What have been two ways the author has made the book interesting and exciting?  Make sure to give specific samples from the story.

Dr. Cornelius

What has been your favorite reading packet story so far this year?  What has been your least favorite reading packet this year?  For each answer you to provide at least 1 detail to support your opinion.

Dr. Cornelius

Blessed Guardian Hope has implemented a new plan on how to map out the Museum, and it involves using a ball of yarn so they don't get lost.  The Museum is a living creature, so there is bound to be consequences of this action.  Your blog, for this week, is to choose one of the three choices below that could happen as a result of Hope's actions.

a) The Museum will shift its rooms even more than before, in an attempt to confuse everyone.

b) The Museum will unleash all of the City of Jewel's past evils and horrors.

c) The Museum will 'break' and something inside of it will change because someone is trying to map it out.

Choose one of the three above consequences and then explain why you chose it.  Don't forget to use at least one detail from the story to support your answer.

Dr. Cornelius

After you have read the scenario, read the directions below the link to write your diary entry.  Remember, you are to write this entry as though you actaully lived during this time.  As well, this entry will be part of your writing grade.

Directions: You are to write a diary account about the crisis in the governing of your colony.

1) Express/Explain your feelings about having survived the first year in your colony.

2) React to the plans to overthrow your Governor.

3) Include in your entry details of your daily life.  What were your repsonsibilities and duties?  Did you enjoy doing them?  Do you think the other colonists in your group "pulled their own weight?" 

4) Are you glad you  made the trip over from Europe?  Would you do it again?  Explain.

5) Finally, make your entry realistic.  Use descriptive words to describe your daily life, and what your colony was like.

Every good book has at least one character who goes through a dramatic change.  Some go from really evil to really good, others from good to evil.  Some characters, become herioc, others lose there heroism as the book progresses. 

Your blog question this week is to predict which character, in the Museum of Thieves, will go through the biggest change as the book continues.  You are to say which character will go through the biggest change, what the change will be, and why they will change.  Make sure that you use at least one detail from the book to support your answer.

Dr. Cornelius

The Fugleman is up to something, the question is.....what is it???  During this last chapter he was acting very kind to the Lieutenant Marshall, eventhough he doesn't really like the man.  Your question for this week is this:  What is the Fugleman up to, and what does he need the Lieutenant Marshall for?  As always you need evidence to support your answer.

Dr. Cornelius

We learned that the Puritans left England because they did not belong to the Church of England.  They did not belong to this Church because they thought that this Church was not pure any more. 

When they got to North America they started the Massachusetts colony.  Over time two groups of people left because they did not agree with the Puritan leaders (some thought that the leaders shouldn't force others to follow the Puritan rules if they did not want too, others felt that everyone should have a say in the government).

In a paragraph you are to say whether you agree or disagree with the Puritan leaders.  Make sure to support your reason with at least one detail.  Also, make sure you explain, or elaborate, that detail.  To get a 3 on this assignment you have to the above and use information from S.S. to support your opinion; to get a four you need two supporting details.

What has been the biggest surprise to you in The Museum of Thieves?  Provide at least one reason to support your answer.

Dr. Cornelius

Your assignment today is to go to your blog where you types the Japan's Seas question and read the two answers that were given to you.  You are to then grade those answers by writing a comment on your own blog.  Below is the rubric that I would like you to follow:

2- Answered question....gave specific details from the story.....explained the how the details supported the answer

1.5- Answered question....explained their answer but didn't give specific details from the story

1-Partially answered the question but did not include specific information from the story and did not explain their answer

You are to read only the blogs that you are grouped with.

Katniss2, Ivy, Primrose         Katniss4, Yoda, Hermione       May, Jamie Kelly, Eragon,    Perseus, Silvertongue, Katniss Everdeen

Garfied, Voldermort, Nicky     Cato, Ida B., BubbleWarrior     Alice, Tanya, Bellatrix        Brian, Eragon2, Greg

Lewis, Katniss, Annie

You are to think of a question based on our last article.  The question could be: a compare and contrast question, a cause and effect, a sequence question.  After you finish your question you are then to read and answer 5 other people's question.

Your blog for this week will focus on one character from The Museum of Thieves and your screen name.  You are to choose the character from The Museum of Thieves that is MOST like your screen name.  You are to give 2-3 examples showing the rest of the Reading Lab why this Museum of Thieves character is most like your screen name.

Dr. Cornelius

What has been your favorite part of the Museum of Thieves so far?  Make sure you give a reason to support your answer.

Dr. Cornelius

Goldie has come across many problems so far in this book.  Your blog will need to answer the following question: what has been one problem that Goldie has had and how has she tried to solve it?  Make sure that you supply specific information from the story to support your answer.

Dr. Cornelius

We have met many characters in The Museum of Thieves.  Your question for this week centers around these characters.  In your opinion, who has been the most interesting character in the story so far.  Don't confuse this questions with who is the most important... I want your opinion on who the most interesting is.  You will need 2 reasons to support your answer (don't forget details from the story to support your answer).

Dr. Cornelius

The question for this week is: what is the difference between the Grand Protector's job and the Fugleman's job?  Also, why do the Grand Protector and the Fugleman not like each other?  You will need two reasons showing how they are different. 

As always provide specific details from the story to support your answer

Dr. Cornelius

The city of Jewel is a very interesting place.  There are mechanical birds, the canals are fenced, and there are no empty lots.  The setting of this story is very unusual.  The question for this week is this: would the plot (or story) of Museum of Thieves be any different if the setting to the story was different?  You are to provide one text based detail to support your answer.  Think carefully about your answer too, because your first/initial thought may not be accurate (correct)

Dr. Cornelius

Here is you first question based on the Museum of Thieves.  How is Goldie different from her peers?  Give two differences with evidence from the story.  Your second question is this: should Goldie stop being different from her peers?  You need one detail to support your answer.

Dr. Cornelius

4-You answered the question fully, and you have provided specific evidence from the story to support your answer AND based on ther answer you gave you have predicted what  may happen next in the story

3- You have answered the question fully, providing specific evidence from the story to support your answer.

2-You answered the question but you did not provide evidence from the story to support your answer OR You did not fully answer the question (you forgot something), but you do have specific evidence from the story.

1-Your answer does not answer the question, you may or may not have specific evidence from the story.

After discussing the benefits, and negatives, of the Fransiscans relationship with the Natives you need to do decide whether the Fransiscans were good or bad for the Natives.  After you give your opinion make sure you give two details to support your opnion.  Also, make sure to elaborate on your supporting details.  Below is the rubric I will use to grade your paragraphs.

4

-opinion

-2 supporting details with elaborations

-find something that someone could say against your argument, and find a way to refute (say they are wrong) it.

3

-opinion

-2 supporting details with elaborations

2

-opinion with 2 supporting details   OR   - opinion with 1 supporting details that has an elaboration

1

-opinion with 1 supporting details

Below is my paragraph essay example for you to look at.  Remember to give further explanation to each of your details.

Nathan Hale was a giant among men, in both height and courage.  Born before the American Revolution, Nathan was a school teacher before joining the Continental Army.  In fact, he taught in three different schools before he joined the army.  One of Nathan’s biggest challenges in life was that he never felt satisfied with where he was at.  For example, after teaching at his first school, for a few months, he desired to be in a town with more people.  Once he got to a bigger town, he wanted to go to a school that seemed more upscale.  Hale is most known for being the first American spy and dying a traitors death by being hung by the British.  Some of his last words echoed the feelings of all the Americans at the time that they would rather die than give up their freedom.  The Continental Army would have won the war without Nathan’s sacrifice, but his kind heart, soft spirit and undying love for his country would be sorrily missed had Nathan Hale not walked this Earth.    



Main Detail     Explaining Detail

Your blog this week for Social Studies will be to focus on the name you chose for blogmeister.  You will be writing a 8-10 sentence research paragraph telling the class about your name.  Below will be an in-depth description of what I expect you to have in your paragraph.

The first sentence of your paragraph will be an introduction to your person.  This introduction can be a description of their: personality, a physcial trait or some well known accomplishment.

The 2nd-8th sentence will be the 'body' of your paragraph.  You will need to choose three of the following six questions to answer about your person.  "When and where was this person born?" "What is this person known for?" "What was this person's first occupation/job?" "What was the happiest and/or saddest moment of their life?" "What was the funniest event in their life?" "What was a big challenge that this person had to face in life?"   Each answer will be a sentence in your paragraph. Make sure, after each answer, to explain your detail a little bit more.

Finally, the last sentence needs to answer the following question to wrap up the whole paragraph, "Is the world a better place because your person lived?"

Nathan Hale

Welcome to Dr. Cornelius' Reading Lab.  It is my hope that through in-depth discussions that you can come to appreciate the novels that we will be reading.  Because this is my hope it will be your responsibility to write responses and comments that are throughful and thought provoking.  With this in mind, if your write a response, or comment, that is not thought out I will not allow it to be posted.  So make sure that you put some time and effort into your responses and comments.

For your first posting I want you to introduce your self (your screen name) and write a 4-5 sentence description of your self.  You should say what book you are from, you should also list some of your physical characteristics and personality characteristics.

Thank you and I look forward to reading your posts.

Dr. Cornelius

All blogs from Dr. Cornelius will be written in red with a yellow background.  All blogs from Nathan Hale will written in black with a light blue background.  This is so you will know the difference between Dr. Cornelius' Reading Lab and Nathan Hale's Social Studies Parlor class.