Reading

English I has been a year of enforcing both reading and writing. The class focuses on both at once, allowing students to practice both simultaneously. We have not been required to read any specific books for independent reading, but the only requirement is that students read for two hours each week. I have been able to grow as a writer through asking better questions, learning how to identify topics and themes, and the different parts of a stories plot. We have applied these skills to each novel read in class, but I have grown to use them in my daily reading sessions on my independent books.

Book list: Purple Hibiscus, Cinder, Maze Runner Series, Living with a SEAL, Rule of Three series, Lord of the Flies, and Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Examples of Reading Responses:

 ATDPTI Response

"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie is a fiction book written for young adults. This novel follows the life of a mentally disabled Native American teenager, Junior. Many schools have banned, but it does teach many lessons to young readers.

After a hundred pages of this novel, my opinion on this book has become quite clear. I have always enjoyed a good novel with morals and references to reality. This novel does both, but it does it in an unusual way. The author reaches out to the minds of readers through sexual and other inappropriate kinds of jokes, sometimes causing a light laugh. I have enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading more in the future.

Purple Hibiscus Response

Purple Hibiscus has been an interesting novel to read. I have always been a little creeped out reading this book, not only because of the family problems but also the feelings it gives me. The author uses many situations that are often not accepted in society to create an awful feeling towards the father and the government. These situations add to our social knowledge creating a negative feeling towards the novel itself.

It seems as if the children's relationship with their parents is the most prominent aspect of this story. The largest part of this relationship seems to be the father's abuse towards the children and the mother. The father excuses his actions by "doing everything for God". The children initially believed this excuse, but as they grow older and speak to other people, they begin to rebel against their father. These rebellions end in harsher beatings and worse punishments for the mother. This chain has not ended, and it seems as if it will continue to happen.