Welcome to Week 1 of Semester 2
I HOPE YOU EXPERIENCED A HAPPY AND HEALTY WINTER BREAK, and that you’re returning refreshed and ready to work on your writing and reading skills. Second semester will be primarily different in content. First semester we focus on short stories and a novel; second semester we will focus on an epic poem (Homer’s Odyssey) and a play (Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet). We will likely continue independent reading, though it might occasionally be assigned readings. But first we must close up our work on Haroun & the Sea of Stories.
Monday, January 8
Class is 20 minutes long today.
I will pass out and review grade reports relating to the final exam.
Updating your independent reading, adding strengths and weaknesses of your current choice (the positive reasons for recommending it, and reasons why you would NOT recommend it).
Returning to Rushdie’s Haroun & the Sea of Stories. Remember, I will re-collect and grade chapters 8 through 12 as your first annotation grade in semester two.
HW: Read and annotate chapter eight. How does the Shadow Warrior become a helper to Haroun on his hero-journey?
WEDNESAY, January 10
Close re-reading of “The Turtle”
Completing the STAR reading re-assessment. Here’s the link. Remember, you user name is your id, and your password is your birthdate—8 digits.
HW: Independent reading. Begin planning for your SECOND oral presentation, this one focusing on the book’s strengths and weaknesses (or why you WOULD or would NOT recommend it to peers). Do that by completing the new, two columns in the “Independent Reading: Book Next” google sheet (about your books positive and negative attributes).
FRIDAY, January 12
Snow day!
HW: See “Snow Day Homework” post.