Blog #10

What has stood out to me the most in eleventh grade is how much I have already been challenged. I am proud that I have taken all honors classes but it has not been easy. It is not only a lot more work, but work that is harder than anything I have ever done. I have to use more critical thinking, whether it be in Math or Humanities and it has pushed me to think of things with a deeper meaning. I feel that I have gained more out of this year already because I have had to push myself.

Blog #9

Act 1, Scene 5
The meeting between Hamlet and his father's ghost was the first part of the play that stood out to me. I was interested because the ghost had not talked to anyone before Hamlet came along. Finally, we as an audience not only heard the ghost speak, but also found out who murdered Hamlet's father. The ghost set off the rest of the play because Hamlet was told that his uncle killed his father and his death must be avenged. In one second the play turns into a revenge plot and I as a reader am now left wondering what will happen next to meet his father's demand. 

Blog #8

What stands out the most to me about the Icons Project is the emotion that people showcased in their statements. When this project started I did not anticipate that theses pieces would be so emotional and revealing. But when we were working on this project, and when it was finished, I realized that everyone put so much thought and honesty into their pieces. It didn't matter if their object was a celebrity, family member, or even an object. Every ones' piece gave insight into who they are and a personal experience. I think this is a great project to start off with because it allowed me to get to know my peers on a level that I did not already know or would get a chance to know.

Blog #7

When our class went out to the commons to read the final Icon's Artist Statements there were many well written pieces. The first one I read was written by Luke. I enjoyed his use of the tip, Make Meaning Early. A sentence that used that tip was, "I'm addicted to the smell of cookies." It is a simple sentence, yet it stood out to me because I was able to learn more about Luke in just seven words. I also enjoyed his sentence when he compared himself in the kitchen to a mad scientist. The comparison  struck me because I could vividly picture Luke frantically running around the kitchen, connecting his next recipe. I would recommend reading Luke's blog post for the Icons Project.

Blog #6

For the American Icon project we created an Artist Statement about a person, place, or object describing why they are iconic to you. Along with that, we created a photo to pair with our Artist Statement.

I am Jewish

Danielle Weiss

Both of my dad’s parents survived the Holocaust. Ironic as it may seem, my Zadie (Yiddish for grandpa) was lucky enough to be placed in a work camp, forced into manual labor rather than await death. My Bubby (Yiddish for grandma) was not so fortunate. She lost her entire family in concentration camps and was the only one who survived. But, they did not allow the Nazis to take away their beliefs. Rather than be angry at the world and hide who they were, they instead continued to enjoy life. They moved on from the tragedy and showed my father, and then me, that we are able to get through anything if we stay true to ourselves.

Blog #5

The tip that is most helpful to me is Activate Your Verbs. I like this tip because it also encompasses Make Meaning Early and I think both of these add simplicity and clarity to your writing. Activate Your Verbs has changed the way I construct sentences, because now I use the simplest version of my noun to create a more crisp sounding sentence. It really does create action and is clear to the point. It allows you to get more information into a smaller and better constructed sentence. Going along with that, Make Meaning Early is about getting the action out right away and who is doing that action. With that you are able to get straight to the important information.

Blog #4

A revised version of Blog #3.


Icon #1: Bubby/Holocaust

My Bubby is one of my Icons due to her experience in the Holocaust and how that affected her life. I focus on her time in the Holocaust in part of my Artist Statement, so for this blog on decided to discuss the Holocaust.

Evidence:
For my evidence I found three quotes that I believe relate to what ideas I am discussing in my paper and that both my family and I believe in.

1.“I tell my story so that they might tell the next generation.” Sara Atzmon, Holocaust Survivor, artist, (Hungary, Israel)
I feel this quote speaks to the hope that one day I will be able to share with my children our family's history with our religion and what it took to get us to this point in time. To both my family and myself, we believe in passing on stories and experiences in order to keep the memories alive and known for generations to come. Those stories would include the Holocaust, my family living in Romania, and my trip to Israel where I became Bat Mitzvahed.

Blog #3

Icon #1: Bubby/Holocaust

My Bubby is one of my Icons due to her experience in the Holocaust and how that affected her life. I focus on her time in the Holocaust in part of my Artist Statement, so for this blog on decided to discuss the Holocaust.

Evidence:
For my evidence I found three quotes that I believe relate to what ideas I am discussing in my paper and that both my family and I believe in.

1.“I tell my story so that they might tell the next generation.” Sara Atzmon, Holocaust Survivor, artist, (Hungary, Israel)
This quote really connects to my wishes for Judaism because I hope that I will be able to tell my children about our family's history with our religion and what it took to get us to this point in time. To both my family and myself, we believe in passing on the stories and experiences that we went through, the main one being the Holocaust. In order to keep that memory alive we have to pass it on from generation to generation.