December Book Blog

   This month I read the biography of Marie Curie. The book was named Marie Curie by Laura Hamilton Waxman. This book was about Marie when she was a child and all through her life. She was Polish. She was the first female to win a Nobel Prize. She was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes. Marie Curie had a very successful life. I hated this book. I hate any non-fiction book. They bore me to death. The facts are annoying and don't even have any action. I'm sorry if this is offending, but I really don't want to read about real things. I love fiction. I love being able to think that I am acting out what is happening in my head. I can still picture the event in non-fiction books, but it is boring. This book was a 4.

NY Times Quickwrite 12/7

1. There men that were stranded in the ocean and have finally found shore, but it is in Alaska.

2.I say this because the men are sitting in a small boat. Also, there is snow covering the ground.The men are looking around like they don't know where they are which implies that they have been lost (New York Times Learning Network Blog).

3. I find it interesting that there is a half built bridge behind the men.

NY Times Quickwrite 11/30

1. This picture is showing a hippopotamus that was found floating by the road, where it had washed up from the sea during a bad flood.
2. There is a bridge(top right corner) that has water very close to overflowing it. Also, the hippopotamus has some green seaweed looking stuff in the side of his mouth(New York Times Learning Network).
3. I find it interesting that the hippopotamus has a tranquilizer bullet in the side of his head.

November Book Blog

    This month I have been reading a book called Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia. This book is a dystopian book. It is about a girl named Lena who is a Caster and an ordinary boy named Ethan. Lena has a crazy life. She can control the weather and many other things. Beautiful Darkness is the journey of Lena Claiming herself. Claiming is when the caster decides if they are evil or good. Lena's family is cursed. This curse has put Lena through a lot. There are many plot twist that make this book amazing. This is the second book in the series, Beautiful Creatures. Kami Garcia has done an amazing job on this series. I love the action and the somewhat futuristic and fairytale mix that she has created. This book has so many different genres mixed in. I would recommend this book to anyone.

NY Times Quickwrite 11/2

1. This officer, found an abandoned baby and is taking it back to his office.

2.He is looking at the baby with sympathy and he is holding it away like it could have a disease (New York Times Learning Network Blog).

3.I think it is interesting that there is a bus full of kids behind him. Also, that the blue blanket is covering the baby's face.

October Book Blog

    This month I read a non-fiction book called Space Launch Disaster: When Liftoff Goes Wrong,by Michael D. Cole. This book had the facts about the Apollo 1 fire, Apollo 12 disaster, and the Soviet Unions first disaster. The Apollo 12 disaster happened in the sky. The space shuttle was hit by lightning. The Apollo 1 fire was started by an o-ring that was not sealed completely. The Soviet Union disaster was when liftoff went wrong. They had other disasters in space, but those were the main ones. To me this book was boring. I hate non-fiction books. They have no exciting action. The facts especially make it boring. I prefer fiction. A wide variety of genres in the fiction section really. This book was helpful to me though because it had many facts about the Apollo 1 fire, which relates to my NHD project. Though boring this book was helpful.

To keep or not to keep "The Star-Spangled Banner"?

              Yes we should keep "The Star-Spangled Banner" as our national anthem. In a blog post about keeping or not keeping our anthem the same, I found this sentence. " In times of crisis, the Star-Spangled Banner is a rock for us, a symbol of our grace under pressure and our determination to succeed no matter the odds"(" The Case Against The Star-Spangled Banner"). The evidence above explains everything. So many people use this song as a song of strength. People all over the U.S. hear this song and think about how wonderful the U.S. is. It shows us strength and courage. If we get rid of it and use another song, then there is a chance that people will lose their belief that the U.S. is a strong, independent nation. We can't take that hope away from people." In times of revelry, the anthem is a celebration of the fruits of the labors powered by these values"( "The Case Against The Star-Spangled Banner").When we are at war or we are just facing small political problems, this song, when sung, resembles a celebration like we have already won. This builds our soldiers strength and courage in the U.S.This keeps them fighting for our freedom, their families, their friends, and everyone else in the U.S. If we are facing bankruptcy, then this song tells us to get going to not fall down in grief.This song helps everyone in their own way. We should not get rid of the national anthem.