Outside Reading

This week's blog asks you to apply your understanding of diction and tone to your outside reading book. You will need to Include the title of your outside reading book in the title of your post and review the outside reading assignment due in October before you begin the blog. If you have lost the assignment, it's available on the OHS website. 


Part One: Responding to the Outside Reading Assignment
Address the following in a complete, well-developed paragraph: 

• How are you enjoying your novel so far or, if you're finished, what did you think of it? Why do you think this book was chosen to enrich the 9th grade honors curriculum? Why is this novel an important read for pre-AP students?
• Of the twelve tasks in the writing component of the assignment, which will be easy for you to address and which will be more challenging and why? Write about at least one task that will be easy and one that will be more challenging. Cite specific reasons for each by referencing things from the novel. Remember, I have read each of these books and may be able to help you if you're finding something hard to locate in your novel!

Part Two: Diction and Tone in Your Novel
We have spent a significant amount of time in class learning about diction and tone. Apply your knowledge of diction and tone to your own novel. Write a complete, well-developed paragraph in which you address the following:

• Describe the diction in your novel, using the terminology from your Cornell Notes. Use quotations from your novel as support. 
• Describe the overall tone in your novel using the 15 tone words we've been using to analyze passages in class. Support your evaluation of tone using quotations from or paraphrasing the novel. Does the tone change throughout the novel or is it consistent?
• How do the tone and diction impact your reading? How do they impact the other literary elements, such as point of view, characterization, and setting? Carefully consider how analyzing tone and diction allow you to be a more critical or informed reader.

Post by Friday, September 30.

Introduction to Your Blog

Congratulations! You now have an English blog. This is your own personal space for writing about English. Throughout the school year you will be posting personal responses to my prompts. These posts will help you develop as a writer as we supplement class discussions with open-ended questions.

Your first assignment is to write an introduction to your blog. Write about yourself as a reader and writer. What type of English student are you? What will someone who follows your blog expect to see? How will you enlighten the on-line world with your reaction to the literature studied in class? Remember, English is reading, writing, and communication. Attempt to answer the question: what is the meaning of English class? Why is English a four-year requirement for college bound students? How will excelling in English help you become a successful person, both personally and academically?

Address the above questions, some or all, in several paragraphs in a way that introduces your blog your audience: your teacher and your classmates.