comments q2 week 8

Dj

Gautam

Student Prompt

Create your own character. Describe him/her in detail. What's his/her name? Age? What is his/her story?

     My name is Nick Johnson. I am in the 8th grade and I am originally from Mexico. I live in Utah and go to Park Middle School in Park city, Utah. I am 13 years old and I like to create apps. Sometimes I post my apps on the app store if I think people will enjoy them. I made this game called "War Strike" and it has 5 stars on the app store.

    My Family moved to Utah when I was 3 years old. I do not remember the move to Utah in great detail. I have 2 brothers named Mark and Trevor. Mark is 7 years old and Trevor is 16 years old. Mark is just a normal annoying little brother and Trevor is very quiet. I really like Utah because of the weather and all the things to do here.

Writing Center

     Recently I went to the Writing Center for my English class. You have to schedule a appointment to go to the Writing Center. They accept walk in appointments if someone is available. I went to the Writing Center with a friend and a writing fellow helped both of us. We worked on our outline and thesis.

     The writing center was having a party when we went, but they still helped people. There were cookies and other snacks that you could have. When I went to the Writing Center I did not know what to expect because I have never been thee before. Overall my experience at the Writing Center was successful. If I have trouble wth another assignment I might make an appointment.

Comments q2 week 7

Gautam

Kolin

free post

     Christmas seems forgotten, well at least I think. Exams are around the same time as Christmas and you have to get through exams before you get to have Christmas Break. Exams take away the christmas atmosphere. This is so because you are focused on the exams and you do not get to enjoy the full festivities that are associated with Christmas. When I think of Christmas, I do not think about snow or christmas trees.
    I think about exams and all of the work that is associated with exams. Christmas was the best time of the year before 7th grade because it was worry free and a great time. Christmas is still a fun time, but you have to get past exams before the fun break starts. Some people say that "Christ" should be put back in Christmas because some people say X-mas or another form of Christmas. I think that X- mas should stand for eXams-MAS because when I think of Christmas, I think of exams.

Literary Analysis

     Recently I have been converting my outline to a draft. I am writing a Literary Analysis on Lord of the Flies. The outline was difficult at first, but once I go into the groove of it, the outline was fairly easy. I  just finished my draft and I thought that the outline was more difficult than the draft. The draft was easy to write because of the outline. I am very happy that I made my outline specific and to the best of my ability because it defiantly made my draft easier to write.

    If you are writing your draft and have some trouble coming up with more information, this might help. Try to make your point more broad if it is too specific and detailed. Try to make your supporting point more specific if it is difficult to have a significance. The writing center was a resource I used to help me with my outline. Getting the outline straight before writing the paper is a great idea. It is difficult  to write the paper without a strong outline.

q2 w6

Gautam

Gautam

Symbolism

     Dora is girl that worries too much about everything. Tico always wants to have fun and Diego does not have an opinion on anything. One day Dora is talking to a adult about how she is planning what she is going to do everyday for the rest off the life. Tico is always acting up and trying to have a good laugh. Diego is at home reading a book and just goes with the flow. Dora,Diego and Tico have a closed mindset and most likely will not succeed in life.

    Diego,Dora and Tico need to expand your mindsets and learn from other people. It is best to be open minded and experienced in many things rather than just knowing one thing. When they get out of school, their inexperience will show and they will have trouble. So when offered an experience, take it and learn from it. You will never know when you might need it and it can help make you open minded.

How to make a Duck Blind

     When Making a duck blind you have to have a lease or property for the blind to go on. There are 3 common places where duck blinds are found the marsh, rice fields and a pond. Probably the most common property type for duck hunters is a lease because the owner wants passive income that he/she can live on. So if you want to have a duck blind you have to pay a certain amount of money each month and you do not own the proper ever. Let's say that you find a person that is willing to sell you a tract of land in the rice fields and it is over a duck flyway. The rice fields are not always filled with with water and you will need a backhoe to remove the dirt because duck blinds in the rice fields are in the ground. Once you dug the hole, you will need to buy a steel duck blind insert and put it into the hole. You will need to fill the edges of the blind with dirt and plant duck weeds around the blind. Making a duck blind seems easy, however if comes with many unexpected challenges, but in the end it is worth it.

     Building a duck bind might be associated with life. Life is full of unexpected things and challenges, but you have to find the small moments in life that make it worth it. Life is a length process an there are different stages that all add up together. Try to enjoy the small moments in life each and everyday that are apart of life.

Q2 week 5

Ian

DJ

Free Post

Where is you favorite place in the world and why? Gautam's Prompt

     My favorite place in the world is San José, Costa Rica. I went to San José last year during Mardi Gras break and I remember it like yesterday. San José is the capital of Costa Rica and it is really developed compared to the rest of the Country. I like San José because all of the people are really nice,everything is lively and there are always places to visit. I like speaking Spanish to the locals because it helps me develop my skills. The weather in San José is perfect because of the elevation.
     The history and the Landscape of this city is spectacular. The population is over 300,000, so the city has population just a little bigger than baton rouge. San José is 3,800ft. above sea level, but it does not feel like that at all. The buildings are spread out, so the city does not feel cramped at all and there are many parks around the city. I really like San José and if you ever go to Costa Rica it is worth visiting.

Critical Scene from LOTF

     Lord of Flies contains multiple critical scenes that are important to the overall structure of the book. The most important critical scene is Simon's conversation with the Lord of the Flies. This is the most important scene in the book because it is the Climax of the book and it is the first form of supernatural conflict. This conflict is caused by the lord of the flies because he tells Simon to not go to the top of the mountain. This scene can be difficult to understand and comprehend because it is not explicitly stated.
     The Lord of the Flies knows things that the boys do not know. I think that is why the Lord of the flies called that because he knows things that the boys do not and he is covered in flies. This scene may be based off of Jesus's journey through the dessert and how he meets satan. I enjoyed reading this scene because it is the Climax of the book and makes you want to find out what happens next. Do you think that Simon was dreaming or did this actually happen?
   

Comments Week 10

Danny

Gautam

Write your own prompt

How has animals effected your life?

     I used to have horses on a farm that we own and I do not recommend getting 6 horses. My sister always has this 'great' idea to get a new pet, and how she will take care of it. When we do get the new pet, she stops taking care of it after a week or so. This is the case for the horses we used to own. So my dad and I go out and take care of the horses, we do take care of the hoses for about 3.5 years. 

     In those 3.5 years, the horses destroyed the wood in their barn many times, escaped many times and once in a tropical depression and we had to go find it. Bucked me off leaving a horse shoe bruise on my leg. The manure that the horses produce is not a great thing because there are many piles of it just sitting in the middle of the field and the it is time to cut the grass, it is not fun. Getting hay and feed for the horses take a couple of hours because you have to get the trailer, drive all the way out to the feed store, load the feed, dive back, upload the feed in the barn and put the trailer back. Having horses was fun for a little while, but it got old really quick.

LOTF Reading Response

The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away.  Once there was this and that; and now--and the ship had gone. [... Jack refusing to give Piggy the floor when he has the conch...]
"The rules!" shouted Ralph.  "You're breaking the rules!"
"Who cares?"
Ralph summoned his wits.
"Because the rules are the only thing we've got!"
But Jack was shouting against him.
"Bollocks to the rules!  We're strong--we hunt!  If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down!  We'll close in and beat and beat and beat--!" (91)

     Jack was the first one one the island to become savage and break the rules, but he is not the only one because others boys join him too. Ralph is the leader and he is trying to explain that the rules is the only thing that is keeping this society together. Jack does not believe in the rules because all he wants to do is hunt and try to kill a beast. Jack's killer instinct is in the way of keeping the society together and trying to escape the island. When Jack says "Bollocks to the rules!  We're strong--we hunt!  If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down!  We'll close in and beat and beat and beat--!", Jacks implies that he can kill any beast, no matter how strong the beast is. 


    This is a chapter that is a turning point of the story. When Ralph and Piggy met up with the choir group on the island, sadly did they not know that the choir group leader wants to kill beasts and go savage. When Jack becomes savage, it is a ripple effect on the other boys because they become savage too. In this dialogue, one can assume that getting rescued is not one of Jacks priorities. When Jack says "...We'll close in and beat and beat and beat--!" it proves that Jack just wants to kill because the description of we'll beat it and beat it almost sounds like Jacks enjoys killing.

Comments week 9

Ian

Kaelyn

Lord of the flies

     I am currently reading a book called Lord of the flies. I am only on the third chapter. I really like the book so far, the setting is what makes the book a mystery. The book has a lot of symbols that refer to a bigger idea or picture. I like how there are symbols in the book, because you have to find out what the author is referring to. You have to solve a mystery inside a mystery.

     Human nature is defiantly apart of this book and how the different atmospheres and circumstances affect the characters. There is always a fight over power and leadership in this book. I don't think that the smoke signaling was a great idea, but the boys will learn from their mistakes and develop experience. I want to find out what happens next and the book is hard to put down when I read because I want to find out what happens next. I would recommend this book to any age group because it is a great book so far.

Human Nature

     I believe that humans are fundamentally full of possibility when in the right mind set. In other words, I believe that humans have potential to do great things if they are motivated and always thinking abut how they can do or make something better. My experiences in life led me to this belief. When I work in groups on projects and when I play soccer with a team, I have noticed things that influenced me to this conclusion. Humans are defiantly not flawless, but they are not worthless either.

     There is no one specific way that humans act. Human nature is the general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioral traits of humankind, regarded as shared by all humans. Every human has some basic characteristics such as feelings,thought and creativity. People with different opinions can sometimes make the best: ideas,companies,products,essay,school powerpoint....etc. I think that people with different ideas are the best partners because they combine their opposite opinions into one: product,company,essay,idea,paper.....etc.

Comments week 8

Danny

Casey

Fall break free post

     This fall break I went to tunica hills with my dog. My dog really loved the sandy creek beds of tunica hills. There were other dogs that she played with. My dog almost jumped off the waterfall, but she would have been hurt of she did. There were a lot of steep hills that my dog ran up and down.

    I went to Ruth's Chirs because it was my grandfathers birthday. I went to Cabelas and bought some duck hunting stuff. A couple of people came over to look at a car that me and my dad built because they wanted to buy it. I finished mowing our farm and did some work out there. Overall this fall break was very fun.

Reading Response

        I read a interesting short story by John Updike called A&P. This story was very weird because it was difficult at times to know what is happening. The whole story was based off of Sammy's feelings towards the girls. I think that the manager should have just asked the girls to come back with clothing that follows the store policy. There is no need to start arguing with the girls and then involving Sammy into the argument.

     I like how each isle is described as the girls are walking. It makes me feel like I am walking through the isles next to them. I think that this story was based off a simple plot that was not that interesting. A dynamic plot makes a great story. Overall the short story was interesting and weird.

     

Comments week 7

DJ

Danny

Should We Abandon Louisiana? In some ways, we already have.

     Zach Kopplin talks about the the media is not covering the flood. He says that the tragedy wasn't enough of a selling point-its the media conspiracy that gets people to car. I completely agree with that statement, the media will not cover it unless it is seen as a threat to over people. The media thrives off of scaring Americans and getting people worried about something that is not even a threat. The media makes their money off of commercials and the more viewers you have, the more money they will charge. It docent really matter what the topic is, as long as people are watching and the name of the media company is not given a bad reputation. Most of the media coverage was from local stations and companies. The big companies(CNN,ABC...) will pay for the videos from the local news and use only like 12 seconds of it just to fill in a space that was empty. Media coverage brings help and financial aid to disaster areas. This article is in first person.

     I do think that climate changes is affecting the weather. There was only a 0.01% chance of this flood happening in historical models. Louisiana will have more unexpected extreme weather events. Critics use this as a reason to give up on Louisiana. Louisiana will not be abandoned because the Governor and the Federal Government will not let that happen. Kopplin says, "If we must blame something for this flood, we should direct our blame at climate change." I think that the Government should try to come up with a solution for climate change and try to fix this issue that the whole world is facing.

     Rebuilding all of the affected homes is a big undertaking. It will be a couple of years before all of the affected homes are rebuilt. Some houses are already fixed, but many homes are not. I think that we should rebuild because the history is still here and the U.S. has never abandoned a whole state before. If we abandon Louisiana it will be a place for disease to grow and the wildlife will be harmed. There are many fossil fuels that are in Louisiana and many economic value to the United States. Nuclear power plants in Louisiana might explode and contaminate other regions. Rebuilding would be the best decision and it would be better for the future.

Comments Week 6

Ian B.

DJ

Short Story Response

   
     As I was reading the short story, I could see the tension and rivalry between the granddaughter and Da-duh. Da-duh is very close minded in a sense that she compares everything to Barbados and most of the time she says that Barbados is better. Da-duh thinks that the Bissex is taller than just about everything else, but then she hears about the Empire State Building and she finally realizes that New York is better. I think that da-duh doesn't realize how much the world has evolved from when she was born because she has never really experienced any place besides Barbados. The granddaughter has never been to Barbados, so she will have to learn the ways from her grandmother about Barbados.

    I thought that this short story focused on one topic and because of that I thought that the reading was slow. The transition from the granddaughter leaving to Da-duh death was very quick and was not thought out well. The conclusion paragraph was well written and I liked the details. Da-duh's death was very descriptive and I thought it was well written. Overall I enjoyed reading this short story and what made me liked it the most was that it was written a long time ago.

My Experience at a Cross-Country Meet

     Today I woke up and decided that I would go support Episcopal the the cross country meet. I packed up my drone and rode my electric skateboard to Highland Road Park. The meet was very crowded because it was the biggest meet of the season. I weaved in and out of traffic trying to find a place to launch my drone. I finally found a shady grass area where I will take off my drone. I turn on the drone and connect my iPad to my phone wifi. The drone is up in the air and I fly towards the tents and runners, I see this large group of people start running. I start to film the race and follow the crowd as they proceed into the course. It was very interesting to see the race from a different perspective. I late ride home to put the drone up and then I go back to meet up with some of my friends.

     I found the schools tent and my friends were all crowded around it. They told me that they saw my drone and heard it when they were running. They thought it was my drone, but were not sure. They were telling me that they were nervous right before the race, but when they heard my drone they started to laugh. I am glad that I was able to come to the meet because I later met up with my friends and had a great time.

Comments Week 5

Trevor: Harrison Bergeron

Lane G. Personal Narrative Response 

Harrison Bergeron

     "Harrison Bergeron" is a short story about how people in a society are made equal. Not everybody in this society is equal, so the government added 3 amendments. These amendments basically requires all citizens to be handicapped if they have an unfair advantage over the average intelligence. For example if you have better eyesight than the average, you would be required to wear blurry glasses give you the average or below the average eyesight. If you are smarter than everyone else, then you would have to wear an earpiece that would distract you from using the full potential of your brain and make you average or below the average intelligence.
     This story reminds me of how some governments try to micromanage their citizens, but to an extreme. If this short story had to be described in one word, I would choose grey because there is no diversity in this society. I would hate it if this society really existed because there is no emotion, personality and diversity in this bland society. I don't think anything would get done in this society and there would be no new inventions. Overall I enjoyed reading this short story and I like how the author was thinking out of the box.

The Department of Motor Vehicles

     2 days ago I checked out of school to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Gonzales. I left school at 10:30 and the traffic was horrible on the interstate to go to Gonzales so we took Airline Highway instead. We couldn't find The DMV, so we asked a lady at a gas station and she said that it was all the way in the back behind a seafood restaurant. We finally found it, so I thought we would walk in and walk out with a license really quickly. We opened the door and we see 30 people sitting in chairs waiting in line. 

     Everyone had a little white ticket with a number on it, so I went and got one at the entrance. I was number 65 and the digital board said that they were now serving number 23. I thought we were never going to make it out of this place. We have been waiting for 2 hours and 30 minutes now. The lady finally called our number, so we went and completed the paperwork, eye exam and the picture. We finally left the DMV at 1:30, I have spent 3 hours of my life sitting in a chair waiting for the lady to call out my number.

Comments Week 4

Ian B.

Gautam

Dear 12 year old

     Be yourself and do what you like. Be a friend to everyone and do not be mean to people. Be honest and don't tell lies even though you might want to. School might me difficult, but it will get better and you will have more freedom. 7th grade might be tough, but 8th grade a a lot better.

    Stay in school even though it might be tough. Make as many friends as possible because you will never know when you might need a friend or a friend might need you. You are only this age for 1 year, so enjoy it and don't try to be someone you are not. Your gut instinct your true instinct so when you are in doubt, you can always relay on that. Every year you get older, it comes with new responsibilities, so just enjoy the moment now and stop wanting to become older.

Reading Response Week 4

     My literacy narrative is on a trip to Costa Rica that helped me learn to appreciate what you have and to help others. The trip was easy to brainstorm about and I had no problems coming up with things to write about. I took into consideration what we talked about in class, like showing not telling and use of vivid details. As I was writing the paper it was pretty difficult to show and not tell the reader what is happening. I asked a few people for ideas and they helped me grasp how to word different phrases that I had trouble with.

     Writing the paper was easy for me, but I had trouble incorporating the significance throughout the story. I did not like revising the paper because it was a long and slow process, but I know that it is necessary for all great papers. My paper was a lot more concrete after the revision process and the revision process added more structure to my paper. I kept reading my paper over and over again to see what things I needed to add or revise. I am very pleased with the end result and how my paper had changed over time.

Comments Week 3

Sophia: Hurricane Katrina

John H. Katrina and it's engineering disasters

The Old Man and The Sea

     I am currently reading The Old Man and The Sea, I was reading The Infinite Sea, but it was too hard for me to understand what was happening.

     Santiago has been out on his boat for 84 days without catching a fish. A boy named Manolin left Santiago's boat to go to a more successful boat. The author engages the reader by making them feel sympathy for Santiago. The author uses details that make you feel like your are right next to Santiago. The author uses expressions to help emphasize a specific point.


     The author portrays Santiago as broke and he lives in a shack. Mandolin is seen as a side kick or advisee to Santiago. The book is very structured and has a nice flow that relates to the plot. The author makes you feel connected to the book. I really enjoy reading the plot and the author's word choice.

Hurricane Katrina

       

        Hurricane Katrina was a category 5 hurricane until it hit land. The governor of New Orleans issued a mandatory evacuation for New Orleans. However, some people who did not have a car or could not evacuate were moved into the Super Dome. Some people think that this was not the best decision becasue there was apparently a lot of criminal activity and shortages of basic needs.

        The worst part of the storm was the aftermath because some family members were not found and others did not make it. People were looting stores and taking items that did not belong to them. I think that the water did the most damage because the levees broke and thousands of homes were flooded. The whole south was affected by Katrina, not just Louisiana. This recent flooding was a flashback to the devastation of Katrina.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IblL_rXpdu8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdM8yZ-DVtk

Comments week 2

lathanm20: My phone

Sa'Veon Soanes

Comments week 1

Gautam_m: Me

Daniel K: Self Introduction

The Great Escape

        I have 2 dogs, a lab and a beagle. They live in their air conditioning dog house in the backyard. About 1 week ago in the middle of the night, my lab jumped up and pushed the lever to open the gate.  Both of my dogs ran out the backyard and started to roam the neighborhood. The dogs have never opened the gate before.
        The next morning I went to go walk the dogs, but they weren't there and the gate was open. I got my electric skateboard to go find them. As I was riding down the driveway, I see something different on the porch. I started to go by the porch and it was both of the dogs sleeping on the front porch. The lab was sleeping on the swing and the beagle was sleeping on the ground. I started to laugh when I saw them sleeping on the front porch.

The Infinite Sea By: Rick Yancey

        I am currently reading The Infinite Sea by:Rick Yancey. I have just started the book and not much has happened yet, but I am really enjoying the book so far. I like the suspense that the author creates in the beginning of the book. I am always waiting to hear what happens next. The author makes you seem like you are one of the characters.
        Even though the book is science fiction, it seems like it could be in the present as you read the book. The author's writing style is very convincing and makes things in the future seem realistic. I really like the plot of the book and how Cassie and her friends have to survive in the new world. The book is a survival book and 7 billion humans are trying to be rid of. Overall I would recommend this book and the whole series.

About Me: Sutter K.

     My name is Sutter, I like to duck hunt and go fishing. I primarily go duck hunting in Gueydan, La and I go fishing in Cocodrie, La. My 2 year old brown lab that goes duck hunting with me loves going duck hunting. We take her to retrieving events in Louisiana and when we go skeet shooting. Waterfowl hunting is my favorite because it is more active and relaxed.

     I like to play golf at BRCC with my friends and my grandfather. We have land that me and my dad like to work on old cars and the cabin that is on the property. I like to go to the Mississippi river and other places to fly my drone. I enjoy traveling and exploring new places. I like learning different cultures when I travel.

The Blind Side By: Michael Lewis

                          The Blind Side By: Michael Lewis

        I read the blind Side as one of my summer reading books. The Blind Side is about a boy named Michael and how his rough life changes because of his football talent. 

        Michaels life before he was taken in by a rich family was very important to the plot of the book. The author wants us to feel empathy for Michale because he has no father and his mother is in rehab. Something that surprised me was why Michael did he not see his potential in football earlier on in the book. I would recommend this book because you get to see how Michael deals with different challenges he faces. As I was reading I noticed that everybody started to like Michael when he started  football. 

      As the book went on, I noticed that most of his problems went away because of the family that took him in. Michael was a nobody, but now many collages are offering him full scholarships. What surprised me was how drastically his life changed. People were afraid of Michael in the beginning of the book because he was big, but now they are not. You don't have to like football to enjoy this book and I recommend this book to everyone.