The joy of books

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this semester. I truly wish for you to keep reading for the pure joy of reading. Pick books that will introduce you to people you have never met, that will take to you places you might never see, that will put in situations that you will never live for yourself. Pick books that will help you understand yourself and others around you. But mostly pick books because you love them.

BP #10 The rest of the first five stages

Each hero who goes on a journey experiences a call to adventure. This is the time when the herald approaches the hero and offers him or her an opportunity to leave the comfort and safety of his or her ordinary world and embark on an adventure into a new, unknown and challenging world: the special world. After the call to adventure comes, the hero has to make a decision, to refuse the call and return to his or her ordinary world, or seek out a mentor and cross the threshold into the special world.

Do any or all of these stages apply to the story you are currently reading? If so, focus your attention on one or all of these steps for the 'hero' of your novel. Take us through their decision making as they attempt to leave their ordinary world behind them.

Refer to your novel specifically with support from your novel: a direct quotation.

BP#9 The Ordinary World

Using a book you are currently reading (or have just finished), describe the protagonist's ordinary world.

The ordinary world is the place where he or she feels the most comfortable and safe. Identify and describe the protagonist and then describe the key elements in their ordinary world, including people and objects.

Once you have described the protagonist's ordinary world, select an appropriate image to help convey the character's feelings for the people and objects in their ordinary world , and a direct quotation from the book to help your classmates see how the protagonist reacts to and functions within his or her ordinary world.

Consider how you might answer the following prompts before you select and provide an explanation for the image and quotation:

What pressures exist for the character in his/her ordinary world?
Who creates conflict or peace here?
Which elements create the most or least comfort?
Why is the character reluctant or excited to leave this world behind? etc.....

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Make sure that you use the proper citations for this borrowed material (author, title page) for a direct quotation and MLA style bibliography for the image from the Internet (see in the 'Land O' Links': Easybib).

The MLA style Bibliographic entry for the image I selected for this page is:
"Up! House Image" KSL Radio. KSL.com, 29 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2011.

The proper MLA bibliographic format for citing websites is:

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access.

BP#8 Free Choice

We are in between units right now, so this is a perfect opportunity
for you to venture out on your own.

Consider the book you are reading right now as your subject.

What big questions do you have about it? Start your blog post with that question or questions, then proceed to investigate the thinking around it. Try to come up with an integrate question (relies on the text for its answer, but is not a locate or cycle question - the answer is not right there in the text).

Then, when you are done, try to add some visual appeal (pictures, videos etc...) to your post. The visual could be a video, a single picture or a collage Add a brief caption explaining why you have selected it.

Make sure you include the SOURCE information for the image (website) using a proper MLA style. Use the two websites in the "Land O' Links" list to help you format this correctly (MLA Guide and Easy Bib).

The proper MLA bibliographic format for citing websites is:

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available). Medium of publication. Date of access.

So, if I were to ask myself about the book I am currently reading, "Who is the real hero in my book and what qualities tell me this?", I might include one of the following images with the captions and the source information, properly formatted according to the MLA guide.

"The Kindness of Strangers". The Age - Business, World & Breaking News. Fairfax Media, 19 Feb. 2007. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

This image is of a person feeding another who for whatever reason cannot help himself. I think a hero is someone who recognizes a person in need and extends their hand to help.

Pollack, Cat. "Luv Is A Verb." A Journey of Love. 6 Oct. 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.

I believe a hero is someone who is compassionate, and then acts on that compassion to help another in some way.

STOP AND CHECK

A couple of notes on your current blog posts: I have been reading your blogs and have a few suggestions for you as a class:

1. Consider how you organize your blog posts. You can do this through the title you select. Consider numbering each blog post to help your reader better understand what assignment you are writing about. You should also be rephrasing part of the question or assignment as your opening sentence.

2. You must punctuate your book titles properly: ITALICIZE book titles.

3. Identify the novel you are addressing by Title and Author at the start of every blog post. For example: Gravity Journal by Gail Sobat.

4. You must include a citation for your direct quotations. (Author, Title page#).

5. Be sure that you SPELL CHECK before you post your response. (Use the icon in your blog post toolbar : ABC and check mark) Mking splling errers or leevin in typos macks it hrd to reed yer wrk. it also mks it seam asthought u dnt really care abut yer wrk.

6. Some of you are behind. Get caught up! This is your homework for the weekend.

Before you continue with your comments on your peers' blogs, go back to the previous blog posts you have completed, check each carefully and correct any errors based on the suggestions above, and based upon the suggestions your peers have already given you.

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On your last blog post you looked at character archetypes.

Did you discover characters in any of your readings that have initially presented themselves as one thing only to later reveal themselves as something else?

They may be a shapeshifter!

Can you spot if a person is not being genuine with you?

Take the SPOT THE FAKE quiz in our 'Land o' Links' section
found in the side bar to the right.

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Continue to complete the comments on your peers' blogs.....

BP#7 Comment on a Peer's Blog

If your name is not listed under the CLASS BLOGS link list in the right sidebar - please see me with your blog's html address.

We have just gone over effective listening skills in class. Take the "are you a good listener?" quiz found in the links list to the right.

Each of you should have SIX blog posts complete as of today. If you do not have this done, it needs to become a priority over the weekend to get caught up!! ...... GET CAUGHT UP!!

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This week, instead of creating your own blog post, you will be writing comments on some of your peer's blogs.

Everyone will write three-four comments on THREE posts written by their classmates this week.

WHOSE BLOGS?: Select the blogs that belong to the three students whose names are listed BELOW your name on the CLASS BLOGS list found in the sidebar to your right.

For example, if you were Aidan you would write your comments on Anna, Bethany and Callum's blogs. If you were Anna you would comment on Bethany, Callum , and Cara's blogs.

HOW DO I DO THIS?: You need to comment on what the person has said in the blog post you have selected. Read the rules below before proceeding......

Do not be rude.
Do not be sarcastic.
Do not just tell the blogger they are awesome or that it is the best blog post you have ever read. Do not make an inside joke.
Do not insult or otherwise demean the writer.

DO. . .
Genuinely look at what they have said about their books and respond accordingly.

Make an intelligent comment on the book, the topic or the ideas presented by the blogger.

Extend the blogger's thinking by linking their ideas to something else (another text, your personal experiences or the world).

Ask the blogger a question about what they have read or what they have said.

Offer a suggestion for another book they might like based on what they have read and the themes and ideas presented in the blog post.

Give the blogger tips for improvement (using quotations; checking for punctuation, spelling or sentence structure; adding length through further description or support; organization of elements on the blog).

You may also comment on the style or form of the blog itself (the design of it; the visual elements: colour, organization, font style and size; use of gadgets; readability; title and description etc.).

BP#6 Character Archetypes

We have just gone over character archetypes in class.

You have spent time highlighting the main ideas in the descriptions, and found examples of the character archetypes in classic and contemporary texts. You have extended your ideas to create Tarot Cards, and you have begun to use your selected archetype in a fiction piece.

This week, I want you to examine the possible character archetypes you might have found in the novels you have been reading this year.

YOUR POST THIS WEEK: Select one of the characters you have met through your reading, and identify the archetype he or she is most like. Describe how he/she exemplifies the archetypal characteristics listed on your handout.

NOTE: Do not select THE HERO - we will be dealing with the hero later.

If you find that the character you select shares some qualities of an archetypal character, but generally is very different from the definition you have been given, you may also wish to discuss how the character is atypical of the archetypal characteristics.

PROVE IT: Incorporate at least one well chosen excerpt (direct quote) from the novel to help support the ideas in your comparison.

Remember to begin your post by introducing the book source and the author by title and name and properly citing this source following your direct quotation (Author, Title page).