Hamlet's Trap Review

Welcome back to our first blog of 2020!

After reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, we read Hamlet's Trap by Janice Greene. This suspense-thriller relates to the play Hamlet by Shakespeare. In the famous Shakespeare play, Hamlet's father died, and Hamlet suspects that his uncle killed his father so that he could marry Hamlet's mother and become king. The main character in Hamlet's Trap, Justin, also experiences the death of his father and begins to suspect his "Uncle Lance," who is engaged to marry Justin's mother. Below is a review of the book written by one of the students in the class and edited by "professionals" (all of the students working together : ).

We recommend Hamlet's Trap because it has suspense, action, and a surprise ending. First of all, the story is suspenseful. Justin breaks into Uncle Lance's apartment to look for evidence that Lance killed his dad. While Justin is in the apartment, Lance comes home. Justin did not expect Lance to return that early. The reader knows Justin is hiding in the apartment, but Lance does not know. The author uses dramatic irony to create suspense for the reader. Also, the story has action. At one point, a character is holding a welding torch near Justin's face. When Justin turned, the torch was waving in front of his face. The flame was so close. Too close! Justin could feel the heat on his ear. Finally, the story has a plot twist. We hope you will take the time to read Hamlet's Trap.

If you'd like to view the characters and predict the killer, take a look at the character web below. Leave your prediction in the comments section.



Below is a character web that Devon created to help us keep track of the characters in the story. Can you predict who the killer is? To know for sure, you will have to read Hamlet's Trap!



Thank you for reading and supporting our blog!

Room 370

Wisdom From The Wizard of Oz

Hi Everyone,

We know it has been a while since our last post, but we are back and better than ever. We have some new friends who have joined our class, as well as some returning students who have worked on the blog before.

To start the school year, we read the story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Did you know that Dorothy's ruby slippers are actually silver in the original story? You may be familiar with the famous film; however we learned much more from reading the book. We'd like to share our insights with you.

We wrote about a connection we felt with a character from the story. We also had the option to discuss our preference for the film or the book. Quotes from our writing:

“I feel like I relate more to the Tin Man because I do not understand emotions or show emotions well. In the story, the Tin Man wanted a heart because he thought he could not feel love. I feel as if it is hard for me to understand emotions, such as love, joy, and sorrow. The Tin Man soon found out he did not need a heart because just asking for one makes you a kind person. I know I do not need to understand emotions fully. People have always said how kind and creative I am. That makes me feel happy, and that is good enough.”

“I prefer the Dorothy in the book (as opposed to the movie) because at the end she saved the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion. At the time, she was portrayed as a little girl who could not do anything. She saved them by killing the witch, then she proved to herself that she had strength within her and did not think she was weak anymore.”

“The character I relate to the most is Dorothy because for the whole journey, she always thought about her aunt and uncle...She really missed Kansas and wished for good luck during the journey. I have a journey about how my life will be when I grow up. It has to do with education, respect and learning. When I was young, I always dreamed of many things I wanted to be or do.”

“Dorothy liked her friends and did the best she could in any situation.  She almost never got scared. She just went through the whole story and finally found the courage at the end of the book to go home.” 

We also described challenges we faced that helped us grow. Like the characters in the story, we found the strength within ourselves to face our challenges. Quotes from our writing: 

“I came to the United States when I was 13 years old, but I couldn't speak English. Learning a new language is really hard for me...Then I can speak and do the work, but I can’t do the work really well. I’m trying to do better.”

“I had to grow and change when I started high school. It was hard because the school is very big, and it was hard finding my classes. Now I have more confidence, and I am not scared or nervous about high school. Now I know where everything is located. I am really happy that I know what I am doing and where I am going. I am not lost anymore.”

“When I was growing up in Irvington, New Jersey, I was having trouble at school, so my parents moved me to Millburn. I finished fourth and fifth grade. Then, I went to the middle school where I grew a lot more with the help of my teachers and case manager.”

“I had a time in my life when I was able to change and grow, and it was when I traveled with my family...One time, my brother Nate got altitude sickness at the Grand Canyon. Then we treated him with medicine, so he wouldn't get altitude sickness anymore. I changed because I learned how to help others out for any cause.”

“Now I don’t feel like someone is after me anymore, and I can be left alone without being scared or hurt. I feel more comfortable at home. Just like the lion, I realized that I had the courage inside me all along.”

We hope you enjoyed reading our blog post. Please let us know what you think in the comments below!

Don't forget that "It's a great day to be a Miller"!

Signing off for now,

Room 370 Clubhouse

Baseball Unit and Field Trips

Hi Everyone! We would like to update you on what we have been doing in our classes. For most of the 4th marking period, in Replacement English and Math we have been doing work centered around the topic of baseball. We have learned both inside and outside of the classroom.

What we learned in math class is finding geometric shapes and score points. We learned different kind of shapes like squares, polygons, pentagons, octagons, rectangles, and hexagon. We learned how to multiply to find the total cost to purchase food at the Somerset Patriots game. Coach Chapman is a coach at Millburn High School and told us that he won the Championship, and he knows a lot about baseball. We learned where baseball players were being positioned on the field, that scoreboard shows which team or players scored points, and tells the batting averages. In math class we were making our own baseball cards by choosing any baseball player we wanted to choose. We had fun learning about everything baseball related in math class.

In English class, we research baseball history, including players, memorabilia, stats and records, rules of the game, The Baseball Hall of Fame, the MLB Network, and teams and top players. We completed independent reading work where every student read a book related to baseball and gave a presentation about the book. We watched a baseball movie, The Bad News Bears (1976), and we wrote a final essay about conflict in the movie. The Bad News Bears is about a guy named Coach Morris Buttermaker who was a terrible coach, and became a better coach later on. The baseball team the Bears were a bad team, they became better later on. Coach Buttermaker started to help his team and learned how to be a good coach. The Bears went from bad to better during the season.Finally, in English class, we are writing this blog post to share what we learned in the baseball unit.   

Now we’d like to tell you about some field trips we took. On Wednesday, June 7th, the Replacement English and Real World Math Class went on a field trip to the Somerset Patriots game at TD Bank Park. Our chaperones who went on the trip were Mr. Askins, Mrs. Acitelli, Mrs. Basta, Miss Rosie, Mrs. Cicenia, Miss Brandt, and Mr. Kelly. During the trip, our class took a tour of the park, and did a scavenger hunt activity. The scavenger hunt had activities like baseball stats by inning, found shapes, calculated souvenir costs, sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”, and take a picture with the Patriots mascot, Sparkee. There were a few surprises during the game. Quinn, one of our students, got a birthday message from the main screen to celebrate his 15th birthday. Also, Mr. Askins and Mrs. Cicenia got picked to win a contest, but they lost. They did win a small prize each for being picked. We got to see the Patriots play against the Bridgeport Bluefish. While we watched the game, we got to eat lunch, and buy snacks to share. Everyone had an amazing time. The whole trip was funded by The Millburn Education Foundation, as well as fundraising efforts by the classes. It was a great field trip!

The Replacement English and math students went to The MLB Network on Thursday, June 15th in Secaucus, NJ. We researched the network as part of our baseball research project. Our chaperones include Mrs. Acitelli, Mrs. Boccia, Mrs. Basta, and Mr. Askins. The network has a wall of 4,200 baseball cards. The studios that we toured were  studio 21, named after baseball great Roberto Clemente, and studio 42, named after Jackie Robinson, and studio 3, named after Babe Ruth. We also saw some NHL studios because the MLB Network also owns the NHL Network. Highlights included pretending to "work" the camera rooms and running the bases in Studio 42. The Network even had a banner running that said "Welcome Millburn High School."  The MLB Network was a lot of fun, and a unique experience to tour a television network. It was also a great last day together for some of our seniors who are graduating! We will miss you!

We had an amazing year. We made a lot of new friends and kept some of our old friends too. We will deeply miss all of the faculty. Thank you to all of our blog supporters!

Overnight Field Trip to Philadelphia

The Real World Math and Applied Academics students, along with several Peer leaders and faculty members attended an overnight field trip to Philadelphia on Friday, March 31st. Millburn High School faculty members Roger Askins, Kelly Brandt, Leora Weiner, Pat Corlett, Robyn Basta, and Rosemary Holland attended the trip, joined by Assistant Superintendent Kyle Arlington, and Special Education Supervisor Brent McGuinness. The field trip was made possible through a grant from The Education Foundation of Millburn-Short Hills. Dr. Miron also generously provided funding for transportation. Students also fundraised for the trip.

Students spent months preparing for the trip, as they fundraised, took part in cost and analysis budgeting, proposed activities and examined survey results, as well as applying and interviewing for jobs and leadership roles to carry out before and during the trip. While in Philadelphia, a trolley transported students and faculty to visit the United States Mint, The Liberty Bell, Dave and Busters, and Reading Market. They also volunteered at Habitat for Humanity and gave a donation.

Additional highlights of the trip included karaoke on the bus ride down, playing Guitar Hero at Dave and Busters, running up the steps to see the Rocky statue at The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and trying some original Philly Cheesesteaks.

Student comments about the trip detail important life-lessons they learned, "Sometimes you just have to try things that might be hard," said freshman Devon Hampton. Freshman Zach Levine shared, "We will all have challenges and problems in our lives, and we can work together to solve them." The fact that it rained on the trip also taught students that it is important to have a plan in place, but then you must also be flexible.

Students would like to thank Miss Brandt and Mr. Askins for obtaining the grant from the Ed Foundation and diligently planning the trip. They would also like to thank Dr. Miron for providing the bus for the trip. Additionally, students are grateful to the peer leaders for giving up their time to be with the group. Finally, students would like to thank Miss Rosie, Mrs. Basta, Mrs. Corlett, Mrs. Weiner, Mr. Arlington, and Mr. McGuinness for volunteering their time to chaperone the trip.

Overall, it was a fun trip for faculty and students alike, and a great learning opportunity for students.

Replacement English Students Deliver Teddy Bears and Coats to the IRC

Hi Everyone,

We are excited to update you on our recent field trip on Thursday, December 15th, to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Elizabeth, NJ. After reading about Syrian refugees in our English class, we were able to hand-deliver the bears that we helped label from Knitting Without Borders to the refugee children and families. In addition, we delivered bags of clothing, coats, and household items that were quickly and happily scooped up by the refugees. We were lucky to have the chance to meet many refugee children and families who were at the IRC for their English language classes. We were able to introduce ourselves to the refugees and learn their names and countries of origin. We noticed that there were posters and projects on the walls of the classroom that reminded us of the work we do in our English class. They had even read the book I Am Malala, which we read two years ago in our own English class.

Students and teachers had a wonderful experience doing this project which culminated in our field trip. It was touching and humbling to be able to interact with the refugees first-hand. Bervelie said, "I introduced myself to the Haitians in Creole, and they were surprised and smiled." Quinn noticed, "Mrs. Boccia said the refugees might be sad or crying, but they were actually really happy, smiling and laughing." We learned that the refugees were smiling because they were excited for our visit. Danny said, "The people loved the bears. They appreciated us donating the coats, bears, and other items to the refugees and having us come by. It was a good trip." Jason said, "I learned that the refugees came from everywhere. I liked making them smile and asking their names." Shane said, "One thing I learned from this project is that it is important to support refugees as they find a new homes, jobs, and start a new life in this country." Teachers and students agreed that this trip was a unique opportunity meet and connect with individuals in need of our help, who are really just like us.

We want to thank everyone who donated items for us to deliver to the IRC. Please take a minute to view the pictures from our trip below. If you have further interest in supporting the cause, please click on the link below to the IRC website:

https://www.rescue.org/

Teddy Bears for Refugee Children

As a class, we read a Scholastic Action magazine article about a young Syrian refugee named Dania. She was forced to leave her country due to a civil war that broke out in 2011 and continues today. We learned that she enjoys playing soccer, reading, and playing video games, just like many of us. After some time away from school, Dania was finally able to start school again in Akkar (in Lebanon) and quickly caught up. She aspires to become a doctor someday and would like to service poor people for free. 

In doing outside research, we learned that there are 65 million refugees worldwide (half are children), and 5 million are Syrian refugees. Recently, the United States has pledged to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in our country. We also learned that there is an IRC (International Rescue Committee) in Elizabeth, NJ, that is currently resettling families in our area. 

Di' Jon, a student in our class, wrote, "They are Simply Human, like any of us. Just because they don't live in a proper home and go to the same school as us doesn't make them any less of a human being. They still can feel love, anger, hate, remorse, and or compassion, and all the other feeling a normal human (Person) would feel. I just think (people) down grade refugees as a lost cause, because they have no way of actually relating them to themselves so they lean towards more of a relation towards and animal and not a person."   


We would like to do something to help these families in desperate need. We are going to work with Knitting Without Borders, an organization that knits teddy bears for children who are suffering due to illness, war, or any other cause. We plan to deliver these teddy bears personally to the IRC, along with coats and household goods (listed on the flyer below). 

If you would like to donate, please let us know, or drop off items to room 370. Our tentative deadline for collecting items is the first week in January. 

Thank you for your support! 

We will update you soon on the details of our project.

*We apologize for technical formatting issues with this blog post.

Mystery Unit Final Project

Hi Everyone!

We have something new to share with you. We just wrapped up our Mystery Unit. We read about Amelia Earhart, Sherlock Holmes, the Lochness Monster, the Bermuda Triangle, Optical Illusions, and the Chinese Emperor Shi Huangdi and the terra cotta warriors. In small groups, we created collages representing three mystery stories. We included pictures related to the setting, time period and details of the story.

We learned some new vocabulary related to mystery stories. Mysteries still surround us today in our lives in current events, movies, books, and TV shows. We hope you enjoy our collages. Please comment below! Stay tuned for more posts soon!

Room 370