Meeting #3 | Travel Tracer :O

Cover of The Phantom Tollbooth

Today I did the job of Travel Tracer, and we read until page 160. I did the worksheet, and we had a semi-successful discussion. I will share with you the settings for the beginning of the pages, the middle, and the end.

The action in the pages that we read begins at 5;22 in the morning, with Milo being curled up on sheet music. He was in Expectation, a mysterious land that is on the other side of his Phantom Tollbooth. He had travelled through these lands, and ended up on the sheet music, where he was sleeping. He was sleeping on the sheet music of the orchestra which orchestrates the sounds for the colour in the world. they are laying the colors of the sky. This orchestra is located in a vast valley, in the woods, quite near to Reality, the city which isn't really there.

 The main events happen in the seemingly discarded wagon, at the side of the road. On the side of this wagon, it is labelled with the words Kakofonous A. Dischord, Doctor of Dissonance. It was painted a bright red color, and it seemed to the characters to be a carnival wagon. This wagon was the humble abode of a certain Doctor Discord, the aforementioned, labelled on the truck. It was also his doctors clinic, where he kept many sounds, and tried to cure people of diseases that didn't actually exist. Living alongside him is a blue puff called Dynne, pronounced Din.

At the end, Milo goes to a fortress near Silence Valley, where you can't make any noise, and everything is silent, much to the citizens distress. Inside this castle though, you can make noise. The fortress is te home of the sound keeper, a princess of sorts.It is where sounds used to be made, but now it is our of business, as no more sounds are being made. Now, all sounds that have ever happened are kept- every single word was there, straight after you say it. Because of complications, these sounds still are shared with silence valley, and they are still under a spell of silence.

Thats it for today :)
Until next time we are reading to page 224, and I am going to be the Literary Luminary.
Thank you for reading, and byeeee!

Metting 3# DIscussion Director

Djordje Keserovic
Discussion Director
Phantom Tollbooth
160/256
1. Would you like to be in the head of the orchester?
No i would not want to do it because it would be alot of work and i would control color.
2.What was going threw your mind when you saw Dr.Dischord?
The first thing that was goiing threw my mind was that this guy is probably a lunitic.
3.WHat did you think of kick Dr.dichord out of the Valley of Sound?
I think it was not ok.
4.WHat do think is going to happen in the next part of the book?
They are going to reach digitionpolis.
5.Why does dr.Dischordn have big ears?
He does not get distracted or death from sounds.

3rd Meeting -- Literary Luminary -- 6A

Hello all! I was literary luminary this week, and these are the phrases/paragraphs I chose for you guys to think about. 

1 1. “I would like to move this pile of sand from here to there, but I only have tweezers.”

-          I chose this phrase because tweezers seem like the hardest possible tool to use in that situation

2    2.    “We’re just the average family, mother, father, and 2.58 children.”

-          I chose this phrase because it is play on words, somewhat unusual, because when most people say “average” they mean usual or normal, but in this context they mean “average” as in a mathematical average.

3    3.   “Here in Digitopolis, we have our meals when we’re full, and eat until we’re hungry.”

-          The reason I chose this phrase I because it is exactly the opposite of what we do normally. It makes sense, but they have a different concept of reality, of life. Think about all the things that are different. Can you think of anything to add?

4    4.   “The next thing you’ll have us believe is that you only sleep when you’re tired.”

-          This statement is what we normally do, but is hard to believe somewhere else. Cultures can be very different in different places; you should respect all of them.

5   5.  “For the number you want the greatest is always at least one more than the number you've got, and it’s so large that if you started saying it today you wouldn't finish tomorrow."
          A similarity between reality and Digitopolis. Numbers. They are the same, maybe coming from a different place, but the same.  This is very true in both worlds; you can find similarities in everything.
    I hope you have been enlightened!

Meeting #2-Literary Luminary

Ivana Lalic 6B

Literary Luminary 

Phantom Tollbooth

#127

Today I was the Literary Luminary, and my job was to to find any funny,interesting, powerful or puzzling paragraphs or sentences, and include my thought and reasons why I choose that paragraph or sentence. These are my the interesting paragraphs I found!

Paragraph #5 page 63 

I choose this paragraph, because I found it very funny and unfortunate that their was a witch also in jail, and I found it very puzzling that the police officer said that with no worry. I also found it  it very interesting, realistic and somewhat funny that Milo was trembling (because it turned out that it wasn't a mean ugly WITCH, it was a women  just called that because she once worked for the castle and she was the person who order what words could be used and what not ) so that was kind of ironic. I just found this paragraph interesting, and scary because then I didn't know what witch they were talking about. 

"You'll find it quiet pleasant here" chuckled the police man as he slid the bolt back and pushed the door open with a screech and a squeak. 

"Not much company, but you can always chat with the witch".

 "The witch?" trembled Milo. 

"Yes, she's been here for a long time" he said, starting along another corridor.

Paragraph 3 page #75 

I choose this paragraph because I found it quiet ironic, and funny to call one princess Sweet Rhyme and the other Pure Reason. Although there funny, I really liked the princess names because their powerful,easy to remember and catchy. Those names are just awesome! I have never heard of two princesses have those names so that's why I was just out astonished and amazed. 

"We'll call this one rhyme and this one reason," he said, and so they became the Princess of Sweet Rhyme and the princess of Pure Reason and were brought up in the castle. 

Paragraph 4 page#93  

I like this paragraph because I found it funny how the king continued his speech even though everyone left, but it was kind of sad to because he was hoping that no one would notice. Also when Milo interrupted him he said a very powerful sentence that just stated the obvious. I just found that paragraph kind of awkward but I choose it because it was ironic how the king just continue and Milo said something that was very smart! 

"Loyal subjects and friends," continued Azaz, his voice echoing in the almost empty room, "once again on this gala occasion we have----"

"Pardon me" coughed Milo as politely as possible "but everyone has gone."  

"I was hoping no one would notice," said the king sadly. "It happens every time". 

Paragraph 1 page# 95 

I like this paragraph because this paragraph was very inspirational, and it really makes you look at the bright side of things.I found it very interesting that finally the humbug said something which was wise! This paragraph is also kind off confusing to, because the king said "Things that are equally bad are equally good." The main reasons why I chose this paragraph was because you actually learn something important from it!   

"But that's just as bad," protested Milo.
"You mean just as good," corrected the humbug."Things which are equally bad are also equally good. Try to look at the bright side of things".

Paragraph 1 Page# 111

This paragraph was very interesting, though it was also very confusing. I choose it because it was weird,different and I really liked it I like that the author makes you think a little by trying to confuse you (After all there were 4 people that looked exactly the same but each time they said I am the giant, I am the midget etc..) The paragraph makes no sense and that's why I picked it, but afterwards when you figure it out it makes a lot of sense!    

"Are you the giant?" asked Tock doubtfully.
"To be sure" he replied proudly " I am the smallest giant in the world. What an I do for you?"
"Are we lost" said Milo
"That's a difficult question," said the Giant "Why don't you go around back and ask the midget?" And he closed the door. 

I also drew a little illustration! 

Discussion Director-Meeting 2

Robert Duff
Discussion Director
Page 192

Meeting two of our literature circles and I am the Discussion Director who creates five questions for the group to answer. Here are the questions and my answers and for a few of them I put the answer of the people in my group.

1.Why did Milo agree to going on the quest to save Rhyme and Reason?
My answer was that he was sad for the Which when he was in the prison with her and she would not be let out until Rhyme and Reason were rescued and brought back.
Nikola answered: "So that Milo could go back to his home.
Kai and Shai-lee answered: "He was sad for the Which and wanted to save her from prison."

2. In Digitopolis how do they get numbers?

Cover of The Phantom Tollbooth

My answer was that in Digitopolis they get numbers by mining them. They mine them the same way we mine diamonds and crystals.

3. How did Milo, Tock and Humbug get to the island of conclusions?
My answer was that Milo, Tock and Humbug got to the Island of Conclusions by jumping to conclusions because they stated, "Nothing can go wrong. We will rescue Rhyme and Reason in no time. This is going to be easy." They, quite literally, jumped to conclusions.

4. Why did Milo take sound from the Soundkeeper and returned it to the silent valley?
My answer was that he was sad for the people of the valley because they couldn't hear the beautiful sounds of the world and and nice sounds of people welcoming others and celebrating.
Kai and Shai-lee didn't know. Nikola said, "To impress king Azaz."

5. Why did the Soundkeeper take away all sounds?
My answer was that the soundkeeper took away all sounds because she thought that many of the sounds were horrible and that she didn't like them and she knew that if there were any sounds left behind even the nice ones they could become bad sounds so she decided to take away all sound.

CONNECTOR-MEETING #2

DATE: VII/V/MMXIV
ROLE: CONNECTOR
PAGES: 101/256* (I MADE A MISTAKE, I WAS SUPPOSED TO READ 10 CHAPTERS, NOT 4 LIKE LAST TIME, I WILL CATCH UP NEXT TIME)
BOOK AND AUTHOR:"THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH" BY NORTON JUSTER

Hello dear readers! This time, instead of being the discussion director like last time, this time I was the connector. My connection was a little bit weird, but I think that people could understand my logic, which was not that easy to detect. Here is my paragraph, word-by-word, and after that I will include comments that my peers gave me:

"I have a connection regarding chapter 6, or "Faintly Macabre's story". It is about Rhyme and Reason. The two appear to be different than one another, but they serve one main reason, and that is to help other people. This reminded me of a chapter in history that lasted for a very long 46 years, the Cold War. Two sides,  the eastern and the western powers were at war, but they never directly showed it, like rhyme and reason, except that they were not directly at war. Since the war lasted for 46 years, a long time, this reminds me of the time of the two sisters service, because they served the world for a very long time. But the two sides helped their own people, so that is a difference, because the sisters helped everybody together. Have you ever asked yourself what the point of a nation is? Well, it is to help people live a normal life, like the two sisters helped many other people resolve conflicts, to help them get a more normal life. After the two sisters went away, all was gone, and the world was not such a nice place to be. After the war ended, a new world order appeared, which for many shattered the globe, and for many it improved the world. In all, the two sisters remind me of two different things, solving and doing one main things, life."

Yes, I think i know what you are thinking about.... This is a very odd connection, but if we "dig" deeper into my logic, and if you have read the book, there is some sort of link between the two, which is the whole point of being the "Connector". In my group on the other hand, I was mostly criticized, here is how it turned out:
All 3 of my peers were bored, with no doubt at all. Yes, I was in a way giving a history lesson, but why is it that bad? Well, at least I remember Kai saying that my text was interesting in a way, but nothing more on the positive side, only to the negative. Here is how I think my three other peers fared:

1. Robert Duff. He was the discussion director. His questions were very brilliant, and seemingly no one in our group could answer 3/5 questions he gave, which means that he really put in a lot of thought process into his work. But, he did not include very detailed answers on his side, so that is the only thing he could, or next time should improve.
2. Shai-Lee Shay. She was the word enricher. Just at first glance, you could see that her work was of high quality. Her definitions appeared to be full, and detailed definitions, and here word choice was wide, and she chose many amazing words. Congratulations!
3. Kai Fritz. She was the illustrator. Speaking about time and effort! She had an amazing picture, of little Milo and Tock, with a man on the island of Conclusions. She made a very detailed image, and added a very good background effect. As evidence of her hard work, she even made tock smaller, because she thought it would be un-realistic for him to be that large. The only thing that she should improve, is that she took the image directly from the book, but let's not forget that even copying an image, is a very hard job to do!
This times winner is Shai-Lee! Good job! See you next time!NL

Meeting #2

Shai-lee Shay
Vocabulary Enricher
The Phantom Tollbooth
184 pages read

Hello Everyone,

For today's meeting, I was the Vocabulary Enricher. Here is what I did:

Page & Paragraph                  Word                            Definition

pg.71,paragraph 2                  Presumption                 an idea that is taken to be true on the basis                                                                                                   probability.

pg.73, paragraph 2                 Prosperous                   successful in material terms;flourishing financially.

pg.74, paragraph 4                 Diligently                      having or showing care and conscientiousness in                                                                                           one's work or duties.

pg.74, paragraph 7                 Animosity                     Strong hostility.

pg.75, paragraph 1                 Contemplating              look thoughtfully for a long time at.

pg.76, paragraph 2                 Reconcile                     restore friendly relations between.

pg.76, paragraph 3                 Quarrel                        an angry argument or disagreement.

pg.77, paragraph 1                 Ranted                         speak or shout at length in an angry, impassioned                                                                                           way.

pg.79 paragraph 2                  Charabanc                    an early form of bus, used typically for pleasure trips.

pg.94 paragraph 3                  Scandalous                    causing general public outrage be a perceived                                                                                              offence against morality or law.

pg.102 paragraph 2                Promontory                   a point of high land that juts out into the sea or a large                                                                                    lake; a headland.                

pg.121 paragraph 2                 Gaunt                            (of a person) lean and haggard, especially because                                                                                       of suffering, hunger or age.

pg. 135 paragraph 3                Apothecary                   a person who prepared and sold medicines and                                                                                             drugs.

pg.153 paragraph 2                 Immense                       extremely large or great, especially in scale or                                                                                              degree.


Here are my sentences and the sentences I got from the book:
Sentence #1 will be from the book and #2 will be my sentences!

Presumption
#1 - The demons, monsters, and giants were furious at his presumption and banded together to drive him out.
#2 - My classmates had this awful presumption, that I decided to ignore.

Prosperous
#1 - So each spring he set forth with his army and each autumn he returned, and year by year the kingdom grew larger and more prosperous.
#2 - Serbia is slowly getting more, and more prosperous.

Diligently
#1 - Each one tried to outdo the other, and they worked hard and diligently at it that before long their cities rivaled even wisdom in size and grandeur.
#2 - I work diligently on my projects, because I want to do good in the future.

Animosity
#1 - The old king, however, who knew nothing of his sons' animosity, was very happy in the twilight of his reign and spent his day quietly walking and contemplating in the royal gardens.
#2 - You just won't believe how much peoples animosity can bring you down.

Contemplating
#1 - The old king, however, who knew nothing of his sons' animosity, was very happy in the twilight of his reign and spent his day quietly walking and contemplating in the royal gardens.
#2 - My little brother, usually spends his time contemplating outside, or in his room.

Reconcile
#1 - Their disputes, however, became more and  more difficult to reconcile.
#2 - Me and my friend, are hard to reconcile.

Quarrel
#1 - Then one day they had the most terrible quarrel of all.
#2 - My friend and I had a horrible quarrel one day, and we never talked since then.

Ranted
#1 - They discussed and debated and raved and ranted until they were on the verge of blows, when it was decided to submit the question to arbitration by the princess
#2 - In science class my classmates and I debated and ranted about, who owns the oceans minerals.

Charabanc
#1 - "Uncalled for," cried the undersecretary. "We'll take our vehicle." "Conveyance." "Rig." "Charabanc." "Chariot." "Buggy." "Coach." "Brougham." "Shandrydan."
#2 - I wonder what a charabanc looks like. Is it similar to the buses we have today?

Scandalous
#1 - "SCANDALOUS!" shouted the king. "we'll put a stop to this at once."
#2 - Improper is a synonym for scandalous.

Promontory
#1 - As the car rushed along, the trees grew thicker and taller and leafier until, just as they'd hidden the sky completely, the forest abruptly ended and the road bent itself around a broad promontory.
#2  - We played tag, when suddenly, I saw a rocky promontory, so I stopped and lost.

Gaunt
#1 -  On a high podium in front stood the conductor, a tall, gaunt man with dark deep-set eyes and a thin mouth placed carelessly between his long pointed nose and his long pointed chin.
#2 - I hope that not many people in this world are gaunt.

Apothecary
#1 - The dusty wagon was lined with shelves full of curious boxes and jars of a kind found in old apothecary shops.
#2 - Apothecary shops were very important to people who were sick, but not very good also, because of the drugs.

Immense
#1 - The entered a tiny cage-like elevator and traveled down for fully three quarters of a minute, stopping finally in an immense vault, whose long lines of file drawers and storage bins stretched in all directions from where here began to where there ended, and from floor to ceiling.
#2 - The cost of restoration has been immense.

Thank you for reading this blog post!
see you next time,

SS