Grading and Expectations

Welcome to this year's summer reading blog!  

We are reading The Mind Readers by Lori Brighton, 2010. I hope you will enjoy this book and that it will make you think. Let's talk about what is expected of you.  

First of all, please make sure your posts don't show up as "Anonymous" or under a parent's user name. Type your first and last name at the start of your post if you are not sure what user name will come up. Make sure you get credit for your work!

All responses should answer the question and be at least six sentences in length. Most questions have a quote from the book and then a few questions. Focus your response on answering the questions. There is no need to agree or disagree with the quote. The quote is to help you know where to question comes from.  For full credit, you will need to write a clear response, minimum of six sentences, that shows your thoughts.

Each response should start with a complete sentence that uses key words from the question in the sentence.  Do not use pronouns in your first sentence, even if the person or place is named in the question.  Use examples from the text to support what you say. You may quote the author using quotation marks and page numbers, but you still need six sentences of your own thoughts to go with any quoted passages. Use transitions words to connect your ideas and a conclusion to wrap up your response.  As always, proofread before you post!

You may respond to your classmates’ responses, but that is not part of your grade.  

Your work on this summer reading blog will count for 10% of your first quarter English grade.  Your deadline for responses is August 3. If you have questions, you can email me at jstockard@oasisacademyfallon.us. Happy reading!

Pre-Reading

Pre-Reading:

A superpower is a special power that is used to improve not only your own life, but the lives of the community at large.  If you could have one superpower, what would you have?  How would you use it to improve mankind? Give specific examples of how this power would help others.  Keep this idea in mind as you read the book.

Chapters 1 - 4

Read chapters 1-4, then answer this question:

Does someone with a special talent or power “owe” it to the community to use their abilities to help others?  Explain when is it ok to keep your talents and abilities to yourself, using examples to be very clear. Explain when would you be expected to use your talents to help others?

Chapters 5 - 9

Read chapters 5-9, then choose one of these questions to answer:

 

Either respond to this one:

p. 74:  “I could laugh off Anne’s rumor, say she was as insane as her boyfriend, somehow get back into Emily’s good graces.  Yet, how happy had I truly been pretending to be someone I wasn’t?”  Explain this passage and how it applies to you personally.  Can someone ever be truly happy if he or she isn’t being true to himself or herself? Is it ok to pretend and settle for temporary happiness?

Or respond to this one, also from Chapter 9:

p. 83:  “Don’t go, Cameron, please. Grandma’s voice whispered through my mind.  It was the first time she’d asked me for anything and for a moment I paused, her plea stinging.”  Cameron is hesitating, deciding between staying with her grandma and going with Lewis.  Describe a connection to this moment in the book from your own life, from another text, or from a world experience.  Be very clear about how your choice relates to this pivotal moment in the book.  

Chapters 10 - 14

Read chapters 10 -14, then answer this question: p. 139,  “We were like some sort of weird retelling of Romeo and Juliet in which we survived and our families died.”  

What do you know about the plot of Romeo and Juliet? If you don’t know much, look up the plot on a website like SparkNotes http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet/ 

Is this situation in Mind Readers an accurate comparison to Romeo and Juliet?  Explain why or why not.

Chapters 15 - 19

Read chapters 15 - 19, then answer this question: p. 158, “You’re saying he deserved it?”

“I’m saying he’s all right.  You don’t have to feel guilty....We had to do it.  Don’t you get that?  There was no alternative.”  

Do you believe there was no alternative in this situation?  Take a side:  explain why this was the only choice or explain another way to handle this situation with Maddox.

Chapters 20-22

Read chapters 20 - 22, then answer this question:

p. 228 “Funny how a year could make such a difference in a person’s life.”

How have the events of the book changed Cameron?  Give specific examples of how she has changed from the beginning of the book to the end.  Evaluate these changes; do you think Cameron is better or worse because of the change you describe?