Congratulations to all my students who passed their English classes! Whoo hoo! I hope you have a wonderful summer and that you find at least a few good books to read.
Blogging means reading, too
If it’s been awhile since you’ve read your peers’ blogs, why not make it a goal to do that in the next week and a half. And not only read but leave comments, too. Blogging provides us a good opportunity in an English classroom to connect through digital conversations. Go ahead, start up a conversation today.
Girls books/Boys books
I am reading Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games right now. The main character is a teenage girl named Katniss Everdeen. She’s smart, strong, resourceful, and self-aware, all good qualities for anyone, but especially for a young woman who’s about to fight for her life (don’t tell me…I’m only halfway through the book). Some students in my 4th hour class and I were talking about this book today, and one of the boys said he thought he might read that book but he thought it was a girls book, so he decided not to. That made me wonder if boys will avoid books with strong female characters or if they think they won’t be able to relate? What do you think? Do boys tend to avoid those kinds of books? I’m not talking about teen romance fiction or so-called “chick lit.” I’m talking about interesting stories, even adventure stories, like The Hunger Games, that happen to have female protagonists. Is the opposite also true, that girls will avoid books with strong male protagonists?
Happy birthday, Ms Lee
Today is Harper Lee’s birthday.
Learn more about her at Shmoop.
In this picture, Harper Lee is inside the courthouse in Monroeville, Alabama. She’s in the balcony.
Poem Flow
Poetry is meant to be read out loud, and slowly. This very cool app helps us realize how true that is.
Blog Buddies
The following students chose to be blog buddies with student bloggers from Mr. Gary Anderson’s class at Fremd High School in Palatine, IL. Congratulate them on their willingness to explore and engage their thinking beyond the minimum school requirements.
Samma O, Nick St. O, Ashley T, Drew T, Tasha T, and Amy Z. New to this list: Kayleigh S
If you, too, would like to participate, there is still time. Please see me within the next week or two. By May, it’s going to be too late to make a difference.
IR for 4th quarter
In light of the fact that you’ll be reading To Kill a Mockingbird for 4th quarter, I have altered the requirements for independent reading. I still want you to choose a book to read (fiction or nonfiction). It’s good to have a book of our own, always. Pick something you really will enjoy. Please have your book with you by tomorrow, April 8.
As for your blogging, please write two blog posts instead of four. Choose from the same lists as always. Do not repeat (do the same one twice) a post option.
I am still thinking about a good option for a final project, so stay tuned. If you have any ideas, let me know (and “no project” isn’t really an idea).
Web pal invitation. . . .
I am looking for about 5o students to connect with a web pal, a sophomore student in Mr. Gary Anderson’s class in Palatine, Illinois. The main task would be to pair up to read and comment on each other’s reading blogs. If you are interested, which means, if you are up for the bit of extra work this would entail, please email me.
April is National Poetry Month
Learn more about National Poetry Month at Poets.org, the Academy of American Poets. Also plan to carry a poem in your pocket on Poem in Your Pocket Day.
More:
- Poems for Teens at Poet’s.org
- Poetry 180, a poem a day for American High Schools
