17th Blog (The Slam!)

It's been a while since I posted a blog! I hope you bloggers are doing awesome. On Wednesday, two slam poets from Ottawa named Greg "Ritallin" Frankson and Beth Anne Fisher came to our class for a few days, and helped us develop and improve our poetry. Out of the four workshops, I only went to two, because I've been sick and I enjoyed them quite well. Our assignment today is to reflect from the workshops and post my poem. Click here for the assignment info. Here it is, I hope you enjoy it!

A) One thing that I learned from Greg and Beth Anne was the word 'Cadence" or "Cadency" which pretty much means the rhythmic flow in a poem for example. When I first learned about that word, I thought it was such a cool juicy word to say and it had such a cool meaning. I should use that word instead of flow, flow is just boring. The other thing I learned from Greg and Beth Anne was to take chances. Take chances to write what you truly and personally feel. Another example could be to take chances to try memorizing the poem, (Like I did.) and if you make a mistake or forget a line, (Like I did.) that's okay. Most people that listen don't even notice mess-ups. Take chances!

B) When writing my poem, one thing that I used as an inspiration was Khaleefa, because I wanted to write a poem using his kind of speaker style and also using different words instead of same old boring words. When writing my poem, another thing that I used as an inspiration was performing, because the slam poem that I wrote (which will be posted further on) is about my unique place that I decided which would be on stage, so I took what I remembered from being on stage and put it in my poem. (that I will be showing you further on) When writing my poem, the final thing that I used as an inspiration was my mother. Believe it or not, I didn't think of the idea that being on stage was my unique place, my mom did. It happened a few weeks ago, and me and my mom were on a city bus going to an appointment, and I was having writer's block, because I couldn't decide what to do for my poem about a unique place. So my mom told me as a suggestion that I should put being on stage as my unique place, and I though it was a good idea, so I did it. I credit my mother on coming up with the idea, thanks!

C) From my presentation of my poem, I'm most proud of when I messed up. I thought I memorized everything, but I didn't, and so when I messed up, I just paused and went on with the show. I had to get my sheet though, because I was having a brain fart, but hey, at least I had the guts to take chance and try not to use my sheet even though it was an epic fail. We're human though, we make mistakes, so it's no big deal. After the presentation, Greg and Beth Anne told me that one of the best parts of my presentation was when I forgot the lines, and I just took my time to get it together and didn't give up, and that made me feel better. I'm used to mess-ups anyway, because I'm a performer.

D) Before the performance, I was a little bit nervous, but I felt like I was ready to perform, because I was practicing at home and at school as much as I could.

E) After the performance, I felt a little stupid, because I messed up and I should've had my paper just like everyone else just in case. Then, after I heard what everyone had to say, I felt better about it and relieved that it was over with.

F) The one thing that I would change about my performance for next time is practice time. I've been sick, so I didn't know about the whole slam until Monday, so I had only two days to get my presentation ready. Next time, I should try to practice more at home as well as school as much as I can.

G) Everyone did a fantastic job today! All the poems were so creative and powerful. I'm so proud of everyone!

Okay, there was the first part of my assignment. Here's the second part of it, my poem that I presented about my unique place which is on stage. It's called "My Turn", enjoy!

I catch my breath,

No nerves left.

Every moment counts, it's all for the best.

I open my eyes,

It takes me by surprise, the crowd roaring like thunder.

Can't make a blunder, but they won't care.

If I make a mistake, the audience won't break,

Into flames, and boos would trap the room like ghouls,

That won't happen though, right fools?

All I'm hearing is the chant of my name.

The sound's insane, crowd's sane,

The pounding of my heart's like rain drops on a window pane.

I want more, but it's not even the encore.

Time for me to hit the floor, right now.

No turning back, like I'm under attack.

They hear my voice, clear as a bell.

The mic works well, don't you think?

Or is it down the drain, like a bathroom sink.

What do you think?

Tell me!

The performance could be a sellout.

Former fans are telling me, “Get the hell out!”

Or it could be the most memorable, unforgettable feeling.

So appealing, like a banana peel.

Is this for real?

Tell me now, yell it out!

Well now, have you decided?

Opinions count, every single amount.

It's intoxicating, elevating.

They're either loving or hating.

If you love it thanks, if you hate it, I won't get mad, that's alright.

I won't start a fight in the night, or stab myself with a knife.

Let me tell you something though.

My dreams are a priority, not a minority.

So don't put me down!

You see MJ with his moonwalk and smooth talk.

Then you see Elvis with his blue suede shoes and sideburns,

IT'S MY TURN!

You can paint the town, but you can't take me down.

This has been a journey to remember, far from surrender,

But for now, I hold my head up high, don't sigh, don't cry.

I just catch my breath,

No nerves left.

Every moment counts, it's all for the best.

I hope you enjoyed it! Well there you have it, my assignment is complete. Please feel free to comment. Thank you, enjoy these last couple of days of school before HOLIDAYS!

16th Blog (AwEsOmE!)

How are you doing bloggers, awesome? Today's blog assignment is all about AWESOME. For my next awesome assignment, I had to check out this awesome website, 1000 Awesome Things, and I had to pick 3 out of the 1000 awesome things that I thought was awesome. Then, I had to create one awesome thing or experience that I have encountered in my life to make it 1001 awesome things. Click here for more information. Who knows? Maybe you'll learn some more awesome things about me. Well, here's my awesome assignment. AWESOME!!!! 

After visiting the 1000 Awesome Things website, there were so many awesome things that I enjoyed. These are the three of the many that I thought was awesome. (Well four, you'll see why).

TIED #698 Listening to your new favourite song over and over again. Click here for the post. & #522 Dancing when you're home alone. Click here for the post. (Both fits in to why I think these two are awesome)

I find those two awesome, because everyday when I get home from school, I go to YouTube, put some music on and just start dancing, and most of the songs that I dance to are mostly the newest uptempo songs, and when the song's over, I play it over and over again. It's such an awesome feeling, and you get an awesome workout from this. I'm sweatting a lot when I'm through. 

#554 Staying in your pajamas all day. Click here for the post.

I find this awesome, because you don't have to go anywhere and you feel so relaxed. Most Saturdays, I'm in my pajamas all day either watching T.V. for the whole day, or on the computer exploring and dancing. I sometimes do my homework as well, but most of the time, I usually wait for Sunday to arrive. I feel so comfortable, and the best part is that you don't have to go to school and learn. It's such an awesome feeling.

#841 When the categories on Jeopardy! are right in your wheelhouse. Click here for the post.

Some of you might think this is a little weird. Well, I find that awesome, because believe it or not, weekdays at 7:00 for me and my family is game show hour. We start with Wheel of Fortune at 7:00, which I do pretty well in. Then at 7:30, we watch Jeopardy! Out of all of the family members, my dad is the best at the game overall. Sometimes, the categories on the show involve music, and I get so excited. When I see the questions in the category involving music, I know them all, and I get them all right. I feel so proud getting those questions, and if I were actually on the show, (Which will never happen.) I would get money. It's such an awesome feeling, and I learn something new from the show each day.

Here's the one awesome thing that I created, making it the #1001 thing.

#1001 Getting home from school and eating as much junk as you can before someone comes home.

I find that awesome, because I'm a huge junk food lover and I can be a crazy person without my sugar. So some days (Because I go to YouTube, and start dancing everyday.) when I get home from school, I make sure to see that no one's home by yelling, "Anyone home?". So when there's no reply, I hit the junk food, and start eating like crazy. When I'm eating, but I hear the door open downstairs, I quietly put the junk food away and start doing my homework before getting in trouble. It's such an awesome feeling, rebellious and delicious.

Well there you have it, I hope you thought my post was awesome. Please feel free to comment. Thank you, and have an awesome day! AWESOME!!!!

15th Blog (Verb Tenses Quiz)

Greetings bloggers! Today, my class was given an assignment involving verb tenses. I will be showing you a piece of the same text three times. The only difference is that the first time will be in the past tense, the second time will be in the present tense and the third time will be in the future tense. This was supposed to be done in class, but I had to miss English, and now it's for homework. So here is the text, in three different tenses. Enjoy!

Story in Past Tense

Yesterday, I took my pet dragon to the grocery store, A&P. We walked up and down the aisles. I noticed that another pet owner walked her dragon towards us. My dragon ignored the other dragon to look at the Zesty Mango salad. The other dragon flew in and grabbed the salad right from under my dragon's nose. Then, a third dragon came out of nowhere, and he took the salad, and ate the whole thing.

Story in Present Tense

Today, I take my pet dragon to the grocery store, A&P. We walk up and down the aisles. I notice that another pet owner walks her dragon towards us. My dragon ignores the other dragon to look at the Zesty Mango salad. The other dragon flies in and grabs the salad right from under my dragon's nose. Then, a third dragon comes out of nowhere, and he takes the salad, and eats the whole thing.

 Story in Future Tense

Tomorrow, I will take my pet dragon to the grocery store, A&P. We will walk up and down the aisles. I will notice that another pet owner will walk her dragon towards us. My dragon will ignore the other dragon to look at the Zesty Mango salad. The other dragon will fly in and will grab the salad right from under my dragons nose. Then, a third dragon will come out of nowhere, and will take the salad, and will eat the whole thing.

There you have it, I hope you enjoyed the story using the three different tenses. Please feel free to comment. Adios, have a fantastic day!

14th Blog (Holocaust Poem With My Buddy)

Bloggers bloggers bloggers! In the class of R8A, we're paired up with grade 5 buddies who we see once a week, and we do fun stuff together. Today, me and my buddy, Livia were in the computer lab, and we had to create a poem about the Holocaust that expressed freedom. Click here for the assignment info. Before I show you me and Livia's poem, I will show you a poem that helped  my class with this assignment. It's called "The Butterfly" and it's by Pavel Friedmann.

The last, the very last,
So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow.
Perhaps if the sun’s tears would sing
against a white stone. . . .

Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly ‘way up high.
It went away I’m sure because it wished to
kiss the world good-bye.

For seven weeks I’ve lived in here,
Penned up inside this ghetto.
But I have found what I love here.
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut branches in the court.
Only I never saw another butterfly.

That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don’t live in here,
in the ghetto.

Now onto me and Livia's poem. Now since the poem shown above is called "The Butterfly", we thought that since it was titled a creature that symbolized the poem, and the poem that we had to do had to express freedom, we should title our poem a creature that symbolizes freedom. So, we titled it "The Bird", because birds fly away and are free. Also, when you read the first line, it meant that the people during the Holocaust would have to go to the ghetto, and the ghetto was packed full of people. It's short and sweet, so here it is. "The Bird" by Me and Livia.

Crowded, crowded,
I only have a little space.
I want to be a bird and fly away,
To a place,
Where there's freedom and peace.

There you have it. I hope you bloggers were empathic reading both of these poems. Take the time to think about the devastating things that went on in the world. For example, the Holocaust, segregation or wars. Please feel free to comment. Thank you, and have a good day!

13th Blog (Letters of Remembrance)

Dear bloggers,
     As you may know, Remembrance Day this year is Thursday, November 11th. We take this time to remember all heroes who have sacrificed their own lives to serve for our country in the war. My next assignment I had to do was that I had to be in a soldier's point of view, and write a letter to a friend or a family member about life in the war. Click here for more info. I portrayed a soldier who was writing a letter to his sister about the Afghanistan War.  Remember, lest we forget.

                                                        Kandahar

                                 Wednesday, April 5th, 2006

Dear Sis,

    

     You'll probably have received this letter somewhat in May. Everywhere I go, blood streams in a flowing motion. I see at least two people dead and many wounded in a week, it's a scene of horror. This week, two soldiers, including one soldier who I knew very well were killed by a roadside bomb. We're losing so many soldiers that the Canadian Government are allowing more soldiers to arrive to Kandahar to serve for our country. For the past few days, I've been feeling a little homesick, I miss everyone at home. I miss having a home-cooked meal. I'm tired of eating hard and bland biscuits everyday, and I hardly get any water, I'm so thirsty. Also, my back is really sore, the trench is so uncomfortable, and I don't have enough blankets at night, so I'm always cold. I miss my bed that had enough blankets and a firm mattress. Hopefully, I can come home to my family very soon. Every day, every minute and every second is a day, a minute and a second closer to the end of the war. It's gonna end soon and we're gonna win, I just know it. Hope all is okay at home, say hi to everyone for me and tell them I'll be back soon. I have to go, goodbye for now. I'll write back when I have the chance. 

                                               Your loving brother,

                                                                      Robert

There's my letter. I hope you take the time this month to remember. Please feel free to comment. Thanks, and enjoy your weekend.

12th Blog (How Are You Creative?)

Salut bloggers! My teacher, Miss Pollock asked our class, "How are you creative?" so today, you bloggers will be checking out my creativity and as well learning a bit more about me. Click here to check out the assignment. ENJOY!

There are a lot of things that make me creative. I've said on my blog before that I'm a singer. It's true, I love singing, I've been singing ever since I could remember. Also, I've been taking lessons for about 4 years, and thanks to my music teacher, I've performed at local festivals, recitals and Universities. I've also sang in school talent shows from grade 1-6. I've sang in front of a big audience, but I don't sing in front of my schoolmates very often, I guess I'm just shy at school. Also, I watch Glee, which is a music-related show that's so good. I'm hoping to go to an arts-related high school next year. I have to fill out an application and audition though, I hope I get in.

Another thing that makes me creative is that I love to eat, especially junk food. I also eat healthy food, like fruits and vegetables. For example, I love broccoli and Brussel sprouts, which most of you bloggers probably hate. Junk food though is my life, chocolate, chips, pretty much anything EXCEPT CANDY AND SODA! I find that they don't taste very good. I went trick-or-treating on Halloween, and I got a fair amount of stuff. If you see the picture shown below, when I ate my Halloween chocolate, I would eat about that much every day, sometimes even more. The picture shown below is worth about 3 regular sized chocolate bars. I know that's so bad, my Halloween treats is done now at least, so now I can go back to eating a little bit of junk food everyday.                                 

Another thing that makes me creative is that I hate sports. I suck at playing sports every time that I'm asked to. I'm more of the fitness kind of person than the Phys. Ed. kind of person. This year, I think I'm trying to get more fit by walking to school and from school when I can and doing at least 10 push-ups a day, and I gotta say, it's definitely helping me get in better shape. Also, everyday when I get home from school, before I do my homework, I would listen to upbeat music and I would just start dancing. I feel like that helps me get more fit as well as helping me prepare for the school dances.

Another thing that makes me creative is that I'm into electronics. I have a lot of gadgets in my home. I have a Nintendo DS Lite, a Game Boy Advance SP, an orange iPod Nano, a green iPod shuffle (which was mine, now it's someone else's), an orange camera, a pink MP3 Player and more. I play electronics in my spare time when I'm bored, have no homework, or don't really feel like dancing. To me, it really passes the time. I bring my orange iPod, my Nintendo DS and my Game Boy Advance to school everyday, but I'm only allowed to play with these items at recess only, which sucks, but on the bright side it saves a lot of battery juice. Also, I'm very tech-savvy. For example, when I first receive electronics, I don't need the instruction booklet, I would just go ahead and start operating the machines. I'm happy that I have electronics as part of my life, they make me a smarter person.   

 

The last thing that makes me creative is that I'm studious. People call me a nerd, because they think I'm smart and because I wear glasses, which I do, I've only been wearing them for a year and a bit though. Part of it that makes me want to do good in schoolwork is because I'm a perfectionist. When there's a test coming up, I would worry about it and start heavily studying, because I want to do well on this test. Same with an assignment, I worry about it, because I want to do well, so I heavily work on it. If I do well, I would be very proud of myself. If I don't do well, I wouldn't be mad, but I would be disappointed in myself. It motivates me though to do better next time. I shouldn't be complaining though, I just got my progress report, and I'm really proud of it, which means I'm doing well in grade 8, and that makes me happy.

    

Well, I hope that answers the question "How are you creative?" There you have it, my assignment is complete. I hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to comment. Have a great rest of the weekend!

'

P.S. (For those who didn't know already) I love The Simpsons! I watched it ever since I was a baby, and it's been hilarious ever since. I was so happy when I went to Niagara Falls, because in one of the wax museums that I went to, there was a wax thing of Homer. Also, all over the walls it said, "No TV and no beer make Homer go crazy" which was from one of the notable episodes from The Simpsons which was so awesome. Did you know that The Simpsons show started in Christmas 1989? That means that The Simpsons show is almost 21 years old. That's long, I hope it never ends, it's that good. BYE, now you know how creative I am and you know more things about me!  

11th Blog (Museum of Civilization Reflection)

I'm back bloggers! My class had an excellent time at our field trip to the Museum of Civilization. Here's a reflection that I have to do now using the 3,2,1 method by my teacher, Miss Pollock. I hope you guys enjoy it! 

11/05/10 Museum of Civilization Reflection Melissa R8A

3 Specific things you enjoyed.

The first thing that I enjoyed was that we were allowed to bring our cameras and take pictures there, because we could capture the cool things shown at the exhibitions in the museum as well as the awesome shots with our classmates and friends. I'm happy I brought my camera, this is definitely something that will be memorable at out last year at Fielding. I would've put my pictures on my blog to show you guys, but I can't put my pictures on my computer, because when you get the software that lets you put your pictures on your computer, you need a CD, and my CD ROM machine is broken, so I can't put them on, I'm sorry.

     Another specific thing that I enjoyed was the walk-in play, because I felt that they did a really good job acting out historical Canadians. Also, I've never really experienced a play where we had to walk for part of it to head to the next scene, I found that fascinating. Thirdly, it was great that we could talk to them and ask them questions and comments about History or the play. 

     The last specific thing that I enjoyed was tied between getting time to explore the museum and eating at the cafeteria. It was great to explore the museum, because it was a great time to have a break from the workshops as well as getting more historic information and getting more pictures. Also, the food at the cafeteria was very good. There was so many choices to pick, but I decided to have pepperoni pizza with apple juice and a little bit of fries that Miss Pollock gave me, thank you Miss Pollock.

2 Important things you learned.

One important thing that I learned was that Ottawa was a word meaning "trade" which I never knew that, so maybe Ottawa was probably a good place in Canada for trading according to the First Peoples that first came to the area.

     The other important thing I learned was that the people that the walk-in play portrayed back then would sing French tunes, because it would motivate them to canoe harder, they felt that it was fun and made them happy and it kept them together, and it's true, singing does keep people together. 

1 Thing you would've changed.

The one thing I would've changed was when Miss Pollock said that we were 90% great. We should've made that 100%, but I guess we didn't. Well hopefully next time we're on a field trip, Miss Pollock will know that we'll be 100% great. 

       The End

There you have it, my 3,2,1 is complete! I hope you liked it. Please feel free to comment. Enjoy your relaxing and peaceful weekend!

10th Blog (Mystery History Maker)

Welcome back bloggers! On Friday, my class will be going on a field trip to the local Museum of Civilization in Quebec. (You're probably thinking, what? You live in Ottawa, Ontario, don't you? The truth is that it's only 20 minutes away from my school) Click here to check out the website. My assignment that I had to do was to go to the website, and play this game called "Mystery History Maker" where we had to take a little quiz, and then, the computer matches us with a History Maker or someone historically significant to Canada that's mostly like us. Isn't that awesome? Click here to play the game. Then we had to do a little reflection about this. Click here for information.

Using the clues provided, I identified my Mystery Maker. His name was Thayendanegea, Joseph Brant. He was a War Chief from the Mohawk Tribe as well as a politician. I don't really have that much in common with this person. All I have in common with this person is that we both have or had only one sister, speak or spoke English (That wasn't his first language though, but he still spoke English) and stand or stood up for our rights. This person is historically significant in Canada, because he was a crucial link between the Iroquoian Tribe and the British, which ruled North America during his time. 

There you have it, my History assignment is complete. Thanks again for visiting my blog. Please feel free to comment. I hope you had a great Halloween on Sunday. I don't know if you had this weather as well, but it snowed in Ottawa. It was my first Halloween with snow. The snow's all melted now, I'm happy that it didn't last, because I'm not ready for winter. Anyways, Have a great night!   

9th Blog (World of Work)

We meet again, fellow bloggers. On Wednesday, all of the grade eights in my school will be going on our first field trip to the World of Work. Here's an assignment that I have to complete about this upcoming event.

1. Click here for more info.

2. The section that appeals the most to me is the Information and Technology Sector, because I think it would seem the most cool, and when I heard about this Sector for the first time, I thought that part of it would be about different electronic gadgets and I love playing with electronics, so that would be so cool. 

3. Construction Sector: Three jobs that are part of the Construction Sector would be a Boilermaker, a Plumber and an Electrician (including industrial and power systems)

Design and Manufacturing Sector: Three jobs that are part of the Design and Manufacturing Sector would be the Head of Project Management, a Business Development Executive and a Bridge Engineer Technician.

Service Sector: Three jobs that are part of the service sector would be a Caregiver, a Personal Support Worker and a Personal Care Provider.

Information and Technology Sector: Three jobs that are part of the Information and Technology Sector would be a Software Designer, a Web Developer and Producer and a Technician. (Guess I was off)

Transportation Sector: Three jobs that are part of the Transportation Sector would be a Transport Manager, an Airport Ramp Attendant and a Commercial Vehicle Inspector.

4. One thing I wonder is, how many jobs are there in each sector? When I was looking at all the jobs in each sector, it seemed like there was a lot and I didn't feel like counting. So I think it would be interesting to know. Another thing I wonder is, would you say that the World of Work field trip is kind of like the Technology Showcase field trip? I know they both have a bit of technology in it, but there's gotta be differences at well, and I have a strong feeling that there is. The third thing I wonder is, why can you go to the World of Work/Trades when you have College and University to go to? In College and University, you can take a career on anything you what you want to do, so that question makes me think a little. The final thing I wonder is, are jobs involving computers the only jobs referring to the Information and Technology Sector? I thought that part of it would be about electronic gadgets, was I wrong?

5. After graduating from high school, I was thinking of going to University to get a music-related degree, because I'm a musical person, I love to sing. Then, I'll see where that road takes me.

References: I'm sorry, I forgot my references. All I know is that it was not from one of the websites that Miss Pollock gave out on her blog, and I searched on Google for jobs in the ___________ Sector.

There you have it, I hope you enjoyed my assignment. I'm really looking forward to this on Wednesday! Please feel free to comment. Thank you, and enjoy a relaxing weekend.

8th Blog (Purple Day or It Gets Better Part 2)

Aloha my fellow bloggers! Tomorrow on October 20th, lots of people around the world will be supporting the LGBTQ youth (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans-Gendered and Questioning) by wearing purple. Click here for more information! It's really important that we all make a difference to the world and show people that it's not okay that people are bullying other people because they are different from us. Like I said before on my first part of the blog, it's not just gays or lesbians who are facing this terrible crisis, people with disabilities, for example someone who rides a wheelchair or someone with an artificial leg are facing this terrible crisis. Think of Terry Fox or Rick Hansen, they are one of many notable Canadians, and people go around bullying people with the exact same disabilities and differences, not knowing that they could make a change in the world. Even gay people, like actor Neil Patrick Harris, comedienne Ellen DeGeneres and singer Adam Lambert are notable American celebrities. Being different is good, I guess some people don't really see that, because people are bullying every single day. We can start making that change tomorrow. Please, if you have a shirt, pair of pants, hat, scarf, shoes, etc. anything that's purple, please have the courage and make a stand for the LGBTQ youth and all the other people that are facing this terrible teasing and bullying. If you go to Hannah's blog, you can help support The Trevor Project for free! Remember, for people who feel like committing suicide DON'T DO IT! There are people who love and care about you and happiness is just around the corner. Trust me, it gets better!  PLEASE wear purple tomorrow! PLEASE show that you care! Have a great day!

7th Blog (Island Man: Work With It)

Bonjour bloggers! Today, my class got a poem, and we had to do a little response to it. Click here for more info! Here is the poem and my response. ENJOY!

Island Man (for a Caribbean island man in London who still wakes up to the sound of the sea)

by Grace Nichols

.

Morning

and island man wakes up                                                                        

to the sound of blue surf

in his head

the steady breaking and wombing                         

wild seabirds

and fishermen pushing out to sea

the sun surfacing defiantly

from the east

of his small emerald island

.

He always comes back

groggily groggily

comes back to sands                                                                     

of a grey metallic soar

to a surge of wheels

to dull North Circular roar

muffling muffling

his crumpled pillow waves

island man heaves himself

another London day

I would most likely want to wake up lying on a hammock at the beach, because I would get more sleep there, and it would feel so relaxing. You would hear the sound of waves splashing continuously, and you would feel the palm trees slowly swaying in the breeze, so the temperature won't be too hot, or won't be too cold, but just right. Also, you wouldn't have to worry about school or work, and you would just enjoy yourself. That's the best part!

There's my response, hope you enjoyed it! As you could see, I highlighted most of the poem in Italics, because to me, when I first read this poem (I didn't see the title then), it seemed a bit like a mystery that you had to figure out. So you had all these clues in the poem, like "the island man wakes up to the sound of blue surf in his head". So then you could put all the pieces together and realize that even though the Caribbean island man was thinking about the Caribbean, the Caribbean island man wasn't in the Caribbean, he was in London. Thanks again for visiting, and I hope you enjoyed the poem. Please feel free to comment. Have an excellent day! 

6th Blog (Khaleefa Reflection)

Hola bloggers! Last Thursday, a local author and slam poet named Khaleefa Hamdan came to my school to present for just our class. Now our class has to do a reflection about this presentation using the 4,3,2,1 by my teacher, Miss Pollock. To view more about Khaleefa click here. Here's my response, Hope you enjoy it! 

10/16/10     Khaleefa Hamdan      Melissa R8A

4 Specific things that you enjoyed about Khaleefa's presentation.
One specific thing that I enjoyed about Khaleefa's presentation was his poems, because they were descriptive and he used very juicy words, especially when he used those juicy words when he was rhyming. Both of those poems showed description and juicy words.
     Another specific thing that I enjoyed about Khaleefa's presentation was when he rapped for us, because I don't think he rapped last year, or if he did, I don't remember him rapping last year, so that was my first time hearing him rap and it was very good. Since I'm a musical kind of person, I could tell that he was on the beat, and good rappers have to be on the beat to do well, and he definitely did that.
     The third specific thing that I enjoyed about Khaleefa's presentation was that he was very honest. He wasn't afraid to tell us that he took a year off of University to focus on writing or that he's a kid at heart. Also, he wasn't afraid to tell us that he messed up while presenting his poems, but seriously, because it was so good, I couldn't even tell that he messed up.
     The last thing that I enjoyed about Khaleefa's presentation was that we got to talk to him as a class and ask him questions, and as a person and someone who is presenting for us, he is so kind, down to earth and humble. When the class talked to him, It felt like we knew him more than a few days ago and we were really great friends with him. Overall, the presentation itself was outstanding.

3 Things that Khaleefa did or spoke about that you can use to help inspire and develop your own poetry.
One thing that Khaleefa did or spoke about that I can use to help inspire and develop my own poetry would be when he told us that "life" was basically his inspiration, because to me, that made me feel that I could really be creative and write about anything in the world. I could write about a sombre meadow or a Mac Book Pro and I would be happy about it.
     Another thing that Khaleefa did or spoke about that I can use to help inspire and develop my own poetry would be when he talked about having the right amount of syllables in each line, because if you don't, then it's not going to work out, because it wouldn't flow right. I didn't really think of that when I wrote poems before I saw this presentation, so that would help me a lot in the future.
     The final thing that Khaleefa did or spoke about that I can use to help inspire and develop my poetry would be when he expressed himself in his poetry. I starting thinking about this when he read "Don't Look". When I present a poem out loud to a person or people, I should always remember what expression I'm giving out, but at the same time to make sure the poem flows as I read my poem. I can't wait to start to write poems in class, and use the tips from Khaleefa to inspire me.


2 Questions you have for Khaleefa.
One question I have for Khaleefa is, are there some poems that you presented to us last Thursday or last year that you came that will be used in your book that's coming out soon? It would be really cool! In the future, I picture you as a big star with millions of dollars, and I can tell everyone I know that you went to went to my school twice (3 times in November) and performed poems for the school, and I'll have an autographed copy of your book and show everyone what poems you read at Fielding, and everyone will be jealous. Seriously Khaleefa, you're so good!
     The other question I have for Khaleefa is (I mentioned this in question #1), when the class get a copy of your book, could we each get autographs? It would be really cool to get an autograph from someone who's got talent, who's an inspiration to many people, and soon someone famous, and that's very cool to get an autograph from someone famous.


1 A one sentence summary of why Khaleefa is a good role model for youth.
Khaleefa is a good role model for youth, because he's a friendly and selfless person around people who expresses himself in his raps and poems.

There you have it, there was my reflection about Khaleefa. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please feel free to comment how you felt. Thank you, and have a nice and relaxing rest of the weekend!                   

5th Blog (Behind my Name: Melissa)

Welcome back bloggers! My class has been asked to do another assignment. This time, our class had to go to this website, behind the name, and find out the history of your name. 

Before I started this assignment, I thought my name Melissa meant honeybee, because I checked on Wikipedia to get ready for my "flair" presentation, and also that's what my parents told me  that my name meant. I think my parents chose this name for me because, here's the thing,  my family had different names that they wanted to give me. One, for example being "Gabrielle", but other family members thought it was so weak, because my sister's name is "Abigail" and our nicknames would be "Abby" and "Gabby" and that would've been cheesy, so they had to come up with a name that everyone would like, and so "Melissa" came up and everyone liked it, so that's what they named me. After searching on behind the name, what I thought my name meant was the correct meaning. According to that website, my name, "Melissa" means bee or honeybee in Greek. In Greek mythology, it was the name of one of the nymphs, which in mythology is a nature goddess, who took care of baby Zeus by feeding him honey. When I first found that out, I thought it was SO cute! I also found out that my name was the name of a fairy in a 1516 Italian poem called, "Orlando Furioso" and the fairy helps someone escape from an evil witch. When I found that out, I thought I should find a copy of that poem and check it out, and when I do, I will blog about it. I also checked out baby names, and one thing I found out that I thought was cool was that in America, my name was really big in 1970's and 1980's and was the #2 name from 1977-1979. I think my name suits me, because I like the colours, yellow and black and my family thinks that I'm "sweet as honey". If I could give myself a new name, it would be "Melody", because most of you guys know that I'm very musical, I love to sing, etc, and since that name is music-related, that would be so cool to have for a name. I don't think I would want to change my name though, because I love "Melissa", it's a beautiful name.

There you have it, you have just discovered things you didn't know about my name. Try finding out some history about your name. Thank you again for visiting my blog. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Please feel free to comment. Have an outstanding day!    

4th Blog (It Gets Better)

Hi Bloggers! Yesterday, my class had a very important discussion about people from the United States being bullied and committing suicide, because they were gay. How terrible and devastating is that? Please be careful of the words you say to other people. They may seem like a joke to you, but it really hurts and is mean. And it's not just gays that are in this crisis, people who have disabilities also are facing this terrible bullying, being called lame, because they can't walk or dumb, because they can't speak, etc. I'm here to talk to you about Autism, because I know about Autism and it came up in the class discussion today. Autism is a disorder a person has that causes issues with non-verbal communication and social skills, which means that they process the information slower than other people. Even though they get the information slower, they still know it in their brains and they're very intelligent, just like everyone else. So please, my message for everyone is to treat others the way you want to be treated. If you see someone that's different from you, be kind to that person. Besides, being different is good, we don't want everyone to be the same, that would make this world boring. Keep this message in mind everywhere you go, and for the people who are having trouble and want to take their lives, DON'T DO IT! There are people who love and care about you. You're not alone, and trust me, it gets better. Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving this Monday. 

P.S. If you have any time to see another example, please visit my friend Hannah's powerful and meaningful blog about "It Gets Better". She definately makes a point about this terrible cause, and also wrote two raps of her own about it. She is really standing up for herself about this, and I truly recommend that you check it out. <- (Click on this to get to blog.)                                  

3rd Blog (Empathy Post)

We meet again, fellow bloggers! As you already may know, my class did my school's first Student of the Month presentation this year, and the theme that we worked with was empathy. For those who may not know, empathy means that you understand how someone feels without being judgemental. Some people refer it to taking a walk in someone else's shoes. I created a story that was used in the Student of the Month presentation. Spot the use of empathy as you read. I hope you guys like it!

One day, there was a Dog happily leaping along the motionless street, until an Ostrich came blubbering with a shedded tear in his eye. "What's wrong Ostrich?" Dog asked. "My goldfish died today." Ostrich sadly responded. "Oh no!" Dog shouted, then said, "I'm so sorry". "He was such a good and honest friend, I can't believe he's gone!" Ostrich sobbed. Before Ostrich said anything else, Dog stated, "I remember when my pet canary died". Dog took a deep breath, then continued, "I was seven, he was very ill. I still remember the day when he lost his breath, I couldn't stop crying. Now I cry once in a while." Ostrich felt his pain, Dog then said, "No matter what happens, we're here for each other and it's going to be okay.". "Thank you." said Ostrich, still devastated. "Let's go play some catch to get our minds off of it." Dog said. "Okay, that might help me feel better." Ostrich said, and they slowly walked to the park, not knowing if they will have a bad or a fun time, but they were always there for each other whatever the weather.

The End

Well, there you have it! Thank you for reading my story. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to type in what you have to say. Thank you, have an awesome day!

2nd Blog (Empathy Student of the Month Presentation)

Hello again, my fellow bloggers! Great to see you guys again! Yesterday, my class performed the first Student of the Month presentation of the year, the theme for this month being empathy. The presentation included a story, a skit, a poem, a rap, etc., and everyone did an excellent job! Now, my class has to do a reflection on what we liked and what we can do in the future! Here's my response using the 3,2,1 created by my brilliant teacher, enjoy!

10/07/10                                                                           Melissa R8A

Empathy Student of the Month Presentation

3 Things that I think would have helped to improve our presentation.

One thing that I thought would have helped to improve our presentation would be to have everyone with their eyes closed. I know everyone wanted to see the final production in the large gym, but the few people with their eyes closed was kind of a distraction to the different skits that were going on as well as the audience, and this was about the kids sleeping and dreaming about things involving empathy, so they could have acted like they were sleeping and had their eyes closed.

     The second thing that I thought would have helped to improve our presentation would have been having more time to practice and get everything down. We had to finish presenting those Reader's Theatre stories and doing other schoolwork, leaving us with not many days to prepare for this presentation.

     The final thing that I thought would have helped to improve our presentation would have been to get everything memorized for the presentation. Again, we didn't have that many days to prepare for this, but I saw a few people with their Free Write books and that was a bit of a distraction to the different skits that were going on as well as the audience. Having no Free Write books on the stage would have been less distracting for everyone.

2 Things that I think went really well.

One thing that I thought went really well was when the rap group (Mateen, Will, Walid and Haneen) had instrumental music to their skit. That really helped keep the beat for them. Without music, the worst- case scenario would have been that they would've been lost and they didn't know where they were. The lyrics were as well great, so great job you guys, great job to the whole class!

     The other thing that I thought went really well was when The Dog and the Ostrich group (Sara, Tara, Amy) got the skit together in just one day. The narrating was great and the lip-syncing done by the two characters was also great.

     The other groups that I didn't mention also did a great job. Switch (Qavi, Jatinder, Jeffrey, Tyler as well credited even though he was absent) had great transitions while switching and the script was as well great. Also the poem (Hannah, Sara, Charlotte) was divided evenly, the script was also great and it was great when they said, "empathy" in unison. Thirdly the Dream People (Claire, Jumanh) did a great job acting it out and I loved the thought bubble that they were holding. Fourthly the Cameraman (Connor) did a great job filming and it was at a good angle. Fifthly, the rest of the cast and crew just dozing away, great job! Finally, Miss Pollock for making all of this possible, great job! Awesome job you guys, it's too bad that I missed out on this.

(The Ostrich and the Dog is a story written by me, which you will see on my next blog, so keep on visiting)

1 Piece of advice I have for students who will be performing in the future.

The piece of advice that I have for students who will be performing in the future is to always do your best in anything that you're doing and to give it your all, no matter what happens. If you stumble or make a mistake, just keep on going, the show must go on!

The End

Well, there you have it. That's my Empathy Student of the Month Presentation Reflection. I hope you guys enjoyed it! If you have any comments or questions for me, please feel free to type what you have to say. Thank you and have a fantastic day!