Mango Journal #3: Peer Role Model OR A Metaphor

Please select one of the following topics and post a response on your blog. (Of course you may write about both of them if you'd like, but in class, please focus on just one so that you can develop it in some detail.)

Option 1: Peer Role Model
Think of a peer in your life whom you admire and respect. What quality or qualities would you like to emulate in this person, and why? If you select this topic, please adopt a serious tone.

Option 2: A Metaphor
In "Four Skinny Trees," the trees outside the House on Mango Street serve as a metaphor for Esperanza herself. What element in nature could serve as a metaphor for you, and why? Consider animals, plants, bodies of water, terrains, etc.

Mango Journal #2: Growing Up

Think back to a time in your childhood when you tried to act more grown up than you were. Describe this memory--both your feelings and the actions you took to make yourself seem older than you were.

Mango Journal #1: "My Name"

In 1-2 paragraphs, please tell the story of your name. Consider addressing the following questions:

• What does your name mean? (Possible resources: Baby Name Wizard, Baby Names.com)
• What abstract concepts or ideas are associated with your name?
• What is the history of your name within your family, if any?
• How and why did your parents choose your name?
• Can your name be described with any figurative language? (similes, metaphors, imagery)
• What are your own feelings about your name? Consider its sound, spelling, or anything unique about it.

"The Most Dangerous Game" - What's Next?!?!

Now that we've finished reading "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell, let's explore some possibilities for what could happen next. On your blog, please write an extension of the story. This is a creative writing assignment, so you can decide what you think would happen next, but you should stick to the content that's in the story--don't add brand new elements like aliens or a love interest.

CP - Generational Conflict

A generational conflict may occur when beliefs and values change from one generation to another.

You and your parents belong to different generations. Think of a time when you and your parents disagreed about something related to your life. What was the situation, and how did it make you feel? Has the conflict been resolved, and if so, how?

Please answer these questions on your blog, in a response of at least one paragraph. You may organize your writing in any way that makes sense. Please feel free to use your own 'voice' when writing this post, but remember that you are writing for school; you should still follow all standard rules of capitalization, spelling, and punctuation.

Welcome to HHS, Class of 2018!

I look forward to working with you in English class this semester. Let's get started by setting up your blogs!

You will be doing a lot of shorter pieces of writing this year on a blog that you will create today. The more you write, the better you will get at writing. Some posts will be creative, some will ask you to react to a statement or to a reading assignment, and others will provide important practice for your analytical thinking skills.

So, let's set up your blog.

1. Log into your school Google account.

2. Navigate to Blogger. (Open this site in a different tab or window.)

3. Click "New Blog" on the left-hand side of your page to create your blog.

4. Give your blog a title that follows this format: First name Last initial's English 9 Blog. For example, if your name is John Smith, your blog would be called John S. English 9 Blog.

5. Give your blog a custom URL that follows this format: First name Last initial English 9. For example, if your name is John Smith, your blog URL should be johnsenglish9blogspot.com.

6. Choose a template (you may choose whatever template you like, and you can feel free to change this later).

7. Next to your blog, you will see a drop-down menu. Choose Settings.

• Under "Privacy," set up your blog so that it is not listed in Blogger's listings and not visible to search engines. 
• Adjust your Blog Reader settings if you wish. I would suggest that you leave this as "public" but if you are concerned about your privacy, you may change the setting to "private" and add me by email.

8. Once your blog is set up, please view your blog in another tab. You will then fill out this form to make sure I have all of your blog information. THIS STEP IS VERY IMPORTANT! I will be reading and commenting on your blogs throughout the semester.

9. Finally, write an introductory post of one or two paragraphs on the following topic. Please use the subject line What I Did On My Summer Vacation* 
What did you do this summer vacation? Rather, what do you wish you did this summer? Use your imagination to write about all the awesome stuff you didn't really do, but wish you had done. Please use this opportunity to show off your sense of humor and creativity, as well as your "accomplishments." You should follow standard rules of spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, but otherwise, the sky is the limit. Click here if you would like to read Ms. Meyer's example. Yours can be longer. You may want to focus on one or two things that "happened" to you or that you "did," but add a lot more details than I included in my example.

Please review this article about online safety for teens. Remember, you should never post personal information online! 

Cartoon from http://www.allvoices.com/cartoons/c/94263908-back-to-school

"Gold...poison to men's souls"

In a blog post of at least one paragraph, please explain your views on the following:

Is money "poison to men's souls"? 

Cite examples from your experiences and observations in your answer.