3 Books I Would Like to Read

The Hunger Winter: Occupied Holland tells the story of a young dutch boy during the Nazi occupation of Holland during World War II. This book intrigues me because of my interest in the second world war. I am currently reading a book set during this horrific period and I would like to read an account of the realities of the harsh winter. This book is not in our class library but I will probably buy the book or go to a library.

Catch 22 is another book that tweaks my interest. I have heard this book is really fun and would like to decide for myself if the book is as funny as claimed. This book also takes place during World War II which immediately makes me want to read the book.

A third book I would like to read is The Lightning Thief. I saw the movie based on this book during the summer and I would like to read the real story.

Annotated Bibliography 2nd Nine Weeks

Reading Reflection

After completing the first nine weeks of independent reading, I have made several notes about my reading habit. My reading habit, has not improved. However, I read rather habitually already. I also noticed I was having trouble, at first, writing in my reading journal. My earliest entries mostly consisted of trivial pieces of information with no depth at all. I have improved at this, somewhat but I believe I will continue to get better with time. My reading "diet," on the other hand has improved substantially. Normally, I read "candy" reads with no real literary importance with the occasional biography thrown in the mix. The diversification of my reading has caused my to read somewhat more analytically. The biggest difference, I have noticed, is the amount of questions that pop into my head while I read. I question the style, themes, and even the author's choice of words. Next nine weeks, I would like to make a better effort at journaling. I would also like to read more articles. I found that I really enjoyed reading about current events and would like to continue.

Socratic Seminar Reflection

Upon first hearing of our class's impending Socratic Seminar adventure, I had several reservations. I had doubts about the ebb and flow of the discussions, believing there would be periods of furious discussion and then stretches of silence. Reservations of my ability to make substantial preparations for the discussion also popped into my head. However upon the conclusion of my first discussion, I found that my ability to spring board off other students' ideas into my own was better than I first imagined. This kept the flow of the conversation moving along at a acceptable.

Brave New World has many deep, thought-provoking themes throughout. The Socratic Seminar prodded my brain into more analytically deep thinking about the themes and characters than I ever thought possible from the surface of the text. The discussion did not bless my mind with any new knowledge but gave my thinking a different direction. For example, in our discussion of the significance of Henry Ford as God, I was introduced to a more literal way of viewing the situation. I saw Henry Ford as the representation of scientific triumph just as God is our representation of cultural triumph. However, Andrea, viewed the situation more literally. Just as God created our world with his hands, Henry Ford manufactured the new society in Brave New World. Andrea redirected my thinking in an entirely way that had never crossed my mind before.

The discussions at the end gave me the most enjoyment and satisfaction. They seemed to be less structured and allowed the conversations to take a variety of twists and turns. This was best expressed when Sean, Natasha, Sadie, and I discussed the effect of mass production on individuality. Natasha challenged my ideas, giving me a way to enforce my own understanding of my ideas with the examples that came to mind as the discussion continued.

I found the Socratic Seminar to be a really fun and stimulating activity. However, I found the placement of the discussion group in the center of the room awkward. A feeling of judgments being passed filled the room. I do not see a better way to do this activity, however, and realize that this an individual problem that needs to be solved by the individual.