What did you do over Thanksgiving break? (Due Friday, December 2nd)

Your blogs will now be graded on content as well as how well your paragraph is organized!  Your response should be at least 5 sentences and should include a topic sentence, at least 3 supporting sentences, and a strong concluding sentence.  If you have 3 or more grammar or spelling mistakes, you will lose 10 points.  

Here's an example of a well-organized response:

          Over Thanksgiving break, I journeyed into the world of Harry Potter with my parents and sister. We woke up early in the morning and beat (almost) everyone to Diagon Alley, the Butter Beer, and Harry's Forbidden Journey ride.  The Butter Beer surpassed my expectations; it was sweet, creamy, and left a little white mustache on everyone's lip.  We deliberated for quite some time about which wands to buy, and I finally settled on Hermione's green-tinged, leaf-covered one.  After dueling in the alleyways, my sister and I went off to brave the other rides in the park.  On Thanksgiving day, we spent time in the hot tub before enjoying a traditional feast, ordered from the local grocery store of course!  It was an enchanting, memorable vacation, and I would recommend that any Harry Potter fan check out the park!

Thanksgiving Break Extra Credit! (Due Sunday, November 27th)

Write a summary of a book you read over the break!  Your summary should include a description of the setting, characters, and major conflict.  Below is a great example book summary from Airborn:


Matt Cruse is a cabin boy aboard the luxury passenger airship Aurora when the ship encounters a battered hot air balloon with an unconscious man aboard. Before dying, the man claims to have seen beautiful creatures swarming in the air over an uncharted island. Not until a year later, when Matt meets the man's granddaughter, Kate de Vries, who boards the Aurora, does he learn that the man wasn't hallucinating. Pirates board, rob, and kill, and a fierce storm grounds the Aurora on the very island that Kate's grandfather spoke about--which proves to be the pirates' secret hideaway. Though readers will need to suspend disbelief of the mysterious flying creatures, which Matt and Kate call "cloud cats," details of life and work aboard the ship as well as the dramatic escapade itself make this a captivating read. Sally Estes

What hero are you writing about? (Due Friday, November 11th)

In your Hero's Journey graphic story, who is your character?  What traumatic event leads to his or her quest? What is your hero's special weapon or power? Who or what is your hero's spiritual advisor?  How will your hero prove himself or herself on a quest?  What will your hero learn in the end?