Students received their essays back, and we worked on a comma lesson.

Following that, we watched a brief video and read an on-line account of the Spanish Civil War.

HOMEWORK: Prepare for the quiz on the next section of For Whom the Bell Tolls.

For your first blog post assignment, answer the following question:

Based on the evidence from the text, what kind of a kid is Huck? What characteristics/quailites does he possess? Does this make him seem like a typical pre-pubescent boy? In what ways does he seem more mature than his age? In what ways does he seem less?

In addition to your other observations/comments/questions from your reading, please address these questions with supporting examples from the text. Your contribution should be posted no later than Monday, February 5. Good luck!

Essential Questions

As we begin our study of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, always keep in mind the following questions:

1. What aspects of American society does Mark Twain satirize? What flaws in the character of the American people is he attempting to expose?
2. What comment does Twain make about the nature of a family?
3. What comment does Twain make about the nature of racism?
4. What comment does Twain make about the American Dream?

As you begin to work on your weblogs, keep these questions in mind and feel free to comment on them.

Other Information

• The novel was published in 1885.
• It is set around 1845 along the Mississippi River in Missouri and Illinois
• Key Characters:
  • Huckleberry Finn
  • Tom Sawyer
  • Widow Douglass
  • Miss Watson
  • Jim
  • Pap

Each weblog posting (two per week) will be worth 1/2 a quiz grade.  So, each week, your weblog efforts will be worth a quiz grade.  Late postings will lose 10 points per day. 

For each weblog posting you must:

1. Respond to the question/topic that I’ve posted on http://mrvarnum.learnerblogs.org. 
2. Comment on one or more aspects of the themes we discussed at the beginning of the novel.
3. Ask questions about the section you have read or make predictions about what will happen.
4. Any other thoughts about the novel which will enhance our discussion.

Each of these items should be at least one paragraph long (4 to 5 sentences)

Your weblog should not contain:

1. Plot summary.  We can go to SparkNotes for that.
2. Complaining about how much reading we have to do, how long the book is, how boring, etc.  Take your whine somewhere else.

Rubric for weekly weblog grade:

For a grade of A, students must:

• Respond completely to the question posted on http://mrvarnum.learnerblogs.org with specific detail from the novel.
• Make at least two detailed, insightful comments on two other weblogs.
• Offer specific, analytical commentary, questions or predictions on the reading you have completed during the week.  This section should be at least 8 to 10 sentences of detailed commentary.

For a grade of B, students must:

• Respond adequately to the question posted on http://mrvarnum.learnerblogs.org with specific detail from the novel.
• Make at least two detailed comments on two other weblogs.
• Offer some specific, analytical commentary, questions or predictions on the reading you have completed during the week.  This section should be at least 8 to 10 sentences of detailed commentary.

For a grade of C or lower, students will:

• Respond partially or not at all to the question posted on http://mrvarnum.learnerblogs.org with limited or not specific detail from the novel.
• Make fewer than two detailed, insightful comments on two other weblogs.
• Offer little specific, analytical commentary, questions or predictions on the reading you have completed during the week.  This section is less than five senteces of detailed commentary.

Welcome to the wonderful world of weblogging!

A weblog is part diary, part journal, part scrapbook, part bulletin board. Many of you have some experience with weblogs on MySpace or Facebook or similar social networking sites. The weblog that you establish for this class will be dedicated to your thoughts on our next novel.

As part of our study of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, we will be using weblogs as a reading journal. To set up your weblog, go to www.learnerblogs.org and follow the directions to set up your blog. You will need access to your e-mail address to activate your weblog.

Once your weblog is set up, please e-mail the website address to me by clicking here.

All the class weblogs will be linked to a main web page so that you can find someone else’s weblog easily.

Part of your grade for this assignment will be to read and comment on other people’s weblogs. You may respond to questions about the novel, agree or disagree with comments or pose other questions. Your comments should be restricted to issues dealing with the novel. If you want to socialize, go to MySpace.

Your weblog must be updated at least twice a week, indicating what you have read by commenting on and questioning the text. PLEASE — NO PLOT SUMMARY!!!

My weblog will serve as a discussion guide and review area. Each week, I will post a discussion question which you may respond to in your weblog in addition to the other items you post. I will also post any handouts and reading guides here. Please add this page to your favorites.

You will have some class time every week to work on your weblog, but you will be required to do some work on your own time. If you do not have internet access at home, feel free to come to my room during AB Prep and use my computers.