What do I have to do? Pick a book below (sorry, only books on this list) and read it (check out my book reading tips below). Before the end of the quarter ( I will let you know when), you will come and see me, and we will sit down and talk about the book. What will you ask me? I will ask you a bunch of questions. Some might be specific questions about events or characters in the story, others might be your opinion or reaction to certain things. How much extra credit can I receive? The amount of points you receive will depend on how well I feel you have read the book. Points usually range from 1 to 5 points. Where do the points go? The points will be added directly to your quarter average. Where can I get the books? The library at Sachem North has all of them, or you can go to the public library.
BOOK READING TIPS When many students come to talk to me about the book they read, they either panic and go blank, or simply can't remember what they've read. Reading comprehension is a very important lifetime skill, one that is acquired after years of reading. In order to improve your comprehension and thus increase your extra credit score, I have a simple suggestion.When you are reading the book, keep a notebook with you. At the end of each chapter, stop and write down an outline of the key events in the chapter and your reactions to these events before you have a chance to forget them. Don't take notes as you are reading because this will tend to ruin the story (It would be like getting up during a movie twenty times). You can bring the notes with you when we sit down and talk.
THE CONTROL OF NATURE by John McPhee This book actually contains three separate stories about how man has tried to control the forces of nature. The incredible thing about this book is that the stories are all true. This book stands as a testimony to the stupidity of man and how he thinks that his technology is greater than that of nature. If you like geology, then this is the book for you.
ENCOUNTERS WITH THE ARCHDRUID by John McPhee Do you like ethics and philosophy? Are you interested in the right and wrong of things? This book consists of three separate short stories. The author goes hiking in several areas with famous environmentalists looking at how man views nature and what he has done to it.
THE HOT ZONE by Richard Preston A pretty scary true story about the new diseases that are emerging on our planet.
UNDAUNTED COURAGE by Stephen Ambrose The travels of Lewis and Clark. Explore the way our country used to be and will never be again. This is a very long book...I wouldnt attempt it unless you are a good reader and are interested in early American history.
FAST FOOD NATION..The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser If you frequent fast food restaurants or ever worked in one, you will find this book very interesting.
A WALK IN THE WOODS...Rediscovering America on the Applachian Trail..By Bill Bryson Do you like to backpack, or hike? Then you will definitely find this book amusing. Accompanied only by his old college buddy Stephen Katz, Bryson starts out one March morning in north Georgia, intending to walk the entire 2,100 mile Appalachina Trial to its end atop Maine's Mount Katahdin.
THE ENDURANCE by Caroline Alexander: Do you like true stories? Do you like reading about the past and history? This is the rue story of Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition.
ISHMAEL by Daneil Quinn This book will change the way you think about everything. A talking gorilla will teach you how to save the planet and ourselves.
NEVER CRY WOLF by Farley Mowat The amazing true story of life among arctic wolves
THE DEMON IN THE FREEZER By Richard Preston This is the sequel to the Hot Zone. It is about biological weapons.
THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN by Michael Crichton Before Jurassic Park....he wrote this...very cool biological thriller
THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA by Michael Pollan Concerned about the food you eat? Ever wonder where it comes from and what happens to it before you get it? Thinking about being a vegetarian? Unsure about hunting? Then this is the book for you
IN DEFENSE OF FOOD by Michael Pollan Simple advice about how you should make your food choices. Warning, this book can be hazardous to your eating behavior!
