Mrs. Abrams' Virtual Language Arts Class

Dear SB and all the “Dream Series” authors,

I am ------- ------- a 7th grader at Mabry Middle School. The first book I read was during our book chat. I am writing you this letter to personally thank you for the books you have written. So far I have read Road to the Majors, The Long Way Around, and The Highest Stand. I am currently reading your book called Hoop City. All of your books not only inspire me, but they truly do relate to things I am facing in reality today, and what I will be facing in the future. The single greatest thing about all of your books is so clear: they are all about having troubles, facing reality, and fighting each and every day, weather for the spot on a pick-up basketball game, or a chance for a fresh start on a new life. You keep me motivated, as I can relate to the characters in your books. I hope that you keep writing these thrilling and motivating stories to young and inspiring readers like us. Because of you, I am planning a career in writing.

Thank you,
------- -------

Posted by at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

IDEAS
1.What will I do to make sure that i choose a strong report for my oral presentation?
The issues affect us, story board, visual aids chart, and rewritten first paragraph.

2.What will I do to make sure that I choose my graphics to help communicate my ideas clearly?
pictures that fit my topic and keyword sentences and grab the readers attention.

3.What did I do to make sure that each slide fits the audience and the purpose of the report?
they pertain to the topic and grabs and holds the audiences attention

ORGANIZATION
1.What will I do to make sure that I introduced my topic clearly in the beginning?
the key points that are apparent

2.What will I do to make sure that I included the main points in the middle part?
summurize the concluding and middle paragraphs

3.What will I do to make sure that I ended with a summary or wrap-up thought?
I will put my thesis stament and tell what we can do to help

VOICE
1.What will i do to make sure that I used an interesting formal voice?
I won't us pronouns like ya'll

2.What will i do to make sure that I choose my voice fits my audience and my topic?
I will try to put it into simpiler turms and make it more interesting

WORD AND MULTIMEDIA CHOICES
1.Avoid repeating what has already been said

2.What will I do to make sure I choose the best pictures and sounds for my ideas?
make sure the pictures and sounds match the key words

3.What will I do to maintain eye contact?
put cool graphics and cool sounds into my slide

PRESENTATION FLUENCY
1.What will I do to make sure my report flows smoothly from slide to slide?
have the last sentence of the slide match the first sentence of the next slide

2.What are at least 4 transitions used?
ALso, Usually, In Adition, Plus

CONVENTIONS
1.What did I do to make my report free of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors?
I use spelling and grammar check

PREPARING FOR THE PRESENTATION
1.What will I do to grab my listener's attention?
say interesting facts and put interesting pictures in

2.Opening question?
Have you ever been snorkleing or scuba diving and seen beautiful coral?

3.Suprising fact?
coral helps cause global warming

Posted by at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Language Arts-3rd Period
February 5, 2006
4th Rough Draft

Sleep Disturbances

No one can live without sleep. Sleep is caused when the body is low on energy. Life can be hard for people who have sleep disturbances. While most can just lie down and fall asleep, others with sleep disturbances might lie in bed all night without even getting a wink of sleep. Since such people do not get any sleep at night, that could leave them feeling tired during the day. This could be dangerous if someone falls asleep while driving. Sleep is something that most people take for granted. Sleep is needed to allow the body and its cells to rest and recharge. Sleep helps the brain to be able to concentrate during the day. However, natural sleep does not always come easily to people with sleep disturbances.

Description of Sleep Disturbances
There are many types of sleep disturbances and several ways in which to describe them. Disturbed sleep usually occurs when a person wakes up many times at night. Sometimes disturbed slumber comes when an individual is afraid to go to sleep. For instance, if someone just had a nightmare or even worse a night terror the person might be too scared to go back to sleep. Insomnia, or an insomniac, is a person that does not sleep at all or does not get enough REM sleep. Sleep apnea is when people stop breathing while asleep. Other descriptions of disturbed sleep are bedwetting and sleepwalking. All in all, there are many types of sleep disturbances.

Causes for Sleep Disturbances
There are multiple causes for sleep disturbances. The most common type of sleep disturbance is waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to fall back asleep. To be able to stay asleep the body needs to stay at a comfortable temperature. Asthma medicines, the medicine methylxanthinces, and high amounts of ethanol are thought to cause sleep disturbances. Nasal congestion, sleeping pills, smoking, and drinking alcohol all affect breathing and could make sleep apnea worse. Large amounts of stress can interrupt sleep. Kids that stay up all night do not get enough sleep and will most likely feel tired during the day when they must stay awake. Fatty neck tissue can press on the airway and makes it harder to breath. In fact, breathing problems when asleep are one of the biggest causes of sleep disturbances.

Effects of Sleep Disturbances
Effects of disturbed sleep are dreadful and can sometimes be dangerous. Some people with sleep disturbances go days without even feeling tired; however, the brain will eventually shut down. People affected by sleep disturbances for long periods of time cannot rest well during the night. Therefore, exhaustion is felt during the day and during working hours when there is no opportunity to sleep. This could be extremely dangerous if the person falls asleep while driving. Also, during the day the person might be in a bad mood, or feel depressed. Others might wake up with a stomach ache, or just feel miserable. Not resting well not only affects a person’s productivity and relationships with others, but can also affect their health. Little sleep lowers the resistance that the body’s cells have in fighting viruses and harmful bacteria, which may cause sickness. As a result, sleeping disturbances can drastically alter someone’s life.

Solutions for Sleep Disturbances
There are numerous solutions for disturbed sleep. Some are easy things that anyone can do like lose weight, especially around the neck, and do not eat right before bed. There are also medications to put a person to sleep and keep them asleep. Other solutions are a little more involved such as stopping smoking and drinking alcohol. If these methods are not helping, go to a sleep clinic where doctors can suggest a treatment. Some treatments involve surgery such as jaw surgery to enlarge the jaw to make the air way larger, surgery to remove the uvula which will open the airway, and surgery to open the nasal passages. There is a device that is called the tongue restraining device which pulls the tongue towards the teeth and opens the airway behind the tongue. Many people wear a device called the CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) which is a mask that blows air in to keep the airway from collapsing. So far there are only a few treatments for disturbed sleep that actually work permanently. Many drug companies are looking for new treatments to sleep disorders. Always keep in mind when taking sleep medication that most are not for long term use and some sleep medicines can be addictive.

Summary
There are many causes and effects for disturbed sleep. There are also many solutions. Sleep disturbances can have a big impact on people’s lives. Without sleep, people could not live. Therefore, sleep is required for life, yet people with sleep disturbances cannot get the sleep that the body requires and sleep does not come easily. Help is available and anyone suffering with a sleep disturbance should talk to a doctor right away before something serious happens.

Works Cited

Bradbury, Jane. “Common Drugs and the Pursuit of a Good Night’s Sleep.”
The Lancet. 12 January 2002:2. eLibrary. 18 January 2006.
.

Linder, Doug. Sleep Apnea Treatments. 1995-2006. 19 January 2006.
.

Nordenberg, Tamara. “Tossing and Turning No More.” FDA Consumer.
1 July 1998:6. eLibrary. 18 January 2006.
.

Parker, Steve. Dreaming in the Night. New York: Franklin Watts, 1991.

Silverstein, Alvin, and Virginia Silverstein. The Mystery of Sleep. Boston:
Little Brown and Company, 1987.

Silverstein, Alvin. Sleep. New York: Franklin Watts, 2000.

“Sleep.” World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 ed.

Posted by at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Many people feel that the world is slowly changing due to global warming. So what is global warming? Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere. The major causes of global warming are the greenhouse gasses and human pollution. Greenhouse gasses and human pollution can lead to many effects of global warming like sea levels rise and diseases spread faster, but we can stop global warming by doing small changes in our daily lives to help the Earth. Global warming is caused mostly by our pollution which makes the atmosphere warmer.

The Description of Global Warming
What exactlly is global warming? Global Warming is the increase in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere. The thick atmosphere traps the sun's heat and warms the Earth. Global warming started occuring in the 1800's, and since then the temperature has increased about 0.5 degrees F to 1.5 degrees F higher. Over the past 50 years, the global temperature has had the fastest rate of increase, and the Earth has also warmed 1 degree F over the past 100 years. The temperature of Earth's surface now is about 59 degrees F. Scientists have hypothesised that the Earth's atmosphere will be about 2 degrees F to 4 degrees F higher by the year 2100. Today, Americans produce 25% of the greenhouse gasses (the U.S. has the highest rate of pollution). The greenhouse gasses are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, and chlorofluorocans (CFCs). These greenhouse gasses are a huge problem because they are the leading cause of global warming.

What is Causing Global Warming?
There are so many causes of global warming, but the main cause of global warming are the greenhouse gasses which are all natural gasses. Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is the major greenhouse gas. When greenhouse gasses are released into the air they get trapped in the atmosphere. The use of fossil fuels, such as coal, for energy produces pollution. Cutting down trees is another major cause of global warming because the less plants there are the more carbon dioxide there is in the air which is a greenhouse gas. Other causes of global warming are the power plants, automoblie exaust, factory smokestacks, and animal waste. To conclude this, most of the causes of global warming are caused by human activities.

What Could Happen if Global Warming gets Worse?
There are so many effects of global warming that can harm us and many other creatures. For example, sea levels could rise, there could be major impacts on agriculture, weather changes, and spread of diseases. Also, there maight be a major temperature increase. Droughts, dust storms, wildfires, floods, and short winters will be very common and increase hunger and malnutrition. When lakes and rivers start drying up, glaciers and sea ice melt,loss of wetlands, and water evaporation is common there will be less water for drinking, taking showers, and pools to go swimming in. Also, seawater and freshwater could mix together, and coastal cities and small islands could submerge. Before we know it, there will be more strong hurricanes, tornadoes, and storms. Many animals can be harmed or can become extinct because of the heat (or warmer ocean waters) and the rapid changes. This could also force animals to move out of their habitats or disrupt their habitats. There are many diseases right now and the last thing we need is a new diseases to spread. Although, one of the ways that global warming can be good is that it could reduce deaths from coldness, but the heat waves could cause deaths and illnesses though. There are so many effects of global warming, but we could stop these things from happening by doing small simple changes in our lives.

What Can We Do to Help the Earth?
To help our Earth, we should start making changes in our daily routines. For example, everyone can recycle cans, bottles, jars, magazines, plastic bags, and newspapers. When you go shopping for a new refrigerator, washer, or dryer, buy one that doesn't use much energy. Also, (if you don't have a car yet) ask your parents to buy a car that doesn't pollute much and ride your bike or walk to short distance places. You can plant trees because they absorb carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, that is a major cause of global warming. Some countries are starting to use wave power, wind power, and solar energy. Wind power is a great energy source because it is clean, continuous, and cheap - the type of energy we need. Other little things you can do are carpool with friends, ride the bus to school or work, use less water, and use less electricity. In conclusion, small changes made in daily lives can produce grand results towards helping the environment.

Global warming is mostly caused by our pollution making the Earth's atmosphere warmer and warmer. When we burn fossil fuels, the pollution of it is usually turned into greenhouse gasses which are the main cause of global warming. So what is global warming? Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of Earth's atmosphere. Gobal warming is a major problem and we should start making changes in our lives to help stop global warming!

Work-Cited Page
Al-Bawaba Reporters. "Did You Know what Causes Global Warming?" ?. 29 March 2205:1.

Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. "Global Warming." Childern's Britannica. ? Edition.

Mastrandrea, Michael D., and Schneider, Steven H. " Global Warming." 2006. World Book Online Reference Center. World Book Online. 20 January 2006. .

Natural Resources Defence Council. Global Warming. 9 January 2006. 19 January 2006. .

Newsround Teams. Global Warming. ?. 18 January 2006. .

Pringle, Lawrence P. Global Warming. New York: Arcade Publishing Company, 1990.

Schneider, Steven H. "Global Warming." World Book Encyclopedia. 2000 Edition.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. GLobal Warming. 12 July 2004. 19 January 2006..

Wikipedia Encyclopedias. "Global Warming." Wikipedia. ?.

Posted by at 7:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

School Uniforms
School uniforms are a sizzling topic in today’s age. There is evidence of failure and of success. Before the district of one county should look into this, they must examine the facts, because there are so many of them. When the district of a county decides to do this it is probably because of five reasons: school discipline, inappropriate learning environment, low test scores and academics, safety, and poor behavior. The effects of one test can be the total opposite of another. So, it truly does depend on the type of school and the student’s willingness to learn. Although school uniforms have a positive effect on assault and battery and on academics, they are expensive and do violate the First Amendment.

The Causes for School Uniforms
School Uniforms have been a serious problem for Americans. The teachers of many schools in America have decided to give students uniforms to help their school environment. For, in many cases, the environment of schools has been altered in an negative way, by gang related clothes. So, teachers tried coming up with an alternative to gangs by creating the school uniform. Some good things have resulted from the creation of school uniforms. Students now have boundaries, which was never available in the old classroom. Another good cause is that it is now an environment where students can spot other people who don't belong. This makes the school much safer to teachers and students alike. Last, the student discipline, and academics need to be improved. “This just might be a good answer to an unsuitable environment for the students trying to learn,” said Bill Clinton.

School Uniforms and their appearance
School Uniforms can vary dramatically, from casual to dress. So, the uniform can be almost like a dress code, but with very strict rules. The dressy school uniforms for boys and girls can be: black bottoms, white tops, and red jackets, black/blue pants, skirts, shorts, and a white shirt. Some casual clothing for girls and boys could be: knit shirts, jumpers, khakis and a white shirt. But, does being forced to wear any type of clothing that a student doesn't want to wear break the law?

The law and the research
Many school districts believe that a reasonable dress code or school uniform should be over looked even though the First Amendment allows freedom of speech. There have been many cases where the court has over ruled the First Amendment for important measures, but in other cases the students have one without a reasonable doubt. It only depends on the court's perspective of the law and how it should be handled. Next, while studying the effects on school uniforms, many people have seen results; but they must look into where the study was, and who was involved. On a particular study with two high schools in the St. Tammany Parish school district in California, there was a huge success. The study was taken using 1,300 students with uniforms and 1,500 without. The students with school uniforms had much better academic achievement, and of course, a better learning environment. But, at the same time, a national study in 1988 showed almost no success in academic and assault and battery. So, the effects can be unpredictable.

The effects of school uniforms
In millions of studies across the nation, the effects of school uniforms show. The most common effects are: better behavior, higher academics, curbing gangs, polarizing brand clothing, increased student self-esteem, a better community, higher test scores, reduced substance abuse and behavioral problems, attendance, and discipline. There are some negative effects of higher importance. Many districts have lost money and respect on a national note. In thousands of tests, academics actually got worse, as did: attendance, drug abuse, and behavior able problems.

On a final note, school uniforms do decrease violence and add a sense of community. Although school uniforms have a positive effect on assault and battery, and on academics; school uniforms are expensive and do violate the First Amendment. There is truly no answer to this problem in today’s world, as it can vary from school to school, or person to person. This subject is very bias, and can only be looked at using facts to see a true result. The bottom line is that the uniforms are too much of a risk for a county, and in most minds, have a very small effect on the student's learning. So, the school uniforms should be looked at as a last opportunity to have succeeding and high academic achieving students.

Posted by at 6:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Road to the Majors

In Road to the Majors, Scott Blumenthal and Brett Hodus make a tremendous story about Jimmy and his struggles through baseball. As Jimmy is being robbed, he thinks of memories that he had in his childhood. He should just feel grateful that he ordered pizza one night. For that reason, he ended up saving his life. Finally, as Jimmy goes though many countless troubles, he keeps on getting at a higher point and achieving more in his life.
Jimmy Hanks was a very happy camper; he had just been invited to AA baseball. But, when he decided to celebrate he ran into a lot of trouble in his Florida condominium. He ordered pizza in hope for an amazing time, but no more than 10 minutes later, the doorbell sounded. To Jimmy's surprise, it wasn't the pizza guy, but instead, numerous robbers who attacked the young baseball stars. At this point in Jimmy's life he was thinking of the oddest memories considering the fact he was being robbed. This might be his only chance for survival.
Once again, Jimmy hears the sound of the doorbell, and sees the pizza guy waiting outside. When Jimmy finally gets up to answer the door he is ordered to just get the pizza, then close the door, but before he slams the door closed with frustration, he silently says the word, "HELP" to the stranger at the door. While Jimmy is being duct-taped to the floor, and in much pain, he remembers this time in High School and Collage baseball. "Jimmy, you truly are an amazing baseball player," those words motivated Jimmy to keep on going, despite having many troubles along the way. Being forced to move to a new school out of Jimmy's hometown of Ocean town was very difficult for Jimmy. Here he is bullied and no one, not even his baseball teammates, believe that the "surfer boy" knew anything worthwhile. After three lengthy years of hate, Jimmy finally gets some respect for baseball and gets a letter from the collage of his dreams. San Diego University wanted Jimmy, for he was a solid hitter, was exceedingly strong, and knew how to truly play America's Pastime! The first year of collage at the university was tough, very tough. Jimmy was never going to the out of state tournaments and barely ever got the chance to play. Then, one day, when he did get a chance, he made four errors in o new game, ouch! Finally, just as in High School, at Jimmy's last year, he is basically the captain of the team, and ends up winning the collage World Series.
"Now it is time for the fun part, the robbers announce that they are ready to execute Jimmy and his friends. But, right before Jimmy wished to say his final words, BAM, the door slams open and the cops are there. Now Jimmy and his friends are safe thanks to the pizza guy. All the while Jimmy is thinking of the time he was in A baseball. Single a baseball was know longer a sport played for enjoyment, Jimmy had to move on and eventually become a professional ball player. Learning rapidly, Jimmy now knew that that bus rides were extensive, and ball players, as old as twenty-eight were better than ever before.
This is where time meets reality, and Jimmy hears three words from the manager of his new professional team, "You're on deck." Throughout his life, Jimmy learns that nothing, not even baseball, is more important than the opportunity to live. He is more aware of reality, and has grown up in and around baseball and his memories.

Posted by Mrs. Abrams at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

THE KID FROM COURAGE

In The Kid From Courage, by Ron Berman, Bryan becomes outstanding in tennis. All thanks to his coach, he makes it to the big-time in his tennis career, The Kalamazoo Tournament. Only the best players from the United States play there year round.
Bryan finally learns the fundamentals of tennis. He meets an old, dusty, coach who starts intense training and gets a lot better skills. Eventually, Bryan gets a few new techniques which change him to an awesome player.
He finally won The Courage Opens but a tragedy happens. His coach dies. Bryan gets a new coach named Mike Skully. Finally, Bryan makes it to the Kalamazoo Tournament, and Mike Scully is really excited for him. Bryan feels a lot of confidence in himself because he has gotten the farthest anybody has ever gotten from Courage County.
Bryan wins a few tennis matches but has problems winning the final match. He can't stop thinking about his dad and coach. Eventually, after a long, rough match, Bryan loses in the tiebreaker in the third set. Even after that, he loses in the finals and becomes a local tennis star. But hey, with that kind of attention, 2nd place in the U.S isn't all that bad.
The Kid From Courage teaches you to beleive in yourself and that you have two chances in life, just like your second sere. This book would be rated a nine out of ten in my opinion because of the time that some tragedies happen and the good events that happen to Bryan during his tennis career.

Posted by Mrs. Abrams at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In The Kid from Courage by Ron Berman, Brayn is very passionate about tennis. He loves everything about it. He puts forth all the effort and consent practice that is needed to be a successful player. He acquires some professional coaching from a washed up tennis coach named Henry Johnson. Brayn wants to be a tennis superstar but he has to start in Courage, Kansas.
Brayn plays a exceptional match of hard-core tennis but has many flaws. He loses most to all of his matches. Henry is a washed up tennis coach who used to be a big-timer in the major tennis world. Braryn starts intense drilling combined long and hard practice. He started to win all of his matches by applying what he learned on the practice court with Henry. He wins a tournament (called the Courage Open), that he thought he couldn’t even make it to the semi-finals.
Henry starts to show many signs of weakness and is revolting medical care. He tells brayn to start drilling with a old friend named Mike Scully. Coach Henry Johnson has a tragic ending i.e. his death. It takes a positive toll on Bryan. He makes a national tournament called "Kalamazoo" where the top players with the best skill, knack and attitude compete for the number one spot in the USA.
First he is nervous about being beaten and losing his dream about of winning that is so close to him. He faces many heated matches with some exceptional players. His family has even become subject to local newspaper , TV shows, and even pauperize. His fans start to continue to show love a support for him.
Coach Henry Johnson edifies Brayn to become the best he can be and overcome his fear of losing on the courts. He loses his match but he understands that winning isn’t everything. Brayn looks forward to next year.

Posted by at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)