Chapter 12 "Truck Lessons"

I had read the chapter 12 "Truck Lessons." The beginning of this chapter starts from the conversation of Debbie and Lenny about Hector. After they finish talking, they started to watch radio show in Lenny’s car. While they watched it, the cool pickup appeared in front of Lenny’s car. Then Debbie had begun to be interested in the car. Lenny notice the change of Debbie, she negotiated with the son of the owner of the car. At first, the owner refused because of watching on TV. However, his son persuaded him, and he made his son teach how to ride the car for Debbie. Son’s practice, Lenny’s explanation helped Debbie, Debbie started to be able to ride the car sooner.

While they explain how to ride for Debbie, I pictured about my best friends. Three of all, they proposed that they possessed the car license to me. In Japan, you have to go the training institute for three month and pay lots of money to take the exam to possess the license. Total until the end of training of money is about 300,000 yen (about 140,000 Bath) Japan treats the car license as the license of government official. Therefore, person who has no one is punished heavily by the low. When I had read this depiction, I was wondering about Debbie’s age because I thought they are still student. Japanese age limit of the car is 18. How old is your country’s age limit of the car?

While I had read this chapter, specialized words about the car appeared many time. Therefore, strategy that I used is to use the dictionary. And I predict the next chapter is that Debbie and her friend will go to sea by Debbie’s driving. I want to do it with my friends when I will get the license of the car.

All The Year Of Her Life

I read “All the year of her life” which Morley Callaghan wrote. This story starts from the scene which a boy named Alfred stole some products from the store where Mr. Carr manages and Alfred works. After his mother negotiated with Mr. Carr, Alfred was released from catching himself. The points we should surprise is that His mother, Mrs. Higgins, does not hit her son completely. Alfred wants to tell her, “she was smooth.” It is for her negotiation at the store.

We discussed what’s happen if Mrs. Higgins changes Mr. Higgins. If I imagine it, I surprised again because of Mrs. Higgins who did not hit her son. Most of groups pictured that Mr. Higgins surely hit his son. So that to say, it is natural that parents hit own son/daughter who has stone something.

The strategy that I used was “I guess or predict what the text is about.” I have similar experience with Alfred, therefore, I was able to predict about him if Mr. Higgins knows what Alfred did.

Chapter 11 “Hector’s first song”

This week, I read chapter 11 “Hector’s first song” of Criss Cross, which Lynne Rae Perkins wrote. Chapter 11 starts Hector starts singing. The first part is sung by voice of girls, the second by Hector. That’s how Hector hears it in his head. His singing is referenced “It was kind of a Motown thing.” Hector had to need the three chords he had already learned. But more chords are possible for him.

When I have read the scene that Hector plays and sings while his concert, I pictured about my friends, three boys in the school I had gone to before I have came Thailand. By I left high school, they were still practicing the music. I had known they did their best, and I had known I would not be able to see their concert. In addition I have been known that they played the concert at the party of graduators from their air-mail. When I have read the scene that Hector plays and sings while his concert, there is not Hector in my imagination. There are my friends, and my friends play and sing the music they had practiced with utmost effort. While I have read this part of the story, I remember and compared the story with my experiences and memory, and it helped me to picture how he think and sing.

I predict the next chapter. The next will change the view point to audience from player at his concert. Debbie and her sister and friends will come to see Hector’s song.

The Enchanted Garden

I read the book called "The Enchanted Garden" which was written by Italo Calvino. When I have read it, I felt that the place in the enchanted garden is the place we cannot experience even once in our life. (The rich Thai may do it.) At the same time, I felt a boundary line between rich person and common citizen. The author is seemed of trying to tell us the enchanted garden is the game that was forbidden. There are the boy in beautiful house and has the illness and two children in the story, but they had had nothing to do with rich and poverty and they were not able to be satisfied there. Giovannino and Serenella were afraid of being to catch, and the rich boy was suffering from the illness. The enchanted garden is place where is forbidden for them.

When I have read this story, I used a reading strategy, which is called "When text becomes difficult, I read aloud to help me understand what I read." When rich boy appears, I got confuse because of change of character. Then I thought he is Giovannino at first time. After I have re-read 2 or 3 times, I used another strategy, which called “I use picture drawings, tab les, and maps in text to help me understand better what I am reading” I take the note about what there are surrounding them and their activity when the characters changed.

Beautiful Garden

　I am going to put some pictures about the garden.　

A garden in the below is the garden which is the most beautiful that I have looked. This is a garden of the temples where there is a grave of Hideyoshi Toyotomi who was the general who ever unified Japan.

 

Gardem in the below is  in the Imperial Palace.The name of this flower is a cluster amaryllis.　This flower has four English names, and it has Japanese names more than 1,000. English names are red spider lily, cluster belladonna, cluster amaryllis, and manjusaka. This flower is my favorite one.

Chapter 10 “Conversation in the Dark: Brilliant Eskimo thoughts”

This week, I read chapter 10 “Conversation in the Dark: Brilliant Eskimo thoughts” of Criss Cross, which Lynne Rae Perkins wrote. Chapter 10 starts from the scene, in which Hector practice singing the song and playing the guitar with his band member. In half way, Debbie and her friends visit to see their scene of practice. Everyone praises Hector’s skill as a singer. And the day of his concert comes at the end of this chapter. 

In this chapter, the form of the format becomes stage direction looks like a novel of William Shakespeare. Stage direction is the form used to read in the practice of the play. In addition, each initial of the conversation of Hector’s band member becomes question mark. 
“?: It does help to wear nice clothes and comb your hair, though. ” 
“?: Then you can be a neat ugly person.”
This conversation is at the end of this chapter. From letter mart, all conversation becomes the same with upper conversation. Their conversation reminds me of culture week of G-10. Then all Japanese of G-10 has performance of Japanese traditional dance, and we waited the time of our turn behind big curtain on the stage. This experience made me excite as I read their conversation. Furthermore, this chapter has only the conversation. I experienced to read similar novel in English, so I did not feel anguish.

I predicted his concert starts from this chapter when I read the chapter 9. It mistake, his concert will start from next chapter. I predict that Hector’s singing will attract a couple of people. 

Chapter 9-Criss Cross

This week, I read chapter 9 “Guitar Lessons” of Criss Cross, which Lynne Rae Perkins wrote. Chapter 9 starts from the scene, in which Hector picks guitar up and starts thinking what the metal is. Then he asks himself what the metal is, he and answers himself that the metal is the kind of girl who fell in love with football players. And his practice of the guitar started with his band members. Then he is concentrating but he could not stop himself. He starts singing because he likes singing. Other members begin to like his voice; Hector is chosen the vocal of next concert. 

I like to listen to the real concert and watch it. This chapter reminds me three of my best friends. They and I was the student in same class in Japan. Japan’s high school career has three years, and I had had only one year at the same school because my father’s transmission. When I was grade-10 (it was in Japan), my friends joined the selection to play the music for alumnus. I could not use the musical instrument, so I always watch they practiced the guitar, bass and drums. As the result, they could not be chosen the member to play in front of all students. 

This memory makes me imagine easily what I am reading. Hector’s guitar appears clearly in my brain, bass and drums of other members, too. Although there is not explanation of their expression, I was able to imagine that they play the music enjoyably. After I read it, I ask my self the question what the metal is. The metal is the music that is not belonged to only lock in my definition. Therefore Hector’s picture is not wrong; football is the sport of lots of people. So I agree with Hector’s imagination. 

This chapter finished before Hector’s concert starts. Therefore, I predict his concert will start at next chapter.