Dear classmates,
This blopg post is going to be about English I, and my tips, tools, and methods for survivng it. My first tip is to always come prepared for class. As long as you have an outside reading book, pencil, notebook, and are ready to learn, you will be fine. Second tip is to always annotate your books, marking vocabulary words in them that you are not aware of the definition, or take mini-notes about things that Dr. D says or y'all are learning. It will come in handy, trust me! One time, I jotted down a side note about one of our wordly wise words, like something Dr. D quickly mentioned, and right before the test I was flipping through my notebook, saw it, and read it. This helped me out once we got the test because it was related to one of the questions on the test, and what do you know? I got it right! My third and last tip is to keep all handouts. Even if you are not an organized person, I would keep these handouts in my laptop, in my folder or locker, or even shoved in the bottom of my backpack (not really). My point is to just KEEP THEM. I say this because one time, one day before we took our poetry test, Dr. D handed out a worksheet about stressed and unstressed syllables on words- how to read them, figure them out, and what they are called. Well it was the end of the day, I was anxious and not paying attention as well as I could have, except I heard her say that it wouldn't be on the test. So I blew off listening about it, but I kept the worksheet because I am a tad OCD and don't like to throw things away. Before we took the poetry test I glanced over that worksheet just incase it was a bonus or anything like that. Turns out there was a 5 point question about it on the test. I freaked out but then, in my mind, I remembered me looking over it and I surprisingly recalled things on the sheet. I got a 4/5 on that question which is better than a 0/5 which I would have recieved if I wouldn't have kept the handout. Those are just a few, great tips about English I you should remember.
Tools and Methods that helped me get through this year in English were quite simple actually. The tools I used were a binder that contained homework, handouts, and notes because I am always neat, a pen because I prefer that over pencil and you have to take test in pen, and my reading books, the in-class book and outside reading book because you never know when you will have just a few minutes to crack open a book and read a few pages. Methods that I thought were helpfully for surving the year- there is just two. Number one, ENGAGE yourself in the class because if you don't then you will not pay attention or learn anything, and that will come back to bite you. Number two, ASK the TEACHER QUESTIONS. I say to ask the teacher because if you talk to your friend during class it looks like you are being disrespectful, and that just puts you on the teachers bad side, and we all don't want that. Right? Another reason I say to ask the teacher is because if you ask the teacher it helps them know that you are tuned in and paying attention, also that you are confused about something, therefore they may be able to exaggerate on it more for the whole class. I hope my tips, tools, and methods help you guys, and they don't only work in English they work in any class!
Good luck and goodbye (because it is my last blog post of the year),
ksparkless77
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Participation during 4th quarter
Good morning,
If I were rating myself 1-10 based on how much I participated in 4th quarter, I would give myself a 9.5/10. That is still a 95% and a high A, woo hoo! The reason I gave myself a 9.5 out of 10 was because there was one time I didn't come to class with an outside reading book and had to borrow one from Dr. D, and one other time I asked to go to the bathroom right before class and didn't get that done before during break. Let's not get into that because that is a whole, other story. Besides those minor misshaps, I have been prepared for English well. I always do my homework and have it ready for the beginning of class the next day, I always have my notebook, class reading book, pens, pencils, and any other materials I may need. I will admit though, I do borrow Terri's highlighters quite often, but that is because I find them highly amuzing. I check my email and assignments daily because I am terrified I will miss an assigment, and those are just give away points (kind of). I know this sounds a little weird, but I enjoy taking notes. So anything Dr. D tells us we need to write down, I'm on top of it! I've learned if I make my notes colorful and fun it is easier to learn them and not make the learning so drab, but that's just me. My class participation is excellent, especially when we were doing poetry because I loved our poetry unit! Sometimes I will ask questions and sometimes I will chime in my opinion or answer to the question. I don't ask questions because I either understand the material being presented to me, or a fellow classmate will ask it.
I grade myself differently when coming to group presentations, group discussions, or really anything where a group is involved! I cannot explain how much I love group work. In group work I feel like so much more is accomplished then if you were just doing it alone, by yourself. I think I get less side-tracked in group work verse self working because in group work you always have people there to pull you back in if you need it. I would grade myself a 10/10 on this subject because I am usually not the one getting side tracked, I am the one pulling people back into the discussion, calling on people who haven't spoken yet, and making sure everyone who has something to say, says it. I think of myself as a teacher sometimes. Lol! If I compare my participation this quarter to previous quarters, I will have to say it varies a bit. First quarter I was extremely prepared, tuned in, but less involved in class discussions. I was like that mainly becuase I didn't know whaat highschool would be like, and I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with the teacher. Second quarter came around and I was still prepared, doing my homework and all, and starting to get more into class discussions. Third quarter might have been my worst quarter, not grade wise but focused wise. I believe this because we have just come back from Christmas break, and I was to excited to where I had trouble paying attention. Also I believe this was my worst quarter because many breaks broke it up to where I was either lazy becuase we just came back from a break, or jumpy and happy because another break was just right around the corner. I still believe my participation was very good throughout the year compared to other people- no names will be mentioned.
Stay intuned,
ksparkles77
If I were rating myself 1-10 based on how much I participated in 4th quarter, I would give myself a 9.5/10. That is still a 95% and a high A, woo hoo! The reason I gave myself a 9.5 out of 10 was because there was one time I didn't come to class with an outside reading book and had to borrow one from Dr. D, and one other time I asked to go to the bathroom right before class and didn't get that done before during break. Let's not get into that because that is a whole, other story. Besides those minor misshaps, I have been prepared for English well. I always do my homework and have it ready for the beginning of class the next day, I always have my notebook, class reading book, pens, pencils, and any other materials I may need. I will admit though, I do borrow Terri's highlighters quite often, but that is because I find them highly amuzing. I check my email and assignments daily because I am terrified I will miss an assigment, and those are just give away points (kind of). I know this sounds a little weird, but I enjoy taking notes. So anything Dr. D tells us we need to write down, I'm on top of it! I've learned if I make my notes colorful and fun it is easier to learn them and not make the learning so drab, but that's just me. My class participation is excellent, especially when we were doing poetry because I loved our poetry unit! Sometimes I will ask questions and sometimes I will chime in my opinion or answer to the question. I don't ask questions because I either understand the material being presented to me, or a fellow classmate will ask it.
I grade myself differently when coming to group presentations, group discussions, or really anything where a group is involved! I cannot explain how much I love group work. In group work I feel like so much more is accomplished then if you were just doing it alone, by yourself. I think I get less side-tracked in group work verse self working because in group work you always have people there to pull you back in if you need it. I would grade myself a 10/10 on this subject because I am usually not the one getting side tracked, I am the one pulling people back into the discussion, calling on people who haven't spoken yet, and making sure everyone who has something to say, says it. I think of myself as a teacher sometimes. Lol! If I compare my participation this quarter to previous quarters, I will have to say it varies a bit. First quarter I was extremely prepared, tuned in, but less involved in class discussions. I was like that mainly becuase I didn't know whaat highschool would be like, and I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with the teacher. Second quarter came around and I was still prepared, doing my homework and all, and starting to get more into class discussions. Third quarter might have been my worst quarter, not grade wise but focused wise. I believe this because we have just come back from Christmas break, and I was to excited to where I had trouble paying attention. Also I believe this was my worst quarter because many breaks broke it up to where I was either lazy becuase we just came back from a break, or jumpy and happy because another break was just right around the corner. I still believe my participation was very good throughout the year compared to other people- no names will be mentioned.
Stay intuned,
ksparkles77
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Over the year readings
Hey guys,
It makes me sad to see my freshman year coming to and end, but then I get over-joyed knowing I will be a sophomore next year. I can't wait! This year I have learned a lot from those 150+ minutes every weekend, actually more than I thought I would learn. I learned who my favorite author is, my favorite types of books to read, and my strong points and weak points of writing. Surprisingly I love reading about true stories because I find I can relate to them more than made up ones. I also discovered how much I love reading books that have movies based off of them, preferably Nicholas Sparks books.
One thing I did not do this year with my outside reading is read books that pertained to the English I course. Meaning, I didn't read books that related to literary elements or books about theme. Although, as I read, I have started to take notes in my books. Sometimes I mark vocabulary words I don't know or a foreshadowing moment. Sometimes I might even make connections to my life in general! Next on my reading list after I finish Water for Elephants (which is getting really good by the way), I am going to tackle the summer reading books we were assigned. I already know the category in which I want to read my free read- I think it will be a Nicholas Sparks book, one that I have not read or seen the movie.
Reading Log:
Water for Elephants: 2 hours
Macbeth: 1 hour
Finish the year out strong,
ksparkles77
It makes me sad to see my freshman year coming to and end, but then I get over-joyed knowing I will be a sophomore next year. I can't wait! This year I have learned a lot from those 150+ minutes every weekend, actually more than I thought I would learn. I learned who my favorite author is, my favorite types of books to read, and my strong points and weak points of writing. Surprisingly I love reading about true stories because I find I can relate to them more than made up ones. I also discovered how much I love reading books that have movies based off of them, preferably Nicholas Sparks books.
One thing I did not do this year with my outside reading is read books that pertained to the English I course. Meaning, I didn't read books that related to literary elements or books about theme. Although, as I read, I have started to take notes in my books. Sometimes I mark vocabulary words I don't know or a foreshadowing moment. Sometimes I might even make connections to my life in general! Next on my reading list after I finish Water for Elephants (which is getting really good by the way), I am going to tackle the summer reading books we were assigned. I already know the category in which I want to read my free read- I think it will be a Nicholas Sparks book, one that I have not read or seen the movie.
Reading Log:
Water for Elephants: 2 hours
Macbeth: 1 hour
Finish the year out strong,
ksparkles77
From the perspective of Lady Macbeth
Hello All,
It is I, Lady Macbeth, the one behind the dirty, murderous plots. I wanted to start out thanking those Three Weird Sisters for giving my husband that wonderful vision into the future, I couldn't have done what I, or should I say Macbeth, did without you guys. Secondly, I wanted to say thanks to the guards who had once guarded Duncan's sleeping chambers. I am glad y'all took the wine I offered so easily because if y'all wouldn't have...Well then Macbeth would've had to kill y'all the hard way, and we both know nobody wanted that to happen. Now that Duncan is dead I must persuade Macbeth to strike again, or if he cowards out, I might have to do so. If you are in line in front of my darling husband for the throne you better watch your back and sleep with one eye open.
My goal as future queen is to keep the attitude of feeling no pain when one dies. I don't want to feel bad when Macbeth kills again I have to go in and rub my hands into a wound just to frame others. I want to be able to go into the bed chambers and slaughter the victim leaving them as red as the devil's horns. That is what a strong woman does, and I am a strong woman.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, Lady Macbeth
(ksparkles77)
It is I, Lady Macbeth, the one behind the dirty, murderous plots. I wanted to start out thanking those Three Weird Sisters for giving my husband that wonderful vision into the future, I couldn't have done what I, or should I say Macbeth, did without you guys. Secondly, I wanted to say thanks to the guards who had once guarded Duncan's sleeping chambers. I am glad y'all took the wine I offered so easily because if y'all wouldn't have...Well then Macbeth would've had to kill y'all the hard way, and we both know nobody wanted that to happen. Now that Duncan is dead I must persuade Macbeth to strike again, or if he cowards out, I might have to do so. If you are in line in front of my darling husband for the throne you better watch your back and sleep with one eye open.
My goal as future queen is to keep the attitude of feeling no pain when one dies. I don't want to feel bad when Macbeth kills again I have to go in and rub my hands into a wound just to frame others. I want to be able to go into the bed chambers and slaughter the victim leaving them as red as the devil's horns. That is what a strong woman does, and I am a strong woman.
Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, Lady Macbeth
(ksparkles77)
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Writing WRaP-Up
Throughout the year we have written many
papers about various topics, and I struggle with each one but always have a
finishing paper I am proud of. I am disappointed when I receive my paper with a
grade on it that is not a 100%. Even though a little part of me knew I wouldn’t
get that, I still had hope. I am bad at catching my errors the first time, even
the second time. I learned the hard way, after writing five papers, that I need
to look back on my recent papers that have grades to double, even triple check,
that I have not made the same silly mistakes I made the first couple of times.
Every
paper I write and turn in for a grade I feel like it always has a fragment or a
run-on sentence in it somewhere. No matter how hard I try not to have one, I
always do. I had 3 sentence errors in my literacy narrative, surprisingly none
in my profile, and that might be because my tutor helped me. Another issue I
have is a spelling issue. I told my parents that I got points counted off on my
profile for a spelling error and there jaws dropped. It isn’t like me to have
spelling issues, but I did. Except on my profile essay you commented saying I
spelt the word ‘grey’ wrong, but grey can be spelled ‘gray’ or ‘grey’. I’m not
sure if points were taken off for that, if so, they shouldn’t have. Also on that same paper I made
‘cardiovascular’ two words instead of one. Surprisingly my tutor did not catch
that!
Comparing
my WrAP test scores from this year to last year is kind of embarrassing.
Usually as you get older your scores should get better, but mine decreased in
every category. Last year, when I was in 8th grade, I got the
highest score in the whole grade- straight fives. This year I received 3.5 and
4.0’s all the way across the board. I got it back and was confused. How could I
go from an outstanding score to a mediocre score? It just didn’t make sense. On
my WrAP I received the 3.5’s in support, sentence structure, and mechanics. No
shocker with sentence structure! If I had to guess most of my points were
deducted because of my run-ons or fragments in the writing. I got 4.0’s on
overall development, organization, and word choice. Word choice has always been
a strong suit of mine, as Dr.D has complemented me on in my literary analysis
paper.
Over
the course of the 2011-2012 school year, I have corrected many things; one of
those things being the way I write. I used to do 6th/7th
grade writing just to get by. No adjectives, details, or quotes. Looking back
that is a little pathetic on my part. I am so much better of a writer now and I
am so proud of myself for pushing myself, completing the work, and not giving
up when I could have. The feedback on my papers has displayed me being a
successful writer, especially “My Rap” essay, or literacy narrative. I got four
9.5’s and one 8.5, and if you ask me that is amazing, considering it was our
first paper of the year too! I wish all my papers could have this great of an
outcome. The feedback I received from Dr.D made me feel great also. She said
“Good essay, Katie! You have a significant story that you tell well, using
strong, vivid detail and interesting and appropriate word choices throughout.”
When I read that I knew it would be a good year, and it has, writing in English
wise.
My
main writing errors have come to my attention once again, and I am going to try
my hardest to try to prevent those errors from being in my paper’s next year
also. I do believe I have improved my writing a good bit since 8th
grade because 9th grade English I is a whole lot tougher than the
year before. I wish the students next year the best of luck as I move on to
bigger and better writing with a new teacher and new writing topics. A lot of
memories have been made in Block 2 English that I will never forget. For
example, writing about forced child labor in Uzbekistan. That is a sensitive
topic that I am not going to joke around with. It is a serious problem in this
world and until some action is made towards it, I won’t forget the dangers of
it. My goals for next year are to continue to be a fluent writer and to not
have any misspelled words in any of my papers. Personally I think it looks a
little ridiculous if you can’t spell a word correctly and there are many ways
to figure out how to spell it- a dictionary for example. Another goal I have
set for myself as becoming an English II student is to read more and write
more. Even if it is a simple summary because the more you write the more
practice you have with all of the things I am weak in. Next year I hope we get
to write papers on anything, maybe even a fairytale, like write a fairytale
with our own little twist to it!
Common Errors List
1. Misspelling common words
Ø
Make
sure to use a dictionary or another reference if you aren’t sure how to spell a
word. Always use spell check before submitting a paper.
-Example from Profile: “While leaning
over the marble counter top with his black-grey
hair shagging in his face…” [Grey to gray]
2. MLA Format
Ø
Don’t
forget the heading of your paper is always on the right, Times New Roman 12 pt.
is the correct font and size, double space your paper, make the header and
footer the same font and font size as your paper, set margins of your document
1 inch on all sides, no extra spacing between your title and your paper, and no
special “attention” to your title (like making it a big font, bold, italicized,
and underlined).
-Example
from Profile. I didn’t use the correct spacing, font, or formatting in my final
paper even when we took time to do it in class. Why I did that? I am not even
sure myself.
3. Run-ons and Fragments
Ø
I have
a bad past with fragments and run-ons because they always seem to appear in my
papers. No matter if my parents check it or my tutor, they always form.
-Example
from Literacy Narrative: “My hand started cramping up, the clock started to
move faster and faster, the shuffling of papers and zipping up backpacks in the
background; my WrAP was finally complete and I was the last one. [TO fix this,
I would totally take out the part after the semicolon. Now that I have read it
over and over again, I think it is unneeded.
-Example
from Global Issues paper: “If I was in the Uzbekistan president’s position, I
would keep producing all the cotton we needed I would just get non-labor
machine to do it instead of putting humans in the fields all day.” [To fix
this, I would make it two separate sentences. I would out a period after
‘needed’. Then start my new sentence like, “To allow this to happen, I would just
get…”]
4. Semicolon vs Colon
Ø
In most
papers I write, I use semicolons or colons, turns out I have been using them
wrong all along. A semicolon is used to join two phrases, and takes the place
of a conjunction. These two phrases being connected by the semicolon, if they
are taken apart, must be able to standalone and still make sense.
-Made-up
example: Tom didn’t want to go to math because he had forgotten to do the
homework; however, he didn’t want to miss review for the test either.
Ø
A colon
is used to connect an independent clause to introduce a list of items.
-Made-up
example: Mom handed me a list of items we needed for the trip: Cookies,
goldfish, brownies, milk, apples, and carrot sticks.
5. Difference between To, Two, and Too
Ø
Obviously
two is used when referring to numbers. Too is another word for also, and to is
used when both of those do not apply.
-Made-up
example: I went to the market and bought two oranges too!
6. Missing commas
Ø
Commas
can help to prevent misreading and in this case it is helpful to use a comma
when opening with an introductory element like, because, while, or although.
-Example
from Literacy Narrative: “Throughout the day I tired to finish all my homework
in class so when I got home I could just get started on my WrAP prep. [I would
place the comma after day in this sentence.]
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Aesop Rock: Float analysis
Good afternoon,
The song I chose to analyze for homework was Float by Aesop Rock. Originally I was going to choose a song I knew well, but then I saw the list Dr. D had come up with, so I choose off of there. Why I chose Float, I do not know, it just stuck out to me. The first thing I did when I picked out which song I was going to do was go to YouTube and listen to it. Let me give you all a heads up and say that it is not the kind of rap music you would imagine it to be. It almost reminded me of the dude, Danny, that came and said a few poems to us from poetry slam; it sounded much like that. Anyways, back to the lyrics...
This song consisted of 9 stanza's, and the last one being one line long. The first stanza consists of a rhyming pattern between 'shoestring' and 'mood swing', and also has a repetitive -ective sound on two words. Lastly in stanza 1, "To slit throat" and "four letters in hope" don't rhyme but the (oo) sound is there, making it assonance. Stanza 2 is all about the sounds you make as you say the words. For example, portrait, tortoise, tortured, orbiting, and orchard all have the (or) sound, and when speaking those words, your mouth makes the same shape each time. The last line of stanza 2 has a consonance with "charred child", the (ch) sound in each. When the second line in stanza 2 reads "Inside a tortoise shell, tortured", the singer is referring to the jail sell and giving it a animal characteristic. Also, "orbiting hell's orchard is a metaphor also. Something that stood out to me in stanza 3 was all the double letters that appeared. Canteen, caffeine, villain, hobble, hollow, nozzle, see, and application all have double letters in them, and the funny thing is none of them rhyme. Also in this stanza there is a tad bit of rhyming when it says, "We see intent to re-invent". Stanza 4 was quite odd to me when I first read it because I had to read it multiple times after that to see if there even was any poetic elements. The first line when it reads, "honor modern", my mouth made the same (o) shape for both words. The second line contains imagery, specifically a metaphor, because Bilbo Baggins' stilts do not tip over a Petri dish. The last line in stanza 4 really made me think because I imagine two harps, one being one color and one being another color, but both still playing the same song in harmony. Stanza 5 has many spots where it rhymes, and some are on the same line. Stanza 6 has two rhyme schemes, one is "Atlantis" and "chant is", while another is "sulk" and "bulk". Also in the last line, "cult pulp in bulk", that alone is a tongue twister and assonance with the (ul) sound, just having a different beginning and ending letter. Stanza 7 also contains rhymes, but stanza 7 also gets a bit personal meaning it goes back in time to memories with the mom and sweet wine of father time. In stanza 7 it says, "My fetus breeds as a combine of father time" meaning over the time (years?) her fetus has breaded babies. Stanza 8 is the last "full" stanza and it ends with a repetitional ending of -ation. In this stanza it says "I will be hung in the village square in 5 minutes", I guess that means death for him. The one line in stanza 9 supports this in a way because once you are literally hung, you are just floating there while everyone around you is "drowning" in there tears.
Hope everyone had a joyous spring break,
ksparkles77
The song I chose to analyze for homework was Float by Aesop Rock. Originally I was going to choose a song I knew well, but then I saw the list Dr. D had come up with, so I choose off of there. Why I chose Float, I do not know, it just stuck out to me. The first thing I did when I picked out which song I was going to do was go to YouTube and listen to it. Let me give you all a heads up and say that it is not the kind of rap music you would imagine it to be. It almost reminded me of the dude, Danny, that came and said a few poems to us from poetry slam; it sounded much like that. Anyways, back to the lyrics...
This song consisted of 9 stanza's, and the last one being one line long. The first stanza consists of a rhyming pattern between 'shoestring' and 'mood swing', and also has a repetitive -ective sound on two words. Lastly in stanza 1, "To slit throat" and "four letters in hope" don't rhyme but the (oo) sound is there, making it assonance. Stanza 2 is all about the sounds you make as you say the words. For example, portrait, tortoise, tortured, orbiting, and orchard all have the (or) sound, and when speaking those words, your mouth makes the same shape each time. The last line of stanza 2 has a consonance with "charred child", the (ch) sound in each. When the second line in stanza 2 reads "Inside a tortoise shell, tortured", the singer is referring to the jail sell and giving it a animal characteristic. Also, "orbiting hell's orchard is a metaphor also. Something that stood out to me in stanza 3 was all the double letters that appeared. Canteen, caffeine, villain, hobble, hollow, nozzle, see, and application all have double letters in them, and the funny thing is none of them rhyme. Also in this stanza there is a tad bit of rhyming when it says, "We see intent to re-invent". Stanza 4 was quite odd to me when I first read it because I had to read it multiple times after that to see if there even was any poetic elements. The first line when it reads, "honor modern", my mouth made the same (o) shape for both words. The second line contains imagery, specifically a metaphor, because Bilbo Baggins' stilts do not tip over a Petri dish. The last line in stanza 4 really made me think because I imagine two harps, one being one color and one being another color, but both still playing the same song in harmony. Stanza 5 has many spots where it rhymes, and some are on the same line. Stanza 6 has two rhyme schemes, one is "Atlantis" and "chant is", while another is "sulk" and "bulk". Also in the last line, "cult pulp in bulk", that alone is a tongue twister and assonance with the (ul) sound, just having a different beginning and ending letter. Stanza 7 also contains rhymes, but stanza 7 also gets a bit personal meaning it goes back in time to memories with the mom and sweet wine of father time. In stanza 7 it says, "My fetus breeds as a combine of father time" meaning over the time (years?) her fetus has breaded babies. Stanza 8 is the last "full" stanza and it ends with a repetitional ending of -ation. In this stanza it says "I will be hung in the village square in 5 minutes", I guess that means death for him. The one line in stanza 9 supports this in a way because once you are literally hung, you are just floating there while everyone around you is "drowning" in there tears.
Hope everyone had a joyous spring break,
ksparkles77
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