Final ELA Project

Final Project
Joshua Williams
Class: 812


     This past school year I spent in M.S.51 has been joyful for me. My home room class was always filled with such joy and energy that I always felt happy each time I came in. My classmates are all very friendly and funny, which made it easy for me to make new friends. However, I think the main thing I enjoyed about my home room class was that I always learned different lessons and all sorts of do’s and don'ts in life.
     One lesson I learned was that I should always be aware of my surroundings because I never know what might happen. One day after 6th period I had been in a rush to get to my next class for the important event of cutting out a picture of your own make believe family. When I got their one of my classmates told me that my scissors fell out of my backpack and that it fell on the floor in the hallway. This showed me to always pay attention to your surroundings because I didn't realize that I had dropped my scissors and if my classmate hadn't seen them I would never have been able to participate in the event.
     Another lesson I learned was that I should always think before I act. In ELA my teacher asked a very important question that I thought I knew right away so I shot my hand up in the air. But when she called on me and asked for the answer, I realized my that I had no idea what the answer could be and I just assumed I would get the right answer. So when I said that I didn't know the answer after all it was really embarrassing and that day I always tried to think things through before I act.
     Finally I learned never to judge a book by it's cover. I recall the trip the whole 8th grade participated in where we all went to see the movie Selma. I asked my ELA teacher Ms. Galang if there was a possibility of watching a different movie because I didn't want to see Selma.  I thought it would be boring. However, after the movie was over I realized that I learned a lot while watching that movie. This taught me to never assume the worst.
     In conclusion, I learned many important life lessons while in my ELA class. And I always knew that in my ELA class, every day I would learn something new.


Books I Wanted To Read Over The SUMMER

Eulalia!!! By Brian Jaques
Allegiant By Veronica Roth
The Scorch Trials By James Dashner

Final ELA Project

Reading Response
By: Joshua Williams
Class: 812


     I chose the poem,”Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde as my sonnet poem because I loved the authors use of symbolism inside the poem and appreciated the way the author tried to use this poem  as a way to connect to any young reader who may come by it. This poem was very artistic and meaningful to me, and I loved reading it over and over again till I memorized every line.
     This poem is about a teenage boy who always had to try fit in with others so that he didn’t embarrass himself, this boy thought that being himself would just make him even more embarrassed. Therefor he was always having trouble with finding friends and he never had time to do things that he liked. This is a common problems for kids 13 or older who might have trouble making friends or are subjected to pier pressure. This is also another reason why I like this poem. The author tries to connect with readers who may or may not have this problem so that they can realize the deeper understanding to this poem. The author used the character talking in the poem as a use of symbolism as to how kids today are feeling and the hard struggles they may be facing due to how they feel about themselves.
     In conclusion, the poem,” Hanging Fire” by Audre Lorde relates to kids everywhere on what their lives could be like if they always stuck to the crowd and never tried to speak for themselves or do what they thought was cool. The use in symbolism is one of the reasons that I love this poem, and is why I chose it as my sonnet.


Poems
Up and down
By: Joshua Williams
Class: 812

Over and under
Left and right
Forward and backwards
Out of sight

Gone from the world
Unable to be seen
Completely out of sight
It's trace wiped clean

Now it is gone
Disappeared without a trace
And a smile disappears
From my once happy face
Reflection

     What inspired me to write this poem this is that I once had a dream where a rocket was flying around and did all sorts of tricks that were so fun to watch, however, it suddenly exploded which made me feel sad. So I tried to write this poem based on that dream by using small amounts of rhyme and rhythm in the poem. I wrote this poem by writing about what how and what I felt during that dream.

Tall Tree
Look at this tall tree
It's natures majesty
It's just so pretty
That it can fill me with such glee

It's strong, it's grand
It's tough, it’s so great
I like to think this tree
Is just like me

Reflection

     I was inspired to write this poem after remembering about a tree I saw in the middle of a huge swamp when on a trip with my family. It was in the absolute center of the swamp and I could never forget how high it was. I wrote this poem in tribute to that tree and I tried my best to put as much rhythm in the poem as I could. This poem was a little exaggerated when it came to how I really felt when I saw the tree but it was an overall summary of my enjoyment at watching the tree.

Reading Response

Reading Response #1 

By: Joshua Williams  

Class: 812 

     Put into slavery when he was very young and forced into manual labor for 2 years is the life of Martin the mouse. However, this tall tale of a young courageous mouse doesn't end with him being a slave all his life. The book, Martin The Warrior by Brian Jacques is the story about Martin and his legendary quest for freedom and justice where he was named Martin the Warrior by his fellow travelers. Martin is a brave soul and cares deeply for people in need. 

     One example of how Martin is a brave creature who cares about others is that when he was in slavery by a tyrant named Badrag, the captains of Badrag’s crew were responsible for keeping the slaves in check. Once, when an old squirrel was about to be lashed for dropping a heavy rock, Martin stopped the captain from swinging the whip at last minute, and Martin was forced to be whipped himself. In the book, it said, " He tugged at it but was yanked backwards. The young mouse had the end of the whip coiled around his paw.” "Pg 13" This shows that Martin would never let anyone be pushed around or hurt. Martin knew he would have been whipped for what he did but thought that protecting the squirrel was more important than his own safety.

     Another example of Martins bravery and compassion is that when Martin and his new friends, Grumm the mole and Rose the mousemaid, they all escaped the prison by riding away by boat. But when the boat was attacked by a enormous fish, Martin told his friends to take the boat and leave while he distracted the fish. In the book, it said,” Martin gave Rose the oars and swam to the fish to give it a good whack in the tail.” "Pg 81." This shows how much Martin cares about the safety of his friends. Martin knew he probably would die if he faced that fish head on, but he thought that it was worth it to save his friends. This proves how brave and caring Martin is. 

     One Final example of how brave and understanding Martin is that when Martin and his friends were kidnapped by pigmy shrews (small mice like creatures) and one had been captured by a bird, all the other pigmy shrews thought that he was a goner, except for Martin who offered to save the little pigmy shrew from the big bird. In the book, it said,” No, he’s not dead, give me your sword, I’ll save him!” "Pg 112." This is shows how brave and caring Martin is, Martin could have sat back in his cell and enjoyed watching the pigmy shrews who kidnapped him get eaten, but he didn't, because Martin is the type of creature who cares for others. This is one last piece of evidence proving that Martin is brave and compassionate.  

     In conclusion, I believe that Martin the Warrior is brave, courageous and cares deeply for others. I can't say that this book relates to me completely, however I remember many times that I have sacrificed my own safety . And I can only hope that you, the reader has done the same for your friends. I wish this is also the intent of everyone in the entire world, so that everyone has the bravery and same amount of care for others as Martin the Warrior.  

Reading Response #4

Reading Response #4
By: Joshua Williams
Class: 812


     Some people say that global warming is a myth. Some say it's the end of the world. However, the book,”What if we do nothing? Global Warming” by Neil Morris talks about what happens during global warming and how it affects the world around us. However, the most important thing about this book is that it highlights on what might happen if we do nothing to stop global warming from happening. By the end of this text you will realize what will happen to our the world if we choose to do nothing about the pollution in our environment.
     One example of what would happen if we choose to do nothing about global warming is that there would be a drastic change in weather. This would cause the air on earth to become thin and dry, causing many living creatures to die from lack of oxygen. Not only that, but the amount of heat the sun transfers to the Earth would drastically increase. This would make it hard for people to live on Earth, proving that this is a good example of what might happen if we choose to do nothing about global warming.
     Another example of what might happen if we choose to do nothing about global warming is that when the weather increases it will melt all of the Antarctic. This would cause many creatures who live in Antarctica to die without a home. The Penguins would be wiped out and the polar bears would become completely extinct. This is also the fate of every living creature in Antarctica proving how this is another good example of what might happen if we choose to do nothing about global warming.
     One final example of what might happen if we all choose to do nothing about global warming is that once all the ice in Antarctica melts, then there will be a huge amount of flash floods. People and animals would drown and cities would be destroyed. These flash floods would increase until they would turn into tsunamis which would destroy everything in it's path. This is another big example of what might happen if we choose to do nothing about global warming.
     In conclusion, global warming is an incredibly big issue nation wide and we all need to do our best to prevent it from happening. So I hope you, the reader do your part in stoping the total destruction of our world by telling others about what might happen if we all choose to do nothing about global warming.

Synthesis Page #2