Novel - Character Study

Today in class, I returned the reader response written last week. We read the first chapter from a book called "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet"(You should read it! It's amazing!) and I modelled the different ways a reader can interact with text. Remember to really push yourself to think deeply about what you read, and to use specific details from the text to support what you are thinking. And never, ever, ever use the word "interesting" to describe a book or character. Thank you. I have assigned a study of one character from the novel you are reading, to be handed in on Monday. You are welcome to represent your thinking any way you wish. What I would like to be able to see is that you are making careful, informed inferences about your character, and you are progressing well with your book. Finally, if you have not yet submitted your poem about relationships, you will need to do so on Monday. Enjoy your weekend.

Red Shoes in the Rain

In yesterday's class, I distributed a package of poetry terms and definitions, as well as the poem "Red Shoes in the Rain." Students were given time to complete their relationship poem and answer the questions I had posed regarding the poem. If you were on the hike yesterday and missed class, please make sure you print off a copy of the poem and questions, and have those ready to share in tomorrow's class. I can give you a copy of the poetry terminology handout, as it's five pages long.

Using Poetry to Explore Relationships

Last week, we used Carl Leggo's poem "Tangled" to explore a relationship between a father and his child. In the poem, Leggo uses the symbol of a tangled line to represent the tension in this relationship, and the untangling of the line suggests a reconciliation of sorts. We discussed the extended metaphor present in the poem: that of the line as a bond between the parent and child. At times, it is a bond that is tested; however, at the conclusion of the poem, the child implies a strength to the relationship that reaches the "bottom of the ocean." Students were asked to try writing a poem about a relationship, one that has changed over time. I will collect these poems tomorrow, and we will use them as a starting point for future poem writing. Additionally, I will distribute a set of poetry terms to peruse. This package can be used as a resource, anytime we are studying a poem in class. I don't expect you to memorize the list, but the Ministry of Education will test you on a number of them... so make sure you read it over a couple of times! We will read a new poem about relationships tomorrow in class, and I will give you a set of guiding questions to answer. This will help prepare you for the quiz that is happening at the end of next week! Finally, keep reading and thinking about your novel! We will group together this week to touch base with others who are reading the same book, to give some support to you as you read.

Introduction to the Relationships Unit

After a couple of weeks of "warm up," we dove into our first unit of study today. We will be considering a variety of texts, all linked to the theme of relationships. I gave out an outline for the unit today, which had an introductory activity to be completed for Friday's class. I also talked about ten different books, which are options for our novel study component of this unit. I asked students to choose three which were appealing, and I will do my best to give you one of your top choice for your novel study. If you were away today, try to drop by on Thursday to check out the book options.