This week we have been reading To Kill a Mockingbird in our ELA class. We have read chapters eighteen through twenty-one. Basically what's going on is that it's Mayella is called up to testify. She looks nervous and I guess she wants the judge to feel bad for her and take her side. Either way they're going to take her side. She said that she asked him to chop up a chiffarobe, and then he jumped her from behind and choked her while she screamed and struggled, and then he raped her. When Atticus starts to ask her questions she says she scared of him and that he's mocking her. She is not used to people calling her "Miss" or "Ma'am." Since she does not understand that Atticus is merely being polite, she assumes that he is using the courteous words sarcastically. Atticus then starts to ask questions about Mayella's life so the jury knows what's going on. We also find out in this chapter that Tom Robinson got his left arm stuck in a cotton gin and tore all his muscles. When it's Tom's turn to testify he is unable to lift his left hand to place it on the Bible. Instead, he must move it onto the book with his right hand. It is obvious that he cannot use his left hand at all. This indicates that it is very unlikely that Tom could have caused the bruises on Mayella's face. Tom's side of the story was When Tom passed by the Ewell house, Mayella called to him, requesting that he fix a door inside the house. He found nothing wrong with the door and prepared to leave. Then, Mayella asked him to get a box down from the top of the chiffarobe. When Tom stood on a chair to reach the box, she startled him by grabbing his legs. She started hugging him and kissing him, demanding that he kiss her back. He told her to let him out of the house but she blocked the door. At that point, Mr. Ewell appeared at the window and started shouting at Mayella. Tom ran out of the house as fast as he could. The other Ewell kids were getting ice cream and it took Mayella a year to save seven nickels The book has been very interesting and breath taking so far.
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It’s only been a few days into Trump’s presidency and a lot of people want him out of office. People are saying that he’s not fit to be president or that he’s really racist. Well at this point, Trump hasn’t done anything wrong. People have to take the time to listen to a president and hear what he has to say because some news channels change up what the President is saying and then people think badly about him. Just because the president we have isn’t the one you want doesn’t mean you have to cause riots and destroy property. You won’t always get what you want. Like in Bill Gates' eleven rules he said that life isn't fair so to get over it. Besides, it's been like that for so many years. At the Inauguration, some of the parts were pretty funny. One thing that I thought was really funny was Michelle Obama's face when she received the Trumps. Melanie came dressed very elegantly and she even had a present for the Obamas. When Melanie gave Michelle the present, she looked super mad. It looked like she didn't even like the present, but you know I'm not taking sides. Now that Donald Trump is president he might bring positive and negative things into our country, but were hoping for the best. We at least have to give him a chance. We can't judge him from the outside, but from the inside. Long live America! On Wednesday, our 8th grade class went to the Norton Simon Museum. The museum is located in Pasedna. The museum was beautiful and it so many pieces of art that were magnificent. We first started out on a tour about the history of art. The first painting we saw was Madonna and the child. It was such a beautiful painting. Mary was painted so delicately and her clothes that she was wearing symbolized some things. She was wearing red, white, and blue. Each color had a certain meaning. Red means love and passion of Christ, white means purity, and blue means peace.That painting of Madonna and the child is a Renaissance piece. Our tour guide said that in almost ever painting with Mary in it during the Renaissance time, she was wearing blue which symbolized peace. There were also other paintings that had religious meaning to it. As time passed by, artist didn't want to follow the rules of art. They wanted to paint whatever they felt like and they didn't care if they were judged. After the tour we went to have lunch. We had to cross the street two times in order to get to the lawn. After lunch, we went to explore the museum with our groups. My group went to go see the Buddha statues, the gardens, and the gift shop. I got a small flower made out of glass. It was so beautiful. After that we went to go sit in the gardens and eat dessert and then left. It was an amazing time and I enjoyed going to the Norton Simon Museum. This whole week has been nothing, but rain and more rain. Our after school sports have been cancelled multiple times due to the rain. Luckily, we were able to have a few practices. All the rain has caused floods to occur in different parts of Southern California. There has also been a lot of snow up in the mountains which some people enjoy playing in. The rain has also caused mud slides. A home in Hollywood was closed because a piece of the concrete foundation fell and they had to close the street down. No one was home at the time. Also in Glassell Park a large tree crushed a car on Wednesday. More that forty percent of California is out of a drought. This is great because we need water and without water we can’t survive. Also we need learn to conserve water. We can't just waste water. We need to take shorter showers and turn off the fosset when you're brushing your teeth. It’s been pretty good for Northern California because the snow has caused the rivers and lakes to rise a bit. For example, Lake Tahoe rose one foot because of all the snow. We need more rain in order to get out of the drought. Some people might think that the drought is not important, but it is and we should conserve water everyday. Anyone can conserve water. Just take shorter showers. Don't take one hour in the shower. Take fifteen minutes at least. Remember that you can make a difference. On Wednesday, it was the seventy- fifth anniversary of the bombing at Pearl Harbor. In Social Studies, we discussed what had happened that day. The attack happened on December 7th, 1941. The Japanese attacked the United States without warning and it lasted for one hundred ten minutes from 7:55 a.m to 9:45 a.m. A total of 2,335 U.S. servicemen were killed and 1,143 were wounded. Sixty-eight civilians were also killed and thirty-five were wounded. The Japanese lost sixty-five men, with an additional soldier being captured. Pearl Harbor is on the south side of the Hawaiian island of Oahu and is the home to a U.S. naval base. The attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II. Many U.S. servicemen were either still in their pajamas or eating breakfast in the mess halls when the attack on Pearl Harbor began. The United States declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941, the day following the attack on Pearl Harbor. This event followed an event we did for those who served in war. such as the Vietnam War and World War ll. On Sunday, NJHS (national junior honor society) went to a veteran's day service project. We got to help out veterans and talk to them. At first I was a bit nervous to talk to them, but then I started to talk to them and I thanked them for their service. After that I went to go eat lunch which they provided and it was delicious. After eating mashed potatoes, a roll, turkey and macaroni and cheese, we went to help out more veterans. Our job was to collect the plates and cups on the table. Also we brought dessert to the veterans and their families. So Pearl Harbor bombing was an important day in history. It started World War ll which was also a very important event in history. This week in ELA, our class has been preparing for the HSPT which is the high school placement test. The HSPT is a test which we will be taking near the end of January. So there isn't much time left. Also there are a few things we need to know before we take that test. Also it is recommendable that you take a practice test at a high school to give you a taste of what the test is like. When I took the practice test it was easy, but hard at the same time. One of the most important things to do for the HSPT is to bring a watch so you can see how much time you have left for a section in the test. The first thing you should know to reduce anxiety is that the night before the test should just be a review. You should just skim through your book and notes. Make sure everything is ready before going to bed. Have all your supplies such as pencils and papers. The most important thing is that you get enough sleep and also get enough sleep the night before that. For example, if your test is on a Saturday you get enough sleep on Thursday and Friday. Also avoid any outside anxiety. On the day of the test, eat a healthy breakfast. Make sure to eat something that will give you energy, but don't eat a whole brunch. Make sure to arrive there early. Also when you wake up do some exercise to get your blood flowing. Make sure to bring multiple pencils and scratch paper. During the test, focus on doing well and not on failing. Take big deep breaths to calm you down if your anxious. Remember don't think about anyone else during the test. Only worry about yourself. This test might seem hard, but it's just a review of what we know, but it might be just a tiny bit harder. That's why we need to start preparing ourselves now. Picture has a link. On Tuesday, November 8, Donald Trump was elected the 45th president of the United States. Many were very excited, but some were very upset. Especially California, who is a democratic state. There are many protesters out there on the street wanting Hilary Clinton as their president. Recently, we are reading a book call Ten Letters and the chapter I read is about this couple who is on a lot of debt and there thinking of filing up for bankruptcy. Instead of going out onto the streets and protesting there sending a letter to Barack Obama telling him about their problem and that other people throughout the country have that same problem. We can't just go out on the street and cause problems. We have to use our voice. That is why we have the freedom of speech. Also I was noticing that the news can be a very competitive opponent as well. An example is, Donald Trump was saying in an interview that he was going to deport all the criminals back to their countries which is about three million, but when CNN news came in they said that Donald Trump said he wanted to deport three million immigrants. You can see the difference and we think different about the candidates. You have to look at all your resources before you make a decision on who to choose. Now that Donald Trump is going to be our president we have to hope for the best to see what positive and negative things that he's going to bring to our country. Remember were all humans and we all make mistakes, were not perfect. This week on Wednesday, we learned how to read a poem. We learned this last year already, but sometimes you always need a refresh. What really surprises me is that the everyday songs we listen to like Cold Water, Let me Love You, etc. There are nine simple steps we need to know in order to read a poem. The first step is to show no fear. You shouldn't be afraid of the poem. Not all of us will understand the poem the first time we read it and that's okay. The fun part is the excitement of discovery, which is part of the process of understanding the poem. The second step is to read the title, then stop. You have to analyze the title and wonder what the poem will be about. The third step is to read all the way through. It's okay if you don't understand the poem all the way through and you'll dig deeper into it later. The fourth step is to annotate. Read the poem again, but this time underline, highlights, or add comments to something that sounds interesting. The fifth step is use a dictionary to look up words you don't know. The sixth step is to identify the narrator. The narrator's tone will impact the message of the poem. The seventh step is to notice shifts or changes. You need to notice if the narrator uses a hinge word such as "but" or "however" to change the momentum or meaning of the poem. The eighth step is figure out the structure of the poem. Does it have a rhyme scheme, meter, and physical layout of text/white space on the page? The ninth and final step is to read the poem again, out loud if possible and think snout any new messages. Now we know how to read a poem and it's all in nine simple steps. On Tuesday, October 27, our whole middle school went on a field trip to USC Galen Center for the Christian Service 4 Life event. There were about eight thousand students there and it was packed. There were so many buses when we got there. The Christian Service 4 Life event was about the life and works of Mother Teresa and her path to sainthood. When we first entered the Galen Center, all you could hear was music and Joe Melendrez talking on the microphone telling us to stand up and dance. I saw so many schools that I didn't even know. It took us like five minutes to find our seats, but we were finally settled in. Not only was Joe Melendrez there, but Brittney Sharaun , America's next top model was there too. Both of then got the crowd going and we started to squats for Jesus and jumping jacks and other things as well. Both of them stared calling up kids from other students to compete in a challenge. Even students from our school got chosen. After that, Bishop Brennan sings the National Anthem, which he did really well. I really liked it when we played the Game of Life: Saints Edition. One of my favorite parts was when they did the Shadow Dance based on Jesus' life in the perspective of Mother Mary. The second to last thing we did was the benediction of the Holy Eucharist. It felt wonderful to have a time a quiet with Jesus. At the end Bishop Barron talked to us and then we ended with a song. At 12:00 we ate lunch. After we ate lunch we got to go around and explore the booths that were there for volunteer opportunities. This field trip was really exciting and it helped us to deepen our faith. Yesterday, at 6:00 p.m., there was a presidential debate in Las Vegas. The two candidates were Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump. Both debated on important topics that affect our country. The first topic was the Supreme Court. The first question they were asked was where do you want the court to take the country? Hilary Clinton said, “When you talk about the Supreme Court it really raises the central issue in this election, namely, what kind of country are we going to be? What kind of opportunities will we provide for our citizens? What kind of rights will Americans have?" Hilary Clinton really had her words thought out and she knew what she was going to say. Donald Trump said that it's all about the Supreme Court. He says that he wants the Supreme Court to uphold the Second Amendment. He supports the second amendment. The second topic was about abortion. Personally, I am not in favor of abortion because the fetus has constitutional rights and it is a human being once it is conceived in the mother's womb. Trump said that he is for Pro Life and that he wants to have Pro Life judges. Hilary Clinton is different on the other hand. She wants to defend Planned Parenthood and women's rights. She even said that Donald Trump supported shutting the government down to defund Planned Parenthood. I am not in favor of Planned Parenthood because I don't support abortion because that is my opinion. Hillary Clinton and Trump discussed many more topics that are a b it more complicated, but the most important ones are right here. Both candidates have negative and positive points, but it's up to us who we want to be our next president. |
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May 2017
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