Novel Study: Journal Entry

I only assign 1 or 2 journal entries for the novel unit, and I usually find this one of the most interesting assignments as I get to have a bit of a dialogue with you about your novel. Please keep the following in mind when it comes to journal writing:

1. Writing in response to reading without a goal of deeper understanding is a waste of time (yours and mine)
2. Your goals are to:a) personalize the story (make it more meaningful for you) b) gain insights about characters c) see the world in a different way
3. The main point of journal writing is to clarify your thoughts by committing your thinking to paper.

Please choose a quote or a passage from your novel (include page number) and explain the connection you have made to it. How does the connection you have made help you understand more about the book?Today you need to post your own journal entry, and respond to two other people in your LIT circle group. As always, proper grammar, spelling, punctuation etc. applies. Finally, make sure you are linked to everyone else who is reading the same novel. Please include your novel title in your blog title. Example: Journal #1: The Kite Runner

Blog Choice

Please check out the link to the "Top 20 Blog Posts" Web page (in the sidebar). The site provides 20 different types of blogs that you can create. You may choose one of the types of blogs and discuss any topic you wish. The main criteria for this blog is that it must be completed by the end of this class. It is an impromptu piece of writing (in preparation for the provincial exam). Please be as creative, or informative as possible. Use the highest level of vocabulary, and written expression that you can.

The Perils of Indifference

Read "The Perils of Indifference" by Elie Wiesel on page 443 of "Echoes 12". (and if you have not read "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson you need to read that as well).

Discuss the following questions in paragraph form:

1. Re-write the title "The Perils of Indifference" in your own words to show that you understand the vocabulary.

2. The ending of "The Lottery" is shocking for most readers. The graphic violence of the stoning seems completely bizarre for the members of a community that at first appeared so "normal" and passive. Please connect the events in this story to any other situation you have learned about in real life, or a movie or a book.

3. How does Elie Wiesel's speech relate to "The Lottery"? Please connect the townspeople in the story to the warnings that Elie gives, or make any other link between the two texts.

Top 3

Today's blog challenge is to choose the top 3 (of anything) and justify your choice. You may choose the top three hockey players of all time, the greatest musicians, the top three reasons to do something...the possibilities are endless. Here is a suggested sequence of events for the blog:

1. Choose your topic

2. Choose the criteria you are using to make your choices, and explain it to the reader. For example, if you are ranking the top three hockey players, how are you choosing to judge them? Points scored? Plus/minus rating? Years in the league? Stanley Cups won?

3. Type your blog out by first explaining the topic you have chosen, and the criteria for your choices. Then state each of your top three choices, and dedicate approximately a paragraph to each one that justifies why it deserves the ranking you gave it. As always, formal language and proper spelling and grammar applies.

What to Blog About?

Your blog entry today is on the subject of blogging itself. In general, blogging has been a positive experience for the students in my English classes. The number one issue though, has always been that there was not enough choice in topics to write about. This is your chance to let me know what it is that you would like to use your blog for the most. Keep in mind that we will have blog entries on novels and short stories and pieces of non-fiction that we read in class, but there will also be many opportunities to use the blogs for other things. So your task is this: In paragraph form, you must explain what you would like to use the blogs for the most, and justify your choice. You must support your ideas with logical reasoning as this information will have an impact on the course that your blogging assignments take. Let me know what topics you are interested in. You might also add any websites that would provide good discussion for an English 12 class. We can use the blogs for anything from creative writing to research to writing reviews for music, books and movies. We can also have the odd "open forum" where people present random, thought provoking questions and others respond as they like.

One last thing that you need to include in this entry is how you think the blogs should be evaluated. Should you get marked for each blog? Should you get an overall mark at the end of each term? How can someone show that they are deserving of a high mark?

Superpower

If you could have any superpower in the world, what would it be, and why? Justify why you have chosen your particular gift, and rejected all others.

OR You may choose to match any two superheroes together (Superman vs. Spiderman) and justify who would win in a battle. Remember to give EVIDENCE to support your opinion.

Blog Introduction

Blogs offer students a chance to easily read each others' ideas, as well as draw from internet resources. They also provide a different option for written expression. Please remember the following guidelines for blog use.

1. Everything you write on your blog must be considered PUBLIC. Do not include ANY information or opinions on your blog that you would not be comfortable with anyone else (in or outside the class) reading.

2. Please follow the proper expectations for writing in English 12. It is natural for students to become careless in their writing when working in an internet environment. However, in order for these blogs to be effective, proper grammar, punctuation, and appropriate word choice must be used at all times.