Welcome to the world of Blogging!

It is in these posts where you will find the instructions for the reading and responding assignments that you will complete this year. 

Please remember that all of your posts should go on your own blog rather than the class blog. The class blog will be used only for instructional purposes.

A few words about your upcoming blog posts: Because we are dealing with an online audience, your posts should be concise and relatively short (between 100-150 words). This will mean that you will have to be very precise in your writing. Get to your point quickly, adding only those details necessary to describe or explain the main focus for your entry. 

TASK ONE: Before you begin blogging, take a look at the "Get Your Blog On!" list in the sidebar to your right which will link you to a number of blogs written by teens about books and reading. 
Click around...see what blogs are out there, then come back to this page to get your TASK TWO instructions!!!

The  pages listed on the TOP BAR will provide you with the introductory activities to get you ready to manage your own blog.  

TASK TWO: Click on the page entitled "Introduction to Blogging" to begin your journey into the weblog world. When you are done reading what is required on each page, follow the instructions at the bottom to complete your next assignment.

Good luck and have FUN!!!

8. FINAL BLOG POST

As your final blog post, you will be focusing on the final stage of the hero's journey: RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR.

Once the hero's journey is complete, they return to their Ordinary World with the elixir, a great treasure or a new understanding to share. The elixir can be love, wisdom, freedom, knowledge. It doesn't have to be a tangible prize. Unless something is brought back from the ordeal, an elixir, the hero is doomed to repeat the adventure. At this stage of the journey, a  circle has been closed, bringing change to the ordinary world. Returning with the elixir means the hero can now implement change in his daily life and use the lessons of the adventure to move forward and grow as a person.

Next year, you will be moving to grade 10. The skills and knowledge you have gained in grade 9 will serve you well as you begin to transform into grade 10 students and move on into a new and challenging special world, leaving the ordinary world of grade 9 behind. 

Today you have the opportunity to identify some of your strengths, weaknesses and next steps in the reading, writing and media strands, by looking at what you have gained from your work on the independent reading blog.

Using the INDEPENDENT READING BLOG FINAL EVALUATION  you have been given, go through your blog as it is TODAY, and reflect upon your process. 

Hand this self evaluation in on MONDAY, JANUARY 19 at the start of class. 

7. BLOG POST #7: The Confrontation

Once the hero has crossed the threshold, the next stages of the journey are all about the Hero trying to function in the special world as they face greater and greater obstacles. They face TESTS, form ALLIES and fight ENEMIES.  As they  APPROACH the inmost cave, the hero and their newfound allies make preparations to face the ORDEAL (the major challenge) in the special world. Finally, near the middle of the story, the hero faces their greatest fear as his/her ORDEAL.  Out of this moment comes a new sense of self or a new found appreciation for the qualities the hero has gained. Finally, the hero takes possession of the REWARD won by facing this central crisis.  

Throughout all of these stages, the hero learns about what they are made of, and what they can withstand physically and mentally.

Today, you will be making a connection between the novel you are currently reading and one of these middle stages of the journey.

Start your entry, as always, by identifying the novel source (by image or proper bibliographic citation). 

Last name, First name. Title of Book. City of Publication: 

     Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.

Then describe the stage (tests, enemies and allies; approach to the inmost cave; ordeal; or reward) as your protagonist is going through it. Use the definition of the stage to help you apply it to your protagonist's unique experiences.

Finally, explain what the hero has learned about him/herself from the conflict or confrontation at this middle stage of the journey. 

***Be sure to include at least ONE DIRECT QUOTATION with a proper in-text citation (Author page) or (page)