Major Characters

You have written about the main character in your historical fiction; now, write about another major character. This person is not the main character, but they still play a major role in the story. Give the name of this character, their relationship to the main character, and how they are both alike and different from the main character. Also, how do you know that this person is a major character and not a minor character?

Main Character

Write about the main character of the book. Who are they? How are they like you? How are they different from you? Would you choose to be their friend? How do you know he or she is the main character?

Historical Fiction Time Period Setting

What is the setting of your novel? Specifically, what time period is your book set in? Is there anything historically significant about this time period. What is different about this setting from today's setting? More specifically, how is your main character affected differently because they live in this setting instead of living in present day United States? Remember to use specific examples from your reading.

HISTORICAL FICTIONS

Which book did you pick for your historical fiction? How did you come to pick this book? What about it made you think you would enjoy it? How far have you read and are you enjoying it?

High Society - Chapter 35

Huck felt like a wild animal being tamed. Do you think living in society would be better for him in the long run? Why or why not?

Party - Chapter 34

How do you think the people at the party felt when they saw the boys' treasure? How do you know?

Who's treasure is it? - Chapter 33

Who do you think really owned the treasure and why? Do you think the boys should try to find the owners and return it? Why or why not?

Found - Chapter 32

In what state were Tom and Becky once they were rescued from the cave in chapter 32, meaning what were their emotions and how were they feeling physically? Make sure to use specific examples from the book.

Character in the Cave - Chapter 31

How would you describe Tom's behavior with Becky in the cave? What does this tell you about Tom's personal characteristics? Be sure to use specific examples.

Reactions to an Emergency - Chapter 30

How did the villagers act when there was an emergency? Do you think the people would have acted the same if it was just Tom that was lost? Why or why not? Make sure to use specific examples.

Evil - Chapter 29

The world of Tom Sawyer is mostly a happy one. Some people in the book have bad traits, but one person is thoroughly evil. Who is he and what makes him evil? Do you think he is true to life?

Homeless - Chapter 28

Huck seemed to sleep anywhere he could -- in barrels or in a barn. How do you think Huck felt about his homelessness? Explain your answer.

Treasure - Chapter 27

What did Tom want to do about the treasure? Do you agree with him and think that this was a good decision? Why or why not?

Spaniard - Chapter 26

Why do you think the boys were surprised about who the Spaniard really was? What would you have done about him if you were Tom and Huck?

Treasure Hunting - Chapter 25

When Tom decided to hunt for buried treasure, do you think he really believed he would find treasure? Why or why not?

Human Nature - Chapter 24

How was Muff treated after the town found out he was innocent? How is this similar to how they treated Tom and the boys once they found out they were alive at the funeral? What does this say about how the author feels about human nature, meaning what is the author trying to say about people?

Afraid of the Truth - Chapter 23

Why do you think Tom and Huck were afraid to tell the truth about Joe? What would you do in their place and why?

Chapter 22 - Dull Life?

Think of life in Tom's village -- no TV, movies, or cars. Do you think it was dull? Why or why not? What can Tom and his friends do to make life interesting? Make sure to use specific examples from the book.

Mr. Dobbins - Chapter 21

How do you feel about the trick played on Mr. Dobbins? Was it cruel? Did He deserve it? Explain your answer and remember to us SPECIFIC examples from the book.

Vocabulary 13-20

Write down five to ten more challenging words from chapters 9 to 20. Put the page it was found on, the sentence it was used in, and the definition that appropriately fits for its context.

Punished for Being Good? - Chapter 20

Good actions don't always appear to be good. What do you think Mr. Dobbins thought of Tom? Do you think he'd be surprised to learn how "noble" Tom had acted? Why? Think of a time when you've done something that you thought was helping out another person, but you got in trouble for it or a time when you've done something you thought was good, but you still got in trouble? Tell about your situation and how it is similar or different to Tom's in Chapter 20.

Aunt Polly and Tom - Chapter 19

What do you think made Tom tell lies and hurt hurt his aunt's feelings? Do you think that Aunt Polly is the right person to raise Tom? Why or why not?

Revenge - Chapter 18

Who's getting revenge on who in this chapter? Is Becky trying to revenge on Tom, or is Tom trying to get revenge on Becky? Use specific examples from the book to support your answer. Then, write whether or not either of them was in the right. Would you have acted the same as either Tom or Becky? Has a similar situation like this happened to you or someone you know? How is your situation similar to Tom and Becky's?

Grading Blogs

First, go to the website Blogging Quality Rank to rank the quality of blogs in order. Once you click on the link, you need to click on "student log in." Your teacher ID is "teriuwlax;" your student ID is the first three of your first name and the first three of your last name, and your password is, as always, "afmsafms." Once you are logged in, put the qualities of a blog in order, save your order, and click on the middle icon to compare your answers with others.

Once you have saved and compared your answers, write a short paragraph on how you believe blogs should be graded in the comment area for this blog entry.

Chapter 17 - Funeral

How do you think the townspeople felt about the boys before they thought the boys were dead? Did their minds change? Why or why not? Use evidence from the book to explain your answers.

Summer Reading

Besides reading books about teaching and education, this summer I read a lot of magazines such as "Metropolitan Home," "Bon Appetite," "Architectural Digest," and "Instructor Magazine." I also re-read a few books that I am excited to share with this class such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Schooled, The Outsiders, Touching Spirit Bear, and its sequel The Ghost of Spirit Bear. There were also several new books that I read to go along with our Mystery Unit, which we will be doing later this year. I love a good mystery, especially when there is a complicated conspiracy involved or a really good surprise ending.

For myself, I only got through two classics, Fahrenheit451 and Animal Farm, which I have wanted to read for a long time. Another book I have started is called The Poe Shadow, which is a historical novel about the death of Edgar Allen Poe, one of my favorite poets. I choose to read this book not only because I adore Poe, but because I read another work by Matthew Pearl called The Dante Club, which was another historical novel that involved murders that copied from the infamous classic Dante's Inferno. The literary scholars and writers that are at this time, in fact, translating this Italian piece of literature become the detectives trying to get to the bottom of the killings. Since this book incorporated two of my loves--history and mystery--I couldn't put it down and decided that The Poe Shadow must be read next.

I hope that you have read some books that you were just as passionate about this summer!