Tuesday

A couple of you still need to hand in the 3/4 about a way that you don't fit in.
    The assignment is at the end of this blog entry
A few of you still need to share  your Google doc paper on Redefining Family
    See me if you need help with that

TODAY:
Use Chromebooks to write short summaries of all 25 chapters of the novel. These summaries only have to be two sentences long each and you will read the summaries in the Study Guide to do this.
Ricochet River Study Guide, by Robin Cody himself
When finished, share your Google Doc with me.

Journal: In this novel, none of the three main characters, Wade, Jesse, and Lorna feel like they completely fit in. Largely this is because they know that there are certain expectations society has of them that they don't want to (or can't) fulfill. Give an example of a way that you feel you don't quite fit in with an expectation of family, school, friends, or society. We all struggle with this in some way, even if you might think that you don't!

3/4 page

Ricochet River Study Guide, by Robin Cody himself

Thursday, June 1!!!

Finish essays. Read Ricochet River to page 229 for Monday.
Reading Schedule. Read to the following page prior to the date listed
June 1 page 185
June 5 page 229
June 6 page 240
June 8 page finished
3. Discuss Ricochet River

• On page 59 Jesse is very scared to be inside the dam. What point do you think that the author is making by showing him to be more scared of the dam than Wade is?
• On page 64, Wade shoots a goose. Why does he feel guilty about doing this if he did it on purpose? Be specific.
• Write a Wild to Tame scale for all characters in the book.Page 65.
• Lorna says that the town of Calamus puts people in boxes (127). Do we do this, too? What box are you in? What are the positives and negatives of this box?

Ricochet River Study Guide, by Robin Cody himself

Ricochet River Discussion Questions, by Robin Cody

FAMILY REDEFINED
In the book The Bean Trees and the movie Home is Where the Heart Is, the concept of family is redefined. Your assignment is to explain what makes up a family according to these works. 

1. Families communicate and discuss life.
2. Families do things together--camping, making crafts, etc.
3. Protect you. Provide for your basic needs of shelter, food, . . .T takes Turtle; M takes T; S. Husband takes in N
4. They're there for you--they listen and support you, especially when you're sad
5. They make sacrifices (Estevan and E, T took risks to make adoption happen).S. Husband dies taking soup to AA member. Opens up her home to N.  N opens her home to L and 9,000 kids
6. Support you in your dreams and aspirations.
7. Love and accept unconditionally (but nobody's perfect)
8. Push you to excel. L says, "You never thought you were good enough for him" but you are. LouAnn helps T when she feels she can't be an adequate parent. Mattie does same thing.
9.  Eat dinner with your family. S. Husband, Mr. S, Nov have dinner together and hold hands; Estevan tells story of "How they eat in Heaven."
10.  Trust you and have faith in you
11.  Help you when you need it. E and E pretend to be parents
12.  Teach you things
13.  Stick up for each other

1. Journal: Why do shampoo bottles use the French language?
Remember, not many other products do this.
Write a paragraph of 7-11 sentences explaining why people choose to buy products (shampoo, in this case) with French names and French information on them.
Your answer cannot be that these products come from France or that they are sold in Canada. Try to come up with something more than that. It's also interesting to note that most of these products cost more than products without French writing on them.
Focus on elaboration.
Show progression of ideas by addressing questions like:
WHY would people desire to do this?
HOW can you tell that this is the case?
WHAT leads you to your conclusion?
2. Finish essays. Read Ricochet River to page 172 for Thursday.
Reading Schedule. Read to the following page prior to the date listed
June 1 page 185
June 5 page 229
June 6 page 240
June 8 page finished
3. Discuss Ricochet River

• Why do Wade, Lorna, and Jesse receive bad service at Lani Louie's restaurant?
• During football practice Wade tells Jesse that "suffering is the key to building character." Jesse does not agree. What does Wade mean and why doesn't Jesse view football practice this way?
• Jesse has big money coming. The government compensates native people for lost lands and fishing sites. Ricochet River is fiction, but that part is true. Do readers see any problem with money for place?
• On page 59 Jesse is very scared to be inside the dam. What point do you think that the author is making by showing him to be more scared of the dam than Wade is?
• On page 64, Wade shoots a goose. Why does he feel guilty about doing this if he did it on purpose? Be specific.

Ricochet River Study Guide, by Robin Cody himself

Ricochet River Discussion Questions, by Robin Cody

FAMILY REDEFINED
In the book The Bean Trees and the movie Home is Where the Heart Is, the concept of family is redefined. Your assignment is to explain what makes up a family according to these works. 

1. Families communicate and discuss life.
2. Families do things together--camping, making crafts, etc.
3. Protect you. Provide for your basic needs of shelter, food, . . .T takes Turtle; M takes T; S. Husband takes in N
4. They're there for you--they listen and support you, especially when you're sad
5. They make sacrifices (Estevan and E, T took risks to make adoption happen).S. Husband dies taking soup to AA member. Opens up her home to N.  N opens her home to L and 9,000 kids
6. Support you in your dreams and aspirations.
7. Love and accept unconditionally (but nobody's perfect)
8. Push you to excel. L says, "You never thought you were good enough for him" but you are. LouAnn helps T when she feels she can't be an adequate parent. Mattie does same thing.
9.  Eat dinner with your family. S. Husband, Mr. S, Nov have dinner together and hold hands; Estevan tells story of "How they eat in Heaven."
10.  Trust you and have faith in you
11.  Help you when you need it. E and E pretend to be parents
12.  Teach you things
13.  Stick up for each other

Thursday, May 18

If you could have a period, you can't just have a comma

The cat       is wearing a hat,       and      he      is fat. This is a sent, too.
 SUBJECT  +VERB=SENTENCE  SUBJ+VERB=SENTENCE 2 
YOU COULD HAVE A PERIOD The cat is wearing a hat. He is fat.
FANBOYS     for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
COMMA SPLICE
Maryanne is in the classroom, she could also be in the park
Maryanne is in the classroom, OR she could also be in the park
The baby touched the stove, he is crying.
The baby touched the stove, SO he is crying.
                          

Comma Splice Exercise Quizlet Deck

Advanced Comma Splice Quiz

Read Ricochet River
HOMEWORK: Finish chapter 13 (page 132)
HOMEWORK: If you haven't already done so, finish essay over the weekend

In the book The Bean Trees and the movie Home is Where the Heart Is, the concept of family is redefined. Your assignment is to explain what makes up a family according to these works. 

Ricochet River Vocabulary
Words for next Thursday's quiz (5/25):
scuttlebutt, gawky, catawampus, amalgamated, gaff, analgesic, dormant harrowing, travesty

Questions:
Jesse has big money coming. The government compensates native people for lost lands and fishing sites. Ricochet River is fiction, but that part is true. Do readers see any problem with money for place?

On page 59 Jesse is very scared to be inside the dam. What point do you think that the author is making by showing him to be more scared of the dam than Wade is?

On page 64, Wade shoots a goose. Why does he feel guilty about doing this if he did it on purpose? Be specific.

Ricochet River Study Guide, by Robin Cody himself

Ricochet River Discussion Questions, by Robin Cody

FAMILY REDEFINED
Brainstorm: What is a family? Write seven things. Think about the book and the movie to generate your ideas. Be specific.

1. Families communicate and discuss life.
2. Families do things together--camping, making crafts, etc.
3. Protect you. Provide for your basic needs of shelter, food, . . .T takes Turtle; M takes T; S. Husband takes in N
4. They're there for you--they listen and support you, especially when you're sad
5. They make sacrifices (Estevan and E, T took risks to make adoption happen).S. Husband dies taking soup to AA member. Opens up her home to N.  N opens her home to L and 9,000 kids
6. Support you in your dreams and aspirations.
7. Love and accept unconditionally (but nobody's perfect)
8. Push you to excel. L says, "You never thought you were good enough for him" but you are. LouAnn helps T when she feels she can't be an adequate parent. Mattie does same thing.
9.  Eat dinner with your family. S. Husband, Mr. S, Nov have dinner together and hold hands; Estevan tells story of "How they eat in Heaven."
10.  Trust you and have faith in you
11.  Help you when you need it. E and E pretend to be parents
12.  Teach you things
13.  Stick up for each other

Read Ricochet River
HOMEWORK: Finish chapter 9 (page 94)
HOMEWORK: Finish essay

In the book The Bean Trees and the movie Home is Where the Heart Is, the concept of family is redefined. Your assignment is to explain what makes up a family according to these works. 

Ricochet River Vocabulary
Words for Thursday's quiz:
Ricochet, Coyote, déjà vu, defunct, promontory, suave, ominously, gait, taut, amiably

Journal: When Jesse headed off into the wilderness on his search, he was supposed to find a special power. Think of this as an inner strength and feeling of connectedness to the things that matter most in life. After Jesse tells this story, Wade talks about how beautiful this spot on the river is and says, "I wondered if  you could find a special place if you weren't looking for it, if you weren't on a search."

Contrast Lorna’s view of Calamus to Wade’s.
Jesse has big money coming. The government compensates native people for lost lands and fishing sites. Ricochet River is fiction, but that part is true. Do readers see any problem with money for place?


BEAN TREES AND WHERE THE HEART IS ESSAY: FAMILY REDEFINED

Ricochet River Study Guide, by Robin Cody himself

Ricochet River Discussion Questions, by Robin Cody

Read Ricochet River
HOMEWORK: Finish chapter 9 (page 94)

Contrast Lorna’s view of Calamus to Wade’s.
Jesse has big money coming. The government compensates native people for lost lands and fishing sites. Ricochet River is fiction, but that part is true. Do readers see any problem with money for place?


BEAN TREES AND WHERE THE HEART IS ESSAY: FAMILY REDEFINED

Ricochet River Vocabulary

Ricochet River Study Guide, by Robin Cody himself

Ricochet River Discussion Questions, by Robin Cody

Read Ricochet River
HOMEWORK: Finish chapter 7 (page 74)
Questions:

The New York publisher of this book surprised the author by saying what he liked best about Ricochet River was “the Oregonness” of it.What could a New Yorker have meant by that?

Ricochet River has been described by some as a book about place, about how a place—its rivers, its woods, its natural setting—shapes its people.
Does Wade fit into this place?
Does Jesse?
How, in Wade’s view, is his mother out of place?

Contrast Lorna’s view of Calamus to Wade’s.
Jesse has big money coming. The government compensates native people for lost lands and fishing sites. Ricochet River is fiction, but that part is true. Do readers see any problem with money for place?








BEAN TREES AND WHERE THE HEART IS ESSAY: FAMILY REDEFINED
Brainstorm: What is a family? Write seven things. Think about the book and the movie to generate your ideas. Be specific.

1. Families communicate and discuss life.
2. Families do things together--camping, making crafts, etc.
3. Protect you. Provide for your basic needs of shelter, food, . . .T takes Turtle; M takes T; S. Husband takes in N
4. They're there for you--they listen and support you, especially when you're sad
5. They make sacrifices (Estevan and E, T took risks to make adoption happen).S. Husband dies taking soup to AA member. Opens up her home to N.  N opens her home to L and 9,000 kids
6. Support you in your dreams and aspirations.
7. Love and accept unconditionally (but nobody's perfect)
8. Push you to excel. L says, "You never thought you were good enough for him" but you are. LouAnn helps T when she feels she can't be an adequate parent. Mattie does same thing.
9.  Eat dinner with your family. S. Husband, Mr. S, Nov have dinner together and hold hands; Estevan tells story of "How they eat in Heaven."
10.  Trust you and have faith in you
11.  Help you when you need it. E and E pretend to be parents
12.  Teach you things
13.  Stick up for each other

1. Protects you--Turtle was so abused that she might have been killed
Dr. Pelinowski says she had many broken bones when she was little. "Failure to thrive" (165).
Turtle clings to Taylor for protection and comfort.
2. Love and care for you--Taylor decides to take Turtle. Esperanza and Estevan are willing to risk their lives to help her become adopted; Mattie takes takes them in
3. Teach you lessons--you have to adapt to change, like people dying. If you have someone to love you, it makes it easier.
Other examples of family:
Mattie makes sacrifices to take care of refugees.
Where the Heart Is
1. Protects you--Novalee protects Lexi and her kids.
2. Love and care for you--Forney babysits her; Sister Husband takes them in; during the tornado Novalee is more concerned for Americus than for her own life.
3. Teach you lessons--
Other examples of family:
Novalee protects Lexi and her kids.
Forney makes sacrifices to take care of his sister.
Sister Husband risks her own life to help an AA member.

Ricochet River Vocabulary

Ricochet River Study Guide, by Robin Cody himself

Ricochet River Discussion Questions, by Robin Cody