Heather

September 28,2006

1. What are you good at? I am good at reading

2. How do you feel when your doing the thing your good at? I feel like I don't want to stop reading, and that I am actually in my books setting, and plots.

3.How would you feel if people woundn't let you do the thing your good at? I would feel horrible, and I would be very, very, very angry.

October 3,2006 Chapter 1 Two conflicts that happened in chapter 1, are that 1, Tao wants to draw, but it's a taboo, 2, the wolf dog is starving, but he will not eat. The solution to the first problem, is that maybe Tao will find a place where no one comes so he can draw, and he won't care that drawing is a taboo.Or maybe the clan will see his drawings, and they will think they are wonderful, and not just a taboo. The solution to the second problem, is that Tao finds out why the wolf dog isn't eating but yet he is starving, and fixes it.{The problem was a bone was stuck in his jaw, so he could not eat, so Tao gets the bone out of the dogs jaw}. Chapter 2 Two important events in chapter 2, is that Tao helps the wolf dog, and now it seems like the wolf dog likes him. Secondly, Tao has just went into a place, his clan says is a bad and you should'nt go there or else you will get in to trouble with the spirits.

October 5,2006 1. What do Tao and Ram learn to do together. They learn to hunt together.

2. What decision does Tao tell Volt? He tells Volt that maybe if they had a wolf dog, then it would help with hunting.

3. Write a good paragraph from Volt's perspective.How do you feel about Tao's actions and decisions? I think that some of Tao's actions are not wise and he should work harder.For instints, he should work harder at hunting, and try not to be late or wast time, because a lot of peaple are counting on the hunters to come back with food, because they are starving.But he waste's time and moves slow so we have to wait for him even though we don't want to.I think, I should give his idea to use a wolf dog for hunting a chance, because it might work, and if it does'nt, then we'll just let them go. I also think that Tao should be able to draw pictures, because that is what he wants to do and not have to hide it and be afraid, because he should not have to hide it and be able to draw whenever he wants to, and be happy.

Chapter 8 paragraph The place that I thought of, was if say a girl wanted to go to art school, but her father wouldn't let her because he thinks she can't make money or a career by going there so she should go to a regular college. But she knows she can do it and wants to go very badly, and give it a try. I think she should go to art school and at least try, because if you don't try you won't know if your good or not. So she should go to art school, but if it doesn't work, she can still go to a regular college. Also, her father should at least give her some support.

October 16,2006 Chapter 9 Why do you think Graybeard changed his mind? I think he changed his mind, because he cares about Tao and he knows that if he leaves without teaching Tao how to draw. He will feel guilty.Also Graybeard knows that Tao really wants to draw, and he probably believes in him. What does this tell you about his character? It tells me that he is nice and caring. It also tells me that he cares about Tao.

October16,2006 Chapter 11 Do you think Greybeard is a good teacher? Why? Would you like to have been taught a skill by him? Why? Yes, I think Greybeard is a good teacher, because he is wise and knows how to make good images. So since he knows so much about drawing, he can teach you, what''s right, what's wrong, how to do something, and then in the end, you will be an amazing drawer. I think I would like to be taught a skill by him, because he is so wise and I will know that I am learning the right things. Also, I will know, that he will be patient with me, when I make mistakes, because he is a patient person.The only thing that I think will be a little hard, to work with Greybeard, is that he might be a litte to patient.

April 11, 2007 I have read The Stone Light by Kai Meyer

Brown, Heather June 8, 2007 Period 6/7 Art Forms of The Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was the next great Indian empire. The Guptas were a line of rulers who ruled much of India from 320 C.E to 550 C.E. Many historians called this period the golden age because it was a time of peace, and it let people think and create. For this reason, they made a lot of achievements in different kinds of art forms. For example Literature, Sculpture, Painting, and Metalwork. These achievements have let archeologists make amazing discoveries. Literature is just one of the achievements in art from the Gupta Empire. They wrote poetry, fables, and folktales. They even wrote plays of comedy and drama, and some would also be about historical and political subjects. They of course had sacred texts, and they were divided into two groups, shruti and smriti. Shruti means “that which is heard”. The people believed that some wise men heard the text from Brahman (a god). Smriti means, “that which is remembered”. It was made or composed by people, and then it is memorized and passed on. Some examples of Smriti texts are the Puranas or Ancient Lore, it describes Hindu legends and it’s a sacred text that is passed down from generations to generations. There is also the Mahabharata or Great Work. It is a poem composed hundreds of years ago. The theme of the poem is that it relates to Hindu values and the battle between good and evil. Another one is the Bhagavad Gita or Song of the Lord it’s about a prince named Arjuna who was taught the basic truth of Hinduism by an earthly form of the deity Vishnu, Krishna. Which means that he was taught by a kind of god in the form of the people on Earth. It’s also part of the Mahabharata and it’s considered beautiful, and a beloved work of Hinduism. Gupta literature spread far beyond India and it influenced places like Greece and India (today Iran). Another Gupta art form is sculpture. The statues were made out of stone, wood, bronze, and terra-cotta clay. The statues portrayed Buddha and Hindu deities. Statues of Gods and Goddesses are common subjects for Hindu tradition. Also, sculptures created the statues to stand, or they carved them into the walls of a temple or a cave. The sculptures portrayed human form simply and gracefully. An example is the sculpture of the River Deity Ganga. Ganga is riding on the back of a sea monster, and she’s holding a jug of water in her left hand. The lines on the statue of Ganga are rounded and elegant. Her dress, her jewelry, and her hair are carved in detail, and her expression is quiet and thoughtful. Another example is of the temple statue Buddha. He is seated on a decorated seat, his hands and his legs are crossed, and his expression is calm. Also to show wisdom, the sculptor used lowered eyes and a calm face on the Buddha. Sculpting was a way for the people of the Gupta Empire to have a form of their gods. Now this art form, the Gupta Empire was famous for. It was painting. The Gupta Empire was famous for their beautiful paintings. Popular subjects for their paintings were deities( gods) and other religious topics. Painting was important to noble or wealthy people. Nobles hired people or painters to paint pictures of their family and royalty. The paintings highlighted the wealth and luxury of noble life. The paintings were also done on scrolls, a roll of material like paper. Perhaps the greatest ancient Indian paintings are the Ajanta cave murals, a wall painting. The murals covered the walls of thirty caves that make up an ancient Buddhist monastery (a home for Monks, or a place where Monks live) in central India. The paintings are done in rich bright colors like red, purple, and green. The artists made the paints from minerals and clay. Some Ajanta murals show scenes from the Buddha’s life, while others portray stories that reflect Buddhist values such as love and understanding. Many of the paintings are graceful images of kings and queens, musicians and dancers. Other paintings show animals and hunters in the forest. There are also woodland scenes, decorated with flowers and trees and fancy patterns. Their paintings seem to have a lot of meaning in them. The most amazing accomplishment of the Gupta Empire is their metalwork. The Gupta kings controlled huge mines of gold, copper, and iron. The metalworkers used the gold and copper to make gold and copper coins. The metalworkers engraved the coins with pictures honoring Gupta rulers. The coins often highlighted the rulers’ wealth and the ruler’s achievements in art, politics and war. The metalworkers were also famous for their ironwork. An example of their work is an iron pillar at a place called Meharauli. The pillar is made out of solid iron, it stands twenty feet tall, and it weighs about thirteen thousand pounds. The pillars sides are engraved with a story that describes the accomplishments of a Gupta emperor. No one knows how Gupta ironworkers got such advanced metalworking skills. Metalworking is a big achievement. In the Gupta Empire, some of their achievements in art are in literature, sculpture, painting, and metalwork. They all are achievements that the Gupta Empire made during India’s Golden Age at peace. If you look at something that’s similar about them, it’s that they all have some part of religion in them, that can be expected, but the main thing is. These achievements have a lasting mark on the world. Bibliography Graneri, Anita. Sacred Texts The Ramayana and Hinduism. London: Smart Apple Media, 2003 Chatterjee, Manini, Anita Roy. India. New York: DK publishing Inc, 2002 Frey, Wendy. History Alive. Palo Alto: Teachers’ Curriculum Institute, 2004