Literature Circles Blog

     In the book Notes from the Midnight Driver,  a boy named Alex is a trouble maker and it isn't surprising when he does something thing terrible. In the beginning of the book he drinks his dads vodka and steals his moms car keys and drives away while he's drunk and ends up crashing. Alex ended up getting minor injuries but his parents were too focused on whose fault it was. His dad is also dating his old 3rd grade teacher who he doesn't like at all. But then his parents started getting better and now thyere talking about moving in together.
    I wonder what Alex will do next. I wonder if Alex will get into trouble again but this time something huge. Or I wonder if his parents will ever get tired of taking responsibility for him because he's still living in the house. I think eventually since he wants to get into trouble then he has to act like an adult if he says doing these things so his parents are gonna treat him like one and make him move out. That would be a good moral of this story or lesson because if you wanna make your own decisions and act like an adult then you should be treated like one.
     This has to be one of my favorite books and it's really hard for me to find a book and stay interested throughout the whole book. I strongly would recommend this book to anyone. I like this book because it doesn't only try to teach you lessons and morals throughout it, it's also funny and full of drama. This is a really good book and I heard the author is great so I'm looking forward to reading more books by the same author.

3rd Quarter Reflection

     Third quarter was probably my favorite and best quarter throughout the whole school year so far. I hope fourth quarter will be the same. My favorite and best quarter was the third one because I actually felt myself doing better because I started to try. I know I should've tried at the start but I learned from my mistakes. I could've worked harder on a few certain things but overall I did better in third quarter than I did in the first two quarters.
     One of the hardest quarters was the third quarter because since I actually tried in this quarter, I had to put my mind in it. I got bad scores on my vocabulary and I should've studied as much as I could have even if that means I have to everyday. Third quarter was also the most challenging but most fun quarters out of all of them so far. But I think that it was also the quarter that made me do better than I thought I could do and the quarter where it showed me how much I can do if I actually do my work and engage into it.
     In third quarter I didn't try to read at all. I don't like reading, never did. Thats another thing I should've tried doing as well. Reading was always boring to me and I get uninterested easily. I tried reading the book "A Child Called It" but I stopped reading when I hit the second chapter. I kept telling myself that I'm going to keep on reading but I never did and I forgot about it. Maybe later on in the future I'll overcome that and try to read a whole book.
   

Night Blog

One of the two changes I saw in Elie was his faith for God. In the beginning he was very religious. He was pious until he got to the concentrating camps because that's when God wouldn't show up for him and his people when they were in danger. Elie thought God was going to show up when Sighet was getting taken over by the Nazis. Instead God didn't do anything and this is when Elie began to lose his faith for God and his pious part inside of him.

Elie' faith kept on lowering more and more as time passed on. When he arrived at Buna, it got more intense. He was questioning himself and God while he would also yell at God too. As he was yelling at God once, someone had whispered behind him saying, "Where is God now?" Buna was absolutely appalling for himself. 

Eventually Elie had capitulate his faith for God entirely. He lost his faith for God completely because after awhile he had realize that if there was a God, then him and his people wouldn't be in this place that feels like hell. That's how Elie Wiesel had a tremendous change of losing faith for his God.

The second change that happened to Elie was when he lost his father. His father was a big important part of his life before he was in the camp and when he was in the camp. When they were in the camp, his father was the only family he had. In the story it says, " I gave him what was left of my soup." Elie was giving his food to his dying father because he loves him. He will do anything for him so he won't die. Even if that means to give up his food and coffee or water. But eventually his father had died. That was a big change for Elie because in the book it says, "I might perhaps have found

Butterfly Project

View 1
When a new child comes
Everything seems strange to him.
What, on the ground I have to lie?
Eat black potatoes? No! Not I!
I've got to stay? It's dirty here?
The floor - why, look, it's dirt, I fear!
Am I supposed to sleep on it?
I'll get all dirty!

Here the sound of shouting, cries.
And oh, so many flies.
Everyone knows flies carry disease.
Oooh, something bit me! Wasn't that a bed bug?
Here in Terezin, life is hell.
And when I'll go home again. I can't yet tell.






View 2

2nd quarter reflection

   Before I wasn't really interested in reading or finishing a book. But later on I've gotten better and I've been trying to actually read a whole story of a book or even an article.  I read sports articles that come into the mail or some that are on the internet. I get bored easily so most of time if I don't feel like reading anymore I save my spot and I come back to it so I can finish it off later at night. I always thought reading was useless and just a waste of time but from reading lately, my vocabulary has been bigger and better than before. When I have arguments I use bigger words and I don't make as much mistakes of grammar usage ever since I started reading more often.
   Something thats been challenging since 2nd quarter started was focusing in some classes. Sometimes I feel as the class is boring so I day dream and think about other stuff. I'm starting to stop doing that and realize how school is important. I could tell it's working a lot especially with language arts. I've been doing my work in class so I won't have to do none at home. If I don't finish it I will sitll  do it at home though.
      Something that I accomplished since the new year is my grammar. I've been practicing my grammar a lot. Whenever I text I'll use slang or won't use punctuation marks but then before I send it I look back and fix it. Before I start talking I make sure I make sense so I won't seem dumb. I work on my grammar a lot and it has been helping me.

Berlin Memorial

     In the Berlin Memorial Activity I learned all the different rules and restrictions Hitler and the Nazis put against the Jews. I learned that the Jews were banned from buying certain foods such as bread, meat, and eggs. Most of the basic foods were banned for the Jews. I also learned that they weren't allowed to have fur coats because fur coats could sell for a lot and they can keep them warm. Jews were also restricted from going certain places such as school, movies, concerts, operas, and bakeries.
      I think the Berlin Memorial was the built so people can see how many restrictions, banned objects, rules were set on the Jews from the Nazis. Also because people can realize how rough, harsh, and unfair it was for the Jews in World War 2.
      The laws keep on building up and getting out of hand. The Nazis are making it harder and harder as time passes by. While years come past them, they keep on getting restricted from a certain place, banned from buying something, have to turn in certain objects, banned from doing a certain thing. More and more laws keep on piling on top of each other. Which makes the life of a Jew more dense than before. It's very gloomy to know how the Jews suffered.
      The most trouble I would have would be with banning sports and certain foods. Those two would be the hardest ones to deal with because meats and breads are foods that I would eat normally everyday. Without those foods I would fill my stomach up all the way. Not being able to play sports would also be hard for me because basketball gives me motivation and it will never turn it's back on me.

     

"Animal Abuse and Cruelty" By Andrew Santoyo

     Two men that go by the names of Boots Stanley and Steven Sadler were taken into custody by police in August 2016 for a gruesome act towards a dog. They were reportedly found abusing and torturing a 4 year old dog at Bastrop Kill Pen in Arkansas.

     Animal abuse happens national and worldwide. Most common animals that are getting abused are 70.1% of dogs, 20.9% of cats, and 24.1% of other animals. Dogfighting, cockfighting or any other way of animal cruelty continues in many areas of the United States.

     The past 25 years, psychology, sociology, and criminology had found a connection between animal cruelty and human violence. They say that most serial killers had killed or tortured animals as children. Other forms of violence that come from killing or torturing a dog are child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse. Surveys say that most people who intentionally abuse animals are men under 30, but animal hoarders are more likely to be women over 60.

     On August 26th 2016, Boots Stanley and Steven Sadler were under arrest after they had posted a video on Snapchat that gone viral of two Arkansas men torturing and ended up killing a 4 year old dog.