Sell Out to Be Pretty

submitted by Julia S - What if you lived in a world where once you turn 16 you have a full body reconstruction to make you "pretty"?  This is the premise of the book The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.  The main character, Tally, is very excited to become a Pretty so she can join her one-time best friend, Peris, in Prettyville.  She currently lives in Uglyville with the rest of the under-16 population.  While there, she encounters a girl named Shay who has decided she won't undergo the operation to change what she looks like.  She runs away because she doesn't want to be forced to turn pretty.  She offers to take Tally with her but Tally wants the surgery so she refuses.  The government finds out about Shay and tells Tally that she cannot get the surgery unless she tells them where to find Shay so they can force Shay to turn pretty like everyone else.
Would you...
1.  Go after Shay, expose her to the government and then be able to turn pretty (even though you know Shay doesn't want to be turned and it would ruin your friendship)?
2.  Go after Shay, stay with her and never become pretty but keep your friendship?  Remember, if you stay ugly, everyone will resent you and find you horribly unnatractive but you will have the true friendship of Shay.

So, what is beauty?  Is it internal or external?  Think about a good friend you made this year.  Would you leave them and sell them out just to be pretty like everyone else?

Pro Athletes

submitted by Tyler W - In case you didn't know, most professional atheletes make more than every teacher. The minimum salary for the NFL is 300,000 and the NBA's veteran's minimum is 1.16 million. These both are much more than an everyday teacher's salary. Do you think the pros deserve it? They basically play a game for a living, while teachers affect the lives of everyone who ever had to go to school.  Which job is more valuable?

Forget You

submitted by Ted - I'm sure most of you have heard the song "Forget You" and the explicit version as well.  This song made me think...Do you think it is really necessary to have profanity in songs?  Does it make the music better or worse?  How does it affect what we say and do in the rest of our lives?  Thoughts?

Everybody Roots for the Underdog

submitted by George - We have all read or heard of a story where the underdog wins.  My question to you is, "What is your favorite Cinderella story?"  It can be from sports/film/the stage/books etc.

1984 Part 2

1984 readers should have Part 2 read by Friday 2/25.  At that discussion we will focus on the developments of the characters and plot, the emerging themes, the connection to society in the 40's and also any reflection of our current society in the action of the novel.

The Grammy's

submitted by AJ - The Grammy Awards recently happened.  If you watched, what do you think of the show, acceptance speeches, awards, performances etc.

The Revolution Has Been Televised

submitted by Dorian - Do you know about the current situation in Egypt?  What is your take on the revolution?  Were the protesters justified in overthrowing the president?

(If you don't know what is going on in Egypt you should head to foxnews, msn, cnn etc to get some info)

Gamers

submitted by James - Do you play a lot of video games or sit on the computer all the time?  Do you think it is having a negative or positive impact on your life?

1984 Part One Discussion

The discussion for Part One of 1984 has been moved to Tuesday during KIDS time.  For the discussion I want everyone to bring any general understanding questions they have (I don't get it kind of questions), also please have at least 1 question that you think will generate a strong conversation around some part of the text...this should be a specific question, not something like...what do you think the theme is?  or , are there any symbols in part one?  BE SPECIFIC!

Favorite Book

submitted by Nick - What is your favorite book?  What is it about?  Why is it your favorite?

Facebook

submitted by Julia - Pretty much everybody today has a Facebook.  Do you think this is a good or bad thing?  What are the positives?  negatives?

(there have been a lot of controversy around Facebook comments/pics etc being used against people at work as well as school...do you think this is fair to do? - Horvath)

Jersey Shore

submitted by BadKidCaroline - We all know of or have seen the MTV show "Jersey Shore".  What do you think of the show?  What kind of influence does it have on us?  What do you think the reaction of other countrys is when they see this?

Narcissists

submittee by Weedster - I always hear that our generation is full of narcissistic/selfish people and that we rely too much on technology.  What are your views on this?

What Goes Around Comes Around

submitted by Caroline - Do you believe in karma?  Why or why not?

Immortality

submitted by Bad Kid - If you had the choice, would you want to become immortal?  Make sure to use SEW format for your answer.

Sports

submitted by Jordan - I think a great topic to talk about on the blog is what your favorite sport is.  People like different sports and have different opinions why.  What sport is your favorite?  Don't forget to SEW It Up!

Jumping off from Just Write

submitted by Rockelle - I was reading some of the poems on the Just Write blog and when I came across this one by mackenzieL18 I thought it was interesting.  Does this poem apply to your life?...or someone you know?...or someone you can think of?  Don't forget to SEW It Up!!!

If you say so,
I guess it's true
Why?
Because you said so,
That's why
You tell me things
and I listen to you tell me things
and I have to believe that they're true
'Cause what's the point of listening
if they're not?
And I do listen...
So I guess they have to be
right?

February Books of the Month

7th Grade Picks
Jerk California - Jonathan Friesen
Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

Partner Pick
Peace Like a River -  Leif Enger

8th Grade Picks
The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac - Gabrielle Zevin

Classic Picks
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

Jockey Hollow Book Club
Looking for Alaska - John Green

Celebrity Pick

Author to Know
Robert Cormier - any Robert Cormier novel counts as a book of the month selection!!!

Remember that in order to get your extra credit you must:
1.  Read the book
2.  Record book on book log
3.  Post a blog comment about the book on this post (Don't forget to SEW It Up!!!)
4.  Tell me so that you can post your Thumbs Up and get your E.C.

1984 Part One

Read the rest of Part One of the novel.  Use this post to ask each other questions (both deep discussion questions and also literal understanding questions).  Think about character development, themes, symbols etc.

New Vocab Word

submitted by Liburdi - What is a new, interesting word that we should have for our next vocabulary unit...don't forget to SEW it up!

Inspiration from Dr. King

submitted by Gaby - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."  What does this statement mean to you?  Who does it apply to?