Because Of Winn Dixie

By: Kate DiCamillo

List of characters: Opal - Opal is the main character, she is kind, fun and she just moved into Niomie with her dad.

                                  The Preecher -The preecher is Opal's dad.  He's very serious and as Opal puts it, he always tucks his head into his turtle shell and seperates himself from the rest of the world.

                                   Winn Dixie - Winn Dixie is a dog Opal finds and brings home.  Winn Dixie is fun and playful and loves making friends.

                The Dooberry Boys Dunlap and Stevie - Dunlap and Stevie, or as Opal calls them bald headed babies, are quite mean to Opal and they are not very welcoming.

                                   Ms. Franny Block - Mrs. Franny Block is the town librarian and told Opal a story about a bear in her library when she mistakened Winn Dixie for a bear.

                                   Gloria Dump - Gloria is supposed as a witch who lives in the woods but shes kind and has some trouble seeing.  Gloria and Opal are best friends even though Gloria is way older.

                                Amanda Perkins- Amanda Perkins is about 14 years old.  She is always pinched faced and sad about her brother.

                                     Otis- Otis works at a pet store.  He loves playing music on his guitar for the animals.

         The preecher sends Opal off to the store.  Winn Dixie.  When Opal gets to the store she hears all the employees screaming and calling for the manager.  Out of all the mess there was a dog.  When the dog finaly stopped the manager shouted for someone to call the pound. Opal didn't want the dog to go to the pound. She quickly told everyone that it was her dog, Winn Dixie.  That's how it all started.  Opal had just moved into the town and her only friend was Winn Dixie.  That didn't last very long.  With Winn Dixie around Opal had more friends than ever!

              I really enjoyed this book.  If you love dogs and a good story this book would be perfect.  It really shows that dogs are the best friend to humans.  I really love this book.  I want to read it again.  If you read this book you'll feel the same way.

Facts about smoking:

1. It hurts your health

2. If you inhale the smoke you can cough

3. You can get sick

4. You can smoke weed

5. You can buy some cigarets from gas stations

Opinions about smoking:

1. Smoking sucks

2. You should stop smoking

3. Every body hates smoking

4. It makes you see squares

5.Everyone thinks smoking should stop

          1. How do you feel about the process of working in literature circle groups of 3 to 5 people?

     Our group has 5 people.  We are reading "The House On The Golf".  It's okay having a group of 5 people.  Sometimes I wish we had less because it seems that whenever we have a meeting, people are not listening and are talking.

          2. What do you specifically like about your novel?

     For one, I really like the author, Margret Peterson Haddix.  I also like the novel because of the suspense.  You never know what's going to happen next and it's constantly supprising you.

          3. Would you recomend your novel to a friend?

     Yes, I would deffently recomend this book to a friend.  It's full of twists and turns and I think lots of people would enjoy this novel.

          4. How do you feel about the marking proceders for this unit and have you decided what your mark is?

     I have decided to go for an A+ and I think the marking procedures for an A+ are pretty fair.  The only thing that I don't think is completely fair is that we have to do 10 readers responses.  Each readers response takes about 2 pages!

                                                               I like Liturature Circles!

1. Why did the Canadian government want to sign treaties?

The Canadian goverment wanted to sign treaties because the goverment wanted to gain land from the First Nations people.  They also wanted to sign treaties for settlement, agriculture and industry.



2. Why did the Aboriginal people want to sign treaties?

      Aboriginal people wanted to sign treaties because they needed more land.  They needed more land because more and more people were living in Saskatchewan and they wanted enough room for everyone.  Also, Aboriginal people wanted to sign treaties because they had a shortage of buffalo.  Buffalo was everything to them.  Including food, clothing and even their homes were made of the buffalo.

3. What does the pipe ceremony represent? What is expected of those who participate?

      The pipe ceremoney represents the signing of the treaty. What is expected of those who participate is that they agree to the treaty and agree to what has been promised.

4. What was the significance of the buffalo at the time of treaty signings?

      What was significant about the buffalo at the time of treaty signings is that there was a shortage of buffalo and the buffalo was the most important thing to the aboriginal people.  It was their food, clothing and shelter.

5. How do Canadians benefit today from treaties?

      Canadians benifit today from treaties because we all have enough space to live [more than we need] and everyone is provided by enough food and shelter.

6. What does the concept “treaty” mean to First Nations people?

      What the concept "treaty" means to the First Nations people is that it is a legal agreement {contract} between two groups of people who both need something from eachother.  They make both sides of the treaty happy and they last forever.

7. Who are the 4 nations that made

agreements in the area that was to become Saskatchewan?

The 4 nations that made agreements that in the area that was to be come saskatchewan were Cree, Sauleaux, Nakota and Dene.

          Have you ever said the R word? Usually when we say the R word were mad or we think something is stupid.  Sure those are common reasons but not the most common.  The most common reason is to offend somebody with a disability. 

          Probably most people don't like to be considered a bully.  Did you know every time you say that word you hurt somebody.  Lot's of people take it very offensively.  Including me.  Somebody in my family has a disability.  When someone says that word it makes me want to cry.  Don't be a bully, stop using the R word today.

          In the story Double Identity, There is a girl named Betheny Cole.  Betheny's parents drove Betheny to a long lost aunt named Merly.  Betheny's parents are pretty old, so Betheny didn't even know her parents had any reletives any more.  Betheny was scared and had no way to contact her parents.  None of Betheny's phone numbers worked, so she was stuck with an aunt that she didn't even know she had.

          Later in the story Betheny heard of a girl named Elizabeth.  It turns out that Elizabeth was Betheny's sister who died in 1992 on her 13 birthday.  After Betheny heard that news she later met her cousin, Joss.  {Merly's daughter.}  Joss and Elizabeth were best friends, so Joss was torn apart when her father and Elizabeth passed away in a car crash.

          She later recived a call from her mother who was thinking she was talking to Elizabeth.  She said,  "Elizabeth?  It's going to be alright.  We found a way to clone your D.N.A.  It will be like you never left!" Betheny dropped the phone and ran.  She ran about 10 blocks away when she tripped and hurt her leg.

          A strange man with a rental car that was black came up to Joss who was comferting Betheny because she had fell and hurt her leg said, "Hello Betheny and Joss, would you like a ride?"  How did he know there names and is Beteny alone?  Read the book Double Identity and find out!

    I think animal testing is very wrong.  Animals lives are just as important as ours so why should they die from testing things as stupid as make-up.  Mice are the most common used animals for testing.  Some testing facilities are very mean to mice.  They cut off the top of they're head and put a plastic dome on so they can see how their brain reacts to the product. I also know another facilities that uses baby chicks.  They stick them in a tub of perfume and of course they die but if the brain was not damaged they could sell the product.  Do you think it's fair that animals are dieing so we can have things as stupid as make-up and perfume?  It will say on the back of a product if it was tested on animals and if it doesn't say anything that probably means it was tested on animals. In conclusion I think testing on animals is very, very wrong.

    I think Terry Fox was a great influence and I think it was one of the best idea's I have ever herd because in my family most of my great grandma's and grandpa's past away because of Cancer.  Also right now my little 4 year old cousin has Cancer.  He's doing better though.  He just got a little sister!

    I do think Terry Fox is a hero.  In one of the videos I watched he got a picture of himself on the loonie!  I can't believe that this year every one raised $360,000,000!!!! Go Terry Fox!

    In this book three kids kids get stuck on an ice flow while playing in the snow.  They get stuck in a river which is very cold and the color of chocolate.  Tony, Craig and Shawn get saved from sinking by a girl named Petra and her dog Hobart in a raft when the motor on the boat broke, and they got saved by a helicopter when a wave almost took the boat down.  After all that they had a big chocolate party for every one who helped save the boys.

   I think they ending was a really good ending because it was a CHOCOLATE party for all the people that helped save the kids from the CHOCOLATE river.  I also really liked that all the treats they had were all different chocolate treats!

    It is not what I thought it would be about, I thought it would be about a kid that had a dream about how he lived by a chocolate river with his friends when he was sutck in the river and he couldn't wake up till he was free.

    If I was the oI wouldn't have changed the ending because I think it was a really good ending and a really good idea with the chocolate.

   Over all I think the novel was one of the best books I have ever read because I like the idea and I think it was very original.   

    Last but not least I would definitely recommend this to a friend because I think that this book would be one of the  books that every one likes. Go Chocolate River Rescue!!!

    The chaneal that I thought was the most interesting was the wolf one because two wolfs were moving! They were so cute! It was interesting and pretty funny because one wolf left his friend and when he came back his friend left. I think they picked wolves because wolves is one of the animals that people love the most and wolves are very afraid of people but they're fun to watch.

    I think the video gives us the benefits of seeing the animals behaviour, habitat and attitude. also I think they are trying to learn how the animals way of life is and to see if in a way animals lives are similar to ours.If I could put live footage any where I would put it at the zoo because I love animals and I would get to see so many different animals in action. Thanks live footage!