Listening to Gatsby Online...Here's Your Chance!

Greetings, second block!

If you have decided that you want to try listening to The Great Gatsby during the days when you are allowed to do so, rather than read silently, you will need to visit this website.

On this website, you will find each of the chapters of The Great Gatsby. The chapters are divided into three parts, which may or may not match up with the divisions in the chapter according to your question sheets.

I hope this allows you the opportunity to hear Gatsby, but also to read along. The text is provided on the screen, so blow it up if you have to, but do try to read.

Remember that headphones are a bit of a must with this kind of situation, so be sure to bring your own or borrow some from the box up front.

If you have any questions, just ask! Good luck with your listening. :)

Welcome 2015!

Hello second  block bloggers!  As the year opens, we adopt new goals and expectations  and our classroom is no different.  First, in an effort to help us focus, we will begin class with a minute of quiet "focus" time.  This should help us clear the clutter in our brains and help us focus on being "intentional" in our lives!

First, we will be keeping  a writer's notebook, full of ideas and thoughts, some focused on topics related to our shared reading, and some of our own choice.  We are starting out the semester as we dive into A Streetcar Named Desire together.  The background work was laid as your groups researched topics related to the setting.

Streetcar offers some essential questions (themes) we should consider as we read:

Life’s Journey:  What does the individual learn from success and failure?

Will to Power:  Is power, by its nature, corruptive?

Indomitable Human Spirit:  How do individuals respond to adversity and how does their response affect the greater society?

Inhumanity and Alienation:  What causes societies to become unjust and how do indivuduals respond to injustice?

As you blog today (before we read), please post your thoughts about the questions on the pre-reading list of questions.  You should also look over the questions above, and imagine what our play is about!

Happy New Year!  Happy Blogging!

Say Good-bye to 2014 and First Semester!

Although our final exam was scheduled for Tuesday, we still have a bit of class time today (Thursday) to finish up any missing parts.

• First, your group presentation should be posted on one of your group's blog. Everyone in your group should still create a short, new post about your part in your presentation.  Tell the class where your presentation can be found,  which slides are yours, and finally, include what you think the most important facts about your part of the presentation is.  What was the biggest thing you learned?  What should we know by seeing/reading your slide?

• Next, you should read/watch all the class presentations.  Under each group's presentation, click the comment icon and leave a thoughtful comment.  Include something(s) new you've learned, any questions you might have, and a concrete word of praise!  (Not...good job...I learned a lot...Say what you learned specifically!)

• With time left, read everyone's book response posts.  Leave meaningful comments.  Comment specifically to what they say...make a connection with their book post...ask a question you have...leave an opinion about the post or book...be careful to be kind!  Of course, it goes without saying that your own first semester book posts have been due and are part of your final grade!

Congratulations on a great finish to our first semester together.  I hope you have a restful, peaceful, happy winter break.  When we return, we will dive in to A Streetcar Named Desire, a play by Tennessee Williams.  Our short study of Southern culture should help build background to the characters and setting.  

Happy Holidays!

Final Countdown to Finals: Stay the Course!

In the process of building our blog, online personalities emerge, and it's a joy to see who we are.  The great news is we have everyone linked, and at this point all of us should have at least two posts:  Ten Things About Me and Book Buzz (or Talk):  Title of Your Book.  If you have misplaced your directions, follow this link to Ms. Reaves's post, and you will see clear directions.

Meantime, if you are behind in blogging, you can always get caught up on your own anytime by accessing your blog or our website.  Today as time permits, we'll work with our groups to create a simple Southern culture presentation, each member contributing either a summary of articles, collections of pictures and explanation, or video and explanation. Should be fun.

Stay on course.

 It's tempting at this time of year to slow down and let things pile up, but don't!  We are almost to the end of first semester.  Be sure you have handed in all short story materials, including your freewrites.  (I have very few grades for them!)

Au Wiedersehen...Goodbye!

Oh, my dear 2nd block. I will miss each and every one of you. Parkview has been my home for (nearly) four months and to think of my life outside the four walls of this classroom is difficult. I hope you know that it's difficult not because of the school or the room itself, but because of you. In your very own ways, you have given me an experience that I will never forget. Being your teacher has been the greatest honor and I hope that you all respect yourselves enough to know that you are capable of great things. I have seen it in this classroom, and I know that you will continue to do so with Ms. James.

Over the past few months, I have come to know Ms. James very well. To be frank, I love her and so should you. She often says that she and I are kindred spirits and I couldn't agree more. My placement at Parkview was entirely serendipitous (look it up!). Out of all of the English classrooms in Springfield, I was given to her. Rather than proudly hold the reins the entire semester, she gave me freedom and we were able to create a community of learners that I hope each and every one of you is proud of. There is a truly wonderful teacher in your midst. I'll give you a hint: It's not me...or Robin Williams. ;)

And it wouldn't be 2nd block if Zack didn't have
something to say. :)

Notice Kelsey and Naomi having a laugh?

There are too many stories to tell about the time I have spent with you this semester, but suffice it to say that I will remember them all. Not everyone was in class when we took our class photo (right), which makes me sad, but that's not to say we won't take another if I ever stop by for a visit. I plan on returning to check in on you, so be sure that next time you practice facing forward. Picture-taking is a valuable skill, as represented in the fabricated term "selfie." We are a class that values technology, are we not?

I hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas break. If you have not written me a letter and still wish to do so, Ms. James knows where to find me. I will write one back to you, as I did with other students.

For those of you who did write, thank you. Your letters brought me to tears and made me seriously contemplate staying forever without pay. I will cherish them always.

And for now, goodbye. Or, let's settle on see you soon. Goodbye is too final a word. :)

Professor Know-It-All Game

Here is the link to your Google Form Quiz. It is over the short stories that we've read in class, vocabulary, and other activities. Each question is derived from the questions that you created for our Professor Know-It-All game.

Good luck!!

Post-Thanksgiving Review

Last week, I asked each of you to write a post detailing twelve things about yourself that you would like to share with the class. This can be an intimidating task, but I was impressed by your efforts. The posts that Ms. James and I have read so far have been incredibly well done. I can tell that a lot of work went into these thoughtful posts and I'm glad that so many of you were able to get done before Thanksgiving.

For those of you who are done with this task, the next item on the list will be your Book Talk/Buzz post. In this post, you will do three things:

1. Provide a short summary of the book that will give your readers enough information about the plot, setting, characters, and conflict to interest them, but also without giving away too many spoilers! A paragraph or two should suffice.

2. A quote from your book or a favorite scene, character, or passage. This should be a quote or passage or scene that you think contributed to the book as a whole. Perhaps it is a good description of the main character or represents the author's writing style. If you don't have access to your book anymore, look for the quote online or paraphrase or describe what you can remember, giving credit where credit is due.

3. What do you think the author's message to the reader was, or what lesson(s) did you encounter in reading this book? What is your recommendation for readers? Think about who you would like to recommend your book to--based on genre, length, difficultly level, events of interest, intriguing characters, etc. Spend about a paragraph here as well.

Take a look at Autumn's post from 2nd block if you need ideas.

This is a photo of the recent Springfield Little Theatre
production that Ms. James and I attended.

Also, coming up, you will be working on group research projects, which will lead up to reading A Streetcar Named Desire next semester. These projects are based on the individual research you have done thus far about the South, so the information you will need is already at your disposal. I think this will be a fun way to share your knowledge with the rest of the class!

Welcome back to school! :)