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7:3 Closing Comments On Portfolio

Overall I thought working in a portfolio for a grade was a great, new and fresh way to keep kids interested (especially seniors) It was easy to keep organized and there was no way to lose an assignment because it stayed in the computer. I wish that all of my classes used tumblr as a grade because then students wouldn't have to actually bring there folder. All they would need is a journal to write in if we need to read something and answer questions. Using Tumblr definitely lightens the load for students who have to carry a bunch of books and notebooks. I would highly recommend Mr. Z to use this new technique for his next year seniors. The only aspect I would critique about this portfolio is make something due everyday instead of everything being due on that Friday, because some students forget what is due and they fail to look at Mr. Z's previous posts. This last semester was great with you Mr. Z and I hope that you continue your great teaching and learn from little mistakes this year from teaching your first seniors. And all I have to say is that it definitely did not seem like your first year of teaching seniors. You did a great job!

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7:4 Link to Final Video Project

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCtymeuYfGw

Hard work leads to great success. So don't procrastinate!!!!

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7:2 Straw Into Gold

-I think Cisneros statement is true about her parents. Throughout Cisneros life, unconsciously she has taken bits and pieces of her life and has writeen about them. Her parents and life inspired her to get out and live her dream. She got her adventurous side from her dad and her artistic side from her mother.

- What I think my parents have been preparing me for is responsibility when I move out of their house. How to spend my money wisely and what responsibilities I will have to do in my own house.

- I thought accomplishing my 14 years of school was impossible.

-What seems impossible now is finishing all of my college education and getting the job I want with that degree.

-I'm not proud of it, but sophmore year I used a calculator on a math test and got in trouble for it. I didn't get a honor code violation, but I fot an F on that test. For some kids getting an F would lead them into giving up. But I didn't. I continued to do all my work and try my best on test and quizzes. At the end of the school year, I finished with a B and learned my lesson: DON'T EVER use a calculator on a test if your not allowed to.

-I don't think my experience at high school was pointless because I grew and learned a lot during this period of my life that will get me prepared for life after high school. For example: not showing up at school or not doing good in school matters because then you wouldn't graduate. And not graduating would put you at risk for not going to college and getting a job. Some things that don't matter are making friends in high school because for most people those friends won't be your friends after high school. I have been plenty happy in my life. By getting good grades have put me at a good risk for being able to have fun and do things that I want to do. I have learned a lot of important things in high school that I will take with me for the rest of my life and one of the things that I have learned is that you have to take baby steps to get to that happy place in your life.

- My next section in my sidewalk is college at Cypress, helping my grandma and traveling to visit family and friends.

-I feel it will take baby steps for college because with what career I want to pursue I have to take baby steps, I can't learn everything at once. With psychology I will learn something new everyday. That's what I love about psychology, there is always room to learn.

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7:1 The Mirror Questions

1. How does the narrator face his fears?

The narrator faces his fears by telling his ghost story that he hadn't told anyone or talked about for 10 years. The narrator was too scared of talking about his ghost experience because they thought something bad might happen.

2. What were you afraid of when you started high school?

When I started high school I was afraid of making new friends. I was even more scared on my first day of high school because before I had only gone to a private school with only a few hundred kids and now I was going to a school with a few thousand kids.

3. What are you afraid of now that you are leaving high school?

Now that I am leaving high school I am afraid of doing good at a job that I have and continuing my study and homework skill in college. I hope that I don't slack off in college.

4. What scares you about yourself?

What scares me about myself is how nervous and anxious I get. I can get so nevous that I physically become ill. I'm just scared that when I get older and have more rational situations to get nervous about that I'll get REALLY sick. I don't know how to handle stress well.

5. How do you/will you face your fears?

How I do and will face my fears is take it one fear at a time. I won't hide my fears because I'm afraid of them happening because that would just add on another fear. Over time you grow out of your fears, so I figure that is what will happen to me/

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6:2 STRAYS QUESTIONS

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6:1 Personal Responses to Invisible Man and Strays

1. Your personal response to the Invisible Man excerpt and/or Mr. Arnold’s presentation.

2. Consider the last 12 years of your education…

a) in what ways has the veil been lifted from you?

b) in what ways has the veil been lowered over you?

3. What do you plan to do in your future education or career to keep the veil from being lowered over you?

4. How did the story “Strays” lift the veil from you?

1. In my opinion, the story we read Invisible Man was very interesting. I had a hard time reading it by myself and I only understood bits and pieces of it. But when Mr.Arnold read with the class it was way easier to understand. Mr Arnold brought up very good and interesting points about teachers lifting our "veil" or lowering it to either confine our minds or expand them. It's hard to say if teachers confine or expand our minds. I think they are both true because some teachers do the bare minimum and others are phenomenal teachers. In the story I loved how you could read images/pictures, it was so descriptive and easy to understand unlike Shakespeare. I still don't understand how it is the best book written in the 20th century, but I also haven't read the whole book so I can't really say anything bad about it. If the book wasn't so long I would read the rest of the book but a book that long would take me about a year to read it! One question that I have is why was the second chapter chosen for us to read? Is that an example of the veil being "lowered" by only showing us a part of something and not the whole thing? 2.  For me being in school for 14 years I feel that my veil hasn't been lowered, all the teachers I have had besides 2 have been amazing teachers who have expanded my mind and truly have gotten me prepared for college and beyond college. a) My veil has been lifted from me by Mr. Ziebarth actually, in most of our essays he gave us a prompt and said write it however you want it, no rules. Then we would ask him well how long does it have to be and he'd say as long as a piece of string. b) Ways that my veils has lowered over me is by English teachers telling us what books to read in schools and I'm sure if some student wanted bring with them the book Helpter Skelpter they would be demanded. I wish teachers would allow students to read whatever book they want and not have to follow a certain theme of a book that goes along with every other students book. We need variety because I'm sure teachers get bored of reading the same quotation, examples and sayings in every students papers.

3. What I plan to do in my nearer future from allowing the veil to be lowered on me is studying in psychology. This field helps people understand everything there is to know about a person and why they do it (which might explain why some teachers confine our minds) Psychology explains the if, when and why questions which I love and the thing is my veil can't be lowered. Because there are so many different solutions to learn and not only do you learn other peoples study's but you can experiment with your own. I can't wait for my brain to be picked and for me to pick others.

4. In the story "strays" it was the most different story I have ever read, when you first read it you feel that there was no meaning behind it, that someone became bored and just started to write about gibberish. But actually in the story there were so many different meanings behind it and had real life meaning that there are strays all over this world. Not just animals but adults and children too. And strays can not only mean being homeless it can mean that there is no one in their life that cares about them or looks out for them. The word stray has so many different meanings and I love that. This short story was great I really liked it a lot and I was actually able to understand it! Even though it was easy to understand, you still had to dig deep to find the real meaning.

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5:5 10 songs that go with a theme

My theme is friends coming and going throughout your life.

1. "How To Save A Life" by the Fray

This song is talking about losing a friend and how one walks on the right and the other walks on the left. They part ways and had he known he would have lost a friend he would have stayed up all night with them.

2. "Without You" by Hinder

This song is about two people are fighting and how one of the friends changed. It says since we've been apart I've been living it up a little more everyday. That sounds familiar because one of my old friends has actually told me that before.

3. "Good is Good" by Sheryl Crow

One of the lyrics in this song is "When your friends are gone you thought were so worth keeping." That lyric goes perfectly with my theme because when you first become great friends with someone you feel like you will be friends with forever isn't always the case. Most friends are temporary and when you need them the most is when they aren't there for you.

4. "From Where You Are" by Lifehouse

This song is about missing a friend and how there worlds tore them apart. This holds true with one of my old friends. We were friends for so long and both our worlds tore us apart, we grew apart and even now we still aren't friends but I miss her.

5."I Like (friend's name) by Jackson 5

6. "Bittersweet Symphony" by the Verve

This songs about friends who keep fighting about the other changing. Friends say they can change but in the end they can't change. This is true for my old friend, she would be really stupid and do stupid things and I got sick of it and I knew she couldn't change.

7. "Smile" by the Supernaturals

This song is about a person's life who has been messed up and has been cut out of people's lives and all they have left is their smile. This song is also about my old friend her life was a mess, had a bad relationship with her parents and her sister who she loved to death moved away so she got in trouble a lot and was always grounded. Her life was a mess and after a while I got sick of her being ridiculous and I cut her out of my life.

8. "November Rain" by Gun's N' Roses

This song is more for people in love but I think it still corresponds with my theme. It says nothing lasts forever and hearts change, lovers come and go (but I'd change the word lover with friends) It mentions not only do lovers hurt you but so do friends.

9. "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" by Tavis

This song kind of goes with when my old friend and I stopped being friends. I was going through a lot and I hadn't talked to about it yet and when we finally talked she said she didn't want to be friends anymore. So this song reminds me of when I was going through a hard time and thinking to myself why does it always rain on me?

10. " I'll Stand By You" by the Pretenders

This goes with my theme for when friends come into your life. It's about standing by your friend through good and bad times, your there for them to talk to you when they are mad sad and show their bad side. The lyrics that I really like in this song is "I won't let nobody hurt you" because friends stand up for each other.

Most of these songs reminded me of my old friend and I and how I felt when we were friends and when we stopped being friends. Friends come and go but only the ones who are really there for you will stay in your life forever. Friendship is like being in a relationship, you need to be honest, always there for them, and loyal just without the physical part in a friendship. When my friend and I came to the conclusion to stop being friends it made me feel like I was breaking up with my boyfriend, it hurt and I was really sad.

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5:4 Final Draft

All Lives Are Blessed

By: Jennifer Byerly - CP English 4, Mr. Ziebarth

I am a child of a blessed life - who doesn’t take it for granted. I have been supported and taken care of a 110%. I remember having easter egg hunts at my Grandma and Grandpas extravagant palace and getting spoiled like no child should be. I feel ashamed for having things that I have only used once when some people have absolutely nothing. See how I used the word “things” like I can’t name what I have, that’s sad. As I have gotten older I became more aware of how life is for some people and experiencing it personally changed my attitude in a complete 360. What changed my perspective was watching commercials that show children in other countries that have diseases, who are malnutritioned and a lack of education. I also experienced those commercials first hand in my trip to Italy a few years ago. My latest belief is being content with what you have and to remember what life really could be like instead of worrying about not being able to go out with your friends this weekend.

Growing up for the love of Christ and attending Liberty Baptist School from preschool to eighth grade, I took with me one of my favorite Bible verses from the book of Hebrews 13:5: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you' " This verse reminds me that I am taken care of and always have a sense of security no matter what job I have or what I’ve done throughout my life. This verse is so powerful and moving that it could lift someone from their darkest days even if they aren’t believers in God. No one should have to suffer from losing their house or job or worry about not being able to feed their family, but people do and what people here in America don’t understand is that life could be extremely worse. Most Americans throughout their life will never experience living on the streets or even a hardship, but what they can experience is feeling blessed for everything that they have and to show compassion for those who are less fortunate.

Another experience that opened my eyes was when I asked this boy what he would think if he didn’t know me and saw me wearing designer boots. He told me he would have no chance with me, meaning that he would possibly think that I was a snobby rich girl that would never have boyfriend that didn’t have money. This is literally what our world is coming to. People feel like they have to have money to prove that they are good enough for other people or else they feel like they are looked down upon. One question that I will always ask myself is why does there have to be a middle class, lower class and high class, why can’t everyone have an equal opportunity as everyone else?

I’m afraid that our stereotypical world isn’t getting any better and it never will. Ever since earth was created there has always been “classes” that depicted what level of money you come from and it will always be that way. Our lives are filled with competition and want, want, want. “You want what you can’t have” and to solve that problem is to stop wanting and start accepting for what you already have. Remember that all lives are blessed just by living.

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:7-8

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Hamlet 5:2 Litin6

Ophelia killed herself over Hamlets love-jenb1#hamlet

Claudias has a deep dark secret-jenb1#hamlet

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5:3-Prop 28

Honestly I don't even have a opinion about it because I don't know what would be best if the term limits were shortened or lengthened. Because if they were shortened the politicians wouldn't have enough time to get all of their good ideas out, but the upside about shortening it would be they wouldn't be in long enough to corrupt the legislation. If term limits were lengthened politicians would have enough time to put their best ideas out there and the downside would be they could corrupt the system(which most of them do) So I don't really have an opinion about it because both sides I opposed and they both are equal so I think if I voted on this issue I would have a hard time choosing.

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5:1-Final Hamlet Questions

Which decisions I make today will affect me for my entire life?

The decisions King Claudias made throughout the play ended up killing him. Claudias chose to kill his brother King Hamlet to become King himself which was a HORRIBLE decision. Then Claudias decided since his nephew Hamlet knew that he murdered his father that he should poison him and kill him. Claudias succeeded but before he killed Hamlet, Hamlet killed Claudias. If it weren't for Claudias killing King Hamlet there would have never even been the play Hamlet. Yes maybe if he hadn't killed King Hamlet, Claudias would have never became King but at least he would still be living. See how your decisions can kill you?

My decisions that I have made throughout high school most definitely affect me for my entire life. If I chose to go to school, do my homework, don't do drugs, respect my parents rules affects how I will continue my life out of high school. Because if I chose not to go to school and do my homework I would never get a diploma, if I chose to do drugs I could be dead or be in jail, if I chose not to respect my parents I would never be able to go out and have fun with my friends or boyfriend and become independent. But I chose the right way and I am suffering the consequences of it in a good way by being responsible and moving on in my life that has many accomplishments.

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Hamlet Week 4: 1 & 2- personal annotations and summary

 Personal Annotations: Act 3, Scene 3 & 4

What I circled that I thought was important was "mother's closet" because it was an interesting way to describe a room. Another saying I circled was "A villain kills my father; and for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven." because you can't kill someone while they are praying because if you want them to go to hell they won't they will go to heaven. What I saw that he was also saying was that two wrongs don't make a right. Just because Hamlet's father was killed doesn't mean he should kill his Uncle because if he did kill him he will go to hell.

I starred many things, for instance: "To wash as white as snow" This reminded me of Macbeth when Macbeth said not even all the oceans water could was my hands clean. I also starred eveywhere Claudias said that he killed King Hamlet. And where he says "My crown, mine own ambition and my queen. May one be pardon'd and retain the offence?" When I first read that I felt that he was saying let me keep one of those three and let the others go. But after going over that saying with Mr. Ziebarth and the class they said Claudian was actually asking if he could keep all of those three things. I starred where Queen Gertrude and Hamlet are arguing with each other and where Hamlet is being sassy towards his mother, where Gertrude says to Hamlet that he has an idle tongue and Hamlet says to his mother that she has a wicked tongue. The last thing I starred is where Hamlet says to his mother "You go not till I set you up a glass where you may see the inmost part of you." I starred this because he says he will straighten her out to show her who she has turned into.

Summary and Response: Act 3, Scene 3 & 4

Hamlet created a play of how he thought his father was killed so when King Claudias was watching Hamlet could figure out if he for sure killed King Hamlet or not. Well Claudias definitely reacted the way Hamlet expected him to. Claudias freaked out and went away to the room he prays in. While he was praying (somewhat of a soliloquy) we hear him asking for forgiveness for killing King Hamlet. He kept on asking how he could be forgiven for such sins. Hamlet walks into the room Claudias is praying in and Hamlet goes back and forth of killing Claudias right then and there, but that's when Hamlet realizes that if he kills him while he is praying Claudias will go to heaven and Hamlet doesn't want that. While Claudias is praying Hamlet enters into a sililoquy also and starts to plan how he will kill Claudias to make sure that he will go to hell. So he figured out a plan to kill him while he is sinning for instance drunk asleep, in a rage, in his incestuous pleasure of his bed, gaming, swearing or "some act that has no relish of salvation in it." Hamlet goes to find his mother in her room, when he entered he did not know that Polonious was behind the arras listening to their conversation. Hamlet got very physical with Gertrude and was very sassy, he drew hi sword at her and she began to think he was going to kill her. She called for help and behind the arras you hear Polonius scream for help also. Hamlet heard and thought that it was Claudias so he drew his sword and killed him through the arras. Claudias dropped to the floor and died. Kind Hamlet's ghost came in the Queen's closet but only Hamlet could see him. Gertrude could only see Hamlet talking to something but couldn't see the ghost. She says out loud "He's mad!" Which it seems to be entirely correct on her part, but isn't because he really does see a ghost. Hamlet keeps forgetting to avenge his father and doesn't primarily know what he wants to do about Claudias to kill him or not to kill him. And now Hamlet has to worry about Ophelia, because now her father is dead. I'm not sure how she will take it.

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Hamlet 3:3Act 3, Scene 3 and 4: Personal Research

Arras: a rich tapestry. a wall hanging, as a tapestry or similar object.

Liege: a feudal lord entitled to allegiance and service.

Primal: first; original; primeval.

Inclination: a disposition or bent, especially of the mind or will; a liking or preference.

Visage: the face, usually with reference to shape, features, expression.

Forestalled: to act beforehand with or get ahead of; anticipate.

Gilded: covered or highlighted with gold or something of a golden color..

Sinews: strength; power; resilience.

Pat: to walk or run with light footsteps.

Audit: God 

Rood: a crucifix, especially a large one at the entrance to the choir or chancel of a medieval church, often supported on a rood beam or rood screen.

Excrements: waste matter discharged from the body, especially feces.

Cunning: skill employed in a shrewd or sly manner, as in deceiving; craftiness; guile.

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Hamlet 3:1 - Act 3, Scene 1: Summary and Response

Hamlet has a soliloquy at the beginning and asks himself should we suffer the slings and arrows or take up arms and fight back? He says "To be, or not to be" meaning should I persist or just give it up. My response to that would be he should take up arms and fight back of what was taken away from him which was his father and somewhat of his mother was taken away from his also.

Hamlet made a list of what life can throw at you: "The oppressors wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes..." And what life also throws out at you is death and what Hamlet says about death is no one knows what happen after death he calls is the "undiscovered country". And that no traveler come back to life. My response is I liked the way he described life after death I completely agree with him because no one living on this earth now knows what actually happens when they die unless you are religious.

Hamlet and Ophelia then confront each other and start a conversation. Pretty much Ophelia's dad throws her into a lion pit by having to break up with Hamlet. Hamlet acts crazy and senses foul play. Hamlet says to Ophelia that a beautiful woman will have honesty issues, but an honest woman is beautiful inside. Hamlet asks Ophelia where is your father and she responds that he is at home (Hamlet knows she is lying) He says over and over again for her to go to a nunnery so she can't lie and even Ophelia's father said don't sleep around! My response is I wish Hamlet would just tell Ophelia the truth about everything that is going on because if he doesn't he will lose her and I'm sure he is too scared to tell her his plans because she might tell somebody. But honestly I don't think she would, I think she would support him.

Hamlet begins to be very rude to Ophelia and call her names he says Gods given her an honest face and she put make-up on and gave herself a new face. He call her names like jig, amble and lisp. Hamlet mentions that they would never get married and his uncle and mom are married and Hamlet says only only one will live. Meaning he will kill his uncle. My response is I probably would have reacted the way Hamlet did but probably not called her names. Ophelia should not of listened to her father even though I know back in those times women had zero power. She did not listen to heart and by her listening to her father she will lose Hamlet.

Ophelia has come to conclusion that Hamlet has gone crazy. But even though she thinks he's crazy she still likes him or even loves him. She says he is a courtier, soldier, and a scholar. She can tell he has gone crazy in his eyes and by what he is saying. The sword means he said he is going to kill someone. Ophelia says somewhat of a love letter about hamlet: He is "the glass of fashion and the mould of form." She feels it is her fault that he has gone crazy by saying "That suck'd the honey of his music vows." My response to this is I completely agree with everything she said about him and how she feels. If I was in love with Hamlet I would think he has gone completely crazy too but I would understand and still be in love with him. I feel Ophelia should be more understanding of why he has gone crazy because of his dad dying and his mother marrying his uncle. The thing is by Ophelia agreeing to go talk to Hamlet "alone" she only made the situation worse for Hamlet because now Hamlet is pissed off at Ophelia and now Hamlet has no one.

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Hamlet 3:3 - Act 3, Scene 1: Personal Research

Heir: a person who inherits or has a right of inheritance in the property of another following the latter's death.

Consummation: to complete (a marriage) legally by sexual intercourse.  

Devoutly: devoted to divine worship or service; pious; religious.

Perchance: perhaps; maybe; possibly.

Calamity: a great misfortune or disaster, as a flood or serious injury.

Oppressor's:  to burden with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subject to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power

Contumely: insulting display of contempt in words or actions; contemptuous or humiliating treatment.

Pangs: a sudden feeling of mental or emotional distress or longing.

Insolence: contemptuously rude or impertinent behavior or speech.

Spurns: to reject with disdain; scorn.

Merit: something that deserves or justifies a reward or commendation.

Quietus: a finishing stroke; anything that effectually ends or settles.

Bodkin: a small, pointed instrument for making holes in cloth, leather.

Fardels: a bundle; burden.

Sicklied: not strong; unhealthy.

Pith: the soft inner part of a feather, a hair,

Awry: with a turn or twist to one side; askew.

Orisons: a prayer.

Commerce: an interchange of goods or commodities, especially on a large scale between different countries.

Bawd: Prostitute

Paradox: a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

Inoculate: to implant (a disease agent or antigen) in a person, animal, or plant to produce a disease for study or to stimulate disease resistance.

 Arrant: downright; thorough; unmitigated.

Knaves: an unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest person.

Chaste: refraining from sexual intercourse that is regarded as contrary to morality or religion, virtuous.

Calumny: a false and malicious statement designed to injure the reputation of someone or something.

Wantonness: done, shown, used, etc., maliciously or unjustifiably.

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2:2 - Act 1, Scene 2 Analysis Paragraph

In the play Hamlet by Shakespeare Hamlet feels that his mother Gertrude moved on too soon. He supports this claim by first describing how it hasn't even been two months since his father's death. Then, Hamlet calls his mother "a beast that wants discourse of reason, would have mour'd longer." Which means he feels that animals mourn longer over their mate than Gertrude did over king Hamlet. Toward the end of the text, Hamlet sees his mother as incest for marrying his uncle. And his heart is broken because he knows he can't say how he feels. Hamlet wishes to melt away "Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!" practically disappear because he feels that there is no spark in this world. This speech is significant because it sets up Hamlets interior and exterior conflicts that explains and shows how he is feelings. Hamlets interior conflict is him wanting to disappear and melt away and his exterior conflicts are his mother marrying Hamlets uncle and his father's death.

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2:3 - Rough Draft Reflection

In my "This I believe" essay I had Diana S and Diana revise my paper and I received very good incite. My first paragraph was rough that I was told but the rest of my paragraphs were good, there wasn't much else to revise other than my first paragraph. I realize that I want to cram all of my information into one sentence which does not work because then it becomes a run-on sentence. I did that a lot in my first paragraph. But one good thing about my paper was that I didn't have any no-no words (ex. a lot, good, etc..) Another good thing about my paper was that I provided plenty of examples and had a strong conclusion. I already know that I need to work on my punctuation, but the biggest thing I need to work on in my paper is the sentences, which is an easy fix. My favorite part about my essay is my conclusion because I provided good analogies about what I wanted people to understand what I was trying to come off as. Revising other students essays made me realize about mine is how my writing style is a lot different than others essays. The way I write is to the point and doesn't go around in circles to explain one example. When I read something I want it to be interesting and to the point because if it's not I won't understand it and that's how I like to write.