Wonder Literary Essay 1/30

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.” Marianne Williamson helps us understand that we are poweful, and we are able to overcome our own challenges. Auggie is constantly being judged and discriminated my his physical difference. An important idea is the support he gets from his friends and overcoming obstacles in life. In "Wonder" by RJ Palacio, Auggie keeps asking himself the question, "How will I get through school?" I can't imagine what it is like to be Auggie! So, Auggie was always homeschooled, and now he has to go to school. People will judge him and worse, in the end he makes a lot of friends. This story tells us the challenge Auggie has to face. But mostly, "Wonder" is about overcoming obstacles in life to grow. (7)

Throughout the story, Auggie faces many obstacles in school. He is like a captive zebra, in a herd of wild horses. Like the zebra, he was babied, and different, but still heading in the same direction and with the same roots. At first Auggie struggled to accommodate to his new life. I guess he just didn't know what to expect! For example, on page 37 in the second paragraph the Palacio writes, "I still kept my head way down… no one sat down next to me." This excerpt shows that Auggie didn't know how to handle getting through his normal school day, yet. And what made it even worse was that no one would sit next to him! Can you even comprehend how that must have been for Auggie?  (7)

Also in the story, Auggie gets constant support from his few friends and family, they help him grow while he overcomes obstacles. He is like a newborn eagle stranded in his nest. Like the eagle, Auggie doesn't know how to metaphorically "fly", he is stuck in his own world, and overcomes his own difficulties. For example, on page 267 the first and second paragraph the author writes, "Yo, dude… and we started walking over to Amos." This shows that people do really care about Auggie, because in this excerpt the most unlikely people- Henry, Miles and Amos- come and help out Auggie when the other kids were bullying him. But Henry, Miles and Amos also bullied him at one point. Why did they help him? Because they cared. They used their strong "wings" to help him fly. That proves that Auggie gets support from his friends. So he grew to become stronger. (11)

By the end of the story Auggie has gotten through school and all of the challenges it had for him. Not only has he overcome obstacles but he has met them head on. These challenges are other kids and classmates, and he has grown to become great friends with them. For example: on page 307-308, Palacio writes, "And the next thing I knew… everyone wanted to get close to me." This shows that all of the people in his class and school have disregarded his differences and now became great friends. Because it is not enough to be friendly, you have to be a friend. Even the"popular" kids came over to him, they wanted Auggie to be in their memories of picture. Like Augie says in the excerpt, "… Everyone wanted to get close to me." (8)

This essay has proven, that overcoming challenges and obstacles makes you grow. And indeed Auggie has grown to a more confident. No more will he fret a school of kids discriminating him. He made it through school! If Auggie decided to continue being homeschooled do you think he would have grown so much? This connects to the real world because we all have to overcome challenges, but sometimes we will need some support doing so. In my life, when I go out on on my own in the "real" world (past college) myself and others will run into problems and obstacles with running our lives. Most of the time those challenges will prepare us for the next one, failure leads to success. But sometimes friends and family will have to help us. Now, as I think of the power of overcoming challenges, I realize that much of what we accomplish in life comes from that and the growth. (10)

ABC, 123

When you think of the word school… what is the fist thing that you picture in your mind (besides homework)? For me I picture the classic Math and LA 123, ABC. It is on many abbreviations for school related things.

Poem

1 thing is important: education
2 days in the weekend
3 times 6 is 18

Always do your homework
Before bedtime, read
Class

Roly-Poly, Pell-Mell, Tumble-Bumble

I was just looking through my childhood story books. Books from when I was 3 years old. One of my favorite stories back then was called "The Poky Little Puppy". It is about a nosy, young, and curious puppy that always seems to sniff out trouble in the adventures he has beyond his back yard. This particular tale is about Poky and his 4 other brothers and sister digging a hole in their fence to explore beyond. And what they find is a big green hill filled with puppy size terrors like: snakes and spiders. But, the Poky little puppy strays down the hill to the grassy meadow where he picks up wiffs of the deserts that he are going to have. Read the rest of this children's book yourself to find out what happens next. Then maybe you could tell your 3 year old cousin or sibling about this fabulous story.

IR Book Literary Essay - The Kill Order

If the world was pretty close to ending, then I think the will to survive would be one of my number one priorities. Living- let alone surviving, in a world of devastation can be hard. In the book "The Kill Order" written by James Dashner, it seems that Mark and Trina are on the verge of sanity- literally, and are trying to keep them and their friends alive. Imagine taking sacrifices just to save your friends. One of the important ideas from this book is to be grateful for what you have. Since Mark and Trina might be catching a deadly virus at any moment or getting killed by insane people who have already caught the virus, they are still grateful for each other and the blessing of food they get every once in a while. So, The Kill Order is really about the power of perseverance.

In the story there is evidence of the power of perseverance. Mark and Trina and their friends rely on each other in order to survive. In case you didn't know perseverance is the steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving a goal. For example, on page 14, top of the page the author wrote, "We'd better get back down… Or the world will end!" This excerpt proves that with so little in their burnt world, Mark and Trina have each other. And they still manage to have some fun. This shows the power of perseverance because in order to live, they will have to work for it. Like a smart one once said, "eat to live don't live to eat." Mark and Trina are eating to live, if they can even find any food

Also in the story they care for each other so much. Mark and his friends are like puzzles pieces. That work well when they are together, but are useless when the puzzle pieces are alone… and are likely to get lost. Along the way they meet a helpless five year old named Deedee. Her parents were killed and Trina and Lana cared for her when they found her. Even though she was just a mother mouth to feed they took her to their arms. Like when...

By the end of the story
For example

What do fish do?

What do fish do?

When they are out of water…

they hop,

and the top,

and they flop, flop, flop.

What do fish do?

When they are in the ocean…

they prim,

and they limb, 

and they swim, swim, swim.

What to fish eat?

When they are hungry…

they eat sea bass,

they eat lass,

and grass, grass, grass.

Who do fish like?

If they're happy then they like…

their school,

their pool,

and they like you, you, you, too!

A Glance at Tarantulas

What do you think of when you hear the word tarantula. With many people words like: creepy, crawly scary and deadly appear. But, with tarantula's that is not the case. So, it is my job to prove and disprove common misconceptions of these amazing arachnids.

The first words was creepy. I have no clue why people think tarantula's are creepy. Many are used as Halloween icons. But why? In many cultures, scary stories were often associated with spiders. Have you heard of the greek goddess Arachne. I was Arachne for Halloween last year, I knew people would find her creepy. So the creepy aspect comes from stories.

Crawly! Well, duh. Tarantulas crawl. How else are they supposed to move around!? Have you actually ever held a tarantula? It doesn't feel at all like needles scraping across your skin. It feel like little flower petals brushing across your palm. My pet tarantula is very mellow. She rarely moves fast, when she does that is when she is about to eat her cricket. That brings us to scary.

Scary, are you afraid of tarantulas? I am not. Many people are arachnaphobic, which is the fear of spiders. This fear is mental. If you actually get to know these cool creatures then they are the exact opposite of scary. This mentality comes from rumors. Like "A spider in your house is bad luck" or "a spider's venom will kill you." Both of those statements are not true. Because no one has ever died of a tarantula bite. Hmmm… Deadly?

Now deadly. One truth though, is their venom. All spiders are venomous, that is how they hunt. They mean no harm to us. They are more afraid of you then you are of them. Tarantula's are not deadly. But, only a few species in the world, out of thousands, have venom strong enough to kill you. You are actually more likely to be killed by a dog, then by a tarantula.

Science Olympiad

I sat expectantly on the gym floor of BCS. All of my Science Olympiad events finished… it was time for the awards ceremony. Our team was sitting in the front row. And best of all: it was a BCS invitational that we were hosting! A cloud of suspense hung over the room of more than 300 students, all competing for first place. Finally Mr. Hill started picked up the microphone. I had butterflies in my tummy!  The events that I was in were Entomology (the study of insects), Air Trajectory (you build a device to launch balls at a target), and Crave the Wave (physics and waves, not water waves). Mr Hill cleared his throat, "Here are the winners for Air Trajectory. Please hold your applause for after first place. In sixth place are…" I had hope, just please not sixth place! Good, it wasn't us! "Fifth place… fourth place…" He was moving into the final three this was me and my partner's only chance. "In third place is Birmingham Covington Black!" YAYYY! Yes! Maddie and I stood up and walked in front of those 300 kids. Pride bubbled inside of me, so our device did work! My whole team congratulated us. So, the vice principal announced the next three events, and Entomology was next. Vivian and I exchanged glances. I crossed my fingers and closed my eyes. "Sixth place… Fifth Place… fourth place… third place… second place…" My heart sank. But, me and Vivian worked so hard. All of the BCS team looked at us reassuringly. "And first place is… Birmingham Covington Black!" Yesss! We won BCS the first good medal! We walked up to the awards, I was about to burst with happiness, glee, pride,  boastfulness, and more! My final event: Crave the Wave! "Sixth place… Fifth place is Birmingham Covington Black!" Yayyy! I placed in all of my events. I was extremely proud since some  people left without any awards. And for team place meant BCS Black got 2nd! I had a great time!

Raccoons at Midnight

 It was just past midnight, not a sound arose in my cabin. It was my 8th day at my summer camp, YMCA Hayo-Went-Ha, I was having a restless sleep. And no I wasn't home sick and I already read my book… So; what now? I crept out of my bed careful so I don't wake the girl on the top bunk. I decided that I should just use the bathroom. The one problem was that the nights were chillier and the closest bathroom was about 70 feet away in the lodge. Anyway, I was now fully awake and the soft sleeping noises of my cabin told me that they were asleep. I grabbed my handy-dandy flashlight and tip-toed to the door. SWISH! I kicked someone's bag. I gingerly opened our familiar creaky door and shone my flashlight outside. The left was all clear-
   "AHHHHHH!" I looked at the toppled over trash can to see four beady, glowing eyes staring at me they didn't move or flicker. At first I was in total shock! I rushed inside and slammed the door shut, hard! Now my hibernating cabin was pumped with my adrenaline.
   "What happened!"
   "Are you crazy!"
   "It't the middle of the night!"
I stammered, "The-the-there are four things outside- living things!"
My cabin rushed to the door, and my flashlight shone just in time to see four black, gray and white raccoon bodies rushing into the bushes. What a night!

Revised Wonder Literary Essay

Auggie is constantly being judged and discriminated my his physical difference. An important idea is the support he gets from his friends and overcoming obstacles in life. In "Wonder" by RJ Palacio, Auggie keeps asking himself the question, "How will I get through school?" I can't imagine what it is like to be Auggie! So, Auggie was always homeschooled, and now he has to go to school. People will judge him and worse, in the end he makes a lot of friends. This story tells us the challenge Auggie has to face. But mostly, "Wonder" is about overcoming obstacles in life to grow.

Throughout the story, Auggie faces many obstacles in school. He is like a captive zebra, in a herd of wild horses. Like the zebra, he was babied, and different, but still heading in the same direction and with the same roots. At first Auggie struggled to accommodate to his new life. I guess he just didn't know what to expect! For example, on page 37 in the second paragraph the Palacio writes, "I still kept my head way down… no one sat down next to me." This excerpt shows that Auggie didn't know how to handle getting through his normal school day, yet. And what made it even worse was that no one would sit next to him! Can you even comprehend how that mast have been for Auggie?

Also in the story, Auggie gets constant support from his few friends and family, they help him grow while he overcomes obstacles. He is like a newborn eagle stranded in his nest. Like the eagle, Auggie doesn't know how to metaphorically "fly", he is stuck in his own world, and overcomes his own difficulties. For example, on page 267 the first and second paragraph the author writes, "Yo, dude… and we started walking over to Amos." This shows that people do really care about Auggie, because in this excerpt the most unlikely people- Henry, Miles and Amos- come and help out Auggie when the other kids were bullying him. But Henry, Miles and Amos also bullied him at one point. Why did they help him? Because they cared. They used their strong "wings" to help him fly. That proves that Auggie gets support from his friends. So he grew to become stronger.

By the end of the story Auggie has gotten through school and all of the challenges it had for him. Not only has he overcome obstacles but he has met them head on. These challenges are other kids and classmates, and he has grown to become great friends with them. For example: on page 307-308, Palacio writes, "And the next thing I knew… everyone wanted to get close to me." This shows that all of the people in his class and school have disregarded his differences and now became great friends. Because it is not enough to be friendly, you have to be a friend. Even the"popular" kids came over to him, they wanted Auggie to be in their memories of picture. Like Augie says in the excerpt, "… Everyone wanted to get close to me."

This essay has proven, that overcoming challenges and obstacles makes you grow. And indeed Auggie has grown to a more confident. No more will he fret a school of kids discriminating him. He made it through school! If Auggie decided to continue being homeschooled do you think he would have grown so much? This connects to the real world because we all have to overcome challenges, but sometimes we will need some support doing so. In my life, when I go out on on my own in the "real" world (past college) myself and others will run into problems and obstacles with running our lives. Most of the time those challenges will prepare us for the next one, failure leads to success. But sometimes friends and family will have to help us. Now, as I think of the power of overcoming challenges, I realize that much of what we accomplish in life comes from that and the growth.

Living in Venus

"Dodidilee! Dodidilee! Doo di lee do! Oh, I've got another problem for you!" sang a cheery, young mechanic. It was mid day on the planet of Venus. And a little girl was slaving away at a machine she was trying to fix. That song that she was singing was a traditional Venian folk song. So, this little mechanic named Ketra lived in a lively, old city called Venia, which was the capitol of Venus. Ketra had good business because the Venians always seemed to break their robots. "Oh, my room is so drafty today!" Ketra exclaimed. So she briskly walked to the techno-window and opened it. What she beholder was horrible! It was yet another giant meteor storm! The gray dust clouds were already gathering up. "Oh my goodness! Looks like we will all have to move to Uranus now!"

Locked (Chapter 4)

By the way, if you are confused with the plot in the story… just read chapters 1 and 2. They are in my previous posts. (AKA posts from 2014)

Chapter 4 - Meet Eliza

We stare at the pretty brunette and her… dog I guess. Ever since 5 minutes ago, no one in our group of four dared to move. 

Eliza- the brunette- spoke, "Uh, I'm not gonna kill you guys. Unless you want me to, just kidding." Eliza bent down and patted the wolf-dog on the head, then she glanced up at our confused eyes. "Umm… Oh yeah! You guys probably want to know my story, then you tell me yours. No fibs. No- whatever, or else. Come one"

We got up, I never lifted my gaze off of the pretty brunette. And neither did Tristan, I think he was looking a bit too much. Get it? Eliza led us in the direction we were heading, the "new forest" and then broke the silence.

"So anyway," She began. "So you guys now that my name is Eliza, I am 17 years old. Almost forgot- this is Snowball." She patted her on the head.

"Stupid name." I muttered.

Eliza spun around. And next thing I knew she had me pinned against the tree in a choke hold. "Don't you dare say that! My dead brother chose that name. The crazy loonies- the chilled peeps killed him! Understand." She released me.

In the meantime I was coughing up blood. "Are you okay?" Tristan and Gabbi rushed to my side. "Better watch your mouth around her, she has a gun. Genius!" Gabbi whisper to me. I nod an okay.

The brunette cleared her throat, "Anyway, I am from New York. So it was a typical Friday afternoon. My brother, parents, and me were walking through Brooklyn when all of a sudden those cursed virus bombs dropped. Do you guys remember them?"

"Yes."

"So then two days later the Chilled just started roaming the streets and terrorizing everyone. My parents were taken hostage, by a group of crazies on the river. So when my brother and I were just casually, well actually sprinting through the woods here. And they started fighting us…" Then Eliza cried. She is crying like a raincloud. Even for what she did to me, I pitied her. Tristan knelt down and whispered something inaudible into her ear, she nodded. I pat her back, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You are lucky you still have your brother," she said between sobs. "So then I joined up with a group in the forest and you are going to meet them."

Gabbi looked up at the slowly setting sun. It was a giant sea of orange. It made her feel, happy I guess. 

"My name is Tess. I am 16 and so is my twin brother: Tristan."

Eliza studied him for a moment. Maybe it had to do with why he whispered to her? "Oh, interesting. Tristan you should stick around with us." Tristan blushed incredibly.

"My name is Gabbi, 19."

"Oh uh, I am Nico. I am 15 years old. Yeah, and I am a really fast runner!"

"Are you sure?" Gabbi laughed.

We continued trekking along the slightly wen path. Tristan stayed towards the front of the group with Eliza. I walked with Gabbi in the rear. And little Nice trudged along in the middle of the path. The scenery of this  coming "new forest" was very different, it was untouched by human feet. Even though we were still a day away, it is truly beautiful here. I look at the brook that rubles over stones by our feet. All of the little squirrels by the trees! They are free from the Chill, they will never have to worry about death and betrayal. I actually envy the squirrels! Those cuddly, red creatures have not a care in the world, besides collecting enough nuts for the Winter!

Literary Essay - The Kill Order (IR Book)

If the world was pretty close to ending, then I think the will to survive would be one of my number one priorities. Living- let alone surviving, in a world of devastation can be hard. In the book "The Kill Order" written by James Dashner, it seems that Mark and Trina are on the verge of sanity- literally, and are trying to keep them and their friends alive. Imagine taking sacrifices just to save your friends. One of the important ideas from this book is to be grateful for what you have. Since Mark and Trina might be catching a deadly virus at any moment or getting killed by insane people who have already caught the virus, they are still grateful for each other and the blessing of food they get every once in a while.

In the story
This excerpt

Also in the story
Like when

By the end of the story
For example

Coral Reef

If you travel beneath the deep blue abyss known as the ocean then, then you might find many things. Pods of whales, underwater volcanos, or jellyfish. But the one place that is unique to the rest of the water world is a coral reef! Imagine you a a fish. A basic yellow angelfish. And you are weaving between the intricate shapes and sizes of colorful coral. Your school of fish' swim is like a dance to any scuba divers nearby. There are sea sponges with their cool holes. Seaweeds which are an excellent food source to many. Anemone where the clownfish hide. It must be so cool living in they underwater jungle.

Frozen Pond

This poem is a translated version of a famous German poem.
A big pond has frozen over;
The little frogs are lost in the depths,
No more will they croak or jump,
They promise themselves, half dreaming:
That they will find room up there in the open,
And they want to sing like nightingales.
The warm-wind has come, and the ice has melted,
Now they row (swim) and  land (on the pond side) with pride
And they sit on the banks nice and bright
And the croak like before the pond had frozen.

If you want to read the original poem here it is:
Ein großer Teich war zugefroren;
Die Fröschlein, in der Tiefe verloren,
Durften nicht ferner quaken noch springen,
Versprachen sich aber, im halben Traum:
Fänden sie nur da oben Raum,
Wie Nachtigallen wollten sie singen.
Der Tauwind kam, das Eis zerschmolz,
Nun ruderten sie und landeten stolz
Und saßen am Ufer weit und breit
Und quakten wie vor alter Zeit.

Completed Wonder Literary Essay

Auggie is constantly being judged and discriminated my his physical challenge. An important idea is the support he gets from his friends and overcoming obstacles in life. In "Wonder" by RJ Palacio, Auggie keeps asking himself the question, "How will I get through school?" I can't imagine what it is like to be Auggie! But, this story is all about that challenge Auggie has to face. Overcoming challenges to grow.

Throughout the story, Auggie faces many obstacles in school. He is like a captive zebra, in a herd of wild horses. Like the zebra, he was babied, and different, but still heading in the same direction and with the same roots. At first Auggie struggled to accommodate to his new life. I guess he just didn't know what to expect! For example, on page 37 in the second paragraph the Palacio writes, "I still kept my head way down… no one sat down next to me." This excerpt shows that Auggie didn't know how to handle getting through his normal school day, yet. And what made it even worse was that no one would sit next to him! Can you even comprehend how that mast have been for Auggie?

Also in the story, Auggie gets constant support from his few friends and family. He is like a newborn eagle stranded in his nest. Like the eagle, Auggie doesn't know how to metaphorically "fly", he is stuck in his own world, and overcomes his own difficulties. For example, on page 267 the first and second paragraph the author writes, "Yo, dude… and we started walking over to Amos." This shows that people do really care about Auggie, because in this excerpt the most unlikely people- Henry, Miles and Amos- come and help out Auggie when the other kids were bullying him. But Henry, Miles and Amos also bullied him at one point. Why did they help him? Because they cared. They used their strong "wings" to help him fly. That proves that Auggie gets support from his friends.

By the end of the story Auggie has gotten through school. Not only has he overcome challenges but he has met them head on. These challenges are other kids and classmates, and he has become great friends with them. For example: on page 307-308, Palacio writes, "And the next thing I knew… everyone wanted to get close to me." This shows that all of the people in his class and school have disregarded his differences and know become great friends. Because it is not enough to be friendly, you have to be a friend. Even the"popular" kids came over to him, they wanted Auggie to be in their memories of picture. Like Augie says in the excerpt, "… Everyone wanted to get close to me."

This essay has proven, that overcoming challenges makes you grow. And indeed Auggie has grown. No more will he fret a school of kids discriminating him. He made it through school! If Auggie decided to continue being homeschooled do you think he would have grown so much? This connects to the real world because we all have to overcome challenges, but sometimes we will need some support doing so. For example when we go out on on our own in the world (past college) we will run into problems with running our lives. Most of the time those challenges will prepare us for the next one, failure leads to success. But sometimes friends and family will have to help us. So, overcoming challenges to grow.

Feeding Cleo

I slowly unzipped the icky plastic bag. In the bag were 30 lively, desperate, fast crickets. Crickets that were 2 centimeters long! That is big for a cricket! I hate Cleo's "friends" (the crickets). I gingerly reached into the bag and grabbed a cricket. I was fishing around and occasionally touching a loose limb or two. But, I just couldn't get a hold of a cricket. Then I had no idea what was accruing then: I watched in horror as a brown little body was wriggling out of my bag. "Dad, the cricket!" I yelped. He clenched his fists around it but it escaped. Then I quickly reacted and smacked my hand down on the cricket. "What do I do!? What do I do!?" I was screaming now. I definitely did not want a cricket loose in our house! "Squish it. Come on squish it!" My dad yelled. My mind was racing all thoughts were coming through at once! The poor cricket. It will get all over my hands! Would I be a cricket killer? Oh, why this! "I don't-" SMACK! I looked up just in time to see my dad raise his hand. Ahhhh! I crushed a cricket. I squealed in disgust when I saw my hand! At least the cricket didn't get loose in our hand.

AHW (Literary Essay - Wonder)

Auggie is constantly being judged and discriminated my his physical challenge. An important idea is the support he gets from his friends and overcoming obstacles in life. In "Wonder" by RJ Palacio, Auggie keeps asking himself the question, "How will I get through school?" I can't imagine what it is like to be Auggie! But, this story is all about that challenge Auggie has to face. Overcoming challenges to grow.

Throughout the story, Auggie faces many obstacles in school. He is like a captive zebra, in a herd of wild horses. Like the zebra, he was babied, and different, but still heading in the same direction and with the same roots. At first Auggie struggled to accommodate to his new life. I guess he just didn't know what to expect! For example, on page 37 in the second paragraph the Palacio writes, "I still kept my head way down… no one sat down next to me." This excerpt shows that Auggie didn't know how to handle getting through his normal school day, yet. And what made it even worse was that no one would sit next to him! Can you even comprehend how that mast have been for Auggie?

Also in the story, Auggie gets constant support from his few friends and family. He is like a newborn eagle stranded in his nest. Like the eagle, Auggie doesn't know how to metaphorically "fly", he is stuck in his own world, and overcomes his own difficulties. For example, on page 267 the first and second paragraph the author writes, "Yo, dude… and we started walking over to Amos." This shows that people do really care about Auggie, because in this excerpt the most unlikely people- Henry, Miles and Amos- come and help out Auggie when the other kids were bullying him. But Henry, Miles and Amos also bullied him at one point. Why did they help him? Because they cared. They used their strong "wings" to help him fly. That proves that Auggie gets support from his friends.

By the end of the story Auggie has gotten through school. Not only has he overcome challenges but he has met them head on. These challenges are other kids and classmates, and he has become great friends with them. For example: on page 307-308, Palacio writes, "And the next thing I knew… everyone wanted to get close to me." This shows that all of the people in his class and school have disregarded his differences and know become great friends. Because it is not enough to be friendly, you have to be a friend. Even the"popular" kids came over to him, they wanted Auggie to be in their memories of picture. Like Augie says in the excerpt, "… Everyone wanted to get close to me."

This essay has proven, that overcoming challenges makes you grow. And indeed Auggie has grown. No more will he fret a school of kids discriminating him. He made it through school! If Auggie decided to continue being homeschooled do you think he would have grown so much? This connects to the real world because we all have to overcome challenges, but sometimes we will need some support doing so. For example when we go out on on our own in the world (past college) we will run into problems with running our lives. Most of the time those challenges will prepare us for the next one, failure leads to success. But sometimes friends and family will have to help us. So, overcoming challenges to grow.

Literary Essay - Wonder 2

Auggie is constantly being judged and discriminated my his physical challenge. An important idea is the support he gets from his friends and overcoming obstacles in life. In "Wonder" by RJ Palacio, Auggie keeps asking himself the question, "How will I get through school?" I can't imagine what it is like to be Auggie! But, this story is all about that challenge Auggie has to face. Overcoming challenges to grow.

Throughout the story, Auggie faces many obstacles in school. He is like a captive zebra, in a herd of wild horses. Like the zebra, he was babied, and different, but still heading in the same direction and with the same roots. At first Auggie struggled to accommodate to his new life. I guess he just didn't know what to expect! For example, on page 37 in the second paragraph the Palacio writes, "I still kept my head way down… no one sat down next to me." This excerpt shows that Auggie didn't know how to handle getting through his normal school day, yet. And what made it even worse was that no one would sit next to him! Can you even comprehend how that mast have been for Auggie?

Also in the story, Auggie gets constant support from his few friends and family. He is like a newborn eagle stranded in his nest. Like the eagle, Auggie doesn't know how to metaphorically "fly", he is stuck in his own world, and overcomes his own difficulties. For example, on page 267 the first and second paragraph the author writes, "Yo, dude… and we started walking over to Amos." This shows that people do really care about Auggie, because in this excerpt the most unlikely people- Henry, Miles and Amos- come and help out Auggie when the other kids were bullying him. But Henry, Miles and Amos also bullied him at one point. Why did they help him? Because they cared. They used their strong "wings" to help him fly. That proves that Auggie gets support from his friends.

By the end of the story Auggie has gotten through school. Not only has he overcome challenges but he has met them head on. These challenges are other kids and classmates, and he has become great friends with them. For example: on page 307-308, Palacio writes, "And the next thing I knew… everyone wanted to get close to me." This shows that all of the people in his class and school have disregarded his differences and know become great friends. Because it is not enough to be friendly, you have to be a friend. Even the"popular" kids came over to him, they wanted Auggie to be in their memories of picture. Like Augie says in the excerpt, "… Everyone wanted to get close to me."

Cleopatra the Spider

Guess what!? I just got my new pet tarantula yesterday! As some of you know I have been wanting this creepy-crawling cutie for months now. And as a birthday present, I finally got her. Anyway my tarantula in very docile, and I think adorable. She is a Chilean Rose Hair, which is one of the most friendly types. I decided to name her Cleopatra, or just Cleo. I named her that because I have a fancy for Greek and Egyptian mythology and queens.
Here she is:

Here I am holding Cleo.

Grammar 1/9/15

3b. Frying his body all day, / Jacob Johnson / got a horrible sunburn by afternoon / because the cheep suntan lotion from his brother / became a thin liquid / and dripped into the sand.

4a. All kinds of vegetables, / from celery to fresh tomatoes, / were laughing or dancing or playing / in the salad bowl, / and the salad dressing / that had been as quiet and unnoticed as the bowl itself / suddenly giggled with glee.

A Letter from Germany

I walked through the door, slung my backpack down and trudged into the kitchen. Then I did my usual to look through the mail. I glanced down on the table and saw a letter from Germany! It's from my Penpal! Since this is international mail I don't get letters a lot from her! So happy! I can't wait to write back to her.

Mirror, Mirror… No Mirror

"Mirror, mirror on the wall…" chanted an envious witch, "Who's the most popular of them all!" A ghostly face appeared in the shimmering surface of the mirror. "Sugar Moon, Sugar Moon is the most popular of them all." said the mirror in a cold voice. Then the face disappeared. It left the poor, young witch to think.

"Oh Wanda! Why art thou so daft?! Why can't thee be like the Mistress Sugar!" Wanda Witch screamed at herself into the abyss of the mirror. In her thoughts Wanda pictured a beautiful Sugar, dancing and laughing with her skin as pale as the moon and hair like the golden rays of the sun. This Sugar laughed and ridiculed Wanda. Wanda shook her head, "Am anything in this world? Shall Sugar ever notice me, even if I thou not a noble!" 

Wanda thought about her life. She had grown up with sugar since the dawn of that humans life, after all witches live longer. All of her life she has been envious and jealous of the Mistress. When shouldn't Sugar have been jealous of Wanda, for possessing magical properties! Suddenly a burst of hope sprang into dear Wanda's soul. "I need not to fret of these silly woes! I have kept the charm all along. In myself… But shall anyone notice?" Yes, Wanda's friend in the Mirror would notice. She stared into those sullen red eyes and smiled.

Literary Essay - Wonder

Auggie is constantly being judged and discriminated my his physical challenge. An important idea is the support he gets from his friends and overcoming obstacles in life. In "Wonder" by RJ Palacio, Auggie keeps asking himself the question, "How will I get through school?" I can't imagine what it is like to be Auggie! But, this story is all about that challenge Auggie has to face.

Throughout the story, Auggie faces many obstacles in school. He is like a captive zebra, in a herd of wild horses. Like the zebra, he was babied, and different, but still heading in the same direction and with the same roots. At first Auggie struggled to accommodate to his new life. I guess he just didn't know what to expect! For example, on page 37 in the second paragraph the Palacio writes, "I still kept my head way down… no one sat down next to me." This excerpt shows that Auggie didn't know how to handle getting through his normal school day, yet. And what made it even worse was that no one would sit next to him! Can you even comprehend how that mast have been for Auggie?

Also in the story, Auggie gets constant support from his few friends and family. He is like a newborn eagle stranded in his nest. Like the eagle, Auggie doesn't know how to metaphorically "fly", he is stuck in his own world, and overcomes his own difficulties. For example, on page 198 the first and second paragraph the author writes, "He's turned the whole grade against me… and shakes his head."

(Not done)

Hawaii Skies

"Wow, look at that!" I exclaimed as I looked down from the window. Our driver did a dramatic loop and everyone in the vehicle "oohed" and "ahhed". I still can't believe it! I was riding in a helicopter! For the very first time! What was even more scary and awesome was that we were about to fly over Hawaii's most active volcano. Kilauea… "I my gosh!" I gasped! We were just flying over a lush green landscape, when I looked down to see lava. It was like an endless abyss of black. Like burning charcoal, but rock. I heard cameras click around me. I glanced through the front window to see a chunk of the road still there! It was an island in a black sea. Then our helicopter started to circulate around the mouth of the volcano. I spied the fiery red liquid, a devil lived in there… ready to burst at any moment. "Maja can you see it well enough?" I asked my sister. She nodded vigorously in response. Wow. What a helicopter ride.

Attendance

"Ugh! We have a substitute for Miss Viola today!" Grumbled Sally, to Jenny.

"Why do substitutes always call out your full name?" Jenny cried.

"It's so annoying… Plus I like Miss Viola."

Henry and Ethan walked up to them, smirking.

"You girls are always so persnickety about our teachers." Ethan sneered.

"Says the person who always get in trouble." Sally and Jenny retorted.

The boys sighed, "Class is starting, let's see which devil we get today.

All 15 of the students in class 4B walked into their homeroom class. One by one the students walked in. And each in turn dropped their mouth open and silently walked to their seat. This sub was indeed going to be a devil for class 4B… On the chalk board, 'Mrs Cross" was written in big, loopy, mean looking letters. Her name itself wanted to leap off of the board and eat the poor children. Then the old woman stood up. She was plump and round. Her face resembled one of a blood hound- droopy. Her hair was like a spider web. I don't think class 4B would have been surprised if their was a spider in her hair. She wore the most ugly brown skirt, that showed off too mush of her red, swollen, nasty ankle. Mrs Cross wore an out-of-style sweater, with a gross plaid vest that was not color coordinated.

 When the devil cleared her throat the whole class leaned back in their chairs. "Class it is time for attendance," Mrs Cross said in a scratchy voice, like a witch… the witch. My name is Mrs Cross, in case you didn't know." Sally did not want her name to be said at all.

"Alexis Anne Altermann." Alexis was the most popular girl.

"Hello! Im Fabulous!"

"Beatrice Belle Buttlesbee." Beatrice was the nerdiest.

"Here ma'am!"

"David Durango Dilapadoser." His name made every one laugh. David was the class clown.

"The one and only!"

"Ethan Eli Endrud." Ethan was the most athletic student.

"What up!"

"Gianna Grace Guarnacelli." Gianna was the animal lover.

"Meow!"

"Henry Hule Hirth." Henry was the trouble maker, and very persuasive.

"Absent!"

"Irene Inez IcMintish." She was the 'germiphode'.

"Um… Hi!"

"Jenny Jane Jestersmith." Jenny was the smartest student.

"Present!"

"Liam Larney Liamson." Liam was a real book-worm.

"Greetings from space!"

"Otto Oliver Ork." Very shy.

"Here!"

"Rayna Riley Rotterzuler." Rayna went on a lot of trips.

"Hola!"

"Sally Sue Samsonwhittbackerjoeven." Sally was a true actress.

"To be or not to be!"

"Ulysess Umby Uwatra." The teachers pet!

"Here, please call me Uly!"

"Wilson Will Wifferville." Wilson is the 'new kid'.

"Not here."

"Ximena Xen Xavimore." Ximena was the 'girly-girl'.

"Lalalalala!"

"Ok Class! Now that attendance is finished let's spend the rest of the day outside playing!"

Christmas Traditions - SS Extra Credit

In this picture… my sister and I are doing a Polish Christmas tradition call opłatki (pronounced op-waht-kee). In this we brake off a pice of this flatbread wafer, to some one else - as me and my sister are doing. The wafers are wonderfully designed to display Christmas images. The purpose of this tradition is to give blessings to the other family member for the up-coming year. 

Junior the Gecko

"Hello Junior! How are you?" my sister said in a way you would speak to a baby. "Isn't he cute." I muttered. But, it was true Junior was cute.

My friend Mia was on a ski trip. So as a result I got to baby-sit her brother's pet gecko. The gecko's name is Junior.

My family loves Junior dearly. Even though we only got to be with him for 10 days. I had to feed him LIVE crickets and mealworms, believe me: it was not easy. You see, I had to wedge my hand into the ziplock bag that was adorned with cricket limbs. The variable was that I couldn't mess up, otherwise I would have a cricket loose in my room! Anyway, Junior is very special. He is an albino gecko. Mias brother said, "Don't worry if he furs really white, that's normal."

This is Junior…