Poetry Response

     The poem I chose for today is, "I was Walking in a Circle" by Jack Prelutsky. In order for you to read this, I have to write it like this.

     This poem is about this guy who is walking in a circle, who found a paper that said the exact same thing what he was thinking. It is one of the funny poems since it continues on, and on, and on, and on, and on. What this poem is about would make a whole lot of sense one you read the whole thing. This is just a poem with no meaning whatsoever. So, the reason why the author wrote this poem is poem is just to make someone laugh. If they are having a bad day, just get dizzy reading a funny poem written by Jack.

     When I visualize this poem. I think of a simple clumsy man who wrote this poem, and dropped it on the floor. He looks far and wide until he found it while walking in a circle. I think this is how Jack Prelutsky got his idea. It is a pretty catchy poem if you memorized it. Thanks to that man, Jack has made one of my ll time favorite poems.

     This poem has a connection to one specific type of writing, a Shel Silverstein poem. Jack has that humorous writing style just like the one Shel has. Their writing is similar, and sometimes does not make sense. Yet again, this is a kids poem. When reading this, it sounds like a Shel Silverstein poem, but it is just Jack's. This also relates to my life. I was really walking in a circle and noticed a piece a paper. I picked it up and realized it was a receipt. It was really funny since this poem is almost the exact thing that happened to me.

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Quarter 2 Reflections

Prompt: Reflect on the 2nd Quarter.

     People say that 7th Grade is a big change from learning experiences. You might have more homework to do, not enough sleep, or just fooling around in general. 2nd Quarter just ended and I have learned a lot, especially in English Language Arts. I feel like I have made most improvements on is studying. Studying for test weekly to be exact. Since I have a vocabulary test almost every week, I have learned new strategies on how to memorize them. This skill helps me study other test such as the Constitution that is coming up. For that reason, I have made improvements on tests as well in ELA.

     One of the things that I am most proud of since the new year is my banned books research. Besides my grades, the banned books research was my favorite and my best. the video I worked on got good reviews and was out of the ordinary. I was really into the research that time and enjoyed the process of animation. That is one of the many I am most proud of since the new year.

     One of the most challenging part if 2nd Quarter is Time Management. I believe I had this last quarter too. Since I am in many clubs and get out at school at 5, homework was a big struggle. Sometimes, I have to go to Boy Scouts, then an event, I hardly have time to do homework. So, what I have been doing to overcome this is by efficiency time based. I get rid of all distractions, such as a Phone, TV, and Siblings, and start working. Keep on looking at the time to hurry up the process and have little breaks. That case, I can finish my homework before the computer turns off at ten.

     When you look back in the good old days, which was about 3 past months, you can see hard work, fun, and memories. we had an amazing time during our Christmas party and hard work in our Censorship Essay. Looking back really says, it's over. In other words, it has been good.

     

Book Talk

Powerless

By Matthew Cody

Page 148 - 277

     The book I am currently reading is Powerless, by Matthew Cody. This takes place in a quite simple town named Noble Green. This town claims that it is the safest town on Earth. Daniel, being all moody, complains that it is too good to be true, but that is in only the beginning. Daniel shows adventurous, loyal, and determined type of character later in the book.

     Surprisingly, the conflict is not from the main character, it is actually from other characters. Those characters are super-humans with unnatural abilities. Once they turn thirteen, their superpower is gone. These super-humans need Daniel's help to get to the bottom of this. For that, this book gives an exciting mood to add on to the story.

     One of the themes the book gives is one of the inspiring ones, to be honest. The theme is, You don't need powers to be a hero. So, the author is trying to teach the reader that even though you don't have the ability to fly, or able to walk through walls, you can still help citizens no matter what. Daniel is the perfect example for this theme.

     When I saw this book, I did not realize how amazing the book can be. I sort of judged the book by its cover in a way since I thought it was a comic book. Once you start reading, you instantly get interested and keep on going. It is different, yeah, it's different, which makes it unique, out of the ordinary, which is why I love this book.

     What I remember the most about this book is when Daniel witnessed a superhero's power got lost. This made Daniel see this character in a different way and made me remember this part so much.

     I recommend this book to someone who really does not believe in comic books. Why I feel they do not like comic books is because they can be too graphic, too easy, or just a quick story that can easily be read in one sit. This book is less of a comic book and more of a novel. That is why I recommend this book to those selected readers.

     You should go and read this book. You will be surprised how this author brought the elements of a comic book into a real, chapter book. You can see how each character treats each other clearly and how they act (with each other). You should (also) go get this book because there are superheroes! If you are interested in superheroes and too old for the old comics, go ahead and get this book.

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Nonfiction Blog 12/17/15

The Murder of King Tut
By James Patterson and Martin Dugard
Prompt: Do you like what you're reading? Why or why not?
Pretend you are a famous reporter on TV. Wrote a story about what you've read for the evening news.

Pages 30 - 331

Started

     The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson and Martin Dugard is focusing on King Tut and his death. This story goes back to Ancient Egypt, which interests me. For that reason, I do like what I am reading. Ancient times is where people believe in gods. Gods that have specific jobs and looks. Getting to know King Tut more and what he did during that time, he seems like a God himself. Reading through his lifetime seems pretty interesting based on certain events. While going back to present day, King Tut still ihas an unknown death. Which leads me to my second reason. 

     If you know me, I love mystery books. So happens to be that the book, The Murder of King Tut, is a mystery book as well. Finding out the mystery of King Tut's death and learning history at the same time, it is a win-win. One of the mysteries is that Carter, the man who discovered King Tut's chamber, didn't find Tut's skeleton. He was there, but it wasn't in his tomb. Another mystery, that still lives on today, how did King Tut die? That sort of stuff really grabs me in. So, for that reason, I do like what I am reading.

T.V. News Reporter

     Thank you Chad! I'm here in the Valley of Kings located in egypt where they found something particular. Thousands of years ago, a man named Kng tut was put to rest deep below the sand. It has been a mystery on how he died. Years later, A man named Carter flew off a horse and landed near the entrance of King Tut's Burial Chamber. He enters and finds the tomb of King Tut. King Tut has several tombs, including a solid gold one. Carter opens up the tumbs to find nothing. King Tut's skeleton has dissapeared. Years later, it has been found. Carter has become famous on his discovery. Today, people are still looking for clues on how he died. Back to you!

Blog of the Week 11/30/15

Prompt: Exploring Nonfiction Reader Response

The Murder of King Tut 

By James Patterson and Martin Dugard

Pages 30 - 331

Started

      "The Murder of King Tut," by James Patterson and Martin Dugard is about the mystery of King Tut. King Tut was an Egyptian Pharaoh who was mysteriously killed by an unknown person or disease. King Tut was rested in a Burial Chamber underground near the Valley of Kings . He was sealed with 3 tombs and a solid gold tomb as the final layer. Carter, the person who discovered the Burial Chamber, tries to uncover the mystery of King Tut. 

      A part of the story really caught my eye. That part of the story is, "It had been almost two years since Carter had been thrown from his horse far out in the desert. That lucky fall had changed his life. He had landed hard on the stony soil but was amazed to find himself peering at a deep cleft in the ground." That part of the story was my favorite. This is where the whole story started. Without Carter, the tomb would probably wouldn't be found. Plus, this is where the predictions come in hand and start to read much faster. That is why I chose this part of the story as my favorite.

      This book has taught me a few things. Some are about life and history. Ancient Egypt wasn't really about the Pharaohs and pyramids. Ancient Egypt was about the events that occurred during ancient times. I never know that King Tut was killed by an unknown thing! Ancient Egypt can be a very interesting place and very mysterious. You know how I am with mysteries. back in modern times, we are still trying to uncover the secret of King Tut and his death. So, over 2000 years, the murder of King Tut is still alive today, while King Tut is sitting in his little coffin enjoying life. 

Note* This book is nonfiction. James said in his "About Author" section that he did huge amount of research. No part of the book is just a fictional story.

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Blog of the Week 11/11/15

 Prompt: Theme

Flush by Carl Hiaasen

Page 263-263

Finished

     In the book, Flush by Carl Hiaasen, theme develops by character, conflict, and plot events. Throughout the whole story, theme develops. Some of the themes are abuse of power. You will learn different characters, which are loving or hateful, could develop theme with their abilities and their power.

     Before I can tell you about the themes in Flush, here is a summary about the book. A kid named Noah Underwood has a dad who got accused for sinking a ship. It was not his fault though. Noah and his dad knew the sneaky things the ship was doing, which is called the Coral Queen. Noah has to face Dusty and create a plan to defeat him to get his dad's name cleared.

     The book has this character called Dusty Muleman was polluting the ocean, which is the person running the Coral Queen, who has abuse of power. This character is stopping Noah to solve this case. The reason why is because he owns the government, the fire department, and the police. He can't go to the police since they are friends with him, which is a challenge for Noah. Since Dusty runs the whole city, he abuses his power and does illegal activities without getting in trouble. After 263 pages of Noah running around like a chicken with his head cut off, he pulls it off and Dusty got into major trouble. Dusty developed a universal theme. As you can see, theme can be developed by conflict and character.

     Another theme developed is family by plot events. Every time Noah and his family try to rattle out Dusty, Noah and his family loved each other more than ever. Noah and his sister bonded. Now they are very close with each other. Each event they hit, more family time is spent. Once they got the family back together, they were unstoppable. So, maybe each time a problem arises, it would be a good thing to involve your family. They would work together and get along very easily.

     As you can see, theme can develop throughout many different ways. Characters, conflict, and plot can do with theme development. Some themes are love, faith, nature, and more. Every book has a theme, which is a message about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader.

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1st Quarter Reflection

     Being a 7th grader that excels in classes can be tough. You have loads of homework, along with a yearlong challenge on the other hand. That is not all. You have to learn strategies to be organized frequently and to get your work done. Having an accelerated class can be challenging, but that is the main point. You will be surprised how much I learned in ELA in just 1 quarter, which is about 2 months worth of 88-minute classes each day.

     A challenge came up during the beginning of school.  The challenge was to read 40 books in a whole school year. For the challenge, you have to read certain types of books to complete it. Today, I read 3 1/2 books this year, which is not a lot. I have been very busy with homework that I haven't had that much time to read. Powerless by Matthew Cody is the one holding me back. This taught me how to keep track of time. There, you can finish your homework before the clock strikes 10:00 PM, which is when the computer turns off.

     Blogs of mine had a big increase over the weeks. Reading books with new vocabulary can cause better writing style and diction. Before, I was so discombobulated about the word diction, along with the word discombobulated. I have written more often and thinking about having a journal at home to write down my thoughts. This relates to my challenge and affecting the way that I write. I think about the benefits on what to add to blogs to make it even better than before. I've decided to go over the limit of 3 paragraphs to make my blog more descriptive.

     Strategies are huge in 7th Grade. Time management and organization should be 2nd nature by now. Annotating is now easier; all I have to do is write down what I think to help me understand the article more. Spending a number of free time effects how my homework is done, which the maximum is 1 hour for me, until I finish. Using folders in your advantage to stay organize and avoid losing files. These strategies had big impacts on how my homework is done and how I should do it.

     As you can see, being a 7th Grader learns a lot in only 2 months. Every day, homework stacks each day with other things as well. All that work is worth it. You really have to manage life to exceed life. Memory plays a lot, which is why we always learn to strengthen our memory. Thank you Mrs. Larson, thank you.