Why a good book is a secret door

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Author: David Castillo

Make 3 Hello Universe David Castillo

Make 3 Hello Universe David Castillo

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1J0T5DciZ4lAgiuaFgrvjtxe48Oxpm7LkCAThoVqor7E/edit?usp=sharing

My make was just  a character analysis of the four main characters of Hello Universe and then also breaking down myself as if I was a character of the Hello Universe series. I really liked doing this make because this Make and novel itself gave a lot of paths and places to work with. Also as a piece of literature I think this novel is good for showing young readers how even though everyone is different that it is okay and to be able to embrace it. The only difficulty is that I wish i had more time to dive deeper into the character analysis but besides that I still had fun doing this make and  would like to use this book maybe in my future classroom. It has a very important message.

Everyone is Different Blog 4 David Castillo

Everyone is Different Blog 4 David Castillo

Hello Universe is a book and a book that I really enjoyed. The  book follows the story or four different characters throughout the novel.  Virgil, Valencia, Kaori and Chet.  All four of the different kids share their own struggles and are considered” unique” in their own very ways. They explore their differences and kind of compare themselves a lot to the other kids or other characters in the novel. Virgil  is bullied and goes to rescue his hamster that is thrown down the well by his bully. Throughout the struggles he experiences, he becames friends with Valencia Kaori, and Chet.

  1. As for me what I really enjoyed about this book and the message it kind of gave off was the fact that everyone is different and to be able to embrace that and that it is okay. This is an idea that causes many people throughout school and also in life to be self-conscious and always worry about their perception. This novel touches this issue at a very early age and for young readers which is smart and something I admire because  myself included , these were the similar thoughts that would run through my head and even now every once in a while. I think exposure to this kind of issue is very good to show young readers as they grow up that it is okay to be different and even though we are different to be able to be okay with that and also learn from each other.
  2.  One thing that I think this novel does differently  is in a sense it kind of explores the differences in the characters and how they are different and also tells the story from their perspective. Although having different characters is common, the different perspectives and giving a certain kind of depth  to each characters was pretty awesome to read as an older reader myself, so for the younger readers, I feel like it would be more influential for them to read. The fact that the characters are very diverse and although they are very diverse, with each character I can resonate with at least every character for different reasons which is very nice to be able to do. This is a very good book to read and especially to use with  a young classroom like I mentioned earlier to be able to explore the more personal and subconscious side of not only myself but the readers in the classroom and using the message portrayed in the book would be very powerful to use in a classroom.
Make 2 Series of Unfornuate Events Adventure

Make 2 Series of Unfornuate Events Adventure

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ts-MnOq3dicpCEu8nwQGohDZ2fUSZ1UecH66IC7ylNs/edit?usp=sharing

 

My Make #2 was on The Series Of Unfortunate Events. What I did on this make was to create a choose your adventure kind of story of the first book of Series. I think for a future classroom or for a class where I would have to teach this novel, this kind of activity would be awesome to use with the students to test their creativity and also to see how they use their imagination to open up different interpretations of this novel. I had fun doing this make even though this was my first time doing a make  or doing  a choose your adventure book for the first time. The only issue I had with this activity that it takes a lot of time and forces you to expand and use your imagination to continue the story and add onto it. However, this kind of activity would not be that hard to pull off on a classroom.

Blog 3 David Castillo

Blog 3 David Castillo

In my series book, Series of Unfortunate events from  the get go, I think it is very nostalgic as it reminds me of my childhood as a student as I used to read and enjoy these books all the time throughout my grade school. I think that young readers that are interested or like the idea of some kind of constant conflict and negative vibes  would really enjoy this book series also readers, who are not very aware of these kind of issues.

The central characters are the  three Baudelaire siblings, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. There ages ranch from 14 to an infant and each of the individuals  of the family are totally different and express entirely different interests.  Violet is fascinated by STEM  and is an engineer,innovator. Klaus is interested in reading and learning and exploring history. Sunny is just an infant/toddler that enjoys to bite things as she is barely teething but the interesting character dynamic  of the family  is smart how they use the three totally different family members and make them  and their bond really cohesive. The children are orphans and they are treated very poorly throughout the  series and kind of have a negative view or stigma of being dirty orphans who are trouble makers but in reality they are   just trying to escape from their legal guardian Count Olaf.

In terms of resources I think this book does well is exploring a dark side for children and young readers but in a way that does not appeal and get to their negative emotions as much, but more keep the readers intrigued. I think this can be related to an activity of journals for the readers to maybe help the readers open up about their issues and their emotions and by using a slightly grim book, to make it a bit easier to tap into their emotions. I think this would be a tool worth attempting to try and even if it proves unsuccessful it can be a good idea to test out. Also maybe using  the characteristics of the Baudelaire orphans and using that as an activity to talk about different careers and different interests could be a way to actively engage the  students in a future classroom.

My favorite take away from the Miller article is the exploration of the small arguments of reading and how our perception and the way we thought of how we should be reading is different and challenged. For example one idea that I never thought about reading as  a younger reader, is the idea of being able to read  in small blocks of 5 / 10 mins instead of me trying to pack it into   multiple long reading sessions as I was taught growing up. I feel like that really inhibited my reading capability and my interest as a reader growing up when I was busy, and because of that since I am used to that custom I am less willing  to read in small increments however if I was taught that at a younger stage , I would be reading more as of now. I am excited as a teacher to incorporate and introduce a lot of ideas to get readers in that mindset to be able to read at a young age and be able to explore that avenue unlike me who was never able and had that opportunity to do so as a reader. I think i am only afraid of finding a way to be able to do my objective as a teacher but also be able to appeal to all students