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Given the nature of the 2011 summer reading program, you had significant autonomy in selecting the books you would read. While you were responsible for completing a proposal, you were not given other assignments to complete over the summer. As indicated on your proposal form, you are required to write a letter to your 2011-12 Language Arts teacher that demonstrates your thoughtful reading of your book. We have chosen to break this down further into three focused "Power Paragraphs" for two reasons, one, to introduce you to the idea of a power paragraph, and two, to assist you in covering all aspects of the assignment.

__ Prompt for Paragraph One - A Reflection of Your Choice __ ** click edit and paste your response here **
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Wednesday, 8/24 **

The book I read this summer is called //The Things They Carried// by Tim O'Brien, I read this book because I have always wondered what it would be like in the war of Vietnam, and my mother said it was a good war story. This book exceeded my expectations, I didn't know a war story could get so deep and have so many messages, the way Tim describes things in this book is phenomenal. When Curt Lemon dies by stepping on a land mine, Tim changes the explosion into something completely different "But if I could ever get the story right, how the sun seemed to gather around him and pick him up and lift him high into a tree…"(O'Brien 84). This is the reason that made the book so exciting and interesting to read. Remember to state your point and set the focus in your topic sentence. O'Brien, Tim. //The Things They Carried//. New York: Broadway Books, 1990. Print.

__ Prompt for Paragraph Two - A Discussion of What You Gained by Reading Your Book __ ** click edit and paste your response here **
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Thursday, 8/25 **

In //The Things They Carried//, by Tim O'Brien, there are many meanings in the book, a lot of things that are to be revealed, one of them being that life is very fragile. This had a big impression on me all throughout the book because you felt like you were in the story, and that your friends were being killed. One of these men that were killed was known as Ted Lavender, he was afraid of being shot most of the time and took drugs to calm himself, while one day he was walking to his group when he was shot out of nowhere. This shows you of how easily, and quickly a life can be taken, This is the message that I captured while reading this book.

O'Brien, Tim. //The Things They Carried//. New York: Broadway Books, 1990. Print. Remember, "you" is your reader (in this case, me).

__ Prompt for Paragraph Three - What to do With it... __ ** click edit and paste your response here **
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Sunday, 8/28 **

I read the book //The Things They Carried//by Tim O'Brien because I enjoy war stories, and having the story be told from a first person stand point. In my opinion I think more boys would like this book than girls, but they should at least be in high school or older to get the messages the book gives you. When Jimmy Cross is drafted into the military, he tries to flea to Canada, but the things that happen during that time lead him to wait and think for a minute. You should not run from your fears. A reader should be intent to learn from this book, whether it is information, or a lesson. Those are some reasons I read //The Things They Carried,// and who else should read it.

O'Brien, Tim. //The Things They Carried//. New York: Broadway Books, 1990. Print.


 * Scoring: Your three paragraphs will be given one overall grade, and the timeliness of your posts will be reflected in your "timeliness" grade. **

// An outstanding response to the prompts will include the following: //
 * A strong topic sentence that clearly establishes the focus on the prompt You need to work on stronger topic sentences.
 * Evidence that clearly supports the topic sentence Watch quote integration.
 * Correct use of internal citations and a properly formatted MLA citation for your book (put this citation at the end of paragraph one)
 * Strict adherence to the Power Paragraph format
 * Mechanics are clean and do not detract from meaning Watch mechanics!