Thoughts on Student Challenge

• Did you visit the actual challenge on the blog each week or did your teacher have a post on your class blog?I went on the challenge blog each week but it was assigned by a teacher.
• Which challenges were the most useful?I thought the challenge about Earth day and making the toondoo were very  useful because they showed other bloggers what they can do to save the Earth.
• Which challenges were the most interesting?I thought the most interesting challenges were the ones where you had to get a widget.I thought it was interesting to see the different things you could have on your sidebar.
• What would be some other topics you would like included in future challenges?Like maybe challenges about the holidays and how tragedies around the world have made us come closer.
• Are more tutorial type challenges needed? eg how to make a link in your post.I think there should be more tutorial challenges because people want to write they want others to discover their point of view.
• Were the ‘Visit these’ posts useful?Yes because we got to see different blogs that might have something we like and might want to put on our blog to make it better.
• Were the challenges where you had to embed ie polls, cartoons, wallwisher etc interesting or could you not embed due to being a free Edublogs blog or a blogging platform that didn’t allow embedding?I thought that it didn’t allow embedding it really didn’t allow the people to do anything freely.
• Were there enough chances to visit blogs from overseas and make links with other students/classes?It was kind of difficult but they’re was possibilities that we could go to overseas blogs.
• Classes that registered – were there enough activities specific to classes? Did you make global connections?I thought that there was enough specific activities for classes,sadly I did not make any global connections.
• Anything else you would like to mention about the challenge in particular.I thought this challenge is helpful because it gives an idea to the creators of the challenges about our opinions.
• This a link to:http://studentchallenge.edublogs.org/2011/05/15/where-to-next-challenge-10-march-2011/

Crane Maiden Skits

These skits are based on a myth from China,this was a project for language arts.

Original Crane Maiden Skit

Maiden:La,la, la,la I’m taking a bath. Ahhhh! I’m young and helpless, and a man has stole my robe.

Man:I’ve stole your robe because if you turn into a swan your beauty will be too much to bare.

Maiden:If you tell no one I am a goddess I will wed you.

Years Later

Man:I am going off to war!

Maiden:But from whom will our child learn from?

Maiden:Glad that’s over!

Maiden:Mother in law may I please see the robe my husband has hidden?

Mother in Law:But my son has trusted me with his hiding place.

Maiden:Just a peek?

Mother in Law:Alright.

Maiden:Ha sucker freedom at last!(she turns into a swan and flies away)

One Year Later

Son of Maiden:I will be back I am going for a walk.

(At the lake)

Swan Chick:You are my sister’s sin!I must take you to her!

Son:You know my mother!

Swan Chick:Well you are my nephew!

(Goes to heaven to visit his mother)

Son:Mother!

Maiden:Son!

High God and Maiden’s Dad:Here you go some books so you will be educated when a man!

(Goes back to Earth)

Son:Everyone that has cared for me has died just because of the time I stayed in heaven with my mother!

Crane Maiden My Revision

Man:Why do I see two swan and one woman?Ahh why are those swans flying into the sky?

(Pukes and wipes himself with a magical robe.)

Maiden:You idiot you ruined my robe!How will I go to heaven?If you tell no one

I am a goddess I wed your pathetic self.

Man:OMG!Im going to marry a goddess!I wish I could put this on Facebook!

Years Later…

Maiden:You still haven’t washed my robe!I have to go back to heaven!

Man:Go back into the kitchen!

Maiden:Oh no you didn’t!(snatches the robe and puts it on)

Maiden:I’m outta here!

Man:You forgot your kid!

Son:I’m going out for a swim.

Man:sure.

Swan lady:Om3g!My nephew!

Son:Ahhh !A stalker is after me!

Swan lady:No No!I am your mother’s sister if you wish to see her come with me

Maiden:Son!

Son:Mother!

Years later no one was alive to care for son so e educated himself.

Audit for My Blog

• How many posts did you write?I wrote 9 posts for this blog.

• How many were school based, your own interests or set by the challenge?I had 6 posts based on my own interests and 5 posts based on school.
• How many comments did you receive from classmates, teachers or overseas students?I received 3 comments from others which sadly is to small amount for me.
• Which post received the most comments? Why do you think that happened?None of my post received a wide majority of comments and I think it is because I didn’t have much people on my blog post.
• Which post did you enjoy writing the most and why?I enjoyed writing my Winter Wonderland post the most because I got to tell others about my vacation with my family.
• Did you change blog themes at all and why?Not really I would change it sometimes but the recent one is more expressive to how I am.
• How many widgets do you have? Do you think this is too many or not enough?I have three widgets I wish I had a couple more but I don’t want my sidebar crowded.
• How many overseas students do you have on your blogroll?I don’t I wish I would have been able to though.

The Love of Earth

Earth Day

My school is recycling bottle caps for art. Our school has many spirit competions and this was a whole month competion.At home the sixth graders had been given a box to check their bathrooms and kitchens for any leaks. The bottle cap competion has been very strong there are classes that have raised more than a thousand bottle caps.These competions have been very helpful for school. Also  my school is trying to keep trash in trash cans and our language also clean. Over all these activites are commitments the students are forward to do.

Miracle’s Boys Literary Response

Dramatic and heart warming. In the novelMiracle’sBoys three brothers are trying to get through life with no help from anyone,but themselves. At first,their mother dies at a time of crisis,and they are left to custody of their brother Ty’ree. While Charlie, the middle child, is out in a juvenile center named Rahway Home for Boys,their mother Milagro dies. After their mother’s death Charlie’s attitude changes, he hangs out with a gang member,Aaron. He even  has the nerve to call Laffyette,his brother, Milagro killer. After a couple years of their mother’s death,Charlie is very apart from his brother’s lives,and does not care about how they are doing. Lafayette calls him, Newcharlie because to Lafayette his brother’s actions show what difference juvy has done to him. Newcharlie gets into a sticky situation when he gets arrested for being in a stolen car after being tricked by his ‘’friend’’ Aaron. Finally after the brothers reunite in the police station and open up about their feeling toward their mother’s death. Also they are now more kind to each other like brothers should be. Over all friends come and go like Aaron,but family will always be by your side to support you in your hardest times.

At the end of the book the brother are reunited in the police station. As they walk along the street they realize that they all have made mistakes that have taught them better in life. Ty’ree trying to be the older sibling  talks to Charlie,trying to make him realize that life isn’t easy and he can’t be taking risks. Charlie now is becoming a better brother for he  knows  that acting tough all the time brought him trouble in the first place,and he should stop. If they want to stay together they could not take a risk of being separate for something stupid. Also Ty’ree almost lost custody of his brothers because Charlie had gone through the wrong path. Now you realize how extremely close the brothers are.

At first the problem is that Ty’ree,Charlie,and Lafayette have many obstacles to overcome as a family. First Charlie acts as if he doesn’t even know Lafayette,Tyree works full time but can afford to maintain his family,and twelve year old Lafayette is confused with life and its complications. Though behind all of those problems Lafayette is dramatized since he saw his mother die. Charlie blames her death on him because he thinks if he was there he could of saved his mom from terrible death. As Charlie  hangs out with bad influences,Ty’ree struggles with supporting his family,and Lafayette is confused with life itself they all try to overcome fears so they can be together. You can see they suffer with life’s obstacles and challenges,and as most families they try their hardest to keep their family together.

One symbol that represents the brothers is their mother Milagro. Their mother shows the sorrow and struggle in their lives of Ty’ree,Lafayette,and Charlie. Each time Lafayette brings up their mother some tension is drawn in between the brothers. Lafayette has many flashbacks of how Ty’ree and his mother would count up all the money they had for the bills. Also how one day as his mother sat the kitchen table and she received a phone call. Charlie had robbed Poncho’s candy shop. After some time Lafayette knew why his brother,Charlie,had committed the crime. He wanted to go on vacation to Puerto Rico. His mother used to tell them stories about how it was paradise there. In one flashback Lafayette finds out he is poor and how his mother’s pride is so grand she will reject help. So most of the memories he has of his mom are of the whole family’s struggle and challenging life.

In conclusion Miracles boys is a story about a family that just wants through the difficulties of life. Tyree Lafayette and Charlie have many thoughts and questions in pending. Though they didn’t know why their faith ended terribly they realized if they stuck together they could go forward and succeed in life. Amazingly Charlie going to jail made the brothers come together to form a better and loving family. One conversation changed Tyree,Lafayette,and Charlie’s relationship. Overall family is the main source of support so have confidence in them.

Disneyland by Melissa R.

Walt Disney had an epic idea about a ‘’magical park’’.What was a dream became reality.Walt Disney built ‘’the happiest place on earth’’Disneyland.The magical open July 17 1955 in Anaheim,California. In just a couple of years Disneyland had their millionth guest. Once Walt Disney got its millionth guest, the results showed how popular the ‘’magical park became.What was just a thought at first for Walt Disney,had become a huge opportunity for families to spend more time together. Disneyland is a magical park where dreams come true,and even though Disneyland makes million of dollars it’s more spreading family joy around the world in the happiest place on earth.[A.Brad]

Walt Disney and the ‘’Magical Park’’

Walt Disney had an idea about an adventurous park where families could have fun. After seeing his daughter having fun on a ride by herself,he thought Where is a place where my daughter and I can have fun together,go on rides and enjoy each other?That is when his creativity hit him he thought of a magical park. The more Walt thought of the idea the more elaborate the park became. Just one trip to an amusement park made Walt Disney create one of the greatest amusement parks in the world. Disneyland is where kids dreams come true and where they enjoy their families as well.[A.Brad]

Disneyland’s of the World

Once Walt Disney made his grand opening of in Disneyland in California,he became more productive. He opened Tokyo Disneyland in the April of 1983 on the15th[wiki.answers.com].After just one project of opening Disneyland,Walt wanted to spread happiness throughout the world. Disneyland Paris also known as Euro Disney opened April 12 1992.After came along HongKong Disney which opened September 12 2005 there is also Walt Disney World located in Orlando,Florida. What started in a city in California became so big it reached across the world.[www.answerbag.com]

Disneyland’s Million Dollar Profits

In the year 2007 Disneyland had been a million dollar company for years. On September 27 profit incomes were 760million dollars. The year earlier Disneyland had made 822million dollars,so Disneyland’s profit went down more than150 million dollars.Imagine ,thousands of guests go to Disneyland everyday and pay about seventy dollars per ticket. I think the effect that Disneyland made up 150 million dollars less in 2007 has to do with the economy,because as prices raise and employers get paid less they can’t afford expensive trips. In the summer of 2010, rose the cost of their tickets. Maybe the high prices weren’t affordable, and less people went to Disneyland in 2007.[Barnes,Brooks]

Conclusion

I think Disneyland was built for more than just money,it was built ; families could bond together. I’ve been to Disneyland myself and I had a great experience with my family. Disneyland makes you communicate with your siblings. I learned that Walt Disney made Disneyland so children and parents could enjoy rides together. Even though Disneyland is a million dollar company, Walt made the ‘’magical park ‘’ with the thought of his family.It surprised me that in just two years of Disneyland being open they got their millionth guest. I would like to know more about why Disneyland is called ‘’the happiest place on Earth’’.

Sources

1)A.Brad,Wingert,Chris’’DisneylandHistory’’http://www.justdisney.com/disneyland/history.htmlhttp://www.justdisney.com/Jan 13 2011

2)Barnes,Brooks’’Disney profit shows it is not immune from slowdown’’ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/business/worldbusiness/o6int-07disney.17605112.html1Jan 13 2011

3)’’how many Disneylands are there in the world?’’

4)A.Brad’’DisneylandTimeline’’http://www.justdisney.com/Jan 2011)’’whendidDisneylandTokyoopen?’’wiki.answers.comJan17 2011wiki.answers.com/q/when_did_tokyo_disney_open and already aaasked=1andrtitle=when

Photo Credits

1)daily-newswire.com

2)disneylandparisdirect.com

3)myglobalvision.com

4)wxwong.blogspot.com

5)idea-sandbox.com

The Wave

Shhhh….. the pacific waves sing beautiful harmonies, as the Manhatthan Beach water splashes on Sandra’s face.

”Did you see me out there?I was awesome!”,boasted Sandra.It was her first day in surf class and she already knew how to ride a wave.She felt as though she was born to surf.

”You know Sandra if your so good,sign up for the 2009 surf contest.” suggested Nat, Sandra’s friend.Nat and Angie had a scheme to win the bet they knew would be proposed.

”Yeah you should join, I bet you would win!”Angie chipped in.Angie and Nat knew they would need to encourage Sandra so she would enter the contest.

”Let’s bet on it!”,Sandra exclaimed. She was all pumped up and knew she wasn’t going to chicken out,because she was not going to let fear take the way.She wasn’t going to let Nat and Angie laugh at her.

”Tomorrow is the big day Sandra! I wonder if something bad will happen?Are you nervous?”,questioned Angie.They were all huddled up in Sandra’s bed room.Angie and Nat were working up Sandra’s   she would lose the bet.

”I’m positive that I will win the contest!” Sandra said.She had practiced for the contest all week long and she worked harder than usual.When her friends heard this their faces got pale.

Today is the day!Sandra thought The week had passed faster than she imagined. She was going to show she wasn’t scared of a small wave any more.They drove back to the beach , there was so much people that everyone was packed like sardines.The waves roared at the contestants.

”Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to see some rad waves!?” the announcer shouted.

”First up all way from New York City, Annabel!”As one by one passed it got closer to Sandra’s turn.She felt as though she was going to puke.

Then the worst case sceario happened to an eleven year old boy. He collapsed into the water like a falling tower.

”Oh..My…Gosh!”Sandra mouthed.Angie and Nat grew huge smiles across their faces,and they griped their hands together.They knew Sandra would run up the car like there was a tsunami coming their way.

”Sandra Bocavitch!” the announcer called.Sandra ran up to the shore like she had won a car.Both of her friends jaws dropped.

”But,but she…”stuttered Angie.Next thing you know Sandra is riding a huge wave as she does a late drop,and her eyes shine like stars.

”The judges have decided and the winner is….Sandra!”Sandra screamed and jumped up and down.

”Sandra we are so sorry we didn’t believe you.will you forgive us?They asked.

”No …of course, you guys are my best friends.” They walked out shouting in with victory into the sherbet sunset.

My Marianita

My wide smile has slid off my face,and my lip starts to quiver.I can’t believe what I’m hearing ,I want to cover my ears to scream.”Mom where’s my sister?”I ask stubbornly.I take a look at her face,she seems like she seen a ghost.

”Mom WHERE IS MY SISTER?”I ask louder this time.

Her voice trembles as she speaks.”Mely your sister died.”I get on my knees and start to cry. My dad comes to my side to comfort me.In my life I thought this would never happen to me.Before the news of my sister came, I had so many illusions.I remember going through all my sister’s outfits and imagining her with me. I thought of playing with my sister and changing her diapers. With four little words my whole world was destroyed.

The house hold was devastating. Every night I could hear my mom cry.Once in a while I would ask my mom where my sister was now .She’d say heaven looking over us.

I finally got to see my sister at her funeral.I cried through the baptism and the the blessing. At times you wouldn’t be able to understand what I was saying because I was crying so hard.Even though everyone thought that I was too small to understand what was going on,I did.My mom thought I was clueless,she thought I wouldn’t notice her red eyes.She felt everything that would have belonged to my sister should have been put in my room because it was to painful to even look at.

Inside I was dying,with all my feelings together inside of me. I was depressed most of the time,but my mom just didn’t notice my actions. I would lock myself in my room and do horrible tantrums.At times I felt I needed to kill myself because I had so much pressure on me.

O still remember the day of the funeral clearly.It was a beautiful sunny day with a warm summer breeze.Isaw my sister and asked my mom ”Can I give her a kiss?”My mom would just nod her head. I remember how cold her face felt and how every time I’d get close to her I would smell baby powder.

I don’t have words to describe how I felt when I saw my sister. I’d cry at school any time Id hear someone say death or sister.I don;’t know what was going on with me , I felt I was going to go crazy.I never wanted student counseling or a therapist. I thought I could get through my problems all by myself. Sometimes I felt too proud to be comforted by my friends,so I would push them away

My moods would change all the time ,through out the first whole year of third grade.I would talk to my sister as though she was alive.Then I had really gone crazy.It makes me sad tom know I still do this. People see me and think my life is incredible and I hate the fact it’s not.I feel my whole life is screwed up and I can’t do anything about it.Everything I feel I keep inside until I break down.My heart feels half empty.I think I need something to fill it up ,but I don’t know what.Somehow I feel that my sister’s death was my fault but it wasn’t. I have so much to say about what I feel but I can’t let out all at once.I hope one day my sister can rest in peace without any worries even though she’s three years old. The chaos in my house will never stop, and I feel the only way it will stop is if she was here.If there is anything wrong I did,I hope she can forgive me.The only thing I wish is to see her little face again.Dead or Alive.Even though this is so painful to to write and every word I’ve written I’ve cried for I need people to know my past.Rest in peace Mariana born July 19 2007 died July 19 2007.

Winter Wonderland!

My winter was fantastic! I spent most of my time just at home,but family time is great. My whole family came over for Chirstmas.”Santa Clause” or my my dad brought me a camera and new shoes.Later on came New Years we drank apple cider and ate 12 grapes and made wishes.I have a New Years resolution to get a 4.0  for the second  trimester.To me break was a winter wonderland!