Dear Classmates

Dear Classmates,

Freshman year has come and gone and I can't believe that we are almost sophomores!  I am sad that the year is ending because I have grown so much as a student, and as a person throughout this entire year.  I actually think that I may have learned more this year than I have in all of my other nine years at EHS combined.  Going into high school, I had absolutely no idea what to expect.  I didn't know any of the teachers, what my classes would be like, how much homework I would have, and I was completely unaware of how much different it would be than middle school.  In middle school, the teachers pretty much held your hand every step of the way.  Easy points were given, the tests weren't very difficult, and we never had an excessive amount of homework.  I'm not gonna say that middle school didn't have its challenges, but it was NOTHING compared to high school.  Yes, getting a heads-up about all of the challenges and new things I would face in high school would have been nice, but I managed without it.  If I could go back in time and give myself tips about everything I would need to know about surviving high school, and what I should do to prepare myself, this is what I would say:

1.)  No matter how hard it may be, do not procrastinate.  Procrastination is something that many people struggle with, including myself, but it is just about the worst thing you can do in high school.  You are just setting yourself up for more stress, and not doing your best on assignments because you are rushing to get them done at the last minute.  Do your work ahead of time, trust me...it makes life SO much easier.

2.) Annotate your books.  It may be a pain, but it is soooo helpful when it comes to studying for tests, or just talking about the book in class.  Last year we weren't required to annotate, but this year, you have to annotate about every book you read, so be prepared for that.  Write down any questions, connections, or important things that stand out to you while you're reading.  

3.) Organization is the key to success.  Organize your time, things, and mind...ORGANIZE EVERYTHING.  I am a freak about organization, like it's crazy how overboard I go.  I always have my sticky notes open on my laptop desktop so I can immediately write down anything important that I need to remember.  Organize your time and space out when you are going to study, do homework, etc.. so you don't have a panic attack about not having enough time to finish things.  Organizing your binders will also help you to not stress because you always know where everything is, and don't have to worry about things getting lost. 

I have really enjoyed freshman english with all of y'all and am going to miss our crazy class.  I hope that we have some classes together next year!  Have a good summer! 

Class Participation- 4th Quarter

Throughout the 4th quarter of freshman year, I have been a very good participant in English class.  I consistently come to class prepared with everything I need, such as my notebook, writing utensils, homework and anything we are working on in class.  I always wait to be dismissed, and never pack up before Dr. D allows us to.  First semester, I wasn't very good about using my time between classes to go to the bathroom and to my locker, but I have definitely improved on that this semester.  If I ever have a question about something, I never hesitate to email Dr. D, using appropriate email format and etiquette.  I check the website at least once a day, if not more, so I know what is coming up in class.  I am very good about turning in assignments at the beginning of class on the day they are due, because you loose points for every day it is late, and it is never good to throw away points.  I have a positive attitude in class and cooperate with the teacher and my peers.

It is rare when I don't have a lot to say in whole class class discussions, because usually I am a very active participant in them.  I contribute helpful comments in the discussions, and try not to get the class of topic by saying something irrelevant.  When Dr. D is saying something important, or anything that could possibly show up somewhere on a test, I write it down.  It is definitely a clue that taking notes would be a good idea when she writes things on the board.  In the past, I have struggled a little with engaging in side conversations, but I've been working on it.  But, sometimes it can become difficult not to make a comment to your friends when something funny happens when we're acting out Macbeth or something like that.

My feelings about individual and group work are very different.  When I am working on something by myself, I get a lot more done than if I were in a group because there are no distractions.  I am always more focused and it is much easier to concentrate on the assignment.  I rarely ever get off task when I work individually.  In group work however, I feel like I spend more time saying "okay guys we really have to get some work done" than actually getting work done!  I am usually the one who tries to keep everyone focused, which can get annoying after a while.  I don't like when I do all the work and other people get credit for doing nothing.  I don't distract others when we do individual or group work because I want to get my work done so it doesn't pile up.  I follow instructions and always try my best.

I think my participation in English class has been very good throughout the entire year, but I definitely did my best to really engage myself and finish out strong in the 4th quarter.  Usually when school is coming to an end is when I start to slack off and get lazy because I am so excited for summer.  But, this year during the last quarter, I have been more motivated than ever.  I think that it may have something to do with the fact that exams are coming up, and I am trying to keep my quarter grades high so they won't be as stressful.  I haven't really noticed a change in my participation this year; it has been pretty consistent all year.  Next year as a sophomore, I will use some of the same strategies I used this year in English class to be successful in all of my classes!

Lady Macbeth's Perspective

All I want is to be queen.  I want to be rich, famous, and powerful.  I want to rule over all of Scotland, and I will do whatever it takes to do it.  Who cares if I have to kill a few people along the way?  All that matters is that I get what I want; and what I want is for Duncan to die so that my husband and I can take the throne for ourselves.  However I have to admit, when my husband told me that those three crazy witches told him he was going to be king, I was a bit doubtful.  Is he lying?  Maybe he's gone crazy?  Nevermind the reason, I'm still taking full advantage of the opportunity.

Now I just have to get my husband to support me in my plot to murder Duncan.  He's such a coward; he's suppost to be the man in the relationship and he's afraid to simply kill someone?  Please.  I mean, I could do it myself, but he needs to learn to toughen up and fight for what we want.  I haven't exactly thought about what we'll do after the task of killing Duncan is done, but I'm sure I'll come up with something.  Besides, all that matters is that I'm queen.

Outside Reading Reflection

It is hard to believe that freshman year is coming to an end.  It feels like it was just yesterday that the class of 2015 gathered in the chapel on orientation day to be welcomed into high school.  This year, I have learned a lot about myself as a reader, and my perspective on reading has definitely changed.  I had never really enjoyed reading that much because I never had the time/patience to make myself sit down and read.  I don't know what it was, but reading and I just didn't "click."  However, over the course of the year, I have read a variety of new and different kinds of books that have made me think differently about reading in general.

One thing that I have really developed and improved on as a reader this year is my ability to analyze writing.  I was introduced to this concept last year when we read Romeo and Juliet, but my skills have advanced so much further this year.  We analyzed 3 books this year: Lord of the Flies, Nervous Conditions, and Macbeth.  We had to annotate each of these, and identify specific things that stood out such as characterization, plot, setting, theme, etc...Doing this allowed me to look at the writing in a whole new way, and really read between the lines.  It was so interesting to me how in Lord of the Flies, everything symbolized something.  Now after so much practice, annotating comes naturally to me; it's like I know exactly what to look for.  I have enjoyed outside and class reading this year and can't wait to see what books are in store for sophomore year!

Outside Reading:

Macbeth: 1 hour

Short Story book in Dr. D's classroom: 30-40 min.

Writing Wrap- Up

Writing has always come fairly naturally to me, and is definitely one of my favorite things to focus on in English class. There is no end to the knowledge that you can acquire about writing, because there are so many different styles and genres of it.  This year, I was introduced to many new kinds of writing, such as literacy narratives, profiles, literacy analysis, and research papers.  Since these were all new and unfamiliar concepts, some components of these essays were especially challenging and confusing to me.  Fortunately, I received insightful, and helpful feedback on my papers that made me more aware of my strengths and weaknesses in my writing, and also gave me ideas about how to expand on them.

Throughout my English career, I have become very familiar with the 6 traits of writing.  I cannot remember the last time I wrote an essay without first referring to a rubric that elaborated on them.  While the concepts remain the same each year, the requirements to achieve a perfect score become more difficult.  As I was looking back over my essays from this year, I noticed patterns in my writing that displayed my strengths and weaknesses in the categories of ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions.

My essays this year were consistent in the categories of voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions, but my performance in the categories of ideas and organization varied.  Voice and conventions are things that have never really burdened me when writing.  I am usually good about using an engaging and unique voice in my writing, and keeping the essay “business professional”.  Working with peer groups throughout the process of writing our essays was especially helpful when it came to checking for convention errors.  Since you read your own writing so many times, you often miss small errors when editing.  But when others read it, they can catch those mistakes more easily.  I think that acting as an editor for my peers made me more aware of how easy it is to make mistakes when writing, and that knowledge is what helped me earn high scores in this category.  I noticed that I received 9.5’s out of 10 in both of those categories in my Literacy Narrative, but in the rest of my essays, I received 10’s in them.  This didn’t really come as a surprise to me since the Literacy Narrative was the first essay we wrote this year.  I guess that just goes to show that practice does make perfect.

Word choice and sentence fluency are the icing on the cake of a good paper.  After you have produced an essay that gets the message across clearly and you have all of the details on the page, you can work with these things to jazz your essay up and make it sound better.  The words you choose when writing a paper can make it or break it; this is why I spend the most time on word choice.  Even though I have scored 10’s in this category on all of my papers this year, this was definitely the category that frustrated me the most.  It is sometimes very difficult to go back and replace general, everyday words with sophisticated and interesting words.  In almost every essay I wrote, I would stare off into space for minutes, racking my brain trying to come up with vocabulary that would pull the reader in.  I definitely noticed that with each essay I wrote, the words became more challenging captivating.  My vocabulary this year has improved greatly, and I know that it will pay off on all of the essays that I will write in the future.  Sentence fluency also increases the quality of an essay through elements of sound.  You can play around with the length and structures of sentences to create a pleasant rhythm.  Often times, I used short, or repeated sentence types to emphasize things.  I didn’t really improved or worsen in this category this year; my scores were consistent with 10’s for the entire year.

The ideas and organization of a paper change depending on the topic. Experimenting with new and different ways to convey ideas and organize my thoughts have allowed me to grow as a writer and as a thinker this year.  The fact that ideas vary from essay to essay definitely accounted for the diversity of my scores in this category.  I got 10’s in ideas in the literacy narrative, profile, and literacy analysis.  In the research paper however, the results in the category that I had always aced were drastically different.  I received a B in thesis, an A in support, and a C in source quality.  Since this was my first time incorporating a thesis statement into a paper, I was no expert at it.  My topic also made it a little tricky to compose a well-written thesis that met all the requirements, without confusing the reader.  Regardless of the grade, the comments from my peers and teacher about how to correct my mistakes were very helpful and will improve the overall quality of my thesis statements.  I was very pleased with the A that I received in the support category of my research paper, but frustrated when I saw that I made a C in source quality.  Using search engines didn’t give me much luck, so I migrated to “less-reliable” sources such as about.com and shmoop.com.  I know that this probably wasn’t the best way to go about researching my topic, but these sources did provide me with a wide range of details.  The next time I write a research paper, I will be sure to use more reliable sources such as established journals, and news organizations.  Considering that I had no idea what a thesis statement was, or how to write a research paper before this year, I am very proud of how far I have come in both of those things since the beginning of the year.

The feedback I acquired about the organization of my essays this year was a little misleading at first, but after I discussed it more with my teacher, it became much clearer and more helpful.  I had always assumed that the organization of a paper dealt strictly with the order that the information was presented in, completely forgetting that it can also have to do with the content of each paragraph.  I scored a B in organization on my literacy analysis for making that simple mistake; I failed to effectively introduce my quotes.  This was the first time I had worked with introducing and embedding quotations in my sentences throughout an entire essay, so it was a little confusing.  My teacher told me it would be helpful to give more context of the story when introducing my quotes, so it is easier to understand the significance of them.

I have taken the WrAP test every year since 3^rd or 4^th grade, so I was very comfortable with the test by the time I took it at the beginning of this year.  The WrAP is basically a writing assessment test that measures your ability to interpret and respond to a prompt.  The test is scored using a 6-point rubric that focuses on 6 traits of writing: overall development, organization, support, sentence structure, word choice, and mechanics.  I received 4’s in the categories of overall development, organization, sentence structure, and word choice.  I scored a 3.5 in mechanics, and a 3 in support.  I am not pleased with the results of my test because I know that I did not reach my full potential and could have done much better; my scores were actually lower than last year!  I feel that my scores are a reflection of the short time period that we were given to work.  If we had been given more time, I could have further expanded on my ideas, and paid closer attention to careless mistakes such as spelling and punctuation.  Despite the scores, this test was definitely a learning experience for me because the mistakes I made this year will make me a better writer next year. 

Whether you are an actor, athlete, or writer, there is always room for improvement in anything you do.  It is interesting to watch your skills continue to develop over time as you practice those things.  At the beginning of the year, I felt that I was an exceptional writer, but I also knew that there was much that I had yet to learn.  As the year progressed, I saw my writing becoming more mature, and sophisticated.  As I looked back over my essays from this year, I felt very proud of what I had accomplished.  The goals that I have set for myself for next year include correcting the small grammatical errors that I always tend to make, and earning a 100% on at least one of my essays.  Over the course of the year, I have taken on new challenges and developed skills that have made me a stronger, and more confident writer.     

Common Errors List

1.) Forgetting articles

·      Ex from Literacy Narrative: “I used writing as form of therapy.”

·      I left out the article “a”

2.) Fragments

·      Ex from Literacy Narrative: “Writing about a personal experience, how hard could that be?”

·      This sentence does not have a subject, making it a fragment

3.) Misuse of semicolons

·      Ex from Profile: “He collected butterflies, grasshoppers, and beetles; basically anything that he could get his hands on.”

·       I didn’t have an independent clause on each side of the semicolon, so it doesn’t work there

4.) Punctuation outside quotations

·      Ex from Profile: “He would take the wings of a butterfly and attach it to the body of the beetle, and make crazy “concoctions”, as he said.”

·      The comma should have gone inside of the quotations around “concoctions”

5.) MLA format

·      Ex from Profile: Discoveries

·      I underlined the title of my essay, which does not follow proper MLA format

6.) Introducing quotes

·      Ex from Literacy Analysis: “As the girls start to feel more comfortable around each other again, Livy reveals a secret to Melanie.  “I want to be just like him…do what he did.  I want to paint and sculpt” (9).

·      I should have used a colon here to introduce the quote

Outside Reading

3 hours, 27 pages, Biology textbook

"Umbrella" by Rihanna

I chose to analyze the song "Umbrella" by Rihanna for my song analysis.  I have heard this song many times, but this is the first time that I have listened to it and noticed many poetic techniques that are included in it.  These techniques are used to convey meanings and feelings in a way that has a catchy sound, but still gives the song a deeper meaning; one that I hadn't really noticed until now.  In the song, Rihanna is telling Jay-Z that she will protect him with her umbrella:

Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella

Umbrellas protect people from the rain, so it sort of has a double meaning.  Rihanna and Jay-Z are both celebrities who are constantly in the public eye, so I assume she is protecting him from the criticism from the media.  I also noticed the personification of the "world dealing cards"; she is assuring him that whatever gets thrown at him, she will be there by his side protecting him.  However, she also says that she will be there with him in the good times too:

Because when the sun shines, we'll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be your friend
Took an oath, I'ma stick it out to the end

One of the most unique things about the song "Umbrella" and one of my favorite parts is the part where Rihanna exaggerates the ending of the word umbrella:

You can stand under my umbrella
(Ella ella, ay ay ay)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella, ay ay ay)
Under my umbrella

(Ella ella, ay ay ay)

Under my umbrella 

(Ella ella, ay ay ay ay, ay ay)

This is repeated multiple times throughout the song, and serves as a reminder of the importance of the umbrella.  As I was reading through the lyrics of the song, I noticed many patterns such as the repetition of certain words, syllables, rhymes, and consonance.  Some important words that were repeated were raining, pouring, shines, ever, and of course, umbrella.  In fact, in the last stanza, "It's pouring rain" and "Come into me" were alternated back and forth in each line.  In each stanza, the first word has one syllable.  The usage of syllables is very important because it gives the song rhythm.  The number of times that consonance is used in this song is too many to count.  One example is when she says "your part of my entity, here for infinity."  The rhyme scheme in this song is very evident, and you can find at least one or two rhymes in each stanza.  I found it very interesting and cool that so many different elements can be used in just one song to give it a whole new meaning.  

Dollhouse: A-Not-So-Fairy Tail Wedding

Happy Easter everyone!
I hope everyone is enjoying their spring break, and Easter Sunday!  I have been doing a lot of reading over the break so far, and I actually finished my book!  The final chapters of Dollhouse were filled family drama and chaos that centered around a televised wedding, crazy nightclub parties, and a huge secret that could potentially tear the family apart.  As the book came to an end, I continued to notice more similarities between the events in the story, and the family's actual lives.

I'm sure that everyone remembers the infamous "Kardashian Wedding" that was all over the news last summer.  Well, Kamille (who identifies the most with Kim) has her own "fairy tail wedding" in the book.  She is marrying the love of her life, Chase Goodall.  Since the couple had gotten so much attention from the media about the engagement, Kamille's agent decided that everything leading up to the wedding, and the actual ceremony, should be broadcasted for the whole world to see.  There were many things about Kamille and Chase's wedding that were almost exactly like Kim and Kris's wedding.  For example, Kamille's wedding dress was designed by Vera Wang, just like Kim's.  Both Kim and Kamille's weddings were televised.  Kim and Kris's marriage ended after 72 days; Kamille didn't even make it to the altar.  Even though neither of the marriages worked out, they both definitely fit in the category of an "over-the-top-Hollywood-wedding."

Outside Reading:
Dollhouse- 3 hrs. & 18 min.
Poetry book- 30 min.

Life in the Spotlight

I have really liked beginning English class with outside reading time for the past couple of weeks because it is a good and easy way to complete your 150 minutes of reading for the week.  As my reading of Dollhouse continues, the author has given details on the ups-and-downs of life in the spotlight and what being a celebrity in Hollywood is really all about.  Now that Kamille's modeling career has taken off, she has become an instant celebrity and the new "it girl" of Hollywood.  She is attending red carpet events, fashion shows, and photo shoots.  If you read my last blog post, you know that she has also started dating a professional baseball player named Chase.  The couple is constantly being talked about in the tabloids and rumors are always being spread.  One of these rumors however, pushed the couple a little too far.  It was reported that Chase was seen cheating on Kamille with another girl, and when Kamille learned this, she was not happy.  In fact, this rumor actually caused the end of their relationship.

The fact that Kamille believed the story was a little ironic because every other time the media has said something about Chase, she has brushed it aside claiming that "the stuff in the tabloids are never true."  So what was so different about this time?  Reading this made me realize how difficult being a celebrity really is.  At some point in everyones' lives, we all want to be famous, but if you really think about it, having a camera in your face all the time and people constantly surrounding you must get pretty annoying.  I know that I definitely need to have time to myself, so I could never imagine having to deal with never being left alone, like many of the celebrities in Hollywood have to.

"My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke

The whiskey on your breath                      1
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.

We romped until the pans                        5
Slid from the kitchen shelf;
My mother's countenance
Could not unfrown itself.

The hand that held my wrist                      9
Was battered on one knuckle;
At every step you missed
My right ear scraped a buckle.

You beat time on my head                        13
With a palm caked hard by dirt,
then waltzed me off to bed
Still clinging to your shirt.

I chose to read and analyze "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke because, let's be honest, it was the shortest.  But as I read it, I discovered that it was a good choice for many other reasons.  One thing that I always like for poems to do is rhyme, and this poem does a very good job with that.  When we first began to read poetry in elementary school, we were taught that poetry had to rhyme; that that was basically what a poem was--something that rhymed.  If a poem rhymes, it is much easier to read because it has a nice 'flowy' sound to it, and you can almost read it as if it were a song.  The rhyme scheme in this poem is a-b-a-c-d-e-f-e-g-h-g-h-i-j-i-j.  This tells us that about every other line in the poem is a rhyme.  Another element of sound that really stood out to me was the pattern of syllables.  Each line of the poem begins with a word that is one syllable.  The syllable pattern in the first and second stanzas is 6,7,6,7.  In the third stanza, it is 6,6,6,6.  The pattern for the fourth is 6,7,6,6.  While some of the stanzas may have slightly different syllable patterns, they are all generally the same.  The tense of the poem also stood out to me in terms of what the poem sounded like.  Words such as "romped", "battered", "scraped", and "waltzed", words that all end in "ed", tell us that it is written in the past tense.

Since we started the poetry unit, I have been introduced to many new poetry terms, which I was able to recognize and apply in this poem.  One main thing that we have pointed out a lot while reading poetry is "enjambment", or line breaks in the middle of a phrase.  There are examples of enjambment in stanzas 2, 3, and 4.  In stanza two, it is between "pans" & "slid"(lines 5-6), and "countenance" & "could"(lines 7-8).  In stanza three, it is between "wrist" & "was"(lines 9-10), and "missed" & "my"(lines 11-12).  In stanza four, it is between "head" & "with"(lines 13-14), and "bed" & "still"(lines 15-16).  The enjambment always falls between the first and last words of the lines.  Similes and personification were two main parts of speech that I found in this poem.  "But I hung on like death" (line 3) is the simile, and "my mother's countenance" is being personified in line 7 because it is described as being unable to "frown on itself."  I was confused when the word "unfrown" was used in line 8 because when I looked it up in the dictionary it could not be found;  I wonder why the author used a word that doesn't really exist.

The usage of imagery was also very clear and interesting to me in this poem.  There were many examples of it, but one particular one was in line 10: "battered on one knuckle."  This is referring to the wrist of the person the author is dancing with (probably an adult since it said they were drinking whisky in the first line of the poem.)  When I read this, I imagined a big hand with scrapes and cuts all over it.  I also pictured a bandage on the hand covering a wound.  Punctuation is not something that tends to really stand out in poetry, but it definitely caught my eye in this poem.  The first time I read through the poem, I noticed that the second line of each stanza ended with a semicolon, and the last line ended with a period.  But as a looked more closely, I noticed that this was not the way each stanza was structured.  In the first stanza, line three ends with a colon.  In stanza four, the second line ends with a comma, rather than a semicolon.
As a result of analyzing and looking more closely at this poem, I became more aware of small things in the poem that I probably wouldn't have noticed before.

Literary Rally and "Out of this World" Dance

On Saturday morning, I woke up early and drove to Southeastern University in Hammond to participate in the district Literary Rally.  I had never been before, so this was a new experience for me, and I had no idea what to expect.  I assumed that everyone would go into a big room, take the test, and just leave.  But it turned out that it was actually a big festival!  There were many booths set up for each subject (science, history, math, etc...), and there was music and games too.  I was surprised by the amount of people that were there.  I was competing in the category of English I, along with about 100 other students.  Even though I did not qualify for the state rally, I was very happy to have experienced what literary rally was all about.

Saturday night was the Baton Rouge Cotillion spring dance.  The theme was "out of this world", which is like space and aliens.  I had a little trouble finding an outfit that fit this theme, but eventually came up with something.  When we got to the River Center, which was where the dance was, we got lost in a bowling alley and walked around for about 10 minutes before we actually found the party.  I saw many crazy costumes, such as avatar and astronaut suits, and glow-in-the-dark pants!  It ended up being a really fun and crazy night!

Dollhouse: Boy Crazy

Hello Block 2!
This week, I continued reading Dollhouse, and am really enjoying it!  Even though the sisters in the book have very different personalities, they all share a common interest in one particular thing--boys!  Kamille, who seems to have all the luck, met Chase, a professional baseball player at one of her red carpet appearances, and it was love at first sight!  Kamille is convinced that Chase is the perfect guy; she is smitten with his good looks, charm, and caring personality.  But her mom has a different opinion.  From what she has read in the tabloids, she thinks that Chase is a player with a bad reputation, and doesn't want her daughter to get hurt by getting too serious with him.  But, she wants Kamille to be happy, so she agrees to give him a chance.  

Kass has come out of her shell in the last couple of chapters, and she too has met someone; a boy named Eduardo from her Economics class.  She is very excited to finally be dating and having fun again, away from all the studying and stress of school.  Her family is happy for her too.  Kyle's love-life, however, is a little bit stranger than her sisters'.  Since she was having trouble in school, and her grades were suffering, so her parents decided to get her a tutor.  They thought that her step brother, Benjy, would be perfect for the job; he is smart, responsible, and lives right down the hall!  As they're study sessions continue, they begin to grow fonder of one another.  That "fondness" eventually turns into a romantic passion.  I was very surprised when I was reading this part of the book because Kyle and Benjy are step siblings, and this seemed very inappropriate.

Outside Reading:
Poetry book: 15-20 min
Dollhouse: 2 hours- 53 pages

Projects, Projects, Projects...

This week has been a week centered around projects.  On Wednesday, we have a World History project due, and two English projects due before spring break.  I know many of my fellow classmates are feeling just as stressed out as I have, and it definitely has not been easy trying to balance all of these projects.  But, I have learned that waiting until the last minute doesn't make things any easier...if anything it causes more stress!  That is why I have been doing my best to stay organized and on top of things.

For the World History project, we were put into groups of 5 or 6 people, and assigned a section number from the textbook.  Using the given information, we had to create a fake TV show that explains the information and answers historical questions in an entertaining, but informative way.  The two English projects are a Nervous Conditions project and a Global Issues project.  Both of the projects are very different, yet similar.  They both require creativity, and knowledge of what we have already learned.  I hope that I'll be able to easily finish all of the projects, and make good grades on them too!

Dollhouse

This week, I started my first outside reading book of the fourth quarter called Dollhouse by Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe Kardashian.  I decided to read this book because I absolutely love their show, and since they have such a crazy and funny family, I knew their book would be fun to read!  Before I began the book, I assumed that it would be based on the actual sisters' lives, but that was not the case.  Dollhouse is based on fictional characters, who's lives resemble the Kardashians.  The story is centered around three sisters, Kamille, Kass, and Kyle.  Their mom, Kat, got remarried after the girls' father died when they were younger.  The family owns a restaurant called Cafe' Romero, and the entire family works there together.

One of the reasons why I am enjoying this book so much is because it is cool to see how each character is so much like the real Kardashians.  For example, Kat is exactly like Kris Jenner because she is the head of the family, and cares about her kids more than anything!  Kamille reminds me a lot of Kim because she is often described as "the prettiest sister", just like the real Kim is.  Each sister has their own distinct personality and does their own thing.  Kass is very into her school work and cares a lot about grades.  She is at the top of her class at USC, and has big plans for the future.  Kyle is a rebellious teenager who does everything to try to get under her mom's skin.  Kamille is all about the looks and fashion, and being in the spotlight.  In the first 5 chapters of the book, she was offered a modeling job for a big modeling agency.  Even though the family disagrees sometimes and has arguments, they will always be there for each other in the end.

Outside Reading:
Dollhouse- 150 min, 75 pages

3 Day Weekend!

Hey Block 2!

I hope y'all all enjoyed having a long break this weekend, because I know I did!  It was nice to get to relax and enjoy time with friends and family.  On Friday, I went to the mall with my friend Caroline because I really needed to get some new clothes for spring/summer.  It's always exciting to buy summer stuff because it's a reminder that it's right around the corner!  I was surprised by how many EHS people we saw there; well I guess I shouldn't have been because what else is there to do on a rainy Friday off of school?  After that, we went back to my house and had a crawfish boil with friends and family.

Saturday afternoon, I went to my friend Anna's house, which was very fun!  Saturday felt like Sunday, since we had already had a day off of school!  Sunday was a very lazy day, but I did get a lot accomplished.  I got my homework done early so that I had time to practice cheer stuff later.  The only bad thing about the weekend was that Sunday daylight savings time started, and we turned the clocks back an hour, which means one less hour of sleep.  I really enjoyed the 3 day weekend and hope that we get another one soon!

Nervous Conditions Test

We don't usually take tests in English class, but to end the third quarter, we took a two-part test on "Nervous Conditions".  I wasn't that worried about the test because I had read and understood the book, and paid attention to the class discussions.  To prepare for the test, Dr. deGravelles went over specific details from the book that we needed to know, and made prezis for us to review.  The main things that I studied for the test were theme, characteristics of main characters, and the importance of the structure of the story.

Going into the test was a little nerve-wracking just because I knew there was a lot of writing involved, and we had a limited amount of time.  I am usually pretty good with time management, but since you had to really think about how you were going to answer the question, it took me a little longer.  It is definitely much easier to think of a well-developed answer when you have more time and aren't under so much pressure.  I actually thought that part II was easier than part I because part I was a lot longer, and the questions were trickier.  Part I consisted of multiple choice, 5 short answer questions, and analyzing quotes from the book.  In part II, you had to do a close-reading of a passage from the story, write a literary analysis, and answer a short answer question.  You definitely had to remember and display skills that we had already learned earlier in the year in order to do well on this test.  Overall, I felt that I was prepared and hope that my final grade shows it!

Outside Reading:
Tuesday: Biology book- 3 hours, 23 pages

Cheer Tryouts

Like my fellow classmate Melissa Sadler, I am also very excited/nervous for cheer tryouts.  I can't believe that it is almost time to tryout again, because it seems like the season just ended! This year, I was a member of the JV Fall Cheerleading Squad; the team that cheers at the JV football games.  I absolutely loved cheering this year because I learned a lot about teamwork, and became more responsible.  I also became a lot closer to the other 13 girls on the team.  Cheering this year was definitely one of the best parts of Freshman year, and I really hope that I will make the team again, and have the opportunity to become an even better cheerleader next year!

To prepare for tryouts, which are in about 2 weeks, I have been stretching, and practicing my jumps and tumbling.  I hadn't really stretched since the season ended in November, and I found that I was extremely tight.  I am a little worried about tryouts because there are many 8th grade girls trying out who do competitive cheer, and are very good.  But, since I was on the team last year, I have a good chance of making it.  I am really looking forward to tryouts and getting back into cheer again.

Nervous Conditions: The Final Chapters

Hey Guys!
I can't believe that "Nervous Conditions" has already come to an end!  In the final chapters of the book, the doors to the past were closed, and the doors to the future were opened.  In chapters 9 and 10, we witnessed Tambu make a huge transition in her education that not only impacted her, but everyone around her.  In the beginning of chapter 9, some nuns from the prestigious Catholic school Sacred Heart come to the mission to recruit some girls for scholarships.  Everyone is a little nervous, because they have had no time to prepare for the test that was given by the nuns.  However, Tambu is is confident because she is ahead of her peers in both general knowledge and ability.  Her natural talents pay off when she is given the scholarship to attend Sacred Heart.  But, not everyone is as thrilled with her acceptance as she is.  Nyasha, Babamukuru, and her mother are all against Tambu going to Sacred Heart, but eventually Babamukuru gives in, and allows her to go.

Tambu cannot wait to begin her new life at Sacred Heart.  Excitement, anticipation, elation, and exultation are all feelings that overwhelm her on the drive to the school.  The campus is like a different world to her.  She is in awe of the beautiful grounds, and striking architectural detail.  Everything seems perfect.  Something, however, seems a little strange to Tambu.  No one offered to carry her bags for her, but they carried the white girls' bags.  Also, she must share a room with the 5 other African American girls at the school, instead of getting her own room like the white girls.  I wondered why the people at the school were treating her like an outsider, when they were the ones that offered her a scholarship.  For the next couple of months while they are apart, Nyasha writes letters to Tambu, updating her on things happening at home.  But Tambu, distracted by her new, exciting life, doesn't pay much attention to them.  When Tambu returns to the mission for a few days while on break, she notices that Nyasha has grown noticeably thinner, and is acting very strange.  She is worried about her cousin, and asks Babamukuru if she can stay a little longer at the mission to look after her.  One night, Nyasha has what seemed like a mental breakdown, and goes crazy!  The family decides to take her to a psychiatrist, who provides her with pills to calm her down help her get better.  Over  the next couple of weeks, Nyasha's condition improves, and Tambu returns to Sacred Heart.  I really enjoyed reading this book, and felt that it made me a much stronger, and overall better reader.

Outside Reading:
Thursday: NC- 48 min
Sunday: NC- 54 min

Family Feuds: Nervous Conditions

Chapters 6 and 7 of "Nervous Conditions" were filled with dramatic fights, arguments, and family drama.  It was evident from the first time we were introduced to Nyasha that she had a rebellious side, especially towards Babamukuru, but in chapter 6, it escalated to a whole new level.  I was completely shocked when I read that she and Babamukuru, her own father, were punching and hitting each other.  What was most shocking about this fight was that it was over something very dumb and pointless.  I think that the fight ended up being so intense because both Nyasha and Babamukuru are very stubborn and set in their ways, and neither of them were willing to back down.  

The fighting had only just begun at this point.  When Babamukuru and the family returned to the homestead for the Christmas holidays, they were greeted with the ongoing family feud between Babamukuru's cousin Takesure and Tambu's aunt Lucia. Lucia and Takesure had an affair, and Lucia got pregnant.  However, she is telling everyone that it is Jeremiah's child and not Takesure's.  This disagreement has resulted in a dare, and the truth is clear to no one.  Babamukuru eventually settles the problem himself.  These two chapters have shown that families can have arguments, but when they get out of hand, that's when the real trouble starts.

Outside Reading:

Sunday: NC-2 hours

Monday: NC- 3 hours

Virgin Gorda

Hello Block 2!
I hope everyone had a relaxing Mardi Gras break and is ready to finish out the third quarter strong!  As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, last week my family and I traveled to the caribbean island of Virgin Gorda.  I had never been to the caribbean before, or to any island for that matter, so this trip was especially exciting!  Getting there, however, wasn't easy; it actually took about 24 hours!  But, when I finally stepped off of the plane and saw the ocean, palm trees, and sandy beaches, it was all worth it.

We had to take a boat from the island of Tortola to where we were staying on Virgin Gorda.  As we sailed along through the bright blue water, my excitement increased even more!  I was so anxious to lay in the sun, and play in the sand.  After we settled in, we took a drive around the island.  The entire island is only 8 sq miles, and only takes 20 minutes to drive from one end to the other!  There were so many highlights of this trip that it is impossible to describe all of them.  But, some of my favorites were visiting The Baths, a tourist attraction famous for its incredible ocean-caves and cliffs, and snorkeling on Cooper Island.  This was an unforgettable trip and I cannot wait to go back.  But, always remember to wear sunscreen, because sunburns aren't fun!

Shoulda Been a Knight

On Friday night, EHS faced off against their rivals, U-High, in three unforgettable basketball games.  Both the boys and girls teams played amazingly, and when it came down to it, were victorious.  Sports are a pretty big deal at Episcopal, and usually draw a large amount of fans to the games.  But, when we play U-High, the fan count is probably doubled.

The theme for the game on Friday was "Silent Knight and Camo".  When I heard about this, I was very confused about what it meant...well at least the silent knight part.  Later in the week, we got an email with a youtube video attached, which demonstrated what silent night, or "knight", was.  After watching it, I couldn't wait to do it at the game.  The entire crowd (or at least the Episcopal fans) are completely silent until we score our tenth point of the game.  And then, we go crazy.  That is exactly what happened at the game.  When the ball went into the goal scoring our 10th point, everyone shot up out of their seats and cheered as loud as we could.  The game was very fun and exciting, and I am looking forward to the next game!

Nervous Conditions 1-3

Hey Everybody!
This week, we having been moving along in "Nervous Conditions", and so far I am enjoying it.  We have read chapters 1-3, and have already learned so much about Tambu, the narrator, and other various bits of background information about the plot and characters.  We have even identified instances of theme in the book.  Tambu opens the story with a very powerful line: "I was not sorry when my brother died."  After reading this, I already had a million questions running through my head.  How did her brother die?  Why isn't she sorry?  Did she have something to do with it?  How will this play out in the rest of the story?  In the remained of chapter 1, and in chapters 2 & 3, we witness the rudeness, jealousy, and arguing that is Tambu and Nhamo's (her brother) relationship.

Tambu is very smart and yearns to go to school, but Nhamo, being the older male in the family, gets to go instead.  Nahmo's attitude has changed as a result of him getting to go to the prestigious boarding school.  He is cocky, rude to his siblings, and is losing touch with his culture.  Nhamo teases Tambu about it, and tells her that she better get used to the fact that she will never be anything more than a housewife.  Even Tambu's parents tell her that.  She is discouraged, but refuses to give up.  Tambu and Nhamo's father has a similar relationship with his older brother, Babamukuru.  Babamukuru is the leader in their family; he is even referred to as "our prince" by his relatives.  He is given this title because he is well educated, wealthy, and provides for the rest of his family.  After analyzing these situations in class, we posed the question: Are Nhamo and Babamukuru the way they are because of their natural character, or because of the situations they have been placed in?

Outside Reading:
Monday: NC- 73 min
Tuesday: NC- 20 min
Wednesday: Peer Reviews: 1 hour & 45 min
Thursday: NC- 48 min

Halftime Show

Most of you probably watched the Super Bowl tonight, which resulted in the Giants taking the title of national champions!  Sadly, I was unable to watch the game because I was studying for my World History test that I have tomorrow.  However, I did take a little study break to watch the halftime performance.  The Superbowl is known for putting on the best halftime shows.  In 2010, when the New Orleans Saints won the Superbowl, the Black Eyed Peas gave an incredible, and very memorable performance.  This year, the performance was one that will go down in history.

What's better than having one celebrity singer?  Having four celebrity singers!  Madonna, Nicki Minaj, M.I.A., and Cee-Lo Green all shared center stage during the 2012 Super Bowl halftime show.  The performance was show-stopping, to stay the least.  Complete with outrageous costumes, energetic songs, and an impressive tight-rope walker, this show was one of the best I've ever seen!  I can't even imagine what the energy in the arena was like.  I can't wait for next year's Super Bowl, and another unforgettable halftime show.

A New Book

Hello Everyone!
I was very excited to begin another class reading book this week.  We have been so busy with writing papers, and other rigorous tasks, that it was nice to slow down a bit with a book.  The title of the story is "Nervous Conditions", by Tsitsi Dangaremba.  I knew that the story was set in Africa, so I thought that the title might be referring to a girl in Africa who is nervous about something, because of the conditions she is living in.  After discussing all of the possible meanings of the words "nervous" and "conditions" in class, I have a much broader sense of what the title might actually mean.  I really enjoyed the first two chapters of the book, and am anxious to read more.

"Nervous Conditions" wasn't the only thing related to English class that I was focused on this week.  The rough draft of our global issues paper is due on Monday February, 6th, and that definitely kept me busy!  Since I had already completed the research, and written a detailed outline for the paper, I assumed that writing it all up would be a piece of cake.  I was wrong.  After staring a a blank word document for hours, unable to come up with the right words to put it all together, I realized that something was missing.  This made me come up with a new thesis statement, and a new idea to focus my paper around.  I still have the same topic, except now it relates more to the present, instead of just rehashing events from the past.  Even though it required a little extra time, I am pleased with the outcome of my rough draft.

Outside Activity:
Monday: rough draft-15 min
Wednesday: NC- 54 min
Thursday: NC- 67 min & rough draft- 20 min
Saturday: rough draft- 4 hours
Sunday: rough draft- 3 hours

Mardi Gras!

Mardi Gras is right around the corner, and I couldn't be more excited!  It's the time of year for beads, king cakes, parades, and costumes; not to mention a break from school too.  Ever since I was a kid, Mardi Gras has always been one of my favorite holidays.  I just love the festive colors, exciting parades, and of course, getting to spend time with friends and family.  I have many memorable childhood experiences from fun times during Mardi Gras, but there was one particular experience that I will never forget.

A few years ago, my dad got invited to ride in the Bacchus Parade, which is considered one of the best parades in New Orleans.  When I heard that he was going to be riding in a big float, in a crazy costume, throwing out beads, I was more excited than he was!  On the day of the parade, my whole family drove down to New Orleans early, so that we wouldn't miss any of the exciting events.  You can always find something to do in New Orleans over Mardi Gras, that's for sure!  Before all of the krewe members got on the floats, I got to take a tour around one of them!  It was incredible!  I had never seen so many beads in my life.  The actual parade lasted for about 3 hours, and my dad's float was the very last one.  It was worth the wait though, because when I was lifted up to him, he handed me about 10 bags stuffed with beads!  For an 8-year-old, this was a BIG deal.  Getting to see my dad ride in the parade, and being a part of all the chaos of Mardi Gras was definitely my favorite Mardi Gras memory.    

This year for Mardi Gras break, my family is traveling to Virgin Gorda in the Caribbean.  I have never been to the Caribbean before, and I cannot wait!

Global Issues Paper

Hey Guys!
I hope everyone's progress with their research papers have been successful so far.  This past week was a little crazy for me, trying to get everything going, but now I think I am right on track.  I accomplished a lot last week, both at school, and at home.  When we were told we would be required to create another thesis, I was a bit skeptical.  Coming up with a thesis statement for the literary analysis was hard enough; but now we had to write another one!?  Oh goodness.  Surprisingly, it was easier than I thought it would be.

While we were in the writing lab, I wrote the rough and final draft of my thesis statement, and began to work on my outline.  The conferences that I was able to have with Dr. deGravelles in class were very helpful and they reassured me that I could do this.  The 150 minutes outside of class that we were to spend working on the paper were definitely not hard to accomplish.  I completed my outline and began to work on the rough draft of the essay.  I am happy with the progress that I have made and am anxious to see what the final product will look like.

Dance Moms

When I was about two or three years old, my mom signed me up for my very first dance class.  It wasn't a dance school, it was just a little jazzercise class at our gym.  Since I was so young, I don't really remember it, but my mom tells me that I fell in love with dancing in that class.  So, she enrolled me at Powell-Moise School of Dance.  I took classes there for about 6 years, but quit because it was boring, and the teachers were mean.  It's not that I didn't like dancing; what I didn't like was the kind of dancer I was becoming at that particular studio.

Y'all are probably wondering what my childhood dance experience has to do with the title of my blog.  As many of you might know, there is a reality show on TV called "Dance Moms", and I am absolutely obsessed with it.  I don't know what makes it more interesting; the rude, but funny, dance teacher Abby Lee Miller, or the pointless drama of the "dance moms".  The reason why I chose to talk about my dance experience first is because when I was in dance, I often felt the same way these girls on the show feel.  "Dance Moms" follows 6 young dancers on their road to stardom in a studio run by a highly demanding teacher.  With their mothers by their side every step of the way, this show delivers a dramatic look at what competition season is like in this studio.  Even though the girls are teammates, they will each do whatever it takes to be on top.

Global Issues Paper

When one paper ends, another begins!  That is what seems to have been the pattern for the new year in English class.  As soon as we completed our literary analysis, we are ready to dive into writing the global issues research paper.  Since this is a project for two classes, World History and English, there is a bit more pressure on you to do your best.  We have already completed the research on our topic in World History, so now all that is left to do is write the paper in English.

My issue is the ongoing conflict between North and South Korea.  When I chose my topic, I expected the research process to be boring.  To be honest, I didn't think I would find any interest in it at all.  Surprisingly, as my research progressed, I learned things that were actually pretty interesting!  I guess that proves that you cant make judgements about something until you give it a try.  Luckily, there were plenty of articles and resources on my topic, so that made things a little easier for me.  However, I did still have to search for some of the information that we were required to have,  Now that my research is done, I feel confident in what I have found, and hope that it turns into a great essay!

Outside Reading:
The Girl With the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier- 150 min, 86 pages.

A Devastating Loss

Anytime the No.1 and No.2 football teams in the country go head to head for the National Championship, you can expect an exciting, and thrilling game.  No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama both wanted the title of National Champions, and were willing to work harder than they ever have to earn it.  Weeks before the January 9th game that would take place in the New Orleans Superdome, people from all across the country were speculating who the winner would be.  It was hard to decide considering the teams were so closely ranked.  Another thing that added to the excitement of the upcoming game was the fact that Alabama had played LSU at home on November 5, 2011, and lost.  But everyone knows that in the end there can only be one winner; and that winner was the better team.  Alabama ended up dominating LSU with a final score of 21-0.

My family and I drove down to New Orleans on the morning of Monday, January 9th.  Since the game was such a huge event that many students would be attending, school was optional.  The amount of crazy fans and excitement in the city was unbelievable!  We attended pre-game parties and tailgated until it was time to go to the stadium.  It was obvious who the winner was going to be by the third quarter, and all the LSU fans were shocked and dissappointed.  While it might have been a difficult game to watch, the experience of actually being there was one that I will never forget.

Back to School

After the very relaxing, stress-free Christmas break, going back to school was definitely not something I was looking forward to.  Although I was excited to see my friends, I was a little apprehensive about doing work again--I had gotten so used to doing nothing for two weeks!  In years past, we have always eased back into school after long breaks, but that was not the case this year.  When we returned to school, we jumped right back into things!  We immediately got to work on the Global Issues Project in World History, and our Literary Analysis in English.

We began our Literary Analysis last semester, but had to put it aside during exams.  Since we had already chosen a book, and written an outline and a thesis statement for the paper, all that was left to do was write the actual paper.  I had never written a paper like this before; I felt so lost and confused.  Thankfully, we familiarized ourselves with the characteristics of a literary analysis by going over them in class and creating a rubric.  That really helped a lot, because I now knew what I was trying to do.  Writing the analysis was tough at first, but after receiving help from my teacher and parents, I got on the right track.  I am hopeful that my paper will come together, and be a success.

Last semester for one of my outside reading books, I read "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.  I never got a chance to finish it though because of exams, and other things that were consuming my time.  Last week, I read 150 minutes and finally finished the book!

New Year's Resolutions

2011 has come and gone, and a new year is upon us.  As soon as the clock strikes midnight on January 1st,  people instantly stark looking forward to the new year, and begin thinking about what resolutions they will make to make this year the best one yet!  The beginning of a new year is also a time to reflect on the year that has ended; on the happy times, sad times, and memories you will never forget.  Whether it be to stop drinking soft drinks, stay fit, or spend more time with family and friends, the new years resolutions people make can truly change their lives forever.

Every year, I make resolutions, but I usually end up forgetting about them in a couple of months.  This year, however, I have made resolutions that I really want to stick to, especially in English.  Even though I was pleased with my work in this class last semester, there is always room for improvement.  I think the main thing that I want to improve on this semester is time management.  Since it was out first semester of high school, no one really knew what to expect, and I was definitely not prepared for what was to come.  I found that I was struggling to get things done and becoming very stressed out.  I hope that this semester I can better organize my time and plan ahead so I am not rushing to complete assignments at the last minute.