Though most of our relationships with stories are based on entertainment (movies, novels, video games), stories can be--and are--much more powerful and meaningful than simple entertainment. Stories can do more than simply distract us from day-to-day stresses: they can shape the way we think and alter the way see the world. Stories come from myriad places and fulfill diverse purposes.
Sometimes stories are true (non-fiction), and sometimes they're totally made-up (non-fiction), but most often, they're a bit of a mix. Authors oftentimes will use something real that happened to them or another real situation and then change the names, setting, or make up some of the story's details to make it more understandable or enjoyable to the reader--while preserving the most important truths or elements of the real-life scenario. There are also stories (even whole novels) that begin not with a real-word situation, but rather just an idea that the author wants to get across to readers. In those cases, the events and the characters of the stories aren't necessarily based on real people and events; they're just tools that the author uses to help readers understand the idea. So, over the next week, we will read a number of stories that help us understand how stories are told and why people tell them. Then, we will move into writing our own stories: stories based on actual people and events or stories that help us communicate an important idea or value. Please see the class calendar for this week's specific assignments. You can also find the class calendar by double-clicking the "Eighth Graders" tab above.
Mr. Rudebusch
3/25/2020 12:03:50 pm
I'll get us started!
Bowen
4/8/2020 07:37:06 am
One movie that really changed me was called "Indian Horse." It was about the Native American boarding schools in Canada. The schools were set out so that Natives would lose their culture, their language, and customs. This was about a boy named Saul, he was a boy who was aggressively taken from his family. The Motion Picture showed all of the abuse they went through for some very small reasons. If they spoke their language, they were hit, or beat. If they said a bible verse wrong, they were slapped. They were taken to these catholic school, and their motto was "Kill the Indian, save the man." One girl in the school got caught hugging her sister, and her little sister was beat, and locked in a dog cage. where she killed herself. It is estimated that over thousands of kids died in the school. It doesn't make sense that they were taken from their families, and beaten for small mistakes, and taught Catholicism, and they weren't even christian. That is terribly wrong, they had their culture for ever, and it was beaten out of them. The leaders of the Catholic church that ran it, told them always that they were going to hell if they don't believe in god. This is important to me cause I have a lot of Native family, and my great Kunsi (grandma), that is native; had her name changed (unwillingly) by the US government, cause they wanted to kill native culture. I do not really know if she went to a boarding school.
Conner Greene
5/6/2020 09:00:48 am
One book that changed me was the stars beneath our feet because it was about a kid who was obsessed with legos and he went to a after school program so he wouldn't be on the streets and there's a girl named rose everyone thinks is weird. But the kid finds out she likes legos to and then they started hanging and it shows that everyone deserves a chance to have good friends no matter what others think about them
Mrs. Rudebusch
3/25/2020 12:33:04 pm
I remember reading or being read the story of the “Boy Who Cried Wolf” when I was in elementary school.
Gracie Haug
3/31/2020 12:44:15 pm
Restart is a book about a kid that was a bully, but completely reshaped his life after going through amnesia. After amnesia he was a completely different version of himself who wasn't a bully. This book showed me that you can change. Amnesia might not be a good way to change, but he still changed. Without amnesia, I believe you can still change. Anyone can.
Kabren
3/31/2020 04:49:12 pm
My favorite movie ever is called "Cars". It is about a young driver Lightning McQueen that gets lost in a little town called Radiator Springs. He slowly learns that hard work leads to success, he also realizes that winning means nothing without a great group of friends. He trains with an old racer Doc Hudson and together they become the best, but in Lightning's most important race a fellow racer crashes. Lightning loses the race and goes back to help his friend. This story taught me many valuable lessons when I was little. The main two were that if I truly want anything in life, I have to try my hardest. It also showed me that even when things are looking down sometimes the road less taken is the right path and nothing comes before friends and family.
Samuel
4/1/2020 04:06:45 pm
One book that has really changed the way I see a lot of things in life is called "Tuesdays with Morrie". This book is about a college professor named Morrie who is diagnosed with ALS and told he only has a little while left to live. Morrie spends his last days talking and giving advice to a lot of people and former students specifically one, Mitch. Mitch and Morrie talk with each other every Tuesday, and Mitch records each conversation. During these conversations Morrie gives a lot of information about life, love, death, emotions, and so much more. I took a lot away from this book and it taught me many life lessons, one of those life lessons is about gaining respect. To gain respect you have to offer people what you have. If you try to show off you talents and abilities to the people at the top, they will only look down on you. If you try to show off to the people below you they will only envy you, only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone. That is just one of the lessons I learned while reading this book, don't try to beat others, help others with the abilities god has given you.
Jackson
4/2/2020 07:43:29 am
The movie that came to my mind was Evan Almighty. It didn't really shape my mind but rather reassured me of the things god can do if you trust him. It is a play on Noah's ark. In the movie Evan and his family don't go to church very often and they don't really trust him. God tells Evan that he needs to build an ark because a flood is coming. God tells him that he will take care of the animals. The movie is fiction but it made me think of all the things that God has done for me and to make sure to listen to him and do what he wants me to
Kylie
4/2/2020 02:08:58 pm
One movie that has really opened up my eyes was the movie "I Can Only Imagine" it is about a guy that is a Christian singer. When he was younger he was abused as a kid by his father which formed a troubled relationship, but when his father got sick and ill and found his relationship with God. The guy wrote a very powerful song called "I Can Only Imagine" this movie really helped me realize that even the worst people can be saved, they just have to believe in God.
Ella Hunter
4/3/2020 09:37:25 am
I remember a tv show I watched called Glee. Glee was about singing but this show took place at the beginning of the 2000s which is basically the period of time where it was considered weird for guys to dance and sing. One of the main characters seemed like he had things easy but yet he was constantly bullied by his own friends, for being brave and standing up for what he actually liked. This tv show taught me that plenty of other people have it way harder than you, so the things that you do have you should be grateful for.
Chloe
4/3/2020 01:25:01 pm
Soul Surfer is a movie about how this girl lived to surf. One day she was surfing and her arm got bit off by a shark. She didn't let that stop her though. She trained and trained. But when she lost her next competition she lost faith and she quit surfing. But when she went to help a town the was hit by a tsunami, she felt good about helping others that needed it and she got her surfing back. The story changed me because I know that if i let my self down that I know that other people are going through worst things than I am.
Kailyn Larson
4/3/2020 03:15:27 pm
The movie "Miracle Season" made me realize how quickly life can change. Caroline was a star volleyball player. During a party at her house, Caroline decides to sneak away to visit her mother Ellyn at the hospital, where she is being treated for cancer. That night, Caroline is killed in a moped accident. She passed away right before the state tournament. Her teammates and coaches were devastated. This movie changed me because I know to never take life for granted.
gavin
4/3/2020 05:03:25 pm
the kids hated her because they thought she was lying when she said she remembered the sun
Conner Kjetland
4/4/2020 04:38:58 pm
The book that changed the way I see the world is called Backfield Boys because no matter your race and background it doesn't matter what position you play in sports. Just because someone isn't used to it, it shouldn't matter. This makes me realize that no matter what sport I play I can always achieve a different position and do my best at it even that I might not play that position much.
Kelly
4/6/2020 06:27:45 am
The movie that changed my opinion on things is called "The House With a Clock in It's Walls."
Anthony
4/6/2020 08:57:08 am
The video Game that changed my opinion on things is called Watch Dogs. It is about one man named Aiden Pearce who was framed for murdering his family and has to run from the cops and has to try and find who actually killed is family. It changed my opinion of the world because before I knew people did bad thing but I didn't know that people would frame others for their bad deeds.
Karli Akin
4/6/2020 09:40:03 am
The book that changes the way I see the world is Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Wonder is a book about a boy with a facial disorder and has been home schooled all his life, but when 5th grade year came around his mom wanted to send him to public school. He went and had no friends at first. Then he met one friend and got bullied. He went to a nature retreat and got into a fight then all the mean boys became his friends. Before I read this book I didn't think that somethings people say can really hurt others. Also that I didn't think of any bullies in our school or class, but once I read the book I realized that all people have good inside no matter who their family was or what they look like.
Karli
4/6/2020 07:00:11 pm
I thought the point of view thing helped a lot, because it helps to understand more into each person point of view.
Lane
4/7/2020 07:39:32 am
I watch "All American" on Netflix. It is about a football star that has family issues and lives in a gang related neighbor hood. The main reason it changed the way I see the world is because The football stars dad left him at an early age. The one reason why this part of the show effected me is now I see I have a dad and family's theses days are getting divorces and tons of sports players parents have left, one including LeBron James's dad, I just think that it is not worth talking back to your mom or dad because some kids have to travel 2 hours to just see there dad or mom for the weekend so that just changed my seeing of the world.
Adam
4/7/2020 07:41:30 am
I watch quite a bit of movies but one of my favorites is Hancock. This movie is about a "superhero" or John Hancock. He was never really given a chance with the people they just saw him as a criminal but then their opinions changed later in the movie. This movie has taught me that people can change and you should always give people a fair chance and see the good in people through what may seem like the bad. That bad that you might see might just be like a protective layer as it was in the movie Hancock. During the whole movie he was trying to fit in but he couldn't because people saw him as different so he had to change their opinions and start being a good person overall.
Presley Knecht
4/7/2020 07:49:47 am
One story that really changed the way I thought was I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka, Liz Welch, and Martin Ganda. It is a story about two pen pals who are writing back and forth to each other all through high school. Martin lives in Africa in a poor village and Caitlin is a wealthy girl living somewhere in America (I don't remeber the specific city or state). Caitlin sends Martin $20 about every month-which is worth lots of money where Martin lives-so he can save for college. It made me rethink how lucky I am to have a free education, a supportive family, food to eat every night, and a roof over my warm house. It helped me realize how lucky I am to have everything that I have.
Jyler Tharaldsen
4/7/2020 08:14:29 am
A book that changed the way I look at the world is called "Batting Order" in this book a 13 year old by the name of Matt has a problem with stuttering and everyone knows about it, but everyone makes fun of him for it and the only place he never stutters is on the Baseball field and at home. Matt overcomes his stuttering by only talking about baseball or referring to baseball situations. This book helped me realize that anything is possible if you work around that one struggle that is holding you back
Paige Mahaffy
4/8/2020 08:01:21 am
I read a book called the Seven Most Important Things. That is my favorite book. It tells you to be grateful for what you have and to not judge people by what they have. This story changed my in a way of being more grateful for what I have because it could be gone very quick.
Tanner
4/8/2020 08:32:07 pm
I watched a movie called Billy Madison, it is about a boy whose father paid his way through school and never did anything on his own. The boy decides to go back to school and do it all on his own and he succeeds in life. It showed me how capable I could be.
Quincy
4/14/2020 11:12:03 am
The book that changed the way I saw the world was Crossover. This book is about basketball and I relate to it very well besides the last part that I don’t want to spoil. The part that makes me see the world different is that we don’t have that much life to live so fill it up with memories.
Clay
4/14/2020 05:38:35 pm
I watched a movie called 42. 42 is about Jackie Robinson, the first African-American MLB player in history. Jackie was always told he didn't belong but that didn't stop him. This taught me to do whatever I love no matter what somebody else thinks.
gavin
4/17/2020 12:20:15 pm
I watched a movie at the Watertown movie theater called “I Still Believe”. It was about a singer that got married when he was still in college. His wife was dying of cancer and lost her hair and lost a lot of weight. She beat cancer but then was diagnosed again with cancer. This taught me that life is short and very unpredictable.
Kaiden Goehring
4/27/2020 02:41:07 pm
One story that altered my perception of the world is called "Avatar". Comments are closed.
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