Thursday, August 12, 2010
Group B Connector
Post your connections to the book. These may be connections to: your own life (text to life)To happenings at school or in the neighborhood or in the newspaper (text to world)To other books or stories (text to text)To other writings on the same topic (text to text)To other writings by the same author (text to author)Please respond to each other's entries.
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When reading this book I was thinking of many connections that I can make to it.
ReplyDeleteI made a text to text connection with Loch Ness and Alice in Wonderland. It was funny how the book stated that Vanessa fell into a world like Alice in Wonderland. I was thinking that when she fell into the water and appeared in a cave. She had to eat the algae to stay alive. Just like Alice, when she had to eat the mushroom to grow and drink the liquid to shrink in
Wonderland. This author represented the make believe world of Nessie just like the author of Alice in Wonderland did in his story.
I could make a text to self connection to my own life. Vanessa lost her mom and was very angry with her father because he was spending time with Lee. Vanessa already was having a difficult time adjusting to her loss. This added fuel to her pain because she thought Lee was going to replace her mother and her family would never be the same. This happened to my husband. Even though he was much older than Vanessa when his mother died the pain was very evident to me. He was very distraught by the fact his mother was no longer there for us. Our boys would never be able to experience the love she had for them. He was very distant for awhile with everyone in the family because he couldn't get past the fact that life was going to be different now. Then what made matters worse was when his father got married 3 months after her death. The family drifted apart even more because my husband and his brother couldn't get past the fact his father remarried someone in a short period of time. He had a hard time moving away from his loss and being happy with what he had left. Just like Vanessa who seemed very lonely, and also hurt with her father, because he was able to move toward and find another person to share his time with. Vanessa, did not agree with what her father was doing and was hurt by his choices, just like my husband.
Another connection I made was with my friend's sister. She was fifteen and a sophomore in high school. It was the last day of school and she never came back home. She disappeared for several days before she was found in a bad neighborhood with friends we didn't know. Everyone was frantically looking for her. We had search parties out for her. We made signs with her face and description. We were so desperate just like Alan. It opened the wounds of my missing friends sister and I could feel the pain once again when I was reading how Alan and the boys felt in the story. Not knowing where a love one is could be so detrimental to the person's soul. Even after you find them, you wonder what that person was going through and why did they do it in the first place. Then, you are afraid to even ask the question why or how come.
I read this book, almost in entirety, on my boat on a Saturday afternoon. I suppose the sloshing of the waves and the reflection of the sun on the rippled waves made this book that much more real to me! This book was a great read and I found that I had many connections to the story.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t help but be reminded of an article I’ve just read about mentor texts while I was reading Loch Ness. This book certainly came across as the fact-fiction books discussed in the article, the Warp and the Weft. Jean Flitcroft did an excellent job of weaving factual information into the beginning of each chapter and the research that Vanessa studied throughout the story. This text would certainly serve as an excellent mentor for students creating a similar story. It certainly wove many aspects of the curriculum into the storyline. I could see myself teaching students about the drawings that Vanessa encountered and incorporating an art lesson or two, describing the importance and feelings associated with a vision or dream that is drawn out (as with the sketches of Loch Ness). Also, the author’s writing style certainly showed how using descriptive words and phrases could lead to a deeper thought process and understanding ( “…she could hear the scattering of the earth in her head…the feeling that they were all deserting her…” ). I could certainly connect this text with lessons in the classroom to help my students write in a deep and meaningful way.
I am also reminded of the countless books I’ve read where a character is drawn into a faraway land and explores the unknown. As Vanessa fell into the water, I thought of City of Ember, where the characters of the story from a strange land go on a journey to another land never before seen, or Alice in Wonderland, where strange new characters and lands are discovered and explored. The wonders of an unknown land and exciting new creatures and ideas are always something that plays well into our imaginations.
Personally, I had a strong connection to this story. I am a firm believer in “fringe science,” a term that I view of as science that hasn’t been discovered yet. Like Vanessa and Lee, I believe that some species and even scientific ideas have yet to be discovered. There may be a lack of evidence, relying solely on eyewitness accounts. I think this helps me believe a bit more in the power of inquiry in the human mind. I could relate to the feelings of frustration when rebutted by others and the urgency and passion that we have when seeking the truth. Just like kangaroos were once described as monsters with 2 heads that jumped around and stood upright like man, maybe the Loch Ness “monster” is just an animal that hasn’t yet been “scientifically” accepted. I think this book would make an excellent springboard into an interdisciplinary science unit on the methods and drive behind scientific inquiry. Furthermore, I enjoyed the idea that the storyline encouraged Vanessa to pursue her dream of becoming a cryptozoologist and entices readers to seek the truth in all of their ventures.
Lastly, I thought how children and adults in this world might connect to Vanessa and Lee. Although I have fortunately never had to endure a trauma such as that of Lee and Vanessa, I can imagine how painful and confusing it may be. Losing a parent in an accident, divorce, or not knowing a parent can certainly be difficult for a child (or adult). I thought that the author captured Vanessa’s anger well. The author allowed the character to figure out her own feelings and work through them, analyzing why she handled things in ways different from her siblings. And through an act of self-discovery, truth and the willingness to open up to others, Vanessa was able to learn to understand and accept her mother’s death.
I find that my connections mirror yours pretty closely Christina. I thought about many of the books I've read in the past (both as a child and an adult), that dealt with the theme of being swept into an unfamiliar fantasy world. Though it only lasted for a short portion of the book, I felt the underlying inevitability of the fantastic happening on every page. I think that Christina's comparisons with Alice in Wonderland is very appropriate, since the visit 'below' had such a dream like quality, with a heroine who seemed fairly level headed, yet quirky enough to take all the oddity in stride.
ReplyDeleteI also admit to being a fan of 'fringe science' as Christina put it. I tore through books about 'real' hauntings, mummy's curses, monsters and even aliens when I was younger. I still like to take a peek at documentaries and articles once in awhile.
I connected to the fact and science based format of the character's belief in the 'impossible' in this book. Although faith did play a large part, Vanessa's (and Lee's) beliefs were supported logical thought. Her theory of how Nessie could breath without coming to the surface for air, for example, showed that she put thought into how an animal could accomplish this other than 'magic'. I am always very skeptical of anything I read about 'fringe sciences' but at the same time firmly believe all of this COULD exist - and we just haven't stumbled upon concrete proof yet. (I cheer inside every time a new animal is discovered in a rainforest or the deep oceans!)
I did not make a connection with Vanessa's situation, however I found that her feelings are feelings that I have certainly felt in my life time and she was an easy character to relate to.
ReplyDeleteI have certianly felt alone after an argument with a friend. She was somebody I would often turn to, as Vanessa did with her mother, and when we argued I felt lost much as Vanessa did. Although I had several people around me who were willing to talk with me and still cared about me, I still felt that no one could quite fill her void. We have since made up so I was able to feel some peace, as Vanessa did when she started to accept her situation.
Reading Loch Ness on the boat must have been so relaxing! I personally have not spend much time on a lake or any body of water really, however, I can only imagine reading this book out on a body of water and how neat of an experience that could be.
ReplyDeleteWhile I did not have any personal connections with Vanessa’s loss of her mother, her near death experience or having siblings…I can see the possible connections that could be made. Between families that have lost loved ones, parents who see new people after a loss, parent/child arguments, etc… there are many possible connections that others can make to Loch Ness.
I enjoyed the author’s writing style and reading about the encounters that so many locals had with Nessie. I think that beginning each chapter with an encounter reminded you that this is questionable in many people’s minds and really had me thinking about the similarities between the “sightings”. I find that my interest in a book also has to do with the writer’s style. While I did not make any personal connections with the characters themselves, I did connect to the writer’s style which definitely captured my interest.
Some very strong connections to the big ideas and theme related issues addressed in the book.
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