Lakshmi has an amazing will power to keep on going even though she does have moments where she feels hopeless. Laksmhi shows that even if you loose hope if you keep on going things could get better. She is an inspiration because her situation is a very bad one, and if she can keep on going through a hard time so can someone else. In some parts of the book she sounds hopeless but the fact she kept on going is inspirational.
"It feels like it was the end of the world, if only it were"
It sounds as though Lakshmi has given up all hope. She felt as though everything had fallen apart, and there was no way out of this horrible life that she was now living. Her not wanting to live can be understandable when you look at the situation she was in, but the main point is that even when she was at her lowest she kept on going.
Lakshmi is an inspiration because many people give up when they reach a certain point, and the fact that she was able to continue on is amazing. People can relate to her with the struggle to want to keep on going, but many people are not in a situation as horrible as hers. Maybe when people read this book they will realize that there are people out there in worst situations then their own. Maybe they will see that their problem is not the end of the world, and doing something crazy like taking your life or wanting to die is unnecessary, because there are people out there who can understand and relate to them. Lakshmi is a real inspiration to people who read this book, and that is why i would recommend it.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Sold
I am reading Sold by Patricia McCormick, a book about a young girl named Lakshmi who is sold as a sex slave to pay for her family's roof to be fixed. Lakshmi learns many things along her journey. She learns that the world is not the place she ever though it could be. She looses her innocence and accepts it, but still wishes she could be a normal child again.
One lesson that Lakshmi learns is that everyone isn't always the person that they say they are. She learns that the world is a cruel place. When Lakshmi sees a cop come into the "Happy House" (where the enslaved women are kept) she wonders why he wouldn't let them all go. She sees that the owner of the Happy House bribes the cop to turn his head on what he sees, and not tell anyone that the house is there.
"I don't understand this city. It is full of so many bad people. Even the people that are supposed to be good."
Lakshmi learned that once she left her town everything was different. People weren't friendly or nice. Everyone isn't who they say they are.
Another lesson that she learned was that in rough times, you must keep on going. If you give up it will show your weakness. If you keep on going you will gain from it. The things she gets through will just make her stronger. When Mumtaz (the woman who runs the Happy House) starves and beats Lakshmi, she gets frustrated because Lakshmi doesn't complain. She doesn't give in.
"Mumtaz, with her doughy waist and fat mango face,
doesn't know the match she's met in me."
She gains knowledge that people might not always be nice, but when you give into them it is just letting them win.
Lakshmi learns many things from her experiences. She had to get used to a new world. She lost her innocence and was forced to grow up fast. She wants to be a normal child, but knows that it is practically impossible. She has hope that she might be able to get out of the house and back to her home. After all the hardships, she is still able to have hope, and this is what helps her mature. She looses her innocence but keeps her integrity by never giving up.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Ozone Layer
In the past year, the ozone layer has reached an all time thin. Scientists started to realize that in certain areas on the planet there are holes in the ozone layer. The holes are areas where the ozone layer is so thinned out it is barely there. The thinning is affecting the planet in a negative way. This article tought me things I never knew about the ozone layer, and the earth before.
One thing that I learned was that the ozone layer changes at all different times of the year. It has different layers. In the higher layers it is thicker.
Sometimes the ozone layer is thicker or thinner then other times.
"The ozone’s thickest portion is high up in a section known as the stratosphere. The thickness of the ozone layer changes throughout the year; sometimes there’s more ozone and sometimes less."
Another thing I learned was that the ozone layer is thinner than ever before. And it's changing in all different places. "Ozone over northern regions doesn’t decrease as much as ozone over Antarctica. In the new study, however, the scientists say that in 2011, the Arctic drop in ozone started to look similar to Antarctica’s." This shows that the ozone thickness is changing all over. The change in the ozone might not be that significant in one place in particular, but if it's changing in other places it will still affect everyone.
I took away many things from this article, but besides the facts, I was able to learn that the ozone layer can be repaired. Maybe it can't be prepared with a hammer and tape, but it can get thicker of we help out our environment. Its not really in our control, but I learned that the ozone layer can thin out,and we are careless it will get worse.
The article i read and quoted is:
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/10/ozone-hits-a-new-low/
(Ozone hits a new low,
Scientists discover a major thinning in the protective atmosphere over Arctic.)
One thing that I learned was that the ozone layer changes at all different times of the year. It has different layers. In the higher layers it is thicker.
Sometimes the ozone layer is thicker or thinner then other times.
"The ozone’s thickest portion is high up in a section known as the stratosphere. The thickness of the ozone layer changes throughout the year; sometimes there’s more ozone and sometimes less."
Another thing I learned was that the ozone layer is thinner than ever before. And it's changing in all different places. "Ozone over northern regions doesn’t decrease as much as ozone over Antarctica. In the new study, however, the scientists say that in 2011, the Arctic drop in ozone started to look similar to Antarctica’s." This shows that the ozone thickness is changing all over. The change in the ozone might not be that significant in one place in particular, but if it's changing in other places it will still affect everyone.
I took away many things from this article, but besides the facts, I was able to learn that the ozone layer can be repaired. Maybe it can't be prepared with a hammer and tape, but it can get thicker of we help out our environment. Its not really in our control, but I learned that the ozone layer can thin out,and we are careless it will get worse.
The article i read and quoted is:
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/10/ozone-hits-a-new-low/
(Ozone hits a new low,
Scientists discover a major thinning in the protective atmosphere over Arctic.)
Plageriazing
What The student that wrote the Starry Night response did wrong was the didn't source where they got their information. They just copied and pasted someone else's work. They were plageriazing. The reason you shouldn't plageriaze is because you are stealing someone else's work, which is unfair to whoever really wrote that you copied. Plageriazing is illegal, and it just shouldn't be done.
What the student could have done to site the source and not plageriaze is use quotation marks, and siting where you got the information from.
An example of what the student could have done to site the source and not plageriaze is:
"The stars in the night sky are surrounded with their own orb of light, and a bright crescent moon. Although the features are exaggerated, this is a scene we can all relate to, and also one that most individuals feel comfortable and at ease with." -(www.vangoghgallery.com
article: "A Brief Understanding of the Starry Night Paintings")
There are 3 ways to avoid plageriazing.
One, always use quotation marks to seperate your work from the quote.
Two, after you use the quotation marks, use parenthesis to write the source, and where you got the quote.
Three, you could paraphrase what the quote says. Take what you see and put in into your own words.
What the student could have done to site the source and not plageriaze is use quotation marks, and siting where you got the information from.
An example of what the student could have done to site the source and not plageriaze is:
"The stars in the night sky are surrounded with their own orb of light, and a bright crescent moon. Although the features are exaggerated, this is a scene we can all relate to, and also one that most individuals feel comfortable and at ease with." -(www.vangoghgallery.com
article: "A Brief Understanding of the Starry Night Paintings")
There are 3 ways to avoid plageriazing.
One, always use quotation marks to seperate your work from the quote.
Two, after you use the quotation marks, use parenthesis to write the source, and where you got the quote.
Three, you could paraphrase what the quote says. Take what you see and put in into your own words.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Blogs I liked
The 2 blog posts that I chose to write about were Joyce's blog post on the Hunger Games, and Jamila's blog post on Starry Night by Tupac.
In Joyce's blog post, she did a great job of comparing the 2 characters. You could tell that she had been thinking about the questions she was asking in her own righting. I really liked how she added which character she was rooting for and why. Also in the intro of her post, she wrote like she was talking to the reader. She also asked them a thought provoking question before she wrote about the characters. I liked that she gave her opinion on the 2 characters, and how she asked the reader of her post questions. The post was really well written, and I enjoyed reading it.
In Jamila's blog post , I really like how she started her intro paragraph. She wrote an opening sentence that explained what she was going to be writing about. I like how she broke down the different parts of the song, and put the lyrics in her own words. I like how she used the lyrics as a sort of evidence to support her idea of the song. You can tell that she really read through the lyrics and really thought about what she was writing.
There are many good writing techniques that I picked up from Joyce and Jamila's writing. There are some things that I would like to try out in my writing. I might try comparing 2 of my characters in my book like Joyce did. I also might add a little bit of my opinion without pushing my ideas too much like Joyce did. I also might try opening my response with a strong sentence that states what I am going to write about like Jamila did. I really enjoyed reading both of those blog posts, and will try out some of the techniques in my own writing.
In Joyce's blog post, she did a great job of comparing the 2 characters. You could tell that she had been thinking about the questions she was asking in her own righting. I really liked how she added which character she was rooting for and why. Also in the intro of her post, she wrote like she was talking to the reader. She also asked them a thought provoking question before she wrote about the characters. I liked that she gave her opinion on the 2 characters, and how she asked the reader of her post questions. The post was really well written, and I enjoyed reading it.
In Jamila's blog post , I really like how she started her intro paragraph. She wrote an opening sentence that explained what she was going to be writing about. I like how she broke down the different parts of the song, and put the lyrics in her own words. I like how she used the lyrics as a sort of evidence to support her idea of the song. You can tell that she really read through the lyrics and really thought about what she was writing.
There are many good writing techniques that I picked up from Joyce and Jamila's writing. There are some things that I would like to try out in my writing. I might try comparing 2 of my characters in my book like Joyce did. I also might add a little bit of my opinion without pushing my ideas too much like Joyce did. I also might try opening my response with a strong sentence that states what I am going to write about like Jamila did. I really enjoyed reading both of those blog posts, and will try out some of the techniques in my own writing.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Much Ado About Nothing
I really enjoyed seeing the play Much Ado About Nothing.
There were many things I enjoyed about the play. I thought it was a really good idea to put the setting of the play in the 1920's. That made the play more interesting. I think it also made the play more understandable.
Another thing I liked about the play was that the actors actually sort of interacted with the audience. Even at some points they would walk right through the seats. That made the scenes funny. They did things that made the situations more comical, which made the play more interesting.
Much Ado About Nothing was also really interesting because of the set. The set and costumes are really cool, and it made me more interested in the play.
I really liked the characters. The actress that played Beatrice played her character really well. I felt like I knew her character, that just showed me that she really understood and portrayed her character really well.
It honestly wasn't as boring as I thought it would be. When I thought of Shakespeare I always imagined these really long boring plays, but his plays are actually interesting. The play Much Ado About Nothing showed me that his plays are still able to be connected to things that happen today. I realized that his work is timeless. The play was really good , and helped me see Shakespeare in a new way.
I would defiantly recommend this play to a friend.
There were many things I enjoyed about the play. I thought it was a really good idea to put the setting of the play in the 1920's. That made the play more interesting. I think it also made the play more understandable.
Another thing I liked about the play was that the actors actually sort of interacted with the audience. Even at some points they would walk right through the seats. That made the scenes funny. They did things that made the situations more comical, which made the play more interesting.
Much Ado About Nothing was also really interesting because of the set. The set and costumes are really cool, and it made me more interested in the play.
I really liked the characters. The actress that played Beatrice played her character really well. I felt like I knew her character, that just showed me that she really understood and portrayed her character really well.
It honestly wasn't as boring as I thought it would be. When I thought of Shakespeare I always imagined these really long boring plays, but his plays are actually interesting. The play Much Ado About Nothing showed me that his plays are still able to be connected to things that happen today. I realized that his work is timeless. The play was really good , and helped me see Shakespeare in a new way.
I would defiantly recommend this play to a friend.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Letter
Dear Friend Person,
I just started reading Romeo and Juliet in class. So far what we learned was that Romeo and Juliet's families are rivals. Although they are both the same social status, they hate each other. Romeo is in love with a girl that doesn't love him back. He is very unhappy, so all his friends are suggesting him to go out and look for another girl.
The way Shakespeare wrote was really interesting. Well, it can also get confusing. Luckily there are these pages that help you decipher what he is saying. Since he uses a lot of puns, and jokes that can be hard to understand, you might need to re-read the lines to understand what he means. Because although there are the pages to help you understand what the words mean, you might need a dictionary close by. I do understand what most of the book is saying though.
Reading Shakespeare is defiantly something new, and I think that it's important that we are reading it because it's a new experience.
- Alyssa
I just started reading Romeo and Juliet in class. So far what we learned was that Romeo and Juliet's families are rivals. Although they are both the same social status, they hate each other. Romeo is in love with a girl that doesn't love him back. He is very unhappy, so all his friends are suggesting him to go out and look for another girl.
The way Shakespeare wrote was really interesting. Well, it can also get confusing. Luckily there are these pages that help you decipher what he is saying. Since he uses a lot of puns, and jokes that can be hard to understand, you might need to re-read the lines to understand what he means. Because although there are the pages to help you understand what the words mean, you might need a dictionary close by. I do understand what most of the book is saying though.
Reading Shakespeare is defiantly something new, and I think that it's important that we are reading it because it's a new experience.
- Alyssa
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