The First Discussion

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This is the FANTASTIC book I am currently reading!

I arrived in the cool humanities room; anticipating the first literature circles meeting. I walked over to a desk, placed my heavy books, and sat. I was actually rather excited, unlike a few of my fellow classmates. I like group discussions as well as contributing and participating. My group and I were reading the book "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George. This book was in fact, my first choice of read. I was glad when we got to have a say in what we wanted to read; but I was exceptionally glad when I got my first choice! Previously, I'd read what was assigned, and absolutely loved the book! The plot and characters were clearly and explained and described. It was so clear that I could really picture the images through my mind. I found the story line interesting; plus, I liked it. Especially since there were animals in the book! Anyway, I was prepared with my book, and of course, my response sheet! Now with the response sheet, it took me quite a while. I had to take time and effort to do a good job on it. And in the end, that really paid off. (I got an A+!) I was proud of what I did. But even though I was well prepared and I read the book, I was pretty confused on a few areas in the segment read. Some words weren't ones I knew, and some parts were still unclear to me. However, that was before my group and I had our discussions...

Throughout the discussion, my understanding of the content in the book became much better. It was mostly the vocabulary that I had trouble with, specifically. There was quite an amount of words that I didn't know. Some of the words that I weren't familiar with were; tundra, lichens, semaphore, and a few more. Within the discussion, I found out what some of these words are. For example, a tundra is a vast, flat, treeless region in which the subsoil is permanently frozen. I also learnt that lichens are composite plants consisting of a fungus. I have learnt a lot of vocabulary from the discussion, which has made the story much more understandable. The plot itself was already quite clear to me, but some others were unsure on a few points. So within the discussion, I also helped my group members, just as they assisted me.

Once everyone was clear on the story, we made connections, shared our thoughts along with our feelings. Most of us had almost the same passages on our response sheet. We talked about the importance of the certain passages to the story and what we thought about them. One topic that was quite popular was the matter of how the main character Miyax, was married at the age of thirteen. We looked at the subject, and thought that it was an arranged marriage due to their culture. We elaborated on this, and many other points from the book. This was indeed my favorite part in the discussion.

From this conversation and the text in the book, I predict that Miyax will survive. I think we all think this. I mean, with the information and facts from the book, it seems so. Because Miyax has gained acceptance into the pack, she will now have providential care from the wolves and a reliable source of food. Since she has learned to communicate with the pack, she can converse with the wolves. The group and I deliberated this point as well. We talked about the relationship humans share with wolves, and how this is important. We also went over the different signals wolves use to communicate; and the difference between their signals and humans'. We all connected our thoughts, and found a lot of similarities between each of our opinions. I found our very first discussion successful and effective. I have learned very much from it, and hopefully so did my group mates. My comprehension of the plot is advanced, and makes more sense now. I honestly can't wait for the next meeting!