2nd Semester Reflection

 

     Since the beginning of the year, I feel that I have improved greatly, with my reading and writing skills.  English has not always been my favorite subject, but this year it has been really enjoyable!  I loved all the writing that we have done, and the freedom we have.  I especially liked doing the short video about our persuasive essay topic, and the climate change essay.  It seems like the year has just started, instead of it coming to an end! Having the wiki was also a really neat experience for me, and having my work publicly posted.  I had so much fun this year, and feel that I have really learned to love English!
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This I Believe

I believe in kind treatment of animals

 

     I believe in kind treatment of animals.  Every day animals are mistreated and abused.  Me and my mom volunteer at the local Ingham County Animal Shelter, and hear some of the saddest stories.  I know dogs that have been adopted 3 or 4 times, and still can't find a home, just because it had an accident in the house.  Because shelter in associated with Ingham County, Officers are constantly bringing in dogs that were retrieved from possible dangerous situations.  As volunteers, me and my mom socialize with the animals and try to get them as comfortable as possible while at the shelter.  I am so thankful for all the people that protect these animals.

 

     I believe in the kind treatment of animals.  I think that if people keep doing their part in our community to stop and report animal abuse, there will be less and less sad stories.  Whether it's a dog, a cat, or even a duck, ( I have seen injured ducks brought into the animal shelter! ) all animals deserved to be treated well.  Stray animals are often unwanted, and left out on to the street to die ( Especially Pitbulls ).  These animals usually get hit by a car, killed by another animal, freeze, or starve to death.  If you ever come across a stray cat or dog, be sure to bring it to your local animal shelter.  You could be saving it's life!  I believe in kind treatment of animals. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Climate Change Essay

 

     Climate change is becoming a large problem worldwide.  With the Earth warming, sea levels are rising, glaciers are melting, and animals are going extinct.  Our planet is dying, and we need to take action before it's too late.

 

     In the Arctic, glaciers and sea ice are melting at a rapid rate.  Sea ice reflects energy from the sun, but when the ice melts, it can't reflect the heat releasing the stored energy.  This adds to our Global Warming problem.  It is a vicious never-ending cycle of the sea releasing heat, and then the released heat contributing to the melting of other sea ice.  If we don't take action against climate change, this sea ice will continue to melt, and the planet will keep getting warmer.

 

     Many people think that the glaciers melting, and climate change is natural, also having the belief that it will correct itself.  Scientific evidence suggests that we can clearly not risk the chance of our planet's demise.  Some also believe that  climate change is not the cause of the polar vortex, and this massive snow accumulation proves that climate change is not a real issue.  This is not true.  Climate change is indeed what caused this Winter's massive polar vortex.  With the Arctic warming so rapidly, the cold is pushed down south to us.  Climate change is very real, and is a threatening growing issue.  Animal extinction is a large problem.  Many spices are going extinct because of the warming of our Earth.  Whether it's losing their food source, or habitat, animals like polar bears are slowly decreasing in number.  Melting sea ice illuminates their homes/hunting grounds.  Many animals are in grave danger because of Global Warming.

 

     All these effects of climate change and Global Warming are serious threats to our home.  If nothing is done, we may no longer have a home.  Our planet is dying, and we need to take action against climate change before it's too late.

 

 

Sources

 

"A Student's Guide to Global Climate Change." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html>.

 

"Expedition Presentations." Class Activity. My Classmates. MacDonald Middle School, East Lansing. 19 May 2014.

 

“Is Human Activity a Substantial Cause of Global Climate Change?” http://climatechange.procon.org, 2014.

 

“Is Human Activity a Substantial Cause of Global Climate Change?” http://climatechange.procon.org, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

Summery to the Giver Sequel

 

 

     Jonas and Gabe's journey had gone on for months.  They were both immensely tired and weak.  Jonas kept on biking, feeling that there was a destination.  Finally, they thought that they were starting to see signs of civilization.  Gabe is almost dead, but they luckily find another "community" that they have been searching for for so long.  The community lives very similarly to the way that we live today.  They both grow up there and live happy lives, but Jonas decides that they need to go out on their own.  They set out to go explore the rest of the world around them.  After a while on their own, they start to see the planes from their old community circling the area of their travel again.  Finally, the planes caught up and Jonas and Gabe were taken into the community's custody.  Jonas finds out that the Giver is dead and is forced to be the community's receiver again.  Jonas then later finds out that Gabriel was released.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Compare and Contrast Essay

 

     Some of the most different stories can also be some of the most similar.  After Twenty Years and A Retrieved Reformation are both some of the before mentioned stories.

 

     These two stories are very similar.  Both involve crime, and the criminals in the stories are in jail at some point.  Out of the main characters, there are Jimmys in After Twenty Years and A Retrieved Reformation.  Both Jimmys are forced with a hard dissension  at the end of both stories, but end up doing the right thing.

 

     While the stories are similar, they are also extremely different.  When A Retrieved Reformation begins, we know a lot more background and character in formation than we do in After Twenty Years.  There is also a longer plot in A Retrieved Reformation, and the main character falls in love.  The setting in the stories is also much different, with most of A Retrieved Reformation in a small town, and After Twenty Years in a large city.  In the plots of the stories, A Retrieved Reformation has a fair bit of characters, and a happy ending, while After Twenty Years has lots of waiting, few characters, and an unhappy, not very resolving ending.

 

     These stories both have crime and tough dissisions, while they are wildly different, with unalike plots.  The two stories are very similar, and very different. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hillary Clinton

 

                Hillary Clinton has fought for women’s rights, universal healthcare, and so much more.  Even through the struggles in her life she has taught us to stay strong, and fight for what we are passionate about.  Hillary Clinton is one of the most influential women in politics.

 

Hillary was successful at a very young age.   She was a star student.  At 13, she wrote to NASA saying that she wanted to be an astronaut when she grew up.  NASA replied stating that, “Women can’t be astronauts."  Even though this statement was harsh, it further fueled her passion to achieve the impossible.  She was raised in a conservative family, yet is a liberal politician.  She was always striving for the best.

 

                She was very well educated, and had a great career before she became First Lady.  She attended Yale Law School, and was also enrolled at Wellesley College for political science.  She started her political work with the Republican Party, but left it a year later in 1968, saying, “It left her”.  She also was a well-established lawyer in Arkansas.

 

            Hillary Clinton is a Democrat, and a liberal.  She is also a lead advocate for Women’s Rights, saying, “Human Rights are Women’s Rights and Women’s Rights are Human Rights”, and “Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.” She is also supportive of Gay rights, and Martin Luther King JR., valuing what he stood for.

 

            Hillary Clinton became the First Lady in 1993.  She was the first First Lady to hold a post-graduate degree.  As First Lady she was appointed head of a task force to reform the U.S. health care system.  This lead to the creation of “Hillarycare” a universal healthcare, much like “Obamacare."  She and her husband, Bill Clinton, have been married for 39 years, and have a 34 year old daughter named Chelsea.  Hillary went through many personal struggles involving her husband, like the “Lewinsky Scandal”.  In 1996, she wrote a book called, “It Takes a Village”, where she promotes a society where every child’s needs are met.  In 2001 she became a state senator.  She was a senator from 2001-2009.

 

            Hillary has been recently involved in presidential elections.  She ran for president in 2008, and is thinking about running for 2016.  In a recent poll, a majority of democrats want her to run for president in the next election.

 

            With all of these great achievements, Hillary Clinton has changed the world.  She shows us to strive for the best no matter how old or young.  Hillary Clinton is the most influential women in politics.

 

Work Cited

 

"Hillary Clinton Quotes". BrainyQuote.com. Brainy Quote.2014.<http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/hillary_clinton.html>

 

"Hillary Rodham Clinton." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.,(24 February 2014). Web. (25 February 2014)<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Rodham_Clinton>

 

Lang, Nico. "33 Badass Hillary Clinton Quotes That Prove Why She Should Be Our First Female President". Thoughtcatalog.com. 2013.<http://thoughtcatalog.com/nico-lang/2013/08/33-badass-hillary-clinton-quotes-that-prove-why-she-should-be-our-first-female-president/>

 

Paston, Amy. Eyewitness-First Ladies. Ed. Eyewitness. Great Britain: DK Publishing. 2008.

 

"50 Interesting Facts About...Hillary Clinton". RandomFacts.com. Random Facts. 2014.<http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/03/10_hillary.html>

 

 

 

 

 

Earth

 

The Earth,

so large,

yet so small.

 

Turning, turning,

around never stopping.

Will we ever stop?

Or will we keep going

going

         going

                  going

upon no return?

 

Billions, on a tiny little place,

we call home.

How can we all fit?

When we are so big,

and the place we dwell,

has no space for us?

 

We will stand on each other,

striving for the last breath,

or air.

 

When nothing is left,

when no one is breathing,

what will happen to our,

tiny, little, planet,

called Earth?

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Reflection

 

     This has been a great first semester!  I have very much enjoyed writing in English.  From narratives, and poems, to persuasive essays and PSAs, it has been really fun to really take charge, and write/produce something that I would've thought near impossible.

     I enjoy the freedom, in a sense, that we get with the wiki.  Being able to publicly post your work without having to stand up in front of you whole class and reading it nervously or uncomfortably, while still having a chance to share with the class if you wished.  I think that the trust instilled in us is wonderful, like the fact that we can comfortably share our opinions with our peers and really be creative with things like the PSAs.

     I think that making PSAs was a great opportunity to express our feeling about topics not usually addressed in school, like my topic LGBT rights.  Having a chance to share my beliefs and concerns about the topic was great and I hope that many kids can do the project again.

     So far, in 7th grade, I have learned a lot of new things in English.  From a good introduction, to how to better look for thing like context clues.  I feel that I have largely benefited from what Mr. Kabodian has taught so far.

     I am so glad for the opportunities I have had in this class, and it's only been the first semester!  I can't to find out what's in store for the second semester!  I hope it will be as great, interesting and fun as this one was.  

 

 

 

 

 

Come check out my review of the book Wonder!

 

 

Hey!  Welcome to my Wiki!  I'm Dora, and I'm going to be posting my writing, and some Vokis too. :)

 

 

 

LGBT People Should Be More Widely Accepted 

 

Gay and Lesbian people should be more widely accepted.  It is a touchy subject, and is not yet a completely known issue.  Requiring that LGBT people have the same rights, benefits, and are treated fairly, would make the United States a better place.

 

First, I think that the Gay Community should be accepted like any group, race of people, or religion.  Doing this would bring more notice to the discrimination that most have to suffer through.  Roughly every one person out of ten is Gay or Lesbian.

 

Second, there are lots of religions that discriminate against LGBT people. There are also some religions that do not discriminate.  I believe that all religions should be accepting of Gay people, and not treat them any differently.  Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are non-accepting religions, but Buddhism, and Indian do not discriminate against LGBT people.

 

My final reason is, I think that all LGBT people should have the same rights as other people.  In almost every state in the U.S., Gay marriage is not legal, but this is changing quickly.  By court decision, California, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.  By state legislature, Delaware, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.  By popular vote, Maine, Maryland, and Washington.  There are still 35 states that ban same sex marriage.

 

Lastly, I think that after reading this, everyone should think about the reasons that we discriminate against Gay and Lesbian people.  I think by taking action and trying our best, we can make sure that LGBT people are more widely accepted.

 

 

 

 This is my Inspiration Poem, hope you like it:

 

My family inspires me,

Being brave,

Being courageous,

Not afraid to follow their dreams

 

My Mom inspires me, Going back to school,

Working to support us non-stop,

Being a single mom,

And a great one

 

My Dad inspires me,

He works to help the mentally ill,

He started his own business at one time,

He is the best dad you could have

 

My Uncle Cameron inspires me,

Attending many years of medical school,

A radiologist specializing in Radiology,

Saving lives

 

My Aunt Tracy inspires me,

She is a successful writer/blogger,

And a mom

 

All of these people inspire me,

They inspire me to be great,

To reach for the stars,

To achieve my dreams

 

 

 

My Personal Narrative:

 

The Llama Story

 

               I was one year old, and it was the perfect day to go to the zoo.  The Potter Park Zoo.  It was more crowded than usual, packed with moms, and dads, and little kids in strollers.  We entered the huge gates, right away seeing animals everywhere.  First was an otter, swimming around, its coat glistening in the sun.  People gathered, watching it gracefully swim, putting sweaty hands on the glass.

 

 

               The noises of birds chirping and ka-kawing, flows though the air.  Sometimes a lion roar, here and there.  We make our way through the zoo, stopping at almost every animal.

 

 

               Finally, we find ourselves at the Petting Zoo.  Again people are all around the fence, separating us from the sheep, chickens, goats, and llamas.  There where what looked like small, gumball machines, scattered around the edges of the small fence.  Everyone seemed to be feeding the animals these tiny, brownish, pellets.  It seemed like almost everyone had some in their hands.

 

 

               A particularly mean looking Llama was slowly approaching us, me in my dad's arms, my mom right next to us.  It stood there for a moment, glaring at us, giving us the stink eye.  The next thing I knew, my face was covered in goop.  And it wasn't just my face.  My dad's too.  Our faces where dripping in llama spit.

 

 

               My mom says she remembers picking the remains of those brownish pellets out of my eyelashes.  I sure don't remember, but something about llamas just isn't right to me.  In other words, they are NOT my favorite animals.  The funny thing is, that now, if you go to the Potter Park Petting Zoo, the llamas are gone.  Now they have their separate place, with a really big fence.