Just keep Swimming

Growing up I always wanted to go to Heritage and tryout for the basketball team. I felt like I could take my basketball “skills” to the next level. I was really nervous because I wanted to make the team, so of course I tried my best during tryouts. 

The first time I tried out for the 7th grade all star basketball team, I didn't make it. I regretted wanting to quit basketball after I didn't make the basketball team. I like to think of me not making the team as a lesson that I need to give 110% all the time. I believe in the power of perseverance. That following summer I played basketball and formed a routine of wake up, eat breakfast, go outside, get home at 6:30, eat dinner, and then play basketball until 9. As I saw how much better I was, I knew this was going to be my year.

 After the summer came 8th grade and a couple months after that, came tryouts. Not as many people went but everyone there had good talent. I didn't let it get in my head. I ended up having a really good tryout. Mr. Calkins and I talked about how great I did and how I made the team. During the season, I had no playing time and we lost every game. However, that's not the point. I still made the team and reached my childhood goal. 

Final reflection Blog

What are the three most important things you learned this year?

One of the  three most important things that I've learned this year is Empathy. I learned how to be an empathetic person and have the ability to put myself into someone else's shoes and feel what they are going through. Another thing that I've learned is how to properly write a sentence. With dependent clauses, independent clauses, and phrases. Lastly sow,thing huge that I've learned is a lot of different words I can use into sentences and I've really expanded my vocabulary.

2- What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?

Reading the book To Kill a Mocking Bird. I will never forget that whole experience I learned so much from that book and I'm proud to say that is one of my favorite books. This book is what taught me empathy and that's the best life lesson to learn in my opinion. I believe that I will use this until I die because it is just the right thing to do.

3- What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?

When I fell behind on all of my work and I was really in a hole I couldn't dig out of the whole class was there to help me. Whenever I asked them for help they used empathy and realized how much I was struggling and they would help me finish up my work. I have so much respect for my class because even if they had a lot of work to do they still helped me out.

4- What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?

What I taught a student this year is that even if you fall down there is always a way back up. A friend of mine had a lot of problems come up and was unsure how to deal with them. I told them to just keep on fighting through it and not let anything phase you. Also the book Tuesday's with Morrie helped the student out because the book showed there is always a bright side.

5- In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?

I think the area I made the biggest improvements in is my writing overall. I feel like this whole year helped me with writing. I learned how to finally make a decent argumentative paper, answer questions properly and how to take notes. This is what I am most proud of because this'll carry over to high school with me and I will hopefully become a better writer.

6- What was the most challenging part of this year for you?

The most challenging part of the year was when I fell behind on my work. I started becoming absent more and missing the criteria I needed to know to do the work. This struggle lasted very long and it took me almost a whole quarter to get myself together. However, my classmates were there for me and helped me get out of the struggle I was facing and helped me to persevere.

7- What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?

The best piece of writing that I've done this year has to be my Argumentative Essay because I learned a lot about how cruel this world really is and how animal testing is alive and well the reason why I saty it was my best writing is because I had fun doing it. I could really speak my mind and get out what I believe using facts at not just opinions. This also taught me to find reliable websites.

8- Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?

Tuesday's with Morrie in my opinion was the best book that we've read this year because it really gave me a whole new outlook on life. I feel like this book has prepared me for my future and will help me get through high school.

9- What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?

Always stay on top of your work and never fall behind. If you do fall behind though do your best to get back and even try to get a little ahead if you can. Everyone needs a little break for a while but don't go on a permanent vacation. This will really affect your mentality and will change a lot so just don't  do it. 

Aphorism Project

1- Explain the aphorism in detail. what was Morrie's main message?

2-     Relate the aphorism to a movie, song, historical event, current event, personal experience, etc. and explain in detail how the example you have chosen relates to the aphorism.

3-     Evaluate the aphorism by explaining why you agree/disagree with it. Give specific reasons for your position and specific evidence from the text to support your position.

4-     Take a picture of your aphorism to use as your graphic.

5- Include your own aphorism regarding life.

The aphorism that I'm doing is "you're not a wave, you are part of the ocean" this is my favorite aphorism from Morrie. What this quote really means is that even though you are dead you will still be part of this world. For instance, say someone you know dies and you knew each other very well. Then they die that person who just died will always be remembered and thought about. Even if that person died as a wave they still end up being part of the ocean. This I believe was Morrie main message, he just wants everyone to know even if they don't think they'll still play a part in this world they will always, no matter what. 

I remember a long time ago my mom and I were talking about death and stuff. The reason why we were talking about this was because my great grandma had died. I had asked my mom if she was really gone forever thinking I already knew the answer to it. She replied with a no and I asked why. She said,"just because great grandma is dead doesn't mean she is gone forever" at this point I was confused. She told me as long as we think about her all the time and pray for her she'll always be apart of our world. To this day I still do all that for her and believe everyone else is doing it too. The aphorism "you're not a wave, you are part of the ocean" has been with me longer than I thought.

I agree with this aphorism fully because it makes so much sense, considering I have experienced this aphorism before. This aphorism is in my opinion the best one out there to me because as you read it more and more it makes more sense. At first I didn't understand it but when I actually took the time to think about it, it all ended up making sense. The reason why I agree with it is because everytime I lose a loved one from now on I will now know they'll always be a part of me. Even if they physically aren't with me they will be with me in my thoughts and heart. I honestly believe that I will live by this aphorism for the rest of my life. 

"Keep you're head up...Or you'll mess up your posture" -Sebastian Burgos

Socratic Seminar Reflection

These past four seminars that I have experienced have been influential and really made me think about the book. I've never really would've understood the book as much as I do now if we didn't do Socratic seminars because a Socratic seminar make you rethink and expand your knowledge. However, the first one that we had wasn't really all that good because we were still trying to understand the concept but the last three were pretty spot on. The last seminar was the best in my opinion because I can see everyone's feeling about how the book ended and the facial expressions the class gave is priceless. 

A trend that I noticed with my personal goals was to talk more during the seminar. Although I never really said much in the beginning I began to talk to a lot more than I did before in the first two. I looked at my last reflection paper said to talk more and bring up a question. The question that I brought actually made me feel good because it made people think about how they would feel if the ending of the book wasn't the same. This was something I was relatively proud of but I'm not proud that I didn't talk more.

A trend that I noticed with the class was to draw someone in who really doesn't speak much at the Socratic seminars. I really enjoyed this trend because I was drawed in one time and If I wasn't I wouldn't have said anything at that seminar at all. I also admire how the class wants everyone to be involved and work together. The class wants everyone to be heard and get their opinions out. Overall, the seminars is the best way to talk about a book and the way you feel about it.

Tuesday's with Morrie blog

All of the Tuesdays that I've read about so far in the book have been great. Morrie has taught me so many life lessons and really showed me what life truly means. I've never really felt so close to a character in my life and I feel like Morrie is a terrific person. Furthermore, Morrie inspires me with every single word he says because that's just who he is. He's really tought me a lot from how to live your life and how to basically end it. Now I know there is a favorite for everything but I hate to single out one Tuesday because all of them are great in their own significant ways. Although, if I had to choose one Tuesday I would choose the sixth Tuesday.

The "Sixth Tuesday: We talk about emotions"with Morrie is the best in my opinion for several different reasons. The main one is that I learned a lot about Morrie and learned a lot about being selfless. I really can respect Morrie because he is a very selfless person, the reason I say this is because Morrie told his family to continue their lives and not ruin them because of him. Even if that would make Morrie very lonely and feel a but neglected, but it didn't. If that was me I honestly would want my family at home with me at every step of the way until I die. Which I know now is very selfish. Another thing I learned about is emotions and why people avoid them. People end up avoiding their emotions because they are fearful. This then puts them in a terrible position which is terrible and what happens is instead of their emotions overwhelming them fear is overwhelming them. Which in my opinion know it is not really the best thing to have.

On "The fourth Tuesday: We talk about death" this chapter in the book really talks about death which really sets the true mood of the book which I still don't really know what it is. Anyways, this chapter may be about death but it is about emotions and how people feel about Morrie going. The emotion I gained from this chapter is more of an acceptance kind of emotion because I've always have known how to die but I've never really known how to live. That's what this chapter gives off to the readers or me for that matter. This also showed me several different  perspectives and aspects on life but almost every chapter did. One thing that really spoke to me and had me in awe was "We really don't experience the world fully, because we're half-asleep, doing things we automatically think we have to do.'". Immediately I thought of school, school is a wonderful way to gain education and stuff but we go to it as a routine but not necessarily because we want to. There is so many great things that come from school it's just that we often overlook it.

Morrie Blog

What are your initial reactions to what you have read in Tuesdays with Morrie thus far? One of the main themes developing in Tuesdays with Morrie is not to take your life for granted. Based on this premise, what is on your Bucketlist? You can write a paragraph leading up to a bulleted list of what you would like to do/accomplish in your life.

My initial reaction to what I've read so far with Tuesday's with Morrie is kind of surprised. I never knew how much of a powerful speaker Morrie is it's amazing how he uses his words to make people feel like life is too short to take it for granted. Also he speaks whatever pops up into his mind which I resoect big time because not many people have the ability to do. He even kind of woke me up and showed me how life really is this quote really spoke to me “Okay. The story is about a little wave, bobbing along in the ocean, having a grand old time. He's enjoying the wind and the fresh air-until he notices the other waves in front of him, crashing against the shore. "My God, this is terrible," the wave says. "Look what's going to happen to me!" Then along comes another wave. It sees the first wave, looking grim, and it says to him, "Why do you look so sad?" The first wave says, "You don't understand! We're all going to crash! All of us waves are going to be nothing! Isn't it terrible?" The second wave says, "No, you don't understand. You're not a wave, you're part of the ocean.” This shows that when we die we will still be apart of this world. Morrie will be satisfied with his death knowing that he has completed everything on his bucket list.

I want to be just like Morrie when I know I'm going to die have no regrets and live my life to the fullest. The main thing that will be on my bucket list is to give back to everyone who really helped me out In life, especially my mom. My mom would be my main priority and I will spoil her. Even if I don't have too much money I would love to see her happy one more time before I die. Other than that being on my bucket list of course I have some fun things on her like skydiving and BASE jumping but I would like to achieve more in school before I do anything else.

Bucket List:

~Skydive

~Snorkeling

~Go to every continent 

~Spoil my mom

~Finish college 

~Give back

~Get a good paying job

~Swim with a shark

~Jump off a cliff

~Base jumping

3rd Quarter Reflection

- *In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Language Arts?
- *What is something you have accomplished this quarter that you are proud of?

- *What has been the most challenging part of 3rd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?

          The area that I made the biggest improvement in was my punctuation. Before I never really knew where to add commas, semicolons, and colons. What really helped me out was the website "The Punctuation Guide" because it taught me how to properly use the punctuation and where to use it. For example, I really struggled on remembering if the comma goes before or after the conjunction. Not only that but I didn't even know you use colons and semicolons in writing until this quarter which is really bad. Even though it did take me awhile to figure out how to use them it did end up helping me a lot. This really made it worth my time.

          What I accomplished this quarter was turning all my work in and I am very proud of that. However, it did take me a while to do. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to pull off the amount of work I needed. Although, I'm not too proud of how far behind I got because I didn't do a lot of my work. That happened because my time management was terrible and that habit continued until I fell into a deep hole. I didn't want to be in that hole any more so I just took all my time from one day and just did all the work I needed to. By doing this it brought a lot of weight off my shoulder and I felt rather relieved. This is why I was proud of this I just couldn't live with it being on my conscience and my grades.

          The most challenging part during the 3rd quarter for me was turning in my work on time. This is the area I struggled the most in and took the most time in breaking out of the habit. What I did to overcome this habit was that I created a schedule for myself and planed out everything I 
was going to do and what I needed to do. This also helped me to get to sleep on time and feel a lot more energized. This is also something that im particularly proud of becauseit took hard work to do it and I did it

Yes, that's the way things are

40 Book Challenge Blog

Define

When defining something, look at it carefully and identify the qualities that make it

meaningful.

• Define what makes an interesting story or poem.

• Define what is needed to make a good setting.

• Define what is needed for a reader to be able to relate to a character.

What is needed to make a good book or poem is the way the plot is built up the plot itself and the resolution. I believe that a good plot makes the book a better and more interesting thing to read. Another key thing is dialogue, if the book doesn't have dialogue it must be boring. Diologue is a key factor because it keeps the readers active throughout the story and more involved. If the reader isn't involved they can't really have a good understanding on the title they are reading. That is something you don't want to experience with a book because you may just abandon that book. 

Imagery is the biggest component on making a good setting because you need to keep the reader involved. Even though the book I'm reading which is Genius it is a picture book. Regardless it still uses great imagery. Even if the imagery isn't the best the book or poem would still be good but it'll be good as the imagery that is used. Another thing to add is how the author explains the setting. Does he use figurative language? What was the tone he was using to really give you an image on the setting? Tone could also be a huge part in setting because the way the authors invoice is set up shows how he/she feels about the setting and it brings in a stronger connection than before.

What is needed for a character to be able to relate to the reader is that the character needs to have regular everyday traits. For example, if the character hates his Language Arts class that is a decently relatable trait because several people can have that trait. A bad example would be loving to collect pen caps which is a trait that someone may have but many few other people will have. This is where the book or poems intended audience come into play. Every book has an intended audience wether it's and age group or a gender thing there will be a targeted audience. That is what also makes an affective book.

Life is Beautiful

The Holocaust inside Night is expressed in a completely different way than in Life is Beautiful. Elie expresses the Holocaust as a horrible event, which it really was. After the hangings in the middle of the book, someone calls out "Where is He? This is where- hanging here from this gallows...'" This is completely different than the movie Life is Beautiful. Athlough, these titles are different they still get out the point that the Holocause was a terrible time. 

          In the book Night the mood was very different from the movie. The mood of the ok was really sad and depressing. It showed every gruesome part of the Halocaust and it really made me feel as I'df I was there. In the book it said,"Their tongues were hanging out, swollen and bluish. But the third rope was still moving:..." This is one of the most horrid thing that was said in this book. The prisoners were practically forced to see people be hung and killed. Elie experienced a lot of this throughout the time he was staying at the concentration camps. He even experienced his own dad dying which was one of the most difficult things to experience. 

The mood of Life is Beautiful is the complete opposite of the book night because of the mood. Even though the whole movie was based on the Holocaust. In this movie it had more of a comedic style. For example, when Guido and his son were in the concentration camp Guido told his son it was a game. The games was whoever gets the most points wins, only if they do what the Germans say. This also was great parenting skills by Guido because he didn't want to scare his kid. The way this whole "game" started was when he pretended to be a translator and translated what they German guard was saying into the game. This got his kid really hyped and into the game because the prize was a tank and he wanted a tank really bad. 

There were many examples of how life is beautiful throughout the film. Most of it was shown before they entered the concentration camps. One example, is in the beginning of the movie Guido "stalked" Dora and surprise her all the time and she liked that he did that. Another demonstration of when life was beautiful was when Dora and Guido ended up having a kid named Joshua. This kid was a huge impact on the mothers life because the kid became Jewish because of Guido but Dora didn't care. It's good to know that there is people who don't care about the other persons religion. The biggest demonstration of life is beautiful was when Dora sacrificed her life just so she can be with her son and Guido. 

Choice Blog

Explain

When explaining something, give reasons why things happened or give reasons for

how you got your answer.

• Explain what kind of reader would like this book most.

• Explain why somebody should or should not read this?

• How would you explain the plot of this story to somebody interested in reading

it?

The kind of reader that would like the book Genius by Marfé Ferguson Delano is someone who is definitely into biography books. Also someone who is into historical figures like Albert Einstein. The reader who have those interests would enjoy all of the qualities that this author has and the writing styles that are used. The best type of writing that the author used was the most commonly used in biography books was the build up in the persons life. Albert Einstien had a rough life in the beginning of his life and how much better it got when he worked hard. Hard work does pay off and that is demonstrated in this interesting book.

The reason why someone should read this book is because it is a great informational text that will motivate you to never give up and keep trying. If Albert Einstein gave up he wouldn't be the public figure he is today and he never would've solved the famous expression"E=MC2". Although this book could get kind of boring if you don't read if all at once because if you read some a day and more another day you forget what you read about and have to read over. This has happen to me many times but after you get out of that habit this book is great. It may have its flaws but this book will give a great experience to everyone. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has the kind of interest that this book provides.

Not only is the plot in the book a real life problem that Albert Einstien faced, but the plot many readers may be able to relate to. The biggest problem that Albert Einstein faced was all throughout his childhood. During elementary school he wasn't excelling like he wanted to and he struggled in his language arts classes. People even misunderstood him and thought he was "slow". Also he was considered "unique" by all of the other students and even teachers. He didn't really enjoy or feel comfortable around any of the other  boys. This all ended up changing as he got older. Once he started studying math he instantly fell in love with it and began to think about it even more than needed. Later all of the plot was resolved and this is where his philosophy began. 

Berlin Memorial

1- What did you learn?

2- Why do you think this monument was built?

3- What did you notice about the number of laws passed in certain years?

4- Which restrictions do you think you would have the most trouble dealing with and why?

           What I learned was that the Jews had a lot of restrictions, like a lot more than I could've thought of. For example, I didn't know that the Jews weren't allowed to purchase eggs or milk in 1942. That is completely outrageous, if the Jews had a farm they weren't even able to have it. There wasn't any chance reallly for the Jews to survive. The Germans made it possible but very difficult to have them live.  The ones that did live were the strongest because they lost many people from their family and it never stopped them from trying. This is the type of things that really open my eyes about struggling because a lot of people on this world claim they are struggling and they are living a hard life but they will never live as bad as the Jews did.

           The reason why the monument was built was to remember how bad the Jews were treated and to represent that we care about them. It also represents that the past is behind us and we are different now, they deserve that respect. Throughout WWII the laws became worse as more and more rights were taken away.  The monument is a small way to pay respect to the cruelty that the Jews had to live through. Even though this isn't really an easy thing to witness and see it is really nice to know that people still care.

           What I noticed about the laws that were passed in the past certainyeats were strictly towards the Jews. Also as the years went on the punishments or laws got worse and worse. It started from all Jews had to do forced labor to as bad as not being able to go to school. The craziest thing was that Jews weren't able to purchase milk. Out of all the many restrictions that the Jews had the one that would be the most difficult for me would be not being able to attend school. Honestly I don't know what I would do with my life. Even though I don't really enjoy school it is essential and apart of my daily life. I can use empathy now and see how difficult it must've been for Jews without education and many other restrictions.

              

Night Blog

Focus Question: How do Elie's experiences during the Holocaust change him as a person?

Throughout your reading of Night, you have witnessed many significant changes that Wiesel experiences as a result of his time in the concentration camps. I encourage you to delve deeply into his character and focus on important aspects, such as: his personality, morality, beliefs or values.

Your goal is to identify at least two major changes, and 'prove' using textual evidence and interpretation, how Eliezer transforms by the end of his memoir. Please use TIQA as your tool for organization.

Blog minimum: 3 paragraphs

    In the beginning of the book Elie is very religious mainly because that was how he was raised. Also he was a determined kid and always had faith in what he believed in. "There it was now, very close to us, the pit and its flames. I gathered all that remained of my strength in order to throw myself onto the barbed wire. Deep down, I was saying good-bye to my father, to the whole universe, and against my will I found myself whispering the words: "Yisgadal, veyiskadash, shmey raba … May his name be exalted and sanctified …" My heart was about to burst. There, I was face to face with the Angel of Death." This shows his belief in God still but you can tell it's beginning to fade away. Then he begins to have his doubts in God later on in the concentration camps because he isn't there for him.

Elie's mentality also change on the world and he realized how messed up society was. He didn't even know who he was anymore or what his point in life was. He knows that he needs to loose his so called "innocence" and become a man to survive. This was what needed to be done for him to survive the concentration camps. This was when he just completely gave up on his religion because it simply wasn't there when he needed it most. I honestly think that was the thing that allowed him to survive. He only worried about himself and did his own thing. He stopped relying on others and just did everything on his own which made him a powerful individual. 

Elie Wiesel changed his beliefs because his religion wasn't really there for him. He began to question God because he thought if he truly existed he wouldn't allow him to go into the concentration camps in the first place. "For the first time, I felt anger rising within me. Why should I sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for?" (Pg. 33). That quote was Elie questioning his God, I could understand his frustration. The person he turned to for help wasn't able to be there for him when he needed him most. 

I honestly don't know how he was able to make a book on his life because it must've been rough to relive all these moments. However, he helped a lot of people by writing this book to show that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. "There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." This is the quote that he said that really woke me up and made me think if he can do it so can I. Although, I'll never really experience anything as bad as he did, he just amazed me. I don't really even know what to say but wow. Honestly, I get emotional when I think about what he went through because no one deserves it. Wiesel was able to have the courage and bravery to incorporate all this into a book, I give him all my respect.

Night Blog

Compare

When comparing things, look closely to find all things that are alike between them.

• Compare what is happening to a character in the book with your own or a

friend’s life.

• Compare the plot of what you are reading with your favorite book.

• Compare where you live to the setting described in what you are reading.

          Elie Wiesel's life is the definition of struggle, he has been through it all. Growing up he has been always on the move, has been split up by his family and has seen several tramatizing things. It's just amazing how someone can go through all of that and have the ability to write it all in a book. I don't think I would be able to do that after all he went through. Then, there is a friend of mine who's life who has went through many things but not as bad as this. I mean you could've gone through something bad but not as bad. However, I'm not sure how my friend will grow up to be but I do know how Wiesel turned out. 

           In this book Night Elie is stuck in a concentration camp with many restrictions. He also was really young and kind of unaware of what was going on and the worst part was that he soon became aware. Once he became aware of what was going on he did his best to survive. In order to do that he had to keep his spirit high regardless of what was happening which allowed him to survive. In my favorite book Of Mice and Men on the other hand is about two people who are trying to find a job and live their dream of getting a house together. The plot is that one or the characters doesn't really want that dream anymore and the other character is stuck on it. My I mind you that this other character Lenny is mentally ill and has a lot of strength that he can't control. He then kills someone in the book and the other character try's to protect him but he just simply kills him on his own. These plots are similar because they are resolved with the best solution possible and that is just to get it over and done with. It may take some time but it'll be worth it. 

The setting of which that I live in and the setting in book I'm reading are hard to compare but their are some similarities. For example, Berwyn and the concentration camp in Night are similar because we have a lot of people who work hard in both settings. If you don't work you don't necessarily survive because hard work pays off. Like in the concentration camps if you worked hard you were able to keep your life. In Berwyn if you work hard you get money to pay for food in shelter which is essential to our lives. Another comparison we have is schedules that we used in our everyday lives. We have to do what we need to do to live our lives to the fullest.

          

T

Aow Impressions Blog

          During this gallery walk I learned several different things that were connected to the Holocaust. From Holocaust survivors to Syrian a Refugees they were somehow tied together. For example in James's article it talked about Holocaust survivors siding with the Refugees. The reason why they did this was because they felt like history was repeating itself and they didn't want the refugees to go through what they did. They remembered what it was like for them and they believe know one should ever go through that, it's just unfair. This really opened up my eyes and helped me to notice that history really is repeating itself which in my opinion is scary.

          In Joeseph's blog I also learned that 1,200 Jews denigrated to the Philipeins. The nazis atta led the philpeins because the Jews were there. They found out that they were there when they went when it was the right time. I think it's not right for them to attack the Jews in a different country cause then it can lead to more problems with different countries. On another note, I find it messed up that the Jews had a sense of hope when they emigrated to the Philipeins but they didn't know it was an ambush. The more I think about this the more I feel really melancholy towards this. Also I learned how relevant the Holocaust still is to today which is pretty amazing. The Holocaust was a dreadful time that'll never be forgotten.

          

Second Quarter Reflection

We have reached the end of 2nd Quarter...can you believe it?! Now take a moment to reflect on what you have learned so far. Some questions* to consider:

- Of the books you have read this quarter, which was your favorite? Why?
- *In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Language Arts? 
- *What is something you have accomplished since the new year that you are proud of?
- Where are you in your 40 Book Challenge? 
- *What has been the most challenging part of 2nd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?
- How have your blogs been progressing since August? 
- What strategies have benefited you? 
- What have you learned about the world? 
- How have your research skills improved?

Make sure to include a topic sentence and supporting details that fully support your main idea.

*Question must be addressed.

          In the second quarter made a lot of improvements and figured out my struggles. One of the many weaknsses I had was putting in my best meffort. Putting in my best effort was just something I didn't do because I was just oazy. This is a habit that I stopped when I just put my mind to it and prioritized it because this along with the many struggles became bad. Although it was one of the easiest ones to overcome. Putting my mind to things and focusing was the biggest strategies I used to help me out.

          Where I improved the most in the second quarter was in my test taking. Before I never studied and barely made it to a 3. This however, was a easier habit to break out of because this was something that wasn't to time consuming to learn how to do. During my vocab tests also I would kind of doze off adnd not focus on the test itself. This would really kill my train of thought. What I do now is focus on the test and only on the test to improve overall on my test scores. This was also the main focus throughout the 2nd quarter.

          Where I struggled the most in the second quarter was time management. This is the biggest struggle I've ever had academically because this has become a habit. Now that it has become a habit it has been harder to get out of doing. For example, when I get home I fall asleep and don't do any of my homework until 2 A.M which is really badl. How I can approve upon this is to basically create a schedule for myself and make sure everything is done. This will not only improve my time management but also will improve my grades. Overall, if I fix this up I can be the greatest student I can be in my eyes and hopefully it'll help me in life.

To Kill a Mockingbird Comparative Analysis

        In the book To Kill a Mockingbird Aunt Alexandra played a big part in it. In the movie however, she was never introduced or talked about at all. The reason why I think this is the most important difference because Aunt Alexandra was the female influence Scout "needed". A lot of the decisions that the kids made that Aunt Alexandra led to doing never ended up happening. For example, Scout never learned about the history of Maycomb and her family's history. In the book Aunt Alexandra talked about how much different it was then compared to now. This guided Scout throughout the book to be a better and more mature person. In the movie Scout never clearly developed this trait but it would've been better if they had that influence on her.

        Another detail that was left out in the movie that was in the book was most of the interactions with Boo Radley. Like when Scout, Jem and Dill went outside to play and ended up at the Radley house was not in the book at all which shows interaction but the book didn't. Also in the book Jem lost his pants when escaping the Radley house. However, Jem grabbed his pants for himself. In the book Jem just left his pants there and coincidentally it came back to him tied to the fence. The last interaction that occurred in the movie and not in the book was when Boo killed Bob. After he killed Bob in the book he went into his house and never came back. In the movie Boo was inside the Finch's house hiding after he helped out Jem and Scout. The only interaction that happened in both was when Boo pet Jem.

        The purpose for having different versions of a story is to have different points of view and to look at it another way. What I mean by this is that the different will change the view point and make you think more. If you think more about what you are doing you will develop a better understanding. Even if the versions are different there will most likely be a similarity that you can look at and think questions in your head. For instance, if you look at the movie TKAM and then the book they are different but have similarities but which one is better? That is the thing that I thought about the whole time I was watching the movie. I also think it depends on which one you look at first. If you read the book first you will think the movie was not as good as the book because of the left out details. Then vise versa if you watched the movie first.

          

Character Relationships

         The two characters I chose are Atticus and Aunt Alexadra. These characters as the book goes on play bigger roles in Scout's life. For instance, Aunt Alexadra is suppose to act as a feminine influence on Scout. "We decided that it would be best for you to have a feminine influence." Also what Aunt Alexadra does for Scout and Jem is that she teaches them about the past of the Finch's. Onto the next person who is Atticus. Atticus has a major role in this book in my opinion. His role is Scout's father. This is probably one of the characters that has a crucial role but isn't the main character. He has basically raised Scout exactly how he wanted, just like him. Which isn't really too good because Scout is a girl but is a tomboy.

          The differences that Atticus and Aunt Alexadra are not really hard to notice. For starters they influence scout in different ways. Atticus is raising her as he wants her to be and Aunt Alexadra is raising her the way she wants her to be. Aunt Alexadra doesn't like the fact that she is a tomboy so she is over there house know to act as the feminine influence which Scout already has which is Calpurnia. Another difference that they have is that Aunt Alexadra gives a life lesson before it happens and Atticus kinds of let's it happen then he gives out the life lesson. I'm not really sure what way is more effective.

            These two characters are thought of differently because of exactly how they are spoken of in the book. I to be honest dislike Aunt Alex with a deep passion just because of the way she is presented. However, she has her reasons for the way she is. Just like Atticus, he is a likable charter in the book because of the way he protects Tom Robinsonl. Although these characters are different they share similar qualities and the biggest one is that they say and are confident in what they believe in. 

TKAM Blog

           Throughout the book To Kill a Mocking Bird there was a lot of symbolism. The symbolism that was shown was that the book referred to certain people as 'Mocking birds'. The 'Mocking bird' in the book is the people who are treated different;y because of what other people say about them . They are harmed or hurt without doing so to others. They are misunderstood for who they truly are and are seen by the different shades people make them seem. However they are okay with their true color and stick to what they believe and ignore their differences with other so called 'Normal' people in this society.

            One of the Mocking birds in the book is Boo Radley. Boo is considered a 'Mocking bird' because he also never did anything to hurt anyone and always looked out for others. For instance, he gave Jem back his pants, gave the Finch's presents and saved Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell. He did so much good that wasn't needed. He never wanted to be patronized or wanted to be soaked with gratitude. This is what I feel is a true mocking bird. Someone who just does things from their heart for the greater good. Even I thought of  Boo as a bad person who was crazy and weird. This was based off of what Jem had heard. Once you fully know his character you'll then know he is a mocking bird. 

            The other mocking bird in the book is Tom Robinson. Tom is considered a 'Mocking bird' because he never did anything wrong. He was very truthful and didn't care about what people said about him. Tom was killed which was a sin. What I mean by sin is that it was a sin in the book to kill a mocking bird. Of course in this content is meant literal. Tom actually died by people who believed everything they heard. He was a mocking bird of which who was completely innocent and misunderstood throughout the book and his life. It is drop dead wrong to hurt someone who wouldn't do the same to others. Tom was a real mocking bird who never did anything wrong which made it a sin to kill him (a mocking bird).

             

TKAM Setting Blog

            When I first looked at this image I looked at the big dark spot on the image. I'm not really sure what this means or represents but I think I have a good idea. For starters, it is obviously something that wasn't suppose to be seen in this picture. It could be advertisement or a license plate. Which isn't something I really need to look closely into because it is just one thing I'll never know. The second thing I noticed is that there isn't many people outside but there is several cars outside. What I am inferring is that this is a religious town. Which would make sense in my opinion because the people are nicely dressed. I could be mistaken by their everyday attire but I have reasonable doubt.

           I know this picture was taken a while back because of multiple reasons. For one, the most obvious, the picture is in black and white. The second piece of evidence is the cars in the picture. All the cars look very similar and very old. I can also use my prior knowledge and know that the cars are older models. The third reason is the way the people are dressed. They are either going to church as a community or all in the towns main street, in their normal everyday clothing.

           I believe that this photo was taken because it shows how close everything was in a small town. Everything was accessible and close together because everyone new one another. This also shows how different it was back then compared to now. They left the windows down in the cars without fear of people taking it. That is some serious trust they had to have back then. Another reason this image was taken because it makes you think and possibly make a connection to the photo. For example, I made a ton of connections with this photo. I've seen a photo just like this in a scrap book in my house which made me think it was taken around the same time. This is a great image for many purposes.