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“The Rose that Grew from Concrete”

Prompt- Analysis: Copy and paste this poem from Tupac Shakur and analyze it.  What is he trying to teach in this poem? What does the rose symbolize?  What is his tone towards his subject?

Picture from Pixabay.com.

“The Rose that Grew from Concrete” by Tupac Shakur
Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature’s law is wrong it
learned to walk without having feet
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.

 

 What is he trying to teach in this poem? I think Tupac Shakur was trying to teach that even if someone grew up in a bad area or even with a bad background they shouldn’t let people tell them they can’t do something. Even if what they’re trying to do is unusual for someone with their background, they don’t need to go by what is expected. Even  though no one really cares about them. The “rose” should just continue to follow its dreams because good things can come out from it.

 What does the rose symbolize? The rose symbolizes a person that comes from a bad place. Although, the rose is someone that is good. I think that the rose is a remarkable person.

What is his tone towards his subject? I think his tone towards the subject of the poem is sympathetic. I think this because if he wasn’t sympathetic or caring about this subject he probably wouldn’t write about this subject. But instead, he wrote about this subject and recognized situations that others have.

 

 

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PSSA Opinions

Prompt- Opinion: The PSSAs are next week.  Write a blog expressing your feelings about the PSSAs and standardized testing.  What do you predict will be a strength for you this year? What do you predict will be a weakness for you this year?

The PSSAs (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) are next week, and I’m actually excited about them. I mean we get a free bottle of water and a free snack in the morning. Plus, for me PSSAs aren’t too hard. If anything, it feels like less work than an actual school day. I think my strength for the PSSAs will be reading the passage and answering the questions about the passage because I just got a sampler of that part of the PSSAs and I got 100% on it. So, I’m feeling better about that part of the PSSAs. I think my weaknesses this year will be correctly explaining the TDAs (Text Dependent Analysis) and the math written responses. Although, I’m not sure if I’ll do better in reading or in math. For the PSSAs I’m going to do my best and hopefully get an advanced score.

Picture from pixabay.com.

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Is Rap a Form of Poetry?

Prompt: Is rap a form of poetry?  Why or why not? Support your answer with evidence.

Image result for rapImage result for equallImage result for poetryImage result for question mark

I think that rap is a form of poetry because both of them have a repeated rhythm. Plus, often in poetry and rap the word of the last stanza rhymes with another word that’s the last one in a stanza. Rap to me is like a more upbeat version of poetry. The writing styles of both are very similar. They also both have a rhythm patterns. For example, a pattern for rap and poetry could be ABAB form. This means that the ending word of both A sentences will rhyme, and the ending word of both B sentences will rhyme. Some poems have actually been turned into rap songs. On this website is a list of raps that were first poems.

 

 

 

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My Vacation Rating

Prompt: To prepare for the next Performance Task, I am asking you to write a review on a vacation destination you have recently been on.  Your review can be either good or bad.  Please rate your experience, providing as many details as possible!  Persuade us to either visit your wonderful location or avoid it at all costs!

 

Image result for norwegian gem cruise ship pictures

 

A big vacation I’ve recently been on was a cruise to the Caribbean on the Norwegian Gem. I would give this trip a five out of five. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone going on a trip. The cruise lasted a week and I enjoyed mostly everything on this trip. There was so much to do even when we weren’t at a cruise destination. On the cruise there are things like musicals, movie night, sports equipment, events like Family Feud, a spa, hired performers (magicians, jugglers, and even a hypnotist), and of course, pools.

There is also a kids camp (except you don’t sleep there) that kids can go to, and the parents can go to the adults only area. From personal experience, I can say that the kids camp can be very fun. I even got to color in a free shirt that I got. Not to mention, the amazing food. You pay one price and for the rest of the cruise you can eat without paying each time. All the food is included! Also, the workers are all very friendly and helpful. When you enter the restaurants there is also a welcoming worker with hand sanitizer who sprays it on for everyone. You should totally visit this wonderful location!

Rating:

 

 

 

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Parent I’m Most Like

Prompt: Which one of your parents are you most like? Include a description of the parent, so that we can picture them in our mind.  Use sensory language: see, taste, touch, smell, hear.

Out of my mom and my dad, I think I’m more like my dad. My dad has black hair and dark brown eyes, with tan skin (just like me). Even though some family members say I look like my mom I have more characteristics from my dad.My mom said that (for my face) from the eyes and up I look like my dad, but from the nose and down I look like her.For example, a physical trait is that my dad has pretty thick eyebrows and so do I. Also, my dad and I have a similar taste in food. For example, my dad and I like steak more medium well, while my brother and my mom like it medium. We also like to have sweet treats once in a while, but my brother and mom normally don’t eat sweets. I mean, who doesn’t like a tasty-cake? They’re soft and chewy and super sweet. Another thing we have in common is that we like to watch NBA (National Basketball Association) more than the rest of my family. A lot of times when there is a live basketball game, my dad and I are the ones on the couch.

Picture from Pixabay.com.

 

 

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Economics

Prompt: We have been learning about economics for a few weeks.  Now is your chance to tell us everything you know about economics! Tell each other what you know about goods, services, opportunity cost, supply and demand, etc.  Talk about how your classroom checkbook and finance lessons have helped you gain more perspective to economic issues. Will you be a saver or spender when you grow up?  Why is it important to save for a “rainy day?”  This blog post will be graded and if possible, please print it out with your name on it!  Happy saving/spending! 

We’ve been learning about economics and personally, I think economics is interesting. My favorite part about learning about economics is the classroom checkbooks. This definitely helps with learning to save money. I think that I’ll most likely be a saver when I grow up. It is important to save for a “rainy day” because you never know if it would rain so much that it floods. And if it was a really bad flood your house would need some maintenance for the water damage. Or even if it didn’t flood the rain could still cause rain damage on the house’s exterior or on its foundation.

We learned that economics is the study of the allocation of resources among alternative uses to attain desired ends. There are many concepts of economics such as socialism and capitalism. Socialism and capitalism are examples of how an economy should be run. Socialism is when the government or state is in control of the production or distribution of goods. Capitalism is when there is a private or corporate ownership of the production and distribution of goods. Another concept we learned was goods and services. Goods are anything that anyone wants or needs, and services are the performance of any duties for another. There are also three types of goods consumer goods(food or clothing), producer goods(raw materials), and capital goods(machinery).

You can’t forget about needs and wants. Wants are goods or services that aren’t necessary. Needs are goods or services that are required. (Although sometimes wants can seem like needs to me.) There is also supply and demand. Supply is how much of a good or service is available. Demand is how many people wish to buy that good or service. Think about what it said in the slideshow we saw in English Language Arts (ELA), as prices rise, product supply rises because people buy less. It also said as prices fall, product supply falls because people buy more. Something else important to economics is opportunity cost. Opportunity cost is when the value or benefit of something is given up so that something else can be accomplished. It’s almost like a trade.

Picture from Pixabay.com.

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My Dream Age, 19

Prompt: After reading the passage, Eleven, explain why the author does not like being age 11.  If you could choose any age to be, what would it be and why?  Use evidence or related topics from the passage if possible.

In our class, we read Eleven by Sandra Cisneros. I think that the author doesn’t like being age 11 because there are kids that she doesn’t like and kids that don’t like her. Personally, I think the character overthinks too much. I mean, when you get hurt really bad or if something really sad happens, it’s okay to cry (just don’t cry all the time). Instead, the author is like I cried the way I did when I was four. I think if she didn’t overthink she’d be more confident and have more friends.

    

Dick Vos via Compfight

If I could choose an age I would want to be nineteen years old. I would want to be nineteen because there are many advantages to it. Plus, 19 is my favorite number. Nineteen is also the number I am in attendance for all of my classes. When I’m 19 I’ll be going to college, and that is an experience I’m looking forward to. (The college I want to go to now is Stanford University.) At that age, I will be working a job as well. I always tell my parents that right when I turn 16 I want to get a job, but they say that they want me to focus on school instead. So, I at least think I’ll be able to get a part-time job and work when I’m nineteen.

At nineteen I think I’ll feel more like an adult because I’ll be driving, have a job, legally already be an adult, and because I’d most likely be living on my own by then. I think it’d be nice to live on my own. I mean, I love my family, but I would like to know how it is to live independently. Plus, my parents don’t want a puppy no matter how much my brother and I ask. They say that once we live on our own we can own a puppy of our own. When I’m around nineteen I’d be able save up and soon get a puppy. For me, nineteen seems like a nice age to be.                                                             

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New Years Resolution

Happy New Years!

Prompt: A lot of people like to make resolutions in the New Year (ways to improve themselves).  What is your New Year’s Resolution?  What is something that you would like to see happen in the year 2018?

Normally, my family and I have a New Years party on New Year’s Eve (at about 6:00pm) all the way to New Year’s Day (12:00 am). Sometimes we also sit in a circle and take turns on saying our New Year’s resolutions. This year we didn’t, but I do have a New Years resolution. My New Year’s resolution is to get better at volleyball and to make the middle school volleyball team in middle school for both volleyball and basketball. This year, (for basketball) I am just playing a league called SYB (Spartan Youth Basketball), but I would like to make the school’s middle school team next year. For volleyball, I have only played at Spooky Nook (for an intramural), so I hope I can get better and play for the middle school team.

Picture from https://pixabay.com/.

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Would You Rather (Christmas Edition)

Prompt: Would you rather make presents for your family instead of buying them OR make ornaments for your Christmas tree instead of buying them? WHY?

Creative Commons License Susanne Nilsson via Compfight

I would rather make ornaments for my family’s Christmas tree instead of buying them. I would rather do this than making presents for my family because there’s not really that much I could make for people that they’d actually need or use. Plus, I really like doing arts and craft-related things. Even though making presents for my family can be an arts and crafts project I don’t think that I could finish everybody’s present in time. Personally, I am a pretty slow worker. I think Christmas ornaments would be easier and faster. For ornaments, I’d have fun with all of the patterns I use.

Also, making my own ornaments for my family’s Christmas tree would solve a minor problem that I have with my brother. Normally, my brother and I are the ones who put on the ornaments, so I make sure my brother knows not to put the two same ornament patterns next to each other (although, he doesn’t listen). He calls me a perfectionist, but compared to some people I don’t think I ‘m that bad. If I made my own ornaments, I would make them all different somehow (with the same color schemes of course). Maybe I’ll actually try making my own ornaments sometime. Which one would you rather do?

 

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Woman President?

Prompt: Do you think a woman will be President of the United States in the near future? Support your argument with examples.

Yes, I do think a woman will be President of the United States in the future. One of the UNICEF global goals are even gender equality. Each year, I think the world has improved on those goals. I mean, around the 1890’s women didn’t even work. Now, a lot of women work. We’ve already had a woman, Hillary Clinton, come close to becoming president. I believe that women are just as capable as men. If you think about it, the president’s wives have done a lot too. I mean, our former first lady, Michelle Obama, spoke about gender equality and raised awareness about education for young girls. Things change a lot over time and there’s no doubt that we’ll have a woman as the President of the United States in the near future.The White House Washington DC dog97209 via Compfight

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