Ashley’s English Blog

 One time that I appreciated nature was one of the only times it really snowed in Atlanta. I had just gotten out of the hospital on my birthday, after having a procedure followed by a week's stay. Once I got home, my family realized that we had to sleep at a hotel because the floors that we had just had stained were releasing too many fumes. So, we all slept in a hotel that night. The next morning, I woke up to it snowing outside the hotel room. It made me feel so at peace because I had just been through a lot of emotions the past week. My dad and I played in the snow together, and it was very magical.  Today in class, we started our one-pagers. I learned how to make a one-pager and how to make open-ended questions. 

 One time that I had to set a boundary with a friend was when she had overstepped into my relationships with my other friend. She was very overcontrolling about who. I would hang out and would become jealous of my other friends. A few times, she even came to my hangout with my other friends without telling us and taking us by surprise. In the end, I had to tell her to respect me and my other friends, which ended up harming our relationship because we didn't talk much after that.  Today in class, we did a CommonLit on a Frost poem. I learned to how identify a speaker's point of view shifts. 

 A time when my life changed more quickly than I expected was when I went into High school. My life felt like it was changing quickly because all of my middle school friends were separated, and I had to start over with new people, teachers, and a new environment. This relates to how "nothing gold can stay" because it shows how my great middle school experience had to end at some point, but I can still find the "gold" in high school.  Today in class we read to Frost poems and did a worksheet on one. I learned how to create themes from a poem and put them in categories. 

 My favorite word right now is scoop. I like this word because of its simplicity and the way it rolls off my tongue. It also makes me think of scoops of ice cream or a skill in volleyball. I don't use it often, but when I do, it is enjoyable.  Today in class, we worked on our slide projects.  I learned how to connect my childhood experiences to Frost's themes. 

 Imagination is a very useful tool in times of stress, worry, and boredom. Personally, I mainly use imagination in times of boredom, such as in class or on a long car ride. Imagination and picturing things in my head allows me to pass the time and almost watch a movie in my own brain. Imagination also helps me in times of stress, as I like to picture the outcomes and how I could possibly avoid them or achieve them. In times of worry, imagination acts as a soothing tool to let me get my mind off of negative thoughts.  Today in class, we read a new Frost poem and started our project. I learned today how to dig deeper into a long poem and identify literary devices. 

 I do not have a specific time when I was in a dangerous or stressful situation that needed my complete focus, but I did have a very important final last year that challenged my focus. I was taking a chemistry final, and my chemistry grade was right on the edge of an A. I knew I had to get an A on this final to get an A in the class because my dad had said that if I got any B's that I would be grounded. The final was very challenging and confusing, and what made it worse was that the person sitting next to be was tapping her pencil and her leg. I had a hard time focusing on my work, but I had to push through the distractions to finish the test in time. In class today we read a Frost poem, annotated it, and did discussion questions. I learned how to dig deeper into poems to uncover their meanings, and that a good poem has a life of its own. 

 Over my fall break, I did not do very much. Every day, I had either volleyball practice or a volleyball game in the middle of the day, which did not allow me to do much or to travel anywhere. Most days, I would sleep in late, go to work, and then go to volleyball. On Saturday, I went to Fright Fest and Six Flags with a few of my friends. We rode a good number of roller coasters, and we stayed at the park until midnight. I enjoyed my break a lot, as it was a nice escape from school.  Today in class, we used the Vocab lesson 4 to make a comic strip. Today I learned new words such as deign and deference. 

 To enjoy small moments throughout the day, I like to try to bring myself back to the present, especially when I am really busy. For example, I like to listen to music while I do my work so I can enjoy my time while also being productive. I also like to chat with my friends for a small amount of time, but I still make sure to finish my work and tasks before truly relaxing. Finally, when I am busy outside of school, I like to try and find space for a quick nap, which recharges me and puts me in a better mood when I wake up.  Today in class, I revised my argument paragraph. I learned how to utilize evidence from a text and use it to build my argument. 

 A time when someone's words had a lasting impact on me was when my dad told me that I don't have to be the best at everything. I have always been very competitive in everything I do, including sports, arts, and academics. I remember my first final I ever took during Freshman year, I got an 82 on it. It doesn't seem so bad, but for me, it was heartbreaking. I always try to get A's on everything I do because I have always done well in school, and I want it to stay like that. My dad didn't want me to beat myself up about getting a B on the final, and he said that as long as I tried my best and I know why I scored badly, it's ok. Today in class, we practiced evaluating evidence that is supposed to support a claim and identifying why it wasn't a good example.  I learned that the evidence cannot be another claim but has to dig deeper into the claim.

 A moment where I had to step out of my comfort zone was when I had to go camping with my family. Normally, I hate the outdoors and sleeping there is not something I ever want to do. However, the adventure ended up being a lot of fun. Our camp site was on a lake, and we went tubing and swimming all day. We had a classic roasting of hotdogs by the fire and we ate delicious s'mores. The sleeping part was not even as bad as I had thought it would be, as sprayed bug spray and kept a light on in the corner of my tent bringing me comfort. Ultimately, the experience was pretty positive, and I am open to going camping again. Today in class we wrote an argument paragraph about a "good kill." Today I learned how I can use evidence from a text and manipulate it to argue my claim.  

 When I was in elementary school, I had a really bad dream that felt very real. The dream was based in a school classroom, and my 2nd grade teacher was teaching us a lesson the board. Suddenly, green goop started coming out of the cracks in the walls, and I was the only one who noticed it. The goop came out more and more and the cracks in the walls started getting deeper and bigger. Slowly, the walls began to crash down and we all hid in the basement of the school for safety. Thinking back to this dream, it was not as terrible as I remember it made me feel, but at the time it was so bad that I couldn't sleep for weeks. In class today we did a lesson on Vocab Lesson 3, and then we read a NewsELA article. I learned how to identify a claim from two sides of an argument, and write about one of the sides backed with evidence. 

 I have always been curious about is animals can understand what we're saying and if they think about us. Movies like A Dog's Purpose explore this idea, and it has always been interesting how our pets may perceive us. For example, what if my dog hates me? I think that our pets understanding what we say is very possible, as they have reactions to words that I say that I haven't taught them before.  In class today we wrote our argument paragraph. I learned how to write a counterclaim and provide evidence to refute it. 

 The best gift I've received was from my best friend. Last year she made me a scrapbook for my birthday with all of our memories and pictures together. It was so thoughtful and it made me cry so much. Every page has a different theme with pictures, little mementos, and thoughtful, loving words. It is my favorite gift I've ever gotten and I keep it at my bedside table to look through sometimes at night.  Today in class we learned about informal and formal language, and we started our argument paragraph. I learned how to tell the difference and the elements in informal and formal language.