Weekly Reading Response #1

NAME: Sofia Garcia
DATE: 10-24-07
TITLE: Rules
AUTHOR: Cynthia Lord
TIME: 2 hours
PAGES: 1 - 200
TOTAL PAGES THIS WEEK: 200
RESPONSE: While I was reading the book Rules by Cynthia Lord I noticed that this book was simalar to the book Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. I think that it is similar because Rules is about a girl named Catherine whos little brother David has autism, and Cathrines family pretty much revolves around David, in Al Capone Does my Shirts that Moose's family's situation is simalar to Catherines family, the only difrence is that Catherine dosen't live on Alcatraz. I think that if Catherine and Moose ever met they would have a lot in coummon, sonce both of their familys revolve around their siblings autism.

I think that if David had a motto it would be "Always follow Cathrines rules", because in the book Catherine makes up rules for David, because it's eisier for him to learn that way. They are really simple rules like "no toys in the fish tank" or "if someone says 'hi', say 'hi' back", David just has to make sure to follow them, and sometimes in the book David has to remined Catherine to follow the rules.

I really liked this book, and if I had to find one main idea on what it was really about I think that it was about finding acceptance in anyone.
~Sofia :)

Weekly Vocabulary #1

While I was reading Rules by Cynthia Lord I found some words that I didn't understand..

-grimace: when someone makes a weird face, people usally grimace when they aren't happy about something

-skyward: towrds the sky

-gauzy: when a object is transperent and light

-anthropology: the study of the changes through history of humans and their diffrent cultures.

-heron: any type of bird in the Ardeidae bird family, these birds have long neck, long legs, pointed bills, and they are ussally white, gray or blue

These definitions are in my own words, so if I didn't say them right, tell me.

~Sofia :)

My Book #1

The book that I am reading this week this called Rules by Cynthia Lord, I have never read it before but Im looking forward to tell you guys all about it.

FHP reflection

Project Reflection Name: Sofia Garcia

Project Title: The Family History Project

Class: Humanities

Dates: September 19th 2007 to October 17th 2007

PURPOSE In this section, explain what you were supposed to learn and what you were supposed to do.

The purpose of this project was to learn more about our family history and share it with the class. In this project we had to learn how to use tools that historians use, in order to learn about that about that we had to take notes. We had to learn about a specific event or a time period in history that one of our family members eye witnessed, we learned about it by intervening our family member that eye witnessed the time period or the specific event. During the interview we learned interview skills for successful interviewing. In order to learn about the basic skills of narrative writing we had to write a personal narrative and a historical narrative about our specific event or time period in history.

WHAT I LEARNED In this section, tell what information or skills you learned or improved.

In this project I learned a lot of things, I learned so many things at once. I learned about how historians use different tools to find evidence. I learned a lot about the event that I decided to do my project on, and I learned to appreciate life because I have it really good compared to the people that were affected by my event. I learned how to write up and do an interview, I had never really interviewed any one before . I learned a lot about my family history. Lastly I learned how different seventh grade can be than sixth grade.

REFLECTION In this section, reflect on your experience. Did you like the project? Why or why not? How did you do? What would you do differently next time?

I liked this project, I learned a lot about my family and my event, . If I were to do this project again, I would probably spend more time on editing my personal narratives, because I changed a couple of things, but not to many. While I was doing this project, there were some times when I got kind of frustrated , and I kind of had a hard time choosing my event, but other than that I really liked this project.

ARTIFACTS You should have at least one artifact from each project on your DP.

This is a picture of my scrapbook!

The Wave: Comments- OP #5

People that have commented my OP#5:

Trent -1
Lindsay -1
Beyra -0
Jessica -1
Mif -0

The Wave: The End

I finally finished The Wave! Here is my last Wave post.....

1. (1) "For the rest of your lives..... never, ever, allow a groups will to usurp your individual rights" - pg. 135
I think that this quote means to never get so caught up in a group that you don't feel like you are your own individual person anymore. It means to naver follow the croud so much that you don't think for yourself anymore.

(2) At the very begginig of the book, before the Wave, Robert was like the outkast in the class, but when he joined the Wave he felt equal to the other kids, so he started to talk to the other kids because he felt equal to them since they were all in the Wave. I think that Robert changed a lot because if the Wave, sometimes it was a good thing and sometimes it was a bad thing. It was a good thing when he started talking to people, but it was starting to be a bad thing because he was so into the Wave and he was taking it to far, like when he asked Mr. Ross if he could be his body gaurd. Now that the Wave is over, I think that Robert has changed as a person. Robert used to sit alone at lunch, but when he joined the Wavehe started sitting with everyone else, he also started dressig nicer. Before, he decided not to try in life and just give up because his big brother was so much batter than him, but when he joined the Wave I think that it made hinm relize that if he tried he could do anything. If the Wave was a true story, I hope that Robert learned to just be himself.

(3) Fascism: a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.

I think that in this book they showed all of the elements of fascism. The Wave was a system led by a dictator, the dictator was Mr. Ross and the system was obiosly the Wave. The Wave took over a lot of the school organazations and events because so many people were in the Wave. Lastly, there was rasism for no aperent reason like when the Jewish boy got beat up, and if you did't like the Wave people didn't really like you, like what happened with Laurie.

When you think of fascism, one of the first historical events that pop into your mind is what was going on in World War 2 with the Nazis and Hitler. They were getting rid of all of the Jewish people because they wouldn't join the Nazis. It was like what happened in the Wave because they would treat you really diffrently if you were or were not in The Wave.

(4) Avoiding Mob Metality: A Practicle Guide by a Middle Student, for other Middle School Students
Mob mentality can happen anywhere, and unfortunattley it happes a lot. It could be something really big, like what happened with the Wave or it could be something really small as somene wearing purple shoes because everyone else is doing it , whatever it is never get caught up in it. Don't always follow the crowd, and don't let other people tell you what to do or make dessitions for you. Never follow someone so much that you loose your own personality. Everyone has their own style and personality, be diffrent and be yourself, never forget that.

2. "The audience was filled with gasps and exclamatons of suprise as a giant image of Adolf Hitler appered on the screen."
Pg. 134, paragraph 3
While I was reading these final chapters of The Wave this was the sentence that really stood out to me. In this sentence it said that the students were really suprised, I was really suprised too. I was definetly not expecting Hitler to appear on the screen, in fact when I first read this I had too re-read it to make sure that I read it right. I don't really know who I was expecting on the screen, but it wasen't Hitler.

3. There were a lot of kids in The Wave, do you think that being in The Wave impacted any of their lives?

The Wave: Comments-OP #4

People that have commented my 0P#4:

Lindsay -1
Jessica -1
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The Wave: Chapters 11-14

1. I think that Ben is starting to get a litle worried about the Wave and he's starting to feel that the students are following him a bit too much, the students are't even their own indavidaualle person anymore they are just one big group now -The Wave. I think that Ben got really worried if the Wave wsa going a bit too far when Robert asked him if he could be his body gaurd.

2. "She coulden't put it into words what botherred her about the Wave, but she could feel it growing inside her" Pg. 85, paragraph 1. While I was readind chapters 11-14 these sentences really stood out to me because it shoewed that Laurie didn't like the Wave, and as the Wave kept going on day after day, made her not like it it even more.

3. Do you think that this expirement is similar to what happend with the Nazi's in WW2?

The Wave: Comments- OP #3

Peopole that have commented my OP#3:

Trent -1
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The Wave: Chapters 8-10

1. There are some good things to The Wave, but there are also some bad things. One of the bad things is that many people like Mr. Ross are starting to loose control of it, some stutents are becomig obsesed with it, some students that aren't in Mr. Ross'es are skipping their own classes to be in his class to find out about the wave. One of the good things is that The Wave is changing some of the kids lives like Robert Billings. Before, when there were there were cliques, Robert Billings just did not feel like he belonged in any of them, but now that there is The Wave, a group where evryone accepted as long as your in it, Robert Billings feels more welcomed.

2. "She was blowing it out way out of proportion, wasen't she? It really was just a fad, wasen't it?" Pg. 74, paragraph 3
This sentence really stood out to me because Laurie was the only person who didn't really belive that The Wave was going to be a big thing but now she was kind of second guessing herself, since everyone was either really worried abot The Wave about it or really obsesed with it.

3. Do you think that Laurie is going to write about The Wave for The Grapevine?

The Wave: Comments- OP #2

People that have commented my OP#2:

Trent -1
Jessica -1
Lindsay -1
Beryra -1
Mif -0

The Wave: Comments- OP #1

People that have commented on my OP#1:

Trent - 1
Mif - 1
Beyra - 1
Lindsay - incomplete
Jessica - incomplete

The Wave: Chapters 5-7

1. The Wave is starting to go around the school because it's something diffrent for the students, something that they have never done before. The motto "Strength through discipline" is really new to the students. David thinks that this motto might work with the football team, and if they act as serious as they do in Mr. Ross'es class, then maybe they could win a game.

2. " 'Maybe your becoming a guinie pig in your own expiremant,' she said", Pg. 54, paragraph 4. While I was reading chapter 5-7, this sentence really stood out to me because when Christy said this I think that she ment that she thinks that Ben is getting a little bit to caught up in what was only sopposed to be an 'experiment' for his class.

3. Do you think that The Wave is a good thing or a bad thing?