Blogging for Bonus Points!

Constant togetherness is fine--but only for Siamese twins. ~Victoria Billings
Well, I don't know about you all, but I certainly have been enjoying this two week break! Unfortunately, all this fun, free time, and togetherness occaisionally leads to, well, badgering and bickering between my beloved children! Surely it hasn't been like this at your homes?! When they get particularly grouchy with each other, one of my favorite things to do is make each of them say nice things about the others! :) So, for anyone looking to bolster their grade with a few bonus points, write a journal entry describing all the nice things about each member of your family with whom you live! Which things do you enjoy most about your family? Sometimes, we just need to remind ourselves to look for the good! See you in a couple of days!!

Online Journal Entry #13

"We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character." Henry David Thoreau
In Homer's Odyssey, we have been reading of the great adventures of Odysseus. Some of these adventures are the result of the choices he (or his crew) made and others are repercussions from the gods for his actions or attitudes. For this week's journal entry, write about YOUR greatest adventure in life so far. It can be a story of travel or mystery. Or it can be what began as a day like any other, when suddenly something unexpected happened. If there is no experience you can come up at this moment, write about a great adventure you would like to embark upon in the future. Think, think, think and then describe your daring exploits or courageous enterprise to the rest of us. Like Helen Keller once said, "Life is either a great adventure ... or nothing."

Online Journal Entry #12

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium. ~Norbet Platt

I hope you all had a wonderful break! Now, Friday is midterm and the last three weeks of this term will fly by and we still have a LOT to accomplish!! Someone asked me recently, "What is the point of blogging again?" Well, in case some of the rest of you were wondering as well, as the name of each post implies, these are Online JOURNAL entries. Each blog post is a writing opportunity. But instead of using class time and paper and pencils, you each have a whole week to get online, have some time to yourself, and WRITE! With that in mind, look back at the original rules: One or two sentences is not going to cut it anymore. These are journal entries. Put some thought into them. Tell me about yourself and your life and your thoughts. Open up. Think, for goodness sake. :)

For this week's post, write a journal entry about some experience you had over the break. The dinner itself? Your family traditions? A fun time with your friends? Your crazy family? What-ev. Pick something and WRITE!!

Online Journal Entry #11

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. ~W.J. Cameron
Mmm, it's almost Thanksgiving!! Family, food, friends, and three days out of school! Tell me, what are you thankful for this year as we approach the season of giving thanks?

Online Journal Entry #10

"Variety's the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor.” ~William Cowper
As you all have been studying the different gods and immortal figures of Greek Mythology, I have been thinking about all the different realms, personalities, and characteristics they each represent. The great variety exemplied in those beings reminded me of the fact that we also have a great variety of interests and talents within this very class. For example, I LOVE Greek Mythology. I have always studied it in my free time because I find it fascinating. Of course, I love to read about anything--it's one of my favorite things about being an English teacher; I get paid to read and discuss Literature--how awesome is that?! What about you? What is your favorite area of interest? Is it reading too? Or is it science? Or math? Art? Music? Engineering? Juggling? Athletics? And then consider this, the above picture represents multiple intelligences. So, study it for a minute and then tell me: How do you learn best? Visually? Through activities? Projects? Reading? Lectures? What do you think? I know, so much thinking and TWO things to respond to!! Don't worry, I know you're up to it! ;)

Online Journal Entry #9

For Mythology is the handmaid of literature; and literature is one of the best allies of virtue and promoters of happiness. ~Thomas Bulfinch
Finally, we have finished our unit on short fiction and are ready to move on to the wonderful world of Greek Mythology! This week, we are going to learn about the Ancient Greek's views of the creation of the world and all about the gods they worshipped as well as the purpose of these myths in their society. The gods and goddesses of Greek Mythology each had their own realm of dominion and highly individualized special abilities to influence the world as they each saw fit. Thinking about all of this made me wonder, if you had your own "super power" to influence the world, what would it be and how would you use it? Would you be so different from the stories we will be reading? I can't wait to find out! :)

Online Journal Entry #8

An article in the News-Leader recently caught my eye as controversy has divided an area high school over whether or not to remove certain books from the school library. As we will be covering a novel frequently banned later this school year, I thought I would ask your opinion about it. Please visit Mrs. Schreffler's blogsite http://schreffblog.blogspot.com/, read the entry entitled "Banning Books! Are You Crazy?!" Then post a comment here describing your opinion of book banning. BE SURE to come back here to post as I do not grade postings on Mrs. Schreffler's site! :)

The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion. ~Henry Steele Commager

Online Journal Entry #7

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. ~Mark Twain
Book Reviews. I haven't forgotten about them, we've just been busy, haven't we? I hope you have been remembering to READ though!! Maybe one day this week, we'll go over the guidelines; but for now, keep reading your book and look for those elements we've been discussing in class: plot development, conflict, figurative language, foreshadowing, and theme!! For this week's journal entry, I want you to tell me the name of the book you've chosen, its author, and a brief description of its exposition (what two things make up exposition again?). Also, tell why you chose this particular book and what you think of it so far!! Just give us a quick overview for now and then go back and read, Read, READ!! And don't forget about your homework there either! :)

Online Journal Entry #6

We are each gifted in a unique and important way. It is our privilege and our adventure to discover our own special light. --Mary Dunbar
What is ONE word that describes you, and why?

Online Journal Entry #5

It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life. ~P.D. James

Ah, autumn. The air is getting cool and crisp. The leaves are beginning to change. It's as if a whole new spirit is in the air. What is your favorite thing about this time of year? And what would you do, if you had a perfect fall day to spend however you wanted?

Online Journal Entry 4

Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see. ~C. S. Lewis

Ah, the Short Story. Don't you just love them?!! So far, we've read three of them in class. Have you noticed anything yet? Yeah, you rarely finish a short story and think, "Well, that was a nice little story" (unless it's a children's book). Short stories are written for a purpose; they contain all of the elements of traditional longer fiction, but (being more limited in time and space) must have every element work together concisely to produce a single effect. Sometimes, it is to entertain you. Sometimes, it is to surprise or horrify you. But in any of those cases, short stories almost always aim to teach you something about life, about human nature, and about you--through your reactions to them. Choose any of the stories we've read so far and tell me: What is the message the author is trying to tell you? Which story surprised you the most? After you know what happens in the end, can you go back through and see the clues in the reading that you may have overlooked the first time? Do you have a favorite short story or is there one that sticks with you, whether you liked it or not? Then that author has fulfilled his purpose: he has written something that lives on in you! Wait till you read what's coming in the next couple of weeks!! Oh, the fun we will have! :)

Online Journal Entry #3

"Who is wise? He that learns from every One.
Who is powerful? He that governs his Passions.
Who is rich? He that is Content.
Who is that? Nobody." --Benjamin Franklin
Journal entries do not have to be controversial to have purpose. Their purpose is to inspire you to think and incite written expression. Sometimes writing about something can actually help you understand how you feel about it.

Now, consider the quotation above by Benjamin Franklin. Do you agree with what he says? Do you think it's meaning has changed any over the last two hundred years? What does being wise, powerful, and rich mean to you? Post a reply (enter your ID as your email address and the password you set and it will post under your display name or sign in at blogger.com and then come to this blogsite) and check back in a couple of days to make your entry has been posted!! No post, no grade. Now, write, write, WRITE! :)

Online Journal Entry #2

“The four cornerstones of character on which the structure of this nation was built are: Initiative, Imagination, Individuality and Independence.” ~Edward Vernon Rickenbacker
Ah, IdentiKits ... aren't they fun?! All that focus on YOU: What YOU think, how YOU feel, what things best represent YOU, and how YOU express YOURSELF! What would YOU think if I said we were going to share them with the class? Excited? Nervous? Remember, we are a Classroom Community!! We are here to share with each other, support each other, encourage each other, and celebrate with each other!! Hmm, did I say celebrate? How did communities usually celebrate again? ;) So, once again, for this week, tell me: How do you feel with all this focus on YOU? Empowered? Uncomfortable? Terrified? Maybe we can use this experience of showing off our imaginations and individuality to build some of that initiative and independence! What do you think?!
“Every person is the creation of himself, the image of his own thinking and believing. As individuals think and believe, so they are.” ~Claude M. Bristol

Weekly Online Journal Entry

How can I tell what I think until I see what I say? --E.M. Forster

Every week you will be responsible for posting a reply to an online journal question. This response needs to be at least one full paragraph (minimum of 5-6 sentences). Being an online journal, this is somewhat informal in nature but you do need to use complete sentences, watch your spelling, and fully develop your thoughts. Make sure your responses are adhering to the posted rules or they will be deleted. Be open, be creative, be yourself.

Now, for your first online journaling assignment. Consider the following quotation:

Don't do whatever you like; like whatever you do. --Anne M. Jennings

Describe an instance where you have applied this advice in your own life or a situation in which you could give it a try. In the picture, see how any ordinary day in the Snow household can become a great adventure with this bunch a monkeys! Life is full of amazing possibilities. It is our attitude that can lift us up or hold us back if we let it. Consider how our attitudes can be changed if we will try to see the potential in any given situation and, in turn, how different the outcome could be if our attitudes towards the situation are different. What good things could come from having a good attitude about something new? An online journal, for instance ....

Blogging Rules!!

"A few strong instincts and a few plain rules suffice us." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
1. This blog site is intended for classroom use but parents and/or guests are welcome to post at any time so long as they adhere to the rules.
2. This site does have public access. Please use screen names only and do not include any personal information such as your name, age, address, phone numbers, etc. (nor that of anyone else's!).
3. No vulgar or obscene posts will be allowed.
4. No disrespectful remarks about another student, teacher, or any person will be allowed.
5. Anything that could be perceived as a threat of physical violence will be punishable according to school policy.
6. Do not use this post to advocate the immediate violation of any law or school rule.
7. The teacher reserves the right to delete any post that does not strictly adhere to these rules.
8. Journal entries are an assignment and will be given a grade for participation.
9. Zero credit will be given on a deleted entry—it is the student’s responsibility to check and make sure their entries have not been deleted and, as needed, replace them with appropriate responses by the due date to get credit.