Maia- Hits and Misses
Mary Francis- Anticipating Our Next Book
Friday, April 21, 2017
Anticipating Our Next Book
3. Everyone is capable of lying, betrayal, and violence, which are basic parts o human nature.
I neither agree nor disagree with this statement because I think that most people are capable of these things, but I personally cannot determine the validity of this statement. I know that several people are capable of these traits, even though they may not seem like they could when you initially meet them. Maybe their are people who haven't done any of these things, but I think that most people would be capable of lying, betrayal, and violence. For example, if a straight A student were going to take a very difficult test tomorrow, they might not seem like they would ever do so, but they might look at their friend's paper to help them maintain their A average. I'm not saying that all straight A students would do this given the circumstances, I'm just saying that if everyone was put in a certain situation pertaining to their personality, that certain situation could bring out the worst in them.
6. Sometimes you have to do things that other people consider wrong to get ahead.
I strongly disagree with this statement because I believe that if you do the right thing you will be rewarded. For example, if people want to skip lifts in strength and conditioning, I will tell them that we should do them because we will rewarded by following the rules and becoming more physically fit. Or if someone writes the answers to a test on their hand, they aren't fully understanding the knowledge that is being bestowed upon them and the people who aren't cheating know that they have tried their hardest and will fell better about themselves for not cheating. In all aspects of life, this philosophy is believed by certain people. These people do not have a good moral compass and won't be as happy with themselves as others who do not cheat to get ahead.
Hits and Misses
The piece of writing that I felt most successful with was my research paper. I feel like I completed this paper to the best of my ability and revised it several times to make it my best piece of writing this year. I put a lot of time and effort into this piece of writing, and I also had a lot of time to write this paper so I had time to revise it. I think that my word choice, sentence structure, and in text citation abilities drastically improved over the course of writing my research paper. I also learned how to incorporate many different documents into one academic paper without plagiarizing.
The one piece of writing that I found the difficult to write this year was the literary analysis of Lord of the Flies. I didn't really like this book, which meant I didn't want to spend more time writing a paper about it. I also find that I have trouble analyzing things and giving my honest opinion in a paper. I think that I did improve on stating my opinion and analyzing the book, but it was a struggle to get through the literary analysis. I went to the writing center while writing this paper, and I think that this made my paper much better and made me realize what I needed to work on.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Purple Hibiscus Skills
While reading Purple Hibiscus, I found that just fully understanding the book in general was difficult. Sometimes I would get lost when the author was talking about something that I did not know about. For example, in the beginning of Purple Hibiscus, the author uses the word "missal" and I did not know what that was. This kind of threw me off when trying to understand the rest of the chapter. In-depth discussion in class has really helped me to understand the exact meaning of occurrences in items throughout Purple Hibiscus.
Another thing that I found difficult while reading Purple Hibiscus is understanding the symbolic meaning of things such as a purple hibiscus. I wasn't really sure what to make of the title of the book and how to connect it to the context. Other items in Purple Hibiscus made it hard to understand the overall meaning of the book. In this case, class discussions were also very helpful because we really talked about the symbolic meaning of things like the purple hibiscus throughout the course of the book. I really find in class discussion to be very beneficial to my overall understanding of Purple Hibiscus.
Another thing that I found difficult while reading Purple Hibiscus is understanding the symbolic meaning of things such as a purple hibiscus. I wasn't really sure what to make of the title of the book and how to connect it to the context. Other items in Purple Hibiscus made it hard to understand the overall meaning of the book. In this case, class discussions were also very helpful because we really talked about the symbolic meaning of things like the purple hibiscus throughout the course of the book. I really find in class discussion to be very beneficial to my overall understanding of Purple Hibiscus.
Friday, April 7, 2017
New York Times Prompt
When we were asked to write from a list of 500 prompts, I decided I was going to write about the 500th prompt, even before I saw what it was. Although this was a shot in the dark, I'm glad that I chose 500: What would you wait in line for? I have actually waited in line for a lot of things. My experience with waiting in lines mainly occurs on Black Friday. Black Friday of 2016 was the most invigorating Black Friday of my life. My mom and I began Black Friday shopping at Ulta, which sells mostly perfume and makeup. We waited in line for over an hour, and we eventually got what we wanted. The first store of Black Friday was mainly for my mom. The best deals that I wanted didn't appear until six am the following day.
On the actual Black Friday, my mom and I woke up at 3 am to go to my favorite store, Kinnucans, so that we could get a lot of great deals. First of all, we got up three hours before the store opened because we wanted to be two of the first one hundred people in line, who would get a $25 gift card. Something else that I REALLY wanted was a Patagonia jacket for nearly half of it's original price. I saved nearly seventy dollars at Kinnucans that day. I had so much fun on Black Friday, because I enjoy waited in lines and meeting new people that share common interests.
On the actual Black Friday, my mom and I woke up at 3 am to go to my favorite store, Kinnucans, so that we could get a lot of great deals. First of all, we got up three hours before the store opened because we wanted to be two of the first one hundred people in line, who would get a $25 gift card. Something else that I REALLY wanted was a Patagonia jacket for nearly half of it's original price. I saved nearly seventy dollars at Kinnucans that day. I had so much fun on Black Friday, because I enjoy waited in lines and meeting new people that share common interests.
Saturday, March 25, 2017
Political Post
A 14 year old girl has alleged that she was raped in a boy’s bathroom at a high school in Montgomery County, Maryland (click here to view this article) . The alleged rapists were two illegal aliens, age 17 and 18. This incident has triggered political discussions because it deals with two politically-sensitive issues including issues related to immigration and sanctuary policies and the issue of safety and protection of students on school campuses. Montgomery County has adopted sanctuary policies. What does this mean? The sanctuary policies result in the County refusing to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a Federal Agency of our Government, in turning over accused illegal alien criminals to ICE. The County acts as a “sanctuary” to protect those accused of crimes. In 2016, Montgomery County refused to turn over 63 accused illegal alien criminals to ICE. An analogy would be a situation in which a teacher believes that smoking marijuana should not be criminal. So, he decides that his classroom will be a sanctuary, and that anyone who smokes in his classroom will be “safe”. Then, if the principal shows up at the door of the classroom and asks to drug test students, the teacher refuses to release those students, because his class is a sanctuary. This sounds ridiculous, because it is. If this is allowed to continue, what would prevent any Parish/County, City, or State from deciding that certain laws are unfair or unreasonable, and decide to “protect” people who have broken those laws?
What is also disturbing about what happened in Montgomery County is that it is not being reported by the major news networks. Some may say that is because it is just an accusation, and a crime has not been proven. However, the news reports on accusations every day. I watched an ESPN documentary about allegations of rape against the Duke Lacrosse Team which later proved to be untrue. The Rolling Stones published a story about an alleged rape at the University of Virginia. The Daily Caller recently published a story about 8 rape “hoax” stories (click here to view this article), and there are many other examples. What does it say about our media that it will report allegations against our own Citizens, but not those allegations against a minor by illegal aliens? I chose this topic because I have heard this story discussed, and I wanted to understand why it was getting attention, and why it involved political issues.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Learning Reflection
This first year of high school has had its ups and downs. I have performed very well on some assessments and I have performed very poorly on others. These past three quarters had helped me to learn how to study for each subject. I have learned many different studying techniques that are especially helpful in each of my subjects. Although high school is different from middle school, I think that I have adapted to the challenges of high school.
In English, I have become a stronger reader. I understand how to analyze a writing in a way that I hadn't thought of before. When it comes to writing, I think that I have improved greatly over the course of my freshman year. In the beginning of the year I couldn't support any of my claims with the depth that was necessary. I learned how to elaborate on all of my arguments. I also know how to use techniques like better word choice and vivid imagery. I think the main thing that I have improved on this year in English is my writing ability.
In English, I have become a stronger reader. I understand how to analyze a writing in a way that I hadn't thought of before. When it comes to writing, I think that I have improved greatly over the course of my freshman year. In the beginning of the year I couldn't support any of my claims with the depth that was necessary. I learned how to elaborate on all of my arguments. I also know how to use techniques like better word choice and vivid imagery. I think the main thing that I have improved on this year in English is my writing ability.
Softball
This weekend, Episcopal held their annual softball tournament. We played three games against McGehee, Acension Episcopal, and Slaughter Charter. The most interesting game that we played was the last game against Slaughter Charter. Our first game of the season was against this team, but in that game, we were always leading. In this game we had a rough start because we were losing by three going into the second inning. We did really well later in the game, ultimately winning by eight.
This was one of my best hitting games of the season. The starting pitcher for Slaughter is slow enough for me to ensure whether the pitch is going to be a strike or a ball and fast enough for my hit to go pretty far. I hit two singles, one of which resulted in an RBI. Part way through the game, Slaughter switched pitchers and I think I ended up striking out at both of my at bats because this pitcher was faster. Overall, I was happy with my hitting in this game because I lack the experience of other hitters on the team which usually causes me to not hit as well as others.
This was one of my best hitting games of the season. The starting pitcher for Slaughter is slow enough for me to ensure whether the pitch is going to be a strike or a ball and fast enough for my hit to go pretty far. I hit two singles, one of which resulted in an RBI. Part way through the game, Slaughter switched pitchers and I think I ended up striking out at both of my at bats because this pitcher was faster. Overall, I was happy with my hitting in this game because I lack the experience of other hitters on the team which usually causes me to not hit as well as others.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Sunday, March 5, 2017
Analyzing a Song
The song I chose to analyze was Hello by Adele. Some of the literary devices that I found were alliterations, consonance, assonance, hyperbole, and personification. Examples of assonance and consonance include "go over" and "that the both of us" respectively. These particular examples of literary devices all seem to create a Euphony, which gives the song a better flow than if the letters weren't as smooth. An example of an alliteration in Adele's Hello is "when we were." This also creates a soothingness to the song.
Exaggeration is used in this song which is shown in the form of many different literary techniques. An example of personification is "running out of time."Because we know that time cannot literary run, this word choice is used for dramatic effect. Another example of exaggeration and dramatic effects is the hyperbole "world fell at our feet" because, of course, the world did not literally fall at their feet. Hello uses many literary techniques which enhance the sophistication of the song and it helps the listener to interpret the meaning of the song.
LINK TO THE LYRICS
Exaggeration is used in this song which is shown in the form of many different literary techniques. An example of personification is "running out of time."Because we know that time cannot literary run, this word choice is used for dramatic effect. Another example of exaggeration and dramatic effects is the hyperbole "world fell at our feet" because, of course, the world did not literally fall at their feet. Hello uses many literary techniques which enhance the sophistication of the song and it helps the listener to interpret the meaning of the song.
LINK TO THE LYRICS
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Transitions From Winter Sports to Spring Sports
As most winter sports are coming to an end, many of Episcopal's teams have been very successful, and I hope that this continues during the Spring. The boy's soccer team was state-runner up, the boy's basketball team just won their first playoff game yesterday, and the girl's basketball team is headed to the state semifinals today! I am very hopeful and excited for the upcoming sporting events. I try to support the Episcopal sports teams, especially basketball, whenever I can. I find basketball most entertaining to watch, which is why you could probably find me at any Episcopal basketball game, boys or girls.
While the Winter athletics at Episcopal are coming to an end, many Spring athletics have began practicing, and the boy's baseball teams have started playing. I am participating in softball, which is why I am very excited for what is to come during the Spring. I love softball, and I haven't played in over a year since in middle school, softball is a fall sport. Softball has its first game next Monday and I think that the entire team is anxious and terrified to play because we have a lack of participants because they are still caught up in their winter sports. I wish the best of luck to all of the winter athletes who are fighting for the championship and I hope that everyone is just as successful in the Spring.
While the Winter athletics at Episcopal are coming to an end, many Spring athletics have began practicing, and the boy's baseball teams have started playing. I am participating in softball, which is why I am very excited for what is to come during the Spring. I love softball, and I haven't played in over a year since in middle school, softball is a fall sport. Softball has its first game next Monday and I think that the entire team is anxious and terrified to play because we have a lack of participants because they are still caught up in their winter sports. I wish the best of luck to all of the winter athletes who are fighting for the championship and I hope that everyone is just as successful in the Spring.
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Vocabulary Words
When she was murdered, I had a strange suspicion that her former co-worker was the culprit of this horrendous crime. I was certain that I would get to the bottom of this mystery. I believed that he harbored a malicious intend to hurt her, and that it was no accident. She had caught her former co-worker stealing from their employer, and she disclosed this to their employer, resulting in his termination of employment. She had also warned his other potential future employer of his criminal tendencies. With his reputation tarnished by this incident, he decided to take revenge.
When I gathered enough evidence, I decide to indict him by telling the police about all of the information that I had gathered. I made sure that I had implicated him in the scandal of murdering her. Although there was initially some speculation, he was ultimately convicted of murder. It was concluded that there was significant strife before she died, but she was now in a better place. He got what he got deserved. The jury averred that he had murdered her. He conceded and was sentenced to life in prison.
When I gathered enough evidence, I decide to indict him by telling the police about all of the information that I had gathered. I made sure that I had implicated him in the scandal of murdering her. Although there was initially some speculation, he was ultimately convicted of murder. It was concluded that there was significant strife before she died, but she was now in a better place. He got what he got deserved. The jury averred that he had murdered her. He conceded and was sentenced to life in prison.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Research Paper
One of the skills that I have learned while writing my research paper is how to create and works cited page and how to create in-text citations. Before we started writing our research paper, I didn't even know what in-text citations were. Now I know that you have to give credit where credit is due in the text and n your works cited page. I also wasn't sure how to create and in-text citation or how to format my works cited page prior to writing this paper. Now I can safely saw that I know how to form an in-text citation and works cited list.
Another skill that I have learned over the course of writing this paper is how to embed citations. Although we had already learned how to do this for our personal narrative, I feel like we went more in depth on embedding quotations for this research paper. I also learned how to find the credibility of a source. I didn't realize that there was an entire process, including finding out where the information came from, whether the source was biased, and the profession of the author. This research paper has made me improve as the writer.
Another skill that I have learned over the course of writing this paper is how to embed citations. Although we had already learned how to do this for our personal narrative, I feel like we went more in depth on embedding quotations for this research paper. I also learned how to find the credibility of a source. I didn't realize that there was an entire process, including finding out where the information came from, whether the source was biased, and the profession of the author. This research paper has made me improve as the writer.
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Response 2
Something that I have noticed about this book is that there are several stock characters. Penelope is the "popular girl", Arnold's sister is the "rebellious teen", and Gordy is the "know-it-all." Other stock character include Rowdy, the "tough guy", and Arnold's science teacher, the "mean teacher." These stock characters represent stereotypes that are seen often in books and movies. I think that Sherman Alexie adds his own twist to these characters.
Another thing that I have noticed about this book is that Alexie depicts Arnold as a kid that will try very hard to get what he wants out of life. Arnold dosen't want to settle for the school on the rez. Arnold wants to have a chance to succeed, which is why he begs to go to Reardan. Despite the prejudice at his new school, he still tries his hardest to succeed at Reardan. Even despite all of the times he beat up on the reservation, he dosen't run crying to his parents, he fights for himself.
Another thing that I have noticed about this book is that Alexie depicts Arnold as a kid that will try very hard to get what he wants out of life. Arnold dosen't want to settle for the school on the rez. Arnold wants to have a chance to succeed, which is why he begs to go to Reardan. Despite the prejudice at his new school, he still tries his hardest to succeed at Reardan. Even despite all of the times he beat up on the reservation, he dosen't run crying to his parents, he fights for himself.
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Response 1
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a book written in what seems to be written in first person in the point of view of a teenage Indian boy. This book takes place in modern day Reardan, Washington. I like this book because it is somewhat relatable to my life. I also like how the illustrator depicts Junior's life using comics and how Sherman Alexie explains Junior's feeling with vivid imagery and descriptive words.
I also like this book because it is causing me to learn about a culture that I din't otherwise know that much about. Although the depiction of Indian culture in this book might not be spot-on, I feel that there might be some truth to it. I also like how Alexie depicts Junior as an average awkward teenager. Something else that I like about the moral of the story so far is Junior's determination to perform to the best of his ability by going to a better academically but possibly less diverse school of Reardon. Despite all of Juniors challenges, he manages to make the best of everything and that's what really makes the book entertaining.
I also like this book because it is causing me to learn about a culture that I din't otherwise know that much about. Although the depiction of Indian culture in this book might not be spot-on, I feel that there might be some truth to it. I also like how Alexie depicts Junior as an average awkward teenager. Something else that I like about the moral of the story so far is Junior's determination to perform to the best of his ability by going to a better academically but possibly less diverse school of Reardon. Despite all of Juniors challenges, he manages to make the best of everything and that's what really makes the book entertaining.
The Chilean Exchange Students
I'm going to be honest in saying that whenever exchange students come to Episcopal, I don't seek out a friendship with them. This is because I don't want to become friends with someone that is only gong to leave weeks later. I don't want become friends with someone that I will never see again, but the Chilean exchange students, who are probably leaving the airport as I write this, were so friendly that I couldn't help but make many friendships over the past two weeks. I never really saw the exchange students around school, so it wasn't hard not to develop any friendships with them. One day three of the exchange students, Omar, Seba, and Jorge, decided to come to my English class and sit at my table. We began to talk and I realized that they were very funny and friendly.
After that day in English, I talked to them overtime I saw them and spent time when them whenever I saw them at school. One day after school I was in the library and I met yet anther exchange student, Andrea, who I ended up having the best friendship with. When I knew that there trip was coming to an end, I began to truly cherish the moments that I had with these people. I knew that the last opportunity I would have to see them would be at the soccer game at Episcopal last night. When I finally said my goodbyes after the soccer game, I realized that although I am going to miss these people, I am glad that I had the opportunity to learn about another culture.
After that day in English, I talked to them overtime I saw them and spent time when them whenever I saw them at school. One day after school I was in the library and I met yet anther exchange student, Andrea, who I ended up having the best friendship with. When I knew that there trip was coming to an end, I began to truly cherish the moments that I had with these people. I knew that the last opportunity I would have to see them would be at the soccer game at Episcopal last night. When I finally said my goodbyes after the soccer game, I realized that although I am going to miss these people, I am glad that I had the opportunity to learn about another culture.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
The Irish Potato Famine
My research project is about the cause and effects of the Irish Potato Famine. The Irish Potato Famine occurred in mid nineteenth century Ireland and caused nearly one million to die and nearly two million to emigrate. This event in history is significant because it had an impact on the whole world because of the immigration that was caused by the Potato Famine. Many of the Irish emigrants were discriminated against for their religious beliefs and the possibility that they might bring diseases over from Ireland. My thesis states that The
Irish Potato Famine was caused by Potato Blight, also known as Phytophthora
Infestans, which had many harmful effects of the Irish population including
greater health risks, being evicted from their homes, and many of the Irishmen
emigrating to foreign countries to escape the tragedy of the Irish Potato
Famine.
This topic is interesting because it was one of the most devastating famines in the world. One of the reasons for this famine's vast devastation was because nearly half of Ireland's population was dependent upon the Potato, which was an ideal crop for Ireland's damp and cool climate. So when Potato Blight destroyed half of the potato harvest in 1845, many of the Irish died due to starvation. Another cause of death during the famine was disease. The Irish became more susceptible to disease because they were weakened by starvation. Ireland and the rest of the world will forever remember the impact of the Irish Potato Famine.
1st Semester Reflection
High school is very different from middle school. One of the main differences is that there are more freedoms in high school such as what classes you have the opportunity to be in, where to go during tutorial, and high schoolers are overall given the opportunity to be more independent. In Middle School, we were on a more strict schedule and we had less freedom as to what classes that we could take. Another thing that sets high school apart from middle is athletics. In middle school, there was only a couple of sports practices a week, but in high school, we have to attend five to six practices a week. The quantity of sports practice is more rewarding because you are able to earn more in a longer period of time.
The main thing about high that sets it apart from middle school is the amount of school work and the amount of stress. In middle school, we only had small homework assignments and you didn't really need to study or prepare for anything days in advance. In high school, for some of my tests, I have to study a week in advance for a test or work on a project over the course of two weeks. Even on a day to day basis, the high school work load is larger. Although high school has its pros and cons, I am accepting my responsibilities and maturing as my school year progresses.
The main thing about high that sets it apart from middle school is the amount of school work and the amount of stress. In middle school, we only had small homework assignments and you didn't really need to study or prepare for anything days in advance. In high school, for some of my tests, I have to study a week in advance for a test or work on a project over the course of two weeks. Even on a day to day basis, the high school work load is larger. Although high school has its pros and cons, I am accepting my responsibilities and maturing as my school year progresses.
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Winter Break
My winter break was filled with stress. Mainly because I was waiting for my exam grades by checking Whipple Hill several times a day. As I waited for my exam grades to be revealed, I tried to remind myself that it wasn't the end of the world if I got less than the grade I expected on an exam. I also tried to remind myself that I had performed to the best of my ability and that that there was nothing that I could do to alter my exam grades now. This was definitely the most stressful part of my holiday break that could have been avoided if I had known my exam grades, which weren't revealed until the day we returned to school.
Other than the stress hanging over my head the entire break, I still managed to have fun. I spent a lot of time with my family and I got to see one of my closest friends, Jamison, who had recently moved away to California. She was in town because her family lives in Baton Rouge. I hadn't really talked to her on the phone much since her move, so we had a really good time catching up. I really enjoyed my break because I got to spend tie with my friends and family.
Other than the stress hanging over my head the entire break, I still managed to have fun. I spent a lot of time with my family and I got to see one of my closest friends, Jamison, who had recently moved away to California. She was in town because her family lives in Baton Rouge. I hadn't really talked to her on the phone much since her move, so we had a really good time catching up. I really enjoyed my break because I got to spend tie with my friends and family.
Friday, January 13, 2017
Research Project Update
There are more steps to completing this research paper than I had originally thought. I have made progress on the preparations for my research paper. First I acquired eleven different source and wrote annotated bibliographies for seven of the my sources before submitting them on Thursday. Now we are working on notecards in World History and English that are due on Wednesday. Although finding ten sources and annotating six of them was difficult, I am in the midst of working on my notecards.
When we finish writing at least 35 notecards, we will begin gathering all of the information that we have been working on for the past few weeks into an outline. Before the end of this quarter, this project will be completed, which is difficult to believe. When it comes to my research question and stance, I'm still not quite sure as to what exactly they will be. I think that my research question might need to be somewhat refined. Overall, I think that the research paper writing process is going smoothly.
When we finish writing at least 35 notecards, we will begin gathering all of the information that we have been working on for the past few weeks into an outline. Before the end of this quarter, this project will be completed, which is difficult to believe. When it comes to my research question and stance, I'm still not quite sure as to what exactly they will be. I think that my research question might need to be somewhat refined. Overall, I think that the research paper writing process is going smoothly.
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