IB 2007-08
Language A1 – Junior English
Summer Reading
Book V – Performance Summary
Total Participants = 19 (up from Book IV – 17)
Class
Quantity
Total Entries = 21 (up from Book IV – 20)
Total Words = 7601 (up from Book IV – 6081)
Average Entry Length = 362 words (up from Book IV – 304 words)
Most Entries = Kim Phoenix (3)
Individual
Most Words = Ta’Quna Daniel (1265)
Longest Average Entry = Ta’Quna Daniel (1265)
Class
Quality
Individual
o Slight uptick in participation. Remember: let me know when you
decide to pass on a book.
o Length of entries is up a bit. This is a misleading statistic;
quantity is not a substitute for quality, an observation you should read as a
caution against chat and plot summary.
o Red Flags:
o Specificity: keep working on it!
o Plot summary: still being over-used. Again, use sparingly,
only to support observations.
o Grammar: register (level of usage) is more relaxed in
journal, but some of you, nevertheless, need to work on
correcting some basic sentence errors.
A sampling of interesting moments (in alphabetical order):
o Eric Osteen: “Even though many of the stories are archaic, this
story portrays the love a mother has for her child[,] which is timeless . . .
Despite all of Jupiter’s hedonistic acts, he shows compassion and fairness in
this story.” These observations win some redemption for the gods by
winning our sympathy. The gods are capable of suffering.
o Kim Phoenix: “I was actually suspecting . . . Perseus to end up
looking at Medusa’s head and turning into stone himself[,] but I was
disappointed.” Not a twisted, sadistic response but one consistent with Bea
Smart’s observations about the comedic elements of this episode. Ovid is a
funny guy. Be on the lookout for humor in Metamorphoses.
o Justin Richardson: “The description of the entire slaughter
actually reminded me of the 2007 movie 300. Perseus fought like a Spartan
warrior and Phineus hid in the shadows and occasionally threw javelins at
him, like a scared kid afraid to fight his own battles.” Interesting and valid
personal observation and one which shows synthesis, the type of thinking
that brings disparate elements together into a single and meaningful whole.
o Chelsea Smith: “. . . there are two tales of the way Pegasus came
into existence. The first says that his parents were Poseidon & Gorgon
Medusa, in which Pegasus sprung from her neck when Perseus beheaded
her. The second, mentioned in this book, says that when Medusa was slain
her blood spilled onto the earth, and hence, Pegasus was formed from her
blood and the sea foam.” How does Chelsea know this? SHE LOOKED IT
UP! Nice to see someone going to that kind of trouble.