Friday, October 16, 2009

The Hot Seat!

Write a short (5ish) sentence response to the section we read in class today. I think this quote is a pretty interesting place to think about:

"The jurors laughed. They were a mob. Hands grabbed at the mike. Kevin looked anxiously at me. I could do nothing. With all the buttons and switches at my command, I was helpless to change anything on the other side of the glass.
'I got a simple question for you. What's the matter with you? Huh? Huh?'
'Why can't you be normal?'"

What comments/questions/predictions/connections do you have about the section we read today? Please read everyone's comments before posting, because someone might post an interesting question you'd like to answer.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Extra Credit Stargirl Response

So sorry I forgot to post today. I literally got out of bed to do this because I just remembered. I'll give extra credit on this until 3 p.m. Wednesday, October 7.

Remember, this post is for extra credit (about 2 points, though I may give more if you participate a lot). I thought the section of Stargirl we read today was really interesting. I'm most interested in what you think her actions say about her character, or what you think of them (the pledge, the funeral attendance, the bike). I'm going to leave your response this time up to you--comment on something that interests you right now about the book. If you have a question for the group, post it, and check back in to see what people thought. I will look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Another Stargirl Question

Now that we're a little further in the book, I'd like you to choose another question to respond to. This time, in your response, please write 3-5 sentences, and spend a little more time on it. What I mean by that is pretend it's being graded for spelling, capitalization, etc. It's easy when we're online to not use standard English, but for classroom blog posts, I'd like you to focus on it. It's important to know what it's okay to not capitalize and when it isn't. For example, I don't capitalized anything in my personal emails to my friends. But I would never send an email to our principal without checking my capitalization. I want you to start being aware of your choices online.

Now, for the questions:
1. What do you think of Leo's choice to follow Stargirl? What does it make you think about him?
2. What do you think will happen next? Jerry Spinelli left us with sort of an ominous statement at the end of the chapter: "How could I have known that he would soon be challenged by a freckle-nosed homeschooler?"
3. Think again about Peet compared to Mica High. When Hillari Kimble and Wayne Parr are described, do you think of any similarities? Please don't name names, but feel free to comment on if you think there are similar leaders at Peet.