Monday, December 15, 2008

Foreshadowing - Due December 22nd

Today's lesson showed us that foreshadowing is a device that author's use to give hints about what is to come later on in the story.

Can you identify any place in Freak the Mighty where Rodman Philbrick (the author) may have been trying to warn you about how the story might end?

Monday, December 1, 2008

Theme - due December 8th

Theme can be defined as the meaning, the moral, or the message about life that the writer conveys to the reader. However, as discussed in class today, themes can also be BIGGER ideas that subtly hold the story together. These themes are simple and woven into the story. They help move along the plot. They are not stated; they must be inferred.

What bigger ideas do you see holding this novel together? Where do you see these themes appearing? How do these themes further the storyline?

Monday, November 17, 2008

Figurative Language - Ongoing

Check your notes and review the figurative language terms: metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification, onomatopoeia, and idiom.

After looking at these terms and examples in your notes, it is your job to be on the lookout for examples of these terms in Freak the Mighty.

In your comment for the week include some example of figurative language that you have chosen from the reading, identify what kind of figurative language is being shown, and tell what it literally means.

Don't stop looking for these terms. As you see new examples, share them as well. You will receive a grade for the week and one for how many "extras" you post for the duration of the book.

Example comment:

I found the following idiom as I was reading Freak the Mighty: "I go, 'You must have ants in your pants,' and he gets this funny look and he goes,'That's what the Fair Gwen always says, did she tell you to say that?" and I shake my head and finish the cereal real slow and Freak goes, 'For your information there are two thousand two hundred and forty-seven known sub species of hymenopteran insects, Latin name, Formicidae, and none of them are in my pants.'"

The idiom is "ants in your pants" which literally means that Freak cannot sit still.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Genre - due November 17th

What is the genre of this book? What keeps this book from falling into any of the other "categories" shared in class today? Support your answer.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Character - due November 10th

In class we discussed characters and characterization. After reading the first 3 chapters of Freak the Mighty, it is already clear who the main characters are. However, the author has also already begun to characterize these boys by using some of the four basic methods for developing a character.

As readers, we have learned about Maxwell (the narrator, Kicker) and Kevin (Freak, robot-boy) through physical descriptions, their thoughts, their actions, and even what they have said to and about each other.

In your comment for the week talk to me about what Maxwell and Freak look like. Who are they - based on what they have said, what they have thought, and how they have reacted to different situations? Finally, what can we learn as readers from what they have said to and about each other?

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Welcome

Welcome to our book talk! I look forward to your insightful and meaningful comments as we read Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick.