Dragon Booktalk: SOHS English Lit Circs

Presentation at KLA/KSMA Convention!

mrwatsonsohs — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:56:44 +0000

Noel Gnadinger, one of our SOHS librarians (and writer of the Pyramid Grant that got our school the equipment for podcasting!), invited me to co-present a session with her at this weekend’s Kentucky Library Association / Kentucky School Media Association annual convention in Louisville. ”Getting their Fifteen Minutes of Fame: High School Podcasting of Literature Circles” gave us a great opportunity to talk with librarians and media specialists from around the state. I hope the attendees got an idea or two, or at least were inspired to bring podcasting into their own schools. Thanks, Noel!

New podcasts will be coming in November . . .

–Mr. Watson

Hershey: Book Commercial (3rd Block Spring 2009)

mrwatsonsohs — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:07:23 +0000

There have to be tears to get to the kisses.

Isaac’s Storm: Book Commercial (3rd Block Spring 2009)

mrwatsonsohs — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:05:30 +0000

Who will you save?

Counting Coup: Book Commercial (3rd Block Spring 2009)

mrwatsonsohs — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:03:34 +0000

Are you ready to count coup?

Into the Wild: Book Commercial (3rd Block Spring 2009)

mrwatsonsohs — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:26 +0000

Sooner or later, everyone gets itchy feet.

The Devil in the White City: Book Commercial (3rd Block Spring 2009)

mrwatsonsohs — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:58:20 +0000

When pride of place ranked second only to pride of blood.

2001: A Space Odyssey (4th Block Spring 2009)

mrwatsonsohs — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:55:26 +0000

Their only hope is their only enemy.

Ender’s Game: Book Commercial (4th Block Spring ‘09)

mrwatsonsohs — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:52:32 +0000

Will Ender win, or will it be . . . game over!

In Cold Blood: Book Commercial (4th Block Spring 2009)

mrwatsonsohs — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:50:24 +0000

Your blood will be chilled.

A Raisin in the Sun Book Commercial (4th Block Spring 2009)

mrwatsonsohs — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:42:39 +0000

Find out if all their dreams were deferred or fulfilled.

The Devil in the White City #2

mrwatsonsohs — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:44:08 +0000

In their last literature circle discussion, Brianna summarized the second half of the book, Emily zoned out in the “Black City” chapter, Morgen got confused when Larson was explaining the characters’ life after the fair (she lost track of who was who), Emma connected Ferris’s procrastination to her own, Katie wondered why no one got suspicious earlier when Holmes’s victims disappeared, and Alex investigated some great summative facts about the Fair:

65 total exhibits
46 nations participated
cost was over $28 million
almost 26 million admissions

Check back this week for their book commercial!

Counting Coup #2

mrwatsonsohs — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:33:24 +0000

In their final literature circle discussion, Chelsea throws down the “gauntlet,” Carson almost cries, Josh wonders why Colton mentions the anonymous girl practicing at the end of the book, Melanie finds great imagery (”At the last meeting, a brawl broke out, women were knocked to the floor,elders were stampeded into corners and heads were banged into chairs” [209]), Natalie connects Amy’s wedding to the movie Bride Wars, and Jenny illustrates an unhappy bench.

Stay tuned to our book commercial, posting this week!

Hershey #2

mrwatsonsohs — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:16:31 +0000

In their final literature circle discussion, Will shows no “hucksterism” when giving his vocab words, Zack wonders if Hershey is as revolutionary as he is depicted, Natalie has an Aha! with ethanol, Drew connects the older Hershey’s inflexibility to Creon from Antigone, Elise investigated Hershey’s chewing gum (!), and David provides an illustration of the ubiquitous chocolate bar.

Keep checking this week for their book commercial!

Into the Wild #2

mrwatsonsohs — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 04:06:49 +0000

In their final literature circle discussion, Rachel is “gregarious” in sharing her vocab enrichment, Michael believes Krakauer is living vicariously through Chris, Kyle wonders why Chris is in denial about his brother’s death, Brady connects Chris’s fate in the wilderness to Piggy in Lord of the Flies, Dylan investigates Thoreau’s “civil disobedience” (quoted on page 123), and Elena illustrates Chris’s book of plants, the result of his tragic death.

Keep checking back for the group’s book commercial this week.

Isaac’s Storm #2

mrwatsonsohs — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:55:38 +0000

In their final literature circle discussion, Jessie wonders why Joseph is so resentful of Isaac, Rhiann finds personal reasons to fear “the level of the water [rising] four feet in just four seconds” (189) as well as good alliteration (”slate shingles became whirling scimitars that eviscerated men and horses” [196]), Mason’s Aha! is Isaac’s refusal to believe anything bad will happen, and Hannah illustrates the aftermath of Isaac’s life.

Be sure to look for their book commercial this week!

Ender’s Game #3 (4th Block)

mrwatsonsohs — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:33:05 +0000

In their final literature circle discussion, Tina wonders why Peter cried (honest or manipulative?), Josh asked questions about how the virtual reality training program worked, Alex investigated the Warsaw Pact, Chelsie tried not to be “incredulous” while reading, and Jacob illustrated the lake conversation with Ender and his sister (while Graf looks on).

Be sure to look for this week’s book commercial!

A Raisin in the Sun #3 (4th Block)

mrwatsonsohs — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:22:14 +0000

In their final literature circle discussion, Alyssa connects to the text via a sledding accident, Mack tells the “unvarnished” truth about vocabulary, Kalyn wonders if Walter cares more about money or his family (and Elizabeth points out that Walter is the character that changes the most), Emma finds a memorable simile (”He finally come into his manhood today, didn’t he? Kind of like a rainbow after the rain” {151]), Livia investigates data on the Nigerian population in the U.S. and Chicago, and Natalie illustrates Asagai’s plea with Bennie (below; note the plant in the window and Walter in the background).

Be sure to look for this week’s book commercial!

2001: A Space Odyssey #3

mrwatsonsohs — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:08:13 +0000

In their final literature circle discussion, Brady makes an Aha! with Bowman’s transformation into a godlike being of infinite energy, Chris infers that the three objects launched on page 205 were the three crewman killed by HAL, Dustin sees foreshadowing in “So, for the last time, David Bowman slept” (288), Nathan connected to the end of Fahrenheit 451 (Dave alone in space, Montag alone on the river), Trenton zoned out on all the planet details, Holly wondered if Bowman’s solitude affected his sanity, and Alex illustrated Titan. Be sure to look for their book commercial this week!

In Cold Blood #3 (4th Block)

mrwatsonsohs — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:57:03 +0000

In their final literature circle discussion, the members debate the justice of the death penalty. Also, Lauren wonders how the outcome may have been different if Dick and Perry HAD found money, James connected a lawyer’s comment about a “squealer” to Squealer from Animal Farm, Elise remains “pragmatic” in her approach to vocabulary, Carleigh points out the dramatic irony of Perry’s confession of killing all four Clutters (he only shot two), Josh wonders why the Clutter daughters didn’t show up to the trial, and Erica illustrated Dick’s last moments.

Be sure to look for this week’s book commercial!

Into the Wild #1

mrwatsonsohs — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:56:28 +0000

In their first literature circle discussion, Brady summarizes the first 103 pages, Rachel asks the group if they would ever believe in something so much that they would abandon everything for it, Dylan compares the flight of Midsummer’s Hermia into the woods like Chris’s escape into the wilderness, Elena wonders about Chris’s habit of speaking in third person and underlining words in his journals, Kyle predicts Davis Gulch is a person that Chris will meet (but it turns out to be a town), and Michael illustrates Chris as a “One Man Army”: