Danny's English Blog

 Response: A while a go I had to set a boundary with a friend of mine who really got in my personal space a lot. They are a lot more energetic and more prone to hugs or just generally being really close to me. I personally can get really uncomfortable when people are all up in my grill all the time. So after a long time of being really quietly frustrated with them I finally told them that I wanted some personal space and I didn't want them in my bubble. It took them a bit to adapt and I had to remind them a few times but overall they got better about being so close to me and I think that made our friendship stronger because I wasnt silently frustrated with them all the time. Summary: We did a common lit today. Reflection: I found this commonlit interesting, I really enjoy reading Frost's poems. I found the commonlit questions insightful and helped me reflect on the story.

 Response: My transition into middle school ended happening a lot faster than I was ready for. Especially with Covid hitting in my last half of fifth grade the transition from the elementary school I had spent about six years at to a completely new middle school was really jarring. It felt like fifth grade ended in the blink of an eye and rushed into online learning in middle school, a transition that had been really looked up to as otherworldly in just the grade before. This correlates a lot with Frost's comment of nothing gold can stay because it really showed to about ten or eleven year-old me how temporary my fifth grade year became and how you really have to move on no matter how challenging external aspects may be. Summary: Read two Robert Frost poems and analyzed the test. Reflection: I found these poems really interesting to read. I am also glad we are working on analyzing the poems on our own so I can get a lot more practice in.

 Response: I think my favorite work from Vocab 4 is debacle. I just think it is a funny word that perfectly describes a lot of situations. In general debacle is just a lot of fun to say as well, big fan of the letters and their order. Though, to be honest I don't think I use it enough in my everyday speech. I have only really used the word debacle in a few scenarios. Before this I hadn't really thought of the word much but I think now that I've learned more about it and actually began to think about it and know its proper definition I will probably use it a lot more. Summary: We worked on our Climbing Back to Childhood PowerPoints. Reflection: I really enjoy reflecting back on my childhood and what formed my core memories. I find the project a really interesting exploration of the poem and our own lives.

Response: Imagination helps me cope with stress by letting me escape my life. I use my creativity to explore new worlds and distract myself from my problems and take up otherwise dead air in my life. I also use my imagination to express myself. I make art in a ton of different forms and I find a lot of joy in doing it. I make art all the time, especially when I am bored or sad, it really helps me feel better. In general I use imagination all of the time and regardless of the way it is expressed it always helps brighten up my day. Summary: We Answered questions about "Out, Out-" as well as reading and annotating "Birches". Reflection: I think having a time limit on our "Out, Out-" questions was stressful but helpful, it got me to really focus on what I was doing. I am also glad we worked on our annotations again because it helped me really understand Birches more and the notes will be helpful for the test.

 Response: Last year I took the AP World History exam and it was really stressful for me. I was doing ok in the class but im just not really the best versed in social studies so I was really trying to lock in for this exam. The issue though is that I get really tired easily and tend to lose focus because of that. With how strained our time limit was for the exam I was really hoping I wouldnt fall asleep or lose focus during the test. I had had an energy drink in hopes to keep me awake for the test and it did actually end up helping out a ton during the test. Fortunately, I was able to stay awake and keep focus and I ended up doing pretty well on the test. Summary: Today we read "Out, Our" by Robert Frost and annotated. Reflection: Im glad were getting back into poetry. I find the genre really interesting to analyze and useful for practicing text analysis.

 Response: I had a nice fall break. I had been planning to sleep in every day  and not really do much of anything. It ended up being a lot more busy than I was hoping but it was still fun. I have been redecorating my room so we decided to go to IKEA to check out some new furniture. It was my first time at IKEA and it was an experience, it was super big and I had lost my family in there temporarily. Im pretty sure we spent the better half of the day there then had to return the next day. It kind of tired me out but at least we got some furniture now, though we still haven't assembled it yet. I also got a haircut and went to go see a play at a nearby community center. All in all I'm glad that I was able to have the break and kinda sad I have to be back to school. Summary: We started the lesson 4 vocab comic. Reflection: I think the comic is a good idea to help students  engage with the words better. I find the creativity fun and helpful to learn.

 Response: When I have a lot going on I find time to enjoy my day in the small transitions of time like in the mornings or before bed and such. One thing I do to enjoy my everyday is by treasuring the time I get with my friends, they are a main source of joy, especially during school whenever I see them. Second I take a long shower every day, I find that after Ive been really stressed a good shower at the end of the day always makes me feel better. Lastly, I listen to music whenever I can, I find it really relaxing and makes me feel more in control of my life. Summary: We finished our Ambush paragraph. Reflection: I thought this was a really challenging practice. I was able to grow my skills at argumentative writing and taking a more clear stance on things.

 Response: A few years ago I was hanging out with some friends of mine and one said to another, "You look so tired, do you even wash your face?" and it really stuck with me. I know its really stupid but when I was younger I didn't really know how to take care of myself and I hadn't really comprehended personal hygiene. That small sentence really reminded me to wash my face and focus more on keeping myself tidier and it really worked and I felt less groggy in the mornings. Summary: We worked on our responses to Ambush and took notes on formal and informal language. Reflection: I thought it was useful to go into more detail on formal language. I hope it will make me better at writing formal work for my essay.

 Response: One time I had to step outside my comfort zone was when I joined a discussion in my AP Gov class earlier this year. We had started off the year going over some general icebreakers and stuff and had gotten to more political discussions. The vocal people in my class had been at a bit of a consensus over a topic that I disagreed with. I decided to speak up, even though it was kind of awkward and nerve-wrecking for me. I kind of got into a debate with this other kid but I at least got to state my opinion. Overall im glad I spoke up because it made me more confident in that class. Summary: We read over Ambush and talked about our arguments for it. Reflection: I found the short story really interesting, I thought we had a really interesting discussion about it. I also was able to think over my response for the argument paper.

Response: I once had a dream where I was at theatre afterschool and it felt super real. I do not remember the dream really well but I do recall talking with people on the stage about some made up show that we were preforming (not the actual shows were doing this year, mind you). I walked around some bit of the set into the shop and outside I think. I hadn't thought of it when I woke up but then later that day or maybe a few days later I had though back to that moment and realized it hadnt actually happened at all. Summary: We did Vocab lesson 3 and read about cancel culture in Newsela. Reflection: It feels like we are speeding through all of this vocab and I am learning a lot of new words. Also it was interesting learning the infrastructure of Newsela and about cancel culture.

 Response: I have always been curious about the ocean/lakes and such. I find the expanse of empty as well as life super interesting. I always find the stories surrounding lakes and the ocean super engaging. I find myself wondering about what is in the water and the history behind it. From manmade lakes flooding old ghost towns to the shipwrecks at Point Nemo. We have a lot of history with the oceans and everything they cover. There is so much about sealife we don't know about and all of the creatures are so unique and interesting to learn about. Summary: We finished our controversial claim paragraph. Reflection: I found it very helpful structuring out the paragraph. It has really built my confidence in writing an argumentative paper.

 Response: The best gift I have received was probably when my parents gifted me a weighted blanket for Christmas. I cant really remember all of my gifts but this one stick out because I use it so much. I use my weighted blanket all of the time and I find it super comfortable and it helps me sleep a lot better. It was a super thoughtful gift that I hope to keep with me for as long as I can. Summary: We talked about evidence and writing argumentative paragraphs. Reflection: I thought phrasing argumentative essays like a court case really helped. It made me relate and understand what it means to have and  support evidence.