The last project in Hum. with mr. Thomas is a trailer

This is my Greek mythology trailer! I can't really give you an outline cause thats the trailer's job. But I will tell you the names of the characters that will be in this trailer and the characters that didn't make it into my trailer. First of all there is the first Greek goddesses Nyx. She gives birth to Eros the god of love. Since Eros was born frim an egg the top part of the egg went adn formed the sky and Eros name the sky Uranus. The bottom part went and formed the Earth and Eros named Earth Gaia. He made Uranus and Gaia fall in love. They had many children (Titans), Kronos one of the Titans was afraid of his children's power and ate them while they were still babies. But his wife Rhea betrays him and saves one kid (Zeus). Then there is a huge battle between them you will have to see the movie (which is never coming out) to find out who wins the battle. Hint: read the Percy Jackson series and you will find out for sure! Enjoy my trailer!

Its gone by so FAST!

I have done a lot of work this year! But there is one thing that I'm really proud of and that is our second Tic-Tac-Toe! It was a collaborative project and my group members were Sheta, P.J and Ted. Our ancient civilization was ancient China. We did the geographical location powerpoint, the mobile and the diary. Our mobile had to be about the 12 contributions or achievments and we chose the Shang dynasty in ancient China. Our two diary entries were also based on a slave girl in the Shang dynsty. And our geographical powerpoint was on all of China! I'm really proud of my work on this project is my groups teamwork! We worked well together, we spilt our work equally, we all did our work properly and if we had disagreements we worked them out in class. We got all our work done before the deadline and for sometime we barely had any humanities homework! Then it is the quality of our work. We edited all our work like I wrote the diary entries and Sheta edited them. On the mobile we went through all the paragraphs before we printed them out. Ted and P.J edited all the slides before presenting it. I learned so much about writing while we were the diaries. I'm especailly happy with my improved writing ability! Before all my sentences were tiny and I didn't pay attention to my vocab, but now most of my sentences are compound and I write much better! Both my diaries the ancient Egyptian and ancient China diary entries have helped me alot with my writing!

My greatest challenge this year is making my writing my own. I know that sounds crazy but my teacher made me realize this. I still have trouble with making my writing my own! This means making my writing sound like I wrote it! Not a different person. Some people can write really formally and make it sound like their own work. But I don't really talk very formally! I seriously think formal is boring (no offense to people who write formally!) I always wondered why I kept getting only A's instead of A+'s. I always thought it was my writing but then in the student led conferences mr. Thomas told me that it wasn't my writing but it was the way I wrote. So I'm still trying to fix that!

I learned many things about myself as a learner. Best of all when we were doing our learning profiles. You can findour more about that if you read my learning profile post! But most of all I learned that I can do anythign I want as long as I concentrate and want to do my best. I always turn in my best work if I work hard and concentrate. I know that's what everyone says that if you focus and try hard you can do anything, and that is true. But sometimes if I don't focus and not try hard I can get a pretty good grade. But that is an A- or lower. I always want to go for A's and A+'s! That is my goal! So I learned that if I'm listening to a little bit of music and not multi-taking I can so awesome work!

For my behavior in class I would say satisfactory. Because I'm not perfect or a model student. I don't always do my homework or turn my work in before teh deadline. There have been a few times when I would completely forget about the deadline and I would finish my project last minute. Like our imaginative narrative. I completely forgot it was due on wednesday so I had to finish it in class cause mr. Thomas was angry with abunch of other kids cause they didn't do their work either!

I think I actively participate in class. I always listen when mr. Thomas is talking so I won't have to ask him to repeat the directions. I ask questions when I need to, and even if I can't participate in a certain conversation, because I have nothing to say I just listen quitely and if they say something funny I laugh along with everyone else.

I think I'm super organized because I never forget any of my supplies. I always bring my humanities binder (even if we never use it), I never forget my SSR book and if I do forget something then it is because I didn't know we were meant to bring it. But obviously I forget things sometimes but other than that I'm good. My locker is also neat. I can get all my stuff when I need them so I consider that neat!

I think my effort is satisfactory. I don't go above and beyond expectations all the time. I do that sometimes but not always. I know that I should but I don't. I do everything that is neccesary and that is the end. If I feel like it then I go abouve and beyond expectations. There are some people who go above and beyond expectations all the time and then there are people who don't even do satisfactory. But that just depends on how we want our work to turn out!

Now I'm going to tell you about two goals I want to set for 7th grade! My first goal is to go above and beyond expectations all the time. Now that I understand how it works in ampang better I can really work hard on that. My second goal is to participate in everything that I can. This year I just sat back and watched everything but now I'm going to participate in things like that middle school play. I didn't even audition but next year in 7th grade I 'll audition and try to get into it!

I would like the teachers know that I can do my work but if I seem really confused about something then that means that I don't get what to do or I don't get what I did wrong! Then there is my revising problems. I never really revise my work. I don't read over my essays to fix the vocab and grammatical errors or in math to fix the silly mistakes that I would make.

I don't remember what it was called but it was a challenge in which we had to make the ancient Egyptian social pyramid in 30 minutes using three paper plates, a few straws, paper clips, string, one strip of tape, note cards. ruler and anything else we had. I really liked it because it forced us to work fast and think creatively. We worked in groups I was with Ashka and Sheta. So it also depended on teamwork. We had to reason critically because we had to use ALL the supplies that mr. Thomas provided us! And it was a lot of fun, we also go to review our social pyramid because we had to explain what each social level was.


I think that we could have had more chances to be free with our writing. The only piece of free writing we did was the imaginative narrative and we rushed through that. I really think that we had a little bit more chance to be imaginative it woulf have been easier to write the diary entries because we would be able to imagine the life style and the setting better. It is also more fun to let your imagination run free so we would want to do the work. We would think of it as fun not as home work or a project we had to do to get a good grade!

I love it when teachers ask us to give advice. Okay make sure you listen to the teachers when they are giving you instructions! Trust me you don't want to have to do a project and you don't know what to do! That is the worst position to be in (I talk from experience)! Make sure you so your home work because it will be useful when you have to do quizzes or tests. Because most probably they are similar to the questions in your homework. And the teachers won't be happy if you never do your home work. You don't want to get on the bad side of teachers! If you do these then you shouldn't have any trouble when you are in 6th grade!

I had to leave because.....

Dear Asher, Hello Asher, I'm alive and I have Gabriel with me! I know that The Giver must have told everyone that I fell into the river and drowned, but that was a cover story. The truth is that I ran away. Don't bother asking people to look for me, because I'm already in elsewhere! You must be wondering why I would run away from the community, well there are many things that I learned while I was training with The Giver. I will tell you why I ran away! In our society everything is chosen for us! Our jobs, who we marry, our childrens names and many more things! There is no choice or freedom! You can't see colors, colors are wonderful and beautiful things but you can't see them! I have often wondered why you can't see colors. SoI asked The Giver and he said, "Our people made the choice, the choice to go into Sameness. Before my time, before the previous time, back and back and back. We relinquished color when we relinquished sunshine and did away with differences." Since our ancestors chose to go into Sameness you can't see colors! I can, because I'm the reciever of memories! You don't have real feelings! Like love, "While Jonas watched, the people began one by one to untie the ribbons on the packages, to unwrap the bright papers, open the boxes and reveal toys and clothing and books. There were cries of delight. They hugged one another. The small child went and sat on the lap of the old woman, and she rocked him and rubbed her cheek against his." That is love! There is real pain, anger, happiness, sadness and many more! But you never get to feel them because you are in the Sameness. Do you remember when I didn't want to play the good guys and bad guys game! Well when I saw you playing it I realized that it was a game of war! I have seen a memory of war! "Jonas heard a voice next to him. 'Water,' the voice said parched, croaking whisper. He turned his head toward the voice and looked inot the half-closed eyes of a boy who seemed not much older than himself. Dirt streaked the boys face and his matted blond hair. He lay sprawled, his gray uniform glistening with wet, fresh blood." Later on in the memory that boy died! That is war, when I saw you playing that game I thought of the boy and begged you not to play it, "'Don't play it anymore,' Jonas pleaded." That is why I need to leave! I want to chose things! I want my freedom! Do you know what they do when they release people? They kill them! Soon when my mother and father are in the house of old they will be killed! Or when identical twins are born the lighter one will be killed and I'm not lying I have seen my father kill a baby! My father was about to release Gabe and I will not let that happen! Thats why I took him too! There is so much more to life than what you think! It is not enough knowing, I have to experience it too! Sincerely Jonas, P.S. Dont tell anyone about this letter!

Giving Memories

In The Giver there is no freedom, no choice! Everything is decided for you all you have to do is play along! But someone has to hold the memories that were taken away from them, thats why there had a reciever of memories or in other words The Giver. The Giver has to hold memories like colors and real emotions! The main charactor of the book, Jonas has been selected to be the next reciever of memories. Soon he realizes that there is so much more to the world than what everyone else and for a while he thought. After he got a few memories he accidentally transmits a memory of peace to a little baby that his father had brought home from work! The baby's, Gabriel's reaction was falling asleep. But that is against the rules! Soon Jonas gives Gabriel more and more memories, whats wrong with that? It makes the burden lighter! Then you wonder how this quote:" Gabriel's breathing was even and deep. Jonas liked having him there, though he felt guilty about the secret. Each night he gave memories to Gabriel: memories of boat rides and picnics in the sun; memories of soft rainfall against windowpanes; memories of dancing bare-footed on a damp lawn. "Gabe?" The new child stirred slightly in his sleep, Jonas looked over at him. "There could be love" Jonas whispered. The next morning, for the first time, Jonas did not take his pill. Something within him, something that had grown there through the memories, told him to throw the pill away" relates to the themes of freedom and choice?





I think the relation between the quote and the themes is fairly simple. Its the freedom of choice! Jonas chose to give some of his memories to Gabriel, regardless of what the rules say. He made the choice to let Gabriel into information, he would not have believed if he was Jonas' age! But since Gabriel is only a baby Jonas can tell him things and share his memories with him, and Gabriel can't even say he is crazy because he had seen the memories and he is just a baby! Jonas has the freedom to lie to people! At first he thought that was ridiculos, but soon he realized that its actually very helpful! He can lie to The Giver about not sharing his memories! So this quote is all about the themes of freedom and choice!





Information and Images from:


http://www.isklmrthomas.blogspot.com/

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYfUXC-UgCWs2UF-43UZT_-AKHVHYahqUTGdXLzWJy1pk09nVzL8U9abwLZswgsGE3AGLqGGbFUo_pScBq5AWNVTCKudaDOg-Jj8iK9PETn9iuIsBpYDFogTd0PKVIcykHm2kNSnBNOCk/s400/the+giver.jpg

The Giver 3

For my Lit Circle 3 I had to comment on someone else from my group, so I commented on Sheta's! You can go to her blog and read my comments if you like, you can find a link to her blog on the blog called 'Our Malaysian Journey'.

The Reciever of Memories

Was there ever a time when you just coudn't chose between something! Like taking money you found on the floor or giving it to a trusted adult? Or when you really want to go to the movies but all your friends want to go to the mall? Well when I was reading The Giver and found out that Jonas was picked to be the reciever of memories. He had to go for training and then the giver said "Making choices would be frigtening for people." Why did he say that. I mean making choices is a part of life! It is something I have heard my whole life. I wouldn't want my choices taken away from me (like I said in the previous blog post!)

Well I think he said that because sometimes choices are really hard to make. Its difficult, like when you try to decide over finishing your homework or going to your best friend's birthday party! You have to do your homework but you want to be with your friend on her birthday! Choices are really hard! Sometimes I want a T-shirt and my dad likes something else and I don't want him to feel bad, but I really want the T-shirt but I can't choose! So choices are frightening!! But they make you who you are, so choices are good!

My second reason is that thats why the community is the way it is. You don't have to make choices it is all done for you. Their ancestors must have had a hard time with choices so they decided that they didn't want their children to make them. Because you don't get to make any choices in the Giver! Every single thing is done for you, from when you get your bike to which job you will get and when you will get it! They cant even see in color because then they will have to choose which color to wear. Or which colors to buy!



Images taken from:

http://www.randomhouse.ca/images/dyn/cover/?source=9780553571332&height=300&maxwidth=170
http://www.illustrationsof.com/royalty-free-choices-clipart-illustration-15428.jpg

The Giver, Lois Lowry!

In class we started Lit Cirlces again! Everyone complained but we had to do it because school isn't exactly democratic. I have to read a book called 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry. It is a very interesting book about a boy called Jonas. He lives in a community that is very much like an Utopian community. In an Utopian community it is safe, orderly and predictable. Just like Jonas' community. Everything is decided for you. Like which family unit you are going to be in. You are never gemetically related to your family. Your parents don't get to chose your name the committee does it for them. You get your job when you are only twelve years old, and you don't even get to chose your own job. There are stict rules that you have to follow or else you will be realesed form the community. That will bring disgrace to your family. But when you think about it a question comes to your head, 'Would you want your future to be decided by other? Why or why not?'
I woldn't want others to chose my future! That would be horrible! I want to do whatever I want to do with MY life. Because it is my life. Like when you nine years old your toy gets taken away from you. But sometimes you play with your toys when you are ten years old or maybe eleven years old. I would always want a choice. Because when something happens I want to tell myself that I made that choice. I would want to tell myself I can chose no one else can chose for me. Because when I do that I feel that I can do things, others don't have to do them for me! It makes me feel more mature!
And then there is the sense of freedom. Everyone wants to be free. It is a happy feeling to be free. You can do whatever you want to do whenever you want to do it. I hate it when people chose for me. Of course there are times when they have to chose for me, and there are times when I wish someone will make the choice for me. But you can't build charactor when people always chose for you. Sometimes you like math but you want to be nurturer. But the comittee tells you to a be mathmatician. Then you have to be a mathmatician for the rest of life. How horrible would that be! You want to be a nurturer but you have to do something comepletely different! You will spend the rest of your life in misery. That is why I want to make my own choices! It is not easy but sometimes the hard things are the best!








Images taken from:


http://www.wheelers.co.nz/resource/product/small/978000/9780007263516.jpg