Wednesday, July 31, 2019

The Summer Work

I hope you are all enjoying your summer. I won't interrupt for too long, but I did want to touch base briefly about a couple of things:
The Summer Homework is posted at Google Classroom. Part 1, "Introduce Yourself," should already be done (if it's not, do it now).
Parts 2 and 3 hinge upon your reading of How to Read Literature Like a Professor (a PDF copy is posted at Classroom). I know it is barely August and not many of you have actually started the book, but when you do:
  • Don't expect to get all the references to other books and stories (even I don’t). The examples are just to help you get his point.
  • Read carefully and with tools (e.g. a pen, highlighter, sticky notes, or their digital equivalents). Dialogue with the text—highlight AND comment on interesting or troubling passages, mark sections to discuss online or in class later, etc.
  • Actually read it. Pretending to read it (or anything we study this year) is a useless exercise. It's like pretending to do push-ups: it won't make you stronger.
  • For this, and all our work, read the directions carefully and share your insights and thoughts honestly (i.e. Don’t regurgitate what you’ve read online. I also have Google).
Don't hesitate to email or text if you have any questions. I look forward to sharing your thinking.