Butterfly Project

"Concert in the Old School Garret"

White fingers of the sexton sleep heavy upon us.  
Half a century  
Since anyone as much as touched this piano.  Let it sing again  As it was made to yesterday. 


Phantom hands that strike softly or that thunder
The forehead of this man heavy as the heavens before it rains. 


And the springs
Under the weight of excitement, forgot to squeak
Half a century it is since anyone as much as touched this piano. 

Our good friend Time  
Sucked each figure empty like a honeybee  
That has lived long enough  
And drunk enough honey  
So that now it can dry out in the sun somewhere


Under the closed eyes, another person sits
Under the closed eyes, he seeks among the keys  
As among the veins through which the blood flows softly  
When you kiss them with a knife and put a song to it. 


And this man yesterday cut all the veins 
Opening all the organ’s stops
Paid all the birds to sing
To sing 


Even though the harsh fingers of the sexton sleep heavy upon us  
Bent in his manner of death, you are like Beethoven 


Your forehead was as heavy as the heavens before it rains


-Anonymous 

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Berlin Memorial Activity

          During the Berlin Memorial Activity I learned that in 1933 Hitler made many rules that restricted Jews from doing fun things and also from having a job. Then in 1934 he didn't make as many rules so he didn't scare the Jews and he could keep as many Jews in Germany as possible . I also learned that the death of a German official was an excuse for the Nazi’s to create the concentration camps and start genocide. Another thing I learned is that Hitler made laws that made Jews almost starve to death and they couldn't escape.

          I think the Berlin Memorial was built to remember all the lives that were lost during the holocaust. The holocaust is a very devastating time in history and it's important to remember it because if we forget it, than it could happen again. Another reason I think the Memorial was built is because those 13 years of Hitler ruling was evil and we can learn from things like that.


          Some years during the holocaust the number of laws was low like in 1934, 1935, 1937 and 1940. In other years there was more than 5 like in 1933, 1938, 1939, and 1942. During these years approximately 6 million Jews died, the few that survived are very lucky because they were able to continue their life and maybe change the world positively. I think Hitler probably planned how many laws e was going to make each year to not alert Jews. This way people who were Jewish got used to it and they didn't run away.


         I think the restriction/law that would be the most trouble dealing with is “Jews not allowed to emigrate” because then you wouldn't be able to escape and save your family. I really wouldn't care if I died unless I knew my family was safe and they survived the holocaust. I think this law is like a death sentence, but worst because you wouldn't see anybody you cared about ever again and you would never know what happened to them.

2nd Quarter Reflection

Today is the last day of 2nd quarter.  I have learn many things and I have grown and improved academically.  The areas I think I did the best improvements in ELA are annotating, writing the main idea, and selecting a good paragraph. In Quarter 1 we learned a few things about annotating like how to annotate a poem or article, but this quarter we learned how to annotate non-fiction books, and we started out Invastigative Journal unit. This quarter we have done so much research, and it has helped me because I learned what information was relevant and I also learned how to paraphrase better. I think I improved a little in my blogs, and I should try to add more words that are captivating and not common to use.

I liked this quarter better because we learned about the things that were going around the world through our AOW's and Invastigative Journal Unit. I am currently reading a book called Auggie & Me by R.J Palacio, I am almost done with the book. I have read 6 books so far, it has taken me some time because the books I read are chapter books. Instead of doing a 10 book challenge I might do 15 book challenge because reading helps me visualize and sometimes I learn new words.

I struggled this quarter in a few areas like managing my time correctly, doing homework, and being early to school. On 3rd quarter I'm going to fix my mistakes by not doing them again. Since I am bad at managing my time, I will create an agenda and also write my homework down so I don't forget. I will also be coming to school at 7:55 or 8:00. To improve more on my blogs I will add more details, be clear, and use big words.

Book Talk

The title of the book I’m reading is For One More day by Mitch Albom. The book is a story about Chick Benetto’s life. Chick Benetto was chasing his dream, he wanted to be a professional baseball player, but his dream didn't come true. When was older he had a family but they left because he was an alcoholic. He had a loving mom but he always disrespected her because he thought she was the reason his dad left. Chick never got to say goodbye to her before she died. He ended up alone and he had a miserable life, after he found out his daughter got married and didn't invite him he decided to commit suicide (he felt like he was a nobody) After his 2 attempts failed he went back to his childhood house and makes a discovery that changed his life.

I give the book 5 stars out of 5 because most books talk about a made up story that is really long and the theme is confusing. I also give it 5/5 because I had never read a story that had a clear theme, easy to understand, inspiring and real. I would recommend this book to people who like suspenseful things and also to people who like to read non fiction books that are inspiring. I loved it and I would recommend others to read it, and also to read more book by Mitch Albom because they're really pleasant.

 I also loved the book because it talks about family and it made me think about how sometimes I'm mean to members of my family and that one day they're not going to be there. The thing I remember the most about the book are the “notes” and stories about his mom. After each chapter there was like a transition that told a story about his family, or sometimes it was a note his mom left him when he was younger. It sounds boring, but it's really awesome because this is a real person talking about something real that happened to him, and taking a break from reading more common books (fiction, mystery, science fiction, history) feels good. In conclusion I loved the book and would recommend to everyone.

Video 

“Domestic Violence: The Effects on Children Who Witness Abuse” by Andrea Borroel Trujillo

 

          “He accused her of sleeping with the neighbor. All the while, he was pushing her, throwing her on the ground, hitting her in the head. Finally, he threw her into the brick barbecue pit next to the house, hitting her repeatedly after she hit the bricks. When she didn't get up, he suddenly quit and went into the house. She got up slowly. It took weeks for her back, which was injured from being pushed against the bricks, and the bruises to heal.” This is a short part of a story out a child who grew up living in domestic violence, this is also what some children witness everyday in their lives when they get home,

      Domestic violence is a problem some children face at home, it can affect kids later on in their lives as teens. The adolescents who are being abused can have bad grades at school because they don't pay attention in class. They could also have low self-esteem, feel lonely/insecure, this occurs because their whole life they have been put down. Adolescents that live in domestic violence start to use drugs and alcohol at a young age, they use this as a way to get away from problems and away from everything and everyone. They also use drugs and alcohol to forget things and to find their “happy place”, later on the teens can become addicted to these substances that are very harmful to the human body. As the teens are growing up they start to develop criminal behavior. For example the teens may get involved with gangs, guns, and drug dealers. They can also start to get more aggressive because they start to have anger issues, committing crimes or bullying is a way to get their frustration out. Some teens could become parents at an early because they feel pressured to have sexual intercourse. This can happen when they are drunk; or because they are not thinking straight. Some teens also try to run away, and some have suicidal thoughts. 50% of kids living in domestic violence committed suicide, and others are 6x more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs.

    “I grew up witnessing domestic abuse. My mum would get beaten by my father. When she wasn't there he would turn to me and my brothers. I used to sit in my room and hear them fighting then I'd hear my mum scream and I'd know he'd have hit her. To be honest, at the age I was at, I actually thought it was normal. I thought that many families were like this but now when I think about it I was in denial because I never mentioned it to my friends or teachers.” - Jay

          There is many causes of domestic violence. Some are low-self esteem, anger issues, and possibly depression. Low-self esteem can cause domestic violence at home because the abuser feels the need to be in control of their partner. Some abusers are overprotective and get jealous easily, this can cause them to use extreme measures and they will do anything to make them obey. Anger issues and depression can also be a cause because the abusers don't feel satisfied with their life. This can cause them to have many emotions inside of them and hurt their family to get that anger out. Some kids who live with domestic violence are 3x more likely to do it too when they are adults.
         
          Some ways we can help abusers (the person that is responsible for the abuse) are: going to family intervention programs, speaking up, telling them your opinions, and giving them tips. Family intervention programs are designed to help the abusers understand that violence and use of control is bad and they should stop.Telling them your opinion about how you feel maybe will make them reconsider their actions. You can tell them that what they’re doing is wrong, that they shouldn’t hurt their loved ones, and domestic violence (abuse) is a crime and they can go to jail for that. You can also give them advice or tips. For example telling them ways they should change, or telling them about programs that could help them deal with their problems. Victims of domestic violence also need help. There is counseling and mental health interventions that can help the victims affected by domestic violence. Individual therapy can help the victims work through emotions and help them feel safe again. Dyadic treatment groups can help the victim feel like they are not alone and this can help them overcome the abuse.

Nonfiction Article

         The article “Pluto’s icy heart may hide an ocean” by Lee Billings tells how astronomers found evidence that says there could possibly be an entire ocean under the surface on Pluto. NASA’s New Horizon flew by Pluto last year, the probe saw a hearth shaped plain that had many cracks around and other parts of the planet. They also found another plain that is similar but this plain is lined with the moon Charon, scientists suggest this happened because the pain is heavy and it made the Planet tilt.

          There is many things I found interesting in the article because it is about space and I learned new things. One interesting thing I found in the article is that in Pluto there is a lot of ice and, “There, nitrogen and other ‘volatile’ gases freeze solid in the cryogenic conditions, and water turns to rock-hard ice. For decades scientists have theorized how that ice might act as an insulator, preserving vestiges of warmth and moisture deep within Pluto and other objects so far from the sun.” I find this interesting because last year in science we did a whole unit on planets and we didn't learn anything about possible oceans in other planets. Another reason I find this interesting is because the whole planet is pretty much ice, but there is 2 regions where there is water freezing under the surface. An ocean under a surface sounds unusual but then again scientists found lakes under the ocean so it doesn't sound as weird. Pluto is an exo planet, meaning it is not in our solar system and astronomers can see the planet and even send probes by Pluto and that is startling.

         There is many things I learned and many things I won't forget. For example one thing I learned that I will probably never forget is about the 2 plains the astronomers found because they are craters filled with ice. I think I'm most likely not going to forget this because this was one of the main ideas and one of the things I took from the article. A heavy crater filled with ice is interesting to me because I had never heard or thought about something like that. Knowing this I feel like I am more open minded to things that seem impossible because there is still discoveries to be made.

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Gratitude Blog

          There is many things I am grateful for this year. I am grateful for my family and I am also thankful for my true friends. This year has been hard for me and also good, I lost many people I used to consider a friend but I got to see who were my real friends. I want to thank those that care for me because it is nice to feel cared for and to know you can count on someone when you need help. Also I want to thank the people who have hurt me because that helped me become a stronger person and it has helped me learn how to overcome things. The people I am most grateful for are my parents because they have done many sacrifices for me and because they love me.
           I am thankful for having a home and food each day because there is people who are starving around the world. There is also many people that are homeless or their home is not a good place to live in, and they're suffering and luckily I’m not (thanks to my parents). I’m also grateful that I don’t live in a place where it is not safe and I don’t have to worry about my family and myself. I am thankful for my health and my education because some people aren't able to go to school and they won’t be able to have a good future. I’m also grateful that I do not have to go through really bad struggles, and when I do I am able to overcome them.
            The last things I am grateful for is god because I am still alive and also he takes care of us. I am thankful that when my grandparents got sick really bad and had to go to the hospital they survived. I also want to thank god because he is there when you need someone (if you believe in him). There is many more things that I am grateful for but I would never finish if I talked about them.