Book Talks and Futuristic Stories

This week in ELA class, we'll present our book talks and begin with our first unit on Short Stories.

On Monday, Mr. Reynolds will model a book talk, and he'll use one of the best books he read from this past summer: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Then, we'll have a chance to finish our index cards and practice presenting our books with partners within class.

On Tuesday, we'll spend the class presenting our books, and learning how to speak effectively in front of our peers, and also be great listeners.

From Wednesday through Friday, we'll begin our first short story, "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut. This futuristic story takes place in the year 2081, and we'll have a blast acting it out in front of the class, and then discuss some of its big themes: equality, fighting injustice, and young people stadning up to authority figures. We'll also read a great short story by Roald Dahl entitled, "Lamb to the Slaughter."

Be sure to review your notes on the Plot Chart, and come to class ready with a pen or pencil, your ELA binder, and a willingness to dive right in! I can't wait to see the great writing, discussion, and learning we'll all have this week!