Abril's English Blog

 " f you're not scared, then maybe its not worth doing it." This quote taught me that being scared is ok and that its part of the human experience of trying something new.  Being alive is having to live and overcome fear and it is these challenges that shape us into who we are. This quote could apply in many different ways, you could interpret it as being nervous before a performance, or overcoming a fear of heights, all of these examples we have to overcome as humans in order to feel alive. I live by this quote, it really impacted my life. Summary: Today we read our own poems and wrote down our literary devices. we were also assigned this blog post as an assignment for today since it is basically a half day. Reflection: I love this blog post because its an excuse to use that quote. I live by that quote everyday, overcoming challenges and things I'm afraid of, all to live life to the fullest.

Today we had to write a poem and I think I found it enjoyable, because of the rhyming scheme. Finding words that rhyme is easy and actually kind of fun. I though the formatting was kind of challenging since it was 5 lines in each stanza which is not usual for a AB AB or AABB poem. I don't think the assignment made me rethink or change how I feel/ think about poetry. I have respect to anyone who writes but this assignment was too rushed to be appreciated. Summary: Today we wrote a poem of 20 lines, using 4 literary devices and making a rhyming scheme. We had a limited time to do it and we worked on it all class using the themes given to us by the rubric.  Reflection: Overall I thought this assignment was pretty fun and I enjoyed this creative writing assignment. I think I put a lot of effort into it and I hope my grades reflect that. 

One moment I had to step out of my comfort zone is when I had to present my science fair project to the county. Me and my partner have worked on this project for a while and I was not comfortable with public speaking. I had to train myself to talk to an audience and imagine every scenario or question they might ask me. This was really out of my comfort zone because I had never been in a competitive environment before, at least not like that one. Overall we got an honorable mention and although things didn't go like we expected them to go I still had fun. Summary: Today we worked on a packet that discussed the poem we read for a couple days now. We answered 9 questions found metaphors and literary devices, and wrote an essay on how poems could affect society.  Reflection: This prompt made me reminisce about the science fair and how terrified and unprepared I was for it. Although things didn't go to plan I still had fun and loved the event either way.

 I remember I wrote a really good poem that I was very proud of back in middle school. I put so much thought into it and tried to hide meanings in it but I guess the teacher didn't understand them. I got an ok score for it and it discouraged me from writing poems since my effort didn't pay off. Overall I believe the poem creating process is very complicated and should be recognized for the amount of work.  Summary: Today we read a poem comparing a poet to an acrobat. We answered some questions and reread the poem multiple times discussing and interpreting as a class. We worked on a worksheet and watched some videos too. Reflection: I don't think the stakes are really that high for writing poems. This story exaggerates a lot and it doesn't really match the vibe in my opinion. The videos were really interesting though, it shows the tension of being in a tightrope. 

 This project was very difficult because even as a collective we were still unsure of the questions because they're almost impossible. The assignment was to choose the "best" answer but most of the answers were up to interpretation of the reader. It was ridiculous how hard the questions were because we constantly had to ask each other if we were right. I learned that sometimes you should follow your gut and listen to other peoples perspectives because I wouldn't be able to do this on my own.  Summary: Today we had to answer multiple questions on reading comprehension and get a 100. If not we had to write an essay on the story. We had to work as a team and choose the best answer. Reflection: This assignment was too hard, if it weren't for a team I would've gotten a 50 because some questions were rigged. The different perspectives of my team members allowed us to get a 100% and I'm so glad we didn't have to write an essay.

 When I went to a little mining town in Mexico, we had to go on horseback to reach out destination. One of the horses however was very aggressive and full on sprinted whenever it wanted to. This became a huge problem because we had to constantly go back and get the horse back. It was a fun experience and it taught me that sometimes and that's fine because it was funny. Summary: I wasn't there that day but we worked on a group project about the story and answered some questions. We also worked on finishing the story from yesterday. Reflection: I really enjoyed that trip being on horseback was really fun and i would love to do it again even if it means chasing back a horse every ten minutes. It taught me that challenges can sometimes lead to memories.

A conversation that changed my perspective is when my family stopped to help a homeless person by giving them food. We talked about how they got there and their past experiences that led up to this, it made me realize how lucky I was. This had a lasting impact on me because it changed my perspective on how unexpected life can be. Summary: Today we read a story called "A Worn Path" it talked about an old woman named phoenix as we follow her through her journey. We analyzed some of the details and read it as a class. Reflection: I love phoenix as a character, she seems like a very determined lady that is set on her goals. She seems like a sweet grandma and you feel empathy for her as she is very frail and old. I also love how fearless she was when she encountered the hunter.