Final Reflection Blog:)

Paragraph 1 Prompts: 1- what are the three most important things you learned this year?

2- what is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?

     The three most important things I learned this year is how to write an objective summary, how to state textual evidence, and how to stay organized with time management. I think learning how to manage my time is the most important because, in the beginning of the year, I always use to study on Thursday's only, and do my AOW's on Thursday's only as well. Now that I learned to organize my time and to manage what objectives I needed to get to, I can finish my AOW and blog on Monday, while Tuesday I can do my social studies AOW and science alternative assignment. I think one thing I will remember for the rest of my life would be seeing my classmates eat Sardines, and hearing Jeremiah's and Sam's rap battle. They were both very fun events to witness, especially seeing Evie eat a Sardine. How do you eat those things? Yuck!

Paragraph 2 Prompts: 3- what was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?

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

     The nicest thing anyone has done in our class this year was, having my classmates putting up my chair, and sometimes helping me with my books when I hurt my collarbone. I think it was really nice of them help me even though I declined most of their offers. I think one thing I taught Mrs. Larson was about Dia De Los Reyes, or Dia De Reyes (goes both ways.) I say this because, during our culture project, I talked about this holiday and she really didn't know what it was. (I don't know if you feel the same Mrs. Larson-ha-ha.)

Paragraph 3 Prompts: 5- in what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?

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

    I think the area I most improved in was my vocabulary or my writing skills. I look back and read my novellas or short stories I wrote in like the third grade. Oh boy. They were very detailed, but on the wrong thing. Also, they had a lot of grammatical errors. I read a story that I wrote in the 6th grade or the 7th grade, and I can see the great change. An accomplishment that I am very proud of was reading is, reading 52 books for my 40-book challenge. Even though we were only suppose to read 40, ha-ha. With all the stress that developed during the 7th grade, and with all the worry of vocab and AOW's, I am shocked I surprised this class.

Paragraph 4 Prompts: 7- what was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?

8- of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?

     The best piece of writing I have written this year wasn't a writing piece for this class. It was a story I wrote called Ace. It took me about 7 months to write it and I was really proud when I finished it. It's about a girl who loves volleyball, (of course,) and she gets into an accident that ends up taking her leg. I think it was my best because, I actually wrote a book that was more than 100 pages. One of my favorite books I read this year was the Hazelwood High Trilogy because; it talks about what real kids go through, and what they have to deal with.

Paragraph 5 Prompts: 9- what advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?

     I would give the upcoming accelerated 7th graders advice as to the topics of time management, organization, and studying for vocabulary. Be good with managing your time. It's going to come in handy if you have an assignment notebook, or if you write your assignments on your computer. Schedule what time you have and what assignments you are going to do during that time period. Also, be very neat and organized with your work. It's best if you get a binder with folders and prongs, or page dividers. You're going to want to keep your work separated, i.e. your AOW's should be kept separated from your vocabulary test, and vocab words. Study your vocab at least for 5 minutes a day on Quizlet. Otherwise, on Thursday night, your going to be so stressed out you will have a headache in the morning. Believe me.

Of Mice and Men: The Movie

Prompt:  In the film, the director shows us “the incident in Weed” differently from how we find out in the book. What’s different? Why do you think he chose to do it that way? How does it change the story? The book begins with the “stage” set by the pond. In the film, we see George on a train first. Why would the director do this? What is the director telling us about George’s life? What do you think of the director’s choice of Sharilynn Fenn to play Curley’s wife? Does she look the way you imagined her in the book? Whom would you have chosen? What are your general thoughts, feelings, reactions of Of Mice and Men? What had the most profound impact on you or your understanding of the novella? Who would you recommend this book to and why?

     The difference in the book and the movie is the book they tell about the incident through small keyholes. Until, we get to Slim and George's conversation on page 41, where George confides into Slim about the 'Weed incident'. As George accidentally slips up saying, "like what happened in Weed-" In the movie however, you see the girl in Weed in the beginning of the movie running from Lennie. But, Gary Sinse keeps the same of George confiding into Slim. I think he chose to do it this way because, if he was not to have the girl running in the beginning, the audience who may or may not have read the book could easily get confused. It changes the story because, you can see first hand what they experienced running from. In the book, you can only visualize the guys in a pond. 

     I think Gary Sinse had the book start on a train, because maybe that’s all George has for his life. In the beginning of the movie and at the end of the movie, George is on the train. I think, like I said before, that's all Steinbeck and Sinse had planned for George's life. A continuous circle of working, farms, and trains. In the book, they are by the slough. I think Steinbeck did this instead of having George and Lennie on a train because, it shows George's other side of him. Yes, there is the side of George that constantly works. But, there is the other side of him that cares about Lennie. The side that he would run from his job and jump on a train, just to make sure Lennie wouldn't go to jail. A side that he would kill Lennie out of mercy, just so Curley wouldn't shoot him. The book shows the side of George that cares about Lennie and his friendship more than a cathouse or hanging with the guys. The movie shows a side of George that constantly has to run away because of Lennie's wrongs. 

     I think the producer of the movie picked Sharilynn Fenn as Curley's wife because; she is a lot like how they described her in the book. She had "...full, rouged lips..." and "her hair hung in little rolled clusters...” Sharilynn Fenn was fit to play Curley's Wife. She was pretty like Lennie, and Candy described her as, and she had nasally, brittle, and soft voice. All adjectives Steinbeck uses to describe her voice. She looks almost exactly like I described her. I imagined her with longer hair, and light brown colored hair. I would have chose Tiffani Amber Thiessen to play Curley's Wife. It's funny because, they resemble each other a lot. Although she doesn't have corkscrew curls. She just has wavy hair. 

     I honestly didn't like the movie as much as I expected. I guess the saying is right, the book(s) is better than the movie(s). I didn't like how they ended the movie, especially with how George shot Lennie mid-sentence. I liked how in the book, George waited for him to finish his sentence and dreams, and let him die while daydreaming. I really liked the book though, and I would read it again, even if it were not for school. I would recommend this book to anyone, well anyone above 7th grade that has the mind ability to understand each character's situation. Because, if you gave a 2nd grader the book, they would probably laugh or say, "ooh bad words!" at each time they said the N-word or B-word. Also, two; they probably don't know the difference of the Holocaust and the Dust Bowl. 

     The most profound impact throughout the book would probably be, Lennie dying. It had the hardest impact because; I didn't really predict or foreshadow that happening. I honestly thought they would get the farm/ranch and will end happily ever after. Then again, Lennie just can't stay out of trouble. However, Lennie doesn’t really get in trouble on purpose. So, it's a lose-lose situation at the end. If George had shot Lennie, Curley would have killed him in a slow and painful way. 

~<- Is Tiffani Amber Thiessen (Saved By The Bell), and -> is Curley's Wife~

AOW Impressions Blog

 Topics talked about in the AOW Gallery walk~ Baltimore, and Nepal.


     Today, I was only able to go to Siari, and Evie.  Siari's AOW was about the earthquake that took place in Nepal. Siari informed me that approximately 7,000 people have been killed. She also enlightened me that many of the people have been reported missing, and they are not able to be found due to no connection. Furthermore, that there are more people who are missing and killed than estimated because, of the illegals who live in Nepal. I found that this topic was rather depressing. I think that more people should help out with Nepal. A lot of people have been going out to help. One thing that particularly stuck out to me when researching this topic further was, the orphanage that had to evacuate their home. According to other articles, a 19 year old who was previously an orphan was visiting the orphanage and helped Mother Rajan take the kids down the mountain.

     Another topic that Evie discussed was the Baltimore riots, that are currently going on. She briefly explained to me that many people have been 'looting' or in other ways stealing from stores they broke into. They have also been throwing objects, i.e. liquor, at cop cars, and have been setting cars and building on fire. I don't think they should be reacting in anger because of this. I mean, before Ferguson, a lot of this happened. White cops killed black teens before Michael Brown. It's just that Michael Brown's case was an eye opener to the country, realizing this wasn't right. Now, every little thing that goes on between Caucasian cops and American-African teenagers blows out of          proportion, like this.

Tippy-toes

Prompt:  write a short poem elaborating on your dream and/or why dreams or visions are an important part of life.

I choose the first option.

   Standing there, 

Balancing on my tippy-toes,

and hands up into bow and arrow position. 

Hair back into a braided pony tail, 

All jewelry off,

and my game face on. 

Waiting for the whistle.

The whistle to mark the beginning of the game. 

Whew! 

Serving the ball for millions of people to view, 

and to critique. 

Running back into position, 

standing there. 

Balancing on my tippy-toes, 

and hands held before me. 

Hair back into a braided pony tail, 

All jewelry off,

and my game face on. 

Screaming my property,

and digging the ball to the setter. 

Watching. 

Watching as my teammate kills the ball over. 

That's all we need.

That last point made.

That's all we need to win the Olympics. 

As my team runs and hugs each other,

Crying out their joy. 

I walk over to the bench, sitting there,

Embracing the fact we won the 2024 Summer Olympics. 

I soak all of this up.

Then I realize,

This is all I ever wanted.

This is what I wished for since the 7th grade. 

This is what I have trained for since the 3rd grade. 

I look back onto how I was so young, 

and how I had so much to work on. 

And then I wake up,

Waking up from the dream I know will never happen. 

Conflict Blog (OMAM) Mon. Apr. 27th *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS :P*

1st conflict~ Curley vs. Lennie (man vs. man)
2nd conflict~ Crooks (man vs. society)


        The first conflict I noticed throughout the book is, Curley and Lennie. On page 26, Candy tells us, "Curley's like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys." Since Lennie is a pretty big guy, you can make the assumption of Curley disliking him, because of their size difference. Of course, you cannot forget their fighting scene. According to page 62, "...and Lennie was still smiling with delight at the memory of the ranch. Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier. "What the he*l you laughin' at?" Lennie looked blankly at him. "Huh?" Then Curley's rage exploded. "Come on ya big bas*ard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-b*tch is gonna laugh at me. I'll show you who's yella."" You can identify the tension Curley created by making a big deal out of nothing. It later goes on to describe the fighting scene. And we all know, Lennie ends up crushing Curley's hand. That kind of officially started off the entire conflict between Curley and Lennie now, since Curley cannot work without it.

      Crooks is facing the world alone. He does not have his own Lennie or George to be with. It's him against the world. No one on the ranch accepts him, or nonetheless acknowledges him, besides Slim and Lennie.  You can recognize the conflict in the story when Lennie walks into Crooks' bunk. On page 68 Crooks tells Lennie, "...you got no right to come in my room." He then later says, "Nobody got any right in here but me." You can tell by the diction of Crooks that he doesn't appreciate people coming into his room. He also tells Lennie, "I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse...'cause I'm black." You can really tell that the racism is strong and alive throughout the ranch and bunkhouse. It's him against the white men.

I COMMENTED ON: 

Evie C.'s, Siari R.'s, and 

OMAM Blog Mon. April 20th

  The atmosphere around the bunkhouse and ranch is hardworking, negative, and unsterile. They work hard during they. I know this because it says, "...his head still dripped water from scrubbing and dousing." (Pg. 35), if his head is dripping with water, it may be because of his job he is assigned. If he was into his work that much, that his head is dripping water, he must be a hard worker. It is also a bit negative; with they way they talk about Curley. For example, when George is talking to Lennie about Curley's attitude towards the big fella, he explicitly states, "I hate that kinda bastard..." (Pg.29). I also say unsterile because, George when he first walks in, he finds a bottle of bug repellent. It shows, that maybe Candy was just lying to him, and there was roaches or crawlers around the bunkhouse.

     I think Curley's wife doesn't have a name because; you call people by their name out of respect. Instead of saying like, him, she, her, he, it, that, you call them Diana, Siari, Evie, Chantal, etc. It could be that Steinbeck just gives her the name of 'Curley's Wife', to show disconnection of her and the men. Which is basically the theme of the book, friendship. Since Curley's Wife is the only woman out of many male, she doesn't have companionship like Lennie and George. Which would explain Candy's dog, and maybe that's why she also married Curley. Maybe she was just lonely, and that's why she is a flirt. Maybe, she is just lonely, since Curley is walking around with a hothead. But, that's my theory.

"Zebra Forest" Mon. April 13th

*MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILER ALERT(S)!!!*
Prompt: Pick three songs that go along with the book.
Book: Zebra Forest 

Links to songs~
     i.   " Jake and the Neverland" Pirates theme song
     ii.  " Little Brothers" by Phineas and Ferb
     iii. "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe


       The first song is a theme song to a Disney Junior show, and I thought it fit the book well, even if it is a kid's show song. I think it fits the book well, because in the beginning in the book Annie B. is telling a pirate story to Rew. She tells us in the book, "he'd started loving pirate stories in kindergarten, when he found Treasure Island." Which explains why Rew loves to hear about pirates. In fact, he thinks that his father, (who his grandma tells him he died in a fistfight), was a pirate. Rew also believes that his grandpa and Gran were pirates too because, they hid their treasures. Annie B. just goes along with it, and she makes up stories to tell Rew.

     "Little Brothers" is also from a TV show, I believe it's the episode of Phineas and Ferb, when they
get sent away to Boot Camp. Anyways, it relates to the book because, when Andrew Snow (their dad), escapes from prison, Rew looks worried when he is holding Annie B. in a chokehold. I mean, yes I know that he's practically killing her, but I think  it was still sincere. Also, in the song Candace sings even though you break my toys you are still my little brother. Or something like that. This relates to Annie and Rew because, Rew is always beating Annie in chess and vice versa with Gin Rummy. They get mad at each other and say like you cheated or this is all by luck. But, even though they are mad and sore losers, they always end up making up, because it's Annie's brother. Also, Rew is always interrupting Annie's stories. So back to square one, no matter how much Rew gets on Annie's nerves, she still loves him.

      "I Can Only Imagine" relates to this book because, Annie is always imagining what her dad is like. She always thought her dad was dead because, her grandma always told her so. She would always like to think of her dad as a pirate, secret agent, and I believe a pilot. She "can only imagine" because, well she could only guess as to know what her dad's occupation is. Although, this is a Christian song and it talks about only imagining what God's presence will be like, it really does go along with the book. Annie can only imagine as to what it will feel for her father to pick her up from school, or for her wedding and her dad isn't there.

I COMMENTED ON:
Evie C's., Diana A's.,  and Rebecca T's., blogs.