Welcome to Kid's Corner RSS FEED
|
|
|
|
Word of the Day
Word of the Day
provided by TheFreeDictionary
|
Ha! Ha! Ha!...JOKE OF THE DAY!...Ha! Ha! Ha!
|
No Tests! No Homework! Just fun reading!This Day in History
This Day in History
provided by TheFreeDictionary
|
Fun Reading! Fun Reading! Fun Reading!Today's Birthday
Today's Birthday
provided by TheFreeDictionary
CoolBeat Audiobooks for Children & AdultsListen to Science Fiction, Fairy Tales, Fantasy Fiction, Biographies, History, How to Books and more. Cool and off-beat Downloadable MP3 Audiobooks for all ages!
|
*BREAKING NEWS!*
|
MATH IN YOUR HEAD!
|
Bringer of a Language by Ryan L (Miami Florida)
He is the bringer of a language
He who saved Scribius
He who defeated Mortem
He who gave back the helm
Savior of our god
Giver of a language
He traveled across the seven seas
He traveled to the four corners
He fought with death
And gave a language
Savior of our god
Giver of our language
He crossed the seven mountains
He did the seven challenges
He crossed the last river
But came back alive
Savior of our god
Giver of our language
He came back a different person
No longer just a silversmith
But a hero
A savior
PRIVATE SCHOOL
|
Savior of our god
Giver of our language And he who traveled with him His name was Amicus And he was a lifelong friend Savior of our god Giver of our language He who defeated Mortem He who saved Scribius He who brought us a language He who made friends with Amicus He was a hero, he was
Savior of our god Giver of our language He was is and always will be a giver, A hero, a leader, a savoir The silversmith had left and in his place was Sequoyah Hero of the Cherokee, bringer of our language, Savior to our god Scribius, And chief of Tunskegee. Bringer of Our Language Savior to our god, And leader of our people
|
*Stay tuned for more up coming Kids Writing Contests!*
|
Folklore, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends Children stories from around the world!
Over 200 New, Old & Forgotten Folklore, Fairy Tales, Myths & Legends As Books, Ebooks And Booksets From $3 American Indian, Africa, Viking Sagas! Plenty of great gift ideas! 33% of the net profit from sales go to charities around the world. Do you love Alice in Wonderland?101 intriguing and funny Quotes and Conversations from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Original stories and an extra chapter are included. One of the largest collections available in one book.
Includes 3 Free Bonuses. HOT! Clever and whimsical quotes from Lewis Carroll Amaze your friends!
|
How To Write A BOOK REPORT
by Edward (Dictionary) Itor
Writing a good book report requires reading a book, summarizing it then voicing your opinion. Your job is to extract the main ideas of the book, explain them then analyze them and type it all up into a presentable coherent report. Summarize then commentary, summarize then commentary, summarize then more commentary, will be the basic, overall, reoccurring structure of the bulky middle section of your report. The important key is to take thorough and careful notes as you read the book. Use post it flags to mark pages that contain important passages or quotes. This will make it easier to find those passages later as you are typing up your report. It is never advisable to start writing your book report until you are totally finished reading the whole book since a lot of books have a surprise ending or an unexpected twist or conclusion at the end. When you have finished reading your book and are ready to start your report, be sure to gather all your notes and have the book with all its flagged pages by your side before you start writing.
First ask yourself; if I was a reader, perhaps a customer at a book store or a person browsing through a library, what, do I need to know about this book, to help me decide whether or not I’d like to buy it? Of course, as a customer, you would first want to know; what is this book about? But there may be many books, all side by side on the same shelf right next to your chosen book, all written about the same subject. So, why should a reader choose your book to read? Or, if you didn’t like the book and don’t want to recommend the book then why specifically shouldn’t a customer purchase it? To be convincing you will need to go into a little bit of detail.
First, let’s supply your reader some basic pre-information about the book. Type the title of the book, followed by the author’s name. Add the publisher’s name then the year it was published. Next, tell what genre or literary style the book is written in; biography, epic, historical romance, mystery…Next, a brief introduction is in order, stating why the author wrote the book followed by a few facts discussing the author’s credentials to be able to write on the subject matter. Now would be an appropriate time to state the books main point.
Now that the introduction to your book is out of the way we’re ready to delve into the bulk of your book report. There are two main goals we wish to accomplish here. The first objective is to give a thorough explanation of what the book is about. The second is to state your opinions about the different aspects of the book.
If your book is a fiction book, start by stating the book’s overall theme. Next, describe the setting, where and when the story takes place. Now, state the story’s main characters including identifying the protagonist and antagonist. Inform from whose point of view the story is being told. Let us know what the overall mood or tone of the piece is. Now you are ready to start a more concise and detailed plot summary. List the sequence of events in the order that they occur. Explain the books climax which is usually the peak of the action just before the very end. And then tell what the results of the climax are. Now is the time to praise or condemn the author for any literary devices he/she stands out for being either particularly good or particularly bad at using, such as; description, characterization, dialog or foreshadowing.
For a non-fiction book, it is also appropriate to start by providing the books overall theme. Next you should state the author’s more specific topic which he chose to use to talk about the overall theme. List the author’s main points in the order he makes them. Explain what he focuses on and how he builds his thesis. What are the conclusions he is steering the reader towards? Was there an obvious slant or bias? Don’t try to summarize every chapter from every angle. Choose the important stuff, the stuff that stood out and things that were most interesting to you.
As you begin to voice your opinion, use the notes you made while you were reading and site the quotes you flagged as examples and to justify your points. What were the strengths and weaknesses of the book? Did the author achieve his or her purpose? Did he/she support their thesis with enough evidence? Was the writing style effective, powerful, beautiful, easy or difficult to understand? Was the author able to sway you to see his arguments? Do you agree with his arguments? What is your overall response to the book? Was it interesting, moving, dull? Was the ending spectacular, just satisfactory or a letdown? Finally, would you recommend the book to others? Why and why not?
Your last paragraph should be used to pull your thoughts together. Re-emphasize what you most want to tell your reader about this book. A good way to end would be by stating an overall impression the book left with you. You could also end by stating something unique you learned from your experience of reading this book or how you’ve grown or are changed.
Many teachers have their own rules about what a book report should look like so, be sure to check that you have everything that was assigned covered. Remember, book reports are a way to show your professor how well you understood a book and to give your professor a chance to see how your mind works by the way you express how you interpret the book’s message. You will be judged more on how you present your opinions and how well you back them up, rather than on whether you liked or disliked the book.
The contents of a book report will obviously vary based on the grade level of the student. Middle grade level book reports should contain all the basic details about a book, a summary of the plot, state the theme along with some comments regarding the student’s opinions and impressions. Older student naturally should turn in more advanced and sophisticated reports delving deeper into the themes and underlying messages contained in books as well as voicing their own opinions in more detail.
One of the ways to make sure your book report out shines all the others your professor has to grade is by spending extra time crafting your first sentence. The all-important, first sentence will set the tone for your piece. Your aim is to grasp your professor’s attention immediately. Your professor has thirty book reports to read. Write something that wakes him/her up and demands their full attention.
To guarantee a good grade, for an advanced grade level book reports, above the high school level, know that you must incorporate all of the above elements of a basic book report while also designing your book report to address a specific, main question. Your book report should argue this one main point of view thoroughly. That point should be established from the first sentence and that theme should permeate throughout your report, all the way to the end.
First ask yourself; if I was a reader, perhaps a customer at a book store or a person browsing through a library, what, do I need to know about this book, to help me decide whether or not I’d like to buy it? Of course, as a customer, you would first want to know; what is this book about? But there may be many books, all side by side on the same shelf right next to your chosen book, all written about the same subject. So, why should a reader choose your book to read? Or, if you didn’t like the book and don’t want to recommend the book then why specifically shouldn’t a customer purchase it? To be convincing you will need to go into a little bit of detail.
First, let’s supply your reader some basic pre-information about the book. Type the title of the book, followed by the author’s name. Add the publisher’s name then the year it was published. Next, tell what genre or literary style the book is written in; biography, epic, historical romance, mystery…Next, a brief introduction is in order, stating why the author wrote the book followed by a few facts discussing the author’s credentials to be able to write on the subject matter. Now would be an appropriate time to state the books main point.
Now that the introduction to your book is out of the way we’re ready to delve into the bulk of your book report. There are two main goals we wish to accomplish here. The first objective is to give a thorough explanation of what the book is about. The second is to state your opinions about the different aspects of the book.
If your book is a fiction book, start by stating the book’s overall theme. Next, describe the setting, where and when the story takes place. Now, state the story’s main characters including identifying the protagonist and antagonist. Inform from whose point of view the story is being told. Let us know what the overall mood or tone of the piece is. Now you are ready to start a more concise and detailed plot summary. List the sequence of events in the order that they occur. Explain the books climax which is usually the peak of the action just before the very end. And then tell what the results of the climax are. Now is the time to praise or condemn the author for any literary devices he/she stands out for being either particularly good or particularly bad at using, such as; description, characterization, dialog or foreshadowing.
For a non-fiction book, it is also appropriate to start by providing the books overall theme. Next you should state the author’s more specific topic which he chose to use to talk about the overall theme. List the author’s main points in the order he makes them. Explain what he focuses on and how he builds his thesis. What are the conclusions he is steering the reader towards? Was there an obvious slant or bias? Don’t try to summarize every chapter from every angle. Choose the important stuff, the stuff that stood out and things that were most interesting to you.
As you begin to voice your opinion, use the notes you made while you were reading and site the quotes you flagged as examples and to justify your points. What were the strengths and weaknesses of the book? Did the author achieve his or her purpose? Did he/she support their thesis with enough evidence? Was the writing style effective, powerful, beautiful, easy or difficult to understand? Was the author able to sway you to see his arguments? Do you agree with his arguments? What is your overall response to the book? Was it interesting, moving, dull? Was the ending spectacular, just satisfactory or a letdown? Finally, would you recommend the book to others? Why and why not?
Your last paragraph should be used to pull your thoughts together. Re-emphasize what you most want to tell your reader about this book. A good way to end would be by stating an overall impression the book left with you. You could also end by stating something unique you learned from your experience of reading this book or how you’ve grown or are changed.
Many teachers have their own rules about what a book report should look like so, be sure to check that you have everything that was assigned covered. Remember, book reports are a way to show your professor how well you understood a book and to give your professor a chance to see how your mind works by the way you express how you interpret the book’s message. You will be judged more on how you present your opinions and how well you back them up, rather than on whether you liked or disliked the book.
The contents of a book report will obviously vary based on the grade level of the student. Middle grade level book reports should contain all the basic details about a book, a summary of the plot, state the theme along with some comments regarding the student’s opinions and impressions. Older student naturally should turn in more advanced and sophisticated reports delving deeper into the themes and underlying messages contained in books as well as voicing their own opinions in more detail.
One of the ways to make sure your book report out shines all the others your professor has to grade is by spending extra time crafting your first sentence. The all-important, first sentence will set the tone for your piece. Your aim is to grasp your professor’s attention immediately. Your professor has thirty book reports to read. Write something that wakes him/her up and demands their full attention.
To guarantee a good grade, for an advanced grade level book reports, above the high school level, know that you must incorporate all of the above elements of a basic book report while also designing your book report to address a specific, main question. Your book report should argue this one main point of view thoroughly. That point should be established from the first sentence and that theme should permeate throughout your report, all the way to the end.
The Best Selling Books For Teenagers
Essays, What's all the hoopla?
Unraveling the mystique of the essay by Sylvester Levi
So, it finally happened. You drew one of those Neanderthal professors who lives, breathes, swears and grades by the written essay. You sat up front, raised your hand, participated and turned in your homework early all semester. You even volunteered to stay after class to clean the blackboard and clap the erasers. But, all that doesn't matter now. Teach just announced that 75% of your grade will be based on an essay. You've written book reports before and even tried your hand at creative writing, penning a few poems and a short fiction story once for a high school literature class but an essay is a whole different kettle of fish from writing fiction.
You can tell by the teacher’s tone of voice that there’s going to be trips to the library and plenty of research involved for anyone who wishes to receive a good grade. Hell, you’ve never really been sure what an essay is. You wanted to ask the professor to clarify the rules but you were too embarrassed to admit you didn’t know precisely what an essay was. Well, don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re not alone. Now-a-days, everyone seems to have their own definition of an essay.
What separates an essay from an article, from a short story? Ask any group of literary scholars and you’re sure to start an argument. That the boundaries are blurred between each is for sure. Most will agree an essay is written for the purpose of discussing a topic for which the author intends to share his own personal view with his audience. When writing an article the author reports facts about his subject matter and is supposed to keep an objective point of view keeping his personal feeling out of it and letting his readers draw their own conclusion. A short story is usually an event told through the eyes of one person or a few people at most. Sometimes, the story writer is also the main character but if not then usually a main character in the tale tells the story. The point of view of the writer is delivered to his reader through the theme of the piece and the actions of the characters.
A simple way of distinguishing between the three works of literary art would be; The essay is the writing that’s full of the author’s opinion. The short story is a tale that’s usually seen through a limited amount of peoples’ eyes. And, the article reads like a statement of facts one right after another best written with no bias opinion at all.
When an author writes an essay, the author is not shy about voicing his observations or criticisms of his subject matter. A lot of scholars claim the distinguishing element of a good essay is when the author uses his own personal reflections and recollections to sway the opinion of his reader. Although, this is not entirely true. Essays can be objective, as in factual essays, scientific essays or political essays where the writer sticks to a theme and keeps his views out of the piece. Another misconception of an essay is that they’re always short, under thirty pages. Long essays are rare but there are essays that are longer than some novels.
In modern day, the definitions of an essay, article and a short story all over lap. Just like the genres of mystery, western, science fiction and horror are all morphing into each others territories. The new story writers of today are blurring the lines. True creative writing artists don’t like their work to be categorized; it limits the interpretation of the piece. Let each reader figure out for themselves what the story means and what shelf it should be placed on. As bold authors continue to stretch the boundaries of their craft, clear definitions of an essay, article or short story become more and more difficult to distinguish.
For discussion, let’s say the work of literature we wish to define is 2000 words long. A lot of readers feel an essay uses bigger words and a more sophisticated style of delivery than a short story or an article. This has been nurtured by the fact that we mostly hear the term essay when a teacher is assigning us homework. Essays come in all sorts of styles, forms and lengths. They do not have to read like pages stripped out of a text book. An article is thought of as something that reads like it was written by a reporter for a newspaper or magazine, almost always pure non-fiction. But, many essays are non-fictional too and magazines and newspapers frequently publish essays. A short story, the experts will claim, encompasses everything fictional as well as everything non fictional that isn’t an essay or an article. The characteristics that distinguish one from the other are vague and confusing to say the least. The story writer tells a tale. The article author reports an event. The essayist may do either or both but he always takes a stance.
Essays have always been an important part of the education system. Colleges and universities use essays and term papers as an important part of grading students. Some professors assign essays as mid-terms or final exams. Most good Academic Essay writers have long figured out the importance of their spelling and grammar being perfect if they want to get a high grade. Academic Essays are usually well structured and almost always accompanied by plenty of footnotes and long bibliographies giving credit to many formal sources which back up the student’s argument as well as give evidence of the huge amount of reading and research that the student put in to his assignment.
Whether you’ve been assigned a topic or have to choose your own topic, be careful not to take on too large of a subject matter. Even if assigned a subject, before you start, try to chisel the topic down so when you state your point of view, your argument will be as focused as possible and clear cut. Now that you have a manageable topic, decide what the goal is of your essay. Are you trying to bring to light of day some overlooked or seemingly forgotten aspect? Are you trying to persuade your reader to see then eventually agree with your point of view? Are you trying to enlighten your reader to new possibilities?
You’ve chosen or been given an interesting subject to write about. You’ve narrowed down your topic to be as specific as possible and you’ve decided on the purpose or goal of your essay. So, let’s get started.
The basic structure of an essay is three parts. First you write the introduction, where you state what you intend to discuss with your essay and inform how you intend to go about discussing it. One or two paragraphs is usually sufficient, depending on the difficulty level of the subject matter. The second part of the essay is the body, usually the biggest part. The body is where you actually do everything you said you were going to do in your introduction. The final part is the conclusion, where you basically re-cap how you accomplished everything you said you were going to accomplish in your introduction. Ideally, the conclusion should be brief, a few sentences generally is all that’s needed, unless your subject matter is very technical. Re-state the important points and close.
Finally, re-read and revise. Fix spelling and grammar then re-read again looking for slow spots. Fix transitions, so thoughts flow naturally, one paragraph to another. Make sure paragraphs lead fluidly into the next paragraph. Now, for the last step, It’s time to jazz things up. This is when your essay is 99% complete.
Now, you are going to re-read with the sole intent of adding the finishing touches that will set your essay apart from the pack. Now that the grunt work is done, it’s easy to go back and add the sparkle. Start with your first sentence. Is it an attention grabber? Does it peak the reader’s interest? If not, re-write it or add a sentence or two or three before it that makes the reader have to read on. A lot of essayists like to start with a quick story that illustrates their stance. Then, they follow up with the more formal proof and documentation that supports that view point. The story must be very brief and very pertinent to the opinion you are pushing. This quick story technique can also be saved to be used for the final words of your essay as a closer. If used at the end, the story must be 100% supportive to your argument, short and to the point, while still being strong enough to dispel any lingering doubts and be the final say on the matter.
Another way to jazz up your work is by looking for slow stale prose and replacing it with a few quick exchanges of dialog, which breaks up the droning text book tone that some essays get. Adding dialog is especially effective to break up long essays that are filled with a lot of facts and technical jargon. Again, be sure the dialog is 100% supportive of the view point you are trying to sell.
Now, it’s time for your final re-read. This is when you check that every sentence in your essay supports or proves your opinion. Again, check for flow of the piece and the clarity of the message. Does it make sense? Is it convincing or strained? If strained, don’t give up. You may simply need to do some more research to find that tiny bit of information or evidence that will pull your whole piece together. No one said it was going to be easy. As always, with most writing, re-writing and revising is generally the key ingredient that turns scribbling into works of literature.
So, it finally happened. You drew one of those Neanderthal professors who lives, breathes, swears and grades by the written essay. You sat up front, raised your hand, participated and turned in your homework early all semester. You even volunteered to stay after class to clean the blackboard and clap the erasers. But, all that doesn't matter now. Teach just announced that 75% of your grade will be based on an essay. You've written book reports before and even tried your hand at creative writing, penning a few poems and a short fiction story once for a high school literature class but an essay is a whole different kettle of fish from writing fiction.
You can tell by the teacher’s tone of voice that there’s going to be trips to the library and plenty of research involved for anyone who wishes to receive a good grade. Hell, you’ve never really been sure what an essay is. You wanted to ask the professor to clarify the rules but you were too embarrassed to admit you didn’t know precisely what an essay was. Well, don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re not alone. Now-a-days, everyone seems to have their own definition of an essay.
What separates an essay from an article, from a short story? Ask any group of literary scholars and you’re sure to start an argument. That the boundaries are blurred between each is for sure. Most will agree an essay is written for the purpose of discussing a topic for which the author intends to share his own personal view with his audience. When writing an article the author reports facts about his subject matter and is supposed to keep an objective point of view keeping his personal feeling out of it and letting his readers draw their own conclusion. A short story is usually an event told through the eyes of one person or a few people at most. Sometimes, the story writer is also the main character but if not then usually a main character in the tale tells the story. The point of view of the writer is delivered to his reader through the theme of the piece and the actions of the characters.
A simple way of distinguishing between the three works of literary art would be; The essay is the writing that’s full of the author’s opinion. The short story is a tale that’s usually seen through a limited amount of peoples’ eyes. And, the article reads like a statement of facts one right after another best written with no bias opinion at all.
When an author writes an essay, the author is not shy about voicing his observations or criticisms of his subject matter. A lot of scholars claim the distinguishing element of a good essay is when the author uses his own personal reflections and recollections to sway the opinion of his reader. Although, this is not entirely true. Essays can be objective, as in factual essays, scientific essays or political essays where the writer sticks to a theme and keeps his views out of the piece. Another misconception of an essay is that they’re always short, under thirty pages. Long essays are rare but there are essays that are longer than some novels.
In modern day, the definitions of an essay, article and a short story all over lap. Just like the genres of mystery, western, science fiction and horror are all morphing into each others territories. The new story writers of today are blurring the lines. True creative writing artists don’t like their work to be categorized; it limits the interpretation of the piece. Let each reader figure out for themselves what the story means and what shelf it should be placed on. As bold authors continue to stretch the boundaries of their craft, clear definitions of an essay, article or short story become more and more difficult to distinguish.
For discussion, let’s say the work of literature we wish to define is 2000 words long. A lot of readers feel an essay uses bigger words and a more sophisticated style of delivery than a short story or an article. This has been nurtured by the fact that we mostly hear the term essay when a teacher is assigning us homework. Essays come in all sorts of styles, forms and lengths. They do not have to read like pages stripped out of a text book. An article is thought of as something that reads like it was written by a reporter for a newspaper or magazine, almost always pure non-fiction. But, many essays are non-fictional too and magazines and newspapers frequently publish essays. A short story, the experts will claim, encompasses everything fictional as well as everything non fictional that isn’t an essay or an article. The characteristics that distinguish one from the other are vague and confusing to say the least. The story writer tells a tale. The article author reports an event. The essayist may do either or both but he always takes a stance.
Essays have always been an important part of the education system. Colleges and universities use essays and term papers as an important part of grading students. Some professors assign essays as mid-terms or final exams. Most good Academic Essay writers have long figured out the importance of their spelling and grammar being perfect if they want to get a high grade. Academic Essays are usually well structured and almost always accompanied by plenty of footnotes and long bibliographies giving credit to many formal sources which back up the student’s argument as well as give evidence of the huge amount of reading and research that the student put in to his assignment.
Whether you’ve been assigned a topic or have to choose your own topic, be careful not to take on too large of a subject matter. Even if assigned a subject, before you start, try to chisel the topic down so when you state your point of view, your argument will be as focused as possible and clear cut. Now that you have a manageable topic, decide what the goal is of your essay. Are you trying to bring to light of day some overlooked or seemingly forgotten aspect? Are you trying to persuade your reader to see then eventually agree with your point of view? Are you trying to enlighten your reader to new possibilities?
You’ve chosen or been given an interesting subject to write about. You’ve narrowed down your topic to be as specific as possible and you’ve decided on the purpose or goal of your essay. So, let’s get started.
The basic structure of an essay is three parts. First you write the introduction, where you state what you intend to discuss with your essay and inform how you intend to go about discussing it. One or two paragraphs is usually sufficient, depending on the difficulty level of the subject matter. The second part of the essay is the body, usually the biggest part. The body is where you actually do everything you said you were going to do in your introduction. The final part is the conclusion, where you basically re-cap how you accomplished everything you said you were going to accomplish in your introduction. Ideally, the conclusion should be brief, a few sentences generally is all that’s needed, unless your subject matter is very technical. Re-state the important points and close.
Finally, re-read and revise. Fix spelling and grammar then re-read again looking for slow spots. Fix transitions, so thoughts flow naturally, one paragraph to another. Make sure paragraphs lead fluidly into the next paragraph. Now, for the last step, It’s time to jazz things up. This is when your essay is 99% complete.
Now, you are going to re-read with the sole intent of adding the finishing touches that will set your essay apart from the pack. Now that the grunt work is done, it’s easy to go back and add the sparkle. Start with your first sentence. Is it an attention grabber? Does it peak the reader’s interest? If not, re-write it or add a sentence or two or three before it that makes the reader have to read on. A lot of essayists like to start with a quick story that illustrates their stance. Then, they follow up with the more formal proof and documentation that supports that view point. The story must be very brief and very pertinent to the opinion you are pushing. This quick story technique can also be saved to be used for the final words of your essay as a closer. If used at the end, the story must be 100% supportive to your argument, short and to the point, while still being strong enough to dispel any lingering doubts and be the final say on the matter.
Another way to jazz up your work is by looking for slow stale prose and replacing it with a few quick exchanges of dialog, which breaks up the droning text book tone that some essays get. Adding dialog is especially effective to break up long essays that are filled with a lot of facts and technical jargon. Again, be sure the dialog is 100% supportive of the view point you are trying to sell.
Now, it’s time for your final re-read. This is when you check that every sentence in your essay supports or proves your opinion. Again, check for flow of the piece and the clarity of the message. Does it make sense? Is it convincing or strained? If strained, don’t give up. You may simply need to do some more research to find that tiny bit of information or evidence that will pull your whole piece together. No one said it was going to be easy. As always, with most writing, re-writing and revising is generally the key ingredient that turns scribbling into works of literature.