general statement in the introduction or my thesis statement

____ The thesis statement sets up the theme of finding self. If you are struggling with writing a thesis statement, consider the following metacognitive frame: Barbara Kingsolver teaches the reader of Animal Dreams that to truly find self a person needs ____________, _______________, and _____________, and these ideas are enhanced by Kingsolver’s use of ____(insert symbolism and/or characterization ideas here)____________.

____ The body paragraphs have clear topic sentences.

____ Body paragraphs include analysis of the point Kingsolver is making about finding self.

____ Analytical statements are supported with direct quotations from the novel.

____ MLA format is used to cite all direct quotations, e.g. (Kingsolver 24).

____ The conclusion leaves the reader with a lasting impression by commenting on the relevance of the topics for the reader’s life. In other words, why do we care about finding our true selves?

____ The typed and nearly-completed essay is brought to class on Monday, September 29 for a graded peer review assignment.

Animal Dreams Exams

On Thursday, September 25, you will take a 45-question scantron exam on Animal Dreams. The test contains multiple choice questions on the end of the book--page 250 to the end--and a matching vocabulary section. Remember to study your vocab words and check that the synonyms that you wrote are words that you understand.

On Wednesday, September 24, you will be given a checklist for your Animal Dreams essay on search for self and what things people need to truly find themselves and home. Come to class on Monday, September 29 with a nearly-completed, typed essay to share for a peer review assignment.

Blog Assignments

On Tuesday, September 16, you will have time to work on your blogs in class. You will also receive instruction on how to make Thinking Maps with Inspiration software. You may use Inspiration, Paint, Word Art or find an online web site to make any Thinking Maps to post as images to your blog.

Below is a list of all of the items that should appear on your blog by Sunday night, September 21. U of M grad students will start reading your blogs soon, so we need to have some posts there for your blog pals to get to know you.

1. A symbol that represents you since you cannot include a photograph of yourself.
2. A list on the side of your blog that includes your favorite books of all time. Include at least five books. You can make this a link list to a book review.
3. Your Hall of Fame paragraph with the school name and your last name removed.
4. Your bubble map paragraph with your last name removed.
5. A discussion of your favorite book of all time. Include an image of the book cover so that I know that you have figured out how to add images to a blog post.
6. Write about something that you have read recently. This is the start of your outside reading assignment. You can write about anything that you have read outside of school work--a magazine article, another novel, a manual for a video game, a cookbook recipe, a poem, a short story, a children's book to the kids that you were babysitting for, whatever. Think of our reading minutes in class. You can write about anything that you are reading outside of school. Just start with the thesis statement like you do for the reading minute, and then tell more details about the reading.
7. Create a double bubble map that compares and contrasts you with a character in Animal Dreams. Post the Thinking Map as an image on a blog post. I want to assess that you have figured out how to make maps on your blog, and I want to assess that you are making any text to self connections with Animal Dreams.

Animal Dreams Vocab Words

Here's the complete list of Animal Dreams vocabulary words. Although we will continue to work on a few words at a time, check to make sure that your notebook is up-to-date.

pp. 3-50: Arroyo, p. 19; Ostensibly, p. 32

pp. 51-78: Stolid, p. 52; Feign (Feigning, p. 54; feigned, p.60)

pp. 79-98: Arcane, p. 81

pp. 101-118: Sublime, p. 107; Putative, p. 108

pp. 119-142: No vocab words for this selection.

pp. 145-170: Turpitude, p. 147; Apparition, p. 159

pp. 173-204: Furtive, p. 184; Existential, p. 186

pp. 205-225: No vocab words for this selection.

pp. 226-249: Benevolence, p. 233; Precipice, p. 233

pp. 253-284: Obstinate, p. 257; Detritus, p. 281

pp. 285-323: Austerity, p. 285; Succinct, p. 310; Malevolence, p. 314

pp. 324-342: Incipient, p. 324; Exhumed, p. 339

The Search for Self

The first unit in English 10 is "The Search for Self." The class will come up with a variety of ways and means that people use to find their true self--or their true identity.

Practice Essay Question: What does Barbara Kingsolver believe about finding your true self?

As you compose a practice essay with three words from the A to Z Taxonomy, consider incorporating some of the following quotations that illustrate the general idea of search for self. You also need to support your ideas with examples and quotations from the novel that support your specific key words/ideas that you use in the practice essay.

"I was hoping that had changed: I would step off the bus and land smack in the middle of a sense of belonging” (Kingsolver 12).

“They had no idea. I’d sell my soul and all my traveling shoes to belong some place” (Kingsolver 30).

“Few people know so clearly what they want” (Kingsolver 36).

"What I failed at was the activity peopled called 'nesting.' For me, it never seemed like nesting season had arrived yet" (Kingsolver 77) .

Loyd, describing why his dog turns around in circles before lying down: "Beating down the tall grass to make a nice little nest.... Even if there's no tall grass.... We take these good, smart animals and put them in a house and then wonder why they keep on doing the stuff that made them happy for a million years. A dog can't think that much about what he's doing, he just does what feels right" (Kingsolver 91).

“I’d like to find a place that wants to take me in” (Kingsolver 183).

“It wasn’t a matter of courage or dreams, but something a whole lot simpler. A pilot would call it ground orientation. I’d spent a long time circling above the clouds, looking for life, while Hallie was living it” (Kingsolver 225).

Animal Dreams Reading Schedule

The date indicates the due date for the reading selection. Be prepared for discussion or a quiz each day.

Sept. 8: pp. 3-50
Sept. 9: pp. 51-78
Sept. 10: pp. 79-98
Sept. 11: pp. 101-118
Sept. 12: pp. 119-142
Sept. 15: pp. 145-170
Sept. 16: pp. 173-204
Sept. 17: pp. 205-225
Sept. 18: pp. 226-249
Sept. 19: pp. 253-284
Sept. 22: pp. 285-323
Sept. 23: pp. 324-342