If you were the protagonist... (Due Friday, January 20th)

The protagonist is the main character who must solve or attempt to solve the story's major conflict.  At the beginning of The Giver, Jonas is apprehensive about the assignment he will be given.  In his community, elders choose jobs for each citizen by the time they turn 12.  If you were in Jonas's position, what job do you think would have been chosen for you?  Why?  Remember to write at least 5 sentences in a well-developed paragraph with a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.

author response

William here. I was surpised that this older lady could put us in the mind of a 12 year old boy. I felt in the story that was exactly what I would do in the situation. I cant believe that its almost censored or challenged. Its a sophisticated book, but it doesnt seem like it should be censored. My favorite part is midway through the 1st chapter, when he home alone, and thinks how everything is kind of eerie.

Author Interview Response (Due Friday, January 13th)

Watch the interview above; then, write a response of at least five sentences.  Your response should include your reaction to Lois Lowry.  Did anything about her appearance surprise you?  Were you surprised by anything she said?  Are there any questions that you wish you could ask her?  What do you think The Giver will be about based on this interview?

Perfect World (Due Friday, January 6th!)

A "Utopia" is an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. The word was first used in the book Utopia (1516) by Sir Thomas More. During this unit, we are going to read about worlds that were created to be "perfect" but failed and ended up stripping citizens of choice, individuality, and freedom.

For this post, I want you to describe your perfect world.  In your perfect world, how would people spend their time?  What would schools be like? How would people choose their jobs? What would the government be like? What would people eat?  How would issues like poverty and inequality be addressed?  Have fun with this and be creative in coming up with a world free from problems and strife!  

Holiday Traditions (Due Friday, December 16th)

What are some of your family's holiday traditions?  OR What are you most looking forward to over Holiday Break?

For example, if you were Bob Cratchit from A Christmas Carol, you might write:

I look forward to going down the slide at Cornhill twenty times in honor of Christmas Eve and then playing blindman's buff again like a boy.  Taking Tiny Tim to church is always special because of his thoughtful observations.  My wife's cooking is always a treat, especially her scrumptious goose and Christmas pudding.  I look forward to sitting around the fire with my family and passing the custard-cup back and forth while we revel and play games.  Even though Mr. Scrooge doesn't understand it, Christmas Day is different from the rest of the days of the year, and I look forward to enjoying it with my family!

Ideal Interview: Due Friday, December 11th!

If you could interview anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why?  What sorts of questions would you ask? Remember, you should include a strong topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence.  Here's an example:

If I could interview anyone, I would interview J.D. Salinger, the author of Catcher in the Rye and several other short stories and novellas.  Salinger remained reclusive throughout his life and died recently, in January of 2010. I would like to ask him about his creative experience while writing Catcher in the Rye such as how he came up with Holden's character, how much his own beliefs were reflected in the character, and why he was so reluctant to answer questions after the book achieved so much success.  I would ask him why he never made the book into a movie and how he feels about the fact that Catcher is required reading for many students nowadays.  When he was alive, Salinger turned down many interviews and remained an incredibly private author, and for this reason, I would like to probe him with questions about his life and creative process.

my holiday weekend

 William here I did not do much on my break, it was more of a relaxing break. My mom always talks about traveling, but we never seem to do that. I usually want to stay home, I want to be at home on holidays. We did go to Richmond to the art museum and we saw the mummy exhibit and a giant rug made entirely out of cigarettes.
I has a lotof fun playing board games with my family. We had turkey on thanksgiving, and my favorite. stuffing.  This was an average but very relaxing thanksgivng