Heaven

We all have our thoughts about what heaven might be like.  We've read descriptions in the the Bible, we've heard what others have said, and you've probably thought about what heaven is.

In the novel, The Lovely Bones, the main character Susie Salmon, describes what HER heaven is like. 

If you were asked to describe what you think heaven will be like, what would you say?  It can be completely made up and have nothing or everything to do with your religious views.  It is up to you. 

Write a full paragraph or more and tell me about what you would want your heaven to include and look like. 

When you finish, publish the post and we will then continue reading. 

The Lovely Bones

Look at the very first page of the novel.  No, not page 1.  Look before that.  There is a page at the very beginning of the novel with a paragraph that reads like this:

Inside the snow globe on my father's desk, there was a penguin wearing a red-and-white-striped scarf.  When I was little my father would pull me into his lap and reach for the snow globe.  He would turn it over, letting all the snow collect on the top, then quickly invert it.  The two of us watched the snow fall gently around the penguin.  The penguin was alone in there, I thought, and I worried for him.  When I told my father this, he said, "Don't worry, Susie; he has a nice life.  He's trapped in a perfect world."


Think about that passage for a minute.

Answer the following questions in a paragraph:

What did Susie's father mean when he said the penguin was "trapped in a perfect world?"  Why does her father consider it perfect?

Think about what has happened to Susie.  Do you think she considers herself "trapped" in her heaven?  Do you think she sees it as a perfect world?  Explain your answer.

Parts of Speech Review

Last week we reviewed the 8 Parts of Speech.  Today, I would like to see what you know and remember.

Directions:  You will come up with the words below and then write a paragraph using the words you have come up with.

List the following words:  (you may use more than this, but you MUST use the ones you list below in the paragraph you write). 

10 Nouns:

5 Adjectives:

3 Adverbs:

2 Conjunctions:

3 Verbs:

2 Prepositions:

1 Interjection:

2 Pronouns:

After you have made your list, use the words you come up with to write a paragraph about anything you wish.  The paragraph MUST make sense, and it MUST use all of the words you have come up with above.

When you are through, publish your work.  Good luck!!

Your Bucket List

What Would You Do?

Stop putting your dreams off for "some day" . . . Take inspiration from the movie "The Bucket List" and ask yourself: If I had one year left to live, what would I be sure to do? Create a list of 100 things you want to do before you kick the bucket and start crossing items off your list, today.

Maybe you want to . . .

1. Write a script for a TV show
2. Do stand-up comedy
3. Write a children's book
4. Go camping
5. Ride a gondola in Venice
6. Learn how to salsa dance
7. Host Saturday Night Live
8. Visit a Renaissance fair
9. See the Mona Lisa at the Louvre
10. Witness a solar eclipse

It's never too early or too late to create a bucket list. So, whether you're 10 or 98, use this lens for inspiration and for guidelines on how to get started. You'll also find over 380 things you can consider adding to your bucket list (suggestions to get your creative juices flowing).

"Will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed (98 3/4% guaranteed)." - Dr. Seuss

Your task today: You will create your own Bucket List on your class blog.  Click on the link above to get some ideas.  Then, go to your blog and start your post.  You will have the class period to write, so don't feel hurried.  Even if you don't finish today, you should have a good start by the time the period is over.  Your final Bucket List should have 100 things you would like to do before you die.  Use the title "My Bucket List." And in the labels at the bottom of the post box, type Bucket List.

Shakespeare Language

Thy face looked PALED and thy seemed to PEAK as thy awaked from a MARE.  I heard a MINIMUS sound as if a MICHING MERCHANT had come to MOUSE we both.  Alas, twas merely a group of BAN-DOGS down the way, baying at the moon.  Until I lay my head back down, and heard the MICHING once again, only to find the BARNS, playing a round of LOGOATS.  "Come hither!" I demanded at which they fell silent, once again. 




[Thine] sole name blisters our tongues.

I think this is insulting someone by saying when anyone speaks their name, it causes blisters to form on the tongue of the speaker.

Quotes to Think About

Choose one of the following quotes, and discuss it on your blog.

1.) "We never know the worth of water til the well is dry," states an 18th-century English proverb.  Can you apply this proverb to other things besides wells and water?

2.) What do you think poet Ralph Waldo Emerson was referring to when he said, "We boil at different degrees?"

3.) Give your interpretation of the following quotation by Martin Luther King, Jr.: "We are not makers of history. We are made by history."

Remembering 9/11

Today is September 11, 2009.  This day marks the 8th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that hit the twin towers of New York, a field in Pennsylvania, and The Pentagon in Washington D.C.

Today I want you to blog about a few things that have to do with September 11th.  In a paragraph, answer the following questions and explain your answers.


1.)  Where were you 8 years ago today?  Do you remember who's class you were in?  What do you remember about the weeks following 9/11? What do you remember seeing or hearing about?

2.)  Do you think twenty years from now we will still be remembering the day of September 11th?

3.)  Why do you think terrorists chose to attack America?  Why not another country?

4.) Do you know anyone that was directly affected by the attacks on September 11th?

5.) If you were to write a story about 9/11, who's point of view would it be from and what would it be about?

5.) Find a picture that represents what 9/11 means to you and include it in your post.

MUSE

Choose one word from you Week One Vocabulary and use it in an ORIGINAL sentence (that means you have made it up yourself!).  The sentence must reflect the definition of the word!

Example:

MUSE
It didn't take much MUSING to know we had taken a wrong turn and were now lost!

Friendship Bellringer

We are beginning to read Julius Caesar, one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays.  A major theme in the play is that of friendship. 

Which is more important to you, friendship or personal morals/values/beliefs you hold? 

Go to your personal blog:

1.)  go to blogger.com

2.)  Log in with your username (firstnamelastnameblog@yahoo.com)

and password: bobcats2010. 

Go to New Post and write your answer in the space.  Then publish your post.   

The Lovely Bones

Happy Monday!

Today is your first OFFICIAL posting day to your blog!  Here's what I want you to do. 

Click on the link HERE, and read all of the information about the book The Lovely Bones, written by Alice Sebold.  It is one of the books I am planning on possibly using this year to replace The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 

I want you to read the summary and information, and then, on your blog, I want you to post your reaction to it.  Do you think the book sounds interesting?  What about it sounds interesting?  If you don't think you would like reading it, tell me why.  

Finally, put all your thoughts together and tell me if you think I should choose this book to read in class as one of our novels for discussion.  

Oh, and just so you know, the movie version is coming to theaters December 11, 2009!