Which Stylus I Liked Most by James

In LA we tried out some different styluses so we know which is best to use next year. We tried three different ones: Bamboo, Amazon Basic, and Cosmonaut. I got to try all three. My favorite one was the Cosmonaut. It is kind of big, so it is hard to carry with your iPad. This makes it easy to lose. I like it because if I was drawing (which is sometimes necessary when taking notes in class) it is very stable. I can put my whole hand around it, which keeps my hand from shaking.
Six different iPad styluses, all different colors
I like the other styluses but they have smaller and more wiggly points which can mess up my accuracy.

Something by James

small red glass heart on the ground with water around its base

Photo from Flickrcc

There is an unspeakable

and Beautiful
Thing.
Everyone
has it
but
Some don’t show
It.
It warms us
Inside,
and It is one
of the most
Valuable
things in life
Some people call it
Enjoying others,
Some say that
It’s taking
Pride
in someone’s accomplishments
And some
have one,
Wonderfully broad term:
Love.

River Rocks by James

If the world was

a river,

Then people would

be the

River Rocks

 

Some of us are

Small

And some of us are
Large

Some of us have been
Eroded
by the current of the
River
And by the ways of
This world

Some of us are
young and loose,
Trying to find our
place in this
Pebbles of all shapes and sizes
River of a world

Some of us stay in
Clusters,
not bothering with
the Lone Ones
But,
Some of us are the
Lone Ones,
ashamed of our
Abnormality
and trying
but not
Succeeding
in following the flow
of the
River

Evernote by James

One of the apps that I really like on the iPads is Evernote. I can use it for written homework and I can take notes on it also. A trick that I use a lot is that you can write it without Internet and then synchronize later. This is helpful for me because my dad drives around after school a lot for his job. With Evernote, I can do my homework and be done with it before I even get home.

Green background with black elephant head on it

 

What I Think Jonas’ First Memory Should Be by James

In Language arts our class is still reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. In the book Jonas, the main character, is selected to be the next Receiver. This means that he will have all of the memories of the past world. The Receiver before him will be the one to train him. This Receiver is called the Giver now because he is giving memories to Jonas, and Jonas is receiving them.

The first memory that the Giver gives to Jonas is the memory of snow, and sledding down a hill. If I were to be the Giver, and I had to choose which memory to give Jonas first, I would give him the memory of being on the water in a boat and looking out at the ocean. I would to this because I really like the idea of moving so quickly across the water, and am amazed at how beautiful the water can look as it stretches all around you.

 

My Giver Assignment by James

In class we are reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. It is a very good book about a utopian society. The main character is Jonas, an eleven year old boy. He is about to get his “Assignment,” or job. He lives with his seven year old sister, Lily, and mother and father.

We were told to think about what our Assignment would be. In the book, your Assignment is decided by your strengths and likes. I think I would be a writer because I like to write and do it well. If I was not a writer I think I would be a teacher, which is called and Instructor in the book. This is because I like helping others and can understand things quickly.

 

Problem Solving With the Tech Project by James

In LA we did a project on the iPads. For my project, I did a video of useful apps on the iPad. I used the camera app on Cole’s iPad and I then realized that there was no way to get it out of that app. Just to be sure we went to the Technology teacher, Mr. Schaefer. When we learned that even he didn’t know how to get it out of the camera app, we realized we would have to do it in a different app. So I used a camera to record it and I tried to put the recording in an email. It turns out the recording was too big to go in an email. Mrs. Donnelly then helped us put the video in Voicethread, where we added an intro and sent the project back to Mrs. Donnelly. This is how we problem solved in the technology project.

Cartoon drawing of a man thinking

Rooftops of Rome Prologue by James

a loaf of bread

Photo from Flickrcc

I wrote this after writing Part 4 so I couldn’t post it until now. Please comment. If you have read part 4, then you might reaize that this connects to when Victoria was explaining her parents’ deaths. Part 5 is coming soon.

Prologue

Augustus 4, 1332 A.D. Evening

Rome, Italy

A little girl was having her seventh birthday party. Her mother, father, and brother were all standing around her. Their economic position was fine, but the little girl had asked for simple bread instead of a cake. The family was all happy and smiling, giving her presents.

Her brother gave her an anklet that he had bought in Greece. Her mother gave her a book about Roman architecture. The little girl loved the prospect of how buildings stood up and stayed up without visible supports. Her father gave her a poem book, full of stories about faraway lands, and magic, and stories of true love.

As the little girl clipped the anklet on, a knock slammed at the door. A gruff voice ordered them to open up. The girl’s mother went to open the door. A knife was pulled, and blood was spilled.

First They Killed My Father: A Book About Cambodia’s Past by James

The book I am reading now is called First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. It is about Loung ung, a girl who was five years old when the Khmer Rouge occupied Cambodia. The book talks about her experience and how hungry she was. It also mentioned how her and her seven siblings were separated from each other.
It was suggested to me by one of my friends, Dylan, who loves history. It sounded kind of interesting so I decided to read it. I would suggest it for someone who wanted to learn about something new, as it is very informative. It is a very good book but kind of sad. It is 256 pages long with tall pages and small print, and it is kind of slow at first. I wouldn’t suggest reading it if you don’t like it when they describe dead bodies, but I think that the interesting parts make up for the bad parts.