March 25th, 2011
In our novel, Into the Wild, the author examines the life of a young college graduate who decides to forsake all of his belongings and essentially disappear from all he has known—to go into the wild. I challenge you to deprive yourself of one piece of technology for this coming weekend. It may be your cell phone, your computer, an IPod, television, etc. I will trust you with the honor system to really participate and see in a small way what Chris McCandless gave up. No, I am not suggesting this is a lifestyle we should embrace. Nor should you tell your parents Mr. Houston said you can’t use your cell phone if that is how they need to keep in touch with you. However, you should do without a piece of technology you “can’t live without” for the rest of Friday, all day Saturday, until Sunday night. I want you to post about your experience. Don’t try to find loopholes. Using someone else’s cell phone would still break the rules even if it isn’t your phone. Try this and we can have a good discussion on the blog and in class on Monday. Write about your experience Sunday evening and post it by 10:00 p.m. Good Luck!
March 25th, 2011
In our novel, The Maze Runner, the situation seems to be getting worse and worse for Thomas. In Chapter 4, Thomas learns that he is trapped inside a large maze. His situation is interesting to think about. A maze could be a good metaphor for life. Life is a maze. Remember a metaphor makes a comparison between two unlike things, saying one thing is another. What could the metaphor, Life is a maze; mean? Tell me what you think it means and then create your own metaphor comparing something to a maze. Remember to explain what your metaphor means. This post is worth 5 possible points. You can earn full credit by posting on-time, writing a correct metaphor, and explaining its meaning. Your post should not be less than four good sentences.
October 18th, 2010
What would you want to read as a class novel during Q2? Remember it should be classroom appropriate, good for discussion, and not too long. Think about a novel that would be a good fit for us. It could be a classic, part of a series, a specific genre, etc. Tell me in your comments what book you think we should read. Explain in at least three reasons why we should read it. Tell me if you have already read the book. Give this some thought.
October 5th, 2010
Following up on Mrs. Elkin’s visit to our class, we can look a little further into this unfortunate trend. The video you saw came from MSNBC. You can view it and others like it here. What are your thoughts on this subject? Have you been a part of bullying or watched it happen? I’m talking about seeing something or being a part of something and feeling uncomfortable because you knew it was wrong. Did you know that the victim was clearly upset, scared or uncomfortable? Maybe the victim was you. How do you react to these situations? Do we handle things better now than maybe we have in the past?
September 29th, 2010
All this week the various platforms of NBC News will focus on our educational system in America with Education Nation. Find out what Education Nation is all about. See how Florida stacks up compared to other states. How good is education in Palm Beach county when compared with other districts in the state or the nation? Check it out here.
September 2nd, 2010
No one wants to be lonely. The problem today is that no one wants to leave their home to meet that special someone. Internet dating sites have grown very popular. A suprising number of people today have met via the web. A new dating site is working hard to match lonely men and women with a prospective loved one. Visitors to the website are matched according to their literary tastes. If all else has failed in your pursuit of love–now you can meet a fellow sci-fi geek or share your life with a Shakespeare fanatic. Who knows, for those who have tried it all, maybe finding someone who reads like you will work. What do you think? What genre would your prospective B/F or G/F like?
August 30th, 2010
Books and Books is a great bookstore in Coral Gables that holds lots of author events. If you look in the sidebar on the right side of the blog you will see what’s called an RSS Feed of their scheduled author events. I like supporting independent bookstores because today most people buy books online. Those who don’t buy at Borders, Barnes & Noble, or Books-a-Million. I understand why they do. The same reason we buy at Wal-Mart: it is cheaper and more convenient. I also like this store because they really promote reading and getting to know your favorite authors.
August 27th, 2010
America Outside the Top 10 Looking In?
Where does America rank when compared with the rest of the world? How do we stack up in education, health, quality of life, etc.? Would you believe we rank 11th overall?! How is that possible? According to a recent study by Newsweek magazine America may be losing ground. What does this mean for you? Anything? If this trend is true, can it be corrected? Does America have to be #1?
