diner still open for take-out

Hello English 8 people... our class is done, and I'm taking a break from teaching English for a while, so... thanks for being a part of the blog activities this year and good luck in you future (English) classes as you continue to read, study, reflect, write, create, express, and understand.

more for the poetry unit

Choose some (3 or more?) of the following to post on your own blog:
1. complete a post you missed from an earlier unit (or the poetry one from last week)
2. a reflection on your favorite assignment from the course
3. an opinion piece: pick an issue that is important to you and offer a few views on the topic before offering your own opinion
4. debate: pick two sides to an interesting issue and offer a fair representation of each side
5. top ten list: what are ten things a grade 7 student should know befiore going in to grade 8?
6. top ten list: what are ten things every student should know about surviving high school (DPTS)?
7. your choice

keep it positive, keep it interesting, & visit your classmates' blogs

Poetry Unit posts

With our new (and last) unit underway, take some time to think about poetry and update your blog accordingly. Some suggestions include:

1. find some interesting poetry on the net to link to or post on your blog (make sure it's appropriate for school! Try to find at least one you like and one that is hard to figure out (for others to be amused by)
2. pick a theme you understand (or would like to) like adventure or solitude or music or war and write some poetry about it on your blog
3. post some of your thoughts about poetry (with examples?) based on your "Intro to Poetry" worksheets or your own reflection.

Also, be sure to update your blog with current thoughts about English & school, and visit some of your classmates' blogs to offer comments and support

Myth feedback

Wow. what an amazing class -- I was very excited to see your myth media projects on the big screen yesterday. You've all done a great job and your stories showed insight into your talents and identities. Way to go... did you enjoy them?

More!! for new posts

1. Myths, fables, legends, fairy-tales, epics, sagas, stories from the past... find one you like and post some or all of it on your blog. If it's too big (longer than you want on your blog) then find a shorter version, or just paste part of it on your blog and link to the place you got it. Either way... mention your source (the url where you got it from).

2. Find and read a myth from a library book or other source and "review" it on your blog (as if you were conducting a book review for a newspaper or something similar

3. Optional... if you have the "tech savvy" for this, you can try it: scan one or more of your myth storyboards (or make one using a paint program) and post it/them on your blog.

Ideas for new posts

On your blog, make a post or two on one of these topics:
1. Your opinion on the book Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl
2. Share some of your plans for your autobiography assignment
3. Write an update on what you're reading from the library these days

As always, you are also encouraged to make other relevant posts related to your thoughts and work in English, and leave respectful and useful comments on your classmates' blogs.

Website questions for you

Optional... if you have advice or opinions on web design, read the "Website help needed" post at my main (thielmann) blog

The Outsiders - characters

Find some (small) pictures to use on a blog post to show your idea of the characters from The Outsiders. Write a little about each one with a quote from the book. Include at least 4 Greasers (Ponyboy, Two-Bit, Sodapop, Darry, Dally, Steve, Johnny) and one Soc (Cherry, Bob). Here is an example

SODAPOP, age 16 going on 17

Ponyboy's brother Soda "never cracks a book" and "is different from everybody; he understands everything, almost." This high school drop-out has a "finely drawn, sensitive face that somehow manages to be reckless and thoughtful at the same time." He feels caught in the middle between his brothers when they argur and fight with each other.

Also, here is a link to your (quizzable) Outsiders Questions (pdf file: explanation of quotes & and some optional reading). Questions?