Semester Reflection Part 1

Choose at least three (3) of the following and answer them in depth. I will quote from your answers in your report card comments, so please take time to edit & revise your writing, ensuring that it is ready for public consumption. For each answer, be sure to use specific evidence & examples.

1. What project was most valuable to you, and what have you gained from it?

2. Describe one valuable mistake you made this year.

3. What challenges do you face as a student in a project-based learning environment?

1. Ampersand. Because ampersand really showed me a lot about the real world. I wrote my article about my internship. While writing about and reflecting back to internship through ampersand it really showed me a lot in the real world about being with the athletic director in for the HTHV. This gave me experience with working with an adult that knows what he is doing and is passionate about it.

2. One valuable mistake that i made this year was asking for help. My grades for math, humanities, and engineering reflect on how i did not ask for help. For example in the 4 engineering quizzes we had i got F on all of them. Not asking for help really brought my grade down in engineering, humanities and math class.

3. Staying on task was my biggest challenge. Because when we are assigned a project we have a lot of freedom from when the project starts to when it ends. For example the Slaughter House 5 project that we just finished. We had a lot of freedom on the project which made me slack on starting and finishing the project to my fullest ability.

Writing Reflection

Please answer both of the following with substantial, thorough, thoughtful, well-revised, multi-paragraph pieces of writing that feature direct evidence, specific examples, and a high degree of honest self-reflection.

• Explain one or more specific aspects of your writing that have improved this year. In this explanation, you must directly refer to at least two specific pieces of writing that you produced for this class. You may use any assignment, project, writing sample, draft, blog entry, etc. You should discuss the writing tips & strategies we studied, the processes & methods we used, the critiques & drafts we employed and the products we created (feel free to use these specific key terms to keep your reflection focused).

Putting my own view into the story. In the 1st and last paragraph i put a little thing about how i just traded my shift away for work so i was able to connect with the reader a little bit. Because of this i was able to connect with the reader more and show my side of the story. Like in the WW2 letters near the end i used honey a lot to represent love. It might now flow with the letter as well and not look like it was back form WW2 but i put my own like view into the letter.

• Describe one specific goal for your future writing. Your explanation of your goal(s) must include some or all of the following: writing samples from this year, writing strategies you have used in the past, writing strategies or techniques you would like to develop, examples from authors you respect, etc.

One goal that i have for my future writing is structure. I struggle with making sure that all my paragraphs make sense when it is in one piece. for example in my final draft of ampersand my 4th paragraph has to do with history. I think it was too deep into the story and was kind of out of place. Also the structure of my information kind of bounces around. I will use concerts not pancakes to help me with this so that the story will be interesting while being laid out correctly.

Historical Reflections

1. Describe specifically how you would interact with this person—is he/she a professor at your university? a fellow student? a leader? visiting campus?

2. Include specific quotes from the actual person—you can creatively use these as you wish, though. For example, you might love to have Martin Luther King, Jr. as a professor, and you might use a quote from his famous letter from a Birmingham jail as a quote he might say in class one day.

3. Explain why you have chosen this person.

4. Cite at least three relevant primary sources for your quotes. If you are unsure what a primary source is, please check with me!

I would choose Franklin D. Roosevelt as a roommate. He was the president of the United States of America and created the New Deal that eventually got the USA out of the Great Depression. Just this alone he would be a good roommate to have because he would be able to help me out with not only school but with developing my self as a person. The Social Security program adjusted the child labor laws so children couldn't work long hours and only when they did not have school. I could see him as more of a leader but i think he would be a great roommate to have in college.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/32_f_roosevelt/psources/ps_inaugural1.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/32_f_roosevelt/psources/ps_inaugural2.html

http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/troos.asp

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/32_f_roosevelt/psources/index.html

Literary Reflections

If you could bring one character from any one book that we have read this year with you when you go to college, who would bring? Why?

I would have to choose Jay Gatsby as a roommate for many reasons. He has a lot of money, gets all the girls, really smart and has lots of parties. Since Gatsby is really smart he would be able to help me out not just with all of my college classes but just life in general. Sometimes people that come to his parties don't know who he is which is kind of a downfall, but that creates more friend relationships which is always good. Since he has a lot of money he would be throwing a lot of parties bringing in all the women from out of the city and country. Daisy was a big part of his life, and without Daisy he would be the perfect roommate no more crying, complaining about his problems that he is having anymore. Having the amount of parties that Gatsby has would be great because college is always good with parties. And since he has a lot of money parties would happen a lot through the 4 years i would be with him.

Post Trail Reflection

1. Summarize the facts of the case, as presented by the prosecution. Include relevant witnesses and testimony.

I felt like they were mostly reflecting on the whole McDonalds immigrant incident. I recall that when Ben was talking to the witnesses that he would talk about either the incident, constitution, and reflect on what the defendant side was arguing. For example one witness that the prosecution had was john adams. what he talked about was: natural rights, all people should have rights, and how arizona is racial profiling to catch immigrants. they used a lot of small short and straight to the point strong facts from the U.S. constitution.

2. Summarize the facts of the case, as presented by the defense. Include relevant witnesses and testimony.

I felt like the defense could have made a lot more stronger points to make and convince the jury that it does not break the law. There were operation wetback, prop 187, and about immigrants being jailed. When they talked about how in 2003, 2700,00 immigrants were jailed and it cost them $80 per day which equals to around $7 billion per year. I think that it did not help their case so much.

3. What was the most significant piece of evidence, in your personal opinion?

I think the most significant piece of evidence was when Ben read some of the facts from the constitution. That stated that all people are equal. That really shut down the defense and really was a huge part.

4. What was the most significant argument made, in your opinion?

I think two most significant arguments made was the McDonalds argument and the jailing of 270,000 immigrants. I think these two were big in my opinion because they changed my thinking. When the defense said that 270,000 immigrants in 2003 were jailed i was just thinking ok thats a lot of people. Then when they said that it cost $80 a day which equals out to over $7 billion, it changed they way i though because that a lot of money being wasted. With the McDonalds issue it was shocking to me because they just investigated a lot of people because they though they were illegal immigrants.

5. What do you personally believe the correct verdict should be? Do you agree with the jury? Why or why not?

I agree, but we need to create a better system so that no violence and no investigation on an innocent person just because of how they look or because of what they do or were they are from.


I think I deserve a 40 out of 50 points because i felt like i took import notes from both sides of the case. I think because of the notes i took it formed my opinion on what i think is correct. Without me taking notes i dont think that i would have had a good opinion. I did the following things very well like taking notes and understanding a couple of strong points because i could understand mostly of what they are talking about and to see what i believe in. I could have done better at taking all the notes and fully understanding everything thing and what the trail was 100% about by being more into the trail and to ask more questions.

WW2 Letters

Choose one of the following:

3. A woman at work in America.

- USA

- right after WWI and during the great depression

- Not having a job

- Low employment rates

- Give up a lot

- no money

- Mary Banadsed

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snprelief1.htm

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Invisible-Women-of-the-Great-Depression&id=1888970

Write a letter to a friend or family member. Think of what might be in a letter like this: it would be on a specific date & from a specific city. this letter might describe your hopes, feelings, expectations, fears, etc. It might reference current events (or, then-current events), technology, or politicians. It might describe people, places, settings, technology and more. It might include the other person's life, perspective or questions. In fact, the person the letter is written to might be one of the people on that list!

Helpful links:
http://www.teacheroz.com/WWII_Oral_History.htm
http://www.war-letters.com/

Post the basic info for your letter to your blog on Tuesday, 4/27 before 11:59:59 pm. This basic info includes:
1. who you are & how you decided
2. research! including specific links and the major topics, people, & info in your letter.
3. an overview of the tone & ideas of your letter.
4. more???

Semester DOS, Blog #15

Many aspects of our modern world can be traced wholly or in part to World War 2 and it's aftermath. Take a look at the following list and select one section that interests you most. Write a blog entry in which you explain why it interests you, what you already know and what you hope to learn about it in the near future. Optional, but highly encouraged: post pictures, images, and links to helpful resources.

Technology (like nuclear energy)

The only really thing i know about nuclear energy is bombs/explosions, jets/airplanes. Im pretty sure that during WWII they had spend tons of money on these products to bomb allies at war. I want to know how much they spent on these products of nuclear energy. Also to find out how they got all the money, because i'm assuming that it costs a lot of money to built ships and airplanes and also weapons. I would also like to know allmost ever bomb and ship used during WWII and how much effect it had on the war.

Semester DOS, Blog # 14

1. What are the most interesting aspects of World Wars 1 and 2?

World War 1: World War 1 was also known as the Great War or the First World War.
The war went from 1914-1919. The fighting lasted until 1918.
The Allies were on one side and the Central Powers were on the other.
By the end of the war it had become the second most bloodiest conflict in history.

World War 2:
Germany invited Poland which started World War 2.
More then 60 million people died.
Within a week Britain and France were at war. Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa had also joined the war.

2. What do you hope to learn about these wars?

I hope to learn about how a lot of people died. And about bombs guns and explosives.

3. How/Why are these wars important today? How do they impact and/or inform our world today? hint: think about alliances, democracies around the world, cultures, international institutions, nuclear (and other) technologies, etc.





http://www.worldwar-1.net/
http://www.worldwar-2.net/

Grapes of Wrath Essay

2. Describe how Steinbeck's description of the characters and setting establish a specific tone for the novel.

Steinbeck uses 3 charaters i think to establish the tone of the book and to show what direction the book is going in. the 3 characters are Jim Casy, Ma Joad, and Tom Joad. These characters directed what direction Grapes of Wrath went.

Jim casy contributed a big roll in the book. The ex-preacher shared alot of his knowlage, and has a big influence on the joad family."Maybe there ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue, they's just what people does. Some things folks do is nice and some ain't so nice, and that's all any man's got a right to say." Jim casy was a preacher and shared some of his knolwegae throughout the trip with everyone they encounted and who he was with. Sin was the reason he stoped becoming a preacher, but he still had knolwge to share and also he would preach of what he knows. He really guieded the Joad family to not give up and believe that they can find work and make it to California.

Tom Joad was another huge influcence on the family for a number of reasons. He just got out of jail for manslaughter and is trying to get home to his family. He hitches a ride and met some new people. One person he met was jim casy. tom has big infulence on how they get to Califronia and through out the whole trip. Tom is also not afarid to get in a fight so he for the trip and is the protector. He is open to everyone and anything, and is not afarid of anything.

The biggest contrubuter and that drives the story is Ma joad. She is “the citadel of the family.” She cares about everyone and helps everyone that needs help. She is the mom of the family and accepts Jim Casy into their family. Everybody can trust her with everything and feels safe around her. "We're going' to California, ain't we? All right then let's go to California."She really modivates the family to go to california.

With these 3 characters, they all play a big role into forming were the book is going to head. Through the different characters they show different prepectives to show the tone of Grapes of Wrath.

Semester 2 Blog 12

What were "public works projects"? What famous ones were part of the New Deal? What public works projects would you recommend for our society today?

Some that i though were interesting were The Golden Gate Bridge, The Hoover Dam, and Del Mar Fairgounds.

It would be good to solve and change the housing and libraries. I have only been to one library were you self check out which is really easy to use and convenient and should be used more. For housing i see a lot of empty and expensive housing. If they were to change the housing projects to make it more afordable less people would be on the street.

Semester 2 Blog 11

Write an open letter to a particular leader (or leading group of people) in which you outline specific advice to improve the American/Californian/local/other economy. Choose a leader that represents a group or place that you are interested in—you might pick the President, the Governor, a corporate leader, local government officials, small businesses, etc.

Dear Obama,

I know were are in a “depression” right now. And you have not done much to get us out. Spending all your time and all the money we do not have towards people that can’t afford healthcare. Maybe if you helped more people get jobs people would have money, less companies would have to shut down, and we would not have to spend money we do not have.

Even around my neighbor and other places lots of houses have been closed down because people do not have the money to pay the rent. If you were to take some control on the banks, people we would not be in this depression. Also spending money that we do not have is not a good idea.

Good Luck,

Corey Murillo

Semester 2 Blog 10

Do you believe that the Grapes of Wrath successfully establishes sympathy for the plight of Dust Bowl farmers? Why or why not?

I think Grapes of Wrath establishes sympathy for the dust bowl workers. He shows it through the migrant Joad family perspective. The Joad family goes through financial issues, losses, and being not so fortunate. Even though the Joad family has survived they still went through a lot. Getting your farm taken away, getting arrested, getting paid very low wages, and getting your house burnt down. The farm is what makes you money. With out the farm you make no money causing you to loose your house.

Semester 2 Blog 9

I think the times we had to work on internship have not been many, and not long enough. We would usually get 15 min max to work on Ampersand. We should have gotten help if we really needed it instead of focusing on a lot of examples and working slowly to get a starting point. I think we just need more open work time to get our thoughts flowing instead of a short amount of time. I have only gotten some points to make my writing good but not enough time to start off my writing. Randy says he wants our Ampersand writing the best, but we do not have much time to work on it. Therefore my writing will not be as good as I hope at this point.

Semester 2 Blog 8

Compare and contrast Barack Obama and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as presidents. Be sure to cover topics such as their responses to the economy, their interactions with the American public and their relationships with other elements of the US government (feel free to write about more, too!).

FDR:

There is a quote that FDR wrote in his first inaugural speech that he made famous: "Only thing we have to fear is fear itself." In the 1920's into the 1930', the U.S. faced the deepest darkest time period in history; The great depression. The stock marked had crashed, banks were bankrupt, people were out of work, and the unemployment rate was sky high. FDR used his positive attitude in his speeches to revitalized people into thinking that despite their poor circumstances they will rise once again out of despair. "Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative support."

FDR was adamant about helping people and changing the economy, and compared it to a "war against the emergency.'' I agree that our country is in the state of emergency. We need a president like FDR that can give us a solid solution to our problems. Our current president has not givens direction or answers to our problems. He has just given us promises and money that we don't have, and has put us in a deeper hole to climb out of.

Obama:

"I dont care weather you're driving a hybrid or an SUV. If you're headed for a cliff, you have to change direction." That's what the american people called in November and that what we intend to deliver.

"Fight the housing and financial crises:

A new housing program has stabilized the market, preventing more foreclosures and helping millions more re-finance at historically low mortgage rates. The Administration is also moving forward with its plans to get credit flowing again to businesses and families, and to reform our regulatory system so we have a set of 21st century rules to match 21st century financial markets."

This is what Obama is trying to do to help the housing and financial crises. Since Obama became president taxes have gone higher, a significant amount of foreclosures, and a lot of promises. Obama promises that there will be change, but so far there has been no change that has helped the housing and finical issues.

Semester 2 Blog 7

Predict how companies or industries similar to the one that you worked at during internship would have fared during the Great Depression. Would your company have thrived or sunk? Why?

Where I interned at, I think if they would thrive and sink at the same time. The coaches for all the sports in the High Tech High Village (HTHV) are volunteers. So that would not affect they way they would coach or interact with the sport. My mentor would have to cut the majority of sports to have 3 or 4 sports due to the lack of money. But the 3 or 4 sports would thrive because they would be few sports, which would make the sports have more money then having all the sports. I think overall for the athletic department would only have to cut some of the sports programs.

Semester 2 Blog 6

Joad:

Smokes a lot

"She was a good well" "I cant hear water."

I think this quote has some symbolism but I am not sure to what.

"I seen turtles all my life. They're goin' someplace. They always seem to want to get there."

This quote I can guess has symbolism i think about how one character (maybe Joad) finding his place back home or something like that.

My Final Internship Photo Essay

My Final Internship Photo Essay

http://students.hthma.hightechhigh.org/~cmurillo/11th_Grade_DP/Internship_Photo_Essay.html

Semester 2 Blog 5

1. Alias Mentor Interview

http://aliasblogg.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-had-found-that-life-businesses-and.html

I like alia's mentor interview because it is very organized and professional looking.

As you can see it has a quote on the top that is bold and it really starts off the mentor interview. The picture had a border around it, so it makes it organized and it stands out.

2. Beth's Front Page of DP

http://students.hthma.hightechhigh.org/~elacarra/

I think this is really good because it actually looks like the words she typed were originally in the photo. Even though this is not her picture it really makes it professional because of the font she used and how well it blended in. It also really shows how Beth is.

3. Lynn's Front Page of DP

http://students.hthma.hightechhigh.org/~lle/11th/

This is a good example of a very professional website. When I went on Lynn's DP i looked at it and it is very professional and organized. All the text is alined perfectly, the colors correspond to each other and is easy to use.

Semester 2 Blog 4

I do not like reading or writing at all very much unless I am interested in the topic. Almost every time when I write I tend to have a lot of runon sentences and most the time they do not make much sence. I hope that ampersand will be a small turing point to end this. I'm hoping that when I write it will be a good experience and I will enjoy while I work on it and read it. I hope when I read the final product of Ampersand that it will be one of the good memories from high school.

Mentor Interview

http://students.hthma.hightechhigh.org/~cmurillo/11th_Grade_DP/Mentor_Interview.html