Independent Reading Post #2

Hello again, freshmen! Post your second independent reading reflection here (click on "comment" and post from there). Address the following questions in your reflection and make sure you write a MINIMUM of 800 words! Make sure you list the title of the book and the author's name at the beginning of your reflection.

1. Was this book enjoyable to read? Why or why not?
2. What is the theme of this book? How did you arrive at this theme statement?
3. Pick one major event from the book and explain why it is significant to the overall narrative.
4. Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Independent Reading Kick-Off for 2011 - 2012!

Hello, freshmen of 2011/12! This is where you will post your first independent reading reflection for the year. After you finish reading your book, please write a 500 - 800-word response to the following prompts:

a) What did you find really engaging about your book? Would you recommend this book to others?
b) What was the primary conflict that your protagonist faced in your book? Was this conflict something you could relate to? In what ways?
c) How did this book make you feel as you read it? What moods did the author create throughout the book to evoke emotions in you, the reader? Please include specific examples.

Have fun! :)

Essay outline guidelines!

When you put together your Romeo and Juliet essay outline, please use the following template and structure your outline using these exact guidelines. :)

Romeo and Juliet Essay Outline

Name:

Research question:

Thesis:

Topic sentence #1:

· quotation #1:

· quotation #2:

· supporting examples, claims, ideas:

Topic sentence #2:

· quotation #1:

· quotation #2:

· supporting examples, claims, ideas:

Topic sentence #3:

· quotation #1:

· quotation #2:

· supporting examples, claims, ideas:

More Reading Reflections...

By the end of the day on Friday, April 15th, please upload your next personal reading reflection. This time, you must post a minimum of 600 words in response to the following prompt:

Please write about the primary theme of your novel (make sure you include a full theme statement that you have developed yourself) and how this theme relates to life and universal truths in 2011. Choose one aspect of the theme statement you have developed and write about why you do/do not connect personally with the book. Let the following questions guide your thoughts about what you could write: What about the book relates to your own personal experiences? How has the author hooked you, as the reader, into connecting with characters and ideas in the text? Why is the text relevant to you?

Independent Reading...

Wonderful students... it's time to reflect on the books you have just finished reading on your own. Please answer the following question in a 500-word (minimum) response: "Please describe the main character and his/her conflict in your novel; then comment on how that conflict relates to your experience or the contemporary experience of any 14-year-old reader today."

More opening thoughts on To Kill a Mockingbird...

Identify someone you know personally who has attempted to change a community or society for the better. Discuss what he/she was trying to change, how he/she went about it, and whether or not he/she was successful. Reflect on this in a 300 - 400 word response. As you read To Kill a Mockingbird, consider how change occurs in the novel and if there are connections with this personal example you are writing about.

Opening thoughts on To Kill a Mockingbird...

As we begin to read To Kill a Mockingbird, think about the concept of justice. Answer the following questions in a 500-word response. Be specific and provide personal anecdotes and examples where possible.

* What is 'Justice’ and does justice apply equally to:

the rich and the poor?

the white and the non-white?

the socially prominent and the social outcast?

the male and the female?

the adult and the child?