PRESENTATION

http://prezi.com/hlgitetw9ecm/the-freshest-kids/

BEGINNINGS

My masterpiece so far has been a big help in starting something new. With the knowledge I gained from at first learning how to manage my time has been better then I thought. Now when it comes to the dancing part, it helped me realize something about it. I'm not ready to give it up yet, before starting this masterpiece I was about ready to stop completely with it because I thought it would turn out to be a waste of my time. As it turns out I really still love the rush I get from doing it, and the feeling of knowing I have something to turn to when I want to escape reality for some time. Same goes for exercise, I know these two go hand and hand and because of that I found it easier to keep both of them in my life. I'm not losing touch just yet, and am continuing down a road I know I won't regret going to. I love being able able to do things the grand majority of people can't do, its what I want and what I can make time for. The hip hop movement lives on in me and every other underground talent out there.

DESIGN

In order to really hack something you have to know what it is you're trying to hack. To hack your environment around you you have to surround yourself with things that would really interest you. For example people with the same/similar interests, objects drawings, or posters around you that include something that catches you eye or motivates you or something along those lines, and finally you need to be able to stand up and actually take those steps. You can't hack anything just sitting down. 

FIVE STEPS LATER

During my break I've taken time every now and then to take some steps in creating my masterpiece. 

1. Introductions, I've made contact with other people in the dancing community that I didn't know before. 

2. Preform, I've learned that to show my passion I've had to get me and my crew out there more. So there will be yet another performance for us this coming Saturday. 

3. LEARN. This was an important step, I now know what I need to do, learn something new and show my progress. 

4. Go alone once in a while, during my days off I did go to several places. Which include my future college CSU Los Angeles, and I decided to freestyle out there randomly. I need to get myself out there even if I get nothing out of it. 

5. New people! In trying to get new people to follow my blog I've had to contact others to try and get them to follow. Have not checked to see if I have any new ones yet but hopefully I will. 

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IS OVERRATED

Now at first this article confused me, it wasn’t until the second time around that I actually got the idea of what it was trying to say. Parental involvement is a bad thing when it is done too much, and also if it is done too little. Both seem to affect the child in a bad way and again parents have to decide just how much to be involved with the child when it comes to their schooling. Children seem to do well under different conditions, which is why I think parents should not step in unless they’re absolutely needed. Based on their findings here it seems that most of the ethnic groups did better when there was almost no parental help at all. However, there are still some that did worse because there was no involvement. For this reason I say that this article is full of it, yes if parents are too involved the child will grow dependent on them but they are still needed. What I got out of this article is that they think no parental involvement is better for the kids, that they should learn on their own so they grow more dependent on themselves instead of their parents. I think that’s terrible, kids should learn a majority on their own but still everyone needs help at some point and need others to help them out. This is why I think helping children when they absolutely need it is a more effective way of having them learn than just letting them struggle through it. Children will learn by themselves and also get the help they absolutely need, being treated a little more like a person instead of something that is unable to act on its own or some kind of machine that should learn on its own. We have to treat them like they’re humans and help them when they need it. 

CROSSROADS BETWEEN SHOULD AND MUST

            Should and Must are two roads that stand in everyone’s way, they have never been the same they have only been choices. These two crossroads have their own benefits and downsides, and each aren’t exactly a paradise once the choice is made. Should is more of a suggestion from others as to how we are to behave or what we are suppose to do with our lives but that isn’t always what we want. Must on the other hand are things that are unavoidable to us and things that are completely necessary for us to do. Either way it appears as if we don’t really have our own choice in this, I know I really don’t all I can do is somewhat bend my choices into the direction I would prefer.

            Here’s where I’m at, I am currently doing all the necessary things I need to do in order to graduate and head off into college with my head up high This is why I am on the Must side of everything, I am doing the things I have to do while somewhat leading it on the college route. However I am going to college because it is what I am always being suggested to do by literally everyone, they tell me go to college, get a career, make something of your life, and I just sit there and say alright I’ll go. It isn’t because I want to, it’s because it’s what I should do to help me in life. I guess you can say that I am doing this because I Must, but it was also suggested by everyone that’s talked to me about it so it is also a Should. Overall I still think I am taking the Must route over everything else.

            I have chosen the Must route because the work I’m currently doing, the scholarships I’m finding, the jobs I’m looking for, all of this is because I HAVE to do it. I don’t have a choice here, I need to do all of this in order to continue on my route. I am a Must traveler. 

PREPARATIONS

It's about time I put all this talk about dance into action. Time for some of the dancers at Righetti reveal themselves once again and show everyone what they've got. They all deserve their spotlight, and indeed they will get it. This Friday 4/11/14 RHS House of Warriors will be preforming one last time this year and believe me we are ready to get the crowd going once again. Dr. Preston I definitely want you to be there, part of the masterpiece is showing our unique abilities, well here's the chance to see mine in action. 

CONNECTION: RESOURCE 4/6/14

Time to make a connection with dance, it like just about everything else can be turned into a science. The untold science of how to breakdance, shown here by these guys. Strange ideas, yet they have facts to back it up.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMrGaaQkECm27sWg_DTY08g

LOOK AT MY BRAIN

So far all that's been done is that I've shown that I have general knowledge and have people to look up to on my topics for my masterpiece. Other than that I haven't really done anything else. Just by looking at my blog people can learn a lot about the world of dance, but that's about it. Besides learning some background and see that they could learn thanks to certain intructors that's all they will find unless they plan to go and look more things up. That's how it's been going so far, in the near future more information will come out and new ideas will be added. 

PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS

Now anyone can make a poster or a prezi but it takes some kind of unique aspect to actually make it memorable. Here's a few ideas I had in mind 

-a demonstration of what their project was 

-maybe some kind of physical object, like a model of something 

-how about their tone of voice, that could easily change everything and make it memorable 

-even make it funny, that stuffs always memorable. 

My main point is that you're going to need something other than just a prezi or poster, you need to add your own character into this. 

RAISING DIGITAL AWARENESS

Drawing visitors to your site should be a top priority, nobody puts something on the internet thinking 'oh nobodies going to see this.'  No, they have the intention that many people will see it and want their work to be great for everybody who sees it. You want more people to see it to get your work out there. Currently on my blog I believe that I am bringing peoples attention to the world of dance but not enough. I am giving reasonable information but not really getting it out there yet. The steps I could take to improve that is to simply get my blog work out there. I need to give it more viewers in order to improve it all. In reality it is more important to get people's ideas and interact with them. We get real ideas from real people that can actually help us. However in this day in age it is so much easier to get digital tools to help us and because it is easier that is the route most of us will take. Either way we get a kind of result but we have to know which one we actually need. 

Literary Analysis #3

Book: Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen

FICTIONAL ANALYSIS

1. Brian Robinson is stranded in Canadian wilderness and the seasons are beginning to change. Winter is upon him and he must adapt in order to survive. Brian finds a survival pack inside the crashed plane and finds a gun he decides not to use due to the limited amount of bullets. Instead he decides to make weapons such as a bow and a lance. These weapons come to great use when a moose attacks Brian at his campsite. Also in order to survive the winter he created this leather clothing that was able to last him to the point where he found the Smallhorn family who lived by the frozen lake. They told Brian he could leave on the supply plane that comes by for them and Brian although resistant decides to leave on that plane in the end.

2. The theme of this novel is to never give in to what seems impossible. In this case the impossible seemed to be the upcoming winter and how Brian was not at all prepared for it. We all have this ‘upcoming winter’ in our lives and we all have that chance to overcome it.

3. The authors tone in this story is mysterious, he seems to always be leading up to something which made this book a real page turner.

CHARACTERIZATION

1. Direct characterization happened when the author told us about the season beginning to change, no clues given just told that winter was around the corner. Also when the author said that Brian was frightened, he did not know what to think of the upcoming winter. Indirect characterization happened when Brian first found the gun and did not use it against the bear, he knew that it wouldn’t help him and was smart enough to not use it and instead make new weapons. The author decides to use both because it adds on to Brian’s character when he uses indirect but also need to actually mention some things in order to get some sort of point across.

2. The authors syntax does not change considering the grand majority of the novel is based around this one character. He seems to focus on both Brian and his surroundings at about the same tone. The only real difference is that we know what Brian is thinking but not that the animals intensions are.

3. The protagonist, being Brian, is both a dynamic and a round character. He is dynamic because he teaches himself how to survive the changing seasons so he does go through his dramatic change and enjoys it to say the least. With that change he also became a round character, this is mostly seen when he found the gun. Instead of fully relying on it he decides to not even use it and instead makes his own weapons. Smart move by the young boy.

4. Again yes, after reading this book I do feel like I’ve met Brian once again. This time his character seems different, he is not the boy from The River, he has more instinct this time. When the moose was attacking it felt like I sat there and watched him defend himself against this moose. After it was killed it was like Brian looked at me and said, “Look, I’ve caught dinner.”

RESOURCE 3/26/14

Here we have one of my super 5 tryin to make his dream come true. Daniel Cloud Campos is an amazing dancer (not to mentioned nominated for most beautiful man) and now he is trying to get people to help him make his dream come true. 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/259209608/todays-the-day/description

IS THERE AN EXPERT IN THE HOUSE?

EXPERT CANDIDATE: Vincent Horiuchi

Chosen for his popularity and skill B-boy Vincanity is one of the best recruits I would be able to find. Getting any kind of feedback from him would be incredible, when it came down to it his many experiences with the world of dance. He is a hero of mine and one of my top 5 favorite b-boys, truly a great person.
 

• http://udeftour.org/total-vincanity/

THIS IS ONLY A TEST

It's time to put my knowledge to the test, time to see if I've been reading and seeing every resource I've put up. In order to test myself I must watch or read 2 of the resources I've put up and write about how they connect. Also I have to test the connection between dance and fitness, explaining how they work together.

RESOURCES CHOSEN:

• http://udeftour.org/total-vincanity/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKb1vszkeC8&app=desktop

REQUIREMENTS

• address both articles
• make the connections
• share experiences that help express my points 

Giving my own examples on things like this is really good for me, mainly considering this is my passion.

RESOURCE 3/23/14

Here is one inspirational story about how you can literally start from the bottom and be able to get to the top.
http://globalphysique.com/steves-story/

RESOURCE 3/20/14

Here is a store that shows that becoming a b-boy is more than just being able to dance. There are precautions to take and gear you will need. Granted most of it is flashy but for the most part this shows that safety precautions are taken when breakdancing. 

http://www.cypherstyles.com

RESOURCE 3/19/14

Although this made me laugh a bit I do see this as a good way a beginner could start off. They can learn fundamentals an eventually add their own style to it.

http://m.wikihow.com/Breakdance

WHAT AM I?

After writing the essay in class about entrepreneurs, I am starting to see myself in a different viewpoint. I need this type of pressure on me, all this about posting resources is actually doing something for me. I am beginning to see my masterpiece coming together, even as I was writing my essay. While writing it I was actually coming up with an endpoint that I want to reach with this masterpiece, with my passions in life and just keep it that way. There isn't much more to say about it, I'm simply starting to put everything together without knowing if it's going to go through, I am an entrepreneur.

RESOURCE 3/16/14

In the world of fitness there are always inspiring stories that touch us and make us want to change a bit. This one got me, and made me realize that maybe I am doing things right.
http://greatist.com/fitness/overcoming-depression-exercise-prevention

RESOURCE 3/15/14

People work hard because they want to prove themselves in one way or another. Well this weekend on Saturday the 22nd many bodybuilders will get that chance to prove themselves in Global Physique, a popular bodybuilding competition which is also holding an expo that same day.
http://globalphysique.com/events/fitnessexposb/

RESOURCE 3/13/14

Just an amazing story, an inspirational one.
http://udeftour.org/total-vincanity/

I, ENTREPRENEUR

a) The 10 questions I came up with were designed for Vincent Horiuchi, the #1 on my SUPER 5 list. I see him as a true entrepreneur because he truly wants to make a difference with dance. He provides the service of teaching dance to younger kids for free and still finds time to have a job and be able to get by on his own. A great inspiration to those who want to do something in dance.
b) I myself seem to also be an entrepreneur because of how I am creating this masterpiece. I do believe that my idea here in bringing time managing, dance, and fitness together is something that I can't see many people doing. With this I can provide new ideas to people who know nothing about these topics.
c) The way that expertise is associated with entrepreneurship is the right way to think. When you are being handed a new idea and someone is trying to get you to help out you better hope that the person knows what they're doing with is. If not then the idea could go horribly wrong and you could easily be wasting your time.

RESOURCE 3/12/14

In the world of b-boying there are many different opinions as to what's better. Here theya re talking about how it was better back in the olden days of breaking and when it first started.
http://entertherawzone.com/why-b-boying-was-better-back-in-the-days/

RESOURCE 3/11/14

This is an example of the people who don't know what they're doing, with people that aren't sure what to do would do anything to get results.
http://gymflow100.com/meet-arlindo-de-souza-the-man-with-29-inch-biceps-by-injecting-himself-with-alcohol-and-oil-video/

10 QUESTIONS

These here would be the 10 questions I would ask one of the members on my SUPER 5 list

1. What first got you doing this?

2. Did you think doing this would get you to where you are today?

3. How would you define success? 

4. Do you think you have reached that success? 

5. What could you have done better?

6. What else would you want to accomplish?

7. Are you happy with this?

8. Was there ever a moment when you had doubts about your passion?

9. How has this changed you? 

10. What advice can you give to the people out there with a passion?

RESOURCE 3/10/14

This article is one of my absolute favorites. This shows that taking up a hobby like dancing can change you in so many ways. Weiming Yuan is a true inspiration to fellow dancers.
http://aeonattire.com/2013/10/10/most-important-things-breakdancing-taught/

BENCHMARK 3/9/14

My Masterpiece

            My masterpiece has gained several parts to it and parts I’m glad it gained. As far as my time management goes I’ve seen a way that I could about manage everything I need to get done. Although the one thing I can almost guarantee is that the chart will change around a lot because things can change easily and my time will end up going somewhere else. Granted the chart was also made on a basic week time period. So the chart below shows my progress on the time managing part of my masterpiece. Now for dance, one thing I can say that I’ve been passionate about for a while. It had to be when I saw the video ‘The Freshest Kids’ that I got a real understanding of the hip-hop culture and where it all really came from. That there is where I decided to learn the arts of a b-boy and continue spreading this culture anywhere I could. My first big debut as a b-boy happened last year, during a school rally where me and a group of friends preformed on stage and made the crowd roar. It was an amazing feeling and I wanted to continue doing things like this. The way I’ve kept it going was by continuing this club that helps anyone with dancing abilities to get the spotlight every dancer wants. I am still continuing this and don’t plan on stopping. Finally there is fitness, my most recent passion. It came to be this past summer, I was at a gym to just kill some time and get a good workout in for the day. It was there that I met a guy named Bill, he was a personal trainer and saw some potential in me. He wanted me to start training with him and I agreed to try it out. It led to me getting into the habit of going to the gym and made more aspects of my life better. My dancing improved because I had more stamina and more strength, my self-confidence went up, and I just felt amazing. This was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and now I continue to test my body to its limits and even further. My life wouldn’t be the same without these passions in my life.

RESOURCE 3/9/14

I really liked this article on fitness because although it does mention some basics that everyone should know it also gives us a fresh reminder on just how easy it is to stay healthy and live longer. 

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/the-little-things-add-up-in-fitness/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

RESOURCE 3/7/14

People say that hiphop is dead, that there is nothing happening anymore and that the movement died a ling time ago. Well this proves it wrong, there is still things out there that make breakers more known. An annual competition known as Red Bull BC One.
http://www.redbullbcone.com/en/

RESOURCE 3/6/14

On the topic of fitness I was curious as to the overall differences in men and women's fitness. There is way more than I realized.
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/his-hers-fitness

RESOURCE 3/5/14

One of the things that inspired me the most was a film titled The Freshest Kids, it's a documentary about the history of breakdancing and is one of the most inspirational films I've seen on this topic. If you have the time you should watch this.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lKb1vszkeC8

RESOURCE 3/4/14

I was curious on my topic. Wondering what I would find when a beginner types in how to breakdance on Google. I found the the videos made by Vince were most common pop ups. So here's a link to hid YouTube channel. He is very inspirational.

http://m.youtube.com/user/VincaniTV

SUPER 5

Here I have a list of 5 different individuals who can serve as role models to help me learn more about my overall project.
1. Vince Horiuchi
2. Willie Gault
3. Daniel "Cloud" Campos
4. Wesley Wilson
5. Richard "Steelo" Vasquez

LITERATURE ANALYSIS #2

Jorge Garcia

Period 0

BOOK- The River by Gary Paulsen

Fiction Analysis

1. After hearing of the boy who survived almost 2 months in the wilderness using only a hatchet the government wanted to learn of these techniques of his. After some thinking Brian agrees to help them and head back into the wilderness along with a psychologist named Derek who goes to observe. They are placed in a remote Canadian location and Brian decides to only use a knife and radio from the entire emergency supply kit the government has brought them. After several days of being in the wilderness a bad storm arrives and Derek is struck by lightning and sent into a deep coma. Brian is once again alone and has to get Derek to emergency care before he dies of dehydration, there is only one way out. Brian has to build a raft and be able to defy odds and make it down the river in hopes of finding help. After heading down the river the raft had crashed and luckily he found help. Derek recovered and thanked Brian for saving his life, and Brian went back to his home safe and sound.

2. The main theme of this novel is to always have hope. Even when the toughest situations hit you always have to keep hope in order to get through and overcome it.

3. Overall the author had a tone of mystery most of the time, this depended on what or who he was talking about. For example when he talked in the beginning of the book he described the city Brian was in and how he was living his life after surviving in the woods. He went into great depth describing how Brian was not use to the regular world anymore. Also after leaving to go to the woods his tone picked up a bit and became more suspenseful. The constant tips Brian gave just added on to the suspense of something happening in the future. Then something did. Finally his tone was at the most suspenseful/courageous when Brian decided to go down the river with the unconscious Derek. The description of the river, the raft slowly falling apart, and Brian beginning to lose hope, the tone made the finale of this book a real page turner.

4. A literally element I mostly saw from the author was foreshadowing, I could in a way tell that Derek was going to have an accident because he wasn’t an army guy or anyone athletic or the outdoors type. He was merely there to observe and bring the notes back, a person like that in the middle of nowhere with a young boy and one radio does not exactly say “smart plan”. Also I saw a lot of rising action, where every little event just seemed to go together and the climax became very clear. From Brian agreeing to go out to the woods again to the thunder storm coming along we are able to see this turn of events a little easier and can expect that the next obstacle will be a really good page turner.  

Characterization

1. Direct characterization was used a lot, mostly when describing his characters. Brian was described as this boy who has matured greatly after being in the woods that long and also as a traumatized kid after all that. As far as indirect characterization goes it takes a bit to find, we are shown that Brian is very attached to the woods no matter how hard he says he won’t go back and also we see Derek’s intentions as only working for him and he can be in luxury only to observe what the skills are but not actually do them. The author uses both to give a sense of who these characters really are, to give characters life basically.

2. Overall I see that the author’s syntax/diction seems to change once. The only true change I see is the change in author’s diction when Derek is put into a coma after being struck by lightning. Gary Paulsen seemed to start using stronger words now that Brian was alone again, and it helped in building more suspense.

3. The protagonist, being Brian, is more of a dynamic character and a round character. I say he’s dynamic because at first yes he sticks to his old ways but after Derek gets struck by lightning he changes his motives and starts to think of any possible way to save his life. Also he is round because he starts thinking outside his own little comfort zone and begins to realize he and Derek are on the verge of death that can only be defied by his ability to get Derek down that river.

4. After finishing this short novel I did feel like I met 14 year old Brian this time. The one thing that made me feel like I met him was towards the end once again where Brian had gotten back on land after sailing down the river. I could see that image of him, sitting there in his ripped cloths, holding Derek’s unconscious body and crying telling the people he found to go for help. Being able to perfectly see that image I can say that I feel like I’ve met this 14 year old Brian. 

WELCOME TO MY NETWORK

Here I am looking for people who could help me under my topics of managing time, dance, and fitness. How all these tend to come together and i have found people that have the certain same taste as my topics here. So I am asking them to help me out and come join my network.

1. Carlos Serrano
2. Veronica Cavazos
3. Bobby Rucobo
4. Daniel Alvarez
5. Andrew Alcazar

MASTERPIECE ESSAY #1

Jorge Garcia

0

Masterpiece Essay #1

            I have always wondered what the future would hold for me, trying to come up with every possibility that could end up being my future. It was one of the things I’d constantly want to think about, and after a long time of thinking I have figured out that I wanted a career in business. This career interested me because I’ve seen how the area of business works, it caught my attention now instead of boring me like it used to. There has been a huge transaction in my ways of thinking, and thanks to this I know what I want my future to look like.

            This goes back to around my junior high years, I was still young and looking for anything adventurous. Just the thought of being in a small cubical with thousands of others doing some paperwork that probably is nothing but “bitch work”. That is how I completely saw it and wanted nothing to do with it, in fact by my freshmen year in high school I wanted to become a doctor. This was my career choice because I liked the idea of being able to help others in a job that is a complete necessity on a daily basis. There was only one thing, the classes that had a lot to do with the career I wanted. In the first high school years I did take classes such as biology, although it was not a hard class I just did not get a lot of interest out of it. I took the classes, passed them with ease but found that I classified it as “bitch work” because I was not passionate about this in any way. I was only trying to get the grade and move on. This was not the end of my journey however, because one thing stayed in the shadows until I noticed it my junior year in high school.

            I have not noticed that secretly I had a passion, one I haven’t noticed but have complained about a lot due to the fact that it was a lot of work. Yet even after all of the complaining I still tried my best at it and did not notice it. This secret passion was numbers, mathematics, and I was good at this. Although I was not one of the students that was in an advanced placement class under mathematics I was still going through the years with ease. This alone got me thinking, I’m good with numbers so what can I do with this? Many different things came to mind, teachers, professors, but then it hit me. What about finance, there’s a lot of work with numbers, money, and more importantly get paid very well. There was still research to do however, and I realized what I now had an interest in. It ended up being the one thing I had hated, it was the world of business. At first I was shocked but then it all came together and begun to make much more sense. Also I realized that what I saw as business isn’t always true, it didn’t have to be the whole cubical scene. It could be just about anything, the office itself is almost guaranteed but it could be anywhere from a building to a school. That sounded pretty good to me because I could easily see myself doing this, and I was ready to try and make that my career.

            All-in-all I would say my way of thinking has done a complete 180. I have gone from not liking the world of business to realizing it is a pretty good idea for me because I found out I actually had a secret passion for it. However, although I have found out what I wanted to do with my life I have decided not to do more research on this for my senior project. I want to be able to manage time and not do so much with my future, I know what I’m getting myself into so I want to be able to master time management before I leave. My future involves me going into the world of business, but at the same time I would need more than just knowledge on that to be ready for the future. I’d need to know more.

MY VOCABULARY #3

development- a specified state of growth or advancement
The wings attain their full development several hours after birth.
authentic- of disputed origin; genuine
This letter is now accepted as an authentic document.
assess- evaluate or estimate the nature, ability, or quality of
The committee must assess the relative importance of the issues.
publish- of, affecting, or belonging to a particular person rather than to anyone else
Her personal fortune was recently estimated at $37 million.
finance- the management of large amounts of money
I have to think about how to finance my future.
balance- an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady
She lost her balance and fell from the tight rope.
satisfied- contented; pleased
She was very satisfied with her test results.
dexterity- skill in preforming tasks esp. with hands
His record testifies to a certain dexterity in politics.
manual- of or done with the hands
Manual hauling of boats along the towpath.
automatic- working by itself with little or no direct human control
An automatic kettle that switches off when it boils.
calendar- a chart or series of pages showing the days/weeks/months of a particular year
I always mark the important dates on the calendar.
frequent- done on many occasions, in many cases, or in quick succession
The showers will become heavier and more frequent.
planner- a list or chart with information that is an aid to planning
I tend to use a planner on a weekly basis.
procrastination- the action of delaying or postponing something
Your first tip is to avoid procrastination.
writer's block- the condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing
The one thing you don't want when writing something important is to get writer's block.

PEER REVIEW

I will review the following blogs based on overall content, look, and if they are up to date or not.
1. aarriagarhsexposcomp.blogspot.com: This blog had a great look, that is what first caught my attention. After that I proceeded in reading a few of the posts, from what I saw I could see that his content was overall good, does need a little work but is good and will get better. It is missing a few things but so far is getting up to date.
2. alfredoexporeadingwritingrhs.blogspot.com: To begin with this blog looked well organized, many little gadgets and widgets being used. Now the actual content was pretty good, had many meaningful posts that were not just simple assignments. Some posts were late however but he seems to be getting up to date.
3. cesiliosanchez.blogspot.com: He appears to be well up to date and continuing to do so. Actual content looks to be well written, but looked more school structured instead of him actually putting things into his own way of thinking. Looks great though.
4. valvaradorhs14exposcomp.blogspot.com: This blog had a very original great look to it and not only stopped there, its content was very well written. She appears to be up to date on just about everything and has been doing excellent.
5. mlunarhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com: Her blogs overall look was very decorative, yet still easy to be able to navigate around. This blog is very well organized and written especially considering she is doing both Expository Composition and AP English. As far as the Expos Comp goes I'd say she is pretty well up to date and has been doing a good job on this blog.
These students appear to be doing well so far in this course, however there is always more work to be done and based on what they've shown so far I'd say they're ready for the upcoming work.

MY VOCAB #2

postpone-cause something to take place at a time later than that first scheduled
The visit had to be postponed for some time.
effective- successful in producing a desire or intended result
Effective solutions to environmental problems.
important- of great significance or value
It is important to avoid monosyllabic answers.
nutrient- a substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life
Fish are a great source for many important nutrients such as protein, vitamins, and minerals.
health- the state if being free from illness or injury
He was restored to health after having the flu.
productive- producing or able to produce large amounts of goods
The most productive employees tend to get more respect.
declutter- remove unnecessary items from an overcrowded place
There's no better time to declutter your home.
link- relationship between 2 things or situations esp. when one thing affects the other
Investigating a link between pollution and forest decline.
hazard- a danger or risk
There is a huge hazards of smoking.
enjoy- take delight or pleasure in
Joe enjoys reading Icelandic family sagas.
cause- a person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition
The cause of the accident is not clear.
future- the time or a period of time following the moment of speaking or writing
People tend to think of their futures a lot.
regret- feel sad, repentant, or disappointed over something that has happened
She immediately regretted the words she just spoke.
resources- available assets
Nowadays there are so many resources on any topic found on the internet.
manifest- clear or obvious to the eye or mind
The systems manifest fallings.
courage-the ability to do something that frightens one
She called on all her courage to face the ordeal.
humility- a modest or low view of one' own importance
He suffered many humiliating moment but regrets nothing.
valuable- extremely useful or important
My time is valuable.
integrity-the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles
He is known to be a man of integrity.
control-the power of influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events
The situation was slipping out of her control.

LAUNCH

When this project was first announced I was puzzled, not fully sure what I wanted to do. All I really knew was that I was sick and tired of having to constantly think about my future, thinking why I couldn't think about the time I have now instead of wasting it thinking about the future. That's when it hit me, I have total control of this project so of course I was going to steer it into the direction I was thinking. Why not start a project that helped me take extreme advantage of the present and only look into it instead of looking into my future like every other class is trying to get me to do. I know what's waiting for me after I graduate, but while I'm still here I want to use my free time and get it to a point where I go off into my future having absolutely no regrets because I actually did the things I wanted to while I had the chance. In order to do this I would need to organize a few things. First off I would need to be able to manage my time in a way that I could do anything I wanted to but still get my school work done because I can not slack on it. Secondly I would have to prioritize the things in my life to make sure that I was putting the main priorities first instead of overlooking one thing because I didn't see it. I started seeing a pattern in the sources I was finding, and this ladies and gentlemen is where I can say my project took off.

MY VOCABULARY #1

budget- an estimate of income and expenditure for a period of time
I tend to keep within my household budget.
responsibility- the state of having a duty to deal with something
When a child is born the parents are left with a huge responsibility.
limit- a point where something does not or may not pass
Everyone has their limits in their abilities.
predict- say that something will happen in the future
Its too early to predict the next superbowl champions.
consequence- result or effect of an action or condition
Many have been laid off of work as a consequence of the administrations policies.
choice- an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with multiple possibilities
The huge choice between good and evil.
management- the process of dealing with or controlling things or people
There is always management in the workplace.
doubt- a feeling of uncertainty or lack of conviction
They had doubts that they would be selected for the scholarships.
systematic- done or acting accordingly to a fixed plan or system
A systematic search of the whole city.
motivation- the reason(s) one has for acting or behaving in a particular way
Escape can be a strong motivation for travel.
temporary- lasting for only a limited amount of time
My job is only temporary.
priority- a thing that is regarded as more important than another
Housework was not on my priorities list.
time- the indefinite continued progress of existence and event in the past/present/future regarded as a whole
MLK was one of the greatest men of all time.

Literary Analysis: Spring 1

Literary Analysis

Fiction

Book: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

1. Thirteen year-old Brian is on a plane heading to his fathers house until the plane undergoes a crash landing in a wilderness area near the Canadian border line. The young Brian has to learn how to survive on his own in the hopes that he will be rescued soon. Encountering many obstacles such as wild animals, lack of food, and the upcoming winter Brian slowly but surely learns how to survive with the natural resources given to him along with what he had on him. He started to lose hope until a tornado passed by and made it possible for Brian to enter the plane that had crashed into a lake and activate the radio. Only a few days later someone answered the call. This story shows the authors intentional idea that he tries to give, always keep your hopes up no matter the situation.

2. The major theme I got out of this novel is that hope can bring out the best of us no matter the situation. 

The phrase “no hope” does not really exist and this novel brings that out. A 13 year-old boy learned how to survive in the wilderness and only survived because he had hopes that he would eventually be found and be able to go back to society.

3. The authors tone tends to change throughout the novel. For the most part his tone was suspenseful, I could never guess what was going happen next and it kept me reading. For example when Brian was trying to create a fire the author kept me thinking because he kept mentioning the things that could happen if he did not get a fire started. Also whenever Brian was attacked by a creature, such as the moose, he gave great detail in describing Brian’s thought process and puts us in his position. Same with the certain twists that occur, such as the tornado hitting and Brian realizing that he can finally get into the plane that crashed in the lake. A real page turner.

CHARACTERIZATION

1. Direct characterizations happen when the author describes obstacles such as the animals that attacked Brian. The descriptions were basic, such as saying the bear was ready to strike with the angry look on his face or when saying the skunk was frightened and with an anxious expression sprayed in its defense and ran off. Indirect characterization is used more when describing Brian himself. Such as Brians whole transition from a young boy to a man that can lookout for himself. We see this transition through his actions, such as when he first tries to make a bow and arrow he is this kid who doesn’t know what he is doing and almost loses his vision because of that. Also when Brian finally does get rescued, his offering to the pilot showed me that he has grown up a lot since first being stranded. The author uses both of these strategies in order to create an all around story, describing the main character in secrecy and describing the surroundings in great detail.

2. The authors syntax and diction change in an obvious way when he gets to describing actual characters. This is mostly true when he begins to describe animals. He would start off by giving the outer appearance of the animal, such as saying the skunk is small and appears ready to strike, then he would get into how the creature is thinking and what they are planning to do. Again with the skunk he told us that it felt fear and tried running away instead of spraying but felt it had no other choice but to spray.

3. Brian, the protagonist, is both a dynamic character and a round character. He is dynamic for obvious reasons, after having to survive in the woods at the young age of 13 who wouldn’t go through a huge change? He learned how to take care of himself and man up. Surely it wasn’t easy but he was able to do it. Also I call him a round character because he always thought of new ways to survive and was not thinking in one way, such as he did not only think that he had to get out of the woods. No, he instead accepted the fact that he was stranded and made an effort to try and survive with what he had. He is one brave kid, and although imaginary a great inspiration.

4. After reading the novel I feel like I’ve actually met Brian in person. What gave me the sense of Brian being a real person was the very end of the book. I found a real person because the people I know have a sense of humor no matter the situation. When Brian was finally rescued and the pilot came up to him the only thing Brian did was offer him soup. Yes it is a huge relief but the worst of the situation is over, why not laugh a bit? I’m sure after that remark they shared a laugh before leaving the woods. He is a real person in my mind. 

HAFTA/WANNA

Graduation day brings about many emotional moments and give us all a reality check. During high school we have this kind of safety net, our problems tend to have small consequences because we are still seen as children. However when we graduate we are told that we are ready for the so called 'real world'. I believe that after graduation we do change, but not right away. A simple day after nothing will truly change. It takes awhile for the impact to actually hit us and we realize things are going to change. Everyone is going to do something different, and with all those different paths we are going to have to make choices. We have to know what we want to do and how to manage the time we are given. Things will only get harder if we try to add things we know we can't hold on to, so we have to know what to give up and what to keep. Then manage the time given, so a full time student who works a part time job, wants to hit the gym, join clubs, and do their own hobbies will more than likely have to give up a few of these things. Then manage the time they have. Life will get harder and harder as we move on, so we must set priorities straight now. 

VOCABULARY: SPRING 3

apostate- a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle
My friend recently became an apostate.
effusive- expressing feelings of gratitude/ pleasure in a heartfelt way
She gave me an effusive welcome.
impasse- a situation in which no progress is possible; deadlock
The current political impasse seems like a waste of time.
euphoria- a feeling or state of intense excitement/ happiness
The euphoria of success will fuel your desire to continue training.
lugubrious- looking or sounding sad or dismal
My friend was looking lugubrious today.
bravado- a bold manner or a show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate
Typically at the gym, I tend to be slightly bravado.
consensus- general agreement
There tends to be a consensus of opinion among judges.
dichotomy- a division or contrast between 2 things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different
A rigid dichotomy between science and mysticism.
constrict- make narrow
There are chemicals that constrict the blood vessels.
gothic- of or relating to goths or their rock music
People tend to go the ways of a Gothic.
punctilio- a fine or petty point of conduct or procedure
Children have to learn how to reach a punctilio when working with others.
metamorphosis- process of transforming from an immature form to an adult form
Every adolescent goes though a metamorphosis.
raconteur- a person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way
I always hear about these raconteurs, they seem to be very happy people.
sine qua non- an essential condition; thing that is absolutely necessary
Grammar and usage are the sine qua non of language teaching and learning.
quixotic- exceeding idealistic
A vast and perhaps quixotic project.
vendetta- a prolonged bitter quarrel with or campaign against someone
He has accused the British media of pursuing a vendetta against him.
non sequitur- a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement
Your argument is non sequitur.
mystique- a fascinating aura of mystery, awe, and power surrounding someone/something
The tiger has a mystique that man has always respected and revered.
quagmire- a soft boggy area of land that gives way underfoot
Torrential rain turned the building site into a quagmire.
parlous- full of danger or certainty
The parlous state of the economy.

I, SENIOR PROJECT/ FIRST DRAFT

The 3 questions gave me a whole  new idea on what this semester. I always saw it as preparing for what comes next, but instead this has got me thinking what I could do now putting college aside. What I want to do is use my time, do things that I actually want to do while I still can. I want to use all my time and not let it simply slip away. The TIP's we did last semester can really help me organize my time and use it to my own advantage. I want to be the guy that looks back and says I did everything I wanted to in high school and not regret anything. This is so doable it seems like I can pull this off, and I plan to as the semester goes on. 

LIFE AFTER

High school has basically been my safetynet, it's given me things to do throughout my day and has placed stepping stones for my overall future. Now planning my future is one thing, going through with it is a whole nother thing. After high school is over I only know a few things, I'm going to college, and it'll be summer when I graduate. I feel like my life would be slightly more empty, mainly because it was high school where I could see everybody I knew and just be in a place that kept me secure and handed me free knowledge and free food. After high school I will be on my own, I would be entering a new life full of payments, school, a job, and not a lot of free time. That's is truly how I see my life after high school, busy. Going to school as a full-time student with a half-time job and still trying to find time to do other activities. It will be tough but I know I can do it. I have to believe that I am capable of doing this and I believe that I am. Real world I'll see you in about 6 months. 

VISUAL STORYTELLING

3 techniques that make storytelling effective.....

1. Actually being able to see what is going on instead of having to analyze it. Seeing people struggle, bicker, and so on. This makes it easier on the person watching. 

2. The characters being real people, seeing their faces, moods, accountrements, make this better for us. We are able to analyze them through both direct and indirect characterization during the film. Except now we don't have to imagine things such as what they look like. 

3. Actually paying attention. When we cull a book that looks interesting we still tend to read the words but not understand what just happened. During a movie you tend to pay attention more and enjoy watching. 

VOCABULARY: SPRING 2

Accoutrements- personal clothing/ accessories

People are familiar with the accoutrements of a religious ritual. 

Apogee- the highest or most distant point; climax.

Every story has an apogee, making it interesting. 

Apropos- fitting; at the right time; to the purpose; opportunely

She remarked the apropos o the initiative, "Its not going to stop the abuse."

Bicker- to engage in petulant or peevish argument; wrangle

 The two were always bickering.

Coalesce- to grow together or into one body

The two lakes coalesced into one.

Contretemps- an inopportune occurrence; an embarrassing mischance

He caused a minor contretemps by knocking over his drink.

Convolution- a rolled up or coiled condition

Crosses adorned with elaborate convolutions. 

Cull- to choose; select; pick

Anecdotes culled from Greek and Roman history are still used today. 

Disparate- distinct in kind; essentially different; dissimilar

He had some disparate ideas.

Dogmatic- asserting opinions in a doctrinaire or arrogant manner; opinionated.

He gives his opinions without trying to be dogmatic. 

Licentious - disregarding accepted rules or conventions
When doing his work the man seemed licentious as he did his work.
Mete - dispense or allot justice, a punishment, or harsh treatment
He denounced the maltreatment meted out to minorities.
Noxious - harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant 
They were overcome by the noxious fumes.
Polemic - a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something
His polemic against the cultural relativism of the sixties.
Populous - having a large population
The town was densely populated.
Probity - having strong moral principles; honesty and decency
Some people have a financial probity.
Repartee - conversation or speech characterized by quick, witty comments or replies
When talking to someone who is repartee, you feel challenged and enjoy the conversation.
Supervene - occur later than a specified or implied event or action
Any plan that is made liable to be disrupted by supervening events.
Truncate - to shorten by cutting off the top or end
The discussion was truncated by the arrival or our food.
Unimpeachable - not able to be doubted or questioned
The case had an unimpeachable witness.

PROFILE IN COURAGE

When I this film first started I wasn't not sure what the real idea was. But after everything I saw today I was able to figure out where the courage really is. The courage is within the coach that betrayed his own country. He switched sides to Canada because he felt the US has become too arrogant with all their victories. Now the courage was in being able to switch sides and go through with facing the team he betrayed. That was true courage, to be able to leave what he knows and start a new with new people. He may be seen as the bad guy but I see him as one of the most courageous people in this film. 

VOCAB #1 PERFORMANCE REVIEW

On this first vocab test I did pretty dang good. With a score of 9/10 I was satisfied with it considering I did not have much time to completely learn them. I believe I did good on this test because there was only 10 words, there was less to memorize and the words were not hard. If every list were like this I would be golden for this semester, however knowing Dr. Preston I know this is something that won't happen again. Things will only get more challenging from here. 

VOCABULARY: SPRING 1

adumbrate- report or represent in outline
James Madison adumbrated the necessity that the Senate be somewhat insulated from public passions.
apotheosis- the climax of something
His appearance as Hamlet was the apotheosis of his career.
ascetic- practice of self discipline
An ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and manual labor.
bauble- a small, showy, trinket or decoration
People spend too much money trying to obtain baubles for their household.
beguile- charm
Every prominent American artist has been beguiled by Maine.
burgeon- begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish
Manufacturers are keen to cash in on the burgeoning demand.
complement- thing that completes or brings to perfection
The libretto proved a perfect complement to the music.
contumacious- stubbornly or willfully disobedient to authority
Many children begin to be contumacious when their parents want them to do something they don't want to do.
curmudgeon- a bad-tempered or surly person
I could tell she was a curmudgeon person after seeing how impatient she was in traffic.
didactic- intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive
A didactic novel that set out to expose social injustice.

HACKING MY EDUCATION

The way I can hack my education is simply by making it actually useful to me. For example actually learning the things a traditional school wouldn't teach me. Such as how to balance credit, how to do taxes, how to pay bills, and many things along those lines. With that information in mind I would have a better sense of how the real world works. They say high school prepares you for the real world but it really doesn't. Now I don't just want to graduate high school, I want to graduate with the sense that I'm ready for whatever I do next. With this course I can accomplish this goal. 

THE CHOICE

1. The 'choice' is whether a 5 year-old girl takes her poison by herself or have it shoved down her throat by her parents. 

2. This is not a real choice, either way has the same outcome so where exactly is the choice here? Also I think the alternative would be for her not to take it at all despite what her parents want. 

3. The author uses the word 'poison' to exaggerate his point on what they were doing. Suck as the expression 'Pick your poison'. Making this poor little girl 'choose' between different ways to take her poison. 

4. She wants to play with that you because she knows, better than the author realized, that she would not get to play with that toy because she would not make it to be the age the toy required. I do agree with her, because although nobody wants to say so this little girls chances of dying are better than her chances of surviving. So let her play with the toy. 

5. If I knew for a fact that I wouldn't live to be 30 I would most likely not stay in school. The reason we are all in school is to create our futures, well mine not bring past my prime I wouldn't see a point in continuing. Also I would begin traveling, if I knew I'd die young then may as well see as much as I can. 

6. It is appropriate under the circumstances of life or death, during  those times it seems that just abut every move would have to be appropriate. 

7. Suffering is definately a condition in life, it isn't easy and at one point or another we will all suffer. Same with love, it is not easy and once you have it it can lead to problems but we decide that it's worth it. 

8. The authors words can touch us all, although our experiences are different we have all had our hard times. When it comes to hearing another persons problems their words can have us unknowingly thinking about our times. Words are powerful that way.