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===="You should have stayed with the soup question. The object of a question is to obtain information that only matters to us. You were wondering why your soup doesn't firm up. Probably because your mother was brought up in a house that never wasted milk in soup. That question was a good one, in contrast to, 'Do I ever go outside?', which fails to meet the criteria of obtaining information that matters to you."====

(William Forrester from //Finding Forrester//)
We read and write with the purpose of expanding our frame of reference--of considering perspectives other than our own; finding our voice; sharing our ideas, thoughts, and beliefs; accepting criticism from our peers; and attempting to improve throughout the entire process.

Throughout your time in these classes, we will use this wiki in order to accomplish all of these things, and more. While some assignments will be turned in during class, many times response questions will be located here for you to complete as homework in preparation for classroom discussions and assignments the next day.

Each unit, class, and student, will have its own page in order to allow everyone to express their ideas creatively and freely. **Remember that the safe environment that we maintain in the actual classroom also extends into the online environment as well.** Respect everyone's ideas, point each other in directions previously unconsidered, and accept constructive criticism in a manner that only improves the writing and work that you produce. Always give 100%.

I will only ask soup questions and will expect nothing less than hearty and filling responses in return. I can remember when I was growing up, sitting on the counter in my Great Grandmother's kitchen. I watched her work for hours on this soup as she made the noodles, baked the chicken, chopped the vegetables, and then, when I though she was close to being done, she tasted the soup and adjusted the seasonings and spices. By the time she was done, she was tired, but I have never found a better tasting soup. There's a lesson here that we can relate to our studies. You see, perfect soup takes time, effort, practice, and experience; however, even an experienced cook will make mistakes from time to time. Taking a can of store-bought soup, dumping it in the pan, and adding a can of water can never compare. Reading and writing are the same way--we cannot improve without practice and honest, constructive feedback. As we work through this trimester, let's stay away from the canned, generic, and shelved responses and aim for the more personal, meaningful, and experienced-based varieties instead.

All the best to you this trimester and on, Mr. Kuiper

__Unit Links are located on the navigation bar to the left of the screen, and below.__

__English 10A__ Tips for Success Short Stories Ray Bradbury Writing Resources

__American Literature A__ Tips for Success Grammar Unit 1: Origins and Encounters (2000 B.C. - A.D. 1620) Unit 2: From Colony to Country (A.D. 1620 - A.D. 1800 )