Mariano’s school stuff

Throughout the course of the year I have learned a lot of skills and ideas from the many things we did in and out of class. Some of the main things that we talked about this year in English were the themes and the subtext of a book, we also developed additional knowledge of the ESLR’s and what they mean. Other skills that we learned in English have also helped me do better in other subjects, which is an example of personal growth that we have had this year. These are the main things that I will be discussing in this essay.

This year in English I feel that I have learned and also strengthened some skills, which are vital for everyday schoolwork. One of the skills that I have improved quite a bit on this year has been being able to write longer and more descriptive pieces. At the start of the year we started doing reflective journals every quarter, the minimum amount of words for the essay was 1000, which at the start of the year to me seemed impossible to do. On the first reflective journal I was only able to write 950 words and it had seemed extremely difficult at that time to write so much. By the second quarter I was at least able to write 1000 words but it had taken me a long time to finish. I had also been having trouble explain in detail what we had done over the quarter. By third quarter I had been able to write a reflective journal that was 1250 words and I was also able to explain in detail and be more expressive with the ideas of what I had learnt that quarter. I think that the way I was able to improve in writing the reflective journal was because I took more time o be able to write something that was expressive and had a lot of detail and I also found it easier because as the saying goes “practice makes perfect.” Being more expressive and being able to develop ideas in a better way helped me a lot in other subject especially in Social Studies when we were doing essay questions in quizzes and tests. Another writing assignment in which I also had a bit of trouble at the start was poetry. At the start when we had started the poetry units my poems were pretty heartless and didn’t have much thought put into them. As we progressed through the quarter I was able to put more heart and thought into the poems to make them have a meaningful message or at least to make them seem interesting to read. I don’t think that I will be using much poetry outside of English but in what I call my “musical career” it might help me to be able to write song lyrics and also maybe just to be a more poetic person. I think I improved in writing poetry by trying to put a bit more of me into the poems than just writing them as if were any other assignment with no purpose except to get a grade for it.

This year I also felt I was able to become a better Effective Communicator. I think that all three classes that I had with Mr. Raisdana helped me be a better Effective Communicator. In English and Newspaper I learnt how to write different material for different audiences. I learnt how to use the writing pyramid for writing a book by drawing the reader in with small little details and setting he plot up so that it would latter reach a climax. I also learnt how to use the inverted pyramid for news stories so that the important facts were all at the start so that the reader would be attracted by the important information and then latter on in the story have the little details. This helped me become a more expressive writer and to know what structure to use when writing for different audiences. In drama we did poses in which we had to act out a different emotion, which was another way of being an Effective Communicator by being able to express yourself without words. We also had short five-minute scenes that we wrote and had to act out with a partner. This helped us to be a more efficient Effective Communicator by expressing ourselves using actions and words. I think that the biggest growth in the ESLR’s I have made this year was in being an Effective Communicator.

The last thing that I will talk about will be about the theme of “the effects of fear on an individual.”  Fear is one of the most powerful manipulation tools that man has used. Fear can manipulate someone into doing practically anything that a normal person wouldn’t do in that situation. In “Lord of The Flies” for example, Jack used fear to turn the boys against Ralph, Simon, and Piggy. Jack told the other kids that he would keep the beast away from them and keep them safe if the had him as a leader. In WWII Hitler did the same thing; he told the people of Germany that he would make Germany a better place if they were to get rid of all the Jews. People actually believed him and went on to be part of the Holocaust, which is seen as one of the most atrocious genocides that has happened in recent history. I think that if someone were to say another group of people was to blame for the downfall of a country many people would still believe that what that person was saying was true. Genocides still happen around the world because people are being manipulated by fear or tricked into believing that they are better than others.

All in all I think that we have talked about a lot of meaningful subjects and ideas this year and that we have also learnt and developed a lot of skills. This year I have improved my writing a lot, which will help me a lot in the rest of the classes that I will have next year. I have also learned how to communicate myself in a better way using writing, speech and actions. We also have touched on a lot of very deep and meaningful ideas that I will carry out pondering on for the rest of my life. In the end I think the this year I have improved in many skills and I will keep improving on these skills and pondering on the thoughts and ideas I have taken from this class till maybe even the day I die.

B.Y.O.B. – System of A Down

WHY DO THEY ALWAYS SEND THE POOR!
Barbarisms by Barbaras
With pointed heels.
Victorious, victories kneel.
For brand new spankin’ deals.
Marching forward hypocritic
And hypnotic computers.
You depend on our protection,

Yet you feed us lies from the table cloth.
La la la la la la la la la,
Everybody’s going to the party have a real good time.
Dancing in the desert blowing up the sunshine.

Kneeling roses disappearing,
Into Moses’ dry mouth,
Breaking into Fort Knox,
Stealing our intentions,
Hangars sitting dripped in oil,
Crying FREEDOM!

Handed to obsoletion,
Still you feed us lies from the table cloth.
La la la la la la la la la,
Everybody’s going to the party have a real good time.
Dancing in the desert blowing up the sunshine.
Everybody’s going to the party have a real good time.
Dancing in the desert blowing up the sunshine.

Blast off, it’s party time,
And we don’t live in a fascist nation,
Blast off, it’s party time,
And where the fuck are you?
Where the f**k are you?
Where the f**k are you?

Why don’t presidents fight the war?
Why do they always send the poor?
Why don’t presidents fight the war?
Why do they always send the poor? [X4]

Kneeling roses disappearing,
Into Moses’ dry mouth,
Breaking into Fort Knox,
Stealing our intentions,
Hangars sitting dripped in oil,
Crying FREEDOM!
Handed to obsoletion,
Still you feed us lies from the tablecloth.
La la la la la la la la la,
Everybody’s going to the party have a real good time.
Dancing in the desert blowing up the sunshine.
Everybody’s going to the party have a real good time.
Dancing in the desert blowing up the…

Where the f**k are you!
Where the f**k are you!

Why don’t presidents fight the war?
Why do they always send the poor?
Why don’t presidents fight the war?
Why do they always send the poor? [X3]
Why, do, they always send the poor [X3]
They only send the poor [x2]

This song has obviously a lot of types of ways that you can see it. It is also a very controversial song if you understand what its lyrics mean.

I think from a Presidential class point of view this song would be very offending and it would also most probably be taken as an insult. The part of the song that says “why don’t presidents fight the war, why do they always send the poor” would be most probably be reacted to in an angry kind of way by a president specially if they are very proud and believe that they are important, they might think that they are too important to fight the war. Another line that I think sticks out is “Still you feed us lies from the tablecloth” which from my point of view is for example how some presidents misinform their nation to get them to fight for an unworthy reason.

From a female’s point of view this song would be interpreted in a totally different manor. I think that if the female would have known someone that has been or is fighting in a war this might seem as a song that is pretty true. The line “why don’t presidents fight the war, why do they always send the poor” to them would seem to them as one of their thoughts because they might believe that if presidents want to start wars, instead of sending other people they should fight their own wars and solve their problems themselves. 

I think that from an American’s point of view this song would also be viewed differently especially if they had served in the army. If they had served in the army and they were proud to have fought for their country I think they would also have taken this song in an offensive way. They might feel as if this song was anti patriotic because it would be saying that people in the army are basically just puppets of the president and I think that they would strongly disagree with that. They would believe that they are fighting for a worthy cause and that they are proud of fighting for their country.

Poetry Unit Reflective Journal

This quarter in English we learned about quite a few things. We started this quarter with the poetry unit in which we read and learned how to write different types of poems, and then we wrote poems using the style we had learnt about in class for homework. In the end of the quarter, we gathered all the poems we had written and organized them into a poetry book. We also had a poetry night in which people came to relax, eat, to listen, and to read poetry. While the poetry unit was going on we were also taking part of an international �Teen Life Project� in which we chose a topic and the end result was a multimedia presentation on it. Our part in it was to write a poem or poems on the subject and to get pictures. The project included schools from USA, Canada, Colombia, and us here in Malaysia.

The quarter started with us mainly studying poetry. In class we read different types of poems and for homework we had to write a poem using the same style as the one we read in class. I was being a critical thinker because I had to analyze and absorb the information in the form of the poem and then try to come up with a poem in the same style in two days. I was also being a self-directed learner because poetry is not something that you can write anytime but I tried to work with the ideas I had at that moment to write the poem. I also think that I was and effective communicator because the ideas I tried to express through my poems came out well in an understandable manner. I think that for the writing part of the poetry unit that the most important ESLR�s that you needed were to be a critical thinker and to be an effective communicator. I think that being a critical thinker was important because we had a certain time to write our poems so we had to concentrate on what we were writing about and trying to develop the poem well. I also think that being an effective communicator was important because I believe that poems are meant to have certain ideas that you can pick up and ponder on and if your idea was expressed in an unclear form the reader would be confused and wouldn�t understand what the poem was about. I think that if I had given myself a bit more time to write my poems I think that they could have had more meaning. I would have done this by trying so set up my schedule so that I could have at least thirty minutes a day just for writing poetry. I think I did well in the writing of the poems though I did have in a few of my poems late but overall I would give myself an A- on the written part of the poetry unit.

While working on the poetry unit we were also involved in the �Teen Life Project� which we mainly worked on at home. What we had to do was the artistic side of the project which included making a picture and writing at least one poem. We were aloud to do more but with time constraints it was difficult. The ESLR�s I used for doing the project was being a self-directed learner which was the main one because most of this was done outside of class time and we had to take responsibility for ourselves to do the work that had to be done. I think I was also a bit of a critical thinker because we had to incorporate the idea that we were trying to get through into a poem and also to create an image that would symbolize the idea of our projects. I think that on the project I could have been a bit more involved with my group though I did all that was required. I think I could have had a little more input from my side. If I would do this again I would try to write a few more poems than just one and I would have also like to have made at least three pictures that could have been used in the presentation of the project. If I were to grade myself overall on the Teen Life Project I could give myself a B+ because I only met the required needs even though I know I could have done more work on it.

At the end of the unit we had our Poetry Night before spring break. During Poetry Night we invited parents and anyone else who wanted to come to enjoy the evening and to listen and maybe even write some poetry. At the poetry night there were interactive stations in which parents and visitors could do different activities. We also had our poetry books on display were anyone could read them and yes we didn�t forget the most important part of this kind of event, we did have food of course which anyone could enjoy. Mr. Raisdana had made Poetry Night an optional event but most people came though it was also optional if you wanted to read. I think for this event that I was an involved citizen because I went to poetry and read and I also helped out after the event was over with the clean up of the area we had used. I also believe that this was also an event which required us to be a self-directed learner because you had to take the responsibility of going and I also had to have the courage to read poetry in front of a crowd. I also think that the ESLR I mostly used on this part of the unit was being an effective communicator because I could have just read my poem as if it didn�t matter but I practiced reading it at home so that I could set the mood I was trying to make the audience feel and for the crowd to get a reaction or a feeling from what they had just heard. I think if I could have read again I might have wanted to read a few more poems but overall I think that I did well in the poetry night. If I had done the poetry night again I would change the way that I read but I think I would have wanted to be more active in it by taking part in a few of the stations and I could have also helped more with the set up though I did work on cleaning up afterwards. I think that I would have given myself an A for the way I read because I think the mood that I was trying to set and the idea I was trying to get through was absorbed by the crowd.

Overall I think that I did well on the quarter even though I know I could have possibly done better. I think that if I had pushed myself a bit harder that my poetry book would have turned out to be more visually pleasing but I think I did well with writing the poems. I think that overall that the poetry unit was an interesting experience because for this unit the main thing that we needed to be was a self-directed learner because a lot of the work we had to do was at home and we had to take responsibility for doing it well and on time.

Two line sections that I understood

Twelve year since, Miranda, twelve year since,

Thy father was the Duke of Milan and

A prince of Power

Twelve years ago, Miranda, twelve years ago,

Your father was the Duke of Milan,

I was a powerful Duke

Knowing I loved my books, he furnished me

From mine own library with volumes that

I prize above my dukedom.

Knowing that I loved my books he gave me

Books from my own library

These are books that I prize more than my dukedom.

Two line sections that I don’t understood

What, I say,

My foot my tutor?-Put thy sword up, traitor,

Who mak’st a show, but dar’st not strike, thy

Conscience

Is so possessed with guilt.

The Duke of Milan

And his more braver daughter could control thee,

If now ‘twere fit to do ‘t. At the first sight

They have changed eyes.

Two Discussion Questions

Why do you think Prospero accuses Ferdinand treason even though he see’s that Miranda is in love with Ferdinand?

Why do you think Caliban doesn’t just try to attack Prospero if he hates him so much?

Langston Hughes was born on February 1^st, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. His full name is James Langston Hughes. His parents divorced when he was a small child, and his father moved to Mexico. He was raised by his grandmother until he was thirteen. He then moved to Lincoln, Illinois, to live with his mother and her husband. In Lincoln, Illinois Hughes began writing poetry. Following graduation, he spent a year in Mexico and a year at Columbia University. In November 1924, he moved to Washington, D.C. Hughes’s first book of poetry, “The Weary Blues,” was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926. He finished his college education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania three years later. In 1930 his first novel, Not Without Laughter, won the Harmon gold medal for literature.

The Weary Blues

Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,

Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,

     I heard a Negro play.

Down on Lenox Avenue the other night

By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light

     He did a lazy sway . . .

     He did a lazy sway . . .

To the tune o’ those Weary Blues.

With his ebony hands on each ivory key

He made that poor piano moan with melody.

     O Blues!

Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool

He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.

     Sweet Blues!

Coming from a black man’s soul.

     O Blues!

In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone

I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan–

     “Ain’t got nobody in all this world,

       Ain’t got nobody but ma self.

       I’s gwine to quit ma frownin’

       And put ma troubles on the shelf.”

Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.

He played a few chords then he sang some more–

     “I got the Weary Blues

       And I can’t be satisfied.

       Got the Weary Blues

       And can’t be satisfied–

       I ain’t happy no mo’

       And I wish that I had died.”

And far into the night he crooned that tune.

The stars went out and so did the moon.

The singer stopped playing and went to bed

While the Weary Blues echoed through his head.

He slept like a rock or a man that’s dead.

International Polar Year (IPY) is a $1.5 billion collaborative effort to study the north and south poles. Thousands of researchers will be carrying out more than 200 projects which mainly center on climate change. Some countries, including the UK and US, showed their IPY programs earlier this week, but the event Paris will be the official start of the two-year study. This is the fourth IPY since 1882 but the first one in which the impact of global warming will be visible on both poles. Scientists say rising temperatures are warming the Polar Regions faster than the rest of the planet. One of the main questions that scientists will hope raise awareness on is the potential rise in sea level caused by melting of ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. The ice sheets in the south contain 90% of the entire world’s fresh water and if it melted global sea levels would rise 200m.

site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6406735.stm

Describing, discussing meanings, explaining, comparing, discussing influence of symbols, images and sounds

Oumlee
Mariano
Daniel Berglie

At the beginning of our memorial you enter a dark room with metal bars at a side and also the bottom which represent a jail like atmosphere. You will hear people screaming and crying for help. The people are longing for peace and freedom in the jail. The metal bars represent how the Jews had been captured and trapped by the Nazis and tortured by them. The moods we are trying to create are terror and sorrow. Besides this, we are also trying to across the fact that Jews were terribly frightened by Nazis and also how wars can change the world to totally terrify place.

Then you enter a circular room with the Star of David and the Nazi symbol overlapping each other on the floor. The Nazi symbol overlapping the Star of David represents the Nazi’s idea of total elimination of the Jews. You will hear the Hitler’s speech. The mood we are trying to across is fear. Also to show audience how Hitler made thousands of people to follow him and achieve such a cruel dream. The sound of people cheering will tell audience that it was not only Hitler who were evil and caused all this to happen but also them.

Then there are two ways that people can take. The way to the right leads to a passage way which represents Anne’s point of view to the events that are going on at the time. The passage to the left shows what’s going on during the holocaust.

The passage that represents Anne’s point of view starts with a trail of yellow tulips leading to an open area with a small pond in the middle. And you hear the sound of birds, wind and all sound of nature. The yellow tulips represent how Anne was hopeful and that she thought that everything was going to be ok at the end. We used yellow because the color yellow is bright and we thought it would be the best color to represent peace and hopes. The moods we are trying to create are hopeful and positive feelings. This part will show audience how positive Anne Frank was even though she was having terribly awful days only because she was part of Jews.

In the middle of the pond, there are 7 black swans and one white one. The white one represents Anne and her hope, while the other ones are the other people which are in hiding with her who were full of fears and lack of hopes. And you hear the sound of white swan. The lake with swans represents how Anne still had hope no matter what happened and no matter or how many times people told her that there was no hope. We used Black because the black represent dark, fear and negative things, but white represent hope, innocent and positive things. The mood we are trying to create is also hopeful.

Then the next corridor is filled with quotes from her diary. The quotes from her diary represent how Anne had grown from her immature self to a very intelligent and intellectual person who has made some realizations that people twice her age haven’t even made yet. And your can hear the sound of Anne saying all those quotes. By hearing it audience will realize how hopeful and positive she was no matter which situation she was in.

The other corridor starts of with train tracks on the ground and you hear the sounds of trains moving and people inside screaming. The train tracks represent how the Nazis used to take Jews to concentration camps. It also represents transportation to the hell and death, because the Jews who went to the camp they were either tortured or killed. The path will be really small and narrow because then audience will experience how it feels like to be in the train with hundreds of people crying and screaming. The moods we are trying to create are definitely misery but also panic and fear.

Then you enter a dark room with projections of pictures from the holocaust and of people going to concentrations camps. The dark room would represent the gas chambers were the Jews were systematically killed. There will be gas coming out and projection on the right and left sides with a sound of people coughing. The mood we are trying to create is cruelty. How thousands and thousands of people can do such a cruel thing to people who are just like us without feeling guilty. How people let this thing to happen and no one stopped it from happening. The influence we want is to make audience to do something to make this not to happen again, thousands people ending their life in 15 minutes…

Then both rooms come together to meet in a corridor and they lead into a bright room with a glass roof which would represent the liberation of all the Jews around Europe that had been captures by the Nazis. The path that connects has two colors. The dark side which is about concentration camp is black and it gets brighter and brighter when it comes close to the bright room with a glass. The sound will be calm and peaceful. The other side which is Anne Frank side’s path is bright and it gets only a bit darker when it comes close to the bright room with a glass. The sound we will use will be the song that creates the sadness. And when the two paths meets in the bright room with a glass the paths’ colors are the same. The sound will be calm but not gloomy. It represents that after long time of period the war ended. The Anne Frank died in the camp, but the other side was getting better and better (brighter and brighter). And in the end the good and bad balanced out just like now.

Comparing the symbols, images and sounds.

Our group thought the train part was the most powerful part. Because firstly, the train was a huge part during that time, it was transportation to the concentration camp. Secondly, we thought it will affect audience’ feelings, because people at that time did not know where they were going to and also for how long they will be going away. They barely got something to eat and space where they can comfort themselves. And they will experience by walking through the narrow path.

Brief description of how each member of our group contributed to the final product.

Berglie: Daniel worked mostly on making the memorial and was involved during the designing. Also, he got pictures from the internet for the memorial. He also came when Oumlee and Mariano worked on writing and helped up to describe the memorial and all the details like images, symbols and all other things.

Oumlee: she did some of making but she did almost half of writing such as she wrote at least five ESLR bullet points that her group achieved, brief description of how each member of her group contributed to the final product, summarized and grade the final product and the process her group went through, compared and how the symbols, images and sounds will influence or appeal to audience. She also involved during the designing.

Mariano: he was also involved during the designing the memorial and came up with all creative and good ideas. He also did writing. He discussed and explained symbols, images, sounds that are in the memorial. Besides, he made the sound of train, people crying, shouting, calling for help and dying. He also asked questions to his friends and got some more information about the project.

ESLRs we used

Critical thinker:
• Solve problem using a variety of strategies: it was hard to decide the size or the memorial however we solved this problem by drawing the sketch of the memorial and decided the size.

Academic achiever
• Continually asses evaluate and adjust work to maintain high standards: we went through the rubric that Mr. Raisdana told us to print out and we met on Sunday together and checked each others work and graded, added and changed to make it better.

• Demonstrate the ability to work both independently and collaboratively: during the class we separated works we were told to do. So Mariano and I did most of the writings and Daniel Berglie did most of making and building the memorial. We all came up with the design of the memorial and on Sunday we met in Mariano’s house and we went through memorial an all.

Involved citizen
• Demonstrate care and concern for their environment: in English class we all decided how the memorial is going to look like. Also, we decided what we are going to work on independently at home.
• Demonstrate responsibility in active decision making: for making the memorial, we reused materials. For example, Berglie used cardboards for the base and also for some of the walls.

Effectively communicator
• Demonstrate their creative talents to convey ideas: we made the sounds that we needed to use. We also downloaded two because it was kind of impossible to make the sound. The sounds we made were sound of train, sound of people crying, shouting for help and also sound of people in dying in gas chamber.

Self-directed learner
• Take creative risks in developing untried ideas: when we were designing the memorial, were being all creative, like what will be on the right and left sides, which sound will fit into the memorial, what kind of mood we are trying to create, how are we going to show mood we are trying to across and not just simply having statues of Anne Frank and Hitler. For example, we show Anne as a white swan and surrounded by black swans, white represent peace, pure, clean, innocent like Anne and black represent evil and dark side.
• Demonstrate competency in goal setting, time management, and organizational skills: we worked independently at home because during the school day it was difficult for all of us to meet. And we thought it saved our time because when we met on Sunday we did not have a lot of things to do.

Summary and grade for the final product and the process we went through to accomplish this task

First we decide what we were going to do and ended up with making and building the actual memorial. We did not have time to meet during school days so we had to work independently at home. Mariano and Oumlee did writing and Daniel did building the memorial. We had difficult deciding what will go in the memorial because we all wanted to go for different ideas and we argued a lot. But at last we came up with creative ideas and pretty much everyone agreed. We thought separating works were great because we saved our time a lot and on Sunday we did not have to work for a lon time. We checked each others works and told each others things to add and change. We all thought the whole process was well done and organized, because we had enough time to change and add things in and everyone worked on equal amount of work. According to what we think, the final product is well done because we did not have enough time but we put a lot of efforts into this project and worked together. Besides these, we also did all the things we were supposed to do by checking with checklist.

Hey, my name is Mariano and I’m 13 and I’m in 8^th grade. As you might or might not know I live in Malaysia which is a country in South East Asia. I’m originally from Argentina but I have been living outside of my home country since I was four. When I was four I first moved to Malawi in Africa and I lived there for about three years, after that I lived in The Philippines for another three, and now I have lived in Malaysia for two and a half years. My hobbies or pastimes (however you want to call them) are listening to music for hours, playing rugby, soccer, or basketball, skating, or playing some type of video game. I don’t have too many pastimes because I’m usually doing one or the other. During the week I’m usually quite busy because I do quite a lot of things after school; for example on Mondays after school I usually swim for two hours, on Tuesdays I’m usually doing homework which is usually quite time consuming, on Wednesdays I also swim after school for another two hours, on Thursdays I have guitar class, and on Friday mornings (6:30-7:45) I swim before schools starts. On weekends I’m usually go skating with friends or just chill at home. Finally on Sundays I have rugby practice in the afternoon for two hours. Somewhere in between my free time I usually do my homework.

Well we also had to write about concerns or worries we had so this is what I care about: First of all I don’t why countries have to wage stupid wars against each other for dismal reasons that could as easily be solved in a debate where no innocent lives and soldiers lives would be taken away. Also if countries are so rich and able to afford stupid machinery that is used kill people how come a government can’t spend the amount of money their spending on the military instead on a better cause like helping cure diseases like cancer or AIDS or instead using it to help people in third world countries. Coming from not one of the richest countries myself I would say if all the rich or middle classed countries were to put together at least half of the money they use on the military into a global fund to help third world countries and to cure global diseases, I think that the world would become a better place in only a few years. Another thing that really annoys me is terrorism. The fact that you can kill innocent lives just to prove something seems really stupid to me.

Well that’s who I am and the concerns I have for the world and I think that’s it about me.

* please let me now if my answers are wrong or unclear.
Describe and Define
Anthropologist – a person who studies the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of humans.

Archeologist- a type of anthropologist that studies prehistoric people and cultures.

Economist- a person who studies the management of resources of a community with a view of its productivity.

Historian- a person who studies the events of history.

Linguist- a person who studies different languages.

Theologian- a person who studies the gods and beliefs of cultures and how they are connected to the universe.

Step 1:
Where did the Aztecs originally live? What prompted them to relocate? Where did they end up and why? Chose an artifact, which you feel best, represents this event. Support your choice
A: the Aztecs originally lived in Atzlan in Northwest Mexico. They were prompted to relocate because their leader Tenoch had a vision that the god Huitzilopochtli told him to find an island where there was an eagle eating a snake on a cactus. The Aztecs ended up in an island surrounded by the Texoco Lake because that is where Tenoch saw his vision come true. They named the city Tenochtitlan.
Step 2:
The Aztecs ended up in the middle of a lake and built their new capital Tenochtitlan. What were the pros and cons of settling in the middle of a lake? Describe the lay of the land and chose an image for your exhibit.
A: Pros: crops were able to grow all year long, the canals they built became part o they’re defense. Cons: The island was infested with snakes.
Step 3:
Which gods were worshiped? The pyramids were built for what purpose?
A: They worshipped: Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, Tlaloc, Chalchiuhtlicue, Huitzilopochtli, Xipe – Totec. The pyramids that the Aztecs built were built for the purpose of sacrificial ceremonies.
Step 4:
Who are the different members of Aztec society? What are their roles? Choose an artifact that represents the social order of Aztec society.
A: There are three different members of society: slaves, commoners and nobility. Slaves usually had poor parents and were sold for only a certain time period. Slaves could buy their freedom or if they escaped and reached the royal palace without being captured would be given they’re freedom instantly. Commoners also known as Macehultin were the most numerous social. They were usually involved in agriculture and common trade.  The families that worked the land were also allowed to keep their produce but the land as owned by the inhabitants of the neighborhood or Calpulli and most commoners were given and land area which they had lifetime ownership of. The lowest group of commoners though were not allowed to own land.
The nobilities were either nobles by birth, priest or earned their rank. The minority of the families that occupied the highest social level were known as Pipiltin they were members of hereditary nobility and occupied the top positions in government, priesthood, and the army. The nbles also had a supreme leader called Tlatoani from within their own group and ruled until his death.
Step 5:
The Aztecs have a spoken language. What was it called? Did they use any other forms of communication? Include an example of either written or visual language of the Aztecs.
A: Nahuatl was the language that the Aztecs spoke. They also wrote and drew pictures with meanings called glyphs.
Step 6:
How did the Aztecs grow food and what was their main crop? Did they trade and with whom? Did they have a currency (money)? Find an image for your exhibit about making a living Aztec style.
A: The Aztecs grew their food on terraces, which are steps that descend down a hill and stop the crop from flooding. They’re main crop is corn. The money the Aztecs used was cacao beans.
Step 7:
Discuss the Impact of Spanish Contact 1519 from both the Aztec point of view and the Spanish point of view. Find an image depicting this event.
A: the first impact from the Aztecs point of view is
Step 8:
Discuss La Malinche or Dona Marina. Debate her positive/negative impact on Mexico past and present. What does the term Mestizo refer to? What influences remain today from Aztec culture of the past?
A:

“I don’t think my opinions are stupid and others do; so it is better to keep them to myself.” That sentence surprised me a lot specially coming from a teenager. Being one myself I find it strange that someone who wants to keep their opinions to themselves especially because we normally don’t like to be outspoken. I myself believe that your opinion is a very important thing that can show people who you truly are. I think that everyone should be able to express their opinion freely but without discriminating anything or anyone. I also believe that if you keep all your opinions to yourself, you would be a very outspoken person who never really has any input into what is going on around them. Also sometimes one person’s opinion can make a difference, for example Nelson Mandela didn’t agree with the racism that was going on in South Africa so he took a stand and expressed his opinions and made life a lot better for “black” people (no offense intended) and he also became the first “black” president of South Africa. So if you keep your ideas to yourself you might never get what you and your thoughts wouldn’t be heard so no one could support or oppose your thoughts. these are opinions on self expression and that is why I believe that we shouldn’t hold back on sharing our thoughts with the rest of the world.