The Diary of Anne Frank

In class, we are reading the drama version of "The Diary of Anne Frank." We are learning about Anne Frank and the Holocaust. Here are some comments from the students about the reading:

• "The story gives me perspective about how other people deal with difficult situations." -Raquel R
• "The play gives new life to the Diary of Anne Frank." -Iyanah B
• "If someone has never been in danger, this story puts them in the shoes of someone who needs help." -Zion G
• "This is a survival story. It teaches skills; you never know if this might happen again." -Nancy A
• "Looking at an event through the eyes of another person gives you an idea of how it was during that situation. It is sad to think that this actually did happen." -Dani G

We've also watched some scenes presented by the

San Juan College theater troupe.

Act 1 (above)

Act 2 (above)

Visit Shmoop and watch this video about the Diary of Anne Frank.

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GUEST BLOGGERS

The Diary Of Anne Frank Movie Review

The Diary Of Anne Frank The Movie (based off the diary writings of Anne Frank) was a movie I would recommend. At first I was skeptical about if they cast well because they weren't how I expected the characters to look and act. But once the story went on you saw each character's personality shine through and it stayed true to her thoughts and read off the real things going through her head with the correct emotion. You can find this movie on Netflix, Amazon...and Youtube! Anne and Peter's relationship was perfectly realistic and captured youth at its finest. It was beautiful because they found love in a world of hate. It also covered the entire Frank family gathered around the the radio listening to Hitler's words of hate to the Jewish society and crying together. Capturing all emotion and hitting all the soft spots of your heart.

-Lucie D.

Two Truths and A Lie

1. When I was in 5th grade I had good grades except for English I had A  D+. It was the worst feeling ever. I did not want to show my parents because I new they would be mad at me. When I got home and showed them, they told me I was not going to have a good summer, and that summer was bad for me.

2. I used to get straight A’s when I was in elementary school and it was really easy for me. When I went to JR high it was so much different. It was a challenge to get a B. I had to work my butt off to make my parents happy. All of my hard work payed off at the end of the school year because I made my parents happy, and I got all B’s.

3. Last summer, I went on vacation. My family and I were hiking and we went through the water instead of the trail. It was all good. We were having fun, but when we got to the top, there was a hole on top of the waterfall. You could not see it because the water was running over it. I accidentally stepped in the hole and I fell ten feet down and hit my leg on a rock. I felt like I was going to die. I prayed to god that I make it out and thanks to god I made it out alive.

-Marcos B

Volunteer

There is so much uncertainty in our world, in our country, and in our communities. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and powerless when I read the news about terrorism around the world, immigrants (legal and illegal) being separated from their children in our country, and the deterioration of the Oroville Dam spillway here in the Northstate. 

Just this week, less than 30 minutes away, people I know have been forced to evacuate their homes. 200,000 people in Butte County have been displaced and are unsure of their futures. 

All of these events make me feel impotent and helpless. But there is something I can do. There is something all of us can do to have a positive impact on the community around us.

My wife, Ange Bledsoe, has experience with volunteering that she has agreed to share with us.

Volunteering is a great way to connect with your community, provide assistance to people in need, and have new and exciting experiences. Bonus: you get to feel awesome about your good deeds!! Double bonus: making new friends who are like-minded!

Everyone can volunteer, regardless of their age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or other characteristic. Here are a few ways that you (yes YOU!) can get involved.

1. Find out what interests you and if your community offers those services, get involved. For example, maybe you love horses. A simple google search reveals a Butte County non-profit called Handi Riders (http://www.handi-riders.org/) which provides therapeutic services to children and adults with special needs. If you love horses, I just did part of the work for you!

2. Contact local non-profits and ask how you can help. You can do this online, in person, or over the phone. Often times, non-profits don't have a ton of employees so this is a great way to volunteer and gain valuable skills like organizing, answering phones, and basic computer skills.

3. Donate your time once you get connected. Be flexible and willing to help wherever you are needed. You will be appreciated!

4. If you don't have time due to other commitments like school and family, supporting your favorite organization is possible simply by sharing important information with your friends. If you know of events that are happening in the future, use your social media page to promote them.

Do you volunteer? Where? What suggestions do you have for others? Share in the comments section below.

Terrible Things

This week in class we read "Terrible Things." It is an allegory. An allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. 

Here is an animated version for you to watch.

What do you think is the message here? Share in the comments section.

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GUEST BLOGGERS


Question of the Week

“What’s your all time favorite sport?” Last night I asked my brother Rashad  that question. He answered by saying “basketball”. Then he started to go on and on about it. He started liking basketball at the age of 7. He thought it was cool and interesting to watch. He wanted to try the sport. He started watching youtube videos about Russell Westbrook and his techniques. Then he started to be a good fan of Russell Westbrook. After watching a few videos about Westbrook, the next couple of days he went outside to practice basketball and try to be like Westbrook. He practiced and practiced and practiced until he got Westbrook’s basic moves down. He really wanted to become like that player, so he started to learn more about him.

He got to the point where he wanted to be on a traveling basketball team. So he did. He went to one of the tryouts one day and then gave it his all. He showed all the coaches what he could do and by the time he was done with the day, they already got the email asking him to be on the team. He was so excited. He got to be the number 0, just like Westbrook. The season started and he just became more confident about himself.

-Jada S.

Movie Review 

The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff was a movie about space. These people were trying out to be the first men in space, and there were all these different tasks they had to complete. There were hundreds of people trying out. It was really stressful for them and their family members. There were seven astronauts altogether. There were many side stories as well.

In the beginning there was a really cool intro that gets you interested in the movie. It said there was a demon that lived in the air, and whoever challenged it would die. Their controls would freeze up. The plane would buffet wildly, and they would disintegrate. The air would not move out of the way. The demon lived behind the sound barrier that no man could ever pass, but then eventually a man broke the sound barrier.

-Jesse C.

Book Review

Killing Mr Griffin  (spoilers)

The book Killing Mr Griffin is an amazing thriller written by Lois Duncan. In the story, five kids decide to pull a prank on their English teacher Mr Griffin, but it all goes wrong. Mr Griffin is a very strict teacher with no heart. Thinking it will make him less strict Mark, Jeff, David, Betsy, and Susan decide to scare him. Susan, being the top student, takes a meeting with Mr Griffin. After the meeting he goes outside where the boys put a bag over his head and drive to a location only they know about. While this is happening Susan get’s a ride to the location with Betsy. Once at the location the students blindfold Mr Griffin and disguise their voices. They try to scare Mr Griffin by saying there going to kill them but he doesn't buy it. After a while of conversation Mark announces that he's going to leave him there, and the others have no choice but to do so. It's the next day that Susan decides to check on Mr Griffin and takes Dave along. Upon arriving they realize Mr Griffin is DEAD, and the rest of the book is spent trying to cover their tracks.

-Iyanah B

Team Work

Have you ever heard of this band, 

Walk Off the Earth?

They take songs you know and they put their own creative spin on them. Usually about 5 or 6 people have to work together with perfect timing and focus to create something clever and interesting. Each one of them has a job to do. If one of them doesn't do their part, the whole thing is a bust. 

It's amazing what can be accomplished when people contribute their individual talents and strengths to a project, respecting each person's piece of the puzzle. 

Kind of like projects at school or being part of a family, everybody has something special to offer.

Work hard. Do your part. 

Be proud of what you can do well. 

Contribute to your team. They need you!

I hope you enjoy these videos. There are tons more. 

Look up Walk Off the Earth and appreciate the team work necessary to get this done.

If the World Were 100 People

If the World Were 100 People

This is all I've got for this week. Between the inauguration and the women's march and selling and buying a house, in addition to my regular life of teaching and grading and wifing and mommying, I just thought a little perspective might be good.

What are you reading? (tiny font size will not adjust)

In my family, we value reading. My wife and I read books and magazines. She pores over cookbooks because she is an amazing chef! I have been reading to my daughter, Eva, since before she was born. Even though she reads quite a bit, she still says, "I don't like to read."

Why do so many students dislike reading? What is the solution? How do we create lifelong readers? Tell me in the comments section. What do you read? What would make you like reading more?

Don't forget, students can earn extra credit in my class by writing original book reviews of books they have read for the blog.

Currently, these are the books Eva says she likes:
The Tiger Rising
A Time For Courage: The Suffragette Diary 
Down the Rabbit Hole
Cinder
Not One Damsel in Distress
Manga


Most recently, I have read:
The Storyteller 
The New Yorker Magazine
A Million Little Pieces


Ange prefers non-fiction:
A Walk in the Woods
Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast

What are you reading?

The Time of Your Life

Welcome to a new year. I hope you are all well and healthy.

Let me tell you what I have done over break. The day after school got out, my wife and I flew to Indiana to surprise some other family members for Christmas. The plan was very exciting. We had checked in with only a couple people to arrange for a place to stay and transportation. The rest of the big family would be gathering for the holidays over a few days at several different houses, and we were going to show up at each event and surprise everyone. We had been looking forward to it for weeks.

Unfortunately, I got sick the day we arrived. Like really sick. I was coughing and fevery, congested, and unable to stay awake. I went to lie down on Christmas Eve eve and, basically, I didn't get up for 5 days. After that, I mustered enough energy to visit another person's house, and I slept there all day. Then another house and more sleeping.

As I vacillated between sleep and wakefulness, I could hear people talking. I could smell food being cooked. I could enjoy my family from afar. I missed so much, but I also felt the love around me.

After 10 days in Indiana, most of which I slept through, we flew home. I went to the doctor after returning to Chico. I have the flu and am "on the brink of pneumonia," according to the medical professional. I continue to cough and sleep and blow squishy sea creatures out of my nose.

I don't even remember Christmas. The good news is I still have a week to recover.

I hope each of you reading this have had a wonderful break. I hope you have been warm and you've had enough to eat. I hope your time with family has been loving. I hope you've appreciated every moment. I hope you've had the time of your life.

(Ask me about having birthday cake with Billie Joe Armstrong when I was 19.)

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GUEST BLOGGERS

2 Truths and a Lie

1. One morning I was helping my dad with yard work and my cat, Precious, was relaxing by one of trees in the back yard. Once me and my dad were done, we went to go eat and we looked outside. My cat was attacking a gopher snake. She ended up not killing it because we took her inside. We picked up the snake with a towel and took it to the creek.

2. One day me and my family went to the ocean. Once we arrived, there were a lot of surfers in the water. After a while, we learned that they weren't surfing, they were on paddle boards. There was a shark in the water and they tried to remove it and take it to a new location.

3. My friend and I set up a raccoon trap and we let it stay set until morning. When we got back to the trap there was a fox in it and we were scared to release it. We got a big stick and went onto a tree and tried to open it like that, but that didn't work. We went back to his house and we got a rope. We tied it on and went back to the tree and started to pull. After about 10 seconds of pulling, the fox ran out.

Nicolas G.

Two truths and one lie

1. I have traveled all through the world. In fact my favorite hobby is to travel. Me and my family enjoy traveling every summer to different places we have never been to, whether it's the sandy beach or to the highest mountain peak on earth .
2. When I was very young, I  went downstairs while everyone in the house was sleeping. I had received a gold coin from the tooth fairy. I was very fond of this gold coin. I set it down, and I saw my favorite bird eat it. He was choking and died in front of me.
3. When I was 3, I fell down wooden stairs at my aunt's apartments. My aunt's keeper saw me fall down and rip my head open. She went to get my mother. My mom called my cousin to come and take me to the emergency room where I would later get stitches. My father later had to come to get us (thank god he didn't faint). I had to get six stitches in my head.

-Fatimah A.