"This I Beleive" Speech

“Perception”

By James Furbeck

          “If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change” was once said by Wayne Dyer. I believe that if you are constantly thinking about something happening, it will happen. Thinking that you can't do something will make it harder for you to do that thing. I believe your thoughts create reality. This belief is constantly taking part in people’s lives, including my own.

          One day when I was 10 years old, some friends from school and I had our last soccer game of the season. This game was against the third place team in the division. We were at seven losses and zero wins so according to the statistics we were most likely going to lose. But, my friends and I thought we still had a chance in winning and with our positive attitude we tried our best, and we won 3 to 4.

          On the other hand if we would have thought we were going to lose, like the statistics said, the whole story would've been different. We would’ve ended up not trying our best and then ultimately we would have lost. This event showed me that your thoughts really do change the world around you. So, stay positive to live in a positive world.

Final Reflection Blog 5/19/16

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

          Throughout the year I have learned some really important things. If I had to tie it down to three things it would be TIQA format, annotations techniques, and life lessons. The TIQA format has helped me organize my informational writing and as I use it more, the easier I found it to follow. The annotating text guide was very important because it helped me look for what to annotate in the text which is vital for good discussions. Life lessons from Tuesdays with Morrie are important things I learned because I learned many aphorisms that I now take into consideration everyday.

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

          I think that the Holocaust unit we had will stay in my mind for the rest of my life. I say this because of all of the horrifying things that happened to people during that time. What helped me visualize all of it was Night by Elie Wiesel. In this book I was able to see the perspective of a Jew, around my age. He was separated from his mom and sister and he also had to witness babies being thrown into a fire-filled pit.

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

          The nicest thing someone in our class did for me this year was informing me on what I missed when I was sick. One day I was really sick and I could not come to school so I looked on Edmodo to see if there were any assignments and I didn't see anything. Later, I receive a phone call from a student in our class and s/he told me what we did in class and the homework. Thanks to this student I was prepared for school the next day with all of my work done.

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

         I don't think I really taught my classmates anything this year. I guess you could say I taught them that you should always ask questions when you have them. I tend to ask a lot of question to clarify what is going on and no matter what if I have a question I ask it. Sometimes I look funny going up 2-3 times but its ok because by the end I will know exactly what to do.

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 feel I have made my biggest improvement in researching this year. I say this because we did a lot of research with the Holocaust unit, argumentative essay, and all of the AoWs. I am actually pretty proud that I know how to use commas more effectively/correctly. Before, I only knew a few comma rules now I know ten. I am also pretty proud that I know AAAWWUBBIS because I know that it'll come in handy when writing papers.

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

         I would have to say that reading To Kill a Mockingbird was the most challenging part of this year for me. I say this because I had trouble answering questions, annotating, writing down a summary after each chapter, and reading at the same time. I just found it a bit overwhelming, otherwise I really enjoyed the book. Actually all of the books I have read I this class have been really good. The only book I would have to say I strongly disliked was Of Beetles and Angels.

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

         The best piece of writing I have done this year I would have to say is the argumentative essay. I think this is my best piece of writing because we revised it multiple times and by the end I was able to successfully use the TIQA format correctly. I also feel it was my best piece of writing because I put forth a lot of effort. I did this because I was very interested in the fact that labs kill and abuse animals to find new medicine. I also think that this was my best piece of writing because all of my sources, I felt, were very reliable which helped me create a strong/valid essay.

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

         Of all three books we read as a class my favorite by far was Tuesdays with Morrie By Mitch Albom. This book was my favorite because it really made me think. It made me think about life and how I need to be living a better one. The aphorisms found in the book are now things that I look up to. I just found Morrie's story very inspirational in general because he was able to be very optimistic knowing that his end was near.

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

         First of all, turn in all of work (if possible) ahead of time. I say this because you will find yourself with more free time and you will have time to revise. Second of all, are the most you can out of this class because next year is high school and you are going to need to be as prepared as possible. Third of all, if you find your self struggling at first time management is key in this class and every class. For example, instead of going home and procrastinating (playing on your phone) go and do your work then play all the games without thinking about that AoW/blog you didn't do. It is also very hard to do work late at night, so try to do your work right after school. Good Luck!

Morrie's Aphorisms Project

Book: Tuesdays with Morrie

Author: Mitch Albom

Pages: 0-199 (End)

Prompts:

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

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.

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.

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

5-Include your own aphorism regarding life.

          Throughout the book Morrie's words have showed us observations embodying general truths, also known as aphorisms. My favorite aphorism is when Morrie says, "Death ends a life, not a relationship." (p.174) In this aphorism Morrie is saying that if someone dies their life is over but the relationships that they had keep on going. In a way he is saying that once someone dies they live on in others hearts and minds. I enjoy thinking about this aphorism because it makes me less afraid of death because I know that I will live on in others hearts and minds.

          The aphorism, "Death ends a life, not a relationship" (p.174) reminds me of "Up" the movie by Pete Doctor. The reason I say this is because in the movie the older male character, even after his wife's death cherishes all of her possessions. For example after she is dead he continues his routine like he is still with her. To be more precise, he talks to her photograph and leaves her seat empty when he is drinking coffee in the morning. In other words the husband's wife died but the relationship they had kept going.

          I agree with the aphorism, "Death ends a life, not a relationship." (p.174) I say this because even after someone close dies you still can hear the voice in your head and the relationship you have with that person doesn't go away because you still love them. Another reason I agree it's this aphorism I because in book after Morrie (Mitch's very close friend) dies he still goes on and visits his grave to talk to him about what is going on. The exact words Mitch uses are, "I am now his eternal graduate student, coming back every fall, spring, and summer for he same class, over and over." (p. 195) In this quote he is basically saying he will be Morrie's everlasting student and his relationship will go on as he visits him every season (besides winter). 

Graphic: 

My aphorism: Your thoughts create reality

Example of logic behind my aphorism: If you think you won't make it past try outs then you will probably try less and make the outcome bad but if you're sure that you are going to make it past try outs then you will end up doing your best and succeeding. 

Socratic Seminar Morrie Reflection

Book: Tuesdays with Morrie

Author: Mitch Albom

Pages: 0-199 (End)

Prompts:

-Explain how the past four Socratic Seminars have influenced your thinking about Tuesdays with Morrie and life in general.

-What trends did you notice with yourself and your personal goals for each seminar? How did your personal goal(s) change and what did you actively do to change throughout our last four discussions?

-What trends did you notice with the class for each seminar? What did you notice that helped or hindered a specific seminar?

          The past four Socratic Seminars have influenced my thinking about Tuesdays with Morrie and life in general. The first Socratic Seminar started to get me to think, "How is this man that knows how is going to die soon, so optimistic?" I was thinking this way because be mentioned how he felt he was "Lucky" to be able to know that he is going to die, I also thought that I honestly would be very upset if I knew when I was going to die. By the fourth Socratic Seminar my thoughts completely changed, I even thought that Morrie was indeed lucky because he was able to say goodbye instead of just dying on the spot, like most people do. I also started to think after the fourth Socratic Seminar that others and I need to start helping our community because as Morrie explained, "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.” (43)

          I noticed a trend with myself and my personal goals for each seminar. At first I was simply wanting to share more of my ideas, but then later on I started wanting to draw other people in, and then be the one who changes the topic that has been over discussed. My personal goals helped me drive me to do better and better each seminar. For intance, the goal that I made to talk more helped me because for the next three seminars I was able to drive myself into sharing more ideas. What also helped was that I had my goal from the previous Seminar set down next to me so I can glance at it to know if I am meeting what I wanted to meet so far.

          I noticed a trend in the class during each seminar. At first a lot of people, including myself, were to shy to share their ideas. Every seminar after the first one almost everyone had ideas they wanted to share and the number of people participating went up every seminar. I also noticed that having a page number ready to back up your explanation really helped in the third and fourth seminar. I think having a page number helped because while you are explaining others can read what you are refering to and make a comment connecting to what you just said. 

Tuesdays with Morrie (Impact Blog)

Book: Tuesdays with Morrie

Author: Mitch Albom

Pages: 0-163

Prompt:

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 Tuesday that impacted me the most was the fifth Tuesday where Morrie and Mitch talk about family. I say this because in this Tuesday Morrie says, "Love eachother or perish" (91). This made me think of an instance where you either loved eachother or perished. I though of the instance where you get assigned partners that you do not like for a long term project. In this case if you don't learn to love and get along well with your partners then you and your partners will perish and get a bad final grade for getting nothing done.

          Another reason that the fifth Tuesday has impacted me the most is because it made me think about how valuable my family is. What made me think this is when Morrie says, "If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don't have much at all" (91). This made me think about how valuable my family is because when Morrie talks about the support you get from a family this reminded me that whenever I couldn't do something. And it also reminded me that whenever I couldn't do something my parents would show me support and how to do it better. Like reading a clock for instance, I used to struggle a lot in 1st grade when I tried to read a analog clock but after they saw my test results they helped me comprehend how to read the clock.

          My final reason that the fifth Tuesday has by far impacted me the most is because the way Morrie reacted when his children wanted to stop their lives to enjoy every last minute with their dad. Morrie said not to stop their lives, "Otherwise, this disease will have ruined three of us instead of one" (93). He is basically saying he doesn't want his children to suffer with him. This impacted me so much because he is looking out for his children when a large amount of the population would have rather had  their children by their side suffering while they battle death. Overall, this has been the most meaningful Tuesday because it has impacted and changed the way I think about family.

Bucket List Blog

Book: Tuesdays with Morrie

Author: Mitch Albom

Pages: 0-54

Prompt:

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.

          From what we have read so far I feel that Tuesdays with Morrie is going to be and is a very sad book. The thing I find great about this book is that it makes me think about the concept of life. Morrie even though he knows he is going to die he is completely positive. He even has a living funeral because he says that it is a waste if he is dead hearing all of the amazing things that his companions have to say. I also think it is really cool of Mitch to go visit his professor because it's always nice to visit someone rather than call them on the phone.

          An example of when this book made me think is when Morrie said, "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.” When Morrie says this I start to think that I need to devote my self more to the community around me. Another example of when this book made me think is when Morrie said, “...if you really want it, then you’ll make your dream happen.” This made me think that anything is possible and that everyone can follow their dreams, as long as they really and truly want it to happen. I think that as I read this book I will find more and more ways to live life better.

          A Bucket lists is a list of things you want to do before you die. Some of these things can be unrealistic like living with the sharks and some can be very real like shaking the presidents hand. While neither of those things are on my bucket list, here is my bucket list...

Bucket List

-get a high school diploma

-get a doctorate degree

-be an othopedic surgeon or orthodontist

-own an island

-own a rover on another planet

-own a planet

-win a big contest

-hike a volcano

-wear a life suit

-test drive an expensive car when I am 16-18

-find the cure to procrastination

-find a Netflix show nobody else knows about (so it won't be spoiled)

-fly in first class

-find a vending machine that takes twenties

-bungee jump off the golden state bridge

-sky dive like in the with 20 other people (like on the wii)

-win the lottery

-don't waste the lottery money on unecessary expenses

-go to Sydney with my family

-visit all 7 wonders of the world

-have no regrets

3rd Quarter Reflection

Prompts:

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

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

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

          I think I made my biggest improvements in English/LA this quarter in writing. This is because we wrote a arguementative essay. I felt that every draft that we revised my paper got better and using the TIQA strategy to write the paper help me practice that format. I also learned how to in text citate. I feel after writing this paper that I have been able to write more effectively and straight to the point.

          One thing that accomplished this quarter that I am proud of is doing my tasks when they are given. What I mean by this is that for example, an AoW is given on Monday and due on Thursday, I would do the AoW on Monday. I am proud of this because I learned to not wait until the last minute to do things because then I would stress out and write something that wasn't worth writing. Instead I have learned that if I do the assignment right away I find myself having more time and being more relaxed. This in a way adds on to my biggest improvement in writing because with more time I find myself going back and checking on my work.

          The most challenging part of third quarter has been writing the argumentative essay. This is because there were a lot of steps and I had to change some of my sources. To overcome this whenever I had some extra time at home I tried to look at my essay and I tried to revise it. I even put the essay into a website where they dictate what is written. At the end, the argumentative essay was the most challenging part of the third quarter.

Travel Team Blog 2

Book: Travel Team

Author: Mike Lupica

Pages: 259 - 304 (End)

Prompts:

-Describe your least favorite character and explain why. Describe your most

favorite character and explain why.

-If you could change what you read, how would you change it?

          My least favorite character is Danny's father, Richard Walker. I say this ebcause of the horrible influence he gave his son. He got into an acccident for being drunk while driving. The worst part is that Danny's father had the responsiblity of being coach for the travel team. This was a bad influence because Richard is basically showing many that it is ok to let loose and make others suffer for you. This was probally one of the more upsetting parts of the book.

          My most favorite character is Will Stoddard. I say this because he was Danny's best friend and he even joined the travel team because they needed another player to compete. I find this very kind and likeable because Will goes out of his way to dedicate himeself to this team for his friend, which most probally won't do. Will is also my favorite character because he never gave up on the team and left when they were doing bad, he pesevered with Danny. He also cheered Danny up when he felt down after a game or struggle like his father's accident.

          If I could change what I read, I would most likely change the ending. I say this because all books have rather happier endings. I would like to see a plot twist and read that the teams are tied and never could finish their game due to lack of time. This would have been intresting because then I would end the book making the readers wonder if Danny's team won or did the Warriors (other team) win. This would probally be a good lead into a second book.

Travel Team Blog

Book: Travel Team

Author: Mike Lupica

Pages: 0 - 258

Prompts:

-Describe the setting.

-Describe the major conflict. What side are you on?

-Describe the main characters.

Setting

          There were two main settings. Danny's house was one of the main settings. Danny practiced basketball in his driveway, all summer. He also hurt his shoulder on that court. He even texted his "girlfriend", Tess, from his room. Another main setting was where both travel teams played their final game, St. Patrick's gym. In this gym Danny practiced an played games.

Major Conflict

          The major conflict was the fact that Danny was cut from the seventh grade travel team for being to short. Too make it worse that was the team his dad previosult led to victory on ESPN. I feel this was unfair because he would have made a great point guard. I am sure that the team that cut him regretted it because his team ended up beating that team. This part of the book made me smile because you can see his succes after being shut down.

Here is small brief description of all of the main characters:

Danny Walker

Danny is the main character of this book. He is 4"8" and is 12 years old. He has sand colored hair and a small body. He is persevering, hopeful, and determined.

Richard Walker

Richard is Danny's father. He has big hand, sandy hair, and is 5"8". Without him making a second travel team for those who got cut from the first one, Danny would not have been so successful.

Ty Ross

Ty is one of Danny's friends. He quit the first travel team to play with Danny on the second team, even though Ty was the best basketball player in town.

Tess Hewitt

Tess is a very close friend of Danny's. She is always distracting Danny from the game but is very encouraging when it comes to when his father dies. She is Danny's "girlfriend" in the book.

Will Stoddard

Will is Danny's closest friend. He isn't all that good at basketball but he joined because without him the team would have been one player short.

Ali Walker

Ali is Danny's mom. She was the adult supervision on the bench. As you can tell she is a bit protective but she is also caring.

Jeff Ross

 Jeff Ross is the president of Middletown Basketball Association. He is Ty Ross' father. He is also a coach for the first travel team. He wasn't happy about Ty switching teams last minute. He is a very serious man.

Life is Beautiful Blog

Book: Night
By: Elie Wiesel
Pages: 0-112 (End)

Movie: Life is Beautiful

By: Roberto Benigni, 1997

Prompts:

-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? 

-Analyze how differences in points of view of characters create suspense or humor.

-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.

          There are many connections between the movie, Life is Beautiful, and the book, Night. One major connection I made was the father and son bond. In the movie the son was very young (looked like he was 6) and the father was trying to keep all the death and hard labor, starvation, etc. away from him. So the father, Guido, said it was a game and that you win points by hiding. This left me thinking of how much trust a little kid has and how he trusted his father. This connects with how Eliezer from Night cares for his dad. In the book Eliezer tells the guard, "'Please sir ... I’d like to be near my father.' 'All right. Your father will work here, next to you.' We were lucky." This connects to how Guido cared for his so by telling a lie so he wouldn't be scared, and also to later save his life.

The book was different than the movie with the fact that in the book Eliezer's family was pure Jewish as in the movie half of the family was Jewish and the rest was not. So they were two different situations. For example, the wife who was Jewish in the movie chose to go with the Jewish to the concentration camp, she did not have to go. On the other hand Eliezer's family was forced to go to the concentration camp and be separated by gender. This got my attention mainly due to the fact that the wife of Guido (in the movie) chose to go, and she did not have to because she was not Jewish. The only I think for sure is that Dora (Guido's wife) didn't know what she was getting herself into, but it was nice of her.

The movie and the book both had very similar moods. The only difference was the humorous beginning in the movie and small humorous hints throuout the rest of the movie. An example of humor from the movie is instead of hiding behind vase Guido decides to pick it up and cover his face with it to try not to be seen. But as soon as Guido and his family got onto the cattle cars the mood dropped from humorous and happy to dark and sad. The dark and sad part of the movie relates to the mood of the book. I know that the mood of Night is dark and sad because in just the second chapter if the book Eliezer narrates, "She received several blows to the head, blows that could have been lethal." This is negative because it shows someone being brutally hit and it is never correct to hit anyone for any reason. But as I said before there were some hits thoughout the movie of humor. An example is when Guido is serving  at the German dinner and his son is faking as a German boy so he can not talk othewise he will be caught and killed. Then, Guido's son accedently says "thank you." After that a German adult goes to fetch the one who takes care of the German kids and when he is doing that Guido teaches all of the kids to say "thank you" so by the time the German caretaker comes all of the Germankids are saying "thank you." I found this funny because the reaction on the caretakers face was priceless.

The point of view in both the movie and the book were different. In the book the point of view was from Eliezer. This made the book more sad and suspenseful because only he can tell you what happened next because it is his memoir. On the other hand the movie was from Guido's point of view. He was able to show how he was really funny when he fell in love. Then during the Holocaust became depressed but didn't want his boy to see through him and see that so he tried to still be playful. 

In the film Life is Beautiful life is shown as beautiful. I say this because in the film Dora (Guido's wife) gets on the train which is filled with Jewish in cattle cars. She does this to be with her family, the ones she loves. I find that this shows how life is beautiful because without someone you would feel lonely or even sad. Another reason I say life is beautiful is because in the film Guido reassured his wife that he was alive by playing music loudly out the window that they heard in an opera together. This made me think that life was shown as beautiful in the film because Guido cared so much for his wife that whenever he could he wanted to reassure his wife about his well being, so she would not worry.

"This is a picture of the DVD cover for Life is Beautiful"

Night Blog Post 2

Night
By: Elie Wiesel
Pages: 48-112 (End)

Prompt:

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

          -Identify at least two major changes, and 'prove' using textual evidence and interpretation, how Eliezer transforms by the end of his memoir.

Throughout the book Elie experiences some major changes in himself. One Major change Elie experienced was in his religious belief. In the beginning Elie narrates, "...I became convinced that Moishe the Beadle would help me enter eternity..." This shows how Elie was really into his religion and believed Moishe could help him enter eternity, at the time at least. Towards the end of the book we see some changes in Elie's beliefs. This is true because in the book Elie says, "And in spite of myself, a prayer formed inside me, a prayer to this God in whom I no longer believed." This shows how toward the end of the Holocaust Elie did not believe in God due to His lack of help.

          Another major change Elie experienced was his behavior towards his father. I see this to be true because in the beginning if the memoir Elie loved his family and never thought of being upset at them. But when Idek started to to beat up his dad he thought, "...I felt anger at that moment, it was not directed at the Kapo but at my father. Why couldn’t he have avoided Idek’s wrath?" This shows how Elie's behavior has changed towards his dad because of the concentration camps in the Holocaust. I can see why he was upset and he was just upset at the fact that his father was getting  hurt and he knew his father could defend himself.

           One last major change Elie experienced was probally when Elie he realizes that this traumatic event should be shared to prevent such actions from happening in the future. I say this because in Elie's "A God Who Remembers" he said, "anything received must be shared." This shows how after thinking about the Holocaust and what happened to him he realized that what happened need to be shared to help prevent something like the Holocaust from happening again. So basically he thought he needed to share his Holocaust experience for the better.

Night Blog Post

Night
By: Elie Wiesel
Pages: 0-46

Prompts:
1. How has the main character changed throughout the story?
2. Why do you think the author wrote this?
3. Write a quote from what you are reading that has meaning for you. Explain

why you chose this quote.

          The main character, Elie Wiesel, has changed a lot since the beginning of the story. For example, in the beginning of the story Elie was very interested in his religion. I know this because in the text Elie says, "...I became convinced that Moishe the Beadle would help me enter eternity..." (5). Later on Elie started to loose confidence in his religion. This is true because in the text Elie says, "As for me, I had ceased to pray. I concurred with job! I was not denying his existence, but I doubted His absolute justice" (45). This shows how is loosing confidence in his religion because he is doubting that what his god is doing is correct.

          I think Elie Wiesel wrote this book to show how horrific events from the Holocaust have scared him and other Jews for life. For example, when Elie sees innocent babies being thrown in a fire to burn is an event that he can never forget. Another event Elie probably will never forget is when he was numbered A-7713. I know that Elie was numbered because in the text he says, "I became A-7713. From then on, I had no other name." (42). Elie will also never forget watching his father get slapped just for asking to go to the bathroom. All of these instances are very traumatic but by him writing this memoir he helps young readers like me understand what is going on in a first person point of view.

          In the book I found a quote that had a lot of meaning. The quote is, "Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never." (34). This quote had a lot of meaning to me because Elie is basically saying that he will never forget these things that he has seen and that has happened to him for as long as he lives. I find this very meaningful because Elie is basically scared with traumatizing memories. He even says, "Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes... children thrown into flames. (Is it any wonder that ever since then, sleep tends to elude me?)" (32). This shows how traumatized he is because sleep tends to escape him.

Holocaust AoW Impressions Blog

          One thing I learned from the AoW gallery walk was how Holocaust survivors can relate to Syrian refugees. A way the Holocaust survivors relate to Syrian refugees is because they both share the same horrifying experience of running and hiding constantly to be safe. Now, Holocaust survivors feel sympathy towards these Syrian refugees and want to help by asking Israel to allow more refugees in. Basically, Israel says no but this won't stop these Holocaust survivors from helping these refugees who have the same hardships they did. I say this because more and more Holocaust survivors are becoming aware if the Syrian refugee crisis and want to help immediately.

          Another thing I learned from the AoW gallery walk was how a United States Nazi hunter has one last active case. His name is Eli Rossen Burn and he is believed to have found the last living Nazi. Eli Rossen Burn is going to put this Nazi on trial. The Nazi is 92 years old and may be to old to remember much of what happened. I believe that this case will be rather unfair do to the fact that that this Nazi has a few years left in his life.

Butterfly Thinglink Project

 
Pain Strikes Sparks On Me, The Pain Of Terezin
By: Anonymous

Fifteen beds. Fifteen charts with names,
Fifteen people without a family tree.
Fifteen bodies for whom torture is medicine and pills.
Beds over which the crimson blood of ages spills.
Fifteen bodies that want to live here.
Thirty eyes seeking quietness.
Bald heads that gape from out of the prison.
The holiness of the suffering, which is none of my business.

The loveliness of the air, which day after day
Smells of strangeness and carbolic.
The nurses that carry thermometers
Mothers who grope after a smile.
Food is such a luxury here.
A long, long night, and a brief day.

But anyway, I don't want to leave
The lighted rooms and the burning checks,
Nurses who leave behind them only a shadow
To help the little sufferers.

I'd like to stay here, a small patient,
Waiting the doctor's daily round,
Until, after a long, long time, I'd be well again.

Then I'd like to live
And go back home again.

I commented on The following blogs: Joseph H., Evie C., Rebecca T., and Justin R.

Berlin Memorial Blog

Prompts:

1- What did you learn?
2- Why do you think this monument was built?
3- What did you notice about the number of laws passed in certain years?
4- Which restrictions do you think you would have the most trouble dealing with and why?

          I learned about a lot about laws passsed against the Jews in Germay from 1933 to 1945. Today we were able to look at about seventy of the the laws. I learned that and noticed that there was a lot of laws passed between 1933-38 and they only got more and more strict as the years wet on. For example, in 1942 Jewish children were not allowed to go to school which is crazy. I beleive the city of Berlin built the lamppost memorial to show how Germany respects the Jewish now because Hitler clearly showed how Gemany didn't before. This memorial also shows what the Jewish lost in pictures, so the people can possibly reflect on what/how they would have done/felt.

          There was the most amount of laws passed in 1933, 1938, and 1942. I think there was a lot of laws passed in 1933 because that was the start of Adolf Hitler's rule as chancellor of Germany. There were lots of laws past in 1938 because this was the year of the "Night of Shattered Glass (Kristallnacht) and thousands of Jews were put in concentration camps. There was most likey a lot of laws passed in 1942 because war was ending soon and with these laws he started to take away the Jews' civil rights.

          Most of the unbearable laws/restrictions were passed in 1942. One of the laws passed that I would have not been able to deal with was that Jews were not allowed to have milk. I say ths because milk is an essential part of life you need milk in order to have healthy bones, I also drink milk every morning and for lunch. Another law passed that I would not have been able to deal with is having to turn in electrical appliances, bicycles, typewritters, and records. I would not be able to deal with this law because I enjoy riding my bike during the summer and without records I wouldn't be able to listen to music, this law would basically leave me with nothing to do because it is taking away all of the enternament I would have.

2nd Quarter Reflection Blog

Prompts:

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

-What is something you have accomplished since the new year that you are proud of?

-What has been the most challenging part of 2nd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?

-What have you learned about the world? 

In English Language Arts I felt I made my biggest improvement in TIQA format. I learned that the introduction to your quote should give some background knowledge prefacing the quote. I also learned how your quote should not be longer than your analysis. If your quote is longer than your analysis than your analysis is most likely missing something. My biggest improvement was in TIQA format because I was able to expand on my knowledge about the "T," the "I," the "Q," and the "A."

Something that I have accomplished in the new year is time management. I say this because I used to do my homework when I came back from practice (9pm) but know I am trying to finish it before I go to practice (7pm). This has really helped me perform better in school and get more work done. This also let me do better while doing my homework because it is easier to do homework while your awake and have it fresh in your mind, than when you are tired and sleepy. Overall, this was a big accomplishment for me because I was able to do better academically.

The most challenging part of second quarter had been keeping up with the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. This was really challenging because reading two chapters a night was hard. Soon I started to enjoy the book and I was wanting to read ahead and have the next day be easier than the last. I was able to get through the book with ease after the first part. The main reason I started getting into the book was due to the group discussions we had as a class and with our partner.

During the second quarter I learned about an attack that happened in Paris. On 11/13/15 ISIS attacked Paris, France. It was casual Friday night for the civilians of Paris until ISIS appeared and was killing random civilians. One hundred and thirty-two people were found dead and over three hundred and fifty were injured. Due to this attack the Unites States are being more mindful of the refugees they let into America. Another outcome is that the United States was able to protect other places from these kind of attacks due to a message ISIS gave. 

TKAM Comparative Analysis Blog 1/19/16

Book: To Kill a Mockingbird

Author: Harper Lee

Pages: 0 - 232 (End)

Prompts:

1.  What do you think is the most important difference between the written and filmed version? Provide evidence with specific details.

2. How would you prove or disprove that one version of To Kill A Mockingbird is more affective in delivering its message than the other? Be sure to provide specific pieces of evidence to support your opinion.

The most important difference between the written and filmed version is Boo Radley plot (Part 1 of the book) is taken out. When Atticus sees a blanket on Scout he said to thank Boo Radley he also says, "You were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put the blanket around you." This quote shows how Boo Radley put a blanket on Scout without Scout realizing because he cared about Scout. This example is a major difference between the filmed version and in the book because it shows how Boo Radley isn't exactly how he was poorly described in the beginning, instead we see he is kind. This is different than in the film because when we see Boo Radley in the film we still assume he is a horrible person but with this quote from the book we can clearly see he is not.

The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, was better at delivering its messages than its film. A message the book delivers better than the film is coming of age. Scout says (in Part 2 of the book), "He was difficult to live with, inconsistent, moody." This quote shows how Jem was changing as he grew older. This message is not shown very well in the movie because we can't see Jem age because the film makers cut out a big part of the Boo Radley Plot and only show what happened in less than a year.

Another message the book delivers better than the film is courage. In the book after Mrs. Dubose dies Atticus explains to Jem and Scout, "I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew." In this quote Atticus is telling the children what courage really means and that Mrs. Dubose died by age at the end, instead of morphine. This message is not in the film because there is only one interaction with Mrs. Dubose. This message was better delivered in the book because it isn't delivered at all in the film.