Fourth+World

[[image:4thWorld_.jpg align="left"]] **General instructions:**
Because all of your writing is being published here, you should do whatever you need to do to make it accurate in terms of spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Misspelled words (or words not in the dictionary here) are underlined in red. Please repair any underscored words.

Do you have any questions about what you have read in this section of your book? If you do, start a new discussion topic. Type the basic question into the subject box. Add more information about your question in the message box. For example, you might want to quote part of the text and include the page number of the part you're asking about.

Remember to look at other people's posted questions and read what they have said. Add your own comments in response, if you have any.

12/17/09 FINAL ASSIGNMENT:
Finish your book and write your response to the questions below. Try to complete all of your work by **Friday, January 8.**
 * Write a review of this book. Try to use specific examples to back up your opinions. Things you might write about:
 * Did you like it, overall?
 * Did the ending surprise you?
 * Were you satisfied with the ending?
 * Did you like the author's decision to tell it as a first-person story?
 * Is there anything else you want to say about the book?

12/13/09 Assignment #4:
First, go to the discussion page and **read over any UNLOCKED topics**. Add your own comments if they are missing, and consider adding additional comments to things that other readers have posted. Then read the assigned pages: 156 - 214.
 * Plan to finish by Thursday, December 17-- not Friday. **
 * Next, read over the questions below** that go with this week's assignment. One of them isn't a question so much as a challenge (read on . . . ).
 * What are some of the words (or expressions) in this section that were spelled oddly or whose meaning you had to investigate? Everyone should be able to find **and explain** at least three that other people have not already posted.If the spelling is odd, give the spelling you expected. If the meaning was unfamiliar, give the definition you discovered.
 * On page 166, Danny said, "Mother's going to show me what I am." What do YOU think Danny is? Be sure to explain why. Try to give specific reasons for your idea.
 * On page 175, Oggy asked Christie, "Would you die before you'd steal?" So what about you -- is there any crime you would NOT commit in order to stay alive? Would your answer be different if you were trying to keep a friend or close family member alive? **Try to explain why** you would make the choice you said you would make.
 * Here's one that is probably going to be answered by the first person who posts, and that's okay. Just note that you agree, if you do, or offer a different explanation. When the travelers meet Albert, Christie asked, "Why isn't he called Loony or Moony?" What has he observed about the naming of the animals from Mother's place that made him ask that question?
 * What is your impression of Sprog/Sandy? Try to post things that are different from what other people have posted. There's a lot to say.
 * Make a prediction about something that you think is coming in a later part of the book. Make it different from other people's posted predictions.

**12/5/09 Assignment #3:**
FIrst, go back to the discussion page and make sure you have read all of my comments on the questions you answered for the last section and, where required, add more information or ideas. Don't skip this. Then. . . Read all of this assignment's directions below before you do any of it. Read to the end of page 155. Then post your replies to the questions below, which are also in the DISCUSSION section.
 * Plan to finish by Friday, December 11. **
 * Christie is changing and learning some things about himself as this journey goes on. Try to tell about at least one thing that no one else has posted -- one thing that shows Christie is thinking about his family, his own past behavior and attitude, or his home situation differently.
 * On a piece of notebook paper (or you may type it), write brief definitions for the following words and hand it in on Friday. Circle the words that you already knew and could define without asking or looking them up. WORD LIST: mesmerized, bedlam, brunt, affinity, tannoy, camaraderie, enveloping, puny, and obsequious. Some of these words are from the previous assignment and some are in this section.
 * What were some of your emotions as you read this section, and what were the events that caused them? Try to name at least three.

**11/28/09 Assignment #2:**
Read all of this assignment's directions before you do any of it. Read to the end of page 113. Then post your replies to the questions below, which are also in the DISCUSSION section. This would be a good time to look at a map and find Ireland and Scotland. Click here for a good one which will open in a separate web page. You will want to go back and forth between this page and the map as you look for locations important to the story. Look at the east side of Ireland for the city of Dublin, which is the capital of that country. This is where the group went first, then walked to the port of Dun Laoghaire (pronounced //dun-leery//) on the edge of the city. From there they got a ferry to Holyhead, which is in Wales. Trace their route across the Irish Sea. Next they got on a train to Glasgow, which is in Scotland. Find Glasgow by going straight up from Holyhead until you find it. Their next destination is Inverness, but there are no trains and few cars. Go straight up from Glasgow until you find it. Finally, they are trying to get to the little village near Danny's mother's home, which is called Bettyhill. That's too small to be on the map, but it is close to the seacoast in the northernmost part of Scotland.
 * Plan to finish by Friday, December 4. **
 * Did you find all of the locations on the map: Dublin, Holyhead, Glasgow, and Inverness?
 * According to the map scale, how far is it from Glasgow to Inverness?
 * Christie is learning some things about himself and changing his opinion about some people in his life. Choose one thing he is learning about himself or one opinion that is changing and explain it. Give reasons for your explanation, perhaps referring to pages in the book. Read other people's responses to this question and comment on them, too.
 * There are a lot of words you may not know in this story because the author is Irish and lives in England. For example, a //caravan// is a camping trailer. //Petrol// is gasoline. The //boot// of the car is the trunk. Are there any other words or expression that have puzzled you? Try to provide the page number(s) as well as the word(s).

11/22/09 **Your first assignment:**
Read to the end of page 42. Think about the characters you have met in that section.

Then add your responses to the questions below, which are in the DISCUSSION section. **This should be completed by the time you return to school on Monday, November 30.**

Which ones seem like major characters? Choose two or three characters and tell us what you understand about them. Give your personal reactions to each of them. . . for example, if you like one of them, explain why.