1st Quarter Reflections

          I honestly can't believe that this quarter is already coming to an end, when I feel like the quarter has just started. In this 1st quarter I have learned a lot about writing techniques, I learned a lot about Syrian refugees and refugees in general, and now I know how to do little research and get the facts that I want. Some writing techniques that I learned were how to change passive writing into active writing, how to write sensory details, and the steps on how to write a well-written Narative. I learned about how Mawi's life was impacted since he was a refugee, and I also learned how Syrian refugees find safety or seek for refuge. Researching about my banned book and researching about the carnivals from "The Cask Of Amontillado" helped me learn how to research better and in an efficient way.

          One thing that I learned about in this quarter is about some important writing techniques that can really help me through my life. One of the writing techniques that I learned were how to write with sensory details. I learned that sensory details include great detail about the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the solution. Another writing technique that I learned are the steps on how to write I a well-written and descriptive Narative. To write a good Narative you need to write in 1st person point of view, write it in chronological order, give a lot of details, and most importantly keep revising. A third technique that I learned was how to change passive writing into active writing. The three ways you can change passive writing into active writing is by changing the noun of the word into its verb form, place the noun before the verb, and avoiding forms of the verb to be.

          After reading the book Of Beetles And Angels, and after doing 2 A.O.Ws (Article of the Week) about Syrian refugees, I learned a lot about how being a refugee impacts their lives. I learned how Mawi went from living in a refugee camp in poor conditions to getting help and going to Chicago for a proper education. Mawi made it so far in life, and got a full scholarship to Harvard University. He learned that not judging and treating people by just the way they look can get you far in life. From the A.O.Ws I learned how many of the Syrian refugees that tried to escape ended up stranded, and many of them were not able to seek refuge. I also learned from the A.O.Ws that it was more likely for a man to get their refugee than woman.  

         The banned books project and the research about the carnival helped me to learn how to research in an efficient and better way. Before I completed my banned books project, I used to take a long time looking at many different websites to be able to get some information on my topic. One thing I learned, is that if I'm looking for just one fact or information to not look on many websites and to stay with one website that I pick. I learned that if you through many websites then your just wasting time, knowing that you can get all of your information from just one website. That is what I learned from my banned books project and the cardinal research. I especially learned this from the carnival researching assignment because I stayed on 1 website for my research and I was able to get all of my information from there.

         

Life Lines Poem for OBAA

I was told

"America seems sweet on top, 

But what's sweet on the surface,

is often rotten underneath"

But they told us that 

we could do anything 

if we worked hard,

and treated others with respect

True power comes from

focusing

on what we can give

not just on what we can take

The day comes in each of our lives 

when those around us are asked to testify

and to tell what kind of character

we have demonstrated in our past

For even

the most horrifying memories

are you

And they along with the good memories,

are your life

What one does in youth

one often regrets in old age

So beware

Of the gifts that we can give, 

the greatest is to see beauty

in each other-in essence,

to give beauty to each other.