A Reminder of the March-April Book-of-the-Month Assignment

Click here to print the assignment sheet:

Fantasy/Science Fiction Book-of-the-Month Assignment

Due April 14/15 

For examples (based on my reading of Veil of Darkness by Greg Park), go to 

http://cavemanenglish.pbworks.com/Fantasy-and-Science-Fiction-Book-of-the-Month

or

Sample for Why the Book is this Genre  -- Part 2 of the Assignment/Assessment

and

Sample for finished Part 3 of the Assignment

 

March 24/25, 2010

  March 24/25, 2010
-- Editing:  Subject-Verb Agreement

-- Finish Shackleton for  B1(1:18),  B2  (1:20), A1.


-- Poetry  --identify main ideas and emotions in poetry 
We started reading Love That Dog by Sharon Creech, and imitated some famous poems.
To the left is a photo of Sharon Creech's yellow dog.

Here are the famous poems used in Love That Dog:

Poems to Imitate, to be INSPIRED BY

-- Receive Book-of-the-Month Assignment for March/April.   
Sign-up as soon as possible.  
Bring your individual book to read.

Fantasy/Science Fiction Book-of-the-Month Assignment

Due April 14/15 

Sample for Part 2: 

Sample Answer

    Veil of Darkness: Book One of The Earthsoul Prophecies by Greg Park is a fantasy novel. It is fantasy because of the setting and because of the magical aspects including strange creatures and the powers of many of the characters.
           It is set in a medieval-type world created by the author where the “Earthsoul” and  all life on that world are being threatened by evil beings – some from beyond death, and others corrupt mortals. 
    Evil beings have created fierce and frightening creatures such as the shadowhounds and the huge flying bat-like K’rresh.   On the side of good are the intelligent and deadly dolphin-like lumtars.
    The main character is a young man named Jase who is of the royal family, but has been raised away from the palace on a farm near a small village. Nevertheless, he has been trained in the use of weapons and other martial arts.
           His mother has special powers with making things grow, and as the book begins, Jase is discovering that he too has special powers, but his seem to be purely destructive ones.  Other good characters in the book use the powers of Ta’shaen to protect and heal and fight against evil.  The evil characters corrupt the same powers to destroy.
    Veil of Darkness is clearly fantasy because of the setting, because of the strange creatures that do not exist in the real world, and because of the magical powers that are used by many of the characters.

Sample for Part 3 of the Assignment

See this page on our wiki:

Defining Fantasy and Science Fiction

 

"Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot." -Neil Gaiman

Fantasy and Science Fiction Novels

Here are some suggestions for your fantasy or science ficition books:

Fantasy:

Alexander, Lloyd  –  The Book  of Three L770, The Black Cauldron L760, The Iron Ring L680, and others.
Anthony -- Incarnations of Immortality; Xanth series L@750
Asprin – Myth series, Thieves’ World Series    L710-980
Auxier --  PETER NIMBLE & HIS FANTASTIC EYES and THE NIGHT GARDENER
Babbit, Natalie – Tuck Everlasting   L770
Banks, Lynn Reid – The Indian in the Cupboard L780, and others
Barron, T.A. – Heartlight, The Ancient One L910, The Lost Years of Merlin (series) L770, and others.
Beagle, Peter – The Last Unicorn and others   L820
Bradbury, Ray  – Something Wicked This Way Comes L820
Brooks, Terry – Sword of Shannara and others L830-1220
Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold    L830
New: Chabon, Michael – Summerland (500  pages)
Collins, Suzanne -- Gregor the Overlander series
Cooper, Susan – Greenwitch L830 , The Dark is Rising L920, Silver on the Tree  L900, and others.
Cowell, Cressida-- How to Train Your Dragon  (Lexile: 990, recommended for ages 9-12, grades 3-5)
Dasher, James -- The 13th Reality  (Science fiction)
Donaldson, Stephen – Lord Foul’s Bane and others
Eager, Edward -- Half Magic L830 (part of a delightful series)
Eddings, David – any novel L800-900
Farmer  – The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm  L660, The House of the Scorpion  (Science fiction)
Feist, Raymond – Magician: Apprentice L940 (485 pages)
Goldman – The Princess Bride L870
Grahame – Wind in the Willows L1140
Hale, Shannon -- Princess Academy, Goose Girl, and others
Jacques, Brian - Redwall and others  L800
Jordan, Robert - The Wheel of Time series
Kendall  – The Gammage Cup  L950
Kurtz, Katherine – Deryni Rising and others
L’Engle, Madeline – A Wrinkle in Time L740, A Wind in the Door, etc.
Lewis, C.S. – The Chronicles of Narnia L870-940 (fantasy), Out of the Silent Planet L1020  (160 p.),   Perelandra,, That Hideous Strength, and others. (scifi/fant)
Lubar, David --Hidden Talents L630, True Talents L590
McCaffrey, Anne – any novel   L910-1120
McDonald, George – The Princess and the Goblin   L1030
McKinley, Robin  – Beauty L970, and others.
Mull, Brandon -- Fablehaven books and others
Nix, Garth – Keys to the Kingdom, Seventh Tower, and others
Park, Greg -- Veil of Darkness and others
Pullman, Philip – The Golden Compass L930 and others
Riordan, Rick -- Percy Jackson and the Olympians (and he has a a new series centering on Egyptian gods)
Rowling, J.K. –  H. P. and the Sorcerer’s Stone L880 and others
Sanderson, Brandon -- He has his own novels and has been selected to continue Jordan's  Wheel of Time series.  Try the Mistborn books.  The Rithmatist is a novel written for your age.
Stewart, Mary – any novel   The Crystal Cave L960
Stroud, Jonathan -- The Bartimaeus Trilogy begins with The Amulet of Samarkand  800L
Swift, Johathan – Gulliver’s Travels   L1330
Tolkien, J.R.R. – The Hobbit L1000, The Lord of the Rings  L860,810,920, any novel

Ursu, Anne and Erin McGuire -- Breadcrumbs, The Real Boy

Weatherill, Cat - Wild Magic (a re-imagining of Robert Browning's "The Pied Piper of Hamelin") L530

Weis/Hickman – The Dragonlance series
White, T.H. - The Once and Future King L1080, The Sword in the Stone L1120, and others.
Yolen, Jane  – any novel above Lexile 700


Inbetween Sci-Fi and Fantasy:
Russell, Romina -- Zodiac

Science Fiction Adams – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy L1000 Asimov, Isaac – any novel L740-1250 Bradbury, Ray - The Martian Chronicles, any novel Card, Orson Scott - Ender’s Game and others. L780-910 Christopher, John – Pool of Fire, The White Mountains, City of Gold and Lead L760-970 Collins, Suzanne -- The Hunger Games series Condie, Ally -- The Matched series, Atlantia Coville, Bruce - My Teacher is an Alien L650, many others. My Teacher Fried My Brains, My Teacher Glows in the Dark L740 Crichton, Michael – Jurassic Park, The Lost World L710,670 Dasher, James -- Maze Runner series, The Eye of Minds Dickenson, Peter -- Eva Farmer – The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm L660, House of the Scorpion Haddix, Margaret Peterson -- Turnabout L690 Lewis, C.S. – Out of the Silent Planet and others (scifi/fantasy) Lowry, Lois – The Giver (some years this is a class book) L760, Gathering Blue L680, The Messenger, Son (just out fall 2012) Lubar, David --Hidden Talents L630, True Talents L590 Philbrick – The Last Book in the Universe L740 Shusterman, Neil -- The Everlost Series, Unwind, Downsiders, The Eyes of Kid Midas Sleator, William – Singularity L740 Verne, Jules – Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea L1040,1080 Wells, H.G. – The Time Machine, War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man L1070,1170,980 Westerfeld, Scott -- The Uglies Series, Leviathan Series Youd, Samuel (written under the pseudonym Christopher, John) -- The Tripods series: When the Tripods Came 760L, The White Mountains 920L, etc. See more below. The Always War -- Haddix Only for our reluctant readers with far- below-grade level lexile Applegate, K.A. , Animorphs  series 460L to 640L  ___________________________ Note for Parents:   Many distopian novels, as with other novels, may be more appropriate for high school than for junior-high-aged students. For example, I believe the Hunger Games series is too "old" for seventh graders.  However, due to its great popularity, many, many of them  are reading it anyway.  I recommend that as parents, you read books along with (or before) your children.  Because different parents have different expectations for their children's reading maters, when I ask students to select an individual novel to read, I direct them to get parent approval as well as my own.   If you're looking for especially "safe" distopian fiction, look at the Among the Hidden  (Shadow Children series or at Phantom Tollbooth, or A Wrinkle in Time.  Matched by Ally Condie has received positive reviews from some who would censor many  books, as have the City of Ember books. Distopian:  Some may already be on the above lists. Examples of books you could read include  Hunger Games or other books in the series Uglies or other books in the series Matched or other books in the series (Crossed, the second book, just came out.) Gathering Blue or The Messenger by Lois Lowry (Some years we read The Giver as a class.)   Ender's Game or other books in the series Hidden Talents or True Talents by Lubar  Truesight  and others in the series The Last Book in the Universe by Philbrick  Tunnels or other books in the series City of Ember or other books in the series Leviathan  or other books in the series Incarceron or other books in the series Maze Runner or other books in the series Maximum Ride or other books in the series Among the Hidden or other books in the series Unwind by Neal Shusterman  Everlost by Neal Shusterman Eva by Peter Dickinson -- Go to  Ms. Dorsey's Summer Reading and scroll down to find a brief review of Eva. Related nonfiction link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2011/12/15/143735486/retirement-home-or-research-lab-report-weighs-fate-of-u-s-chimpanzees?sc=fb&cc=fp The Adoration of Jenna Fox  House of the Scorpion The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm The Tripods Trilogy Bar Code Tattoo  or other books in the series  (Warning: Some "mature" content.) A Wrinkle in Time   The Roar  The Looking Glass Wars -- (a very different version of Alice in Wonderland -- very violent)  Birthmarked recommended by Mrs. Jones in the media center Blood Red Road  ? (I haven't read this one.)  (It has been recommended for those who loved Hunger Games.) The House of Power (Atherton Series)  ? (I haven't read this one.) The Sky Inside   ? (I haven't read this one.) House of Stairs  ? (I haven't read this one.)  Pendragon: The Reality Bug  Truesight by David Stahler, Jr.  Recommended and Ridiculous:  The Phantom Tollbooth  _________________________ Scott Westerfeld (author of The Uglies series) recommends this new book.   Below is his blog post about it.  However, I don't know yet whether it has stuff in it that your mom wouldn't like, so approach with care: Scored – A New Dystopian Novel Ridiculously Simplified Synopses (1) from Shelfari: Which comes first? Your future or your friends? __________________________________ Several famous fantasy writers say that one of the  books that hooked them on fantasy when they were young was Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword.  From American Fork City Library Teen Book Club on November 10, 2013: ANOMALY by Krista McGee Start Reading today's book in HTML: http://www.supportlibrary.com/bc/v.cfm?L=afcityteenqqxqB1FEAF41172F * FROM THE BOOK JACKET * Thalli has fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds to live. The toxic gas that will complete her annihilation is invading her bloodstream. But she is not afraid. Decades before Thalli's birth, the world was decimated by a nuclear war. But life continued deep underground, thanks to a handful of scientists known as The Ten. There they created genetically engineered human beings who are free of emotions in the hope that war won't threaten the world again. Thalli is an anomaly, born with the ability to feel emotions and a sense of curiosity she can barely contain. She has survived so far by hiding her differences. But then her secret is discovered when she's overwhelmed by the emotion of an ancient piece of music. The Ten quickly schedule her annihilation, but her childhood friend, Berk--a scientist being groomed by The Ten--convinces them to postpone her death and study her instead. While in the Scientists' Pod, Thalli and Berk form a dangerous alliance, one strictly forbidden by the constant surveillance. As her life ticks a way, she hears rumors of someone called the Designer--someone even more powerful than The Ten. What’s more, the parts of her that have always been an anomaly could in fact be part of a much larger plan. And the parts of her that she has always guarded could be the answer she’s been looking for all along. Thalli must sort out what to believe and who to trust, before her time runs out. Another possibility: PETER NIMBLE & HIS FANTASTIC EYES and THE NIGHT GARDENER by Jonathan Auxier Gr 4–6—About The Night Gardener:  Storytelling and the secret desires of the heart wind together in this atmospheric novel that doubles as a ghost tale. Irish immigrants to England, Molly and Kip make their way to the Windsor house in search of employment. The great house stands in the shadow of a menacing tree, which locals speak of only in fearful whispers. Despite her young age and the warnings of a local storyteller, Molly uses the power of her own words to secure work, but soon realizes that all is not right in the house. Constance, Bertrand, Penny, and Alistair Windsor each struggle with personal demons, and strange footprints appear at night. A malevolent spirit, the Night Gardener, haunts the estate, dooming its inhabitants with foul dreams while the tree grants wishes to entrap the recipients. Molly and Kip must face their own dark secrets to release the Gardener's hold and end his evil enchantments. Auxier gives readers a spooky story with depth and dimension. Molly's whimsical tales illustrate life's essential lessons even as they entertain. As the characters face the unhealthy pull of the tree's allurements, they grow and change, revealing unexpected personality traits. Storytelling as a force to cope with life's challenges is subtly expressed and adds complexity to the fast-paced plot. Readers of Mary Downing Hahn or Peg Kehret's ghost novels will connect with the supernatural elements and the independent child protagonists of Auxier's tale of things that go bump in the night.—Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Library Association, CT A movie coming out soon:  Divergent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkSSTuWtTTg http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/6-great-gifts-for-hunger-games-fans-who-are-hungry-for-more/ Science Fiction Page Tools Insert links Insert links to other pages or uploaded files. Pages Images and files Insert a link to a new page Loading... No images or files uploaded yet. Insert image from URL Tip: To turn text into a link, highlight the text, then click on a page or file from the list above.

November 5/6, 2008

November 5/6, 2008

Special Notice: A1 and A2 received their Book-of-the-Month Club assignment for November-December. The B-Day classes will receive the assignment on November 7. See nearby posts for more information. The book approval is due by Novmeber 14. The reading log for this week will be extra credit.

Responding to Poetry -- Emotions and Ideas
Students responded to the poem "High Flight. " They read the poem, and in their composition books they a) wrote quickly for about two minutes about anything this poem brought to mind for them. b) borrowed one line from the poem and created a poem or continued to write their thoughts, focusing now on that one line. (See the nearby post for the poem and information about the poet.

Genre and Theme
We then read a play titled The Flying Machine by Ray Bradbury. We discussed genre and theme.

Sentence Combining
B1 and B2 had time to do sentence combining. Ask for the worksheet if you were absent.
A1 did part of the sentence combining.

Prefixes and Suffixes
We also looked at a list of words such as
prewrite
prerinse
prealgebra
preview
prekindergarten

What does "pre" mean in these words?
Is "pre" a prefix or a suffix?

We will be learning prefixes and suffixes in class during this term.

November 3/4, 2008

November 3/4, 2008
Today more students presented their Book of the Month Club Assessments -- presenting their characters to the class through quotes from their books. If you did not present today, and were not absent, it may be awhile before you can change that zero grade.

We also talked about the genre of science fiction.
Science fiction is fiction (made-up rather than things that have really happened) and usually involves either outer space, technology, or ideas about the future.
Many deal with imagined technology, or with the results of the misuse of technology.

The characters usually act as people would if the situations they are placed in were real.

We shared a poem that works as a riddle, and worked on figuring out what was being described and who was seeing it that way. You could call this a "science fiction" poem!
Here is the poem: (By the way, May Swenson originally came from Utah. She was born in Logan, attended the University of Utah, and became a world-famous poet.)

Southbound. . .
By May Swenson

A tourist came in from Orbitville,
parked in the air, and said:

The creatures of this star
are made of metal and glass.

Through the transparent parts
you can see their guts.

Their feet are round and roll
on diagrams or long

measuring tapes, dark
with white lines.

They have four eyes.
The two in the back are red.

Sometimes you can see a five-eyed
one, with a red eye turning

on the top of his head.
He must be special—

the others respect him,
and go slow

when he passes, winding
among them from behind.

They all hiss as they glide,
like inches, down the marked

tapes. Those soft shapes,
shadowy inside

the hard bodies—are they
their guts or their brains?

We also read the short story, "The Boy with Five Fingers," in preparation for more short stories, and for reading the novel The Giver. This story, like The Giver, looks at a possible post-apolcalyptic future. In other words, in these books, man has destroyed civilization and most of mankind. The story and book deal with what sorts of societies might grow up many years after such an event.

In this case, apocalyse means "any universal or widespread destruction or disaster: the apocalypse of nuclear war."
any universal or widespread destruction or disaster: the apocalypse of nuclear war.