writing_intro

English 3
Writing from Reading Web Quest

Harriton High School
Mr. Crooke

Topic:

Adopt an Author

Introduction:

During the summer I read two books that had a great impact on my life. Tuesdays with Morrie reminded me that the definition of a successful life is not that obvious; one has to work for it. Mitch Albom used the model of a college course to structure his non-fiction work. Moreover, he used very brief chapters, reminiscent of holy books where we find great wisdom in brief stories. Charles Frazier, in his novel Cold Mountain, used a style found in the "mythological journey" to show that life is often unfair but that it is up to us to still make life beautiful; beauty is in front of us, Frazier would contend, and is visible if we only look in the right place, regardless of the wars going on around us.
Being a reader means making friends. Sometimes we do not understand our friends; sometimes we get angry with our friends; but we always love our friends because they allow us to be ourselves, and in the best type of friendship of all, they challenge us to know ourselves. When we find that friend, we like to spend as much time with him or her as is reasonable.
I invite you to adopt a new friend, as I did this summer in getting to know Mitch Albom and Charles Frazier. Find out what that friend has to say to you. Learn from him. Live from her wisdom. Remember what Walt Whitman said to us all in "Song of Myself":

I know I am solid and sound,
To me the converging objects of the universe perpetually flow
All are written to me, and I must get what the writing means

Task:

1. Select a book that you would like to read and read it. The only requirement is that it is a novel. See the rubric for grading.

2. Create a page in Think.com and call it “Adopt an Author Journal.” Each day of the unit, make a journal entry that describes what you were think as you read your selected book. See the rubric for grading.

3. Make at least two contributions to the Adopt an Author Discussion Board on my “English 3” Think,com page. See the rubric for grading.

4. Write a two-page essay on what you thought as you read your book. For example, I might want to write a paper with the following thesis after reading Tuesdays with Morrie: “Defining a successful life takes hard work.” If I wanted to write a thesis after having read Cold Mountain, it might look like this: “One needs to look in the right places to find beauty.” See the rubric for grading.

Process:

1. Review the web quest page and resources.
2. Select a novel that you would love to read.
3. Create your think.com page.
4. Start reading and making journal entries.
5. Respond to discussion boards.
6. Finish reading.
7. Write the paper.