Links to Sites with Bookbinding Instructions

http://www.mothteeth.com/bookmaking/

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-bind-a-book/

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/how-to-bind-a-book

http://www.diybookbinding.com/instructions-on-how-to-bind-a-book/

http://www.persistenceunlimited.com/2006/03/fun-and-easy-how-to-guide-to-binding-your-own-paperback-books-at-homefast/

http://www.ehow.com/how_2032618_bind-book.html

http://www.sff.net/people/brook.west/bind/bindit.html

Revisiting the Blogs:

Blog Expectations:
You will have one thoughtful response per week. 

This is also how I will hold you accountable for your reading life.  For instance, you may post about a book a few times if it takes you two weeks (or longer, if the book is especially challenging or long).  Your first blog post might be about a small idea or theory you are formulating about the book, or a line that caught your attention.  Then your second week post will be about a bigger idea that you noticed throughout the book. Or, any combination.

Blog posts should be thoughtful and based on your ideas.  They should not just be retellings of the book. 

Are there other requirements?

You will also be required to respond to at least one blog post a week.  Do not post anything that is inappropriate or mean in any way.

We will occasionally take a break from posting online to work on our writing craft by printing out and revising one of our favorite posts.

Other news...

Keep an eye out for "All-star Mentors" (posts that I thought were particularly well-written and thought-provoking)!

If you need time to work on a computer, come in at 8 a.m. to my room, the library, or the computer lab.

Other things to think about:

Grammar

One of the biggest differences between writing that stays in your notebook and writing that gets published online is that the writing you post on your blog should use correct conventions and mechanics all the time.  When you are emailing or texting your friends, that is a different kind of writing, and a lack of conventions (following grammar rules) may be appropriate.  Our blogs, though, are a way of practicing writing in an academic setting.  Please practice using academic writing on your blogs.   I'll be looking for the following conventions that you should already be familiar with on your blog:

• Underline (or italicize) and capitalize the title of your book
• Use purposeful paragraphs when you switch to a new topic or idea
• Capitalization in general: you know what gets capitalized! No need for writing in all caps - ever!
• Spell words correctly - no text-spelling allowed!!  (i.e.  it's not "u".  it's "you".)

Writing for an Audience

Your thoughts are no longer living in your notebook, and your peers will be reading your thoughts.  That means that you need to write with your audience in mind.  It is important to think about the following: 

• Give your reader a bit of context so that he or she can understand what you are writing about. Context can be attained in 1-2 sentences and includes the title of the book plus a brief introduction to the character, setting and conflict. For example, "I have been reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, set in a dystopian, futuristic society that forces 12 children to participate in an Olympic-style game, only it is to the death.  The reader is allowed inside the mind of Katniss, the main character, as she fights her way through the games."
• Try to "bookend" your post thoughtfully: use a lead to begin and try to leave your reader thinking at the end. 
• As a courtesy, if you are writing about the end of a book, put a "spoiler alert" in the post so that anyone who hasn't read the book doesn't see what happened in the end, just in case they want to read the book.  It is very possible to write a reading response thoughtfully without giving away the entire plot. 

Have fun!!!