Gamma Rays response #2 - Marigolds again? Why?

This is the second homework blog posting... Did you already complete the post on Gamma Rays and Dysfunctional Families?

It is due before class starts on Monday, Dec. 15

In The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, Tillie conducts an unusual science project. She subjects three different batches of marigolds to the potentially damaging effects of gamma rays - a topic we addressed in a previous blog post. But why did the play's author, Paul Zindel, choose marigolds as the flower to use in the science experiment? Click on the following links and please read the information on marigolds at wikipedia and this information on growing marigolds.

Do not concern yourself with the all the Latin terms or varieties, but focus on the specific characteristics of the flower... Then post your ideas about the use of marigolds as a symbol in the story. What makes marigolds unique? What do they need to survive? When do marigolds bloom? How might the characteristics or qualities of this particular flower be a symbol that connects to important ideas in the play? Why might have Zindel used marigolds as the flower?

What kind of friend would Gene or Finny make?

This writing assignment is due Monday Oct. 22 before class starts.

Throughout the first several chapters of A Separate Peace, Gene struggles with his relationship to Finny. Finny, athletic and outgoing, is quite a contrast to Gene's moody and introverted personality. Author John Knowles spends a considerable portion of his novel exploring the friendship between the two teens.

If you were classmates with Gene and Finny at the Devon school in the 1940s, who would you be friends with? Knowing what you know of Finny and Gene so far, which of the two do you think would make a better friend for you? Point to specific incidents from the novel to make your decision. Your response should be 150 or so words long and should focus on evidence from the novel to answer the central question.

The first chapter of A Separate Peace

This assignment is due Monday, Oct. 15 before class starts.

With the opening pages of A Separate Peace, John Knowles sets the scene for the rest of the story. The novel opens with Gene Forrester returning to his high school - the exclusive private boarding school Devon - and recalling the events of the summer 15 years earlier.

As we have discussed in class, the narrator - Gene - is telling the story from the perspective as an adult. Most of the novel is told in a flashback, and chapter one is where the flashback begins on page 14. Authors often drop hints in the opening chapters about the larger thematic ideas of the novel. A Separate Peace is no different.

Your assignment is to record a significant passage from the first chapter and write a 100 to 150 word response to in the comment section of this blog posting. Post your passage - it should be at least a sentence and most likely a little more. Here are some possible ideas to help you write your response: Why did you choose it? What ideas may ti relate to in the book? How does the setting come into play so far? What hints is the author providing about significant character traits or events in the novel? Does it remind you of any other stories or works of literature?

Cite your passage with the page number like so - "Words and sentences from the first chapter, blah, blah, blah..." (12)

How do they not know?

One question that seems to have come up during the discussions of your novels is wondering how the people in 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 could be so unaware of the reality of their society. That's a good question and one worth completing a blog entry on.

How could they not know? What is it about their daily existence that makes it so they don't know? How is the government in the novel able to make it so the common citizens don't know? What is the most effective method they utilize?

Post your comments on your blog. To earn full credit for your response, you must provide a logical answer and use a quote from the text in your answer. Remember, this is a writing assignment so your quotes should be incorporated into your writing.

In all postings, you need to remember the following:

1. Come up with an interesting title - or headline - that relates to what you are writing about.
2. Proofread. Proofread. Proofread. These are school assignments and should be treated as such, with proper punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
3. Write more than one paragraph.
4. In your first paragraph, include a sentence that states clearly what it is you are writing about.

Literature Circles Post #6

This will be the final wiki posting for this unit. It is due before class starts on Thursday, March 8.

By now, you should be finished with your novel - Black Boy, The Color of Water, or Frankenstein. Your wiki page also should contain numerous quotes, themes, and personal responses from your novel that were posted by you and your classmates. It is likely that there is little formal organization to your group's wiki page, but rather a collection of ideas and thoughts.

For this assignment, post some closing thoughts about an important theme or broad topic that has been discussed already on the wiki, and identify a passage from the fourth part of the book that connects to your ideas.

Record your response on your group's wiki page - click here to access the wiki. Select a passage from the fourth part of the book that somehow illustrates how that idea or broad theme has evolved during the novel. Discuss how that relates to important ideas that have been raised throughout the novel. What happens at the end of the novel to resolve a major conflict related to the theme?

Write about 100-120 words to explain your ideas.

Remember to put your first name after your posting, so I can keep track of it.

Literature Circles Post #5

This post is due before class starts on Thursday, Feb. 15.
This post is due before class starts on Monday, Feb. 26.

Now that we've gotten at least halfway through our books - either Frankenstein, Black Boy, or The Color of Water - many themes and ideas have come out through your discussions and the postings on the class wiki.

1. Select a theme that has been discussed on your wiki page already. (Or, if you'd like, from the page of another group reading the same book)
   


2. Record that theme on your group's wiki page - click here to access the wiki.


3. Select a passage from the second part of the book that somehow illustrates an aspect of the theme. Write about 100-120 words that explain how the theme is shown and how it is progressing in the book so far.


4. Remember to put your first name after your posting, so I can keep track of it.

Literature Circles Post #4

This post is due before class starts on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

You should be almost halfway through with your books, and it should be apparent that there are some important themes - or large ideas - that stand out.

Review the ideas and opinions posted on your group's wiki and select what you think has been a predominant theme so far. In literature, the central theme is typically revealed through the conflicts in the book. Your assignment is to write a posting that explores one or more recurring conflicts in the book. How does the conflict help illustrate the complex ideas involved in the theme? How has the author developed the theme through different events and conflicts in the book? What does the conflict show about people in general?

Record your work on your group's wiki page - click here to access the English 10 wiki.

Remember to put your first name after your posting, so I can keep track of it.

Literature Circles Post #1

This post is due before class starts on Thursday, Feb. 1.

Now that you've had a chance to get started on your book - either Frankenstein, Black Boy, or The Color of Water - you should be thinking about some of the important themes or big ideas that are starting to emerge.

1. Select one of the themes listed below, or identify your own.


2. Record that theme on your group's wiki page - click here to access the wiki.


3. Write about 100-120 words that explain how the theme is shown in the book so far, and point out an important event that helps illustrate this theme.


4. Remember to put your first name after your posting, so I can keep track of it.

Some possible themes:
racism, isolation, alienation, hunger, family, perseverance, the search for identity

To earn credit, evidence of your work needs to be on the class
wiki. If you have questions or problems, please use the comments section.