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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 ** I decided to read //The Notebook//, by Nicholas Sparks, after watching the movie, and thought the book was great. I liked it because Allie and Noah fell in love with each other when they were teenagers, then reunited years later, and ended up spending the rest of their lives together. In //The Notebook// Allie goes to visit Noah after fourteen years of separation, and it only takes two days for them to realize that they love each other just as much as they did when they were teens (Sparks 126). I enjoyed the book because it showed Noah and Allie’s different life stages and how they grew apart for a time but throughout the years their love for each other never faded. Sparks, Nicholas. //The Notebook//. New York: Grand Central, 1999. Print.
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Wednesday, 8/24 **

__ Prompt for Paragraph Two - A Discussion of What You Gained by Reading Your Book __ ** click edit and paste your response here ** By reading //The Notebook// I realized that people can fall in love at any age. Even though Noah and Allie are two people from completely different backgrounds, and have all odds against them, they still manage to fall in love as teenagers. Allie doesn’t live in the same town as Noah so they have to write letters to keep in touch, but Allie’s mother decided to hide the notes Noah wrote to her; neither of them had any way of communicating with each other which is why it is so significant when Allie unexpectedly shows up at Noah’s front door fourteen years later (Sparks 36) and they fell in love again just as they had when they were teenagers. Despite being separated for many years Noah and Allie are able to pick up where they left off, showing how they are able to fall in love all over again, no matter what age.
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Thursday, 8/25 **

__ Prompt for Paragraph Three - What to do With it... __ ** click edit and paste your response here ** A few years ago I saw the movie The Notebook, and since we had the option of choosing our book this summer my mom recommended that I read the book that inspired the movie. I really loved the book because it takes place during a very different time, mostly during the 1920’s. Also there aren’t many characters; for the most part the book focuses on Allie and Noah, which is different from other books I have read. Even thought this book was written by a man it is targeted towards females, both young and old alike.
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Sunday, 8/28 **


 * 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 Take a look at paragraph 3 - can the T.S. be more focused/strong?
 * 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
 * Mechanics are clean and do not detract from meaning Good work overall, just a few minor errors