Blogging on.....

The Final is posted in the Pods folders. First I can't believe that the end of the semester is just a few short weeks away. I dislike intensely the trite phrase "where did the time go" but it seems very applicable here.

((Yes, I know that Shakespeare is NOT American, but I like the picture and the caption.))

Last Saturday was a tedious day at my house. While my husband was watching basketball games and loving every minute of it,I was grading Gatsby assignments, discussion boards, and blogs. The best part for me was the blogs. What fun they were to read! I enjoyed each and every one.

For the last half of the semester, try to blog at least once a week. Make it a habit to write a post each Thursday (or whatever day you pick) and then read through the other blogs and make some comments. At 15 points an original post and 5 points for each response, you could rack up some extra points and have fun doing so. Time? About 30 minutes.

A new thing with this part of the semester is selecting one of the suggestions from the literature Pod and using it for a post. I will try to post ideas as they come to me. Each remaining Pod (including Gatsby) will have a folder with Blog suggestions. I invite you to make suggestions as well. Just send me a message and I can add your topic to the list.

Have fun with the blogging. Read what your fellow students have to say. Comment!

Happy Reading---and Blogging!

Gatsby Parties

Every time I taught Gatsby before Ivy Tech we would have "Gatsby parties."

During one of the discussions of Chapters 1, 2, and 3, we were talking about the similarities and differences, and someone mentioned that it would be fun if we could re-enact the parties. The wheels started to spin, and before we knew it, I was driving a West Central School Corporation van up and down 421 to not only Amanda's house, but also to Molly's house, then Julie's house for their group's depiction of each party. What fun we had! Amanda's mother had allowed the group to use the good china (brave woman she was). Molly's mom shooed everyone into the basement. Julie's mom had set up card tables all over the house. The other details I will leave to your imagination at this point. Suffice to say, however, that this group of gifted/talented students made an impression on all of their peers---and me!

This first adventure was after school hours. The next ones in the honors classes were not quite as elaborate as that first one. There were too many students to transport in one van with one driver (me). We had just 90 minutes from beginning to end. We used the school's cafegymatoriam(borrowing the term from Ray Barone) and the FACS room. As many groups go, some of the students participated; some didn't. Some enjoyed the activity; others complained and thought it was dumb.

I, for one, always think of that first set of Gatsby parties, the fun we had traveling like we were going to a progressive dinner, how well the students adapted to the roles they played, and the great learning experience that was born of the their discussion of Chapters 1, 2, and 3.

On Break~~

Writing from Gatlinburg tonight! My husband and I have been enjoying cool weather, sunshine, and smaller crowds roaming the streets than we usually encounter when we are here.

Literature related, huh? Ok.. here goes. I love my Nook, and one of the things I usually slack on during the semester is reading for pleasure. I started a new book in the car on Saturday afternoon and have nearly finished it. The title: Left Neglected. The author: Lisa Genova. I purchased the book while I was standing in Barnes and Noble in Lafayette last weekend after I had read the back cover and flipped through the text. I had no idea what I was really getting into with this one though. It has been a long time since I sat in a psychology class, so I didn't realize that Left Neglected was a term for one's left side being unresponsive to any type of stimulus or messages from the mind. It comes from a brain injury, which the main character received after a car accident caused by her inattention to traffic while trying to text and drive at the same time. From where I left off this morning, I have about 50 pages left to read. I think I know where the plot is heading; I hope I am not shocked by a different ending because the one in my mind is a happy one. We shall see.

Half way through....

As many say "I can't believe this is the halfway point of the semester!" Maybe others are saying "It's FINALLY that half way point of the semester!" Whatever works..but I must admit that while I am ready for a much needed break, I will be sad with THIS class ends. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the submissions, reading the conversations in Pronto, and sending messages back and forth with everyone.

Pronto! The hour flew by this week. I realized as I was grading submissions last night and this morning that we really just touched the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, in our discussion. I know someone kept mentioning Brooks and we never did get to her. Richard Cory is one of my favorites to discuss too. Could we have talked for two hours? Probably. Not realistically, though, because of children and other obligations. We have to take what we can get.

Putting together the Gatsby Pod was interesting. This is a new Pod for this semester, so I started from scratch. I finally just quit, even though I wanted to add more activities as possible selections. What I will add after break will be a list of possible Blog topics and some info in the resources folder in the Pod which I forgot to include last night.

I love all of the literary elements in Gatsby, so it will be interesting to see the responses to symbolism and the parties and the settings. The theme of the American Dream is so vivid in this novel, and the reflection of the times that Fitzgerald embraced is very evident. I hope all of you enjoy reading, or re-reading, the novel.

This blog post is the last official act for the first part of the semester. Even though all of the submissions and this week's entries in the discussion board are not read and graded (therefore the scoresheets are not finished), this wife has a husband who is patiently waiting for her to turn off the computer, pack some clothes, and head to Tennessee. And that is what I shall do.