reader's Journal # 25 the Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,

                I am still reading The Red badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.  It is an historical fiction novel set during the American Civil War.  Here is a passage from the book from page 238:

                “The cold passed reluctantly from the earth, and the retiring fogs revealed an army stretched out on the hills, resting.  As the landscape change from brown to green, the army awakened, and began to tremble with eagerness at the noise of rumors.  It cast its eyes upon the roads, which were growing from the long troughs of liquid mud to proper thoroughfares.  A river, amber-tinted in the shadow of its banks, purled at the army’s feet; and at night, when the stream had become of a sorrowful blackness, one could see across it the red, eyelike gleam of hostile campfires set in the brows of distant hills.

                Once a certain tall soldier developed virtues and went resolutely to wash a shirt.  He came flying back from a brook waving his garment banner-like.  He was swelled with a tale he had heard from a reliable friend, who had heard it from a truthful cavalry-man, who had heard it from his trustworthy brother, one of the orderlies at division headquarters.  He adopted the important air of a herald in red and gold.”

                I picked this passage because I started to understand what was going on a little bit more.  This passage is significant to the book because without it, it would be harder to understand why the author chose the title he did.

                My two before reading strategies were first to skim and scan for text features and second, to remember what I had read last time.  My two during reading strategies were to one, to understand all vocabulary, and two, imply stuff as I read.  My two after reading strategies were one, to relate what I had read to what I had read last time, and two, prepare for Reader’s Journal.

                The genre of this book is historical fiction.  The characteristics of the genre are realistic fiction set during an historical period.  The setting of the story is in different locations during the American Civil War.  The tone of the book is serious and the mood is serious also.  The moral of the story I haven’t gotten to yet.

                The point of view is third person because it uses words like he, she, and they.  The pattern of organization is climatic order because the story goes from exposition to rising action to climax.  Then it goes from climax down to resolution.

                The author’s purpose is to share a good story about the Civil War.  The author’s perspective is objective because he knows that the story never happened and is not true.

                I would rate this book three out of ten because I didn’t like the way it was written and how there was olden day talk in it.  I would not recommend this book because you may not understand it.

Sincerely,

Michael Heskiel

Current Events #9

Date: 2/12/12

Name: Michael Heskiel

Current Events Journal

Title: Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Say.

Author: Sabrina Tavernise

Source: The New York Times

The topic of the article is Education inequality.

The main idea of the article is: How the rich kids are getting a better education than the average kids and also how the differences between whites and African Americans have average closer to the same amount of education is stated.

The author’s purpose for writing this article is to inform the reader about the inequality of education between the poor and the rich and different information about it.

The author’s perspective in this article is subjective (biased) because the tone of the writing makes it sound like he doesn’t enjoy what’s happening.  For instance, instead of using the word “little” he decides to go with the term “far less”.  

The pattern of organization of the article is chronological because it gives specific dates and times.

The reason the author chose this pattern for the article is to emphasize what is going to be explained in the article.

There are no text features except for the title.

This article is about (a summary in your own words) how the poor and the rich have a difference in getting an education depending on which category they fall into.  The author of this article brings up people and statistics to prove this.  It also says that now it is better and a more even average of whites and African-Americans getting the same amount of education.

The significance (importance) of this article is to show that we can always Improve on education even if it look a hundred percent better.

What I learned from this article is that the rate of education for the average and the poor is much lower than I expected.

What I liked about this article is the author brings statistics and different evidence to show that there is a big difference in the quality of education between whites and African-Americans.

What I did not like about it is that it is very sad to hear of kids who want the education to succeed and to have a good living but they’re getting less of an education because they’re not rich.

Who should read this article and why I think all teachers should read this article because the teachers can get a better understanding of what’s going on and how to help lower the rate.

This article reminds me of

(Text-to-self) is that when I was in another school the more behaved kids learned more that the miss behaved kids but not because of behavior it is because they dint give them a chance.

(Text-to-text) this reminds me of a quote: “Education is our passport to the future for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” Malcolm X. If you’re not getting a good education you can’t prepare for the future.

(Text-to-world) this reminds me of how poor kids around the world especially in Mexico due to spatial inequality.   

New vocabulary I learned

Word Context Clues Meaning

1. Dilute- threatens to dilute education, Corrupt.

2. Welfare- like welfare and other government programs, how much profit they make.

3. Revert – The danger is that we will revert back to the mindset of war, return.

Reader's Journal # 24, the Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,

                I am reading the book The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.  This is an historical fiction book set in the American Civil War.

                Here is a quote that I liked from the story on pages one and two:

                A very little boy stood upon a heap of gravel for the honor of Rum alley.  He was throwing stones at howling urchins from Devil’s Row, who were circling madly about the heap and pelting him.

                His infantile countenance was livid with the fury of battle.  His small body was writhing in the delivery of oaths.

                “Run, Jimmie, run!  Dey’ll git yehs!” screamed a retreating Rum Alley child.

                “Naw,” responded Jimmie with a valiant roar, “dese mugs can’t make me run.”

                Howls of renewed wrath went up from Devil’s Row throats.  Tattered gamins on the right made a furious assault on the gravel heap.  On their small convulsed faces shone the grins of true assassins.  As they charged, they threw stones and cursed in shrill chorus.

                The little champion of Rum Alley stumbled precipitately down the other side.  His coat had been torn to shreds in a scuffle and his hat was gone.  He had bruises on twenty parts of his body, and blood was dripping from a cut on his head.  His was features looked like those of a tiny insane demon.  On the ground, children from Devil’s Row closed in on their antagonist.  He crooked his left arm defensively about his head and fought with madness.  The little boys ran to and fro, dodging, hurling stones, and swearing in barbaric trebles.

                From a window of an apartment-house that uprose from amid squat ignorant stables there leaned a curious woman.  Some laborers unloading a scow at a dock at the river, paused for a moment and regarded the fight.  The engineer of a passive tug-boat hung lazily over a railing and watched.  Over on the island a worm of yellow convicts came from the shadow of a grey ominous building and crawled slowly along the river bank.

                A stone had smashed in Jimmie’s mouth.  Blood was bubbling over his chin and down his ragged shirt. Tears made furrows on his dirt-stained cheeks.  His thin legs had begun to tremble and turn weak, causing his small body to reel.  His roaring curses of the first part of the fight had changed to a blasphemous chatter.

                What I enjoyed about this passage was the vivid description of the violence.  This passage is significant because without this passage the story would be even harder to understand. 

                My two before reading strategies were to skim and scan and read the synopsis.  My two during reading strategies were relate the language in the story to modern language and to find and understand with context clues the meaning of vocabulary words.  My tow after reading strategies were to remember I read and prepare for Reader’s Journal.

                The genre of this book is historical fiction.  The characteristic of the genre is a story set during an historical time.

                The characters of the book so far are Jimmie, his parents and his sister.  The protagonist is Jimmie and the antagonist has not been shown yet.  The setting of the story so far is a city that hasn’t been named yet along a river.  One text feature I noticed was on page fifteen.  There is a picture of where Stephen Crane grew up on Mulberry Place.

                The exposition is during the fight between the Devil’s Row and Rum Alley kids.  It always seems the Rum Alley kids lose.  The rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion I haven’t gotten up to yet.  The tone of this book is serious and the point of view is third person.  The pattern of organization is cause and effect because the cause is Jimmie doing something bad and the effect is him paying the price.  The author’s purpose for writing the book is obviously to entertain the reader.  The author’s perspective is biased because it shows a little bit of his own personal feelings by using vivid descriptions.

                I would rate this book a four out of ten so far because I have not enjoyed the book that much and it’s hard for me to understand.  I would recommend this book to somebody in college because the kids in college know how to understand this book better.  It is a much higher level than a middle school book.

                Sincerely,

                Michael Heskiel

Current Events #8

Date:  2/6/2012

Name:  Michael Heskiel

Current Events Journal

Title: Warm and Furry, but They Pack a Toxic Punch

Author:  Natalie Angier

Source: The New York Times

The topic of the article is mammals’ defenses.

The main idea of the article is: (implied/stated) stated and is about the African crested rat and how he uses his defense mechanism.  They also include different mammals such as the Capuchin monkey and the deer.

The author’s purpose for writing this article is to inform the reader about the African crested rat and other mammals that use toxins or chemicals to defend themselves against predators and other threats.

The author’s perspective in this article is objective because due to the fact that she is reporting the findings of others.

The pattern of organization of the article is cause and effect because the article talks about some mammals and how they use toxins to defend themselves.  The effect is how the mammals succeed in protecting themselves using the chemicals.

The reason the author chose this pattern for the article is to let the reader have a better understanding of how mammals use chemicals and toxins to defend themselves.

The text features included in the article are: illustrations and photographs helps by giving the reader a better understanding of what the creature looks like.

This article is about (a summary in your own words) about mammals that use chemicals to defend themselves.  The article gives specific examples about how each animal gets and uses their toxins.  For example, the African crested rat nibbles bark from a tree whose bark is poisonous.  He then spits on his fur so when a predator tries to eat him and bites him, the predator will become ill, and possibly die.  Another example is how the skunk developed a gland that sprays a noxious chemical.

The significance (importance) of this article is that it educates the reader about mammals and defense different defense mechanisms they use.  What also is important about the article is how not all mammals use claws or jaws to defend themselves.

What I learned from this article is how mammals can also use poison to defend themselves just like reptiles.  I also learned in this article there was an animal called the African crested rat.

What I liked about this article is how the author didn’t just talk about the subject but gave examples.  I also liked the fact I had vocabulary words to write about.

What I did not like about it was that it was very difficult for me to read and understand it.  Even after the third time, I was not 100% sure I understood it.

Who should read this article and why:  People who are interested in animals and learning about animals.

This article reminds me of (text-to-self) when I play video games that have strategy involved and I don’t succeed the first time, I would have to try a different strategy or a new plan to try and win.

(text-to-text) This reminds me of a book I just read, N.E.R.D.S.; M is for Mama’s Boy by Michael Buckley. The protagonist, Duncan Dewey, after failing many times, has to try a different strategy to defeat the antagonists at the end of the book.

(text-to-world) This reminds me of the bark used by the African crested rat is used as a poison to kill elephants.

New vocabulary I learned

Word Context Clues Meaning

1.     Flamboyantly “…large, flamboyantly furred and thickly helmeted.”  – flashy. 

2.     Potent “…with potent toxins harvested from trees.”  - strong.

 Deterring “…deterring predators with chemical weapons.”  – discouraging

Reader's Journal # 23, Where the Wind Goes, by Dr. Mae Jemison

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,

                I have finished the book, Find Where the Wind Goes, by Dr. Mae Jemison.  It is the story of her life as kid and as an astronaut.  She was the first African American woman in space.  Here is a passage from the book on pages 6 and 7 that I enjoyed:

               

Another early memory centers around what enticed my sibs to play with me voluntarily.  Ricky and Ada Sue liked to blow on my belly and tickle me until I couldn’t breathe.  I’d laugh so hard I thought that my belly and sides would never stop cramping and hurting.  They would sneak in and do this when my mother wasn’t looking.  I was also a welcome diversion during the vesicular stage of my chicken pox.  That’s when watery blisters, or vesicles as I later learned they were called in medical school, could be burst open and scabs pulled off.  I know you may think “Yuck!”  But, I have come to appreciate that “Yuck” is precisely the job of older siblings.  Younger or older, siblings are around to introduce us to icky things, to teach us humility, enable us to cope with the elements of surprise and fear, to present us with challenges, like how to get into their rooms, clothes, secrets or how to keep them out of ours.  “Sibs” teach us the rewards of perseverance in competition:  how to eat the fastest, to hold off from doing the chores the longest (my personal best for not washing the dishes was two day, which included innovative hiding places); how to pass the blame and make accusations stick (I would always laugh), and how to get the best treatment from parents, aunts and uncles, and other adult members of the extended family.  I could also count on Ricky and Ada Sue to support me whether things were good or not.  We may have had personal skirmishes, but we always wanted the best for one another.  We were proud of each other’s accomplishments, and we would help the others with tasks (as long as it wasn’t washing the dishes!).  The alliances between us changed as we grew – Ada sue and Ricky versus Mae; Mae and Ada Sue versus Ricky; Ricky and Mae versus Ada Sue; or everyone for himself or herself – but we’ve always been close.

                This passage is significant to me because it shows how much she cares about life.

                My two before reading strategies were one to skim and scan the book for text features and two, to read the cover blurb.  My two during reading strategies were to one, try to relate what I had read to when I had visited the Kennedy Space Center, and two, to understand vocabulary words by using context clues.  My two after reading strategies were to review what I had read and prepare for Reader’s Journal.

                The genre of this book is autobiography.  The characteristics genre is the author sharing the story of their life in a book.  The topic of the book is Jemison’s life.  The main idea of the book is her life and how she searched for where the wind blows in her life.  Some supporting details of the main idea are that she continued to work toward being an astronaut no matter what her teachers believed  and that she succeeded in achieving her goal.  The essential message we would get from the story of Jemison’s life is try and you will succeed. 

                A text feature I noticed were right dead center in the book there were photographs of her.  Another text feature I noticed were the sub-headings in each chapter.  I also noticed that the chapters had titles, too.

                The pattern of organization was chronological order because the book lists dates.  The author’s purpose was to share the story of her life. 

                Three vocabulary words that I learned were vesicles, which means blisters; diminished, which means lessened or reduced; and diagnosed, which means identified.

                I would rate this book a five out of ten, because it didn’t really interest me.  I recommend this book to people who would like to work for NASA when they grow up.

                Sincerely,

                Michael Heskiel

Current Events #7

Date:  1/30/2012

Name:  Michael Heskiel

Current Events Journal

1. Title: Should the Driving Age Be Raised to 18?

2. Author: Unsaid

3. Source: New York Times

4. The topic of the article is about teens and how they may not be old enough at 16 to get behind the wheel.  In the article, they argue reasons to let and not let the teens drive.

5. The main idea of the article is: Stated.

6. The author’s purpose for writing this article is to tell the reader both opinions on the subject.

7. The author’s perspective in this article is subjective (biased) because they are opinions.

8. The pattern of organization of the article is argument/counter argument.

9. The reason the author chose this pattern for the article is to show all opinions on the subject and how they matter.

10. The text features included in the article are:  there are no text features. 

11. This article is about (a summary in your own words) teens who died for lack of driving training and experience.  They talk about if they should change the driving age to 18.  Yes, the reason is they can’t watch the death of young teens anymore in driving accidents.  The “No” side said you shouldn’t be punished if it’s not your fault.  These are both good reasons but I would agree with no.

12. The significance (importance) of this article is to show the danger of driving and how you must be careful on the road.

13. What I learned from this article is they want to change the age limit for driving.

14. What I liked about this article is how vivid each sides’ reasons were and how the yes side gave other laws as an example.

15. What I did not like about it is how they are fighting over it.

16. Who should read this article and why?  Teens obviously so they may get a better understanding of certain circumstances.

17. This article reminds me of (text-to-self) a time I started playing with a knife and I cut myself.  My step-father said if you stop respecting it, it will stop respecting you; same thing with cars.

18. (text-to-text) an article I wrote at my old school about how cars affect people.

19. (text-to-world) the millions of people who died in car accidents.

New vocabulary I learned

Word Context Clues Meaning:  There were no words I did not know the meaning of.