Roar Book: Monkey Bridge by Lan Cao

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• The word ostentatious was a vocabulary word in my ELA class.
• Bobbie seems like a very good friend since he has been supporting Mai and her mother while they are going through a somewhat hard time.
• I did not know that they had Hostess Twinkies back then; I don't like Hostess Twinkies though (too sweet).
• Vietnamese people call adults who they know as aunt or uncle; they call it out of respect.
• My family also celebrate Tet with friends and family; I love the celebration because it is very a fun and energetic Vietnamese holiday.

4.Questions:

• What does the Vietnamese saying "Parents point, children sit and the American saying "Children point, parents sit" mean?
• What is the movie or show I Dream of Jeannie about?
• What are sea swallows' nest?
• What are ghost money?

3.Vocabulary:

• Regurgitating: to cause to surge or rush back; vomit
• Stoic: one who is seemingly indifferent to or unaffected by joy, grief, pleasure, or pain
• Ambiguity: doubtfulness or uncertainty of meaning or intention

2.Literary Terms:

• Simile: "As a child I could lie in his arms, and they held me like a sturdy hammock on a windy day." (page 59)
• Simile: "It was a tactic as smooth and sleek as hot wax on tender skin." (page 61)

1.Overview Sentence:

• Mai describes her father as a person and Vietnamese customs.
  

Roar Book: Monkey Bridge by Lan Cao

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• Mai refer a lot of things to Vietnam.
• There is a lot of Vietnam history.
• Mai's mother is just like my mom because they both believe in karma.
• Mrs. Bay advises are sort of weird but very smart especially the advices about the grades and school.
• I understand how Mai felt when she had to translate for her mother because sometimes I do the same thing for my parents.

4.Questions:

• What is the difference between guerrilla tactics and guerrilla warfare?
• What is the bo tree?
• Why did Mai's mother believe that Connecticut was not safe?
• Is there a special meaning behind "the pig has two ears"?

3.Literary Terms:

• Paraphernalia: equipment, apparatus, or furnishing used in or necessary for a particular activity
• Vicinity: the area or region near or about a place; surrounding district; neighborhood
• Peculiarity: a trait, manner, characteristic, or habit that is odd or unusual

2.Literary Terms:

• Simile: " the capital of any country is like the king in a game of chess." (page 30)
• Metaphor: "It can get so cold that their breath does acrobatics in the air just to keep warm." (page 48)

1.Overview Sentence:

• Mai describes her and her mother's life so far in Connecticut with her Aunt Mary and Uncle Michael.
  

Roar Book: Monkey Bridge by Lan Cao

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• From reading the description of the book, my parents can somewhat relate to Mai's life in the United States since my parents are also immigrants from Vietnam.
• Mai's mother's name is Thanh and my Vietnamese name is Thanh too.
• I have been to Saigon (I believe now it is called Ho Chi Minh City) before and it's the largest city in Vietnam; it's very crowded there.
  
• The first page use lots of descriptive words such as warm, wet, rose, solemn, etc.
• So far this book to me is very interesting due to the fact that I am Vietnamese and also because Mai's life is very similar to how my parents' life was like back when they immigrated to the U.S.

4.Questions:

• Is Golden Hordes a Mongolian Army?
• Where is Peking located?
• What does "Indochinese" mean?
• How old is Mai and Bobbie?

3.Vocabulary:

• Permanence: the quality or state of being permanent; continuance in the same state or place; duration; fixedness; as, the permanence of institutions; the permanence of nature
• Intermediary: acting as a mediator or an agent between persons or things.
• Unpropitious: unfavorable; inauspicious

2.Literary Terms:

• Simile: "A pair of veins ran along the sides of his prizefighter's neck like electrical wires." (page 21)
• Metaphor: "Her body had become a battlefield..." (page 7)

1.Overview Sentence:

• Mai described her mother's health condition.
  

Roar Book: Monkey Bridge by Lan Cao

ROAR Book: To Engineer Is Human

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• I don't think I would read Thomas McKaig's book titled "Building Failures".
• I don't think I would read D.I. Blockley's book titled "The Nature of Structural Design and Safety".
• In both of the books that I have just mentioned there are a lot of reasons why structures fail; some structures fail due to vehicle impact, lack of sufficient preliminary information.
• I don't think I would like to become an engineer when I grow up.
• This is an informative book that I would suggest others who are interested in engineering to read.

4.Questions:

• Who is Nevil Shute?
• Who is Robert Byrne?
• What does the ENR stand for?
• Who is Steven S. Ross?

3.Vocabulary:

• Connoisseurs: A person with expert knowledge or training, especially in the fine arts
• Paradigm: a set of forms all of which contain a particular element, esp. the set of all inflected forms based on a single stem or theme
• Postmortem: occurring after the end of something; after the event

2.Literary Terms:

• Indirect Characterization: Thomas McKaig's book Building Failures is a widely known collection of case studies intended for the use of engineers, architects, and contractors." (page 204). Thomas McKaig is a writer and engineer.
• Simile: "Engineers cannot, like the architects, cover his failures with trees and vines." (page 215)

1.Overview Sentence:

• Describes different books that explain the causes of structure failures and how the causes occur; this is the end of the book.
  

ROAR Book: To Engineer Is Human

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• I did not know that 25 years ago there was a slide rule; but now engineers just use computers.
• To me I think a computer is a more accurate and precise technology to use to design a structure.
• I did not know that back then most engineering student were male; now its both women and men.
• Civil engineers have turned to the computers for speed, accuracy and productivity; computers are being used for many different errands due to it's many functions.
• I did not know that the computer can be an almost indispensable partner in the design process.

4.Questions:

• What are civil engineers?
• What is the Mead Prize?
• What brand of computers are used mostly by engineers?
• What is the Log Log Duplex Decitrig ?

3.Vocabulary:

• Alloy: a substance composed of two or more metals, or of a metal or metals with a nonmetal, intimately mixed, as by fusion or electro-deposition
• Technocratic: of, pertaining to, or designating a technocrat or technocracy
• Prototype:the original or model on which something is based or formed

2.Literary Terms:

• Simile: "Almost all males carried 'slip sticks' in a scabbard-like cases hanging from their belts." (page 189)
• Simile: "...older engineers wore small working models as tie clips that in a pinch could be used for calculations." (page 189)

1.Overview Sentence:

• Described the importance of computers to engineers and how the engineers use the computers to design their structures.
  

ROAR Book: To Engineer Is Human

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• I did know that the lighter the bridge is, the less money it will cost to build but the higher chance of the bridge collapsing.
• To me, the success of the Crystal Palace shows that bridges and other structures can overcome the challenge of building a structure that is sturdy.
  
• I'm glad that James Eads and John Roebling was able to proof people wrong; the completion of the Eads Bridge was in May 1874.
• Now I understand why the 13th chapter was called "The Ups and Downs of Bridges"; it took Eads and Roebling a time and effort to complete the Eads Bridge.
• I did not know Shakespeare created bridges; I thought he was just a poet and writer.

4.Questions:

• Did Eads or Roebling build a bridge on their own? If so, what are the names of the bridges?
• What were the bridges that Shakespeare designed?
• Where is the Hart Crane Bridge located?
• Who is Joseph Stella?

3.Vocabulary:

• Colossal: extraordinarily great in size, extent, or degree; gigantic; huge
• Pneumatic: of or pertaining to air, gases, or wind
• Obviate: to anticipate and prevent or eliminate (difficulties, disadvantages, etc.) by effective measures; render unnecessary

2.Literary Terms:

• Direct Characterization: "Steinman, the designer of over four hundred bridges of his own..." (page 169)
• Direct Characterization: "Robert Stephenson, the great British engineer..." (page 162)

1.Overview Sentence:

• Describes the hardship of building a successful bridge and the engineers who accomplished their goals of building a successful bridge.
  

ROAR Book: To Engineer Is Human

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• I did know that the Crystal Palace was considered one of the most fascinating engineering structure.
• The Crystal Palace was a success because it did not fail; it was a structure that did not collapse like the structures in the past had.
• Joseph Paxton was a the design engineer who built the Crystal Palace; it's cool how Joseph Paxton was initially a gardener but then became an engineer.
• I think it was a good thing that Joseph Paxton started off as a gardener because he was able to use some of his gardening skills to build the Crystal Palace.
• The Crystal Palace is extremely big.

4.Questions:

• What was Joseph Paxton's father's job? Was his father an engineer?
• Who or what cause Joseph Paxton to become an engineer.
• What material was used the most to build the Crystal Palace?
  
• Is the Crystal Palace still here? Is the location still the same?

3.Vocabulary:

• Girder: a large beam, as of steel, reinforced concrete, or timber, for supporting masonry, joists, purlins, etc
• Periphery: the external boundary of any surface or area
• Propensity: a natural inclination or tendency

2.Literary Terms:

• Simile: "Critics described the structure as a 'vast pile of masonry' that they feared would never be removed and would become a 'permanent mutilation of Hyde Park'." (page 139)
• Metaphor: "A rendering of committee's 'camel' of a building was published in the Illustrated London News in June..." (page 139)
  

1.Overview Sentence:

• Described the why the Crystal Palace was a success and the engineer (Joseph Paxton) that built the Crystal Palace.
  

ROAR Book: To Engineer Is Human

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• I did not know that now if a structural failure occurs it is caused by technological frontiers in the new industrial world.
• Cracks in a structure can cause it to collapse no matter what the size is.Wow!!!
• I did not know the failure of the Liberty Bell was a spontaneous.
• It is a good thing that you can seal/close a crack in a structure.
• I did not know the Liberty Bell was made in England in 1752; I thought it was made in New York.

4.Questions:

• What is a microscopic crack?
• What is a "nuleation site"?
• Where was the Nuclear Regulatory Commission located?
• How much copper content did the inexperienced Americans decide to increase?

3.Vocabulary:

• Vicissitudes: a change or variation occurring in the course of something
• Propagation: transmission or dissemination
• Metallurgical: the technique or science of working or heating metals so as to give them certain desired shapes or properties

2.Literary Terms:

• Metaphor: "It is difficult to say whether a century year old bridge was over-designed or how much a lightened the frames of forty-year-old buses could have been." (page 121)
• Simile: "Nevertheless the sophisticated structure of modern engineering is,like the simple chain of antiquity." (page 119)

1.Overview Sentence:

• Describes why some structures may collapse due to cracks and describes how you can seal a crack to prevent a structural failure.
  

ROAR Book: To Engineer Is Human

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• I understand why the fourth chapter is called "Accidents Waiting To Happen"; due to the previous accidents of bridges collapsing there is bound to be more.
• Now I know how many people were injured and killed because of the collapse of the Kansas City Hyatt Rengency Hotel skywalks; 114 were killed and 200 were injured.
• After the skywalks accident; many engineers reviewed and discussed the problem that caused the collapse; that's a good thing to learn from your mistakes.
• I understand why the fifth chapter is called "Safety In Numbers"; engineers do lots of calculating in order to be precise.
• I don't understand why the factor of safety is often referred to as the factor of ignorance.

4.Questions:

• Who is David Billington?
• Who is Robert Stephenson?
• What did they deem to be the problem that caused the Kansas City Hyatt Rengency Hotel skywalks to collapse?
• What types of math do engineer use to construct/build structures?

3.Vocabulary:

• Prescience: knowledge of things before they exist or happen; foreknowledge; foresight
• Precipitately: to hasten the occurrence of; bring about prematurely, hastily, or suddenly
• Quantifiable: to determine, indicate, or express the quantity of

2.Literary Terms:

• Indirect Characterization: "Although the design engineer does learn from experience, each truly new designer necessarily involves an element of uncertainty." (page 100). New designers don't learn from experience because they have very little of it.
  
• Metaphor: "... but the structural success of another traditional design is no more news than a man who does not rob a bank or does not bite a dog." (page 106)
  

1.Overview Sentence:

• Describes the safety of using math properly for engineering and an engineer who learns from your his/her mistakes is a good one.
  

ROAR Book: To Engineer Is Human

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• I did not know that in 1779 the first iron bridge was erected in England; that was a very long time ago.
• Many bridges were built during the 1800s but many brides had also collapsed.
  
• Engineer designing is something that I don't think I would want to be when I grow up because to me, your designs have to be precise and accurate or else the structure that you have designed will collapse.
• I did not know that engineers can copy a design that have stood the test of time.
• Some designs may look perfect on paper but when it is put to work in the real world it might not be the same.

4.Questions:

• How old id T.H Huxley? How many books have he written so far?
• How much does an engineer make in a year?
• Who is considered the most successful engineer in history?
• Where was the Tay Bridge located?

3.Vocabulary:

• Aqueduct: a bridge-like structure supporting a conduit or canal passing over a river or low ground
• Anomaly: a quantity measured in degrees, defining the position of an orbiting body with respect to the point at which it is nearest to or farthest from its primary
• Myriad: having innumerable phases, aspects, variations, etc.

2.Literary Terms:

• Simile: "Designing a bridge or any other large structure is not unlike planning a trip or a vacation." (page 64)
• Metaphor: "Many objects of design are more exotic than spending two weeks in New York." (page 66)

1.Overview Sentence:

• Describes engineer designs and well-known engineer designers like Robert Maillart, Anton Tedesko, etc.
  

ROAR Book: To Engineer Is Human

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• "The Structural Engineer" (the official journal of the British Institution of Structural Engineer) is something that I would read.
• I thought that engineering is science but I was somewhat wrong; some engineers deny that that engineering is science.
• I don't think that I would read Galileo's "Dialogues Concerning Two Sciences".
• I did not know that pyramids and cathedrals are somewhat related to engineering.
• There have been many attempts at building pyramids and cathedrals.

4.Questions:

• When did the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse?
• Did the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bride cause any deaths or injuries?
• What is the oldest pyramid in Egypt? What is the oldest pyramid in Rome?
• Is Galileo still alive? If so, how old is he?

3.Vocabulary:

• Abhorred: to regard with extreme repugnance or aversion; detest utterly; loathe; abominate
• Culminated: to reach the highest point, summit, or highest development
• Aesthetic: pertaining to, involving, or concerned with pure emotion and sensation as opposed to pure intellectuality

2.Literary Terms:

• Direct Characterization: "Engineers today, like Galileo three and a half centuries ago, are not superhuman." (page 52)
• Direct Characterization: "Egyptian pyramid builders are not unique in their encounters..." (page 55)

1.Overview Sentence:

• Describes Galileo and his work; describes Egyptian's pyramids and Rome's cathedral.
  

ROAR Book: To Engineer Is Human

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• I agree with the reasons that the students came up with about the paper clip experiment; not all paper clips are equally strong and not every student bend the clips the same way.
• On page 29, Petroski mentioned Calvinism in which I had learned in history class.
• On page 30, Petroski mentioned anthropomorphic in which I had learned the definition of in ELA class.
• Father like son; Henry Petroski's son is into engineering which I think is a good thing.
• Oliver Wendell Holmes' poem (The Deacon's Masterpiece) is very long.

4.Comments:

• How old is Henry Petroski's son now?
• Why did Oliver Wendell Holmes write that poem (The Deacon's Masterpiece)?
• Are there more than one type of slingshot?
• Why did Petroski call the third chapter "Lessons From Play; Lessons From Life"?

3.Vocabulary:

• Fastidious: requiring or characterized by excessive care or delicacy; painstaking
• Serendipitous: come upon or found by accident; fortuitous
• Permanence: the condition or quality of being permanent; perpetual or continued existence

2.Literary Terms:

• Direct Characterization: "Oliver Wendell Holmes is remembered widely for his humor and and verse..." (page 28)
• Simile: "What my son had in mind for a slingshot was a massed-produced , metal-framed object that was as far from my idea of a slingshot as an artificial Christmas tree is from a fir." (page 31)

1.Overview Sentence:

• Describes Henry Petroski's son's experiment with a slingshot and Oliver Wendell Holmes' poem.
  

ROAR Book: To Engineer Is Human

5-4-3-2-1

5.Comments:

• To me, an engineer needs to be good at math; I think that it is one of the major keys that is needed to be an engineer.
• I did not know that the Kansas City Hyatt Rengency Hotel skywalks collapsed in 1981.
• I feel like the skywalks accident is a lesson for other engineers can learn from.
• In the second chapter of this book there are a lot of similies.
• One thing that I like about this chapter so far is that there is a mini section that describes the author's background.

4.Questions:

• Are there any differences between engineering and constructing?
• Why did the Kansas City Hyatt Rengency Hotel skywalks collapse in 1981?
• What were the newspapers that wrote about the skywalks incident?
• How did the Kansas City Hyatt Rengency skywalks cost to build?

3.Vocabulary:

• Rudiments: a mere beginning, first slight appearance, or undeveloped or imperfect form of something
• Capricious: subject to, led by, or indicative of caprice or whim; erratic
• Recumbent: lying down; reclining; leaning

2.Literary Terms:

• Simile: "Mother Goose is as full of structural failures as human histroy." (page 17)
• Metaphor: "Breakdowns of man and machine can occur if they are called upon to carry more than they can bear." (page 16)
  

1.Overview Sentence

• Describes the Kansas City Hyatt Rengency Hotel skywalks incident and the basics of engineering.
  

ROAR Book: To Engineer Is Human