I think that The Utterly Perfect Murder will be about someone that talks about how is the perfect way to kill someone. Maybe a story about someone planning a lot about how to kill someone, trying to do it in the most utterly perfect way. MAYBE someone does something wrong to the main character and so the main character talks about getting revenge and thinks of killing that person and wants to do it in the most cruel and utterly perfect way possible. *evil smile*
There was one time when my sister stole my chocolate. GRRRRR. I'm such a chocoholic, and when someone STEALS my chocolate, that's major news. I mean, I don't mind sharing. If you ask, I can give you some. But STEALING?? Yeah. I left my chocolate bar in the fridge because it was melting a lot. It was milk chocolate... my favorite! Then the next morning, I found that IT. WAS. GONE. I asked my dad (he tends to just eat whatever is in the fridge) but he said he didn't eat it. Then it had to be my sister. I asked her after school (she escaped by leaving for school early) and she was like "What? I was hungry" and in that moment I wanted to be like Joey from Friends and scream out "KRISTEN DOESN'T SHARE FOOD!" But I was nice and I let it go. 'Cause I'd be getting my revenge. *evil smile* The next day my sister had bought Peppero and left it in the fridge so it wouldn't melt and I found it. First. Heehee. So I ate half the box. OK maybe more... there was only 2 or 3 left. Then when my sister came home she was yelling at me like "WHY'D YOU EAT MY PEPPEROS?!?!?!" and I simply said "You eat my milk chocolate, I eat your pepperos. Call it even?" and she's a cool girl so she was like "fine." I have to say it felt goooood :]
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Connecting with Literature
There was a time when I read a book called Tithe and I connected with a character named Cornelius AKA Corny. His sister's friend is a changeling and so transformed into a pixie. He happened to be around when the change happened, and so he helped her and stuff. As he was deciding whether or not to help her, the thought that made up his mind was "When else am I going to be asked to be a part of something magical and out-of-this-world like I've always pretended there was?" There are some times, because I read so many fantasy books about vampires and faeries, SOME times I really wished there would actually be a world of fantasy creatures that lived among us or something... and that I would somehow become a part of it. When Corny had that thought, I was like "Man, you're lucky you're a character in a book and that's actually possible...!" The rest of Corny's character, and the way he thinks, is a lot unlike me. But that one thought made me connect with the character.
I think it's important, but not quite necessary to connect with literature. Of course, you get a better understanding of the characters and the plot of the story if you do connect with it, but you don't need to connect to enjoy a good book.
I think it's important, but not quite necessary to connect with literature. Of course, you get a better understanding of the characters and the plot of the story if you do connect with it, but you don't need to connect to enjoy a good book.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Clue 2
Jesus is God, a part of God, and was with God when the world was created. He created everything. John came and spread the word about the light (Jesus) to people on Earth, but he was not the light. He wasn't received by his own (us) when he came on the Earth. But those who did receive him became Children of God. Grace and truth come through him, and make God known to us.
These details describe the rising action to Christ's life. He's born, unaccepted by the people of our world, but there are some who believe. He preaches about God to the people.
1. The exposition is when the story starts, and we get to see who the characters are and an introduction to the main problem. Then during the rising action, complications stick onto the problem. At the climax, the main character makes a choice or a change, and through that the problem is resolved. During the falling action, all knots are tied and the problem is no more. Resolution is the end, the last words, the happily ever after.
2. Stories need to be structured in a way that has a clear beginning, middle and end. The beginning has to hook us and start off slow and easy. Then the middle has to be interesting and draw us along to the end, where there should be a satisfying ending, or a cliffhanger for a next book. Without organization and structure, stories are a big mess and no one can understand them. If the end is at the beginning, it would be so confusing. If the climax was at the beginning and the complications were all solved by the middle of the story, no one would want to read the rest. When the structure is not there, we don't enjoy the story anymore and just feel confused and lost. As humans we need to construct understanding because we don't like not knowing and not understanding something. Humans seem to want to know everything. To us, knowledge is power. And so, we don't like finding something that's confusing and complex when it's supposed to be so simple.
3. I personally didn't have any expectations for the story. I didn't have any guesses, any predictions as I went along, nothing. And so I wasn't exactly sure what all the stuff about memories and innocence and compassion was at the beginning. And as I kept reading, the part where Lizabeth pulls out the marigolds and has this eye-opening experience with Miss Lottie was just a part of the story. But later as I looked back at the story to make the plot graph of Marigolds, I saw that that part is actually the height of the story: the climax. Lizabeth had found a change in herself as she realized she wasn't an innocent child anymore. Through her immature way of letting out her feelings, she had found compassion for another. Now, the beginning was about: 1) feelings, 2) innocence and compassion, and 3) memories. TADA. The beginning had given us a little taste and a heads-up for the climax. I just didn't realize it because I didn't have any predictions as I read (or you could call it not actively reading ;P) It was because I had to make and see the plot graph for Marigolds that I saw this in the story.
4. The theme of the story is that people lose their innocence as they gain compassion, for once you have compassion for others, there is no innocence. Children are innocent; they don't realize the things they do make a difference to other people. Compassion is when you see anothers' pain and hurt and have the urge to help them. Since innocence requires not realizing others' pain, you can't possibly be innocent and compassionate at once. The structure of the story makes this evident, for it was at the climax when the main character realizes her change from innocent child to compassionate woman. As she hurts Miss Lottie, she sees something in her eyes that she hadn't noticed before. She gains compassion for her, and she sees that because she has compassion, she has lost her innocence. This change is what made the climax the climax, and so the structure of the story shows that clearly.
These details describe the rising action to Christ's life. He's born, unaccepted by the people of our world, but there are some who believe. He preaches about God to the people.
1. The exposition is when the story starts, and we get to see who the characters are and an introduction to the main problem. Then during the rising action, complications stick onto the problem. At the climax, the main character makes a choice or a change, and through that the problem is resolved. During the falling action, all knots are tied and the problem is no more. Resolution is the end, the last words, the happily ever after.
2. Stories need to be structured in a way that has a clear beginning, middle and end. The beginning has to hook us and start off slow and easy. Then the middle has to be interesting and draw us along to the end, where there should be a satisfying ending, or a cliffhanger for a next book. Without organization and structure, stories are a big mess and no one can understand them. If the end is at the beginning, it would be so confusing. If the climax was at the beginning and the complications were all solved by the middle of the story, no one would want to read the rest. When the structure is not there, we don't enjoy the story anymore and just feel confused and lost. As humans we need to construct understanding because we don't like not knowing and not understanding something. Humans seem to want to know everything. To us, knowledge is power. And so, we don't like finding something that's confusing and complex when it's supposed to be so simple.
3. I personally didn't have any expectations for the story. I didn't have any guesses, any predictions as I went along, nothing. And so I wasn't exactly sure what all the stuff about memories and innocence and compassion was at the beginning. And as I kept reading, the part where Lizabeth pulls out the marigolds and has this eye-opening experience with Miss Lottie was just a part of the story. But later as I looked back at the story to make the plot graph of Marigolds, I saw that that part is actually the height of the story: the climax. Lizabeth had found a change in herself as she realized she wasn't an innocent child anymore. Through her immature way of letting out her feelings, she had found compassion for another. Now, the beginning was about: 1) feelings, 2) innocence and compassion, and 3) memories. TADA. The beginning had given us a little taste and a heads-up for the climax. I just didn't realize it because I didn't have any predictions as I read (or you could call it not actively reading ;P) It was because I had to make and see the plot graph for Marigolds that I saw this in the story.
4. The theme of the story is that people lose their innocence as they gain compassion, for once you have compassion for others, there is no innocence. Children are innocent; they don't realize the things they do make a difference to other people. Compassion is when you see anothers' pain and hurt and have the urge to help them. Since innocence requires not realizing others' pain, you can't possibly be innocent and compassionate at once. The structure of the story makes this evident, for it was at the climax when the main character realizes her change from innocent child to compassionate woman. As she hurts Miss Lottie, she sees something in her eyes that she hadn't noticed before. She gains compassion for her, and she sees that because she has compassion, she has lost her innocence. This change is what made the climax the climax, and so the structure of the story shows that clearly.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Personal Connections
In the first paragraph, Collier says that memory doesn't show things as they are, but rather how they feel. When I remember things, I usually go to thinking it because of something I'm feeling now, and connecting with how I felt at another time in my life. It's like my mind has memories grouped by feelings.
In the fourth paragraph, Collier says that they unaware of anything happening outside their own community. When I was growing up, I also didn't really pay attention to things that were happening outside of my world. New diseases, hurricanes, some famous person dies, etc, and I wouldn't know or really care.
In the fifth paragraph, Lizabeth explains how her and her brother were free to run around and do whatever they want after their chores are done. My sister and I were EXACTLY the same!!! Over the summer, our parents were out at work and so my sister and I would finish the daily work and chores we had to do (because we were good kids) and then we'd do whatever we wanted for the whole day.
AND THEN...
On the second page, second paragraph, Lizabeth and Joey are bored of their summers. Us too. We got so tired of doing all we wanted all day and everything was just not so interesting anymore. We completely ran out of things to do. And then ended up doing work to pass the time.
Second page, third paragraph, Lizabeth says she's still kid enough to run around and jump fences with the young kids. HAH I feel that way when I'm around my cousins. They do things that I normally wouldn't do if I were on my own, but just for the sake of still being a kid, I play and do childish things with them.
Third page, first paragraph, Miss Lottie is described tending her marigolds on her knees. This description reminds me so much of my childhood gardener friend. She was an old lady, and also the school gardener. I met her by chance on my way home from school and she was so kind. She was always on the ground, tending the flowers around the school. Sometimes she let me help. :]
Third page, last paragraph, Lizabeth wakes up and overhears her parents talking. I had woken up one morning and heard my parents softly talking in the living room. I forget what it was about, but that image reminded me of that time.
Fourth page, second column, first paragraph Lizabeth wakes up Joey because she was scared. When I was little and my sister and I shared a room, I did that once in the middle of the night. I've woken my parents too because I was scared.
Fifth page, second paragraph, Lizabeth cries after having ripped the marigolds out. There was one time when I did something bad that I didn't really mean to do and sat and cried like Lizabeth did.
Fifth page, last paragraph, Lizabeth says something like "Time has taken me far from that home" (OK it's nothing like that but that somewhat sums it up) and I was just thinking yes, God does take us far far from our childhood homes but he gives us memories of them to make up for it. I don't know what my home in Canada looks like now, but it'd be really nice to see again...
In the fourth paragraph, Collier says that they unaware of anything happening outside their own community. When I was growing up, I also didn't really pay attention to things that were happening outside of my world. New diseases, hurricanes, some famous person dies, etc, and I wouldn't know or really care.
In the fifth paragraph, Lizabeth explains how her and her brother were free to run around and do whatever they want after their chores are done. My sister and I were EXACTLY the same!!! Over the summer, our parents were out at work and so my sister and I would finish the daily work and chores we had to do (because we were good kids) and then we'd do whatever we wanted for the whole day.
AND THEN...
On the second page, second paragraph, Lizabeth and Joey are bored of their summers. Us too. We got so tired of doing all we wanted all day and everything was just not so interesting anymore. We completely ran out of things to do. And then ended up doing work to pass the time.
Second page, third paragraph, Lizabeth says she's still kid enough to run around and jump fences with the young kids. HAH I feel that way when I'm around my cousins. They do things that I normally wouldn't do if I were on my own, but just for the sake of still being a kid, I play and do childish things with them.
Third page, first paragraph, Miss Lottie is described tending her marigolds on her knees. This description reminds me so much of my childhood gardener friend. She was an old lady, and also the school gardener. I met her by chance on my way home from school and she was so kind. She was always on the ground, tending the flowers around the school. Sometimes she let me help. :]
Third page, last paragraph, Lizabeth wakes up and overhears her parents talking. I had woken up one morning and heard my parents softly talking in the living room. I forget what it was about, but that image reminded me of that time.
Fourth page, second column, first paragraph Lizabeth wakes up Joey because she was scared. When I was little and my sister and I shared a room, I did that once in the middle of the night. I've woken my parents too because I was scared.
Fifth page, second paragraph, Lizabeth cries after having ripped the marigolds out. There was one time when I did something bad that I didn't really mean to do and sat and cried like Lizabeth did.
Fifth page, last paragraph, Lizabeth says something like "Time has taken me far from that home" (OK it's nothing like that but that somewhat sums it up) and I was just thinking yes, God does take us far far from our childhood homes but he gives us memories of them to make up for it. I don't know what my home in Canada looks like now, but it'd be really nice to see again...
Thursday, August 20, 2009
A Simple Story of Mine...
Exposition:
My parents always want me to do the best I can on everything I do, even on the smaller things in school and life. They definitely put that belief into action last year... So, my reading teacher had set a sort-of high AR goal for me (it was high considering it was the last quarter and I hardly had time to read then). I had completely forgot about it until about 2 weeks till the due date. I also had most of my assessments due then, so I considered just not making my goal. But my parents went berserk when I told them that and told me that I'd have to put everything into it. I made a list of books and their point values, then I got to work.
Rising Action:
By the day before the deadline, I had finished 2 books that had gotten me to only 10 more points. I was frantically looking through my bookshelf for a book I could easily read in one night. There was just one book that would do, but it was somewhat thick and had small print. The only thing that made the book better than the others was that I had watched the movie.
My savior was, drum roll pleaseeeee...The Golden Compass.
I took the book and went and sat on the couch. For the first 3 hours I was good. I was really getting into the story, and because I had watched the movie I was familiar with the plot line. But as midnight came and went, I realized I was going too slowly. I would need to skim and just get the important details and remind myself the story. I kept going. But I was so tired my eyes just wouldn't stay open, and by 1 AM I gave up and just lied down on the couch, immediately falling asleep.
Climax:
I just woke up at 4 AM (a gift, some say, to be able to wake up naturally in times like these) and in a panicked state, skimmed like craaazy. I was drifting in between consciousness and sleep but I forced my eyes open, slapped myself, whatever I could to stay awake. By 6 I only had a couple dozen more pages to read. 6:30: my parents woke up and came out into the living room to wake me up. They found me awake and were incredibly shocked. But by then, I was done. I was finished!
Falling Action:
All that was left was for me to take the AR quiz at school by 8:10. Once on campus, I ran to the library and found others running with me there. We waited for the librarian to unlock the doors, then we all impatiently waited for the computers to load. I was confident in taking tests, but I was scared I might've forgotten a significant detail of the book because I was half-asleep. But my worrying was for nothing. I got all the points I needed to make my goal.
Resolution:
I walked back to the middle school covered area, glad to have gotten all the way to the end. I know I might have gone to drastic measures to finish an AR goal, but somehow it felt good to finish something you thought was impossible to complete. But never again do I wanna go through that. :P
Conflict: My tiredness and slowness in reading got in my way as I tried to finish the book, to finish my AR goal.
My parents always want me to do the best I can on everything I do, even on the smaller things in school and life. They definitely put that belief into action last year... So, my reading teacher had set a sort-of high AR goal for me (it was high considering it was the last quarter and I hardly had time to read then). I had completely forgot about it until about 2 weeks till the due date. I also had most of my assessments due then, so I considered just not making my goal. But my parents went berserk when I told them that and told me that I'd have to put everything into it. I made a list of books and their point values, then I got to work.
Rising Action:
By the day before the deadline, I had finished 2 books that had gotten me to only 10 more points. I was frantically looking through my bookshelf for a book I could easily read in one night. There was just one book that would do, but it was somewhat thick and had small print. The only thing that made the book better than the others was that I had watched the movie.
My savior was, drum roll pleaseeeee...The Golden Compass.
I took the book and went and sat on the couch. For the first 3 hours I was good. I was really getting into the story, and because I had watched the movie I was familiar with the plot line. But as midnight came and went, I realized I was going too slowly. I would need to skim and just get the important details and remind myself the story. I kept going. But I was so tired my eyes just wouldn't stay open, and by 1 AM I gave up and just lied down on the couch, immediately falling asleep.
Climax:
I just woke up at 4 AM (a gift, some say, to be able to wake up naturally in times like these) and in a panicked state, skimmed like craaazy. I was drifting in between consciousness and sleep but I forced my eyes open, slapped myself, whatever I could to stay awake. By 6 I only had a couple dozen more pages to read. 6:30: my parents woke up and came out into the living room to wake me up. They found me awake and were incredibly shocked. But by then, I was done. I was finished!
Falling Action:
All that was left was for me to take the AR quiz at school by 8:10. Once on campus, I ran to the library and found others running with me there. We waited for the librarian to unlock the doors, then we all impatiently waited for the computers to load. I was confident in taking tests, but I was scared I might've forgotten a significant detail of the book because I was half-asleep. But my worrying was for nothing. I got all the points I needed to make my goal.
Resolution:
I walked back to the middle school covered area, glad to have gotten all the way to the end. I know I might have gone to drastic measures to finish an AR goal, but somehow it felt good to finish something you thought was impossible to complete. But never again do I wanna go through that. :P
Conflict: My tiredness and slowness in reading got in my way as I tried to finish the book, to finish my AR goal.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Myself as a Reader
The last 5 things I've read were...:Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, Midnight Sun (on the Internet), Twilight, and The Luxe
.jpg)
My favorite genre for books is fantasy. I love books about faeries, vampires, magical beings, stuff like that. But I also like the books to have a bit of romance in it :] And it's even better if the characters aren't in some complete other world; I like a bit of reality in it, but enough fantasy to make me think it could never be in my world. I don't really have favorite authors... maybe Stephenie Meyer, Melissa Marr (the author of Wicked Lovely), and Scott Westerfeld (author of the Uglies series, the Midnighters series, and the Peeps series). I think that can give you a sort of idea about the books I like to read.
I usually read on my bed. I prop up my pillow vertically, then lean against the head of my bed/my wall. Unless I've gotten deep and focused into my reading, I get distracted really easily, so I can't listen to music as I read, and I have to close my door if someone is watching TV in the living room. I can't eat or drink anything either, because that would be distracting. I can drink something before I start to read, but nothing while I'm reading.
I don't mind if books are made into movies. Some movies that were first books are actually good. But Twilight...ugh. The movie sucked; the main actors just were so different from the Edward and Bella that I imagined. The one other bad thing about making books into movies, is that people will be too lazy to read the book and will just watch the movie. That shouldn't happen; the movie should make people want to read the book.
Principled
This guy is being Principled because he is picking up trash that is not his even when no one is watching.
Communicator
The guy holding the whiteboard is being a communicator because he is communicating with the other guy in another way that just talking.
Knowledgable
She is knowledgeable because she is reading and studying and soaking up that knowledge.
Thinker
This guy is being a Thinker. He had thought and thought hard, then he finally got a conclusion.
Balanced
This ESLR we are representing is balanced. The girl in the center is balancing out these people, like we should balance out things in our life.
First Stab at Essential Questions
1. What are my current reading skills?
I think my current reading skills are pretty good. I usually understand everything I read: my own books I read for pleasure, textbooks, museum descriptions, and etc. I have a little difficulty with classics though, like books like Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights. I can read it, and I understand the story, but I don't know a lot of words (although I can guess their meanings.) I enjoy reading and I think that's why I'm good, but I'm not very fast at reading.
2. How can I improve and grow as a reader?
I think that if I read more challenging books instead of books that are simple and books that I read just for pleasure. Or, get books that I wanna read for pleasure, that are challenging. Because I never really challenge myself, I'm never growing my skills in reading, getting faster, or growing my vocabulary either. So more books like Wuthering Heights would help me improve.
3. What purpose can literature serve in my life?
Literature can be a sort of foundation for other subjects in school. Things we learn in literature can be used in writing class, can be used as an example in global studies or other classes, and for many other things. Literature can also be enjoyment. Reading books and stories can be tons of fun if you find the right book for you. Literature can shape how we think of the world. People who have read someone else's thoughts about a topic or about life, will have those thoughts in their head and will be influenced by them in some way. The books you read change you. (Mr. Lindeman had mentioned this in class today and I thought of it now.)
4. What resources can I find in the library that will help me in this course and other courses?
There's the Library Catalogue that can help find me books in the library on specific topics, authors, or titles. Then there's the database.. I forget what it's called but the database that searches for articles about the keywords you type in. There are computers to research on, and another resource could be the librarians. They can help you find books that you need.
I think my current reading skills are pretty good. I usually understand everything I read: my own books I read for pleasure, textbooks, museum descriptions, and etc. I have a little difficulty with classics though, like books like Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights. I can read it, and I understand the story, but I don't know a lot of words (although I can guess their meanings.) I enjoy reading and I think that's why I'm good, but I'm not very fast at reading.
2. How can I improve and grow as a reader?
I think that if I read more challenging books instead of books that are simple and books that I read just for pleasure. Or, get books that I wanna read for pleasure, that are challenging. Because I never really challenge myself, I'm never growing my skills in reading, getting faster, or growing my vocabulary either. So more books like Wuthering Heights would help me improve.
3. What purpose can literature serve in my life?
Literature can be a sort of foundation for other subjects in school. Things we learn in literature can be used in writing class, can be used as an example in global studies or other classes, and for many other things. Literature can also be enjoyment. Reading books and stories can be tons of fun if you find the right book for you. Literature can shape how we think of the world. People who have read someone else's thoughts about a topic or about life, will have those thoughts in their head and will be influenced by them in some way. The books you read change you. (Mr. Lindeman had mentioned this in class today and I thought of it now.)
4. What resources can I find in the library that will help me in this course and other courses?
There's the Library Catalogue that can help find me books in the library on specific topics, authors, or titles. Then there's the database.. I forget what it's called but the database that searches for articles about the keywords you type in. There are computers to research on, and another resource could be the librarians. They can help you find books that you need.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
