Final Blog Post: Looking Back at 8th Grade ELA

Dear Ms. Galang and class 810,

          Looking back on my 8th grade ELA class I realized how many valuable lessons I have learned and great memories I have made. I know I have not always been into the curriculum or the assignments that we had to do, but Ms. Galang and my peers would always have a way of making me get interested in the subjects and making me want to do the work. One of the best valuable lessons I have learned in ELA class is that you shouldn't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone because chance are it will turn out good. I learned this when we did out poetry unit and had to complete our final poetry project. I hated, hated writing poetry so much and was very self-conscious about the poems I had writen. When it came to doing the project I really wanted to do well, so I pushed myself and tried really hard to write poems I was proud of and in the end I got a really good grade on the project and was happy with the work I turned had turned in. Another great memory I had in ELA class was when we wrote our picture books then went and read them to younger children. I really enjoyed interacting with the kids and seeing what they thought of my book.


          I do have a lot of hopes and goals for reading in writing that I really want to accomplish through my high school years. In reading I definitely want to increase my reading to at least an hour a night with any type of text. I also want to push myself to read genres that I may not enjoy as much (sci-fi, fantasy, etc.) In writing I want to continue to push myself to write pieces that are outside of my comfort zone. I also want to spend more time on the pieces I am writing and not just meet the requirements but exceed them.


Summer Reading:

• I Was Here by Gayle Forman
• OCD Love Story by Corey Ann Haydu
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
• Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
• Yes Please by Amy Poehler 
• A Love that Multiples by Jim Bob and Michelle Dugger

Reading Response on "Girl Online" by Zoe Sugg

          Girl Online by Zoe Sugg is about a girl named Penny Porter who lives a simple life in England with her mum, dad, brother, and best friend. Penny suffers from anxiety and therefore has trouble expressing her feelings. She pretends to be someone she is not to blend in with all of her "friends." As a way to share her real feelings and just be herself she anonymously blogs as "Girl Online." Only one other person knows about this blog is her best friend Elliot who is gay. He struggles with his parents not really excepting or understanding his sexuality. This book has a lot of hard things happening with people not be accepted for who they are and how they feel.

          One hard thing happening in this book is people being afraid to express their real feelings and opinions because they just want to "fit in." Penny struggles with this.For example, Penny says, "I have this dream that, secretly, all teenage girls feel exactly like me. And maybe one day, when we realize that we all feel the same, we can all stop pretending we're something we're not" (blurb). This shows that Penny feels like she can not act herself because she will seem different. As a way to share her real feelings and be herself Penny has blogs anonymously. "I'm going to keep it real on this blog and keep it unreal in 'real' life." This quote shows how Penny is comfortable truly acting herself and expressing her feelings on her blog, but not in real life.

          Another hard thing happening in this book is people not be excepted for who they are. Elliot is gay and has trouble coming out to his parents because do not really understand his sexuality therefore they do not except it. For example, when Elliot first tries to come out to his parents they say, "don't worry , son, I'm sure it's just a phase." (page 18) This show that Elliot's parents do not really understand his sexuality. When he tries again his parents threaten "to disown him if he ever gets a boyfriend." (page 318) This quotes shows that due to a lack of understanding, Elliot's parents can not except is sexuality.

          A lot of hard things happening in this text are happening in the world today. A lot of people are afraid to be themselves and be different. A lot of people can not be excepted for who they truly are.

Author's Note (Draft)

          Bullying is a major issue that is affecting children of all ages worldwide. This is an on going issue because children are not reporting this issue as it is witnessed. Many children that are bullied do not have the courage to stand up for themselves and the bystanders do not speak up in fear that they will be bullied too. 

          In Elementary school I myself was never bullied, but I did witness a lot of bullying and people not standing up for themselves or one another. I always knew that what I was witnessing was wrong, yet I never spoke up because I did not the bully to start bothering me. I have now realized not reporting bullying is just as bad as bullying itself.

          I deeply regret never standing up to these bullies or even telling an adult. I hope by writing this book I will encourage younger children to not make the same mistakes I did. I want to show children that they should not fear standing up for people by reporting a bully because there are no consequences of doing so.

Synthesis Page on "Girl Online" by Zoe Sugg

Should "Fallout" by Ellen Hopkins be Banned?

       Banning books? Something people never expecting to occur has become a reality today. Many books have been challenged and even banned from schools and libraries nationwide. One book that is frequently challenged for its “inappropriate” content is Fallout by Ellen Hopkins. This book is told from the point of view of three different teenagers. The one thing connecting all these teenagers is their mother, Kristina. Kristina is a drug addict and does not play a very positive role in her children’s lives. This book shows what affects addiction has on a family and teenagers. It is no doubt that this book is dark and handles tough subject matter, but it does give some teenagers who are struggling with addiction some much needed insight. This book shows that choices have outcomes and bad choices have consequences.  Even though some people believe that drug addiction and alcoholism is an inappropriate subject for teenagers, but it helps teenager who are struggling with addiction by showing them the outcomes of choices encouraging them to end their addiction.

One reason why Fallout by Ellen Hopkins should not be banned is because it helps teenagers who are also struggling with addiction. Many teenagers are through tough times that they do not know how to handle, as a way to deal with it and escape from reality they drink and do drugs. Whilst reading this book they are shown the horror and aftermath of drug and alcohol addiction and how it can negatively change someone’s life unintentionally. An example of this would be at one of Ellen Hopkin’s book signings she claims that; “The room emptied and one lovely women remained... She shared her own story. How she started getting high in middle school, mostly as a way to deal with her alcoholic mother’s absence... But one day she found that book. She saw herself in those pages, and suddenly realized she didn’t want to be there. Today she’s been sober for two years, is graduating high school, and has embarked on a modeling career.” This is an example of how people struggling with addiction can relate to this book and how the book can encourage people to end their addiction. Also, Ellen Hopkins says that she “receives tens of thousand of messages from readers, thanking me for turning them around, giving them much needed insight, and even literally saving their lives.” This shows how many teenager’s lives can be turned completely turned around by reading this book.

Another reason why Fallout by Ellen Hopkins should not be banned is because it shows teens the consequences of bad choices. It gives examples of how big of an impact choices you make can have on your life. For example, in the book Kristina makes the bad choice of doing drugs and becoming addicted. She carelessly is having children with different men and this really has an affect on her children’s lives. Not to mention it tore up her family. This is an example of how the book shows you how bad decisions can have a huge impact on your life and the lives around you. In defense of her book, Ellen Hopkins says claims that her book; “ Bring young adult readers a middle-aged author’s broader perspective. They show outcomes to choices, offer understanding. And each is infused with hope. This shows that the book can give you a more broader perspective on choices that you make and make you think more about the outcomes of that choice.

Despite all this, some people disagree and say that Fallout by Ellen Hopkins should be banned because they believe the tough subject matters of drug addiction and alcoholism are an inappropriate topic for teenagers to be reading about. A lot of parents fear that reading this book may have an influence on their child. Parents have been working to get Fallout and all other Ellen Hopkins books to be banned from school libraries and fairs. For example, “A parent challenged one of my books for “inappropriate content.” She demanded it be pulled from all middle school libraries in the district. And also that no student hear me speak.” Ellen Hopkins says about an event that she was supposed to attend. “The superintendent, who hadn’t read my book agreed, prohibiting me from speaking to any school in the district.” This infuriated Ellen Hopkins and many other writers. They believe that “Censorship cannot be allowed to flourish in America. If you don’t like content in a book, don’t read it. If you don’t want your child to read a book, take it away.  But you do not have the right to decide “appropriateness” for everyone.”

In conclusion, Fallout by Ellen Hopkins should not be banned. Despite it containing tough subject matter such as drug addiction and alcoholism, the book it helps teenager who are struggling with addiction by showing them the outcomes of choices encouraging them to end their addiction. The book shows readers struggling with addiction the horror of drug and alcohol addiction, this helps them realize what they are doing to themselves and realize that’s not what they want for themselves. Also, this can educate readers on how to make smart choices and to think about the outcomes of those choices. By teenagers reading this book they are shown the consequences of bad choices and this teaches them not to make the same mistake. These examples prove that Fallout by Ellen Hopkins should not be banned.


Bibliography
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-hopkins/banned-books-anicensorship-manifesto_b_744219.html
Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

To Kill or Not to Kill?

The article "To Kill or Not to Kill" by Patricia Smith is about the great debate for or against the death penalty. It also gives the history of how the death penalty was distributed and how it has changed over the years. The author wants the reader to know about the debate going on nationwide arguing whether or not the death penalty should be banned. She does this by giving examples of scenarios where people have been given the death sentence. Also, she provides different point of views from people on whether or not they believe the death penalty should be banned.

One way that the author made the readers think about whether or not the death penalty should be banned was by giving a history of the death penalty. For example the author informed us of the ways the death penalty used to be distributed. The article states; "The death penalty in the U.S. dates to colonial times... hanging was the most common method. By the 1950s, most were using either the gas chamber or the electrocution. This also shows how the death penalty has changed over time. The death penalty is not as brutal as it used to be.

Another way that the author made the readers think about whether or not the death penalty should be banned was by providing scenarios in which the death penalty would have been given to get different point of views. For example, "Christopher Simmons was 17 when he and a friend robbed, bound, and gagged a women in Missouri, then pushed her into a river." He was given the death sentence. This might help people form their opinions on whether or not the death penalty should be banned.

In conclusion, the authors purpose in writing this article is to make the readers think about whether or not the death penalty should be banned.

Field Trip Reflection

          Yesterday, November 12, 2014 we took a field trip to The Museum of the City of New York specifically to see the Taking a Stand Exhibit. Whilst exploring the exhibit I found that the topic that stood out to me was about the fight for feminism. This part of the exhibit was about the fight for women to have the same rights as men do. From this part of the exhibit I learned about the history behind feminism and the big movement women went on for equal rights.

          I originally did not know very much about the fight for feminism and had not really researched the topic or been taught much about it. I just kind of knew the basic facts, not too in depth. From this part of the exhibit I learned a lot more in depth details about the fight for feminism and was given a more descriptive summary which gave me a much better understanding of the topic/movement. One new thing that I learned was some of the important people that helped with the movement such as Carrie Chapman Catty, Rosalie Jones, and Harriet Stanton Batch whom provided strategies for mass organizing and publicity. Another thing I learned was that reason the demonstrations took place in New York because New York being the media capital could easily attract a national audience to watch these demonstrations. The part of this part of the exhibit about the fight for feminism that I found the most interesting was all of the artifacts they had from the movement/time period on display. I liked this because I could really examine something up close instead of just a black and white photograph.