What Happened During the Ice Storm; by Jim Heynen

1. Read, highlight, annotate, and take notes (in your Read/
Write Journal) on "What Happened During the Ice Storm," a short story by Jim Heynen.
2. Using your knowledge of analysing and interpretation, derived from our reading and discussion of Gardner's Writing About Literature, Chapter I: "The Role of Good Reading," write a Thought Letter discussing the implied main idea or thesis of the story. Make this draft at least 300 words in length. Post the thought letter in the WebCT discussion section, under the topic titled "Ice Storm TL." Don't summarize the story (we have all read it!!!) Support your idea for the thesis, or main idea, with textual evidence...quotes from the short story.
3. After posting your thought letter, read and respond to the letters posted by the other members of your discussion group.
4. We will follow this assignment with a class discussion, focusing on the the main ideas and text features, and the writer's tehniques, that conveyed those ideas.