Ariela Ojalvo American Literature Blog

 

  As the first semester comes to an end, take time to reflect on your learning and growth in this course. In a well-developed response, explain what you enjoyed most about the class, identify the project or assignment you found most engaging, and discuss which aspect of the course you connected with the most (such as poetry, fiction, writing, or discussion). Finally, reflect on one area where you feel you need additional support or improvement as we move into the spring semester. As the first semester comes to an end,  reflecting on my learning and growth in this course. What I enjoyed the most about the class was the people in it and the group work that brought me closer to my peers,  the projects I found most engaging were the ones where we were able to show off our creativity through art/drawing. The aspect of the course I connected with the most was poetry because I do not read well so really taking a deep dive into each poem allowed me to grasp the best understanding...

Many holidays center around traditions. Describe one tradition that is important to you or your family and explain why it still matters (or why it no longer does). One tradition that is important to me and my family is we eat 12 grapes under a table at 12:00 on New Years. This is important to us because it is said to give us a year of good luck and good fortunate. We are very big on starting  the year off on a good note and this tradition does exactly that. It started with a Colombian tradition but now I know many people who participate in it and I think it has spread across the world! I love this tradition and hope for it to never end! Summary :  I was unable to make it to class because I have the flu. Reflection : I was unable to make it to class because I have the flu.

  How have the holidays changed as you have grown older? Compare your experiences of the holidays during childhood with how you experience them now, focusing on shifts in perspective, responsibilities, or emotional meaning. The holidays have changed as I have grown older by becoming more and more stressful and less and less magical. I have noticed especially in high school that the holidays have grown less fun and exciting given that with the idea of Christmas comes the idea of finals. We have less time to have fun and make gingerbread houses, watch movies, and all that holiday cheer and that time is taken up with studying and stressing for finals. My perspectives have also changed because Santa no longer feels real. Christmas has lost most of its fun now just feeling like a way to get the materialistic things that I wish for.  Summary: I could not make it to school today I was way too sick.  Reflection: I could not make it to school today I was way too sick. 

  Write about something you’ve outgrown but still miss. One thing I have outgrown but I still miss is lacking responsibility. They say great power comes great responsibility and the more mature you are the more respected you are. Respect is power. Growing old is just growing responsibility. I miss the time when I had no responsibility because someone was always responsible for me. Although I have outgrown some freedom I still lack many responsibilities that I will one day look back at my current self and wish I had her amount of responsibility. We are constantly growing out of things and I don't think there is a point in looking back and missing something you can not go back to.  Summary: Today in class we did our vocabulary test.  Reflection: I feel very confident in myself that I will do well and succeed.  

Write about something that you can't stop thinking about.  One thing that I can not stop thinking about is what I learned about in AP Psychology today. We watched this video about people called "Wild Children" who are people who were raised with little to no human contact/interactions. These children were captured at birth and were striped of their rights to do anything basically. Because they have no knowledge of language and had no one to interact with for the critical learning period of their lives they make little to no noise. The aspect that I think about the most is that I am unable to grasp the idea of how my thought process would look like without words/vocabulary/language. I can not fathom the idea of thinking without words. I am also curious about how they felt after being found and brought into the human world. Overall this is a very interesting topic to me and I have found myself unable to get it off my mind.   

Write about the best gift you have received.  The best gift I have ever received would be my dog. My parents surprised me and my sisters with a dog 8 years ago and she is the sweetest angel ever. She gives me kisses and is always so cuddly although I have received many gifts my dog is the best one because she keeps on giving back and having more and more benefits. I love her so truly and deeply and I would not trade her for the world or any other gift. Overall my dog is my best friend and the best gift I have ever and will ever receive I am forever grateful for her.  Summary : Today in class we did vocabulary and preformed an exercise using the new words Reflection : Today in class we learned what 15 new words meant and practiced using each of them. 

  Reflection: Today I learned a lot about my peers and their cultural identity. This assignment made the class closer and was very interesting.

After watching the short film  Identity , write a blog post reflecting on how the masks in the film represent the pressure to fit in and the struggle to discover who you really are. Choose one moment from the film that stood out to you and explain why. Then, connect the film’s message to Langston Hughes’ poem  “I, Too”  and to the mask you are creating in class. What part of your identity do you want your mask to reveal? After watching the short film  Identity , reflecting on how the masks in the film represent the pressure to fit in and the struggle to discover who I really am. One moment from the film that stood out to me was when she was walking in the hallway and admiring the girls who all were together and had the same mask because it shows the art of standing out and that the people you may want to be/want their life could just not feel free enough to have their own identity. Connecting the film’s message to Langston Hughes’ poem  “I, Too”  and to the...

  In  “I, Too,”  the speaker expresses pride in his identity and his rightful place in America. Reflect on your own life: What aspect of your cultural identity are you most proud of, and why? I am proud that I am Colombian and that Colombia is the largest producer in coffee. I am proud of this because every morning I drink coffee and it get me through my day. I need coffee because I get very little sleep because of all of the overload in school work. With coffee I can go to school ready to learn and ready to do work. That is why I am proud of being Colombian. Summary: Today we read a poem and annotated it. We also made masks that represent our identity.  Reflection: Today I learned how to represent my identity using symbols and fun colors.

  In  “ We Real Cool ,”  the speakers make choices that seem exciting, bold, and rebellious, even though those choices lead to consequences. Write about a moment in your own life when you followed what looked cool or fun, only to realize afterwards that it wasn’t the smart or responsible path. What influenced your decision, and how did your perspective change later? One night, my friend picked me up and told me we were getting ice cream. I was so excited because I was craving ice cream all day. She picked me up and we just kept driving for almost around 30 minutes. I knew we were definitely not getting ice cream anymore and then the check engine light went off. I got scared and knew I made the wrong decision. My perspective changed afterwards by always making sure that I'm getting ice cream before getting in my friends car. Summary: Today we wrote down new vocabulary words and did 3 exercises on them.   Reflection: Today we learned new words and found out that w...

  Discuss something meaningful or memorable you experienced over the break, or reflect on what you felt most thankful for during that time. Something meaningful that I experienced over break was when I went to my friends Friends giving. Some girls were their that are selfish and come up with jokes at others expenses and it was really triggering me and making me want to leave. I texted my family without a response and since I do not have my license I was unable to leave. Eventually basically everyone left other then my true and close friends and I then realized how lucky I am that I did not leave. I ended up having a great time and felt very close to my friends once it was just us. I was so glad that I was unable to leave because in the end I appreciated everyone in my life and my true friends.  I was so thankful that I chose the right group.  Reflect: Today in class we learned new vocabulary and reviewed it by doing exercises.  Summary : Today in class I increased my...