Karol's English Blog 7thpd

 Prompt:  Chris and his sister  Carine McCandless  had a very close relationship, even when he struggled to connect with others. Write about a relationship in your life where you feel truly understood. Explain what makes that relationship strong and how it compares to the connection between Chris and Carine in  Into the Wild . Prompt Response: I don't recall a relationship where I felt truly understood since I barely have or make any new ones, what  makes a relationship strong is communication and understanding. I don't really have one that will compare to the connection between Chris and Carine, but I can say that their relationship is way more deep compared to any I had before. Summary: Today we independently read chapter 13 and wrote our answers on a worksheet provided to us by Mr. Rease. It was due by the end of class and the majority of the class had finished. The chapter was mainly about McCandles decisions and the impact he left to his grieving famil...

 Prompt:  Pick one of the  connection based questions  and answer it in your blog. Be sure to write out the question.  Prompt Response: I chose question 12, "Why do you think people sometimes avoid expressing their feelings? What are the possible outcomes of that choice?", I think why people sometimes avoid expressing their feelings is because they do not want to change the perspective someone has on them nor do they want to be treated differently. I also think that they do not want to feel vulnerable or have someone see them as weak, although there are many other different reasons as to why they wouldn't want to open up. Possible outcomes can be emotional repression that could increase depression, anxiety, memory loss or anger. Summary: Today we read over chapter 12 with Mr. Rease and answered questions orally from this sheet of paper, with 'Text Analysis Questions' and 'Connection Questions. We each had a turn to speak aloud, either by reading the text or an...

 Prompt:  Based on the first 40 minutes of the film and Chapters 1–11 of the book, does the visual version of Chris’s journey make his choices seem more justified or more reckless than the text does? Explain how the medium (film vs writing) shapes your perspective. Prompt Response: The visual version of Chris's journey made his choices seem more justified than the text does, in the book it seemed to be more of an analysis and research on McCandles' life & wild journey. In the film, the viewers get to see what Chris has grown to love, the beautiful aspects of nature and the magnified life of freedom. The film shaped my perspective, making it easier to sympathize with Chris and enjoy his character more, while in the book there was only mixed feelings on things and it took some time for me to understand his character more. Summary: Today we watched a film based on the book, "Into the Wild", and we had to answer 4 questions about it while we watched. It had to be turn...

 Prompt:  Think about a moment when your understanding of your family changed as you got older. How did that shift impact your perspective, and how does that connect to Chris’s realization about his parents in Chapter 11? Prompt Response: I doubt I would remember a moment where my understanding of my family had changed, I think my view of them stayed the same. I was a very hateful kid and a cramped apartment full of annoying kids younger than me, gave me a lot of anger issues. To this day, I still can barely tolerate them and do not have a deep relationship with them, we can laugh at times but it won't change how quick they can change my mood. I guess it can somewhat connect to Chris's realization about his parents when he viewed them to be some type of evil dictators who doesn't really understand him and restricts his freedom, his perspective did not change as much after he left. Summary: Today we were given two worksheets to work on, Mr. Rease only went over one of them w...

 Prompt:  Reflect on your reading of  Into the Wild  chapters 1–10. Which chapter stood out to you the most, and why? In your response, explain what specifically made this chapter meaningful, interesting, or impactful. You may consider elements such as McCandless’s actions, a key event, a theme, or Krakauer’s storytelling. Prompt Response: Chapter 5 stood out the most to me, because it really made me feel bad For Franz, quite a memorable chapter, and it digs in more to another deep understanding how much McCandles affects the people he met. I think what made this chapter meaningful was how Franz had lost everybody close to him, but to find comfort and joy from a boy he grew fond of. It is devastating how he also lost McCandles, throwing himself into alcohol, it really showed how much he did care for McCandles. This shows how Chris McCandles impacted these people, despite never planning to stay, he still made a connection with every one of them. Summary: Today we took...

 Prompt:  Chris McCandless rejects a traditional path of success and instead defines success on his own terms through freedom, experience, and personal meaning. Reflect on what success means to you at your current stage in life. In the response, explain how success is currently defined (grades, college acceptance, achievements, happiness, etc.) and where those ideas come from. Then, consider whether that definition truly reflects personal values or if it is shaped by expectations from family, school, or society.  Prompt Response: What success means to me at my current stage in life is passing my classes, turning in the work in time, and getting good grades. Success is currently defined by a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment, it brings happiness and leaves a positive impact. I'm considering that the definition is shaped by expectations from family, school, or society, because it can either be from high paying jobs, prestigious schools, marriage, etc. Summary: Today w...

 Prompt:  Chris chooses independence over relationships. When have you chosen to be on your own instead of relying on others? What happened, and would you make the same choice again? Prompt Response: The only times I choose to be on my own instead of relying on others is when I refrain myself from asking for help to avoid looking dumb, when others understand it more than me and rely on the teacher for help. I also choose to be on my own instead of putting the effort into making relationships with people, I see it impossible to make and keep one. The only thing that happened was me being isolated from others, and the loss of many opportunities, knowing myself, I would probably make the same choice again seeing how I barely change as a person. Summary: Today we looked on the overview of chapters one to seven with Mr. Rease today, it took until near the end of class to finish up. He gave us a worksheet where we will write our critical questions on the front side, we would do it f...

 Prompt:  Choose a vocabulary word from Lesson 10 that resonates with you personally. Write a blog post explaining why this word is significant to you, including any personal memories or experiences that link you to the word. Prompt Response: One vocabulary word from Lesson 10 that resonates with me personally is circumlocution, I tend to have a habit of creating any excuse or saying unnecessary things to evade things I want to get away from. Whenever a conversation leads to something I'm uncomfortable with or have no answer to, I usually make up things to either be vague or avoidant. I do this with anyone, it's not always but it is something I do with people.  Summary: Today we did another vocabulary lesson, it was lesson 10, and all we needed to do was to write down our own sentences that each contained a vocabulary word. Then we would do exercises 1 and 3, without needing to write down the answer with the sentences this time.  Reflection: I can reflect that I did ...

 Prompt:  For most of you, yesterday you took the SAT. If you did not, you  will  take it before you leave high school. What is your  desired SAT score ? Identify your  top three colleges  and explain  why each school appeals to you .  Prompt Response: My desired SAT score would be at least a 1300 or 1400, it seems to be high enough and not too low either, I don't really have any colleges in mind yet. I know I'm behind but I find it hard to see I have a future and that the future does exist, I should stop being in the present and prepare for the future that will dictate my life. Summary: Today we worked on a worksheet based on chapter 7, we had to read independently again and fill in the information. The front page needed 2 questions, predictions, reactions, key points, and 3 unfamiliar words we have to find the definition for. The back page requires us to sketch 3 drawings based on any part of the chapter, we also provide the page number. Mo...

 Prompt:  In Chapter 5 of  Into the Wild , McCandless is strongly influenced by writers like Jack London, whose stories shape the way he thinks about adventure and wilderness.  Has a book, song, musician, or artist ever influenced the way you think about life, goals, or the world around you?  Identify the specific book, song, musician, or artist and explain how their ideas or message affected your thinking. Prompt Response: I don't think there is anything in particular that could've influenced the way I think about life, goals, or the world around me. Even if there was, I don't remember it, all I know is that the book I loved reading so much was "All The Light We Cannot See", it brought a lot of emotions out of me and it had a bittersweet ending. It was about World War 2 and through the perspectives of a girl and boy, a blind french girl and a German solider. The book explores how the war had affected them and how it took their innocence as kids, a blue gem haun...

Prompt:  Twice a year we adjust our clocks for daylight saving time, but the change can affect our sleep, energy, and daily routines. Now that we have  sprung forward ; reflect on how this time change impacts you personally. Do you find it easy or difficult to adjust your schedule? Explain how the time change affects your mood, productivity, or daily habits. Prompt Response: It definitely ruined my mood, it made me lose one hour of sleep and it just got me more tired during the day. I had to adjust my sleep schedule and how long I can stay awake, I am still trying to adjust since everyday I seem to be more tired than before. My productivity seems to stay the same, my mood is just random, but soon enough I'll adjust and continue with my old habits. Summary: Today we had a worksheet based on chapter 6, we had to write down three facts, 2 interesting aspects, and 1 unanswered question that we have in the chapter. We were supposed to be independently reading chapter 6 ourselves an...

 Prompt:   In  Into the Wild , Christopher McCandless gives up many of his possessions in pursuit of freedom and meaningful experiences. If you had to simplify your life and keep only a few important possessions, what would you keep and why? What would be hardest to leave behind? Prompt Response: If I had to simplify my life and keep only a few important possessions, I would keep the basic needs of survival, such as food, backpack, water system, baby wipes, maybe a couple of dollars to buy food, etc. The most important one I will bring is my necklace of Virgin Mary that my mom had given me for my communion, and lotion for my eczema. The hardest to leave behind is everything, I love my things and love to have things in my possessions rather than leave them, every single thing is important and a story behind it.  Summary: Today our assignment is on Writable, 'Into the Wild' chapter 4 Quote Analysis, we were given the choice to either start on the personal questions or ...

 Prompt:  People sometimes feel the need to step away from their normal routines or environments in order to better understand themselves. Describe a time when you needed distance from a situation, place, or group of people in order to think more clearly or gain perspective. What did that experience teach you about yourself? Prompt Response: I cannot think of remember a time I would have needed distance from a situation, place, or group of people in order to think and understand myself better, I would not know since I'm on my own most of the time. There are times when I needed distance because I was being overstimulated with the commotion and needed a breather, but I wouldn't say it was to help understand myself more. The only thing that I would better understand myself in that situation was to think what made me feel overwhelmed and the way I reacted. Summary: Today we were given a worksheet of a Theme Analysis chart, one side is based on chapter 2, while the other chapter 3....

 Prompt: Today you worked on creating your Vocabulary Digital Cards in Adobe Express. In one well-developed paragraph, reflect on the assignment by explaining which vocabulary word was easiest for you to understand, which word was most challenging, and how creating your own sentence and selecting an image helped strengthen your understanding of the vocabulary. Use specific examples from your work. Prompt Response: The vocabulary word, Bumpkin, was the easiest for me to understand and a new word I will be using now to describe and name my siblings. The word that was most challenging was soporific, I just know it would be something I won't remember the definition of nor would I use it as much. Creating my own sentences and image help me to strengthen my understanding of the vocabulary because I had to think how the word would and should be used, I had to put more thought into its use. Once I figured out how to use the word in a sentence or what image would fit best for it, I had...

 Prompt:    After reading Chapter 1 of  Into the Wild , consider your first impression of Christopher McCandless. Based solely on the events and details presented in this opening chapter, do you believe McCandless truly understood the risks he was taking when he entered the Alaskan wilderness? Why or why not? Prompt Response: My first impression of Christopher McCandles is that he was too confident and reckless, I do not believe that he truly understood the risks he was taking when he entered the Alaskan wilderness. I would have expected him to take more thought into the journey he was going to take, since he was an honor student who managed to graduate college. The reason why I don't believe he had truly understood the risks was the resources he brought for his journey, they weren't enough to survive the wilderness nor did he have the proper clothes, footwear, or equipment to survive.  Summary: Today we first talked about what it would take to survive in the wi...

 Prompt:  After viewing your classmates’ digital posters and reading the feedback comments left on your work, what new ideas or perspectives did you gain about your poster? Reflect on how the feedback influenced the way you think about your creative choices and describe what you learned about the creative process while designing and presenting your poster. Prompt Response: Reading the feedback, I can see that they like how organized it is and how good the similes & metaphors are. This makes me reflect how my work can at least look decent for others, I usually don't like to hear what other people think of the things I do or did. Realistically I have to deal with that, at least the positive feedback can help me see my work more on a positive view, the creative choices I made was barely much. I treated the poster just like any poster I would have done and I prefer to keep things more organized. Summary: Today we had to go to writable to look over the feedback we got from Mr. ...

 Prompt :  Reflect on the simile and metaphor worksheet. Which topic challenged you the most when creating your figurative language, and why? In your response, explain what made that topic difficult and how you worked through the challenge (or what you might do differently next time). Prompt Response: I think the topic I struggled most on when creating a simile for was the overcoming (personal growth) part, more specifically on the 'Change & Transition' one. It was difficult to come up with a simile that would describe the Change, I managed just fine with the others but I'm not entirely sure as to why I struggled to come up with one with this one. I worked through the challenge by repeatedly making different similes and picked the best one. The next time I guess I just need to know more words. Summary: Today we use our similes and metaphors worksheet from yesterday to create and complete our digital poster on Adobe Express. We had the entire block period to work on it a...