Use of Wiki

Congratulations to all of you who ae using hte wiki to communicate with each other. The discussions and comments on there are amazing. I really like to see you sharing your thoughts outside of school and with students who are in other classes; that is the purpose of the wiki. When we get to share our ideas with other people we are able to synthesize our thoughts with theirs and learn and retain more information.
Keep up the great work.

You're finally here!

I am so happy that you are finally able to access the class wiki. The discussions have been great so far and I haven't even formally taught you how to use it yet. I can't wait until you really understand the wiki and can benefit from it. some of you have made some page edits and added new bits of information. Keep up the great work.

Welcome Back

Hello everyone. I am happy that you are in my class this year. I have lots of great things to do with you all year long and I hope you learn as much as you possibly can from my class. So far we have gone over some rules, discussed reading strategies, did a bit of writing and have done some reading to practice the reading strategies.
I would like you to take a look at the blog at least once a week and post a comment once in awhile. I look forward to a great year with you.

The End

It has been awhile since my last post and most of us are done reading the book. Because some people aren't finished, I won't give anything away but you should have lots of questions and some emotional responses to the ending. Lois Lowry addresses some of these concerns; check out the wiki to get the link. Be ready to discuss your thoughts in class. I look forward to some animated and thoughtful discussions.

Small group discussions

Your discussions presented in class were great. Most of you offered very insightful comments. It shows me that you really understand what is important in the story. I love the way you made connections and offered your own opinions on the topics. Let me know what you thought of the task. If most of you liked it we can set it up again soon. It truly is a very meaningful activity.

Lots of work, little time

Wow! We don't have a lot of time left. So we really have to kick it up a notch. All of you will have to read the novel at hojme so you can finish it. In class we'll discuss the book, do some questions, and work on our final assignment. Remember, a brown bag or box similar to a shoe box is what you will need. Don't forget to check the wiki space to see what work has to be done.
Finally, our small group discussions will be presented in class all next week. Make sure you are ready!

Slow, so far.

The comment I am hearing from many of you is that you like the book but it is a bit slow, there isn't much action. I hear you. I know it is slow compared to the action you are used to in your personal lives but that is the point. Your life is so different from Jonas'. Sometimes authors intent or the point of reading/viewing is to get you to ask questions; Why do they live that way? How come they get assigned babies? Why can't they see colour?
The book will pick up very soon but don't expect a great deal of action. It picks up for a very different reason. What do you think the reason is?

Wow! You guys are great!

I am so pleased that so many of you are using the wiki now. the novel will really pick up soon and I think even more discussion will take place. You have been making great inferences and asking really good questions. We need to get even more people on board. Try to encourage your classmates to check it out if they haven't already.
Your task now is to think of a scene you can dramatize or tell via Photostory. Maybe you could record it and we can post it on the page. I may be able to lend you a video camera if you need it. It would also be good if you could come to class with some questions and some answers to the questions on the wiki.

Comparing your life to Jonas'

Now that we are 2 chapters into the book, people are starting to compare their lives to that of Jonas and the people who live in his community. When you compare things you need to identify both differences and similarities. Take some time to compare your life to Jonas'. Is your life much different from his, or are there more similarities?

The Question...

What would a perfect world look like? I want you to consider your answer to this question and post it here. Most of you will think small scale and only consider your own interests, which is fine, but I would like to see some of you think large scale answer this question keeping the interests of others in mind too.