Getting started again! Top 100 Teen Novels

So excited about meeting new students and greeting returning ones! School starts August 12 and you should have read The 7Habits of Highly Effective Teens by then. We'll be using the books in class for the first week or so; please bring your copy with you. Even if I've been your teacher in the past, count on new activities and routines this year to amp up your learning and build your personal ownership of how you learn and what you want to know.

This year, I hope you find and read more books that you enjoy than ever before. To get you started on the never-ending quest for good books, I offer this listing. They may not be the top 100 books according to you, but just the fact they made the list makes them worth considering.

Games for the computer lab

A few games to amuse (and maybe teach) you.


What is an idiom? It's a turn of phrase like "it's raining cats and dogs." Test your knowledge of common idioms here.


Recognizing root words will help you when you encounter new words. Test your knowledge of roots here.


A hangman game to test your vocabulary in a variety of areas.


You may play these games or you may read whatever you'd like. You may also do work for another class.

This caught my eye

I was on my way to meatier things, really, but a click on John's naked self around Yoko brought me here. I agree--especially about Twilight fans, excepting one that I love who is not a super fan. I hope.

Computer lab work

If you're reading this, it's likely the AR system is not working. Here are links to some sites to use your time well today if you can't take the AR test or you've finished the tests you came to take.


The first is a list of books used in years past on the AP Lit test. AP students should choose at least three titles from the list to read independently this year.

I'd like for all my students to be familiar with this useful site: The OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue  has the best explanation of MLA style as well as useful learning exercises. Carefully work through one or two of these exercises before you move on to another activity. Choose the area in which you think you need improvement. I think these on sentence structure are especially relevant for students.

Another useful site for students is Quizlet. You can make study flash cards here or use sets that others have made. Test your knowledge of literary terms here.  There are some games linked with the cards that
you may find challenging and fun.

You may choose to look at some college sites to be sure you understand their requirements for admission. Here are a few likely favorites, but feel free to find other schools you may have in mind.
UNF     UF     FSU     FAMU     UCF    Stetson     FIU  

Finally, there are a few game sites permissable today. One is a puzzle that never loses its appeal: Setgame. If you haven't played before take the tutorial before you try it.

Another game is a vocabulary builder that purports to give rice to countries that need it when you play. While I'm not sold that it is a great act of charity, it is fun. Play at Freerice.com

Is there another sitre you think would be fun and educational? Ask me in class and you may be able to use it.

500 words could earn you a college education

October is Hispanic Heritage Month and in Florida, it's a big deal. Students can get a chance at a full scholarship to any public university within Florida by writing a brief essay addressing the question: "In what ways does the foundation of Florida's Hispanic legacy help to build the future of Florida's innovation economy?" Easy, right? Somebody's going to win. Why not you? I'm happy to make comments on any drafts I receive before 9/27. Deadline for submission is 10/1.
Rules and guidelines are here.

No more free reviews this time

After agreeing to read papers and send comments without grades for two days, I am nearly blind from reading student work. I'm done. The real work, the actual papers, come in tomorrow. If you're a student reading this for moral support before writing, here's my best advice. Be sure you are writing about the poems themselves, not only what the poems mean. Shift your focus away from the stories presented in the poems and consider elements and technique. Be sure every literary device you mention is interpreted. It is not enough to say: Here's a metaphor! (Whoopee!) You must say what effect the metaphor has, what it suggests and why it is important.

Sometimes I still don't know

According to www.dailyliteraryquote.com, it was Faulkner who said, "I never know what I think about something until I read what I've written on it." I'd like to think I agree with this. There was a time when writing was the main sorting method for me, a kind of typed reasoning that still helps me, but I no longer find as necessary as I once did. In truth, I know I don't agree with Faulkner. As a writing teacher and much more prosaic writer than Faulkner, I prefer to know my opinion on a topic before I dive into writing about it. That doesn't mean I can't change my mind as the writing develops. And of course it does not preclude a stream of consciousness, preamble sort of writing that I give myself permission to do, (and later to cut) in order to get started on a topic when I'm having a hard time finding a way in. So, I'm wondering about my students as they write this week. Do they know how to begin? Will they give themselves permission to write a lousy first draft? Will they leave time to revise? Time will tell, but I hope so.

Happy New Year!

No, I don't have the calendar wrong. To me, the year begins when school begins. Tomorrow I meet my students, future readers of this odd assortment of stuff. I'm nearly ready, with just an hour or so to spare.

A Writing Slideshow

Writing

From: eslwebteacher, 1 year ago

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This is an introductory description of the steps of writing.


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Word Cup, Anyone?

Here's a fun vocabulary program I happened upon today. Check it out; you can win real prizes!

A quote for the day

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honor; duty; mercy; hope.--Winston Churchill

I love them all--but I choose hope for today.

Dress code becomes law?

Here's a story that might make a few kids feel differently about how they dress. But I can't help but wonder what's going on in schools when this must be addressed in the state legislature.