The Old Willis Place

Readers Journal # 14

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                                                                   11/29/11

            I just finished reading the book The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn.  This book was a cliffhanger because I couldn’t put the book down.  Two strategies I used before reading this book were reading the synopsis which told me the setting of the book and a little bite about the book.  I also asked questions like is this going to be a scary story?  What are some rules Diana and Georgie have to follow?  Two strategies I used while reading were visualizing what the Old Willis Place looks like.  I also summarized each chapter to make sure I knew what I was reading about.  And two strategies I used after reading were writing a readers journal to share what the book is about and to show that I understand the book and answering my questions (Is this going to be a scary story?  Yes the book was extremely scary.  What are some rules Diana and Georgie have to follow?  Stay away from the house (The Old Willis Place) and do not disturb Miss Lillian’s slumber.)

The quote I picked was “I just don’t want to be dirty like you!”  Diana said.  The significance and reason why I picked this quote is because its an example of compare and contrasting and now I know Georgie is dirty and Diana is clean. 

The genre of this book is Fantasy, Fiction.  The characters in this book are Diana (round, antagonist), Georgie (round, antagonist), Lisa (round, protagonist), Nero (round, foil), Mac Duff (round, foil), Mr. Morrison (round, foil), Trigger (flat, foil), Gabby Hayes (flat, foil), Miss Lillian (round, foil), mom(flat, foil), dad (flat, foil), and police (flat, foil).  The setting of the book is in the woods, the weather condition is rainy and sunny, and the social condition is poor.  The tone and mood was scary.  The theme and moral is do not break rules.  The author’s point of view is third person because it says I, me and more.  The pattern of organization is flashback because the author started by saying that Diana and Georgie live in the woods and then in the middle of the story it talks about how they got to living in the woods, it doesn’t just say it, Diana tells her little brother Georgie cause he wants to hear it.  The author is subjective because it’s only talking about the antagonists’ point of view.  The author is biased because he isn’t against anything.  Figurative language I found were similes, metaphors, onomonopeas, oxymorons, and hyperbole.  My favorite character is Diana because I like how she steels things from Lisa and then says sorry and steels more things.

 (The plot structure) Diana and Geogie live in the woods because something happened to their mom and they can’t see people or something will happen.  Then Lisa moves into a house in the woods.  Diana steels some of Lisa’s stuff like her diary and reads it, her bike, and her teddy bear that her mother that died gave her.  Diana writes to her that she is the one steeling her stuff and she is sorry, that she will give it back.  Then Lisa wanted to meet her (Diana isn’t allowed to because she isn’t able to let people she her).  Diana stole shampoo to wash her hair and braids it and when they meet they become friends.  They go to The Old Willis Place, the haunted house (Diana isn’t allowed to either because it’s a rule for her; she can’t go in the haunted house).  They see Miss Lillian, a ghost and get out a few minutes later.  And then Diana and Georgie see their mom and go.  The conflict is man vs. supernatural because Lisa and Diana are against Miss Lillian, the ghost.

I would rate this book a ten out of ten because I didn’t have to reread parts and I really liked how the book was scary.

Sincerely,

Erika Alban

The Old Willis Place

Readers Journal # 14

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                                                                   11/29/11

            I just finished reading the book The Old Willis Place by Mary Downing Hahn.  This book was a cliffhanger because I couldn’t put the book down.  Two strategies I used before reading this book were reading the synopsis which told me the setting of the book and a little bite about the book.  I also asked questions like is this going to be a scary story?  What are some rules Diana and Georgie have to follow?  Two strategies I used while reading were visualizing what the Old Willis Place looks like.  I also summarized each chapter to make sure I knew what I was reading about.  And two strategies I used after reading were writing a readers journal to share what the book is about and to show that I understand the book and answering my questions (Is this going to be a scary story?  Yes the book was extremely scary.  What are some rules Diana and Georgie have to follow?  Stay away from the house (The Old Willis Place) and do not disturb Miss Lillian’s slumber.)

The quote I picked was “I just don’t want to be dirty like you!”  Diana said.  The significance and reason why I picked this quote is because its an example of compare and contrasting and now I know Georgie is dirty and Diana is clean. 

The genre of this book is Fantasy, Fiction.  The characters in this book are Diana (round, antagonist), Georgie (round, antagonist), Lisa (round, protagonist), Nero (round, foil), Mac Duff (round, foil), Mr. Morrison (round, foil), Trigger (flat, foil), Gabby Hayes (flat, foil), Miss Lillian (round, foil), mom(flat, foil), dad (flat, foil), and police (flat, foil).  The setting of the book is in the woods, the weather condition is rainy and sunny, and the social condition is poor.  The tone and mood was scary.  The theme and moral is do not break rules.  The author’s point of view is third person because it says I, me and more.  The pattern of organization is flashback because the author started by saying that Diana and Georgie live in the woods and then in the middle of the story it talks about how they got to living in the woods, it doesn’t just say it, Diana tells her little brother Georgie cause he wants to hear it.  The author is subjective because it’s only talking about the antagonists’ point of view.  The author is biased because he isn’t against anything.  Figurative language I found were similes, metaphors, onomonopeas, oxymorons, and hyperbole.  My favorite character is Diana because I like how she steels things from Lisa and then says sorry and steels more things.

 (The plot structure) Diana and Geogie live in the woods because something happened to their mom and they can’t see people or something will happen.  Then Lisa moves into a house in the woods.  Diana steels some of Lisa’s stuff like her diary and reads it, her bike, and her teddy bear that her mother that died gave her.  Diana writes to her that she is the one steeling her stuff and she is sorry, that she will give it back.  Then Lisa wanted to meet her (Diana isn’t allowed to because she isn’t able to let people she her).  Diana stole shampoo to wash her hair and braids it and when they meet they become friends.  They go to The Old Willis Place, the haunted house (Diana isn’t allowed to either because it’s a rule for her; she can’t go in the haunted house).  They see Miss Lillian, a ghost and get out a few minutes later.  And then Diana and Georgie see their mom and go.  The conflict is man vs. supernatural because Lisa and Diana are against Miss Lillian, the ghost.

I would rate this book a ten out of ten because I didn’t have to reread parts and I really liked how the book was scary.

Sincerely,

Erika Alban

Closed for the Season

Reader’s Journal #13

Dear  Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                                                      11/22/11

            I am currently reading Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn.  I think this is a scary book.  Two strategies I used before reading this book were reading the synopsis which told me the setting of the book and a little bite about the book.  Also I predicted that this book would be about a haunted house because I used text features like the picture.  Two strategies I used while reading were rereading parts I didn’t understand and they helped me better understand.  I reread some parts with pronouns because sometimes I would know who is talking.  Also, I visualized what the Magic Forest looked like and it helped me understand the setting better.  Two strategies I used after were writing a readers journal to share what the book is about and to show that I understand the book.  Also, I was able to answer my prediction and I was wrong because it’s not about a haunted house is about a magical forest even though there is a creepy house in the magical forest.

The quote that stood out to me the most was “Danny Phelps is my number-one enemy” said Arthur.  The significance and reason why I picked this quote is because it tells me that Danny is the antagonist (page 42). 

The genre of this book is mystery, fiction.  I know it’s a mystery because it says it on the cover.  The protagonists of this story are Logan and Arthur (round).  The antagonist is Danny and his friends (flat, antagonist) (it doesn’t say Danny’s friends’ name).   Johnny is the lawn mower and pizza delivery man (flat, foil).  Arthur’s grandma and Logan’s parents are supporting characters (flat).  And last, Mrs. Donaldson the murdered lady (flat, foil).  The setting is Richmond, Virginia.  The weather is rainy and sunny in the morning.  The social conditions are middle class.  The problem is that Logan and Arthur are in a dangerous forest and it is external.  The problem is men vs. nature. 

(The plot structure (I’m half way done with the book so I’m only in the climax) the beginning of the story explains the characters.  Then the rising action is that Logan and Arthur go to the Magic Forests because Arthur makes Logan go.  Now they are in the forest and Logan is scared and I need to read more to know what happens next.

The tone and mood of this passage is scary and sad because the murderer might kill someone else and sad because some people are sad that Mrs. Donaldson was murdered.  A moral I learned was don’t go into dangerous places.  The point of view is first person because it said my, me, and I.  The author’s purpose is to entertain.  The pattern of organization is chronological order because some clues in the story are the next thing.  The author is subjective because it’s only talking about the protagonists’ point of view not the antagonist and the author is biased because the author isn’t against anything.  When I was reading the story I found similes, metaphors, and onomonopea.  This book is similar to the book The Old Willis Place (by the same author) because both books are scary.  I would rate this book a nine, one being the lowest and ten being the highest.  I rated this book a nine because it used too many pronouns which caused me to get lost and have to reread the part I didn’t understand. 

Sincerely,

Erika Alban

readers journal #12

Reader’s Journal #12

                        Dear Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                                       11/1/11

            I am currently reading The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer.  I am really enjoying this book.  First, David, the main character, runs away because his mother abused him.  Then one day he went to school and the police came to pick him up.  When they got to the police station, the police called David’s mother to tell her that he was going to juvenile.  Then the police told David on the highway that he was free.  A drop of tear came out of his eye because he was so happy.  Then they took him to a place where there were kids.  He was in court with his mother to decide if he wanted to stay with her or not.  He decided not to.  And then a family wanted him.  He had his own room.  And rules he had to follow were don’t steal, go into other kids room, and has to tell where he is going and for how long.

The genre of this book is memoir.  If I would change the title, I would change it to A Foster Child.  The main idea of this book is that David is now free; he is away from his mom.  The main idea is implied because I had to use supporting details to figure it out.  For example,  he is with another family, a tear came out of his eye when the police officer told him that he was free, and when Carl told David the rule that he can go anywhere, David said “anywhere?”  an example of cause and effect is that his mother abused him so he didn’t  want to live with her and ran away.  His new home rules are different from his old home rules.  in his old home, he had to keep the secret about what his mother does to him and in his new home he doesn’t need to keep a secret.  They are both alike because he has to do chore but less in his new home, like to just help.  In his other home he was a slave and didn’t get feed food.  Five text features that I found were italics, title, picture, subtitle, and headings.  The pattern of organization can be cause and effect.  The author’s purpose is to share his life with other people.  The author’s point of view is first person.  I didn’t find any figurative language.  I would rate this book so far a 10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. 

            Two strategies I used before reading were predicting what the book would be about and skim and scanning.  Two strategies I used while reading were summarizing each section and reread a paragraph before starting to read where I left off.  Two strategies I used after were writing a reader’s journal and summarized everything I read so far.

                                                                                   

Sincerely,

Your favorite student Erika Alban

current event #2

Erika Alban

11/12/11

Current Events Journal # 2

Title: A legacy of service: Three generations of Pines family have served in military

Author: Perry Stein

Source: The Miami Herald

The topic of the article is military service

The main idea of the article is three generations of Pines family have served in military

The author’s purpose for writing this article is to inform use about people who prtect and still protect our nation

The author’s perspective in this article is objective because he says facts not opinions

The pattern of organization of the article is flashback

The reason the author chose this pattern for the article is to tell the reader about the past

The text features included in the article are:

Photographs (know how the Pines family look like), captions (tells you a little bit about Bolivar Perez-Rois, Bolivar E. Perez, and Bolivar L. Perez) and title (said the main idea)

This article is about three generations that served America

The significance of this article is we need to show people that serve our nation that we appreciate them

What I learned from this article is to appreciate the people that fight for us

 What I liked about this article is that it tells people to appreciate things

What I did not like about it is that Bolivar Perez-Rois almost bombed both of his hands

I think people that don’t appreciate things should read this article

This article reminds me of my friend’s brother

This article reminds me of not really anything because I never read things with soldiers

 This article reminds me of the people that serve the army

New vocabulary I learned

Word Context Clues Meaning

1.    Shrapnel

2.    Imbued

3.    Isthmus

Meaning Resource: Dictionary.com

Current Event #2

Erika Alban

11/12/11

Current Events Journal # 2

Title: A legacy of service: Three generations of Pines family have served in military

Author: Perry Stein

Source: The Miami Herald

The topic of the article is veteran day

The main idea of the article is three generations of Pines family have served in military

The author’s purpose for writing this article is to inform use about people who prtect and still protect our nation

The author’s perspective in this article is objective because he says facts not opinions

The pattern of organization of the article is flashback

The reason the author chose this pattern for the article is to tell the reader about the past

The text features included in the article are:

Photographs (know how the Pines family look like), captions (tells you a little bit about Bolivar Perez-Rois, Bolivar E. Perez, and Bolivar L. Perez) and title (said the main idea)

This article is about three generations that served America

The significance of this article is we need to show people that serve our nation that we appreciate them

What I learned from this article is to appreciate the people that fight for us

 What I liked about this article is that it tells people to appreciate things

What I did not like about it is that Bolivar Perez-Rois almost bombed both of his hands

I think people that don’t appreciate things should read this article

This article reminds me of my friend’s brother

This article reminds me of not really anything because I never read things with soldiers

 This article reminds me of the people that serve the army

New vocabulary I learned

Word Context Clues Meaning

1.    Shrapnel

2.    Imbued

3.    Isthmus

Meaning Resource: Dictionary.com

The Tell-Tale Heart

Reader’s Journal # 11

Dear Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                                                         11/8/11

             

            I just finished reading my short story, The Tell-Tale Heart by no author.  I thought this was a stupid short story because a girl kills an old man because of his eye. 

            There weren’t any quotes so I couldn’t pick one that was interesting to me.

            The genre of this book is realistic fiction because it’s not a real story.  The story takes place in the old man’s house during midnight.  The characters are the girl, old man, neighbor, and police officer.  The girl is the antagonist because she kills the old man which makes the old man the protagonist.  The old man’s neighbor and the police are supporting characters and they are flat.

            The tone and mood is scary.  The moral was don’t judge someone by their appearance.  The theme was this could happen in real life.  The point of view is in first person.  The pattern of organization is cause and effect.  The author’s purpose is to entertain.  The author is subjective because it only talked about what she felt about the old man.  I didn’t find any figurative language. 

            The plot structure is that a girl has problems and thought that they were caused by an old man’s eye.  She decided to kill him and the next door neighbor called the cops and the cops asked her questions.  Then she told them that she killed him.

Two strategies I used while reading were asking questions and skim and scanning.  Two strategies I used while reading were visualizing and asking myself if I understood each page.  Two strategies I used after reading were answering my questions and writing a reader’s journal.

             
              I would rate this story an 8 out of 10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest.  I rated this book and 8 because I had to reread some parts and I thought the reason she killed the old man was stupid.

                                                                                    Sincerely,

                                                                                    Erika Alban

The Lovley Bones

Reader’s Journal # 10

                        Dear Mrs. Zrihen,                                                                             11/1/11

            I just finished reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.  I really enjoyed reading this book even though it was very emotional especially when Salmon was murdered.  The main character is Salmon and the antagonist is Salmon’s next door neighbor, Mr. Harvey.  The setting was in her neighborhood but when Mr. Harvey murdered her, they were near her school during the night time. 

            While I was reading this book I felt sad and scared because I didn’t know what was going to happen.  I learned that you shouldn’t talk to anyone you don’t know even if they are your neighbors because you don’t know how they live or anything.  The author’s point of view was in first person.  The pattern of organization is flashback because at the beginning the book started with Salmon saying that she was murdered and then after she says that she explains what happened before she was murdered.  The author’s purpose was to entertain.  The author is objective.  There are similes, metaphors, onomonopea, personification, and hyperbole. 

            The plot structure is that first a guy moves in.  Then he built a tunnel under ground.  On accident Salmon goes in and then gets trapped and killed. After she goes to heaven and meets new friends while her sister knows who it is.  She goes to the next door neighbor’s house while he is gone and looks for evidence.  She finds a book that shows what he is going to build to trap the next person.  The conflict is man vs. man.

            I would rate this book a 10, 1 being the lowest, and 10 being the highest.  I rated this book a 10 because it was a cliffhanger.

          Two strategies I used while were asking questions and skim and scanning.  Two strategies I used while reading were answering my questions and visualizing what I read.  After I finished reading I thought about what the book is about and wrote a reader’s journal.

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                        Erika Alban