Reflection Blog

What are the three most important things you have learned this year?                                  
The three most important things I have learned this year is TIQA format because my paragraphs and my information is written very strong and it has really made me grow. Without TIQA format, my paragraphs wouldn’t be organized the right way. Next, I learned about the Holocaust. I think out of all the topics we have discussed, this one was very crucial to talk about. Many people died in this event and my teacher has the opportunity to spread the word about what happened. We can learn about our mistakes and not let history repeat itself. Finally, another important thing that I learned about this year is to be a role model. Now that I am in middle school, and I am graduating, I really had to be a role model this year since we are the “leaders” of the school. I want to mark a role in someone else’s life and going to read to little kids in Emerson really taught me to be helpful. These little kids listen to us read to them and one day, they will be in our place. We are so much older and wiser and I really do see that they look up to us eighth graders.

What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?
 Something that my classmates and I did this year, that I will remember for the rest of my life is giving our "This I Believe" speeches. I put a lot of effort and heart, eventually to the point where I started crying during my speech. It was not easy, but overcoming your fear will help you in the future. In high school, there will be many instances where you will get asked to do something in the whole class, and you will not be able to say no. Mrs. Larson really did show me that public speaking is not that hard, and you will feel relieved once you finish. Opening up to my class about something so personal, felt good because I know they are not the kind to judge. Everyone got to share something about their life and we did get closer as students. Public speaking has been the worst and I am a really shy person, so this speech will never be forgotten.

What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?                                              
The nicest thing someone in our class has done for me this year is when I forgot the book, The Giver, Dena sent me the pages of what I had to read. It is amazing of how technology works these days. I really appreciated what she did for me because I would’ve gotten into consequences for not getting my homework done. I also had to do annotations or during that unit, it was called signposts. Once she sent me the pages to read, I did my annotations and was ready when the teacher came around to check who did their homework and who did not do their homework.

What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?
Something that I have taught my teacher, following my classmates is the power of enthusiasm.  I taught them to live life to the fullest and that we should never take it for granted because we should appreciate the time we have left . Remembering also, to always have a smile on your face and surround yourself with the people that are meant to be in your life.

In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?
The area that I feel I made my biggest improvements on was my argumentative essay. This unit took quite a while to finish, but it was really worth it because I strongly agreed with my reason and stuck by my side with very precise information. Something that I accomplished this year that I am proud of is getting mostly 3's and 4's throughout this language arts class. This class has taught me so much, that maybe I thought I was going to fall a little behind. The amount of homework was okay.  When students say that there was lot of homework , I think it means they do it last minute and that's when they come to a realization there is a lot of homework. But other than that, I was caught up in my work and got good grades, I'm really proud for being a strong student.

What was the most challenging part of this year for you? 
The most challenging part of the year for me was the butterfly project. Reading my poem and understanding it was a little difficult because the children who wrote the poems, used terms that I did not know. Also, this involved a lot of art , which I am not good at but it was a really interesting project.

What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?
My best piece of writing, in my opinion was one of my  Articles of the Week. I think that this was my best because in the beginning of the year, we did a lot of annotations and analyzed the text very well and that helped me develop a good way of writing. If I did not understand a word, I searched it up on the dictionary and that helped me get a clearer background knowledge of what I was going to summarize.

Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why? 
My favorite book I read this year was Night because it was really inspiring to hear how Elie overcame the Holocaust. Imagine losing your dad during this horrifying event, and now you're alone. I mean Elie had to worry about himself now and survive on his own without his father. His father was his motivation to not give up and die. It was very hard to picture what he was going through but it is great to see how he survived and he is a whole different person for what happened.

What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year? 
The advice I would give students that will be in this class next year is to pay attention to what Mrs. Larson says. She takes the time to teach you and you should respect what she does for you. Also, do not do things last minute because it will be harder for you to catch on, on what you are learning about. Do your IXL's or else you will be in working lunch until you finish them. Overall, be positive around your classmates and especially around Mrs. Larson, she is such a great teacher. Appreciate her because you will be in high school, and the things you do in her class, will help you.

   

" This I Believe " Blog

Overcoming Obstacles”

By: Nathaly Galvez

      Growing up, my mom always told me that the life we have here is temporary. At any moment, something can happen to me, my mom, my dad, my brother - in general, my loved ones. I believe that enthusiasm can drive you to overcome any obstacles in life


       When I was in 7th grade, I was bullied numerous times by girls that I thought were my “best friends”. It turned out that my friendship was taken for granted by people that judged me easily. They judged me on how I acted, what I wore, who I was friends with.  Frustration and engagement were the words describing how I felt.It was a very difficult time for me. It led to a point where I let anyone and anything step over me.

     It was night, and they all messaged me saying hurtful things. At the moment, I thought to myself will they ever stop ? I lied to my mom the next day saying that I was sick, I went to work with her and she realized that I was perfectly fine. Eventually, I ended up telling her what happened and I saw in her eyes that she felt hurt I was feeling hurt. That wasn’t acceptable to her. We went home and my brother came home from practice yelling at me. I usually get my charisma from him, he told me to be the bigger person in the situation, to not care because life's too short to be serious all the time. I stress over the minor things and over think and to my brother that is “hilarious”. He would constantly start laughing and pointing his finger at me saying mean things but in a funny way. Not only did I start dying of laughter, but I also thanked him, and I’m very fortunate to have a brother like that, especially one that was in my shoes before.

    The two words I think of when enthusiasm comes into mind is laughing and smiling. I learned to surround myself with the people that came into my life for a change and the people that stood by my side through my many adversities. One girl named Claudia. She has been the most supportive and uplifting girl who for me, she's been like a sister.  Also, for the people that crushed my spirit, I have them to thank for.  I wouldn't be the person I am today without them. My character has definitely built up. I became not only a wiser person, but a stronger and perseverant person.  In the future, I hope to raise my family with the power of enthusiasm . It will strive them to become successful human being.They can use this value for themselves and for the use in someone else's life.
   
     Imagine the smile you can put on others, imagine the impact and influence you can have on someone's life. It is important for people to value the time they have on left with family, friends, and close ones. The real secret to life is living it to the fullest, the key to living it, is living it in an enthusiastic way.
 

                                                       

Literature Circle/Non-Fiction Article Blog

   
      One of my essential questions while reading the book, Things Not Seen, is if Bobby ever goes back to the way he was? This question tied to the novel because the whole conflict happening in the book, was Bobby turning invisible. It was mostly an internal conflict between Bobby and himself. Bobby didn’t want to stay invisible for the rest of life and the fact that he found out that Sheila had been invisible for three years, made him feel more afraid because he thought to himself if his invisibility was going to be a permanent condition. His father and Alicia’s father made up numerous ideas to reverse the invisibility, but they couldn’t decide how much more time they needed. Several weeks, months, and maybe even years. There was also an external conflict because social services came into his home with a search warrant, Bobby has skipped school for many days and it was starting to get suspicious. Social Services had to call the police and interview Bobby’s mother for questions, the lie that the parents told the authorities is that he is in Florida with his Aunt Ethel. Then, social services calls into Florida and makes sure, the authorities follow the address of where Aunt Ethel lives to identify if Bobby is there. Bobby’s mother is starting to get frustrated because social services keep coming in her house, unwelcomed and uninvited. The longer the parents keep the lie up, the more chances of them getting put in jail. Bobby does not want that. It connects with the essential question because it is important to ask if Bobby turns back to himself because the conflicts keep rising. The outcome of the essential question is that Bobby turns back to himself, It was Alicia’s idea, “two negatives make a positive”. If Bobby tries the electric blanket again, he cannot become more invisible, so he decided to try to sleep with it again. As a result, he was back to himself and living a regular life.

     While reading, Things Not Seen and the article, “8-year-old who is blind prepares for reading competition in L.A.”, it showed me multiple differences and comparisons. The relation between the article and the book is that it focuses on the condition of being blind. The two topics that are talked about both in the article and the book is that a disability does not define what you can or cannot do, you have to have a strong mindset and know you can do anything if you believe in yourself. It states in the book, Things Not Seen, “ ...Alicia's smiling and nodding, moving her head to follow the voices of the people at the table. She looks like she could have just graduated from college. With honors. And three proposals of marriage” (Clements 183). This quote means that even a person with a disability, shouldn’t give up on their lives. Alicia is blind but a very intelligent person that can get very far in life.  Alicia clearly shows that blindness will not interfere with her view on her future.  Likewise,it states in the article,” Now, his reading has earned him a bigger honor. In Los Angeles, he'll compete in the Braille Institute's Annual Braille Challenge. Amare, who is blind, is one of 50 finalists from the U.S. and Canada. He made the finals by scoring in the top 10 out of 310 students in his age group on the institute's test.” This means that despite the fact that he cannot see physical things around him, he can read Braille very well and will be competing in a challenge. Amare accepts the fact that he is blind and knows it doesn't affect the way he goes on about his education and learning.

The way the article and the book contrast is the age difference. In Things Not Seem, it states," ... Plus she's right about people avoiding her. No one walks near her, no one even looks at her for more than a second." (Clements 84). This quote is stating that Alicia also feels invisible because no one even bothers looking at her and no one walks near her. She feels isolated and sadness. She was once very popular in school but when she woke up one day and couldn't see anything, her world shifted into a different way. She lost contact with her old friends and it was a very hard time for her to cope. In the article it states," ...Maybe that's why stories in books are so real to him. "It's like if he reads it, he truly believes it," Peterson says." This quote clearly states that Amare is a young boy that likes to read. He is taught by his teacher who is trained to teach students with vision problems. Amare hasn't reached the stage of an adolescent and it changes the perspectives because he has a different mind than Alicia. Amare has his family who supports hi, and his teacher who loves and appreciates the time spent together of learning and reading. Overall, in Things Not Seem, it talks about isolation and in the article, it talks about how you should surround yourself with the people that help you the most. It all ties in because both main characters are blind and their disability doesn't stop the, from becoming wiser and stronger.

Clements, Andrew. Things not seen. New York: Puffin , 2006. Print "8-year-old who is blind prepares for reading competition in L.A." Newsela | 8-year-old who is blind prepares for reading competition in L.A. N.p., 17 June 2016. Web. 12 May 2017.

Literature Circle Blog

 
     The book I am currently reading with my literature circle is called Things Not Seen. It is based on a boy named Bobby suddenly waking up invisible and does not know how it happened. Bobby ends up telling his parents and at first, his parents thought he was joking, but Bobby demonstrated a trick to them so that they could believe him. He grabbed a spoon and placed it on his nose and his parents could see a spoon in mid-air. This is unusual because the day before, Bobby had a visible human body. How could a 15 year old just turn invisible all of a sudden? However, with all these questions, his fear rises because as he turns on the news, his parents got into a car accident. He is all alone now. No one can figure out that he is invisible because they will take him and break him up and his family, that is the least he wants to do. While in the house alone, he goes to the library and bumps into a blind girl named Alicia, Alicia and Bobby start talking and build a connection fast. As Bobby's parents heal, him and Alicia spend time together, and I learn a lot about their relationship continuing the book.

    Who is the most important character to you? Why?

   I think the most important character to me is Alicia. I think she is the most important character to me because I can relate to her so much even though I am not blind. Last year, in seventh grade, it was a pretty bad year for me. I was distant from a lot of people and I don't regret going through that because it made me stronger as a person. She says it seems like she was "invisible" as well as Bobby. Being seen but not noticed. I think the people who decided to put me down, came into my life as a lesson, to be the person I am today, and accept my differences and the beauty behind them. I was invisible to the people who blocked me out of their lives, they never seemed to notice me, they always had to say something that dropped my low esteem, so being invisible was part of my daily basis in school. It did hurt but God put me through those obstacles, and I overcame them with the people who did stay by my side and defended me.

    Is what you are reading believable? Why or why not?

      The book I am reading is not believable because a person cannot just become invisible. It is physically impossible for a person to disappear from their human body. It would be a scientific phenomena. It is based on a fiction story. Gravity does not work like that either. A spoon cannoot just float in mid air without scientific explanation. I think this book really has its own perspective on things, it makes it seem believable though. The police coming to check Bobby's house to see if he's there, he can feel people, the whole story seems believable but it is not. The science of this Earth does not work in a way making people invisible. I do think, that a person can be emotionally invisible to other people, but the question does ask if what I am reading is believable, and the main conflict here, is a boy becoming invisible and not knowing what happened to him. 

 

I commented on  Christian's blog.