How ELA is going so far?
I think that I’m doing good in ELA but I feel that I can actually improve in this class. This year is one of the years that my passion for reading increased. Since I am required to read it helped me improve my reading habits. I like that so far for this year I have so much to talk about english class because we have done so much. I also can’t believe that we are half way through the year and everything has been going by so smoothly. I really am enjoying english class. It’s not stressful to the point I can’t handle it but it’s not easy to the point that it doesn’t matter. The stress is good stress for this class. I like that the assignments we have done have helped me a lot. I learned about This I believe essays and about reading classic novels. In general I have always struggled with english because I really enjoy math and science. However so far this year my appreciation for english has increased. Its not like any other english class I have taken its like english and art into one. I can be creative in my own way yet still learn ELA. My outcome strengths have always been Plan and Create because Im really good at planning for a final product and I’m also good at being very creative with my final product. I really plan to work on Discern, Be Precise and Conclude for the next few weeks. My plan is to improve my skills and my weaknesses. My goal is that I will be able to communicate myself more clearly because I feel that I am really good in collaborate. I like working hard with my group but I need to improve working and performing in front of people. I have many accomplishments and strengths but there are many improvements that need improvement. I can’t wait to continue ELA class because so far I really enjoy it.
My performance notebook
Macbeth reflection
When we first started the Macbeth unit I was not expecting to enjoy it. In the beginning I was really scared to read Macbeth because I knew that Shakespeare was really hard to read because of his language. Although the whole process of reading it was quite difficult it was a good challenge for me. Like always I'm surprised to learn and enjoy things I never would've thought I enjoyed. I really liked that Christy made it a whole class experience because we all learned together. It was nice that she gave us time as a class to understand Macbeth. I liked this experience because as a reader I improved. While reading I was either confused or lost. This helped me grow because I learned to be a more precise reader. It taught me to use context clues and it helped me dig deeper to find the meaning of what was being said. I also learned and improved my annotating method. This skill will definitely help me when I take my SAT. I think that I worked really hard for this unit because I was constantly analyzing the characters so that I could understand in detail what was happening. The whole time I read the play at least twice because I would get confused about the relationships between the characters. I am really proud of my work with Macbeth because in a way I was able to be more of the creative person I am. In general I love being creative in any way possible. People tell me “you worked so hard on that” and I feel like I do it’s just my way of expressing myself. I like using online resources to be creative like powerpoint or photo editing. When Christy told us that we had to perform for the end of the Macbeth unit I was terrified. I once had to act as a character and my whole experience was horrible, before I could start I stared at the audience and I automatically felt dizzy and lost my vision, I felt extremely horrible and hearing that I had to perform in front of the classroom I was terrified that it would happen again. I usually stress out a lot when I have to perform in front of an audience but for this unit I was so caught up on making everything perfect that I didn’t even have time to stress about my performance. I worked extremely hard by practicing my lines for my family, I worked hard on putting together all the different songs into 1 mp3 file, I worked hard to find the prop, and I worked hard in creating my performance notebook. I think this experience helped me learn so much because even if something might seem difficult it might be the one thing that helps you learn so much. I learned so much about subtext and how their is always something being told and it might not be obvious at first. I also learned that Shakespeare may be hard to read but if you encourage yourself to do outside research when you're confused then you might actually end up enjoying Shakespeare’s work. I really enjoyed reading Macbeth because it taught me a life lesson that one bad thing can lead you to other bad decisions and at the end the only person getting hurt is you. Macbeth wanted power and he killed people for it but everything bad he did caught up to him and he ended up dying to. For the performance I thought I wouldn't enjoy it but the hard work that my group and I put helped prepare me for the performance I think that I could've done a better job in my performance but it helped me gain confidence instead of fear. I really liked this unit now that I realize everything I learned.
Subtext art
Regents Prep Reflection
It's always good to have confidence and faith you'll succeed. In the beginning of the year I was scared
to take the English Regents because I felt that I wasn't prepared. English has always been my weakest
subject and it's the one that I am constantly working harder on then my other classes. I really enjoy
English because I just like reading and writing but sometimes I try so hard yet it's not good enough. I
think that the reason I feel this way is because I constantly doubt myself, sometimes I do good but yet I
want to do better and I don't get satisfied. This year so far has been very interesting because it's like I
understand more and I really enjoy the class. The books I have read so far have stuck with me and gave
me more inspiration to read more and even build and work on this subject more. I really enjoyed the
passed weeks because it helped me learn in a different way. I was able to learn and manage my time
so that it helped me. The passed weeks I learned alot not just for my english regents but for anything
in life. It really takes strength and your own will to get what you want. You have to be independent and
you have to know how to manage your time. If I wanted to make sure that I passed with a good grade
then I had to manage my time so that I got at least 30 minutes a day for practice. I also tried to not get
distracted because everyday counted either I was taking practice tests, writing tips, or studying my
literary elements and cheatsheets. It is true what people say "with practice you can get better". It was
a nice feeling that I knew that I had studied so much that I felt more confident to take the test. With all
the practice and studying I did I felt that I improved. With the regents prep I was able to realize that I
needed more practice in the reading comprehension and listening part that I started to take more
practice on those parts. My strengths were more on the writing parts so I concentrated the least on
those parts. I wish I had more time to practice with the poem section because I think it would have
helped me understand poetry more in depth. I really liked how you helped us prepare for our regents. I was able to use everything I learned to help my cousin who had no idea about the test. It was nice helping her because it made me realize what I remembered and what I didn't. I had study sessions with her were we shared our understandings with each other. It was nice helping her and I liked the fact that I had learned so much that I didn't even know that I knew. I think the preparations worked well for me because it was really upto me to do my work and it was helpful to get feedback from you so I could tell what I needed more practice on. I think I have so many goals for the second half of the year because it could help me grow as a person. I want to improve my grades because I am still not at the point where I am satisfied. Also because I am expected to improve my grade since you're supposed to grow throughout the year. I also definately want to read more independently because it will help me and also I started to enjoy it. Another goal I have is to improve my vocabulary and also to collabrate more with my classamtes. Overall, I haven't realized how fast this year is passing I guess time flies when you're having fun.
to take the English Regents because I felt that I wasn't prepared. English has always been my weakest
subject and it's the one that I am constantly working harder on then my other classes. I really enjoy
English because I just like reading and writing but sometimes I try so hard yet it's not good enough. I
think that the reason I feel this way is because I constantly doubt myself, sometimes I do good but yet I
want to do better and I don't get satisfied. This year so far has been very interesting because it's like I
understand more and I really enjoy the class. The books I have read so far have stuck with me and gave
me more inspiration to read more and even build and work on this subject more. I really enjoyed the
passed weeks because it helped me learn in a different way. I was able to learn and manage my time
so that it helped me. The passed weeks I learned alot not just for my english regents but for anything
in life. It really takes strength and your own will to get what you want. You have to be independent and
you have to know how to manage your time. If I wanted to make sure that I passed with a good grade
then I had to manage my time so that I got at least 30 minutes a day for practice. I also tried to not get
distracted because everyday counted either I was taking practice tests, writing tips, or studying my
literary elements and cheatsheets. It is true what people say "with practice you can get better". It was
a nice feeling that I knew that I had studied so much that I felt more confident to take the test. With all
the practice and studying I did I felt that I improved. With the regents prep I was able to realize that I
needed more practice in the reading comprehension and listening part that I started to take more
practice on those parts. My strengths were more on the writing parts so I concentrated the least on
those parts. I wish I had more time to practice with the poem section because I think it would have
helped me understand poetry more in depth. I really liked how you helped us prepare for our regents. I was able to use everything I learned to help my cousin who had no idea about the test. It was nice helping her because it made me realize what I remembered and what I didn't. I had study sessions with her were we shared our understandings with each other. It was nice helping her and I liked the fact that I had learned so much that I didn't even know that I knew. I think the preparations worked well for me because it was really upto me to do my work and it was helpful to get feedback from you so I could tell what I needed more practice on. I think I have so many goals for the second half of the year because it could help me grow as a person. I want to improve my grades because I am still not at the point where I am satisfied. Also because I am expected to improve my grade since you're supposed to grow throughout the year. I also definately want to read more independently because it will help me and also I started to enjoy it. Another goal I have is to improve my vocabulary and also to collabrate more with my classamtes. Overall, I haven't realized how fast this year is passing I guess time flies when you're having fun.
critical Lens REminders
Steps to analyzing a quote...
1.Rephrase the quote in your own words.
2.State if you agree or disagree with the quote.
3.Back it up by using books that either agree or disagree with it.
Introduction:
1.Rephrase the quote in your own words.
2.State if you agree or disagree with the quote.
3.Back it up by using books that either agree or disagree with it.
Introduction:
- When including books make sure to underline book titles and to put quotations for short stories, also make sure to include the author.
- Include what literary elements you will include (probably 2 per book), don’t just summarize what its about.
- Interpret it in your own words (step 2)
- Include a topic sentence for all body paragraphs
- Transition words between paragraphs
- Always talk about literary elements and how it supports the quote
- Restate Thesis
- Summarize everything that was said
- End in a creative way without leaving reader with many questions.
classic novels reflection
I remember in the beginning when we first were introduced to classic novels and we had a Socratic seminar about whether high schoolers should be required to read certain books. Like always there is both a good and bad reason about something. The good thing about reading classic novels is that a students vocabulary gets stronger which helps when taking tests. Also sometimes when students are required to read a book they might end up discovering that they actually like it, so if they are exposed to new types of writing they can actually discover a new interest. A bad thing is that it is sometimes so boring because of the language that it can cause students to simply not read the book. Just like in the beginning I still think that it’s both good and bad that students are required to read certain texts. My reason for this is because reading classic texts can actually make you analyze the text in depth which can actually help prepare you for test (like SAT, and English Regents). Another thing is that classic text to me sometimes have really deep meanings and themes that after reading them constantly reminds me more of life and I always think back to these texts. While reading these classic texts I had a really good experience because it made me realize that the actual topic of the book is similar to what we read today, its simply the difference of the actual language. I actually did not expect to like the classic novels but in reality I really enjoyed my experience while reading, and actually finishing them.
I liked reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte because it was kind of like any other love story that always has a conflict and some how in the end it is solved and ends happily. The reason I liked this book was because it talked about love but also it showed love in a different way because between Rochester and Jane there was an age difference but either way they still loved each other and ended up together. I also really enjoyed reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison because it was so mind blowing to me because I read so many things that Pecola went through that it made me realize that sometimes women have it hard in life that many times we don’t notice. If I had to decide whether high schoolers should read these books I would say that high schoolers should read books like The Bluest Eye but I don’t feel that they should read books like Jane Eyre. I feel that high schoolers should read The Bluest Eye because it will make both boys and girls realize the struggles that women go through and how it can affect them. I think if girls read this book it would make them realize that they don’t have to follow everything that society or media puts out to make them seem “perfect” or “pretty”. I also think that if boys read this they will realize that women are much more than an object and they would realize how much it affects them when they are raped, and get pregnant. I think it would make them realize that its important to value a women for more than a sexual object. I think a “great” text was The Bluest Eye because to me a great work of literature is when the text has something that the reader can take away and learn. I think that The Bluest Eye is definitely a text that everyone should read before graduating because it gives people especially high schoolers an insight of life as they begin to construct their own.
I liked reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte because it was kind of like any other love story that always has a conflict and some how in the end it is solved and ends happily. The reason I liked this book was because it talked about love but also it showed love in a different way because between Rochester and Jane there was an age difference but either way they still loved each other and ended up together. I also really enjoyed reading The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison because it was so mind blowing to me because I read so many things that Pecola went through that it made me realize that sometimes women have it hard in life that many times we don’t notice. If I had to decide whether high schoolers should read these books I would say that high schoolers should read books like The Bluest Eye but I don’t feel that they should read books like Jane Eyre. I feel that high schoolers should read The Bluest Eye because it will make both boys and girls realize the struggles that women go through and how it can affect them. I think if girls read this book it would make them realize that they don’t have to follow everything that society or media puts out to make them seem “perfect” or “pretty”. I also think that if boys read this they will realize that women are much more than an object and they would realize how much it affects them when they are raped, and get pregnant. I think it would make them realize that its important to value a women for more than a sexual object. I think a “great” text was The Bluest Eye because to me a great work of literature is when the text has something that the reader can take away and learn. I think that The Bluest Eye is definitely a text that everyone should read before graduating because it gives people especially high schoolers an insight of life as they begin to construct their own.
What I think About the bluest eye so far...
The Bluest Eye is not like a book that I have ever read before. It has different ideas and views of life at a different time period. At first while reading it I was confused and did not really like it. I’m starting to like it more now that I’m learning more about the narrator Claudia. Usually I think that a NARRATOR is unreliable because we are only reading things through their point of view. However, in this book I really like the narrator Claudia because she is different. In this time society put really high standards of how beauty was and should be seen like. Claudia would get dolls and she would tear them apart and destroy them because she did not want them, she didn't want to be like everyone else. To me this was SYMBOLISM because that was like her way of being different and even though she was black she felt pretty and she did not have to change herself to be pretty. On the other hand Pecola is insecure because she does not fit those standards, she wishes and begs constantly for blue eyes because to her that's the way of being beautiful. Now that I’m half way through the book I realize that there is a lot of racism and separation between blacks and whites. Pecola is constantly being told she is ugly which makes her feel bad and even worse about herself than she already does. I think i’m liking this book so far because it’s a different and more realistic way of showing life not only how it was before but its a way to show how life is still like today, because media and celebrities some how reflect to young people or people in general how they should be like to be “pretty” or even “popular” it's like it’s always going to be there.
this i believe reflection
When I first heard about this essay I was extremely excited to write about my beliefs. Right away I dedicated myself to this essay and I organized my time and planned everything out even who would peer edit it. As a writer I have never written an essay that did not have specific guidelines in writing. I have gotten so attached to trying to write my essays in a formal way and all structured. The only aspect I found difficult in writing my essay was to let myself loose because it had to represent me and what I believe. As a thinker right from the start I had a bunch of beliefs that I wanted to write about but didn't know how to include them all in one. Throughout the whole process I just free wrote about anything that I believed and then I reread them to give me and idea. While writing I also realized that I really wanted this essay to represent who I am, but I wanted it to go much deeper than what people might assume of who I am. In general people know me as a shy, quiet, or nice person and it is really nice that they think of me like that because it is who I am. I also wanted to show that there is so much more to that because I believe that someone can really impact and change a person. I decided to write about my niece because she has become my inspiration and everything to me. Before I would get stressed out and even to the point where I felt the need to give up but with my niece being happy and joyful she is my strength and my reason to never give up. I want to become someone in life that will help others when they need it. Hopefully one day I will make my parents proud and also my niece because she is growing up and so am I and all I want is for her to become more than I may become. With my niece and all the memories i have with her i came to the conclusion that no matter how hard life may get there is no need to give up. That is why I decided to write about pregnancy and abortion because I just can’t imagine my life without her. Throughout this process I felt that I managed my time wisely because I was able to brainstorm a lot and have peer editing’s, and I was really proud that I had many drafts that represented clearly my process and improvement. I really liked the independence that I had in this process because I was able to manage my time to have a good end product and eventually I came to a definite decision on what to write about. I was also able to write my essay early but later on after I got advice from my peers it got harder because I was told to include some stuff that I didn’t think about and it was difficult including it in because of the 500 words limit. The major challenges were just the 500 word limit and picking a good I believe. Overall I really liked writing this easy because I was able to open up about what I believe in and I become more confident about this topic. This essay helped me understand myself better because it helped me built up and strengthen my believe, it’s a way to know more about yourself, I will definitely keep writing I believe essays because it’s what I believe in.
My I believe...
How I feel About ela so far
I have been feeling very confident about English class this year because it has very fun. This year English is going by smoothly and it is very unique. I like how Christy organized the first few weeks of school because it was really fun writing six word memoirs, and I am really enjoying the independent reading because its nice to read each day. I also liked that we are creating a portfolio like this because it is much easier to access our work. I like having something organized like this and this is awesome. I feel very good about English so far and I can't wait for anything that is coming up.
goodreads
I really like using Good Reads because its an easy way to organize yourself when it comes to books. Christy tells us to do commentaries and to constantly update our pages. This is helpful because when you write a commentary it allows you to write about what you read. Sometimes its hard to remember what the book was about, and then you read your old commentaries than it becomes easier to remember.
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/29235158-mayra
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/29235158-mayra
My Six word Memoir Writing Process...
In this Gallery it shows the steps and all the things I had to do that lead to my final six word memoir publication. This clearly shows my whole process from brainstorming, to deciding which was the best, and even to how I chose to reflect my memoir because pictures can say so much. A picture itself tells its own story. I wanted to chose an image that best fit with my Memoir.
My six word Memoir.
In my six word Memoir I wanted to show who I am and something that people can relate to. I went through many things in life like many others do but at the end everything builds up who we are and it is what leads us/ me to become stronger. Yes, it was difficult to write something in six words that describes who I am but then you realize that 6 simple words can have so much meaning.
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