Greetings!
We are on our final book, the 1915 espionage/thriller The 39 Steps by John Buchan. The class seems to like the book. Not only is it shorter, it has an engaging plot and feels more contemporary in its style. In class we discussed the the questions that each student brought to class.
If students are interested, they might want to watch excerpts from a 2008 BBC version of the book or a scene from a stage play. The movies made from this book follow the serious, dangerous tone found in the book while the plays are more farcical. We will finish the book for the last week in class.
If students are interested, they might want to watch excerpts from a 2008 BBC version of the book or a scene from a stage play. The movies made from this book follow the serious, dangerous tone found in the book while the plays are more farcical. We will finish the book for the last week in class.
This week, our final week together, we will finish our discussion of The 39 Steps and will also have a final exam. This exam will look more like a game of Jeopardy. No studying will be required; on the other hand, students have mentioned that treat would be nice, so they may bring something to share with the class.
Finally, I have one writing assignment for this class. I've so enjoyed our discussions and love the dynamic of thinking as a group about a piece of literature and haven't assigned any writing connected to our reading. However, I do want them to take some time and reflect back on the semester and write a short Reflection Paper. This doesn't need to be long, or perfectly written, but I want them to take some time and think about what and how they have learned this year. (I wrote a blog post a few years ago, "The Value of Reflection Papers" that might be helpful to read.) For these papers, students should include the following
Finally, I have one writing assignment for this class. I've so enjoyed our discussions and love the dynamic of thinking as a group about a piece of literature and haven't assigned any writing connected to our reading. However, I do want them to take some time and reflect back on the semester and write a short Reflection Paper. This doesn't need to be long, or perfectly written, but I want them to take some time and think about what and how they have learned this year. (I wrote a blog post a few years ago, "The Value of Reflection Papers" that might be helpful to read.) For these papers, students should include the following
Paragraph #1 -- Answer the question, "What have you learned this year?" (They can do this with a mix of sentences and lists.)
Paragraph #2 -- Answer the question, "What have you learned about yourself as a student/writer this year?"
Paragraph #3 -- Answer the question, "What did you like or not like in the class? What worked well for you and what didn't?"
Extra Credit -- Draw a picture of anything that will remind me of the class or of you!
Assignments for this week:
-- Finish The 39 Steps
-- Reflection Paper
-- Reflection Paper
Links for this week:
Class Notes
Background to 39 Steps
Background to 39 Steps
Looking forward to our class,
Mrs. Prichard
