Reading-Sara+B

The Giver, By Lois Lowry

November 2, 2009
Pages 88-107 Connection When Jonas tries to let his family and friends see what he is experiencing with his training and no one understands. Its like when you try to tell a funny story to your mom that happened at school. You start out by telling her how funny it was and laughing to your self, but then once the story is over she gives you a blank look of confusion and she thinks your crazy for thinking it was funny at all. Its hard to understand something if you weren’t there to experience it for your self. Especially if its not something you experience everyday such as color for Jonas’s community.

Nov. 2, 09 Question: How does the author make the memories that the Giver transmits vivid and realistic? Find examples of descriptive words and images.

The author of the Giver makes the memories that are passed to Jonas vivid in many ways. When Jonas first experienced snow she explained how everything changed, such as the air, and his breath was very cold, everything was all so new for Jonas so she described everything with adjectives. She wanted us to feel the same as the way she imagined Jonas to feel so she took her time to use words that described that.

November 4, 2009
Pages 108-120 Jonas is now enduring his first experience of pain. He has never had to deal with pain before because every time he has every had pain before he has been allowed to take something for it but now he can’t. His family is confused by his new personality but he isn’t allowed to tell them anything. Jonas has also transmitted a memory to Gabriel. He feels scared that he is able to have so much power.

Why do you think the author chose snow and a sled to ride as the first memory for the Giver to transmit? Explain.

I think the author chose to have the Giver transmit the memory of snow first because the Giver didn’t want to scare Jonas away. If Jonas had experienced pain the first day he might not have come back. The Giver wanted to show Jonas that some memories were nice and not painful.

November 9, 2009
Pages 121-139 Jonas is really starting to feel alone and singled out. I think his best friend Asher is almost jealous because he was chosen to be the giver and he wasn't. He is giving Jonas a snotty attitude and apologizing only because he has to and not because he wants to. He doesn't understand why Jonas has suddenly changed his attitude towards things that they had done their whole life. Jonas feels very individual because he understands and knows things that know one else does. When he tries to explain or ask questions to anyone else but the Giver everyone always thinks he is crazy or laughs at him or gets mad. Jonas now realizes that he is different and may have to move on from the rest of his community and just keep to himself.

Do you consider Jonah's wold "advanced"? Why or why not? Explain.

I think that Jonas wold is advanced in some ways. I think the people who run his community are very smart because they are able to control all the people in the community and all that they do and say. But they don't have any of the technology that we have...such as guns or sleds. The council is advanced because they keep the community shielded from the real so they know that they can control them.

November 18, 2009
Pages 139-162 Visualize When Jonas leaves and all the memories are forces on the community I imagine all the people will be in pain and will be feeling things that they have never felt before. Pain, love, and joy will wash over everyone and they won't be able to handle it. They won't be able to control the feelings and things will be chaos because no one will know what to do. The chief of the community will be worried and scared because he won't be able to control them anymore.

Q: Philosopher and Statesmean Francis Bacon said, "Knowledge is pain." Do you agree? Would Jonas? Why or why not? Explain in a paragraph.

When Philosopher and Statesman Francis Bacon said, "Knowledge is pain." I agree and I also think that Jonas would agree. Jonas would agree because he knows more than the rest of his community and he feels great pain. He knows about war, sunburns, and death and he knows how it feels if you don't know those things then you are numb to them because they don't know what they are they have never heard about them and if you don't know what they are then you can't have feeling towards them. Its like when someone dies in the world but you have never heard of them before or met them you might feel a little sad but you don't feel loss or sadness. But when your grandma dies you feel loss and sadness. As long as you don't know anything you can't feel anything. Just like Jonas's community.

November 20, 2009
Pages 163-180 Summary Jonas did not end up following his and the Givers plan to escape. He decided he had to save Gabriel from release, which is death, he was horrified that his father would release him so he left with Gabe in the middle of the night to go to elsewhere. He hoped the Giver would understand. He took his fathers bike and some leftovers for food. As they were traveling through the night they noticed that search planes flew over every now and and then, but as their journey continued they flew over less often every day until they didn't

come at all. Eventually they saw wildlife for the first time and the landscape changed not everything was the same things were different and everything was from his memories. At the end he went into one of his memories and slid down a hill on a sled into a community that was celebrating Christmas.

Q: Is it an optimistic ending? Does Jonas survive? Explain in a paragraph.

The Giver had an optimistic ending. It left us with hope that Jonas may get to experience the things that he wanted to exist and he knew existed from his memories. Jonas saw a community with color and and lights, what he was seeing was Christmas. He felt a flicker of hope that he might be entering elsewhere and that there might be love, color, and music.

**Pretties**
By: Scott Westerfeld

November 27, 2009 Pages 1-20

Prediction:

Pretties is the second book in a series of five. The first book is called the Uglies. Tally is the main character and now has had the operation to become a pretty from being an ugly. She now lives in New Pretty town and is at a party with her friend Shay. When the operation to become a pretty the doctors put a glitch in your brain that makes you think different and act different. While Tally is at the party she sees someone who looks like a special circumstances person. Seeing this person reminds her of the past and a promise she made to the uglies she once lived with. I predict that the person dressed as a special circumstance person will be one of the uglies coming to rescue her from herself.

The Bridge to Terabithia
By: Katherine Paterson

December 2, 2009 Pages 1-24

Summary:

The Bridge to Terabithia is about a boy named Jesse and his family and a girl named Leslie. Jesse wants to be the fastest runner in grade 5 and wakes up early every morning to train in his field before he does his chores. Leslie moves into the house beside Jesse's and wants to be friends with him. Jesse and Leslie are in the same class at school.

Q: Describe the setting - when and where does your novel take place? I think this book takes place in the past. Jesse's sisters wanted to go shopping and all their mom gave them for money was five bucks to share. Jesse also has to go out and milk the cow in the morning. It also takes place on a farm and in a school.

Specials
By: Scott Westerfeld

December 4, 2009 Pages 1-20

I am now reading the 3rd book in the Ugly series called Specials. Tally was turned into a special and now belongs to the special circumstances and captures Smokies. A Smoky is what she used to be but now she has no good memories left of what those times were. I think it is very sad that this world that she lives in can change so fast because of this surgery. They change your mind to make you think what you want to think. This series reminds me of the book The Giver. The community in the Giver controlled how the people thought and what they saw. The special circumstances control the people by making them believe they are ugly and have them have a operation so they can mess with their brain and change the way they think.

Q: Explain who the protagonist (main character) is by describing their appearance ans well as behavior. The main character in the Specials is Tally. Tally was an ugly until she was 16 and then she was a pretty and ran away into the wild again until she was captured by the special circumstances again and now she is a special. She has a bubbly tattoo on her face, flawless skin, and a perfect symmetrical face. Also she has razor sharp teeth, full lips and a voice that makes every person that isn't a special skin crawl with fear. She now tries to capture smokies that are trying to help the uglies in uglytown.

Extras
By: Scott Westerfeld

December 7, 2009 Pages 1-22

I am now reading Extras, which is the 4th book in the ugly series. In this book there is a new set of characters. The protagonist in this book is Aya. She is trying to get a higher ranking so she can be more popular. She is trying to form a story about a new clique that the public doesn't know about yet. If she can find out more information about them and make a story her ranking will move up drastically. She is spying on the new group at the moment and they know someone is following them and I predict they spot her and her ranking goes down instead of up and theirs goes up even more.

Q: Describe the conflict(s) so far in your novel. Explain it with details. Identify the type of conflict. Aya the protagonist of this story the Extras struggles against the town she lives in. She believes that is important to be popular and known because that is the way that all the people have been taught. This conflict is Person VS. Society. If being popular wasn't so important in this society she wouldn't be so self-conscious about what she looked like, how many votes she had, or what her ranking is, but because that is the way that the people live there she struggles to have a life and be happy with who she is.

Extras
By Scott Westerfeld

December 9, 2009 Pages 374-391

Aya is now a famous and is in the top ten. She posted this huge story on the new clique the Sly Girls and on these big metal cylinders that contain missiles. She and her brother believes that they are going to be used to destroy the world but they don't know who created them. Aya is getting pings from everyone famous but then she receives one from the highest ranked person in the city. Tally Youngblood. Tally told Aya to go and hide. Now Aya, her brother Hiro, friends Ren, and Frizz are all captured by the freaks that are creating the Earth destroyers. I predict that Tally and her friends Shay, David, and Fausto are going to rescue them and help them repost and modify their story so their cities know what is coming for them.

Q: Describe the similarities and differences between the main character and you. Aya the main character in Extras wanted to be famous and have peoples attention on her. Once she got it she wasn't sure she wanted it anymore because she realized her story might have flaws and she didn't want to be famous for messing up the biggest story ever posted. I sometimes want attention to but when I get it I would of rather been left alone without the spot light on me. Aya is always conscious of what she looks like and care about what she looks like all the time she also is always looking at peoples faces and determining if they are a ugly or a pretty. I like to look at people and get to know them before I decide if they are pretty or not so pretty.

Loser
By: Jerry Spinelli

December 14, 2009 Pages 57-94

The Loser is a book about a boy named Donald. Donald's dad is a mailman and it is take you kid to work day. Donald can't go to would with his dad because he is not allowed because his dad will get fired. Donald then goes to work with his dad on Sunday and makes his own letters and stamps to put on them. At the beginning of the book they said that Donald was a boy that was always there but know one really ever knew him. I think that this book is all about Donald before he was discovered and known by everyone else.

Q: What connections are there between the novel and your own life? Explain by giving details/examples. The connections between Donald and I are sometimes he just does things so he fits in. When Donald was playing soccer and he lost everyone was really upset but he wasn't but because everyone else was on the ground hitting it he was too just so he would fit in.

Loser
By; Jerry Spinelli

December 16, 2009 Pages 95-126

Donald Zinkoff has always been in school and has always played games with the other kids, but know one has ever gotten to know him. As the other kids get older they all notice Zinkoff's flaws: his marks, his hair, his terrible writing. There is a game day at school and Donald's teacher choses him to be the anchor for the last race that decides the champions. He comes in died last. Now everyone knows who he is and his new name is Loser. Donald is now always been there and now he is known by everyone but doesn't have any friends.

Q: What are three questions that you have about your novel? Write them down.
 * Were you a kid like Donald Zinkoff? You describe what it is like to be a boy like him so well its almost like you have experienced it yourself.
 * Why do you think that people start to see things differently when they get older and treating people differently?
 * Do you think it is important for kids like Donald that are loud and rambunctious deserve extra attention from teachers or more discipline?

__Tales From The Secret Annex__
By: Anne Frank

January 4, 2010 Pages 1-20

Anne Frank was an author in the 1900's. She wrote stories that are now in this book. This book contains short stories and an unfinished novel. Anne wrote about a neighbor Kitty who had a family who loved her and cared for her. Though she she had jobs and errands to do she always had food, a clean house, and people who loved her all around. I believe that Anne Frank wrote about a family that had nothing to worry about because that is the kind of world she dreamed of. Not to be in hiding and could go out on Sundays and go for a walk in the park just like her imaginary neighbors. Anne lived through a hard time and to imagine things was one of the ways to escape from the world around her.

__Tales From The Secret Annex__
By: Anne Frank

January 6, 2010 Pages 21-46

All the stories that Anne Frank wrote have morals that people should learn from and take into consideration when doing things in their life. In one of the short stories there is two characters, a boy and a girl. The boy is very upset all the time and the girl is always happy and joyful over everything. They meet a man who is the ruler and wants them to learn that there is a time to be happy and a time to be sad so he makes them stay together in the middle of the woods and work so they learn there is different attitudes in life. They learn that they have to respect people's feelings and that there is a time to glad and sad in life.

__Chasing Yesterday #1 Awakening__
By: Robin Wasserman

January 8, 2010 Pages 1-42 The main character in this book doesn't know who she is. She was found in a forest where everything had been destroyed but she laid there bruised and hurt but alive. She wakes up in a hospital not knowing where she was and strapped to a bed not able to move. The part of her brain that remembers her memories no longer exists. She needs to find her past and who she belongs to.

__Chasing Yesterday #1 Awakening__
By: Robin Wasserman

January 11, 2010 Pages 43-75

Connection

The main character now has been given a name...J.D. she is having dreams, though she doesn't really know if they are dreams but really memories of her past. J.D hopes that nothing is real but she is trying to find more about the explosion that destroyed all the things around where she was found. I can connect this book to the __Breadwinner.__ Parvanna was the main character in that book and she lived in Afghanistan where bombs went off all the time, she was separated from her family just like J.D is.

City of Ashes
By: Cassandra Clare

January 13, 2010

Pages 107-131

__City of Ashes__ is the second book in a series of three. Clary is a girl of sixteen years and has recently found out that she has a brother She lives in a world where there is downworlders and shadowhunters. Clary is a shadowhunter along with her brother and friends. Her brother Jace was about to defeat the evil shadowhunter, Valentine, that all the clave hated when he found out that he was his father and that Jace had been lied to his whole life. Now the family that raised Jace believes that he is working for Valentine and is going to betray them all. __City of Ashes__ is all about the struggles that Clary has to face between her brother, her best friend Simon, and her father Valentine.

City of Ashes
By: Cassandra Clare

January 15, 2010 Pages 358-380

Valentine has taken Clary's best friend. Simon was taken by Valentine and was killed. Clary would do anything, even kill her own father to get Simon back. With the help of Mangus the magical warlock helped transform Luke's, Clary's uncle, truck into an aquatruck and they travel across the lake to the evil shadowhunters ship. Demons guard the ship and one swoops to take Clary as a captive of Valentine. Clary can't believe that Simon is dead and she will do anything to take revenge.

Chasing Yesterday #1 Awakening
By: Robin Wasserman

January 18, 2010 Pages 76-108

Her name is Alexa. J.D had to leave the only life she has ever known behind because her mother that she doesn't remember came to take her home that she can't remember seeing. She is forced to leave behind her only friend, Daniel, and find out who her old friends were when she was Alexa from reading her diary. She wants to remember for her mom but she doesn't want to loose J.D and forget who that person is and let Alexa take over. Its hard for J.D to be someone who she isn't because she doesn't remember Alexa.

Q: If you were a character in your book, who would you be? Explain in a few sentences.

If I were a character in __Chasing Yesterday__ I would be J.D. J.D has no memory of her past. So she doesn't know who she is hurting by not remembering. I wouldn't want to be her mom because she lost her daughter and couldn't find her and when she did she didn't even remember who she was. In the past J.D and her mom lost her father, J.D can't remember that so she doesn't remember that loss. Though she can't remember I would still choose to be J.D.

Chasing Yesterday #1 Awakening
By: Robin Wasserman

January 20, 2010 Pages 108-144

Prediction

J.D/Alexa has decided to corporate with her mom. She started to go to a doctor that her mom knows that is supposed to help her remember her past. When she walks into the office she recognizes the doctor from her nightmares, the one who made her set off the bomb that made her forget and start a new life. He tries to convince her that he is harmless and is going to help her recover and become Alexa again. Everything he does is from her nightmare but he always says its a good thing but everything she sees in her head she makes up herself. I believe that everything she sees is real and the doctor is trying to destroy part of the world and is using her. When J.D was at the center waiting for her mom to come and get her she realized that she had a lot of strength, which I believe that this doctor has all done to her, he pretends to help her but is just brain washing her. J.D knows this to but she wants to please her mom so she can have her Alexa back.

Q: What would you say to one of your characters? Explain why you would say this.

If I could talk to anyone of the characters in my book I would talk to J.D's doctor, Dr. Styron. I would want to talk to him because I think what he is doing to J.D is cruel and wrong. I would ask him why he wants to explode things and why he is using a young girl to do this terrible work for him. Why is he brainwashing and transforming a girl to fit his needs. I also would want to know if J.D's mom knows what he is doing to her daughter and if she is in on his plan to destroy her? I would have many questions for Dr. Styron because I want to know what he is doing to J.D.

Chasing Yesterday #1 Awakening
By: Robin Wasserman

January 22, 2010 Pages 145-174

J.D finally remembers a memory of her life as Alexa. She was outside when she smelled gingerbread which took her back to a Christmas when her mom made cookies, there was presents under the tree, and her and her mom were laughing and having a good time. When Robin Wasserman describes J.D's memories I can imagine them myself. The Christmas tree was a vibrant green sparkling with golden lights and shiny presents under the tree. The feeling of joy, laughter and love in the air. J.D's memories and very vivid and bright when she remembers.

Q: What parts of the book seem most believable? Most unbelievable? Explain.

In the book __Chasing Yesterday__ the most unbelievable thing to me is the thought of J.D losing all her memories before the explosion. For that to happen I think Dr. Stryder must of done something to her before it happened. The most believable thing to me is that J.D doesn't want to become Alexa again. If I were in her spot I would hate to be forced to be someone I didn't want to be and knew nothing about. Many of the parts in this book are hard to believe.

MARKED

__Chasing Yesterday #1 Awakening__
By: Robin Wasserman

January 25, 2010 Pages 174-207

Summary

Chasing yesterday has come to an end and all my questions have been answered. When J.D was visiting Dr. Styron he was injecting her with a liquid that make her repeat everything he said and it made her think that it was her past. When J.D was awake she was always so proud of herself for thinking that she had remembered but really she was just being brainwashed. In the end her "mother" who really wasn't her mother told her that there really wasn't any Alexa, she was all an experiment, she was dangerous and was being taken away so she couldn't harm anyone. I'm glad that the author Robin Wasserman answered all the questions and made it a fulfilling end.

Q: What are two emotions the main character has felt? What made the main character feel this way?

J.D has many emotions that are all result of the people that she thought she loved and turned out to be betraying her. First she felt love for them. Her mother was always trying to make her feel welcome even if she was cooperating and made her her favorite things to eat. But then when J.D found out she was an experiment everything changed. She felt anger and hatred for those people had lied to her and made her believe they were something that they weren't.

The Strange Power
By: L.J Smith

January 27, 2010 Pages 1-32

Kaitlyn a person who is rejected and ignored and the main character in this book. She has powers that no one can explain. When she draws without paying attention she doodles something thats going to happen. Joyce wants to help her. Kait agreed to go to an institute where someone could help her understand herself by doing experiments. Kaitlyn finally can get away from people who don't care for her and are scared of her.

Q: What does theme mean? What is the theme in the novel you are reading or have just read. Explain.

Theme means the lesson that the author is trying to teach us through their writing. In the story __City of Glass__ by Cassandra Clare the theme of the story is that when you love someone you will do anything for them even if its wrong. Jace and Clary found out that they were brother and sister after they had fallen in love with each other. They knew it was wrong but they couldn't stay away from each other no matter how hard they tried. They would give each others lives up for each other if given the chance. Luckily, in the end the found out that they really weren't brother and sister and they were allowed to love each other.

The Strange Power
By: L.J Smith

February 1, 2010 Pages 184-210

Kaitlyn and the four other kids with psychic powers have arrived at the institute. They all get along great with each other except for Gabriel. Recently Kaitlyn and one of the other kids, Rob, went downstairs to Mr. Zetes office where they found multiple folders on themselves. While they were down there Mr. Zetes came home and no one could communicate with them, except for Gabriel. Gabriel is telepathic and some how he connected all five of them telepathically. Now each of them are in each others head and can talk to each other without words. Each of them want to get rid of it because no of them want to hear each others thoughts anymore. Though all of them want to learn how to use their powers they would leave the institute just to get rid of the link between them.

Q: What is your favorite part of the book you’re reading? Why? Be descriptive in your explanations.

My favorite part of __The Strange Power__ is how they all get along with each other. All of them try to use their powers for the best and to help others. Their are never mean to each other because their all different and all have powers. Each of them are different from the rest of society so they all know what it feels like to be strange.

The Possessed
By L.J Smith

February 3, 2010 Pages 358-377

Connect

I can connect __The Possessed__ to the __Mortal Instrument__ series. In the __Mortal Instruments__ Jace, a shadowhunter, gives his blood graciously to Simon, a vampire, so that he will live. If he hadn't of done that Simon would of died and Clary would of been terribly upset. Jace didn't like Simon at all but he was risking his life just so he would live. In __The Possessed__ Kait risks her life for Gabriel by transferring energy to him. She knows if Gabriel takes to much she may die but she is willing to take that risk so he will live. Gabriel tries to be careful but he knows that he may loose control. In both __The Possessed__ and __The Mortal Instruments__ people risk their lives for people.

Q: If you were the author, what would you have happening next? Explain the details and tell why you would make this decision.

If I were the author in __The Possessed__ I would have Rob find out that Kait was helping Gabriel. If Rob knew that would cause a new conflict between the three of them. Rob and Gabriel already don't like each other and if he knew that Kaitlyn was risking her life for him Rob would probably hurt Gab. Kaitlyn would be in the middle of everything.

February 5, 2010 Describe what is happening in the image below. Why do you think the person in the image is doing what he is doing? What does this tell you about the situation that he may be in? What is your reaction to this image/How does is make you feel?

An earthquake survivor drinks juice dripping from a stolen bag in Port-au-Prince, Jan. 19. (Ricardo Arduengo/Associated Press)

The survivor's of the Haiti earthquake are suffering in many ways. This survivor of the earthquake is desperate and needs something to drink because he probably hasn't had a drop of fluid for days. You can see the dust in the air, the sun beating down on him, you can tell its dry and he would do anything to have a drop of something to drink. When there is nothing to drink and you survive something so terrible it makes you do things you wouldn't of done before. This man is drinking from a stolen bag of juice because there is nothing else he can do to survive. In Haiti people have no money, food, or water so they will do anything to survive even if it means stealing something from others. This man probably has a family, but maybe he lost them and now is just trying to defend for himself. He probably has a terrifying, loving, and fear filled story about his life that no one will ever hear but we have to remember that there are many people going through this terrible time we may never know all their names but they are all suffering. This picture makes me want to do everything I can to help those suffering in Haiti. I hope their country will recover and will be restored to its fullest. I hope all the survivor's in the Haiti earthquake are suffering but I hope they will survive and recover.

The Passion
By: L.J Smith

February 8, 2010 Pages 608-642

Visualize

Kaitlyn can see the future. She lets her ming relax, closes her eyes, and then lets her hand draw. When Kait opens her eyes she has drawn a picture that she doesn't understand. He pictures are very descriptive and life like. The most recent picture that she has drawn was of a man in flames. I can see the image in my head, orange, red flames that take over the page. Kaitlyn gets frustrated with her drawings because she doesn't know when it will happen or to who. Later on she learns that one of her friends is now dead because he was burned. Though Kaitlyn can see the future it doesn't always help her.

Q: In 4-6 sentences, describe several insights you’ve gained from your reading. You may include the book you are currently reading or a book that you have already completed.

In the series of __Dark Visions__ (__The Strange Power, The Possessed, The Passion)__ I have learned that all psychics have different talents. Some see the future, can open locks, are telepathic, or can read peoples minds with just a touch. Psychics can use their powers for good or for bad. Also the way you feel about a person can change the way you feel about the world or other people. You can't love more than one person because you will either end up hurting yourself or someone else when you have to choose.

Vampire Academy
By: Richelle Mead

February 22, 2010 Pages 1-18 Summary

Lissa is a vampire and Rose is a guardian. They both ran away from the vampire academy so they could try to live a normal human life. The guardian's job is to feed the vampire, which means let them take blood from them, and protect them from the outside world. As Lissa and Rose go to school with the humans they fear they will be found and forced to go back to the academy. Unfortunately, they were found and captured and now they are at the headmistresses office being lectured on how they don't belong out in the world. Lissa and Rose belong with each other but not at the academy.

Q: Would you be friends with the main character? Why or why not? Support w/ evidence from your reading in a paragraph.

I wouldn't be friends with Rose or Lissa. I wouldn't want to be fiends with either of them because Lissa is a vampire and can play tricks with your mind and would like to feed on you rather than be your friend. Rose attacks anyone she feels is a threat to Lissa. Rose is powerful and determined to fulfill her task to protect her best friend. Rose and Lissa don't want to be friends with anyone else because they fear someone will find out their secret and report them. I wouldn't want to be friends with Lissa or Rose because they may hurt me in some way.

Vampire Academy
By: Richelle Mead

February 24, 2010 Pages 18-41

Connect

I can connect the __Vampire Academy__ to the book __The Host__ by Stephanie Meyer. In the __Vampire Academy__ Rose is Lissa's guardian and her job is to protect her and be with her at all times. Rose and Lissa have a rare bond that connects them through their feelings. In __The Host__ they take normal humans and use their bodies and put souls into them. In most cases they bodies soul dies and the new soul controls everything it does, but in some cases you can still hear the past bodies voice in your head. The connection between the new books is that each of these characters in these books have connection between each other and can feel each other's feelings. In some ways the __Vampire Academy__ reminds me of __The Host.__

Q: List three new vocabulary words from your reading. What can you tell about them from their structure (break them into chunks, look at prefixes and suffixes)? What can you tell about them from their context (meaning gathered from the sentence and paragraph around)?

Three words that I found in my reading are sentry, migrants, and philanthropic. In the context it said "he looked like a cowboy sentry" I now know that sentry means someone who is stationed to keep guard. In the book all the guardians are supposed to keep watch on all the people just like a soldier keeping guard for his country. Migrants sounds like migrate, which means animals move to a warmer place for the winter and then come back in the summer. Migrants are animals that migrate. In the writhing they said that philanthropic were sending help to orphaned children. I think that philanthropic means someone who helps or donates to people who are in need. I now know what sentry, migrants, and philanthropic means.

"I'm not the smartest or the most talented person in the world. But I succeeded because I kept going, and going and going," words of Sylvester Stallone. Sylvester was probably just an average person who got average marks school. He probably wasn't the captain of his basketball team but he tried his hardest. This quote makes me believe that I can do anything even if I fail in something. If I keep trying and doing my best in everything I do I can succeed in absolutely everything I put my mind to. It doesn't matter who you are or what you do you can do anything if you keep going and trying in what you want to. Sylvester Stallone has now succeeded but I'm sure he knows how it feels to work hard and be an average person.

I Am The Cheese
By: Robert Cormier

March 3, 2010 Pages 1-18

Word Attack

In this book they mentioned the man Thomas Wolfe. With reading the text around it I can conclude that that he is an author of The Web and the Rock. After research I have found that he wrote and has his books published in the 1920-1930's. He wrote long novels that reflected American Culture. After making a very famous life he died in 1938. In I Am The Cheese the main character had read a book by Thomas Wolfe.

In the series __The Mortal Instruments__ the five main characters are Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, and Alec. If I were to make a movie out of this series I would choose these five main characters to have actors play. To play the teenage girl, Clary, who falls in love with Jace I would have Drew Barrymore, to play Jace I would have Kellan Lutz. To play Isabelle, the sister of Alec and Jace, I would have Anne Hathaway. Topher Grace would play Simon, the boy who is in love with Clary, and Chris Pine would play Alec. I would have these five actors and actresses play the five main characters in the Mortal Instruments. In this book they mentioned the man Thomas Wolfe. With reading the text around it I can conclude that that he is an author of The Web and the Rock. After research I have found that he wrote and has his books published in the 1920-1930's. He wrote long novels that reflected American Culture. After making a very famous life he died in 1938. In I Am The Cheese the main character had read a book by Thomas Wolfe.

Sketches
By: Eric Walters

March 15, 2010 Pages1-18

__Sketches__ is about three teenagers that live on the streets. There is two girls and one boy. Dana has just ran away from her mom and step dad three weeks ago. She wanted to go home the day after she ran away but her dad cut of her credit card account, that made her mad so she is staying away. Dana found Ashley and Brent, which live on the street as well. They all try to help each other by begging to people on the streets then combining their money at the end of the day so they can live off of coffee and dough nuts. These three teenagers need each other to live because they have run away from the people who love them at home.

Q:List at least three problems the characters faced? Which was the most life changing? Explain

Some of the problems that Dana, Ashley, and Brent have faced are: all three of them have run away from home, they have to deal with people who won't give them money, and the police that threaten to take them in because you aren't allowed to beg for money. The one problem that would of changed their lives would be running away from home, leaving the people who love you, care for you, and pay for the food that you live off of. This would of changed their lives greatly because they now have no money, no bed to sleep on, and no place to call home. They now realize what they're families did for them and they have to survive by themselves. Living on the streets would create many problems for Dana, Ashley, and Brent but the biggest problem would be learning to survive by themselves.

Sketches
By: Eric Walters

March 17, 2010 Pages 18-52

Prediction

Though Dana has been living on the streets for three weeks she still has a hard time understanding who she can and cannot talk to. She struggles with not being able to shower every day and talking to everyone. Brent and Ashley always have to remind her that the people who look the nicest are sometimes the worst people to be talking to. As Dana has difficulties with life on the streets I predict be the end of the book that she will go home to her family who loves her. I think this because she will soon realize that it is easier to live with the people who love you and care for you then caring for yourself and learning things on your own. Sometimes you need people to teach you, you can't learn everything by yourself. Dana struggles with life on the streets and I predict she will soon return home.


 * Q:** What is the mood of what you’re reading (happy, sad, funny, serious, etc.)? Defend your idea by giving examples from the novel.

The mood in __Sketches__ is fairly serious. Three teenagers who have run away from home and are now learning to survive by themselves on the streets. Everyone takes money so seriously something that Ashley said to Dana about Brent was, "Oh, that was just marijuana. He doesn't do any real drugs." She paused, "I also told him if he ever did that to me again I'd make him pay...I told him his life was worth more than twenty bucks." The three of them are also very protective of each other. They don't want anyone to talk to anyone who might hurt them in any way. The mood in __Sketches__ is serious because it is about three teenagers trying to survive.

MARKED

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry
By: Mildred D. Taylor

April 12, 2010 Pages 1-13

Prediction

__Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry__ is about of black family and their struggles with life and what they had to go through because they were black. Though this family goes to an all black school they still run into white people who don't respect them and treat them badly. The Granger family owns a lot of land the keeps them all together. I predict that the Granger family's land will be taken away from them or damaged some how by white people. This book is based in the past so things have changed now but back then people didn't always treat each other with the most respect. I think that the Granger family is going to have some conflicts with the white race.

The Hunger Games
By: Suzanne Collins

April 14, 2010 Pages 1-16

Summary

The main character in __The Hunger Games__ is Katniss. Katniss is eighteen and has to look after and feed her family. She has a mom and a sister Prim, who is twelve. Katniss meets her friend Gale who helps her hunt to make money to feed each of their family's. Today is the day of reaping, which means names will be drawn to go to the capitol. If you are poor, as Katniss and Gale are, you have a greater chance of getting chosen. You don't want to get picked because then you must leave your family and each of their family's depend on them to eat and survive. Gale and Katniss have talked about running away to avoid the reaping, but that would mean leaving their brothers and sisters as well. When the two teenagers hunt they bring back what they have killed and trade them at the black market for food that they can bring home and have for dinner. Katniss is the main character in __The Hunger Games__ and her family relies on her to live.

Q: Which character do you like least? Why?

The characters that have been introduced in __The Hunger Games__ are Katniss, Prim, Gale, and Madge. So far Madge is my least favorite character because she is the mayors daughter and has no idea what Katniss and Gale have to go through. She is rich so she doesn't have to worry about being picked to go to the capitol. Madge has beautiful clothes with real gold on them and doesn't have to worry about making sure her family has something to eat every night. Though Madge doesn't act like a snob she has more then a lot of people do in District 12, which is where they live. So far my least favorite character in __The Hunger Games__ is Madge.

The Hunger Games
By: Suzanne Collins

April 19, 2010 Pages 238-256

Question

The government controls the people who live in the districts. Their government believes that they have saved all these peoples lives and if it wasn't for them they wouldn't exist. So to remind the people that they are still in control they force each district to give two people to participate in the hunger games. In the hunger games they fight to the death and the last one standing wins. All the games are televised so everyone can watch the people slaughter each other. My question is how can the people watch their loved ones die in front of them and let this go on every year. If their government wants to show them that they are still in control they could find another way other than making children kill each other. The people in the districts have no choice than to obey their government.

Q: Who is the author? What do you know about the author? What do you imagine the author must be like?

The author of The Hunger Games is Suzanne Collins. She lives in Connecticut with her family. Suzanne has also written the Underland Chronicles. She likes to write about the effects that war and violence have on the people coming of age. In the United States you can get chosen to go to war for your country, you don't have a choice. Suzanne based this book in the future and what our world may be like. She compares things to the present so it makes sense that what is happening in The Hunger Games could happen in the future of North America. Suzanne Collins is the author of The Hunger Games.

Catching Fire
By: Suzanne Collins

April 21, 2010 Pages 196-222

Summary

__Catching Fire__ is the sequel to __The Hunger Games__. Peeta and Katniss were both chosen in the reaping to go to the hunger games in the first book. They both made it out alive and went home to their family's. But the capitol feels they challenged them and they are very upset with their actions and now they are being punished. Every 25 years the capitol adds a twist to the games. This years twist is that the past victors with be chosen to compete again. Sadly Peeta and Katniss are forced to play in the games again and this year there can only be one winner. Katniss is determined to keep Peeta alive even if that means sacrificing herself for him. __Catching Fire__ is the sequel to __The Hunger Games__ and it continues to tell the struggles that Katniss and Peeta face.

Q: Compare where you live to the setting described in what you are reading.

My life and surroundings compared to the main character in __Catching Fire__, Katniss, are different in many ways. Here we could live off of nature if we wanted. We can't control what the weather will bring and don't call killing each other a game of fun. In the Arena where the games take place the capitol controls all the natural things that happen. Many of the plants that would normally be edible may kill you if you take a bite. They can make it extremely hot or freezing cold. Even make the water suddenly disappear. They can make the setting anything they want it to be: a desert, rain forest, or a beach. Sometimes they even send unnatural disasters and the competitors to make the games more exciting to watch. They sent fireballs shooting from trees directed right at the contestants and dry up the lakes when someone is desperate for water. My life and surroundings are much different than Katniss's.

> Everyday, every time we need to look something up, do a digital project, or take notes we use are laptops. We use are laptops a lot in language arts. We use them to respond on our wiki's about what were reading and we do all our writing for stories and essay's on them. The laptops make it easier because they have spell check, and though some may think that doesn't help us with our spelling I know when I look at the correct spelling that I usually remember it when I write the word again. It also can read back what we've written so we can hear our mistakes. In social I take notes on them and do a lot of my projects on it. Sometimes I forget my social text book at home but I have it downloaded on my laptop so I can still get my homework done. You can take notes in science on them but I choose not to because we draw a lot of diagrams and sometimes it's hard to do them on the computer. We don't use them in math other than to do projects and movies to represent something. To take notes we use __Word__, but to do projects we use garage band to make podcasts and imovie HD to make videos. I really like being able to take videos and record your voice on the laptops. In some ways you can have way more information and more visuals in a movie than a report. It makes it more enjoyable to do and watch. Its way faster taking notes. The internet is always at your fingertips so you can always find stuff out. And having it be your own you can take it home to do homework on. It makes doing projects more fun. Sometimes the internet is slow because so many people are on it. Right now a lot of peoples batteries are dying quickly.
 * **April 23, 2010:** **__U of L Video Shoot Questions for Reflection__**
 * **How often do you use the laptops at school?**
 * **What subjects do you mainly use the laptops for?**
 * **What sort of programs (softwares) do you use on the laptops?**
 * **What do you like best about having your own laptop?**
 * **Is there anything you don’t like or would change with the laptops?**

Wall-E Essay
Wall-E Theme April 2010 Sara Black

300,000 people per year, 25,000 per month, 5,769 per week, 821 per day, 34 per hour die from obesity in America. More people die from obesity than starvation every year. Technology is outdated every three years. The ozone layer is thinning from pollution. The world is changing, in some ways faster than others. Wall-E is a movie that gives us a glimpse of what the future of our earth and our lifestyle may be in the years to come. The technology is advanced, people don’t take care of themselves and the earth is brown and dead. This film is a reminder that we need to take care of our earth and realize the consequences of our actions. The theme of Wall-E is the future of human kind and the changes our Earth faces is in our hands, how we choose to live now will affect our future for the better or worse.

Deserted, lifeless, brown and dead. Garbage skyscrapers tower over the city. In Wall-E the earth became so polluted that the humans had to leave and start a new life in space on the Axiom. Robots were sent to clean up the mess that the humans had made. Wall-E a small robot would collect artifacts he found while making cubes of junk. Some of the things he found were: a light bulb, a diamond ring and ring box, a spork and his favorite, a movie. Nothing he found was art, natural, or showed that the human race had any talent or said anything about our traditions and cultures. We have to remember what we make now may be valuable information to future generations and will say something about how we lived. It may also harm the planet. If we don’t make products that breakdown over time but last forever the garbage will build up. This might not affect us now but the people in the future. Today people are worried that fumes and pollution are burning up the ozone layer that protects us from harmful rays. We used to walk or ride bikes everywhere, but now we have cars, which let fumes out in the air, to take us everywhere. What kind of vehicles will we have in the future? Cars that are eco friendly or continue to harm the world? We recycle and reuse, yet look around us and there is garbage, on the roads, school grounds, and in rivers. Though it’s not as bad as in the movie, if we don’t correct this habit now our earth could change into Wall-E’s world in the future. Deserted, lifeless, brown and dead.

In the movie Wall-E technology have taken over the people on the Axiom. They don’t have to walk, get their own food, or even turn to the person beside them to talk to them. Everything is done for them through technology. They always have a screen in front of their face. No one is aware of what is going on around them, what they look like, or where they are. All they have to do is talk to the screen in front of their face and tell it what they want, who they want to talk to, or where they want to go. They don’t even know how to walk. Nothing bad ever happens, everything is orderly and organized. Even today everything is at our fingertips and some peoples lives rely on technology. Whether you use it for your job, to communicate, play games, or to look something up there is always technical devices in front of people. Technology is constantly changing and becoming more advanced. Before long technology might run our lives just as it does to the people who live on the Axiom.

As the years passed on the Axiom the people got bigger and bigger in size, if we look back into our pass we will realize that it is the same for our people on earth today. Some of this is a result of more advanced technology. We spend our time playing video games, surfing the Internet, and sitting eating chips and watching movies. The people were so involved with the screens in front of their faces they were completely unaware that they had a swimming pool or a running track to stay fit. In Wall-E the people didn’t have to do anything, robots brought them everything they ever wanted…all the food they ever wanted. “Buy and Large” was their suppliers of their food. Currently, we can walk into any grocery store and you can usually get a better deal when you buy more quantities of one thing. Less money for more food seems like a good deal until you realize what it starts doing to your body. Obesity plays a big part in many deaths and we could fix that if we were conscious of what were putting into our mouths and play some real basketball instead of using your thumbs to shoot the ball. Every year people are getting bigger on the Axiom and also today on earth.

Our earth is changing, technology is changing, and we are changing. Some of the things that are being transformed are in our hands and we have to realize what we do now will affect our future. Wall-E has given us a glimpse of some of the results of our actions that we have to consider when making choices in our lives. We can eliminate the garbage from our earth and make things that are more eco friendly. Though technology can make life easier it can have some negative results. Finally we have to look after ourselves so we can lower the number of deaths from obesity. The future of our world is in our hands, now what are we going to do with it?


 * **April 28, 2010:**

After viewing the following video clip, respond in a paragraph. What is the message that the person who put this together trying to tell us? Give specific examples from the clip.
 * Part 1: Viewing Response**

This Did You Know video gives us facts about our world that is becoming more advanced. This video is trying to tell us about the constant changes in our world and what is happening now, not the future but how everything is changing now. How we communicate with each other and get to know each other is often online. One out of eight couples married last year met online. How many people have met online in total? With there being over 2 million registered on myspace that would make it the fifth largest country. It only took internet 4 years to reach 50 million and only 2 years for facebook. Every time something new comes out the faster it spreads around the world. We do a lot of our communication on the computer. Technology is playing a huge part in our lives. Everything is changing, were planning for the future when we don't even know what it is. Problems that don't exist and jobs that don't exist are being imagined before they even happen so kids from this generation can fix them when they come. Our world is becoming more advanced every single day.

May 3, 2010

After reading the back of Freak the Mighty and the first page in the novel I can make a prediction about what it will be about. Max has been named mighty for his power and attitude. He seems like a person that thinks the only way to deal with his problems is to fight. He doesn’t think things through and even though his body grew at a rapid rate he never got smarter. Freak is smart, but probably weak. Together they became best friends I predict that they will have a relationship so tight they are like brothers. While working together and looking after each other they had each other’s backs. Freak can do the thinking for both of them, and Mighty can watch over both of them. These two together will accomplish great things that probably many people didn’t think were possible for either one of them. After only reading a little bit about the book Freak the Mighty I can predict that Freak and Max will be a great team for each other.

What is a hero?

A hero is someone who accomplishes something. They set a goal for themselves and keeping trying and going until they achieve it. A lot of the time they thing they are reaching for will not just benefit themselves but also other people. When someone does something great and makes life easier for other people. Heroes set their minds to something and accomplish them and they never accept defeat.

How do writers/authors portray heroes in literature?

In many books authors make the heroes someone who is loved by everyone and has many qualities that some superheroes may have. For example strength, magic, or looks are some of the qualities they have. Many heroes have suffered when they were younger and then want revenge, though they will usually come across some conflicts along the way they will always come on top and reach they goal they have set for themselves. It helps to have people love you and help you along the way, which is what usually happens to most heroes in books.

Does Max seem like a typical hero? Explain why or why not.

Max is a hero. He is a hero to Freak. He probably doesn’t seem like a hero to anyone else but to freak he probably makes life so much easier for him. Instead of having to crawl everywhere and not being to reach anything he can now have Max help him. It doesn’t seem like a big deal to Max but it makes a big difference to Freak. Max is a hero to Freak.

Freak the Mighty
May 5, 2010

Connection

When Kevin and Max were going to watch the fireworks in the park and they ran into Tony D. I can connect that to my life. Sometimes when my friends and I run into someone who is being rude to someone or intimidating them we have a talk to them. Though it was only Kevin talking to them and Max just watching when we run into someone we all take part. We all play role that Kevin did. Sometimes one of us is fast and can think of something that will offend the person and then the other one of us will come up with something smart that will make the person think and stop, which gives us time to think of something that will throw them off again. When your smarter than someone who is the bad guy it is sometimes funny and when you laugh at them they become embarrassed and give up. There are a lot of Tony D's that think they are something special but when you can think fast and smart you can stand up to them.

Q: How has Max's view of Kevin changed since the beginning of the novel? Explain in a paragraph.

What Max thinks of Kevin has changed from the beginning of the book till now. Max used to think that Kevin was just a small, crippled boy who had a beautiful mom, but now he thinks that he is the smartest person on the planet. Max thought he was crazy kid from a different planet that was obsessed with robots. Now he realizes that Kevin has a big vocabulary and knows a lot about anything you would ever want to know. Max probably thought that in the beginning that two completely different people could never be friends.

Freak the Mighty
By: Rodman Philbrick

May 28, 2010

Inference

I believe that Killer Kane had always planned to use Max. Though he pretended and acted like he wanted to know his son and help him he always did things that let on that he really didn't care. Kane tried to be gentle but he still kept Max tied up because he didn't trust him. The only reason why Killer Kane wouldn't trust Max is because he really did kill his wife and he was scared that Max would tell. Whenever Kane talked about their future it was always about making money. I believe that he was going to use Max to get they money and than ditch him when he was no use to him anymore.

Q: Does Max pass the test alone? Is he independent or is it "Freak the Mighty" who passes the test? Use evidence to support your paragraph.

Max couldn't have ever defeated his father alone. It was "Freak the Mighty" who accomplished the rescue. Max did try to stand up for himself and Loretta Lee and try to stop him. He never just stood and watch things happen, he did try to defend himself. But Max needed Kevin's brain to overcome Killer Kane. Without Kevin's idea of a combination of soap, vinegar, and curry powder to distract Kane Max may have died from suffocation. But without Max's strength, quick thinking, and courage Kevin would of never been able to get away quick enough. Together as a team they combined their smarts and strength to get away and save each other. Together as a team they became "Freak the Mighty" and defeated their fears and Killer Kane.

Freak the Mighty
By: Rodman Philbrick

May 31, 2010

Theme of Freak the Mighty

The central theme of Freak the Mighty is friendship. Max and Kevin are total opposites. Max’s body grows uncontrollably but his intelligence doesn’t match. Kevin’s brain is more developed and holds more knowledge than many adults but his body doesn’t grow. With each of their strength and weaknesses they help each other out through the struggles they face. It’s strange how one so small as Freak can defend some one as big as Max, but when it comes down to saving each other they both play a part in the rescuing. For the saying “Opposites attract,” this pair is a perfect example. Kevin also helps Max develop as a person and in return Max is able to take Kevin on his quests. The theme of Freak the Mighty is that friendship can come in all shapes and forms.