For this journal write 1 page on what you think the themes of this time of year are, and how they reflect in the stories we hear. Pick one story in particular and how you think it specifically represents this time of year and the themes around the winter season.

Now close reading is an essential and foundational skill needed to succeed in any language arts course. acquiring this skill will you form a strategy when writing about literature. you will be required to perform and develop this skill as you progress through this course and other courses in your school career. identify and discuss your areas of strength in language arts. what do you do well? what do you like doing in a course like this? why do those tasks work well for you? you can also identify a challenge you have that you’d like to work on throughout this course. use this discussion as an opportunity to give advice to your classmates based on your stronger skills and to ask for with skills you are still developing.

Langston hughes cited walt whitman as one of his greatest influences and some believe that hughes wrote "i, too, sing america" in response to whitman's "i hear america singing." using on whitman's poem. consider aspects such as structure, there, word, choice, etc., as you craft your response. your response will be scored on how well you: -demonstrate your understanding of the ideas of the text -use evidence from the text to develop and support your ideas -organize your response in a logical manner -demonstrate an appropriate writing style through the use of precise word choice and varied sentences -use standard conventions for writing

Have you ever felt like the person in this image during a speech or presentation? list four or five things this person can do to be a more effective listener.