ANIMAL DREAMS TEST PREP III

By now, I hope you have reviewed your notes and taken time to at least view the podcast once. (As I said in class, you can listen to it on many of the computers in the school library). I took several test questions directly from the podcast, so it's worth a second listen if you have time.

Here are some of the quotes you will see on the exam. Can you identify the speaker?

"Mom says she'll break your face if you don't come over for breakfast."

"I told you I want Apodaca's line and not any of the others. I want gaffers. I'm not interested in knife birds."

"Oh, I know Doc's glad to have you back. He's been poorly. I don't expect he'd tell you but he is. They said when you was overseas you learned the cure they used on that actress in Paris, France. Bless your heart, you're a dear child. You don't remember me do you?"

"I know you're worrying, but you don't have to since we've established that I'm the luckiest person alive."

"If you want sweet dreams, you've got to live a sweet life."

ANIMAL DREAMS TEST PREP PART II

Our initial A.D. discussion got off to a slow start; then, once in small groups, the ideas took off. There were a lot of very insightful and original comments in your groups which carried over when we got back into a large group.

Something we, as a class, need to consider is that in order to have really productive discussions, everyone needs to feel free to express ideas in a safe and encouraging environment. We need to make an effort to encourage each other to participate. Also, we need to be quick to acknowledge classmates when they come up with thought-provoking, insightful, or interesting ideas. A little encouragement and positive reinforcement goes a long way to creating a trusting, safe, positive classroom enviroment for discussion. Thoughtful discussion is SO important for us to challenge ourselves as thinkers.

Some examples of encouragment include the following:
"That's an interesting idea."
"I like what Jenny said earlier about....."
"John made a good point about...."

Now.....on to the test. Here are a few more questions you will see on Friday's exam.

1. What does Codi mean when she says "Grace is a memory minefield."
2. Doc Homer said, "The seat of human emotion should be the _________________. We don't hold love in our hearts. We hold it in our _________________."
3. What item does Codi choose to honor and remember Hallie?
4. Who takes Codi to the place where her mother had left in the helicopter?
5. What is Loyd's hobby?

I'll post some more on Thursday.

Also, if anyone would like a Brave New World book before Friday, you are welcome to pick one up in room 350 at any time.

ANIMAL DREAMS TEST

I think of Jack, the coyote-dog, when I look at this picture.


Here's a sneak peak at a few of Friday's test questions. Do you know the answers?

1. Why does Codi feel embarrased for yelling at the children to "stop killing that bird" ?
2. Why does Codi say she went to medical school?
3. How did Codi's mother die?
4. Who is John Tucker?
5. What does Codi say is one of her biggest fears?

SCHOLARSHIP ESSAYS

I've finished your essays about what it means to be a scholar. Here are some of my favorite lines. I've kept it to just a few, though I could have included many more.


"I think being a scholar is not only being knowledgeable, but also putting forth the effort and having the desire to learn."

"One quality I think is important to be considered a scholar is to challenge yourself."

"Scholars have to be well-rounded as people."

"A scholar is someone who works hard and never gives up."

"This might just be the resultant debris from the collision between my cynicism and popular idealism, but I do not believe that every person can do anything even when they do everything in their power to achieve it."

"....if a person's car gets bad mileage, he or she will need a good amount of fuel to reach Scholarville. The luckier ones, though, can travel at light speed the entire way and scarcely ever stop for a refill."

"I like to think that the best kind of scholar is a mixture: someone who is well educated but is also a believer that not everything can be answered by logic."

"Organization is the key to being successful at anything."

TEN TIMED WRITING TIPS

As you prepare for Thursday's timed wrting, keep the following in mind:

1. Your opening sentence should include the name of the novel, the name of the author, and something of significance about the work (preferably related to the focus of your essay).

2. Make sure your thesis statement has 2-3 clear, debatable parts. Each part of the thesis must be something that can be argued rather than a fact. For example, if part of your thesis states that Winston has a relationship with Julia, there's not much more you can say about that. You would need to argue that Winston's relationship with Julia demonstrates a major theme in the novel (and then, of course, mention WHAT THAT THEME IS).

Also, try to avoid a convoluted, overly wordy thesis. You don't want your reader (ME) to have to read it over and over again trying to figure out what you mean.

3. Avoid figurative language, unless quoting from the novel. EXAMPLE of language to AVOID: " Winston is on cloud 9 when he is able to read a copy of Goldstein's book."

4. Use active voice rather than passive voice. EXAMPLE: "O'Brien invites Winston to his house" is better than "Winston is invited to O'Brien's house."

5. Set a goal of including 7-9 specific examples from the novel in your essay.

6. Don't repeat yourself to fill space.

7. Watch your time. I'll give you an end time at the beginning of the writing, and you need to make sure you don't run out of time before your conclusion.

8. DO NOT BEGIN YOUR CONCLUSION BY WRITING "IN CONCLUSION"!!!! Just jump right in by making an overall statement about the topics you've covered in the essay.

9. Write as legibly as possible. Keep in mind that if I can't read your handwriting, I can't give you the credit you may deserve.

10. HAVE FUN!!! Ok, just kidding. But seriously.....writing a solid essay with thoughtful examples and academic/ scholarly vocabulary can be very satisfying, especially when you start to get better and better at it. See this as the beginning of our journey to becoming master essay writers.

***DON'T FORGET TO BRING A COMPLETED TIMED WRITING DRAFT FOR SUBMISSION TO ME BEFORE YOU SIT FOR THE WRITING IN CLASS. THIS SHOULD BE SEPARATE FROM THE JOURNAL YOU DID IN CLASS.

END OF FIRST WEEK

It was a great first week with a nice lead-off discussion of 1984 on Wednesday. There were some thoughtful (and I'd even venture to say insightful) comments and questions from the text. We could have gone on for quite awhile had we a little more time. I was really happy to see several of you step up and take the lead during discussion.

I am enjoying your writings about scholarship. I have already picked out some of my favorite lines from your essays. Look for some of them (anonymous selected lines, not entire essays) to be posted next week.

Don't forget to come prepared on Tuesday for timed writing prep. This means you should scratch out some ideas about BOTH possible essay questions.

Also, it is time to go to the senior project website and start coming up with some concrete ideas for your proposals.

I have really enjoyed talking with those of you who have stopped by class early to discuss project ideas and 1984. Keep those questions and ideas coming!

SUMMER WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE MONDAY!!! IF YOU'VE LOST YOUR HANDOUTS OR ARE JUST FEELING LOST IN GENERAL, GO TO MY TEACHER WEBPAGE FOR HELP!

Don't forget that on MONDAY (yes, it's true.....THIS COMING monday) you will need to TURN IN YOUR SUMMER WRITING ASSIGNMENT!!!

If you have lost the handouts we gave you before the end of school, you can find them on MY TEACHER WEBPAGE.

Go to www.evscschools.com/reitz

Then click on "Faculty and Staff".

Then click on "Teacher Websites".

Then find my name.

I have also placed a link to the Reitz Webpage on this blog under Helpful Links.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OVER WHAT YOU NEED FOR MONDAY, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO EMAIL. I will check it everyday until the start of school.

GOOD LUCK! I'LL SEE YOU ON MONDAY!

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS OVER ANIMAL DREAMS?

1. What is Loyd's hobby?
2. How does Codi save the life of Emelina's baby?
3. Where do Codi and Loyd go for the holidays?
4. What eventually happens to Hallie?
5. What do the women of "the club" sell in Tuscon?
6. At the end of the novel, what has helped Codi to stop focusing on the things she couldn't forgive before? How is the focus of her life now different?