Five Minute Friday: Here

As I was thinking about this prompt today, I was thinking about where I was most of the day today--school.  School starts two weeks from yesterday.  I have been coming and going over there for the better part of three weeks, and I still don't feel ready yet! However, as I was thinking today about this word here...I decided that the reason that I spend so much time "here" is because that is where the most important work is.

Today I worked on organizing the list of students that need extra help learning English and support in their classes because English is not their first language.  I spent some time helping my fellow teachers set up a bit of their own classrooms and talked to them to see what they needed.  My classroom looking nice this year is very important to me. I spend a lot of time at school and I want it to be warm and inviting for the students, but also a place that I can feel proud of being there.

I should have taken some pictures today of my classroom and what I have so far, but it has a lot more color than your typical classroom.  One of my best teacher friends explained it one time to her mom as to why we take so much time and money at the beginning of the year to decorate our classrooms.  What is the one thing that you think of to compare the environment of a school to?  This mom said a hospital--it is so sterile, white, and plain.  Exactly our point--why would you want to spend a significant portion of your day in such a sterile environment. So I tried to make it not so sterile...


I will hopefully take some pictures tomorrow and add them to the post...

The Thoughts of a Tired Teacher

I have gotten really behind on this blog....because I am always so tired as a teacher everyday.  This is what I was worried about when I started this challenge again.  It was hard for me to do it the first year I did it because my job always wore me out. Having to teach all day long with 120 students is a different ball game.  It doesn't wear me out as much some days--but intellectually yes.  So that makes it harder to really come up with good stuff to write.

I saw this today...and it really hit me today that this was my day!! I gave up my prep and lunch so that students could work in my room.  I didn't mind, but it was just one more thing.  Then I had a parent e-mail wondering why her son is failing my class--very often the answer is he didn't turn in his homework.  Yep exactly the problem here. Thankfully I didn't have someone throw up on me!!!

Thanks to Unique Teaching Resources

Annotating--It is a Reading and Writing Strategy!

So today I was really trying to decide what to write about--I didn't want to do another post about reading since I felt like I'd done that a lot this week.  I was looking at my Pinterest board of blog writing ideas and stumbled across a list of things to blog about--one of which being to re-post one of your old articles.  This made me wonder, what was I blogging about in January 2013--I was still excited about this project then and was trying to come up with ideas.  I stumbled across a post from January 10, 2013 which now has over 1,000 page views! I was surprised because I thought my knitting pattern review was still higher.  I read this post again, and it really fits with what I'm dealing with right now.  I'm trying to teach my 7th graders that reading needs a closer study and if they mark things then their writing and evidence would be better! Though the story is a bit old now, and I'm pretty sure this student has not thought once about reading since he left my old school--seeds are still planted and I will have one student some day go--I am so glad that she taught me that!

From January 10, 2013

Today I am inspired by a quote:

Books are not made to be believed, but to subjected to inquiry.  When we consider a book, we mustn't ask ourselves what it says but what it means...--Umberto Eco (Author of The Name of the Rose)

Honestly, never heard of that book or author, but I like the sentiment.  Part of reading is actively thinking about what you are reading and responding to it.  One of the things that is hard for students to do is actively respond to their readings--especially if it is a non-fiction reading.  With stories they can relate to the characters or the plot line gives them motivation to keep going. But with non-fiction readings students respond with, "It's boring!" or "It's too hard!" or "It's too long!"  Sometimes they will just skim it and then they do not do well on the project, analysis, etc. that you have after the reading.  As a result, I have started to make students write all over their readings. I taught one of my new students this technique because he struggled a lot with a Thoreau reading.  After working with him individually on the first few paragraphs, he began to figure out that as long as he was thinking about the reading and writing that thinking down he will understand it better. I call it active reading writing assignment with my students.  The cool thing is that after a while it becomes second nature to them and they respond without me prompting them.

What do you do to help students understand "what it means"?

Thank you to http://bestclipartblog.com/31-book-clip-art.html/book-clip-art-19

Great Videos To Teach Prepositions

Try these two videos out to teach prepositions!

http://www.teachertube.com/video/action-verbs-sing-along-hd-version-368836#at_pco=smlrebh-1.0&at_si=54c1938a9949b5ab&at_ab=per-3&at_pos=1&at_tot=5

http://www.schooltube.com/video/d177636a19e28f776d78/Grammar-Rock-Preposition

Five Minute Friday: Send

So I quick introduction before I get started--I found out about this community that has a word that they just write about for five minutes on Fridays--all they do is write.  They don't edit it, they don't re-read it and fix it, they just write what comes to mind. I will definitely be fixing typos as I go....It is the English teacher in me.But I promise I won't re-read or change my thoughts after it is written.  So here is my first attempt at this!

Send:
The first thing I actually thought of was the last snail mail I sent out.  In the state of Utah our end of year test are called SAGE.  Because last year was the first year with this new test, the students didn't receive the scores until almost Thanksgiving.  I had a lot of students whose parents didn't come to conferences and who I knew would not actually give the scores to their parents--so I mailed them home.  It actually took quite a bit of time because I hand wrote each envelope and stuffed each one full.  I did about 40 all in one day.  The interesting thing about that is people send us things all the time-but do we actually acknowledge that they sent them to us. I haven't heard from any of the parents that it was helpful or not.  I did hear one of my students say--hey you mailed that home---but that's just the one.

That's the other thing about sending---we send information out all the time.  Does anyone actually care? I was thinking that today as I considered what to write about and then remembered this little deal.  Does anybody really care what I write about? If I just send these blog posts out into the void each night and then suddenly stop, the world doesn't clamor--did that once before.  No one really notices but me--and maybe that's the point--I am suppose to care and it really is only for me.  Though it would be nice if it was for other people too.

Final thought on send since my five minutes are almost up.  We send a lot of emotions around to people on a daily basis--how does that affect your day and their day?  Do we even think about that or do we just move on with our lives.  Interesting to think about....

A Great Video to Demonstrate Similes and Metaphors

This is a great video to demonstrate similes and metaphors.  I used this in ESL and they really enjoyed it--it was something to hold on to for them and they can think back to it!! Enjoy!

Bout of Books Day 2

At least this is the only thing that isn't really falling off the New Year's Resolutions idea...I have been wanting to read more and work less into the evening so my house can be a bit cleaner--but no such luck yet.  Maybe one day.

Courtesy of Goodreads

I did get a bit more of Wish List read yesterday. Now that I'm finally in to it more, it is actually getting a bit easier to follow the audio book and plot.  I was a little worried it was going to be a book that I wouldn't be a big fan of.

The challenge for today is pretty cool--Top 10 Recommendations in a Bookstore from Tree of Reverie.  First of all I have to say that it really depends on what department that I'm in and who I am recommending to. Since I am a teacher I am often recommending books to students.  Right now they are working on a 40 book challenge which also has them do a variety of genres.  So I organized my list by genre.

Realistic Fiction:
1. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
I chose this book because I love the story--it really keeps you guessing.  It also starts off a quartet, and now apparently there is a fifth book so I should stop saying that but then you have a lot more books to read!
2. Angels Watching Over Me by Lurlene McDaniel
I chose this book because it is a story of perseverance and not giving up.
3. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
I chose this book because it is an issue that we really need to do need to talk about and I think this book gives you a perspective that you don't get everyday.

Traditional Literature:
4. The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
It is a short book!  You probably already know the story--but that you can get through another book.
5. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne is a great character that has a lot of trouble growing up--so figure out how she survived and what she had to go through!
6. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
There are four girls that all go through different experiences.

Science Fiction
7. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
The boy who is chosen out of nowhere to become the next space warrior against the Buggers!

Historical Fiction:
8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This is a great book about the Holocaust from a different perspective--look at the relationship between the characters and you will learn a lot and have an awesome book at the same time.

Fantasy:
9. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
This is a great book about the fairy world and other animals that live all around us--what are you missing on a regular basis?

Biography/Autobiography:
10. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
This is a girl who was about your age--who had to go through the Holocaust inside a very small space as she hid from the Nazis--how did she do it?

Each question that the challenge asked too:

• Why did you choose these books?--I wrote this underneath each book
• What would you say about each of these books when recommending them to a customer or library patron?--Honestly I would say exactly why I picked it and probably a bit of a summary so that they know what it is about.
• What would be close favourites for book recommendations that didn’t make it onto your list? The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery is my absolute favorite book. I was thinking about poetry books because these are the books that I need to make sure they read--Casey at Bat came to mind too.
• Is there anything else that you’d like to mention about the books you’ve chosen to include on this list? Bottom line--pick a book and if you don't like it then pick something else!

Before I Fall Book Review

Title: Before I Fall

Author: Lauren Oliver

Genre: YA

Rating: 3 out of 5

Why Did I Read? This seemed to be a popular YA book that my students were drawn to. I wanted to know what the hub-bub was about.  I stuck it on my TBR list as part of the RoofBeam Reader Challenge (Happy 5 years this past Saturday!)

Summary: Our main character, Samantha/Sam, starts her day with the big high school moment of "Cupid Day" the Friday before Valentine's Day.  We quickly learn how popular Sam is and how her clique of friends seem to be the ones that serve as the "royalty" of the school.  After a party that night, they are in a car crash--except Sam doesn't die she just lives that day over and over.  She tries to figure out how to end the repeat, and fix the world around her in the process.

What Did I Love:

• Read by Sarah Drew--I was so excited to hear her voice on the audio recording.  She is currently one of the doctors on the Grey's Anatomy and the character really fit her voice and she did a great job reading it.
• The romance that starts to develop in the story between Sam and a friend was really sweet...It made me really wish that she didn't die at the end for his sake

What Did I Hate:

• The drinking and drug use and sex that just seemed okay for teenagers--it really drove me crazy!
• The necessity to repeat certain things word for word like 5x....I get twice...maybe 3....but seriously we get that the day is starting over yet again

Y is for Yesterday

We often spend time thinking about what happened in the past.  As part of my job, I do that a lot--as a history teacher and talking to students about what they did in their past.  Your past still affects you but it is what you do with it that decides how much. The history that we have as a country still affects us today, and that is one of the reasons why I study history.  We understand the way things are now because of the history that has happened.  The same thing happens with us.  One of my students wrote a great example of this on our blog yesterday http://cedarridgeacademy.blogspot.com/2014/04/x-is-for-xtreme.html  check it out.

Sometimes dwelling on the past can get us in trouble---there is nothing that you can do to change it now. You just have to move forward!

F is for Fablehaven: Book Review

In the effort to catch-up, I need to review this series of books.  I have listened on audio to the first four in this series, and have checked the 5th one out of the library waiting for me to read it.  I finished this in December of last year, and since I have been reading the other books each one in order I am going to steal this summary from Goodreads.

Title: Fablehaven

Author: Brandon Mull

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating: 5 out of 5

Why Did I Read? I have always wanted to read this, and I like to have an audio book in my car when I drive.  This was the audio book that grabbed me. 

From Wikipedia

Summary: For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite ... Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most.

What Did I Love: I absolutely LOVED E.B. Stevens.  He reads the audio books and does a ton of voices.  I found myself laughing out loud at the text--which probably resulted from the way he read it.  Brandon Mull writes very well.  The story was very well done, and I immediately wanted the 2nd book.  It was a simple fantasy world, which I appreciated.  But it wasn't too simple that I didn't feel like I wasn't in the world-which was a perfect balance. 

I also love that this is a perfect book for students--I bet reluctant readers are more likely to pick up this book.

What Did I Hate: Nothing! It got the rare 5 out of 5!!!

E is for Empowered

One thing that I have been wanting to catch-up on with this blog is my quotes.  I know that sometimes during my 365 project, this was what I used on nights that I couldn't think of a thing to write about.  And honestly....I kind of was thinking that when I realized I didn't have a word for E.  I started thinking that quotes empower us.  That is why I love quotes so much (as evidenced by my Pinterest board).  Today I have been watching the General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  As a result, a lot of great quotes have been sticking out to me.  Those of you that aren't familiar with conference, think of it as a great weekend to be taught by smart men and women. Some people this time have been comparing it to TED talks....and I'm like yeah that's totally true! So today, I will share some quotes that I have loved recently. And give you my little commentaries as always :P

Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608058139676/

This one was from today. I LOVED this quote.  As women, we often try to make sure that we get what we need to done--she only gave us three things.  We can do that!

Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608058140719/

This is the quote that actually inspired the word empowered. This is a great quote to remember because with it I can remember that I don't have to do EVERYTHING I don't have to be perfect.  I just need to do my best and in so doing I am empowered to become a better person.

Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/128915608058103974/

I saw this one recently and I just loved it.  I am always looking for great quotes about trying.  This one is great. Especially for my students.

A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal: Catch-up!

Ugh....I still don't have a great idea as to what to do for my theme.  But I want to get in on Yidya Sury's blog hop to reveal....so by the end of this post we should have a reveal! (At least I hope!)

Oh it is totally great and powerful!
http://vidyasury.com/2014/02/a-to-z-challenge-theme-reveal-blogfest.html

So I got one suggestion on Facebook, one suggestion in the comments of my post, and one vote on Twitter.  So in terms of voting you guys weren't a whole lot of help :P My brain has been doing a lot of A to Z because I am doing two other blogs in addition to this! Yes I am crazy.  My students are doing the writing but it is still a bit of work on my end to get them motivated and moving.  So go check out the main blog to learn about the theme of Cedar Ridge Academy and the revamped and new learning blog for Cedar Ridge Academy and their theme of Social Studies.

As a result of the brain in other A to Z things it has been hard to focus on my own blog.  So today on the drive home, I had just posted and gotten all of the stuff done for the school blogs--I kind of took a breathe and was like what should I do with my blog??

I had a lot of great suggestions and votes.  But I was thinking it needs to be something realistic--especially if I don't get all of the student ones scheduled in advanced like I would want!  And what I got suggestion wise seemed tricky and the vote I got was actually the two I had posted with the most work--and I might save those for another year. But they just don't seem like they fit this year. 

The other thing with realistic is lets be honest, since I finished the #365 project and work invaded my life more (which I didn't think was possible) I have been a HORRIBLE blogger! I had all of these grand visions when I was done that I would keep up with a regular schedule and update things and network more etc. etc. etc.  So that thought process led me to the idea of a CATCH-UP THEME! 

I had the idea on the other post about doing a week of each thing that my blog focuses on. And I kind of went with that idea for a little bit, but then I was thinking about how it would be a bit of planning to figure out which theme to do with which week and what if I want to change my mind.  So...the catch-up theme gives me the flexibility to do a book thing one day and a knitting thing the next day. I have a lot of book reviews I want to do and lesson plans I want to tell you about.  So, I am going to map out what letters I can use with catch-up things and then probably fill in the rest.  We'll see...like I said at the beginning I hope to have a reveal....I'm not super committed but I'm trying to be.  I think it would have helped if I had all of my letters mapped out already but I'm tired, its late and time for bed!

Thanks for reading the rambling! Feel free to follow on the side and follow my school blogs too--the students are excited to see what is said to their ideas!

Go to the link above to hop on yourself!

Book Review: Jane Eyre

Title: Jane Eyre

Author: Charlotte Bronte

Genre: Classics

Rating: 3.5/4 out of 5...I'm not sure if I want to do a 3.5 or a 4...hence the slash

Why Did I Read? Part of the English curriculum and I focused on it with my honors class this past block.

Summary: Jane Eyre is an orphaned young girl living with her aunt that doesn't want her.  The aunt eventually ships her off to a boarding school.  Jane becomes a teacher at the boarding school and then a governess for Mr. Rochester's ward.  As she lives at Rochester's home of Thornhill, she begins to develop feelings for her boss.  Does he return those feelings or is he going to marry someone else? And what will Jane do when she figures out where Rochester's true heart lies?

What Did I Love: I loved how the book kept you guessing.  There were twists and turns, which helped it to be very entertaining.  I enjoyed the themes of the story as well :)

  

What Did I Hate: She often gets on her soap box about something and it occasionally felt like Rochester and Jane would just talk to talk---and it doesn't seem to move anything forward. I also think it is great for the seniors--a lot of good review of symbols/foreshadowing/themes etc. without feeling like it is too simple. And I have had a majority of my students enjoy the story.

Bottom Line: The reason I gave it the slash on the rating was the fact that I wouldn't necessarily recommend it--because I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone.  I would recommend it to people that enjoy classics and have maybe enjoyed Jane Austen and would like something different. 

Inspired by a Quote About Success and Failure

I was trying to figure out what to blog about tonight....and I found this quote while searching.

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. --Dale Carnegie

This is a great quote that I wish everyone could figure out--especially my students.  We often spend waaay to much time beating ourselves up over what we did wrong--or we spend too much time dwelling on it. We need to experience things to move forward with life--sometimes that might mean failing.  That's okay.  I stole this from another teacher along the way....but I often use this with students:

                                                                      First
                                                                      Attempt
                                                                      In
                                                                      Learning

They often are frustrated by failing a test, or not being able to reach their goals.  But often times these setback are how we learn.  So be okay with it!

Teaching Character Foils with Harry Potter

On Friday, I was teaching my students about foils in Jane Eyre.  Every time I teach foils, I find that it is helpful for students to have an example of a foil that they can see.  So I have been thinking about some more examples that are more student ready than using the book that we are reading so that they can come up with those on their own.  I think that's why on Saturday, when I was watching Harry Potter, these just came to me.  There are so many foils from J.K. Rowling!! (Warning if for some reason you have been under a rock and are not familiar with Harry Potter--there are spoilers below)

Okay the first one that everyone can usually think of is Harry and Draco.  This is especially apparent in the 6th book.  This is the book that Draco is chosen to kill Dumbledore--so he is a chosen one. And this is the book after the prophecy that reveals Harry Potter as the chosen one which becomes a major issue in this book. But of course Draco is trying to prevent the good side from moving forward; while Harry is trying to prevent the evil side from moving forward.

http://www.hdwallpapers.in/harry_potter_and_draco_malfoy-wallpapers.html

Another one people often think of is Harry and Neville.  Neville's parents, like Harry's are, taken out by Death Eaters situation when Neville is young. Neville could have been the chosen one--but he is always seen as the clumsy one.  But as Harry mentions--he is really just lucky. Neville is just unlucky with what he wanted to achieve.  In the seventh book, Neville finally comes into his own--and kills the snake--thereby ending Voldemort once and for all!

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Neville_Longbottom

One that I hadn't realized until I was watching the movies back again this weekend, but Molly Weasley and Bellatrix Lestrange are foils of each other too.  I didn't realize it until I saw Molly kill Bellatrix.  Bellatrix does everything to break up families--probably because her family (the Blacks) is all messed up with burn marks on the wall. She breaks up Neville's family, Harry's family, and the Weasley family.  But Molly does everything that she can to keep her family together.  She is the mother that Harry always wished he had.  She keeps track of them on her fancy clock.  She ultimately protects her family and that is when the foil comes to a head when Molly kills Bellatrix.

http://www.cosforums.com/showthread.php?t=109987

The final foil is probably a bit obvious, but Voldemort and Dumbledore are foils to each other.  They are both very powerful wizards. But they naturally go about their power in different ways--but they both want Harry to be on their side--almost like Darth Vader and Yoda.  But Harry chooses to not go down either road.....which leads to an idea I have about allegories for a different blog post.

But now I have some great examples of foils :)

http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Duel_in_the_Ministry_Atrium

JFK Assassination 50th Anniversary

biography.com

As a history teacher, these types of anniversaries come and go and some of them are big enough to share with our students.  I hope that today a lot of teachers spent the time to go over the events of that day. Last week, my students and I started a DVD that I really enjoy showing to students about the assassination.  I like it, because it explains everything well and in ways that they can understand.  It also goes through the conspiracy theories and basically allows the viewer to decide for themselves--which is what I want my students to do. This great DVD is tricky to get now because it is a Peter Jennings Report from 2003, which was made to commemorate the 40th anniversary. However, I was able to get it from Amazon.

So I also like this DVD because the interviews are well done.  They find people involved in the investigations, the hearings etc. to give their take on what happened.  I am excited to add to the end of our viewing some of the clips that ABC News has been doing this week--and I want to see what NBC News has been doing too.

But to wrap up today, I had a stark realization today.  Growing up, I knew that the assassination was a big deal.  I wasn't even thought of when it happened---my mom was only a few months old.  But I understood the question, "Where were you when you found out the president had been shot?" because I knew the question, "Where were you when 9-11 happened?" My students can barely remember 9-11, and their parents might not have been alive, it depends on the kid.  Because they were trying to figure out why there was so much hype....even after he had died.  So I did my best bringing it to reality for them, and I think I got to at least a couple who were like,"Well if nothing else, history has a tendency to repeat itself."

So I guess I will end with this...how do we explain the national phenomeon that seems to surround historical events like this without thinking like you are ending a not really funny story--"I guess you just had to be there."

Top Ten Tuesdays: Recommendations for High School Students

Tonight I thought for Top Ten Tuesday I would do recommendations for my students.  What should I read if I completely hate reading and I am a high school student?!

If you like futuristic/reality
1. The Hunger Games--if you haven't read it you are seriously missing out!
2. Divergent--this one is really good...especially if you liked The Hunger Games

If you like drama/suspense
3. The Face on the Milk Carton--Kidnapping and family drama all in one :)
4. The Pelican Brief--Who killed who? Why did they do it? And there's more by John Grisham too.

If you like Downton Abbey
5. Pride and Prejudice--It is a great story, and a romance to top it off. And if you like that go to Emma
6. Anne of Green Gables--This old-fashioned story has always been really sweet and then I love keep reading the rest of them.

If you like romances
7. The Truth About Forever--super sweet love story!! And it is a high school love story :) And you can read more Sarah Dessen if you like this one
8. The Last Song--Nicholas Sparks is a great author to read...I like starting with this one because it is more high school friendly

If you like historical fiction
9. The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas--It is a great story from a different perspective.
10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society--I love how this whole book is in letters and you learn so much about history :)

http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/

A Cool Image

Struggling with a topic today...but I stumbled on this today.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/antwaunsargent/lies-people-tell-about-teaching-that-simply-arent-true

So be grateful for a teacher--I promise that they will be grateful you said something.

Veteran's Day Lesson Plan

So with today being Veterans Day--I am doing a lesson plan with the soldiers today, last Friday, and this coming Wednesday (the days I have class).  I found a couple of things to do with the class...I wanted it to be a mini-lesson type of feel because we are in the middle of units right now.  So we are reading:

Picture courtesy of barnesandnoble.com

I love this book because even though it is a children's story and high schoolers might go eh....but they seem to enjoy the sweetness of the story and I like that it doesn't feel like it was written for 6 year olds and it doesn't talk down to them.

We also watched a couple of videos.  Today's CNN Student News was very appropriate I thought and teenage related.  And ABC News from last Thursday was good...but I didn't watch the follow-up on Friday yet so I can't recommend that one. But I loved how both of these videos focus on not only the sacrifice of the veterans but their families--and that is what I really wanted to hit home for my kids.

What did you do today with your students?

1984 Part 2....Section 1

Today my class and I discussed the first of part 2 of 1984. They have really been enjoying the book--and it has been fun to see their excitement about it. It is tricky to keep them from getting too far head--a couple of them couldn't put it down and finished it. And now I've got to make sure that they don't spoil it! We took a break at the beginning of chapter 9 in part 2--right after Winston and Julia visit with O'Brien. That way any teachers out there that are teaching this book know where I am talking about. We talked about three main things today: specifically characterization, paradox, and symbols.

With characterization, we talked a lot about Julia and Winston's relationship.  We discussed why they might be okay with it despite the threat of death--and who is actually in love/faking/using the other person. The class is really unanimous in the fact that Julia is using Winston---the debate is still out on whether he is using her.  The split was is he using her for sex....or does he just think he is in love with her. With paradox, I have been pointing out and reminding them of this term as we come discuss each time. Last class we talked about how the motto was a significant paradox--the students really liked pick out Julia as the perfect paradox. With symbols, we talked about the paperweight that he seems so set on and what the proles symbolize in the story.

Overall, we are having a great discussion and I really recommend this book for teachers of high school seniors or higher.

Picture Credit: http://thebookparade.blogspot.com/2012/12/book-review-1984-by-george-orwell.html