Some suggested authors for summertime...

Although I don't have anything to review at this exact moment, I thought I'd take a moment to toss some authors your way.  I came across this great article about Kurt Vonnegut and a TED Talk by Isabelle Allende today.  Both Kurt and Isabelle are fabulous writers that I highly recommend.  Take a look at the list below and go shopping!

Kurt Vonnegut:

• Slaughterhouse Five
• Cat's Cradle
• Breakfast of Champions
• Player Piano
• The Sirens of a Titan
• Hocus Pocus
• Bluebeard

Isabelle Allende:

• The House of the Spirits (1982) La casa de los espíritus
• Of Love and Shadows (1985) De amor y de sombra
• Eva Luna (1987) Eva Luna
• Paula (1995) Paula
• Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses (1998) Afrodita
• Daughter of Fortune (1999) Hija de la fortuna
• Portrait in Sepia (2000) Retrato en sepia
• Zorro (2005) El Zorro: Comienza la leyenda
• Forest of the Pygmies (2005) El bosque de los pigmeos
• Ines of My Soul (2006) Inés del alma mía
• The Island Beneath the Sea (2010) "La isla bajo el ma

Happy reading!
-Miss Cordes

All you need here is a passport to your comfiest chair and a sunny back porch...

The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost By Rachel Friedman

Book Review - May 29, 2011

I am currently, slowly, and delicately savoring Rachel Freidman's memoir The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost.  I am so enamored by her adventures and nostalgic for my own, that part of me is afraid to finish the book entirely.  This may be my own crisis, but I just don't want the book to be over!  Not to mention, the girls are just about to leave Australia and head for my old home, South America.  The thought of reading about the places where I once lived and haven't returned to is simply heartbreaking.

I emailed Rachel a little while ago to let her know how much I was enjoying her story and to actually say out loud that I've always wanted to write my own.  I believe many teachers develop a certain level of comfort with dishing out great advice that we can't take ourselves.  How many times have I encouraged a creative writing student to JUST DO IT?  Write the story.  Write the poem.  Sit down and do it.  And here I am, not a memory transcribed since living in Argentina in 2006.

Maybe it'll happen this summer, but until then, please go pick up a copy of this incredible memoir

Amazon.com:  http://www.amazon.com/Good-Girls-Guide-Getting-Lost/dp/038534337X

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Play

"Feelings are scary. And sometimes they're painful. And if you can't feel pain... you won't feel anything else either. You know what I'm saying?"

-Dr. Berger-

I wasn't sure what to expect.  I had a long day and lots of reasons to not go back to school on a Saturday night, but from the opening scene, I was hooked into this play.  I always enjoy seeing my students (even if they're not in my classes, they're part of the WeGo family) doing what they love.  Love for acting and being a part of the theater program was inspiring and evident throughout the play.

Ordinary People is a play that lives up to it's title. It is a play about an average American family dealing with issues ranging from the death of a younger brother, to alcoholism, to love.  I admired the honesty of the play:  it reminded me of how ordinary my life is too, but ordinary in a good way, in a way that makes me related to my friends, family, and others around me.  We can all get so hung up on how difficult our situations or life problems are and oftentimes neglect the fact that we're not the only ones dealing with issues.

The play also reminds us to feel.  Con and his mother suffer from "sweep it under the rug" syndrome.  They don't deal with their issues.  They're bottlers.  I can relate to that!  In fact, much of the play was easy to relate to, which in my eyes, made it a success on the high school stage.

Did anyone else see the play?  What did you think?  Let's hear your thoughts!

The End of a Dictatorships' Regime

It's official, Mubarak has stepped down!  What a moment for the history of the world.  Margaret Mead once said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does."  One person's actions, one group of people's solidarity:  that's what it took to bring down two dictatorial governments in the past month (Tunisia & Egypt).  Currently, revolutions have been sparked in Yemen, Bahrain, and Iran.  


When Shakespeare writes about Julius Caesar, he makes it very clear to the audience that Caesar's greatest flaw is his inability to set aside his own personal ambitions for the betterment of his people.  This kind of selfish rule is ultimately what convinces Brutus to join the conspiracy and do what he dreads - kill Caesar.  Caesar's rule can be foreseen by the conspirators:  they see a group of people ruled by a man whose priorities center on himself.  That, the conspirators know, will lead to a lot of problems for the Roman empire and they fear those problems enough to plan Caesar's assassination.

Keep an eye on world politics, everyone.  The lessons Shakespeare intends to bring our attention to are issues that are pertaining to our world right now!


Read more!  http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/
02/11/egypt.protests/index.html?hpt=T1 


Reflect:
1.  Do you support the protestors?  Are they doing the right thing? Do they have any other options?


2.  What freedom or liberty would you miss the most living in a society run by a dictator?  Can you imagine living in that situation?

Happy Snow Day!!! TWO DAYS!!

I don't know about you guys, but we had about 20 inches of snow out here in Naperville!  Yikes!  I'd love to hear how your snow days are going...don't forget to post/send me your pictures of Julius Caesar snowmen or other creative JC artwork! :-)

I must recommend that you all purchase the new Civil Wars album.  It was released yesterday and you can buy it on iTunes for just $7.99.  I'm loving it and listening now!  If you'd like me to burn you a copy, just let me know.  Here's a little song to give you a taste (they also sing "Poison & Wine" the song that we had for FriTunes last week).



See you all on Friday!! :) Check out Katie K's video that she sent!

I wish I had Michael Jackson's ankles...

          If we were living in Neal Shusterman's fictional world of his latest novel Unwind, that might actually be possible. I could have the ankles of Michael Jackson, the critical ears of Simon Cowell, and the legs of a marathon runner.
          Connor, Risa, and Lev star as the central characters to the 2011 Abraham Lincoln Award Nominated novel Unwind.  The story is about these three "unwinds": kids between the ages of thirteen and eighteen who have been labeled as unworthy by their parents/guardians to be sent away to Harvest Camp where their entire bodies will be taken apart and given to others who need organ or body part donations.  For real.  And everyone in the novel seems perfectly okay with this, that is, except for the Unwinds.
          The novel is hauntingly similar to the ideas and thrills of The Hunger Games but with its own twists and turns.  The narration is interesting, compelling even.  With every chapter, the narrator changes.  That keeps the pages turning and the mystery boiling.  Connor is a rebellious yet likable character, Risa is spunky and Katniss-like, and Lev transforms from an irritating kid to an admirable young man.  These three characters are pushed together by fate as they all attempt, in one way or another, to escape their own unwinding.  The characters never stay in one place for a long time, which is great because it keeps the pace of the novel moving.
          There is certainly enough action to keep readers interested and genuine emotion experienced by the characters, yet the novel did not live up to the quality of Hunger Games for me.  Have any of your read it?  What are your thoughts?

Is Improving Your Mental Fitness one of Your New Year's Resolutions?

Dear friends, students, and all others who read this blog,

Happy New Year, one and all!  I hope that you are all still enjoying this long, relaxing break time from school.  I'm eager to get back to the classroom and see all my shining (won't they be happy?) student faces on Monday :)   But before we get there, I'm sure you are taking some time today to reflect on the successes and failures of 2010 and in that process, are making some positive resolutions for the year 2011.  May I suggest (or insist, rather) that your resolution for 2011 involve increasing the amount of READING that you do on a daily basis??

I know, I know.  Predictable.  An English teacher is encouraging me to read more often.  I've told you about how much I love reading, how it transports me to places and times that I've never imagined.  About how it makes me wrestle with ideas and beliefs that I can't quite figure out in my own life.  Reading IS awesome.  If you don't believe me, take a hint from this article at About.com.  Reading is all about MENTAL FITNESS.  A strong, healthy brain that will get you to, through, and beyond college.  Check it, yo:

Top 10 Ideas for New Reading Material for Brain Health and Mental Fitness

By Mark Stibich, Ph.D., About.com Guide

Reading is a great pastime and your brain will thank you for the challenge of learning something new. By learning novel concepts and ideas in reading, your brain will start to make connections and see these concepts in everyday life. For example, read a book on architecture and you will look at buildings differently.

1. Biography

Biography can give a whole new perspective not only on the historical events that encompass the subject's life, but also on how people think and react to the events around them. Too often we hear about famous people through the media and forget that behind all the glamour and politics there are real people with fears, ambitions, hopes and dreams. Choose someone who interests you and read a biography -- you'll never think of them the same way again.

2. History

History is utterly fascinating. Choose an era that appeals to you and dive in. Your brain will get a work out remembering events, people and times. You will start to see links. Some of the most interesting history books trace a single idea, product or trend. Learn how salt shaped nations, how disease and illness ended empires, and how cultures interrelate.

3. Foreign Authors

Reading foreign authors can give insight into other cultures and places. When books are written for other people and languages, you can learn more.

4. Poetry

Poetry is one of the most underrated types of reading. Poems really challenge the brain by engaging in symbols, allegory and unclear meanings. Pick up an anthology of poems and choose one poem per day. Spend some time on the poem, read it out loud, and let your brain wrap around the words, meanings and intentions of the poet.

5. Classics

The classics are fantastic, some of the best writing in the world. Pick up Dickens and get a double treat -- insight into historical England and depth of character. The classics may feel dense at first, but after the first few pages, you'll adapt to the writing and be drawn into a different time and way of speaking. Work your brain out by reading older language and longer sentences.

6. Science

Science books are fantastic. There are lots of science journalists putting out books that explain concepts and ideas well. Science is really a story about a phenomena. Pick a topic -- astronomy, physics, chemistry -- and find a book that looks good. You'll soon be an expert.

7. How Tos

Learn how to build a boat, even if you aren't planning on making one. Find out how to cook meals you'll never prepare. Get the scoop on how to survive in the wilderness. There are hundreds of fun-to-read and interesting how to books out there. Just pick one and learn everything you can. Your brain will be challenged by visualizing the project, imagining how you would do it and all the steps involved in planning it.

8. Art, Fashion, and Design

These books are often the most expensive, but the library has beautiful art books from different periods. Browse through the wonderful pictures in these books. Train your brain to understand different themes, images, and trends in architecture or fashion (for example). Soon you'll see the influences in the buildings around you or on the clothes people wear. Teach your brain a new way to look at things.

9. Travel

Travel books are often funny, informative and detailed. Check out a few about places that interest you and read up on them. Plan a trip that you may never take. Plan out all the details -- hotel, restaurants, sites. Make detailed itineraries and budgets. Your brain will be challenged by scheduling, prices and the details of culture and history.

10. Religion and Culture

We hear about religions and places on the news and have opinions of them, but know little. Pick up a book on Islam and develop an understanding of one of the world's largest religions. Or try Buddhist, Judaism or Catholicism. Learn about the cultures of Central America, East Africa or Southeast Asia. Find out details about life in India or China.

Take the advice from these experts if you don't trust me already!  Make a commitment to yourself to MAKE YOUR BRAIN STRONGER EVERY DAY BY READING!!!  You will thank me because school will get easier, you will become a better writer, and your ACT/PSAE testing scores as a Junior will be much higher than what you will get without the practice of reading.  Get to it!