Boys and Girls Club visit # 5

Assessment

Today when I went to The Boys and Girls Club, Tadeka was waiting for me. Tadeka’s homework for Monday night was to read a story and answer questions about the story. This reminded me of how with Mrs. F I used to work on some of the same types of assignments. When Tadeka showed me the packet that she had to do for homework, there was an awkward looking signature on the packet, so I asked her if it was her one of her parent’s signatures. Her response was not a clear yes or no   She explained to me that her friend Faith taught her how to write her parent’s signature. When I heard this, I immediately thought this is illegal and  I have to tell her not to do it. When I told her that she should not forge her parent’s signature, she told me that I should not worry about it. This was a side of Tadeka  that I had never seen before and it really  surprised me. Over the past few weeks , she had acted as if  she really cared about school and the quality of the work we were doing together.  Discovering that she was forging her parent’s signature , made me wonder why she would do this and it made me think about what other choices she was making in her life that perhaps were not good ones. After our conversation about the signature and doing the right thing, our time together was different than it had been before this.

Boys and Girls Club visit # 4

Assessment

Today when I went to visit the Boys and Girls Club of America the girl that I was helping on Monday, Tadeka, came up to me and asked if I could help her again with her homework. This immediately made me feel that I had made a difference by helping someone who is less fortunate then I am. This gave me the confidence to help her with her vocabulary homework.  One of the words that Tadeka was working on was ancient; we had to make up sentence with the word in it. She deiced to write about ancient mummies in a pyramid. When we were writing this sentence, I kept thinking about Mr. Brown, and how he taught us about ancient Egypt. When we were reading, Tadeka asked me how old I was, and I responded saying that I was 13. She told me that her sister was also 13, but did not care about helping her like I did. By Tadeka feeling comfortable to tell me something so very personal I knew that she cared about her schoolwork, and probably wanted to be a good student. I realized that what I have learned so far in school is something that I can also teach to others. 

Visit #3

Eliza Griffin

Monday, January 23,2012

Assessment 

Today on my visit to the Boys and Girls club we played a long, tiring, game of dodge ball. The team I was on sadly ended up losing, but I did not mind. When it came time for power hour, I helped, Samantha, the same girl I worked with two weeks ago. She worked on reading out loud to me again. When we were finished reading, I helped a 9-year-old girl named Tadeka. Tadeka was working on spelling, which is a section in school that I still struggle with. All the words were scrambled up, and Tadeka had to unscramble them. I taught her a trick. By counting how many letters were each word, she could then decode the word faster. After, finishing that part of her homework, we began another assignment which was only due on Wednesday. She was a little hesitant about doing this because all her friends were playing games, but she ended up deciding to get a jump-start. I find that working ahead helps me, so I was trying to teach her a good study strategy. When Tadeka was finished with her homework, she asked me if she could read to me. I was so excited and honored that she asked me because she is a shy and quiet girl. We ended up reading, the book Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary, for about a half an hour. Tadeka had some trouble with reading so I taught her the strategy that Mrs. F taught me, which was to take a piece of paper, line it up under the sentence you are trying to read, and then move it down so that you can only read one line at a time. All these techniques that I have been taught, and today shared with Tadeka,  have not only helped me with my reading, but also have helped another young reader. This made me feel like to quote Mr. Salsich, “ A serious English scholar.”

Boys and Girls Club

Eliza Griffin 

Monday, January 9, 2012

Second Visit 

Today, when I went to visit the Boys and Girls Club, I brought jump ropes to teach the boys and girls how to jump. When I first entered the room with the jump ropes in my hand, the boys in the club did not want to try it at all. Once I showed them what you could do, and how much fun you can have jumping, they really enjoyed it. Sometimes when we were jumping, there would be an argument about who was going to jump next. To solve this dispute, I asked, “Who is the oldest here?” and that was the order they jumped in. After the half an hour of exercise, it was time for Power Hour.  For this week’s study hall, I was helping a girl named Samantha with her math homework. She had a hard time understanding what the problem was asking for. To make it easier for her, I would ask her to try to find the key words. For example, if it was a subtraction problem, she would look for the word less to help her realize that it was a subtraction problem.  After helping her with math, Samantha read out loud to me. When I was her age I always struggled with reading and reading out loud was the hardest for me. By helping her today, I realized how much all my tutors have helped me with my reading fluency by having me read out loud to them. When I left the club today, I had a feeling that I had accomplished something that had a positive impact someone’s life. I hope Samantha felt a little more confident about her schoolwork today, and I am looking forward to helping her next week. 

The Boys and Girls Club

Eliza Griffin
Monday, December 12, 2011
First Visit

 Today was my first visit to the Boys and Girls Club of America in New London. From the initial meeting about our assessment projects where I selected this organization, I envisioned The Boys and Girls Club to be a large building, similar to a community center, filled with boys and girls of all ages from the areas surrounding New London. What I entered instead, this afternoon, was a public school cafeteria which also served as a gym with only 12 boys and girls inside . During our first half hour, we set up an obstacle course and divided the girls and the boys into 2 teams. Each team raced one another through the course and in the end the boys team won twice while the girls team only won once. Then second half hour was called “ Power Hour”. During this time, the children are expected to do their homework and then read for half an hour. One of the girls was reading the book No Talking, by Andrew Clements, which was a book that I had read and enjoyed when I was her age. Once this is achieved, they are permitted to have free time to play silent games such as Uno. I had expected the kids to be all ages and today the youngest was in Kindergarten and the oldest was a fourth grader. This age range made it very easy and comfortable for me to play with the children because I have a younger sister who is in fourth grade. All the kids, had a lot of energy for participating in the obstacle course, but also listened and obeyed well when it was time for the Power Hour. Their discipline impressed me and they also seemed to appreciate that I was there which I had not expected. They all thanked me when I left which surprised me very much.   

Essay #6

Inspiring  Words Spanning The Globe: From South Africa to Alabama

Connecting the Lyrics in Wavin Flag to Miss Maudie’s Words

December 11, 2011

Pine Point School

8th Grade

Eliza Griffin

When a modern day song is played and a classic book is read, you might not think that they connect to one another. An example of this is how the song Wavin Flag correlates to a powerful quote in To Kill a Mockingbird.   

(T.S.) The lyrics in the song Wavin Flag by K’naan say “And then it goes back and then it goes back”.These lyrics remind me of how in every generation one life can end, while a new one is just beginning. (S.D.) This continuous cycle is almost like a wheel rotating a full circle of life. (C.M.) When the cycle has completed one full rotation, it comes back to the place where it began, “And then it goes back”. (C.M.) Like a wheel that continuously turns, and always replenishes it’s dying lives with new ones, these lyrics are not telling us to go back in life, but are telling us to go back to a beginning of a new life which will carry us forward. (S.D) The new generations hopefully build on progress that the old generations made during their lives. (C.M.) This new generation will hopefully  learn from the  previous generations’ mistakes.(C.S.) The wheel will keep on turning for the future generations.

(T.S.) In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Miss Maudie says  “ Don’t you worry about me, Jean Louise Finch. There are ways of doing things that you don’t know about.” (S.D.) These words  explain  that there are other ways to do things; this means that in life you don’t need to follow the same path as everyone else, don’t follow the crowd. (C.M.) I think she means be original, trust your own thoughts, and don’t be like everyone else. (C.M.) This quote relates to the lyrics in the song Wavin Flag because the quote and the song tell the listener to  be unique. (S.D) K’naan’s lyrics and Miss Maudie’s words give hope to people to become successful. (C.M.) The song tells us that you can rise to be a champion this  inspires tremendous hope in the listener’s lives.(C.S) Miss Maudie’s words encourage you to. Think for yourself and be extraordinary .Choose your own winding road.

This quote and these lyrics may not seem to be related, but at the end of the day everything comes together “ and then it goes back”. At first I did not think that the popular, catchy song and the classic book connected. After taking some time to reflect on these lyrics, and listening to the song repeatedly, while thinking about Miss Maudie’s words , I realized that all people, places and experiences  somehow join up with one another always completing a new wheel of life.  

Self Assessment:
1. One part in my essay that I continue to work on is trying not to use the word things in my writing.
2. One strong point I see in my writing ,is in my first body paragraph because I feel that you can clearly understand what I am trying to say.
3. One possible  weak spot I see in my writing is in the second body paragraph where I think some of my sentences could be better.

Essay #5

Color, Smells, and History

8th Grade Trip to Washington D.C.

Pine Point School

8th Grade

November 30, 2011

Eliza Griffin

When the 8th grade was in Washington D.C., there was many exciting activities to do, and to see. Two place that was extremely interesting was the United States Botanic Gardens, and the Jefferson Memorial.

(T.S) As you enter the United States Botanic Gardens, you see massive amounts of different colors. (S.D) When we entered the rain forest room, it was dull, but because there were bright and exotic flowers on the walls and floors, the room really popped, and you could almost feel the flowers growing and blossoming in front of you. (C.M) Every which way you looked, you would see bright alluring colors. (C.M) The plants inside the enormous greenhouse, looked extremely  luscious because sprinklers go off about every five minutes, to keep the flowers looking their best. (S.D) In addition, in the gardens, each room smelled differently. (C.M.) Depending what room you were in, the scent in the air would change. (C.M.) For example, when I walked into the Desert room the air smelled dry, but when I was in the Medicinal room the smell of the herbs dominated. The United States Botanic Gardens had the best smell of all of the museums we visited while in Washington.
(T.S.) Each night, when we would walk to all the different memorials, there were historic sites to be seen. (S.D) The Jefferson Memorial was so beautifully illuminated , that  you could see it from miles away. (C.M) Everything was so bright at the memorial, that the giant dome looked like a enormous flashlight aiming up at the starry sky. (C.M.) When we were standing inside the dome, there was perfect lighting, that made it perfectly possibly to see all the old passages of Thomas Jefferson’s writings on the walls.(S.D)In addition to being able to read everything, you could also see so many other historical and important sites from this memorial. (C.M.) For example, you had a crystal clear view of the National Monument from the steps just in front of where the bronze statue of Jefferson stands. (C.M.) You could also see the White House, which is where the Thomas Jefferson statue is facing. (C.S.) This bright memorial, which contains so much history, lit up the entire starry sky in Washington D.C., each night we were there.
The D.C. trip was definitely a trip to remember. All these places that we went to including: the Botanic Gardens and the Jefferson Memorial made me realize how much this trip, and the history of America that we learned while there will influence my life. I will never forget being able to stand right next to the giant statue of Thomas Jefferson looking at the White House, the smells and colors of all the plants in the Botanic Garden, and the magical feeling of seeing these things, as well as others over the Veteran's Day Holiday.


Self Assessment


1. A strong point in my writing that I see, is in the 1st body paragraph because I am really descriptive
2. One weak part I see in my writing is in the introduction paragraph, this is because I don't think that i really catch the reader.
3. One thing that I believe I need to work on is making better music in my writing.

Essay #3

A Tragic Act of Love

A Connection Between My Life and Of Mice and Men

8th Grade English

Eliza Griffin

October 27, 2011

You may be wondering how on earth the song “ He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” written by The Hollies relates to the novella Of Mice and Men, but also to my personal life. This is because there is a special lyric in the song that says “And the load doesn’t weigh me down at all”. These lyrics relate to my life, with my grandfather having some trouble over the last couple of years. This also relates to the famous John Steinbeck novella Of Mice and Men by George helping Lennie through out his life.

        (T.S)The last two years have been extremely difficult for my dad and his sisters. This is because one day, when my grandfather went to the doctor, they found skin cancer near his eye. To make sure that the cancer would not spread into his eye, the doctor removed his eye. (S.D.)Unfortunatly, for the past two years my dad and my three aunts have been taking time out of their own day to help and care for my grandpa. (C.M.) Sometimes they would have to rearrange their schedules to help him. (C.M.) This is inspiring to me because they would just be happy that they were helping a loved one. (S.D) Also, it would be easier for them to hire a nurse. (C.M.) Instead, they want to help their dad themselves. “And the load doesn’t weigh me down at all”. (S.D.) This quote says that they are happy to do whatever it takes to help their father. (C.M.)  It does not annoy them having to drive over to Watch Hill and take my grandpa to doctor’s appointments, because they love him. (C.M.) Whenever and wherever they drive my grandpa, they always have a good attitude. (C.S) This act of love by my relatives, shows my cousins and I  that doing the right thing leaves a  lasting positive impact on my family.
(T.S) Of Mice and Men relates to the lyrics “And the load does not weigh me down at all” in the song “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” by The Hollies. (S.D) George allows Lennie to always follow him wherever he goes.(C.M.) This says the load of Lennie does not weigh George down at all. (C.M) Lennie says on page 98 “ “You ain’t gonna leave me, are ya, George? I know you ain’t.” George came  and sat down beside him. “No.””, this says to me that George really cares about Lennie. (S.D) George is also happy when Lennie is always with him because Lennie is there for him. (C.M.) On page 14 when George says to Lennie “” Hide in the bush till I come for you. Can you remember that?””. (C.M.) This quote demonstrates how George cares about  Lennie, and how he does not want to lose him. (S.D) Lastly, George shot Lennie for an excellent  reason. (C.M.) This is because George did not want Lennie to have a long, painful, and stressful death, and this is exactly what Curly was going to do if he had the chance.(C.M.) George wanted Lennie to have a peaceful death, and that is why his last words to Lennie were that he was going to “tend the rabbits.” (C.S) Even though it was hard for George to kill Lennie, I think that he was at peace with this final tragic act.

Although this book had a truly sad ending, the meaning of the book was immensely powerful. Whenever I read a book I always feel by the ending that I have learned something new. I think that from this book I learned that friendship means everything. George and Lennie have taught me a lot about friendship and how it is important to have a good friend that you can trust.

Self Assessment:
1. A strong point in my essay I think is when I talk about my grandfather, because sometimes it is hard for me to talk about what happened to him, and by writing this essay I feel confident about talking about it now.
2. One weak point I see in my writing is in my conclusion paragraph because I don’t really say that much about my life and the book
3. One thing that I believe I need to work on is where to make my writing clearer and making better music.

Essay #2

Love Will Keep Us All Alive

The Connection Between The Eagles Lyrics and John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and My Life

An Essay written by Eliza Griffin

8th Grade English

Pine Point School

October 15, 2011

In our lives, we all have love, for some more than others, but at one point in everyone’ s life “Love Will Keep Us Alive”. This peaceful song relates to the novella Of Mice and Men because George needs Lennie in his life. This song also relates to my  personal life because I always find myself worrying. One of the song’s lyrics says, “ Don’t worry sometimes you just have to let it ride; the world is changing right before your eyes.” In George and Lennie’s lives, it’s their love for each other and their dependency on one another that keeps them together, and in my life, these lyrics help me keep my worrying in perspective.

(T.S.) The Eagle’s song “Love Will Keep Us Alive”, says “Don’t worry sometimes you just have to let it ride; the world is changing right before your eyes”, and this relates to the novella Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck. (S.D.) First, George always worries that he and Lennie will get into trouble . (C.M.) For example, George has to make sure that Lennie does not  upset the ranch hands, because if Lennie gets fired then George does too. (C.M.) This is because George and Lennie are a package; they always travel together, so if you fire one of them, you are firing both. (S.D.) Second, George also has to worry about change in his and Lennie’s life. (C.M.) If Lennie gets fired from a job, George has to figure out a new job where they both can work. (C.M.) If the owners of the ranches don’t appreciate (FAST) Lennie’s dedication to working in the fields, George has to prove them wrong. (S.D.) Lastly, George worries about not always having a friend by his side. (C.M.) If Lennie decides to leave George, George would be very distressed (FAST) because he would have lost his best and only friend. (C.M.) George would be devastated by this because George might not know what do without Lennie by his side. (C.S.) “ Don’t worry sometimes you just have to let it ride; the world is changing right before your eyes” relates to Of Mice and Men by saying don’t be afraid of tomorrow.

(T.S.) Every day in my life, I worry just like George does. (S.D.) First, I worry a lot about situations at school. (C.M.) For example, if I am having a quiz or test that day, when I am on my way to school,I often feel butterflies in my stomach. (C.M.) In addition to this feeling, right before the class starts, I get very anxious (FAST) because I want to get the test or quiz over with. Second, I get nervous when I am competing in a jump rope competition. (C.M.) Just before I begin, I detect (FAST) butterflies in my stomach, and I try to wish them away. (C.M.) When the team and I are waiting for the award ceremonies, my stomach ache return because if I do not earn fourth place or above, I will not qualify for the national championship. (S.D.) Lastly, I get worried when I am about to receive a grade. (C.M.) For example, when we receive our first semester grades, I’m always get nervous to open the envelope, and look inside. (C.M.) This is because I do not want to know if I fell short in one subject. (C.S.) The worries in my life are hard to face, but the worries that George faces are much more challenging.

The Eagles song “ Love Will Keep Us Alive” sends us many messages. The song’s lyrics have boosted many amounts of people’s confidence. I am one of these people. This song has shown me that a life lacking love,would be difficult to live. This song also relates to Of Mice and Men because both Lennie and George would have a hard time carrying on without one another in their lives. I would like to hope that everyone in today’s world has someone in their life whose love helps keep them alive.

Of Mice and Men: Movie Review

Eliza Griffin

October 20, 2011

English Homework

Of Mice and Men (1939)

            John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, was turned into a play in 1937-1938. The play was awarded the best American Contribution by the New York Drama Critics Circle. After benging turned into a play, the novella was made into a movie. The director of the movies name is Lewis Milestone. When directing this movie, Lewis tried his best not to add anything other than seen. Then a little seen in a restaurant, where Lennie and George spend their money, but that is it. Mr. Chaney plays Lennie in the movie and Mr. Meredith play George quite well too. This movie, from what it sounds like sounds very good. One day, I hope I have a chance to see this movie.

Favorite Sentences:

1.                   1. “Miss. Field is superb (an abused but useful word) as Mae.

2. “Book and play have been followed as literally as the screen demands and the Hay office permits.”

Essay #1

I Will Always Be There For You, So “Lean On Me”
Connecting Of Mice and Men to “Lean On Me”
An Essay by Eliza Griffin
8th Grade English
Pine Point School
September 27, 2011       
Have you ever heard the song “Lean On Me” written by Bill Withers? The lyrics say, “Lean on me when you’re not strong and I’ll be your friend I’ll help, you carry on.” When I heard these lyrics the words reminded me of the characters from John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men. The lyrics also remind me of my own life. This touching song made me really think how much Lennie leans on George, and also how George leans on Lennie.
This song “Lean On Me”, not only relates to the novella Of Mice and Men, but also to my personal life. One of the main characters, Lennie, has a hard time remembering important information, George, the other main character, helps Lennie remember this important information. George is saying to Lennie “ Lean on me when you’re not strong and I’ll be your friend I’ll help you carry on.” Another way George looks out for Lennie, is by reminding Lennie not to talk, because if people hear Lennie speak, they might not hire him, because of his disability. In addition, George also leans on Lennie. For instance, if Lennie did not stay with George, George would not earn the good wages that he does, because Lennie is a remarkably strong and hard worker, but George on the other hand is not as skilled as Lennie; he is more of the negotiator and organizer. Also, Lennie is a true friend to George. George does not have any other friends, so Lennie means more to George than he is aware.  Lastly, I can compare this to my life because I have come to realize that I can lean on my parents. For example, if I am having trouble in school, I know, for a fact, that I can tell them, and they will do their best to help me succeed. In the long run, this makes it easier for me to do my challenging assignments, and to ask for help, and to “ Carry on”.

        Both Lennie and George lean on each other in different ways. George always reminds Lennie not to talk, and Lennie is always a loyal friend to George and never questions his advice. Lennie works hard for George and in his own way they say to one another “Lean on me when you’re not strong and I’ll be your friend I’ll help you carry on.” These lyrics are very thoughtfully written and also are very true, because you often lean on your friends and family in your life and this song demonstrates this very well.