Dear 812 and Ms.Galang

Although we had a lot of ups and Downs I don't regret most of them because we learn from our mistakes. I made some new friend as ell as got to know some old ones a little bit better. One of my biggest challenges this year was be true to myself as well as others.  I'm not very good with confronting my problems, I runaway instead of confronting them. I've learned that friends are like voices some are big, some are small and some are fake. Some are worth fighting for and others just aren't. I need to know who is who. I've loved Middle School even thought sometimes it would be harsh it's teaches you how reality can be. I love my teachers and all my Friends. This year went by fast Even if it didn't  seem that way at first. this year i haven't done my best. My grades weren't as good as 6th and 7th. I definitely think that i did however go through a journey if that doesn't sound weird. Our class has definitely has drama and it can be annoying but also really helpful to learn how to deal with it. I'll miss all the many memories with my friend including going to the library with Bria and Summer, Lorenzo being his annoying self and always saying getting upset or calling me names like jaws, sharkboy, and flat nose, also him pouring a cup of salt into our bread for the Spanish project, and I'll miss Audri and all the dumb things she says/does including the time she poured glitter all over the art room and wanted me to help her with her mess. I'll also miss Ella saying that she'll be famous and mention all of us in her academy award speech. Overall Middle School has been grand and I loved it!

My favorite unit was the storybook because they came out really nice and the kids loved them. Also they were very creative and actually weren't as easy as i thought because of the whole having to have a meaning to it subject.

Macbeth: Extra Credit

On Saturday, February 28, 2015, I went to see Macbeth.  When the play started, I was a little bit confused about what was going on. Everyone was laying on the floor as if they were dead, even though they weren't.  I saw two boys and a girl in very dark, creepy costumes that were walking around the bodies. I later realized they were witches. The actors who played those parts did really well and they acted so scary, evil and were really creepy, which is how they were supposed to act! They were witches after all! I also noticed that the  play got darker and darker as time went on.

I did enjoy the play very much and loved the action with the sword fighting. Even though the play was dark and scary it did have some funny, comedic scenes as well. Before today, I've never seen the play nor did I know what it was about. I figured it didn't matter because the actors tell the story through their emotions and actions. I felt very confused and I didnt' understand every scene. The actors had to talk with Scottish accents since the play was set in Scotland. I felt that this made it confusing and hard to understand. What made it worse was that it was set during the Renaissance so the vocabulary and grammar were different using words such as "thou" a lot. However, the actors were just doing their job and they couldn't have acted any better. They put all of their effort into it.

The actor that played the main character did such a good job, especially Chloe Ivey, she really put a lot of hard work into her emotions. I really felt like I was in Scotland during Renaissance period.  I was surprised by Eli Stiewing because I didn't know he could act so well. In the play, he died and became an evil spirit. He transformed from a good, obedient, brave knight into a scary, strong evil spirit. Those characters differed, but he played those parts so well. I also give credit to the stage crew who did an awesome job with the lighting, sound etc.

I can definitely say that although the play was a little bit confusing, I did not regret going at all. The cast was amazing! I'm glad I could go watch and support all of my friends who were in the play.  I can't wait to see what play they do next, because I will definitely like to go see it!

Reading Response 2-10-15

Being different is nothing to be afraid of, you should't fit in just because society is pressuring you. Insurgent by Veronica Roth teaches readers that everybody is different. Tris, the main character is Divergent, which basically means she doesn't  belong in a certain faction (community) where you have to act a certain way. She doesn't fit into any community.

This book shows readers that everyone is different from each other. In the book, when you are sixteen you have to take a test to determine which faction you belong in: "'We take a test to determine which faction we belong in, but we do have a choice and are able to pick whenever faction we like'" (Roth,24) This shows that we will acts a certain way. The book has communities for those acts. 

Tris, the main character doesn't fit into one faction. She fits in multiple factions because she is different, she is divergent: "'Abnegation, Dauntless' I say ' and Erudite' 'Three factions?' His eyebrows ift. 'Yes.Why' 'It just seems like a lo,' he says. 'We each had to choose a research focus in Erudite initiation, and mine was the aptitude test simulation, so I know a lot about the way it's designed. It's really difficult for a person to get two results-the program doesn't allow it. But to get three... I'm not even sure how that's  possible'" (Roth, 36) This means that she doesn't even fit into any faction, because she has a personality of multiple factions, that means that she doesn't really fit into society.

Being divergent doesn't make you dangerous, it makes you different...as well as special. tris doesn't hurt people, she actually saves them. Another character in the book named Marcus is also divergent, and is explaining to people about divergent:'''Yes' Marcus says. 'I understand you are concerned. You had never heard of the divergent a week ago, and all that you know is they are immune to something to which you are susceptible, and that is a frightening thing. But I can assure you that there is nothing to be afraid of, as far as we are concerned'" (Roth, 219) Divergents are not dangerous, they are different, but that doesn't make them bad. People don't have to act in one certain way. It's good to be different.

The text connects to the world because lots of people don't feel like they belong. They feel like they have to act a certain way because or for society, but they don't. People need to be themselves, they don't need to fit in. People need to have their own voice, their ow opinion and especially their own personality. Tris is divergent because she doesn't fit in and that's something you should be proud of, not afraid of.

Picture Book 1st Draft 1-21-15

Mark Vazquez
Page 1
There once was a pair of best friends. An elephant and a zebra named Elias and Zach. They loved playing with each other, they played with each other all the time, and soon they were about to start school.
Page 2
Elias has woken up from bed. He rubbed his eyes and then began to smile, because he realized that it was his first day of school and he could not wait. He had this feeling that he would love school and have a great time in it. Elias had then gone to the kitchen where his Mother and Father were to go have some breakfast. When his Mother saw him, she said “Good Morning Baby!” and then gave him cereal. His father then said “You are going to love school son, I promise”. Elias had then made a grin and said “I think so too”. Elias then went to get his backpack, said goodbye and left the house to go meet Zach at the bus stop.
Page 3
As soon as Elias got to the bus stop he immediately saw Zach, because of his black and white stripes. He waved and Zach noticed and waved back with a big smile on his face. “Hey Elias” Zach said. “Hey Zach” Elias replied. “Are you excited to start school?” Zach asked. “Definitely! What about you?” Elias said. “Totally!” Zach said and then the bus came and they got on and rode to school.
Page 4
Once at school, they went to their class and sat down next to each other. They both then saw a group of striped animals. There was a tiger, a bee, a raccoon and a chipmunk. They all seemed mean.
  Page 5
The striped animals had all been looking at zebra. Elephant didn’t know why? Then all of a sudden it hit him, Zach had stripes, just like them. They then asked Zach, “Hey you want to hang out with us?” Zach had just looked confused and jus ignored them, but the group of striped animals was popular, Zach and Elias didn’t know it at the time, but they would.
Page 6
After the school day was over, Elias and Zach were walking home together. Zach had looked confused. “I wonder why those kids asked if I wanted to hang out with them?” asked Zach. “I don’t know either” said Elias. The two had had a wonderful day though and wasn’t going to let that ruin their first day of school.
  Page 7
As soon as Elias dropped Zach off at his house, he went home where his Mom and Dad had been waiting for him. “So how was your first day of school”? “It was good” Elias said happily. “Well that’s good” his father said. Then they served Elias his favorite food, spaghetti with fish sticks on the side. He loved it!
Page 8
The next day at school the striped group of animals walked by Elias and Zach’s table, and this time just the tiger asked again. “Hey stripes, you want to sit at our table?” This time Zach looked at me and then the Tiger and said “Sure” Elias was shocked. He could not believe that Zach had done that, however Elias just forgot about it and continued on with his day. Later that day, after school was over, Elias had been waiting for Zach so that they could walk home together. Zach never showed up so Elias walked home alone.
Page 9
When Elias got to school after walking there all by himself, he saw Zach sitting with the striped animal group. Elias then decided to go sit with the group but the tiger had said that he could not sit with them. Elias looked at Zach waiting for him to say something about that, but Zach looked away instead. Elias sat at another table all by himself feeling sad.
Page 10
When Elias arrived home, he went to his room and sat on his bed and wondered why Zach didn’t say anything when the tiger said he could not sit with them. Sitting and feeling sad, Elias drifted to sleep.
Page 11
The following day when Elias went to sit at a corner by himself, Zach walked up to him and said “I’m sorry for what I did yesterday, I should have said something”. Elias said “I forgive you, but are you going to continue hanging out with the other animals?” Zach said, “No, they weren’t what I expected”. They both smiled and hugged each other and listed to what the teacher had to say.

Author's Note

My name is Mark Vazquez, I am 13 years old and I live in Brooklyn. I attend Middle School 51. I wanted to write this story, because I felt that it was necessary to teach kids that friendship is important and you need to know who your real friends are, which are the ones that care about you. I also wrote this story to teach you to try not to fit into the crowd. Be yourself, if some people don’t like you because the way you act or the things you like and like to do. I hope that readers understand and learn from this story.

Synthesis Page answering question

Argument Essay

“You all smoke for fun, I smoke to die”, says Alaska Young from Looking for Alaska, by John Green.  Although my book, Looking for Alaska, by John Green is a heart-warming book, I feel that it should be banned because it includes such topics as sex, smoking and alcohol. Looking for Alaska, I believe is an inappropriate book that should be banned from Middle School libraries.

Looking for Alaska is a book that teaches students and young adults that smoking may make you cool.  A particularly compelling example of this is in the article “Banned Book Review:  Looking for Alaska”, states that “Miles never resists the pressure to smoke.  Day one, he lights up.”  It is true that Miles does start to smoke pretty early on in the book as soon as he begins boarding school.  It says in the book “I inhaled.  Coughed.  Wheezed.  Gasped for breath. Coughed again.  Considered vomiting.  Grabbed the swinging bench, head spinning, and threw the cigarette to the ground and stomped on it, convinced my Great Perhaps did not involve cigarettes.”  This shows that smoking is a big issue in this book and that most of the characters seem to be chain smokers.  High School kids should not be smoking at their age, especially the amount that the characters in this book are smoking per day.  Smoking isn’t good for you and can lead to difficulties with your health in the future, but this book says it’s okay. (Green, 23)

Looking for Alaska also has a lot of sexual content in it.  They are also somewhat descriptive about this topic which makes it even worse.  Specifically, a line in the book describes how when Alaska Young found her roommate, Myra having sexual intercourse with her boyfriend.  In another part of the book, Miles’ girlfriend is about to perform oral sex.  It says in the book “she had looked up at me, but didn’t move, her face nanometers away from my penis.”  The article “Banned Book Awareness:  ‘Looking For Alaska’”, says that “The Tennessee legislative recently passed a bill stating that teachers cannot encourage ‘gateway sexual activity’ as part of the states’ abstinence-based sexual education movement”.  All of this is saying that sex is okay at this age and that everyone should be doing it. (Green, 147)

Drinking is a strong part of Looking for Alaska and also inappropriate, especially since it talks about underage drinking which happens quite a few times in this book.  Miles said once in the book “We did not say:  Don’t drive.  You’re drunk.”  It also says in the article “Banned Book Review:  Looking For Alaska”, that the book earned a spot on the American Library Association’s list as one of the top ten frequently challenged books of 2012 because of drinking, smoking and sex.  This is not a good message for readers at all.  It is kind of saying that you should drown your sorrows in alcohol.  After all, Alaska Young died because of drunk driving.  This is why drinking is not good, especially if you’re under age; it doesn’t solve anything for you. (Green, 117)

It is important to acknowledge that Looking for Alaska teaches you about love and how life can really be like.  However it does not change the fact that this book had many inappropriate topics and parts to it.  They could have made the book meaningful without the inappropriate parts.  The unnecessary, inappropriate parts just ruined the message the book was trying to make.

Thinking about it, Looking for Alaska is an inappropriate book, and should be banned from our Middle School libraries.  It can make young readers think that it is okay to do all of these things, when it really isn’t.  Although I think, Looking for Alaska is not age appropriate for Middle School readers, and should be removed from our libraries, I think it is okay for High School to include in their libraries for their students to read.

Bibliography

-http://www.juliatomiak.com/2013/09/banned-book-review-looking-for-alaska/

-http://bannedbooks.world.edu/2012/05/14/banned-books-awareness-looking-for-alaska/