Last Blog

Congratulations on a successful year of blogging! When we look back at what you have posted this year, we are very impressed. Many of you provided thoughtful, honest, and insightful answers to some challenging and fun questions. Great job!

However, the last month of blogging is upon us. Do not answer questions from previous months. For May, we are looking ahead to summer and beyond, trying to find some good book suggestions to carry us through. You'll notice that many of the questions ask for you to relate to a book in a more personal way. Please be sure to explain your answer as best you can. This is your last chance to give some really good recommendations to your friends and classmates. The blog will be up all summer so you can check back here to find a good book to read.

Let's make this the best month of blogging. Read your responses carefully and proofread to try to eliminate spelling and punctuation errors. Also, make sure you include titles and authors for all questions. Finally, elaborate on your answers, and really explain your thoughts so everyone can understand them.

Thank you for all of your hard work!

Love,
Mrs. Marusa and Miss Schweikert

Books and Movies

Name one of your most or least favorite books that were made into movies. Why did you like or dislike the movie more than you liked or disliked the novel?

Summer Reading

What book are you most looking forward to reading for pleasure this summer? Which book would you recommend other people read this summer?

Against the Crowd

Have you read any books that other people find didn’t like but you just loved? If so, what was it and why did you like it so much? Why do you think other people did not like it?

Books That Define You

If you have to pick FIVE books from your shelves that define you, what would they be? In other words, which books do you identify with because of theme, characters, or plot? If you were to put all five books together, which ones would give us a good glimpse to who you are?

Novelizations

Alias, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, The O.C., and One Tree Hill are among the TV programs available in book form. What TV shows or movies would you like to see made into novelizations that have not been already?

Reading Longer

What is the last book that kept you up reading longer than you planned? Why did it keep you reading? Why do you think this happened?

National Poetry Month

You guys are doing great! The blog is really interesting to look through, especially when you interact with each other by commenting on your classmate's opinions, recommendations, etc.

According to the Academy of American Poets webpage (http://www.poets.org/), April is National Poetry Month. National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets as a month-long, national celebration of poetry. The concept was to increase the attention paid to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our poetic heritage, and to poetry books and magazines. The goal was to achieve an increase in the visibility, presence, and accessibility of poetry in our culture. National Poetry Month has grown over the years into the largest literary celebration in the world.

Also according to the Academy of American Poets webpage, the Academy chose a month during the school year so that schools and students could participate fully. February is Black History Month and March is Women's History Month, so April seemed a logical choice. Also, there are many wonderful poetic references to April: T. S. Eliot wrote, "April is the cruelest month." On a lighter note, Chaucer wrote: "Whan that April with his showres soote/The droughte of March hath perced to the roote,/And bathed every veine in swich licour,/Of which vertu engendred is the flowr." Finally, Edna St. Vincent Millay asked, "To what purpose, April, do you return again?"

The goals of National Poetry Month are to:

• Highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets
• Introduce more Americans to the pleasures of reading poetry
• Bring poets and poetry to the public in immediate and innovative ways
• Make poetry a more important part of the school curriculum
• Increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media
• Encourage increased publication, distribution, and sales of poetry books
• Increase public and private philanthropic support for poets and poetry

A reader can develop a deeper understanding of a poem by asking questions about how the poem is written. Therefore, all of the questions for April's blog revolve around poetry. This requires that you look at both the structure and the content of the poem. Read poems several times, out loud if possible. For every response, be sure to include the title of the poem and author. Also include the title of the anthology in which you found the poem.

There are many wonderful poets for you to explore. Try this link for some written by teens: http://www.teenink.com/Poetry/AZindex.html. Also, try these links for published poets: http://poetry.eserver.org/ and http://www.poetryfoundation.org/ . To find out more about National Poetry Month, visit http://www.poets.org/.

Have fun!
Love,
Miss Schweikert and Mrs. Marusa

Connections

Did a poem speak to you personally? Discuss why and how using specific examples and connections.

Figurative Language and Imagery

Discuss one or more examples of figurative language and imagery (similes, metaphors, assonance, hyperbole, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, symbolism etc.) Include the specific lines.

Patterns

Are there repetitions or patterns in the poem? Are certain words or phrases repeated? Are all the stanzas divided the same way? Give examples and discuss how these conventions add to the effectiveness and enjoyment of the poem.

Rhyme Scheme

Is there a rhyme scheme? If so, what is it? Does it fit any of the patterns you have been taught? How does it contribute to the effectiveness and enjoyment of the poem?

Applying Themes To Your Life

How does the central idea, tone, or theme apply to your world? What lines contribute to the development of the theme?

Universal Theme

What is the theme of the poem or book of poetry you have read? Is it simple or complex? Is there a universal theme?

Tone

What is the attitude or tone the poet is trying to convey in a poem or book of poetry you have read?

Central Idea

Discuss the central idea the poet is try to convey in a poem you read.

Note to Our Students

Great job in February! Your answers show a lot of thought and consideration.

There are new questions for the month of March. Many of these questions refer to the Miracle Worker, which we will read in class. It will be interesting to see what others think of the characetrs, conflicts, and symbols of this drama, so try to answer those questions (beginning mid March).

We know many of you had difficulties logging into the blog program. If this happens, you may need to reset your password. You need to do this AT HOME since you are unable to access your email from school. The blog program will prompt you on how to reset your program when you try to log in.

Remember to include your NAME at the end of the entry. Also, check your comments for basic errors in spelling and punctuation and FIX THOSE ERRORS.

Keep up the great work!

Love,
Mrs. Marusa and Miss Schweikert

Setting

Discuss the setting in the book you are currently reading. Is the story set in a realistic world like the one you live in? Why does the author present the setting/world as he/she does? Does the author combine the realistic and the fantastic? If so, how and why? Be specific with your answers.

Character

Which character(s) in the book you are currently reading or one you have read this year do you feel sympathy for, and why?

Characters in The Miracle Worker

Who do you think is the most important character in The Miracle Worker? Explain why with specific evidence from the story to support your answer.

Symbolism in the Miracle Worker

Water is a symbol in the Miracle Worker. Explain how and why it is symbolic. Explain with specific evidence from the story.

Conflicts in The Miracle Worker

Discuss how one of the conflicts in The Miracle Worker is resolved at the end of the story. Be specific. Include the characters’ names, the conflict between them, and how it was resolved.

Characters from the Miracle Worker

Throughout the Miracle Worker, characters are developed and conflicts are established. Choose two characters (For example: Kate/Keller; James/Helen; James/Keller; Kate/Helen) and discuss what their relationship is and the conflict between each of them. Use specific details from the story to support your answer.

From Your Teachers

Great job, everybody! Your comments from January were interesting and thoughtful. Please remember to review your answers so that they are well-written (i.e. follow basic punctuation and mechanic rules), answer the question, and provide an example from the text. Don't forget that not everyone has read the novel you did, so you will need to give enough information for them to figure out what you are talking about!

This month, you will notice each questions indicates which Connecticut Standard each question pertains. "Standards" are skills that seventh graders across the state should be able to do have. The standards and questions were taken from 4th-Generation CMT Coach, Language Arts Grade 7.

Keep up the great work!

Love,
Mrs. Marusa and Miss Schweikert

P.S. Don't forget to answer the questions for FEBRUARY. You will not receive credit for answering questions from previous months.

Themes

The theme of a novel is the central idea or insight about life that an author wants the reader to understand. The plot generally helps to explain the theme. A novel may have a single theme or several themes. To identify the theme in a novel, consider the actions, thoughts, and words of characters in the story. What is the theme of a novel you have read in the past or a novel that you are currently reading? Figure out how the story applies to life in general. Ask yourself, “What lesson(s) should I take from this story?” Discuss your ideas. (CT Standard Theme: identify and discuss the underlying theme or main idea in texts.)

Vocabulary

Sometimes when you are reading, you come across a word that you do not know. When this happens, what do you do? How do you figure out its meaning? What unfamiliar word(s) did you encounter in a book and how did you figure out the meaning? Be sure to include the title of the book, author, and the unfamiliar word(s). (CT Standard: Vocabulary: analyze the meaning of words and phrases in context.)

Character Inferences

An inference is a judgment you make based on the information available to you. To make an inference—to infer—you have to have some kind of evidence. For example, if you were walking home from school and suddenly smelled smoke and heard sirens, your past experience and knowledge would lead you to the conclusion that there was a fire nearby. In literature, you use the things you read—the information that’s available to you—to make inferences about things such as: a character’s personality, interests, or physical appearance; a character’s history; a character’s age; the history of relationships between characters; the reasons for a character’s behavior; a character’s intention; a character’s next action.

Think about the clues the author in the book you are currently reading gives you about a character’s behavior. Also think about your own knowledge of what you or someone you know would do in the same situation. Make an inference/judgment about the character. Explain your inference by supporting your response with details from the story.

(CT Standard: Making Inferences: make and justify inferences from explicit and/or implicit information.)

Text Structure

When you read, it is helpful to understand how the author arranged the information. The way the author arranged the writing is the text structure. Some text structures are: sequence, the time order in which things happen; compare and contrast, similarities and differences of facts, characters, events; description, how someone or something looks, acts, or sounds; problem and solution, what the problem was and how it was solved; cause and effect, what happened and why it happened.

In the book you are currently reading, look to see how the author has arranged the text. Discuss one text structure that the author used and explain how it helped you understand the meaning of the text (paragraph or passage).

(CT Standard: Using Text Structures: identify, use, and analyze text structures.)

Customs

Have you read or are you currently reading a book about people in other places and other times? Discuss what you have learned about the writing and customs of another culture. Are the experiences of the characters in the book similar or different from any of your experiences?(CT Standard: Making Connections: compare, respond to, and interpret texts that represent many multicultural experiences.)

Lessons in Writing

“For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more.” This is a quote from The Pearl that states one of the lessons of the parable by Steinbeck. Using this same quote, discuss how it compares to a novel you have read or are currently reading. Be sure to connect the quote with your novel, making specific references to both stories and how each author included the lesson in their writing. (CT Standard:1. Developing literary awareness: evaluate an author’s values, ethics, and beliefs included in many texts)

A Note From Your Teachers

Wow! You guys have certainly done it again! Your comments are really great! It was interesting to see how many of you were able to dig into some novels you enjoyed to find specific passages, literary elements, and characters that you love, and then were able to share them so easily. We really enjoyed your suggestions for which books to make into movies; hopefully we'll see them on the "big screen" soon!

We also really appreciate your efforts to include the title and author of the novel, as well as your own name. Keep up the good job of proof reading your entries, too. Remember, though, that the more of your own ideas and explanations you include, the more people will be able to comment on them. We are all working towards literature discussions, and we all want to know what you think!

Again, we have changed the questions for the month of January. Answer ONLY the new questions (there are six of them!). You will not receive credit for answering questions from November of Decemeber!

Keep up the great work!

Mrs. Marusa and Miss Schweikert

Conflict

Conflict is a clash between opposing forces, people, or ideas. What are two conflicts in the novel you are currently enjoying or have recently read? Why were those conflicts interesting? Make sure you include the title and author, as well as specific details to support your answer.

Remembering Novels

What element of the novel you are reading or have currently read will you probably remember the longest: character, plot, or theme? Why do you feel this way? Make sure you include the title and author, as well as specific details to support your answer.

Irony

A situtation or event that turns out to be in strange contrast to what was intended or expected is said to be ironic. Consider the following example of irony from John Steinbeck's novel The Pearl: Kino's canoe, which is "at once property and a source of food," has been in his family for two generations. The irony here is, of course, that the canoe represents a continuation of the family tradition, since it belonged first to Kino's father and before that to his grandfather, and yet at the end of the story, Kino will have neither a child nor a canoe to pass on to another generation.

What is ironic about the book/storyline/characters in the novel you are reading or have recently read? Make sure you include the title and author, as well as specific details to support your answer.

Sensory Language

A motif is a detail within the story that repeats itself throughout the work. Examples of common motifs include colors, character traits, objects, locations, or situations. The sky's the limit, really. What makes something a motif is when it shows up several times throughout the story. Think of them as breadcrumbs left by the author to draw your attention toward something important in the theme or message of the story.

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, sounds or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

What is a symbol/motif found in the novel you have read or are currently reading? Explain how the author uses this throughout the novel, and why it is important. Make sure you include the title and author, as well as specific details to support your answer.

New Endings

If the author added another chapter or sentence at the end of a novel, what might it be? Make sure you include the author and title as well as specific information from the novel to support your answer.

Book Titles

If you could rename a book, what would you title it and why? Make sure you include the original author and title, as well as specific details from the novel to support your answer.