Literature of Living Environment-9th Grade English Course

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These works are just a sample of what we do in the english portion of this class.

What Defines A Hero

What is a hero? Is it a person with superpowers or can it be the normal person walking on the street? A hero needs to live by and follow certain characteristics in their everyday life. They need to do something good for others or their community. They need to show sacrifice, dedication, selflessness, focus and perseverance among other traits as well. My hero Jason Hawes and Konala from the short story "Walk Well My Brother" both show these traits and can be called heros.

Jason Hawes is a true hero. Jason is the founder of TAPS-The Atlantic Paranormal Society. He hunts ghost with his dedicated team. Jason sacrifices a lot of things to be a ghost hunter. Jason needs to sacrifice his job by asking for time off from his job as a plumber and he misses out on family time with his wife and children. Hawes is also dedicated. He wants to prove the existence of ghosts by only using science. He refuses to use psychics and mediums to ‘feel’ the presence of a spirit. He goes on cases at least three times a week looking for that one piece of evidence that no one can put down. Jason’s dedication leads to his selflessness. Jason Hawes is a good man. Jason does not hunt for evidence and do the number one Sci-Fi series, Ghost Hunters, for personal gain. He does it to help the people calling in who are experiencing unexplained activity. Jason and his team go to a house or building for no pay and set up cameras and other equipment that prove the existence of ghosts. Jason, always caring, moves cases concerning children to the front of the list. After they shut off all the lights, they break into teams and look for signs of ghosts using handheld equipment. Along the way they try to debunk the ghosts by looking for real reasons why they hear footsteps or voices. This helps to prove the credibility of the evidence they find. When they leave, they review the evidence and copy it to give to the client. They also try to do some research on the building to explain the haunting like a death in the house or the type of rock the building stands on. They then present all this to the people and they can give advice on dealing with the entity. Point is the investigations are designed to help people. Jason also shows focus. When he goes to a place like a jail he knows what torture and death happened there many years ago. He must focus on ignoring that feeling and treat it like a normal building because if he didn’t that would destroy the credibility of the evidence. All these qualities show just how great Jason’s perseverance is. TAPS started out as a small local operation. It has grown to having family members all over the country and receiving over one hundred calls each day. So being a nation wide phenomenon, Jason must travel all over the country to help people. TAPS is stationed in Rhode Island so they need to travel a great distance for a case in California. Hawes goes above and beyond however. Jason has been to Europe and has even set up a team over there. The Ghost Hunters International has investigated in Europe and Africa. Jason perseveres and proves that no distance will separate him from his goal. Jason demonstrates these characteristics so he obviously can be called a hero.

Konala from "Walk Well My Brother"is also considered a hero. Konala defiantly shows sacrifice. She makes the biggest sacrifice of them all. She gives her life so the main character Charlie Lavery can have supplies and make it to civilization after his plane crashes in the bleak tundra leaving both of them stranded. Konala is an Inuit with tuberculosis . Konala works hard on boots so Charlie can walk. Working hard made her disease get worse causing her to die. That’s later in the story. Earlier she did show dedication. Konala was dedicated to finding civilization. This was hard at first because she was with Charlie. Charlie is racist against Inuit’s. So it would be really hard to stay with him when he left her alone to die. Konala was dedicated so she secretly followed him. That leads to Konala’s perseverance. She, again, followed Charlie even though he shouted and hated her. It would be extremely difficult to work with someone like that. Konala was also selfless. When Konala was following Charlie, she discovered he collapsed and was hurt. She took time to warm him up and attend to his wounds. Her final trait that proves she’s a hero is her focus. Konala displayed focus when she was skinning caribou after a giant wave of them came. She was focusing so hard that she didn’t even know or didn’t want to know that she was becoming sicker.

Hero. Such a simple word but do we truly know what it means? Jason Hawes and Konala do. They live their lives to the fullest and even take the time to help others get there. The world is full of heros. We just need to look.

A Story of Earth 

Earth is great. The vast oceans, the immense continents, the sandy deserts. Everything we have ever known happened on this rock.  You are alive in everything on this earth. In the forest to the tops of volcanoes. You shelter, feed and care for every living thing on you. You show your power in wind, tornados, and hurricanes. Yet we are not thankful. We poison your environments and air. Everything you know is being taken away without a care. As we evolve we look for new homes in distant places, often forgetting the place that has housed us for thousands of years. Even though you ache and pain you persist to care. We must never forget.

There is A Hierarchy in Society

 

What makes a fine society run efficiently? Typically it takes people who obey, regulations and some sort of king. Believe it or not, even in the small daily routines of everyday life there is a superior or hierarchy. The motion picture Flatland defiantly shows that hierarchy exists in most societies. This suggestion is also shown in everyday authentic world life. Although the idea of a self-appointed ruler is intimidating, these leaders make daily life possible. These leaders are everywhere and control nearly everything.

In the movie Flatland there is a hierarchy that rules and makes laws. Flatland is a world with no height. Nonetheless it is a society and vulgar hierarchies rule it. In this case the circle priest are the ones with the supremacy.  They make proclamations each day that help Flatland work the way they desire. The reason why the circles are in control is because they have infinite angles because they are the oldest generation of shapes. All other shapes must obey this hierarchy because they have angles and sides. The fewer sides you have the subordinate in power you are.

Although Flatland is a grand example of hierarchy there are also many examples in our world. School is a superb example. The higher the grade and more mature you are, the more power you possess. A student in tenth grade is in control of people in ninth. If an eleventh grader sees a problem with the school it is more likely to be corrected than if the same problem was spotted by a tenth grader. Another good example is found more in ancient societies but is still found nowadays. We are all supposed to obey and respect war heroes. When a person comes back from warfare with a great badge or a purple heart, we are forced to honor that. In this case this is right. But when a great warrior returned from combat in ancient times they were treated like royalty. Extol for this hero was a little too much. Probably the weirdest example of hierarchy exists in the United States government. It is weird because the government is a democracy and not anarchy. The hierarchy in the government is the president. The presidential election is the prime appointment of election year. Bigger than any other government position. Even though there is a separation of powers we pay more attention to what the president does for the nation and overseas. We also tend to blame the president more for when things go incorrect even though sometimes Congress and the Supreme Court said it was satisfactory. This is an outlandish type of hierarchy since we might have put the president in this position.

The movie Flatland provides an abundance of examples of a hierarchy. There are also numerous things in life and government that show self-appointed rule. These people are everywhere in life and everyone must face one. The high hierarchy always has command.

There is A Hierarchy in Society

 

Intro:  What makes a good society run smoothly? Usually it takes obeying people, rules and some sort of king. Believe it or not, even in the small daily routines of everyday life there is a leader or hierarchy. The movie Flatland defiantly shows that hierarchy exists in most societies. This idea is also shown in everyday real world life. Although the idea of a self-appointed ruler is scary, these leaders make daily life possible. These leaders are everywhere and control almost everything.

 

Paragraph1: In the movie Flatland there is a hierarchy that rules Flatland

Circles are in control
Circles generation is oldest so they have infinite angles
All other shapes must obey because they have angles
 

Paragraph2: Hierarchy also presents itself in our world.

In school the higher the grade you are the more power you have over school issues and other grades.
You must obey and show respect to war heroes
Even though the government has a separation of powers the president gets more attention and more blame for when things go wrong.
 

Conclusion: The movie Flatland provides plenty of examples of a hierarchy. There are also many things in life and government that show self-appointed rule. Whether we like it or not we must live with these people.

Steven Randall Times

Brand New Job!

          Looking for that occupation that fulfills your tedious, average life? Well the brand new job of a Professional Ghost Hunter and Researcher is for you. Using break-through technology we are able to prove the existence of paranormal beings! If you want to be part of this new study then come on! What are you waiting for? The job of a Professional Ghost Hunter and Researcher is pleasurable and pays well. If this sounds fascinating then follow these effortless steps to establish your innovative life.

What Your New Profession Will Encompass

The job of a Professional Ghost Hunter and Researcher is to assist people with their paranormal troubles. You will be contacted about an alleged phantom in a residence or structure. You will travel to that place and use unique meters, and glasses to see the energy of the ghost. You will then use a sequence of instruments to contain the energy in a special holding container ready for transport. You will take the ghost back to a specifically built lab that is made to prevent an escape. The container will be put into a room with glass windows. The energy of the ghost will be released into the room and a special powder will be propelled into the room with the ghost so you can see the spirit. This will allow the ghost to be studied escalating our comprehension of death, energy and the next life if there is one.

Desired Ability

            The position of a Professional Ghost Hunter and Researcher is a career that requires various talents to help you succeed in this field. These skills make this trade simple and enjoyable.

·        Fine common sense

·        Scientific background

·        Writing skills

·        Concern to aid people

·        Technology background

Education Required

Paranormal Investigation is a high level and a new field of science. Therefore it takes a large deal of schooling to succeed in this ever-altering field. You will need a Masters degree in paranormal investigation. A degree in energy anomalies will be desired as well. Any other science or technology background will be ideal.

Mid Point Progress Reflection

Miss.xxxx and the Literature of Living Environment class have improved my English language arts skills in several areas including reading, writing and even technology. These skills will influence me in future English classes and in other classes beyond ninth grade.

This class has had an effect on my writing skills. I am able to write full paragraphs and write down and explain full thoughts and ideas. With the help of Miss.xxxx, I am able to complete multiple drafts and arrange my ideas in a way that makes sense. I am also able to fix my spelling more easily with the computer.

My reading has also changed throughout the year. I have learned to like reading more and I can stay interested in a book. Reading has also made doing book reports that much more interesting (funner). I am also reading more complicated books and I surprise myself by being able to understand the message.

Friday Reading Day is a major factor in improving my reading. It’s nice to relax once during the week especially in the middle of the day on Friday to take a break from the end of the week tests. I also like how we get to choose the book we read. It makes it feel like less of an assignment. We also have the opportunity to catch up on assigned reading from when we were absent that week or to get ahead in the text. I think it could be improved if you give the people fooling around, reading assignments meaning they need to read to a certain page in an assigned book.

Technology is a great improvement to English class. Using computers you are able to complete assignments and take notes without wasting paper and time to get it copied. If the moodle was put into full use, it would be better than parent portal for viewing grades because you can see the assignment you already turned in. Technology makes the class more interesting because with almost every big project, we make a movie or picture using Photoshop. Technology also gives you more than the views of you, your classmates and your teacher. Using the Internet you can find the opinions and information of the subject your researching from millions of people. Using Word is helpful in this class because I have bad handwriting. With Word I can type something everyone can read and understand.

I think I can change my habits of mind. I thought that I would never be able to understand Romeo and Juliet. But I found out that we were taking it line for line and we will be able to make movies with it. I think I should be more optimistic that I will be able to understand things in the end.

If I could make a recommendation for the future of this class I would like more movie project on the computer. These assignments are some of my favorite and I would like to do more of them. We should also be taught other means of making stuff other than going onto Word for every assignment.

Necessities of a critical lens intro:

 

·      1st sentence should explain what the quote means

·      Quotation

·      A sentence to connect the quotation to the texts

·      The introduction of the texts-title, author, and genre

·      Introduction to a discussion about the literary devices

and a Transition sentence

Boy Scouts of America.

Altered my average existence.

I became the trail guide for my fellow scouts.

I made the ranks quickly. First APL (assistant patrol leader). Then I loaned my assistance to the young cub scouts.

 Troop Guide.

 I was training the future of the troop.

 Now ASPL. I hold power; control; responsibility.

 I am the bible of the troop. Helping others help me.

 All the curious eyes upon me, forcing me to do my best, be an example.

 At campouts I provide safety and fun.

 At meetings I offer learning and answers.

 Yet I am not done. I am still moving. Still learning. Still helping. All this so I can reach the eagle. Become the best learner and leader I can ever be.

 The scouts are supporting my feet and raising me closer to that goal as I am with them. Three Years so much has happened.

So much has changed.

Nature Meets Machine  

I was just looking for a normal day.

Clear weather, forgiving skies.

 Everything transformed when Mother Nature changed her mind.

 It happened so quickly- birds, alarms, losing control.

 Many lives aboard.

 The river below became an oasis in the middle of this dreadful dream.

 I land, and safety seemed to move into view.

All I wanted was a normal day.

 

Power of Choice

 

United We Stand.

The power to freely elect our leader, our president. Sometimes we make good choices others are bad.

 George Bush-a bad decision.

War-thousands dead. Economy-thousands homeless. Terrorism-millions fearful.

We lived for eight years with this choice we made as a united people.

We are capable of good choices.

Barack Obama-a good decision.

 Black-equality. Environment-clean. Change-hope. Economy-survival.

 Did we choose well? The power of choice is shown every four years.

The power to come together and chose who will guide us-through good choices and bad.