Reading Times

4/18- read 45 min Grey Wolves, 4/19 read 50 min Grey Wolves, 4/20 read 50 min Grey Wolves, 4/21 portfolio 30 min

What do I want most...

Like many other people I have and still want a lot of things in this world. Some of them are political, some social, etc. But above all I always had this one dream in the back of my head that when I was little I always said it was the one thing I would ask a genie. It is something that I have a continuing dream for, even thought it will never come true.

My biggest want in the world is to have six special super powers. Now I'm not just going to choose powers that will allow me control of world domination, but they would be very useful to my day day life. My first power would be to be able to control water/ice with my hands/mind. Next I want to be able to have telekinetic powers, basically control things with my hands/mind no matter the size or weight (even myself.) Then I would like to freeze time. Good for last minute cramming before a test. Then I would also like to be able to turn myself invisible. Next I would like to be able to give life to any thing that has passed. Finally, I would like to control fire from my finger tips to my toes (basically like the dude from the fantastic four.)

So yeah, thats my biggest wish. I am very interested to read my peers biggest wants and desires and compare them to mine.

My Poem

Here is my fully improved poem. Hope you enjoy :)


Apple
So red and round
you fill up my world
So crisp, so clean
just like a brand new limousine
but besides the point, your more than that
your a inspiration to my world
as well as many other's
you've filled our tummies and
inspired laws. You've set the standard-
one apple a day- keeps the doctor away.
you stock our shelves and fill our hearts
you keep us strong
when we are weak
you make me feel happy when my world is bleak
like a bright sun on a warm day
apple
you are great.

In this poem I really wanted to include some alliterations and anaphoras to create a concrete symbolism of the apples symbolism. Finally, I also wanted to include some caesuras, similes, euphonies, and some connotations to get my point across in a unique way.


Reading times

Work on writing remix 45 min 4/9, read "Grey Wolves" by: Robert Muchamore 40 min 4/10, read "Grey Wolves" by: Robert Muchamore 30 min 4/11, read "Grey Wolves" by: Robert Muchamore 4/24 35 min

Reading Response

Reading Times: read- Grey Wolves by: Robert Muchamore 50 min 4/1/13, read Grey Wolves by: Robert Muchamore 65 min 4/3/13- read Grey Wolves by: Robert Muchamore 55 min 4/5/13 

Over the break I visited San Francisco, California to just hang out, do some surfing, and visit my cousin. But what I didn't plan for was to spend three of my valuable days in national parks that for one aren't even famous and two, aren't even a pleasure to look at.  

So as I result I knocked out a pretty decent amount of my book, even though I got car sick as a result of  it.  As I'm nearing the final chapters of my book I haven't help but noticed how there has not been one dull moment. Earlier in the book exciting moments came and went and were always followed by extremely slow, dull moments. Yet now every moment is action and when a certain event concerning one character is over, another intense moment is brewed up with a different character. 

I'm not too sure what to think of it. I don't know if I should prepare for an almost "great depression" in the book, or if I should I anticipate this action to continue. I know this author very well and based off my experiences I suspect a great depression because every action has to be followed by a falling action. Even though movies don't always follow this rule, its not too often a book is left on a suspenseful cliff hanger which forces the readers to wait till the next issue. Although there is another book in the series following this one so I won't have to wait. I still would never expect that of all things.

Song Reflection

Since I was completely out of ideas and had no clue what to pick I just decided to do "Umbrella" by: Rihanna. Although Rihanna is not my first choice in music, she is still a well rounded, accomplished musician and I enjoy her work. In her song "Umbrella" Rihanna makes rhythmic connections to rain and the sky in anticipation for the chorus and using these connections as hypothetical symbols for her and a person (Jay-Z) or for Jay Z to Rihanna. The lyrics corresponding to this technique are- "you know me, in anticipation for precipitation" "Stack chips for the rainy day" "because when the sun shines, we'll shine together" "Now that its raining more than ever, know that we still have each other, you can stand under my umbrella."

These techniques were used in perfect sequence. They didn't follow each other and cause the poem to sound repetitive. Nor were they too far apart that the listener lost track of the picture and the meaning of the lyrics.  Seeing the wording and effort put into the sentence fluency and organization of this song allows the fans to have a greater appreciation for the artist. This shows that when used properly the effects of these techniques result in a very well-balanced, noteworthy song that has and is sure to attract more fans.

Jane Goodall Plagiarism

When I first read of this is was throughly shocked. As a student in school we are beaten in the fact "DO NOT plagiarize." So to see a professional writer, and one with her age and knowledge, blatantly plagiarize like that shocks me. I first thought this was a serious matter. Then I reflected thinking "well she's just old and careless and maybe its just a mistake," but no. Any professional writer of any age or knowledge level, from children's books to textbooks, has no excuse to plagiarize. So I went deeper into my criticism.

One thing that really surprised me is her motivation to write this book. At first it seems to me that she is writing about chimps but the main topic sways from naturalist life style to nature and flowers. This to me was a red flag that showed carelessness. In my opinion I'm surprised she hasn't been sued yet. So my solution would be to edit and reprint the books. Then in the blank page that is reserved for dedications, give condolences to the sources, publishers, and the readers for her mistake.

Past Paper Reflection

For my reflection I will be using my Literary Analysis on the story "The Sniper." For my reflection I will be choosing two traits of good writing to focus on when re-evaluating my paper. The two that I have chosen are sentence fluency and word choice. Based on the comments I received from my peers and teachers, I feel that my choices will appropriately suit my paper's reflection.

The reason I chose these two elements is because after reviewing my comments and reading over my paper I felt that these were my weakest areas. Just in my first over-glance since submitting my paper I noticed things that needed to be revised that fell into thee two categories. Overall I thought I had a good paper, yet I see places were I could have inserted more couple wording and worded my sentences better. All in all I am actually a little bit excited to revise my paper again and hope everything turns out well.

Nervous Conditions: Yes or No?

On a personal level I'm just going to come out and say that Nervous Conditions was not my favorite book read. So when I read what our post was about I was a little bit torn on my decision. So to settle the matter, I am going to defend both sides then make my final decision.

First, I will reflect on why Nervous Conditions SHOULD be removed from the rubric. On a personal hand, like I said, I did not enjoy the book. And I am not so sure my classmates fully enjoyed the experience either. So, in that case I do think it should be removed from the rubric considering the fact it was such a burden on the students. Also, choosing the wrong project on the layered projects really put some kids in the hole. And although the layered project was a great source of points, it was also a heavy burden at times for kids like me with poor time management.

Now I will reflect on why Nervous Conditions SHOULD NOT be removed from the rubric. Now like I said before, even thought the book didn't really connect to a lot of people, it was still a good source of points and will likely help us out later on during the exam. Reasons it should not be removed are that it is relevant to our class discussions. Out of all the books we have read, Nervous Conditions has best related to our over all question this year. How does community and culture effect who we are? Although some of our books this year have given strong answers to this question, Nervous Conditions better relates to this topic.

Now I must choose. Personally, I believe Nervous Conditions should stay in the ninth grade rubric. Although it is not a popular book among the students, it is still a good book to help students get a better understanding of the overall question, as well as a way to better understand and manage major projects in high school. But the decision is not mine to make, all of the power lies in Dr. D's hands, so whatever she chooses I'm sure will be the right choice.

Expectations and Identities

We all read how certain environments and identities affected how Tambu acted. To be honest I can relate to this topic. Nearly everyday I am in an environment hat changes my "identity" and in turn effects my decision making. Here are of few of my examples.

1. One of the major places that effects my identity is church. In church I am not allowed to be the outgoing, crazy kid that I am around my peers. In church one must remain quiet and respectful, which alters my thinking, and tells my body to stay still and quiet. Creating a very strict, formal, and respectful identity.

2. The next place is on a social media website. Social media sites are created for people to be able to freely express their selfs. Which is what I do, but on some of these sites I am sadly monitored like a hawk stalking its prey by my mother. In turn, limiting my freedom of expression. Creating a free yet smart and cunning identity.

3. Then, theres school. At school its a toss up. You will either find me just relaxing, you can find me being rambunctious with friends, or you can find me being very quiet and well behaved. All of these factors are controlled by my mood that day, weather or not I'm in class, if I'm doing something important in class, or if I'm just freely roaming campus at break. Creating a very chill, fun, and relaxed identity.

4. Next is a relatives house. This one is tricky all depending on which relative you are staying with. If you are staying with an aunt or uncle, the mood will have more of a fun, comfortable vibe to it. Allowing you to express your self, while still knowing your limits. But if you are staying with a grant parent its a whole different story. The mood will be more of a stricter, awkward vibe. You most definitely wouldn't want to freely express your opinions out of due respect. Creating a very fun, relaxed, or strict, uptight identity based on where you are in particular.

5. Finally, a water park. A water park would be a perfect place for one to express themselves. Full of fun rides, a happy atmosphere, and mostly good people; the mood here would reflect that of a chucke cheese or a McDonalds play area. Creating a very relaxed, free, spunky, and fun identity.

Reading Times:
3/6/13-read-Nervous Conditions- 45 min
3/7/13-read-Nervous Conditions- 30 min
3/8/13-read-Nervous Conditions- 30 min
3/10/13-read Nervous Conditions- 65 min

+ annotating
Chapters 6-10

Perspective of Nyasha

I must say that chapter 6 was a doozie.... I never saw that one coming. So, no better person to personify than Nyasha.

When I first read the altercation in the text I almost thought, it was all just a joke or a dream, that non of what was happening was happening. Yet I was wrong, and to my surprise the quarrel intensified. I could only imagine seeing things from the teenage point of view of Nyasha. my first thoughts were that everyone in the room must have been in complete shock. I think that Nyasha was both shocked and expectant of the violent beat down. Yet to experience such a traumatic turn of events at such a young age must have some long term effect, but we may not know until later chapters... Though Nyasha has shown to be a very reluctant, resilient, determined, and rebellious individual, I think a brutal assault such as the one administered by Babamukuru would rattle and change any individual. I definitely think her perspective on everything like Babamukuru, school, the mission, even the entire world will be permanently changed forever. We will not find out until later in the book if any of my presumptions are correct. So until then, back to reading.

Evaluation

For my C layer 1 I chose to annotate all the chapters, do four reading logs, and create an unknown words test. All in all I am happy with what I choose. In order form easiest to hardest the test would have to be the easiest and the annotations would have to be the hardest, leaving the reading logs in the middle. The test was the easiest to manage with the annotations since if I saw an unfamiliar word in the test all I would have to do is just box it and continue annotating. Therefore, I could multi task and progress on two projects at once. Next, would be the reading guides. The only reason these would pose a problem difficulty wise, is when I would wait to complete them, instead of doing them right after I read the chapter. This would pose a problem, causing me to have to go back and reread parts of the chapter. Finally, annotating... This was the most painful process by far. Considering the fact that the text is so small, the chapters are so long, and the book feels like it drags on forever. What would normally take thirty minutes to read a chapter, takes 50 minutes to read a chapter and annotate. Yet the perks of annotating allow you to grasp the story better and notice things that you would normally pass up. I chose the same exact projects to do the next time around in the C layer 2.  

Reading times:
2/26- read Nervous Conditions- 50 min + annotate  2/27- read Nervous Conditions- 55 min 2/28- read + annotate Nervous Conditions- 50 min + annotate

Chapters:
3-6

Paper Reflection

1. My writing process went as usual. First I did all the basic stuff like deciding on an idea, doing a project map, etc. Then, I got into the nitty gritty of finding all of my sources and annotation them. Next, I did my detailed outline, which along with annotating sources, was one of the most helpful tool later on in the project. Finally, I did my draft, which is the most handy and helpful thing accomplished throughout my paper. The least helpful would probably have to be the project map, just because at that point in time in the project, I didn't have a firm grasp of what I wanted to do yet. One thing I would advise to future students is to have good time management. If you can do something to help your project, but maybe it wasn't assigned, do it any way. Preparing for future work is the best way to stay on top of things.

2. I received feedback from Dr.D, my peers, my family, and a tutor. Any time I am given feedback from any one, I take it into deep consideration. Receiving feedback is probably the most helpful thing to guide your final editing before submitting a paper. It is a confidence booster and a true life saver.

3. In my opinion, my strongest features would have to be my organization, detail, and proper introduction and evaluation of quotes, along with grammar. My weakest features would probably be the voice and formality of my paper.

4. I guess the only other thing you should know is that, Im writing the paper from a standpoint of knowing a lot on the subject and having a long running fascination of the subject. So, other than that, theres really nothing else.

Reading (annotation and revision) Times

Read- Nervous Conditions- 55min- 2/11-pgs: 1-36
Annotated- Nervous Conditions- 20 min-pgs: 1-10
Read- Grey Wolves- 65min- 2/12
Revised Paper- 2/14, 2/15- 60 min

Reading TImes

1/28- Worked on my annotated bibliography. Added sources and edited analyses- 60 min
1/29-Read Grey Wolves By: Robert Muchamore- 40 min, 54 pages
1/31 Read Grey Wolves By: Robert Muchamore- 15 min, 25 pages

Research Topic

Informal: To be honest, I have always had a "knack" or interest about all things World War II. But one thing that I never really explored or even thought about (in a more formal way) was Nazi Germany and their superior domination. I thought to my self, with Germany being such a power house and dominant force through out the war, how did we come upon their defeat? And how did they suddenly lose control? They had conquered so much land, and created such a valiant army. How did that help or hurt them? By factoring all of these in I created my research topic. How did geographic advancement and foreign occupation during WWII help or hurt Germany? Well the truth is that Germany's advancement and foreign occupation significantly aided their success. Yet at times all of that power went to their head's and thats why bad, cocky, and careless decisions were made. In turn, leading to the fall  of Germany.

Formal: Throughout my young life I have had a significant interest in the topic of World War II. I was always interested in Germany's conquest. I loved watching old films of German U-boats and infantry. For some reason, it just really interested me. I always knew that Germany was one of the most dominant forces in the war. And for significant periods of time, they controlled almost all of Europe. Then again, I never thought about the factors that lead to both their domination of Europe and their defeat. All of those cob-webbed questions stayed tucked away in the back of my head until now. Using my previous knowledge on Germany during the war and my past questions on their conquest, I formed a research question. How Germany's expansion and foreign occupation aid or hurt them during the war? To answer this question I used the help of many databases and timelines forming this thesis statement. Germany's advancement and foreign occupation throughout the war significantly aided their success. All though this was the case, the gargantuan power that is received from such domination can get to one's head. Such thing happened to Germany. Careless and cocky acts of aggression and triumph lead Germany to a depleting defeat.

Free Post: Wrestling

As many of you may or may not know, Episcopal has a wrestling team. Now many people have their different opinions about the sport, but in the end they couldn't be a wrestler even if they wanted to. They wouldn't have the courage nor the determination that is required in a wrestler. Wrestling is not a (as some would say) "feminine" sport. Your whole mission as a wrestler is to beat your opponent within an inch of their life so they can tell the next opponent what to expect. Ive seen many people who have the belief of wrestling being a "gay" sport, until they come to a tournament only to see a kid have his shoulder dislocated, only for his coach to put it back in, slap him in the face, and send him back on the mat. I have personally seen this happen on more than one occasions as well as knee and elbow dislocations, with many busted lips, broken teeth, and concussions.

As I said wrestling is not for the weak. It is an extreme contact sport, with intentions of demolishing your opponents. I have a love for this sport. This year will mark my third total year wrestling and my second season with Episcopal. So far in my Episcopal wrestling career I have placed first and third in numerous varsity tournaments, become a varsity letterman in the 8th grade, and also went on to place eighth in the state in the 8th grade as well. I have a true passion for this sport. I have given and received many injuries in this sport and will gladly receive more if it means a varsity spot in a tournament. All in all I hope you get my point when I say no matter what anyone tells me, I will always know the truth about the sport, and my love for it will never change.

Research Update

So far in in my research project, it has started out the same way as every other essay we have done this year (or at least I hope it will...) Every essay we have done was really confusing and hard to grasp at the beginning, but after we got started and I began to put something down on paper it became very easy and carefree all the way to the end. Just like all of the others, this project has been giving me lots of trouble in the beginning.

I have been having trouble finding different varieties of sources and I have been facing conflicting feelings about my topic. Trying to decide weather to narrow it down and be more specific to certain pivotal moments or keep it where it is. All of these questions and more I will be asking Coach Coco and Dr. D as we begin the writing process. So far those are the only problems Ive had concerning my paper. I think that Im right around where I need to be so far in the project, but deadlines are quickly approaching and I need to stay on track. I definitely think that our group discussions in class have really helped me along in the research process, and I hope that we continue to meet with these groups throughout the project. All in all my project has been shaping up quite well and I hope and pray for a smooth writing process.

Reading times:
1/18- read 35 min, 1/20- read 40 min, 1/21- read and researched- 65 min

Free Post

For my free post Ive decided to reflect back on what my thoughts and expectations were about High School and then compare and contrast them to how I feel today. Well after 8th grade I didn't really care about anything, better yet school, so it wasn't until the final weeks of summer that I began to start questioning. I thought high school would be a lot more dull and dead than middle school was. Either way I was going to try to have fun no matter what, but I was completely wrong. High school is really boring at times, but being able to hang out with all of my friends who are upper class men is really cool since they give me advice on all of the teachers. I also thought in the beginning that the teachers would be like they are in college, as in you'd be lucky if one of them knew your name. Yet again I was completely wrong, all of the teachers know my name and actually acknowledge me and care for me, which is a great thing to have.

For a while I did think that there was big parties every day and all night, but that was when I was back in 6th grade and didn't know anything. Even though our high school isn't famous for throwing crazy parties every weekend, we (well some of us) all still have cotillion to look forward to and do all of that stuff. All and all I am satisfied with my current high school experience and cannot complain about my grades, (which I also thought were not going to be this good) so needless to say I can't wait to get deep into the second quarter. 

Reading Response: Grey Wolves

As Dr. D said we are now officially back in school and the normal routines. For the second semester I will pick up where I left off in my free read book, which is called "Grey Wolves" by: Robert Muchamore. So far Muchamore has continued to tie the reader in with vivid sensory details and action packed scenes. I have begun to notice a pattern of these events in the text and can't help but wonder when they will end and how they will end.

I've often wondered if other readers have thought the same thing. Wondering when an author will stop using this pattern or when the falling action will finally come. Muchamore has decisively inserted different techniques of writing mixed with highly intense moments into the text, at sometimes it even appears to be random, yet it still has a purpose.

Now I am in one of those moments where you want to keep reading because the text is so action packed and suspenseful, yet at the same time I fear it will wear off and return to its usual boring dialog. Eventually I will have to face both factors, but until then I'll enjoy it whilst its here.

1/8-read 45 mins 1/9-read 30 mins 1/10- read- 45 mins 1/11-read 35 min