English Literature 2.0

[Richard Stone]

Richard Stone walked into his classroom, his English Literature class was due to start in ten minutes - which meant he had managed to get into his empty room right before the previous classes were released and the halls swarmed with students.

He dropped his briefcase onto his desk, removed a sheet of paper from it and walked over to the white board. Removing the cap, he wrote in his large print; Book Projects. He wanted to start the year with his normal book reports, but after doing some talking with friends from his college class, he had mapped out a different way to do the reports and make it a little more interesting on the students' part rather than the old boring 'retelling' of the story.

Under the title he put four headings:
1. 8" X 8" CD cover
2. Magazine interview
3. Make a movie poster
4. Comic book

When the class started he had handouts for the students that explained each of the headings in full, but for now he just wanted them to read through the titles and wonder what they were all about.

Capping the pen he walked back to the desk, where he took a stack of papers out of his briefcase and put them neatly on his desk, they would be handed out after he had greeted the class.

[Deleted]

John picked up his backpack and made his way towards the English class wing of the school. He didn't mind the academic classes that he had to take here, and he did his best to make his parents know that they had made the right choice in sending him, but if he was ever to be asked, his favorite class would probably be barrel racing, just because it was something that he loved, and it had already helped him get better times with Lilja. As he entered the classroom, John nodded at the teacher, who was by his desk, and then made his way towards the back of the classroom.

Choosing an empty seat, which wasn't too hard to do in a classroom where no one had arrived yet, he let his bag fall to the ground with a thump before settling himself into the chair. He glanced up at the board, his eyes skimming over the words written on it. He didn't like the look of this, another project, but the four listings underneath, if they were related, would definitely make the project a little bit more bearable, at least. He watched the door, waiting for the class to start.

[Deleted]

Kate found her english class more
easily the second time than the first, and quickly found a seat next to a
girl she recognized from a couple of her riding classes. The girl's
name was Rose, if she remembered correctly, and was in both her jumping
and hunter/jumper classes. Smiling briefly but brightly at the other
girl, she pulled out her supplies before looking at the board.

She
wasn't particularly surprised to see that they'd be doing book reports,
but by the looks of the list underneath, they would be more interesting
than the ones she'd done before. The movie poster option caught her
eye, but she made sure to look the others over as well and consider
them. Kate had a habit of rushing into projects that seemed like fun,
and she certainly wouldn't make that mistake this time.

After a
couple minutes, she became a bit antsy for class to start, and tapped
her toe lightly against the floor, opening her notebook to a new page
and getting her pen out. Idly, she began to doodle in her margins,
making little swirls around the hole punches. Her attention span wasn't
terribly huge, and she just hoped that this class wouldn't be a bore.

[Rose Hoff]

Rose made her way into the classroom sort of hesitantly, finding her seat by the side of the room. Setting her bag down where it wouldn't be in the way, she arranged her notebook and pen on her desk orderly so they would be ready for her to use. She crossed her ankles over each other, getting settled before she looked up to read the board.

Reading the board, her head was already racing with ideas of what she could do. Rose much preferred the conventional book report where she had to write a reflection, as she'd done it more times than she could count, and it had gotten sort of easy for her. This however, would make things more interesting, and she could definitely have some fun with it.

She already had some ideas about what she was going to do, but didn't want to get too far into her thoughts before the teacher explained it. She liked to have the full story before thinking too deeply about things, as it made decision making more difficult. Fiddling with her pen, she at least began to go over the opt

[Deleted]

Oliver moved around the other students rushing off to their next class ans walked into his English class. The break had been good, but he was glad to get back into classes - and more importantly, back to riding his horses.

The boy nodded his head in greeting toward the teacher before he walked over to the desk he used, which he was pleased to see was next to the one chosen of the only other male student in the class so far. "Hey." He greeted as he pulled his English binder out of his bag. "I'm Oliver."

He turned his attention to the whiteboard and couldn't help but groan at the first word. He hated writing book reports - and no doubt that's what it would be even if Mr Stone was disguising it with the word report. However, his eyebrows rose as he read further down the board. Okay, maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

He opened his binder and dated the top of the page he was looking at. The end of his pen bounced against the paper as he waited for class to start.

[Cortney Smit]

Cortney walked from one class to the other. She was wearing her cheer uniform, a black thermal long sleeved shirt and black leggings under it to keep herself warm, a black Herringbone jacket was slung over her arm - something she only needed to put on when she was going outside.

Walking into the English classroom, she gave a bright smile to the teacher sitting at his desk, she then sauntered over to her table in the middle of the room. Getting her things out of her messenger bag, she opened her notebook and then took a purple pen out of her pencilcase. Much to the horror of her mother, Cortney had never been the type to follow the norm, of using blue and black pens during class. While she was taking notes, she used a multitude of colours. However, if it was anything she had to hand in, it was always written in blue or black pen - even if the pen also had glitter in it.

Turning her attention to the whiteboard, she smiled. She enjoyed reading books - as could be seen from the collection she had brought back with her after the break. She had filled up her entire bookshelf with the Wheel of Time series and was slowly working her way through it.

She pressed her lips together as she took in everything that was written on the board, now anxious for class to start so that Mr Stone would explain the headings in more depth.

[Deleted]

Luka picked up his backpack and made his way towards the English class wing of the school. While he didn't especially like the English class that he was in, he was rather happy that he had chosen the mid-leveled one, since he was facing the program in his second language. While he had started learning English in Kindergarten, like most German students did, he still didn't have the fluency that would only come with time. As he entered the classroom, Luka briefly smiled at the teacher, then looked around the room, trying to find a place to sit.

Choosing a seat that was rather secluded, as he didn't really know anyone, Luka sat down and started rummaging in his backpack. He only knew Rose, and that from the Equestrian team, and he didn't want to bother her, in case she minded him siting next to her. Pulling out his notebook and one of his many fountain pens, he looked up at the board, reading over the lesson and frowning. He still didn't feel like his writing in English was up to par, but he didn't really have a choice in the assignment, so he didn't allow himself to feel too disheartened yet.

[Deleted]

Olivia ran out of her room, cursing her disorganization. She had managed to forget her English notebook in her room, but luckily, it wasn't too far from the classroom building to the Blue Ribbon House, so she wouldn't be late. As she hurried through the corridors, which were starting to empty, Olivia forced her breathing to slow down. By the time that she was at the door to the classroom, only a wayward strand of hair gave tribute to the race against the clock that she had just run.

Smoothing her hair down with one hand, Olivia opened the door to the classroom and let herself inside. She nodded at Mr. Stone, then glanced around and found an empty seat in the front of the classroom. She sank into it and put her notebook and pencil onto the table. She opened her notebook to a blank page and lay the pencil across the top row, then read the words on the board. The assignment seemed to be rather interesting, to her at least, and she couldn't wait to find out more about it. She glanced around the classroom, wondering who else in the class was missing, then looked back at Mr. Stone, focusing her attention on him.

[Deleted]

Nina sometimes despised passing time when moving to her next class. Lots of students rush through halls and campus, sometimes even shoving people aside without caring. At least she knows that they don't do it on purpose, the just want to get to their classes early or on-time. It's interesting how things run around here. Although, somehow, she has gotten use to it. She just gave a heavy sigh as she slipped through the crowd and into the english department.

Arriving at her English Lit class, just in time, she gave a kind smile to the teacher of the class. "Hello, Mr. Stone." She spoke as she went to take her seat, somewhere in the middle row. Plopping herself in a seat, sitting off to the sides of the room, she grabbed her notebook and blue pen out of her bag. Setting her materials on the desk, notebook first and then the pen. She then looked up towards the whiteboard, reading what was written on it. She gave a disgusted sigh towards the subject, though got second thoughts after finishing off reading the next four headings. Alright, she will admit, this book report may be fun than those 'retelling' documents. She opened her notebook to a clean page and started dating the paper and adding a heading in the top right corner. Once finished, she glanced back up to listen further of what they were expected to do.

[Deleted]

Erica walked down the halls to the english department to her next class, English Literature. She wasn't a big fan on the 'english' subjects, but depending on what kind of work they had to do, it can be an on/off favorite of hers. She wasn't really in a rush, unlike the other students who were fast walking past her into a new class. She had enough time to arrive, so it wasn't really a big problem to hurry. She happened to arrive in the class about a minute or two early. Just enough to pick a seat and get started on the task at hand today. As she arrived, she greeted the instructor (as always) before she even started on anything else. She looked across the room to find anyone she knew. Quickly spotting Cortney in the middle of the room, she slipped over and sat in the empty spot next to her. Giving her a bright smile in greetings. "Hey Cortney." She spoke up, keeping her smile to a grin so it wouldn't be too awkward.

The blonde got out her black notebook and blue pen. Keeping to the basics, she opened up her notebook to a nice empty page and dated the paper. Unsure if they would be needing to take notes or anything today, she wrote out the heading anyways and all the required things. She looked up to the whiteboard and read through the topic. 'Book reports?' She gave a silent groan to herself in her thoughts. Though the four headings below made it sound different and more interesting unlike other book reports she has done. She bets that everyone got interested in the new book reports, since it is after all 'different'. She tapped her pen lightly, not trying to make a loud 'tapping' noise, as the minutes went by before class started. She was eager to know more about their new 'book reports'.

[Deleted]

Jenna took a bit longer than she planned heading to her English class. Though she was stalling a little she wasn't worried about being late and kept on her merry way. The hallways were less crowded and she only shared with a few other stragglers, one of which she talked with until she got close enough to the English Lit classroom. When she reached the door Jenna hiked her bag strap higher up her shoulder and took a deep breathe. The first thing she did upon her entrance was greet Mr. Stone.

She glanced around the room, seeing some slightly familiar faces from her other classes. Only one could she properly put a name to the face and that was Luka. Jenna sighed softly as she walked back to where the quiet boy sat. Truthfully she was too tired to start introductions today. "Hey Luka." She gave him a smile and sat in the empty seat next to him. From there the brunette pulled out her English notebook and began titling her page as always, adding her name, the date, and class. When finished Jenna sat quietly in her seat, wondering how this class was going to proceed and how entertaining it would get.

[Richard Stone]

Richard sat at his desk as the students filed in, greeting those who greeted him and just smiling at those who chose to remain silent as they found their seats. Once the students had all entered and the tardi bell had sounded (again, working as though everyone has arrived), he rose to his feet, picked up the hand-out and placed a stack on the first table with a student of each row. "These will explain to you a little more about the headings I put on the board." He waited while the papers were passed back and then went to collect the left-over sheets from the last person in each row.

He then gave them a chance to read through the piece of paper. "I don't care what order you do them in, but you must do all four projects."

The handout
1. CD cover that is 8" X 8" --- Design the front and back. Title twelve songs with events that happened in the book. For two of the titles you have to write the lyrics for them (three verses with two choruses). These songs have to be about important events in the story.
2. Write a magazine interview. Interview the main character asking all kinds of questions. Introduce the character with some background, write the interview with the question/answer format and then have a closing paragraph.
3. Make a movie poster about the book. It is an advertisement for the movie made from a book. Rate it, come up with review words from newspapers, a couple of quotations from the book, and use three different textures on the poster (it has to have texture--rice, noodles, sticks, plastic animals/people)... You also need to pick out who will star in the movie. Then on a separate piece of paper write the reasons you have picked these actors/actress for the parts.
4. Make a three page comic book telling the story. It must have four rows per page. These can be drawn, use computer graphics, magazines, etc. for the illustrations and use the 'bubbles' for the talking.

Richard's eyes swept over the class room. "Are there any questions?"

[Deleted]

Cello snored softly, rolling around in his bed and getting warmer in his covers. The sunlight had already began to shine and it poured harshly onto his eyelids. Immediately, the boy’s blue dark orbs reflected the light. He frowned slightly, yawning before realizing what time it was on his alarm clock. Cello’s eyes widened. School! Back jerking upright immediately, he hopped parkour style out of bed and disappeared into the bathroom to get himself ready for the day. There really was no time for breakfast afterwards, and the brunette resorted to stuffing a left over cookie in his face before grabbing some jeans.

A missing sneaker and a few minutes later, he had his keys in his pocket, one backpack strap over his shoulder and was currently rushing through the BRRA campus to the classrooms. Already, the hallways were beginning to empty and Cello couldn’t help but feel as if it was far too early to be completing a marathon. He rounded through the math hallway, finally coming across the English one and searched for his classroom. It was his first day, and he was already late. Cello sighed softly, only him. 

Breaking down to a walk, he slowly caught his breath before sneaking right into the classroom and nearly chuckling to himself. So he wasn't late after all... Cello shook his head slightly, before taking a seat right next to a pretty brunette he figured had entered before him. He glanced at the board slightly, making a near inconspicuous face. Book reports... Then, he moved to look at the rest of the words. It certainly didn't look like a normal book report... Cello raised a brow as the man passed around the sheets. Suddenly, he felt the need to grin - this didn't look too difficult. It wasn't an easy 'A' however, and Cello got the sense the teacher was one to do creative things, but not mess around.

[Deleted]

Leo frowned slightly, rubbing his bruised arm. Perhaps crashing straight into a wall showed he really did need a lot more sleep. It had been quite ridiculously embarrassing when he had slammed quite randomly into the thing and his first class hadn’t begun yet. The brunette sighed slightly, before giving the sympathetic school nurse a gracious smile. She’d been nice enough to write him up a pass and offer him ice for his elbow that had actually taken a bit of a hit. With a few more moments of numbing the area, Leo hopped out of his seat and offered her the bag of the melting contents. He didn't actually think he'd need the pass, but it didn't hurt to be prepared.

He took the slip with a brief thank you and with that, the boy was off to go back to his English class. Leo opened the door quickly, annoyed that he was the last one to arrive/ To his relief however, he wasn't late quite yet. He'd made it just in time for the tardy bell. Leo offered Mr. Stone his usual quiet smile and went to go take a seat. Leo's eyes graced the board easily reading the 'book report' information. It sounded quite interesting. 

The boy smiled a bit more, happy that they were doing something a bit more different. When the teacher passed out the sheets, he took one politely with a muted thank you before searching through it to read what was on it. He really didn't have any questions, nor would he ask them due to his fear of being in the spotlight. He really hated being in the spotlight, even in class. 

[CaraGenie]

Come on guys, what part of "working as though everyone has arrived" do you no understand? I have you a get out of jail free card by just being able to post as though you had arrived on time and follow the instructions given. I don't want EVERYONE who hadn't posted before I posted the teacher again to "come in late" the next person who does, is going to get a one-way ticket to see the principal.