Grade 8: Tuck Everlasting (Due before class Monday, May 16th)

Read the attached song by Joni Mitchell. Think of it as a poem! Then, answer the following questions:

1. What stages of life does this song include?


2. What kinds of circles does Mitchell talk about for each of the life stages?


3. What is the meaning of the lines, "And they tell him, Take your time it won't be long now / Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down"?


4. In your opinion, is the use of the carousel to represent the circle of life an effective symbol? Why or why not?


5. Which of the characters from Tuck Everlasting could bes relate to this song? Why? Why might other characters find it hard to relate to this song?

Extra Credit! In "The Circle Game," the young man in the last verse is twenty years old. Add additional verses about what the man discovers as he ages. You may wish to write about the experiences he has had by the agse thirty, sixty, and eighty, or any other ages you choose. Be sure to repeat the chorus throughout the verses you create.

Grade 10: Starting a New Book (Due before class Friday, May 6th)

We will be starting a new book next class! Browse and read the following. First, record at least three interesting facts that you learned. Then, based on what you read and see, predict what you think our new book might be about.

http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade50.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW9KoAwf2K8
http://www.upress.umn.edu/sles/Chapter4/ch4-1.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd5iDWQWVDw
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/preparatory+school