Exam review

I cant believe it has already been another semester and its almost summer! Although, before going to the awesome summer, we have to take those dreadful exams... To prepare for this english one i have made a little planner for the week to help me plan my studying.

MONDAY: Literary Analysis review- all worksheets, paper, comments, and all notes in it.

TUESDAY: Nervous Condition- review the NC test and all my important annotations, all of our handouts on it, and notes or the prezi on NC.

WEDNESDAY: Research: All notes, and my research paper, comments and corrections on the test.

THURSDAY: Poetry: review most of the notes and handouts. I will also study the types of poems, terms, meters, and things like that.

FRIDAY: Macbeth: Read over the main points in the book. Go over what we talked about in class (what type of poem it is, the rhythm, etc.)

Post 1: My participation

General Procedures- In this topic I thought I did pretty well with bringing all my materials to class. Although I did forget my free reading book twice and Macbeth once. I didn't usually go to the restroom very much during class, but i asked twice i think.I participated in most of the discussions unless i wasn't in the mood or i didn't know what to say.I love handing out papers so i also did that a lot.

Lecture, announcements, whole class discussion- I didnt interrupt anyone or burst out random thing when i wasn't supposed to. I took notes most of the time when i wasn't getting distracted, I contributed in class conversations and most of the time did what i was supposed to do.


Individual and group work- When we had to do group work I usually worked well with everyone, especially if we got to choose. I think that we should do more group work because seeing everyone else different views really helps me. 


Growth- I have improved SO much since the beginning. I am seeing teachers at tutorial and asking more for help. I also am participating in more discussions and acting scenes and taking notes more effectively and constantly. 

Writing Blog

                                                                         Writing Blog

                Writing has never been one of my strengths. I have always had trouble with getting words that are in my head on the paper itself. I think that I have improved a little from the beginning. I know that spelling, MLA format and a few other things were my ruff areas. I know that in the papers there was always something wrong with the format! One thing that always irritated me was I thought that I did really well on a paper but I never do. That’s not with just English though; it’s with some of my other classes too.        

                When I was looking over the papers I noticed that most of the mistakes were just common mistakes. Like spelling a word wrong, using the wrong punctuations, or the wrong format. I don’t know why but even if I read over the paper I still miss those simple, common errors.

                Last year for my WrAP I actually did better than this year.  Usually you are supposed to do better when you get older but this year I didn’t. I think it was because I didn’t really understand the topic and I didn’t really know how to write about it. Last year I got 4.5s all the way to a 5.5 and this year I got as bad as a 3.5 to a 4.5. For the WrAP I think that since the topic was an argument, it kind of threw me off, because I didn’t know what side I should choose and if I chose this side what would I say. Stuff like that. It just put a lot of tension on me and I got nervous about it.

                Next year I will defiantly try to correct all my papers a little better and I am also going to get someone else read it before I turn it in. I will use spell check and other sources to help me with spelling. For the format I will probably use the Norton or other sources from the internet.

The Common Errors List:

·         Spelling Mistakes- Dictionary, Spell Check, People, other resources I can find.

·         MLA Format- the Norton Field Guild, tutors, parents, anything that I could find on the internet.

·         CITATIONS- The Norton Field Guild, Internet.

·         Organization- I can get a tutor or a friend to help me with that.

·         Punctuation errors- Hopefully people will help me correct those because sometimes I don’t see them.

Honey Bee Blake Shelton

http://www.metrolyrics.com/honey-bee-lyrics-blake-shelton.html

Honey Bee is personally one of my favorite songs. I never really noticed how poems and songs are so closely related until you told us. When i looked at the lyrics for Honey Bee i noticed way more things then I hear when i'm listening. It really surprised me that you could make a poem out of a song.

There were metaphors and lots of the lines would rhyme. I noticed that in the 1st verse the first two lines would rhyme then the last two words of each verse would also rhyme. Also i noticed that they have a lot of line breaks but not really any enjambments. Usually songs like to repeat things/words a lot too.

Outside reading post

I am still reading In Cold Blood and it has gotten very interesting! Right now they have just found the bodies and are analyzing them. They also went back and forth between the killers and the police/town people. The killers are Perry and Dick. They had just returned to Dicks home in Olathe. They got tickets to  go to Mexico.

They are living a great rich life in Mexico! Then they are going to return home soon. I really like the way Truman writes his books. Sometimes he uses language that i cant really understand, but having the book on tape and someone reading it has really helped me. I like to read along in a hard copy so that if i don't know a word or something i will highlight it.

"The Whipping" by Robert Hayden

The old woman across the way    is whipping the boy againand shouting to the neighborhood    her goodness and his wrongs. 

Wildly he crashes through elephant ears,    pleads in dusty zinnias,while she in spite of crippling fat    pursues and corners him.

She strikes and strikes the shrilly circling    boy till the stick breaksin her hand.  His tears are rainy weather    to woundlike memories:

My head gripped in bony vise    of knees, the writhing struggleto wrench free, the blows, the fear    worse than blows that hateful

Words could bring, the face that I    no longer knew or loved . . .Well, it is over now, it is over,    and the boy sobs in his room,

And the woman leans muttering against    a tree, exhausted, purged—avenged in part for lifelong hidings
    she has had to bear.

So i read "The Whipping" by Robert Hayden. At first i was kind of hesitant to read it because i was scared it would be very violent. I thought that it would be about the kids past and how he was abused. When i started reading it i saw that i was wrong. Its about a how he saw a kid getting whipped. It was kind of sad, but really good at the same time!

While i was annotating there were a few words that i didn't know like, "zinnias," "bony," "purged," and "avenged." I also noticed that she didn't use any similes but things similar to them, like "His tears are rainy weather to woundlike memories."There is also a part where she kind of repeats herself. "it is over now, it is over..."

Thats not all i saw but that is mostly what i saw in it. I liked this poem a lot because I could really picture it in my head like i have seen it before.

projects

The projects coming up are gonna be really fun i think! I have a group project with Anna, Isa, Janelle, and Elise. It should be a really good group and i think that our idea is pretty good! I cant wait to film it cause we are gonna have so much fun doing it!

My other project is on Animal Experimentation. At first i was kind of confused on what i was supposed to do on it but now i know. I think im gonna do a poster that i could hang around baton rouge to raise awareness for the problem. Everyone has done very well so far!

poems

Poems seem to be a really big deal in english. We read poetry every year in english and write it too!I like it but i also find it challenging too. Some kinds are easy and fun to write but others like "the fish" that seems really hard to write.

In sixth grade we did a poetry cafe where we all picked our favorite poems and said them in front of the class. I picked a few and one of them i wrote. I think we wrote a whole big of poems then and that was really fun! We all got starbucks and dressed up in all black. It was really fun and i think that it helped me with poetry a lot!

Nervous Conditions Test

The Nervous Conditions Test was pretty hard. I definitely thought i did better than i really did on it! The part that i was most scared of was the quotations. I don't really know why but i was. I did pretty well on that part but not on the multiple choice!

In Cold Blood is a great book so far! It has a lot of suspense where i am right now and i cant wait till i can watch the movie! I haven't really gotten to the part where the family is killed but i'm excited for it! I am really into crime shows and investigations and that kind of stuff, so i thought this would be a good book to read!

My friend

On Saturday, around 4ish, my friend from Texas came in. I haven't seen her since October and i was so excited to see her! Her name is Logan Cave. Most of y'all know her, she came to episcopal last year. I decided to make a little surprise party thing for her. It was small but fun!!

For the party we all went to California Pizza Kitchen and ate there. There were only 5 of us because some people couldn't make it. She was really quite at first but after a while she started to lighten up. After we ate everyone left except Logan and me. We went to see The Vow! it was such a good movie! i had already seen it once but it was still good! I think and hope that she is coming to visit a for lunch at school soon! this week is her spring break!

State soccer Championships

The state soccer championships were last Saturday. They didn't go as we wanted them to... We lost! I was so upset and so was everyone else! I think the seniors were the most though. The game was a good game. We lost 2-0. The second goal was scored at the last few seconds, so i don't like counting that one.

The whole game i felt like our whole team was off. I know I was. My legs felt really tight and i felt like i couldn't walk every once in a while. I was super tired some of the game too! Our offense wasn't the best either. We just had a bad game or the other team was just outworking us. It was very disappointing but we were very excited that we even made it that far! that was the first time in Episcopal history for girls soccer to make it that far!

Global Issues project

The project has been okay lately... It has certainly had its ups and downs. First i had a major plagerism issue that was confusing, then i fixed that! My paper is a little short from the requirements but it should be fixed soon too! It has been quite challenging writing this paper, although i think it will be one of my best! the topic i have really is good for me. It has taught me a lot about how animals are treated and how we could help.

I have received lots of help from my parents, friends and some from the teachers. I am a little confused on when everything is due and what, but the project part sounds fun! I think im going to make a poster with pictures and ideas to help and stuff like that! It will be a good project for me and i hope to make a good grade on it!

Mardi Gras Break

My mardi gras break was pretty fun! I went to one parade at the beginning of the week, because i couldnt go to any other. I had soccer practice monday-friday and the state championship Saturday in New Orleans. We lost in the championship to Sacred Heart of New Orleans. It pretty much made me sad the rest of the the weekend.

One thing that brought me back up was that we can do it again next year and that was the first time in EHS girls soccer history to ever male it to state! It was a god feeling to be part of that team and to participate with the older girls. I sadly had to do homework sunday. It wasnt really that fun, but on the bright side i didnt have that much! It was a pretty good break except that lost...

Global Issues project/Nervous Conditions

This week i have been trying to get all my research together so i can write my rough draft. I have learned so much from this research paper and hope to keep learning. My topic is animal experimentation. I was so happy when i finished the draft, because now i can see what things i left out and what i need to fill in.

Nervous conditions is a really confusing book. During the first chapter i was so lost and i didn't really understand it. I mean i got that she didn't really like her brother because he is so lazy and self centered to his family, but i wasn't really sure how that is going to fit into the story.

Pets

Pets are a major part in my life. I have grown up with pets my whole life. During my life i have had a hamster, lots of fish, 3 dogs, 2 cats, and all sorts of what ever my brother finds outside. Right now we only have 3 dogs and a cat and a turtle (which is one thing my brother found.) My pets are everything to me. They always cheer me up when i am sad and do all sorts of things with you. They are very special to me and I love them.

My favorite pet we have is defiantly our dogs! We have a Whippet, Mutt, and Labor-doodle. Their name are Pistol, Pixie, and Lucie. Pistol is our oldest one. He is 14 years old and he has been with us since i was born. One of my first words was dog. I fell in love with animals when i was very young. I was actually the reason we got Pistol. Pixie is a mean dog. She was found on the streets by some people and we bought her from them. She has grown better now. She is my dog. She watches over me, she cries when  i leave her, and she loves to follow me around. Lucie was a dog that we got for a program. She has a eye problem so she cant use what her pupose was in the program, but we still love her!

Our last JV game...

Tonight, January 30, was sadly our last JV game together. Some of us will stay and go to varsity, but most of us wont. We have gone through so much trouble and many problems together but it was defiantly worth it! I love the JV team and wish that the season wasn't over. Our game wasn't the best, but we had so much fun during and after the game, and nothing happened to us while we were coming home!!

The game we sadly lost 2-0 but we still tried our hardest. I have grown so much closer to the players on JV and i hope to keep those relationships. I love the JV team and i cant wait till next year to play again with y'all! Y'all are amazing and the best!

#jvproblems

Global Issues project

The Global Issues project has had its ups and downs with me. First my topic was really considered world wide, so i had to change it. Then the first day we were in the lab i found my new topic. It is Animal Experimentation. I was very happy with it. It was something that there were a lot of arguments on and it is something that i really love, animals.

I loved being able to work in the labs because I get a lot done, but we can have our distractions (seniors...). I got more work done in the labs than at my house. I don't really have a lot of time at home. I was able to start on my draft, do my outline, and a lot of my note cards. I also had a lot of help with all of my friends. I think that if the seniors wouldn't have been their I could have gotten a lot more done.

Youth Group

Youth Group is something I do to have fun and meet new people. I have had so much fun and my past youth groups and I have met so many people. It has also brought me so much closer to God. Youth group is very inviting to any one! I think every one should join one. I have brought friends to my youth groups before and they love it! I try to invite them more often but sometimes I don't have time for it.

It usually starts off with socializing and playing video games, pool, and just hanging out. Then we will go eat some food that somebody prepared for us. We eat and then while everyone else is finishing we socialize some more! It is so much fun especially because everyone is so nice and inviting. We will then play a few games as a group. finally we will have worship time. Which is where we sing a few songs and have a lesson about God. It is so much fun and I love it so much!

Reading Response

I started reading In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.  It is a book about a murder of a family in a small town in Kansas. The book begins by describing the setting of a very quaint and quiet town.  The family is described as very hard working and it seems like the family and the town are almost perfect but I know that their lives are about to come to an end.  It is a true crime story and I am excited to read about it.

In Cold Blood was one of my Mom's favorite books, my brother loved it and so did my grandfather who was alive at the time of the killings.  My grandfather remembers the murders taking place and the way the USA felt when it happened.  I hope I enjoy it as much as everyone else in my family.

reading log:
Friday  - 7-730pm
Sunday 4-445
Monday 830-9

Country Music

Music is a very important detail in my life. i love music so much! I especially love country music. i know some people don't really like country, but i'm a huge fan. Every time I listen to it, it always makes my so happy, even when I am sad. it always has a special meaning to it and can tell a message. I listen to music when 'm cleaning my room, doing my homework (even though I'm not really supposed to) and any other time I can. I am always in a music mode. 

There are so many types of music and I love all of them, but country is my favorite. That is always the first station I turn to when I listen to the radio. My brothers like it, but they would rather listen to like pop, rock, and all that kind of stuff. My mom doesn't like those songs either, she loves country and her old music.  I'm not really sure what got me really into country, but now I cant seem to stop listening to it. It always makes me feel good. I actually have been listening to country while writing this whole blog!

A year has already past and its that time to be making resolutions again.  have always made one but soon forgot about it or forget what the resolution was. I have a terrible memory! this year though, my main resolution is to make better grades in all my classes but especially English. I have not always been the strongest writer or reader, but this time I will put more effort into making better grades in that class. 

I also have one more goal for this season, and that goal is to win the state championship in soccer. I think we have a very good chance in winning it. Our only real competition is U-high, Newman, and Runnels. Our record this season has been very good and we have only lost twice. The JV team is also doing very well too. I think that if we all put in the work that is needed we will win state. I'm very excited to be on the team and good job guys!