"The Power People Have" By: Alexis Hernandez

   I believe that people have the power to change the problems of the world.
Yes, this isn't a perfect world, but many people can help to fix that. People can all have the ability to change “some” but not all of them. I thought that this world can change and the people in it. Then I realized, you can't change seven billion people. We all have to contribute to solve the problems together.

   Once when I was downtown with my parents, we were walking in and out of stores. It was so cold, it felt like someone just stuffed me in a fresh pile of cold fluffy snow. I couldn't feel my feet at all, my nose could no longer breath in the icy air, my hands were about to fall of. As I thought of these things happening, I saw a couple on the ground together. They didn't have a very big coat for themselves, and they were holding onto each other so tight, I knew that they were feeling the same as me. They were homeless, they had a little cup in their hands that barely had two dollars. I walked passed them asking my mom and dad for money to give to them. They said they didn't have any cash, but I knew they were lying. I had the power to be able to help them. I could have done something else for them. People who walked by them also could have the power to help them. Later, I saw another homeless person, he was on his knees bending forward, as if he was bowing down to someone. He put his head down between his arms, and he held up a cup. I wished I could have gave the poor man money, or at least something. Then, a man came and gave him money. The poor man lifted his head, and thanked him. That man knew he had the power to help another person.

   One time, there was a protest about cops being racist to black people. Some people watched, and some joined. Those people that are protesting are trying to change something they feel is wrong to them. They are trying to make the world a better place. That is the power those people had, to change a problem.

   I learned that not everything isn't the way you really want it to be. This world has many problems, and we can all change it together, because we all have the power to do so. One person can do many positive things. People like Fred Hampton, and Martin Luther King- They changed what felt was wrong because they knew they can.

   We should all care about making the world a better place. Little changes, big changes, they all can help. That's why I believe that people have the power to change problems of the world.

Literature Circle/Non-fiction blog

   One of the essential questions that I chose, was will Jack be able to forgive his mother this time for leaving him? This question was just running back and fourth in my mind while reading. I was just waiting for the longest time to finally know if Jack was upset with his mom, or not.  But at the last chapter, Jack realized that his grandmother was the one trying to make his life better. It wasn't her fault, nor was Jack's moms fault. It was just that Jack's mom had a sickness, which influenced her to not being able to take care of Jack no more. It wasn't for the best for herself, it was just so that Kacl can live a better life. So Jack was not actually mad at hi grandmother or mother, he just understood the reasons why she left.

     While reading the book "Small As An Elephant" and reading the article "Bluffs mother abandons son by road, tells officer she couldn't be late for work". I've noticed that both mothers had left their sons with not enough, or no money, food, or a phone to call. Both the boy in the article, and Jack in the book, were around 11 or 10. The mother left her son because he was throwing a tantrum, an she couldn't be late for work. In the article it says "The boy, who didn't have a phone, money for food or a key to get back into his hotel room.." This article explained that the mother didn't care at all and just completely left her child alone with no source of anything for his health. Just like Jack, although Jack did have money and a Phone, he just wasted the money and wet his phone.

   In the book, Jack wasn't left all alone on purpose, it was for a reason. The reason was because Jacks mother could no longer take care of him, it was for his own good. She knew what was best for him, but it was still wrong. She didn't Jack with enough food, or money. In the book on page 37 it says "The last time had been at home, an he had just stayed in the apartment, and there was food." This quote explains that Jack was hungry and that he wished their was food for himself. Jack was left alone a previous time where it was easy for him. But now it much harder since Jack has to find food. It was the same as the boy was in the article, the only difference was that there was different reason ps for the mothers to leave, one was close to home, one was not, one had some money, and phone, and the other did not.

  

Jacobson, Jennifer Richard. Small as an elephant. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2013. Print.

BellMbell@nonpareilonline.com, Mike. "Bluffs mother abandons son by road, tells officer she couldn’t be late for work." The Daily Nonpareil - Council Bluffs, Iowa. N.p., 21 Jan. 2017. Web. 12 May 2017. <http://www.nonpareilonline.com/news/local/bluffs-mother-abandons-son-by-road-tells-officer-she-couldn/article_ff6f9d1d-96b4-5797-a845-737513c1e877.html>.

Small As An Elephant

Q: After reading, I wonder...

    In the book Jack and his mother went on a trip, or as you can say a camping trip together. But Jack had never thought that his mother would be gone the next day he woke up, leaving Jack all by himself. Jack had previous incidents were his mother has left him alone, but never longer than a day or half a day. This time it was different to Jack, he knew something was up when he saw all of his moms belonging and car were gone. Also the fact that she had been gone a whole day. When Jack had met a new friend named Aiden, his mom had became suspicious of Jacks moms whereabouts. That's when it ws time for Jack to leave because he knew that if he told someone about his mom being "missing", someone might separate them. So that's when his journey began of finding his mom. Some things that Jack did was traveling a lot to many places. sprained or broke his pinky, stole a toy plastic elephant, ate someone else's farm vegetables, took a ride to what he thought was going to be his home town, and is now locked in a store. This was all because of his mom leaving him, and being the caring person that he is, Jack went out to look for his mom. Also Jack has to face the fact that he is now being looked for on the news and his considered a criminal for stealing the elephant.

   Well, I'm not quite done reading the book, but it sure has questions running up in my mind. I wonder if he ever finds his mom. If he does I wondered if he is going to forgive her, tell authorities on her, or might even be separated from her. All these thoughts had left me wondering what's really going to happen in the end. In my head, I believe that he does find his mom and forgives. Even though it probably won't end up like that. To me I feel like Jack is very confident that he'll find his mom, and know that his mom was "looking" for him as well. Jack always gets his hopes up, which lead me to another question, when Jack says things like "this always happens" "she's looking for me" "she is just sick, she won't just leave me", it make we wonder if he really knows the reason why his mom left. Maybe even he just doesn't want to except reality of what's happening to him.

Other questions I have is, what happens to the people Jack has met during his journey of finding his mom. Will they tell his mom (if he finds his mom) all the things they've seen Jack do, or tell her what he talks to them about. Will Jack keep in touch with Bug Jack, or even Aiden and his family. All these questions will probably be answered at the end of the book. That's what I'm mostly excited about, wondering if all my questions will be answered sooner or later in the book, or not even be answered at all.

3rd Quater Reflections

    In my 40 book challenge, there is not a lot. I think I'm on my 10 book already, but since I have my homework, test studies, sports, taking care of my siblings, cleaning my room. There is just not enough time for me to be reading. I do read to my sister and brother sometimes, but it's always at night when I feel sleepy. But I'm on a book that is really good, it called "Life As We Knew It" by Susan Beth Pfeffer. This book is really good and entertaining, it's one of my favorite books as of right now. Sometimes music in the background make the reading more dramatic. I do love reading, but sometimes there is just not enough time for me to do that.

   The most challenging part of 3rd quarter, was teachers pushing us a lot more than they did in 1st quarter. There was a lot more homework, test, essays, blogs, and tight schedules. What I should work on is staying on task more and more so the work can be done. But not just done, it has to be acceptable to turn in for a good grade. I sometimes would set times when do I have to do homework and reminders to turn in stuff. I'm also working on getting the work done and ready at school so I don't have to do it for homework.

   Strategies that helped me were helpful was the reminder app that reminded me about homework, when something was due, sports, go to sleep early, and waking up early for school. Also in order for me to turn in stuff early, it depends on how long I work on it or if something randomly comes up. I always try to strive for perfection and try to get things done. I suddenly found out that  perfection isn't always a goal. The goal is to do good, be good, and try/do successful. I always try, but sometimes I give up, that is something I need to work on extremely. Mostly 98% I do my homework and turn in stuff early, the other 2% is maybe because I have other things to do or I forget. But that is why I have the reminder app now.

   Some stuff I learned about mostly was the Holocaust topic. That has been the most part of school were I've shown lots of attention, and it was because I was really interested. It was sad that many innocent people were killed because they were not like other people. When I met a real life survivor of the holocaust and went into a real train where the Jews were, the mood of me changed dramatically. I was so palpable, I couldn't actually believe I was hearing and seeing these things. Something else I learned was the vocabulary, which had some what a big impact on the way I write, think, and speak. When I was taking the placement test at Trinity High School, one of the words I had to identify was advocate. Immediately I knew that it was a person showing support for another person. These were some things that I improved and what I needed to work on. Hopefully I will do better in 4th quarter.

"Life is Beautiful"

  Some connections with "Life is Beautiful" and the book "Night" is how both families were captured or forced to go to the concentration camps. The only difference between that, is the mother Dora from "Life is Beautiful", wanted to be with the father and son, she didn't want to let them leave without her. Another connection is how the families were separated, the females in one side and the males on the other. In the movie, it was more humorous and made the horrific times seem more comical. Then in the book, it was more of a dark mood like depressing and disconsolate. One more thing is that both fathers died in the book and movie, and in the end. Ellie never saw his mother or sister again, but Josh in the movie saw his mother when the war was over. Both characters Ellie and Giodo did everything they can to survive and to help the ones they love to survive. They both didn't give up, but the fact that both characters felt like they had to do all they can to reach freedom or until the war was over. Giodo sacrificed himself for his son to live, and Ellie was gonna sacrifice his father in order for him to live. Both characters lots everything of theirs but still gave it all to to live.

    The similar moods the pieces had between each other was how Jewish people were happy and were living life as regular people did. Soon then when Jews had to be set to Concentration Camps, everything about them changed, it was as if they were living in a nightmare. All though in the movie, Giodo made humor out of the bad times that was happening around him. He tried to make it a game to his son so that he could stay safe. In the book, Ellie kind of accepted that this was reality and had to live through it. In the begging the movie was more cheerful and full of laughs, so was the ending of the movie, but it brought out the strong side of Giodo. Ellie was very strong in the begging and end, he tried to survive in what felt life hell to him.

   Giodo had tried to make humor out of everything because it seemed like that was the kind of person  he was. At the concentration camp towards the end, he didn't really seemed like he cared about being killed, he was trying to help his son to survive. He wanted him to stay calm and not worry about what the actual truth why he was there. Ellie/book didn't really have humor, it was more serious and talking about the reality of the Holocaust.

   Some parts that actually seemed beautiful in the movie "Life is Beautiful" is how the wife Dora, wanted to go on the train with her husband and son. She would rather be there with them and probably knew she was gonna die, then let them die and stay behind. It shows how much love she shows to her husband and son, this shows me how life is actually beautiful. Another example is how Giodo made everything a joke and made everyone smile. His humor always had found the ways to people's hearts and smiles. His humor and tricks caught the heart of his wife, those school children, serving as a waiter, trying to open a book store, and playing a "game" with his son at the concentration camps. All that shows how he mostly did these things to help others, fall in love, make others laugh, and survive.
   
   

Night

   Ellie changed as a person from believing in God to not. Ellie talks about his religion/studies, what he believes in, and god. Then towards the end, then at the concentration camps, that started to fade away. That specifically changed him as a person because he has been studied and doing lots of stuff that involved Orthodox Jewish religion. Then during the process of Ellie's father, mother, sister, and himself going to the concentration camps, he witnessed lots of horrible images.

   In the book on page 5 (online book) it tells us that Ellie did believe in God and that he really wanted to learn about the Kabbalah, but he couldn't find a master to help him with that. Ellie said "One evening, I told him how unhappy I was not to be able to find in Sight a master to teach me the Zohar, the Kabbalistic works, the secret of Jewish mysticism."

   This quote explains how Ellie himself wanted to learn about the Zohar, the Kabbalistic works, and the secret of Jewish mysticism, but couldn't find in Sight a master. He was really unhappy about it, which proves he did believe in God. If Ellie was Unhappy about this, then that meant that cared about it and he wanted to learn about it, nobody forced him to. Then sooner in to the book when Ellie was at the concentration camps, he didn't believe anymore.

    In the book on page 31 it says how Ellie didn't want to believe in God anymore. Ellie says "Why should I bless his name? The Eternal Lord of the universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for?"

   This shows how Ellie didnt believe in God no More. It was mostly because God didn't help him when he was at the concentration camps. He didn't believe because God wasn't there to help him when the the Nazis was hurting Ellie and other people.

   The second way Ellie changed was the relationship with him and his father. In the beginning of the book Ellie was very much close to his dad and had wanted to be around him. Then in the concentration camps he still did, but it was somewhat diffrent kind of way of being close to him. Ellie cared for him less because he was sick and tired of trying to take care of him, he just didn't want to do it anymore.

   In the book on page 27, it explains how much Ellie wanted to be around his dad, and that it showed that he cared for him a lot. Ellie says "My hand shifted on my father's arm. I had one thought - not to loose him. Not to be left alone"

   This book explains how Ellie did want to be around his dad and loved him. If he didn't love him at all then Ellie would have never thought of not loosing him and not wanting to be alone. This shows how in the beginning Ellie had love for his father, then towards the end that changes because what Ellie thinks and says.

   In the book on page 101 it shows hatred towards his father and how much he doesn't want him alive. Ellie says "I went to look for him. But at the same moment this thought came into mind: "Don't let me find him! If only I could get rid of this dead weight, so that I could use all my strength to struggle for my own survival, and worry about myself."

   This quote shows that Ellie did kind of care about his father, but it was hatred and that he didn't care about him, he only cared about himself. Ellie wanted his father to be gone already so that he can live and worry about his own health and survival. Ellie doesn't want to talk care of his dad no more. This is how Ellie's relationship with his father changed, and his beliefs too.
Wiesel, Elie. Night. N.p.: Bantam , 1982. Print.

Butterfly Project

          
"An Evening In Terezin"

The sun goes down
and everything is silent,
 only at the guard's post
are heavy footfalls heard

 That's the guard who watches his Jews      
to make sure they don't run away from the ghetto.
Or that an Aryan aunt or uncle
doesn't try to get in.

 Ten o'clock strikes suddenly,
 and the windows of Dresden's barracks darken.
 The women have a lot to talk about;
they remember their homes,
and dinners they made.

 Then some of them argue.
Others try to quiet them down.
Finally, one by one, they grow silent;
they toss and turn, and in the end,
 they fall asleep.

 How many more evenings
 will we have to live like this?
We do it know,
 only God knows.

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Perseverance

     I think Nick's traits are humility, thankful, and perseverance. Nick is able to do the impossible because the word it self says possible. Just because Nick has no arms or legs, people think he can't do anything, that he can't live life. It seems to me that he could basically do what he wants because nobody can't tell him what he can or can not do. He said that he is thankful that he doesn't have any arms or legs, sometimes people think that he wishes he had arms and legs. He obviously doesn't because he is thankful for what he has. Nick has the ability to tell kids and people all around the world how great life is either you don't have arms or legs. I think that is a wonderful thing for him to do.

   Me and Nick have kind of a connection, Nick cares about other people and seems to not care what other people think. Me as a girl don't really care what people think of me. That is a very good trait for girls to have since basically girls are self conscious about the way they look. Just like how he doesn't care what people think about him, that's exactly how's I feel about myself to. 

Berlin Memorial Reflection

   I learned that basically Jews had their freedom taken away. It was almost like prison for them, except for the fact that they weren't stuck in a jail cell. The Nazis really wanted the Jews to have a bad life. That's why every law that was established to the Jews were meant to hurt them emotionally and physically.

   I think that this monument was built because since Hitler became a leader to the Germans/Nazis he gained power and by creating this group. Hitler had never liked the Jews, that's maybe a reason why he set up harsh laws on them.

   The laws that passed in certain years has become really really harsh and inequitable. Some laws stated that they weren't even allowed to buy certain foods like eggs. Jews couldn't own radios or any electronics, no pets, not allowed to come out after 8:00PM, not allowed to swim,and not even allowed to go to school. These rules had come to the point where it doesn't even feel like Jews are living life.

   I think it's the rules that doctors, teachers, veterinarians, or any Jew that has a job isn't allowed to have that job anymore. This is a big problem because that just limits the possibilities of not having teachers or doctors to help sick people or to give them their education.

2 Quarter reflection

The most challenging part of 2nd Quarter was mostly lots of more tests, homework, and projects. Not that it was such a problem, though the difficulty of the test, homework, and projects. There is much more writing than there used to be, and I assume more are coming in quarter 3 and 4. Then I realize that “oh, it’s my last year in middle school, of course teachers are going to push us, they want us to move on the a good high school and get a great job.” That's when I really try my hardest at challenging parts of school. Something In can do to help me overcome this is studying more, but not just that, it’s way more than that. I have to stay after school with teachers, join clubs, sports, retake a test to try and get a 4, be an effective learner, and not getting into trouble.

   Something i’ve learned about the world is the Holocaust my peers and I are currently learning about. It's about how lots of Jews and children were killed involving Hitler. I also learned about the Harlem Renaissance which is about an explosion that happened in Harlem, New York that affected lots of people and the way they were living. I learned more about the election of 2016-2017 that obviously affected lots of people. Other than that it was very interesting learning about these topics.

   The area I think I made an improvement in E.L.A is writing blogs about certain topics. When I'm interested in a certain topic, I actually want to write more and more. At some times it’s hard for me to explain things if it’s serious or asking about topics I'm not really interested in. On the other hand I think I made a good improvement on that.

"Auggie and Me" By: R.J Palacio Realistic Fiction

 
       The first story/chapter is called  Julian’s Chapter, its about Auggie’s bully that's at his new school once he was home schooled mostly. Julian doesnt seem like bullying August almost , instead August has been stealing his friends, giving him nightmares and tormenting him. Plus he is also trying to ruin his reputation in the schoolyard.

    The second story/ chapter I about Christophers perspective. Christopher is August’s best friend that he grew up with as a kid, so they recognize each other pretty well. He then realized that hi best friend Was not really different then any other kid that was the same age or close to the American age. Though he did have a choice to make that he thought was kind of hard. It was to rather be that bet friend he always was to Auggie or to be teased all the time by his new friends from school.

    The third story/ chapter it's called Shing-A-Ling, It's mostly a perspective but also I see lots of opinions from Charlotte. Charlotte was chosen to be the one to introduce August to his new school. It focuses more on her social life, and the different decisions she makes throughout the story.

  The mood of the story to me was mostly entertaining and funny. The central idea of the book was mostly about friendship and honesty towards each other in all different perspectives. In the book on pg. 297 it says "She's been such an amazing friend Auggie all year long," I explained. "And not because you asked her to be his welcome buddy, like with me and Jack. She just did it! It's like what you just said about kindness." This quote explains how Summer was really good and nice friends with Auggie, and not because he asked her, she wanted to.

  I liked this book because it reminded me of the first time I had to go to a new school and make new friends in comparison with Auggie. I remembered mostly about the parts were Auggie was bullied,  because I was bullied sometimes and I also had that comparison with him as well. I would recommend this book for 3 or more friends that have been close together. The viewer should go out and get this book because it's has lots of heartwarming parts to the book that even made me smile randomly. It's a great book for anybody who wants to read it.

Adolescent Pregnancy By: Alexis Hernandez

   Pregnancy happens to women all over the world, but what's scary is that it's not just women, it's with teen girls as well. Teens who end up pregnant, about half are more likely not to have a successful life in the future. In a website it says “I’m twice as likely not to graduate high school because you had me as a teen" , this is basically saying in a child's perspective how they are more likely not to graduate because of the mother. The same exact thing happened to my mom and brother, my mom never graduating from high school, and my brother never graduating from high school.

    My mom (Emperatriz) had a huge effect from her pregnancy it changed everything that she ever wanted growing up.To begin with it, she skipped school to go to a daytime party. While she was there, a boy named Genaro had peered pressured my mother into having sex with him. My mom was about 17 years old and the Genaro was 16 years old. She had no clue about pregnancy, babies, or having a job, etc. My mom was about 3 months into her pregnancy when she found out, due to the suspension remarks her grandma said to her mother saying, “don't be surprised if she's pregnant.” My mom went to school and spoke to the attendance teacher, Mr. Almaza. She told the teacher, “I feel weird” including telling him the symptoms she had. Mr. Almaza told my mom to walk to the teen clinic on Chicago Ave, Ashland. Usually there is never clinics for pregnant teens to go to when they have problems, my mom was very thankful for this clinic. When she got there the nurse their asked my mom about her health, symptoms, and her period. The nurse told my mom that she had to do a pregnancy test since she had all the symptoms a pregnant woman would have. My mom waited for what felt like, “the longest 5min in her life.”

    Then the test turned out to be positive, the nurse said it was 99.9% sure she was pregnant. The nurse gave her options for what she would like to do with the baby, then instead of walking back to school, my mom walked to Genaro’s house.She had told him about her being pregnant, his words were, “that's not my kid, you're not even my girlfriend” in disbelief my mom had started crying. In a website it says " 8 out of 10 teen dads don't have no up getting married to the mother," and that's exactly what happened to my mom. Other than the fact she knew Genaro wasn't going to be with her she didn't care. She just really needed money to help with her abortion. He then disappeared for four months without helping my mother. Then without telling her mom, she ran away from home living with her friends for 2 months, then had started living with her aunts/grandma’s house. When they took my mom to check if she could get her abortion, it was already too late for her to get one. Then it was that time were she had to have the baby already, it was June 8th 1997 when my older brother was born.

    It was hard for my mom after that, she moved in back with her mom so that she can help, and had to go to night school while she worked in the day. My mom had tried to let the father know that she was struggling, but he was just in and out of my mom's and my brothers lives. She couldn't finish school, instead she had to support the baby by, feeding him, changing him, buy him new clothes, take him to the doctor, buy him diapers, and give him all the love he needed. My mom mostly focused on work because she had no financial help from nobody and so she can support my brother. It was mostly hard for my mom to do all she can because her pelvis bone was hurting which had an effect on the way she walked. This was really hard to hear especially from my mom and brother. My brother told me how his childhood was like for him. He said, “He kind of struggled in school and wouldn't really pay attention,” due to the lack of money my mom had to give him the right education he needed. My brother didn't have lots of expensive clothes, but when he did it was usually every other birthday for him or Christmas.  

    Issues like what my mom went through happens with lots of teen girls who are pregnant till this day. We want to stop teen pregnancy because it affects usually a whole family whether they’re involved or not. Teen pregnancy kills the dreams of young women who were going to grow up and be successful, but because of the responsibility of their child, they couldn't do so. In a website it states "3 in 10 teens get pregnant at least 1 time before the age 20"These are the reasons why teen pregnancy is bad for adolescents girls that can change their life.

Websites:
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Nonfiction Blog

                                                                Dogs All About Them 

                                                        By:Alvin and Virginia Silverstein

   First, the book says that dogs were a helpful source to humans in the Stone Age. Dogs were hunting partners and were able to be a very helpful security for the family as well. Then that's when jobs were suggested to dogs like herding and guarding the masters animals. Next, the book explains  what a dog is and what It looks like, as well as explains a dog from a wolf. It gives an example saying that a child would say "dog" or "puppy" to both dog and wolf.  A wolf has a much more larger skull and  than a dog has. Wolfs are much more powerful then dogs and rely on their abilities, such as running, powerful jaw, and captures the prey with a wolf pack. Then, a description of the three senses a dog has, body language, and sounds. Dogs use sound because it's a way to help locate objects. When dogs use their three senses it's smell, hearing, and sight as a way to communicate. The book also gives examples of a dog being angry, confused, unsure, threatened, and happy all with just their tail and the way it moves. Last, the book gives a list or more like a group of the types of dogs that fit in with each other. There is seven groups for all dogs, they are the Sporting dogs, Hounds, Working dogs, Herding dogs, Terriers, Toys, and Non-sporting dogs. Each dog would be able to fit in these groups, but maybe some dogs won't.

  A passage I found interesting was how In the Stone Age, people used wolves as part of a survival piece, but the wolves had to be tamed when their young enough. In pg. 23- 24 of the book it says "wolf pups can be tamed easily if they are caught young enough. The age of about three weeks is a critical period in a wolfs life; at time it's eyes are open, and it is just starting to move around actively and get acquainted with its world. This is when the pup becomes socialized, learned about the pack and all the proper wolf "manners." If it is raised by humans, the wolf pup bonds to them instead, giving them the love and devotion it would normally give to the wolves of its pack. When it grows up it remains loving and loyal to the humans who raised it. A full-grown tame wolf can be nuisance at times-imagine having your pet wolf greet you each time you came home leaping up to put its huge paws on your shoulders and affectionately  bite your nose! But the Stone Age people found their four-legged friend companions very useful for guarding the camp and helping in the hunt." This whole passage was so interesting to me, maybe because it actually is possible to raise a wolf. The way the Stone Age people treat the wolfs could have had desipline, but a little later found out that sometimes they can be their as a companion. Wolves are related to dogs but both dog and wolf are different in many ways. 

   Some things I've learned that I won't forget is the way dogs use their tails as a way to show an emotion.   Some examples are a tail wagging means friendly, a tail that held low and wagging means it's ok you can pet me, one last example is when a dogs tail is held high and not moving that would mean it dangerous to touch the dog. One last thing I've learned that I won't forget is each breed has its own special bark. Next time when I hear a dog barking I'll listen for the tone of it. Overall this book was very interesting and gives lots of facts.

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What I'm grateful for

     I'm grateful for just being in this world in general. It's crazy how sometimes I just think to myself "wow I'm so lucky being here surrounded by amazing people". Sometimes people can be very ungrateful for things and how much people care about them. Lots of bad things in this world can effect some people, or may even each person in some way. Each and everyone of us knows what conflict/problems means, it shouldn't be that way. Sure have some conflict, but not serious conflict like crime. This may sound like I'm not grateful being in this world, but I am. I learn new things everyday, I have friends, a family, a roof over my head, food, clothing, a place to sleep on, emotions, personality, and the courage to take risks. Though this year I'm grateful for many things then what have. 

     I'm grateful for teachers who are pushing us to the limit to learn and be successful. Sometimes there are some teachers who can get on kids nerves, but I've been really listening to what they have to say about high school, being a grown up, how we can be successful, and how we can do better. More and more teachers I see always fill my heart with kindness and knowledge. I don't know about other kids saying that there teachers are mean, but all my teachers seem pretty nice to me, and I'm thankful for that.

     I'm also grateful for my family for being strong in the hardest times. We have been through hard times and good times. The hard times were rough, I couldn't actually believe they were happening, but they were. Those times were the worst but because my family is strong as can be, we all got through it together. I know there is many more problems to come in the future, but that's why I have my family so that they can be there for me and the rest of my family. This is what I'm grateful for.

Article of the Week Impressions

   What I learned from by peers articles were all amazing. There was some articles that had caught my attention. The first article was about flexible chairs by Ingrid, she talked about how the flexibility/motion of the chair helps kids pay attention. It could "be organized for the brain." For me, this looks like I would be able to be concentrated if I had a flexible chair. The third one is planet nine by Israel, he talked about how there was a new planet called planet nine. It took the planet "10 - 20,00 years to orbit the sun one time." I thought this information was interested and something that will maybe be brought up later on.

Those were just two things I've learned. The second article is a group called Jihad. The group kills people who are part of ISIS. They also "protect citizens and fight for their religion. The last article is about the self defense gun by David, it talked about how it could less likely to harm family. One part I thought was sad and interesting was "if you own a fire arm gun, it will be tripled chance of suicide/ double chance of homicide." This was everything I've learned new.

Election Reflection

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  The election was great because Hillary was doing great and lots of people had faith in her. Trump had "some" good things he was going to do and lots of negative ones to. The thing is, some people voted for him because of the things he said he was going to do. Half of the things weren't going to even happen, it was impossible for him to deport every single Mexican to Mexico. Especially building a wall, there is absolutely ignorant for him to do so. Though now that he is going to be president, who knows if he will end up doing what he said he will do.
  
  My thoughts on the election results is very upseting. Hillary was doing very well in the beginning of the election and the middle. Now that the time has come to an end to collect all of the data, surprisingly Donald Trump won. Illinois got the right idea and some other states too, but some didn't. There was lots of negativity I saw with people who said they were upset with trump winning. Though no matter what I just have to think positive about things. If I end up thinking negative things, it probably won't end up well for me.
  
  I am actually happy to vote for the next election. Kids are smart if people put it to their minds. We have opinions much more mature then Donald Trump himself. It's not only that, kids choices matter to, we could choose who is actually going to be the right president for the U.S.A. Though besides that, I am excited to vote, all my life I've been thinking that it was people only 21 years or older. Its exciting because I get to make a mature, adult, and important decision to choose who will be the president. I'm just hoping it's whoever I vote for wins.

"That kind of honor"

When the day comes that we honor our Veterans,
It’ll be with respect and giving them our full attention.
It’s a day where the blue, red, and white flag gets to
show off, and represent a day, and everyday when our
 dear Veterans fought for us.                                  

    They’ve went through crucial battles, day and night, sleep or no sleep, bad weather or good. Either way they they had it, they were the ones who didn't give up, who didn’t turn back and say “ I quit “, and who weren't the ones  who did treason and never came back.                                                          

   So for this we say, thank you Veterans for being part of                                            
this battle. Our life could be different if you haven't fought for us, it
would have been a catastrophe everywhere. But not everyone in a
camouflage uniform is called a hero, it could be someone who has
been on our side when we needed them the most.

A U turn that caused conflict

   Car Accidents happen all the time, and that's why we have signs and rules so that people could stay safe and avoid any conflicts. Car Accidents happen because some people don't pay attention to their surroundings, rules, or their distracted by their devices in front of them.

  If there is a one way on a street, there is now way a car is going to be able to do a U turn. Well in this situation, a man had attempted to do a U turn and it didn't go very well.

  On October 2nd on w crystal st, Chicago IL two cars crashed into each other front to front of the cars. Paramedics and police surrounded the car to try and get the people out. There was three adults and two children. Two adult femals and two children in one car and the man who did the U turn. As the man was trying to make a U turn, it was maybe illegal to so on a one way street. So the car behind it with the children and adult femals crashed into the car trying to make a U turn. The man had done the U turn because there was cops at the end of the block and he wasn't wearing his seat belt. So he thought his only solution was to do a U turn, which would get him in much more bigger trouble than not having a seat belt on.

  Accidents like this happen almost everyday. Some people don't pay lots of attention when driving. They don't because because they think their not going to crash or cause a catastrophe and show growth in your problems. So just make sure if you're not going to follow the rules while driving don't do a U turn on a one way, you’ll become the story of the day.

Quarter 1 reflections

   With my 10 book challenge I'm doing very well, the books I choose I like. I am currently on my 3rd book called Beastly.  A thought to myself is will I accomplish the 10 book challenge? I want to reach more than 10 books if I can. All I have to do is read 30 minutes or more everyday. I haven't done any blogs in August, but my first one and all he others I did, I was able to understand more. What I was able to do and show growth in is  how to give textual evidence, information about the topic i'm talking about, and to learn how to write. Each blog I feel like I do more and more better because I already know what I'm doing. As I do more and more blogs I know that I will do more and even more better than I did the last one. 

   Strategies I do for homework is I have them wrote down in the app called Reminder, where it tells you when you have to do something. In ELA and any other class I was able to get my work or homework ready on time. When I read. For reading to help me stay focused, I like to listen to soft melody or calming relaxing music. I like to stay somewhere where it's comfortable enough for me to read, or a room with not to much lighting or darkness. Something I've learned about the world is there is conflict no matter where you go. There is children who don't go to school, don't have a home, are suffering from hunger, and young girls getting pregnant which is unhealthy. Between parents there's divorce, domestic violence, and just the parents getting a healthy relationship. Animals are getting tortured, some species may be, getting, or is already extinct. There is always conflict but that's why we work together to stop them as a team. 

   My writing is progressing to me little by little or just maybe more and more. I'm getting more exceptional with my words and I am able to learn how to use them while I talk and to use them while I write. Then the more I say the words other people around me start to remark the words I use. The next 3 quarters my goal is to be able to get honor roll. I would like this goal because I've never been on honor roll and to get it I need to work hard and focus on my work than other things. That is just one goal I have for the next 3 quarters.

Movie and Book Comparison The Giver

The way that the movie and book are different is because in the movie both Asher and Fiona have different jobs then they had in the book. In the  book Asher was the Assistant Director of Recreation. In the movie he was chosen to be a pilot. In the book the chief elder says “We have given you the Assignment of Assistant Director of Recreation.” (56) This explains how in the book Asher was assigned a different job than in the movie where the chief elder called up Asher and told him he was going to be a pilot.Fiona was a caretaker for the elders in the book, she was chosen because she was good with the Elders. In the movie she was a nurturer for babies because she was good with them In the book The Chief elder chose Fiona as “Fiona was given the important Assignment of Caretaker of the Old.”(56) In the movie Fiona was chosen as a nurturer so that she could be able to help Jonas in the end so the movie made sense for Jonas to escape with Gabriel. But in the book  Fiona was chosen to be the caretaker for the elders, since it mention she was good to them.


    The difference between the book and the movie in the end were that Fiona and Asher had helped Jonas escape to elsewhere. In the movie Fiona as a nurturer, she was maybe one because she was going to be helping Jonas escape with Gabriel. Gabriel was in the nurturer center were Fiona was working with the babies. (The end of the movie) Fiona was there trying to find Gabriel so that she can give him to Jonas so that they can leave to elsewhere. For Asher, he was a pilot and his role was almost like an enemies to Jonas because he was the one who told on Jonas for breaking the rules. But at the same time he had also helped Jonas. In the movie, Asher had captured Jonas and Gabriel with the aircraft he was flying in elsewhere.When Asher captured Jonas he had flew over water and dropped Jonas and Gabriel there so that they will hopefully live. (In the movie) This is showing how Asher was listening to the rules, but at the same time being a best friend to Jonas and helping him escape


    It was actually the movie that that helped me understand more about what's happening with The Giver, Jonas, and memories. In the movie, There was more explanation of what it was like in the community and specifically what it was like. Jonas was the one in the beginning who quickly explained what it was like in the community. This gave me a better understanding. (In the movie) As the introduction Jonas was speaking about how his community worked and everything about it. Also while he was speaking there was a view of the community looked like, it was more like futuristic, when I was thinking it was going to be more simple instead of fancy things. One other thing that helped me give a better understanding was how Jonas was receiving the memory's from The Giver. In the movie, the receiver of memory had a mark on their hand so that's how they knew who was going to be the receiver of memory. The Giver put his thumbs on Jonas’s mark on his arm and gave him the memories of something. (In the movie) This is explaining how I understood more of how Jonas is receiving the memories from the Giver.From my perspective I thought it was going to be more of a just translating it to his mind or The Giver touching Jonas’s head.