Thursday, April 26, 2012

Under Ember .... Something Lost, Nothing Found

Doon Harrow
Chapter 3 in The City of Ember talks about Doon ariving at the Pipeworks with anticipation. Airlin, the Pipeworks director's assistant guides Doon around his work site. She shows him around and they find Tunnel 97 where they set to work. To get to Tunnel 97, they had to follow a complicated route via passageways along pipes that carried water to all the buildings of Ember. During their lunch break, Airlin goes off to meet some friends and Doon finds his way back to the main tunnel using his map, determined to find something interesting or a slight clue to help save Ember but to no avail. He gets home angrily and hurls a shoe heel with all high might and accidentally hits his father. His father ecnourages him and tells him that he can find lots of bugs at the tunnel as Doon has always been fond of bugs.



Lina Mayfleet
In Chapter 4, Granny frantically searches for something which she feels has been lost but she does not exactly know what has been lost and what is it that she is looking for. Lina gets worried about this unusual behaviour of Granny latetly and she worries that Granny may not be able to look after her younger sister Poppy. Therefore, she heads down to Mrs. Murdo, her neighbour, and asks if she could keep an eye on Granny and Mrs. Murdo promises that she will. Lina takes a message to Clary given by Arbin Swinn to add four extra crates to his order, two of potatoes and two of cabbages. Clary and Lina have a small chat on how it is not possible to add extra potatoes to Arbin's orders as there happens to be a new disease which causes infections to the potatoes. Just as Lina is about to leave, she hears a wail followed by loud sobs. Sadge Merrall, a clerk in the Supply Depot pants and fearfully tells them what he sees in the darkness. Two gaurds come over to take him away. Lina tells Clary that she imagines about another City where everything is bright. Clary listens thoughtfully and says she has to get back to work and hands a few beans to Lina for her to grow them. Lina departs thanking her.

So, let's see what you remember about these two chapters. Click on the link to answer questions regarding Chapters 3 and 4. Chapter 3 & 4 Quiz

Friday, April 20, 2012

Assignment Day

Chapter 1, like every other story, introduces us to our main characters, their characteristics and paints the setting for us. Hopefully you found this chapter interesting as it sets us up for an unforgettable journey. So, let's see what you can deduct from the first chapter. Follow the link to take a quiz on chapter 1. You make work with a partner to accomplish this. You both will receive the score that you collaborate to achieve. Chapter 1: Assignment Day

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Welcome to the City of Ember

The City of Ember
In the underground city of Ember, young Lina and Doon struggle with clues in order to reveal both the history of their city and a way to save the population before their source of light dwindles away to nothing. Jeanne DuPrau presents a colorless society with a bleak future in The City of Ember. The citizens of Ember live underground where they face daily blackouts, food shortages, and corrupt politicians. With the source of light waning, two young citizens take it upon themselves to unlock the secret to Ember’s mysterious past. Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow navigate this post-apocalyptic world in an attempt to decode a cryptic message that may save them all. Our Essential Questions for this novel are: A. What is the basis for all war conflict? B. If you could imagine a world where technology and abundant resources no longer exist, what would be the results of life as we know it? The City of Ember introduces us to a way of life unfamiliar to what we are accustomed to on an everyday basis. So, to get things started, your assignment is to create a written description of an underground city. You will use sensory (sight, sounds, smells, texture) details to explain what your underground city is like including, the culture (way of life); cuisine (foods that are available); specific things your citizens must do to survive underground; what your citizens do for entertainment and the basic structure of your city. An optional map can be included to provide a visual construction of your underground dwelling but is not mandatory. Can't wait to "dive" into this book with you!