Article of the Week 2/26/15

AoW
2/26/15

The article, “Gaming makes kids physically fit? New research says yes. Maybe.” By Newsela Staff discusses how video games are good and not bad for you. The article states that video games help with social skills, health, and violence control. In fact, people playing as a bad guy in shooter games felt guilty. Although, video games aren’t as effective with these things compared to other activities. 

         The author’s purpose is to inform the reader. The author wants to inform the reader that video games are good for your body and mind. While reading the reader can learn, “Noah began to play ‘Minecraft’ and other games for hours at a time…Noah, who has Asperger’s syndrome, a disability that affects social skills, started becoming more open to the world.” Showing that video games can help with disorders. Also, the reader can learn first-person games help with vision and attention span.

         I think this is important for the world to hear because this can clear up many misconceptions about video games and health. Parents think that gaming could be very unhealthy and bad for the brain, but surprisingly gaming is way more healthy than unhealthy for you. For instance, people think gaming leads to obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle. This is false and actually more time playing video games is healthier than playing less.

Prefrontal
Denotation: In or relating to the foremost part of the frontal lobe of the brain
Connotation: Neutral

The Boy on the Wooden Box 1/26/15

The Boy on the Wooden Box
Author: Leon Leyson
Pages:196-240(end)
Prompts: 1) What is the mood of what you're reading (happy, sad, funny, serious, etc.)? Defend your idea. 2) What has been the most important part of what you've been reading 3) What was going through your mind as you read?

        The mood of this book is serious and sad. The mood is serious because the Holocaust was a very serious time. Millions of people suffered and died during this time. This mood is sad because you see Leon and his family suffer during this time. You can see how having somebody taken away affects them in such a negative way. Also, you see how what happens around them affects them in a really negative way, too.

        The most important part of this book in Schindler's Lists. This is the most important part of the book because it saves Leon and his family. Without this list Leon might have been shot by the brutal Nazi soldiers. The list allowed him to leave and get away from the harsh conditions. Also, this list allowed Leon to be reunited with his family. His whole family was on this list, so he got to see his mother and sister again and got to stay with his father and brother.

       
        While reading I was thinking about what will happen next. More specifically I was thinking about what will Leon and his family do next to keep surviving. For instance, they face starvation, so I thought will they sneak the food from their jobs to bring home. I also think about if they will get shot in the street and how will they avoid the Nazi soldiers.

The Boy on the Wooden Box 1/19/15

The Boy on the Wooden Box
Author: Leon Leyson
Pages: 81-196
Prompts: 1) What surprises you in this story? Explain why. 2) What emotions did you feel while you read? Give details from your reading that made you feel that way.

Spoiler Alert!

        Oskar Schindler, a Nazi surprises me in The Boy on the Wooden Box. What I found surprising in him is how much he cared for his workers. Oskar owned a factory where the Jews worked. Most owners were really mean to their workers but Oskar wasn't. He was more understanding of the workers and their hardships. If they started to fall asleep during work he would just remind them to stay awake. Other owners would punish the workers. Oskar also protected and looked out for his workers. In one situation, he stopped Nazi soldiers from killing his workers by bribing them.  He had feelings unlike the other owners.

        In reading this book I felt sympathy for Leon. He had to endure so many cruel things and he was only a child. For instance, he watched as his father got beat by the Nazis and then taken away to a jail.  His brother was also taken from him, he was sent to a concentration camp. He was left with only his mother, sister, and his other brother. He also had to face hunger because food was scarce for the Jews. At times, Leon was given an extra slice of bread at work. He would bring it home and share the one slice with his entire family. Leon and his family had to share a room that was separated with a curtain with another large family.

        I also started to feel anger while reading the book. I was angry at the Nazis and how they mistreated Leon and the Jews. They would walk into peoples homes and their jobs then kill them for absolutely no reason. They actually thought it was fun. Leon came very close to death at one point. He went to an infirmary due to a leg injury. He was treated then decided to leave because he felt better. Minutes after he left, Nazis walked in the same infirmary and killed all the patients. I was also upset when I read that his friends/neighbors started to hate him all because of his religion. That is so unfair.

The Boy on the Wooden Box 1/12/15

The Boy on the Wooden Box
Author: Leon Leyson
Pages: 1 - 81
Prompts: 1) Do you like what you're reading? Why or why not? 2) What are two emotions the main character felt? What made the main character feel that way?

        I really enjoyed reading this book because I like learning about the Holocaust and history/wars in general. From what I read so far this book gives me new and additional information about the Holocaust. For instance, I didn't know that the Jews were forced to move from their original homes. I also learned about the many struggles of the people and their families.

       I love the fact that the book is written from a persons perspective allowing me to see the events from a kids point of view. I learned about the struggles that Leon went through. For instance, he faced constant fear, hunger and not being able to see his friends. He always had to watch what he did because of the strict rules the Nazis had. For example, they weren't allowed outside after a certain time unless you were working.

        The main character felt betrayal and sadness. He felt those two emotions for the same reason. Before the Nazis invaded Poland, Leon's friends all loved him. However, once Hitler stated that the Jews were evil, his non Jewish friends and neighbors began to hate him. They started ignoring him which made him feel like they betrayed him. Leon was sad because he had to make new friends, Jewish ones.  He wished he could still talk to his old friends.

Poetry Response 2/16/15

Poetry Response
2/16/15

        The poem that I chose to talk about is "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins. This poem is about how people try to understand a poem. The narrator asks "them" to do several things with a poem. Then explains what they really do. The narrators says "I want them to waterski across the surface of the poem waving at the author's name on the shore." Then says "But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means." I think Billy Collins wrote this poem to show that people just look for the message of the poem and don't really embrace it. I also think he wanted readers to look deeper into the contents of the poem.


        I think this poem would be a text to self poem because people can relate to it. I can easily relate because I too just looked for the message and didn't connect to it. This poem reminds me of Dr. Seuss's writings. The connection between the two is the imagination they both use in their writings. 

Billy Collins

Introduction to Poetry

I ask them to take a poem

and hold it up to the light

like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem

and watch him probe his way out,

or walk inside the poem's room

and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski

across the surface of a poem

waving at the author's name on the shore.

But all they want to do

is tie the poem to a chair with rope

and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose

to find out what it really means.

Global Collaboration Reflection 2/20/15

Global Collaboration Reflection

2/20/15

        My level of global awareness before 7th grade wasn't high. Before my class got our Swedish and Indian pen pals, I learned about different countries through the articles of the the week, the news, and the radio. From all those I mainly heard about the negative things that are happening in those countries. With seeing the videos I noticed that at our Swedish pen pals school they wear socks and not shoes in their school. Also, that in India they have a tag like sport called Kho Kho.

        My perspective changed a lot about other cultures from the collaborations. I thought their schools would be really different, but there isn't that many differences. In Sweden they don't have to wear uniforms and they have two playgrounds and have two break periods/ recess. We have to wear uniforms and we don't a recess/ a break period. There are similarities with our pen pals, too. For instance, in India they do have to wear a uniform like us. 

        The interesting and shocking thing I saw was that in Sweden they don't wear shoes, but they wear socks. It sounds really weird to me because we wear shoes in our school, but it probably isn't weird to them. I wonder if they don't wear shoes in every school in Sweden or is it just their school? I also wonder if they have to wear socks or if it's their choice?

I commented on John Z., Jared A., and Jeremiah T.'s blog.

Alabama Moon 2/16/15

Alabama Moon
By: Watt Key
Pages: 87-160
Prompts: 1) Analyze how your feelings change about a character as you read this story and why. 2) What was going through your mind as you read?

        While in jail, Moon meets a boy named Hal. You may a have a bad impression of Hal, but that could change throughout the book. Hal does and says many things in the book that could make you think of him in many different ways. For instance, you might see him as a really bad and mean person, then friendly, then annoying, etc., so how you feel about could change a lot.

        When I was reading this book I pictured the different settings. At the beginning of the book I thought about Moon and Pap's shelter and also about Mr. Abroscotto's store. Towards the middle of the book I can picture the squirrel hunting lodge that was built near Moon's shelter. I pictured the shelter as being small with leaves surrounding it.  

        Other things that crossed my mind as I read was how the different characters Moon met looked. He's met many people during his journeys. Each time the author described one of them I could picture what they looked like. For instance, when Moon met Kit during lunch I pictured Kit being skinnier than Moon and having white hair as the author described.  

Alabama Moon 2/9/15

Alabama Moon
By: Watt Key
Pages: 0 - 87
Prompts: 1) Describe a character that you would like to meet (which doesn’t mean that you

think you would like the character, but that you think the character would be

interesting). List 4 questions that you would ask. 2) Discuss why you like or dislike what you are 

reading. 3) Predict what will happen next.

Spoiler Alert!

        If I had the chance to meet a character from the book I would choose Moon Blake, main character. I would like to meet him because his past lifestyle in the woods. I would ask Moon why Pap, his dad, started living in the woods with him. I would also ask him how it felt being alone in the woods. Another question I would ask is what was going through his mind when he told prison guards he was going to bust out. The fourth question I would ask him is how was prison like compared to living in the forest. I would ask all these questions because I'm curious about those things.

        I really like what I'm reading right now. I like it because of the type of book and how I can relate to it in a way.I really like survival genre books. I find survival book to be a really cool, exciting, and interesting experience going through the struggles and cool seeing the things you can do with certain things. The way I relate to this book is through video games. I'm a big gamer and since there in many games about surviving in the woods and being in and escaping prison.

        I predict that Moon will soon try to escape from this prison. I think he will escape soon because he was thinking about his escape plan and he found a place to escape. I can't tell what his exact plan will be and if he will get out or not. If he does escape I think he will also get his stuff back. Also, I think he get his friend Kit out too like he said.

Book Talk

        Hi my name is Joseph, I’m here to talk to you about the book My Side of the Mountain. This book takes place in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. The main character is Sam Gribley young boy who originally lived in a New York City apartment. This book is about a Sam trying to survive in the Catskill Mountains and trying find his great grandfathers farm.

        The book starts with Sam running away from his home in New York to find his great grandfathers farm in the Catskill Mountains. His parents are aware of this and allowed it thinking that he would return in a few days and not actually live there and survive alone. Sam set his home in a Hemlock tree by hollowing it out. To survive Sam has brought a penknife, a ball of cord, an ax, 40 dollars, and flint and steel to make fire. He used those tools and what he knew to survive. Throughout his adventures he found a falcon and it soon became his best friend and pet, he named it Frightful. They both depended on each other to survive. He also made friend with a weasel who he name Baron Weasel and a raccoon named Jesse Coon James. During the book he avoided people . The only two people he saw were a librarian named Miss Turner and a college English teach who he called Bando.

        I really enjoyed reading this book mainly because I like survival books and it was really interesting. What I found the most interesting was Sam’s knowledge about the wild and how to survive. I would recommend this book to anybody no matter what types of books they like.

I commented on Athziry's, Stanley's, and Nik's blog.

AoW Gallery Walk 1/30/15

        In class this week we got to pick our own Article of the Week (AoW) and we got to see other students AoW's. The articles had to be about something that the whole world should hear. There were articles on ISIS, ebola, measles, cancer, child trafficking, global warming, cyber bullying, astronomy, and more. My articles was about ISIS and the Japan hostage problem. It Explains what ISIS wants for the second and last hostage and if Japan will agree to the offer.

        Out of all the articles in my class the two that interested me the most was the one about child trafficking and the ones a the cancer cure. Jeremiah T. picked the child trafficking article and it interested me because I didn't know people sell their kids. Like how the lady sold her baby for 7 thousand dollars! Diana A. and Lillian M. picked the article about the cure for cancers. I thought this was interesting because we are getting closer to cancer cures. Although not all cancers can be cured I still find this really cool. The only bad thing about this process is it's really expensive.