Feed Part One

Things to think about for part one:

• What are the "lesions" referred to in the "Impact" chapter? Is there anything similar today?
• The girls have to change their hair in the chapter "The Nose Grid" because hairstyles have changed. What does this statement tell the reader about trends in the novel?
• On page 25, Titus notes that Quendy is an economy model of Calista. How does this statement reflect Titus' viewpoint? What does this tell us about the relationship between Quendy and Calista?

I am going on vacation for a few days, so I may not be able to moderate your comments. However, please do respond. We can talk more when I get back!

Summer Reading 2010 for Pre-AP 10th lit.

Hi, future sophomores! If you're reading this blog, it must be because you decided to read Feed for your summer reading book for the upcoming English class. I like the book for many reasons, and I hope to explore many aspects of the book with you over the summer. Click on this link to read what another teacher thought about the book. It may help you understand why it's important not to give up reading in part one of the book. (The language is a little off-putting at first.) I hope the book generates many discussions here. Enjoy!

A great satirist is dead!

Though a month has passed since his death, I just found out this morning that Jon Swift, the great satirist blogger, died on February 27, 2010. I was wondering if there was any news about why he hadn't posted anything new in so long, so I, of course, Googled my question. His mother posted a comment on his blog, outing him and letting the world know who he really was. I will continue to use a couple of his blog posts in my classroom, but the Internet world may never be the same. As his last post says, "Sometimes there are no words."

Preview a video I created

Dragonsong Preview

Check out this cool video that I did using Animoto, a website that lets you create your own videos. I used a PowerPoint that I had created a few years ago to hook students on Dragonsong, a book by Anne McCaffrey.

What mythical creature are you?

Quizzes Girls Games

Briar Rose #6

Questions to ponder:
1) Mr. Potocki says, "We were all heroes of the moment" (163). Is Mr. Potocki a hero? What about the priest, trying to tell these terrible histories that the villagers want to forget?
2) Think about how the three different layers of story in this novel fit together: the fairy tale, the story of Becca's life and quest, and Josef Potocki's telling of his story. What does the novel reveal about the power of fairy tales and storyteling?
3) How is Becca like (and unlike) a fairy tale heroine?
4) Why does Gemma tell her unusal version of "Briar Rose" obsessively but not tell about her past directly?

Briar Rose #5

"The old woman opened her eyes. 'I was the princess in the castle in the sleeping woods. And there came a great dark mist and we all fell asleep. But the prince kissed me awake. Only me'" (19). How is Gemma like the princess from the fairy tale? Find a specific example from the novel and discuss it. Consider the similarities from her story to the Holocaust and discuss them as well.