Nine Questions to Make you Think!

1- What are the three most important things you learned this year?
The three most important things I learned this year are: Writing objective summaries, using semicolons, and writing in more detail. Objective summaries. I think these were an important thing to learn because we needed them for a main part of the class which was for AOW'S.  I would've never know what an objective summary was especially because they are not biased so if I didn't know that then I would be doing it wrong. Semicolons. We didn't learn about these until recently but I'm glad we did. I never understood how to use a semicolon but learning about it made it much easier. Now I can just reference the semicolon sheet anytime I need a refresher on semicolons. Writing in detail. This is a very important thing for me. Learning to write in detail was really good because it really improved my blogs, papers, and essays.

2- What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?
Socratic seminars. Socratic seminars are when you get into little groups and talk about a book. It's like a little discussion. I think I'll remember this because in my opinion it is a really cool thing. I like to have discussions with classmates because then I get to hear their side of things and not just think of my thoughts. For example I could think one line in a certain book means one thing but then we have a socratic seminar and then I get to hear the thoughts of what the line means from other classmates.

3- What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?
The nicest thing someone has done for me in this class is tell me I'm worth something. Well let's just say I was going though hard time and my classmates cheered me up. This might not be school related but I cannot really think of anything else nice a classmate has done for me.

4- What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?

I think something I taught my classmates is to always try their hardest because especially with my vocabulary tests I didn't do so good so I always taught my classmates to do good. For example there was one time where Darya sent me a snapchat saying she didn't want to study vocabulary before bed. I told her said should so she would get a good grade on that vocabulary test. Good thing she listened to me so she would do good 👍.

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 think towards the end of the year I really improved on blogs. I think I did really good on the detail in my blogs because my mom helped me. She told me I might as well do my blogs better because it's the end of the year and I should try harder. Something that I accomplished this year that I'm proud of is reading more books. Let's just say last year I read absolutely no books and this year I read about a lot more. It's not that I don't like books its just that they don't really interest me as much anymore.

6- What was the most challenging part of this year for you?

The most challenging part of this year for me was keeping my grades up. I think it's because I always turn in assignments late or I don't do them. I really have to change that because I would never make it through high school or college like this. Wow I just realized the problem is me procrastinating so much. Everyday I don't want to do homework I tell myself I'll do it in the morning. I never get it done in the morning sometimes 😓😳. 

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 is my literature circle blog for the book Trouble. I think this was my best writing piece because it uses the most detail out of all of my blogs.  I worked for 2 days on this blog and thats why it's so good. Also I think it is so good because my mom helped me with this blog.
Well the thing is this blog was really bad at first so then when the teacher graded it she told me I had to redo it. So then when spring break came around i redid the blog and I received credit for the work I redid.

8- Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?
My favorite book I read this year was Of Mice and Men. This book was my favorite because it was very suspenseful. Especially because Mrs. Larson did not want us to know the ending. That made it seem even more thrilling. And I also really liked this book because it was a novella. A novella is basically a short novel. Short books are good for me because they hold my attention but they do not make me bored easily 👍😂.

9- What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?

The advice I would give is: Yeah this class is hard, but push through it. Don't end up being lazy like me. Even though you might not want to at the end it's worth it. Yeah you may have not chose to be in accelerated, but the fact that you got in it shows a lot. This class is the opportunity to show the teacher that you are smart, so my advice is go for it 💪! And make sure not to slack 😂. 

Goodbye friends, see you next year... 👋

OMAM Conflicts

There are many conflicts in the book Of Mice and Men. These conflicts help add to the plot because they show that the world is not a 2D thing. Just like if you make character 2D, they have no personality. The world is not 2D either. The world has problems and the conflict adds to the plot because it makes everything in the book more realistic and interesting, not just 2D. 

One conflict in the book is the conflict between Lennie and Curley. This is a Man vs. Man conflict. In the book it says "Curley sat down on the floor, looking in wonder at his crushed hand." This shows the conflict because earlier in the book Curley was always making fun of Lennie, so then now Lennie finally took action and broke Curley's hand. Man vs. Man conflict.

Another conflict in the book is the conflict that no one like Crooks. This conflict is Man vs. Society. In the book Crooks says "I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse..." This shows that since Crooks is black, no one excepts him for who he is. This is conflict because back then people did not accept black people that much so because of that Crooks has a hard life. Man vs. Society. 

dreams

I once had a dream
so big and great
I wanted to accomplish it
I couldn't even wait

I worked day and day
I worked night and night
and even when things got rough
I told myself "it'll be alright"

and then the day came
when my dream got crushed
I cried and cried, day and night
"why did my dream get shushed?"

Of Mice and Men

The atmosphere of the bunkhouse is mixed. You have some people like Curley, who are mean and a hotspur, and you have some people like Slim, who have gentle voices and are friendly. In the book it says "He hates big guys... picking scraps with big guys... he's mad at 'em..." This quote is explaining that Curley is not the brightest star in the sky. He is unfriendly. He likes to pick on bigger guys because he is not a big guy himself. Picking on bigger guys makes him feel better about himself. In the book it also says "His tone was friendly. It invited confidence without demanding it." This quote is saying that Slim is is nice person with a friendly voice and a confident tone. The feeling of the bunkhouse is dirty. For example George and Lennie find bug repellent by their bed indicating that there was once bugs where they are staying. Also the floor was unpainted and there was apple crates as shelves.

I think Curley's wife does not have a name because in this time period women were not really respected. Since they were not really respected people probably looked down on Curley's wife. For example in the book it says "she's a rat-trap... piece of jail bait...  Don't you ever take a look at that bitch." This quote is trying to explain that George is talking badly about Curley's wife because she is looked down upon.

I think the message that John Steinbeck is trying to say is that women weren't as important in that time frame. I mean all his characters are males, and the only female character in the book is the one everyone perceives as bad so I can make the conclusion that John Steinbeck is trying to say that Curley's wife is looked down upon.

3rd quarter reflections

*In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Language Arts? 

I think I made the biggest improvement in blogs. I may have not done the best blogs in 3rd quarter, but towards the end of the 3rd quarter I revised them and they became much better. I had taken the time over spring break to revise my blogs and make them much more detailed and better. One of my blogs even took 2 days! I also rewrote them so that they had more textual evidence, and also so that they showed I had more understanding of what the blog topic was. I am focusing on making every blog like that from now on, as I want to get better grades. 

*What is something you have accomplished this quarter that you are proud of?

Something that I am proud of this quarter is my MAP scores. My map scores were above average and I am proud of that. I think I did good compared to last year. I am proud of this because it is nice seeing that I am above the grade level of other people. It shows my teachers and my parents that I am smart. It is also just nice for me to see that I can do so well on a test. I think I did so well because I am good at the subject ELA. Or at least that's what my Mother says!

*What has been the most challenging part of 3rd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?

I think the hardest part of 3rd quarter for me was focusing on doing my best work. I always tend to get distracted easily and not focus on school. When I'm at home doing my homework, I also get mad and I don't want to do it. I've just lost interest in school. I know I cannot be like this though. My mom helps me refocus when I lose focus. Thank God I have her. My Mom has been really pushing me to get my grades up, so I have been really trying to resubmit my work!

Literature Circle Blog - "Trouble"

My essential question was "Is it better to avoid trouble or to deal with it?" In the book the author states "If you build your house far enough  away from trouble, then trouble will never find you." Based on the book I do not agree with this. For example in the beginning of the book Franklin is a bully because he is mean to Henry. Henry does not want to see that Franklin is a bully so he avoids that matter. Henry's family also looks up to Franklin because Franklin is a good athlete and he does good in school, but they are also trying to avoid that Franklin is a bully just like Henry is avoiding it too. Even though they avoided trouble it still found them because Franklin died and they realized he was a bully. At the end of the book Henry accepts that Franklin actually was a bully. When Henry deals with this he is able to climb the mountain to show Franklin he is strong.

For my topic I am focussing on the separation of races. According to the article "Donald Trump's campaign cancels rally as protesters pack the crowd" Donald Trump is for the separation of races, but the protesters are against Trump, they are against racism. The main point of the article is many people are protesting what Donald Trump says. For example, the author states "Trump has a problem, though. Many leaders of his own party do not like him. They and many others say Trump is spreading hate. They say he is making his supporters turn against Hispanics, blacks and people from other countries." In this quote it is showing that Trump is trying to make people turn against other races but people do not agree with him. The author of this article takes the issue of separation of races and shows that it is wrong.

In the book Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt, Chay's Parents believe that different races should stay separate, and the other characters in the book support this belief. For example in the book, Chay's parents state, "Remember you were Cambodian before you were American... And you don't fall in love with American girls." In this quote it is showing the characters'
support for the separation of races. The author of the book takes the issue of separation of races and shows that the characters believe in it.

The article and the book both relate because the main topic for both is about racial hate, as I said in the paragraphs. The authors use this information differently because in the book the characters believe in the separation of races, but in the article protesters do not support Trump's belief in the separation of races. 

Poetry Reflection Blog

Poetry is important in my life because I can connect to poetry. I can connect to poetry because sometimes poems say what I am thinking. For example in the Shel Silverstein poem titled "Nope," it talks about a person that looks into things a lot. This can relate to me because I always look very closely at things and sometimes think too much about them. If I find out too much or think too much about things, it starts to stress me out, just like the person in the poem. When I connect to poetry, it makes me feel like I am in the same shoes as the person in the poem. This is important because it makes me not feel alone. I think poetry belongs to everyone because I think that everyone can connect to poetry. When people connect to poetry, they feel as if they are not alone. Also poetry can belong to everyone because everyone can interpret poetry differently.

The life of a poet affects what they write about because their life experiences show through their poetry. For example, a lot of poems are about love. If the poet falls in love in their life, or they have an experience with love, they will write a poem to express their feelings. In the book Bronx Masquerade, the kids talk about their struggles in life. They do this to express their feelings.

I am choosing my "Where I'm From" poem to analyze for the one I wrote, and Zorro for the one I read. The "Where I'm From" poem is structured so each line begins with "I am from" and is an aspect of my life. This contributes to the meaning of the poem because the poem is supposed to be all about where I came from and my background in life. It is structured to show all the important things in life that make me who I am. The lines do not have to rhyme but you have to always say where I'm from in the beginning of each line because it's about your background. The words and phrases that I chose have an impact on the poem because I chose specific words that would really tell my story. These are things that I remember from when I was little. These were the important things in my life. 

 The poem "Zorro" is in first person, and that makes it seem like you are reading a personal experience. Also, the poem is in the shape of a Z, and because of that, it shows Zorro's personality. In the beginning of the poem, the poet uses words like "On cue", "As expected", "I understand my role" to show that he is doing everything that everybody wants him to do. People expect him to act a certain way because of who he is. In the middle of the poem this changes. The poet uses words like "But I'm done", "Lose the cape", "Step off the page" to show that now Zorro is being who he wants to be. He is no longer being who everybody wants him to be. The poet compares being an actor to people expecting you to be a certain way. Then at the end, the poet says "Put down your camera. Second, give me your hand." This means he wants people to see him for who he really is.

Nonsense Poem

"The Boy That Was Forced Into The Taliban" (A.O.W poem)

"The Boy That Was Forced Into The Taliban"

You were praised for your bravery,

Just like a superhero,

You were shot,

Just like they shot the man in the top hat,

And you left behind a mother, two younger sisters and three younger brothers

It is tragic how they had no sympathy for you,

They didn’t even try to,

You were a very intelligent boy,

Just like albert Einstein

You were forced in battles against the Taliban,

You fought in war,

Just like the soldiers,

And you attended school.

Inspired by this article: "11-year-old Afghan boy, hailed as hero for fighting Taliban, killed by militants"

Bio Poem - Diondra

Diondra

Tall, student, artist, poet

A character in the story Bronx Masquerade

Lover of  art, drawing, poetry

Who notices people making fun of her, people making fun of her height, and her dad making mean remarks

Who feels sad, happy, in the middle

Who learns to stand up for herself and show her true colors

Who used to think she was worthless, but now knows she has values

Major character in Bronx Masquerade

A book that shows students that slowly learn to accept themselves

Character Development

 The book Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes is about a group of teenagers that are all facing different struggles. Their teacher Mr. Ward introduced something called "open mic Fridays" where they all share a poem on Friday. The main character/narrator of this book is a character named Tyrone. I am going to pick Diondra as a character that changed.

In the beginning of the book, most people thought since Diondra was so tall, that she liked sports, but she really didn't. What she did like was art, but her father had a problem with it. At the end of the book Diondra says "If I can get into an art school, I'm going." This shows that she accepted who she really was

I think one element of the story that effects Diondra is her father. Her father is always telling her that she can't do this or she can't do that, but in reality her father is just tearing her apart. When her father says those things, it makes Diondra feel like she can do nothing. She cannot show her ture colors because her father does not approve of it

Found Poetry

I would have to say i do not really have a theme in this poem. The message and main point in this poem is that a girl is carrying a book and a radio to somewhere. I decided to leave the reader confused as to where she was carrying the book and the radio so i just circled "a place" for the place she was carrying the radio and book too. I also drew a radio and a book to go along with the poem. FYI the last phrase i circled at the bottom says "a place." The "a" is just hard to read because i accidentally colored over it. Oops.

Spine Poetry

The theme of this poem is food and my emotions towards food. The message I am trying to give in this poem is that I have great expectations for food and that i get out of control with food (by out of control i mean i eat a lot). As you can see that is what the first 2 books say, Great Expectations and Out Of Control. Then the rest of the books talk about food

"Where I'm From"

Bronx Perspectives: Take 1

 The book Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes is about a group of teenagers that are all facing different struggles. Their teacher Mr. Ward introduced something called "open mic Fridays" where they all share a poem on Friday. The main character/narrator of this book is a character named Tyrone.

The first characters I will be talking about are Gloria and Lupe. I think Gloria and Lupe are similar in some ways. Gloria is a mother but on the other hand Lupe wants to be a mother. I think they're similar in which that they are both related to motherhood. I think Gloria will soon tell Lupe that she does not need a baby to maker her happy and that there are other people that love her.

I think Devon And Tyrone are different people. Tyrone doesn't like school and he only goes to school because Wesley encourages him. On the other hand Devon really wants to be successful but he just can't because he is afraid of showing the real him and showing his true colors. He also does not like basketball.

Poetry Response

Nope

I put a piece of cantaloupe

Underneath the microscope.

I saw a million strange things sleepin’,

I saw a zillion weird things creepin’,

I saw some green things twist and bend–

I won’t eat cantaloupe again.

~Shel Silverstein: Falling up

The poem i am reading is about someone putting a cantaloupe under a microscope and finding weird creatures on it. I think the author wrote this poem to confuse people because it is weird how there would be creatures on a cantaloupe. I also think the author wrote this to be funny so that the poem can appeal to kids. I like this poem so Shel Silverstein did a good job writing it!

This is what i visualized while reading this poem:

I visualized this because it is exactly what the poem is like. A person looking through a microscope at tiny bugs on a cantaloupe. Shel Silverstein did a good job to make me visualize what the poem looked like.

This poem reminds me of text to self because I see bugs in fruit all the time. I can relate to the person in the poem because i also think it is disgusting when bugs are in food. I think this could also be text to world too though because I am pretty sure other people have seen bugs in food before and they think that is disgusting too.