American Studies has been a fun course for me. I have enjoyed everything that I have learned throughout the year. Even though I was skeptical at the beginning of the year, I have found that everything that we did in that class was for a reason. I think that each assignment was designed to help us understand and remember the material. Throughout this year there are many things that I liked and disliked.

                First of all, I really enjoyed the GWAGs that we did in class. I liked that it was something different than anything that I have ever done before. Unlike my teachers in the past, the GWAGs were used as an alternative to boring book work. The book work could have helped some people but I think that GWAGs were a good way for me to want to pay attention to the grammar that we were doing. The story that was written was interesting which made it more fun to read. I actually wanted to see what happened in it. Another plus is that I can truly see a difference in the way that I look at grammar. Next, I enjoyed the reading groups that we did in class. Although sometimes my group was not very helpful towards me, occasionally I was put in a reading group that applied themselves. When this happened it was easier for me to read and interpret the readings that we did. Overall, I found that there were mostly positives instead of negatives.

                There weren’t many things that I didn’t like about American Studies but there were some things that I thought were a little unnecessary. The first is the book To Kill a Mockingbird. I really, really did NOT like this book at all. I thought that it was really boring and not really relevant to what we were learning about.  Although I can respect the book, it is just not something that I would truly want to read in my free time. The last thing that I didn’t like about American Studies was my writer’s notebook. Sometimes I liked it if I had a question about something in the class or if I needed to get a point across. I liked the outcome of my new, improved writing skills but I did not like the process of actually sitting down and writing. Overall, this class has been beneficial to me and I have learned a lot.

        Although this book many not seem like much, the story line is phenomenal. There are so many twists and turns in the plot it is almost hard to keep track of. Without these sudden detours in the story, it would be without any substance or reason. Hopkins takes you on a wild ride through the story of her daughter’s addiction. She tells the story almost too well. Each chapter is vividly descriptive. This book pulls you along from start to finish with absolutely no boring dips. Kristina starts out as a normal junior in high school (2) to struggling with her addiction (164). The storyline of this novel is a great one. It is a story of being in the “darkest hole Bree can see “(201) then finding redemption and the feeling of life again. “Sometimes I want to curl up in a ball and roll away. Sometimes I just want to die. But now I find life in my baby boy. Something I have been missing for a long time” (537).

         Rhyme is sometimes important in a story. It adds flare and taste to any piece of writing. Hopkins uses rhyme flawlessly throughout Crank. The rhyme in this story is unlike any rhyme that I have encountered before. Unlike poems the rhyme Hopkins uses rhymes that are unexpected and perfect. When I think of rhyming poems, I usually think of rhyme that seems forced upon the reader. By rhymes that are forced I mean rhymes such as hat and cat. But Hopkins does an amazing job of making the words seem to flow together, almost like they were always meant to rhyme. The most important thing about these rhymes is that they are not in a rhyme scheme. They are placed throughout the book in random places which give the different verses a very high oral appeal. For example, “Long trip, long day, no thanks, I’ll stay, okay?” (33). The use of rhyme adds flow to the story which makes it more fun to read.

          The last thing that I liked about this book is the formatting of the chapters. Unlike most chapter books, this book is set up a little bit differently. Each chapter is like a poem. It tells its story through the stanzas of the chapters. I think that this formatting adds a lot to the feeling of the book. It allows the author to be creative when expressing her ideas.  In the chapter titled “Still, When Brendan Came By” (254) there is a dialogue between Kristin and her alter ego Bree. Hopkins uses the organization of the stanzas to establish the back and forth conflict in the main character’s head. I really enjoy this creative display of the story. I feel that it makes the story a lot better because the physical appearance of it complements the story line and the ideas the author is trying to get across.

        Overall, Crank is an outstanding book with many great qualities. All of these characteristics combine to make a great story. Because of the story line, the occasional rhyme scheme, and the format of the chapters, Crank is now one of my favorite books. I give it five out of five stars!

        I read all of the book and enjoyed it very much. I loved the lessons and the characters of the book the most. I felt like I could relate to everything in the novel. It made me feel like I was part of the story! The thing that I didn’t like about the book was the discrimination. It made me feel a little bit uncomfortable because I am not used to the racsism that was presented in the story line. It was unfarmiliar territory. I would reccomend other classes to read this story because it embodies the time period it is in. Also, it makes lasting impressions and lessons.

           To Kill a Mockingbird had many memorable characters in which Lee gave great description and meaning to. Each character was thought out and had something important to add to the story. The characters also had a significant impact on the lives of the main characters, Jem and Scout. My favorite character that I could relate the most to was Jem. He is an older sibling and has to be the more responsible one. In many instances, Jem decides to make the better and more mature decision. I could feel his side of situations more than anyone else’s in the book. For example, “Overnight, it seemed, Jem had acquired an alien set of values and was trying to impose them on me: several times he went so far as to tell me what to do” (115). In this quote it shows that he is committed and genuinely involved with the well being of his sister. These qualities make it easy to enjoy this book.

               There are numerous examples of life lessons that are taught in the seemingly short novel. In the story, Jem and Scout are growing up. When children grow up they tend to learn many lessons along the way. The events and thoughts that occur throughout the book slowly progress by the lessons that the children learn. A that Scout and Jem learn are don’t attack something that has harmed you. They learned this lesson from their father, Atticus Finch, “Well, I reckon because mockingbirds don’t do anything but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat people’s gardens, don’t nest in the corncrib, they don’t do one thing but just sing their hearts out for us” (78). An example of this is Tom Robinson who was falsely accused for rape.  Another lesson that they learned is not to judge others. This lesson is expressed when Jem judges Mrs. Dubose because she is an old hag when truly she is one who is genuine. She only acts mean to the neighborhood children because of her addiction to morphine. The life lessons in this book give it depth and meaning. With every new lesson that I found, it makes me enjoy the book even more.

             Lastly, the organization in this story was phenomenal! Although this story is a page turner by its nature, the way that it flowed took it to the next level. In many ways this story was compelling and the organization made it better. By this I mean that there were hidden things such as the ending. Lee started off the book with a character named Boo Radely. This character is one of the focuses at the very beginning but disappeared throughout the story. The organization makes you feel like Radely is the main focus of the story. Then at the end, he makes a reappearance to finish it off. This “surprise” ending made me feel that the story had meaning and purpose. Through the story you question it, but everything is exactly where it is supposed to be to give the full effect of the story. At the end, there is no question as to if the author knew what she was doing. This made the book the best that it possibly could be.

            In conclusion, I felt that the book To Kill a Mockingbird was an outstanding book. It had all the qualities that I look for in something that I read. It contained great characters, amazing life lessons, and awesome organization. I would most definitely recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a good story. Overall, I give the book To Kill a Mockingbird four out of five stars!

            First of all, my reading has improved greatly since to beginning of the year. I have showed large improvement as an interpreter of reading primary source documents and interpreting their meanings from them. When using a SOAPSTONE the feed back that I got back was, “Good thoughts and interpretation,” (September 17, Scow) this shows how I am able read documents and find the meanings of them without trouble. Another example of my progress in reading is my understanding of the reading circles’ purpose (November 5, Schlaack) and the reading techniques that we use in class. All of them have been used in my writers notebook for practice and each time they have gotten better and better, “Nice job using the techniques!” (November 12. Sass). Second, my writing is the one thing that I can completely tell that I have grown stronger in. The whole writer’s notebook is filled with WRITING, all of this writing translates me bettering myself in this aspect of English. All the new creative ways that I have found to express my ideas have helped me to write to my full potential. Something that I notice as I look through all the entries that I have done all year long, I have found that I have started to write more and more. Also, the grades on my notebook have also increased through time (August 27, Scow) if you look at the first page of my notebook every grade that I have receive has increased since the beginning of the year. Creative new ways to write come easier to me now because of the writer’s notebook, it helps me to both write and retain information. Lastly, my thinking skills have improved. The places that I can see the most improvement in this aspect is in the reflections of the notebook that I write at the end of each rotation. Each one of these reflections gives me time to think about the things that I have learned throughout the year and how they relate to our class. It also helps me think about how I am growing in each of the topics of reading and writing. After a good reflection I can tell that I have been thinking deeply, “Good job this rotation” (January 14, Sass).

            Through this whole year I felt that I have grown in many ways. The writer’s notebook has helped me to extenuate my skills. I hope that these important reading, writing, and thinking skills that I have found will stick with me for the rest of my schooling career and keep progressing like they have this year. I have  grown so much, just like a flower.

Childhood Story

The chilly air bit the tips of my exposed ears. The snow flakes gently flew towards the icy, cold ground. With every step I took my leg stiffen in the harsh movements towards the ground. My lungs froze with every single breath that enters through my lips. The teeth in my mouth quickly press together in a chatter of clicking thunder. I approached a large creaky house.

          Ding dong! The bell of the door rang and echoed through out the house. My long socks and long sleeves could barely keep out the cold of the night air. As the old women opened the door I took in a breath expecting a warm rush to come over me. But the air that was pushed out of the house pushed back my hair in a cruel way. It was cold. The air was cold. The eyes of the old women were cold. What were the words again?

          She looked at me with a harsh tone. The defined circles around her eyes overwhelmed her small face. Her large eyes squinted and her eyebrow sharpened. The monstrous mole on her nose shimmered in the light of the moon. It stuck out like a sore thumb. Her teeth were like a jagged road through mountains. Then, suddenly, the missing words popped into my head.

          “Trick or treat!” I exclaimed with joy.

          “Her you go honey,” the old women smiled a toothy smile and cackled as she walked back into her creaky house.

The gym was silent.   The anxiety rose to an outstanding height. Blue and gold spectators filled the stands. The students were ready for a winning team, the homecoming spirit was in the air. My palms were slick with salty-steamy sweat. The JV coach gave me the signal as I approached the serving line. I glanced up to a menacing score board, the bright numbers were showing 25-26. My heart was pumping like a stampede of buffalos and my stomach was doing flips. My train of thought was stopped and I just had to do what I had been training for all season long. Tweet. The whistle blew with a shrill sound which assaulted my ears; the high pitched sound echoed throughout the packed gymnasium. I threw up the ball and it didn’t come down for what seemed like an eternity. It peaked and soared down, perfect for me to hit. I smacked the ball with great force and finished with a flick of the wrist. My hand was strong like large oak tree. As the ball ascended barely above the tip of the net, it trickled down from the top and skated down the net to hit the bare floor.  A moment of silence hit me like a tidal wave. My legs were strained as they were forced suddenly into the air. There was a butterfly in every extent of my body, quickly fluttering its delicate wings. The quick patter of our feet running over to give each other high fives echoed through my mind. My face turned noticeably cherry red with excitement. We had won, we had won.

        Academically, I have learned more than I could’ve ever imagined! I really enjoy Legacy because of its high academic achievements also its challenging classes. Normally in school I find most things easy and effortless for myself, but here I have actually had homework and have found myself taking time to study to do well. I like earning my grade instead of just having it simply handed to me. For example: at the beginning of the year I was having trouble comprehending writer’s notebooks, but with some practice, and some help from my teachers I found that writer’s notebooks are easy to do. But the fact that I had to work for the grade that I wanted to achieve made me feel excellent.

        Some challenges that I have faced so far in this school year is the idea that everything is changing. Now in school things are different from middle school; everyone is changing for the better. I am so used to my comfort zone that to be happy I have found myself stepping outside of the box achedemically and socially. Another thing that I found challenging was balancing homework, volleyball, and friends. I solved this predicament by setting my priorities first school, then volleyball, and last friends.

        Something that I have found surprising n high school is the amount of homework. But I have been able to cope with this by developing some great study habits. For example right when I get home I try to finish all my homework before television and the computer. Also, I study for test more than just the night before, and last I take advantage of the privilege off hours, this time is FANTASTIC for homework and study time. If I could do one thing differently so far in my high school experience I would have spent more time at away volleyball matches doing homework. Even though it is fun to cheer on your team, it distracts you from your study time, and when you don’t get home until nine or ten at night your grades take a huge impact.

        In my other classes I use the reading circles the most from what we are learning in class. They help me to understand more thoroughly the things I am trying to read. Such as in biology while I was reading my textbook I used the dialectic journal method to help me to understand exactly what I am reading.

        So far I have really enjoyed all the perks and challenges of high school and I hope it all continues how it is going now.