Mrs. Enos' Reading Realizations: September 2014

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Use Quizlet to study for Friday's Vocabulary Quiz!

http://quizlet.com/50580924/flashcards

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Censorship: Constitution Day and Banned Books Week

To conclude the different readings we've covered on the topic of censorship, we will be utilizing our digital literacy and listening skills by viewing the following video commentary from the well-known opinion writer, Andy Rooney. Click on the following link. While listening to Rooney's commentary, map out his main arguments on the topic of censorship and word choice (specifically in this case, swearing/profanity). http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/rooney-cursing-censorship/

Monday, September 15, 2014

Today you will be previewing Quarter B literature circle reads. Refer to your preference list you were given and watch all of the book trailers/read the book summaries before listing your preferences on the sheet of paper. Please make sure your headphones are on and properly plugged into your computer. You will be reading and discussing this title with Reading9-10 students across all sections of the day through an online forum during the first four weeks of quarter B (Discussions will be once/week).

Al Capone Does My Shirts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aRdCXYy5YM

Aquamarine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktGTCzqEY6Q

Bar Code Tattoo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4Z_SjtsRWs

Before We Were Free http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q75VyWKQx5A

The BFG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv8tzV3EPbE

The Cage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_MsYczjEMQ

California Diaries: Sunny (overview from www.amazon.com)
Major stress at home with mom's illness. Bug fight with the best friend. Where can a girl go to find peace of mind? This new series has a first-person, diary format that draws readers into an intimate look at preteen life in the 1990s.

The China Garden (overview taken from www.bn.com)

When Clare moves with her mother from London to Ravensmere, an historic English estate, she can't shake the feeling that the residents already know her, especially Mark, a maddeningly attractive biker. Clare also feels compelled to take midnight walks in Ravensmere's abandoned China Garden. Then her mother reveals that their own past is tragically linked to the estate. But when Clare discovers that Ravensmere is in grave danger, will she risk her future-and Mark's-to save it?

Crushed (overview taken from www.bn.com)

Audrey and her two best friends have just transferred to Jemison High from their tiny private school. They're a nerdy little trio, so everyone is shocked when the handsome new guy, Wickham Hill, asks Audrey out. Audrey is so smitten that she doesn't pay much attention to The Yellow Paper, a vicious underground school newspaper...until it threatens to tell a tale that could change everything.

Driver's Ed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCNS99ggfrY

Flight to Freedom (overview taken from www.bn.com)

Yara Garcia and her family live a middle-class life in Havana, Cuba. But in 1967, as Communist ruler Fidel Castro tightens his hold on Cuba, the Garcias, who do not share the political beliefs of the Communist Party, are forced to flee to Miami, Florida. There, Yara encounters a strange land with foreign customs. She knows very little English, and she finds that the other students in her new school have much more freedom than she and her sisters. Tension develops between her parents, as Mami grows more independent and Papi joins a militant anti-Castro organization.

Flush http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg2ByvoGr7c

Fore One More Day (TV Movie Trailer) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tZlCZyGBIk

Forged by Fire http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPGqnZRMpEQ

Frankenstein http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isE15Ktqyt0

Freak the Mighty http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM94fsJZ80Y

Hatchet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwuIto3zPSU

Holes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekC4JJrGjmE

Hope Was Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJKyROyZZWk

I Survived: The Attacks on September 11, 2001 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxrpw18KY3g

Island of the Blue Dolphins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3cOSBCmoJY

Journey to the Center of the Earth(movie version trailer) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQx2wLyagk4

Kit's Wilderness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlMivl26e0A

Lord of the Flies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEWqIIyoODs

Make Lemonade http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbjCw0inl_Y

The Nanny Diaries (movie trailer) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwb8euJ-Evk

Night http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCAXkt8BZq4

Old Yeller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCNwFYF-CgU

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3QMxf4yySA

The Royal Diaries: Cleopatra VII

While her father is in hiding after attempts on his life, twelve-year-old Cleopatra records in her diary how she fears for her own safety and hopes to survive to become Queen of Egypt some day. (annotation from www.bn.com)

Rules http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxNGaC-bbRA

Rules of the Road http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LknnB9TtarM

The Skin I'm In http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5nhcIhH6oc

Silent to the Bone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsLZa--pw4w

Slam http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95xIQ17cz-U

Speak (movie trailer version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2gdDDpSGvk

Stargirl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oQ6VGYWUbA

Stick and Whittle (overview taken from www.bn.com)

Stick is a Civil War veteran, down on his luck and searching for his long lost sweetheart. Whittle is an orphan on the lam, looking to repay the world a favor he claims to owe. When the two meet up out West, they become partners on a high-stakes adventure that includes a kidnapping, travel by tornado, and a dramatic rescue mission.

Sweetgrass (overview from www.bn.com)

Sweetgrass, a 15-year-old Blackfoot girl, longs to be married like the other girls her age, and she has a young warrior in mind, Eagle-Sun. Her father feels she is too young for marriage, but over a difficult year for their tribe, which include natural disasters, encounters with white settlers, fights with other tribes, and a smallpox epidemic, she proves her courage, intelligence, and maturity.

Tracker (overview taken from www.bn.com)

For John Borne's family, hunting has nothing to do with sport or manliness. It's a matter of survival. Every fall John and his grandfather go off into the woods to shoot the deer that puts meat on the table over the long Minnesota winter.But this year John's grandfather is dying, and John must hunt alone. John tracks a doe for two days, but as he closes in on his prey, he realizes he cannot shoot her. For John, the hunt is no longer about killing, but about life.Only thirteen, John must track a deer in the Minnesota woods for his family's winter meat, and in doing so finds himself drawn to the doe who leads him and hating his role as hunter.

Trickster's Queen (overview taken from www.bn.com)

The native people of Copper Isles, the raka, know that the ancient prophecy handed down their trickster god is on the brink of coming to pass. But what they don't know is that all their hopes rest on the slender shoulders of Aly Homewood -- formerly Alianne of Pirate's Swoop.

From daughter of the powerful to slave in a foreign land, Aly is also a pivotal leader in the underground movement to put a new queen on the throne. Witty, intelligent, and a talented spy, Aly is used to staying two steps ahead of the action. But with new adversaries -- and a faltering romance -- Aly is blind to the threat that lurks right under her nose. What will happen if the queen-to-be is lost?

In this dramatic sequel to Trickster's Choice, Tamora Pierce examines the power of loyalty, family, and friendship in the face of adversity. And in doing so, she gives us the stories of three unforgettable young women discovering who they are and who they want to become.

Aly fails to foresee the dangers that await as she uses her magic to safeguard Dova and her younger siblings, despite knowing that her thirteen-year-old charge might be queen of the Copper Isles when the colonial rulers are defeated.

The Trouble with Lemons (overview taken from www.bn.com)

His real name was Tyler McAllister, but he felt like a lemon. He had allergies and nightmares, and was the only unfamous person in his family. But one night he and a friend went swimming at the forbidden quarry, and Tyler found a dead body. Now he's determined to find out who killed the man and why they're now after him....

The Watson's Go to Birmingham--1963 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLFWc390V9A

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ETrVYs8lUs

Whirligig http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbNHf_kcYNk

Friday, September 12, 2014

Letter Essay for September 12th!

September 12, 2014

Dear Reading 9/10 Students,

The book I’m going to focus on in my letter essay this week, is the realistic-fiction novel, Winger, by Andrew Smith. I read a review on this book a few weeks ago and I thought the cover was fantastic (high school guy with stitches and a bloody nose looking pretty damaged) so I ordered a used copy off of Amazon and started reading!

Ryan Dean West (nickname “Winger”) attends a prestigious private boarding school and is one of the starting players on the rugby team. He’s also pretty intelligent for his age. Even though he’s in the 11th grade, he’s only 14 years old, but rather than being friends with/relating to the freshmen on campus more, his best friends are all three years older than him. How does Valentine’s Day fit into all this? Ryan Dean has fallen for his best friend, Annie. Of course another classmate, Megan, is starting to show interest in him too, but the twist is Megan is dating Ryan Dean’s very large, very intimidating hulk of a roommate, Chas and Ryan Dean’s friend, J.P. has asked Annie out as well just to keep this web of relationships interesting.

For all you Valentine’s Day haters out there, this is not a lovey-dovey book I do think this book was originally intended for a male audience. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of females that would like it too (myself included). Smith, the author, does a nice job painting a realistic picture of how most high school guys think, because he was once one himself. The book is laced with profanity on just about every page. I’m personally not shocked by it, because the reality is high school students swear, and based on what I hear in the hallways, high school students swear a lot when it’s not really necessary and really doesn’t fit the situation. Just like at FHS, these kids simply swear, because they can.

I will state though, that the book is written very well! It’s hilarious, easy to visualize (Ryan Dean is also a decent artist and sometimes journals via cartoons or writes notes to his friends via cartoons about what he’s thinking---very much like the Origami Yoda books and other sketch books out there, but it’s not on every page and it’s much more professional looking), and the plot is constantly moving forward. When you think the main character is a guy with constant bad luck, something redeeming and exciting happens and you find yourself rooting for the guy and cheering him on, then soon after you’ll start to pity him and feel sorry for the guy, but no worries, within the next couple of pages, you’ll be smiling again. I enjoy the roller coaster of emotions rather than reading multiple pages in a row of dark and depressing plot points.

Does the book you’re currently reading remind you of any books you’ve read in the past? How are they similar? I know some of you have finished a book recently based on discussions we’ve had in class. Were you satisfied with the ending? Why or why not?

I’m really enjoying this novel. Smith also has a new book coming out titled 100 Sideways Miles. The cover on this one doesn’t disappoint either with an upside down horse falling through the sky. I have zero idea what the book is about, but I’m definitely intrigued. How would you judge the cover of the book you’re currently reading? Is that why you picked it? I know they say, “Never judge a book by it’s cover.” but it’s a marketing tool and it’s art. What might make a more effective cover for your book?

I think what has really sold me with Winger is the voice in the writing. This story is told from a first person point of view and Ryan Dean is the type of person most of us can relate to, because he’s not perfect. I personally enjoy his sarcasm, the ability to laugh at himself, the ability to admit when he’s wrong, and the ability to be gutsy, push the envelope, and stick up from himself. What point of view is your book written in (1st, 2nd, or 3rd person)? Do you find your main character likeable? At the beginning of the book he was that short, tiny guy in his class these older kids kind of liked to tease or treat more like a little brother, but halfway through the book, Ryan Dean gains this confidence that makes you wonder what he’s going to do or say next.

Look back on your colored packet for tips on topics to write about when constructing your letter this week. Happy Friday!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Enos