The story of 8th grader Lincoln Mendoza...

As we have been reading Gary Soto’s “Taking Sides” I have been struck by some of the subtle (not obvious) issues that are addressed.  In the last chapter we read (Chapter 6) the issue of change is taken on multiple times between Lincoln and Tony, Lincoln & his memory of Vicky, and through the observations of Lincoln as he watches the old man who runs the thrift store.

The one that hit home (meant something to me) was the argument that Lincoln and Tony had over whether things or people change.  Their conversation went like this:

“Aw, man, where’s he [the old man who runs the thrift store]  gonna find a TV? Did he walk down the street, spot one in an alley, and say, ‘Hey look, I found a free TV’? Wake up, Linc.  This guy’s a crook. You been livin’ with the white folks too long.”

Lincoln stopped and snapped, “¡Chale!  Don’t tell me that!  You know where I come from.  I come from here.”  He pointed to the street, and the street looked grim with busted glass and a smashed battery in the gutter, junky cars, a drunk sipping from a bottle in a paper bag, scruffy dogs, and metal-flake Chevy’s purring at the red light.

“I don’t mean it like that,” Tony replied, his voice going soft. “You know, people change.”

Lincoln stared at his friend angrily. “Not me…  Things change, but people stay the same.”

This exchange of words reminded me of an argument/fight that my best friend and I had after my family moved a few blocks (from a blue collar neighborhood to one that was a white-collar neighborhood – very similiar to the one Linc made) when I was fifteen.   The move made a difference in our relationship and my “best” friend of 12 years, more or less, disappeared from my life.

So my question to you is this: Do things change or is it the people that change?  Explain your answer with details – if needed,  use your own personal experiences to help explain yourself.

The reason I think the issue of “trustworthiness” is important to discuss in a reading class is that so much of what we will be doing together this year is based on trust.  We will be working on skills together to become more proficient (good) readers.  For some of you, we will focus on fluency (speed and accuracy); for others it might be vocabulary (understanding what words mean); and for the rest it might be comprehension (making meaning out what is written and unwritten).  Regardless of what area we focus, being willing to try and, possibly, fail the first few times we try in front of our peers (fellow students) is scary.  As a result, sometimes we don’t trust ourselves or those around us and, as a result, we don’t try to do our best.  Not doing our best is not an option!!! – We must trust those around us to support us in our efforts and we must support those around us in their efforts!!!

The only way to do this is to recognize how we feel about trust.   So I ask you to review the words you used yesterday to describe the traits a trustworthy person. Then complete the following sentence (#1) and answer the following questions (#2-4):

1. You know someone is trustworthy when….
2. Do you trust yourself?
3. Do you trust your classmates?  Why or why not?
4. Do you think your classmates trust you? Why or why not?

Please be honest with yourself — it is one of the traits of a “trustworthy” person.

As we discussed in class Thursday, in the late 1800s people from across Europe began immigrating to the United States in large numbers.  The turn of the 20th century (the start of the 1900s) saw the United States emerge as the “land of opportunity.”  Every immigrant had to come through New York’s Ellis Island and many decided to start their new life right in New York City.

The play we read, The Garden at 97 Orchard Street , celebrates the experience of Greek immigrants, the Confinos.  In it, Victoria Confino learns the true meaning of friendship and family, as well as the importance of making a home in a new land.  The building of the play’s title, once crowded and unsanitary (extremely dirty and unfit to be lived in), still exists as the Tenement Museum in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.  You can learn more about the Confinos, Rosenthals, and many other families who immigrated to the United States by visiting the museum and taking a virtural tour (select the PLAY tab at the top of the web page).  You can also play an immigrant game, make a flag, mix a folksong, and view webcomics.   

I invite you to use the following links that provide some visual of the time and place in which this play takes place:

Ellis Island -

• Ellis Island National Monument
• The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.  

97 Orchard Street -

• Tenement Museum

Then, when your done, let me know what you thought of the play as well as the website links by submitting a comment below.  For those students who submit thoughtful and reflective comments bonus assignment credit will be given.   Should there be any questions or concerns, please ask.

Unfortunately, not everyone is as lucky as I am.  MS stops people from moving.  The National Multiple Sclerosis Society exists to make sure it doesn’t.  They help people address the challenges of living with MS. They simultaneously fund research for a cure while also helping people who currently live with MS lead more fulfilling lives. I believe in the work they do, and I invite you to see for yourself all the good they’ve done for the MS community. More than 400,000 Americans live with MS, and your support can and will make changes in their lives.

Please help by making a donation – large or small – to our journey to create a world free of MS.  Any amount you can give will help! Should this not be possible, I ask that you keep me and my family in your thoughts as we walk.  I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress. 

To make a donation, please go to my MS Walk page.

As we finished the first half of the book The Face on the Milk Carton the main character, Janie Johnson, got the answers to these three important questions:

• Why there weren’t any photographs of [her] until she was five?  
• Who was Hannah?
• Why [her parents] wouldn’t let her see [her] birth certificate?

It seems that by the end of Chapter 9 the story should end as the important questions, mentioned-above, have been answered.  However, it doesn’t - in fact, we are only half way through the book and there still is much left to resolve (to clear up).  To help prepare for the remaining half of the book I would like you to answer the following questions (there are no right or wrong answers):       

1. What will happen with Janie and her parents?   Will the relationship stay the same or will it change? Will Janie continue to treat Frank and Miranda as her parents or will she begin to treat them like grandparents? Will she be able to trust them as they have been lying to her all these years? Or will they become closer as a result of their past?
2. What will happen with Janie and Hannah?   Will Janie try to find her biological mom?  Will she do it with the help of her mom and dad (Miranda and Frank)?  Or will Janie decide that since Hannah left her once before and hurt her mom and dad there should be no reason for her to try to find her?
3. What will happen with Janie and Reeve?  Will they make up (they were in a fight the last time they were together)?  Will they become officially boyfriend/girlfriend?  Or will they just return to being friendly neighbors?
4. Janie doesn’t have a birth certificate - will she be able to get a driver’s license or go to Spain with her class?  This last question is more of a yes/no type of question.  Regardless of what answer you choose, tell me why it did/didn’t happen and, if possible, how it happened if you answered yes.

Again, keep in mind that as you answer these questions there are no right or wrong answers, just your thoughts.  If there are possbilites that you have thought of and I have not – please feel free to include them.  Do the best that you can!! If you need some help, please politely ask for some help — there is only one of me and many more of you…  

Now that you have watched the video, tell me what you you would want to do — sculpture figures that take years to complete or paint a ceiling while hanging upside down that takes years to complete.?  If you would prefer to create art in a different way, what would it be — music, acting, photography, etc? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* Six-Way Paragraphs in the Content Areas: Introductory Level

Video courtesy of rushiiFILMS.

As I read the book I kept thinking about how it would work in class.  I liked so much about the book: the history portion, the location (Baja California/Mexico), the fact that the main character was sixteen, and the blending of myths and religion into the story.  What I kept coming back to was this simple question:  How could I help make the story come alive for each of you?  

What I decided to do to make it come alive was this — make it interactive.  Until this point, it hasn’t been.  This has not been intentional, it is just the way things have worked out.  So today it will become interactive.  Please follow this link, The Black Pearl, to jump to the wiki I have been using to place all of the vocabulary, photos/images, quotes, and comprehension questions related to the story.  As you flip through each of the different chapters you will be able to use the links provided to find more information on various topics.  For example, many of you have asked for more pictures of mantas.  By going to Chapter 1 and clicking on the word “here” (it follows the defintion of Manta Diablo) you can be taken to the Wikipedia page that has more information on mantas.  From there you can jump to a number of other sites that contain additional information and pictures/videos on mantas.  

When you’re done, you can come back to this page and use one of the new features of the blog — leaving an audio response to the question below:

What do you think of the story The Black Pearl and what do you think will happen to Ramon in the future?

You can answer this question using the audio response feature or you can type in your response as you have in the past.  Either way is fine with me,  I just want to hear your thoughts.

• we started reading the book after the Thanksgiving Break (thus, we were refresehed)
• the book is shorter in length than some of the books we have read before
• the storyline is easier to follow and more engaging (interesting) than the last book we read (The House With a Clock in Its Walls)
• the first test was done online (which, based on your feedback, looks like you liked)

No matter what the reason it is nice not to hear ”this book is boring” comments!!!

In the course of preparing to use Because of Winn-Dixie I came across a number of websites I thought I would share with you.  The first one site is supported by the author Kate DiCamillo.  You can find some information on her, her books, and the movie The Tale of Despereaux that is being released today (19 December 2008) based on her Newbery Medal winning book The Tale of Despereaux.

Another cool site to look at is Wikipedia’s entry on Kate DiCamillo.  This site is interesting as it provides an incredible number of additional sites to jump to for information related to the author, awards her books have won, movies created based on her books, etc.  A great site to use when trying to waste time.

The last site I want to share with you is Scholastic.com’s Because of Winn-Dixie.  This site is very cool.  It is full of games and activities based on the story.  It is a really slick way to test your knowledge of the story through the use of games.  They also have a video interview with Kate DiCamillo and a slideshow of the movie Because of Winn-Dixie. 

Please, as always, feel free to provide feedback.  What did you think of the story, the online test, etc.  If you also know of a book you think we should read together — let me know.  You never know what we will be reading next…

1. Read all of these directions before beginning.
2. Scroll down and find the online Because of Winn-Dixie, Part 1 Test. 
3. When you are told to begin please hit the PLAY button and, well, begin the test.
4. Read each question carefully and each answer even more carefully.  Click on the tab that has the answer you believe to be correct.  Be careful, you cannot go back and change your choice.
5. When you have finished all 15 questions please raise your hand and I or Mrs. Bell will come by and record you score.  Please don’t do anything until we record your score or you will not receive credit. 
6. Once you have had you score recorded tell me what you thought of taking a test online by submitting a comment at the bottom of the post.
7. If there are any questions, please raise your hand and wait until we are able to come around and help you out.

 THE WORDS OF THE DAY ARE PATIENCE AND FUN — PLEASE BE PATIENT AND HAVE FUN!!!

Thanks to OrionEdWood for sharing this video with us by uploading it to YouTube – the dialogue and music are excellent additions.

White-water rafting is only one example of an extreme sport; rock and ice climbing, hang gliding, skydiving, snowboarding, and skateboarding are other examples.  I have, in the past, tried different forms of these extreme sports.  In fact, for years I rocked climbed an a very regular basis (I still have all the equipment, too.)  I miss climbing terribly….

For some bonus assignment credit, tell me what extreme sport you have tried or would like to try.  Please also explain why you chose a particular extreme sport.  If you have no interest in trying an extreme sport tell me why you don’t want to give one a try.