Humanities English History Final Portfolio

            This year in History and English was a year of hard work, and difficult learning. This year we learned about things that I have never heard of and things that were old news to me. This year was full of hard work starting at day one. When we got into our English and History class we were quickly told what we would need during the year. Then we got into a circle with our partners, and did some things with some pictures

Our first assignment was our descriptive scenes project. This project was easy because we were doing the scenes based on real life experiences. After we were done with that in History we began to talk about religion, and spirituality. This led up to our first benchmark of the year for History. In English we started to read a book called lord of the flies. To me this book was really boring. We had many class discussions about this book, and in one of them I made the comment that “Piggy is a punk because he is afraid he would get in trouble by the adults even though they are not on the island.”  We wrote an academic paper about the book, and this was our first quarter benchmark for English.

 

            In the second quarter for History we learned about the Renaissance. During this process we went to the Art Museum, and we saw renaissance art. I think the art was cool because they really didn’t have the tools that we have today, and their art was still on point. We also did a trial for Hernan Cortes, and The Aztecs. This was very fun, we learned, and we got to act like lawyers, and all of the other people in court. In English we read Their Eyes Were Watching God. I loved this book. I think this was the best book we read all year. We started to right Poetry this Quarter. I honestly can’t write poetry, because when I think of poetry I think of rhyming words, and I learned that not all poems have to have rhymes. There are different styles of poetry, but to people like me rhyming poetry is the most common poetry to me. This was our second quarter English benchmark. I surprised myself during this process.

 

            In the third we started out Monologue projects. Mrs. Kate came to class, and taught us how to write really good monologues. I started this project with high hopes, then those hopes got crushed, and I eventually gave up on the project. I really wish we could do that over because I would be more into it this time. We had another trial this quarter, but this one was about sweatshops, and who is really to blame for the sweatshops. I was apart of the group called the system. The system really should have been found guilty but it wasn’t. In English this quarter we read a book called passing. Passing was an okay book to be honest I really stop reading it after Clare let her husband call her nig, because she was darker. Our benchmark this quarter was about crossing boundaries, and we did podcast interviews. I interviewed my great-grandmother on her life, and her encounters with racial discrimination.

 

            In our fourth and final quarter in History we read a book call Things Fall Apart, and this led off to us talking about colonialism. For our benchmark we had to pick a place that was affected negatively, or positively by colonialism. I chose Madagascar. We made museum exhibits for the benchmark. In English we the book Night. The Holocaust was our topic of the quarter. I believe that the holocaust was wrong, but the people who were being tortured were hopeful, so I commend them for that. We wrote an academic paper for this quarter’s benchmark. I did pretty well on it. Then we performed in the A.I.O. This was a fun experience also. I feel that my group did well. Now to end everything off I am doing this final portfolio about my year in English/History. #DoubleBlock

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Screen shot 2011-06-13 at 11.47.38 AM

Final Portfolio: Humanities

  Throughout this year 10-11 in my humanities classes I have learned a lot. My eyes were opened in many different ways. The things we did this year have helped me realize what is going around in the world around me. I realized that people aren’t fortunate enough to have what America has. They have to fight and protest to get what they want. In my History we watched videos of people protesting against their governments because of the oppression. We did a monologue project in our History class about world struggles. Mine was based on the Tiananmen Square protest in China. Another thing we did was a mock trial based on multinational corporations and the people that are involved and affected by them.  


One thing that really stood out to me was the language unit in my English class. Language is a very important in the society. You might not realize it at first, but when you think about it you code switch. Your language changes depending on the environment your in. For example you might you use “slang” when you’re with your friends but you speak “properly” when you’re with your parents. We watched a video about the different ways people talk around the United States. That video makes you think about what exactly is “proper english.” 



If you have and abundance of people talking differently, then who are you to say that the way they’re speaking is improper. Another thing that really stood out to me this year was religion. People are very diverse and religion plays a big part in that. This year we had to research religions and compare them. While I was researching I realized that a lot of religions have the same beliefs. If that’s the case then why are people battling over which religion is “right.” We also came to school dressed as someone else an talked about our religions. The person I studied was the Dalai Llama  Another thing this year that opened my eyes was poetry. I was used to poetry that rhymed in an A/B format. The project that we did on poetry opened my eyes to new styles. It made me think and express myself in new ways. It was a new experience to me but I enjoyed it. 

Wordle
Wordle

2011 Humanities Portfolio


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        In this year’s humanities courses, I feel that my mind and perspectives as a student have been opened beyond my own comprehension. The different activities and assignments that were completed have grown me to a place where I can see and think outside of what is directly in front of me. I have learned that things truly are not always what they seem. Every person has a story and a place in the system that is the world we operate in today. It is my opinion that if I had not been able to experience humanities in the way that I did this year, my thinking and perspectives would be completely different.

In the majority of my writings this year I formed my theses and general ideas around topics that at fist glance I did not agree with, but during the process of writing the papers and research the ideas became true beliefs. For example in my Lord of the Flies thesis paper I state, “ Although savagery is a state of being that is frowned upon in society it is one that is necessary in some cases to promote progress.” Just the thought of humans, the kings of all beasts, having to reduce themselves to the savage state of animals to accomplish a goal is strike to the human ego. This idea is one that I did not agree with until during my research when I found clear examples of this idea in play about sixty-five years ago during WWII.  The United States bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki along with the Japanese Kamikaze flights were acts of savagery that were ultimately needed to end the Second World War.

As part of the Monologue Project, I wrote a play set in an American owned textile factory in Sri Lanka.  I view this project as one my greatest accomplishments and learning times of this year. This project allowed me to step into the shoes of every individual that played a role in the function and corruption of sweatshops.  I was taken out of my comfort zone and dropped into an unfamiliar place, where it was my responsibility to tell the stories of those who could not speak. I felt as though I was their only advocate. This assignment enhanced not only my writing skills but also my skills in research and its interpretation. Hours were spent revising and quoting- trying to make sure that the story told was one that was accurate and displayed the message and story that was to be told. The final product was But I’ve Got My Fingers and These Ashes.  The product was truly something that highlighted many of the skills that I gained and possessed already.

In our study of poetry I found myself to be particularly struggling because I already had a slight displeasure with the topic. Personally, I am not very fond of poetry because its meanings can be so vast and open to interpretation that it is difficult to find just one clear meaning. Because of this I tend to stay as far away from poetry as possible and did not at all consider myself to be the slightest of a poet. My poems created on the Poetry Wiki are my attempt at being a poet. The quote heading the page tells us that at one point we were all poets and can loose our poetry sense. In experiencing this project I found an inner poet that I thought did not exist and never would. This poet was able to grasp the elements of poetry that I was not to fond of and turn them into something that I feel, demonstrate my struggle with poetry and newfound appreciation for its existence.

            I am the type of person who needs explanation for almost all that I come in contact with.  In my mind, the idea of always having a black and white answer is slowly fading. Because of interpretation and idea such as “justice” can have one meaning for one set of people and another meaning for a different set of people. In the final thesis paper of this year I stated, “It is the responsibility of both parties during times of war, to seek justice.” by Art Spieglman’s The Complete Maus , Night by Eilie Wiesel and the Nuremburg Trails were the basis of this paper. I explored the effects of environment and experience on one’s interpretation of the definition of justice. Environment and experience are the true definers of what justice is to a person.

            The above is also true when considering the lasting footprint that colonialism has left on nations that were colonized by the previously dominant European rule. Often possessing a negative connotation,  colonialism in the case the Republic of the Philippines, possessed both negative and positive qualities. As part of the Colonialism Exhibit Project, I created and interactive museum exhibit that illustrated the footprint colonialism left in that nation. I focused experience of that the people had under Spanish rule and under United States rule. The result ultimately was a nation that still struggles today to find itself in the Global Economy and system. This assignment took an idea that I had set in mind and gave it a new definition.

             From this year's humanities courses I can walk away a better learner, thinker, and student. The activities and assignments of this year's courses opened my eyes and broadened my perspectives. I feel as though prior to participating in these year’s courses I have been taken out of the box that I kept myself in freshman year. I can only look forward and hope that the years to come in my educational career can offer what I have gained this year.

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Screen shot 2011-06-13 at 7.52.51 AM

Tyler Morales-Humanities Portfolio 2011

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Screen shot 2011-06-13 at 1.01.55 PM


My year of 10
th grade has been a year of intense learning. I came to understand that it is the responsibility of us, as innovators of the future, to create solutions to the world’s problems in order to create a better world for everyone. The word “Innovator” on dictionary.com is the noun for “innovate”, which means “to introduce something new; make changes in anything established.” To me I find being an innovator an incredible responsibility and the definition of it accurate because the key to creating a new and better world for everyone is through innovation and being an innovator, the people who bring out the innovation for the world.

An example of how I am moving towards fulfilling my responsibility as an innovator is my Op-Ed. My Op-Ed is about the differences between Nuclear Fusion and Nuclear Fission and it was more of a science paper but there is a quote from it that shows I’m trying to improve the world. “Overall, the need for fusion is desperate, especially after what we have and are witnessing with the Fukushima Incident in Japan, with all that radiation from the nuclear fission in the reactors.”

Over the year, I realized that I can create incredible works and teach about what is needed and what is going on even though I’m not a specialist in any field. This is part of another understanding I came to learn, that Experts aren’t the only ones that can create great works of art in certain fields.

My benchmark for the second quarter was the religion benchmark I named “The Huge Psychological Deception. In it I explained how religion affects the world from a psychologist’s view instead of my view. Here is a quote I included in the article by Sigmund Fraud: "In the future of an illusion, the latent content behind religious conceptions remains associated with the 'father complex,' but here this is linked to the helplessness that elicits innate infantile desires for wish fulfillment." 

The final fact I came to learn is that collaboration is key to pro level work. Collaboration is what every person needs to do to create pro work, no matter how many times they need to peer edit, record as a group, or whatever is needed through collaboration. 

An example of this is the video of an edited scene from a book called Their Eyes Are Watching God in the Marxist lens and normal lens. It took us three days to produce it and we had to do many, many edits to the video.

To give a bigger message about what I learned this year, it would have to be that effort is what brings out the greatness in people and changes the world. I can envision truly changing the world in the future through science, the kind of change I want to make in the world. Specifically, Biomedical Engineering in space. 


The Huge Psychological Deception
Poetry Portfolio
Nuclear Fission/Fusion Op-Ed

Monologue Project: Monologue 4:

Monologue 4:

(Takes place in Cheng’s Grandfather’s house)


(Grandpa is at the market with Grandma. He stops at the fruit store.)

(Says hello to the store clerk in Mandarin

Nǐ hǎo. 

(Walks around the store browsing the store’s collection of fruit and eventually goes up to the store clerk

How much do 3 of these jackfruit cost? 

66.05 Yuans, Are you crazy!?!?!?!?!

(Throws his hands up as if mad and pointing towards stuff and complaining

Thats a rip-off! The economy is poor I know that but that doesn’t mean you have to raise the cost 7 Yuan more!! 

(Looks away in disgust

Hmmmff! How much are 5 of the Dorian? 

98.92 Yuans!?

Are you crazy!? 

(Swings his cane around and causes the clerk to think Grandpa is going to hit him so he reaches under the desk and pulls out a shotgun which he loads and points at Grandpa)

(Grandpa looks at the clerk and then at the barrel of the shotgun and gets a frightened and mad face and voice

W-Why are you pointing a shotgun at me? 

What are you talking about? 

I was swinging my cane around in the air because I was angry but I wasn’t, am not, and will never hit you with my cane, I would get sued. 

(Grandpa tries to calm the clerk down and tries to convince him to lower the shotgun and puts his arms up as if trying to stop something from hitting him.

So would you be so kind as to lower the shotgun and I will pay for these fruits? 

(Calms down and speaks in a tired voice

Well I guess that isn’t that much of an increase since before it was 81 Yuans. 

But still this economy is killing the population and bleeding the civilians’ accounts dry. 

(Starts to try a barter. So move your hands in front of you as if trying to reason or explain something to a person

Are you absolutely sure you can’t lower the price on the fruit for me? 

(His face turns to a sad face due to the clerk not lowering the price on the fruit

Ugh, fine i’ll buy 2 Jackfruit and 3 Dorian. 

(Sighs

42.85 Yuan is such a rip-off but i’ll buy it for my grandkids. 

(In an angry and sarcastic voice

Have a nice day. 

(Walks out the door with Grandma)


Their Eyes Are Watching God Edited Scene in Marxist and Normal Lens

Element Print Project 2011

My element is Indium, this element is used to make mirrors and touch screen computers. I came up with the idea for my print because Indium is used in touch screens, so I decided to use and apple iphone. Once we had drawn the original idea, we copied it on to tracing paper. After that, we placed it onto the linoleum tiles so there was the outline on the tile. We carved out everything we wanted to be negative space, and left everything that we wanted to be positive space. Once they were all cut, we rolled paint onto the tables, and then onto our linoleum tiles, we placed paper on top of the tiles and made sure the paint got everywhere. Then we had our print. I thought the project was really fun, but kind of difficult. You needed to know negative space and positive space really well to be able to start carving, and when you did your drawing. I thought it just really reinforced what we learned about negative space. If i did this project again, i would carve the linoleum out more carefully, because i messed up on some parts of it.
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Screen shot 2011-06-13 at 11.44.55 AM

Element Print Project 2011

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What is your element?
My element is called Technetium. 


What are some things your element are used for?
My element isn't used for many things only because it is very toxic and radioactive, and it can kill people. Its hard for people to be around it because it can kill someone instantly. 

How did you come up with the idea for your print?
I came up with the idea because it is very radioactive and it is too dangerous for people to be around. Everyone knows that when you see this radioactive signs then you stay away from it. 

What steps did you take from your idea for the print to the final print?
I made some other prints, but those prints didn't really make since toward the point of the element. So the most efficient one was the radioactive symbol. 
 
What are your thoughts on the project?

I think this project was very extensive. Only because this project was a combination of two classes. It was hard to try to think of ideas for your prints. It was harder to make the prints. 

What would you do differently if you did this project again?
I think i would change my element. I would let us choose the elements 
that we wanted to use. 

Element Print Project 2011

My element was hydrogen. Hydrogen is used for rocket fuel, welding, for filling balloons, hydrogenation of fats and oils, and bombs. I created a rocket taking off because hydrogen is used for rocket fuel. I didn't want to the first idea that popped in my head, therefore; I did some research beforehand. First, I sketched some rockets and finally decided on one. From there, I took my sketch and traced in onto tracing paper. After that, I moved that onto the block. To get a good print, I scratched the linoleum away and my design came to life. The last step was rolling the paint of the block and pasting it on the paper. I loved this project; it was unique. This project taught me new techniques that will help for the future. I would love to do this project again. If i was doing this project again, I would want to carve out a more complicated design to better my skills.
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photo

Element Print Project 2011


My element is bromine. Bromine compounds are used as pesticides. since bromine is a poison and its highly reactive i made a a picture of it reacting and a poison sign. the first design i made was not the best so i change the design of the flames and added some things. this project was funny thou but it would of been better if i didnt have to start over when i lost my work. i would change the design if i did this project again.


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IMG00061-20110613-1118

Element Project 2011

Klales_upload
Klales_upload
My element is Manganese, number 25 on the periodic table. Manganese is fused with other medals to increase their durability and to help them keep a polish. This is because manganese is an extremely hard metal and does not scratch easily. It is also used to help fuse other metals together.
My design is a shield with two arrows crossing it. The arrows represent manganese's ability to fuse other elements, and the shield represents its durability. To take My project to the final print I redesigned the arrows to be double headed. so they point in all directions.
I personally like my final product, I feel the design transferred well and is interesting to look at.
If I did this project again I would have made my design smaller so that you could tell what is is more easily.

Element Print Project 2011


MY element is niobium. It is made up of metal and is in used for jeweler. At first i look up what is my element and then i found out were the name niobium comes from 'Niobe', meaning daughter of Tantalus in Greek mythology. She had  nine kids so thats why i put nine skulls around the one in the middle because she (niobe) was alone. I thought this project was fun and i enjoyed it a lot. I would have have made different colors for when i was printing the matts.


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IMG_20110613_105533

Element Print Project 2011

My element is numeber 53, Iodine! My element is used to protect people from radiation, and it is a result of creating saltpeter from seaweed. My idea was to include its origin, seaweed, and it's uses, to help prevent radiation, that's why I made the seaweed and the nuclear plant. At first, I wanted to include its color, but I felt that wouldn't be very clear. I very much enjoyed this project, mostly because we had a lot time to do it and because it wasn't a primarily drawing project. I you were to change the project, the only thing I would change is to give us a bit more time to research what we want to draw.
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IMG_20110613_104549

Element Print Project 2011

​My element is Potassium. Potassium is found in fruits such as bananas, oranges, and avocado. i came up with drawling a fruit basket because most people know that potassium is in fruit, so i thought that that was the easiest way to represent that. I started off with just a rough sketch of it, then i traced it on the bock. I had to carve out the negative spaces. Than I had to use a roller to paint the block and print it out on 4 different sheets of paper. I thought that this project was hard. It was a long process and I cut myself twice. I would be more careful. 
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IMG_20110613_105914

Element Project 2011

My element is Aluminum. Aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group.
It is used for transportation, sheets, tube, castings packaging, construction (windows, building wire), cooking utensils street lighting poles and etc.  I decided to do a picture of an angel because once aluminum became popular they decided to make the first statue of a angel in aluminum. When doing this project i started to just research this project to get ideas of pictures that i wanted to draw. After that i drew the picture transported it to the block and carved it out. I thought this project was really different but in all i thought that this project was really difficult and had so many steps so i didn't care for it to much.
If i did this project i would try to buy a folder for this because it a lot to hold on to and i would try to cut out the board safer.
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IMG_20110613_105939

Element Print Project 2011

I was given the element Arsenic. Arsenic is normally seen in the form of poison. Its atomic number is 33. Its used in laser diodes and LEDs A very very small percentage is need for a healthy nervous system.


This project was similar to the Negative space drawing because we had to choose what part of the drawing we wanted positive and negative.  We had to carve out what we wanted to be positive and leave what we wanted to be negative


For the Printmaking project I chose to draw a Street light and Inside the street are LEDs which are made from Gallium Arsenide.


If I could do this again I would do a different print. The printing wasn't that hard but I didn't favor that part of the project 

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IMG_20110613_103657-1

Element Print Project 2011

What is your element?
My element is Scandium. Number 21 on the periodic table.

What are some things your element are used for?
One thing my element Scandium is used for is in aquarium glass. It is used to help the glass give off a glowing light, to make more of an aquatic illusion.

 How did you come up with the idea for your print?
I came up with the idea for my print because, not alot of people know that Scandium is used in aquariums so i wanted to do something no one would eve think of. I wanted to go outside of the creative box.

 What steps did you take from your idea for the print to the final print?
The steps I took was first, I created a couple of sketches on individual pieces of paper and when i got a sketch that i liked the best i traced it onto a piece of transparent paper. Then I traced the sketch from the transparent paper onto a block of clay. Once i had the actual piece drawn onto the piece of clay i sculpted the clay and had the negative and positive space distinctly separated the next thing i did was painted and i combined a mixture of colors and painted the actual clay piece then i laid a piece of paper on the fully painted clay piece and pulled it off and i had a print. 

 What are your thoughts on the project?
I thought that the print project was fairly easy and a fun experiment. I thought of it as a great experience and i would like to try it again.

 What would you do differently if you did this project again?
Something I would do different is try to to experiment with the colors a little more. I would love to have my print to look like an actual Aquarium.
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mail

My Element By Maleena Mel

    My element is an yttrium. It is a Metallic element, not rare on earth but occurring in nearly all rare-earth minerals. Yttrium is classified as a “Transition Metal” Which is located on group 3 period 5 on the periodic table. An element classified as a Transition metal is ductile, malleable, and able to conduct electricity and heat. Yttrium are used to make europium and europium phosphors that give the red color in the televisions picture tubes. So bacilli it is used for the color of a T.V and not only that used for radars, and microwave
    
I came up with this print by thinking about a microwave, the letter “Y” and the number 39 since that is the number of it on the periodic table. Well the idea was just putting together a drawling that would match the element Yttrium. I really didn’t have any thoughts for the project. And I really wouldn’t do anything to change it because I like the project the way it is.
Print Hull Art
Print Hull Art

Element Print Project 2011

My element is gallium. It's atomic number is 31 and atomic mass is 69.723. Gallium is a metal.

Gallium is used as substitute for mercury in a thermometer. It is used in laser diodes and creating mirrors. 

I came up with the idea of gallium melting in your hand, because gallium melts around body temperature. I had to research what gallium is used for, and what it is to find out what the print is going to be. The project was really creative. I like how you have to find which print you're going to make by looking up the element.

I would make the hand differently, and place the element symbol somewhere else on the print.


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Screen shot 2011-06-13 at 11.05.29 AM

Element Print Project 2011

1. My element was sodium 

2. The element can be used for a heat agent its used, in sodium vapor lamps, to manufacture sodamide, and also used as table salt 

3. I chose this print because it looked like salt in the air.

4. I made like a certain type of salt maker then salt in the air like the powder.

5. I think this project was fun and exciting but i didn't like that i cut my hands twice.

6. I would have chose a different type of print to draw.   

Element Print Project 2011

My element is Magnesium. Things that my element is used for is medicine. The way that I came up with the idea for my print was that since I knew it is used in medicine I decided to make a medicine container and little pills aside of it. The steps that I took with the idea of my print was that in one sketch I made a medicine container and another was magnesium crystals, then I put them together. I think that I did pretty well in which the way I organized the way I wanted it. The way I would make it differently if I did it again is that I will maybe find another way I could’ve drawn the items in which contains magnesium.
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2011-06-13 10.54.46

Element Print Project 2011

The element I was assigned was Rhodium. Some of the things that my element is used for are jewelry,  it is used to make electrical contact and used as an alloyed. I came up with the idea for my print because my element is used for jewelry so I decided to make a person wearing jewelry. I took the idea of  putting the atomic number on the shoulders on my drawn person. My thoughts about this project is that it is very fun but you have to be very careful while doing this project. If I did this project again I would make sure that I carve deeper when I make my plate.  
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2011-06-13 10.43.50

My Print!

​Good gosh this took a while...

So this is the project that my class and I were doing from the month of April to the end of the school year. The project started off when we finished Negative Space Drawing. We were asked to sketch out a design for an element for an artistic periodic table of the elements. My element was number 55, Cesium. I chose the sun and blue background sky because Cesium is Latin for 'Sky Blue'. Once we had the sketch done, we were to re-sketch the design on a thin piece of tracing paper Once that was done, we retraced the design backwards on a Linoleum Tile. From there, we carved out the design on the block using a cutting handle, specifying what will be our negative or positive space from what we cut out from the block. Once that was done, we moved on to printing the design onto printing paper. The procedure was putting the paint on the table and using a roller to get some of the paint onto the block. We rolled the paint onto the block until every spot was filled in with the paint. We then took the block and pressed it on the print paper. After a few minutes of pressing, the print was printed.

This print was probably one of my best because there aren't many stray spots. The picture is easily distinguishable, compared to my other 3 pictures, and it sets a sort of calming mood. I enjoyed finishing this project, and I hope that the freshmen next year will share my enjoyment.   
Photo on 2011-05-26 at 11.27
Photo on 2011-05-26 at 11.27

Element Print Project 2011

My element is sliver
It is used for jewelry  making  food utensils and conducting energy 
When I found out that my element was the best conductor of electricity Benjamin Franklin with the whole key idea popped in my head and i thought to use that 
I first drew my idea then 3 others to see which was the best. After that I drew my project on tracing paper then traced the tracing paper on a clay board. Last I painted over the board and pressed art paper on the paint so it can come out looking like print art work. 
I think the project was a cool project. It was different and something I enjoyed doing. I must say it was also hard since I am a beginner at this. 
I would draw I different idea so that my understanding of the element would be much clear. 
Photo on 2011-06-13 at 10.39
Photo on 2011-06-13 at 10.39

Humanities Portfolio, 2011

Throughout English and World History, it has been gradual process of learning and working. Throughout these courses, we have all been asked to form opinions and beliefs about the various world issues of yesterday and today.
In my opinion, I hope that every single student does not hold the same beliefs, opinions, and learning techniques and skills that they had in September. Hopefully, we all have grown in our educational journey and process.

In English, I feel that we have been encouraged to use our opinions more to decipher the text we read and to find "deeper meanings" within. One of the key examples of this is the very first Q1 Benchmark about The Lord of the Flies. In this paper, I expressed an idea through my opinion, and then I took the readers through my journey to reach my conclusion. This is a prime example of allowing one to understand multiple perspectives of the same topic in order to receive a well-rounded education.

Throughout the English course, I was also encouraged to immerse myself into the world of various people, from prisoners to world leaders. This was the goal of the Jarvis Jay Masters' readings. In my response to the readings, the observations of the powerful effects of desperation is evident.

In World History, the focus has changed slightly. Instead of exclusive opinion-forming, we are also required to learn non-biased facts about the past and present them to people. A prime example of the was the Museum Exhibition Benchmark we created to education patrons about colonialism. In the presentation, we had to state the facts to our classmates and allow them to form their own opinions.

Also, History encouraged us to explore different fields, such as traditional art during the Renaissance. In the Exploration of a Renaissance Artist assignment, I had to highlight the work of a great artist of the day and try to find the meaning of their work.

However, one of my favorite assignments in History is by far the trials. In the Aztec trial, we had to learn facts about the topic, just had he had in the Museum Presentations, but then, we had to use those facts to alter the opinion of everyone else. This taught us a new skill of using facts to sway the opinions of a majority.

English and World History has merged and separated in order to teach us things about the the world, ourselves, and each other. The lessons we have learned here are invaluable.
Screen shot 2011-06-13 at 8.55.10 AM
Screen shot 2011-06-13 at 8.55.10 AM