I'd like to teach the world to read...

Happy Holidays!  In a few short days, you will begin your final semester of high school life.  I am excited that I will get to witness those last few exciting days with you!  More importantly, I am excited that we will be reading some great works of literature. Books are such an essential element of a fulfilled life.  I know that you all have read many wonderful books in your years of reading.  So, my question to you in this blog is "If you could require the world to read one book (with the exception of the bible), what would it be and why would you want them to read it?"  I will share mine with you:  "I would require the world to read Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.  This book teaches about honesty, responsibility, courage, and freedom.  It emphasizes the importance of individuality and inner peace.  I can't wait until we read it together."  Post your book choice and reason by midnight, Thursday, December 27, 2012).

"He need both of you..."

A great deal of A Lesson Before Dying focuses upon Grant's internal conflict with religion and his external conflict with Reverend Mose Ambrose.  Select a passage/scene(cite it) that reflects this struggle and explain its significance in the scope of the novel and explain how Gaines uses this conflict to develop Grant. Also, indicate which side wins in this passage and how so. (The deadline to post a response to this blog question is midnight, December 24, 2012.)

The power of a word...

Below is a poem entitled Incident; it was written by Countee Cullen, one of America's best African American poets. Read the poem and then respond to the question below.
Incident by Countee Cullen

Once riding in old Baltimore,
Heart-filled, head-filled with glee,
I saw a Baltimorean
Keep looking straight at me.

Now I was eight and very small,
And he was no whit bigger,
And so I smiled, but he poked out
His tongue, and called me, "Nigger."

I saw the whole of Baltimore
From May until December;
Of all the things that happened there
That's all that I remember.

In A Lesson Before Dying, the first 4 chapters focus on the power of just one word as this poem does. Using only the first 4 chapters of the novel to support your claims, explain the power of the one word in the novel and how it is used as a catalyst for this novel. Who do you think is most affected by the word? Why? (The deadline to post a response to this question is midnight December 21,2012. Remember use only your initials when posting a response. )

AP Independent Pre-Course Reading Selections

As you are trying to select your independent novel to read, check here to see which novels/plays have already been selected.  Remember only one person to each novel. 
Selected works include
All the Pretty Horses
Beloved
Brave New World
The Catcher in the Rye
The Color Purple
Cry the Beloved Country
Death of a Salesman
A Gathering of Old Men
The Grapes of Wrath
The Handmaid's Tale
In Cold Blood
Invisible Man (by Ralph Ellison)
Jane Eyre
The Kite Runner
Light in August
Looking for Alaska
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets
Native Son
No Exit
The Old Man and the Sea
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest
Oryx and Crake
The Plague
The Poisonwood Bible
Ponder Heart
The Reader
The Road
Snow Falling on Cedars
Soldier X
Sula
This Boy's Life
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

Sending you wishes for the season!

Christmas is a time of year when people come to act as they should have all year.  May you have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

KPU Class of 2012

I just couldn't let this semester come to a close without telling you how much I have enjoyed having the pleasure of teaching you all. You are some of the brightest students I have ever known, but more importantly, you are some of the nicest people I have found in a long time. I love each and every one of you. 

You are what you read...

There is an old adage that states, "You are what you eat." I believe that people are WHAT they read because once you read a poem, a story, a play, or a novel, it becomes a part of your thoughts and if you are lucky enough to find something that touches you emotionally, it becomes a part of your soul. We have read so much this semester. Which pieces will be a part of you forever? Why? How did these pieces affect you? (This is our last blog for this semester; the deadline to post is midnight Monday, December 12, 2011.)