October 26, 2015

We spent the first few minutes of class reviewing the midterm exam, then students had 15 minutes of reading time with their independent reading books. Students should read 2 books from the AP reading lists that I shared on the blog Friday (the lists are also available in Classroom). We'll go to the library tomorrow.

For our Writer's Notebook entry today, we read and wrote a half page response on "The $750 Pill." Students may not think this topic is relevant to them now, but if they talk to their grandparents, they'll understand how much of an impact drug prices make on our lives. Since that article was published, another company has begun offering the drug for just $1 a pill. (Most frequent reaction: This is ridiculous!)

We began a new unit on retellings, introduced with a quote from Umberto Eco: "Books always speak of other books, and every story tells a story that has already been told." Over the next few weeks, we will read and work with three texts that share the same title: "The Demon Lover." One text is a Scottish ballad that has more than 200 variations; the other two are twentieth-century retellings of this ballad. We will read and discuss each of the texts separately and as a set. Today, students read Elizabeth Bowen's 1946 retelling of "The Demon Lover." As they read, they annotated in a notebook and considered these questions: What is literally happening in this story? and Who are the characters? What do we know about them? Most students were able to complete the reading and some annotations today. Tomorrow, we'll pick up where we left off and have discussions at our tables.

Today's Board

Carrollton Public Library is holding a Teen Read Week contest. Students are encouraged to write a book review and enter to win prizes!