Rory's English Blog

 Prompt: One time I did something out of the norm is when I bought my record player. I feel like not many people have one these days. I have always found them interesting and finally got one. My friends thought it was dumb and pointless because of all the ways you can stream music now. I disagree though because it feels different and is very peaceful. My parents also didn't think it was the best of my money, but I disregarded them because it was what I wanted and what I was saving up for. Summary: Today I finished my heart drawing. Reflection: I learned about many different symbols that can relate to emotions and logic.

 

 Prompt: I would use a carnival to describe my own mind. Usually there's a lot going on in my mind and I feel like a carnival sums that up perfectly. Between the games and the rides at a carnival that describes what goes on in my own mind. My mind always has something going on in it usually no matter what. I also really like going to the carnival and I like what goes on in my mind most of the time so that also helps with the metaphor. Summary: Today we looked at an Emily Dickinson poem and started our heart assignment.  Reflection: I learned how metaphors can be embedded in poems.

 Prompt: I would like to go on an adventure in Macchu Pichu. One of my parents friends did a really long trail there and it seems like it would be very fun. It took them many days and I feel like it would be a great time. It would really let me explore nature and feel like I'm one with the world. I would want to do it with either my parents or some of my friends.  Summary: Today we learned about Emily Dickinson and analyzed a poem. Reflection: I learned all of the steps of analyzing and interpreting a poem.

 Prompt: One thing I will never understand is the universe. It is weird to think that we are just floating in the universe. Also that there could be anything outside of Earth. It is just really perplexing and I feel like nobody will ever know. Scientists have been trying to figure out as much as they could, but I don't think they will ever find out about the whole universe. It also may go on forever which is weird to think that you could go on forever and not stop. Summary: Today we presented our Origin Myth posters. Reflection: Today I learned many different themes and how different stories can be made.

 

 Prompt: One thing I wish I had more of is time. I feel like sometimes time just moves too fast and I don't have enough of it. It also would allow me to spend more time with my friends and family. I could also be able to put as much work into sports as I wanted. It would also let me be able to travel without bearing the consequences of the time it takes for the trip. It would just make my life a lot easier and less stressful. Summary: Today I just did my blog post and uploaded my poster since I already finished my work. Reflection: I learned how to upload pictures into my blog.

 Prompt: The most creative thing I've ever made is a collage I made in 7th grade. It was the most artistic thing I made and I spent a lot of time on it. I had to find pictures from all sorts of magazines and online. In the end, it looked really good and I was really proud of what I made. I got a really good grade on it and my teacher was also really impressed. It was the first time I put that much effort into something creative and I am really glad I did it.  Summary: Today we worked on our Origin Myth and our poster about it. Reflection: I learned how to use Adobe express for my poster. 

Prompt:  One of my burning questions is how Earth was made. I have always wondered about this and there are many different theories, but I want to know the truth of it. It just always makes me think and is a great mystery to me. Another question is who discovered milking cows. This may seem a little odd, but I always wondered what led to someone milking a cow. Since someone would've had to do it and there is no clear explanation.  Summary: Today we learned how to write an origin myth. Reflection: I learned all of the components of creating an origin myth and how to formulate one.

 Prompt: One time I felt completely lost was when I started high school. I was not sure what to expect or what I needed to know going into it. One part of it was getting to my classes since I have never gone to a school so big or with this many people. I also felt lost with my friends because some of them from middle school had moved and I didn't know if I would have any classes with them. I had also heard about how some of the classes would be really hard and felt like I would be unprepared.  Summary: Everybody presented their group projects. Reflection: I learned what could make up a theme and how to identify them.

 Prompt: I've adapted to the demands of this course by understanding what I need to do to make sure I'm able to comprehend and understand everything I need to in this course. One strength I anticipate as we progress is my understanding of all the vocabulary to grow since I usually am strong with vocabulary. For example, last year I took AP Psychology and we would get almost 80 vocabulary words a month to hand write, but once I did hand write them I was able to understand almost all of them without having to learn them again. One challenge I anticipate is not reading whatever stories or books we have to read and falling behind on those. Last year in my Lit class I barely read any of the books we read and just hoped I would be able to keep up with the class. Summary: Today we took our Origin Myth Quiz and had a level 3 lockdown. Reflection: I learned how to effectively analyze a question and their answers and how to choose the best answer.

 Prompt: One real life situation in which jealousy negatively affected a relationship is when I was jealous of one of my friends for doing better than me at baseball. I wanted to be better than him and was really upset and jealous that I wasn't. So I would try everything I could to do better, but most of the time I couldn't. It made me so mad I would just get mad at him instead of just using that anger to fuel me to do better. It caused us to not be friends for a while and looking back it was very dumb of me to do.  Summary: Today we read and analyzed the jealous father and my group created a PowerPoint about the theme of it. Reflection: I learned today about how jealousy could potentially end up hurting you or others if you let it control you. 

 Prompt: A meaningful place in my life that carries a story is my grandma's house in Iowa. It always reminds me of my family and being together. We aren't able to go very often so it just always reminds me of them. It also reminds me of going to the University of Iowa sports games when I was little and it is just a great memory. Since my cousins and I have gotten older and some have gone to college it has been harder to be able to get the whole family together. So just every time I'm there or think about it, I think of great times with all my family. Summary: We read the navajo creation myth and discussed it in class. Reflection: I learned about the components of an origin myth through reading one and identifying key components and themes.

Prompt Response: One time I felt connected to nature was when I went white water rafting in West Virginia. It was a lot of fun and it felt like nature and I were working together to have a good time. The water splashing on my face during the hot summer day was a great refresher. It felt like nature was helping me cool off without asking for it. We saw a lot of birds and it was just a really peaceful time for me. One specific part was the cliff you could jump off of from 30 feet high. It felt like it was just me and the water connected when I jumped. It was truly just a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone. Summary: Today we took notes about Native American Literature and learned some new vocabulary words and their meanings. Reflection: Today I learned about the differences between myths, religions, and urban legends.