Brandon’s English Blog

 Today, we keep reading "Fences" and had a mini-lesson on characterization. I learned about indirect and direct characterization a long with the ways authors use them. I liked this lesson because I learned how to use the STEAL method to organize indirect characterization as well as signs that show direct characterization. The book is also getting good, and everyone is getting invested in the story. Today, I feel okay. The football game was moved to today, however I'm not too sure if it will go on or if we will go. I hope we win however. 

 Today, we took a mandatory Illuminate Assessment for 12th graders taking Multicultural Literature. I enjoyed the passage, as it helped me understand the thoughts and story of how someone could possibly become a writer as well as how they describe and feel reading books. I learned the story of what made an author learn they love to write and read. Today, I am tired. However, I have a football game to perform at and a 9 am class to attend tomorrow morning, so I will not be sleeping very well tonight.

This year, I feel more adroit than any of the other years. I feel more sharp and prepared for school, especially since I started doing Dual Enrollment. The aesthetic of the school has felt more welcoming throughout the years, something I will miss when I graduate. These first weeks have gotten me used to the added pressure of continuing my education after this year. It's an amorphous feeling that I have not yet gotten used to. As the year started, I felt a need to aggrandize my knowledge, specifically in music. As it's my last year, I feel an affinity to try out for many things, as it's the last change I will have with the resources provided to me. My free time between classes through the week is an added altruism , allowing me to better explore my hobbies and catch up on some much needed sleep sometimes. I believe that if I fill this year with affluence academically and mentally, I will be prepared to succeed in college. I hope the rest of the year pans out this way:...

 Today, we saw the movie trailer and answered group questions as an introduction into "Fences". I liked this lesson because it made us critically think and connect our experiences and societal standards into what we are learning. I learned what the story is going to focus and be about, as well as the hardships the characters may face. Today, I am tired. I have a music rehearsal after school, and I'm hungry. I want to go to sleep.

 Today, we learned about the new book we are going to read called "Fences". To prepare us for this, we read and copied down vocabulary from "Vocabulary for the College Bound". I liked this lesson because we used the vocabulary in sentences to better understand their definitions and remember them better. This helped me understand what the book may be about and what to expect in terms of difficulty. Today, I feel good. I get to go home because there is no rehearsal and we won the football game yesterday. 

 Today, we discussed the discussion questions for "Why I Want A Wife". I learned the viewpoints of my classmates on the essay and their overall expectations of gender roles in marriage. I liked this lesson because it got us more involved and helped us altogether understand the essay, as well as give our own experiences and situations we've faced about gender roles. Today, I feel tired. I get to go home early and get ready for the football game tomorrow. 

 Today, we read "Why I want a Wife" by Judy Brady. I learned the cultural expectations that a wife felt in the 1970s, satirically explaining how unfair and impossible husbands believed from their wifes. We then did the opposite, listing things that we believe in our cultural is expecting of Husbands. I learned that our cultural expectations of both are similar, as well as some differences. Today, I feel good. I have Marching Band Practice, so I'm not getting home late. 

 Today, we learned about Gender Roles. I liked this lessons because I learned the difference between words that get confused for one another, like gender, sex, etc. This lesson helped me better understand society's views and how different cultures view gender roles. Today, I feel tired. I have class early at 7am and have an after-school music rehearsal.

 Today, we did our Vocabulary Quiz on "Two Kinds" as well as finished the rest of the Storyboard presentations. I completed the quiz pretty fast as I knew most of the words prior to it, even though I didn't study. I liked the quiz because it used the words in different formats such as in a sentence or findings it's synonyms, helping me better grasp their definitions. I also enjoyed the rest of the presentations, as I learned more about my classmates. Today, I am happy. There is no football game and there is no practice, so I get to go home and sleep. 

 Today, we presented some of our Storyboard presentations. I learned about everyone's history growing up and the actions they did in situations like mines. I liked this because it helped us connect better as a class and find similarities in our lives growing up. I enjoyed people like Getahun's and Alaynah's presentations as their cultural upbringings are different than mine, showing the diversity in the classroom. Today, I feel tired and I want to go home.