Getting Philosophical. . .

Over the last few weeks of school (middle school is almost over!) and during our philosophy unit, it would be great if you could really start trying to make your reading matter to your thinking.

I want to read blog posts that move from the book to larger philosophical questions (ones that would work for a Socrates Cafe, for example).  How can you connect what you're wondering about in your book to what you're wondering about in the world?

Read these - they're all pretty good places to start - although all of them could have delved deeper into the questions they're asking; the philoso-raptor wants to see you trying to answer your own questions!!


Ames considers the nature of war:
http://elwriter.blogspot.com/2011/05/finally-i-am-on-lastum-oh-book.html

Yacine questions the origins of evil:
http://theunicornshorn.blogspot.com/2011/05/sold.html

Greg thinks about the place of faith in philosophy, inspired by a single phrase in his reading:
http://gilldon.blogspot.com/2011/05/v-for-vendetta-la-voie-la-verite-et-la.html

Revising a past post: first post for fourth quarter!

Here's the deal:

You will choose a partner with whom to work.  Your partner will then be responsible for:
1) Choosing an old post of yours that s/he thinks could be revised into an "all-star" blog post!
2) Responding *on that old post* to give you five ideas about improving the post.  (Partners, look at old all-star mentors, blog posts others have complimented, or my guidelines to help you give suggestions.)
3) Reading your post again next Friday (after you publish your revised blog post) and commenting again on it to give feedback about whether your revisions were successful.

You will be responsible for:
1) Doing the same for your partner
2) Revising your blog post according to his/her suggestions and your own thoughts on it
3) Publishing a revised version of your post including a link to the original

Think about:
* Elaborating
* Organizing more effectively (think paragraphs, topic sentences, etc.)
* Providing more evidence from the text
* Going deeper and taking risks with ideas, and
* Inviting more response by posing questions to your readers

Do good work!!!

BLOG REVIEWS - due Friday, Feb 18. (AKA last post for February!!)

Spend the next week reading as many people's blog posts as you can.  You can also read independent reading posts from Ms. Robbins's or Ms. Galang's classes.  Find a blog post that you think is truly amazing, and write an elaborated response to it that explains to your readers why you think it's so great.

You should include a link to the post you're writing about - you can do this by copying the link and then clicking on the "Link" tab above the text box while you are writing your post and pasting it in to the "Edit Link" box that pops up.

Your post should be a few paragraphs long, highlighting aspects of the writer's post you found particularly interesting.  Here are some suggestions:

* Have you read the book, too?  Talk about what you thought and if you agree or disagree with the writer.

* Does the post make you want to read the book?  Why or why not?

* Did the post ask some philosophical questions about human nature or the world?  What are your thoughts on those issues?

* Did the post make you think about anything else?  Another book?  A movie?  The world?  Your own life?  Write about that!

* Have you read any other posts by this writer?  How does this one stand out?

* Do you like the way the post is written?  Is it engaging?  Why?  What craft moves could you emulate in your own blog posts?

February All-Star Blog Posts!

This month, I decided to zoom in on posts that zoom in.  The following posts take one small aspect of the book and elaborate on it - whether it's one character, one idea, one setting, one event, etc.

Here, Liza expands upon her opinion of one character in The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway:
http://lizaisawesome.blogspot.com/2011/02/does-sun-also-rise-i-think-so.html

Clara is asking some very interesting questions about the representations of women in literature (and in the world) sparked by her thinking about the female detective in her book:
http://claratheawesome.blogspot.com/2011/02/hardball-by-sara-paretsky-can-girl-be.html

Lila thinks about the nature of truth and lies - a post inspired by a book she claims 'has no plot' but made her think deeply nonetheless!
http://silverbonesandgoldenstars.blogspot.com/2011/01/we-are-broken-lies-lies-and-more-lies.html

One relationship in the book Graham is reading makes him think about human nature and the way our experiences shape us:
http://guttentagfurlein.blogspot.com/2011/02/hunted-past-reason.html

How I will be assessing your blogs

Your blog will be worth ten percent of your quarter grade.  The categories in which I will assess your blog are:

1) Completion of assignments - Both posts and comments are completed by each Friday on which we have school.
2) Effort - Writing and creative and thought-provoking; writer put a lot of effort into the assignments.
3) Organization - Writing is organized; ideas are fully developed with a variety of details
4) Mechanics - Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation are used.  Vocabulary is sophisticated.

Email me with any questions! 

January All-Star Mentors: Insightful Posts about Independent Reading

Check out Louis's post about Ellen Hopkins's Identical.  What's great is how he analyzes the structure of the book as well as its themes.  Warning!!  SPOILER ALERT!!
http://louistolouis.blogspot.com/2010/12/reading-response-for-identical.html

Noemi has some very interesting revelations about justice in her post about the book 16 1/2 on the Block (who's the author, Noemi??):
http://cutienay714.blogspot.com/2011/01/16-12-on-block.html

In Miranda's all-star post about Because I am Furniture, by Thalia Chaltas, she asks some really thought-provoking philosophical questions, although here, too, are some SPOILERS!  This is a great example of a post that invites response:
http://cottoncandymush.blogspot.com/2011/01/because-i-am-furniture-victim-or.html

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!!!

Social Action Blog Posts of Note

These students did a great job answering the question, "What really hard things are happening in the text?" about their independent reading books.  Notice how they consider things like: what issues are at the root of the conflict?  What social commentary might the author be making or hinting at?  How do the problems in this book play out in the real world and affect large populations?

Sebastian's blog post: http://happytoasterstroodle.blogspot.com/2010/10/hard-things-in-old-mans-war.html

Louis's blog post: http://louisvazquez.blogspot.com/2010/10/village-place-for-everyone.html

Peter's blog post: http://ridingapancaketoschool.blogspot.com/

Graham's blog post: http://guttentagfurlein.blogspot.com/2010/10/social-issues-on-1984.html

Liza's blog post: http://lizaisawesome.blogspot.com/2010/10/independent-reading-book-entry1.html

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 805, 808, or 809.  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