Literature Discussions working with a partner benefits us because we get to help each if we need help. Also working together helps fix spelling and grammar mistakes because if we go over it and don't catch it then our partner will. Also it helps us make up better questions because if you take somebody's idea and add on to it then the idea will be better than the original so together we will make better questions.
Challenges that we faced this week was our questions both of us were trying our hardest to think of questions but no matter how hard we tried we couldn't come up with a good enough question. This, for me and my partner, is the hardest thing on the Literature Discussions. We resolved it when my partner was telling me that he read all of the chapters assigned and at the time I had not so I accidently asked him a question about why something happened and why she decided to make her decision. With a little revision to what I said I ended up making a question.
While working alone I only thought that Charlotte was only a person that based how she thought of people by their actions but when I worked together with my partner he helped me see that Charlotte not only does things because of obedience. When she told on the crew I thought that it was out of obedience but my partner said that it could be out of fear when he said that I thought about how obedience is not the only trait that Charlotte has. Then I thought that about her seeing Zachariah get beaten and I started to think about her feelings. Now when I read the book I try to think about her human emotions instead of what the book originally described her as.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Literature Discussions
Literature Discussions is when a group of kids who have the same book group up to meet and discuss the books that they are reading. Literature Discussions benefits us reader because they actually get to talk about it and it helps to understand the book. Also we get to relate to the book and see how things in the story can sometimes happen in real life. Finally the discussions help us make predictions about what will happen next in the book basing it off of discussions.
Literature discussions helps us to understand the book better because if we don't understand something completely then we discuss what the book really meant and then come up with a group answer. Also if we have a question about the book then we have other people who can explain what happened in the book rather than just having to guess at it. Finally Literature Discussions has helped us to understand our book better because we work together to find and identify the plots and all the parts of a story which helps our understanding because we have to rethink about what has happened. Which could lead to making us predict what will happen next.
When we are in our Literature Discussion groups we realize that books aren't a bunch of words scrambled together but it uses real life situations that could happen to us. Then when we read the book and read about a similar event that has happened to us we connect to it which helps us to understand the characters feelings and thoughts because it would be most likely what we felt or thought. So when we bring the connections to the discussion everybody gets to hear the connection and it then helps the whole group understand the characters thoughts and feelings better.
Finally, Literature Discussions is helpful because it can help us predict what will happen next in the book. Before you come to a discussion you may have a thought about the book that you feel strongly about then after you will have a different idea. That is because Literature Discussions helps us hear everyones ideas so after the discussion we gather all of the information up and use it to make one big prediction. An example is when I read chapters three though nine of my book called The true confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Before I came to the discussion I believed that the crew were only trying to frighten Charlotte with the craving of a scull and the gun but the rest of my group had other ideas. They believed different things then I their Ideas and mixed them with mine to get the prediction that the captain would kill one of the crew mates and when I read chapter ten I was right. My predictions for the book now are that the captain will be mad at everybody including Charlotte even thought she didn't do anything and the captain will hurt them all.
There are many more reasons why Literature Discussions benefits us. But those are the most important reasons to me why Literature Discussions helps us understand our books.
Literature discussions helps us to understand the book better because if we don't understand something completely then we discuss what the book really meant and then come up with a group answer. Also if we have a question about the book then we have other people who can explain what happened in the book rather than just having to guess at it. Finally Literature Discussions has helped us to understand our book better because we work together to find and identify the plots and all the parts of a story which helps our understanding because we have to rethink about what has happened. Which could lead to making us predict what will happen next.
When we are in our Literature Discussion groups we realize that books aren't a bunch of words scrambled together but it uses real life situations that could happen to us. Then when we read the book and read about a similar event that has happened to us we connect to it which helps us to understand the characters feelings and thoughts because it would be most likely what we felt or thought. So when we bring the connections to the discussion everybody gets to hear the connection and it then helps the whole group understand the characters thoughts and feelings better.
Finally, Literature Discussions is helpful because it can help us predict what will happen next in the book. Before you come to a discussion you may have a thought about the book that you feel strongly about then after you will have a different idea. That is because Literature Discussions helps us hear everyones ideas so after the discussion we gather all of the information up and use it to make one big prediction. An example is when I read chapters three though nine of my book called The true confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Before I came to the discussion I believed that the crew were only trying to frighten Charlotte with the craving of a scull and the gun but the rest of my group had other ideas. They believed different things then I their Ideas and mixed them with mine to get the prediction that the captain would kill one of the crew mates and when I read chapter ten I was right. My predictions for the book now are that the captain will be mad at everybody including Charlotte even thought she didn't do anything and the captain will hurt them all.
There are many more reasons why Literature Discussions benefits us. But those are the most important reasons to me why Literature Discussions helps us understand our books.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Objects that have Symmetry
This is a picture of a basket ball that I took at home. Ignoring the writing at the bottom this basket ball has two lines of symmetry. The lines of symmetry run vertically through the center of the ball and horizontally through the center of the ball. The geometric shape of the ball in real life is a sphere but in the picture it is a circle.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Planting Mangroves
My favorite part of going to the Kuala Selangor field trip was plating the mangrove trees. Going to plant the mangroves was challenging because we actually had to think where to walk in the mud. As well I had to help people get unstuck from the mud if they got stuck. To me this was fun because I had to think up ideas on how to get other peoples feet unstuck from the mud.
When we first arrived at the dead end in the walking trail my class and I switched our sandals to boots. Then we walked left of the dead end to find a big pile of mud with trees growing out of it. I was shocked. We were supposed to plant our mangroves in the center of all that mud. After our guides showed us the right way to plant the mangroves we started down the trail. The mud near the hill where our instructor instructed us was really sticky so we ended up having a hard time walking so we had to think of the easiest and quickest way to get to the planting location so we looked around and saw a log that was in the mud so we started to walk on top of the logs. It made the walk to the center of the mud much easier and if we slipped we would help each other to stay on the logs. When there were no more logs left to walk on then we had to move quickly in the mud in order not to get stuck. That was when trouble began.
As we walked, the mud got softer quickly and people started to fall down. Then everybody started to get stuck so people would tug at their boots and others would try to muscle their way out, but as we got deeper into the mud near the planting spot the mud got too tough. The only people who could really still walk without getting stuck were me and a few other people. As we were picking up our mangroves people started calling for help because they were stuck. I put down the baby tree and went to help them at first. I tried to get them unstuck by pushing away all the dirt from the persons boot. This method worked for a while but it was very hard and it took too long. So the next person I helped I was digging away from the toe of their boot and when they lifted their boot the mud released. That is when I realized that it was the suction of the mud that was what got them stuck so from then on I would dig them up from the toe which made the job quicker and easier.
Finally it came my turn to plant my mangrove tree. First I removed the wrapping around the mangroves roots. Next we put down the mangrove and took a thick stick and pounded the ground three times to make the hole then we put the stick in the hole and turned in in circles in order to make the hole larger. Finally we finally put tree in the mud and covered the roots with mud until they could no long be seen. After that I went back to helping people and when it was time to go I was relived, I was exhausted.
Planting the mangroves was the most fun that I had at Kuala Selangor. If you were in my position would you have helped those people? Would you have found out the way to get them unstuck quicker? Could you have double tasked like I did.
When we first arrived at the dead end in the walking trail my class and I switched our sandals to boots. Then we walked left of the dead end to find a big pile of mud with trees growing out of it. I was shocked. We were supposed to plant our mangroves in the center of all that mud. After our guides showed us the right way to plant the mangroves we started down the trail. The mud near the hill where our instructor instructed us was really sticky so we ended up having a hard time walking so we had to think of the easiest and quickest way to get to the planting location so we looked around and saw a log that was in the mud so we started to walk on top of the logs. It made the walk to the center of the mud much easier and if we slipped we would help each other to stay on the logs. When there were no more logs left to walk on then we had to move quickly in the mud in order not to get stuck. That was when trouble began.
As we walked, the mud got softer quickly and people started to fall down. Then everybody started to get stuck so people would tug at their boots and others would try to muscle their way out, but as we got deeper into the mud near the planting spot the mud got too tough. The only people who could really still walk without getting stuck were me and a few other people. As we were picking up our mangroves people started calling for help because they were stuck. I put down the baby tree and went to help them at first. I tried to get them unstuck by pushing away all the dirt from the persons boot. This method worked for a while but it was very hard and it took too long. So the next person I helped I was digging away from the toe of their boot and when they lifted their boot the mud released. That is when I realized that it was the suction of the mud that was what got them stuck so from then on I would dig them up from the toe which made the job quicker and easier.
Finally it came my turn to plant my mangrove tree. First I removed the wrapping around the mangroves roots. Next we put down the mangrove and took a thick stick and pounded the ground three times to make the hole then we put the stick in the hole and turned in in circles in order to make the hole larger. Finally we finally put tree in the mud and covered the roots with mud until they could no long be seen. After that I went back to helping people and when it was time to go I was relived, I was exhausted.
Planting the mangroves was the most fun that I had at Kuala Selangor. If you were in my position would you have helped those people? Would you have found out the way to get them unstuck quicker? Could you have double tasked like I did.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Courage
In my class we are reading a book called Call It Courage. In this book there is a boy who is afraid of a lot of things so he leaves to go and build courage. So in this blog post I will share with you a time where I had to show courage.
This summer I went to El paso, Texas,U.S.A. While I was in El paso there was a bully in the neighborhood where my cousin lived. This person had been around El paso for a while and he was mean to every body. So one day me and my cousin decided to play soccer together and the bully, Jack, came over to where we were and asked if he could join the game. My cousin told me, "That's not such a good idea." but I ignored him any way.
Half way into the came more kids come and join the game. Then out of no where Jack says, "Do they have to play?" and I said to him, "I don't see why they can't play." So as we play the game my cousin and I ended up winning and then Jack said, "You cheated!" and then my team and Jacks team said, "How?" Then Jack made up all of these reasons why we cheated when every one knew that both teams played fairly.
He went on and on and finally every one was saying that no one cheated, and that he should just accept that he lost. That's when Jack lost his cool he started call people cheaters and that every one else but him is a show off. Then he got to the point to where he was trying to provoke people to fight by swearing at them and insulting them by how they looked and other things about them.
I was done sitting around and letting the other kids get bullied like that. I was afraid of him because he was older and stronger than me but I finally decided that it had to be done. I went strait through that crowd of children and I said these exact words to Jack.
"JACK! YOU NEED TO STOP BEING A JERK TO THOSE KIDS! JUST BECAUSE YOU LOST DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO BE MEAN AND INSULT THESE KIDS! YOU NEED TO START SHOWING SOME RESPECT TO THESE KIDS AND YOU OWE THEM AN APOLOGY! DO YOU UNDER STAND ME JACK!" He replied by saying " Why should I apologise to them they're the ones who are mean to me." I was so mad that I said, "JACK, YOUR THE ONE BEING MEAN TO THEM! YOUR THE ONE INSULTING THEM!"
Finally he cracked. "Fine I'll apologise." Jack said. After he apologised I told him, "Jack don't ever come back here unless you have changed you behavior. Do I make myself clear." "Fine." he said. With that he left back to his house.
For me that experience took a huge amount of courage because he was older that me and stronger too. It also took courage because I had to stand up for people who I didn't even know and they were all older so I was scared of them too. So because of that incedent I am not afriad of anybody anymore. That is my best memory of how I had courage and what I did with that courage.
This summer I went to El paso, Texas,U.S.A. While I was in El paso there was a bully in the neighborhood where my cousin lived. This person had been around El paso for a while and he was mean to every body. So one day me and my cousin decided to play soccer together and the bully, Jack, came over to where we were and asked if he could join the game. My cousin told me, "That's not such a good idea." but I ignored him any way.
Half way into the came more kids come and join the game. Then out of no where Jack says, "Do they have to play?" and I said to him, "I don't see why they can't play." So as we play the game my cousin and I ended up winning and then Jack said, "You cheated!" and then my team and Jacks team said, "How?" Then Jack made up all of these reasons why we cheated when every one knew that both teams played fairly.
He went on and on and finally every one was saying that no one cheated, and that he should just accept that he lost. That's when Jack lost his cool he started call people cheaters and that every one else but him is a show off. Then he got to the point to where he was trying to provoke people to fight by swearing at them and insulting them by how they looked and other things about them.
I was done sitting around and letting the other kids get bullied like that. I was afraid of him because he was older and stronger than me but I finally decided that it had to be done. I went strait through that crowd of children and I said these exact words to Jack.
"JACK! YOU NEED TO STOP BEING A JERK TO THOSE KIDS! JUST BECAUSE YOU LOST DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO BE MEAN AND INSULT THESE KIDS! YOU NEED TO START SHOWING SOME RESPECT TO THESE KIDS AND YOU OWE THEM AN APOLOGY! DO YOU UNDER STAND ME JACK!" He replied by saying " Why should I apologise to them they're the ones who are mean to me." I was so mad that I said, "JACK, YOUR THE ONE BEING MEAN TO THEM! YOUR THE ONE INSULTING THEM!"
Finally he cracked. "Fine I'll apologise." Jack said. After he apologised I told him, "Jack don't ever come back here unless you have changed you behavior. Do I make myself clear." "Fine." he said. With that he left back to his house.
For me that experience took a huge amount of courage because he was older that me and stronger too. It also took courage because I had to stand up for people who I didn't even know and they were all older so I was scared of them too. So because of that incedent I am not afriad of anybody anymore. That is my best memory of how I had courage and what I did with that courage.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
What do artifacts tell us about early humans lifes?
Artifacts can tell a lot about early humans lives, like what they did, how they lived or memories that they had. The main thing that tells us how the early humans lived is their art work.
To know how they did their art first we need to know what are the tools that they used. Here is a list of the tools and the way I think the early humans might have used them. The tools are rocks of different colors that could be used to draw either thick or thin lines, berries that could be used for color in art, and a flat rock that is probably the paint brush for the berries. We have learned from these tools that the early humans knew how to use art. This is actually what the tools were actually used for. The rocks are actually for grinding in to minerals. Then the minerals are mixed with animal fat to make different colors for the art work, And the flat rock is actually a sculpting tool.
An example of a piece of art that describes how the early humans lived is a cave painting of animals. In the picture there is a bull in the center and there are horses all around the bull. This might be a painting to help the early humans remember where a good place to hunt is. It could also be to help them remember a hunt that they went on. What scientist think the painting is actually drawn for worshiping spirits. They also believe that the painting was also to capture spirits of the animals that they drew. Finally the scientist believe that the picture was used in a ritual of ceremony. All of this proves that the early humans believed in spirits.
Finally a piece of art that the early humans made that I think describes the early humans is their clay sculptures. Their clay sculpture are made out of clay and when you look at it it looks like it is wet. I think that it may be used as a child's toy back then. I thought it was a toy but scientist think that it is used for a becoming of age ceremony. scientist also think that it may be to show which clan owned the cave. This proves that the early humans lived in clans and groups.
As you see here art can tell us a lot about how people lived. Even though art tells us a lot about early humans there is still many more things that we don't know. So one day I hope we finally figure out all there is to know about early humans.
To know how they did their art first we need to know what are the tools that they used. Here is a list of the tools and the way I think the early humans might have used them. The tools are rocks of different colors that could be used to draw either thick or thin lines, berries that could be used for color in art, and a flat rock that is probably the paint brush for the berries. We have learned from these tools that the early humans knew how to use art. This is actually what the tools were actually used for. The rocks are actually for grinding in to minerals. Then the minerals are mixed with animal fat to make different colors for the art work, And the flat rock is actually a sculpting tool.
An example of a piece of art that describes how the early humans lived is a cave painting of animals. In the picture there is a bull in the center and there are horses all around the bull. This might be a painting to help the early humans remember where a good place to hunt is. It could also be to help them remember a hunt that they went on. What scientist think the painting is actually drawn for worshiping spirits. They also believe that the painting was also to capture spirits of the animals that they drew. Finally the scientist believe that the picture was used in a ritual of ceremony. All of this proves that the early humans believed in spirits.
Finally a piece of art that the early humans made that I think describes the early humans is their clay sculptures. Their clay sculpture are made out of clay and when you look at it it looks like it is wet. I think that it may be used as a child's toy back then. I thought it was a toy but scientist think that it is used for a becoming of age ceremony. scientist also think that it may be to show which clan owned the cave. This proves that the early humans lived in clans and groups.
As you see here art can tell us a lot about how people lived. Even though art tells us a lot about early humans there is still many more things that we don't know. So one day I hope we finally figure out all there is to know about early humans.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Who I would rather be
If I had to be a archaeologist, a historian, or a geographer, I would choose to be an archaeologist. I would rather be an archaeologist because they actually get to go to different places in the world and dig up things that haven't been discovered yet. They also learn about history so they also get to do the job of a historian. I would also choose to be an archaeologist because I am a more hands on person and would rather discover new things and study what I found rather than just study books in a classroom or a museum. If I ever did become an archaeologist the first place I would dig in would be Egypt. I would chose Egypt because the Egyptians had a lot of pyramids and tombs. I would be likely to find something quickly. I would also want to go to Egypt because I am curious to learn how they lived and what they believed in.
Pictures: htpp://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/learning/features_facts/digging/arch/images/large_002.jpg
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
About me!
Hi my name is Victor I am from Slidell Louisiana, U.S.A. I am from the U.S. but me and my family are actually Mexican! My mom and dad are from El paso and my sister is from Houston. Those places are in Texas not in Louisiana. Below are some things about my favorite sports, my favorite book. Adjectives that I think describe me and me academic goal. I hope you enjoy reading about me!
I really like to play sports. My favorite sports are Baseball, Basketball, and Wrestling. Many of you might be thinking about that fake wrestling that they show on TV, but the kind of wrestling I do is the kind you would see in the Olympics. One time I went to a state wrestling tournament. In this tournament all the kids of Texas would compete against people their own weight and the top three would get a gold, silver, or bronze medal. Out of all the kids I got second so I took the silver medal.
My favorite book is Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. The book is about a boy named Percy Jackson. In the books the Greek gods go into war with the Titans. They go into war because the Titans want to regain power over the gods and kill there children. So Percy tries to put a stop to this by defeating the Titans. If you want to know the ending then I will leave it to you to read the book. Those of you who are reading this blog, I recommend you read this book.
I think these adjectives describe me. The first two are kind and caring because if someone needs help I will help them and not just ignore them. I think I am kind and caring because because just recently my friend got hurt so I went over to make sure that my friend was okay. I didn't have to help that person, but I chose to do it out of my own free will. Finally the third adjective is Athletic. I think I'm athletic because I do a lot of sports and I am good at a lot of them. In sports I usually lead the teams and I teach them when they do something wrong. When I teach them I do it in a nice way that will make sure that they know what to do next time the situation pops up.
This year as an Academic goal I want to be an all A student. To do that I will make sure that I am on time for all of my classes and pay good attention in my classes. Another goal I have is to make more friends because last year I only really had four to five people I could call my friend.
So that is a little about me. I hope that you learned something interesting. Bye!
I really like to play sports. My favorite sports are Baseball, Basketball, and Wrestling. Many of you might be thinking about that fake wrestling that they show on TV, but the kind of wrestling I do is the kind you would see in the Olympics. One time I went to a state wrestling tournament. In this tournament all the kids of Texas would compete against people their own weight and the top three would get a gold, silver, or bronze medal. Out of all the kids I got second so I took the silver medal.
My favorite book is Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. The book is about a boy named Percy Jackson. In the books the Greek gods go into war with the Titans. They go into war because the Titans want to regain power over the gods and kill there children. So Percy tries to put a stop to this by defeating the Titans. If you want to know the ending then I will leave it to you to read the book. Those of you who are reading this blog, I recommend you read this book.
I think these adjectives describe me. The first two are kind and caring because if someone needs help I will help them and not just ignore them. I think I am kind and caring because because just recently my friend got hurt so I went over to make sure that my friend was okay. I didn't have to help that person, but I chose to do it out of my own free will. Finally the third adjective is Athletic. I think I'm athletic because I do a lot of sports and I am good at a lot of them. In sports I usually lead the teams and I teach them when they do something wrong. When I teach them I do it in a nice way that will make sure that they know what to do next time the situation pops up.
This year as an Academic goal I want to be an all A student. To do that I will make sure that I am on time for all of my classes and pay good attention in my classes. Another goal I have is to make more friends because last year I only really had four to five people I could call my friend.
So that is a little about me. I hope that you learned something interesting. Bye!
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