Vineet's English 8 Blog

Book Review- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets              11/11/17

4/5 STARS

By: J.K. Rowling

This sequel to the Sorcerer’s Stone is yet another great establishment in The Harry Potter series. In this book, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger enter their second year at the “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” However this year, mysterious events arise as students begin to disappear, secrets start to surface, and strange disasters make everyone a suspect, even Harry Potter himself! Harry and his friends must investigate who’s behind the treacherous madness, before further chaos unleashes havoc throughout the school. With a high rating of four out of five stars, I thought the book had kept me engaged for the most part from start to finish. The chapters were generally interesting and sometimes humorous as well. I loved the adventurous storyline among Harry, Hermione, and Ron as they were searching for clues, evidence, and suspects to find out what was happening in the school. However, there were some chapters that were a little slow paced, especially in the middle chapters of the book, where the pace of the book began to somewhat decline. Fortunately, Rowling brought back the book’s pace all the while revealing themes of friendship, adventure, and sacrifice. Regardless, The Chamber of Secrets is a successful novel that will deliver a Harry Potter adventure you will love!

                                                                                                   How To Create Paper Crafts

The possibilities of paper are endless with a few simple folds, creases, and a great imagination. With this guide, you will learn how to construct several paper crafts from simple airplanes to complex creations.

Description: One of the most easiest paper creations you can build are paper springs. These springs can be used for a variety of purposes such as decorations, attachments to other objects, and so much more. In my experience with creating these springs, make sure your folds are exact. It will  be much easier to expand your spring with precise folding. They require very little steps and can expand and retract for amazing possibilities.

Paper Springs                           Skill level: Easy

1. First, you take one piece of paper (use two different colors of papers for best design), and cut two strips of paper that are at least 2 cm long in length.
2. Next, Make sure the two strips of paper are equal in length and width, adjust the sizes of both by trimming the sides. As I have made many of these springs, I would advise you to use a ruler to measure both strips of paper to ensure they are both equal in size.
3. Place the two strips of paper in a right angle position where one end of the strip is on top of the other. It should now look like an L.
4. After that, Glue the upperstrip’s end of paper to the bottom strip so they are connected in the right angle position.
5. Now that you have created the base of the strips, fold the bottom strip of paper over the upper strip so it overlaps it after the fold. You should again have the L shape again except the bottom strip on top now.
6. Next, keep folding the strips over one another in this pattern until all the paper is folded into the spring.
7. After you have folded the two strips of paper into the spring, there will be an excess of paper at the end. You will need to glue the two small remaining folds of the strips together to solidify the spring.
8. Lastly, Make sure the spring can expand and retract by pressing it and pulling it apart. As a suggestion from past realization, make sure that your spring doesn’t have any loose folds or strips of paper sticking out in the middle or beginning. They might make your spring fall apart.

 

You can make several of these springs and glue them together to make massive expandible creations to enjoy!

 

Description: Another easy creation you can master is the paper box. The paper box is an easy craft that you can use to store small toys, compartments, and much more!

 

Paper box                     Skill level: hard

1. First, Take a regular piece of loose leaf paper( color prefered) and cut the sides so you have a perfect square. From learning from my past experiences, using a ruler to measure the sides can tell you how much to precisely cut off. It will be vital later that the sides are equal!
2. Now, Draw 2 lines that cross each from the two diagonal corners on each side, so there’s a big  x in the middle and four triangles.
3. Shift the paper to the right so it looks like a rhombus.
4. Next, Fold each corner into the center X until all sides have been folded
5. Shift the paper so your back in the square position again.
6. Fold the two sides of the whole paper into the middle, hot dog style.
7. Now, unfold the top and bottom folds but leave the sides folded.
8. Finally, Glue the two remaining folded corners onto the bottom so they’ll hold.
9. Fold the left and right edges into the center, then unfold them so there’s two standing sides.
10. Cut about an inch of the bottom edges of the standing sides for both the top and the lower too. There should be four flaps in all, after you’ve cut the sides.
11. Now, bring the two upper opposite flaps from each side and glue them together.
12. Do the same with the two bottom opposite flaps. After doing this, both sides should be aligned, straight, and glued together. Adjust the flaps if needed.
13. Next, Take the top and bottom unfolded sides and tuck them over the two flaps to make the last two sides. Make sure you’ve pulled the top and bottom sides all the way over and into the box to keep the sides secure.
14. At the end, there should be four triangles inside the box.

 

You can make different sizes of these paper boxes and arrange them with different colors for amazing creations. Use this paper craft to store small compartments and objects.

 

Description: Paper airplanes. These soaring paper birds create excellent dramatic flights in the air for everyone to enjoy.  Have you ever wondered how it feels like to travel through the monumental clouds in the sky? With a few simple steps and folds, you can create a flying toy to travel heights with a simple throw in your home.

 

Basic  paper airplane                                  Skill level: Easy

 

1. Begin with one regular sized piece of paper and fold it in half, vertically/ hot dog style.
2. Next, fold the upper right and left corner diagonally into the middle crease. It should form an approximate equilateral triangle when both flaps are down.
3. Make sure both flaps are equal in length and the folds are crisp.
4. Now, fold the lowermost corner of the two flaps, into the center crease again. Make sure you fold the bottom of the paper included with the folded parts too. Now it should look like two long scalene triangles on both sides.
5. You should now have the body of the paper airplane with two big flaps. Make sure these two flaps are equal in height and the folds are secured. From my past experience, I have learned that the paper airplane will fly better if these two flaps are both the same in length and width.
6. After that,  fold the two upper slanted sides  down to the bottom of the folds. You can make your wingspans wider or shorter  as you wish by folding the slanted upper sides further or less. Tip: If you make your wing sizes bigger, they will probably be more acrobatic in the air with flips and turns. If you want your airplane to travel fast in a straight line, make your airplane wings long and thin.
7. In the end,  secure the airplane by smoothing it and out and adjusting the folds. The airplane may not fly properly on the first few tries, but after a small period of time, the airplane will get adjusted and travel better.  I have learned in the past that flying these crafts indoors gives a better chance of longer and higher flight.

You can experiment with this basic airplane’s wings to make it fly in loops with sharp turns, quick like a bullet, or soar in the air for extended air times.

WARNING: DO NOT THROW AT ANIMAL OR HUMAN BEING!

In conclusion, these several paper creations can boost your imagination in the world of paper crafts. Expand your knowledge of the potentials of paper by experimenting with your own creations. While paper is widely known for only academic purposes, they can open a door in your mind to endless possibilities.

 

The Final Game

          It was a serene breezy autumn afternoon as the bitter air pounded on my face and I stepped into the school gym. It was my first day of basketball practice in elementary school as I was both hesitant and excited to meet my coaches and teammates I was playing with. I could sense my heart beating loudly out of my chest like a bass drum as I reluctantly stumbled into the court. The first day of practice turned out wonderful as my coaches were really enjoyable to work with and my teammates were all considerably skilled too. As weeks flew by, I learned more and more about techniques and skills that improved my teammates and I tremendously. It became really interesting to learn new moves that I’d never practiced before and utilize them too.

          Finally, after weeks progressed by, we initiated our first scrimmage. My heart screamed out of my chest as I trembled into the gym quivering like a thrumming tuning fork from the brisk fall winds outside. I could infer everyone held apprehensive looks on their faces as I plopped in the benches where my coaches and teammates practiced. Once the game started, it was incredibly thrilling as both teams dashed from one side of the gym to the other, striving to edge the other out! I was breathing furiously as I was guarding my opponents. The mania in the paint was uncontrollable as players were driving into one another. But every time we scored, the other team answered with two more buckets in our faces, we just couldn’t barricade their forces. Everytime we tried to make a layup or shoot, they would just block or steal the ball from us. The scene represented like an ant fighting an army of spiders. There was almost no possible play we could achieve to score. At the end of the fourth quarter, we unfortunately lost our first game. Our coaches cheered us up from the failure and the next week we started practicing even harder. We learned from our mistakes from the first defeat and grinded to improve our plays as a team. By the end of the week, our second game approached and I believed we were going to win this one. But again, after so much struggle of running, defending, and shooting baskets, we were conquered again. It was really disappointing to be defeated twice, but our coaches never gave up hope in us, no matter what direction the game headed. After weeks of practices and games, we were constantly defeated, dragged down, and demolished every time. It was heartbreaking for us all, we abandoned almost all hope in ourselves.

           At the end of one game, I realized, I needed to enhance my skills for the team. They desperately needed my help and support even if I wasn’t one of the best players. I admitted I couldn’t shoot very well or drive, but If I could upgrade my game, it could affect all my other teammates too. After that day, I strived to practice harder and harder every meet-up,  striving to contribute to the team by progressing higher at my defense and offense. Our coaches pushed us to cloud nine as we did sprints, practice games, and more drills to develop ourselves. It exasperated all of us, I depleted my breath every practice, it was like a python squeezing the air out of its prey, but I couldn’t give up, not now. The games continued on for weeks, we constantly kept losing, but I surely determined in my mind, we, as a team, enhanced our game. Every time we’d be on offense, we grabbed more rebounds, scored more shots, and made more layups. On defense, the other teams struggled with more effort to score points; our coaches figured we were competetion now. Our synergy in the court was pulling together like a bridge as I received more passes in games. We were one week from the game we needed to win to advance to the playoffs and our coaches drove us farther than ever before no matter how brutal the drill. We had only won three games so I constantly concerned about our probability to the playoffs. Our legs and hands continuously trained and stretched to prepare us for the vital game. My legs altered sore, numb, and felt like noodles after every practice, but I contemplated it would be for the better.

             Finally, after days of struggle, pain, and sweat, we entered our most crucial game to advance on to the playoffs. The car ride there, I felt so much pressure in my mind like there were was a mountain dragging me down. As my dad and I entered the gym, he wished me good luck as I jogged over to the benches where everyone on my team was practicing. Some of the anxiety was washed over by the bright faces of our coaches that eased the tense moment before the game. The pre-game clock climbed down to zero as I was one of the starting players to enter the match. The referee blew his whistle and the match initiated. Our team snatched the jump ball and we advanced forward into offense like lions. Bodies sprinted everywhere as our point guard passed the ball to my other teammate and we scored! We switched back to defense, jogging back to the other side of the court, preparing ourselves to defend the hoop like knights protecting a castle. All of a sudden, the other team dashed forward and tried to score their first basket, their players advancing forward like a stampede of bulls. Luckily, when their point guard tried to drive in, we blocked him just in time to return the ball back in our hands! Our team sprinted forward skittering across the glossy wood floors to attack the enemy team. I powerhoused through the several players through the middle of the court dodging player after player like a slick thief.  I snatched the ball and shot it in the paint for the layup. The ball rattled through the hoop and we were back in the lead eighteen to sixteen.

             On and on, both our team and the opposing team went, scoring and defending. “BOOM BOOM BOOM!”Sneakers pounded through the floors with strengths of an elephant. Soon it turned the end of the third quarter, and we were leading by ten points, twenty six to sixteen. Everyone on our team clung confident courageous looks on their faces, finally reassuring hope after a lead. Our coaches huddled us in for a pep talk, “Guys, no matter what happens out there, If we win or if we lose, just give it your best shot. We’ve gone through a lot as a team, but we sticked together as one no matter how many matches we lost, no matter how many times we got defeated. We’re leading them by ten points, guys… we  can finally do this, we can beat them… just don’t give up until the game is over and we can win! After our coaches boosted us up, it was time for the fourth and finishing quarter of the match. The referee blew the whistle and final showdown launched into action. The ball was chucked, bounced, and dribbled from one side to the other as everyone was contributing their maximum effort to edge the other team out. Our opposing team scored three more layups on us making the score thirty to twenty six. The crowd was on its feet standing still like statues watching the madness of the game wash over their faces like a colossal wave.The gazing, yelling, and cheering for both teams from the bleachers edged the competition even fiercer than ever. I sprinted from one side of the court to the other, breathing furiously in pain to keep up with my opponents as sweat trickled off my dampened hair. I strived farther and farther with massive strides every second with all my remaining energy. The game was slimming close to an end as the other team was down by four and there was twenty seconds left! All we needed to do was control them from scoring and we would collapse them once and for all.  

             The last few seconds felt like they stretched on an eternity. 10…Everyone screamed at the top of their lungs waiting to gaze what will occur next…9…My heart and chest ignited, striving to stay alive… 8…The enemy team charged forward with their final attempt to score…7…I winced in pain as I was pushed and shoved everywhere in the tornado of chaos…6…Their point guard dribbled the ball and rushed into the paint for the layup…5…The ball rolled out of the his hands and towards the basket…4… “Guard the paint!” my friend cried as everyone on our team dashed to the hoop, wide eyed with shock as the ball glided through the swarming air…3…The ball landed in the rim but ricocheted back out with full force…2…I let my instincts take control as all of us exploded from the ground, straining to grab for the ball with all our strengths as there were bodies everywhere in the lunacy of the paint…1…Our team possessed the ball and pulled it to the ground…0! “BZZZZZZZZZZZZ!” The buzzer screamed uproariously through the gym and the game was finally over! My teammates and I screamed in delight like firecrackers as we won the game to step up to the playoffs. Everybody celebrated crazily. Our coaches tried to calm us down as they were also satisfied too. At that moment in my mind, I imagined all of the struggles, all of the defeats, and all the hours of sweat, pain, and practice that drove into this moment. It felt like I stood on the top of the world, finally at the top of the ladder, where I strived to be this entire season. All the improvement I accomplished benefited the team tremendously, even if my position was just center, even if I didn’t gain as much compliments and credit as the other players, I believed in my heart that all the determination I laid to my team finally paid off right now. After our team discussed our last group chat near the benches, I treaded toward the bleachers with my wobbly legs where my dad watched the game. He congratulated me on the win as we exited the packed gym and headed home…

 

            But still today, as I strolled home from school reimagining the victory, I pondered, was it all  worth it? Then I reflected back on all the thrilling plays, the cheering crowds, and the smiles of our teammates, coaches, and I that day, and determined for a fact. Yes, yes it was.

           The Midnight Chase

The pitch black night slurred my vision as my friend Nathan and I  sprinted through the trees and lightless underbrush straining to escape from a crazy  enormous masked figure behind us. The wind was pounding on our faces as our lungs burned to keep us at our strides. I could barely view anything in sight but I kept running with all of my strength trying to survive with everything I could. Nathan and I never  believed a regular weekend camping trip would lead to a chase down from a tall, delirious, masked man.

              We could sense the breath of the masked man reach closer by every second we tried to break. As I started losing my stamina, I panicked that we wouldn’t survive, but Nathan suddenly grabbed and pulled me into a rusted, scrubby wood cabin to hide from the masked man. We strained our hardest not to breathe as we overheard heavy, creeping footsteps like a snake, lurk around the left side of the cabin. At that moment, I imagined my whole life flash beneath my eyes. We listen to the small repulsive chuckles the man does under his sinister gruesome black mask with our faces filled with grime, sweat , and dirt.  I can feel my heart pounding and screaming for air. A deep silence fills the cabin as it felt like we stood there for hours and the whole universe stopped and froze. All of a sudden, the masked man explodes like dynamite through the back of the cabin and seizes onto Nathan and starts pulling him with his hideous laugh. Nathan screamed in terror as I tried to pull him out of the mans immense arms. His grip on Nathan was like a python crushing its prey. With all my remaining energy, I yelled as I jerked Nathan from the masked man and we bolted out of the cabin.

              I was breathing ferociously as I was struggling to keep my breath. We both started sprinting to a nearby river dodging the pine trees, bushes, logs, and other obstacles. “GET TO THE BOAT!” I scream at the top of my lungs as I overhear the man’s hideous cackles advance before us. “RUNNN!” Nathan yelled. Our legs throbbed and ached as we made one final leap into the boat and started the engine frantically, trying to accelerate into the roaring streams. As we began gaining speed, Nathan and I glanced back in horror where the masked man laughed and leaped from the shore and into the piercing murky frigid waters. He grabbed onto the back of the boat striving to control us from escaping but I kicked his hand off with the sole of my foot. The man screeched  in pain as he lost his grip from the boat and got washed through the brisk rushing waters, his yells faded in the distance like ripples in the water. Nathan and I  sighed and glanced at each other in relief and started navigating back to shore in disbelief that we survived and bewildered about what happened that day.

Welcome to your brand new blog at Loudoun County Public Schools Blogs Sites.

To get started, simply log in, edit or delete this post and check out all the other options available to you.