Final Reflection

Final Reflection - Please incorporate these nine questions into your final reflective blog for the school year. Keep in mind these questions should be focused on your time in Mrs. Larson's Accelerated English Language Arts classes.:)

1- What are the three most important things you learned this year?

       One thing that I will definitely carry on with me into the future is the time management skills I have learned this year. With more and more work coming from this class and several others, it has been vital to manage my time and make sure not to do everything last minute. Last year I would save everything for Thursday nights and yet this year I have begun my assignments earlier this year. With time management I have realized how much less stressful I can make the end of my week. The homework will only come in larger amounts in high school so I will definitely hold on to that. Another important thing I learned this year was about the rising troubles with terrorist. With all the AoW activities I have learned so much about ISIS and even the re-rising of al-Qaeda. Without the articles I probably would only know basic information about ISIS but the activities have allowed me to learn several aspects of the terrorist group and really how terrible they are. Before this year, where we have focused more on AoW's I wasn't as aware of things happening around the world and important things. Part of the reason is because the news on TV often publicizes the wrong things so the AoW's have given me the opportunity to really learn. Finally I learned in depth coverage and personal experiences from the Holocaust. The lessons we did on the Holocaust really allowed me to further understand and realize the true terrors of what happened. Not only this but I really enjoyed "Night" because it was the first chance at looking at a first hand experience of the Holocaust which made it easier to connect and made it all more real. It has allowed me to understand the situations that they went through.

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

       One thing we did this year that I will remember was when we were allowed to bring food in and have a little party among ourselves. I have never had a class or teacher that let us do this so it was really fun to get a break from work and relax with our classmates. I felt as though we were being appreciated in a way because being in this class, well it brings a lot of work and dedication. The parties were nice breaks and I felt as though we had earned our right to do it. Plus eating food is fun as well so it was a really memorable moment I had with my classmates that I will remember. 


       Another thing we did that I think I will remember for the rest of my life is the "Tuesday's With Morrie" reading because it really allowed me to see a new aspect of life and it was a really inspiring story. Well I'm not going to say more cause I talk about it later.

3- What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?

       Well it has been several people but the nicest things people have done for me have been, helping me understand or figure something out. In this class we have read pieces and done work that has been more complex and that I haven't understood. The people in this class have been so generous and helped me in times where they could have been doing their own thing. Or during the Holocaust Research people helped me find information or websites that related to the question, which was a big help when I was lost. Another project that I feel my peers were a big help in, was the poems because for me, I tend to struggle with poetry. Whether it be analyzing it, or making a drawing out of what the author says, I struggle. But thanks to the amazing students in my class, I was able to get help and make a project I was proud of. Every student in our class is very smart and nice, so I felt very comfortable asking and getting help because of how kind and willing everyone was. So thank you class mates for helping me.

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

      I don't really remember teaching anyone directly during this school year in Language Arts. Umm since we have to pick something I guess I'll do something that was kind of indirect. I think I taught everyone to pay attention and not talk low and monotone. The pay attention thing was because I often would not know the answer to something Mrs. Larson asked me and it was a bit embarrassing. In my defense at times I actually was paying attention but I just didn't know. The other part was about talking in a low or monotone voice because I often did this when speaking, asking, and answering questions. When I did this I would often have to repeat myself, which once again was a bit embarrassing. So I think everyone learned to pay attention and have a good answer. Plus to speak up and be a little more excited about what you are saying. 

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 that my biggest area of improvement has to be in my ability to analyze a quote or part of a book/article and further interpret it. This has been the main focus for the past two years I have felt and it has really allowed me to grow and become a better writer. For AoW's and writing assignments when I look back, I have gotten so much better about getting a powerful quote or statistic to add on to my writing. Not only this but being able to write a few sentences on the quote and its importance has been something that I will appreciate and use in high school. I think my best example in which you see this was in my SeaWorld/Blackfish essay. I was able to take research and use it to support and contrast two sides of a debate which I felt was a tough thing to do, but I was really proud of how I did. 

       Something I have really been proud of has been getting A's all year in this class without (I think), having to redo anything. This class has been challenging for me and a goal I set for myself this year was to get A's on the first try so that it would make my life easier and create less stress. So this year I worked really hard on projects and assignments the first time so that it would pay off later on and if I do well on this assignment I will have gotten A's all year in this class which will be a big deal for me.

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

      The hardest part of this year has definitely been keeping up with all my work while still playing sports and doing other activities. There was one point where I had a basketball game after school at 5 on a thursday and I knew I had so much homework that I did a blog on my phone during the bus ride and while I waited in the bleachers for our game to start. There have been nights where I have been up until 2 or 3 in the morning working on homework or projects that I had started at like 6 in the afternoon. Especially with more and more homework coming in from every class, it has become harder to keep up but with time management I have been able to turn everything in. 

       There was another point this year where I just wanted the year to end because I was very negatively minded about school at the time. I think it was because we were in the middle of the year and in a sort of weird stage where is is just week after week of work which really effected me. But as we came towards the end of the year everything got better.

7- What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?

      My best piece of writing I felt was my SeaWorld/Blackfish Essay. I think one reason was because I felt it was the hardest, and longest paper I have written. I worked on it for a long time and felt that I gathered good information to support my writing. I had never really done a debate paper like that so it presented something new and challenging. It was a harder topic for me because I didn't really know how to write it at first. With the help of my classmates and Mrs. Larson however I was able to research and find evidence to support my side of the argument. With everyones help and my determination to write a good paper, I came out with a well written piece that I was proud to have written. 

      I think it is my best because it was an example of how much we have grown in this class. I went from paragraphs of 5 short sentences to being able to write a essay with evidence and clear thoughts. It is my best paper that has the TIQA format and not only has one side, but shows the other and tries to counter it. It was a long piece that I am proud to say is mine.

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

       My favorite book this year was Tuesday's with Morrie. I felt as though when I was reading it really touched me and I felt myself thinking about a lot of things. In fact there have been times during the day where I will be doing something and often think about Morrie's aphorisms which is odd for me because I have never really had a book stick to me like that. I feel as though this is a book that can influence my decisions and stay in my mind for a long time. I have never read a book that has offered these kind of things so I definitely have to go with "Tuesdays with Morrie" as my favorite book for this year. Thank you Mrs. Larson for introducing it to us.

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

       DO NOT PROCRASTINATE because it will make the end of your week or the time given for the project feel dreadful. At first you may think I'll save this for Thursday but chances are that there will be other homework, which will just add more hours of homework. You will be a lot less stressed and it will be easier if you do your homework throughout the week. Not only this but then your not exhausted on Friday when you have vocab tests and most likely other tests. When I'm tired I perform worse so I would suggest getting your work done throughout the week. Good Luck guys.

Morrie's Aphorisms - Final Project

“So many people walk around with a meaningless life.They seem half-asleep,even

when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” (p. 43)

1- Explain the aphorism in detail. what was Morrie's main message?

     He is trying to tell the world that we get caught up in our work too much and focus too much on things that aren't as important. For example like jobs and our reputation within them can deprive you from being able to have experiences that are so much better. To Morrie the people you love are the most important things and he feels that work often distracts you from them. Another part of this has to do with money. Morrie feels that our society is so focused on money and expensive items that it often distracts us from what has real value in life. His message is to not focus and devote ourselves to our work or material items, but instead to those who we love, to our community, and to our passions that actually help us. He probably realized for himself as well that he wasted some time or close people did because they were too involved in work or personal business. I believe his main message is to not get distracted from our family and things we love by jobs, money, and materialistic items because these things could disappear at any moment while family and love does not.

2-     Relate the aphorism to a movie, song, historical event, current event, personal experience, etc. and explain in detail how the example you have chosen relates to the aphorism.

     In my personal life I have experienced periods of time where I spend very little amount of time with my family over homework, being on my phone, or doing other things. Towards the middle of the year of this past 8th grade I remember coming home from school or a game and starting homework, then not finishing up until 10 or 11 o'clock at night. The reason this relates to Morrie's aphorism is because throughout the week I would get caught up in school work and personal life that I didn't get to spend much time with my family. I would do things like be on my phone, which is far less important than spending time with family. I also think that it relates to a lot of movies, not just one in which the children aren't paid too much attention to. There has been several movies and even friends I have had whose parents get so wrapped up in themselves and really don't bother to go to any of their child's events. Some of the kids are stars at whatever they are doing but their parent's are so stuck in their own world that they miss the opportunity to witness a special moment of their child's. 

3-     Evaluate the aphorism by explaining why you agree/disagree with it. Give specific reasons for your position and specific evidence from the text to support your position.

     I agree with the aphorism because of my personal experiences and the way Mitch was living before he once again reunited with Morrie. For example in the book Mitch is so caught up in work that he didn't have time for his wife or time to start a family. In fact he was so caught up by the way he described it that I thought that his wife had left him but that was not the case. He instead wasted his time on material items such as money or cars which didn't give him the same joy that being with Morrie did. The part I am going to focus on in my personal life is the part about devoting ourselves that gives us purpose and meaning. For me this aspect of life is basketball because although I can say school, I feel like school is different because it is an obligation to start with. Basketball has always been a passion of mine that has helped me, introduced me to new people, and gives me purpose. The feeling you get when you see how much practice has paid off is something irreplaceable. Not only this but the people I have met through the sport have been such a large influence on my life. 


     I am creating a separate paragraph because this is a combination of numbers 2 and 3. There is this song called Wesley's Theory by an artist named Kendrick Lamar in which he expresses his ambitions before blowing up in the music industry. This song proves Morrie's aphorism wrong in a way because Morrie says that the most important things in life are family and love, that money often blinds us. Yet this song and the rest of his album shows that sometimes money is the only way out and only thing that can make a family happy. Especially for those who grow up in poor, dangerous communities that need to get out. Sometimes the only source of happiness is making it out and being able to buy your mom a new house. So Morrie for the most part is correct but I feel as though Morrie doesn't think people should care about money and clothes but I think everything is based off of how you grow up. 

4-     Take a picture of your aphorism to use as your graphic. 

My Aphorism: Mentality is everything. Your mentality will be what puts you ahead or leaves you behind.

Which 'Tuesday' Has Inspired You?: Week of 2-27-15

Based on the 6 Tuesdays you have read about in Tuesdays with Morrie, choose which topic (The World, Feeling Sorry For Yourself, Regrets, Death, Family, or Emotions) that has had the most impact on you or inspired you. On your blog discuss the importance of this topic with your own opinions, including textual evidence (direct quotes) from the book. 


The Fourth Tuesday where they talked about death was definitely most influential on me. Not necessarily because of what he said about dying but because of his quote about sleepwalking. Morrie says "most of us all walk around as if we're sleepwalking." He is basically saying that we don't fully appreciate everything and experience everything we can. This message stuck with me because when I thought about it, I realized how true it was. For me I sometimes live life very routinely, sometimes even planning my day out the day before. I would literally plan; wake up, go to school, do this for this class and this class, go home, get a bit of free time, eat, homework, and take a shower. On a lot of days I just did my work and ignored other things, just going through life in a routine fashion. The problem with this is that I often ignore some things or am to focused on school that I forget to appreciate everything. With that quote I think I will learn to become more appreciative and take advantage of more opportunities. I think as a young person you think that you have all the time in the world. It allows me to sometimes just waste time and go on without really appreciating many of the aspects of my life.

Morrie captures this exact mentality when he says "once you live how to die, you learn how to live." I think its this idea that when you learn you are going to die soon, you begin to appreciate and take advantage of every minute. Thats what I haven't done, I often lay around and do things that have no importance instead of doing something that will help me. When it comes to something like homework I am really bad about wasting time. It often takes me a long time to actually focus in which wastes like an extra 30 minutes. I really want to become more focused on not wasting my time and that quote helped me realize that a little better.

Overall I have taken parts of all of Morrie's lessons. In a lot of ways what he says I feel if I focused a little more I could become a better person. I wanted to share something from Morrie that wasn't from the actual Tuesday meetings but from the Nightline interview. Its two parts, when he says "Accept the past as the past, without denying or discarding it" and "learn to forgive yourself." This for me were things that really stuck because of the way I am. I often dwell on mistakes or past events in which I could have or should have done something different. I often spend too much time and it affects the way I act and often makes me feel a little worse. I think if I can learn from those quotes it would make me feel better overall and could really help me.

Tuesdays With Morrie

What are your initial reactions to what you have read in Tuesdays with Morrie thus far? One of the main themes developing in Tuesdays with Morrie is not to take your life for granted. Based on this premise, what is on your Bucketlist? You can write a paragraph leading up to a bulleted list of what you would like to do/accomplish in your life.

Tuesdays With Morrie has been an easy, yet highly enjoyable read. What I really like is the fact that it is a true story, not some fictional character. I'm learning about a real person who really did teach these morals and learn these things. It makes it easier to connect to the story and learn morals from the book. Not only this, but how crazy that Mitch actually ever went back to visit his old professor in the first place. He happened to see him on the TV, which chances are that was really rare and because of that I'm guessing it changes his life. The future is what I'm really looking forward to. In the book, Mitch turns out to be about money and his job. It takes over his life and that is exactly what Morrie had warned his students not to do. I think after Morrie passes away and even while he is still alive that Mitch will change his lifestyle because of Maurie. 


Morrie has been a person, who I find very interesting. The way he carries himself and lives his life is inspiring. Yet I understand some of the concepts that he is telling Mitch. For example when he says that he is lucky and Mitch is confused I understood it the more I thought about it. He is lucky because he knows he is going to die so he gets to decide how he is going to live out his life and picks who he wants to see before he dies. While others who die suddenly or at a young age don't get to see certain people before they die and don't get to say goodbye to all those they care about. Another part I found really intriguing about Morrie was when he cried about people dying across the world. Nowadays we see death on the news and hear about it all the time, yet it is so normal to us that no one really cries unless the person is famous or close to them. When Morrie cried it was odd to me, he didn't know them at all. It really made me think and its still stuck with me. 

This book has really made me think about celebrities and the media. Mitch follows them and reports about them, but I think when he writes about how they do nothing for us it got to me. I mean we idolize all these people and yet they have never done anything for us, and we have never seen them. I mean its crazy the way our society works. The people who do all these things for us everyday, we take for granted. The stars we see on TV we buy shirts of, buy their things, and praise them, even though we've never meet them. They have done nothing for us. This book really for the first time made me think about that to a further extent.

Okay I have never seriously thought about a bucket list or written anything down. To me it seems like something to do when I get older or not really something I have too much interest in. For me I want to get through school and find a career before I plan out crazy things or interesting things I want to do. I mean I'm sure as I get older I'll have more interest and want to do things but right now I don't have too much. Since I have to make a list I guess here it is:

-Go to a Super Bowl (Hopefully the Bears make it)
-Meet Michael Jordan
-Go to a Kendrick Lamar concert
-See the Wall of China
-Start a shoe collection
-Go to college on a scholarship or with help
-Play basketball in college
-Go to Carnival in Brazil
-Coach basketball one day (any level I guess)
-Dunk (especially on someone)
-Zip Line
-Bungie Jumping
-Go on a cruise
-Buy my parents and grammas better houses or improve them
-Sit court side at a bulls game
-Run a marathon

Life Is Beautiful vs. Night: Week of 4/13

Based on the Holocaust literature and poetry we have read, what connections can be made between Life is Beautiful and our reading?  What events, scenes, or situations are similar or different? What is similar or different about the mood or tone of the pieces?

Life is Beautiful and Night both have stories of a father and son connection. In both instances the son is what keeps the father going and fighting for another day. Guido from Life Is Beautiful doesn't show the hard work and pain he has gone through, for the sake of his son, which keeps him strong. In Night the father doesn't hide the fact that he is getting old and taking a beating, but he continues to fight for his son. A large difference that I noticed between their bonds though, was the fact that in Night the relationship doesn't develop until they are separated from the rest of their family and only have each other. While in Life Is Beautiful Guido is already very protective and passionate about his son. For example when the sign on the shop says no Jews allowed, he makes up a lie to his son that you can keep anyone out. While Elie's father in Night wasn't really a big part of his life, he had other importances to deal with. Another difference is the ages of the two sons, one being 13 the other being a young child. Therefore Elie also had to work and struggle among his father, see the realities of the camp. The child in Life is Beautiful has no idea of what is going on because of Guido's ability to make a story and hide his child from reality. Finally the last similarity between the father-son connection is the fact that both fathers die, right before liberation. They both die without their sons knowing of it, but both have to move on.

 The second big connection between both is that it shows their lives before the actual concentration camp itself. Both characters were living relatively happy lives, with passions of their own. Guido's being his passion towards his what would be wife and son. Elie having his whole religion concept. Yet the difference between the two characters is the way they treat their passions once they enter the camps. Elie begins to question god and by the end has completely gone against and forgotten it all. Guido on the other hand is still determined to contact his wife, which is dangerous but he still continues to do it. 

The mood/tone for both stories is completely different. Although both leave you sad in a way at the end, the entire story is completely different in mood/tone. In Life is Beautiful the entire story has humor within it, even when some of the horrid things about the camps are mentioned. While in Night there is no humor, instead a dreadful mood. Guido the entire movie makes up things and games out of everything for his son, but its funny for the audience. Even after his father dies the audience laughs because of the arrival of a tank. Or when Guido jokes about wearing his prison-mates as his clothes. The audience realizes its a terrible thing, yet I feel its taken a bit more lightly because of the way Guido presents it all. On the contrast in Night its a story of the deprivation and painful journey. Since its actually a real story there is no humor, because in the camps no one laughed because of the state of everyone. The book of Night is more precise, therefor there is no added humor. While in Life is Beautiful the humor is added because there is also a story of family. This allows the writer to add humor because its not just a holocaust story. 

I feel like the poem I had "It All Depends at How You Look at It" and Life is Beautiful are actually fairly similar in a few ways. In my poem it started off by saying the Terezin is full of beauty. Not because of what is in it, but because of what it makes us appreciate is the message I understood. In Life is Beautiful when in the camp he made a beautiful story because of the way he was able to keep his son safe and innocent, not because of the camp. Secondly in my poem the fact that the entire world is unfair makes the author and those in the camp feel a bit better. In the movie it is Guido's son that makes him feel better and continue to fight on. 

How is life shown as beautiful throughout the film. Pull out at least two examples from different parts of the film and explain your rationale.

I felt in watching the film a second time, that there are instances throughout the entire movie where life in some way is beautiful. The way I saw life as beautiful was Guido's passion towards his wife and son. It's beautiful the troubles he goes through for his family and how much he risks to protect them. For example at the beginning when he shows up as the inspector its the start of a true passion. They are both always happy to see one another and Guido is determined to see her. I think you really see life is beautiful in the instance where she goes under the table and tells him to take her away. You see how happy he makes her and that she is willing to give up everything else. It shows how they felt about each other and that everything would be good when they were together. Finally I want to go to the end of the movie. We all know about how Guido protected his son throughout their time in the camp but the end really shows it all. Although Guido dies his son didn't bear any terrible, scarring memories from the camp and he is reunited with his mother. It shows that Guido did complete his goal and that life is beautiful because his son and wife are safe, which he would have been happy about.

Night: Week of March 30

Focus Question: How do Elie's experiences during the Holocaust change him as a person?

Elie Wiesel changes drastically during his time at home, to when he is being liberated from his last concentration camp. The two aspects in which I thought you saw clear progression throughout the whole book were in his belief/practices of religion and his relationship with his father. To start the book, in his town he is obsessed with his religion, wanting it to be the main part of his life. On page 1 he "asked my(his) father to find me(him) a master to guide me in my studies of the cabbala." His father responded in telling him that he was too young for that. Clearly he was so obsessed that he was going beyond what was usual for his age, because he wanted to learn more. When he has been moved to Auschwitz you can see that he begins to question god but isn't really fully swung into not believing or having hope. Elie says "I did not deny God's existence, but I doubted His absolute justice." The key word in this sentence is doubted, because doubted doesn't mean denying, but it means that there is a feeling of uncertainty. At this point there is still some belief that god is good, but he is really beginning to question it all. Then I think it is when they are at Buna in which they witness hangings. Then it was either on New Year when Elie says "As I swallowed my bowl of soup, I saw in the gesture an act of rebellion and protest against Him." At the beginning of the book he praises god and wants to know all about his religion, while the concentration camps have driven him to not only question God's justice but rebel against him in a way. When the time of his liberation has come, his father is no longer with him. His only will, was to eat, and he no longer mentions god. I think his father was what kept him going mentally and the fact that he was gone, caused him to not really think about anything anymore. His family was dead so in a way there was no point in living for Elie anymore. At the beginning Elie is obsessed with religion and god. Then as the book progresses he questions and goes against go because of his silence, in allowing all this to happen. Yet by the end of the book he no longer speaks of god, because he has nothing left.


Also having to do with his father, is the way their relationship develops throughout the book. At the beginning of the story he and his father are distant, his father is more concerned with the community and doesn't pay all that much attention to his son. AT the beginning when he is describing his father, he says "He was more concerned with others than his own family." Then when they are actually sent to the concentration camp everything changes. There is no longer a community, but I think what brought them together the most, was that they were separated from the rest of their family at arrival. When they are transported to Buna, Elie has the opportunity to go to a better working area. He responds in saying "I certainly do. But on one condition: I want to stay with my father." Just a week or so earlier, he and his father were hardly together, yet now thats what mattered. I feel as though in this instance, had the person said no, that only Elie could go, Elie would have turned it down to stay with his father. Later on his father was selected to be killed but after better inspection he was not killed. Before he was sent to better inspection he gave his son, some valuable items at the time, showing that they were looking out for one another no matter what. You see their relationship really develop. They talk more and every decision is based off of one another's best interest. Then after they are leaving their last real concentration camp, where his father was alive, you see how much they mean to each other. Elie says "My father's presence was the only thing that stopped me... I had no right to let myself die." At this point either of them would have given up, had it not been for the other person. They are basically living for one another, not because of God or hope, but for each other. When his father dies, Elie no longer really shows any sense of emotion. He isn't physically dead, yet you feel as though mentally he has died. He has nothing left. Throughout the book when Elie even thinks about leaving his father he immediately feels ashamed, which shows their bond. There are other foils of their relationship that really bring out how special they are to one another. One is when Rabbi Eliahou comes looking for his son. Elie knows that his son left him on purpose to lose the burden of worrying about his father, but doesn't say anything. Then there is an extreme instance in which a son kills his father over a piece of bread. These instances really show how strong Elie and his father were and the bond that they had.

"It All Depends on How You Look at It" by Miroslav Kosek Butterfly Project

Comments: Nadrian, Gabe, Jesus, Elenia

Night: Week of 3-23-15

Title: Night
Author: Elie Wiesel
Pages Read:0-43
Prompt: How do the characters change throughout the events in the book?

I am really enjoying Night because it is my first read that gives a detailed description of real events that occurred to a person just a few years older than me. The events and dialogue in the book shake me up that they actually witnessed this and that these things were actually said. At first you see the religious affect and the affect hope has on the community in which Wiesel lives in. You can tell that religion plays a large affect because they prey and are tied together because of their religion. Especially since Wiesel talks about it so much at the beginning of the book. When there begins to be suspicion of Germany coming the entire community doubts against it because they don't want to believe that their lives could possibly be in danger. This hope and doubt may have driven them all to be put into captivity and most likely death for most of them. So Wiesel has this same mindset as the community. Then all of a sudden the Germans show up and at first Wiesel believes the rumor that it will all be over soon.

Once they realize they are being deported the mood takes a sudden swing. All of a sudden you see panic begin to creep in, yet they always stay hopeful. There is a cycle where they are a bit frightened then they settle down, like they did when they are sent to the smaller ghetto near them. Yet once they settle they are being deported, except this time they wouldn't settle down and establish the same hope anymore. You see once they are taking the train to Birkenau it no longer is much of a community, but instead every man for themselves. You see the mindset of everyone change to thinking of themselves and not worrying about much of anyone else, except their family. Then you really see how Wiesel changes mentally once you arrive at the first camp, Birkenau. The largest event that changes Wiesel is seeing the furnaces and all the people that have been killed. He is extremely shaken and begins to have this "me" type of mindset and he grows farther from his father and forgets a bit about his mother and sister. The first event where you see his change is when his father is hit to the ground by an officer at the camp. He does absolutely nothing about it and thinks to himself why he had not reacted and that just a few days ago he would have attacked that officer, wondering how much his recent experiences had changed him. I believe it shows how far and how much fear can influence and change a person. The fear of dying and fear of what he had seen had driven him to change his morals in the time span of just a day or few.

To me one of the largest changes is the way Wiesel looks at religion and god. At first he asks questions but preys and believes everything he is told. Yet after these events he responds the same way I believe I would. I would have also questioned that god has completely good and all love because after such inhumane and terrible scenes, how could god have approved or allowed this to happen. In fact Wiesel does not prey and he begins to grow angry in a way. For me I am very interested in seeing what other characters that Wiesel will come into contact with. I have a feeling that Wiesel and his father are bound to be separated soon and that everything will change at that moment. I really want to keep reading because I think from here things will only get worse and more crazy so I want to see how Wiesel handles the adversity that is coming and how he manages to survive everything he is about to experience.

Holocaust AoW's Reflection Blog

Today we learned about different experiences and new things learned about the concentration camps. I learned a few really, horrific, insane facts. One was from Bella, about Joseph Mengle, who killed 400,000 people including babies. Not only that be he kept the eyes of those who he killed, which I found extremely disgusting. Another crazy fact was in Jenna's article where she spoke about the findings of new ghettos and camps. In the article it said that researchers found over 42, 500 camps and ghettos in which 15 to 20 million people died in. This affected the death toll that had already been counted and I was astonished at such large numbers of camps and people. Gabe had a fact that I never had really thought, or heard about. Survivors would die after liberation because their stomachs were too weak to digest any food. It must have been so tragic to be or see someone be free, just to die a little later. Finally Abdiel had a story of a survivor and when he told me how many relatives they had lost, I couldn't believe it. One person had lost 49 relatives, thats more than I have in my entire family, and this person had to live with the fact that 49 of his family members perished in such a terrible event.

The largest topic this week was definitely survivor stories, their experiences at the camps, and what has resulted from it. There were many similar story lines, terrible experiences at the camps, lasting effects, and/or the telling of their stories to teach and so that others can learn. Amelia, Jesus, and Abdiel all I think had similar articles. They all had people whose experiences were so traumatizing, they would not speak to anyone about it for up to 60 years. Now in Leanna's article the person who survived had a different way of going about it after they were liberated. This woman had cheated death, since she had escaped a gas chamber and survived three concentration camps. She instead spends time telling her stories for "those who can't" and uses it as a message to love one another and to prevent bullying of other races or religions. Speaking of lasting affects, both Autumn and and Stanley had a very interesting article about how descendants of Holocaust survivors have altered stress hormones. That it causes anxiety and stress plus does not allow you to bounce back from something tragic. I found this so intriguing and I wonder how many generations this can go for. I wonder if any other events have affected like the genetics passed on from one generation to another. This week I feel like was essential to learning more about the Holocaust and I learned some things I wouldn't have.

Berlin Memorial Activity

1- What did you learn?
I learned about rules made to humiliate and make the Jewish people loose their will.
I learned how much Jews were hated and how miserable that the Nazi's made them feel. At first it began with things that were livable without, and things that were unfair but not as terrible. For example some things like segregation and no mixing in marriages has been seen in many countries over history. Then after a lot of new restrictions all of a sudden there was a slow-down because the Nazi's were trying to calm down suspicion and worry from other countries. Especially during the Olympics where Jews were not allowed to participate, yet they tore down Jewish hate signs so that other countries would not see Germany as this evil giant. After this big public event, it all came in a burst, with worse restrictions than had been seen yet. They took away simple necessities such as the right to maintaining your hygiene. Thats right they did not allow Jews to buy new clothes or to clean themselves. Then they began sending more and more people to concentration camps. Then all of a sudden there were no new laws, because they were all gone, either dead or in concentration camps. Then you see them try to burn the evidence of the camps or the laws because the end of the war is coming and they are being invaded. 

2- Why do you think this monument was built?
First off the monument is built as a remembrance so that no one ever forgets what happened so that it is never repeated. It is built to remember those who were lost and to remind people everyday to be thankful for what they have. I think the main message though has more to do with art and sources of entertainment we have. Something as simple as listening to music and expressing yourself was taken away from millions of people. It is meant to remind everyone to appreciate all kinds of art and music because many people had been deprived of the simple sources of entertainment, we take for advantage.

3- What did you notice about the number of laws passed in certain years?At first there was a burst of new laws and legislation that were removing certain people like teachers and lawyers from their jobs. Basically they were removing people with the power to change laws that were unfair, and those who could teach that what was happening was wrong. When the olympics and all the publicity came all of a sudden there were less laws, and less public hate, to avoid suspicion. After the olympics cleared out everything broke out, and they went 100% against the Jews. They made more legislations than had been thought possible. After all the Jews were in the concentration camps they could no longer make any more legislations against them. Once invasion came they tried to cover it all up by getting rid of all the documents. 

4- Which restrictions do you think you would have the most trouble dealing with and why?
I think it would be a series of restrictions that would give me the most trouble. Taking away things like sports, music, and other forms of entertainment would drive me crazy. Me personally, I am always trying to do something, I can't just sit around and do nothing for a day, I have to listen to music or go outside. Without some of those things I would probably go crazy from boredom. Another thing would be not being allowed to be with certain friends because of the color of our skin or the religions we practice. Me personally, I know people of many races and religions, and in a situation like that would no longer have access to much of them. Finally being blocked out from the world and knowing things were only going to get worse would be very scary for me. Not knowing is a fear that everyone has, but knowing you could die soon is even worse and with no access to the outside world, you have no idea what could happen.

3rd Quarter Reflection Blog

Of the books this quarter my favorite had to be the Maze Runner. It was a very interesting book because it is a completely different world with many unique characters. My favorite thing from the book was learning about each characters personality and mind type. For example Minho, possibly my favorite character is a tough kid, but his toughness leads him to be out of control and not think at times. 

In English Language Arts my biggest improvement was in my AoW's. This quarter except for one AoW I did a very good job, I feel at keeping up and submitting though out work. I also feel that after slacking at annotating for a while, I really picked up on it and used the annotations to my advantage. Before I wrote annotations because they were necessary and wrote very few. Now I write plenty and use them to make my write up easier. For example in my last write up, I went back and looked to my annotations in order to answer some of the questions. 

Since the new year I have been really proud of my better time management. At the beginning of the quarter or even year I thought I would slack off and get B's because its my last year and we now have AoW's for Social Studies as well. But thanks to wanting to improve my time management I have been able to get my work done earlier in the week and not save it all for Thursday. Because of my time management I have sustained A's in both classes and felt a little less stressed about the work given out each week.

In my 40 book challenge I think I am around 15-20 books. I've started to pick up my reading as of late but throughout the year I haven't read enough to the point where I think I'll reach the 40 mark. I'll have to double check how many books I have read because I haven't kept very great track.

The most challenging part of the 3rd quarter had to be keeping up with all my work and making time for it all. The biggest area in which I think you have seen this is through some of my vocabulary tests. I know I have gotten A's on most of them but on a few you can see I got some wrong because of spelling errors. The reason I have these spelling errors is because on Thursday I don't find enough time then and throughout the week to study. That also has to do with my time management skills but I'm hoping to pick things up during 4th quarter.

My blogs have gotten a bit lengthier since August and I think over time I have used a higher level of vocabulary. Our vocabulary tests and other readings we have had, contributed to my increase in vocabulary. Also I have used the thesaurus to learn similar words that are of higher level. What I want to better though, is that I have done too much summarizing and I want to stick to my prompts better.

The main strategy that has worked is progressing through my AoW's throughout the week. I try to finish reading and annotating on Monday or Tuesday and then Wednesday and Thursday I finish the write up. What I have found out about myself is that I focus better at school and found that my AoW's are much better written up when I am focused in. So during homeroom when we have time to work on homework I will work on my AoW's so I can get them done.  Since we have AoW's for Social Studies too I get that one done early in the week so I don't have to worry about it Thursday.

I have learned so much about ISIS and the rest of the world than I would have without the AoW's and AoW gallery walks. I think it was a great experience for the whole class to learn about week to week topics that concern the whole world. I mean I learned about ISIS's growth over the course of the last few months. It is incredible when I think of all the things I have learned. Also you learn about amazing stories from around the world and have gotten to write our responses to them.

 Both our class and our Social Studies have had a standard where we must support all of our answers with evidence. I think both classes have really prepared me for any essays I will have to write in the future that involve finding evidence. Now I know what is relevant but that isn't the biggest area I think I have improved. I think when it comes to analyzing my textual evidence I have improved and understand better why analyzing it is so essential to a good essay. I want to become better and better at incorporating evidence into my essays.

Bio-Poem for a Literary Character: Week of 3/9/15

Thomas
Brave, Insightful, Quick Witted, and Curious
A Character in WICKED's story
Lover of running, friendship, fighting for another day, and the survival of the human race
Who notices who his true friends are, what he was done in the past is not right, the need to survive, and the need to keep going
Who feels sorrow over the loss of close friends, anger towards WICKED, enjoyment once its all over, and frustration towards himself for once being part of the whole plan
Who learns from those with more experience, previous experiences, and memories that have come back over time
Who says “I don't think there is a right or wrong anymore. Only horrible and not-quite-so-horrible.” 
Who has to think about his own well being but no knows every action he takes has to be for the group
Major character in The Maze Runner Series
A book that leaves you at the edge of your seat and leaves you begging to keep going

AoW Impressions 3-6-15

Once again ISIS is the biggest story of the week. This week though there  were no stories of killings or terrible attacks. Instead it was about ISIS destroying property and recruiting young girls. First in an article from Steven he talked about how they were destroying archaeological artifacts. Now whats the point of this, well ISIS wants to rewrite or write a new history following whatever they want. In my mind I'm scared of what ISIS would want history to be like, considering how evil we have seen them be publicly. Now considering how nasty and villain like this group is, there are some who abandon their home, travel across the country, just to join them. Yes thats the other story that made headlines, girls from the UK running away to join ISIS. Both Citlalli and Abdiel had articles on this instance. Citlalli's article was more focused on the recruitment part of the whole situation. There is a girl named Aqsa Mahmood, who posts things for ISIS through twitter. That is how they recruit girls to join, by contacting through twitter and persuading them to join. My question is, has twitter done anything about this and how far are they allowed to intervene in an instance like this. In Abdiel's article it focused more on the whole running away aspect and what is being done. According to his article the girls who escaped were last seen in Turkey. Also that their parents publicly begged them to come back home. When I heard that they ran away to join ISIS I was stunned, I had no idea how someone, especially in the UK could ever want to do that.

There was one article that seemed to get the attention of the whole class, having to do with the social media crazed dress. Both Julia and Nick had articles explaining the science of the whole thing. To me I found the dress craze completely dumb and a waste of publicity. But anyway both of them said it had to do with your genetic makeup, and the way you comprehend color by different textures or screens. For me I though with certain pictures of the dress they just adjusted the lighting to make it seem light or dark, changing the color. Another article I found interesting to learn about was Gustavo's about a US ambassador being stabbed. It was a murder attempt by Kim Ki Jong in a message to the US. This whole thing is sparked by North Korea still wanting to reunite into one Korea. We learned in Social Studies about the Korean War and North Korea's need and want to reunite. I think its ridiculous especially considering South Korea is doing way better economically. Finally a article that actually positively impacts the world was Gabe's article about a lagoon power plant. Gabe says the lagoon stretches two miles into the sea. The reason the lagoon makes a contribution to society is because it shows that the world is starting to find and use new reusable resources.

Comments: Amelia, Gabe, Citlalli

The Scorch Trials: 2-25-15

Title: The Scorch Trials
Author: James Dashner
Pages Read: 0-360 (Finish)
Prompt: What challenges do the characters face in the book?

I just finished reading the first two books of the Maze Runner series. In the series they go through challenges and have to suffer through a lot. This is all for the survival of the human race from the flare(a virus or sickness) that is wiping out the population. In the first book they faced grievers (mechanical/bug type killing machines), the maze, and the sustainment of their civilization. In the second book the challenges are more severe, and they face more of them. The beginning of the book they start off in a building in which they were "supposedly" saved from. They are stuck there for a long time and Teresa(Thomas's best friend) is missing. To go along with that they are starving and are on the verge of giving up. Then this man shows up, tells them the rescue was fake and they have to take some tunnel to whats known as the Scorch. They travel through this tunnel, after being told they will face worse challenges. It is pitch black and all of a sudden someone is attacked and is killed. It turns out there is these creatures that some down over your head and decapitate you. Then your head is trapped in some medal ball that just rolls away. I found this part really gruesome but you knew something like this was coming.

The next challenge is the travel across this scorching hot desert, in order to get to their rescue point. At first travel seems impossible because of the brightness and heat of the Sun. I wouldn't have lasted a day especially considering they had to walk for miles and miles. They continue to progress and Thomas runs into Teresa. She tells him to run and Thomas does so because he thinks she is saving him or something of that sort. The village continues to approach and they are at the point of exhaustion when it gets even harder. A storm comes, and not just any storm, it was a storm that basically rained lightning. One kid gets his leg blown off by lightning. Minho, their leader gets caught on fire by the lightning but Thomas is able to help him. It basically becomes every man for themselves as they continue to move and the ones who survive end up in a building. At this point if I was one of these kids I would just give up. I would have given up a long time ago but things just get worse and worse. Especially now that it looks like there is little to no chance of survival.

In the village they encounter lives the cranks. The cranks are those who have been infected by the flare and are being quarantined by the government. Cranks go through different stages, at first being almost normal. Then after they go into the last stage they are crazy, eat other humans, and other gross things. Its not actually a real quarantine, just more of a drop off zone for those who are doomed. In order to survive the group allies with two cranks(still sane) who agree to take them to the safe haven as long as they get to ride along. Right after their alliance the group gets split up. Thomas is alone with one of the cranks, Brenda who has feelings for him and he does too, but feels sorry because he denies her because of his guilt about Teresa. They end up running into these cranks that are already mad. They get away and then get captured by another set of cranks. Their situations stink because no matter how hard they try they always end up in tough situations. They reunite with their group after Minho and them rescue them from the cranks. Thomas gets shot but now they are away from those dumb cranks. Finally something good happens right? Well no not exactly, even more goes wrong for Thomas because the girls group (group B, another maze trial group that were put in the Scorch) take Thomas and plan on killing him. He convinces the group not to kill him and they march towards what is supposed to be the safe haven.

 At this point I'm thinking okay maybe stuff happens to everyone else but not Thomas right.  Wrong Teresa tricks him to go with her where her and Aris put him in a room supposedly for his death. But he doesn't die, no surprise for me. What does surprise me is that its all an act, Teresa never meant to betray him, WICKED told her to otherwise Thomas would die. At first I was really mad and the fact that Thomas even spoke to her angered me. Then I realized she risked their friendship just to save him so I guess I should forgive her. Finally all the members trying to get to the safe haven ally and decide to get through together. When they get their nothing is there until theses pods come out. In them these machine/human looking things with blades. Oh great another thing to have to fight. I thought that one of the leaders or at least a larger population would get wiped out. Especially since another lightning storm was coming and the way the book goes theres a whole lot of death. Yet no only two die and the rest make it aboard. To start the next book Thomas wakes up in an empty room alone. Here we go again but they have been promised no more trials. So I'm excited in seeing whats to come.

Comments: Nadrian, Steven, and Gustavo

AoW Impressions for 2-20

What I took away was that ISIS is growing bigger and bigger even though they basically have the world against them. ISIS is not afraid and continues to attack whoever is not an ally in several different ways. They recently attacked Egypt as well as beheading 21 Egyptian Christians. They have also threatened military spouses by hacking Social Media pages and websites. ISIS is clearly not afraid because they continually are making enemies around the world. They themselves continue to grow by allying other terrorist groups. The fact that most of our class had articles on ISIS and that most focused on the same thing shows how much ISIS is affecting the current world we live in. If we look at just around the beginning of the school year, ISIS was this small terrorist group that was emerging as they had begun taking people as hostage. We had to do research about them and they weren't really a large threat, more of a side issue or small bother. I just hope that the world decides to take action on ISIS before there are further deaths and before there are larger attacks.

Another topic trending around the world is equality, with race and gender. A few people had articles on women being mistreated or discriminated. For example in Maria's article it had to do with women taking a stand and how in some countries they are killed because they fight for their rights. Marisa also had an article on how there needs to me more males advocating for women and speaking about how people are trying to promote more confidence in challenging gender equality. Based on other things and these articles gender equality is a problem not only in the US, but around the world. It needs to be addressed more often and there needs to be change. Another article talked about a Prime Minister wanting Jews to leave Europe because of discrimination and hatred towards them. A similar situation takes place in Russia in which gay people are not accepted and are mistreated. I think that these instances are cases in which the world has not learned from its past. We have faced similar situations having to do with Jews and people of different religions and races. The world is never accepting of those who are different from the general population which is a big problem that needs to change.

The Maze Runner: 2-19-15

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Pages Read: 90-376(finish)
Prompt: How did you feel after reading the book? What did you think of it?

I thought the whole concept of this book was really fascinating. After I finished reading the book I couldn't believe how terrible the lives of these teenage boys lives were, who are just a few years older than me. They had just gone through a terrible experience in this place they called the glade and their experience in getting out of it. When I found out this was all an experiment or trial I felt kind of angry at whoever put them in this place, most of them dying. Then as I found out more about the way the Earth was I started to further understand why something like this might happen. Basically from my understanding the world has fallen apart, there have been solar flares, and some sort of illness going around that was killing everyone. They are doing these trials to see if there is any hope for humanity by finding out the worlds best survivors.

So they have just passed the first trials or first stage and are now onto the second one. They have been deceived I think, into thinking they have been rescued. They faked this rescue as a way to see how they would emotionally respond. One big question in my head is if there is going to be more kids that will come to this next trial. My theory or question is that there were several of these maze trials and the survivors of them are getting thrown into the next trial. You really have no idea what the future holds because a lot of the events in the book, happen randomly and then once they do happen, have some sense to them. Thomas is an interesting character because he just comes onto the scene and is this sort of superstar. He comes in and isn't as scared as the others were when they first arrived. Not only was he not scared but he was a hero and one of the leaders of the place within a week or so.

I'm looking forward to getting the next book, which is the Scorch Trials. I know there is probably going to be more death, hopelessness, and twists. If this is suppose to be even more challenging I'm sure even less will survive and probably more main characters will die. What I am really looking forward to is what obstacles they are going to face. In the the Maze Runner the main obstacles were the grievers and the maze. The grievers are these disgusting mechanical bug creatures that are built to basically be killing machines. Also the maze was full of discouragement because they mapped it for two years without really finding anything. Not to mention building and sustaining a working civilization while have to worry about these two things. These two obstacles were very elaborate and creatively made, therefore I think what they will face in the next book could be even more of a challenge and more interesting than what they faced in the first book.

Comments: Elenia, Citlalli, and Sarai

TKAM Book Talk

Transcript:
The book I chose was To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The genre of this novel is realistic fiction.

To Kill a Mockingbird is in Maycomb County, Alabama, during the early 1930's. This was taking place during the Great Depression when a lot of the country was in poverty and had lost money. The main character in this novel was Scout, she is a bit of a trouble maker and rude, but also pretty funny and smart. She has an older brother named Jem and her best friend Dill. She is very curious and sees the world more innocently and doesn't quite understand everything yet. Her problem throughout is the way others want her to grow up and that she doesn't understand her brother growing up. At first Jem is her friend but then he becomes more distant and wants to become more of a young man. With her everyone wants her to wear dresses and behave like a little woman but thats not what she has in mind, which I enjoy reading about. What I like about this book was that you never feel one emotion for most of the book, it changes your feelings constantly. When Harper Lee shows the racist aspect you feel disgust and sadness for those at the time. When the kids are attacked you are very curious in wanting to know who did it. When Scout, Jem and Dill are trying to find out more about the neighborhood legend Boo Radley it is amusing and exciting seeing what they plan to do. The theme of this book for me was coming of age and racism and how they influence you as a person.

I know we have made blogs about this book already but this was a book that I liked, that I could write this blog about. The reason I liked this book is because it provides a large story told all in the span of one book. It provides a glimpse of how it was to grow up during racism and the Great Depression. I really like that it provides this because usually you learn about this from biographies but this time you learn it from a more humorous side and you can make the connection because it is another kid. Also I usually don't learn about like stories of personal experiences and in this book you see how people could really be affected, like some kids who hardly went to school or couldn't pay for anything. The thing I remember the most is how Harper Lee creates this bond between the children and the local legend Boo Radley and how it kind of fades away from him but then in the end shows his large role in the book. I would recommend this book for early teenagers because it is a good story about a young child who is different from most but also allows you to learn a little about the lifestyles of kids during the 1930's which you usually don't get to learn too much about. I think you should want to go out and read this book because it is a classic piece of literature and really provides a big story. From childhood play, to a story of racism, local legends, and seeing several people grow up and change over the course of about two years.

Comments: Damia M, Natalie W, Sheyanne H