Novel Thing

1. Give the author's name and a brief outline of his or her biography. Please use your own words in order to avoid plagiarism.gf

Don Trembath is the author of Harper Winslow series and the Black Belt series and he lives close to Edmonton, Alberta. He is the author of many teen books.  He was won many awards including the YALSA Best Books for Young Adults.


2. Name and describe the main character(s). Are they static or dynamic? What motivates them? (A static character does not change, a dynamic character changes as a result of his or her experiences)
Rooster, at first, he is static but becomes dynamic while time progresses.  Rooster hates school, he smokes and really doesn't care but a new girl moved to his school and he changed, at least only for her and around her parents.  Also, Rooster is going to fail high school and his friends are going to graduate and he doesn't want to be alone so he joins a bowling team.


3. What is the novel's setting? Why, in your opinion, did the author choose this setting for this novel?

The setting is at a high school, and in my opinion its at school because hes struggling in school and hes going to fail as his friends pass and he doesn't want to be alone next year so hes trying to pass.  I also believe the author chose this setting because he writea more teen based books about highschool and teenagers.

4. Describe some of the main events. Where in your novel does the climax take place?

One of the main events is when Rooster is in the cafeteria and the "new girl" walks in and Rooster said to his friend that he likes her. Another main event is when his principal calls his mom and begins to tell her how he is failing his classes and what he has to do to pass. I think the climax takes place when the principal tells him that in order to have a chance to pass he has to join the bowling team as a volunteer activity.

5.  Can you imagine yourself reading the novel again in 10 years? Would you suggest it to a friend? Explain.

I do not imagine myself reading this is 10 years because it is more high school- early college/university type book and in 10 years I will probably be out of school depending on what job I want.  I would recommend this to people around my age because it can teach you if you don't do well in high school and your friend's do than you can rely on your friend's to help you with your work and you won't have a very good job.

literacy test thing?

1) In the tips for reading section (page 3), explain what three strategies you feel are your strongest.
I believe managing my time because if I don't know a question I skip it and go to other questions that I know.  Also when im reading, if I don't understand to well I try to put it into my own words so it does make snese.

2) What three reading strategies do you feel you should try to improve upon the most between now and the test? 
I think I need to improve on actually reading the entire sentence because often, I don't read the whole sentence and I lose marks. 

3) Repeat instructions 1) and 2) for the writing tips on page 4.
a)  My strongest are that I actually look at the picture real carefully to help me understand.  Also, answering the; Who, What, Where, When, why, How are easy for me to do.

b)  My weakest are writing using third person because i always get mixed up what first and third person are.  Also, it is hard for me to pretend like I am writing a newspaper because I don't exactly know how to do that either.

4) Read page 5. What information do you find to be helpful or interesting?

It is helpful to know that I can retake the test a year after if I don't do too well.  Also if you leave a question blank you will score a zero so it is good to skip the question and go on to ones you do know first and go back to it after.

5) Finally, what questions do you have about the literacy test (the OSSLT) that Mr. Pierce may be able to answer for you?

How to write essays and news articles more clearly.

East

East

Erika's parents planned a trip for her to go to China with a group of friends for a month for the language immersion, cultural exchange and community service in order to get prepared for the Beijing Olyimpics in 2008.  They did 3 hours of Chinese School almost everyday.  They learned mostly by listening and seeing people talk to each other. The group of friends also learned stuff a little less hands-on and more real-life.

Summarize ( definiton ) + Third Man Theory

Summarizing a piece of text is an important skill.  In order to summarize, a reader needs to be able to seperate the main idea of a text from supporting details.  A good summary includes the most important information and eliminates"information overload"



Many people, both religious and atheists, report being helped to survive near death experiences by an unknown presence.  The religous people believe it was a guardian angel that saved them and the atheists believe it was a survival mechanism.  Although scientific reserchers think the brain conjures a "Third Man".  John Geiger was fascinated after reading the story about Sir Ernest Shacklenton's crew after landing on an island and being helped being helped by an invisible man which some think is a "Third Man".

^ James Sevigny broke his back, scapula, arms, nose, teeth, and tearing legiments in both his knees and felt the urge to survive and managed to get to a camp. 

Mr. Pierce Example;

Many people, both religious and atheists, report being helped to survive near death experiences by an unknown presence.  In one instance, a helpful presence helped Ron Difrancesco escape the burning World trade Center. 


Don't know if i did it correctly though.

Writing Complex Sentences

A complex is made up of  and independant clause and a dependant clause.

An independent clause is a group or words that could be a sentence : Ex : I am happy.

A Dependent clause is a group of words that cannot be sentence by itself : Ex : When I ski.

A dependent clause can help form a sentence when it works with an independent clause : Ex: I am happy when I ski.

Other joining words > that, who , which , but, after, for, since, while , though.

Not a complex sentence : I was hungry but than I ate dinner.


1)  I watch football on t.v., every Sunday.

2)  Having finished my homework, I has a chance to go on the computer.

3)  Having passed school, my dad gave me money.

4)  I scored the most goals on my team, and got a trophy.

5)  I like to go snowboarding, every winter.

6)  I do my homework, after getting home from school.

7)  I like to play hockey, so does my brother.

8)  I hate french class, Andrew and Josh do too.

9)  I like chicken, it's delicious.

10)  There is clouds, in the sky.

Appositives

1)  Andrew's mom, Mrs.Campbell, is baking cookies for Christmas.

2)  Canada is sending people to Iraq,where our forces have been for years ,to protect the people the people of Canada.

3)  My teacher, Mr. Bevilaqua, gives me homework everyday

4)  I invited my best friend, Bob, to my party.

5)  My uncle, Joe, teaches me how to play guitar.

6)  My dog, Patches, likes to run and play.

7)  Today Ernie stood up to Johnny, the biggest bully in the school.

8)  George, a man with great strength, was able to carry the entire bag of bricks by himself.

9)  My brother, a human garbage disposal, consumed five cheeseburgers in one sitting last night.

10)  The spider, a large and hairy creature, scared the children as they walked outside.

People rob bank

People Rob a Bank

Who:  6 teenagers. Two 18 years old and four 19 years old.

What:  Walk in like it is their bank and their getting money out of their bank.

Where:  Toronto, Ontario.

When:  6 a.m.  November 14, 2010

Why:   Need money for drugs

How:   Hid guns in their pockets.

         On November 14, 2010 in Toronto at approximately 6 a.m. , 6 people, in their late teens rob TD Canada Trust desperate for money for their drugs.


          An eye witness, Joe Brown explains everything.  Joe Brown was getting money for his sons birthday when he hears a gunshot behind him so he looked behind him and seen 6 people.  Joe says that they looked in their early 20's - late teens.  They all had guns so nobody could do anything other than just hope for the best.  The robbers demanded money from the cashiers and they gave it to them because they didn't want to die.

          At 7 a.m. the cops arrived and the robbers were already gone.  Nobody was killed but a few were injured.  One of the robbers threw a brick at somebody and broke some body's ankle.  One of the other civilians were thrown through a glass window but managed to get away to call 911 just a few minutes before.

         2 weeks later, a stranger walking on the street seen 2 of the robbers.  She grabbed her cell phone out of her pocket and called the police and she followed them.  They were arrested and the 2 that were arrested ratted out on their buddies that were with them.  The police found $8,000 out of the $10,000 in their hide out.  The robbers were taken to a prison in Manitoba and were sentenced to 20 years for breaking and entering, and robbery.

News report

                 Students Make Important Discovery

Who:  A few students

What:  Making a discovery

Where:  At Edward Jones Secondary School

When:  March 1st, 2010
              
Why:  To find a cure for cancer

How:  Using their computers to make ways to create formulas



        Students from Edward Jones Secondary School discovered a cure for cancer using computers to create formulas with their mathematical abilities.

Cause and Effect

Who:  3 teens

What:   Reach Fiji

Where: Fiji - South Pacific

When:  Friday

Why:  Rescued by fisherman

How: On a fishing trailer

Animal Farm end

I enjoyed the novel however it wasn't as good as I thought or wanted it to do but I still liked it.  I wondered why Squealer would sell Boxer to the Knackers for money, and the worst part is that they used the money to buy whiskey.  I liked how the animals chased Mr. Jones out of the farm and they ran it themselves but I didn't like how Napolean was the leader, I would have prefered Snowball because he was a good leader.  The pigs also changed a lot of the commandments and Clover was clever enough to notice the changes.  The changes of the commandments were just minor but the changes were so the pigs could do stuff they originally weren't supposed to do to a certain extent.  I still wonder why the pigs would change the commandments just for a little bit of pleasure like sleeping in a bed.

animalfarm9

1. What was Boxer's one real ambition?  Boxer's real ambition was to see the windmill well under way before he reached the age for retirement.

2. Why did Boxer sustain an injury?   Boxer sustained his injury because even when he got hurt he still worked when most of the other animals got hurt they wouldn't work so it didn't heal fast.

3. What was Boxer's fate?  He fell after carrying a load of stone to the windmill and he couldn't get back up.  A couple days after that, Boxer was sold to the Knackers by Napolean.

4. How did Squealor manage to make the animals feel better about Boxer's death?  Squealor lied about how a veterinarian had recently purchased the animal slaughter truck and had not yet painted over it.

5. What did the pigs purchase at the end of the chapter? Where do you think they got the money? The pigs bought another case of whiskey.  They got the money because Boxer was sold to the Knackers.

animalfarm 8

Meddle - to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation; interfere officiously and unwantedly.
Don't meddle in my personal life.

Surmounted - to mount upon; get on the top of; mount upon and cross over.
The boy surmounted the hill.

Skulking - to lie or keep in hiding, as for some evil reason.
The thief skulked in the shadows.

Magistrates - a civil officer charged with the administration of the law.
The magistrate was inforcing the rules.

Flogged - to beat with a whip, stick, etc., esp. as punishment; whip; scourge.
The kid was flogged by his parents.

Clamoured - a loud uproar, as from a crowd of people.
The clamor of the crowd at the gates.

Privy - participating in the knowledge of something private or secret.
Many people were privy to the plot.

Primitive - being the first or earliest of the kind or in existence, esp. in an early age of the world.
The mammoth was primitive.

Forsook - to quit or leave entirely; abandon; desert.
She has forsaken her country for an island in the South Pacific. ( Didn't know this meant forsaken )

Conciliatory - tending to conciliate: a conciliatory manner; conciliatory comments. .
To conciliate an angry competitor.

Animal farm 6

Why were the pigs able to sleep in the beds?

The pigs were able to sleep in the beds because Squealer convinced the animals that since the pigs have the brains on the farm so they deserve a quiet place to work and sleep.  The pigs also had to change the 4th commandment from "No animal shall sleep in a bad" to "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets."  The pigs were explaining to the other animals exactly why they could sleep in the beds.

Why did Napolean announce doing work on Sunday?

He claims that the animals will get a benefit from working a 60 hour week and if the animals didn't work some of the time their pay got cut in half.  A lot of the things were also become more successful than last year.It was also found necessary to leave certain tasks undone.

ANIMALFARM 4

1. Who was sent out to tell the story of the rebellion? The pidgeons were telling the story.

2. What two farms were beside Animal Farm?  Foxwood and Pinchfield were the names of the two farms.

3. Why did humans return to Animal Farm?   They returned to try to take the farm back.

4. Who was killed and who was wounded?  One sheep was killed and Snowball was wounded.

5. Why was Snowball awarded the honour of Animal Hero, first-class?  He earned it because like in real life the soldiers get an award for fighting in the war and he got an award.

animalfarm 5

1. Who dissapeared? Where was she later seen?  Mollie dissapeared and she was seen on the other side of Willingdon.

2. Why did Snowball want to build a windmill?  He wanted to build a windmill to supply the farm with eletrical power so the stalls would be lit, run a circular saw and get an electric milking machine.

3. What happened to Jessie and Bluebell's puppies?   Their puppies were taken by Napolean so he could raise them.

4. What happened to Snowball?  Napolean made dogs chase Snowball out of the farm and he never returned.

5. Explain why you think that Napolean's announcement that Sunday meetings would come to an end is a bad idea.  I think it's a bad idea because they won't be able to discuss problems, they will just have to do everything Napoleans way.

6. What was set up on a stump at the foot of the flagstaff? Why?  The skull of Old Major was set on the foot of the flagstaff.

animalfarm3

1. What is the result of the harvest after the Rebellion and why?  It was a big sucess because the animals would work together to get what they needed to get.

2. What part do the pigs play in the harvest?  They stood on the hind legs to reach the implements.

3. What is Boxer’s personal motto?  Boxer's personal motto was "I will work harder".

4. What is Benjamin’s attitude after the rebellion?   His attitude didn't change, he acted the same.

5. What is the maxim that Snowball teaches the sheep?   The maxim Snowball teaches is that"Two legs good, four legs bad"

Animal Farm2

1)  Old Major dies 3 days after his speech.

2) Napolean and Snowball.   Napolean was a large fierce-looking Berkshire boar but not much of a talker.  Snowball was vivacious, intentive and not a lot of depth.

3)   The animals named Old Major's teachings Animalism.

4)   Moses spoke of Sugarcandy Mountain.

5)   The name of the farm was Manor Farm / Animal Farm.

6)  The 7 commandments are :
Whatever goes upon 2 legs in an enemy
Whatever goes upon 4 legs is a friend,
No animal shall wear clothes,
No animal shall sleep in a bed,
No animal shall drink alcohol,
No animal shall kill any other animal,
All animals are equal.

Animal Farm > Chapter 1

Knacker -  a person who buys animal carcasses or slaughters useless livestock for a knackery or rendering works.

Confine -  Usually, confines. a boundary or bound; limit; border; frontier.

Ensconced -  to settle securely or snugly: I found her in the library, ensconced in an armchair.

1)  The setting of the story is on a farm

2)  He is big , strong , smart and hes respected.

3)  God gave him a tail to keep the flies off, but that he would sooner have to tail or no flies.

4)  She made a wall for the ducks and kept the cat warm.

5)  He says their lives are miserable because they are given just enough food for them to survive.

6) 

7)  The desicion is if rats and rabbits are enemies or friend and they decided that they are friend.

8)  The name of the song is " Beasts of England ".

Lightning Rod

1)  I think computer intellegence will never be as good as man and sciene because peopel are always discovering and inventing new things and stuff.

2)  The online dialogue makes it look like she is talking to somebody in maybe the same situation but she was actually talking to herself.  She learned that you can actually help yourself as much as anybody else can.

3)  She doesn't think she can learn all the information because there is too much.  I don't think she should ignore it because what if she gets into the same situation or if somebody else does?  She could help them.

What's Courage?

Thesis:  What does courage mean to you?

1:  Shoplifting and cheating aren't being courageous, it's just stupidity.

2:  When people stand up for themselves and others to get the rights they deserve.

3:   Risking your life in a war.

Would boys and girls learn better if they attended separate schools?

               In my opinion, boys and girls would learn better if they went to seperate schools and it would be a lot less distraction which would make the students pay more attention.  Also, when a boy and girl are dating and one or the other gets dumped and they are all sad and it is a distraction for everybody else.  There would also be less fights I think because boys or girls wouldn't have to beat each other up for a boy or a girl they like. 

               I believe because boys and girls find one another attartive by the way they look and it becomes a distraction for one another and their marks will get lower and lower.   Some people purposely dress the way they do so they are a distraction to others or that sometimes, not often, guys where shirts they are sexist and the girls dont like it and find it offensive.  

               Another reason I think boys and girls should go to seperate school is because there are some co-op sports teams which to me, is not fair for both boys and girls.  Most guys are bigger than most girls which is unfair depending on the sport such as football or rugby but even sometimes there are girls that are bigger than the boys.  Also, guys are often more tougher, not saying always, and can take tackles and hits harder the than girls can and the guys would hit hard still but maybe not hit as hard on the girls.


              One last reason I think boys and girls would learn better if they went to different schools is because of all the gossip and fighting.  Often, girls start rumors about each other and it ends up getting into fights.  After that, you hear more gossip and than people start being on somebodys side and there is even more fights.  Guys, it's different, there are just random fights and people picking on kids smaller than them and stealing their lunch money and than you end up getting people to stab other people with knives and hitting each other with baseball bats.

not finished!!!

Are blogs helpful in English class?

               In my opinion, yes blogs are helpful because it is alot less trouble because  people often lose or forget work at home.  It saves paper by not having to write on it and it saves more trees for more oxygen so we can live longer.  Also, with technology, you can do more advances things so you can make your work better or make it they way you want. Finally,  Blogs also change things up from writing the work on paper, it gives the students something new to do instead of doing the same old thing every year.  These are all reasons why I think blogs are helpful in English class.

               Blogs are helpful because you can store your information so your guarenteed it is safe on the computer.  When you write things out and have to do it for homework, sometimes people will forget their work at home or lose their work somewhere.  People also make up excuses like " The dog ate my homework" or "My brother ripped it up becasue he thought it was funny." and on the computer, people can't make these excuses.




             

The need to heed avalanche alerts

Unless you are saving somebody else, putting yourself in danger is not a crime.  I believe the author would disagree because he states in the first paragraph that there were sign and warning and the people that got in danger chose to ignore them.

Some of the main arguments that support the authors thesis are that he is saying how people actually died and some of them were only in grade 10.  The author is also saying that avalanche occur very often and aren't rare and that the temperature of the snow and winds together can be deadly.

The warning that the author is talking about is that have too many people have needlessly died because snowmobilers aren't respecting the rules.

I believe that the people of Sparwood are going to respond by either thanking him for stopping peopel from being injured or killed or other people will be confronting him because what if the mayor banned snowmobiling and they couldn't snowmobile anymore.  The other side to this article that isn't present is the side of the snowmobilers because they can say there side on why snowmobiling is okay.

It didn't help me.

Finding Forrester

When Jamal was playing basketball and the other kid kept bothering him

After Jamal broek in the guys home, he kept on going back for more advice because the old guy wrote comments on his writing because Jamal left his bag in the guys house.  The old guy didn't want to help him at first because Jamal broke into his house but Jamal insisted.

When Jamal was in the basketball game and he had a chance to get a layup in and 2 fouls shots but he missed them all.

Short Story ( The kid who couldn't resist attention )

There was once a kid named Ralph.  Ralph was in the 8th grade and was very popular.  He was the best known person in the entire school.  He was known for all of his jokes and his very desire for sports.  When Ralph made a joke, everybody knew to laugh or Ralph would do something to embarass you, and when he played sports, he would do something to brag about it or make it look like he was showing off.

Later that week there was a new kid in Ralphs class.  Ralphs had a new target now, he was going to make mean jokes about him. They new kid, Arnold didn't mind it in fact, he thought it wasnt funny at first.  Than it just kept happening day after day, week after week, and this had been going on for about 2 months before Arnold started getting annoyed and than he ask Ralph politely as he could if he could stop.  Ralph replied with a loud and firm " No, why should I?" and he walked away.

The next day, it continued to happen.  Arnold ask him politely again and Ralph said the same thing so than Arnold asked Ralphs best friend Ernie if he could ask Ralph to stop making jokes about him and infront of everybody in the school, Ralph yells " No, I'm not going to stop making jokes about him!" and everybody turns against Ralph because they know its starting to hurt Arnold's feelings.  Ralph gave up and walked away and Arnold was happy again and he thanked everybody that helped him.

My Experience

          From my past experience in English, I never really enjoyed it.  I do not really like reading and writing assignments like essays, letters and such.  I do enjoy using computers, working with wood and science.  English is one of my least favourite because I struggle with the writing assignments.  I was never interested in it.  I do believe i get the same marks in french, math and English but i don't find that I am marked the same in my other classes.

          In grade 8, I achieved my diploma and I was definitely satisfied with that.  I achieved this because I worked as hard as I could to pass all the grades for 10 years without failing.  To improve my grades in grade 8 I actually started taking notes and studying.  I also did that to get some practise for high school.  I found it more enjoyable when the teacher read aloud and than we have group discussion.  I do not like when we have to read our selves and than write stuff about it because I'm a slow reader and barely have any time to answer the questions. 

         My goal for this course in to get atleast an 80.  I believe i will need to participate, do my homework and not be late.  Some factors my be to study for tests and actually do my homework.  I would expect them to keep me challenged.  I plan on going to college or university so I can get a good job.

         Some interesting things about me are that I've played hockey for about 10 years now and I like to joke around alot.  I also do not like sitting for long periods of time.  I have 1 cat and 1dog and some of my favourite things are to play hockey and make designs.  My friends, well I try to be friend with everybody but my most important friends are the ones from elementary school because I've known them for a couple years.  There is really nothing we really like to do we will just do whatever we feel like doing.  My friends don't influence me in school, I just do the best that I can everyday.  Although on the rare occasion that they do a little distracted and than I forget what I was working on for a minute.        

        I describe myself as outgoing, shy at times, funny and very active.  I get shy when i have to say a speech infront of a bunch of people or if I am meeting alot of new people.  I tend to be very active  and funny if I'm in a good mood.  I try to be outgoing, active and funny when I'm with my family friends or at school and I usually act like this because atleast 1 of my friends so something nice to me.




    

Small Inspiration

I have had days like the author where i can't put up with anybody at anytime and I'm not in a good mood and than my cousin or my brother would just come running in the house and be so excited and I would basically just ignore or not pay much attention to them.

In my family, it's completely opposite. When my parents argue, my brother usually gets involve and he's only 11 and than my mom usually ends up going to bed and she tells me to watch over my brother and dad.

When my parents argue, I am usually hiding in my room either watching T.V. or playing on my computer and my brother just sits in the living room on the laptop listening to their conversation and i try to ignore it.

My brother is not the reason i get up in the morning, my friends are the reason.  My brother is really annoying and he always thinks he is right.  He will not give up anything until he is right.  In the morning, my brother always yells like he is mad when i ask him a simple question so than i just ignore him the rest of the morning until i go to school.

Courage

I believe courage is when somebody can stand up for themselves or especially for somebody else that is getting bullied or picked on.  Courage is not just when your brave enough to go on a rollercoaster or go on an airplane if your afraid of heights, it's about having the guts to sometimes risk your own life to save somebody elses.


I believe the most courageous job is either a fire fighter or a police officer because fire fighters have to go into burning buildings and rescue civilians trapped inside the burnign buildings.    Police officers have to chase down vehicles on a high speed chase, come face to face with somebody with another gun  or chase down people robbing a store or bank etc...


To have courage means to be brave and have integrity and persaverance also having to do something you really don't want to do in some cases.   To stand up, defend yourself from somebody harassing you or a friend whether they are bigger or smaller than you are.  That is what courage means to me.

Sentence Combining ( Pan-Sized )

Louis goes camping with his four year old son Tony in the hills behind their farm .  They fish in the cold, shallow streams for trout with their fly rods.  They fish in the cold, dewy morning when they get up.  They cook delicious pan-sized trout over a fire for breakfast.  Louis and Tony listen to the howling wolves and the soft wind that animates the trees as they go to bed at dusk.  The creek sings them to sleep, as it gurgles and splashes, wakening them in the morning.

Sentence Combining- Writing

Writing

Some students enjoy writing and find it easy.  Other students dislike and find it difficult.  Their teacher, Mrs Poundmaker, is patient and understanding.  She teaches them how to proofread and edit their work effectively.  Writing is a difficult skill, it requires hard work and concentration.

apposition -elements set next to one another

Sentence Combining

Connecting Words

and      but     or     if.....then     where     when     as      also   +ing       who     that     which

Sample:

Substitute Teacher

The students enjoyed Mrs.Fletcher, the substitute teacher from England.  Her teaching involved language games and writing contests.  The room was filled the laughter of stundents who were competing for prizes.  Mrs. Fletcher also enjoyed the students, wanting to return to teach them again.

Twilight Zone

1) What is your opinion of The Twilight Zone? Explain why this either would or would not be a good graphic novel to use for other grade nine classes.

I thought it was okay. I believe it would be good for a grade nine english class because it is a graphic novel and has pictures to help you understand the story more but it is also is a reasonable length of story.

2) How is reading a graphic novel different than reading a short story? What strategies do you have to use as a reader in order to understand it fully? (Make a list)

Reading a graphic novel is different than a short story becase there is pictures to help you understand and little bubbles from the author to help explain what is going on in the story or what happened in the story.