THE GIVER

We had read the book; The Giver in our Rogate class. We had finished and the end was a cliffhanger. The book had ended while Jonas was almost freezing to death with his "little brother" and there was a sled at the top of the hill. The book ended with, "Behind him, across vast distances of space and time, from the place he ad left, he thought he heard music too. But perhaps it was only an echo." That had left the entire class wondering, was he dreaming? dead? or was all of that really happening? I thought of the end of the story literal. I think Jonas was a and is a live. Nothing can change my opinion because I feel very strong about it. I think he actually did run away.
The author, Lois Lowry had gotten many interviews asking what really happened to Jonas. She says she leaves it up to everyone and they can make their own ending up. 

Student Question: Dear Lois Lowry, My name is Melissa. My class just finished the book The Giver(aka Great Book). But we have to do a project and ask you questions: Did Jonas marry anyone in his later life? Did Jonas go to college? Did Jonas ever return to the community? Did Jonas get a job? Did Jonas buy a house? Please answer these questions as soon as possible. Thanks a lot and good job on both Number the Stars and The Giver. I read both. MelissaLois Lowry: You will meet Jonas again very soon in a book called Messenger to be published in April. I don’t want to ruin the book for you by answering your questions too specifically. But it is about 7 years after the end of The Giver. So Jonas is a young man. He has a particular role, or job, in the place where he lives. He lives in his own house. Not married... But... oh, that’s all I’m going to tell you.

But reading Lois Lowry's response she partly admits that Jonas is infact a live.
   
       In another interview Lois Lowry, readers asked,

GR: Who do they usually ask about?

LL: Most readers in the early days would ask about Jonas [the protagonist of The Giver]. By the time I wrote a couple more books [2000's Gathering Blueand 2004's Messenger], it was clear where he was. But I had not dealt with the baby, and I had not realized that kids would be so attached to a toddler. I started [writing Son] with him as an adolescent, but I found my own attention diverted by who had given birth to him. What turns out to be the final third of the book, when he began questioning about his own mother, started out as the beginning of the book. 

Google 20% Project

One of the perks employees at Google get is 20 percent of their time to work on a special project. They can choose anything they want to research.   One well known product that has come out of this program is GMail. We were intructed to research anything we wanted and make something, instruct something, etc. I decied to research Marine Biology, the study of underwater life. I want to focus more on the animals of coral reefs because they include sharks and tropical fish and I have an interest in sharks and clownfish (tropical fish species)

Celebrity and Media Influence

          Now-a-days, in 2012 teenagers do not follow what they think they think is right for them. Mostly ages from 12 to 19 usually follow what other people do, considering popularity, appearance, ect. They don't follow their heart. If other people are doing it that it is okay to do that action. That is how most drug addictions start, from either peer presure or celebrity influence. Also, teenagers are influenced by celebrity apperance and clothing brands. They get the idea that they will boost their popularity if they are unoriginial and copy famous people. That is probably how a lot of the good, expensive clothing stores became more famous, from pictures on the media and again, Celebrity Influence.
           Many teenagers have been doing things that are not good for their health, or their social life. They try to copy or mimic what famous people are doing just to become "popular". They may take a certain drug because a famous person is doing it. Like smoking and other drugs. People do not think before they say or do anything, especially teenagers. They just do what pops into their head first not thinking nor second guessing. They get influenced way easier and faster than adults do.
            "Teens" get influenced by pictures and videos and magazines also. If they see a beautiful model wearing hollister, they get the need to buy hollister clothing, sometimes even the same exact outfit. They mostly do this because it looks "good" on the model, but this is olnly because the photo editors have probably photoshopped the picture to make the model look "perfect." There is no such thing as perfection, it is only a label. Also, most stores get more customers when a peer or even a popular person wears it and others find out about that store.
            Teens get influenced way too easily and they agree to things they have no clue what they are, like drugs, jobs, or even wavers. They never feel the need to read the wavers they just sign them. Teens get influenced by the way things look and by the way people who people look up to do things.

Reflections and Resolutions.

2012 onto 2013

REFLECT: In 2012 I learned many things about myself. I learned that I can do anything I dream of if I try hard enough. I also learned that I can make new friends if I try. I have also learned how mean many "friends" can be and I now am not friends with the mean/dramatic people. I have made many new friends and they are very close to me.

REBUFF: I am anti-resolution. I feel new years resolutions are worthless because I don't know one person who actually followed through with their resolution. Even my mom has never completed her New Years resolution all year. Even if they are as simple as stop eating so many snacks, nobody can with hold the craving.

My Way Of Learning :D

In Rogate yesterday, we took two learning tests, Gardner Multiple Intelliences Test and the Anthony Gregorc Learning Styles Test we took these tests to find out the way we study best.
In the Gardner test, I had gotten Logical-Mathematical, Bodily Kinesthetic, and Musical.
Logical-Mathematical learners think by reason. They love, experimenting, questioning, figuring out puzzles, calculating, etc. They need things to explore & think about, science materials, manipulatives, trips to the planetarium and science museum.
 Bodily Kinesthetic learners think through somatic sensations. They love dancing, running, jumping, building, touching, gesturing, etc. The need roleplay, drama, movethings to build, sports and physical games, tactile experences, hands on learning.
Musical learners think via rhythms and melodies. They love singing,whistling, humming, tapping feet and hands, listening, etc. They ned sing-along time, trips to concerts, music playing at home and school, musical instruments.
I learned that I need a lot of things to be a good learner and actually concintrate. About myself, I learned that I need music, sports, and puzzles to be well educated.
One person I admire is Ariana Grande, singer/song-writer/actress. In my opinion, her way of learning for the Gardner Test would be Spatial and Musical. I think her Gregorc Test would be Concrete Random and Abstract Random.
Another person is my mom. I think her Gardner Test would be Intraprsonal and Spatial. Her Gregorc results would probably be Concrete Sequential.
Another person I admire is my Dad. I think his Gardner test would be Bodily-Kinesthetic. Gregorc test would be Concrete Sequential.
My Gerogorc test results was concrete random. A person who is concrete random is Independent, Creative, Risk-Taker, Unusual, Experimenter, Inventive, Problem-solver, Curious, Investigative, Intuitive, Games and simulation, Problem solving, creating products, Independent study, Experiments, Unusual solutions, options, open-ended work, Practical ideas, few resrictions. In school this cannot really help me in anyway. I didn't really learn anything about myself on this test that I didn't know before....
I hope you enjoyed my post (:

My First Post; All About Me (:

Hey everybody, my name is Jenna, even though I'm pretty sure you can already tell by my URL. Anyways, I am in 7th Grade and turning 13 in October. In school my favorite classes are Gym, Agriscience, and Global Studies. My favorite things to learn about are things that interest me, including, mysteries and U.S. history, I also like learning about writing free-write stories. I love to write stories and doodle in my freetime. 
        In my family I have my mom, my dad, and my two brothers, Jeff and Joey. Jeff is 15 in Northern Burlingon Regional High School, and Joey is 8 in Springfield Township Elementary. When I grow up I either want to be a Teacher, a Lawyer, or a professional Lacrosse player. A lot of things make me happy, but there are only two really important things, 1. Playing lacrosse and practicing lacrosse. 2. Reading my book (Pretty Little Liars Series) Well, I hope you enjoyed my first post, I hope you look forward to more. (:
<3
~Jenna