Report #3 (book club)

I’m so busy this week with a lot of midterm tests, so I want to post my book club report today. I have just read one chapter already:(.

Title of book: HARRY POTTER 2

Pages in the book: 341. I am now on page 85

I understand 90% what I read

SUMMARY

Chapter 5: THE WHOMPING WILLOW

The end of the summer vacation came quickly. Harry, Ron, Percy, George, Fred, and Ginny had to go to school. They went platform nice and three-quarter but Harry and Ron couldn’t get through. They were late, so they couldn’t go to school on the Hogwarts Express. Harry and Ron decided to go to school by a car, it was enchanted to fly. Unluckily, when they could see the castle, the car dropped straight for the solid castle wall and hit the thick tree trunk. That was a whomping willow and it attacked back Harry and Ron. After struggling with the tree, Harry and Ron came to school. Then, they met Snape who teaches Potions at Hogwarts, Snape knew how Harry and Ron went to school, so he talked this thing to McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House. She didn’t take any punishment but Harry and Ron had to get detention. They reached the dormitory and met friends in their house. A new semester began…

SETTING

Time: The day began a new semester

Place: The Ron’s house, the station and the school

PREDICTION

Harry will make many interesting things at Hogwarts during the semester and the story which Dobby said that “it’s very dangerous with Harry”, it’ll gradually open…

VOCABULARY

1/ shrug (v): to raise and then lower your shoulders in order to show that you do not know something or do not care about something

2/ cajole (v): to persuade someone to do something by praising him/her or making promises to him/her

3/ dungeon (n): a prison under the ground, used in past time

4/ torch (n): a long stick that you burn at one end for light or as a symbol

5/ mystify (v): to make someone feel confused and unable to explain or understand something

6/ plummet (v): to suddenly and quickly decrease in value

7/ uppercut (n): a short swinging punch directed upward, as to an opponent’s chin

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EDITED

The process that Harry and Ron used the car to go to school and met some troubles with the tree attack is the most significant thing that impressed me on chapter 5. All words describes about it are very interesting for me “Ron gasped, staring through the windshield, and Harry looked around just in time to see a branch as thick as a python smash into it”. I predicted Harry and Ron couldn’t get out of there and I was eager to read more. Not like my thinking, the car went backward suddenly and they got release of the tree.

Besides, the author named this chapter “The Whomping Willow”. It was also the reason I chose the most significant thing that is the process Harry and Ron hit the tree.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE ON THE MIDTERM TESTS!!!

Report #2 (book club)

Title of book: HARRY POTTER 2

Pages in the book: 341. I am now on page 64

I understand about 90% of what I read.

SUMMARY

Chapter 3: THE BURROW

Harry Potter got away Dursley’s house with Ron, Fred, George and Hedwig by a car. The car of Muggle (not a drop of magical blood in veins) enchanted, did magic, so it could fly to Ron’s house. Flying an illegal car halfway across the country, it would be dangerous if anyone saw them. Ron’s mother knew that he got the car to fly to Harry’s house. She was so angry.

Harry met Ron’s mother – Mrs Weasley, Ron’s father – Mr Weasley, Percy – Ron’s brother and Ginny – Ron’s sister there. Harry stayed Ron’s house, he said “this is the best house I’ve ever been in” !!!

Chapter 4: AT FLOURISH AND BLOTTS

Life of Harry Potter at the Burrow was as different as possible from life on Privet Drive. Everything in Ron’s house almost enchanted such as the mirror over the kitchen mantelpiece could shout, etc.

It was the fact that everybody there seemed to like him. On the next days, they went to Diagon Alley to buy school things next quarter by Floo powder. Harry hadn’t used it, so he had confusion to go Diagon Alley. He went wrong place and got lost. Accidentally, he saw Draco Malfoy and his father there but they didn’t know. Harry heard the convertation between Mr Malfoy and Mr Bogin. Then, luckily, Harry met Hagrid, Hagrid had steered Harry right into Diagon. Harry met Mr Weasley’s family and Hermione there. After entering Gringotts Bank, they came to Flourish and Blotts to buy schoolbooks. They saw appearance of Gilderoy Lockhart at this store who is written almost the whole booklist and he would be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School.

SETTING

Time: before new quarter at Hogwats school of Harry starts.

Place:

On chapter 3: The Burrow – Mr Weasley’s house.

On chapter 4: At Diagon Alley (including Flourish and Blotts).

NEW CHARACTERS

Mr Weasley and Mrs Weasley (Ron’s mother and father)

Fred and George (Ron’s twin brothers)

Ginny (Ron’s younger sister)

Malfoy (a student at Hogwats – who has a grudge against Harry)

WHO I THINK IS THE MOST INTERESTING CHARACTER?

Of course, it’s Harry Potter – main character! He made every details of the story. If this story doesn’t have him, it will be nothing. I think it’s so interesting when the author chose Harry Potter’s main character. A 11 years boy’s small, skinny with brilliant green eyes and jet-black hair. When he was born, he had a special situations, abilities…

PREDICTION

Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Percy will come back to school. Especially, Ginny’ll go to school as a first year student. Many things at Hogwarts will happen.

SOME VOCABULARY WORDS AND DEFINITIONS

1/“bridge of the glasses snap” : matching between two eyeballs

2/“sole” of a shoes: under the shoes.

3/“flush” : to become red in the face.

4/“de-gnome the garden”: remove gnoe in the garden.

5/“Gerroff me”: release me.

6/“shrink”: to become smaller.

SOME COMPARISON SENTENCES

1/ Ron raised the gnome above his head and stared to swing in a great circles like a lasso.

2/ Mrs Weasley looked like a scaber toothed tiger when she knows the children flew the car.

Report #1 (book club)

Title of Book: HARRY POTTER 2 - Chamber of Secret
Author: J.K.Rowling
Pages in the book: 341. Iam now on page 23

I read Harry Potter last quarter but I felt so difficult with many things. I decided to read Harry Potter this quarter to understand more.
I bought it at Seattle Central Community College book store and I really like Harry Potter. I think that everyone'll feel interesting when they read Harry Potter.
We are studying English, Harry Potter'll help us improve reading skills as soon as possible with many new words. Many sentences were used complicated here, we can also learn writing skills. This is a famous book, New York Times chose as #1 Bestseller.

SUMMARY

Chapter 1: The worst birthday

On Harry’s birthday, nobody remembered, he didn’t get any cards, even friends. His house had a feast (not for him). He cleaned the window, washed the car, mowed the lawn, trimmed the flowerbeds, pruned and watered the roses, and repainted the garden bench... There are many foods in the house, a huge mound of whipped cream and sugar violets, a loin of roast pork was sizzling in the oven but Harry only ate two slices of bread and a lump of cheese. Then, he was to be in his room, making no noise, and pretending he was not there while Dudley was preparing to welcome his father’s guest. He entered his room, suddently, he saw someone was already sitting on the bed.

Chapter 2: Dobby’s warning

A new character appeared here – Dobby

Dobby is a house-elf. He was not afraid of boss’s punishment to come Harry’s house. Dobby meaned that Harry shouldn’t come back to Hogwarts – “Hogwarts school make the most terrible things happen, Harry will be in mortal danger if Harry goes back to Hogwarts”. Harry really wanted to know that’s why but Dobby didn’t say more about that. Then, Dobby vanished. Harry couldn’t sleep, he opend his eyes and saw Ron Weasley was outside the window.

MY THINKING

After I read 2 chapters, I felt so interesting and I couldn’t predict what happen will. It made me curious to know.

It was so hard to remember all character on 2 chapters.

CHARACTERS

Harry Potter

Vernon Dursley – Harry’s uncle

Petunia – Harry’s aunt

Dudley – Dursley’s child

Lord Vodemort – a wizard – he who must not be named

Masons (Mr and Mrs) – Dudley’s guest

Ron and Hermione – Harry’s friends

Hargid – gamekeeper at Hogwarts

Dobby

Dumbledore – Hogwarts’s principal

MY READING SKILLS ARE NOT ONLY IMPROVED, BUT MY WRITING SKILLS ARE ALSO IMPROVED MORE THAN BEFORE.

Some comparison sentences that I think it's so helpful.

1/ “Uncle Vernon sat back down, breathing like a winded rhinoceros and watching Harry closely out of the corner of his small, sharp eyes.”

2/ “Uncle Vernon had been treating him like a bomb that might go off at any moment…”.

3/ “He missed Hogwarts so much it was like having a constant stomachache.”

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That’s all. I understood 95 percent ( I read it already and I could understand more than before).

weekend!!!!!

weekend! I'm very happy. I don't have to think about homework, essay, and novel, etc...I'll have a sweet dream tonight hee hee.
nice weekend everybody in my class!!!! and don't forget assignments of Gail;))
enjoy:)

About myself:)

Hello everybody! My name's Chi. I'm 16 years old. I'm very glad to study in Introductory College Bridge at Seattle Central Community College of Gail Claassen:). The first quarter I came Seattle, she taught me level 2. I met her again this quarter:)
I have had this blog 5 months ago. I haven't used it for a long time until Gail said "create a blog" and I came back to my blog to continue with entries today hehe:). Today's Sunday ohh no, today's monday because it's 1h20 a.m :((. I forgot Gail's assignments about blog this weekend. and now, I remembered... although, I'm so sleepy...hmm, this's my introduction about myself:).
I feel I'm so lucky when I have a chance to study in the US. I hope that I can use English as a native language. It means the same Vietnamese. I really like reading books in Vietnam but this hobby will not exist anymore. It's so hard to read a book by English. For example, I read Harry Potter last quarter. Of course, this was a assignment of my teacher-Leighton. It seemed a big solace haha:). In fact, it's not my hobby. It was only a assignment from my teacher...
I want my hobby return by reading English books.
What will I do? What can I do? I know, practice and practice, just practice..but talk is cheap! :-s.
...
my dream..I hope that my English can use with my dream.
I want to study Psychology. It's so hard for me!
I want to find out about life, humans, nature, etc..
why is my mom angry with me? Did I do something wrong?
why my dad like to buy many books about electric while my mom like to buy cooking books?
why can't my dad be patient to go to the market?
why I like to play balloons while a lot of my friends say " it's boring" ?
blowing balloons and seeing them in the sky. it's interesting!
...
something like that...
many things can't interpret!
--> it's reason I want to know. I want to be a psychologist!
...
I often read news but it's Vietnam's news by Vietnamese:-s.
I read all of news kind everyday.
...
I'm really so sleepy:((. I have to go to bed right now. bye all:) I don't want to fall asleep in class tomorrow:)
see you next entry!!!!!!