The Best Thing I Did This Summer Was

The Best Thing I Did This Summer Was...

I went to Morocco for the summer where my brother and his wife live. My entire family went over there to visit them. This trip consisted my mom, my dad, my sister, and myself. My brother and his wife are working with a company called Collegiate Adventures. They have a contract to stay over there for two years as a tourist guides.

They have a great place over there. It's safe and not far from anything they would need. They also have great friends that care and look after them. Some of their friends are Simo, Tzark, and Ali. I wish we didn't have to leave because we had a good time visiting them. We travled to Casablanca, Fez, Marakesh, and the Atlas Mountains with them.

I had a great time but just wished we could have stayed longer. They have a great and safe home along with some really great friends. I hope we can visit them next year and be there longer.

 

Vocabulary Definitions 81309

 

   20. Remorse:  (N) –a deep and painful regret for wrongdoing.

Vocabulary-81209

Vocabulary

 

 

1. The purpose to solicit is to ask for assistance for a fundraiser.
2. People believed that Edgar Allen Poe was mad because of his strange stories.
3. The army general spoke very succinct about their up and coming task.
4. The statues at Gettysburg are phantasm about wars that took place.
5. The Celtics are a docile team.
6. Charlie from the factory had a crabby disposition today.
7. The sagacious lawyer defended the defendant because he thought he was innocent.
8. The baby toys became paltry when he got older.
9. The material that the shirt was made of was gossamer.
10. The pastor showed great fidelity to his congregation.
11. The man procured a new car.
12. The professor gave an allusion of credit to the boy named Billy.
13. The club provided a use of intemperance.
14. The kid maltreated his younger brother.
15. The boy’s scruples kept him from getting in trouble.
16. The boy showed great malevolence to his sister.
17. He was an atrocity to everybody who loved him.
18. When he failed the test, he was in a phase of debauch.
19. When someone dies in your family, you show a lot of sentiment.
20. The boy showed remorse when he hit the other boy in the face.

             

vocabulary

1. Discuss the significance of the following: “There is something unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute, which goes directly to the heart of him who has had frequent occasion to test the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of man.”

 

This is saying that whatever you do to a dog, it will love you back.  The dogs love is forever.

 

2. What is the significance of the cat’s name, Pluto?

 

The significance is that the name represents a planet. The planet is very dark just like the cat. The cat has no life just like Pluto has no life on it. He is mainly describing himself by the cat’s name.

 

3. Why did the narrator initially restrain himself from maltreating the cat while maltreating other animals?

 

The only reason he didn’t kill the cat, is because he only kills the things that love him. He is trying to restrain himself for killing the cat.

 

4. Why does he eventually mistreat the cat?

 

One of the reasons of killing the cat is because the cat bit him. The second reason is he just couldn’t restrain himself any longer.

 

5. Describe the narrator’s feelings after abusing the cat. Why is that significant?

 

In the beginning he had a feeling of “why did I kill the cat” but he didn’t mind killing it. The reason why he didn’t mind killing the cat is because he has no conscious.

 

6. How does the narrator define “perverseness”? Do you agree with the definition? Do you agree that it is human nature?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stuart Little Brochure

 

 

Resolution

Snowbell jumps up on to the table before Stuart falls and he saves him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stuart Little

 

Stuart Hides Out

 

 

 

By:  Nathan Long             
 

Exposition

The characters of this story are Stuart, Snowbell, George, and Stuart’s parents.  The setting of the story is Stuart’s house.  The author of the book is Susan Hill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rising Action

Stuart and Snowbell are by themselves. Stuart wants to hang out, but Snowbell says “no way”. Finally Snowbell says, “how about hide and seek and I’ll seek”? So Stuart went off to hide and Snowbell fell fast asleep.

 

Climax

Stuart finds a vase that he could hide in. He climbs in there and after a while, he realizes that he is the only one still playing and he starts to get uncomfortable. When he tries to get out, he can’t. He is stuck in the vase.

 

Falling Action

Snowbell finally wakes up from his nap and is worried about Stuart. He decides that Stuart must be hiding really well and forgets about him.  When   Snowbell wants to get a snack, he sees Stuart rocking back and forth in the vase as soon as he walks into the kitchen.

 

 

Speak Vocabulary

                                                                                                  Speak Vocabulary

 

1. Obscene- offensive to mortality or decay, repulsive.
2. Abstinence- denying self any form of indulgence, appetite, or craving.
3. Savant- a person of leaving, especially: one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field.
4. Thespian- dramatic actor.
5. Facism- political philosophy, movement or regime.
6. Predator- one that preys, destroys, or devious.
7. Indoctrination- instruct, with doctrines, theories beliefs, can also be brainwashed.
8. Morphing- a special effects process used in film or video production in which persons or objects.
9. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - is an anxiety disorder that occurs in the aftermath of traumatic events.

10. Potpourri- a mixture of flowers, herbs, and spices that are usually kept in a jar and used for scent.

11. Paparazzi- a freelance photographer.

12. Inspiration- an inspiring or animating action or influence.

13. Expiration- a coming to an end; termination.

14. Blathers- to talk without making sense.

15. Interim- a temporary agreement, to make shift.

16. Drones- a male bee, especially a honeybee, that is characteristically sting less, performs no work, and produces no honey.

17. Xenophobic- a person who is very fearful or disliking of foreigners, people from other countries or strangers.

18. Sun Shadow Mandala- mandala is a symbolic circular design that represents an outer and inner dimension of a person personality.

19. Redemption- the act or process or redeeming or the state of being redeemed.

20. Abysmal- extremely or hopelessly bad or severe.

21. Demure- characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved.

22. Bigoted- utterly intolerant of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one’s own.

23. Asphyxiated- to cause to die or lose consciousness by impairing normal breathing, as by gas or other noxious agents.

24. Classical- of or pertaining to; or characteristic of Greek and Roman antiquity.

25- Cubism- a style of painting and sculpture developed in the early 20th century characterized by the emphasis on formal structure and geometrical shape.   

 

 

 

Speak 200 Word Essay

Speak 200-Word Essay

 

The signs I usually look for in an abusive relationship include when a guy hits a girl, tells her what to wear or what to do, or is always touching on her inappropriately. I think it is terrible when a guy does these things. A guy should never hit or tell a girl what to do.  They should respect her and treat her with respect.

 

 

              I would never abuse a girl. It is wrong to abuse a girl just because the boy wants power over her. But I do not feel sad for the girl. She had the chance to leave him if she chose to. I hope none of my friends ever have to go through a situation like that.  I hope they have the courage to leave the relationship if they find themselves in an abusive relationship.

 

 

              It is sad to see a girl in an abusive relationship.  It is hard to have sympathy for a girl who chooses to be in an abusive relationship.  I would try my best to help a friend out in this type of situation but the choice is really theirs.  She has to take the first step to leave the relationship.

speak 150 word essay

If a friend has cuts and bruises, the first thing I’m going to do to is go to them and talk. If they don’t tell me what happened or they tell me that they just fell and ran into lockers I won’t believe that at all. I would get suspicious and keep asking her until she tells me what happened.

 

It would hurt to find out if one of my friends got raped or did the raping. I would want to find out who did and ask them “why did you do that disgusting thing to my friend”. I hope when the person, who did the raping, went to court would be put away for a long time because that’s disgusting and just wrong.                            

 

I hope that none of my friends never have to go threw that, because that’s a scary thing happen to you. If any of my friends goes threw a situation like that I would be sad and very angry at the person who did it and hope he would be sentenced for the rest of his life.

Speak 3 Discussion Questions

Speak 3

Discussion/Study Question

pp. 95-137

 

1.  Discuss what precipitates Melinda’s skipping school and what she does.

 

• Melinda skips school because she missed the bus. Melinda decided to go to the hospital and walk around.

 

 

2.  Was being a child better then being a teenager? In what ways? In what ways is it better to be older? Why is it harder to be in between childhood and adulthood?

 

• Being a teenager is better than being a child because you learn how to drive and you learn more interesting facts as you get older.  It is hard when you are in between childhood and adulthood because you are still too young to do what adults do but want to.

 

3.  Analyze the reference to the symbols in The Scarlet Letter and how Melinda would adapt the letter “A.”

 

• Hester adapts the letter A and Melinda adapts the letter “S”, for stupid, silent, scared, silly, and shame.

 

 

4.  Discuss the dissolution of Melinda and Heather’s friendship and the effect it has on Melinda. What is the meaning of friendship?

 

 

• Melinda and Heather are no longer friends and Melinda is affected by this because she has no one to talk or eat with at lunch. The meaning of friendship to me is some one that always has your back and they respect you.

 

 

5.  Analyze the events and affects of Valentine’s Day on Melinda and the aftermath.

 

• Melinda found an envelope on her locker when she got to school. She was so surprised and thought it was a joke. She tried to figure out who had put the Valentine note on her locker all day but never did.

 

 

6.  Melinda wishes her science teacher would teach them about love and betrayal instead of about the birds and bees. Where do we learn about things like that? Can we learn love from a book? Explain?

 

• We learn about love and betrayal when we experience those kinds of situations. There are books written which can help you with your love life.

7.  Discuss what happens when Melinda is placed in In-School Suspension. How would you react to this situation?

 

• When Melinda goes to ISS, her worst enemy, Andy Beast, sits right next to her. If I had to sit by my worst enemy, I would ask to change seats.

 

 

8.  Analyze Mr. Freeman’s effect on Melinda, inside and outside the art class. Do you agree with his statement, “When people don’t express themselves, they die one piece at a time?”

 

• Yes, I do agree with Mr. Freeman’s statement.  I feel that when a person expresses themselves, they learn who they are and what they stand for.

 

 

9.  Mr. Freeman tells his class, “You must walk alone to find your soul.” What does that mean? Is it true? What is a soul?

 

• I think you soul stands for what type of person you are and what you believe in.  If you are always surrounded by friends, you will start to act like them and not who you really are.  I think this is true.

 

10.  Mr. Freeman also says that, “art is about making mistakes and learning from them.” What else is like this? Explain?

 

• Relationships and life are like art because when you make a mistake or make the wrong choice, you learn from those them.  Just like when you colored out of the lines as a child, you learned not to do that.

 

 

11.  Examine Melinda’s self-image and her survival techniques after Heather’s rejection.

 

• Melinda became depressed and started skipping school which kept her away from Heather.

 

12.  Examine Melinda’s revelation about the night of the party and its residual effect on her.

 

• Melinda sleeps on the porch roof when she gets home and wonders if the sun will ever come up again.  Melinda’s next report shows many bad grades except for art.

 

Speak 2

Speak 2

Discussion/Study Question

Pp. 49-92

 

 

1. Discuss Melinda’s decline, including physical symptoms?

 

Melinda’s symptoms include sore throat, raw lips, headaches from tightened jaws when she wakes up in the morning.  She has a hard time talking with her teachers because she stammers or freezes.

 

 

2. Analyze the social studies “debate” and its aftermath. Note who challenges the teacher and the position each person takes. How do you feel about the type of debate? Is the teacher right or wrong? Do students have the right to challenge a teacher?

 

A class debate should not be about personal problems of people in the class.  I think the teacher should not stop the debate because he did not like the comments that were made.  I think students have a right to challenge a teacher if it is done respectfully.

 

 

 

3. Who is a “real” American? What do you think of Mr. Neck’s opinion? Going by his definition, are some of you not really Americans?

 

A “real” American is someone born in the United States.  I do not agree with Mr. Neck’s opinion.  I think people coming to the United States from other countries legally are alright.   Using Mr. Neck’s definition, some of us are not really Americans. 

 

 

 

4. Discuss the Thanksgiving dinner for Melinda’s family and why this is significant.

 

The Thanksgiving dinner for Melinda’s family is not a traditional holiday as most of us know it.  If the mother’s business does not go well, she is not interested in preparing a Thanksgiving dinner.  Having a good Thanksgiving dinner shows that they do celebrate as a family. 

 

5. Analyze Melinda’s statement about her parents, “I bet they’d be divorced by now if I hadn’t been born.” What does this reflect about her self esteem?

 

Melinda’s statement about her parents explains that she thinks they do not love each other.  They just stay together for her sake. This gives Melinda a low self esteem because she thinks she is in the way of her parents loving each other.

 

 

6. Examine Melinda’s references to her secret and what this reveals about her relationship with her parents. What do you think happened at the party?

 

Melinda’s secret reveals that she does not communicate with her parents.  This causes them not to trust her.  I think she was abused at the party and when no one helped her, she finally called the police.  This caused everyone who was at the party to get in trouble.

 

 

7. Discuss Melinda’s athletic ability, her attitude toward being on the basketball team, and the comparison she makes between basketball and life.

 

Melinda’s is a good basketball player.  Since she has bad grades, I do not think she really wants to play on the team.  The comparison she makes between life and basketball is that when you get fouled, you should be able to foul them back.  That is not how it works in basketball or in life.

 

8. Analyze the deterioration of the relationship between Melinda and Heather. Why is it that people sometimes like us more when they can get something out of us? Are the Marthas good friends to Heather? Why or why not?

 

Melinda and Heather’s relation got worse when Heather met new friends and joined the Marthas.  People like to take advantage of things they think they can get easily.  I do not think the Marthas are very good friends because they still give her an attitude with what she wears to school and she is the newest member of the group.

 

 

9. What should we value in other people? What qualities are important in a person? What do you usually notice first about people? Does that really matter?

 

Friendship is about respect, loyalty, and truthfulness.  Those are the qualities that I value.  The first thing I notice about a person is their attitude about what is going on around them. It does not matter since you do not know what kind of day they have had.

 

 

10. Examine Melinda’s reference to IT.

 

Melinda does not like IT because he is always trying to follow her.  He also reminds her about the night of the party. 

 

 

11. Discuss the school conference with Melinda’s parents and the aftermath. What do you think about Melinda’s suicide attempt? Was it real? What does it indicate? What do you think about her mother’s reaction?

 

Melinda’s parents learned of her bad grades and behavior at the school conference.  This caused an argument with her when they got home.  I don’t think she really tried to commit suicide because she did not actually cut her wrist. Suicide attempts indicate sadness and depression.  I think her mother’s reaction was appropriate because I also believe suicide is for cowards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to Morocco where my brother and his wife are living

I went to Morocco where my brother and his wife are living. My family along with myself went over there to visit them. That consisted with my Mom, my Dad, my sister, and me. My brother is working over there with a company called adventures. He has a contract that states he’ll be over there along with his wife for two years as a tourist guide.

             

They have a great place over there and also a very safe place over there. They also have great friends over there that care and look after them. Some of their friends are Simo, Tzark, and Ali. I wish we didn’t have to leave but we had to get back to our own lives.

             

I had such a great time over there just wishing I would have been able to stay longer. They have great friends along with a safe home. I hope next year we will be able to go and visit them again. They have a great place over there and I hope it continues to be a great and safe place.

 

 

 

Discussion Questions pp.3-46

Discussion Questions

Pp.3-46

 

1. Analyze Melinda’s reaction to the first day of high school and why her fears seem more intense than that of others. Analyze why she says, “I am Outcast.”

 

• Melinda’s fear to the first day of high school is she doesn’t have any friends and not in a clan or a clique. She doesn’t know how people will react to her.

 

 

2. Examine the meanings of the “clans” and the prevalence of high school cliques. Why do we sometimes not like people who are really good at things, like sports, music, art, or school? Are adults like this?

 

• The reason we don’t like people who are good at such as: sports or music because we are jealous. Yes, I do think some adults are like that because they want what other adults have.

 

 

3. Discuss the “first ten lies they tell you in high school.” Compare with your first day. So you think Melinda’s assumption that they are “lies” is valid?

 

• Comparing to my first day of school the teachers and everybody is always helpful. For her I would say that they are valid because of what happened to her but for me no.

 

 

4. Examine Melinda’s characterization of the teachers. What do these descriptions reflect?

 

• Her language arts teacher is weird and has long hair but you never see her face. Mr. Nick is her social studies teacher and he is mean to her and does not like her. Her art teacher Mr. Freeman is a strange guy and takes art really seriously.

 

 

5. Discuss Mr. Freeman’s approach to teaching art. Have you had similar experiences in classes with this type of teaching style?

 

• Mr. Freemen’s style of teaching is weird. He has you pick out of a globe that has different objects and whatever object you choice from the globe, which is the one you have to research and draw all year.

 

 

6. Discuss Melinda’s home life. How does communication break down in Melinda’s family? What could each person do to improve it? If you were a parent, how would communication be in your family?

 

• Communication breaks down in her house because when she gets home her mom has little notes saying, “Pizza and the number to call pizza. If I were a parent I would want to be there for my child so they would not have to do that all by themselves.

 

 

7. Discuss the interaction between Melinda and Heather. Are they friends? What brings them together?

 

• Melinda and heather are friends but the only reason they are is because they don’t have anybody else to talk to and are not in a clan.

 

 

8. Are we sometimes different people on the outside than we are in the inside? How? Why is this true, do you think?

 

• I do believe people are different on the outside then the inside. We act differently whenever we are around friends or family and say different things who ever we are around.

Discussion Questions for The Black Cat

Discussion Questions for The Black Cat

 

1. Discuss the significance of the following: “There is something unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute, which goes directly to the heart of him who has had frequent occasion to test the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of man.”

 

The significance of this statement is describing that a dog will always love you in spite of how you treat it.  A dogs love is forever.

 

2. What is the significance of the cat’s name, Pluto?

 

The significance of the cat’s name is that it represents the planet Pluto. This planet is very dark and has no life on it just like the cat and Edgar Allan Poe.

 

3. Why did the narrator initially restrain himself from maltreating the cat while maltreating other animals?

 

He was able to restrain himself by killing other animals and his wife first.  The only reason why he didn’t kill the cat is because he only kills the things that love him.

 

4. Why does he eventually mistreat the cat?

 

He eventually mistreated the cat because the cat bit him and he just couldn’t restrain himself any longer.

 

5. Describe the narrator’s feelings after abusing the cat. Why is that significant?

 

In the beginning he had a feeling of “why did I kill the cat” but he didn’t mind killing it. The reason why this is significant is because he has no conscious and just doesn’t care.

 

6. How does the narrator define “perverseness”? Do you agree with the definition? Do you agree that it is human nature?

 

The narrator defines perverseness by describing Edgar Allan Poe as a cranky person.  No, I do not agree with the definition.  I agree that that it is human nature.

 

7. Discuss the significance of the following quote: “I hung it because I knew it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offense, because I knew that in doing so I was committing a sin.

 

He killed everything that loved him and the cat loved him.