Literature Group Blog

So far in the book Heat by Mike Lupica is that there's this kid named Michael and he can pitch very fast.  Michael's dream one day is to pitch for the New York Yankees. In the beginning of the book Michael sees a kid named Ramon steal an old lady's purse and runs off with it.  Michael threw his baseball very fast at Ramon's neck so the cops could catch him. Later on in the book, Michael meets this girl named Ellie at a ballpark.  Turns out Ellie liked baseball as well, Michael and Manny (Michael's friend) started playing catch with Ellie and she had a very strong arm.  Michael played this team called "Westchester South" and there's this kid named Justin and he pitched a fastball right at Michael when he was up to bat.  Michael knocked out, but he stood right back up and was ok.

I do like the book Heat because its very interesting because I also like baseball and enjoy reading about it too.  This book caught my intention by Michael wanting to make it into the MLB and pitch for the Yankees because I once wanted to play for the Cubs but I realized that that dream wasn't to come true because I didn't commit to it. I also like this book because of the story, the story is inspiring to follow your dreams even though you might be deported back to your home country; Cuba.

My feelings have changed a couple times reading the book because in the beginning everything was fine.  Michael was just a normal kid that just wanted to play for his favorite baseball team.  Then I learned that Michael's parents are both dead and that Michael is living in the USA illegally because him and his brother Carlos are minors.  This part made me sad because the officials might get a background on Michael and find out that he lives here illegally and then they'll deport him and destroy his dream.  After this I felt kind of better because Michael found about this girl and he has a crush on her so I'm guessing that the book will be more positive now on.

3rd Quarter Reflection

I think my work in the 3rd quarter was very weak, I could've done way better.  I tried to do homework but I always thought it was irrelevant and I didn't need to do it. Now that I see it affecting my grade I'll do my best in the 4th quarter because I have no other option, my father has told me that I HAVE to get at least one quarter with good grades and now this is my last chance to succeed.

I know see that this homework isn't that much and I could also do more in school.  In the 3rd quarter I also didn't do my best which meant I took home a lot of work that I didn't do.  3rd quarter was my worst I have to say out of all and the next one won't be.  I slacked off too much in the 3rd quarter and I won't in the 4th.

 The method that I most improved in was the arguementative essays, I learned how to argue properly. I'm proud of completing blogs because it makes me feel good when I complete my work.  For the most frustrating part of 3rd quarter would have to be the IXL's, I don't like doing IXL's because they make me so mad when I get one wrong and it takes my points.

Life is Beautiful

The movie Life is Beautiful is related to the book Night Elie Wiesel because they're both set in the same time period (World War II, 1939-1945) Elie's father and Joshua's father both die in concentration camps. In both stories there's a strong bond between the father and the son and they all care for each other.  There's also the Nazis in both stories that sent both of the families to the concentration camps.

The differences between the stories is that Elie is much older than Joshua.  Shlomo dies of sickness but then Guido dies from being shot to death from a Nazi soldier.  Elie has a sister but Joshua is the only child.  When Elie gets to Auschwitz, he's immediatly split from his mother and sister and never sees them ever again, Guido and Joshua are split from Dora but she's still alive at the end of movie.

Life is Beautiful has a more humorous mood throughout in the movie while in the Night book, its very dark and sad.  Guido is very optimistic throughout the movie to Joshua because since Joshua is still young he might believe his father that it's just a game.  Shlomo sadly isn't optimistic to Elie because Elie is old enough to know what's going on so Elie's story is much more sad because Elie has to see the horror.

In Life is Beautiful, life is shown beautiful when Guido and Joshua are in Auschwitz and Guido tells Joshua that this is all a game to keep Joshua happy and so Joshua could have a good time.  Another time Life is beautiful is when Guido meets the love of his life, Guido is very happy whenever he sees Dora, he makes her laugh because he's so humorous.

Night blog

            In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, Elie changes from being pious to then having very little faith in God.  A quote early on in the book gives the reader a understanding on how pious Elie really was, "During the day I studied the Talmud, and at night I ran to the synagogue to weep over the the destruction of the Temple." (Wiesel 1) this quote shows Elie would do nothing but study the Talmud and then cry over the destruction of a church,  the "Talmud" is basically the bible and Elie studies it everyday.  Another quote I found to prove that Elie was pious was "One day I asked my father to find me a master to guide me in my studies of the cabbala" This quote shows that Elie was ready to learn more about the Talmud and cabbala (the ancient Jewish tradition of mystical interpretation of the Bible,) but Elie has changed very much throughout his time in the concentration camps.

            Elie changed faithfully,  "Where is God's mercy? Where's God? How can I believe, how can anyone believe in this God of Mercy?" (Wiesel 76) this quote shows how Elie's perspective on God is.  Elie is losing faith in God because he feels as if God created these men to then make these camps to kill others.  Another quote I found while reading was "I cried because because something inside me felt the need to cry. That was all I knew. 'Why do you pray?' he asked after a moment. Why did I pray? Strange question. Why did I live? Why did I breathe? 'I don't know," I told him, even more troubled and ill at ease. "I don't know.'", on the other hand this quote represents Elie's faith in God, he still hasn't lost all of his faith but Elie will never go on to be how pious when he was is the beginning of book. Where is God's mercy? Where's God? How can I believe, how can anyone believe in this God of Mercy?

            Elie has also changed his father-son bond with his father. In the beginning of the book Elie has a great relationship with his father, "the moment when I left my mother. There was no time to think, and I already felt my father's hand press against mine: we were alone."  this quote shows their bond when the father grips onto Elie to ensure that nothing would happen to Elie and so to keep Elie safe in his hands. Later in the book Elie and his father's bond grew weaker, "My father groaned once more, I heard: 'Eliezer... I could see that he was still breathing—in gasps. I didn't move. When I came down from my bunk after roll call, I could see his lips trembling; he was murmuring something."  Elie just was leaning over his father just watching his father die and not at least hug his father, Elie just fell asleep without saying anything to his dying father.

Butterfly Project

I am a Jew and will be a Jew forever. 

Even if I should die from hunger, 

never will I submit.

I will always fight for my people, 

on my honor. 

I will never be ashamed of them, 

I give my word.

I am proud of my people, 

how dignified they are. 

Even though I am suppressed, 

I will always come back to life.

 

- Franta Bass

Berlin Memorial Activity

While talking about the holocaust, the nazi party, and world war 2.  I learned a lot of things such as the reason why Adolf Hitler wanted to kill the Jews, I also learned that Hitler shot himself because he didn't want to be caught and killed.  I think the Berlin monument was built to remember those people that were killed for no reason, and to show love towards the families of those who were put in concentration camps.  As the years kept going on, the laws started targeting more and more Jews, laws kept restricting Jews from doing things and they couldn’t have/ possess certain items.  I would have a hard time dealing with being deported to Auschwitz because people there had a hard time.

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.

“The Chicago Cubs head to the World Series!”

The curse of the billy goat is broken!  The Chicago Cubs are heading to the World Series for the first time in 71 years.  Just like how the famous Harry Caray once said “Someday, the Chicago Cubs are going to be in the World Series”.  If the Cubs win the Worlvd Series, it’ll be their third title, tying with the White Sox (city rivalry).  This “curse” began with the mayor of Michigan, he came to Cubs game with his pet goat.  Evidently Wrigley security guards denied to let them in so the mayor supposedly put a curse on the Cubs.  Cubs fans really want this W (win), so they could have their third World Series title lots of fans actually died waiting to see.  The Cubs are going to play the Cleveland Indians, and Game 1 is on October 25th, 7:00 P.M

Revision of 1st quarter of 8th Grade

For the first couple of days in 8th grade, I think I was doing alright, but since we started getting homework.  I’ve been on a very bad slump, I need to start doing my homework if I want to have the successful life I’ve always wanted.  The homework stresses me out sometimes because back then in other grades they were barely any homework, I get why there's so much homework and it’s to get us ready for high school because we’re not that far from high school homework.

At the end of the quarter, I think I left a slightly poor effort.  I know this is not my best so for the 2nd quarter, I’ll do my best on completing homework and studying more to get the grades to start my way onto high school.  One way I can start improving is that I can have a 30 minute break when I get home, get a snack, then start to do my homework in my living room, by myself.

I think I've did good on my blogs lately, we're barely started the year so I think I'm doing good for what I'm at right now.  One strategy that help me was the 5w’s, it helps you to make sure you give information so the reader isn't confused.  My writing has progressed a lot, Mrs. Larson really cares about how you're doing and requires her students to try their best, I know I did better than last year.  My goals for the next three quarters is too improve my work and help my vocabulary so I can be smart as I can.

The Giver Book Essay

(Part 1) While reading the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, I've found some events to compare from the book to the film such as when  Jonas was selected in the ceremony of 12 to be the next “Receiver of Memory”. Ive managed to find this quote “We failed in our last selection,' The Chief Elder said, solemnly. 'It was ten years ago', when Jonas was just a toddler”, this quote helps compare the book and film because the film also had a ceremony and a speech.  Another event I found to contrast while watching the film was when Jonas took away Gabriel so they wouldn't kill him. This quote helps to picture the moment “Things could change, Gabe. Things could be different. I don't know how, but there must be some way for things to be different. There could be colors.  And grandparents. And everybody would have memories. You know about memories”, I can contrast from the film and the book because in the book, Gabriel is staying in their dwelling but in the movie Gabriel is in the nurturing center.

(Part 2) From reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, I've seen how the ending of the books is portrayed in the film.  The ending of the book is very detailed and you picture almost every moment but I felt that in the film, it was rushed.  This quote might help picture the moment “For the first time, he heard something that he knew to be music. He heard people singing. Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he had left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps, it was only an echo”. This quote gives the reader a picture to see that moment at the end of the book, the book ending was better because of all of the detail. Another way I found that the book ending is portrayed in the film is when they were talking about Rosemary “You suggested, Jonas, that perhaps she wasn't brave enough? I don't know about bravery: what it is, what it means. I do know that I sat here numb with horror. Wretched with helplessness. And I listened as Rosemary told them that she would prefer to inject herself”, this moment is portrayed very well in the film because they do have some sort of a “memory” about Rosemary with those memories that made her release herself.

(Part 3) I think the film made me understand more about the ending of the story because I got to visually see what happened.  The film also gave a bigger impact because you could actually hear them speak so you can hear their emotions more, the film is a better understanding for the ending of the story.

Theme and how Jonas is a Dynamic character

From reading the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, I’ve concluded the Jonas (main character) is very dynamic.  For one way I can show Jonas’s relationship between pain and pleasure is when “The sound of Jonas’s shuddering breaths.  He was struggling not to cry” This quote shows how Jonas.  Changed from being very shy and quiet in the beginning of the book now, where he's very talkative and shows emotions and feelings. Another reason that shows how dynamic Jonas is when this happened "now he understood the joy of being an individual,special and unique and proud", this quote shows how Jonas has changed when he was given his job.  Because before he felt like the same as other people with no differences.

While reading the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, the theme turns out to be “Relationship between pain and pleasure” because Jonas can show emotions like this quote “Overwhelmed by pain, he lay there in the fearsome stench for hours”, this quote shows how Jonas can be very emotional.  Jonas can show true emotions because of the memories that The Giver gave to him, this is why I feel that the theme is “Relationship between pain and pleasure”. Another way the theme is "

Signposts for "The Giver"

Tough questions

Why is it rude to give compliments in a perfect world? Pg. 20

Guiding Question: What does this question make me wonder about?

While reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, I've been asking a lot of questions like Why is it rude to give compliments? In chapter 3, Lily complimented the newchild and Jonas wanted Lily to be chastised, this is what happened, "Isn't he cute? ... He didn't like it that she had mentioned his eyes. He waited for his father to chastise Lily".  This quote makes me think about how this world isn't that perfect, if this was a "perfect world" you should be able to give compliments and not be chastised. This relates on the part when Lily gives the compliment and after that, Jonas waits for his father to chastise Lily.  This quote makes me also think that Lily is just trying to be nice while everyone else in the community is being different.  I mean different as in being quiet or not being respectful/considerate.


Memory Moment

Chief Elder recalls on a the failure 10 years ago. Pg.61

Guiding Question: Why might this memory be important?

While reading The Giver by Lois Lowry, There has been memories like When The Cheif Elder recalls on the failure 10 years ago. In chapter 8 The Cheif Elder recalls on the failure, this memory is important to the reader because they need to know what happened to the failure that happened 10 years so then we can know how Jonas became the new "Receiver of Memory".  This is what happened, "We failed in our last selection,' The Cheif Elder said, solemnly. 'It was ten years ago', when Jonas was just a toddler", this quote makes me think about how the failure was so important to the elders that they didn't want another one to occur with Jonas so they took some time thinking of who to pick to be the next "Receiver of Memory".

Welcome to My Blog! - First Blog

Welcome to my blog! I'm in the 8th grade.

In my free time I play video games with my friends.  I want to be an astronaut one day or be able to study space, I like space because there's so much we haven't discovered yet.

Astronaut is space