Final Reflection Blog

Final Reflection - Please incorporate these nine questions into your final reflective blog for the school year. Keep in mind these questions should be focused on your time in Mrs. Larson's Accelerated English Language Arts classes.:)

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

     I learned a whole lot this year in Mrs. Larson's class. I learned a lot about current events through our AOWs. When we were able to chose our articles I was able to learn about many things in one class period. I became more aware of what is happening in our world today. With the help of my piers I was able to be more informed about terrorist groups, laws, and even diseases occurring worldwide. Another important thing I learned that will be very useful in my future education experience is learning how to properly annotate articles. Learning how to properly annotate articles will help me with understanding what they are trying to say and what their main points are. Annotating is very helpful and very useful for understanding articles that might be a little tough to read. Learning new vocabulary was very important as well. By having vocabulary tests every week I was able to add to my knowledge and my vocabulary. I found new meanings and new words to use for my papers and for my every day vocabulary. 

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

     I think one thing that we did this year that I will remember for the rest of my life is the butterfly project during the holocaust unit. I think I will remember this project because of the fun I had thinking of ideas while reading my poem that I was given. I had fun creating the actual butterfly and I think it turned out better than I thought it would have. Learning about the holocaust was very interesting and the activities we did helped me when learning more about the events that occurred and helped me create the butterfly.

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

    There are a lot of very nice and very intelligent people in this class. They have all been very helpful and very nice inside and outside of this class/school. One of the nicest things someone in this class was help me with my work when I didn't understand it. They explained everything to me and helped me correctly do the assignment. 

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

     For one of the AOWs where we were able to chose our article I chose one about the transgender community and how they are finally starting to get some recognition  They used to be in the shadows for a long time but social media and television is starting to recognize them more.

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 that I made my biggest improvements in blogging. I have been able to have better quality blogs. The content has increased and I have grown in this a lot. I have better grammar in my blogs and I have better quality paragraphs that show that I improved in writing. Overall, blogging and writing are my biggest improvements in this class.

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

The most challenging part of this year for me was being Abel to manage all of my work. In every class we were given a lot of homework. Being able to manage all of it was quite hard because I was pretty busy. I didn't always mange my time well and would sometimes wait till the last minute to finish my work. (Mainly the weekly work like the AOW's and Blogs) but manage my time with all of the other work I had to do was a struggle. When I had a. Lot of homework in other classes, I would do all of it beogre my weekly work and most of the time I was stuck finishing it on Thursday when it was do Friday. Overall, homework/study time and managing my time, was something I struggled with this year.

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

I think my best piece of writing this year was my speech. My eight grade speech was my best because I worked really hard on it for a long time. All my other papers took my quite a while as well, but I'm most proud of my speech. This was one if the few pieces I wrote that I did more than 3 drafts for. I love the way it turned out and I am proud of what I wrote. I think it's my best because I put a lot of effort into it and it turned our pretty well. I was able to write from the heart and not for a specific topic.

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

     I think my favorite book that I read this year was Tuesday's With Morrie. I really liked reading Tuesdays With Morrie because it was interesting. I also liked the storyline and it was even better because it was real. I really like reading books based off of true situations like Morrie and Mitch. I learned some life lessons and aphorisms from this book that will help me through my life.

9- What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?
Some advice I would give to the future students, don't wait till the last minute. Try and get your work done as soon as possible. When I say this I am mainly referring to the Aow and blog. As a student in Mrs. Larson's class, it's best to get all work in as soon as you can. The longer you wait, the more is going to be added as new assignments appear.

Aphorism Project

Aphorism: “Don’t let go too soon, but don’t hang on too long.” 

     "Don't let go too soon, but don't hang on too long,"  was spoken by Morrie during the Audiovisual Part Three in Tuesday's with Morrie. Morrie was being interviewed for the TV show "Nightline" when he mentioned his newest Aphorism. He told the interviewer, Koppel, that he wanted to die with serenity. When Morrie talks about not letting go too soon he means that you should't give up too early. Morrie has ALS and he isn't letting it get too him, he is trying to stay healthy for as long as possibly and doesn't want to give in too early. When he mentions "not hanging on too long", he means that you can't stay forever. If you are ill and your life is coming to an end, you don't want to put yourself in pain and hang on until it's officially time for you to go. You should die peacefully and the way to do that is not hanging on too long but facing the fact that it's time to go. 

     I've used this aphorism in my life a few times. There was a time when I was in a friendship that wasn't all that great. It seemed like every other week there was an issue with each other and I knew that wasn't normal. I didn't want to let go of the friendship because I knew the other person was going through a rough time in their life and that they needed my help. I didn't want to be a part of this friendship if it was going to stay this way. Things did get better after a while. But then I realized that things were once again changing between us. I knew that it was time for me to leave the friendship. She was moving to a new school and we decided to lose contact with each other as a mutual decision. We didn't want to hold on to a bad friendship too long but didn't want to let go too soon when we still could see each other every day.

      I agree with this aphorism for many reasons. One of those reasons is because I think that it is not good to hang onto something that is hurting you. If you are in pain or are hurting because of a relationship or because of a person, you can't hang onto them. You don't want to hang onto something when it's hurting you. You don't want to put yourself in pain when there is a way to prevent it. But, you can't give in too easily. Some situations call for certain measures. If you were faced with death, you can't give in and let yourself shovel up and die. You have to push and stay alive. But you can't hold on too long, where it puts you in pain to breath.

Which Tuesday Lesson Impacted you the most? 4.30.15

Prompt: Based on the 6 Tuesdays you have read about in Tuesdays with Morrie, choose which topic (The World, Feeling Sorry For Yourself, Regrets, Death, Family, or Emotions) that has had the most impact on you or inspired you. On your blog discuss the importance of this topic with your own opinions, including textual evidence (direct quotes) from the book.

     I think that the Sixth Tuesday, Emotions, was one of the lessons that impacted me quite a bit. This one impacted me in a way that I'll be able to use throughout my whole life. In this lesson Morrie talked about how sometimes you have to detach yourself from your feelings. This is something I recently learned before reading Tuesday's With Morrie. I learned that you can't let you emotions and or feelings, get in the way of things. That was something Morrie was trying to explain to Mitch. He was telling Mitch that detachment from emotions and feelings can be a good thing. He said "I need to be able to detach from the horror. I need to say 'This is my moment.' This is showing that detaching from feelings can be good when you need to focus on something or when you need to keep fighting. We need to pull away from the fear sometimes to get to the good side. But it isn't always with fear of horror. Sometimes we need to detach ourselves from the love we give to others. Morrie was trying to say that we shouldn't be consumed in our feelings.

     This has impacted me a little bit so far and it will defiantly impact me in the future. Right now it has impacted me in a few different ways. One way was the regret and sadness I was feeling. I was letting regret consume me even though I shouldn't have felt regret in the first place. A few weeks ago my Great Aunt passed away at the age of 50. I was very sad that I didn't have the chance to say goodbye to her and I was very upset. I let the sadness take over and let it put me in a dark place. I learned how to detach myself from feeling this way. I learned that I shouldn't be so upset because she is in a better place now. I also felt regret because I didn't go to the funeral service. I didn't go because I knew that I couldn't handle it. I couldn't bring myself to accept that she passed away. Immediately after the service I felt guilty for not going. But then I read about detaching feelings and realized that I should't feel guilty. I learned that I just had to remove myself from feeling this way and move forward because it was getting in the way of my life.

     I think that this is one of the most important lessons. I feel it is important because everyone should learn how to detach themselves from feelings and emotions. We may not always want to detach ourselves from feeling a certain way, but in certain instances we have to. We can't let fear take over our lives. If we are scared to take new risks on activities, jobs, meeting people, or even clothes, we may not be living life to the fullest. Living life to it's fullest and not "sleep walking" is another lesson Morrie gave to Mitch that has impacted my life. The point is, we can't be afraid to let go of things that are harming us. An emotion can be harming you mentally and even physically. By detaching yourself, you can stop the harm it's causing you by being wrapped up in your emotions.

Tuesday's With Morrie Blog 4.23.15

     So far in Tuesday's with Morrie I really like it. This, to me, is one of those books that you can't put down. The first night we were assigned to read up to page 17, I went well over that amount. I didn't want to stop reading but I knew that I should stop because I can't finish it before the class does. I like this book because it is real and based off of real events. Since it is based off of real events, the relationship developed in this story is more relatable and of course, believable.

     When I was reading I was sad. I admit to feeling bad for Morrie because he has ALS and I know how hard that can be. Morrie has a great personality and he seems very caring. It's sad seeing how he loses function in his legs, then arms, and then eventually every where else. The one thing that bring me motivation in my everyday life is the fact that he is accepting fate and going with the situation. He knows he is dying but is still positive. I find that really nice.

    There is a lot I want to do in my life. Some things more than others. For example, I of course want to be successful and have a job, a family, etc., but there is a lot of activities I want to do as well. Life is too short to not do some risky things and to not live life to the fullest of your abilities. You should have fun, take risks, and just relax. My bucket list is not really long or outrageous but it is pretty decent for right now.

Bucket List:
-Cliff Climbing
-Meet Katy Perry (My idol)
-Indoor Skydive -AGAIN (I already did it once)
-Bungee Jump off a bridge with someone
-Ride in a hot air balloon
-Dance on stage professionally
-Travel the world
-Go laser tagging
-Hang Glide over a rainforest
-Go to DisneyWorld
-Go to LA
-Ride on a Segway
-Go horse back riding
-Get a successful job
-Create my own clothing/makeup line
-Get married
-Have children
-AND MANY MORE

"Life Is Beautiful" 4.16.15

Prompt: Based on the Holocaust literature and poetry we have read, what connections can be made between Life is Beautiful and our reading?  What events, scenes, or situations are similar or different? What is similar or different about the mood or tone of the pieces?

     Life is Beautiful is sort of different from other Holocaust films and stories we have seen/read. This is because Life is Beautiful has an overall more uplifting and happy mood and tone. There are many parts where we are laughing at the way Guido is behaving. Guido is one of the main characters and he views the whole situation differently than everyone else. Guido is trying to make sure that his son, Joshua is safe and doesn't know what is happening. By doing so, he keeps a smile on his face and turns this into a "game". No one else thought of being in a concentration camp as a game. Thats one reason why the mood/tone is different from other films and books. For example, in the book Night by Elie Weisel, there was a depressing mood and tone. It was depressing because the Jews were being sent to concentration camps and Elie's father was sick. There was really no way to make that seem better than it was. Guido had an interesting way of viewing things and making them seem better than they were.

     The mood and tone isn't the only difference in Life is Beautiful and other movie/books. Another difference that I noticed was the relationship between Guido and his family. He was so connected with his son and wife and tried to see her in the concentration camp. Guido had the courage and bravery to let his wife know if and his son were ok. This was sort of shocking though because I would think he would have gotten caught. Was this even possible? The fact that they had the chance to sneak into headquarters and speak on the intercom surprised me a bit. 

     Some of the similarities that Life is Beautiful has to other books/movies is the events. In a lot of movies/books about the holocaust, the father usually passes away before liberation due to putting their child's needs first. In the memoir Night, by Elie Weisel, Elie is only fifteen and his father wants to make sure he is stays alive and safe. Elie's father ends up getting weak and ill. He can no longer go on and eventually passes away. Something similar happens in the movie. Guido tried to protect his son and make sure he wasn't taken to the showers or found. Guido was killed when he went to go look for his wife. Although they weren't killed the same way, it is very similar because they died out of trying to protect the ones they loved.

     Another similarity is the bond between father and son. In Life is Beautiful, Guido and his son Joshua were very close and Guido did everything he could to protect him. He made sure that he stayed safe and that he was healthy. This is just like Elie Weisel and his father in Night. In Night, Elie's gave his father his food when he was sick. He wanted his father to stay alive and stay healthy. Elie would give his father bread and his soup. In Life is Beautiful, Guido gave Joshua his bread to make sure he wasn't too hungry. In these two Holocaust books/films, we can see that family bonds is a common theme.

Night Blog Week of 3.30.15

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

   In the beginning, Elie had a lot of faith in God and in himself. He didn't lose faith until he arrived at the concentration camp and realized how hard this was going to be for everyone. He starts to question everything. Some things he questions are why his God would allow him to do this and why this was happening to him. He never understood why and was losing this faith in God. Elie also put his family before himself. As the memoir goes on and we go with Elie through his journey, we can see him changing. Instead of putting his father before himself, Elie cares more about his well being than his fathers. Towards the end, his faith is restored.

     Ellie loses his faith in god due to the fact  he is in this concentration camp. Elie asks why god is doing this to them and why they are here. He says "why god, why are you doing this to us?" Elie wants to know why this happening. By him asking these questions, it's the first sign of him losing his faith. Wiesel was very religious and always had so much faith in god. That was all the way up until now when he is in the camp. Elie is questioning god and his choices. As he does this, Wiesel is slowly losing his faith in God and God's decisions. 

     Elie Wiesel loses faith but gains it back in the end. One of the reason I think Rlie starts to gain faith, is because he probably remembered what Moishe the Beadle told him. He said "Man raises himself toward God by the questions he asks him." This quote was from the beginning of Night. I think that although he never explicitly said that he thought of this, I think it stuck with him. Wiesel is begging to gain hope again when asking questions to his God. He soon finds "answers" and rejoices with God in a way. At the end of Night Wiesel gained all of his faith back and didn't question God anymore.

     Faith wasn't the only thing Wiesel lost through his journey in the concentration camp. Wiesel's morals were shaken. In the beginning Elie wanted to make sure he wouldn't be split up from his father. He said "“I first wanted to see where they send my father. Were he to have gone to the right, I would run after him." This was showing the strength in their relationship and showing how he cared for his father. As time at the concentration camp goes on, Elie begins to blame his father for doing things that cause him to get beat up. He stands and watches his father get beaten without helping or asking if he is ok. Elie starts putting himself first before his father. This shows that the bond between the two is becoming weaker. Eventually it is repaired when his father is dying and becoming I'll.

     Overall, Elie Wiesel changed a lot during his time through the concentration camp. He started off with so much faith in God and was very religious. He cared for his family and wanted to make sure his dater was with him during this journey. As Elie stays there, he begins questioning everything and asking God why they were here and why this was happening. He starts to become focused on himself instead of his father first. Elie becomes selfish in a way. Once things at the camp are coming to an end, Wiesel changes again. He starts to gain his faith back and fix his relationship with his father. When his father becomes ill, Elie makes it his job to make sure his father stays alive and safe. He begins to put his father befor himself and cares more for him than himself. Elie's relationship with his fathers is now fixed. In the end, he was changing back to himself. With all the ups and downs along the way, Elie was able to leave the concentration camp with faith and a stronger bond with his father. 

"Lights Out" Butterfly Project

I commented on: Gustavo, Sarai, Nik, and Bela's butterfly's.