Hot X Buns

I cooked hot cross buns with Kaela, Marshall and our Thai student Orn. We did very well on the score for our baking, the only cross we got was keeping on time as it took 5 minutes for us to decide who was putting away the dishes.

The final product

The recipe

This recipe was very fun and easy to make. What we would change next time is making sure we're on time.

Novel Study: WONDER (Can Do Task 1)

I chose a musical can-do task where we review the theme song for the movie adaption of the book.

The music starts out quiet, showing his shyness of starting a new school. The notes give a sense of hope and faith that something good will come out of the bad. A small wave of sadness comes through when the violin comes in and the melody changes. The music slowly starts getting louder to symbolise something's about to happen. Then the music SWELLS and the sounds say something like 'This is who I am' or 'I started from the bottom and now I'm up here'. The music makes a sudden drop for the last minute or so to show emotion. The emotions symbolise that August went through a whole lot to live a normal life, but he never gave up and now has everything he could want.

Novel Study: WONDER (Part 4)

1. What was Summer's initial reaction to August's face? Why did they become friends?
Summer felt sorry for August because she knew that people would make fun of him. It's hard being the new kid even with a normal face, let alone a deformed face.

2. Summer isn't in the popular group at school, why is she invited to Savanna's party?
Savanna wanted to know why she hung out with August so much.

3. How does Summer foster a relationship with Auggie, in what ways is it beneficial for them both?
August and Summer have personalities that are very similar. They always make sure that the other is okay. They cheer each other up when they need it.

4. Part 4 starts with the quote "Now here is my secret. It is very simple. It is only with one's heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye." What does it mean?
People are more often able to get what they want through their kindness and not their words.

5. What was Jack's initial reaction to Mr Tushman's request to show August around school?
He didn't want to do it because of August's face deformation, which his mother got a bit mad about.

6. Friendship can be difficult. How does Jack feel about him and August becoming ex-friends? How does he feel when he finds out why?
He was happy that he got to hang out with the popular group, but he didn't like the popular group. When he found out why, though, he immediately regretted saying what he said.

7. How was Jack provoked to punch Julian in the face? Explain why you think this was the right/wrong thing to do.
Julian was insisting on being Jack's partner, saying that he didn't have to be friends with August. This wasn't a good choice as he could have just as easily made a verbal comeback.

8. How did reading Jack's point of view change your perception of his character?
Jack's point of view was very interesting. We get to see how one of the deuteragonists got to be in that situation and how he reacted to finding out how he became a secondary antagonist.

9. Predict how you think August will react to the news that Jack punched Julian. What effect will it have on their friendship?
He will probably act shocked that Jack would do such a thing. Jack doesn't seem like the aggressive type, so it would probably shock a lot of people. I think that August would be scared of Jack because he's afraid that he'd say something wrong and get the same treatment. Until he found out the context, anyway.

Novel Study: WONDER (Part 3)

You know the drill!

1. Explain how the point of view in Part 2 is different from that in Part 1. Do they match up?

No, while Part 1 is in August's perspective, Part 2 is from the perspective of his older sister, Via.

2. In at least a paragraph, describe the challenges Via might face being August's sister.

It's obvious throughout this part that Via doesn't get very much attention as everyone's focus is always on August. This can lead to self-esteem and relationship problems. Her mother is also paranoid about her going on the subway by herself due to her insecurities relating to August. Even though they're not the same person, they're both her children, so she thinks the same about them both.

3. Via says 'August is the Sun'. Explain what she means and why she feels this way.

August is the Sun because everyone orbits around him. Everyone else are the planets around him.

4. Do you agree with Via that she and her parents have made a mistake by always trying to make August feel like he's normal? Is this a problem? Explain.

I actually disagree with Via. Them treating him normally is a good thing, due to the fact that he should be treated normally by default. Besides, he needs emotional support from people who don't judge him because of his face.

5. Why does Via go by Olivia at high school? How is Via finding high school?

She finds it more comfortable to be referred to as 'Olivia'. She's happy that not many people know her, although she's struggling to get along with Ella and Miranda.

6. What are the odds of Via having a child that looks like August? Do you think these are good odds? Explain.

It's a one-in-four chance, but only if she marries someone with the same gene and they have children. These are very good odds, as the gene is quite rare so it won't have a very high chance of double-dosing like what happened to August.

7. Explore the character Miranda. Why did she call August at the end of Part 2? Explain.

She called August to try to get a message through to Via, as proved by the line by August, "She said to tell you she misses you. Quote unquote."

8. Describe Via as a character. Do you empathise with her?

Via is a high school student who always lives in the shadow of August due to his face deformation. I don't empathise with her too much, that would be more my brothers.

9. What do you think will happen to August when he returns to school?

I think he will make friends with more students, who will inspire him to stand up for himself and tell someone about what's happening between himself and Julian.

Novel Study: WONDER (Part 2)

Now that we've read more of Wonder, we have more questions to answer!

1. Star Wars is one of August's passions. Why do you think this is? Do you see any reasons for August to identify with these characters, or aspire to be like them?
He likes Star Wars due to the characters having their own problems and overcoming them like how he wishes he could do with his deformed face.

2. What questions did Julian ask August and why did August want to slide under the desk? Explain why Julian asked those questions.
Julian asked who his favorite Star Wars character was and other characters. He asked about Darth Sidious and August wanted to slide under the desk due to the context of the question.

3. Mr. Browne's September precept was 'When given the choice of being right or being kind, choose kind'. Do you agree with this precept? Explain.
It depends on the context. If a person is being mean to others because they think they're right, it is better to be right in that situation due to their stubbornness.

4. In the chapter 'One to Ten', August is feeling mad with his mother but he's not sure why. Explain why you think he was mad.
He was angry at his mother because of his mother's pestering questions about school. He didn't want to talk, so he grew annoyed.

5. August invited his whole class to his birthday party but not many kids came. Why do you think they didn't go?
Not very many people came because not very many kids liked August.

6. August says he has an 'Aversion' to getting his picture taken. What is an aversion? Why does August have an aversion to having his picture taken?
An 'aversion' is another word for a dislike, however in a more severe form. He has an aversion to having his picture taken due to his appearance.

7. Why does no one want to touch August? How do you think this makes him feel?
People think August's condition is contagious and don't want to get infected. This doesn't bother him much, however, it does hurt his feelings somewhat.

8. Did your opinion of Jack Will change after August overheard him talking to Julian? Explain.
Yes. I was disappointed that he didn't share what he really thought of August sooner. I wish he was more honest with people that look up to him, like August.

9. Do you think August will go back to school? Predict what will happen next.
I think he won't want to go back to school, but he does anyway after convincing from his parents and Via.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

I'm learning how to use the information in a book to answer questions about the subject.

HOW DOES THIS WORK SHOW MY LEARNING?

It shows that I have paid attention to these parts in the story and know how to answer questions about them.

ART: Beatriz Milhazes

This is an example of Beatriz Milhazes's work. People doing the painting programme in Art are studying her to see what layering effects look like.

The layering in this image is very intriguing. The border of the circles are overlapping the petals of the flowers, but not the circles themselves. Even the background is eye-catching, the bright colours of the lines and squares really bring the piece together. I could apply this to my work by looking at the unique layering technique and use it in my painting.

Novel Study: WONDER

'Wonder' is the touching story of a young boy named August living with a face deformation. He lives with his parents, older sister Via and dog Daisy. We are doing a novel study of this book and are required to answer questions as we go along.

1: What is August's one wish that he wanted? If you could change one thing about your appearance, what would it be?
August's wish was to not look like he does now and to live like any normal young boy. If I could change my appearance, I would want to make my hair long enough to tie up.

2: What do you think it means to be ordinary? What makes August extraordinary?
In my mind, there is no such thing as 'ordinary', as everyone is unique in their own way. August is extraordinary because of his many surgeries and he survived something he wasn't supposed to.

3: How do people react when they see August's face? How would you react?
People act horrified because he is different. If I saw someone like him, I would probably act the same for a second before starting a conversation with them to make them feel happy about themselves.

4: August's dad said, "So sending him off to school like a lamb to the slaughter..." What does this mean?
August's father knew he would get bullied at school but wasn't aware of it, just like how a lamb is oblivious that getting into the truck to the slaughter would be one of its last moments.

5: Would you send August to school if you were his mum or dad? Explain why or why not.
I wouldn't because I wouldn't want him to be bullied because of his facial features. I would find online resources for him to use to learn instead of going to school.

6: What white lie did August's mum tell? Why did she do it? Are white lies okay to tell?
August's mother said that the test to get into his new school was actually an IQ test. She did it to hide the fact that she wanted August to go to school. They can be okay depending on the context.

7: August decided that he liked Mrs Garcia - when she wasn't wearing her shiny smile. What is a 'shiny smile'?
A 'shiny smile' is a fake smile that someone makes when they're forced to smile when they don't want to.

8: How does August know the first time he meets Julian that he will be a bully? What are some of the ways that Julian bullies August? How does August respond?
August knew he would be a bully because of the attitude and he uses towards the other children and the way he picks fights at different things. Julian bullies August by teasing him about his facial features and August just takes it, he doesn't fight back.

I made a Wonder cover of myself!