How is Will like me?

For lit. Circles, we are reading a book called White Mountains. It is about a kid named Will who lives in England, and he lives in about 300 years from us. So, this is in the future. Will has a lot of similarities to other people, but not me at all. The only problem is that Will is not like me at all.

So I really don't know what to say for this thing.

Will is not like me at all, except one thing, which is freedom. I want freedom from my homework, and he just wants plain freedom. Will is not like me because I am not a boy, I do not have a cousin living with me, I do not have an aunt who died recently, I do not have to be capped, I do not have a friend who is capped, I do not think about running away from home, I do not have a well structured paragraph. (Well, that may be another thing in common) Will is not like me at all. Also, I do not have some french guy as a friend, I don't get into fights daily, and I could go on and on.

So, Will is hardly like, me and that reason is we both want freedom. I don't see anything else we have in common.

City Connection

In Humanities we did a city presentation. Everyone in the class did one on a different place around the world that they have lived in. I did Washington D.C, America's capitol.

What do I believe I did well on the project?

I think I did well on getting pictures. Not information about D.C. though. Some of it was wrong. I think I was also pretty good at finding facts about D.C. like that that's were all the cool spy movies are made. Example: Get Smart, Night at the Museum, etc. Also finding the natural resources.

What you would improve for future presentations/projects?

I would try to find the correct number of people in D.C. and put that on my presentation. I would have also liked to find the median age group for boys and girls, and find some more information about D.C. and the resources.I would have liked to also find ,more pictures for the first intro slide. I would also try to go on the first day so I knew what I was going to say and everything like that, and not wait a week.

What did I learn from my presentation in addition to the presentations of others?

Well, I learned that Julia Salin had lived in Addis Ababa and that Canada has a food called beaver tail. At first, I thought People in Canada eat beaver tails. I learned that New Ulm, Texas's paper is in black and white, and you get put in the paper if you get a GPS.

What was my analysis on the performance?

Well, I got 38?40, but I think I got a 35/40. I think that I didn't do much, in how my power point looked or anything, and I don't think the info I had was all correct. Compared to everyone else, my presentation was horrible. But, my friends say I underestimate myself, so I give myself a 35/40.

In school we learned what our learning profiles are. I found out I am a GESTALT learner, meaning I learn best through movement. I also found out that Albert Einstein seemed to haveI am the same profile, so I can call myself a young Einstein. Julia S, Tatyana and I are young Einsteins. 

I learn best through movement, and when I focus on the whole picture and context. Also I learn best with emotional relevance to myself. 

I need to have a quiet time alone, especially when I am learning something new, or when I am under stress. 

Some things that might help me learn are sitting where I can move without disturbing other people, and I can process quietly and internally. 

I would like my teachers to know that my dominant side is my right side, meaning my right ear, right foot, right hand and right side of my brain are more in control than my left side.

2011 New Years Resolution

My resolutions for 2011 are;

1. I would like to get better grades in school and work harder on homework
I would like better grades so My mom will know I am doing well in school, and that I am working hard, and focusing. That means also I must try not to get anything under than B. That way, my mom will be happy with my grades, and she won't have to check all my work, and I don't have to get in a fight with her, and loose some of my privileges around the house. 


She will be happy and tell my dad, and then we as a family will go out to the Weston or something like that for dinner or lunch or breakfast when we have time. If I work harder on Homework, than I can finish it easier and then I will get better at getting better.


2. I would like to find a sport I like that I can do
I would like to find my sport. What I mean by that is that my mom thinks that everyone in our family has a type of sport that works for them, and they can do easily and it is eligible to do it. For instance, my brother's sport is soccer, my Dad's sport is Volleyball, My mom's is Tennis, and My fish's is swimming, and my dog's is going on walks, which is kinda a sport. 


But I don't have a sport I can do! I like to do High Jump and Rock Climbing, but I live in the forest and so I can't do High Jump and Camp 5 (The place where people rock climb) Is really hard to get to, and you have to make reservations because the place is always full! So my mom wants me to find my sport. Another problem is that I'm an indoor person. I hate going outside to exercise, and I hate rules! So I really hope to find my sport this year.

Zeitgeist

Here is my Zeitgeist. Enjoy!

The Good And Bad

The Benefits of Working with a Classmate
There are as many benefits to working with a classmate as there are obstacles. You can get more work done as a team and you can do less individual work to complete the assignment and get a grade. People can comment on your lit.circle so you can fix it, if necessary, and you do more work than you would if you didn't work with someone else because you have more time to focus on your project (Lit. Circle). When you work with someone else, you collaborate more and become better at collabrating.

Challenges/Obstacles
You have people yelling at you if you don't do it, and they always send you messages saying that it is due in two days why didn't you do your passage? You also sometimes get stuck with people who you aren't fond of, and are forced to work with them, anyway. You can get annoyed with them for not doing their passage, and your graded depending how well both of you worked, so you have less control over your grade.

Did I understand the Novel Better when I worked with a Partner?
Yes, I did. My partner(s) found things to write passages about I had never even noticed that they were in the book! Also, people found small things in the book. For example, when Vicky said that at the end, it says Julie, and everyone assumed that it said Miyax (Julie and Miyax are the same person)They helped me see things and comment on things I wouldn't understand without their help.

Julia

Lit. Circles

How did the discussion help you understand the book?
The discussion helped me understand the book better because when the group explains their points of view, if they agree with me, then I am probably correct, or along the path of being correct. But, if they don't agree with me, then I get a new perspective or a new idea. What I mean is that if one person says something, then you can see what they mean. Also, you can understand what they are saying. The group says some different things, and when we discuss, I can see their point of view as well as my own, and I can compare my thoughts to their thoughts. It helps me understand things better.

My group made a lot of connections. One connection I made was the first time I wanted to put the leash on my own dog. My dog had never seen a leash, so she hid under her cage at the SPCA because she was afraid of the leash and me. It reminded me of when Miyax tried to catch Amaroq's eye, and even though Amaroq wasn't afraid of her, he probably didn't know whether to trust her, like my dog. Miyax and I both wanted something from a dog/wolf. Both gave in at the end. Thinking about it, a lot of people made a connection with that part of the book.

We made a lot of predictions about the book, too. I thought that she would stay with the wolves for a while, because they are her family, and they would provide food for her. Also, I thought that she would meet somebody who was wolf hunting but then again, there aren't many people in the Arctic. Some people thought that Julie would make it to her destination, and others, like me, thought she wouldn't.