And the Story Continues...

Jamie had just told me she was dyeing of leukemia. I just kept thinking why her? Why not some other person? She was good. She did everything she was supposed to? She had a great future planned out for her. I didn’t want her to die. I just realized I loved her, and now I was going to lose her. I prayed every night to God to do a miracle, to make something happen. Didn’t he do other stuff like make the blind see and the handicapped walk? Why couldn’t he cure Jamie.

I would see her grow weaker every day. She was in pain and I couldn’t do anything about it. I wish it were me suffering. She didn’t deserve this. If she took higher doses of medicine she will faint, but if they lowered it, the pain will come back. The doctors had estimated that she had only two weeks to live. Two Weeks. She had told me she was scared too death, but she never showed her fear. Man I tell you, this girl had a whole lot of faith. I wished I had faith like hers, I admire her for that. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Before she’d pass away, I had this insane idea. I knew everybody would think I’m crazy but I had to do it. I had to marry Jamie. She was the love of my life, and plus I wanted to make her wish come true. She had told me once that her wish was to marry in a church full of people, and for her dad to walk her down the aisle. I told my mom about my plan, luckily she went along with it. After I told my mom I decided to ask Hegbert for Jamie’s hand in Marriage, of course he refused, but for the first time I told him how I felt about Jamie. How much I loved her and what she means to me. At last he understood, and agreed for me to marry his daughter.

I asked Jamie if she could do me a favor. She told me that she didn’t know if she was strong enough to do anything for me anymore. I felt nervous at what I was about to ask her but I still said. “Will you marry me”? She took a long time to answer, but finally said yes. We married at the church and her wish came true. I was happy that she was happy. But I kept worrying about her. She now only had three days to live. I spent everyday with her. I knew I was being greedy and stuff, but I didn’t want to let her out of my sight. I occasionally left the room to leave her dad, Hegbert, and her alone. But I still felt uncomfortable. I felt the urge of being right next to her.

Two days had passed and this was the final day that the doctors had estimated her time to die. I didn’t want to say goodbye. I wasn’t ready for that. I didn’t want to believe that my days with her were over. Every day she kept getting worse. She was pale and very thin but looked beautiful like always. When I held her in my arms she was very light weight. I wanted her to be safe. I still remember this day clearly for my age now. She was sitting on the rocker chair that next to the piano taking a nap. I was sitting in the floor knelt besides her watching her sleep. Her breaths were uneven, and heavier than normal. Then I’d realized it was time for her to eat.

I went to the kitchen and grabbed her food and set it on the table that was next to the rocking chair. I gently tried to wake her, but she wouldn’t respond. Hegbert wasn’t home. He was at the church planning for tomorrow’s service. I was now panicking her breath had stopped and she had no pulse. She couldn’t die. Not now. I prayed and prayed as tears went down my cheeks. I asked for a miracle to happen. It was the worst 13 minutes of my life when I suddenly felt her pulse again. She was alive. My Jamie was alive. I carried her and quickly took her to my car. I turned on the engine, and raced through the streets to get to the hospital. She was unconscious but alive.

When I arrived at the hospital I demanded for a doctor. Fortunately, there was a doctor rite then. I gently put her in a near by gurney, and let the doctor and other nurses take her. I sat in the waiting room knowing that I must have faith. I waited patiently till finally the doctor came out and told me the news. He said, “A miracle it must be. A miracle.” I told him to explain, and he said, “Your Wife, Jamie, doesn’t have leukemia. It’s very strange, and it’s the first time I’ve seen the law of science proven wrong. She has just woken up from her unconsciousness, but she’s still weak.” Immediately I said “I need to see her right now. I must.” The doctor led me into the room and there she was, beautiful as ever. 

            I walked in and went to her side. First I kissed her hand, then her forehand, and lastly her lips. She began to say, “I thought I was suppose to die...” but I cut her off and said, “Jamie, doctors can say one thing, but God can say another.” She smiled and that’s when I realized that God had answered my prayers.

            I told Hegbert what had happened, and surprisingly he didn’t throw a fit when I told him I took his daughter without his permission. He came as soon as I told him by the hospitals phone. I also called my mom and told her. She came to and was happy to hear that Jamie was now safe. Days passed and Hegbert and my mom kept coming in and out of the hospital to visit Jamie.  I stayed with her since the day they brought her in. I couldn’t leave her by herself. After 5 days they let her go. I brought her home and I noticed the color was returning to her face.

            She was eating healthy now, and she also was gaining weight. I thanked God for what he had done. I could never repay him for what he did. Time kept passing by and Jamie and I went to Vanderbilt University together. We both studied for medical degrees and of course, Jamie was smarter than me. We graduated with our bachelor’s degree in medicine.

            As the years passed, Jamie and I had two children, a girl and a boy. Their names were Mason and Charlotte Carter. Now Mason is 25 and Charlotte is 21. I’m now 57 and still living happily married to my wife, Jamie. She has taught me so many things. She has taught me how to forgive and how to have faith. I love her with all my heart and I want to die in her arms of old age. She is the other half of my heart, one that I hope to not lose ever again.

Word Count: 1,223

Dear Ms. Vallejo,

            I encourage you to read this book, because you can learn a lot from it. It was a really nice book to read because it talked about having faith, how to forgive, and the power of love. Throughout the book Jamie Sullivan is the reverend’s daughter who is seen as a loner, because of her beliefs and the way she is, but she doesn’t seem to mind. Landon Carter is student body president. He is well known at school, but is always trying to blend in. Landon never imagined himself with Jamie, but fate was the one that brought these two lovers together.

Jamie taught Landon the importance of faith, and how you must have it during hardships, and struggles. Even though she knew she was dieing, she never questioned God, and accepted it. She never lost her faith, and Landon admired her for that. He loved her and didn’t want her to pass away. In the book, Landon tells Jamie he’s been reading the book of Job in the bible, where God tested Job’s faith. He asks Jamie why she hadn’t lost her faith yet. In response she tells him, “It’s because that’s the only thing I have left.”

She also taught him how to forgive. It was not good to hold grudges against someone, and you would be hurting yourself if you did. Jamie would get teased by other teens, but she never paid much attention to them, and didn’t let it affect her. When Landon’s friends came to apologize for how rude they been treating her, she forgives them. They were awfully sorry what they had said and done to her. Now that she was dieing they came to realize what a great person she was. The admirable thing about Jamie was that she never held grudges against them. She had forgiven them long time ago.

This book also teaches you the power of Love. It teaches you how love can change a person. At the beginning of the book Landon was a different person. He would hang out with the wrong crowd, leading him to do bad stuff.  But afterwards, Jamie had changed him. He became a nicer person. Love transformed him into a man of understanding and compassion. Jamie had inspired him to do better in life, to succeed and get into college. It’s incredible how love can change a person. You would do anything in the world for them, because you love them.

Ms. Vallejo, I agree that this a good book to read. It can teach you a lot of things. Love is the mist important of them all. It shows you how love can conquer all. Landon learns what life is really about. As the time that Jamie has left progresses, he helps her to be more comfortable about her situation with his love, and that is really sweet. I hope you read this book, and enjoy as much as I did. it was really fun to read and I think it was a great book.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Caballero

Word Count: 507

Images Tell A Story

The book begins with Landon Carter remembering his past when he was seventeen years old.







When Landon was seventeen he and his father didn't have a really good  connection since his father was a congress man and lived in Washington D.C.




His Father had told him to run for school president and landon won with the help of his popular friend, Eric.






Since he was the school president Landon was required to go to the dance with a date. the only girl that was available was Jamie Sullivan.






Jamie Sullivan was the Reverend's daughter. She wasn't social or like anybody else. she was more of a loner. Landon didn't want to go to the dance with her but that was his only choice.







A few days after the dance Jamie asked Landon if he could particpate in the school's play. he didnt wnat to accept, but he did.








One day after rehearsal Jamie asked Landon to walk her home. which became very frequent.









In another day that Landon was walking Jamie home, his friends saw him and made fun of him.









Despite being embarrassed of Jamie, Landon learned that she would go and volunteer at the orphanage, to help out with the children.

At the night of the play, Landon wanted to apologize to Jamie for being  mean to her for a time he was walking her home, and said he wasn't her friend.

In return Jamie asked him a favor. She asked him to pick up the jars she place all over town to raise money for the orphanage.

Landon saw that the jars he collected there was a little bit amount of money, so he took money from his bank account and put it in the jars to not make Jamie feel disappointed.

With the money from the jars, Jamie bought Christmas presents for the orphans, and spent Christmas Eve there with Landon. There Landon realized what were his true feelings toward Jamie.

Landon told Jamie That he loved her, but Jamie told him she was deing of Leukemia.

Landon took care of Jamie Day and Night to make sure she was okay.

When Jamie's dad told the church that Jamie was dieing, Landon's friends that were mean to here came to apologize.

Before Jamie's death Landon married her, which was her wish that she had told him about. it was the best day of his life, and he will always remember her.

Nicholas Sparks

            Nicholas Charles Sparks was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 31, 1965. He was raised in Roman Catholicism since he can remember. He has ancestries of German, Czech, English, and Irish. Sparks family always moved because of his dad’s pursue in graduate studies. So by the time he was eight he had already lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska.  once he got older He married Cathy Cote from New Hampshire on July 22, 1989.

During his early years, Sparks graduated in 1984 as valedictorian from Bella Vista High School, and then enrolled at the University of Notre Dame, having received a full track and field scholarship. While in school Sparks wrote his first although not publish novel called The Passing. After collage he tried to work with publishers and get into law school but failed in both. He spent the next three years with other careers such as real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone and starting his own manufacturing business.

 In 1990, Sparks co-wrote with Billy Mill’s Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding in which the was published. In 1993 Sparks wrote The Notebook. It was published in October 1996 by the Time Warner Book Group.After his first publishing success, he wrote several other novels.  These were some novels that were made into films: Message in a Bottle (1999), A Walk to Remember (2002), The Notebook (2004), Nights in Rodanthe (2008), Dear John (2010), and The Last Song (2010).

Sparks began his 16th novel, Safe Haven, on February 17, 2010, and it was published on September 14, 2010. He has three sons; Miles, Ryan, and Landon; and twin daughters, Lexie and Savannah. Sparks is not a writer but also a contributor. he has helped fund "close to ten million dollars" to start a Christian private school according to Entertainment Weekly. He also contributes to the Creative Writing Program at the University of Notre Dame by funding scholarships, and internships.

A Walk to Remember

There was a time when the world was sweeter...when the women wore dresses, and the men donned hats. The summer of 1958 was one that I will never forget. At age 57 I still remember, as I look back at the time I was seventeen. I was living in the small religious town of Beaufort, North Carolina. My father was a congressman so he was not around much since he lived in Washington, DC. I felt like our relationship was stretching out farther and farther every time he was not around. He told me to run for school president and with the help of one of the most popular guys at school and also my best friend, Eric Hunter, I actually won. Now, the bad thing about being school president was that I was required to go to the dance with a DATE. I asked many girls, but they were all taken.

So I decided to look at the yearbook to find one. As I was looking through the pages I saw Jamie Sullivan’s picture. I didn’t want to go to the dance with her, but no one else seemed to be available. Jamie Sullivan was the daughter of Hegbert Sullivan, the church’s reverend. She always carried a bible, and just the sight of it made people guilty. She always dressed in modest clothing and every time she talked to someone she had to mention “God’s Plan”.  Jamie didn’t seem to mind living in a world apart from the other teens. She took care of her widowed father, rescued hurt animals, and helped out at the local orphanage. Never in the world will I imagine asking Jamie out, but sometimes things happen for a reason.

When I asked Jamie out to the dance she said she will go with me under one condition. I thought her condition was ridiculous so I guessed she had a sense of humor, but, boy I was wrong. She said “You have to promise that you won’t fall in love with me”, and I assured her I wouldn’t. At the night of the dance I saw Angela Clark, my first and ex- girlfriend. She was with her boyfriend Lew, a mechanic. Lew noticed I was looking at Angela’s direction, and threatened me but, thankfully Jamie came to my aid by telling Lew some story how she met his grandmother. I had to say, Jamie was a good person. The dance wasn’t that bad after all. After a few weeks, Jamie unexpectedly asked me to play the lead role in the school’s play “The Christmas Angel”. You see, I decided to take drama class that year because I thought it would give me an easy A, but now it results in me playing the lead role. I accepted Jamie’s offer but I was not that happy about it because, my friends will tease me once they found out. On the other hand Jamie was more than happy.

One day when rehearsal finished Jamie asked me to walk her home, which then became more frequent. A few days later, while I was walking Jamie home, Erick saw us and mocked me and Jamie. I felt embarrassed of her but I couldn’t help it. However, I learned a lot about Jamie. She told me the organizations and people she helped including, the orphanage. Jamie and I went to go visit this orphanage one time. She had this idea that she wanted to do the play for the children, but Mr. Jenkins, the owner, didn’t approve of it. On our way back from the orphanage, Jamie tells me her wish of getting married in a church filled with people, and her father to walk her down the aisle. I thought this was pretty strange but to be honest, I kind of liked spending time with her.

As days passed, I kept walking Jamie home, till one day she annoyed me and I told her I wasn’t her friend. I was really sorry afterwards I tried telling her on the night of the play but I couldn’t find her. Jamie was playing the angel of the play and for once I saw how beautiful she was. She wore a hint of makeup and her hair was down then rather in a bun. After the play, I finally got to say I’m sorry and tell her if there is anything I can do for her. In return, she told me to collect all the jars she put up around town to help collect money for the orphanage. When I did, there was only fifty five dollars and seventy three cents in there. I felt bad that she went through the trouble of putting jars all over town and just get that little after putting them at the beginning of the year. So I went to the bank and when I gave it to her there was two hundred and seventy four dollars. We bought a lot of gifts for the children in the orphanage, and we spent Christmas Eve there. As a present she gave me her bible. It used to be her mother’s so it really meant a lot to her. I finally realized my true feelings, all I could do is wonder how I'd ever fallen in love with a girl like Jamie Sullivan.

I invited her to dinner for Christmas, and I went to visit her the next day at her house where we shared our first kiss. Afterwards, I asked Hegbert if I can take Jamie to Flavin’s, the restaurant, on New Year’s Eve. He obviously refused, but then after I declare my love for his daughter, he let her go. In New Years Eve Jamie and I went to dinner and we shared our first dance. After a couple of weeks, I finally told Jamie that I loved her, but in response she told me that I couldn't. I demanded and explanation and that was when she told me she was dieing of Leukemia. I felt like my whole world was collapsing. The woman I love was dieing.

I noticed that Jamie was not coming to school no more, and I knew that she was too weak to go to school and never again will go. I insisted Jamie to have dinner at my house one night and there, for the first time, Jamie told me she loved me too. After a few weeks later, Margaret and Eric come to Jamie’s house. They apologize for being mean to Jamie and treating her rude. She gladly forgave them, and that’s what surprised me the most. She’d always tolerate their taunting and just like that she forgives them. They gave her 400 dollars for the orphanage and left knowing she was the greatest person they have ever known.

My dad took me by surprise when he paid for Jamie’s home care since she refused to be hospitalized. It’s hard to believe, but this suddenly brought me closer to my dad. At the end I married Jamie. We married just like she wanted it with a church full of people, and her dad walking her down the aisle. That would always be a Walk to Remember. When Hegbert turned his daughter at the front of the steps he said "I can no more give Jamie away than I can give away my heart. But what I can do is let another share in the joy that she has always given me." Looking back at this memory makes me remember that Jamie taught me the importance of faith and forgiveness. Even though she was dieing she never lost faith. I now believe by the way that miracles can happen.

Word Count: 1,278

Test Taking Strategies

Test Taking Strategies

1. Analyze how you did on a similar test in the past. Each test can help you study for the next
2. Read directions carefully! to understand them better.
3. Answer the easy ones first to build confidence, and not waste time
4. Eliminate obvious incorrect answers if your stuck
5. Stay Relaxed and try your BEST!

CST Preparation      
     In order to prepare for the CST's I'm going to study and review previous lessons. I'm also going to eat breakfast to be healthy and ready for the test. I'm going to go to sleep early in order to not feel sleepy when taking the test. I will also avoid distractions that will interrupt my learning and studying time. I will pay closely attention in class and follow directions. I will listen to whatever Ms. Mejia has to say in order to prevent errors. I will also stay relaxed and confident instead of panicking.
     Arriving early can be a way to prepare for the test. By doing this i can prepare for the task at hand. I will also read the questions carefully to avoid confusion. Staying up to date can help with CST Preparation by not worrying about missing assignments. It would be better to not try  to do all my studying the night before the test. Instead I'll keep reviewing at least 20 minutes a day. I will do the best I can to Prepare for the CST.

Poetry Terms

Sound Devices

Rhyme: Using the same vowel and consonant sound at the end of two words.
Repetition: Using the same word or phrase more than once.
Alliteration: Using the same consonant at the beginning of words

Devices

Symbol: An object, person, or idea that stands for something beyond itself.
Imagery: Words and phrases that appeal to the five senses
Figurative Language: Writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally.
     - Metaphor: A comparison of two things with using the words like or as
     - Simile: A Comparison of two things using the words like or as.

Forms of Poetry

Narrative: A narrative poem tells a story.
Lyrical: A lyrical poem expresses personal feelings and thought.
Ballad: A Ballad Poem has a musical quality in which tells a story that happened throughout history. It has a serious tone to it.

Ballad Poem

U.S. History - Slavery

They have taken me from my home land
To work on the plantation of a white man
I work in the fields from day to night

From morning dawn to twilight
But I wish I can dissapear and take flight
I'm forced to tolerate their beatings

Its harsh how us, their defeating
I see how they treat the others
I've seen how they killed my brothers

I've seen friends die before my eyes
I have heard their whimpers and aganozing cries
As a slave. I am seen as property

Even if I work hard I can't get out of this proverty
So now I just wait for someone to come to my rescue
I have lost hope and thats my story that I tell you

Narrative Poem

My First Time At Six Flags

We had arrived at midday

It was cold and the sun was beginning to set

And there it awaited the theme park I so badly wanted to go

Which instead of being a friend ended up a foe

Eleven years of age I was

Never will I forget this memory I came upon

The remembrance of all the fear it caused

Just because this ride I got on

Out of all the people that came with me in this retreat

My best friend was the one that experience this right next to me

At first I was the one that was brave

But acting so brave was surely a mistake

When I sat down in the cart I was very inpatient

I wanted it to end and get over it once and for all

But I didn’t know the impact would be very strong

I didn’t know it will feel like getting smashed into a wall

Adrenalin pumped through my veins

And fear crossed my mind

At my side, was my partner

Who taught it was her time to die

When we reached the 255 ft peak

The cart stopped for a moment

Then with all its might it went down

With force that took control of my body motion

Through the rest of the ride unconscious I was

My body was uncontrollable flopping like a raged doll

When it ended I didn’t have a balance

My feet didn’t want to move at all

I got traumatized and made a promise

I would never come again to a Six Flags theme park

But over the years passed

It was just another thoughtless remark

LOOK & LEARN

 The Treaty of Versailles was signed by Germany in which stated that they admitted their defeat.

 This picture represents the entrance of the concentration camp named Auschwitz. the sign is written in German but it says "work makes one free,"

 Hitler was the leader of the Nazi association. He was in power during the Holocaust.

 Jews were to dig ditches and surround them while S.S. Soldiers shot them down the ditch.

Occupants of the Warsaw ghetto being forced out during the final liquidation by the SS.

 This is a picture of the gas chamber at Auschwitz. a concentration camp in Poland.

 These were the crematoriums in which the Jews were burned including newborns and the elderly.

 Jews wore one pair of clothing, in which had a number wriiten on to know who was who.

 Jews were forced to wear stars on their clothing in order to easily identify them by the Nazis

This were the Barracks in which he Jews slept in the Concentration Camps.

Historical Context

1. The Weimar republic was the democratic government in Germany that was established before Hitler came to power.
2. World War I began in 1914 and ended in 1918  with the Treaty of Versailles.
3. Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles in which made Germans admit defeat, give up some of their land, and pay the Victors of World War I.
4. After Germany's lost, the nation went through an economic depression, they desperately needed a leader
5. In which gave the opportunity for Hitler to come to power in 1933.
6. The Holocaust started with the ideology created by Hitler that blamed the jews for why Germany lost world war I and Germany's economic problems.
7. The main target of the holocaust were Jews. Others  included gypsies, homosexuals, Poles, Slavs, Communists, Socialists, the disabled, and other political rivals.
8.  To completely humilate and isolate jews from everyday life the Nazi created ghettos. These Ghettos were sections of a city that were locked in by walls, fences, or barbed wires.
9. After, Jews were shipped to Concentration Camps. This was part of Hitler's final solution.
10. Some Concentration camps were labor camps and others were death ones.
11. They starved jews and gave them only one pair of clothes
12. Babies were burned in Crematorium along with others Jews who the Nazi thought were unnecessary.

Anne Frank - Stage Adaptation

Anne Frank's Stage Adaptation took place in Amsterdam, Holland. It begins in 1945, at the end of the holocaust. Mr. Frank finds his daughter’s diary. The diary written by Anne Frank reveals that her family along with the Vann Daans has gone into hiding with the help of a family friend called Miep and her boyfriend Mr. Kraler. They hid in the attic of an abandoned warehouse.  They are told to keep quiet so there would be no suspicions, and they were to avoid using the bathroom.     After a few months passed Mr. Kraler ask if Dussel, a dentist, can hide with the Franks and Vann Daans. Mr. Vann Daan and the others were irritated by this idea because of food shortage, but at the end he ends up staying and becomes Anne’s Roommate. Margot, her older sister, was her old roommate but her mom thought it was more appropriate if Anne was Dussel’s roommate because of her age. Letters were used to trick the Germans into believing they lived elsewhere. As months passed Anne and Dussel don’t get along, because Dussel thinks Anne is immature for her age, and Anne and Peter, Mr. and Ms. Van Daan’s son, learn through the books that Miep Brings them every once  and then. During Hanukah despite the uncertainty Anne and her dad give gifts to everyone. While they were celebrating Peter fell of a chair making a loud noise, which seemed to set things in motion downstairs. Everyone thought the green police discovered them, but it happened to be a thief who stole the cash box and a radio.

After 2 years have passed (1994) everyone is becoming thinner, Mouchi, Peter’s cat has gone missing, and Mr. Kraler is being Blackmail by a store clerk. The store clerk is suspicious someone’s hiding in the attic making everyone worried. As Anne and Peter grow closer they develop feelings for each other and have dates. Mrs. Frank and Vann Daan don’t like Anne and Peter’s bedroom meetings, because they close the door for hours. Although, they just talking to get to know each other better as friends. Later, Ms. Frank finds out Mr. Vann Daan is stealing food instead of the rats, and everyone is starving because of it. Mrs. Frank is furious at him and wants him to leave along with his wife. In that same moment Miep comes and informs them about the invasion by allied forces on the beaches of Norway. They all get happy and forgive each other for their wrong doings. However, a few months later The Gestapo have found the radio and traced it back to them. Soon later the Nazi found them in the house and took them concentration camps. The play finishes back in 1945. Mr. Frank, Miep, and Mr. Kraler are the only survivors. If the franks could’ve hid in the attic for a little bit longer the U.S. Troops would’ve gotten to them before the Gestapo.