Rowling webinar

 Participating in the international webinar with J.K. Rowling was a success! Both cores were able to see the webcast- one live, and one repeat. Her advice to young writers... if you're serious about writing- finish what you start!

Brain Power

Are you a "Lefty" or a "Righty"

I'm a righty, with a splash of lefty on top! Both sides of your brain need to work together for you to be a balanced, successful person. If one side is dominate- use your strengths to help you in areas where you are weak. I want to use this picture for an art focus... possibly after we finish Zentangles.  :0)

Personal Best

Finding and Achieving your Personal Best

Progress reports will be mailed out this week for all subject areas. If you like what you see, keep up the good work! If you are disappointed or upset with your grades, please complete the following:

• Use your class time WISELY. Work done in class = less homework.
• Check your grades on Parent Portal every day!
• Study for tests and quizzes. Be prepared!
• Ask for help when you need it.
• Check the blog for homework- check Edmodo for academic conversation and online assignments.
• Understand that school is supposed to be hard~ and what you put into school is what you get out of it.

On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks resulted in extensive death and destruction, triggering major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defining the presidency of George W. Bush. Over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., including more than 400 police officers and firefighters.

Awesome Art

FYI: Here's a finished example of the art we will complete in class tomorrow!

Work in progress...

Week at a Glance...

Review PLOT Academic terms...

Structural Features of Media: Newspapers [Yeti?]

Rikki-tikki-tavi

Non-fiction article interaction: Tongue Piercing... Good? or Bad?

Vocabulary Lesson and test on 1 & 2 [Friday]

Research the Fall of Rome- complete HOT Sheet

Back to School Night: Thursday

Dance on Friday!

It's going to be a GREAT week!

First Week Photos

Funky Chicken Flash Drive...I LOVE it!

Check out the Fun Pics page for a glimpse of our first week of school! 

Talk PLOT to me!

For the next few weeks we will study the literary elements of plot. You will learn key academic vocabulary that pertains to plot, and analyze the short story "Duffy's Jacket" found in our Holt book. Learn it now, use it forever!! My goal is to teach you how to talk plot in a literate and articulate manner. It's going to be a GREAT week in F108!

Moving Towards Mastery

20 geographical features

For an extra credit point on the quiz this Friday, practice the 20 map locations with a parent and have them sign your map. When you come in to class tomorrow, set your map on your desk and SSR. I will check for signatures first thing! 

Goal= Mastery of all 20 features!

Do YOU want 5 EASY points? 

Do the following by tomorrow morning!

1. Bookmark [or add as a favorite] my blog

2. Send me an email to let me know you looked at the blog:

bethduncan@vusd.k12.ca.us

3. If you do not have Internet, have your parent sign the syllabus by my email address.

4. Complete this by 8:55 AM [Core 1] or by 1:07 PM [Core 2], Tuesday, August 21st

Back to School

Welcome to my classroom, and welcome to my web site! Bookmark/save this page as a favorite so you have a quick link ready to go! Also, make sure to check out all the pages, and watch for daily updates. I am looking forward to a fantastic year. GO BULLS!

Colfer Signing

 The Eoin Colfer signing at the Oceanside Barnes & Noble was a HUGE success! Thank you to everyone that came out to watch Eoin present his "8 in 8" Artemis Fowl skit, and to stay for the signing. A BIG thank you to Disney-Hyperion for asking me to host his launch party. 

Eoin Colfer

EOIN COLFER will sign for us SATURDAY, July 14th from 6-8PM. Tell EVERYONE you know, and I'll see you there!

ALA : Friday

I'm in ARC heaven! I can't wait to share them with you. If you see one you want... email me fast!

FTBT Review: Dreamless

Title: Dreamless
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pubdate: May 29, 2012
ISBN: 9780062012012
Author: Josephine Angelini

“But how do I get home” she asked before he could get too far.


“All you have to do is wake up. And Helen,” he called out ,almost like he was warning her, “In the coming days, try to remember that dreams do come true, but they don’t come easily.” pg 322

As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on.

Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder.

In Dreamless, Helen and Lucas, both deceived and broken, are forced to repress the deep feelings they have for one another.  Helen is bound to fight the evil furies alone, and without Lucus by her side, she fights exhaustion and discouragement night after night.  In a twist of fate, Helen’s deceptive mother sends Orion to her aide, complete with the ability to protect Helen from harm AND soothe her broken heart.  Orion is irresistible, and his playful presence in Helen’s life definitely makes things interesting.  Never to be underestimated, Lucas keeps his presence invisible,  and does what he can to help Helen without her knowing.

Dreamless provides a strong female character that truly lives up to her legacy. Helen takes care of business- and even at her most vulnerable moment, is strong and true.  I thought my devotion to Lucas could not be swayed, but Orion placed his invisible grip on my heart, just as he did with Helen.  This frustrating love triangle provides just the right amount of literary tension, which demands the reader to turn pages and read furiously until the story closes. Once again, the book ends without resolution, and despite my frustration, I loved every single page.  Fans of Greek mythology and a complicated love story are going to devour this novel.

I give this book an A+ for leading me to the River of Literary Joy!

Net Galley Review: Tempest Unleashed

Title: Tempest Unleashed

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books

PubDate: June 05, 2012

ISBN: 9780802728302

Author: Tracy Deebs

         Though they were being total gentlemen, I still felt like a rope in a tug-of-war contest- caught between two opposing sides. Belonging equally to both of them. It made my head throb.  Pg. 200

Tempest Maguire is happy with her decision to embrace her mermaid nature and live among her mother's clan within the ocean's depths. Even though training to one day ascend the throne for the aging mermaid queen is rigorous, she finds refuge in the arms of Kona, the selkie who first opened her up to her mermaid side. But when word comes that one of her brothers has been gravely injured on land, Tempest immediately rushes to his side—which also brings her back to her old flame, Mark. And in her absence, a deadly battle begins raging at the hands of Tempest's old nemesis, the sea witch Tiamat. As the dangerous war erupts, Tempest's two loves—Kona and Mark, sea and land—will collide for the first time, both to protect her and to force her to choose.

After reading book one, I was eager for book two. Now that I have finished book two, I am desperate for book three! The clash between water and land, new love and true love, keeps you involved and interested from start to finish. The independent and fiery Tempest is overwhelmed with the choices she is forced to make- and her ties with her family on land, and her mermaid heritage within the sea- pull her two completely different directions. Deciding to fight an evil sea creature doesn’t hold a candle to the heartache Tempest experiences as she faces the fact that she loves two boys at once.

Teen readers will be crazy for mermaids after reading Tracy Deebs’s books. Tempest Unleashed is filled with pearls of wisdom that reveal crucial pieces of Tempest’s past so that she can face her uncertain future. Tracy- if you’re reading this… I wanted you to know that I’m “Team Kona” all the way!

 I give this book an A+ for it’s magical mermaid charm.

Net Galley Review: Grave Mercy

Title: Grave Mercy
Subtitle: His Fair Assassin, Book 1
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pubdate: April 03, 2012
ISBN: 9780547628349
Author: Robin LaFevers

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Nun by day… assassin by night? This book has it ALL going on! If you’ve searched for a strong female character that can take care of business, AND have the brains to understand it… than this is the book for you. Ismae takes the term heroine to a whole new level, and as she learns the deadly tricks to her lethal trade, she is confronted with something more terrifying than Death itself…forbidden love. Thank you Robin LaFevers for delivering a story that kept me on the edge of my seat AND reading past my bedtime. There’s only one problem… I need book 2!

I give this book an A+ for it’s original plotline and its “kick-butt” heroine!

Net Galley Review: The Peculiars

Title: The Peculiars

Publisher: ABRAMS

Imprint: Amulet Books

Pubdate: May 1st, 2012

ISBN: 9781419701788

Author: Maureen Doyle McQuerry

The Peculiars, by Maureen Doyle McQuerry, is an awesome YA read. The first thing that captured my interest was the cover. The mute colors and the delicate wings, combined with a steampunk look, sold me before I even read the book. The main character, Lena Mattacascar, makes the decision to travel alone in search of her father in the northern wilderness of Scree.  Her vulnerabilities and insecurities are revealed early on, and this allows the reader to connect with her "peculiar" characteristics.  While on the train to Scree, Lena meets Jimson Quiggley, who both fascinates and frightens her. Together, the two work for a mysterious inventor Mr. Beasley, and as they travel deep in to Scree, Marshall Thomas Saltre who wants Lena’s father for a completely different reason, relentlessly chases them.

Throughout the story, Lena is forced to face her deepest fears, which includes learning if she is indeed, a Peculiar. Her mind tells her one thing, but her bird-like hands and feet tell a different story.  What she discovers as she seeks the truth about herself reveals a terrifying plot to rid the world of all peculiars.  Her inability to trust, including the dashing Jimson, keeps her from opening up about her insecurities. Jimson's unwavering devotion is the support Lena needs to confront her fears, and accept her Peculiar features.

With a little bit of romance and a lot of mystery, this novel will keep you interested until the last page.  Tweens, teens, and fans of steampunk will love this book!

 Our KWN trip to NYC was absolutely amazing! Thank you to the Panasonic Corporation and KWN for treating us like royalty. 

Riordan Webinar

Thank you to the School Library Journal for allowing us to participate in the Rick Riordan webinar today! 

Hollyweird ARCs

Thank you Terri Clark for the ARCs of Hollyweird!

Net Galley Review: The Immortal Rules

Title: The Immortal Rules

SubTitle: Book of Eden: Book I

Pub: Harlequin

Imprint: HarlequinTeen

PubDate: April 24, 2012

ISBN: 9780373210510

Author: Julie Kagawa

“Immortality is a lonely road,” he murmured, “and it will only be made worse if you don’t release your attachments to your old life. To that boy, you are the enemy now, the unseen monster that haunts his nightmares. You are the creature he fears the most. And nothing in your previous life, not friendship or loyalty or love, will ever change that.” Pg 149

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die…or become one of the monsters. Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad.

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike. But it isn’t easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa brings everything that a reader loves to the YA table.  The characters range from vampires who use and abuse humans, to crazed rabids who crave human flesh, to human beings desperate to find refuge from the chaotic world they live in.  The main character, Allie, chooses the bite of immortality instead of physical death, even though her choice changes her into a monster. Allie is a passionate, complicated teen that struggles desperately with the vampire she has become.  Despite her immortal status, she commits herself to her former humanity, vowing to protect a small band of humans searching for Eden, a paradise free of rabids and vampires.  Zeke is the unsuspecting boy who welcomes Allie into his band of humans as they search for Eden. Allie does not compromise herself, and as she struggles with her fascination and growing attraction for Zeke, she fights her thirst for blood. Zeke has been taught all his life to hate creatures like Allie, and when she protects his family from harm, he questions his faith and his upbringing.

“What are you doing to me? He whispered, as his hand moved down to my neck, tracing my collarbone. I couldn’t answer even if I wanted to. “You make me question everything I’ve learned, everything I know. Truths I’ve believed since I was a kid, gone.”  He sighed, and I felt a shiver go through him, but he didn’t pull his hand back. “What’s wrong with me?” he groaned, low and anguished. “I shouldn’t be feeling any of this…”  pg 409

I absolutely loved this book; I was glued to the pages from start to finish.  I love a love story with bite, and when Allie and Zeke are faced with breaking the Immortal Rules in order to be together, I found myself hoping for the impossible.  Twilight’s Edward and Bella, along with Cassandra Clare’s Jace and Clary, need to move over and be ready to share the YA spotlight with Julie Kagawa’s Allie and Zeke. The Immortal Rules is a winner!

I give this book my highest rating: A+ for its forbidden love story and action-packed plot. 

The Immortal Rules

Rabids, Vampires, and the Unregistered...Oh Yeah!

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa is OUTSTANDING! Watch for our teacher/student reviews coming soon.

NCT Article

Stetson...

Here is my new horse Stetson! He's a Missouri Fox Trotter.

Illuminate~A MUST Read!

 

Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything changes when she is awarded a prestigious internship at a posh Chicago hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous strangers: the powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.

As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?

I LOVED this book. It's available NOW at Barnes & Noble or on your eReader. You will need to make sure your homework is done before you start this book- because once you start it, you will not want to stop. 

Mr. Hot Dog

As promised, here is the picture of Mr. Hot Dog at the Oceanside Street Fair. 

VITs While You Read

Look for VITs while you Read!

Reading Challenge: Look for examples of your VITs within your independent reading material. Keep a list in your comp and include the term, page #, and the textual example. Be picky- similes and alliteration examples are plentiful, so only select the strongest and weed out the weak. We will start a VIT assignment next week- so front load your comp with examples and be ahead of the game for the assignment!

CoLS release party: May 8th, O'side Barnes and Noble. Free SWAG! Cassie Clare ROCKS! See you there!

Rock for the Paws

ThAnK yOu for all of your HaRd work on our air bands event, "Rock for the Paws." 

The final fundraising total will be added once we get back to school, but it looks like we made our goal! Yahoo!

Rock for the Paws

Top 10 in the Nation!

Leave Only Footprints...

Congratulations to our KWN Bulldog News team for their Top 10 win in the national KWN Panasonic Video competition! Cross you fingers... top 4 winners will be announced by March 23rd. Good luck BDN! You ROCK!

Food for Thought..

Enough said.

Net Galley review: Hollyweird

Title: Hollyweird

Publisher: Flux Books

Pub Date: May 08, 2012

ISBN: 9780738719252

Author: Terri Clark

            “I won,” I whispered excitedly. “I. Won.”

            “Oookay,” she said, looking unnerved by my abnormal ebullience. “Whadja win?”

            “Only just a once in a lifetime, miraculous, I-still-can’t-believe-it dream come true. I, my dear best friend, am taking you” –I pointed to her – “to L.A. during summer break.  You’re looking at the Grand Prize winner of EnterTEENment Magazine’s Meet Dakota Danvers Contest.  We’re talking all expense paid trip, six sunny days and five balmy nights in Cali and we get to do a photo shoot with Dakota himself.” Pg5

Aly King feels like she has died and gone to heaven when she learns that she is the grand prizewinner of a date with the hottest movie star on the planet.  She invites her best friend [and self-proclaimed word savant] Desi to take the trip of a lifetime from Colorado to Hollywood, California. The only hitch in the plan is that Aly’s spoiled and pampered older sister Missy must come along to chaperone the girls.  Waiting at the airport is Jameson Dagon, a gorgeous, nineteen-year-old limo driver with chiseled cheekbones and an “adorable cleft chin”.  He takes the girls to the Hollywood set of Paranormal P.I where the infamous hottie Dakota Danvers is waiting for them.

Things don’t turn out so great for the girls once they realize that Dakota IS too good to be true. Their first hint comes when Aly watches his mocha brown eyes turn into glowing balls of fire. Jameson confirms their fears and explains that Dakota is [get ready for this…] the son of Satan. He also reveals that Hollywood isn’t what is seems, and that his job is to figure out what’s going down before things get out of hand.  The girls’ Hollywood dream date turns into a life or death mission to stop the son of Satan and save the world. 

Hollweird is one of the most entertaining books I have ever read. I laughed throughout the whole book- and the hysterical one-liners kept me thoroughly entertained. From “Yo-ho-hell-o! Honk the hottie horn” to “It’s all verbit!’ the characters’ large personalities will completely entertain you. Jameson’s optimistic attitude inspires the pessimistic Aly, and together they create an absolutely angelic couple. Hollweird is the next hot teen read that everyone will be talking about!

Great Year so Far...

It's been a great year so far with my amazing Bulldog News team! Up next, air bands "Rock for the Paws" benefiting the SPCA !

Net Galley Review: Lies Beneath

Title: Lies Beneath

Publisher: Random House Children’s Books

Pub Date: June 12, 2012

ISBN: 9780385742016

Author: Anne Greenwood Brown

            “Do you think it’s warm enough to swim? She asked.

            “For you, maybe.” I said. “You have a higher tolerance than anyone I’ve ever met.”

            “Including you?”

            “Definitely including me. I’ll be staying on the beach.”

            “Oh, don’t be such a baby.”

            “We’ll see.” I took a risk and grabbed her hand. The familiar tingling sensation tickled up my arm to my heart, and the fluorescent pink glow pulsed out of her shoulders, spreading over her body like a perfect outline. I dropped her hand, and the glow dimmed to a rust-colored shadow. Interesting. She was happier when I held her hand. Pg. 159

Calder White is a legend…literally! As a merman, Calder sees humans as “Happy, shiny lures” full of optimism, excitement, and joy, all emotions he cannot personally experience.  While drowning a victim, Calder absorbs the vibrant human auras into his skin, stealing the warmth and joy from their hearts into his own.  Calder is not alone; he lives part of the year with his 3 sisters, and as they return to Lake Superior for the winter, revenge is on their minds.  Jason Hancock is their target, for he is responsible for their mother’s death. The plan is simple: Calder must make the acquaintance of Jason’s daughter Lily and use her as bait. Even though his only responsibility is seduction, murder, and mayhem, he strays from the plan. Instead of eliminating Jason Hancock's daughter, he falls in love.

Now Calder is forced to choose between the only family he has ever known and the girl he loves. The mental thread that binds the mermaids together is strong, but the unexpected lure of love tempts Calder to forget revenge and focus on the freedom that only forgiveness can bring.

Lies Beneath is an entertaining read with a fresh take on the legends of mermaids.  I wasn’t sure I would like the idea of “aura sucking” merpeople, but with Calder, it totally works. From the start he fights the temptation to kill, knowing that abstinence would eventually force him to hunt again. His struggle with his own morality makes him an extremely likable character, and I found myself cheering on the relationship between Calder and Lily.  This book combines the magic of mermaids with the mystery of unexpected love- making it the perfect read for tweens and teens everywhere.

FTBT Review: The Goddess Test

Title: The Goddess Test

Sub Title: The Goddess Test Series: Book I

Publisher: Harlequin

Pub Date: 2011

ISBN: 9780373210268

Author: Aimee Carter

            “Why the tests? “ I said. “Why are they necessary?”

            “Because,” he said.  “The prize is not something we give out lightly, and we need to make sure it is something you can handle.”

“What’s that?”

“Immortality.”  Pg 106

            Kate Winters has it tough; her mom is dying of cancer and Kate is her only caretaker. Following a move back to her mother’s childhood home in Eden, Kate goes through the motions of starting a new high school while continuing to care for her mom. Making friends is last on her list of priorities, but following a cruel prank, Kate finds herself faced with a serious problem: mean girl Ava is dead, and Kate is the key to saving her. While administering CPR, a mysterious man named Henry appears and offers Kate a deal: he will save Ava’s life if Kate promises to read the Greek myth of Persephone and return to him in two weeks. She agrees, and Ava miraculously comes back to life. For Kate, this is where normal ends and extraordinary begins.

            As promised, Henry returns to Kate after two weeks and takes her to his home. Overwhelmed and confused, Kate complies, but she soon finds out what Henry is really asking her: to be Queen of the Underworld, and to rule with him for 6 months of the year. Before she can marry Henry, Kate must pass a series of tests to see if she is worthy of becoming immortal. If she succeeds, she will not only earn the right to rule the Underworld with Henry, she will keep her mother alive for a little bit longer. For Kate, passing not only means the difference between life and death, it could determine if she is capable of finding true love.

            The Goddess Test offers a fresh look into the tragic love story of Persephone and Hades, with a few major changes. Henry [Hades] is on the verge of losing hope, but decides to give love one more try. Kate is made for Henry, literally, and must accomplish the seemingly impossible: winning Henry’s heart when it has belonged to Persephone since the dawn of time. The love story between Kate and Henry is so enchanting, you will find yourself unable to stop reading until the very last page. Fans of Greek mythology will devour this book, and if you love a love story, The Goddess Test delivers!

I give this book an A+, my highest rating. Aimee Carter, you ROCK!