Alex's HighTechMiddle Blog

Because of Romek: Final Post

2008-06-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

1. Every single thing that happened in the concentration camps were horrible, but the event that I found the most disturbing was when he was striping the bodies of all or any of their valuables and he found the baby who had stayed alive in the gas chamber. They made him throw the baby into fire and he listened to the screeching of the baby as it died. I found hat the most disturbing because hehimself actually had to kill a baby who had a whole life ahead of it. If I ever had to do that, I would probably die myself.

2. One job that pretty much kept him alive in the Krawinkle camp was making the coffee. If he didn't get that job, I don't think he would have lived. If all of these little things didn't happen in the very hard times at the concentration camps, he wouldn't be alive. This job probably felt like paradise for him because of all of the hard times he went through. If he didn't know people like Paul, he wouldn't have survived.

3. At Bergen-Belsen, the conditions were horrible. I think that the Germans knew that the war was coming to an end, so they treated them even worse, trying to kill them all. They even had to eat as much as they could of each other. The lice blankets, people giving up on living anymore, and just the very horrible things that were done to them made them, these were only a fraction of the things that they went through. I think that the Bergen-Belsen camp was the worst because they were all dying and they still got treated horribly.

4. I think his happiness was that he stuck to his promise that he made to his mom. Another triumph was getting to see his "family" or the man who his sister was supposed to marry. Both of these and the triumph of not living in pain anymore added up to a very happy ending. His biggest triumph was probably getting to say to his mom that he stuck to his promise.

5. David Faber's book, Because of Romek, should be required reading in all middle schools, high schools, and universities because all students need to learn about the horrors of the Holocaust. If middle school students don't learn this, then history might repeat itself, and nothing this horrible should ever happen again, even if it "isn't as bad". David Faber said in his speach that hatred should not ever get that bad and that it should all end and we should live in peace. If middle school students don't learn about this, then the world will never be in peace. This book writes in detail about how bad it really truly was, and if no one learns about the suffering that went on and about history, then the fuiture will represent the past. This wouldn't be learning from our mistakes, it would be even worse because we know it shouldn't happen, but we wouldn't know how bad it would get until it was horrible.

Renaissance Ball Project Reflection

2008-06-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this project was to learn about the Renaissance time period and its importance. Another purpose to this project was to learn about the culture of the Renaissance, and how things changed in subjects such as literature, the arts, science, mathematics, cartography, and engineering, In order to learn about this, we had to write an autobiography/biography about a famous Renaissance figure. We had a choice of writing the autobiography/biography in first person, third person, or as a diary entry.

I learned that the Renaissance was considered a “rebirth” and that there were great changes made from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. In the Middle Ages, the society was mainly based on agriculture, and your status was set by birthright. In the Renaissance however, society was based on commerce, and your social status was based off of ability and wealth. From 1346-1352 a deadly plague called The Black Death spread throughout Europe. Due to this devastating event, 25 million people died, which resulted as about 1/3 of Europe’s population. A few other things that I learned were that there was a new type of scholar called a humanist, which was someone who was well educated in Latin, Greek, history, science, and mathematics. The scholars thought that being better educated would solve problems. The crusades were the main reason as to why the Europeans were so eager to be educated. In this project, I learned how to perform a Renaissance dance called the Pavan.

I enjoyed this project because it was interesting to learn about this “rebirth” in time and about how things changed drastically. I also enjoyed this project because it was interesting to learn about some of the famous rulers, artists and other figures. I feel like I could have done better on this project because I didn’t take as much time at editing my biography as I should have. I took a long time on my notes, and then I rushed at the end to get it done instead of using my time wisely and spending more time on the actual writing of the biography. Next time, I would spend less time on my notes and more time on my biography.

I will link my biography to my DP.

Because of Romek: Post #3

2008-05-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Name: Alexandra Title: Because of Romek

1. Overall, it was really sad but interesting hering him talk. I think that he did have some opinionated information he was giving to us, but it was really interesting. In the book, at times, you start thinking that it was fiction. But then when he is actually talking it is so much more sad and deep because you know that he can't be lying and that everything that he says actually happened.

2. It must have been hard for him to go up there as a girl and always be in possible danger. I think that they were asking a lot of him, and maybe they should have gone up there and done that. I think that Romek was proud of David because he is finally becoming a man and starting to help in the war in a way.

3. I think that the Gestapo spared David because they realized that he actually didn't know and that they wouldn't let him die because that would be good for him. It would have been good because I think that the Gestapo thought that he would get tortured later and more severely. Maybe they would kill him later or something that would please them even more.

Beacause of Romek: Post #2

2008-05-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

Name: Alexandra Title: Because of Romek

1. I think the significance of the pigeon is that they were supposed to be saved and not killed. The pigeon becomes one of the most importtant things tha Divd could have used in his whole life. It was the reason that David is still alive today. In that time and that place, something as little and pointless as a pigeon could save your life just as it did for David. If he wasn't persistent in convincing his mother to let him keep it, he would not be living today.

2. I think that the living conditions were really bad in the Pustkow "vacation" camp. I was a form of physical labor and they all went hungry most of the time. I think that the labor camp was called a "vacation" camp because if the Russians or anyone else from out of the country saw it, they wouldn't be suspicious (or at least that's what I think they were hoping for).

3. Question #1: How do you remember every detail on what happened?
Question #2: Out of everyone who survived the Holocoust, only a few actually wrote a book about it. What made you chose to write a book about it?

Because of Romek Book Response Post #1

2008-05-18T21:19:00.000-07:00

Name: Alexandra Title: Because of Romek Author: David Faber

1. An important fact/detail that I learned so far was that the Germans left the women and children at their homes. I find that interesting because they were going to kill them all anyways (at least according to their plans) so why didn't they just take the women and children too? You'd think that they wouldn't care if you were women and children and that they would just kill you anyways but I guess they decided not to.

2. From what We've read so far, I think that David's family is really close together and they love each other a lot. I think that they do a lot of things together, and that they will probably have a hard time being split up in the war. I think that they will have a hard time in the war and not being able to see each other a lot. I think that this event in their lives has really scared them for ever and thats why i think that David remembers everything. This whole thing that has happened in his life has probably made a big impact on him and his family.

3. I think that the rescue of his father shoows how loving David is and how much he loves his family. Some of his qualities are being very lovingly and being loyal. He shows loyalty because he went back and saved his father even though it could have cost him his life. He shows being lovingly because he really cares about his family. "In the late morning, Mother asked, "Can we stop? I think the girls should ride for a while. And David too." "I'm not tired, Mama," I objected. That wasn't true but I didn't want her to walk along like a peasant." Overall, David is very a loving and caring person.

Aztec Mural Project Reflection

2008-05-05T10:22:00.000-07:00

Name: Alexandra H.
Project Title: Aztec Mural Project
Class: Humanities
Dates: 5-05-08

Reflection:

The purpose of this project was to learn about the Aztecs. We were supposed to learn about their culture, their ways of living, what they ate, what they believed in, etc. In order to learn about the Aztecs, we made murals to learn about what they did in their daily life. We could chose from a number of topics such as sacrifice, the Aztec gods, etc. to focus our mural on. Another purpose of this project was to learn about the Aztec social classes, the food they ate, the Aztec markets, and overall, the Aztec culture.

In this project, I learned that the Aztecs believed that there were many gods. One of the most important gods in the Aztec culture was the sun god. They believed that if a sacrifice wasn't performed, the sun wouldn't rise in the morning. So if they didn't perform a sacrifice to the sun god, they would die. If they made sacrifices they thought that the gods would be pleased. I also learned that in Aztec culture they have social classes. At the bottom are the slaves and at the top are the Emporors/Epress' and their relatives. Also, I learned that warriors are very important to the Aztecs because they are the ones who keep the whole empire from being attacked.

I enjoyed this project because it was really fun painting the murals. I also enjoyed this project because it had a lot of art in it and I enjoyed drawing the symbols and learning about different cultures. I feel like I could have done better on this project because we spent too much time on our draft and not enough time tracing on our actual mural. Next time I would have spent less time on our draft and more time tracing. I think we should have started tracing on our mural sooner because we ended up hurrying to get our mural done and we had a lot of gaps on the mural where we were supposed to put images, but did not have enough time to.

Artifact/Document:
Artist Statement doc.

Weekly Reading Response to I ave Lived a Thousand Years

2008-04-22T21:41:00.001-07:00

Name: Alexandra H Title: I Have Lived a Thousand Years Author: Livia Bitton-Jackson
Total pages this week: 83 Date: April 22nd, 2008 Pages: 140-223

Response:

Throughout the book, I was wondering why it was called "I Have Lived a Thousand Years". I thought it had something to do with her finally surviving the Holocaust and it might have felt like a thousand years to her or something. But then it finally says why it is called I Have Lived a Thousand Years and it all makes sense. What I thought was right and I think that it is kind of smart that Livia Bitton-Jackson put that as the title because it is kind of random, but it really goes with the book.

I think that Ellie should have gone back for her poems. If it was so hard for her to leave them behind and if they kept all of her poems that she has worked on for so long, why didn't she go back for them? She could have convinced her mom to go with her just for a short time to go back for her poems since they were one of the only posessions she owned after the war. And if she put so much time into them, why would she just leave them and go off to America?

Why do you think Ellis didn't go back for her poems?

I Have Lived a Thousand Years Weekly Reading Response

2008-04-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

Name: Alexandra Title: I Have Lived a Thousand Years Author: Livia Bitton-Jackson
Total Pages This Week: 100 Date: April 11th, 2008 Pages: 40-140

Response:

One of the thing sthat surprises me the most about reading this book is how badly they treated these people just because of their beliefs. It's one thing to seperate them from the rest of the world but then to torture them like that and to just not care about how many people die is kind of scary. I knew before reading this book that a lot of people were treated harshly and that a lot of poeple died but no that I've read about half of this book I kind of know what hapened and how bad it actually was. In this war, I think that people on the outside of all of this for example the people who didnt have relatives or anything in this war were kind of not aware that it was this bad. If they were aware I think that things could have been different and the war might not have lasted as long.

In this book, besides Ellie, I think that the mother plays a major part in it. I think that Ellies mother plays a big part because the mom kind of shows the moral in a way. The mmoral is not giving up and thats what Elli does because she is trying to get out of those concentration camps while getting her mother out as well. I don't think it would be as good of a book or a real life experienc ef the mother wasnt in it.

Question: Do you think that Elli's mother gets better and they both pass the whole inspection with out getting cought?

Weekly Readiing Response to I Have Lived a Thousand Years

2008-04-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Name: Alexandra Title: I Have Lived a Thousand Years Author: Livia Bitton-Jackson
Total Pages This Week: 40 pages Date: Friday, April 4th Pages: 1-40

Response:

Ellie, the main character in the book, reminds me of Anne Frank. She reminds me of her because they both were worrying about small things and now they are both hiding from the police/soldiers and they are both around the same age. I think that they both keep to themselves throughout the beginning and they both think that this is really sad that just because they're jewish they get punished.

I think that the sentence "But I cannot put the vision out of my mind. Bloody heads rolling around on the local soccer field become a recurring nightmare." is kind of interesting in a way. I think that it is terrible that Hitler or anyone would ever say something like that, but I think that it is interesting how her dad says that it is just a figure of speech. I think that her dad wants her to stop worrying about it even though he also worries about it. I think that he worries about it just as much as she does but tries to hide it because if he admits that he's scared then the whole family would be scared so they might even want to give up or not try because they would have very little hope.

Why do you think that Ellie seems more angry and says more than her family does about the war?

Moral Courage Web Site Project Reflection

2008-03-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

Name: Alexandra H.

Project Title: Moral Courage Website Project
Class: Humanities Dates: December-March 14th

PURPOSE: In this section, explain what you were supposed to learn and what you were supposed to do.

Sentence Starters
The purpose of this project was to learn about…
In order to learn about _________________, we had to create/perform/ write/etc.

The purpose of this project was to learn about different subjects that showed moral courage. In order to learn about, we got split into goups, and each grou p came up with a topic to make their web site about. We also had to practice our paraphrasing skills and learn how to make a web site on Dreamweaver. Each person in the groups made 5 pages of Notes about ubjects within our subject for our web site. Each person also learned how to site sources.
WHAT I LEARNED
In this section, tell what information or skills you learned or improved.
Sentence Starters
I learned about…
I explored the concepts/topics of …
In this project, I learned how to…. (skills)

In this project, I learned about how AIDS was caused, and what the cures/treatments of it are. I also learned that if a web site has a copy righted picutre and you use it for your own web site, some one could sue you since you didn't get permission to use it or even put the source. Plus, we also learned how to paraphrase so that we wouldn't be discualified out of the contest for plaigarism. We learned some skills that tought us how to paraphrase so that we weren't just re-aranging the order of the words. We also learned some skills on dreamweaver that will help us later on with our DP's, and other things.

REFLECTION
In this section, reflect on your experience. Did you like the project? Why or why not? How did you do? What would you do differently next time?

Sentence Starters
I enjoyed this project because…
I feel like I could have done better on this project because…
Next time, I would…

I enjoyed this project because we really learned about each of our topics that we got to chose. I also liked how we got to amake a really cool web site and write about a topic that we chose. I feel like I could have done better on this project by prioritising on certain things that were more inmportant and by starting to creat our actual web site a little bit sooner. Next time, I would probably have chosen a different topic, one that I was more interested in and start putting the informations on our web site a lot sooner so that we didn't have to rush and put it on at the last second. I also liked this project because we learned a lot of valuable skills and we didn't just do it for a good grade, we did it for a contest where we have a chance at winning.

ARTIFACTS
You should have at least one artifact from each project on your DP. What document, picture, or link will you have for this project?

I could link the whole entire website that our group created.

An Ocean Apart, a World Away and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Weekly Reading Response

2008-03-09T20:56:00.001-07:00

Name: ALexandra Date: March 9th, 2008
Title: "An Ocean Apart, a World Away" & "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"
Time: 2 hours Total Pages this week: 75 pages
Pages: 182-193 & 1-65

Response:

In the end of An ocean Apart, a World Away, Boushu had come to visit Yanyan in America, and tried to convince her to come with him back to China. But, she refused because she found that she liked L.C. even better than Boushuy. Plus, she didn't agree with what Boushui's dream was: to restore the Manchu dynasty. Then she realized that she didn't want to go back to China ever, and that she would become a doctor.

I think that she wanted to stay with L.C. because then she could become a doctor and because she didn't want to fight for something she didn't believe in. Plus, I think that L.C. was a lot more peacefull and didn't like danger just because it was danger, but because it was an adventure, vrs. Boushu who liked danger just for the sake of danger. Plus, she could live her dream.

After I finished An Osean Apart, a World Away, I decided I would continue to Chronicles of Narnia series that I started last year. I started the second book: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It starts out when a group of sibblings go off to a house and the youngest one, Lucy, discovers a land in the back of the wardrobe by accident. Then, no one believes her and then finally they believe her because they go there themselves. Then, they look for a friend of Lucys, but can't find him.

I think it's good to read the book and see the movie too if there is one because it makes it a lot more interesting. It makes it a lot more interesting because you can point out the differences and come up with your own images in your head when you read the book, but when you watch the movie, the pictures are already there. But, I wish that I had read the book before the movie just because now it's kind of bvoring when I know what's going to happen in the end of the book.

An Ocean Apart, a World Away Weekly Reading Response #2

2008-03-02T21:21:00.000-08:00

Name: Alexandra H. Date: March 2nd, 2008
Title: An Ocean Apart, a World Away Time: 3 hours
Author: Lensey Namioka Pages: 50-182
Total Pages This Week: 132

Response:

So far in this book, a girl named Yanyan has set off to America to study at a college to become a doctor. But, before she left her hometown of China, she met someone she was about to marry. He asked her to go off with him, avioding police, and restore the Manchu dynasty because that wasa his big dream in life. He thought that she would go with him and forget about her medical studies, but she decided to go to America and become a doctor anyways. Then, when she was in the United States, she felt lonely even though she had met a few frinds. During their winter break, she decided to visit her old friend Ailin. They cought up on a few things and Yanyan found out that she liked to cook too. Then when she got back, she had to take a final exam in her school to see if she could becom a regular student as a freshman, and she later found out that she passed all of her classes.

From what I've read so far, I think that Yanyan is a lot like Ailin. They are both very determined to be independent and to have a good future. That's why I think that they arfe such great friends. Also, they both like to cook, and both of the jobs that they wanted to be (Ailin a teacher and Yanyan a doctor) rquired a lot of school work. I also keep thinking that this book was like the first one because I keep thinking that Yanyan is Ailin but then I remember that this is from Yanyan's point of view. Yanyan is also like Ailin because they both have two older brothers. Their brothers are also alike because they want their little sister to have a good future. They're also kind of over pretective in a way because they think that girls are just supposed to be married off to a good husband and family.

An Ocean Apart, a World Away Reading Response #1

2008-02-24T21:15:00.001-08:00

Name: Alexandra H. Title: An Ocean Apart, a World Away Author: Lensey Namioka Total Pages This Week: 50 Date: 2-24-08 Time: Approximately 1 hour Pages: 1-50
Response:
So far in this book, Yanyan (the best friend of Ailin, the main character in the first book) has convinced her parents to go to Shanghai and see Ailin off on a boat trip to America. One of her older brothers, his friend and her have set of on their journey to Shanghai. They encounter some difficulties, fights, and a much older Ailin. They learn about the many culture differences between America and China. Then, Yanyan starts to become Baoushu (her brother's friend) friend. Her parents want her to get married off to a good family, however, with unbound feet, that is very difficult. Her parents see how she is with Baoushu and they think that she should get married to him. She is not complaining though becuase it's much better than getting paired up with a person she doesn't know by a match maker. Yanyan also tries to figure out what her future will be like, and really wants to become a doctor.

My favorite character in this book is Yanyan because she is very nice and very interested in cultures and things around her. She notices a lot of details and go through some hard things, like having her oldest brother not "accept" her. She is not the best student in her class either, but she is still very pleased by her life. She finds something that she likes about most things and has a very positive attitude. I also like her middle brother because he takes on a roll to keep his sister safe. He is also one of the only people who "accept" her for who she is. He is also one of the only people in their family that doesn't judge her and appreciates her for wanting to be independent when she get older.

I think one of the reasons to why I like this book is that it is a lot like the previous book. It shows a lot about differences in cultures. It is also a good book because it shows how a normal girl does things that she thinks is right and not just what her parents want her to do. If you do read this book though, it would be better to read the first one before this one because this is a sequel.

Ties That Bind, Ties That Break Response

2008-01-31T21:52:00.000-08:00

1. I think that I would try to get out of that room on that ship and try to find Bill, Grace and the Gilbertson's. I would tell them what I was experiencing probably because it would feel good to talk to someone about it. Then maybe they would change my room or something like that to make it better.

p.s.: I did enjoy the book a lot. Now for the sequel!!!!

Ties That Bind, Ties That Break: My Answer

2008-01-28T18:18:00.000-08:00

1. I think that Ailin's uncle is mean to her because he cares about her in a way. I think that he wants to be the boss of the family and since Ailin doesn't want to listen to him, he gets mad and doesn't know how to deal with it. Maybe he just wants their family name to have a good reputation and since Ailin refused to have her feet bound, the family including her uncle doesn't know what to do with her.

Ties That Bind, Ties That Break Post #1

2008-01-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

Why do you think that her mom, grandma, and the servants are so strong about getting her feet binded and her father is not?

My answer: I think that her father is more accepting of his daughter and I think that her father thinks that she should be able to make some of her own decisions. I think that maybe all of the women in their house think that it's more crucial that she has her feet bound so that she could get married, and maybe they think that there is no possible way for her to get married if she doesn't have her feet bound. I also think that maybe all of the women are more traditional, and maybe her fathers job has something to do with him being more acceptant to change even if there's conciquences.

ps: Comments/answer are due on the 19th.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove Final Post

2007-12-19T10:13:00.001-08:00

1. I was shocked at what happened, especially when Hideyo came. I had a feeling that it would be him, but when it said it really was him I was kind of surprised. I found it kind of satisfying, but at the same time I didn't. I was happy when Hideyo and Yoko got to reunite with them. However, I wish that the author wrote about their father and when he came home.

The conflicts that were resolved were that Hideyo finally found his family again (part of it anyway). They also got the savings book and have a little more money because Hideyo brought it. But, some of the conflicts that weren't resolved was that she didn't write that their father came home six years later, even though it said in the notes in the back of the book. I think that she chose to end it there because she would give more of a cliff-hanger. Maybe she just decided that it would be hard to write out the events until six years later, when he came home.

2. I think that they take attention to look at the different Japanese customs so that they could keep them going because even though they were living in Korea, they were Japanese. So, I think that they were trying to keep those traditional customs going in their family. I think that the purpose it serves in their lives is keeping the traditions going and to show that they are Japanese. I think that I would observe all of the traditional food that they ate and their clothes, such as the kimonos and all that. Maybe I would observe their New Year and see how they celebrated it.

3. I respect Yoko the most because if I were her I would complain way more. Plus, I can relate more to her because I'm about her age. I also appreciate her because she probably got more tired because she had to walk a lot. She also kept pretty calm through her whole school experience, and I like how she took responsibility and adjusted to different circumstances. I also respect Ko and their mother a lot because through it all, they never complained. They always kept calm and they never really got annoyed that much, or at least it didn't show.

4. I learned a lot about how everyone wanted to have control over Korea to use it as a port. I also learned that when the Americans bombed several areas in Japan, they didn't bomb Kyoto because of it's special meaning to the Japanese. They thought that if they bombed the shrine, then the population there would not like to surrender even more. I also learned that they took people from age 12 to about age 50 into the war because they were pretty much desperate for more soldiers. I would like to learn more about what the war was about. I would also like to learn about how long it lasted and who was allied with who.

5. I think that one of the main themes of this story is to appreciate that you don't have to go through what they did. One of the other themes in this novel was to not complain with what you have and to appreciate that you have a nice house and food everyday. One of the other themes m ight be to not be jealous of what other people have and to live with what you have because there's always worse. I think that this novel shows this because this is what those girls at Yoko's school should have learned in life and that they should have appreciated what they had.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove OP #4

2007-12-14T17:28:00.000-08:00

1. I think that Yoko wants to help Mr. Naido because he helps her all of the time and I think that she feels that she needs to give back to him somehow. He helps her in many different ways. For one, he is pretty much her only friend. For two, he helps her get money and school supplies.

2. I think that it's a turning point for Yoko because at that point she really realizes that she should help her sister (pretty much her only family) to get more money. I think at that point that she realizes that she should become more of an adult and really help her broken up family get more money. I think she changes by trying to really appreciate he sister more and all that she's trying to do for her.

3. Did you expect their mom to die when you read it? Why/why not? How did you feel about it?

I really didn't expect her to die that soon. I thought for sure that she would live and see her family again. I didn't think that she would die because she was still talking and she seemed fine. I really felt sad when it happened because she didn't even see her son or husband and she hadn't seen Ko for like a week, and then she just died.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove OP #3

2007-12-10T15:15:00.000-08:00

1. a. I think that Ko, Yoko, and their mom feel that they have to leave Korea and Pusan because they saw other Japanese women being raped and torured by Koreans Communists. I think thatn they were raped because they were Japanese, but if they were Koreans, then I think they would probably be raped anyways because of how they were. "In the weeds, there was a Korean man on top of a girl. She was kicking wildly and screaming." There were several other times where this happened, which, when you think about it, is terrible.

1. b. I think that they made the right choice in leaving both Korea and Pusan, even though they had to leave Hideyo behind. I think that it wasn't safe enough for them there. I would have done the same thing, even though it meant leaving Hideyo behind.

Why do you think that their mother kept so calm through all of this and hardly spoke unless it was an order?

I think that she keeps so calm because she is concerned about her daughters and the outcome of it all. I think that she thinks that her daughters watch and follow what she does, so if she complains, then they will complain too. Maybe she just feels that she doesn't need to say anything, or maybe she's shocked by what's going on and can't even say anything about it.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove OP #2

2007-12-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

1. I think that Hideyo really takes on a leadership role in his family, because he thinks he should, due to the fact that they're father is gone a lot of the time. I think that he is just like everyone in his family, scared but hides it well, except Yoko only because she is a kid. I think that Hideyo understands that he needs to take on the father role just because their father is gone a lot. "'Most of my classmates have enlisted,' said Hideyo,serious for once. "I have decided to go to help our country.'"

2. If I would have to leave my home, like the kawashima family did, I don't know what I'd do. I would definetely bring food (i.e. non perishable food items like canned food, etc.). I would bring this because, of course, I would need to eat in order to live and I would not know how long I would be away. I would aslos bring water in closable cups and things like that. I would bring that because, like food, you have to have water in order to live. I would bring an extra pair of clothes. I would bring that in case it gets really cold or in case they get really dirty or wet. I would quickly grab a picture of my family so that I would have something to live and move forward off of. And if there were any time left, I would grab things that were really old and passed on that are somewhat valuable (like my great grandmothers rings that she gave me that were really important to her, etc.). I don't know how I could leave all of those things including my house, but I would have to, which shows that a lot of people have a ton of stuff, which they take for granted, which is hard to say, but it's true.

3. There are a lot of events in this story that shock me, but I'd have to say that worst would be when Ko explained when she saw a girl had been raped and when Hideyo was trapped in the building when he saw his friends being killed right in front of him. They shock me so much because I can't believe that a human would actually do that to another human because of their race. Even if they were all the same race, it would definetly not make it right. There are so many parts in this book where I don't even believe it's a true story because of how un-real it seems, even thought the characters seem real. I wish none of that even happened.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove OP #1

2007-11-30T14:11:00.000-08:00

1.I think that Yoko's personality is very kid-like. I also think that she is very kind and she likes being around people. I can tell that she doesnt really like the idea of war. "Children began sobbing. I felt terrible for them . . ."

2.I think that Yoko and Ko are pretty much your average sisters. I think that Yoko likes her sister, but at times she doesn't she doesn't. I think that Yoko is more playful, and that Ko is more serious. "'You have no time for that!' Ko scread at me. 'Hurry up and fill the canteens!'"

3. I think that they all react kind of differently to all of the patiens on the train. I think that Yoko showed that she was very nice and kind to other people, like when she left her canteen for the woman who had given birth just a day or two before. I think that Ko is also very kind, but more serious about things, like when she didn't want Yoko to give her water to the pregnant lady (before she gave birth). I think that Yoko's mother is also very kind yet not as serious as Ko, she is also a little bit more serious about things, like when she made Yoko give her blanket to the woman who had just given birth.

Weekly Vocabulary #4

2007-11-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

1. respite: a feeling of relief
2. unscrupulous: without a concience and withought principals
3. stalwart: very strong, brave, or valiant
4. menagerie: a place where a lot of strange animals are kept
5. spawn: a person or thing that is reffered to as offsrping of some stock or an animal

Weekly Reading Response #4

2007-11-23T10:40:00.000-08:00

Name: Alex H.
Title: Ella Enchanted
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Total pages this week: 58
Date: Friday, November 23rd, 2007
Time: two hours
Pages: 159-216

RESPONSE:

Ella is still looking for any way to undo her curse of always being obedient. She has found that she loves the prince of the town that she lives in and writes to him frequently. Her father has married the mother of the two girls that she hates to get more money and he has left to go sell things because he is a merchant. Ella is left at her new home with Mandy, her new step-sisters, and "Mum Olga". Mum Olga treats her like a slave because she does everything she is told. So Mandy, being a fairy too, calls Lucinda to their house and makes herself pbedient to see how its like. She finds out how dangerous it is and will never use big magic again, therefore leaving Ella cursed for the rest of her life. Ella wants to marry prince Charmont, but her curse will get in the way if she were to be a queen. Ella goes to a ball that Char hosts, but Ella is disguised as Lela. But then Char makes her go see his father and they're wondering why she wears a mask and will not take it off.

Next, I think that they will tell her to take off the mask, and she will have to and that maybe Ella will be noticed. If she were to get noticed then maybe he will ask her why she won't marry him. Then, maybe she will have to tell him about the curse. If she does tell him about the curse then maybe he will love her even more and even protect her from obeying as much by reversing the command. Maybe Ella will even somehow get Lucinda to take away the curse, but that's not very likely.

I would like to read another book by this author, even though this one has fairy's and Ogres in it. I would like to read another book by this author because I would like to see the similarities and differences. Also because I like how he makes it all seem so real even though it could never be real. The author gives a real discriptive, yet not boring, writing style and it really gives you an image of what it looks like in your head.

In the book, what really surprised me was when Sir Peter, Ella's Father, married "Mum Olga". I really thought he would make Ella find someone or something. Also, even if he were going to marry, I never thought he would marry her. Lucinda also layed a curse on Sir Peter and Mum Olga to stay maarried and happy together for ever and ever until they die. That is part of the reason why Sir Peter wanted to get away, because he never like Mum Olga, he only needed money fast. Next post should be the very end of the book, and hopefully Ella does get married to the prince and undo's her curse.

Weekly Vocabulary #3

2007-11-16T18:15:00.000-08:00

1. guile: really crafty or can decieve someone easily by using their craftiness
2.knave: a male sservant, normally untrustworthy or something of that sort
3.beau: a boyfriend or a male companion to a girl or woman
4.pitality: sorrow or like to feel sorry for
5.solicitous: concerened or worried or eager

Weekly Reading Response #3

2007-11-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

Name: Alexandra Harris
Title: Ella Enchanted
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Total Pages This Week: 56
Date: Friday, November 16th, 2007
Time Read: 2 hours and 10 minutes

Response:

A lot of things just happened in this book. Ella was sent away to finishing school. But then she ran away because she didn't like it and much more. So then she went to look for the fairy that gave her her curse. But then, Ogres are a bout to eat her. Char then comes along and saves her and Ella found the fairy she was looking for. The fairy refused to take back the gift. Ella made it home safetly but then her father became poor. Then he almost forced Ella to get married but he got married instead of marrying off her. Then he got married to the mother of the two girls that she hates so they're sisters now. Ella meets back with Char, the prince, and hangs-out with him for a while while her parents get married because the fairy is down the stairs in the castle that they were in, and Ella did not want to see the fairy any more.

Next, I think that Ella might go look for Lucinda, the fairy, and try to beg her to undo the curse.
Maybe then her new sisters will boss her around more and become her worst enemy. Maybe then Ella's new mom will not like that they are poor and try to get a devorce. The thing is that Lucinda gave a curse to them at the wedding, so that they have to stay married forever, or at least until they die. Maybe Ella will get her worst command ever and hopefully, like the movie, she will undo the curse.

Throughout the whole book I always wonder why someone can't tell her to stop obeying. It could be possible that they already tried and that didn't work. Or that they already know that it won't work because in the begining of the book it said that no other person or fairy could undo the curse. I would really like one of them to at least try it and who knows? Maybe it would work.

A few of my favorite characters so far in this book are Char and Ella. I like Ella because she keeps trying to get this curse un-done and she won't give up. Pluse she seems so nice and fun to be around, even though she does everything she's asked and she's clumsy. I like Char because he just seems so nice and down-to-earth. I really like reading this book because it is just so fun to read and it makes you want to know what is going to happen next, even though it has Ogres and Fairies in it. :)

Weekly Reading Response #2

2007-11-09T17:11:00.001-08:00

Name: Alexandra Harris
Date: 11-09-07
Title: Ella Enchanted
Author: Gail Carson Levine
Total Pages read this week: 53
Time Read: aproximately 2hours and fifteen minutes
Pages: (NA)

Review:
In the book, Ella just got to know Char a little bit more, but then Ella's father sent her to finishing school after she broke a wine glass because she is clumsy. She recieved a book from her cook, Mandy, who is a fairy. The book has a lot of letters to her and other people which keeps her intact with the life back home. She went to finishing school with the bratty, snoby girls that she met, Hattie and Olive. Hattie has figured out about her curse and uses her as a robot. Ella tries to get back at her by doing the wrong thing or by out-smarting her with her demands. Ella just escaped from finishing school and met some nice elves that helped her with her traveling to get to Lucinda, the fairy that gave her the curse, to see if she can reverse it even though Lucinda isn't ery easy to make a deal with. Then she met some Ogres who want to eat her but as she tries to escape, the curse won't let her. So she is currently dinner.

Next I think that Ella will make a deal of some sort of deal with them. Maybe she will trade them her life for one of her precious items. Maybe then the Ogres can help her get to where she needs to go. If that happens maybe then Lucinda isn't even there and then she will have to make anoher deal with the Ogres to get to where Lucinda will be next. And Ella can find out where Lucinda is next with her magic fairy book. Then maybe Ella can become friends with the Ogres.

If I had to chose a character to be in this book, it would probably be Ella if she didn't have a curse and her mother didn't die. But because that just happened to her, I would probably be Ella's cook, Mandy. I would like to be her because she is a fairy and can do a lot of things with her magic. In the book, Ella broke a pot and as she started to pick up the peices, Mandy just make them go to the trash can. That would be really usefull in my life and probably a lot of other people.

I think that the theme of this book is to not give up. Like I said on my first book review post, they made this book into a movie in which at the end she finally breaks the curse. This shows to not give up because Ella keeps trying to get something done that she really truly wants to happen and that she believes in. I think this is a great lesson in life because you can use it in many things and if it's what you believe in and you don't give up, you can make a difference.

Weekly Vocabulary

2007-11-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

1. spectacle: embarassed of a public display of some sort
2. tress: a curly que or a ringlette of hair
3. rouge: blush/pink make-up usually for the lips or cheeks
4. minx: flirtacious, usually used for a girl
5. grieving:being sad or sorrow

Weekly Reading Response #1

2007-11-02T17:43:00.000-07:00

Name: Alexandra Date: November 2, 2007
Title: Ella Enchanted Time: about and hour and a half
Author: Gail Carson Levine Pages 3-45
Total pages this week: 42
Response:

So far in my book, Ella's mother died and her dad is going to send her to finishing school because he thinks she is clumsy and uneducated. Ella just realized that she likes Char as a friend and they just tried to save a toddler Ogre but an adult Ogre just ordered her to give the toddler Ogre to him, which isn't good because she has to obey orders.
My prediction:
I predict that Ella will try to resist giving the toddler to the Ogre but then she will have to give the Ogre to the other one. Then I think Char will try to get the Ogre back and follow the other Ogre as he tries to hide or run away. Then I think Ella will follow Char and then they will be lost in the woods somewhere. Maybe then more Ogres will come, but hopefully they all stay safe and they get the toddler Ogre back.
I wish that Ella's mother didn't die in the book, at least not at the way beginning. I really liked her and wish she was still one of the characters. I would change that the friends that Ella met were so stuck-up and rude and I wish that she wouldn't have to go to finishing school with them.
My favorite characters so far are Prince Charmont (aka Char) and Ella because they are the nicer ones out of the book and the most realistic out of the non-realistic book.
My least favorite characters in this book are Hattie and Olive, the rude people that Ella just met, because they are so ignorant and mean to everyone. They're bratty and selfish, which I don't like, and they really need to have more manners. Their mom is just as bad though so I hope they get what they deserve.
There is also a movie that this book was made into. I saw the movie and so far it is really different from it. I am looking forward to seeing what happened and to really use my imagination on what this place looked like and how different it is from the movie.

The Book I Chose to Read

2007-10-31T14:06:00.000-07:00

The book I am reading is called Ella Enchanted by Gale Carson Levine. It was made into a movie, and once I saw it I said I had to read the book. I have read it before, but I didn't understand it very much, so I'm reading it again. I think it is a very good book so far and I'm looking forward to find out what happens to Ella and the other characters.

The Wave Review

2007-10-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

1. “For the rest of your lives….never, ever, allow a group’s will to usurp your individual rights.” --p. 135. What does this quote mean? Explain your interpretation in 2-3 sentences. Then, explain how you might apply this quote in your own life, providing specific examples. (1-2 paragraphs)

I think that this quote realtes to the book The Wave in the way that it is telling you not to go with what every one else is doing all of the time and to do what you think that you should do. I think that it also means do the right thing instead of doing the wrong thing just because everyone else is doing it. I think it means to go your own way and to think as an individual instead of doing what everyone else is doing. It could also mean to think for yourself and don't let other people interfere with what you are going to do.

You can apply this message in your life by not going with the croud all the time. One example is when you're in math class and everyone else in the class has one answer and you have a different one, don't say their answer just because you don't want to be the only one because they could be wrong and you could be right. Another example is when in the book The Wave Laurie Saunders doesn't go with everyone else and agree with The Wave just because that's what everyone else is doing.

2 Analyzing Robert: Analyze Robert as a character, considering his personality traits at the start of the novel and his transformation as he becomes a member of the Wave. How does he change during the book? Why do you think the Wave changed him in that way? Re-read the last page of the book, and then explain what you think his future holds. Will he go back to who he was at the start of the novel? Or do you think the Wave had some positive effects on Robert? What will become of him now that the Wave is over? (1-2 PARAGRAPHS)

At the beggining of the book I think Robert was just tired of being compared to his brother and tired of living because he knew no one liked him and he figured he would just not try anymore. When the wave started, I think he started to realize what he could become and that he could do a lot better. Then I think he felt more normal and like he was a part of something. I think that experiment changed him because it meant that no one was better than anyone else and that he actually had something to do and someone to become in his life.

I think that he will stay how he was during The Wave and I don't think he will go back ot whta he was before The Wave. I think this because I think Mr. Ross will talk to him about how that experiment was good for him and how he can go back to what he was before or he can stay as he is. I think he will also talk to him about how good it felt to aactually make something out of his life and to not go back to what he was before.

3 Read the definition of fascism below. Fascism: a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.a. What elements of fascism do you see in the Wave?b. What other historical movements can you think of that have elements of fascism? (Sadly, there are many possible examples here.) Find at least one historical example, and explain how it is fascist.

I think that fascism is shown in The Wave because they're all obeying one leader. Another form of it in the book is that they're treating everyone who's not a member poorly and they're not letting anyone out of it or else they'll treat them bad too. A historical event of fascism is when they tortured and killed a lot of the Japanese. That was a form of fascism because just because they were Japanese they would treat them poorly. It's also fascist because the people killing and torturing the Japanese were obeying someone with total power and couldn't get out of it because they were afraid of what would happen if they did, which I think, if The Wave went on longer, would end up that way too.

4. Mob Mentality: Write a paragraph titled: “Avoiding Mob Mentality: A Practical Guide by A Middle Student, for Other Middle School Students.” You are starting to see the power of mob mentality through many different examples in your classes and studies of history this year, and this book provides yet another shocking example of how easy it is to get caught up in a crowd. What are some ways to make sure you YOURSELF don’t become a victim of this horrendous phenomenon? What advice can you give to others that would help them avoid this in every day life?

“Avoiding Mob Mentality: A Practical Guide by A Middle Student, for Other Middle School Students.”

To not become part of mob mentality I think that you should always think for yourself and never let anyone interfere what you are going to do if you know it is right just like Laurie did. I think that you should always believe that what you think you should do is the right thing to do and to not let anyone make you do something just because you're afraid of what everyone will think, do or say. I think the best advice I can give you to not be any part of mob mentality is to not let people interfere with what you think is right and to always do what you think is right. I think that you should also not go with what someone else thinks just because everyone else is and most of all, THINK FOR YOURSELF!

Project Reflection for the FHP

2007-10-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

Project Title:
Family History Project
Class: Humanities Dates: September 19 to October 17th
PURPOSE
In this section, explain what you were supposed to learn and what you were supposed to do.
Sentence Starters
The purpose of this project was to learn about…
In order to learn about _________________________, we had to create/perform/ write/etc…
The purpose of the project was to learn about an important time in history. Another purpose for our family history is to get their opinion about the event that your family has been involved in by interviewing them about it. In order to learn about that, we had to find notes and record our sources from where we got the notes, make a historical narrative that includes the information that you found, write a personal narrative that told something about you or your family, and include four pictures or objects that represent your family or that event. We could put all of those things in a binded book or in a scrap book.
WHAT I LEARNED
In this section, tell what information or skills you learned or improved.
Sentence Starters
I learned about…
I explored the concept of …
In this project, I learned how to…. (skills)
In this project I learned about the Vietnam war. I learned that it was never declared a war and that it started when they said that the Vietnamese attacked us in the Gulf of Tonkin, though there were no sings of it. I learned that they had the war because North wanted Vietnam to have a communist government and the South wanted it to have a democrat government. I also learned how to use the binding machine to make my booklet containing the components of the project. I learned that the Vietnam War started in 1964 and ended in 1975. My grandpa was a part of the evacuation of the war which is when the North forced the American out of the country by going into South Vietnam concluding in American armies leaving. I learned how to make a personal narrative and just about my family's history in general.
REFLECTION
In this section, reflect on your experience. Did you like the project? Why or why not? How did you do? What would you do differently next time?
Sentence Starters
I enjoyed this project because…
I feel like I could have done better on this project because…
Next time, I would…
I liked this project because it really told me a lot about the Vietnam War, which before going into the project I knew hardly anything about it. I also enjoyed it because I got to interview a Vietnam War veteran, which sooner or later won't be around anymore. I think I could have done better on this project by putting more effort into the historical narrative because toward the end of the project I grew kind of lazy and didn't have that many people, including me, revise and edit it. Overall I think that I did a pretty good job because I did put a lot of time into it and I am proud of my final product. I think that Ms. Interlandi, my Humanities teacher should definitely do this project next year so that the they can share this great experience (being able to learn interview skills, about history etc.) with us.
ARTIFACTS
You should have at least one artifact from each project on your DP. What document, picture, or link will you have for this project?
I can get a picture of my project and I could probably also bring in my actual Family History Project booklet.

The Wave: OP #5

2007-10-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

2. The scentence that stood out to me was: "The auditorium was filled with gasps and exclamations of surprise as the gigantic image of Adolf Hitler appeared on the screen." This scentence stood out to me because I had been trying to think of who their leader could be for a while when I was reading it. It was like a "duh" moment to me when I found out that it was Adolf Hitler. It also gave me a hint of what was going to happen next and it gave me the clearest picture of what was going on out of the entire time I was reading the book.

3. My question is: Did you expect that this ending was going to happen like this before you read it? If not than what did you expect?

ps: sorry there was no #1 there tonight because there wasn't a question on Ms. I's blog. Please tell me if she didn't post it or if I just never found it. Thanks!

The Wave: OP #4

2007-10-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

1. I think that Ben feels like he has been attacked by the other teachers and parents. I think he feels that because they keep complaining and blaming it all on him. We all know that he never intended his experiment to go that far. In a way think that how far The Wave has gone is a good thing because it shows them how hard it is to fight for what you want, which is the whole concept, I think, of what the movie that Ben showed them in the beggining of the book.

2. The scentence that stood out to me is: "She pointed out that The Wave had already begun to do more harm than good (even with The Wave, the Gordon High Gladiators had lost to Clarkstown 42 to 6)and warned that unless it was stopped, it woulddo much worse." I chose that scentence because to me this is the part where it showed me that The Wave had really gone too far. It showed me that because the football game was a test to see if The Wave worked, and it didn't.

3. My question: Do you think that The Wave will continue or do you think it will stop? Why and how?

The Wave: OP #3

2007-10-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

1. One way that shows that Mr. Ross's experiment is going out of his control is that the kids in his history class are starting to do things without him telling them to do. For example, when he told them to say the pledge and do the salute they chanted the motto a little bit more even though he didn't tell them to. Another way that the experiment is loosing control is that some people, like Laurie and her mom, are starting to doubt it. One other thing is that the kids answers are shorter so, like Ben said, the class probably wouldn't be that good at a written answer test with essays as a multiple choice test.

2.The scentence that stood out to me the most was: "If Robert couldn't function in the school before The Wave, he won't be able to function outside the school where The Wave doesn't exist." This scentence stood out to me because I never thought about The Wave like that before I read this part. As I was reading, I was also trying to figure out what was bad about the experiment just as Laurie was until her mom said this. It really made me think about what could go wrong in this experiment.

3. My question: Do you agree with the class about The Wave, that it's agood thing for everyone, or do you agree with Laurie's mom, that it's not so great for everyone?

The Wave: OP #2

2007-10-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

1. I think that David has been the one who has took The Wave into action the most in his life. Another one that has stood out to me was Robbert Billings. It seems as though he has changed a lot since The Wave has started. David has mostly been using it in the football team and Robert has been improving by not falling asleep in class and also by changing his perspective on school and how he wants to live life in general.

2. The scentence that stood out to me was: ""Eat my Wheaties, join The Wave, do my homework." Anything to stop that guy." This scentence stood out to me because it's kind of funny. In a way it shows how badly the team wants to win and for how long they havn't won a game. It also shows how Brian (the person who said the first scentence) doesn't perform his best in school and how he doesn't really like The Wave. This scentence kind of makes me laugh too just because he says he will eat his "Wheaties" just to win, which shows that he doesn't really like them which makes him relative to me and other people because we also don't like certain foods.

3. My question: Do you think Mr. Ross, aka Ben, is pinpointing one student in particular in his class by using The Wave? If so who and why?

Who did their Comment on my Post

2007-10-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Everyone in my group put a comment on my blog about my post for The Wave except for Mikito. Good job and hopefully we can get everyone to post on it next time!

The Wave: OP #1

2007-09-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

This story took place in 1969 in Palo Alto California at Gordon High School. It mainly takes place in the History class at that school, where I think they will conduct an experiment.

I think it took place at an earlier time because everyone, almost, smokes because they weren't aware of the serious health damage that could be done by smoking. Another hint was that in the very beggining of chapter five it said there was a black board and now we use mostly white boards. The language that is used in thew book is also a little bit differant like corridors and also one of the guys that came into the room that Amy and Laurie were in with the door locked was istening to a tape recorder which we hardly ever use anymore now that there are ipods.

A scentence that really stood out to me was in chapter two on page ten:They were herded into camps all over Eastern Europe, and once there they were worked, starved and tortured, and when they couldn't work anymore they were , they were exterminated in gas chambers. I chose this scentence becauseit's so sad that people would do that to other people no matter what the reason. Also, I chose it because I didn't know that they killed them in gas chambers after being tortured and put in so much pain!

My question: Do you think Robert Billings will become friends with Laurie and Amy by the end of the book? Why or why not?

Betty Ann

2007-09-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

To me, the saddest part in this story is the part where the girl is at Betty Ann's house and the phone rings, she then answers it and then at the end of the phone call Betty's mom asks "Why don't you girls like Betty Ann? She likes you . . ." I think this is the saddest part because if you were Betty, you would feel very un-loved too, which is never a good feeling.
I would have also felt as bad as the girl in the story did after she was being mean to Betty Ann, but I probably wouldn't be as mean to her as she was. I would apologize, too, if I was mean to her.
I think the moral lesson in this story is to treat others the way you want to be treated. Someday you might, and probably will have to confront that person about the things that you said/did like she should have done in the doctors office in the end.

Seventh Grade

2007-09-16T19:16:00.001-07:00

In class we just read a short story called Seventh Grade. My favorite scentence in this story was: "He had read a GQ magazine that his older brother borrowed from the Book Mobil and noticed that the male models all had the same look on their faces." I really like this scentence because I think it's really funny. They're so dumb because they think that scowling makes them attract girls better, which is what makes it so funny. It's also really descriptive which makes me feel like I can see the magazine pictures in my head.
I connect with Victor because I also have really cool teachers. They understand me, like when Victor's teacher didn't tell Teresa that he didn't know french. All of my teachers have been really good this year and even though my first day of seventh grade wasn't the best I like it a lot better now.

Test

2007-09-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

This is the one scentence that really stood out to me in this unusual, strange, and interesting story: "At the last moment Robert Procter sat motionless staring into the face of the onrushing, sleeping girl, his mothers cry still sounding in his ears." This scentence really stood out to me because I could actually get a picture in my mind of what was happening. I especially like the part "his mother's cry was still sounding in his ears" because in he next few scentences of the story it connects to it by saying "Just before he lost consciousness he heard the scream stop, and he knew then that he had been hearing a single, short lived scream that had only seemed to drag on and on." I also liked that the author wrote the part where it says that "Robert Proctor sat motionless staring into the face of the onrushing, sleeping girl," because I could also picture that part in my head and feel how he felt; I think he must have felt pain because he was about to kill a pretty girl that's sleeping calmly, and completely helpless with no way to stop.
I don't think the hypnisis test is a good way of seeing if a young driver is ready because if they don't want to drive ever again because of the test than they would give them their liscense but they would be too scared to drive, so either way they wouldnt drive. It is also a bad way to see if they're ready because it has nothing to do with their actual driving it only has to do with their feelings. If they did this in the real world that wouldn't be very good because it would mess with peoples minds too much and either they wouldn't want to drive anymore or they would drive with the haunting of it actually happening(depending on the person).
I think the ending could be that he's been hypnotised before too and can't even tell what's real anymore. It could also leave a message byt the author that in our world anything can happen so always be on the watch for things. I think it's one of those open ended quesions at the end of a stroy for people to think about. It could probably mean, too, that they're robots and they are programed to say that whenever someone asks that question(but I highly doubt it) :).

A Few Things About the Planet Earth Video

2007-09-11T19:02:00.000-07:00

Plains

This section was my least favorite out of the two that we watched but only because so many cute little fuzzy animals got eaten. A few things I learned about the plains are:

about a fourth of the land on earth is covered with grass

grass can grow in the Arctic

carribu can travel nearly 30 miles a day

male Bison weigh about one ton

donkeys only stay for a few hours in a place where they have water and food and then go back to where they were before(where they didn't have any food or water) for no aparent reason

elephant grass is the tallest kind of grass in the world

The parts where the little, defenseless baby animals got eaten I don't really want to write a lot about because it makes me sad. But I will say that foxes prety much eat anything they can catch :).

Jungle

I really liked this part of the movie because it had so many interesting things, like when they would show a plant and put the video footage in really fast motion so you could see the growth of the plant over a long time, in a really short time. I also like the part where the birds danced a round for a female to come and notice it. A few things I learned in this section of the movie are:

in jungles only about 2% of the sunlight hits the jungle floor

most trees grow food at different times of the year which make food more widely spread and harder to find

one of the only trees that grow food all year long is the fig tree

tree frogs use their large webbed feet as parachutes when they leap

The movie was very interesting and I enjoyed it a lot, however I didn't really enjoy the parts where the cute little animals got killed and when their legs twitched outside of all the animals mouths while they were killing them :(.

My Favorite Book From the Sixth Grade (last year)

2007-09-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

My favorite book from the sixth grade would probably be Small Steps by Louis Sachar. I liked this book a lot because it's so exciting and you can't wait to read what happens next. The book is about this guy, nick-named Armpit, and his freind. To make money, they sell tickets for a concert ilegally, though they don't know it, Armit falls in love with a famous singer, and he helps out a little girl with celebral palsy. I can't really reflect with this book but I liked it a lot. I would totally suggest that you read this book because if I liked it a lot you probably will too.