1- What are the three most important things you learned this year?
One important thing I learned this year was the importance of opening up to other people. When I heard each and every single one of those speeches, I admired people's strength and ability to talk about some really personal stuff to the class. Although I did end up really liking my speech, I had just wish I had taken it to a more personal level like my peers did. I wanted to experience the feeling that they felt when they gave their speeches. Again, I did like my speech I gave, but had wished I had found the strength in me to be able to open up to my class.
Another important thing I learned is that you can still have fun while learning. In ELA, it doesn't always have to be just work. We don't just have to be brainless robots who just do work on command and relive
that same cycle over and over. We do have our fun moments sometimes. We did have some fun times in the class and shared a few laughs. Each day was different from the last. We never had to only work, we were all comfortable enough to joke around a little and enjoy ourselves every once and awhile.
The last thing I learned in this class constantly was to never lie to Mrs. Larson. I am assuming a lot of people are writing this in their blog as well, only because it is very true. In the end, no teacher should be lied too. This not only applies to Mrs. Larson, but to every teacher in this building. That is just very disrespectful and shows how untrustworthy you really are. It just makes it harder for them to trust you ever again. I feel no one should have to lie to Mrs. Larson and that they should be completely honest with her. If you do lie, she will find out and give you a consequence.
What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?
Something I did this year that I will always remember was the relationships I built within this class. At the beginning of the year I was really disappointed to find out that all of my friends from last year had moved to the summit class. I wasn't able to go with them unfortunately. As time went by, I realized that you know what, that's ok. It's ok that I didn't get placed in an accelerated class, it's ok that I couldn't be with all of my friends, because I made even more friends being where I'm at now. As the months went by, I really liked being with the people in this class and have made so many more best friends. I did have friends in this class from before, but I enjoyed actually being in a classroom with them. I would never switch places and be in any of the other classes, my place is and always was here.
3- What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?
The nicest thing the people in my ELA class have ever done for me was give me a giant group hug when I was sobbing after the speeches. After I had heard Archie’s speech, I was literally sobbing. When I had heard what happened to him and his mom, it had reminded me of something that happened to my family. I was easily able to relate to him and that just made me very upset. After all the speeches, I was still upset and started to cry again. Everyone just crowded around me and gave me a big group hug. I couldn't see who was there, so I will just refer to these people as “the class.” It was just a really nice thing they did and is something I am sure I will always remember this forever.
4- What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?
What I hope I taught my fellow peers is that to not give into racism. In my speech, I tried to explain that we can not mistreat people who may be different from us. Our world revolves around humans differences. We need to embrace these differences instead of discouraging them. I was mostly referring g to religion and how we can not just judge certain people just because they practice. I spoke about my Muslim uncle and how despite we had some differences, I still liked him for who he was as a person and learned that he turned out to be a great guy.
5- In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?
I felt I made a real improvement in my writing. I did say this on my last reflection blog last year, but I do feel like I improved a little more this year. I feel a lot more comfortable writing blogs compared to the beginning of the year. Despite me writing a good amount too blogs last year, I felt that since I was able to blog again this year, I got more in the gust of things if you know what I mean. I am able to successfully write about any topic I am assigned to write about and always get a good grade on it. I know some people may not like blogging I honestly don't think it's that bad.
6- What was the most challenging part of this year for you?
I think the most challenging part of this year was having to learn about the Holocaust. That whole word just bring so many scary images of the poor Jewish lives that were taken from our world from Hitler. It wasn't hard to learn about it, it was just difficult to see some of the images we saw as we went through the lesson. It was especially hard to read the book Night. That book was so sad and I was considering putting that book as the best book I've read this year. It was just so powerful and painful to imagine what this man had gone through as a teenager.
7- What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?
I think my best piece of writing was my speech. It wasn't really about the amount I wrote, it's the message I was trying to explain to my peers. It was different from a blog where you just sit and read it on your iPad, instead I used my voice to tell my story. I used it to tell my story and explain why my message is so important. Like I said, it was a unique twist to the usual. My speech showed me how powerful you can portray your emotions through your own words rather than simply typing something up for a regular blog.
8- Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?
The best book read this year was A Child Called It. This book is very powerful and can get emotional. I have to admit, I was getting a little emotional during some if the hard parts. I won't spoil any of the book. It's about a little boy who survived Year sir mental and physical abuse from his abusive alcoholic mother who tortured this poor kid everyday. It was painful to read through his traumatic experiences. The way this kid who is now an adult portrayed these events in his writing really got to me. It was overall a great book that showed acts of strength and perseverance.
9- What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?
Advice I'd give to incoming students is like I said before, be prepared to work hard and strive for your absolute best. Like I said, a lot of material is going to be covered within this room. You will learn so much in such a short amount. A school year is honestly not that long with all the time that goes by. Your middle school years go by so uncontrollably quick. Along with learning a lot, you have to also factor in the work and the amount of time you have to give up to to get your full educational experience. That means you must and I mean you absolutely must do your homework. You get homework in this class everyday and you should by all means do it and not be a slacker.
Monday, May 29, 2017
Friday, May 26, 2017
Love Rather Then Hate
I believe we shouldn't give into hate that is being spread around the world. I feel that certain people shouldn't get mistreated or hated just because of what they look like or who they are. Have you ever gave into a stereotype? Have you ever gave into the racism and prejudice that is constantly being spread? I remember I was almost sunk into that darkness, but then I met someone very important. Someone who changed my whole outlook on Muslims. This man is my uncle.
I believe I've known my uncle for over two years. I met him during a very rough time for people who practiced his same religion. On the news you were always hearing lots of stories of terrorist attacks and suicide bombers who were killing a bunch of innocents. Aside from the constant terrorist attacks going on, the Syrian Civil War was still going on. The News was always on a TV wherever I was, so I saw a lot of this on a daily. I would always watch in fear and would think in my head, “Is what's being said any true?” I didn't know if I should believe. I didn't want to. A lot of the stuff that was being said was just very negative and God awful. It was very hard to escape from it.
I met my aunt's boyfriend who soon became her husband. As time went by, I learned that he came from Morocco and is a Muslim. Instead of being skeptical or being rude to him, I got to know him. There was no reason to hate him, so why shouldn't I be nice to him. As time went by, I started to like him a lot. He's such a great guy and still to this day is extremely nice. I came to the realization that if every non terrorist Muslim was like this, then I'd have no problem getting to know every single one of them. If he is an example of how nice Muslims can be, then I'm glad I didn't believe anything the media was saying about them. You can't judge people who you don't even know. I got to know my uncle and found out that he’s a really cool guy.
I believe people shouldn't judge people who they have never even taken any time to get to know. The people I heard in the media said very hurtful things to these people whose lives were very different from ours. Some of these people were going through a war in their country and had to live among the monsters who made people hate Muslims. We may have been through lots of war, but we never had to experience anything like what they experienced.
We can't mistreat people just because of their religion. We can't overgeneralize a group of people by calling them terrorists when really they aren't. That's not how our world should work. It's better to spread love rather than hatred. That only makes others want to join in when really they should be putting it to an end. I believe this and it made a really positive impact on my life.
Final Reflection
1- What are the three most important things you learned this year?
One of the three most important things I've learned in this class is that hard work really pays off. Some advice I'd give to any incoming eighth grader is that you really need to be on your toes when it comes out this class. I'm not saying in a way to warn someone, but just to prepare someone. I'm saying this because you learn a lot and do a lot in this class. There's a lot of material being covered to better prepare you for our later years as young adults in high school. Is even say this to any accelerated seventh grader because I got the experience to be placed The the accelerated class and the just the regular eighth grade class, but that's ok. You still learn a lot and I learned that me doing the hard work from the beginning always pays off in the end.
2- What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?
Something I did in this class that I will always remember for the rest of my life was the relationships I created. When the eighth grade year started, I was really bummed out to find out that all my friends were in summit and I wasn't. At first it got me angry and made me think that my eighth grade year was just gonna be really bad. I was also disappointed to learn that I wasn't placed in any of the accelerated classes. I've been in accelerated programs through most of my “school life.” When I'm in those classes I feel smart and feel comfortable being with all my friends. As the months went by, I really liked being with the people in this class and have made so many more best friends. I did have friends in this class from before, but I enjoyed actually being in a classroom with them. I would never switch places and be in any of the other classes, my place is and always was here.
3- What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?
4- What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?
5- In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?
6- What was the most challenging part of this year for you?
7- What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?
8- Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?
The best book read this year was A Child Called It. This book is very powerful and can get emotional. I have to admit, I was getting a little emotional during some if the hard parts. I won't spoil any of the book. It's about a little boy who survived Year sir mental and physical abuse from his abusive alcoholic mother who tortured this poor kid everyday. It was painful to read through his traumatic experiences.
9- What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?
Advice I'd give to incoming students is like I said before, be prepared to work hard and strive for your absolute best. Like I said, a lot of material is going to be covered within this room. You will learn so much in such a short amount. A school year is honestly not that long with all the time that goes by. Your middle school years go by so uncontrollably quick. Along with learning a lot, you have to also factor in the work and the amount of time you have to give up to to get your full educational experience. That means you must and I mean you absolutely must do your homework. You get homework in this class everyday and you should by all means do it and not be a slacker.
I will try and post this weekend!!!
One of the three most important things I've learned in this class is that hard work really pays off. Some advice I'd give to any incoming eighth grader is that you really need to be on your toes when it comes out this class. I'm not saying in a way to warn someone, but just to prepare someone. I'm saying this because you learn a lot and do a lot in this class. There's a lot of material being covered to better prepare you for our later years as young adults in high school. Is even say this to any accelerated seventh grader because I got the experience to be placed The the accelerated class and the just the regular eighth grade class, but that's ok. You still learn a lot and I learned that me doing the hard work from the beginning always pays off in the end.
2- What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?
Something I did in this class that I will always remember for the rest of my life was the relationships I created. When the eighth grade year started, I was really bummed out to find out that all my friends were in summit and I wasn't. At first it got me angry and made me think that my eighth grade year was just gonna be really bad. I was also disappointed to learn that I wasn't placed in any of the accelerated classes. I've been in accelerated programs through most of my “school life.” When I'm in those classes I feel smart and feel comfortable being with all my friends. As the months went by, I really liked being with the people in this class and have made so many more best friends. I did have friends in this class from before, but I enjoyed actually being in a classroom with them. I would never switch places and be in any of the other classes, my place is and always was here.
3- What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?
4- What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?
5- In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?
6- What was the most challenging part of this year for you?
7- What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?
8- Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?
The best book read this year was A Child Called It. This book is very powerful and can get emotional. I have to admit, I was getting a little emotional during some if the hard parts. I won't spoil any of the book. It's about a little boy who survived Year sir mental and physical abuse from his abusive alcoholic mother who tortured this poor kid everyday. It was painful to read through his traumatic experiences.
9- What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?
Advice I'd give to incoming students is like I said before, be prepared to work hard and strive for your absolute best. Like I said, a lot of material is going to be covered within this room. You will learn so much in such a short amount. A school year is honestly not that long with all the time that goes by. Your middle school years go by so uncontrollably quick. Along with learning a lot, you have to also factor in the work and the amount of time you have to give up to to get your full educational experience. That means you must and I mean you absolutely must do your homework. You get homework in this class everyday and you should by all means do it and not be a slacker.
I will try and post this weekend!!!
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Literature Circle Blog
An essential question my group and I had come up with for our book, The Year of the Hangman, was if Creighton's character was going to change since he was forcefully relocated to the colonies. We were wondering if just him having to live somewhere would at all change him from the Creighton we saw in the beginning, to the Creighton you see at the end if the story. We find out that yes, Creighton wasn't just a static character. Overtime he evolved, and acted to become a dynamic character who in the end isn't the same as before. The Creighton we were introduced in the beginning of the book was really different. Having a lot of fortune made him reckless, troubling, and snobby. A quote from The Year of the Hangman states, “Creighton had shown a tendency toward “running wild,” as his mother put it. The mischief he indulged in was mostly minor” (Page 6). This was just one statement along with a bunch of others portraying Creighton as a troubled teen. Of course all teens get into some sort of trouble here and there, but Creighton just wasn't going through any sort of adolescent phase. I think after his father had died, he just wasn't taking things later on in life. After some events had transpired involving Creighton being abducted, he was taken aboard a ship under his mother's order. Him leaving his old lifestyle and his country he grew up in changed him. According to the book, “But he still felt indebted to Peter for having gotten him in trouble over the lost pistol. So when the Giants came to fetch him, he reluctantly let himself be taken off to the Cafe des Exiles” (Page 115). There were few times within the book that Creighton showed some emotions that readers never saw in the Creighton we were introduced to. He considered Peter as his friend and felt that what he did may not have been morally right.
The book and the article I found both have to do with the Revolutionary War. Creighton and the other characters are people living during this war and seeing it unfold. However, they both take different approaches to talk about the topic. In the article “Museum of the American Revolution celebrates the ongoing American experiment” states, The first museum devoted to the country’s earliest years opened in April — on the anniversary of the opening battles of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord and “the shot heard round the world” on April 19, 1775. It stands in “America’s most historic square mile,” a few blocks from the Liberty Bell, the first White House and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the U.S. Constitution was ratified.” A way the article contrasts from the book is that it presents facts and real life locations. The one place it mostly talks about is this museum. The book is all fictional and may take place during a real life time period and locations, everything happening within them is all for entertainment purposes.
Despite the article and book presenting the war in different ways, they both still mention real historical figures. The book states, “To Dr. Franklin home, on Royal Street.” Franklin? Is he any relation of Benjamin Franklin?” He's one in the same” (Page 74). This was when Creighton was going to be introduced to Benjamin Franklin. On the other hand, the article involves Franklin within the actual piece by stating a quote if his. This quote said, “As Benjamin Franklin said in 1776, ‘We must all hang together or we will surely hang separately,’ ” As we can see, both forms of writing have very visible differences. That still doesn't mean they can't ever cross paths and not use certain people within them.
Blackwood, Gary L. Year of the hangman. N.p.: Turtleback , 2004. Print
Pompilio, Natalie. "Museum of the American Revolution celebrates the ongoing American experiment." StarTribune. N.p., 5 May 2017. Web. 11 May 2017.
The book and the article I found both have to do with the Revolutionary War. Creighton and the other characters are people living during this war and seeing it unfold. However, they both take different approaches to talk about the topic. In the article “Museum of the American Revolution celebrates the ongoing American experiment” states, The first museum devoted to the country’s earliest years opened in April — on the anniversary of the opening battles of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord and “the shot heard round the world” on April 19, 1775. It stands in “America’s most historic square mile,” a few blocks from the Liberty Bell, the first White House and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the U.S. Constitution was ratified.” A way the article contrasts from the book is that it presents facts and real life locations. The one place it mostly talks about is this museum. The book is all fictional and may take place during a real life time period and locations, everything happening within them is all for entertainment purposes.
Despite the article and book presenting the war in different ways, they both still mention real historical figures. The book states, “To Dr. Franklin home, on Royal Street.” Franklin? Is he any relation of Benjamin Franklin?” He's one in the same” (Page 74). This was when Creighton was going to be introduced to Benjamin Franklin. On the other hand, the article involves Franklin within the actual piece by stating a quote if his. This quote said, “As Benjamin Franklin said in 1776, ‘We must all hang together or we will surely hang separately,’ ” As we can see, both forms of writing have very visible differences. That still doesn't mean they can't ever cross paths and not use certain people within them.
Blackwood, Gary L. Year of the hangman. N.p.: Turtleback , 2004. Print
Pompilio, Natalie. "Museum of the American Revolution celebrates the ongoing American experiment." StarTribune. N.p., 5 May 2017. Web. 11 May 2017.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
The Year of the Hangman Blog
The Year of the Hangman, by Gary Blackwood, has so far been an enjoyable read. My group and I have only read about half of the book so far, but agree that it's pretty good. This book is historical fiction, it's fiction not only because we are seeing the story through a person who doesn't exist, but it rewrites the outcome of the Revolutionary War. It takes a real historical event and puts a big twist on it. The main protagonist in the book is Creighton Brown. Creighton is a spoiled English teenager who lives with his mother. They are both still mourning over the death of Creighton's father who had died during his service in the war as a Loyalist. Creighton like I said is a spoiled teen. His family is rich, having that fortune has really changed Creighton for the worst. He is very carefree and reckless which is something his mother has had to put up with for some time. His mother finally snapped and had him abducted. He had been abducted to come aboard the Amity to go seek a new life in the colonies. His uncle, who is a colonel for the loyalists, was asked to take Creighton under his wing to fix his act. Along with meeting Creighton's uncle, we are introduced to A British Marine named Hale. Hale so far hasn't played a big role within the story, but hopefully he will soon. Eventually, Creighton reluctantly goes to work for Benjamin Franklin in his paper shop. He is providing the loyalists with information relating to the Americans propaganda and is currently stuck in the colonies.
• Define what makes an interesting story or poem.
In my opinion, what makes up a good story in this case is going to have to be the characters within it. I feel setting and plot are minor compared to the character in the book. I mean if you really think about it, the character forms the plot along with the rest of the important story elements. The elements are covered within the characters actions and emotions. Their roles are needed in order to actually create an interesting story. Also, you can't have an enjoyable experience with a book if you don't like your characters. The main character is who I am mostly referring to. You are going to have to go through this quest with this one character along with a bunch of others as well. If he or she is boring, unrelatable, bland, tasteless, then why should you continue to read. Your experience is going to be ruined because the author of your book couldn't provide interesting characters for you to read about. You're going to get a really bad taste in your mouth after reading that book and may not want to read anything from that author ever again because of that. That's not how books should be. They should have noteworthy people in them. People who you actually like and who can maybe find connections with. That's what I feel like The Year of the Hangman did pretty well with. None of these people so far I haven't been disinterested in. I never have the feeling of the book boring me to death. It’s gotten me a little more motivated into finishing it because I think the characters in it are depicted pretty well.
• Why do you think the author wrote this?
I feel like the author wrote this to try and create a cool scenario that people probably have thought of and actually bring it to life. You can do this for any sort of big “event.” Like what if the Nazi's zis won the Second World War? Or what if the Holocaust never happened? I'm sure people have had these thoughts about other historical events as well. What do you think would happen if the loyalist won the war instead of the Americans? That's the cool idea this book uses. Just that one small question can open so many doors and possibilities in your head. Anything you could think of isn't a crazy idea because it's just a scenario. That's what makes think book so unique. It rewrites the past by changing one small detail and it actually creates a story as to what could happen if this happened instead of this. It really opens your eyes and actually makes you think, “wow, this really could have have been the case.” To be honest, I have never read a what if situation type book ever. Maybe after reading this, I'd look a little more into that category and see if I can find another book like this one that I may like.
• Define what makes an interesting story or poem.
In my opinion, what makes up a good story in this case is going to have to be the characters within it. I feel setting and plot are minor compared to the character in the book. I mean if you really think about it, the character forms the plot along with the rest of the important story elements. The elements are covered within the characters actions and emotions. Their roles are needed in order to actually create an interesting story. Also, you can't have an enjoyable experience with a book if you don't like your characters. The main character is who I am mostly referring to. You are going to have to go through this quest with this one character along with a bunch of others as well. If he or she is boring, unrelatable, bland, tasteless, then why should you continue to read. Your experience is going to be ruined because the author of your book couldn't provide interesting characters for you to read about. You're going to get a really bad taste in your mouth after reading that book and may not want to read anything from that author ever again because of that. That's not how books should be. They should have noteworthy people in them. People who you actually like and who can maybe find connections with. That's what I feel like The Year of the Hangman did pretty well with. None of these people so far I haven't been disinterested in. I never have the feeling of the book boring me to death. It’s gotten me a little more motivated into finishing it because I think the characters in it are depicted pretty well.
• Why do you think the author wrote this?
I feel like the author wrote this to try and create a cool scenario that people probably have thought of and actually bring it to life. You can do this for any sort of big “event.” Like what if the Nazi's zis won the Second World War? Or what if the Holocaust never happened? I'm sure people have had these thoughts about other historical events as well. What do you think would happen if the loyalist won the war instead of the Americans? That's the cool idea this book uses. Just that one small question can open so many doors and possibilities in your head. Anything you could think of isn't a crazy idea because it's just a scenario. That's what makes think book so unique. It rewrites the past by changing one small detail and it actually creates a story as to what could happen if this happened instead of this. It really opens your eyes and actually makes you think, “wow, this really could have have been the case.” To be honest, I have never read a what if situation type book ever. Maybe after reading this, I'd look a little more into that category and see if I can find another book like this one that I may like.
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