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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 **

This summer, I chose to read the book //Mokingjay// by Suzanne Collins after reading both the //Hunger Games// and //Catching Fire,// the first two books in the //Hunger Games// series, earlier in the year. I had high expectations for the third book, //Mokingjay,// due to the constant suspense and excitement I achieved after the completion of the first two books, but unfortunately it took a while for the book to reach its climax. I found there to be an overload of dragged out information about District 13 during the first seventy pages or so which was kept me from the action of the 76th Hunger Games. Overall though, I found all three books of the //Hunger Game// series, including //Mockingjay//, to be well written and interesting reads. I had the same reaction when I read the book, it took too long to get started! __Works Cited__ Collins, Suzanne. //Mockingjay//. Broadway, New York: n.p., 2010. 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 **

While reading //Mockingjay//, I began to question what life would be like to be ruled by a dictatorship instead of a democracy. In the U.S.A, people have the rights to freedom of speech and opinions, while in the book //Mockingjay,// speaking your mind about the Capitol and how it runs the thirteen districts can lead to immediate and public execution. For example, District 12 was burned to the ground due to actions that embarrassed the Capitol and was still smoldering when Katniss, the main character of the story, went to visit and reflect on the recent events, “Burning. Still Burning. . . more than ninety percent of the population is dead” (Collins, 6). This shows that when being ruled by a dictatorship, one action taken against the dictator can ultimately lead to destruction of many lives, while a democracy has balance and the people are more likely to be treated fairly.

__Works Cited__ Collins, Suzanne. //Mockingjay//. Broadway, New York: n.p., 2010. Print.

__ 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 **

The //Hunger Games// series, //Hunger Games//, //Catching Fire,// and //Mockingjay// by Suzanne Collins, is a series appeals to young children and adults alike who have an interest in fictional literature, enjoy reading books containing action and adventure, and who appreciate books that are easy to relate to personally. Action can be found throughout the story before, during, and after the hunger games themselves, and the wide variety of characters within the story gives each and every reader someone with whom to connect. One character I personally connected with while reading the story was Katniss Everdeen because she is similar in age to me and has a younger sister named Prim who is interested in medicine and animals just like my younger sister, Sarah. Each and every book in this series is engaging, thought provoking, action packed, and relatable allowing maximum enjoyment to be received by every single reader.

__Works Cited:__ Collins, Suzanne. //Hunger Games//. Broadway, New York: n.p., 2008. Print. __﻿__Collins, Suzanne. //Catching Fire//. Broadway, New York: n.p., 2009. Print. Collins, Suzanne. //Mockingjay//. Broadway, New York: n.p., 2010. 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
 * Evidence that clearly supports the topic sentence
 * 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 Your paragraphs get stronger as you progress
 * Mechanics are clean and do not detract from meaning Good job overall, be sure to pay attention to grammar/spelling check