EXTRA CREDIT BOOKS
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
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