Wonder

And yet another week of question/ answer activities. This week the book was focused on the character Miranda, Olivia's ex best friend. She is an interesting character who has many layers. I like how the questions were fun to answer.
I have been learning: to use knowledge acquired from the book to answer detailed questions.
How does this show my learning: This shows my learning because I have used what I read in the book to answer questions.
Next time I could improve on: adding even more detail from the book.
I am wondering: who dis R.J Palacio get the inspiration to write the character Miranda from.

Explain why August doesn’t like school events with parents? Because everybody looks at him. He doesn’t like being the centre of attention yet everybody’s eyes are pulled towards him.

Maya left a note for august and he said “ Six months ago stuff like this would never have happened, but now it happens more and more”. Explain the change that is occuring. People are talking to Auggie and he feels he fits in. Six months ago he was the one who didn’t belong and got all the wrong attention but now he has friends.

Describe August’s feelings about hearing aids. August doesn’t want to get hearing aids because he thinks they attract too much attention. Are they justified. Yes, because Auggie has no outer ear the hearing aids will have to be worn like a headband, showing up more than they would if he had outer ears.

Why did Via keep her part in the play a secret? Because She didn’t want her family to know and come to the play, nobody at her new school knows about Auggie and she wants to keep it that way. Why did Via’s Mum say the play wouldn’t be something Auggie would be interested in? To persuade Auggie not to go because Via didn’t want him to.

August says” I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives” Explain what this means and why he thinks this. August says this because the feeling when you get applauded for something you worked very hard on is a great feeling, he believes everyone should get a standing ovation because everyone deserves that feeling.

What effect did Daisy’s death have on the characters? Everyone was heart broken that their loyal companion passed away.

Why did Mirada claim ‘sickness’ before the play? She knew that if she couldn’t perform Via would have to take her role and she wanted Via to have the lead role and the spotlight.

After reading ‘Miranda’ how has your opinion of the character changed and why? In the prior chapters Olivia made out Miranda to be her best friend who changed. Reading Miranda’s part confirmed that she was still the same person who has just separated from Olivia.

Word vomit

I was given ten minutes to base a story on five words. I am happy I wrote something down.
What am I learning: How to quickly make ideas.
How does this show my learning: I made ideas quickly to make up this story.
Next time I would : try and get more words out.
I am wondering: How I can include the fallen tree more in my story.

-toaster

-motorcycle

-spider

-fallen tree

- red pen

The bread popped out of the toaster, burnt again. This is getting irritating, this toaster is going to set my house on fire. I use my red pen to write a note about the toaster. A small spider climbs up the window frame, luring my attention to the fallen tree outside. Great, my car is closed in. I guess I have to take my motorbike to work, remind me to deal with the toaster.

8 hours later

I come home after a long day of work, customers were very unhappy.what a change, not. What did I do? I look at the toaster, it seems to be repaired. Thats weird. The spider is still on the window frame, its small, dainty legs crawling up the weathered old wood. The red pen has transitioned from where it was last placed. It’s bright red ink spilled against the marble benchtop. Where is my note? The paper sits on the table, the edges are singed and there is a brown colouration to the once white paper. What has happened here?

8 hours prior

Ok, he is gone. I’m not broken am I? I mean, i’m not the best cook but surely i’m not that bad.

Hot cross buns

Yesterday in home ec we made hot cross buns. Unlike most weeks they didn't turn out great. The recipe said to use whole meal flour instead of white flour so they were baby rocks. We accidentally spilt the salt so they were very salty. this week I worked with Tanaya and Dylan. Next time we would stay on task and do better.

Recipe

1cup whole meal/ white flour
2tsp baking flour
1/2 tsp salt
2tbsp butter 
1tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins
1/3 cup milk.

Frosting
1/2 cup icing sugar
2tsp milk
1tsp vanilla

Method.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. ( we managed this)
Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. ( We didn't sift our flour and we used too much salt so the rolls turned out hard and salty, don't make this mistake, use white flour!)
Cut in butter with a fork until it looks like bread crumbs. ( Just like making scones, this recipe is much like spiced scones. )
Add honey, cinnamon and raisins and lightly toss. ( We did this well, the mix was even and light).
Stir it around quickly with a fork and form a ball. (The mixture did take a while to form a ball)
Divide ball into 6 small ones. ( I would recommend four balls, we did 6 and they were very small).
Cut a cross onto all of them and bake for 15-20 minutes. ( They were a little but messy when it came to the cross.)

Mix the frosting ingredients together. Pour into cross of hot buns. ( We did this very badly, we got icing everywhere.)

wonder

Here is another question/ answer blog post about wonder. I really enjoy reading the book and answering deep questions about it, it makes me think. I like how most of this part was about the character Justin, Olivia's boyfriend. Next time I would add more graphics.

What are the motivations for Julian's Mum to photoshop August out of the class photo?She didn’t want Auggie in the photo because she thinks he is deformed and ruins the photo for the rest of the class.What message is this sening Julian? It is sending the message that it is ok to pick on Auggie for looking different., it really isn't.

What do you make of Mrs Albans statement about Auggie being handicapped? I think she thinks that Treacher collins syndrome affects mobility and other functions. Do you think she was correct when she said it places too much of a burden of the kids to befriend August? No, lots of kids have become friends with Auggie and It had brought no negative effects other than being disgraced by the popular kids whose opinion shouldn’t matter.

Mrs Alban also thinks Auggie shouldn’t be allowed in beecher prep, do you agree or disagree? I disagree because Auggie causes nobody any harm.

How did Jack handle being frozen out by all the other boys in his school? He spent his breaks with Auggie and Summer instead.

Why was Justin nervous about meeting Olivia’s parents? Because meeting your partner’s parents is a big deal. How did it show? He was acting a little weird. How did it work out? Olivia’s parents like Justin.

Why does Justin greet the different members of the family in different ways? Because he greeted them how he thought was appropriate. Explain how he greeted them? He gave Auggie a hello fist bump, Olivia a kiss of the cheek and Olivia’s parents a hello handshake.

In the bus stop chapter Justin told Julian and his friends to leave Jack alone, was this a good idea? Partly, he was sticking up for someone he knew and who was his girlfriend’s brother’s best friend. It could of been a bad idea because the kids could have teased Jack about needing August’s sister’s boyfriend to stick up for him.

In the chapter called bird Olivia says she is an awful person, why is this? Because she doesn’t want Auggie to come to the play because nobody knows about him. Is she right? No, she has never been embarrassed of Auggie before and it makes sense she doesn’t want people to know about him.

In what ways is part five different to other parts of the book? All the writing is in lower case, it is told from a different perspective.

wonder

This weeks work on wonder. I think I have done a good job making things neat and readable. Next time I would go more in depth with my explanations.

What was summers initial reaction to August? She was honestly surprised and she felt sorry for him. Why did they become friends? At first Summer sat with him because she felt bad for him but now she sits with Auggie because he is fun.

Summer isn’t in the popular group, why was she invited to Savannah's party? Because they wanted her to ditch Auggie and join them.

How does Summer foster a friendship with Auggie, in which way is it beneficial to them both? Summer sits with Auggie on the first day of school and they become friends, they both have someone to trust and hang out with.

Part four starts with a quote ‘  Now here's my secret. It’s very simple. It is only with one’s heart one can see clearly, what is essential is invisible to the eye. What does this mean? I think this means that looks can be deceiving, take information from what you are feeling rather than what you are seeing.

What was Jack’s initial reaction to mr Tushman's request to show Auggie around the school? Jack was not keen at all to show Auggie around the school. What made Jack say yes to showing Auggie around? A change of heart ( and persuasion).

Friendship can be difficult, how does Jack feel about him and Auggie being ‘ex friends’? He feels guilty and confused. How does he feel when he finds out why? Horrible and guilty.

How was Jack provoked to punch Julian in the face? Julian was saying mean things about Auggie and Jack wanted to teach him a lesson. Why do you think that was right/wrong to do so? I think it was wrong because violence is not the answer.

How did reading from Jack's perspective change your opinion about the character? My opinion changed because I read abouts Jack’s feelings about certain events. It also changed because I now know his backstory.

Predict how Auggie will feel about Jack punching Julian, how do you think this would affect their friendship?I think Auggie will be surprised and happy Julian was punched, I think it will help mend their friendship.

Spiced apple muffins

Muffins, light, fluffy and sweet, with cooked apple and a brown sugar spiced crust. To sum that up, we made spiced apple muffins yesterday. We did a great job at keeping to time, measuring correctly and cooking them well. The muffins were very light and fluffy, not dense like some muffins can be, I guess my bossiness paid off. Next time we could put the batter in the paper case more delicately so they look neater when they are cooked. That was the only flaw. We are very proud of what we have achieved and my whole family enjoyed them!

Beautiful!

Wonder character map.

LO: Create a character map with August in the middle and other characters around him, the more significant, the closer to the centre.

I used the 'wonder' movie site to create the faces of the characters how I imagine them. If you would like to create yourself, click here.
Next time I would fit more characters In the map.

Wonder

This weeks work focuses on the chapter of 'Wonder' about Olivia. It was interesting reading about Via and how she feels about Auggie. Next time I would add more quotes from the book.

How was the point of view different in part one than part two? When the book got up to part two the story was told by Olivia, August’s older sister.

In a paragraph, describe the challenges Via must face being Auggies sister?

I think Via will face lots of challenges being Auggie’s sister because she is always trying to protect him and keep him out of harm. Olivia also wants to be someone other than ‘ the cripples sister’. She feels embarrassed when she invites her family to places. Olivia loves August very much and doesn’t want to see him hurt.

Via says ‘ August is the sun’ explain what she means. She says that august is the sun because it feels like everything revolves around him, the spotlight is never on her.

Via thinks that her parents are wrong when it comes to making August feel normal, why do you think this is? I think she feels that making him feel normal is a bad idea because nobody else thinks of him as normal and she doesn’t want him to get his hopes up. Do you agree? No but I understand her argument.

Via goes by Olivia at high school, why do you think this is? I think she doesn’t go by Via because that’s what Auggie calls her and she wants to be her own self, not just Auggie’s sister.

How is Olivia going at high school? At highschool nobody knows about August, she has a boyfriend and some other friends so it is going well.

What are the odds of Olivia having a baby which looks like August?. If she marries someone with the gene there is a %50 chance of the child having the gene and being fine, %25 chance of the child not having the gene at all and %25 chance of the child looking like Auggie. Do you think these are good odds?  They are not the greatest.

Explore the character Miranda, what did she say to August in the end of part two? Miranda was Via’s best friend and she said that she misses Via.

Describe Via as a character. Via is August’s big sister and is a very empathetic person, she has her own problems but worries and cares about Auggie heaps. She loves her family but wants a life of her own. Do you empathise with her? Yes, I do.

What do you think will happen to august when he returns to school? Nobody knows that it was him in the bleeding scream mask, he will continue to be friends with Summer.

The black death

The black death was one of the worlds most well known and deadly human disasters. In central Asia, 1347, the plague began. The plague was spread by oriental fleas carried by black rats. The rats boarded boats sailing to Europe and the Mediterranean. Through out the four years the plague was active, it killed anywhere from 75-200 million people. If you were infected you would die within a week, but it would be a slow and painful death. First you would get buboes on your limbs, neck and groin. Next you would start vomiting blood. The plague could also spread to you lungs, causing respiratory problems. An estimated %30-%60 of the population of Europe were killed by the black death. People tried to cure the plague by cutting buboes, soaking the affected person in water and vinegar or slitting the veins to rid the blood stream of the plague. Seeming that over 100 million people died, it looks like none of these 'cures' worked. In conclusion, the black death was one of the most horrific, deadly outbreaks in human history!

Pizza!

Pizza, one of the worlds favourite food, was created yesterday in pinwheel form. In other words, we made pizza rolls yesterday. I worked with Tanaya and Dylan to create the rolls. We kept to time and nailed all of our tasks, we even had time to help other teams. Next time we could work on how we divide the end product because people are always screaming for the biggest ones. The only fault was the teacher put way too much sauce on ours, oh well.

Wonder

The book 'wonder' was partly based on Natalie Merchants song by the same name. The song is about a handicapped lady who, with much support from her adopted mother, overcomes all obstacles. The reason R.J Palacio used this song as inspiration is because it celebrates everyone as equals rather than excluding people.
Goal: Listen to the song and explain what story it tells and how it relates to the story.
How does this show my learning: Because I have explained how this song relates to the story.

Here are my video notes

'Doctors have come from distant cities, just to see me, stand over my bed, disbelieving what their seeing' Hints that she may have a medical complication of some form.
'they say I must be one of the wonders, God's own creation'tells us she valued.
Natilie Merchant wrote this song about a handicaped lady who, with love and surport from her adopted family, overcame her disability. When Natilie Merchant was a teenager she volenteered at a camp for kids with special needs, her song is also written to those kids.

Natilie Merchant views people with disabilities gifted and a wonder, not as a handicaped, doctors can not understand their condition so they are God's wonders

'News papers ask intimate questions, want confessions' Maybe the doctors think having a disability is a sin.

'Reach into my head, to steal the glory from my story' This is most likely the disabled persons point of view, seeing the doctors as trying to make them normal when they are special

The many different people in the video represents how we are all different but we all need love and kindness.

'and they smile as they can not find no explanation' doctors do not know what causes disibilities.

'Laughed when she came to my cradle, know this child will be able' the child will be able to over come the obstacles.

'Laughed as my body she lifted, know this child is gifted' means they are special in their own way.

'With love, with patience and with faith,she'll make her way' we all need love and support to thrive and take on the world. She will succeed!

'People see me, i'm a challenge to your balance' people view others with a disability like a flaw or impurity to their lives

'I’m over your heads; how I confound you and astound you to know I must be one of the wonders of god’s own creation, and as far as you can see you can offer me no explanation' means that we all can succeed, just because we are not the same doesn't mean we are a problem, everyone is different and that should be celebrated, the world would be boring if we were all the same.

Beatriz Milhazes

Beatriz Milhazes is a Brazilian artist who creates her art based on art from her heritage and references to western art. She works with large art spaces and works by layering different shapes, colours and patterns. 

 

This piece of art stood out to me because it is vibrant and incorporates some ko whai whai like shapes. I like how the colours stand out against each other. She also uses an open composition.

quote unquote

This quote means that it is ok to be different, to make risky moves and to go against the grain. I think this quote is important because it helps us to realise that we can’t all be the same; it would be a very boring world if we were all the same.