Revision of 2nd Quarter of 8th Grade

The area I improved the most on was the blogs I think.  I used to not try blogging because it got so boring at times, but now I write about stuff I want to and I write even more so I accelerated with the blogs.  My favorite book of the 2nd quarter was Solar System: Facts and Exploration, I liked this book because I really enjoy reading and learning about space and the solar system.

Something I’m proud of since the new year was that I started to read way more than before, before I wouldn't read one page because I found no topics I was interested in.  I know it's not that great of a accomplishment,  but I'll start to read more on what I want to learn and what I'm interested in.

One thing that I had trouble completing were my IXLs,  I didn’t really do my IXLs because they bored me and some of them were very hard to finish, the thing I did to complete them all was go to my room and do nothing but IXL until I finished them all.  I started to learn about the holocaust and it's already interesting to me, there's so many facts and so much to learn about, I really like history.

Book Talk

Book Talk

Book: The Solar System: Facts and Exploration
Author: Gregory L. Vogt
Genre: non-fiction
Summary: The book The Solar System: Facts and Exploration by Gregory L. Vogt is about facts and the history on the studies of our solar system.  The setting of this book is the solar system.  The mood I had reading this book was interesting, it made me want to discover and learn more about the solar system. I think the theme is that the author wants to inform the reader of facts and the history on the solar system.

Review

I liked the book because I find space itself fascinating,  it makes me wonder about the things we humans have not discovered yet.  It gives me the urge to go and explore space.  I remember the Apollo Missions facts in the book the most because I want to learn more about the moon, I also want to travel to the moon one day.  I would recommend this book to those children that want to have a career in space or just to learn about space.  Well you don't have to get the book, but if you want to learn a ton of facts about the solar system, you should go and read this book.

Investigative Journalism - Deportation

            Deportation is a very serious matter, it can take any family member/friend away from you and you won’t be able to see them unless you cross into their country.    Deportation is an ancient practice, one of the earliest stories of deportation was about Khosrau I, Sassanid King of Persia, he deported 292,000 citizens, slaves, and conquered people to the new city of Ctesiphon in 542 C.E.  All countries around the world reserve the right to deport people without right of abode, even those citizens  who are longtime residents and/or have permanent residency.

            An example about deportation is from Donald Trump, he said this when he was interviewed about criminal illegal immigrants, “What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably 2 million, it could be even 3 million, we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate”.  This quote helps because it gives his point of view of what Donald Trump thinks about those criminal immigrants, deportation is happening everywhere but mostly in the United States with president-elect Trump wanting to deport all of the gang bangers and criminals.

            Sergio Martinez an immigrant from Mexico says this when he thinks of Trump becoming the presidential the United States, “I still cannot believe it. Sometimes, I'm like, 'No, there's no way.' Just waiting for something. But no, it's real.”  Sergio Martinez has a temporary permission to stay and work in the U.S. under a program for children of undocumented immigrants, but Sergio fears that he could be deported under the presidency of Donald Trump.  This quote gives the reader information that most undocumented immigrants are fearing for their lives with Donald Trump becoming president, they don't want to be deported to their country and be far from family and friends

Nonfiction Reader Response

1) Lately I've been this book called Sammy Sosa by Arlene Molzahn.  This book is a biography of the well known baseball player Sammy Sosa.  This book gives a brief history of Sammy's career, Sammy Sosa grew up in a small town in the Dominican Republic and found the sport of baseball through a wealthy man that came to the Dominican Republic to build a factory and sell shoes.  Sammy was on many teams such as the Texas Ranger, the Chicago White Sox, and most famously; the Chicago Cubs.  Sammy Sosa had a wonderful career and was adored by many baseball fans around the world.

2) "Sammy had another slow start in 1998. But he soon recovered.  Sammy hit 20 home runs during the month of June.  This number was a record for the most home runs in one month". I find this passage very interesting because it's gives the reader a idea on how good of a baseball player Sammy Sosa was and why he was loved by many fans around the world.

3) Some things that I learned while reading Sammy Sosa by Arlene Molzahn was when Sammy was on the Texas Rangers, I've already known that Sammy was on the Chicago White Sox then later trade to the Chicago Cubs but I've never known that Sammy once played for the Texas Rangers.  Another thing I've learned and I'll never forget is that Sammy scored a record of 20 home runs in one month, that's impressive.  One last thing I've learned is that Sammy wasn't introduced to baseball until one random man taught Sammy and saw potential in Sammy, Sammy then grew up to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame!

Thanksgiving Gratitude Blog

One thing I'm very thankful for is my family.  Many children and adults don't have family to comfort them, and I'm very lucky to have one.  Having a family helps me so much with issues and other stuff. Children around the world don't get to have the feeling of love and comfort by their family, so I'm very thankful for that.  Another thing I'm grateful for is my house, I get the feeling of safety.  Many people around the world don't to live in a house and feel safety,  these people are living on the streets, and under bridges.

Another thing I'm thankful for is an education because many children around the world don't have enough money to pay to go to school.  School isn't a given, some people are killed for wanting a tuition, just like Malala Yousefzai.  Something else I'm grateful for is food on my plate everyday, many people starve all around the world every day.  I get to eat everyday because of my parents and I take it for granted but now I see that many children are malnourished, wanting to eat a meal so they don't pass away.

Peer's Important Article Review

I've learned so much from our gallery walk with my peers telling me about articles such as New Zealand and how they had a earth quake that killed a total of 2 people. This earth quake cost the country a lot of money to be able to rebuild.  OR when I learned about how guns make you more dangerous, you are twice as likely to kill someone rather than someone without a gun.  I learned about how some of Trump's supporters are making racial slurs to other people of color, Trump wants them to stop because this can lead to bullying and I don't think Trump wants more bullying.

I've also learned many other things such as how insects get into your home, and how it's bad for your health.  I learned how kids in South Africa and South Asia, and how they're being affected by the air pollution.  Schools are being built right next to these factories so that means 600,000 kids die of air pollution every year.  

Presidential Election Reflection

Some of you will be voting for the next election are you excited? why or why not?

Im not that excited because I'm not voting because I'm going to barely be 17 years old.  I won't be voting next election so I'll just watch and hope for the best.