CURRENT EVENT #4

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Date:1/08/12

                                                                                                                                  Name: Roxanne Fine

                                      Current Events Journal

                                                                                                            

Title: Booking a Flight to Space, With Travel Insurance

Author: Kenneth Chang

Source: Unknown

The topic of the article is: Space Tourism

The main idea of the article is: I think the main idea is booking a flight to space. The main idea is stated.

The author’s purpose for writing this article is to: the author’s purpose is to inform.

 The author’s perspective in this article is objective/subjective (biased) because: is objective because the article showed both sides of the story.

The pattern of organization of the article is: classification order

The reason the author chose this pattern for the article is: because it would make understanding the article easier.

The text features included in the article are: Quotes which means that the author used other peoples personal opinion. Another text feature that I found in this article was the title of the book. The title helped me by telling me what I was reading about.

This article is about (a summary in your own words): This article is about how Virgin Galactic are creating an airline that lets regular people go in to the threshold of space with out being an astronaut.

The significance (importance) of this article is: the significance of this article is that the  people that have the money could go to space and fulfill there dreams.

What I learned from this article is:  I learned that regular people have gone in to the threshold of space before but the seats cost a lot of money. A seat cost $110,000 at Space Adventures Ltd of Vienna, Va.

What I liked about this article: I liked that this article provided quotes because I think it is a good thing that people that are reading about this are hearing other peoples opinion who are customers.

What I did not like about it: I didn’t like that this article didn’t not include any pictures or illustrations.

Who should read this article and why: I think people who are interested in outer space should read this article because then they might learn about the project and they might get a chance to go in a space craft.  

This article reminds me of: This book reminds me of the book Star Secker: A Journey to Outer Space by Theresa Heine and Victor Tavares. This article reminds me of when the first man went to the moon. This article reminds me of the time when I wanted to go to outer space so I created a space craft out of a card board box and I collected $5 from any one who wanted to go to on the space craft.

Word                                           context clue                                    meaning

1.threshold                       context clue #5                                    the beginning

2. Jaunt.                            Context clue#                                    a short journey

3. Grandiosity               context clue #                        good appearance or style

RJ#21

#21                                    Readers Journal                                    1/24/12                                                                                                                                                                                                Dear Mrs. Zrihen                                                                                                                                     I just finished a book called Guinness World Records 2010.  One quote that really stood out to me was:

                        “The most children born at a single medically recorded birth is nine.”

                        This quote is interesting to me because I think it is interesting to see a women that has nine baby’s in her stomach at once and I’m wondering how she got nine baby’s in her stomach all at once.

                        I used many strategies before, during and after I read this book. One strategy that I used before I read this book was to skim and scan this book for any text features. Another strategy that I used before I read this book was to read the title to see if I would be interested in this book. One strategy that I used while I was reading this book was to ask questions. Another strategy that I used while I was reading this book was to use context clues for what ever word that I didn’t know. One strategy that I used after I read this book was to answer my questions. Another strategy that I used after I read this book was to reflect on what I just read and put it in to my readers journal.

                        I was able to identify many non-fictional elements in this book. The genre of this book is informational because it gives information about many different topics. The topic of this book is world records. The main idea of this book is world records in 2010.  The main idea is implied because it is not clearly stated. The essential message of this book is that I f you think that you have a special talent that nobody else could to try out and you mite be a record breaker and then you will be recognized.

 A compare and contrast relation ship that I found in this book was that everybody or everything was in the world record book for breaking a record but they were all in the book for different talents. A cause and effect relationship that I found in this book was that if you had a talent then the effect would be that you would have a chance to break a record and be recognized. Some text features that I found in this book were pictures, which help readers visualize what is happening. There was captions, which explain what the picture is about, dates, which tells us when the event to took place. And there are bullets, which help explain the topic more clearly.

                        I would recommend this book to everyone because it is very interesting. I would rate this book a 10 out of 10 because it was very interesting and meaningful. All in all I thought this book was very entertaining.            

                                                                        SINCERELY,

                                                                                          Roxanne Fine

Readers Journal- Science fiction

#19                                    Readers Journal                                    1/10/12                                                                                                                                                                                                Dear Mrs. Zrihen                                                                                                                                     I just finished a book called Agartha's Castaway. This book was written by Chrissy Peebles.

                        I used many strategies before, during and after I read this book. Two strategies that I used before I read this book was to skim and scan though the book to see if there was any text features and I read the synopsis of the book. Two strategies that I used while I was reading this book was to ask questions and to make prediction about what was going to happen next in the book. Two strategies that I used after I read this book was to answer my question and have a discussion about this book with my sister.

                        The genre of this book was fiction and the subgenre is science fiction. The main characters in this book were Casey, Mike and Jack. Casey is a fun adventures person. Her motive is to save her mom and she is a round character. Mike is a high school star surfer, not so smart and all he ever thinks about is girls. His motive is to get off the island safely. He is also a round character. Jack is a person who is completely opposite of Mike. Jack is very good when it comes to science but when it comes to girls he is absolutely horrible. His motive is to get off the island. He is a round character. Some foil characters are Casey’s mom, Britannica and her other friends.           

                        I rate this a 7- 10 because it was very interesting. I recommend this book to everybody meaning teens because some of it is about love and a lot about adventure. All in all I loved this book and cant wait for the next series.

                                                                                                SINCERELY,

                                                                                                            Roxanne Fine

Readers Journl - Humor

#17                                    Readers Journal                                    1/01/12                                               

            Dear Mrs, Zrihen,

                        I just finished a book called Hugless Douglas. David Melling writes this book. I used many strategies before, during and after I read this book one strategy that I used before I read this book was to skim and scan through the book to see if there was any text features. Another strategy that I used before I read this book was to read the synopsis to see if I was going to be interested in this book. One strategy that I used while I was reading this book was to ask myself questions. Another strategy that I used while I was reading this book was to predict was going to happen next. One strategy that I used after I read this book was to answer my questions. Another strategy that I used after I read this book was to summarize what I just read and put it in to a readers journal.

                         I would rate this book an 8-10 because it was very funny. Also I would recommend this book to girls and boys around the age of 7-12. All in all I thought this book was very entertaining.

                                                                        SINCERELY,

                                                                                    Roxanne Fine

                     #18                 Reader’s Journal                 1/03/12    

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

      Dear Mrs.Zrihen,

                                                                                    

            I just finished reading a book called Memories of Summer by Ruth White. This is a realistic fiction book because the plot and characters are realistic. A passage  that really stood out to me was: 

                “Beginning the first of January, Summer went to see a psychiatrist every Tuesday and Friday morning at eleven o’clock. That was right when I went to Mr. Buell’s English class, and I would look at the clock on the wall and think of her, and wonder what she was saying to the doctor.   

             Was she talking about our life together way back there I n the bottom between the hills? Was the doctor seeing into that head of hers and figuring out what made her go mental? We had the same childhood. Did they know how come she had so much fear in her that I didn’t have? What was it that haunted her so?   (pg.66)                        

            I picked these passages because it is so significant to this book. These paragraphs are so sanifigent to this book because it shows how much Lyric cares about her sister, Summer and it also tells the reader’s what happened to Summer. 

          There are many strategies that I use when I read a book. One strategy that I used before reading this book was to read the summary of the book and see if it was appealing to me. I also skimmed and scanned the book to find text features that will help me understand what I was about to read. While I was reading, I asked myself questions and then I would answer my own questions.for example, I asked myself why did the author name the book Memories of Summer. Later I found out that the author called the book Memories of Summer because Summer is Lyrics sister and the book is telling the reader’s what Lyric remembers of her joyful sister before she became mentally ill. Another during reading strategy that I used was to make visual images in my mind so I can comprehend what was going on in the book. After I finished reading the book I reread the most important parts in the book and also I reread the parts that I enjoyed the most. Like when Summer started to show signs of paranoia and when Summer was having her 16^th birthday party. The last strategy that I used after reading this book was to take a second and try to comprehend what happened in the book and then write a summary of the book.

            I also thought about all the literary elements in this book. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because the plot characters and settings are believable. One of the major characters in this book is Lyric, a thirteen year old girl who is the youngest sibling in her family and looks up to her older sister, Summer. She is a round and dynamic character and she is the protagonist. Her motive is to learn from her sister and be there for her whenever she needs her. Another major character is Lyrics older sister, Summer, a 16 year old girl. Summer is a round and dynamic character and she is also the protagonist. Her motive in the beginning was to take care of her younger sister but then she had paranoia and became very ill. One other major character in this book is poppy, the father of Lyric and Summer. Poppy used to work in the mines but he quite and know he is trying to look for a job in a factory. Poppy is a flat and static character and he is a protagonist. Some foil characters are the psychiatrist, Mr. Buell, Yolanda, Gladys, Nadine, and Mrs. Gaspar. The story fist took place in a small county in Virginia in poppy’s house. Then the story took place in the mountains because Summer and Lyric always loved the calming effect the mountains had on then. After they went to the mountain they moved to a big business city in Flint, Michigan to find work and then to the apartment, school and psychiatrist. When they were in Virginia in the mountains and in poppy’s house it hot and clear skied but when the setting was in Flint, Michigan it was cold and foggy. When Lyric went to school the same time Summer was at the psychiatrist it was cold blurry. This book took place in the 1930’s through 1999.Everyone in Flint, Michigan was rich. The main conflict in the book was that Summer became mentally ill. This book is external. Some conflicts were man vs. man, man vs. self and man vs. nature. The tone of this book was depressed and thoughtful. The moods of this book were sad, hopeful, nervous, realistic and gloomy. The theme of this book is selflessness and sister ship. The moral of this book is be there fore your sister or family member when they truly need you the most. This book is told in first person. The pattern of organization is foreshadowing and the author’s purpose is to share and to entertain. The author’s perspective is subjective because the book is in Lyric’s point of view and you can see whom she likes and dislikes. 

          I was able to identify some figurative language when I was reading. ‘‘Poppy was always there like a rock.’’ That sentence is a simile because the sentence compared two different things by using like in it. “I wanted to go in and turn on the all by myself, “she said in her tiny voice. She sounded like a mouse squeaking.” This is also a simile because it’s comparing her voice to a squeaky mouse using the word like. “With my heart flying, I went running down the stairs again.”  This sentence is a hyperbole because she is exaggerating that the fact that her heart is racing really fast. “ Her fingers fluttered like crippled birds.” This sentence is a simile because she is comparing the old ladies fingers to the fluttering of crippled birds with using the word like.                      

          The plot structure of this book was very nice. The exposition in the story was when Summer, Lyric, and Poppy were introduced in the book and also when the book was explaining were Summer and Lyric were born and raised for most of there lives which was in Buchanan county, Virginia. The rising action was when Poppy, Summer and Lyric move to Flint, Michigan. The climax of the story is when Summer first shows signs of paranoia by curling up into a ball and not talk to anybody even her sister. The falling action is when Summer goes to see a psychiatrist and find out she has a disease called schizophrenia and she can not control herself. The resolution was to put Summer into a mental hospital for treatment so she can come back to reality. Summer will surely get better. 

         I really enjoyed this book. Even though it was scary and sad it was an awesome book . I recommend this book to 11-14 year old girls because it is about taking care of your sister when she needs you the most. I rate this book a ten out of ten stars.

                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                        Roxanne Fine