Tuesday, August 30, 2011

What is a reading blog?


Reading to Blog

What's more important the book or our interpretations of the book? Can there be a book without there being interpretation? We'll be able to answer some of those questions after we've recorded the history of our relationships with our books.

In order to preserve paper, as well as to promote our communication with the academic world outside of CNG, we'll be keeping blogs about the books we read.

You will write your own blogs, and respond to your blogs as prescribed by your weekly homework blog entry. You should not approach each blog the same way. With variety comes varied thought; therefore, I hope you focus on different topics and take different approaches in each entry.

Here are some possibilities:

-Respond to the text personally:
I never had my house blown down by a wolf, but I have felt loss. For example, I once abandoned my favorite apartment. I left most of my furniture there, some clothes, even a television!

-Connect text to another book, a film, work of art, a comic or any other creation:
The Three Little Pigs reminds me of The Matrix. When the Wolf "huffed and puffed and blew his house down" he acted just as Morpheus did for Reeve's character. Suddenly, Reeves was without the security he once felt.

-Ask questions to later answer:

What might the grandmother represent? Why would the Wolf want to blow down the houses? How might I write a better ending? I would then maybe answer these questions in later blogs.

-Visual Vocabulary

Select the words you think it was important to define in the text. Match a picture to it on your blog post.

-Hyperlink

You might want to use the 21st century's answer to footnotes when you're talking about something that is not common knowledge. We'll do a demo of how to insert a hyperlink in class.

You may use any combination of these, or you can write your own type of entries. Let your reading guide your entries. Check StandardScore weekly for your reading blog grades starting next Friday.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Other Obverse-Reverse Flags



Emilia Pulido mentioned Paraguay's two-sided flag, per our conversation about allegory and flags.




Here are some examples.

Perfectiun


This week I'd like you to read "The Perfect Life" by John Koethe. Write one reading blog (to be explained in class) about the poem.

Also, complete your terza rima anthems by next Tuesday or Wednesday (depending on your section).

For Writers Workshop please bring in your revised synthetic essays.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Cory, Allegory, Montessori...


For our second class, I'd like you to draw your own still life painting. Remember: it's an allegory. You don't have to worry about your artistic skills. Just be sure it's clear and figurative.

Be prepared for our timed writing about your summer reading on Friday and Monday.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Welcome to Exploring the Boundaries


Before we begin reading, I'd like you all to establish blogs here. Make sure to include your full name. You can choose whatever design and title you like; however, it should relate to the class. Don't worry if you're not too sure. You can always change it. When you've created your blog, leave a comment here.

In our second class you'll be tested on having read Dante's Inferno. Likewise, your Inferno dioramas will be due that day. I'll be talking about that at greater length in class today.

Next week, I'll go through the syllabus with all of you and answer any questions.