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Home Summer Reading Assignment Students

Given the nature of the 2011 summer reading program, you had significant autonomy in selecting the books you would read. While you were responsible for completing a proposal, you were not given other assignments to complete over the summer. As indicated on your proposal form, you are required to write a letter to your 2011-12 Language Arts teacher that demonstrates your thoughtful reading of your book. We have chosen to break this down further into three focused "Power Paragraphs" for two reasons, one, to introduce you to the idea of a power paragraph, and two, to assist you in covering all aspects of the assignment.

__ Prompt for Paragraph One - A Reflection of Your Choice __ // Water for Elephants, // by Sara Gruen, affirmed my reasons for selecting the novel. The setting of the novel was unique and exposed a new aspect of life during the Great Depression, which matches my expectation that the novel would, “explore a new time period that I have not read about yet” (Rodgers reading proposal). Gruen details the life of a circus performer, which was often dangerous and made unknown to the general public. When the circus is unable to pay its workers, the owner decides that the men are “a financial liability…[they] disappear one night” (Gruen 238). The rich details enhance the setting and show the hazardous lives the men led during the Great Depression to receive an income. This novel exceeded my expectations of learning about a new era through an interesting style of writing. Could you possibly combine the first two sentences? Try to stick to your focus, the last sentence brings up a new idea not previously covered. Good choice of a textual example. Gruen, Sara. //Water for Elephants.// Chapel Hill: Algonquin, 2006, Print.
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Wednesday, 8/24 **

__ Prompt for Paragraph Two - A Discussion of What You Gained by Reading Your Book __ The novel, //Water for Elephants//, forced me to reconsider my beliefs about nursing homes; which I previously believed to be beneficial to both the patient and his family. I never imagined that some nursing homes are devoid of interaction, decent food, and “[Doctors wanting] to drug [patients]. [They] want to turn [them] into a Jell-O eating sheep” (69). This living situation leads to depression which is common as the patient's stay increases (69). Though not all nursing homes operate in this manner, it was still eye-opening to read and infer that without careful guidance the elderly can be exploited. Great job with this paragraph. Is the second cited sentence, "This living situation..." supposed to be a quote?
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Thursday, 8/25 **

__ Prompt for Paragraph Three - What to do With it... __ //Water for Elephants // appeals to both genders; the romantic aspects entice the women, while the gory and action filled scenes will lure men. When the menagerie escapes from its enclosure, August starts attacking Rosie who, “…lifts the stake as though it weighs nothing and splits his head in a single clean movement—//ponk//—like cracking a hardboiled egg…She takes a step backward, revealing Marlena, who may or may not have seen what just happened” (309). Rosie is both violent and caring as she protects Marlena and viciously attacks those who threaten her. The love triangle intertwines with the violent atmosphere of a traveling circus, allowing the book to interest both boys and girls. Great start and evidence for why men would like the action and women the romance. I'm not sure that the love triangle should be included unless you intend to do more with it at the beginning.


 * Scoring: Your three paragraphs will be given one overall grade, and the timeliness of your posts will be reflected in your "timeliness" grade. **

// An outstanding response to the prompts will include the following: //
 * A strong topic sentence that clearly establishes the focus on the prompt
 * Evidence that clearly supports the topic sentence
 * Correct use of internal citations and a properly formatted MLA citation for your book (put this citation at the end of paragraph one)
 * Strict adherence to the Power Paragraph format
 * Mechanics are clean and do not detract from meaning