This theme was discussed in great length during long, long English classes filled with heated disagreements between Aron and me. I chose to talk about Lord of the Flies as my first example. Here my individuals are not only Simon and Ralph but also Jack, because in the beginning of the book he was the one who didn’t agree with Ralph’s ways. Consequences. When Jack took over Ralph was the outsider who was against the gang. Simon was an individual through out the entire book. He never truly fit in with either side and was content with just himself. In that area he is very similar to Anne Frank, who just happens to be my next example.  Here Anne represents the individual and the Nazis conformity. Most of the Germans didn’t really inflict harm on the Jews but they still stepped blindly into Hitler’s genocide, any number of them could have chosen to not join and follow their own beliefs. Anne and her family were just one of the many Jew families that went into hiding instead of giving up and turning themselves in for a life of labor.  In The Wave the situation is very similar, except thankfully without the killing, a large group of people started a group others joined them. Soon enough they started forcing people to join them if they didn’t want to in the first place, and trying to silence people who could stand in their way. I know that is really easy to get caught up in something you believe in but there are cases where it just goes to far.

I know Mr. R, I sound formal again but I am trying. My next topic is how I was an Effective Communicator this year. This is probably the most boring out of all my topics and I don’t really want to write it, but I guess I have to. I believe that I understood and conveyed written, oral, and visual information using appropriate media. I did this during my poetry unit and my Teen Life project by writing poetry that was meant to convey my feelings and emotions at that time. During the Teen life by writing a poem and creating a picture to inform people about the dangers of teenage drug abuse. Also on the poetry night I read one of my poems out loud in front of the crowd and was hopefully understandable.  In a number of areas I collaborated with others in appropriate learning situations to achieve group goals. I chose to write about my Anne Frank memorial; I had to work with two people I had never worked with before, Aron and Daniel Bae, which was hard because Aron and I don’t really work well together. We created and painted our own memorial surrounded by different objects of meaning. Again during those long English classes I listened respectfully and asked questions to facilitate understanding and achieve insight, and you know I actually discuss things and ask questions when I don’t know something. Sometimes it was while you were talking but that phase is so over now.

On to my favorite subject, dance. Mr. R before I start I just have to say that you have greatly influenced my dance and without that I wouldn’t have been able to honor your teaching with my excellent dance performance. The first thing you did was teaching me about subtext, hidden meanings, and how to find underlying messages. I used that knowledge in my photography, my newest poetry, but most importantly my dancing (not the midnight kind but the interpretative kind). The second thing you did was in drama how you forced used to have unique poses and to come out of our personal bubbles. I was so nervous when it was my turn to come on, but then I remembered acting in your class and how I was nervous before that also but when I was out there actually acting I was perfectly fine. I walked out onto the stage and just danced, all my nerves gone. The third and most important of all the things you did to influence me was to teach Anne Frank. While we were reading it I didn’t really understand how this book was supposed to move me inside, but the way you talked about Anne made me really interested and as we progressed and discussed I became more and more convinced that it really was a great book. I do have to admit I didn’t actually finish the entire book. In my dance I tried to capture both Anne’s feelings and emotions and my own, I know that I might react differently if I had really been in that situation, but I knew the whole subject was personal and wouldn’t have been complete without it.

As I sit here listening to my Evanescence I finally understand why you had us write all those reflective journals, which I did not like! You wanted us to see how we are selves have grown instead being told by someone else. Well, your reason might be totally different but that is what I got.  Anyways. Overall this year with being suspended and making new friends and enemies didn’t even amount to the feeling of dancing on that stage, being actually seen by the entire audience.

As a female I feel that this story portrays women as treacherous. That women sneak around and try to keep men with us always, otherwise known as clingy. I see them portraying the men as clever and strong willed. A man might read this story and feel that the story portrays the princess as seductive, lying, and powerful. While they see the princes as weak, easily tricked, helpless, and overall just companions for women.

In my eyes as a person of no religion I have no problem reading that the women are the ones who have power over the men and are in possession of all things magical. If I were a Muslim male I might find this story offensive because here women have the magical qualities. The women are free to do what they want and walk around with hair uncovered.

Through my own opinions as the youngest in my family I feel that they are trying to show that the youngest is pure, innocent, and kind, while the older daughters are evil and don’t know that difference between right and wrong. From the other point of view I might say that the youngest is a tattletale, and a goody-two-shoes and that the oldest is always wrong and blamed for everything.

Overall there are similarities between the themes in all of the lenses, such as sexism, but there are also many differences, for example whether or not the one lens offends another. For one person to be able to look through a lens other than their own is a great thing that will help more people to understand each other and in turn cause less disagreements.

A traditional fairytale about twelve young princesses who’s new dancing shoes are magically worn through every morning and their father has no clue how. He poses a challenge; any prince who can find out why this is can have any one of his daughter’s hand in marriage. Many try but they all disappear. A poor gardener finds the means by which to follow them without being detected and figures out their secret. The princesses discover that he knows and invite to their magical castle where they dance and eat all night. The princesses try to trick him into imprisonment in the magical place just as they did to the other princes, but the youngest, who has a pure heart, warns him and they live happily ever after.

As a female I feel that this story portrays women as treacherous. That women sneak around and try to keep men with us always, otherwise known as clingy. I see them portraying the men as clever and strong willed. A man might read this story and feel that the story portrays the princess as seductive, lying, and powerful. While they see the princes as weak, easily tricked, helpless, and overall just companions for women.

In my eyes as a person of no religion I have no problem reading that the women are the ones who have power over the men and are in possession of all things magical. If I were a Muslim male I might find this story offensive because here women have the magical qualities. The women are free to do what they want and walk around with hair uncovered.

Through my own opinions as the youngest in my family I feel that they are trying to show that the youngest is pure, innocent, and kind, while the older daughters are evil and don’t know that difference between right and wrong. From the other point of view I might say that the youngest is a tattletale, and a goody-two-shoes and that the oldest is always wrong and blamed for everything.

Overall there are similarities between the themes in all of the lenses, such as sexism, but there are also many differences, for example whether or not the one lens offends another. For one person to be able to look through a lens other than their own is a great thing that will help more people to understand each other and in turn cause less disagreements.

While completing the teen life project, I believe that I was an Effective Communicator because I Incorporated/ Utilized technology as a tool for communication, demonstrated the skills of effective collaboration, collaborated with others in appropriate learning situations to achieve group goals, and understood and conveyed written, oral and visual information using appropriate media. I also think that I was an Academic Achiever because I demonstrated the ability to work both independently and collaboratively. In my own words this means that I was able to work with people I already knew and people I still have never met to complete a project where we used technology. These skills remind me of groups who travel around the world educating students about drugs and alcohol. I applied these ESLRs by writing and producing my own poem and picture and then shared them with the other members of my group via email, msn, and our personal wikispace. I could have improved in this area by gathering more information about my subject and then writing my poetry, so then I could have more fully understood the background and made my poem all the more better. In this area I would give myself a nine out of ten because I did collaborate with others for a common goal.

For the teen life project I was not a Critical Thinker, an Involved Citizen, or a Self-Directed Learner. I could have used these ESLRs by gathering, analyzing, and processing information from a variety of sources, this would have helped me to write more knowingly about my subject and also help to develop my own point of view concerning teenage drug use. I also could have demonstrated responsibility in active decision-making; this would have enabled me to help the more organized people of our group rather than just completing my own work and then doing nothing else. In addition I could have accepted responsibility for my own learning and demonstrated competency in goal setting, time management, and organizational skills. In doing these I would have be able to better stay focused on the end goal instead of wasting time and almost not finishing on time.

To write all my poems and comply them into a book I think I was a Self-Directed Learner because I monitored, adjusted, and documented work in progress. I also this I was an Academic Achiever because I continually assessed, evaluated, and adjusted work to maintain high standards and I demonstrated technological literacy and the use of technology as a tool for the efficient and creative completion of a project. I also think that I was an Effective Communicator because I demonstrated my creative talents to convey ideas. To me this means that I had a classmate or a teacher read over my work to give me suggestions on how to make it better. It also means that I used technology to make my project more efficient. This reminds me of revising and editing and how for almost everything in your life must fix the small problems or just start over, and I feel that this is an important life lesson that every person needs to learn. I would look at Mr. R’s suggestions on my poems and decided which I would use and which ones I would not; this help to make my poetry flow more but also retain my own voice. I also use my own pictures to make my points come across visually and I typed all the poems that were put into my book to make them easier to read. I could have improved by also revising my poems at home, so that they were constantly improving. In this area I would give myself a seven out of ten because there are still many thing I could have done to improve.

In this section of the quarter I was not Critical Thinker or an Involved Citizen. If I had built meaning and understanding using life knowledge and figurative language, which I could have incorporated into my poems by using ideas that I already had with new tools that I had learned in class, or demonstrated care and concern for my environment, by writing to educate others, than I would have been on whole a better student.

I believe that I demonstrated the qualities of, an Involved Citizen during the poetry night because I interacted with people of diverse cultures and demonstrated awareness and respect for the rights of others. An Effective Communicator because I listened respectfully and asked questions to facilitate understanding and achieve insight, collaborated with others in appropriate learning situations to achieve group goals and finally understood and conveyed written, oral, and visual information using appropriate media. In my words, this means that I worked with people of different races towards an overall group goal and used media to achieve it. These reminded me of the UN because they are people from all over the world working together to make the world a clean and happier place, and they do this by educating people of global problems using technology. I used these ESLRs by teaching different people how to write a sensory poem and by working with my whole class to bring the night together and to make an introductory movie of our school. To improve I could have help with setup or cleanup of the night, this would have let somebody who had already done a lot of work for the event. In this section, I give myself an eight out of ten because I did my part but could have volunteered for more.

For the poetry night, I was not a Critical Thinker, an Academic Achiever, or Self-Directed Learner. To become any of these I should have solved problems using a variety of strategies, instead of choosing the easiest but not always best way, or take creative risks in developing new ideas, this would have enabled me to make the poem I read much more interesting and special.

In the end, I demonstrated the qualities of an Academic Achiever, an Involved Citizen, an Effective Communicator, and a Self-Directed Learner. The only ESLR that I did not show was a Critical Thinker, so next time I will have to improve on that area. Next quarter we will be reading The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Although most of his works are plays, his lines are written in Iambic pentameter. I look forward to reading this because I really enjoy poetry, which it practically is, and I also enjoy reading stories of magic.

This quarter, we studied both the academic side of poetry and also the more personal views. We both read and wrote poetry of our own, which we then consolidated into a book and displayed them at our own poetry night. Where we also read out loud a poem of choice. During this we were also working with people around the world towards a common goal. Our objective was to educate people about the pressing matters of the world using poetry, images, and facts. We then put these all together to create an end product.

While completing the teen life project, I believe that I was an Effective Communicator because I Incorporated/ Utilized technology as a tool for communication, demonstrated the skills of effective collaboration, collaborated with others in appropriate learning situations to achieve group goals, and understood and conveyed written, oral and visual information using appropriate media. I also think that I was an Academic Achiever because I demonstrated the ability to work both independently and collaboratively. In my own words this means that I was able to work with people I already knew and people I still have never met to complete a project where we used technology. These skills remind me of groups who travel around the world educating students about drugs and alcohol. I applied these ESLRs by writing and producing my own poem and picture and then shared them with the other members of my group via email, msn, and our personal wikispace. I could have improved in this area by gathering more information about my subject and then writing my poetry, so then I could have more fully understood the background and made my poem all the more better. In this area I would give myself a nine out of ten because I did collaborate with others for a common goal.

For the teen life project I was not a Critical Thinker, an Involved Citizen, or a Self-Directed Learner. I could have used these ESLRs by gathering, analyzing, and processing information from a variety of sources, this would have helped me to write more knowingly about my subject and also help to develop my own point of view concerning teenage drug use. I also could have demonstrated responsibility in active decision-making; this would have enabled me to help the more organized people of our group rather than just completing my own work and then doing nothing else. In addition I could have accepted responsibility for my own learning and demonstrated competency in goal setting, time management, and organizational skills. In doing these I would have be able to better stay focused on the end goal instead of wasting time and almost not finishing on time.

To write all my poems and comply them into a book I think I was a Self-Directed Learner because I monitored, adjusted, and documented work in progress. I also this I was an Academic Achiever because I continually assessed, evaluated, and adjusted work to maintain high standards and I demonstrated technological literacy and the use of technology as a tool for the efficient and creative completion of a project. I also think that I was an Effective Communicator because I demonstrated my creative talents to convey ideas. To me this means that I had a classmate or a teacher read over my work to give me suggestions on how to make it better. It also means that I used technology to make my project more efficient. This reminds me of revising and editing and how for almost everything in your life must fix the small problems or just start over, and I feel that this is an important life lesson that every person needs to learn. I would look at Mr. R’s suggestions on my poems and decided which I would use and which ones I would not; this help to make my poetry flow more but also retain my own voice. I also use my own pictures to make my points come across visually and I typed all the poems that were put into my book to make them easier to read. I could have improved by also revising my poems at home, so that they were constantly improving. In this area I would give myself a seven out of ten because there are still many thing I could have done to improve.

In this section of the quarter I was not Critical Thinker or an Involved Citizen. If I had built meaning and understanding using life knowledge and figurative language, which I could have incorporated into my poems by using ideas that I already had with new tools that I had learned in class, or demonstrated care and concern for my environment, by writing to educate others, than I would have been on whole a better student.

I believe that I demonstrated the qualities of, an Involved Citizen during the poetry night because I interacted with people of diverse cultures and demonstrated awareness and respect for the rights of others. An Effective Communicator because I listened respectfully and asked questions to facilitate understanding and achieve insight, collaborated with others in appropriate learning situations to achieve group goals and finally understood and conveyed written, oral, and visual information using appropriate media. In my words, this means that I worked with people of different races towards an overall group goal and used media to achieve it. These reminded me of the UN because they are people from all over the world working together to make the world a clean and happier place, and they do this by educating people of global problems using technology. I used these ESLRs by teaching different people how to write a sensory poem and by working with my whole class to bring the night together and to make an introductory movie of our school. To improve I could have help with setup or cleanup of the night, this would have let somebody who had already done a lot of work for the event. In this section, I give myself an eight out of ten because I did my part but could have volunteered for more.

For the poetry night, I was not a Critical Thinker, an Academic Achiever, or Self-Directed Learner. To become any of these I should have solved problems using a variety of strategies, instead of choosing the easiest but not always best way, or take creative risks in developing new ideas, this would have enabled me to make the poem I read much more interesting and special.

In the end, I demonstrated the qualities of an Academic Achiever, an Involved Citizen, an Effective Communicator, and a Self-Directed Learner. The only ESLR that I did not show was a Critical Thinker, so next time I will have to improve on that area. Next quarter we will be reading The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Although most of his works are plays, his lines are written in Iambic pentameter. I look forward to reading this because I really enjoy poetry, which it practically is, and I also enjoy reading stories of magic.

A few lines that i translated were “No, wench, it eats and sleeps and hath such senses as we have, such.  This gallant which thou seest was in the wrack; and, but he’s something stained with grief-that’s the beauty ccanker-thou might’st call him a goodly person. He hath lost his fellows and strays about to find ‘ em.” So basically Prospero  is talking to Miranda about Ferdinand and is saying that he is infact a human being and that he was on the boat and now he is looking for his other compainons. Another line was “I must obey. His art is of such power it would control my dam’s god, Setebos, and make a vassal of him.” Here Caliban says that he thinks that he must do as Prospero says because he is obiviously more powerful than even his mother’s god and could control the god as well.

My plot questions are, Is prospero trying to set Miranda up with Ferdinand? and, Does Prospero really intend to release Ariel or does he plan to keep him as a servent forevr? For the second question i think that he doesnt intend to free him but i would like to hear other people’s opinions.

Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1830. She went to Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley. She only attended this school for one year, when she returned home. She remained here for the rest of her life and rarely left. She also had very few visitors. When she did have guests they greatly impacted her poetry. On a trip to Philadelphia, she met a Reverend Charles. He visited her home and then left her for the West Coast. Many critics believe that this is what caused her increase in her heartsick poetry. Though he was an important person in her life, some doubt that he was really her love. Other possibilities for her love in her poems are Otis P. Lord, a Massachusetts Supreme Court Judge, and Samuel Bowles, the editor of the Springfield Republican. She lived in isolation from the world outside. She spent a lot of time with her family. Her father, Edward Dickinson, her brother Austin, and her younger sister Lavinia. She admired both Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning and John Keats. She died in Amherst in 1886. After she died her family found forty hand bound volumes, containing more than eight hundred of her poems. All in all, her works were not acknowledged while she was still alive.

I measure every Grief I meet
With narrow, probing, Eyes –
I wonder if It weighs like Mine –
Or has an Easier size.

I wonder if They bore it long –
Or did it just begin –
I could not tell the Date of Mine –
It feels so old a pain –

I wonder if it hurts to live –
And if They have to try –
And whether – could They choose between –
It would not be – to die –

I note that Some – gone patient long –
At length, renew their smile –
An imitation of a Light
That has so little Oil –

I wonder if when Years have piled –
Some Thousands – on the Harm –
That hurt them early – such a lapse
Could give them any Balm –

Or would they go on aching still
Through Centuries of Nerve –
Enlightened to a larger Pain –
In Contrast with the Love –

The Grieved – are many – I am told –
There is the various Cause –
Death – is but one – and comes but once –
And only nails the eyes –

There’s Grief of Want – and grief of Cold –
A sort they call “Despair” –
There’s Banishment from native Eyes –
In Sight of Native Air –

And though I may not guess the kind –
Correctly – yet to me
A piercing Comfort it affords
In passing Calvary –

To note the fashions – of the Cross –
And how they’re mostly worn –
Still fascinated to presume
That Some – are like My Own –

The Reason that chose this poem is because I feel that when people are in pain or are very sad, they tend to forget that other people are going through the same things. They also try to compare someone else’s pain against their own. They say that nobody knows what it feels like and that nobody can help. I know that I can get like this at times and I am trying to break that habit, because if you only think about your own pain, you aren’t there when your friends or family really need you. In this poem she uses personification when she talks about her grief. She also has a rhythm and repetition but she does not use any similes or metaphors.

People were crowed together celebrating the anniversary for the 2006 bombings at the Golden Mosque when two car bombs went off in Shorja Market. Killing sixty-three people and wounding one hundred fifty. The explosions sent thick black smoke into the sky.

Another car bomb went off earlier that day, before the celebration, killing nine and wounding more than twenty wounded.

These bombings affect may affect the world by causing the world’s leaders to change the way they handle rebellions in their own countries. It may also cause political unrest in trying to decide if other counties should aid Iraq in their conquest of economic development.

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This tortured being behind the mask

Where lights fades to black

You find me pouring crimson betrayal

Why don’t they understand?

These pitiful pretenders

Underestimating the power

Disbelief leading to my end

Why won’t they listen?

Arrogance blinding

Opinions lashing

Never fully understanding

Why should they stop?

Suffocating me in their lies

Cutting me into pieces

I cry for them all

Why wont somebody tell me I’m fine?

I open my eyes to find emptiness

Repulsed by my blood

They dissolve into the shadows of my mind

Why should I care?

They watch as I lay dying

Saving the last breath for final word

A whisper of a song once forgotten

Why?

Writing Part of English Final Assessment Project

1. How are symbols, images, and sounds and other conventions used in visual media?
2. What are the ways in which image-makers carefully construct meaning?
3. How are techniques used in visual media to influence or appeal to a particular audience?

1. Symbols are everywhere. Our world, infused with media, advertisements, electronics, and shops, is practically bursting with symbols. In visual media, practically everything could be assigned a symbolic meaning—whether intended or not. For example, in the film ‘Stormbreaker’, inside the facility, there were large signs with a black number on them, and a red and white background. Almost imperceptibly, it reminds us of the Nazis, and the swastika.
2. Image makers carefully construct meaning using the physiology of man. Being very reflexive and intuitive, humans are easily influenced. For example, if you see a small wooden hut, with a smoking chimney, and a warm fire inside, you will immediately start feeling warmer and better inside. This has been proved by scientific experiments. So, all the advertisers have to do is add a person drinking hot chocolate, and there you go: a perfect enticement.
3. Appealing a particular audience, using certain techniques, can have even better results. For example, an advert for Barbie’s is probably going to be with little writing, next to toy shops were children are sure to see it, and probably 90% pink. Many small children would easily fall for this advertisement, whether their parents are disgusted by it or not

1. Knowledge-Describe the symbols, images, and sounds you used to complete your project
2. Comprehension- Discuss how these symbols, images, and sounds carefully construct meaning
3. Application- Explain how these symbols, images, and sounds will influence or appeal to your audience. Illustrate the symbols, images, and sounds (This will be done when you actually do the project)
4. Analysis- compare the symbols, images, and sounds you chose. Which are the most powerful? Why?
5. Synthesis- Create or design a memorial to Anne Frank and the victims of the Holocaust, or Design and create a commercial or short film spreading Anne’s hopeful message of peace. (Doing the project will accomplish this aspect of Bloom’s Taxonomy)
6. Evaluation- summarize and grade the final product and the process to accomplish this task

1. The symbols we used were: the barbed wire fence, the rails, Anne frank’s diary, the star of David, the grass and its progression, a caged hawk on a golden plaque, the colors used to paint all of the above, and the music
2. The barbed wire on either side represents oppression, and captivity. In the center of the memorial, there is a small area that is open. This symbolizes that even under oppression, with but greed, hate and anger all round, good qualities can and do develop, and that even during such times, there is a way out. Anne Frank’s diary hint at the fact that Anne was one of these people, and it also attempts to show that human nature is, contrary to Golding’s gloomy thoughts, good rather than evil. As a person walks from one side of the memorial, the barbed wire gradually opens, and the grass that was at the beginning brown and dead becomes more lively. This represents the progression, and how near the end of the war, for not all but many people, things were getting. The rail tracks under one’s feet are a hidden allusion to those that carried millions of Jews to their deaths. The fact that they are unbroken, even at the end, could be taken for granted but when examined deeply can also be considered as a hint to the stunning fact that even near the end of the war, Allied powers did not make an effort to stop the genocide, though the bombing of train tracks would have done much to achieve it. The caged bird represents the freedom and the spirit of Anne, but it is caged and cannot fly free. The song we chose to accompany our monument is Conquest of Paradise by Vangelis. The beginning of the music with the deep drumming represents the oppression, and how Germany began to conquer other countries, methodically exterminating innocent Jews. The sad murmuring that follows with the instrumental accompanying symbolizes the lamentations for the dead, and as it accelerates and reaches its climax, it symbolizes the pain of those that survived to live without their families, friends or relatives. After that, some more instruments join to form the chorus, representing hope, effort and spirit in spite of the events that occurred. Once again, the drumming and the murmurs return, symbolizing the eternal struggle between the hopeful, the spirit, and the oppressing, the blinded. What follows is an alternation between the two, and it does not end in the victory of either side but rather the fact that this struggle will continue until eternity.
3. The symbols will influence people by making them re-think their own perspectives on human behavior during wars, some might come to find that these new perspectives suit them better while others will find that their own thoughts more correct in their opinion. They will appeal to my audience because we made our symbols interesting and colorfully coordinated. The sounds will influence them because there is no singing, only instruments, and the atmosphere is largely calming and restful. It offers a place where people can go to think through their own problems and find their strength in Anne.
4. The most powerful symbols that I think we used were the barbed wire and the grass and flowers. The barbed wire is a very obvious symbol for oppression, hate, and captivity. And as it opens up in the centre, it powerfully gets across that even under oppression, hate, fear and captivity, great qualities can develop. Also, the way it takes you on a journey, as it widens near the end, and as the first blackish, brown-red grass progresses towards a green, creates this really amazing effect. For though war is not always like that, and people were still being killed even at the end, gradually, camps were being liberated, people were freed, and families were re-united.
5. Our memorial can be seen. Right over there. Yeah, that’s the one.
6. In conclusion, I believe that we have completed this task to the best of our abilities as they are in such a short time frame. Though we essentially mismanaged our time, the final product appears to be excellent, and with every glance it yields another allusion to the war, to those that have died and those that are still alive. We all worked together in an effort to first design and then create a memorial that will strike emotion into every heart, be it that of an eight year old child or a 70 year old soldier. We also went through a very varied process: designing the monument, choosing the music, discussing some of the symbols, and then actually creating a scale model out of clay and wire. Unfortunately, out first monument fell apart just hours (about twenty four, actually) before the date it was due. We were then forced to change our plans, and Daniel Bae having been the only one with the required materials, we left it to him to recreate the monument, and only did some of the painting. In return, I (Aron) did much of the writing, and Alex also contributed to it. However, if required to complete another project, I believe that we should be better organized to avoid such problems, especially with a meager time budget. As our final self-evaluation, we believe that the grade we have earned is: 96%. Though we spent a lot of time, both in and out of school, working on it, and the final project we believe is pretty good, that is the highest grade the we can give ourselves.

ESLRS
During our project, we used many ESLRS effectively, but we still require work on other ones. The most important ESLR in this project we believe is Effective Communicator, because of our group roles, so here are some of them/
# Understand and convey written, oral and visual information using appropriate media
We made our model out of clay, and painted it. The model is of a good size, and is easily understandable. Upon asking some other students as to the clarity, they were able to name nearly all of the main features. We used a mobile phone to play the song ‘Conquest of Paradise’ by Vangelis, and typed up our writing on computer. I believe that we effectively achieved this ESLR.
# Demonstrate the skills of effective collaboration
This is one of the ESLRS that we really need to work on. Though in the end, we managed to do pretty well together, we had numerous arguments that hindered our ability to complete the project. I myself didn’t compromise too much, and was set on doing what I wanted. This is definitely an ESLR that we really need to work on for next time.
# Demonstrate their creative talents to convey ideas
Instead of simply making a 2D presentation on the computer, we actually made our model out of clay for all to see. In real life, it would be far larger, and this is not perfectly on scale, but it represents what we attempted to convey well. We also spent a lot of time after school working on our first model that broke apart. This is another ESLR that I believe we achieved
# Collaborate with others in appropriate learning situations to achieve group goals
Finally, this is an ESLR that depends entirely on the group members. Luckily, our group was pretty concentrated and we all wanted a good grade, so we spent a lot of time at home and after school working on our project and perfecting it. We think that we somewhat achieved this, because we were uncomfortable in letting other group members do work and so need to work on this ESLR, though we somewhat achieved it

Right now I am really worried about global warming and the using of much of Earth’s resources. This is because I love nature. I find it beautiful. The way a flower unfurls it petals slowly as if it was making sure it was safe first. How you can find any color that you wish to. The trees reaching towards the heavens and the twisting vines climbing steadily upwards despite humans trying to destroy them. I feel that if everyone pitched in and helped that the world would be a much better place. Even the smallest things count. It can start as simple as recycling a piece of paper or a can. As for global warming the solution will also help people to stay healthy. Instead of driving a car you could walk, or take a bicycle. As for longer distances you can carpool or take a bus or a train. All the pollution from cars and trucks is causing our atmosphere to disintegrate, which in turn causes our polar regions to warm. This heat then slowly melts the polar ice caps, which raises water levels all over the world.

Another less global issue is teen health. It has shown in recent studies that health levels have been steadily decreasing as more ideas are invented to do things for us. For example elevators and escalators. It also does not help that many people don’t eat healthy food. Fast foods are packed with unnecessary oils and fats. Eating only junk will increase your weight, which adds stress to your heart. The leading causes of deaths these days are weight and stress related heart diseases. So watch what you eat and make sure you exercise regularly. I play sports, that is the way that I keep in shape.

Coming into another subject I would like to ask you, how do you feel about uniforms? We have to wear them here in my school. I find that sometimes they can be helpful, such as people aren’t judged by how they dress and I don’t have to pick out my clothes every night. In other ways they are also restricting, for example it is harder to show your individuality.

If there is anything in my intro that you have any opinions on, feel free to comment and I would love to hear what you have to say.

Archeologist- Somebody who studies the historic or prehistoric peoples and their cultures by analysis of their artifacts, inscriptions, monuments, and other such remains, esp. those that have been excavated.  A person who studies ancient artifacts for a clue to how ancient civilizations were ruled.

Economist- Someone who studies the science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services, or the material welfare of humankind. A person who looks at trade and industry from all the places of the world.

Historian- An expert in History, which is the branch of knowledge dealing with past events.

Linguist- Someone who is skilled in many different languages.

Theologian- Someone who studies divine things or religious truth; divinity

I got all of my definitions from www.dictionary.com

Questions.
Step 1:
Where did the Aztecs originally live? What prompted them to relocate? Where did they end up and why? Chose an artifact, which you feel best, represents this event. Support your choice
The Aztecs originally lived in a place called Atzlan. The legend of the reason why they left their home was that a prophet named Tenoch had a vision of Huitzilopochtli telling him to lead his people to a new land.  He would know this land by an eagle sitting on a cactus eating a snake that it had just caught. The more realistic hypothesis is that they were banished from their original home because of their unkind and merciless nature.  They ended up on an island in the middle of a lake, Lake Texcoco.

Step 2:
The Aztecs ended up in the middle of a lake and built their new capital Tenochtitlan. What were the pros and cons of settling in the middle of a lake? Describe the lay of the land and chose an image for your exhibit.
A pro was that it was easier to travel and easier to trade with other cites which would soon be established. A con would be that it was a marshy, snake, infested island. The land was filled with Chinampas, which were small islands, made by pilled up mud.

Step 3:
Which gods were worshiped? The pyramids were built for what purpose? Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, Tlaloc, Chalchiuhtlicue, and Huitzilopochtli. There was also Xipe-Totec.  The pyramids were actually sacrificial temples that were used as a location for human sacrifices.

Step 4:
Who are the different members of Aztec society? What are their roles? Choose an artifact that represents the social order of Aztec society.
There were three classes of society slaves, commoners, and nobility.  The slaves were had pretty much the same jobs as the other slaves around the world. The commoners were in charge of farming and daily trade. The nobility were the higher generals, government, and priests.

Step 5:
The Aztecs have a spoken language. What was it called? Did they use any other forms of communication? Include an example of either written or visual language of the Aztecs.
Nahuatl was the name of their spoken language. They also used a written language and a visual language, which was composed of glyphs.

Step 6:
How did the Aztecs grow food and what was their main crop? Did they trade and with whom? Did they have a currency (money)? Find an image for your exhibit about making a living Aztec style.
They grew food by making terraces to control the flow of water, so that the crops did not flood. They grew corn, beans, chili peppers, squash, and tomatoes.  For the most part they just traded with the surrounding countires for the things they needed, but sometimes they used cacao beans as currency.

Step 7:
Discuss the Impact of Spanish Contact 1519 from both the Aztec point of view and the Spanish point of view. Find an image depicting this event.
From the Aztec point of view the Spanish deceived them and destroyed all that they believed in. The Aztec culture was almost wiped away, their beliefs banned, and their artifacts destroyed. From the Spanish point of view, the Aztec killed many of their men before they were finally conquered. The Aztec people caused Cortes great losses.

Step 8:
Discuss La Malinche or Dona Marina. Debate her positive/negative impact on Mexico past and present. What does the term Mestizo refer to? What influences remain today from Aztec culture of the past?
Dona Marina was as they say loyal and determined women. She was said to be a traitor to the Aztecs but the other side of the story was that she helped bypass bloodshed when the Spanish conquered the Aztecs. Some people say she was just Cortes’s mistress but others say that she cared for him and that his feelings were mutual. The term Mestizo is used for people who have a mixed heritage. Some influence from the past might be the religion because the Aztecs used to have their own religion and now that people of Mexico are mostly Roman Catholic.