Friday's Book Response Option: Article Review or Book Response #4

For those of you looking for another option for Friday book responses, read both of the two articles linked in this post and respond to each. You will use the comment box for the Dave Barry piece and The New York Times article (last link) to post your reading response. Just like a book response, you will include all the same components:  short summary, your analysis with a significant passage quoted to support your opinion (don't forget to lead into the quote and to also interpret it afterward), a photograph or illustration with explanation, and careful attention to conventions (spelling, grammar, and so forth).


The first link addresses the spread of contagious diseases (like senioritis), which threatens the health of our classroom!  So it's time to lighten up, laugh at ourselves, and get the most out of the time left in the semester.   That said, this article is dedicated to all of you, juniors and seniors.  Read, enjoy, and use the comment box below to comment with your own reactions - humorous, serious, or otherwise.  As you think about your future plans, what connections can you make with Dave Barry, your own angst, your own challenges?

The second link takes us to an article about how much cheating goes on in school.  Does everyone have the same definition of what constitutes cheating?  Is it OK to look over at someone else's paper during a test, or copy someone's homework, or turn in something you've written for one class to a different class? A problem teachers and students face today is the availability of papers and information on the internet and the ease with which someone can "borrow" material.

The New York Times offers an interesting article about plagiarism.   Please create a post in response to the article.  You can comment and post about both links for full credit anytime this week up through Friday, October 24th.  Read and comment as others begin to post.  Issues of honesty touch us all and affect the morale, atmosphere, and collegiality of the class.  I know they say that cheaters are only cheating themselves, but I've seen it discourage hard working students as well when cheating goes unchecked.  What do you think?