Final Reflective Essay

This year, Mr. Sutherland had the entire freshmen and sophomore class make blogs. Everybody has one and we were assigned writing assignments to post on the blogs. Anybody around the world could go online and read our posts. At first, we had free posts, where we wrote about anything, and response posts, where we responded to someone else’s response or free post. We subscribed to each other’s blogs on google reader so that we all have a way to keep track of each other’s posting activities. Whenever the class read a book, there would be posts where everyone reflected on what they read. There were books like “The Kite Runner” and “The Color Purple.” This is the second to last week of school; summer vacation is just ahead. Looking back at past works, I can see great improvement in my writing.
My blog posts and my writing has improved magnificently over the course of this school year. For example, I find that my conclusions have gone from terrible to so-so. My very first response post of the year was a response to Aakash’s post on God and higher entities. My conclusion sentece was, “These are more reasons why people believe in God.” This can be improved so much. My conclusion was literally as sentence instead of a paragraph. Several months later, I already found a great improvement in my conclusions: “All in all, these blogs have affected me and many others in more than one way during the first quarter.” This was the last sentence in the conclusion paragraph in my last reflective essay. You can see that the conclusion in the reflective essay had a transition and reflected on everything that was in the paragraph. The conclusion from the response post barely stated anything about what was in the post itself. This was the progress I made in several months in Mr. Sutherland’s class. It is remarkable and fascinating at the same time.
Mr. Sutherland shad all classes do Quickwrites once in a while. We thought about our topic for 3 minutes, and wrote for 10. We were instructed to write even if we didn’t know what to write; we would write about how we were stuck or what was going on in the room. The goal was to keep writing for the full 10 minutes. I’ve had writer’s block occur on every single Quickwrite I’ve written. It’s frustrating and annoying. I would forget the ideas I had in my head a while ago and everything would fall apart instantly. I find that writer’s block stops all ideas and it doesn’t go away for a long while. I can’t write for the next 5 minutes or so when I get writer’s block. I usually tend to get stuck the moment there are no more ideas I have to put onto paper. This happens because I write fast and I can’t think of more ideas. In the end, I find myself in writer’s block. The only way for me to get unstuck from writer’s block is to get someone to tell me an idea or to wait for the writer’s block to pass. I usually find myself doing the second option because not many people talk with their neighbors during Quickwrites; it is supposed to be silent.I have noticed that I usually get writer’s block when I do not make some kind of organizer for my ideas. If I organize my ideas, I can follow me original ideas bit by bit and never get writer’s bloc because I am not thinking of more topics and all my ideas are already on paper; I can’t forget or lose the ideas unless I lose the sheet of paper. I only noticed because we have had so many Quickwrites this year. I had many opportunities to experiment with writer’s block and notice a pattern. I have begun to organize my work on outlines; I have noticed a decrease in the number of times I have experienced writer’s block. With more practice, I can get even better at avoiding and escaping writer’s block in the future.
I usually get blog post topics from the dictionary instead of by myself. This is because I lack creativity. I only want to do this because I find myself only hitting the 250 word mark when I choose my own topic. Since I couldn’t choose my own topic, I decided to let the dictionary choose for me. I wrote about procrastination, school time, and suffrage. Whenever I let the dictionary choose the topic for me, I find myself barely meeting the minimum amount of words necessary for the blog posts. However, it is better to meet the minimum on a topic I dislike than writing about a topic I like and not meeting the minimum. But there was one occasion where I decided to write about a topic because Saber and Yazen were making fun of m at lunch. They claimed that I probably do  homework all day or whatnot. So I wrote a post about what I do on a normal school day. It was pretty accurate, but my sister decided to counter my statements. She obviously was on crack and I wanted to tell her to stop stalking me and watching everything I said on the net. Other than that one time I wanted to get Yazen and Saber to shut up, I have always depended on the dictionary to provided me with a topic. It has never failed me before and it can be better than asking someone for a topic.
This year, I have made remarkable growth in Mr. Sutherland’s class. My conclusions have improved greatly in several months. I experienced shorter writer’s block because I began to organize my work before writing; that way, I wouldn’t lose my ideas and get stuck because I was forgetting. Finally, I have always looked into my dictionary for help with topics. Sometimes, I would look into the dictionary for more information on a topic and for more ways to bullshit a topic. Now, I don’t bull shit topics as much. Thanks to this class, I have become a greater writer. I hope Mr. Sutherland will not lose his job next year and he can stay and teach me again.

Last Book Review of the year :(

   This is the last book review that I will be doing in Mr. Sutherland's class this year. I forgot to bring a book  that Thursday, so when Aakash asked "Who needs a book?" in first period, I jumped at the chance. I got the book "The Titan's Curse," written by Rick Riordan, the third book in the Percy Jackson series. It's a fictional book about the Greek gods and how they're like in the modern era. The main character is a 14-year-old who decides to journey across America, from the east coast to the west, and save his friend Annabeth and the god Artemis. Unfortunately, they only have a week to do so.

     I think this book was written to entertain children. This is shown when the publisher is "Hyperion Paperbacks For Children". Obviously, the publishing company had intentions for making paperbacks children should read. Furthermore, the book is fiction with a bit of modern concepts. Adults tend to be more interested in other kinds of books, but not always.

     I would recommend this book to children, who are the original audience. Rick Riordan did a good job, making an excellent plot and great use of language appropriate for the age group; it's obvious both he and the editor used great effort to make this book as good as possible. Also, I find that kids these days spend more time in front of screens than doing homework, studying, or reading. This isn't beneficial to their education; in fact, it's more likely that it renders their education. Less time should be spent in front of screens, and more spent reading. If children read more books like this, they can learn about various topics as well as become a more proficient reader.

     Finally, I believe that this book is fit for teenagers. This is due to the main characters in the book. Percy and Annabeth are 14. Thalia is 15. Here, I quote from Bany's blog post: "It is a bout a TEENAGE girl, who falls in love with a TEENAGE boy, and she has trouble with other TEENAGERS and is basiclly going through what TEENAGERS go through." (The grammar mistakes were made by Bany.) Since the main characters are teenagers, it shows that the intended audience are teenagers, so I would recommend it to teenagers. There are reasons why people write books for a specific audience: for them to read it. The book was written to teenagers, so it should be read by teenagers. Otherwise, children would be reading adult novels like "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" where it talks about sex every few pages. Each age group has a different level of maturity that the books are written to address.

     So "The Titan's Curse" is a book written to children, mainly teenagers. Therefore, teenagers should read it because of time and effort put into it by the author and editor. Furthermore, children can read for a change instead of constantly facing a screen. 

     Actually, I began reading "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan for Mr. Sutherland's class last Thursday. It's probably my 10th time reading it. I finished on the first day. Now, I'm asked to write a blog post about an essay question. I chose the one asking about a character's personaltity, characteristics, etc.

     I think I want to analyze Thalia. She's the daughter of Zeus. Percy describes her as a girl who wears a "ripped-up army jacket, black leather pants and chain jewelry [and] black eyeliner." Obviously, Thalia doesn't seem like the person you'd pick on; it is more likely she will pick on you. Furthermore, she fits my description of a gang member who picks fight on every corner. It also doesn't seem like she will get many friends with that clothes like that either; people would avoid her.

     In additions to punk clothes, "Thalia was great at giving evil looks." Going back to the point about fitting the description of a gang memebr and picking fights, I think these evil looks are the number 1 reason why she would actually get into fights. Evil looks make some people back off. It makes others pissed off and angry at you.

     At the end of the book, it says that "Thalia hugged..."(You don't need to know the rest.). She does not seem like the type of person who would hug people, more like the type that would punch people. Regardless of how much I disagree, Thalia actually has a soft and kind side of her, too.

     Thalia also doesn't like being pushed around. In the middle of the book, she told Zoe: "You're not the boss here, Zoe. I don't care how old you are! You're still a conceited little brat!" This shows how stubborn she is and how much she refuses to be used. She'll insult and rebell when she feels that someone has gone too far.

     Thalia is a stubborn, mean, and cruel girl. And yet, she still has another side of her. She refuses to change her ways or ideas, unless proven wrong over and over again. Her unique style and behavior immediately shows that she means trouble and should be avoided.

     "The Titan's Curse" proves to be an interesting book. I really like the plot, although some parts need more work. Every page reflects effort used by the author, Rick Riordan, to write this novel. He obviously tried to win some awards, get money, or entertain more teenagers. Many people have looked forward to his books and inspired to be writers themselves. I've seen very little people read in middle and high school and I want to emphasize what those people are missing out on. Teenagers want to hang out with friends, play games, and go shopping; they don't like homework, tests, or reading because it doesn't interest them. I recommend this book to those teenagers. They need to read more and begin maturing while learning and having fun too. In the end, "The Titan's Curse" proves itself worthy praise.

Comments on Book Review

To Adralyn:
It's a good post, but it lacks a beginning and the conclusion can be better. It can boost the word count from 818 to at least 1000. There's not much to say because most of it is based on opinions, but please capitalize and punctuate correctly. Overall, the post is good. But i'm wondering if you chose your question to write about instead of the given? It doesn't seem like your chose one of Mr. Sutherland's.

To Bany:
The way you say "you guys should read it!" at the end after a detailed explanation of events in the novel makes it more persuading than a persuasive paragraph written about it (my opinion). Like Adralyn's post, there are a few grammar errors, but they can easily be corrected. On the other hand, there is pretty much only one opinion in this book review, the exact opposite of Adralyn. Good Luck.

To Saber:
Nice post, but maybe go into more depth in the beginning instead of providing a summary? Furthermore, you barely passed the word limit yourself so please don't comment on mine. The last two paragraphs somewhat go deep into the meaning of the events you talked about. It helps how you also went into depth for your response to them. Good job. But I don't agree that "your book post was god"(Bany)

Rough Draft

     This is the last book review that I will be doing in Mr. Sutherland's class this year. I forgot to bring a book on that day so when Aakash asked "Who needs a book?" in first period, I jumped at the chance. I got the book "The Titan's Curse," written by Rick Riordan, the third book in the Percy Jackson series. It's a fictional book about the Greek gods and how they're like in the modern era. The main character is a 14-year-old who decides to journey across America, from the east coast to the west, and save his friend Annabeth and the god Artemis. Unfortunately, they only have a week to do so.

     I think this book was written to entertain children. This is shown when the publisher is "Hyperion Paperbacks For Children". Obviously, the publishing company had intentions for making paperbacks children should read. Furthermore, the book is fiction with a bit of modern concepts. Adults tend to be more interested in other kinds of books.

     I would recommend this book to children, who are the original audience. Rick Riordan did a good job, making an excellent plot and great use of language appropriate for the age group; it's obvious both he and the editor used great effort to make this book as good as possible. Also, I find that kids these days spend more time in front of screens than doing homework, studying, or reading. This isn't beneficial to their education; in fact, it's more likely that it renders their education. If children read more books like this, they can learn about various topics as well as become a more proficient reader.

     Finally, I believe that this book is fit for teenagers. This is due to the main characters in the book. Percy and Annabeth are 14. Thalia is 15. Here, I quote from Bany's blog post: "It is a bout a TEENAGE girl, who falls in love with a TEENAGE boy, and she has trouble with other TEENAGERS and is basiclly going through what TEENAGERS go through." (The grammar mistakes were made by Bany.) Since the main characters are teenagers, it shows that the intended audience are teenagers, so I would recommend it to teenagers. There are reasons why people write books for a specific audience: for them to read it. The book was written to teenagers, it should be read by teenagers. Otherwise, children would be reading adult novels like "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" where it talks about sec every few pages. Each age group has a different level of maturity that the books are written to address.

     So "The Titan's Curse" is a book written to children, mainly teenagers. Therefore, teenagers should read it because of time and effort put into it by the author and editor. Furthermore, children can read for a change instead of constantly facing a screen. 

     Actually, I began reading "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan for Mr. Sutherland's class last Thursday. It's probably my 10th time reading it. I finished on the first day. Now, I'm asked to write a blog post about an essay question. I chose the one asking about a character's personaltity, characteristics, etc.

     I think I want to analyze Thalia. She's the daughter of Zeus. Percy describes her as a girl who wears a "ripped-up army jacket, black leather pants and chain jewelry [and] black eyeliner." Obviously, Thalia doesn't seem like the person you'd pick on; it is more likely she will pcik on you. Furthermore, she fits my description of a gang member who picks fight on every corner. It also doesn't seem like she will et many friends with that clothes like that either; people would avoid her.

     In additions to punk clothes, "Thalia was great at giving evil looks." Going back to the point about fitting the description of a gang memebr and picking fights, I think these evil looks are the number 1 reason why she would actually get into fights. Evil looks make soem people back off. It makes others pissed off and angry at you.

     At the end of the book, it says that "Thalia hugged..."(You don't need to know the rest.). She does not seem like the type of person who would hug people, more like the type that would punch people. Regardless of how much I disagree, Thalia actually has a soft and kind side of her, too.

     Thalia also doesn't like being pushed around. In the middle of the book, she told Zoe: "You're not the boss here, Zoe. I don't care how old you are! You're still a conceited little brat!" This shows how stubborn she is and how much she refuses to be used. She'll insult and rebell when she feels that someone has gone too far.

     Thalia is a stubborn, mean, and cruel girl. And yet, she still has another side of her. She refuses to change her ways or ideas, unless proven wrong over and over again. Her unique style and behavior immediately shows that she means trouble and should be avoided.

     "The Titan's Curse" proves to be an interesting book. I really like the plot, although some parts need more work. Every page reflects effort used by the author, Rick Riordan, to write this novel. He obviously tried to win some awards, get money, or entertain more teenagers. Many people have looked forward to his books and inspired to be writers themselves. I've seen very little people read in middle and high school and I want to emphasize what those people are missing out on. Teenagers want to hang out with friends, play games, and go shopping; they don't like homework, tests, or reading because it doesn't interest them. I recommend this book to those teenagers. They need to read more and begin maturing while learning and having fun too. In the end, "The Titan's Curse" proves itself worthy praise.

Second Book Post

     I think this book was written to entertain children. This is shown when the publisher is "Hyperion Paperbacks For Children". Obviously, the publishing company had intentions for making paperbacks children should read. Furthermore, the book is fiction with a bit of modern concepts. Adults tend to be more interested in other kinds of books.
     I would recommend this book to children, who are the original audience. Rick Riordan did a good job, making an excellent plot and great use of language appropriate for the age group; it's obvious both he and the editor used great effort to make this book as good as possible. Also, I find that kids these days spend more time in front of screens than doing homework, studying, or reading. This isn't beneficial to their education; in fact, it's more likely that it renders their education. If children read more books like this, they can learn about various topics as well as become a more proficient reader.
     Finally, I believe that this book is fit for teenagers. This is due to the main characters in the book. Percy and Annabeth are 14. Thalia is 15. Here, I quote from Bany's blog post: "It is a bout a TEENAGE girl, who falls in love with a TEENAGE boy, and she has trouble with other TEENAGERS and is basiclly going through what TEENAGERS go through." (The grammar mistakes were made by Bany.) Since the main characters are teenagers, it shows that the intended audience are teenagers, so I would recommend it to teenagers. There are reasons why people write books for a specific audience: for them to read it. The book was written to teenagers, it should be read by teenagers. Otherwise, children would be reading adult novels like "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" where it talks about sec every few pages. Each age group has a different level of maturity that the books are written to address.
     So "The Titan's Curse" is a book written to children, mainly teenagers. Therefore, teenagers should read it because of time and effort put into it by the author and editor. Furthermore, children can read for a change instead of constantly facing a screen. 

Post on Book

     I began reading "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan for Mr. Sutherland's lass last Thursday. It's probably my 10th time reading it. I finished on the first day. Now, I'm asked to write a blog post about an essay question. I chose the one asking about a character's personaltity, characteristics, etc.
     I think I want to analyze Thalia. She's the daughter of Zeus. Percy describes her as a girl who wears a "ripped-up army jacket, black leather pants and chain jewelry [and] black eyeliner." Obviously, Thalia doesn't seem like the person you'd pick on; it is more likely she will pcik on you. Furthermore, she fits my description of a gang member who picks fight on every corner. It also doesn't seem like she will et many friends with that clothes like that either; people would avoid her.
     In additions to punk clothes, "Thalia was great at giving evil looks." Going back to the point about fitting the description of a gang memebr and picking fights, I think these evil looks are the number 1 reason why she would actually get into fights. Evil looks make soem people back off. It makes others pissed off and angry at you.
     At the end of the book, it says that "Thalia hugged..."(You don't need to know the rest.). She does not seem like the type of person who would hug people, more like the type that would punch people. Regardless of how much I disagree, Thalia actually has a soft and kind side of her, too.
     Thalia also doesn't like being pushed around. In the middle of the book, she told Zoe: "You're not the boss here, Zoe. I don't care how old you are! You're still a conceited little brat!" This shows how stubborn she is and how much she refuses to be used. She'll insult and rebell when she feels that someone has gone too far.
     Thalia is a stubborn, mean, and cruel girl. And yet, she still has another side of her. She refuses to change her ways or ideas, unless proven wrong over and over again. Her unique style and behavior immediately shows that she means trouble and should be avoided.

Vignette Project Review

    I want the regular blog posts back (my opinion)...
    Anyway, this is my post in response to the promt Mr. Sutherland posted on the Dailies.
    First of all, I noticed (cough cough...was told) that bees in Susan's vignette project represdent fear. Susan claims that "[she] used to be afraid of bees." She used to run from them and hide. She avoided them wwhenever she could, and tried her best to keep her pets away from them, too. Unfortuneatly, the pets couldn't stay away from the bees and they had to be buried. In Susan's next vignette, she says, "'Don't be scared of bees'". She was sdtold this by her brother. Being scared of soemthing is to fear sopemthing. Her brother was telling her not top fear the bees, which she used to fear.
    In addition to noticing/listening to Susan announcing her symbolism, I noticed that some students decided top write about their brothers. For example, Christian Cortez wrote, "We were living in boxes and bins for all the months my brother was in the hospital." Others, like Billy Lau, also decided to write about their siblings. Susan also used "brother" in her vignette "The Bees".
    I actually really like Kasia's first vignette about how her father grew up and how it affected his behavior. He refused to give Kasia a cell phone and commented on music. I personally do not blame him because it wasn't his fault that he had top grow up in those certain conditions.
     Finally, I want to say that many people used the vignette they wrote for the "Hairs" ECHO. Kasia wrote a vignette about nails. Eric did a vignette about hair. I posted one about handwriting. I think they didn't write another vignette and just posted the old one because they were too lazy. Nobody likes to work extremely hard; humans liek to relax and get comfortable and lazy. I am a perfect example of laziness. I procrastinate and do my homework at 10 o'clock PM. I'm pretty sure there are others who do the same thing. We got into ASTI due to high performance not because of not procrastinating.
     The purpose of this post is to show Mr. Sutherland that we read the posts other students put onto google reader. I hope i used enough vignettes from different people to show that I worked on this post for a long time.