Blogging Journal Questions for "The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse"

Please answer one of the following questions for the story, "The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse." Make your answer a comment to this post. Write between 125 and 175 words; provide your word count at the bottom of your paragraph(s). Please finish your work by 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21. If you have answered one of the questions before, you must choose a different one!

1. Write about an idea expressed in the writing (or in class) which you either agree or disagree with.

2. Explore a social or ethical issue raised in the story. Judge the behaviour of the characters or the views of the author. Are they right or wrong in your opinion?

3. Tell about how you feel toward this writing or its author and why.

4. Does this work confront or confirm your personal beliefs? Explain.

5. Describe your feelings as you read the story and what sort of experience you had.

Marking the Biographies: A Teacher's Commentary

Marking your biographies was an interesting and humbling experience. The lives of the varied (diverse is the Ministry of Education term) students made me feel that I'd led a rather boring, provincial life here in Canada.

I appreciated all your work getting the facts and details straight and was struck by the empathy (yes Bray's word) shown to others in the writing. Some of you have a clear "voice" in writing already; others are working on it.

One problem was the number of "corrections" I needed to do. If you are one of the few students who wrote virtually error-free prose I thank you! I know that some errors are unavoidable due to your being unable to see them in the writing but do wish to see fewer in future assignments. I'd much rather spend my time framing a useful comment. The way I look at it is the more correcting I'm doing for you, the less time and energy I have to comment on the more interesting stylistic and organizational aspects of your writing.

A number of you did not present your work as requested (in 12 point font and double spaced) and made my life difficult trying to make corrections and fit in my comments. Next time I've decided to not mark anything that is not presented correctly. You've used your one free pass guys!

Please be aware of the meaning of the marking system I am using so that you can better judge your result. I used the rubric to guide me and often used it to provide a comment. Remember also that the letter grade, "A," should mean that a student exceeds expectations in all areas. Since English is a skill-based course rather than one that tests a certain content, it is more difficult to demonstrate excellence. 

Build on this experience and use it to get better. My final judgements on your overall performance are not made until January of next year. You have plenty of time to improve!