Last Class Activity

1. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (if you haven't read this, get ready for how intense it is!)
2. Luna by Julie Anne Peters (my life between high school graduation and moving up here)
3. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz (This was a pleasant read)
4. The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez (who wouldn't like this book?)
5. The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth by Alexandra (as a geek, I would hope that geeks stay in charge of the world)
6. I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (too funny!)

I would say that once again Ender's Game would go under this. The way that it drew me in and kept me there before the climax made me feel like I was running a marathon, one that I would happily do again and again. The plot was beautifully written, just as beautiful as a Mozart piece on a lone violin.

I would go with Geeks. There were words that were difficult to read and hard to understand, and the writing was very dark.

I could see Luna becoming a movie. It may be difficult to display the amount of emotions the narrator goes through in the book, but as long as it is a good actress that can act through her heart and eyes instead of relying on others, it would defintely get some awards.

I would say Aristotle and Dante could be banned in some places. The way that it doesn't hint at things, yet shows how normal LGBT people can be. The way it was written would make certain parents upset that the "mindset" of "abnormal" people can be similiar to their own minds. It could make parents think that though their children act normal, they may turn out gay anyway. I still enjoyed the book, I would recommend it to anyone... but I may get in trouble with parents...

Aristotle and Dante was purely dialogue. It made for a quick read, but since it was dialogue, everything was told through it. The way Ari went through his inner thoughts and how he and Dante talked was the whole setting of the book.

I would say that Ender's Game was very vivid. I grew up reading science fiction and fantasy books. While reading Ender's Game, I was able to see everything very clearly and I could even imagine the sounds and smells. Others may not be able to visualize the book as clearly as me, but everyone is different.

I would say Luna could spark more than one research question. I could do a whole unit on Luna. I may even see how my students would react to cross dressing for extra credit. To make sure I wouldn't get in too much trouble (cringe), I would have them only do it for my class during one lesson (a simple movie day) and then ask them how they felt. I would even do research into the whole procedure of changing gender and could fit a lesson into what hormones and chemicals students can easily obtain to start the process.

Luna (ashes to ashes, dust to dust, we all bleed the same color)

In high school, I made very close friends with someone named Joe. He was sweet, kind, intelligent, funny, and so compassionate. Neither of knew when we started hanging out and talking to each other, but it was an easy friendship for both of us. After I graduated a semester before him, he told me that he was gay. I didn’t care; he was my best friend and still is. While reading Luna, I didn’t even think about him and similarities between the characters and our friendship. It’s five years later and he still hasn’t come out to his mom. His dad died not that long ago and left a huge estate and larger inheritance to him and his brother. I don’t care about how rich he is, he is still my best friend. If he started cross dressing, I would pull my hair back the way long haired guys do and start wearing men’s suits whenever we got together. If he ever came out to his mom and brother, I would stand quietly in the background until he asked for help, if he did. We don’t talk that often since I moved to Madison, but we both know that we will always have each other for whatever reason. My own parents don’t know I’m bisexual, but I used to be thought of as a lesbian by my classmates. I really don’t care.

What does all of this have to do with Luna? I felt that this book was so easy to read, probably because of how I was treated in high school and how much I care for Joe. This is one of those books that I think even the most devote person could read and still get a message from. I know I didn’t include it on my bookshelf, but it will be there when I get a classroom to put it in!

Divergent (487 pages of... a train wreck)

I found this book by accident. I was walking around downtown yesterday, trying to find the new library when I came across it and went in. Divergent was on the first shelf my eyes saw and I thought that though I had already read two books to blog about for this week that I might as well read it anyway. I read it in the period of six hours. From beginning to end, I have two words and only two words to describe this book: Train Wreck. I haven’t read something so intriguing and stupid at the same time since The Lovely Bones. Yes, I am a science major, but I used to be an English major before my last college changed my mind. In my advanced fiction writing class we spent one class session discussing crappy pieces of writing that were somehow popular. This was in the days before Twilight, but I bet that series would have made the list. So would Divergent. I couldn’t put it down, yes, but not because I enjoyed it, but because I was holding out that the scene would change, that something different would pop up and I could actually start enjoying the book. There was only one part that I liked and it was because I could not just see the book in my mind as I read it, I could actually see myself there. As a Chicago native, I have ridden the L, I have driven Lake Shore Drive, I have walked through Millennium Park, and I have observed the interactions of Navy Pier.  There is a quick section towards the end of the book that I could relate to. The kiss on the L. I saw it perfectly in my mind and it touched me. Not enough to make me want to read the next book, but enough for me to not diss the book in front of my students.

Ain't that cute?

Saw this and thought our class would appreciate it

http://www.unshelved.com/2013-4-5

My mother and I used to work in a library. Together we had 25 years of paid experience (35 years including volunteering). One day one of my coworkers came up to me with some printed out comics... about a library. I instantly became engrossed and my mother was in a position to actually order the books. The interesting thing is that they sometimes publish a comic on a book read by fan that submitted the artwork and idea. This link is to one of the books on our list. I didn't read the book, so I have no clue how acurate it is, but thought others may like this.

Part Time Indian (the grass is always greener on the other side)

Part time Indian

This wasn’t the most intense book I have ever read, but it was definitely the saddest book I read in this class. Compared to the books I will blog on next week, it was downright playful. I think that was the author’s idea, to be able to give the reader a taste of the book without making them feel as if they were living it. I chose to read this book because I would like to teach Native Americans in hopes of bringing serious awareness to their poverty. That, and also I enjoy the idea of working with instead of against nature, something that I feel the Native American culture signifies greatly.

So, how about the book? Well… I felt that the climax of the book came towards the beginning and that everything after it was just the conclusion of what happened after the climax. The plot was beautiful and the writing style was wonderful, but I couldn’t see myself recommending this book to any of my students. It may confuse new or reluctant readers. Lifetime readers may want to analyze it further than my science teaching could go. I would still keep it in my classroom for those who may want to read it, but I would leave a note in it asking them to not come to me with questions on it.

Mockingjay (dinosaurs eat man... women inherit the Earth)

Mockingjay. It is something never meant to exist. A symbol of how nature always finds a way. Katniss is now in the district that has been thought to be forgotten. Peeta has been taken to the Capitol. District 12 has been bombed into nonexistence. The Rebels are fighting. And Katniss has been made into being the Mockingjay, the symbol of the Rebellion. She fights as she is directed, a puppet no longer belonging to the Hunger Games, but now belonging to the Rebels. She is still expendable. And Peeta… will he be the same after one side wins?

So as this was the second time I read the series, I had an idea how it would all turn out. So I paid more attention to the background details, like where the districts were located and what they were responsible for.  Then, as I like listening to music when reading or writing, I also looked for songs that I felt reflected the districts or some person from them:

District 1: Luxury Items

Song: “Rich Kids” by New Medicine

District 2: Masonry

Song: “Army of Me” by Bjork

District 3: Technology

Song: End of Line (David guetta remix)

District 4: Fishing

Song: “Sleep Alone” by Bat for Lashes

District 5: Power

Song: “Bones” by Young Guns

District 6: Transportation

Song: “Midnight City” by M83

District 7: Lumber

Song: “The Pit” by Silversun Pickups

District 8: Textiles

Song: “Stand Up” by All That Remains

District 9: Grain

Song: “Sober” by Tool

District 10: Livestock

Song: “Vilify” by Device

District 11: Agriculture

Song: “Fell on Black Days” by Soundgarden

District 12: Coal

Song:  “My Songs know what you did in the dark” by Fall Out Boy

District 13: Nuclear

Song: “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons

A strange or funny coincidence.

Silly

Ever have a feeling that something you have seen in animal behavior has happened in your household? It can happen with any type of animal, especially birds. Usually, you walk into a room and instantly get that strange feeling that the silly behavior of your pet parrot reminds you of your little brother. More like your father, as they both make slurping sounds when your father drinks his morning coffee. While it may be cute that your bird is making slurping sounds to imitate your father, it is not cute that your father is slurping. And you hope that your bird doesn't make other sounds that your father makes.

Catching Fire (my songs know what you did in the dark, so LITE 'EM UP!)

After Katniss defies the Capitol, she finds that once again she will be going into the arena to fight in the Quarter Quell. Peeta will also be joining her again. The fair advantage that they had in the previous Hunger Games was that none of the players had ever interacted with the other tributes. Now, the pair finds themselves at the disadvantage of being the only tributes who don’t know anyone else… or their strengths and weaknesses. Not to mention, what is it that everyone buy Katniss and Peeta seem to know about Katniss’s mockingjay pin?

When I was given the chance to read The Hunger Games series for the first time, I was loaned the trilogy and told to have them back in a week. I read through them like wildfire and conclude that Catching Fire was by far my favorite in the series. Where the Hunger Games gave you plenty of detail, it still wasn’t enough to satisfy me. Somehow, the sequel had me sitting on my bed and squeaking so much with glee that my mom would occasionally check in on me to make sure one of my spells hadn’t turned me into a mouse. The arena was well defined and the games were so harsh that when the movie comes out, I will be yelling at the screen if I see something not included.

You see this? We call it a map. Could also be called a spoiler if you haven't read the book. Why are you looking at this if you haven't read the book????

 

 

 

About the movie, I am a little scared to go see it. When I was 17, a student at my school broke into my house and knocked me out. The guy that plays Finnick is a carbon copy of that person.

The Hunger Games (and may the odds be ever in your flavour)

Ever feel so hungry that you would say you are starving? Ever go to bed with an empty stomach and no promise of eating the next day? Katniss Everdeen has spent all her sixteen years living as such. The rules the Capitol has placed on the district residents of Panem are simple; you live in the twelve districts and you are a slave, you live in the Capitol and you are not. Katniss comes from District 12, a district devoted to mining coal for the Capitol. The Capitol provides too little food for the populace and leaving the boundaries of the districts is illegal. Yet, Katniss learned how to bow hunt from her father and has fed her family and some friends ever since he died.

The annual event the Capitol hosts, known as the Hunger Games, is a way of reminding the people of the districts that after their rebellion that got District 13 eliminated that they will always be under the control of the Capitol. The Hunger Games has a female and male tribute from each district drawn from a lottery of all residents between the ages of twelve and eighteen. For the 74^th Hunger Games, Katniss’s younger sister is chosen and Katniss volunteers to take her place. The male tribute is a young man named Peeta Mellark, the young man responsible for saving Katniss from dying of starvation after her father died.

In the arena, Katniss defies the Capitol as she has always done. The consequences send ripples through Panem that not even Katniss could predict.

This was the best map I could find and I liked this one the most. Others were purely unoriginal. So, District 6 is actually in charge of Transportation, but someone didn't tell this mapmaker!

If I had anything to say for the Hunger Games is that it can be read for so many different meanings. Me, I look at it from the POV of someone who would willingly enter into the idea of hunting in the woods as a mean of survival. I am a vegetarian, but there are always plants to propagate in the forest. Katniss mentions coming across a strawberry patch and cultivating to keep the wild animals from going after it. There are many things that a forest can offer. And I am working on talking the people at Edgewood into letting me plant a few things in the forest behind the library that can be harvested by future Edgewood students. If I can find an open area that gets sunlight, I will work on planting strawberries there. Ginseng also seems to be expensive to buy, yet grows easily in a forest. I have come across large patches of spring onion and pulled them up to be surprised at what I am looking at. Other non-invasive trees can be brought in to replace any buckthorn or honeysuckle that is removed. Grape vines can be encouraged to grow up some of the larger trees. Fiddleheads of ferns are also delicious, so more ferns being brought in would be amazing.  

Some book titles (looking for peoples opinions)

Title	Author	Genre(s)
The Giver	Lois Lowry	Utopian and dystopian fiction
The Pomengrante Seeds	Laura Geringer Bass	Legends, Myths, and Fables
Science fair winners : junkyard science	Karen Romano Young	Non-fiction
Posers, fakers, & wannabes : unmasking the real you	Brennan Manning; James H Hancock	Non-fiction
The dateable rules : a guide to the sexes	Justin Lookadoo and Hayley DiMarco	Non-fiction
A teen guide to eco-fashion	Liz Gogerly	Non-fiction
Is it still cheating if I don't get caught?	Bruce Weinstein; Harriet Russell	Non-fiction
Ace your ecology and environmental science project : great science fair ideas	Robert Gardner; Phyllis J. Perry; Salvatore Tocci	Non-fiction
The Caretaker Trilogy	David Klass	Science Fiction
Empty	Suzanne Weyn	Utopian and dystopian fiction

Hi, these are some titles that I am thinking of using on my bookshelf. I still have other titles that I am thinking of using, but as of out of all of these I have only read the first two, I was hoping someone had read some of the non non-fiction ones and could give me an idea on if they may be a good book to be in a middle school?

Please and thank you to anyone who reads this and many thanks to people who can reply with something! See you all on Saturday!

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (I have never gotten his name right...)

“When you play a game of thrones you win or you die.” ― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

t is hard to read Ender’s Game and not think you are reading about a twenty something year old until his early forties. As a young adult book, I would only recommend this to very mature and very emotionally stable readers.

The book starts off the reader with Ender being six years older. He is being sent to a school in orbit around Earth called the Battle School. Once there, his teachers set him up to be isolated from the other students. He is moved up through the ranks very quickly and makes and loses friends just as quickly. He is very intelligent and it is hard to determine his mental age. He doesn’t think like someone who has yet to make the double digits. The only thing that would make him seem to be younger than his mental age is when he is playing a fantasy game and gets caught up over an image of his insane and abusive older brother.

I am pretty sure this is what he sees in the mirror when he gets to that part

 

Ender keeps getting pushed beyond human capabilities, which is why I would only recommend this to emotionally stable readers. I went through a bad trauma a few years ago that nearly broke my mind and reading this book brought me closer to the edge than I have been since. Students who read this book may believe that this could actually happen to them and I (personally) do not want to answer the question of human mental stress capacity.

When Ender graduates to go onto Command School, four years earlier than others and at the tender age of ten, he is close to being burnt out. A three month vacation on Earth has him staying at an isolated lake house where his sister comes and helps him realize how much he is needed. At Command School, Ender is once again isolated from his peers and spends most of his time in a simulator to practice against the enemies he will be fighting once he graduates. He soon becomes bored and mentions it to a teacher… and that is when things actually get interesting.

From that point on, I could read the book easily. It was eye opening and as someone with a very vivid mind when reading, I had to put the book down to watch the action in my head for a few moments after the climax.

Damn the torpedo's and full speed ahead! Wait, we don't have torpedo's?

If someone were to ask me if this a kind of book that could go from science fiction to science fact, I would say that it is already science fact.

Yep, we are creating future Ender’s if we believe violent videogames create violent children. The book isn’t called Ender’s Life as a Killer, it’s called Ender’s Game. When this book was published, I think the only violent videogame out there was… Pong? Now, I am not taking a stand and saying that violent videogames create violent children. Violent videogames being used to create violent children… Ender isn’t purposely a violent child, is he? He doesn’t mean to kill and many times in the book he mentions how he loves his enemy.

This is the kind of book I grew up reading, only this is the first Orson Scott Card book I have read. For a student who likes this book, but isn’t a fan of science fiction, I would recommend reading the Among the Hidden series.

The Maze Runner (or as I would call it: just keep swimming, swimming, swimming)

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein

 

The story of The Maze Runner by James Dashner is the story of mice and men. When Thomas first wakes up he has no idea who he is or where he is. He is told the known story of the Glade and the Maze that surrounds it. He is told the rules that those who live in the Glade live by. What he felt on first arriving was the same for each of them. They have been there for nearly two years, each doing his part to keep order. Those who do not keep order tend to be the ones who are sentenced to death by the others or die in other ways. But everything changes when the day after Thomas comes to the Glade, a young woman arrives. There are only boys in the Glade community…

The Glader’s have a group of people that run through the Maze looking for an exit. When they return to the Glade before nightfall they create maps of what they have seen. These maps have been drawn daily for two years. The walls of the Maze change. And something lurks in the Maze that causes the boys to go through a process called The Changing. They remember some of their lives from before the Glade. Those who remember have it out for Thomas and the girl.

As I read this book, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was going to be a story where it turned out that the characters were actually mice in some lab being observed by scientists. It was sad how close that came to being the actual story. The book started out bland, but about 100 pages in is when action started to happen. And this was a good thing that it took so long for the book to start. Within the first ten pages, the author had established a new language for the characters and it took me until about 60 pages to feel comfortable reading it. The strange names for the characters made sense when it was revealed that the names were actually nicknames for famous scientists. Here is a list of the names and what I believe are the scientists they were named after:

• Alby = Albert Einstein
• Ben = Benjamin Franklin
• Chuck = Charles Darwin
• Clint= Clinton Davisson
• Frypan = Frederic Chopin
• Gally = Galileo
• Jack = Jack Kilby
• Jackson = Andrew Jackson
• Jeff = Jefferson Davis
• Minho = George Minot
• Newt = Isaac Newton
• Nick = Nicolaus Copernicus
• Stan = Stanley Cohen
• Stephen = Stephen Hawking
• Teresa = Mother Teresa
• Thomas = Thomas Edison
• Tim = Tim Hunt
• Winston = Winston Churchill
• Zart = Mozart

I got this list by first going over what the book identified as the real names of some of the characters, then looking up Nobel Prize winners, and then for the other names typed into Google part of the name and the first name that resulted from it was the one I would assume would fit. These may not really be who the characters are named after, but to me it feels like a good fit.

How about that quote at the top? In the book, the characters are doing the same thing every day… yet still expect to find something different. Though I wouldn’t say that these children are insane, they could become insane.

Yep. You can say that is what they do, but it is what they have been expected to do. For the next book, are they going to keep up with insanity or are they going to repeat the above picture?

Congrats, you made it this far! As the newcomer to you amazing group of people, here is a small fact about myself.

• I live in Sun Prairie, but used to live outside of Chicago. I live with my parents and own a fawn-pied dove named Thalassa and a quaker parrot named Leto. Thalassa was rescued from a hoader and she has become a lovely member of the flock. Leto is named after a character from one of my favorite book series. Can you guess which one?

Track-hoes are my buddies because I am a swimmer

I do urban gardening under the radar