What should I write about???

We've spent some time warming up our blogs by posting about our rereading books, and now it's time to take the next step and start writing about independent reading.

Always make sure your blog post has a clear focus as well as supporting ideas.  Try to include evidence and examples from the text itself, as well as your own ideas about the book.

We've already discussed a lot of things you could write about if you aren't sure.  Here are some ideas:


1.   In life, conflict (and how it is dealt with) causes change in a person (for better or worse). Reading and studying characters and their conflicts helps us understand humanity on the whole.  

2. Protagonist-the main character in a literary work (not necessarily good or bad, which means you have to be a careful reader!)

3. Antagonist-the person or forces who oppose or contend with the protagonist (sometimes the antagonist can be like an inner voice or an unseen force…be a careful reader!)

.     4. Unpacking a “loaded sentence” - such as an "author's intrusion".

5. Noticing your protagonist’s archetypal journey: (task, quest, loss of innocence) interpret your protagonist’s emotional journey: 

• what positive people/events impacted him/her most?

• what negative people/events impacted him/her most?

• how is your character different now? What did he/she learn? What did the journey accomplish?

• extend your ideas to LIFE and humanity: what does this journey teach you about living in the world?

6. Noticing character patterns-archetypes

• The hero-displays courage, self sacrifice and is not perfect
•  The mentor-assists/guides the protagonist, symbolizing wisdom, knowledge, experience  
• The shadow-creates tension in story , represents the darker side of human nature  
• The shapeshifter-a character who keeps changing sides; can’t make up mind; represents uncertainty.

7. Theme: the statement about life that an author wants to share with the reader.  What does the author want us to think, feel, or know?

8.  Cross-book inquiry: Make connections between your book and another you’ve read

      9. Setting-what aspects of the setting are significant and symbolic?

      10. At the end of a book, you could approach your blog post like an appreciation: what did you appreciate in your book? What ideas are rolling around your mind now that you have finished the book?

What makes a good, thoughtful blog comment?

So now that we've all started posting about our reading, it's time to begin interacting with each other by responding to each other's blog posts.

By going through The Starry Void, you can read your classmates' (as well as my other two classes') blogs listed in the blogrolls on the right.  Start perusing their blog posts, and find some that are interesting to you.  (You can even start 'following' your favorites on your own blog!)

You are required to comment on the blog posts of 803, 808, or 812.  I will be checking these responses.

A good, thoughtful blog comment might:
* praise interesting ideas in the original post
* ask for clarification of any unclear parts of the original post
* add the responder's own thoughts to original ideas to build strength
* contradict or challenge (respectfully!) by explaining another aspect or asking a question to further dialogue
* contain connections (to the self, the world, another text, or another part of the same text) to deepen thinking about the post

***  AND good, thoughtful blog responses always
* are respectful and coherent
* use standard vocab, spelling, and grammar (so that everyone can understand)
* show consideration of the original blogger's work and thought

When someone comments on your blog post, it's a great opportunity for a dialogue.  Answer their questions or respond to their ideas.  Turn it into a really deep "conversation"!  

Here are a few links to comments from last week that pushes the bloggers to think more deeply about their original posts:

Alex's response to Elsa's post  is thoughtful and elaborated.  Elsa should definitely write back!
I really like how Hou In responds to Jackie's post, too!  Jackie should also write back!