New, Michelle. Abuse. Online. Internet. January 2008. Available:
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/families/family_abuse.html
Jaffe-Gill, Ellen. Child Abuse and Neglect. Online. Internet. October 10, 2007. Available: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm
"Child Abuse." Tennyson Center for Children Homepage. Online. Internet. 2006. Available: http://www.childabuse.org/
Monday, January 7, 2008
Blog 1: Stotan Week
Stotan Week was created for the swimming team of Frost High School by Max, their coach. It was a voluntary event that all four boys signed up for. It was designed to build up their discipline and stamina with a grueling four hours a day. It brought everybody to the peak of their capabilities and they showed more strength and toughness than they ever thought possible. A Stotan was a cross between and Spartan and a Stoic. Both of these legendary warriors trained relentlessly and with as much discipline anybody thought possible. Throughout the five days, everybody showed significant improvement.
I thought that Stotan Week was a great week in which the four boys became very tough fast swimmers. Max pushed them so hard that they turned into machines. They couldn't feel anything, but just kept going faster and faster in an unstoppable rhythm. Only until after the fact did they realize just how fast and amazingly well they had done. Walker, Nortie, Lion, and Jeff grew a lot not only physically, but also mentally. I think it was very realistic and was a great way to prepare them for the state tournament. They grew not only into faster swimmers, but they became much closer together. All four boys stayed in Lion's apartment and became much better friends. I think that this way of working so hard and pushing yourself so much can be incorporated into what we do. Things like basketball, school, and other activities can use the idea of being a tough Stotan to make yourself better.
Overall, I thought that Stotan Week was a great idea by Max Il Song. It definitely shows great strength and toughness. Also, I thought that people could use these tactics while training or preparing for something because of how effective it was on these kids when they did it for swimming. Not only did it affect them in their physical abilities, but there mental abilities. They pushed themselves to the absolute limit, which shows that they have great character and perseverance. They also learned a lot about themselves and that they can push each other to the absolute limit.
I thought that Stotan Week was a great week in which the four boys became very tough fast swimmers. Max pushed them so hard that they turned into machines. They couldn't feel anything, but just kept going faster and faster in an unstoppable rhythm. Only until after the fact did they realize just how fast and amazingly well they had done. Walker, Nortie, Lion, and Jeff grew a lot not only physically, but also mentally. I think it was very realistic and was a great way to prepare them for the state tournament. They grew not only into faster swimmers, but they became much closer together. All four boys stayed in Lion's apartment and became much better friends. I think that this way of working so hard and pushing yourself so much can be incorporated into what we do. Things like basketball, school, and other activities can use the idea of being a tough Stotan to make yourself better.
Overall, I thought that Stotan Week was a great idea by Max Il Song. It definitely shows great strength and toughness. Also, I thought that people could use these tactics while training or preparing for something because of how effective it was on these kids when they did it for swimming. Not only did it affect them in their physical abilities, but there mental abilities. They pushed themselves to the absolute limit, which shows that they have great character and perseverance. They also learned a lot about themselves and that they can push each other to the absolute limit.
Blog 2: Racism and Abuse
There were two very serious issues presented in the novel Stotan. Racism and abuse are two dangerous forms of bullying. Anybody could suffer from racism and abuse. Lots of normal looking people who you wouldn't think would ever be suffering from a form of this bullying could be. Nortie and his family are the main victims of abuse throughout the book. They are so used to being abused and beaten by their father that it almost seem natural and they don't fight back at all. Abuse is such a serious problem in that family that Nortie had to go to the hospital a few times. They lied and didn't say anything about their father causing the damage. Nortie even had to move out at the end of the book because of how bad he got beat up by his dad. Worst of all, Nortie's brother commited suicide because he couldn't take any more beatings from his Dad. I think abuse is an incredibly serious issue that characters in this book aren't realizing. Nortie can't even live a normal life because of his father always beating him and his mother. He always has to be worrying about them getting hurt without even being able to stand up for himself, or his mother because of how bad it is.
The second issue presented in this book is that their is racism throughout the book. Nortie's Dad and Marty (the star baseball player on the Frost High School team and Nortie's enemy) are both very racist. Marty delivers out these newspapers that prejudice and judge against black people. He even puts them out in the school. Luckily Ms. Stevens, a black woman, works at the school and tries to help stop the newspapers getting spread around. Nortie's girlfriend, Mililika, is a black girl who gets a lot of nasty and dirty comments thrown about her. Nortie is made fun of about this because of going out with a black girl. I think that this is a very serious issue that should never happen in school. Kids shouldn't be prejudiced against because of the color of their skin. I feel sad that kids like this have to fall victim to racism and bullying. It is very unfair to judge or beat on someone just because you had a bad day or aren't feeling good. Those are some issues that need to be delt with in this book.
The second issue presented in this book is that their is racism throughout the book. Nortie's Dad and Marty (the star baseball player on the Frost High School team and Nortie's enemy) are both very racist. Marty delivers out these newspapers that prejudice and judge against black people. He even puts them out in the school. Luckily Ms. Stevens, a black woman, works at the school and tries to help stop the newspapers getting spread around. Nortie's girlfriend, Mililika, is a black girl who gets a lot of nasty and dirty comments thrown about her. Nortie is made fun of about this because of going out with a black girl. I think that this is a very serious issue that should never happen in school. Kids shouldn't be prejudiced against because of the color of their skin. I feel sad that kids like this have to fall victim to racism and bullying. It is very unfair to judge or beat on someone just because you had a bad day or aren't feeling good. Those are some issues that need to be delt with in this book.
Blog 3: Nortie
Nortie is one of the main characters in the novel Stotan. He goes through many tough things and is a more serious type of character. Nortie lives with his mother and father. His father is very abusive to their entire family. He's beaten Nortie since he was a little boy, made him throw things at his own mom, and forced Nortie to watch him beat up his mom. His dad also drank a lot and would loose control of his body that way. It is very sad that Nortie has to go through this so often. Nortie also told Lion, Jeff, and Walker about something he kept in for his entire life. He once had a brother who commited suicide because he was tired of his dad abusing him. It happened on Nortie's own birthday when he was turning just seven years old. He saw him dead in the garage from hanging himself. Underneath him was a note that had Nortie's name on it. He took the note and read it three years later. It just said sorry and good luck. Another way Nortie has led a hard life is that he is going out with an African American girl named Mililika. He is thought of being weird because back in those days, many people were racist. Also, in the school there were these newspapers that were being passed around that made fun of black people and contained very dirty terms.
What surprised me about Nortie was how well he handled all of these experiences. Most kids that age wouldn't be able to cope with all that he goes through in an average day. Nortie controls himself well and is able to take care of himself. He doesn't do drugs or anything like that. He is a very mature and a nice kid. Also, the one time that Nortie lost control and hit somebody, he realized he had done something wrong, unlike his dad, and was able to stop it before anything escaladed. The way I would have thought Nortie would have handled himself was to be depressed and try to take it out on others. Many fathers who are abusive were also abused as a child. I also would have thought he would be to embarrassed and not feel worthy enough to have friends and be so involved in an activity such as swimming.
Nortie is also a very good swimmer. He is probably the best one out of the four boys. He is physically fit and not only does he keep himself pushing forward as hard as he can, but he helps the other boys to go their hardest. Nortie is really an amazing character because of all that he goes through and the way he handles his situation.
What surprised me about Nortie was how well he handled all of these experiences. Most kids that age wouldn't be able to cope with all that he goes through in an average day. Nortie controls himself well and is able to take care of himself. He doesn't do drugs or anything like that. He is a very mature and a nice kid. Also, the one time that Nortie lost control and hit somebody, he realized he had done something wrong, unlike his dad, and was able to stop it before anything escaladed. The way I would have thought Nortie would have handled himself was to be depressed and try to take it out on others. Many fathers who are abusive were also abused as a child. I also would have thought he would be to embarrassed and not feel worthy enough to have friends and be so involved in an activity such as swimming.
Nortie is also a very good swimmer. He is probably the best one out of the four boys. He is physically fit and not only does he keep himself pushing forward as hard as he can, but he helps the other boys to go their hardest. Nortie is really an amazing character because of all that he goes through and the way he handles his situation.
Research Abuse
Abuse is one of the main issues that happens throughout the book Stotan, especially when talking about Nortie, who has taken a lot of abuse from his father throughout the book. Not only does Nortie have to be beaten by his father, but he has to watch his mother get beaten everyday. This is why Nortie's little known brother committed suicide while Nortie was only seven years old. He couldn't take it any more and decided he couldn't live with it anymore. This is how serious abuse can be. In many cases, neither the victim nor the one abusing realizes that abuse is taking place and that it needs to stop.
There is no real reason for abuse to take place, but in most cases the abuser believes that the victim did something wrong and that they were "asking for it" in some way. In many cases, the abuser was also abused as a kid and just think that it is normal for this to happen. There are four types of abuse. They are Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Emotional Abuse, and Neglect. None of these are right, and if you know that your, or someone else, is being abused, you need to report it immediately to someone that you trust.
The first kind of abuse, Physical Abuse, can be anything that causes physical injury to someone. It can consist of hitting, kicking, pinching, burning, choking and many other ways to hurt someone physically. This type of abuse is usually easier to spot than others because they leave real marks of pain on the body. This is a very serious form of abuse that should be dealt with immediately.
The next form of abuse, Sexual Abuse, can be any form of sexual behavior between an adult and someone 18 years old or younger. It can also be a kid significantly older than someone else. If a family member sexually abuses another family, it can be considered incest. This is a very dangerous and wrong form of abuse.
The third type of abuse, Emotional Abuse, consists of yelling and being angry all the time at someone. Constantly criticizing a kid and telling them how bad they are and that they deserve nothing could be considered Emotional Abuse. This is a very difficult form of abuse to catch because there is no physical signs of violence on the victims body. This form of abuse can cause a lowered self-esteem and many side effects, just as physical abuse does.
The last form of abuse is Neglect. This is when a child is provided lack of medical care, food, and housing. This is the most difficult form of abuse to define because there is always the chance of the parent being poor and not being able to afford such things. This is a very cruel form of abuse and can also be defined as not giving a child enough supervision or care. Not paying any attention to a child can be a way Neglect is defined.
Abuse is a very serious issue that should be dealt with immediately. Even if a child is not the one being abused, it can be very difficult for them to witness a parent or sibling being abused. Abuse also doesn't have to just be between family members, but can also be a form of bullying between non-family members. Many people don't realize that they need help and don't know that just because they were abused as a child, doesn't mean that they need to abuse someone else. That is what I found out about abuse through my research.
There is no real reason for abuse to take place, but in most cases the abuser believes that the victim did something wrong and that they were "asking for it" in some way. In many cases, the abuser was also abused as a kid and just think that it is normal for this to happen. There are four types of abuse. They are Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Emotional Abuse, and Neglect. None of these are right, and if you know that your, or someone else, is being abused, you need to report it immediately to someone that you trust.
The first kind of abuse, Physical Abuse, can be anything that causes physical injury to someone. It can consist of hitting, kicking, pinching, burning, choking and many other ways to hurt someone physically. This type of abuse is usually easier to spot than others because they leave real marks of pain on the body. This is a very serious form of abuse that should be dealt with immediately.
The next form of abuse, Sexual Abuse, can be any form of sexual behavior between an adult and someone 18 years old or younger. It can also be a kid significantly older than someone else. If a family member sexually abuses another family, it can be considered incest. This is a very dangerous and wrong form of abuse.
The third type of abuse, Emotional Abuse, consists of yelling and being angry all the time at someone. Constantly criticizing a kid and telling them how bad they are and that they deserve nothing could be considered Emotional Abuse. This is a very difficult form of abuse to catch because there is no physical signs of violence on the victims body. This form of abuse can cause a lowered self-esteem and many side effects, just as physical abuse does.
The last form of abuse is Neglect. This is when a child is provided lack of medical care, food, and housing. This is the most difficult form of abuse to define because there is always the chance of the parent being poor and not being able to afford such things. This is a very cruel form of abuse and can also be defined as not giving a child enough supervision or care. Not paying any attention to a child can be a way Neglect is defined.
Abuse is a very serious issue that should be dealt with immediately. Even if a child is not the one being abused, it can be very difficult for them to witness a parent or sibling being abused. Abuse also doesn't have to just be between family members, but can also be a form of bullying between non-family members. Many people don't realize that they need help and don't know that just because they were abused as a child, doesn't mean that they need to abuse someone else. That is what I found out about abuse through my research.
Evaluate Stotan
I thought the novel Stotan was an average book. Some parts were boring or just way over dramatic, while others were exciting and fun to read. Overall, I thought that this book was an okay novel. Chris Crutcher used the Six + 1 traits of writing (ideas and content, organization, individual voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation) pretty well. This is how I think they were used well and bad.
First, ideas and content was used somewhat well. I thought that at some times the ideas and subject was a little weird or off subject. Yet at other parts, she seemed to have the right ideas at the right time to make a great effect. Organization, which goes together well with ideas and content, was pretty good. The organization always seemed to be in the right order so that it made sense and parts seemed to be placed in the right areas.
Individual voice I thought was used great. I could always know who was speaking and what their thoughts were. Chris Crutcher made is characters talk straight forward so that it was easy to read and understand. Word choice was pretty good also. He used a colorful vocabulary so that teens, the primary readers could understand it and still learn new words from it.
I thought that the conventions were mediocre in this novel. Sentence Fluency was very good though. Each sentence seemed to flow right along with the others. Many of the sentences, in my opinion could have been a little more descriptive, but other than that they were very good.
It was easy to read out loud and seemed to have a flow to it.
That is how I would evaluate this book using the Six + 1 traits of writing as a guide. Some of it was great, while other parts could have been much better and easier to understand. Overall, I thought this book was somewhat good.
First, ideas and content was used somewhat well. I thought that at some times the ideas and subject was a little weird or off subject. Yet at other parts, she seemed to have the right ideas at the right time to make a great effect. Organization, which goes together well with ideas and content, was pretty good. The organization always seemed to be in the right order so that it made sense and parts seemed to be placed in the right areas.
Individual voice I thought was used great. I could always know who was speaking and what their thoughts were. Chris Crutcher made is characters talk straight forward so that it was easy to read and understand. Word choice was pretty good also. He used a colorful vocabulary so that teens, the primary readers could understand it and still learn new words from it.
I thought that the conventions were mediocre in this novel. Sentence Fluency was very good though. Each sentence seemed to flow right along with the others. Many of the sentences, in my opinion could have been a little more descriptive, but other than that they were very good.
It was easy to read out loud and seemed to have a flow to it.
That is how I would evaluate this book using the Six + 1 traits of writing as a guide. Some of it was great, while other parts could have been much better and easier to understand. Overall, I thought this book was somewhat good.
Background Information
The Novel Stotan! by Chris Crutcher is about the Robert Frost boys swimming team and their coach, Max. The four boys on the team are Walker, Nortie, Lion, and Jeff. It takes place in Spokane, Washington during the present time. Some parts of the book also are in Montana during their swimming tournaments. They are all very close friends and have known each other from swimming for a very long time. One day, Max posted a sign up sheet for "Stotan" Week. It was a voluntary event that was for swimming, and didn't tell any more information than that. They all decided to sign up for it, but they didn't know what they were getting into.
For Stotan Week, the four boys all decided to stay at Lion's place. Lion lives alone in an apartment because his parents were killed in a boat accident. They aren't even sure if it is legal for him to do it, but nobody really ever did anything to stop him from doing it. There they all tell each other stories and have a lot of fun. They go out for cokes and food during the week and just hang out there.
The first day of Stotan Week was very tough. Since none of them were used to working so hard for a while, they got sore and tired after just the first two hours out of the total of four. They mainly did activities out of the pool, like bear crawls and sprints to get them in shape. When they went in the pool, they went into what was called the "torture lane." This was when they had to swim a lot, and very hard. At the end of it, they were all very tired and just laid down for most of the day. The second day wasn't much different, but they were all very sore and did a little better. They didn't only get pushed on by Max, but they pushed each other on by giving each other encouragement and challenging them. On the third day, they all became used to the workouts and began doing it very well and fast. They swam a lot more in the water, while still doing things on the outsides of the pool like sprints. They began going like machines. Lion was the first to turn into this stage where they could feel nothing and just kept going faster and faster. On the final two days, they didn't get into those machine-like stages, but got in great shape and were finished with Stotan Week. They were true Stotans and they had all learned a lot about each other, not just in the water, but secrets and things they had to live with all of their lives.
There are many serious issues dealt with throughout this book, such as racism, abuse, violence, drugs, sex, death, and many others. This book shows how people can grow and become very different in such little time. It shows how much a person can take and how much people can push and encourage others on toward success.
For Stotan Week, the four boys all decided to stay at Lion's place. Lion lives alone in an apartment because his parents were killed in a boat accident. They aren't even sure if it is legal for him to do it, but nobody really ever did anything to stop him from doing it. There they all tell each other stories and have a lot of fun. They go out for cokes and food during the week and just hang out there.
The first day of Stotan Week was very tough. Since none of them were used to working so hard for a while, they got sore and tired after just the first two hours out of the total of four. They mainly did activities out of the pool, like bear crawls and sprints to get them in shape. When they went in the pool, they went into what was called the "torture lane." This was when they had to swim a lot, and very hard. At the end of it, they were all very tired and just laid down for most of the day. The second day wasn't much different, but they were all very sore and did a little better. They didn't only get pushed on by Max, but they pushed each other on by giving each other encouragement and challenging them. On the third day, they all became used to the workouts and began doing it very well and fast. They swam a lot more in the water, while still doing things on the outsides of the pool like sprints. They began going like machines. Lion was the first to turn into this stage where they could feel nothing and just kept going faster and faster. On the final two days, they didn't get into those machine-like stages, but got in great shape and were finished with Stotan Week. They were true Stotans and they had all learned a lot about each other, not just in the water, but secrets and things they had to live with all of their lives.
There are many serious issues dealt with throughout this book, such as racism, abuse, violence, drugs, sex, death, and many others. This book shows how people can grow and become very different in such little time. It shows how much a person can take and how much people can push and encourage others on toward success.
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