First I should study my quizzes papers from third quarter and see what I need to work on.
From forth quarter I need to review the quizzes and papers.
Nervous Conditions was a big topic we went over so I would review the plot and characters that had a large impact.
For more specific purposes:
Thursday: Start studying all the things that are most unfamiliar to me. Maybe start with rhetorical situations.
Friday: Begin finding mistakes on my papers and correct them to further understand what I am doing wrong.
Saturday: Review Key vocab from all the topics we have covered
Sunday: Review everything til I know it well.
Monday: Review still unfamiliar topics.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Fourth Quarter
My fourth quarter has been one of the best quarters I have had this year. I have been really prepared for this quarter and I have gotten used to the amount of work we have. I have been pretty much prepared for class because i brought all me supplies to school when it was needed. I guess I could have taken better notes and participated in more class discussions. I believe I work really well with groups and i have always liked group work.
This quarter, compared to the other quarters, has been acceptionally better. I think the reason is because I wasn't really prepared for the class as well. Also the work load we have done has been very different for me, but I have gotten used to it and I appreciate it more and more.
This quarter, compared to the other quarters, has been acceptionally better. I think the reason is because I wasn't really prepared for the class as well. Also the work load we have done has been very different for me, but I have gotten used to it and I appreciate it more and more.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Reading Response 5/7/12
I have read many books over my ninth grade year. More than I normally do. In turn I have learned that I am a decent reader. I didn’t read any extremely large books but I read books that were a good size. I had always known I was not the strongest reader. Before this year I never read much. Therefore I knew what my strengths in reading were. I am surprised i even read some of the books I did. I don’t normally like those books.
I haven’t really thought of outside reading being compared to the papers we write. After we read Nervous Conditions however, I was kind of interested in Post-colonial Literature. I am still reading The Death Cure but I think my next book will be Barefoot Running, which was given to me by my cross-country coach.
The Death Cure
5/1/2012-5/7/2012
Pages read- 70
Sat- 90
Sun- 70
Total- 160
Macbeth Character Perspective
From what Macbeth does on stage, his tone, and his facial expressions, i believe that Macbeth does want to be king at one point. When The Weird Sisters tell him that he will be king, he becomes more anxious and wants to become king faster. But he gets to thinking that since he will be king already he should just wait it out. His actions change when he realizes there are two people in line before him to be king.
The Night he kills King Duncan his stage performance and his tone changes. He becomes a nervous wreck and is very jumpy when he hears the slightest noise. I don't know how, but in that morning he changes again from a nervous wreck to someone who is calm and focused. He has many shifts in his actions and personality that i wouldn't be surprised if he changes yet again.
The Night he kills King Duncan his stage performance and his tone changes. He becomes a nervous wreck and is very jumpy when he hears the slightest noise. I don't know how, but in that morning he changes again from a nervous wreck to someone who is calm and focused. He has many shifts in his actions and personality that i wouldn't be surprised if he changes yet again.
Monday, April 30, 2012
9th Grade Writing Reflection Rough Draft
Justin Rogstad
Dr. deGravelles
Block 4
4/29/12
9th Grade Writing Reflection Rough
Draft
In my ninth grade
year I have written many papers and essays. I have written more essays this
year, than I have in all my other years of school put together. I believe it’s
time for me to really sit down and reflect on my past writings this year.
The first paper I
wrote this year was “Publisher’s Tee”, and I must say I wasn’t a very strong
writer at the beginning of the year. I was missing little mistakes that I
shouldn’t have. Little errors like missing an apostrophe when showing
possession and missing a question mark when the sentence was a question. Those
small mistakes made me wonder why I missed those. The next paper I wrote was
the “Cole Kennedy” which was a profile assignment on a person or place. This
essay was significantly stronger than my first paper but I was still not very
strong in my writing. I made fewer mistakes but still made careless mistakes like
sentence fragments. One thing in common with my first two papers was the
length. I remember struggling with length and having writer’s block often.
Now in my third
paper this year, I wrote a paper called “Addressee Unknown”. For this
assignment we wrote a literary analysis on a short story of our choice. When
reviewing my paper I noticed that this paper is where I started seeing my
strength in my writing show up. I made fewer mistakes than ever, and I began to
miss things that were not little careless mistakes; they were more reasonable
mistakes than before. The length of my writing increased dramatically. This was
the longest paper I had written in my entire school career so far. That is
until I wrote my fourth paper, “A Nuclear North”. This assignment was to cover
a global issue that is affecting the earth and to analyze it. This paper was
almost five and a half pages. I thought this was unbelievable when I was
writing this. Overall this paper showed my strength in writing. I only messed
up on one thing in this entire paper basically, and that was the citations. I
guess I just forgot how to cite.
For the most part
I agree with the grades I have gotten on my papers. The feedback this year has
been really helpful and is one of the main reason my writing has progressed
this year. I knew that my stronger aspects of writing were mechanics,
organization, and word choice. Those aspects were shown in my writing this
year. I however knew that support and sentence structure were lacking quite a
bit. I will have to practice and work on those aspects to make my writing
great. I now know that when I focus on my writing that I should look more
closely at the aspects I am lacking in and pay less attention to what I am good
at.
My writing has been decent throughout the year. What I
believe will help my writing become better than decent make revisions more, and
I should read my writing more carefully to try to locate all my mistakes so I
can make my writing the best it can be. The main things I should work on is
citations and just be careful of careless mistakes. If I find remember to make
these adjustments, my writing will be at its highest potential for this year.
Next year in English II, I already know that
writing will be tougher on me. I decided to make some goals for the future. I
plan to practice writing with as much support and sentence structure I can to
try to focus my skills to the lacking aspects of my writing. Before I write
each of my papers next year I will be sure to review notes I have gotten this
year, like “The Traits of Good Writing”. Another goal I may carry out is I
might try to rewrite some of the papers I wrote this year and have people proof
read and give me feedback. This way I can strengthen my writing skills and get
a feel for good writing.
My writing this
year has been a beneficial experience that I will keep with me for the rest of
my writing career. I hope that all this goal setting and planning will pay off
in the long run. I also hope everyone else got as much out of this year as I
have.
Common Errors List
Common Errors List
-Comma Splice- A variety of run on sentences that occur when
two complete sentences are joined with an unneeded comma.
My Error sentence: “We had already spent forever on the
writing part, now we had to draw pictures. To top it all off I am terrible at
drawing now, imagine how bad I was in 1st grade.
Literacy Narrative
-Fragment: When a sentence is not a complete sentence and
lacks some variables.
My Error Sentence: “Helping each person to feel good about
themselves, even when they mess up.
Profile Assesment
-Inappropriate use of slang- Using slang when the reader may
not understand what it means.
Error Sentence: “…stepped up their game…”
Global Issues Research Paper
-Apostrophe with possession- An apostrophe can show ownership
when placed with a noun.
My Error: “Publishers Tea”
Instead, I should write:
Publisher’s Tea
Literacy Narrative
-Commas for belter understanding- When a sentence opens up
with an introductory word it is very helpful to the reader to place a comma
after the introductory element.
My Error Sentence: “As the years have progressed…”
Global Issues Research Paper
Monday, April 23, 2012
The Death Cure
The Death Cure
James Dashner
p. 62-123
Fri-60mins
Sat-40mins
Sun-50mins
4/16/12-4/23/12
James Dashner
p. 62-123
Fri-60mins
Sat-40mins
Sun-50mins
4/16/12-4/23/12
Monday, April 16, 2012
The Death Cure
I finally got my book in after ordering it about a week ago. This book is called The Death Cure, by James Dashner, which is the third book in The Maze Runner series. I started this book with high hopes, because the other two books, The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials, were so great. One thing I noticed in the third chapter was the point of view was changed from 1st person, which was told by the main character Thomas, to a 3rd person omniscient. I think Dashner did this to kinda show what both characters in the scene were doing at once, let the reader imagine the scene.
I have some ideas on what this book will further bring. Well in one chapter towards the end of their book, some guy told the Gladers that they will be getting their memories back. But before they did, some of them declined the offer which surprised me. That made me think that that might backfire on the group and that will cause a big shift in the plot. I could be wrong, but I'm excited to read more.
The Death Cure
James Dashner
4/16/12
Sat: 80 mins
Sun: 70 mins
Total: 150
pages read: 62
I have some ideas on what this book will further bring. Well in one chapter towards the end of their book, some guy told the Gladers that they will be getting their memories back. But before they did, some of them declined the offer which surprised me. That made me think that that might backfire on the group and that will cause a big shift in the plot. I could be wrong, but I'm excited to read more.
The Death Cure
James Dashner
4/16/12
Sat: 80 mins
Sun: 70 mins
Total: 150
pages read: 62
Sunday, April 15, 2012
"Firework" by Katy Perry
Song Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TI18KxwbMk
For the song analysis I found the song "Firework" by Katy Perry. This song popped into my head when Dr. D first assigned this assignment. The first literary devise I found was right in the first verse.
"Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again"
With this verse I saw a simile being used. Like a plastic bag was what stood out to me. I interpreted the simile because it is comparing the person to a plastic bag using the word "like." I took this simile's meaning as when you feel like a plastic bag, you feel sort of disposable in a way. I also thought it could mean that you are ignored. I found another simile in the verse right after this one. When she says "Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin" refers to the person thinking of themselves as invisible to someone or something. That's how I perceived this simile.
There were many examples of anaphora, for instance the line "Do you ever feel" is repeated multiple times at the beginning of the verses. I found one example of a personification in one of the lines.
"If you only knew what the future holds"
This is a personification because the future is an inanimate object and therefore isn't actually able to hold something.
For the song analysis I found the song "Firework" by Katy Perry. This song popped into my head when Dr. D first assigned this assignment. The first literary devise I found was right in the first verse.
"Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again"
With this verse I saw a simile being used. Like a plastic bag was what stood out to me. I interpreted the simile because it is comparing the person to a plastic bag using the word "like." I took this simile's meaning as when you feel like a plastic bag, you feel sort of disposable in a way. I also thought it could mean that you are ignored. I found another simile in the verse right after this one. When she says "Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin" refers to the person thinking of themselves as invisible to someone or something. That's how I perceived this simile.
There were many examples of anaphora, for instance the line "Do you ever feel" is repeated multiple times at the beginning of the verses. I found one example of a personification in one of the lines.
"If you only knew what the future holds"
This is a personification because the future is an inanimate object and therefore isn't actually able to hold something.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Born to Run Reading
Well I continue to read the novel, Born to Run, because it's such a great book. As i was reading they brought in a character named Ann. She, I'm guessing, is in the more modern continent of Europe. Though it was never stated directly, I can infer that she is from Europe because of the timezone and the way she acts. So far I'm not quite sure what here purpose in the story is, but I'm hoping i'll find out soon.
In some of the chapter pages, the author has put quotes right below the chapter heading. These quotes are from numerous amounts of people and i don't know who they are. They must be famous in some way. Most of them have something to do with running though, so maybe they are from famous runners. I wonder if there is a way to find out the point of some of these quotes because they are a little confusing sometimes. Oh well, they must not be the most important thing in the book.
Christopher McDougall
132-216
Sat. 70mins
Sunday. 40 mins
Monday. 40mins
4/2/12
In some of the chapter pages, the author has put quotes right below the chapter heading. These quotes are from numerous amounts of people and i don't know who they are. They must be famous in some way. Most of them have something to do with running though, so maybe they are from famous runners. I wonder if there is a way to find out the point of some of these quotes because they are a little confusing sometimes. Oh well, they must not be the most important thing in the book.
Christopher McDougall
132-216
Sat. 70mins
Sunday. 40 mins
Monday. 40mins
4/2/12
Sunday, April 1, 2012
My Papa's Waltz Analysis
The poem My Papa's Waltz, by Theodore Roethke, is a poem about a child being carried to his bed by his father with his mother watching. One of the first things I notice was the use of a rhyme scheme. The last word of every line rhymed with the last word in the line after the next. This gave the poem a kind of rhythm to it, which made me interested in the poem.
The way I saw this poem was that the boy liked his dad carrying him. Though there are words that kind of contradict my interpretation. Death, dizzy, battered, scraped, and beat were all words that had some sort of sinister feel to them. I wonder why Roethke added these words. I also started to wonder if the Waltzing could be a metaphor for something. I just don't quite know what at the moment.
The way I saw this poem was that the boy liked his dad carrying him. Though there are words that kind of contradict my interpretation. Death, dizzy, battered, scraped, and beat were all words that had some sort of sinister feel to them. I wonder why Roethke added these words. I also started to wonder if the Waltzing could be a metaphor for something. I just don't quite know what at the moment.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Born to Run
After reading this novel some more, I began to enjoy just the shear strength and stamina these tribe people have. I have to admire it because it would be amazing if I could ever run like that. That takes some hard work and is probably very exhausting, but these guys do it everyday, which is just amazing.
I started to notice that a lot of the words and names of the people are written in a different language. Probably the language of the tribe. The tribe people make connections and stories of the white people coming. This is very similar to the post-colonial literature, Nervous Conditions, that we just read. Born to Run is Just getting better and better and I hope I can learn something from the rest of this book about running.
Born to Run
Christopher McDougall
pages: 76-132
Friday-50mins
Saturday-70mins
Sunday- 40 mins
total-160mins
3/19/12-3/26/12
I started to notice that a lot of the words and names of the people are written in a different language. Probably the language of the tribe. The tribe people make connections and stories of the white people coming. This is very similar to the post-colonial literature, Nervous Conditions, that we just read. Born to Run is Just getting better and better and I hope I can learn something from the rest of this book about running.
Born to Run
Christopher McDougall
pages: 76-132
Friday-50mins
Saturday-70mins
Sunday- 40 mins
total-160mins
3/19/12-3/26/12
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Service Hours
This weekend I decided to get the rest of my service hours done for this year. I planned on helping out at the wheelchair tennis tournament on Saturday and Sunday for three hours each. But earlier that week my track coach said we had to help run the middle school track meet, and it was mandatory. I thought, "How am I going to do both in one day."
I figured out that if I did the tennis thing first at 8:00 in the morning, I could have time to go help out the meet. Later I discovered that wheelchair tennis is pretty intense. They had people from around the world playing in this tournament. It was pretty cool to see their different forms of playing. At the track meet, I worked the long jump pit and it was good. Now i'm one step closer to finishing my service hours.
I figured out that if I did the tennis thing first at 8:00 in the morning, I could have time to go help out the meet. Later I discovered that wheelchair tennis is pretty intense. They had people from around the world playing in this tournament. It was pretty cool to see their different forms of playing. At the track meet, I worked the long jump pit and it was good. Now i'm one step closer to finishing my service hours.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Outside reading
Born to Run
I decided I should listen to my track coach and read this book he said was an amazing book. The book is called Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall. This book goes into great depth of tribes who are so fit and in shape they run for miles and miles to tire out the animal they are chasing. Once they have tired it out, they kill it and carry it back home. By this time they have well run over ten miles.
I have always liked running and I can't believe that this is possible. The author says that the tribes have this special food that keeps them healthy and allows them to run all day without rest, I need some of that. McDougall gives great details in his writing and that helps me better understand the way of life of some of the characters in the book. Hopefully this book turns out to be as amazing as my coach says.
Born to Run
Christopher McDougall
3/12/12-3/19/12
friday- 60mins
saturday- 50mins
sunday- 40mins
total: 150
I decided I should listen to my track coach and read this book he said was an amazing book. The book is called Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall. This book goes into great depth of tribes who are so fit and in shape they run for miles and miles to tire out the animal they are chasing. Once they have tired it out, they kill it and carry it back home. By this time they have well run over ten miles.
I have always liked running and I can't believe that this is possible. The author says that the tribes have this special food that keeps them healthy and allows them to run all day without rest, I need some of that. McDougall gives great details in his writing and that helps me better understand the way of life of some of the characters in the book. Hopefully this book turns out to be as amazing as my coach says.
Born to Run
Christopher McDougall
3/12/12-3/19/12
friday- 60mins
saturday- 50mins
sunday- 40mins
total: 150
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Second Official Track Meet
Saturday we had our 2nd official track meet for this season. We were all anxious and ready for this meet, so we could get at it and do very well. This was the first meet that we have had after school and my first after school meet ever. I have to say I don't enjoy having the meet after school as much as on the weekend. School tires me out sometimes and to have to run and jump after school just doesn't work for me.
Also at this meet was my first tie pole vaulting. I have had one day of practice where I pole vaulted, before this meet. I was not completely confident on my run and planting of the pole, but I did alright for only having one practice. I also ran the 4x200 meter relay, and the 4x400 meter relay. I did great on those also. Overall our team came out and finished strong.
Also at this meet was my first tie pole vaulting. I have had one day of practice where I pole vaulted, before this meet. I was not completely confident on my run and planting of the pole, but I did alright for only having one practice. I also ran the 4x200 meter relay, and the 4x400 meter relay. I did great on those also. Overall our team came out and finished strong.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Outside Reading Response 3/12/12
Treasure Island
So aside from reading post-colonial literature and non-fiction novels I decided I needed a change to a fictional book. I thought the novel Treasure Island would be a good transition from my other books. It is written by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is a Fantasy book about a group of men who have heard of an island with so much treasure on it, so they set sail, with their cabin boy, Jim who is the main character.
As I began to read this book i found the beginning very difficult to read and understand. The first couple chapters had so much "sailor talk" that i could not comprehend what some of them were saying. Once i got more into the book i could further understand it better. So far it is a thrilling book. I read the summery before i read it and it said there was murder and mutiny and a mystery, so I'm excited to see what goes on.
Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson
3/5/12-3/12/12
pages 1-68
Friday- 40 mins
Saturday- 70 mins
Sunday- 40 mins
Total 150mins
So aside from reading post-colonial literature and non-fiction novels I decided I needed a change to a fictional book. I thought the novel Treasure Island would be a good transition from my other books. It is written by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is a Fantasy book about a group of men who have heard of an island with so much treasure on it, so they set sail, with their cabin boy, Jim who is the main character.
As I began to read this book i found the beginning very difficult to read and understand. The first couple chapters had so much "sailor talk" that i could not comprehend what some of them were saying. Once i got more into the book i could further understand it better. So far it is a thrilling book. I read the summery before i read it and it said there was murder and mutiny and a mystery, so I'm excited to see what goes on.
Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson
3/5/12-3/12/12
pages 1-68
Friday- 40 mins
Saturday- 70 mins
Sunday- 40 mins
Total 150mins
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Last Quarter
Well it looks like the final quarter of my freshman year has come. I have been looking forward to this quarter because it's one step closer to summer and sophomore year. I hope this quarter will be better on my grades than last quarter. My grades started to decline for some reason and I don't want that to happen again. I have planned to spend more time on my grades and to not become lazy.
Besides academics I need to focus on, I also need to devote as much of my time as I can to track season. We just had our second meet. I did alright but I still need a lot of work. Hopefully in the next quarter I can do well in track and my academic classes. That would be the perfect quarter to have.
Besides academics I need to focus on, I also need to devote as much of my time as I can to track season. We just had our second meet. I did alright but I still need a lot of work. Hopefully in the next quarter I can do well in track and my academic classes. That would be the perfect quarter to have.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Outside Reading 3/4/12
The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To
As I continued reading my book, The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To, I kept seeing the author allowing the characters to use bad language. I mean its everywhere, which made me think that this book might be inappropriate for smaller, not as advanced readers. I am usually not a fan of this much foul language but it doesn't bother me in this book.
From the looks of this book, and just the shear content i can conclude that this author is either new or inexperienced. His writing style and ideas show how he is inexperienced or just a young author. His methods could be very well put and i might just be missing the point but who knows. Other than that I am looking forward to reading some more of it.
DC Pierson
pages. 65-117
150mins
2/27/11-3/4/11
As I continued reading my book, The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To, I kept seeing the author allowing the characters to use bad language. I mean its everywhere, which made me think that this book might be inappropriate for smaller, not as advanced readers. I am usually not a fan of this much foul language but it doesn't bother me in this book.
From the looks of this book, and just the shear content i can conclude that this author is either new or inexperienced. His writing style and ideas show how he is inexperienced or just a young author. His methods could be very well put and i might just be missing the point but who knows. Other than that I am looking forward to reading some more of it.
DC Pierson
pages. 65-117
150mins
2/27/11-3/4/11
Track Season
This weekend we had the first track meet of the season. Everyone on the team was pumped up to start off a great season. We had all prepared for weeks for this meet and we came prepared to show everyone what we have. There were only a couple schools participating, but Catholic High hosted the meet.
For me personally I was a little nervous. I had just gotten back from a week in Rome and was not in my best shape to run. I was running the 200 meter dash, and the 200 meter relay. I had never run those events before, and that made me nervous. Even though I was nervous I believe that I ran to the best of my ability and ended up doing pretty well for my first high school meet.
For me personally I was a little nervous. I had just gotten back from a week in Rome and was not in my best shape to run. I was running the 200 meter dash, and the 200 meter relay. I had never run those events before, and that made me nervous. Even though I was nervous I believe that I ran to the best of my ability and ended up doing pretty well for my first high school meet.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Outside Reading 2/27/12
The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To
This is a new book I started reading called The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had TO, and i like it so far. I decided to read the prologue for a change, and i notice the narrator never directly stated who he/she/it was. The narrator stated it indirectly which made me think and read the text carefully which i enjoyed doing.
In this book the story is told from the perspective of a guy who isn't afraid to speak his mind. He doesn't hold back on his language throughout the book. I guess this book isn't really advanced reading, but its not that easy. I think the beginning is a little hard to follow. But that is just the beginning, I have a whole book to finish. So far this book is heading on the right track with my anticipations.
DC Pierson
2/20/27-2/27/2012
(150)
1-65 pages
This is a new book I started reading called The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had TO, and i like it so far. I decided to read the prologue for a change, and i notice the narrator never directly stated who he/she/it was. The narrator stated it indirectly which made me think and read the text carefully which i enjoyed doing.
In this book the story is told from the perspective of a guy who isn't afraid to speak his mind. He doesn't hold back on his language throughout the book. I guess this book isn't really advanced reading, but its not that easy. I think the beginning is a little hard to follow. But that is just the beginning, I have a whole book to finish. So far this book is heading on the right track with my anticipations.
DC Pierson
2/20/27-2/27/2012
(150)
1-65 pages
Italy Trip
I just got back from the trip to Italy that I took and I must say it was a great trip. We did many things and saw many interesting places. We saw a ton of monuments and what astounded me was that we had only seen a taste of Italy. There was so much more we could do. I also bought some pretty cool things.
One thing that was on my mind that week was when we saw the monuments, how many people had walked here and seen this place. Even the ancient Romans had a lot of people walk and see them, even before tourism. If i had to say what the best part about this trip was, it would be standing in the Roman Colosseum, or the Sistine Chapel. I got to know everyone better on that trip, even the Juniors and Seniors. One day I hope to go back there and do all the stuff I didn't do.
One thing that was on my mind that week was when we saw the monuments, how many people had walked here and seen this place. Even the ancient Romans had a lot of people walk and see them, even before tourism. If i had to say what the best part about this trip was, it would be standing in the Roman Colosseum, or the Sistine Chapel. I got to know everyone better on that trip, even the Juniors and Seniors. One day I hope to go back there and do all the stuff I didn't do.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Free Write 2/11/2012
First Freshman Retreat
So an upcoming retreat for the freshman class is coming up this Thursday I believe. Now before it used to be that sophomores and up got to go on a retreat but they changed it for us. This strikes me as odd because these types of things don't normally happen in your freshman year but we will see how it turns out.
Hopefully this retreat won't be really boring. I would like it to have some action, not like one of those sit in a room and talk retreats, although i have a strong feeling it will be. This will be our class' first high school retreat and i hope we all have a good time and learn something new.
So an upcoming retreat for the freshman class is coming up this Thursday I believe. Now before it used to be that sophomores and up got to go on a retreat but they changed it for us. This strikes me as odd because these types of things don't normally happen in your freshman year but we will see how it turns out.
Hopefully this retreat won't be really boring. I would like it to have some action, not like one of those sit in a room and talk retreats, although i have a strong feeling it will be. This will be our class' first high school retreat and i hope we all have a good time and learn something new.
Reading Response 2/11/12
Eagle Strike
Author: Anthony Horowitz
2/4/12-2/11/12
total 150mins
p. 1-85
So this week of outside reading i decided to revisit a series of books that I never finished reading. This series of ten books is called the Alex Rider series. These books are about a teenage boy who is recruited to be a Spy at this government facility. He goes on many missions and has many seemingly impossible tasks that he has to overcome.
I never did remember why i stopped reading the series. I stopped after the third book Skeleton Key for some reason. Hopefully I can remember that reason soon because it will bug me later. Anyway, I think the main reason i enjoyed these books is because Anthony Horowitz always had these great ideas in each of his books. It was a new kind of adventure for Alex Rider in every book. And the adventures he took were crazy, dangerous, and a bit odd. That sort of stuff interested me and I just had to revisit.
Author: Anthony Horowitz
2/4/12-2/11/12
total 150mins
p. 1-85
So this week of outside reading i decided to revisit a series of books that I never finished reading. This series of ten books is called the Alex Rider series. These books are about a teenage boy who is recruited to be a Spy at this government facility. He goes on many missions and has many seemingly impossible tasks that he has to overcome.
I never did remember why i stopped reading the series. I stopped after the third book Skeleton Key for some reason. Hopefully I can remember that reason soon because it will bug me later. Anyway, I think the main reason i enjoyed these books is because Anthony Horowitz always had these great ideas in each of his books. It was a new kind of adventure for Alex Rider in every book. And the adventures he took were crazy, dangerous, and a bit odd. That sort of stuff interested me and I just had to revisit.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Free write 2/5/2012
Track and Field
Now that Soccer season is over i will now go immediately to track season. Now i like soccer better than track but i was getting tired of soccer and i needed the change. Track is fun because its a number of events put into one sport. There are jumping, running, throwing, and pole vault events.
I do mostly running events but i do jump some. My running events are the 400 meter dash, the 4 by 400 meter dash, and the 4 by 100 meter dash. So two relays and one solo. My other event is long jump. Out of all those events my favorite is the 400 meter dash, because it's challenging to me.
Now that Soccer season is over i will now go immediately to track season. Now i like soccer better than track but i was getting tired of soccer and i needed the change. Track is fun because its a number of events put into one sport. There are jumping, running, throwing, and pole vault events.
I do mostly running events but i do jump some. My running events are the 400 meter dash, the 4 by 400 meter dash, and the 4 by 100 meter dash. So two relays and one solo. My other event is long jump. Out of all those events my favorite is the 400 meter dash, because it's challenging to me.
Outside Reading Response 2/5/2012
Global Issues Project
My outside reading for this week was spent on my project since I thought my paper needed some work. What I realized was for what I had, I had very few quotes put in there. I was worried that my paper wasn't strong enough without more quotes, so I spent time working on that. For the most part I thought I Found a good amount of quotes, and it did strengthen my writing.
The other thing I worked on was the length of my paper. It was a little too short for my taste. I decided that i should elaborated and give more detail in my body paragraphs. I felt they were lacking and it also gave my paper some length. I also increased the size and quality of my conclusion and I feel it is one of my strongest parts of my paper.
Global issues project
1/29/12-2/5/12
Friday 30mins
Saturday 50mins
Sunday 70mins
total 150mins
My outside reading for this week was spent on my project since I thought my paper needed some work. What I realized was for what I had, I had very few quotes put in there. I was worried that my paper wasn't strong enough without more quotes, so I spent time working on that. For the most part I thought I Found a good amount of quotes, and it did strengthen my writing.
The other thing I worked on was the length of my paper. It was a little too short for my taste. I decided that i should elaborated and give more detail in my body paragraphs. I felt they were lacking and it also gave my paper some length. I also increased the size and quality of my conclusion and I feel it is one of my strongest parts of my paper.
Global issues project
1/29/12-2/5/12
Friday 30mins
Saturday 50mins
Sunday 70mins
total 150mins
Sunday, January 29, 2012
This Weekend
Well, this weekend went by pretty quickly for me. I had two soccer games i had to go to on Friday, two driving sessions for drivers ed, and i had a fairly big amount of homework and project work to do. I planned it out well though, and it ended up working to my advantage in the long run.
The driving I did this weekend was pretty sweet. I had to drive two hours on Saturday at 11:00 to 1:00, and on Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00. It was great practice for me, and I have now figured out I can drive better than I thought I could. The instructor kept saying "good job" and "nice work" to me and i felt well after it was done. Not too long from now i will have my permit and then i'm on to getting my licence once i'm 16.
The driving I did this weekend was pretty sweet. I had to drive two hours on Saturday at 11:00 to 1:00, and on Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00. It was great practice for me, and I have now figured out I can drive better than I thought I could. The instructor kept saying "good job" and "nice work" to me and i felt well after it was done. Not too long from now i will have my permit and then i'm on to getting my licence once i'm 16.
Global Issues Project
Time:
Mon-30
Tues-30
Wed-45
Sat-45
Total 150mins.
As everyone is aware we have started the writing process of our research paper, and have gone into it head strong to get a great start. I had planned already to finish my outline in class so I would have plenty of time to perfect it. I worked fast though so i could spend this weekend working on the intro, and possible, if i could, start the body paragraphs.
My topic is how the nuclear weapons affect surrounding countries and the U.S. This was an interesting topic and it intrigued me. It was a fairly new topic, which was good because i could find some modern articles that give great info because it happened not too long ago. I'm looking forward to how this project will turn out for everyone.
Mon-30
Tues-30
Wed-45
Sat-45
Total 150mins.
As everyone is aware we have started the writing process of our research paper, and have gone into it head strong to get a great start. I had planned already to finish my outline in class so I would have plenty of time to perfect it. I worked fast though so i could spend this weekend working on the intro, and possible, if i could, start the body paragraphs.
My topic is how the nuclear weapons affect surrounding countries and the U.S. This was an interesting topic and it intrigued me. It was a fairly new topic, which was good because i could find some modern articles that give great info because it happened not too long ago. I'm looking forward to how this project will turn out for everyone.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Reading Response #2
Hurricane Season
So in Hurricane Season, they talk a good bit about how the school of John Curtis had such great staff and academics, but their buildings didn't reach very high standards. The story says that their cafeteria was like a refurbished barn, and their gym was like a rusted roof shack. I don't think that i would like a school like that, seems unsafe. I believe that that idea was a little stretched because now John Curtis is a pretty advanced school.
As i was reading i noticed that when they described the town that surrounded it to be like a concrete block. They also said stuff like, it was a middle class community, mostly white, with small ranch houses and postage stamp yards. I'm not quite sure what that last one means, but maybe I'll find out if I keep reading.
Hurricane Season
Neal Thompson
1-22-12
p. 71-124
(150mins)
So in Hurricane Season, they talk a good bit about how the school of John Curtis had such great staff and academics, but their buildings didn't reach very high standards. The story says that their cafeteria was like a refurbished barn, and their gym was like a rusted roof shack. I don't think that i would like a school like that, seems unsafe. I believe that that idea was a little stretched because now John Curtis is a pretty advanced school.
As i was reading i noticed that when they described the town that surrounded it to be like a concrete block. They also said stuff like, it was a middle class community, mostly white, with small ranch houses and postage stamp yards. I'm not quite sure what that last one means, but maybe I'll find out if I keep reading.
Hurricane Season
Neal Thompson
1-22-12
p. 71-124
(150mins)
JV Soccer Season
This year of soccer I was put on the Junior Varsity team. I was pretty happy with that decision for a couple of reasons. One was I didn't think i was good enough to play on Varsity this year, I'm too new to the program. The second reason was i would not have liked being a swing player. Swing players have to go to each and every Varsity and JV game, even if they might not play. I was happy I did not have to do that.
This season we have four wins, three losses, and one tie so far. So a decent season we are having. I mostly play defense on the JV team, but i hope i can move up to mid-field or be a forward by the end of this season. Overall soccer was and for now is, my favorite sport to play.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Outside Reading Response 1
Hurricane Season
Hurricane Season is the new book that I am reading for outside reading. This book is a true story about John Curtis High School and their football team's struggle to get through it. This book is told from an authors stand point but it incorporates character's point of view in the writing.
As i noticed when I was reading, I noticed that this book takes place in Louisiana, kinda in the New Orleans area. This happened so close to home. I was alive in the time of Katrina, so i know what happened and i can connect with it. I remember the damage and the fear that many people had after it was over. I could see the devastation everywhere, even back home where i lived.
Hurricane Season
Neal Thompson
1-10-12 through 1-17-12
p. 1-71
Time Read (150mins)
Hurricane Season is the new book that I am reading for outside reading. This book is a true story about John Curtis High School and their football team's struggle to get through it. This book is told from an authors stand point but it incorporates character's point of view in the writing.
As i noticed when I was reading, I noticed that this book takes place in Louisiana, kinda in the New Orleans area. This happened so close to home. I was alive in the time of Katrina, so i know what happened and i can connect with it. I remember the damage and the fear that many people had after it was over. I could see the devastation everywhere, even back home where i lived.
Hurricane Season
Neal Thompson
1-10-12 through 1-17-12
p. 1-71
Time Read (150mins)
Free Post 2
Second Semester
First semester seemed like it went by real fast. When semesters start to go by fast, i become a little lazy, and didnt do as much school work as i could have. This happened to many people in my grade. So inturn many peoples grades began to drop.
The first couple weeks of the second semester went by, and I feel like this Quarter is going better than i thought it would. The last semester during the second quarter, my grades started to drop. They didnt drop drastically, but they dropped enough that it caught my attention. I realized when 3rd Quarter started, that i was gonna need to boost my grades a little, and become more focused in school and with homework.
First semester seemed like it went by real fast. When semesters start to go by fast, i become a little lazy, and didnt do as much school work as i could have. This happened to many people in my grade. So inturn many peoples grades began to drop.
The first couple weeks of the second semester went by, and I feel like this Quarter is going better than i thought it would. The last semester during the second quarter, my grades started to drop. They didnt drop drastically, but they dropped enough that it caught my attention. I realized when 3rd Quarter started, that i was gonna need to boost my grades a little, and become more focused in school and with homework.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Free Write
Rome Trip
During Mardi Gras break my family and i will be going on a school field trip with the Latin club to Rome. This trip will be the first out of country school field trip that I have ever taken. We will be staying in a couple places around Italy. One of the places is Sorento, which i heard is a great place to go.
There is a couple down sides to this trip i will be taking. For one thing it is really expensive, so my family and i wont be going to and big places for the rest of the year. I will probably see some relatives though. The other down side is most of my friends are not going on the trip for reasons i don't know. Only maybe four of my friends are going. I try to look at the good things about this trip though. I believe the trip will turn out great.
During Mardi Gras break my family and i will be going on a school field trip with the Latin club to Rome. This trip will be the first out of country school field trip that I have ever taken. We will be staying in a couple places around Italy. One of the places is Sorento, which i heard is a great place to go.
There is a couple down sides to this trip i will be taking. For one thing it is really expensive, so my family and i wont be going to and big places for the rest of the year. I will probably see some relatives though. The other down side is most of my friends are not going on the trip for reasons i don't know. Only maybe four of my friends are going. I try to look at the good things about this trip though. I believe the trip will turn out great.
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