This book is set up in a very creative but simple way.It is letters that he is writing anonymously.This is a great way to set up a book for teens because it is like a diary entry. As teens the best and most secretive things come out in secret journals. In the letters they talk about school, girl advice he was giving, love and drugs everything that a teen would want in a book.He always made sure that he ended his letters “Love Charlie”.

The language in the book was like a teenagers. He would throw in some quotations of words that he learned from reading his book Bill (his teacher) gave to him.The language in the book really made you imagine what was going on, like there was this time they drove through a tunnel and you could just imagine the lights from the tiles of the tunnel,the hair blowing through your hair, and the song blasting. all while standing in the trunk of a truck.

The title of the book fits right in with the plot.Its about a boy named Charlie, who lives in  in a Pittsburgh suburb.He is bullied in school and doesn’t fit in any where,until he meets Sam and Patrick. Sam and Patrick are brother and sister and also seniors, Charlie us just a freshman. They take Charlie under their wing and they show him the way of the world, but not before Charlie had to experience being alone. They show him all of life's adventures. 

Charlie wrote anonymous letters. They all where based on his life adventures. Writing was his outlet because his parents where always worried about their son who plays football for Penn State and their daughter who is a straight A student. Charlie is a freshman scared of whats ahead of him in high school and Sam and patrick where not the only two people that he made friends with he was friends with his teacher Bill. Bill would give Charlie extra work because he was a special boy.Charlie also has a very interesting relationship with his Aunt Helen. Charlie has a disorder where he see’s things, like his aunt.Sam and Patrick have a lot in common with Charlie, which he eventually realizes.

Sam is a very delightful girl who is best friends with her brother. She loves to take adventures and she loves just enjoying the small things in life.She is one of those girls that likes to explore and expose her self to older music. She is old fashioned. she wears mainly dresses and head bands. Sam was taken advantage of when she was younger by the men in her life. But she managed to overcome it. She is very smart,determined, and exquisite.

Patrick is a very interesting character.He is gay and open about it with his friends but the big secret is who he is dating.Patrick is a boy who does what he wants and doesn’t care what people think about him. He is a boy that just lives life as if no one is watching. Even if there where people there he would want them to see how much fun letting go is like.He dresses very classy. He drives so he’s always off on an adventure with his sister/best friend. In the book there isn’t much about Patrick and Sam’s parents.Sam and Patrick are step brother and sisters.They do not have the same mom and dad, their parents re-married each other.  

I feel as though  this book is very memorable because it is something that every teenager has to go through in high school.I feel as though In this book, Charlie has made some bad choices but at the end of the day he learned from it and got advice that helped.Many teens and adults could learn from this book. Adults could finally get the concept of what is going through their children minds when this happens. This book will not only open you up to a new way of thinking but it gives you the thrill of seeing how people just like you handle their problems. What I did learn from this book, was that the wallflower stands back and sees everyone else’s problems, and doesn’t recognize his own. By becoming friends with people just like himself, Charlie was able to deal with his own issues and not rely on his notebook anymore.

Writing helps me connect through a lot of ways. Writing isn't something I just do because I have to.Its something that I love doing.I write for many reasons.I write when I'm sad and have no one to talk to or when I'm happy and I just need to write it down to remind my self one day how happy I was. Writing is like an outlet to me.It allows me to be me judgmental free writing. You know that urge you have when you have a secret I get the all the time and I usually write it on paper then when I'm done I burn it i was able to get the secret off of my chest. It helps me connect to the inner me because sometime I feel lost and don't know where to go but I always write and write and by the time I'm done I have found my way. Writing to me is not just a tool its a lifestyle.It also helps me connect with people because some times I am having a bad day but if I write about my problems I feel kind of relived because now I don't have to bring my friends down with my depression. That is how writing helps me connect. 

Benchmark Journal 1 

(aside) I have rubbed this young quat almost to the sense,

And he grows angry.  Now, whether he kill Cassio

Or Cassio him, or each do kill the other,

Every way makes my gain.  Live Roderigo,

He calls me to a restitution large

Of gold and jewels that I bobbed from him

As gifts to Desdemona. 

It must not be.  If Cassio do remain

He hath a daily beauty in his life

That makes me ugly.  And besides, the Moor

May unfold me to him—there stand I in much peril. 

No, he must die.  But so, I hear him coming. 

Notes: 

Iago at this point has taken a few steps away from Roderigo turns his head, and is speaking to himself.  He has this look upon his face of sneakiness.  He isn’t talking angrily at all, but more of in a sneaky soft voice.  As he continues to speak to himself he becomes cautious, because he knows that if Roderigo even starts to get suspicious, he will be done, for that will be his life.  Then again he knows that Roderigo is not smart enough to figure him out.  Iago now looks at Roderigo and makes a decision that he must die.  In this speech any time that Iago says  Othello’s name or says the Moor his voice gets aggressive because he doesn’t like him at all.  While he is doing his speech to himself one hand is in his pocket while the other hand is on his mouth,covering it so that Roderigo does not see him speaking to himself.  

Benchmark Prep Journal #2

Emilia:

• Emilia was in a big scene,when she stole her handkerchief from Desdemona and gave it to her husband Iago in Act 3, scene 3. 
• Another was when Emilia was right there when Desdemona was getting screamed at by Othello for not knowing where the handkerchief was at in Act 3, scene 3. 
• Lastly, in Act 5 scene 2, Emilia had confessed to giving the handkerchief to Iago because he asked for it.  This was after Othello had killed his beloved wife.  

1. Emilia at first does not think anything of stealing the handkerchief from Desdemona because it was for her husband, and she will do anything for him.  She feels this way because Iago’s love for her has faded.  Emilia knows this because when she was talking to Desdemona she was babbling on about how a man should love his wife and how much Othello loves Desdemona and it kind of sounded like jealousy. She see’s how happy Othello is with Desdemona and she wants that with Iago again. She is willing to do anything at the moment to please her husband. Even though it is hurting someone else she thinks that she will gain from it in the end.  
2. Emilia was going on this whole time throughout the play with no idea on what Iago was plotting on doing, so when she gave him the handkerchief it just was the icing on the cake for him.  When Emilia went into Othello’s room and saw his wife suffocated she wanted to know why . When he started to explain, and he brought up the handkerchief it was a trigger, all she could say was “My husband?” She knew then that she was a part of Iagos plan.  She didn’t think that her husband would do such a thing but everything in her head started to make sense and she was able to see how bad of a person her husband Iago really was.  
3. We understand this character's motivations better when we concentrate only on their scenes because we are then able to have a close reading and analyze their state of mind. We are also able to put ourselves in their shoes and really understand their feelings towards the situation that they were put in to.  We can imagine the scene and understand how the surroundings effects the characters. We are also able to envision what their actions might have been like in the situation, like if they were pacing, yelling ,or talking to themselves. It would just help clarify the way the situation is taken under control. 

Benchmark Prep Journal #3 

The Duke of Venice was born as an only child.  His father and his mother were very wealthy people. The Duke as a child was spoiled, but only to a certain extent.  His parents wanted him to grow up to know how and want to make his own money even though he had money.  That is the reason why he is the Duke.  He strived to be on top because thats what his parents wanted him to do. The reason why the Duke is okay with Othello being black is because when he was younger his best friend was a little black boy, but his parents didn’t like the idea of him playing with a black boy.  The Duke doesn't want Desdemona’s best friend / lover to be taken away from her just because of the color of his skin.  

Benchmark Prep Journal #4 

For my performance of the Duke I will be making sure that I stand up and speak loud because he is a very proper man because he is like a king.  He does not talk with any type of slang. I will be making sure that I respect people and give them eye contact because that is what people who respect others do, and I feel like he is a very respectful person. I will also be talking with curiosity, I will be doing this because I feel as though the Duke is put in this very odd situation and he doesn’t really know how to handle it and he is curious to hear what they all have to say about the situation to prove their case.  

The prop that I will be using will be a royal chair. I will be using a throne because I am the Duke.  In the situation/scene that I am in, I am the highest, I am above all of the other characters. The Chair represents a sense of power and a separation in social classes.  While everyone is talking, my chair is going to be placed in a position as if i’m looking down on them and they have to look up at me.  This will show that I look down on them and they look up to me.  They come to me because I am who they believe in.  

My group's presentation will stand out because we  have a scene where you would think not much is happening on stage,but we are very good with making eye contact and interacting with one another on the stage.  Our group has talked about  what props we would use and what they would symbolize on the stage. We also agreed on the way that we would transition on and off the scene.  I think my group will stand out because we worked well together and it flows.  

Benchmark Prep Journal #5 

I feel as though an important line that The Duke said was, “But,Othello,speak:did you by indirect and forced courses subdue and poison this young maid’s affections? Or came it by request and such fair question ss soul to soul affordeth?” This line is important to the play because it tells the audience that the Duke does not take any sides he is not jumping to the conclusion that he put a spell on Desdemona. He is giving Othello a chance to explain his side of the story. Here it’s important because its kind of like he is mocking Brabantio.  I say this because he was like, okay, did you steal this girl’s heart by casting a spell or now speaking realistically, where you such a good man she fell in love with you for you? The way I delivered this line in the play was in a sarcastic way because like I  it sounds like mocking. I also did it in a concerned way because then again I am the Duke and I am supposed to be as professional as I can.  I had to be respectful to both sides of the stories. I also did this line sitting down in my throne while everyone was standing because I wanted them to know that I was the one who held the power in the situation.  

I feel as though my groups performance went as we expected and planned. We planned for everyone to have a prop that brought meaning to the scene and they did that. They did not put their backs to the audience. They also spoke clear and loud so that everyone could hear and understand. We did a great job I think with bringing a lot of emotions into the scene so everyone could feel what we felt,and with the actions so that everyone could see how we felt. Now that it is over I am very proud that my group had fun working together. One thing that I would do differently was learn my lines.  

Performing the play changed my understanding of it because I was able to feel how the characters felt in the scenes. It also helped me understand the stage directions a little more and who was talking to who while they where in the scenes with a whole lot of people.  

This project relates to the real world because it helps us use different methods to solve a problem. Now when I walk past buildings I tell my friend I could measure it with out actually measuring it.this also helps because of our future. Depending on what kind of job you have.Some jobs might require measurements of buildings like google earth.When you have short cuts in life it helps you out lot.What else i got out of it was that if you where to ever get floors added on to your house like i want to i know how to calculate what I want the height to look like or to check to see if I'm not paying for more then what i paid for.

I think the most exciting part was doing the verifications because when it would come close to the number I calculated I got so happy and smart.I love doing things that challenge me because it makes me feel accomplished even if i didn’t get it right,and when we got to sit down as a group and help each other out it was such great collaboration. The least exciting part was when we actually had to go out and take measurements because it was kind of cold.Also because we had to stand out side and do our whole groups measurements one by one.

From this project I learned that sometimes you will not get an exact answer but as long as you have some evidence that you are close you are accurate.also I learned that you may have just some mis communication within your groups and might stress each other out a lot but yelling and demanding does not work if you just talk calmly and with pertinence and things will get done more effectively.lastly, I learned that I am very good at the mirror method and proportions. 

I have a certain way of talking when I am with my mom and dad, Then I have a certain way I talk to my friends. Its not really that I use slang its just that when I talk to my friends I have the lack of pronunciation.When I first came to SLA I didn’t know anyone of course. I never told anyone that I was from Roxborough because I had just met them and I didn’t want them to see me as a little rich kid, which I am not. Then at lunch I took the initiative to actually have conversations with people. 

“What up guys”

“Wassup Katie”

“Did yous guys get a lot of homework?”

After I said that everyone looked at me with this puzzled look of laughter on their faces.I had no idea why they were looking at me like that. Did I say something dumb, was there something on face? Thats when someone finally said something to me. 

“Katie are you from South Philly?” 

“Haha no Why?” 

“You said yous guys”

“Im from Roxborough” 

After I told them that I was from Roxborough they looked even more surprised and full of more laughter. I was scared that since people laughed that meant that I had already been a stereotype to them, exactly what I thought would happen when being around new people and a new environment.  I meant many people that day and became more aware of how I spoke and what I said. I had made it through the day with out someone making fun of me because of the way I spoke.

When I went in my house my mom was watching T.V. waiting for me. She wanted to know how my day went, I told her how the kids laughed at me after I said where I was from. Later that evening I was arguing with my sister.

“Yous guys do not respect my stuff”

After I just yelled that at her she gave me that same face full of laughter that the kids at school had given me. Thats when I got upset and wanted to know what was so funny.

“You said yous”

That is when I realized that the kids where not laughing at where I was from but how I said it.I have no clue where I got the word “yous” from, maybe a movie, or a song, or maybe I did pick it up from my friends in Roxborough, I did know that no one in my family used it. The word just developed into my vocabulary without me even noticing that I say it. 

In the  story “If Black English isn’t a language then tell me what is” by James Baldwin he talks about his language and how it reveals who he is. He said “... It reveals the private identity, and connects one with,or divorces one from, the larger public, or communal identity.” This quote represents that the way you speak makes you who you are and makes you stand out from the people around you.This quote is a great example of how saying “Yous” makes me who I am. By me saying a word that no one has ever heard used  in a sentence, it makes me stand out between me and my friends.It doesn’t bother me that I am different, it allows people to see that I am my own person and that I do not follow in others foot steps, I have my own language. 

My language gives me an identity. Even though it is one word that is in my language different than everyone else around me it still separates me from every one around me.  Since people have brought this to my attention I have a habit of using it more often. I also pay more attention to the words others use. I have found myself correcting others words, knowing I use the word “you” incorrectly. Doing this it has come to my attention that I use my language as power, because I have my own language I like to try and make people be more creative with their language, so that they can have their own identity.  

Like Glona Anzaldua said in the story “ How to tame a wild tongue” “ A language which they can connect their identity to, one capable of communicating the realities and values true to themselves.” The reason that I went so long with out realizing what I was saying, or that I had a certain language was because it connected to my identity. Me being who I am, I didn’t see any issues with my language because I made my language my own.Since I was comfortable with it, everyone around me was okay with it. They realized that,that is who I am. My language is who I am.

(sad talking to therapist at school) Hi Jen wassup. I have a lot that happened today and that went through my mind.I had a lot of questions that ran though my head.Lets see....were to start... oh ok , I got it. (Dad walking into room flicking on the light) .The normal wake up call.My dad came in to my room babbling on about nothing with still a little white powder under his nose (wipes upper lip) like he always does when he is high. I got up and had to shove him out of my room. I got dressed and when I opened my door he was standing in the hallway just staring at the wall,Just staring at it! Like it was doing tricks or something. Ugh how I hate him so much, But I really don’t want to loose him.

I guess that’s wrong to say that I hate him because he really is the only one that loves me.Sometimes it is hard to tell so I ask myself a lot if he really does love me or does he just tolerate me? He has to love me because he takes care of me, ever since my mom left he was always there.Even though he is using drugs he has still been there at every school even, he was there for every award, and every change that I went though. 

Then again i don’t know what to think because he does do drugs. Him doing drugs effects me in away that could never be fixed. I see him do things and say things that can never be taken back. If he really loved me he  would never do things that hurt me,and him doing these things hurt me.Its not like he goes to work and does it when i’m not home, no he does it when I get home right in the comfort of our home, yea our home not his.Who does he think he is doing things as big as drugs right in front of me! Now what if i where to go and do the things he does i would be the one who is in the wrong. I would never do it though because see how it effects him and what he does when he is high.

When I do try and talk to him while he is sober. When I try to talk to him he just shuts me up and doesn’t want to listen to what I have to say about it.I understand why he doesn’t want to talk to me because he doesn’t want to hurt me while he is sober.Maybe does what he does because of me,maybe I put him under to much stress.Maybe my dad isn’t hurting me maybe i’m hurting him.

Nombre del plato: Horchatta

Opinión: ¡me encanta porque es muy diferente!

Unos ingrediente: leche, azúcar, y canela

Nombre del plato: Tacos dorados

Opinión: ah es mas o menos, para masticar difícilmente

Unos ingrediente: pollo, pan, y flor

Nombre del plato: sopes de Maíz

Opinión: no me gusta, muy seco

Unos ingrediente: pan, maíz, y habas

Nombre del plato: pollo Cazuelas

Opinión: ¡me gusta! Porque es muy mucha de sabor

Unos ingrediente: pimienta, y salsa

Nombre del plato: Chuletas Tentación

Opinión: ¡muy bien! Porque es muy oferta

Unos ingrediente: pimiento

Nombre del plato: tres leches

Opinión: ¡me favorita! todo era perfecto

Unos ingrediente: leche, azúcar, huevo, y flor

1.  No, hay garaje.

2.  No, hay jardín.

3.  Hay una ventana grande en la sala.

4.  Hay un mucho de las escaleras.

5.  El sótano es muy vacío.

6.  Hay dos sofás en la sala    

Pictures-

I picked all of these pictures for a reason. I picked the cheerleader because cheerleading is what makes me. I love to cheerlead all the time anytime of the day. I picked the coach bag because it shows how special I am to my parents. Coach bags cost a lot of money and the fact that they spend the little bit of money they have on the martial things I want shows how special I am. And lastly I picked the two hands was because I am proud to be a mix of races. That is special to me because back in the day two different races couldn’t even be together.

The layout-

I decided to do a gray background and bright pink lettering because on the website that was given to us said that you should have a calm background and bold pop out lettering so that people will notice it. I only did a few pictures because the read should be able to observe and understand the slide with-in three seconds.   

Querido Carlos,

 ¡Hola! Mi nombre es Katharine pero todos me dicen Katie. Tengo catorce años. Soy de Filadelfia. Soy alta, morena, y una mezla de razas. Mi cumple años enero veinticuatro y hace frío en enero. Siente mas o menos bien porque empiezo escuela y está difícil. ¿cómo be escuela por tú? Me gusta estar de vago con mi amigos los fines de semana. Con mi major amiga soy muy boba, yo también gusta correr. No me gusta nada ayudar en casa. Mi familia molestón, sin embargo son muy diverted. Yo tengo dos hermanas se llaman Christine y Jessy. Mathew es mi hermano. Adios tengo que irme . Responde cuando puedas.

Con carino,

Katie    

*You use ud when talking formerly like as if you were talking to senorita Manuel. You us tú when talking to friends. 

Example:
Hola fred que tal (tu)
Hola president Obama que tal (ud)