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!