Check Up

How is everyone so far this summer? Did everyone enjoy graduation? Has anyone read a good book or seen a great movie? Tranformers 2 was not good.

Sit Back and Unwind

What is the perfect summer day?

Future of Our Class

We are heading into our last week together and this has been one of the best school years I can remember. What are some of your highlights from class this year? What should the class be like in the future?

In the End...

What are your overall feelings regarding the conclusion of 19 Minutes? Did Picoult do the right thing killing off Peter Houghton? Was Matt deserving of Josie's "revenge?" Is this book important to teach to the incoming 8th grade class? If yes, why?

Never, Never, Never!

What are the three "nevers" of your life?

Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
you may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I'll rise.

What is your own source of strength? What helps you to rise above those that don't accept you? What inner qualities help you rise? (creativity, humor, passion for a hobby). Could Peter have benefited from this poem?

Important Lessons

What is the most important lesson, message, or advice that you have learned that you might pass on to others?

Dr. Wah and his Testimony

Dr. King, an expert witness for the defense, states that Peter was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of chronic victimization. "But a big part of it, too," he adds, "is the society that created both Peter and those bullies" (409). Do you think that society is partly to blame for Peter's actions as well as those of the bullies? Do you agree with this? Why or why not?

Is it ever too late to say your sorry? Is it easier to give or accept an apology?