Preview:Taking Notes

Frederick Douglass thinks that the 4th of july is a fake and that to slaves it is more unjust than any other day because it is a day that represents the supposed justice Americans have "To him, your celebration is a sham, your boasted liberty a unholy license"

New NHD Sources

Roosevelt , Eleanor . "Exhibit:Eleanor Roosevelt Letter ." National Archives and Record Administration . March 1996 . National Archives and Records Administration. 26 Nov 2008

This source is a website that has a letter that was written by Eleanor Roosevelt. In the letter she sends a resignation to The Daughters of the American Revolution. She resigned because the group made a rule excluding African American Artists, such as the famous Marian Anderson

Roosevelt , Eleanor . "The American Experience Eleanor Roosevelt My Day:Women and Employment." My Day -Women's Issues. 29 Jul 1939. PBS. 26 Nov 2008 .

This site has an article written by ER discussing her feelings about a law that kept 2 government position. It is an important source because it shows how she spoke out about issues that hit close to home for her

Revisised Thesis Statement and Introduction

I believe that Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most influential women of the 20th century. Roosevelt was very active in politics As the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, she had a huge amount of influence on his polices, such as the New Deal. She aalso coordinated the leglislate program for the League of Women Voters. She was also an important member of the Women's Trade Union League. She continued her legacy long after her husband's death. After FDR's death, she was appointed as a delegate of the United Nations.

New source

"Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill." Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Val-Kill. .

This website gives me a lot of information about Eleanor Roosevelt family life was like. The family held picnics and leased their house to friends. Today the house is a National Historic Site. The website also has a lot of information about things that she has done. The website provides a time line of important events in her life.It also has quotes on her expieriences during these time. The website also has pictures of family

New Source

Clark, Electra. Leading Ladies.An Affectionate Look at American Women of the Twentieth Century New York: Stein and Day, 1976.

I found alot of information in this source. This source discusses Eleanor Roosevelt's experience as a first lady. It also talks about people's impressions of the first lady. It talks a lot about her approach to being a first lady. It also talks about how she ran the White House. It talks bout how she invited lots of distinguished guests to her house.It also talks about her compassion for other people. It talks about how she waited in line at a soup kitchen with others during the Dust Bowl. The book also talks about her political involvement.It talks about how she always took criticism cheerfully, while FDR couldn't always bring himself to do this.

Seperate Annotations

Lassieur, Allison. Eleanor Roosevelt, Activist for Social Change.
New York: Franklin Watts , 2007.

This source helped me because it has a time line,which helped me narrow down the important events in her life. It also talks about her childhood. This important because a person's childhood helps them shape their life. It talks about the important things that she did as a first lady. This source also talks about her influence on FDR. The book also talks about her husband's affair with his secretary. The book talks about her relationship with her children. It also talks about her work with the United Nations. It also talks about her newspaper column, "My Day".The source talks about what she did after her husband died It also talks about her tuberculosis, that she discovered towards the end of her life.

This was originally in my first post, but I put it in a separate post.

NHD Topic

I chose Eleanor Roosevelt for my NHD Project because I am interested in the 1930's and 1940's. Also, Eleanor Roosevelt is an inspirational figure to me.

Eleanor Roosevelt is important because without her efforts, we might not have a United Nations. Also, she paved the way for other women to get involved in politics. Also, being a first lady, it is likely that she had influence on FDR's policies. She also helped write the draft of the Universial Declaration of Human Rights. Mrs. Roosevelt also helped arrange Marian Anderson, an African American, to to perform at the Lincoln Memorial.

Fr this this week's research, I found a book about Mrs. Roosevelt. I will read and summarize it for next week.

Final Reflection

I think my experience has definitely challenged stereotypes or prejudice. Working with mentally challenged and autistic people has taught me that they are just like a regular person, regardless of any handicaps that they have had. Most people I know have never given them a chance simply because they are a little slower and cant communicate as well. When I volunteer with them, it makes me realize that they have interests, such as basketball, which one boy plays every week without failure.

I think that a lot more needs to be done to help with this situation. Especially, with the autistic kids. People don’t really get them, and will write them off as weird and never understand them. Even though they express them differently than us , they have feelings too. To really help the situation there needs to be more acceptance of their conditions and so on.

Service learning has forever impacted my future behaviors. I will never ignore or make fun of people with these disabilities. Through working with these kids, I have learned to accept them for who they are. Others feel uncomfortable around these people. I’m not going to lie, the first time I volunteer I felt awkward. I have gotten more friendly with these kids and have learned a lot from them.

service learning

This week in service learning we got some work done. We recorded the right way to complete the display for the pictures. In the clip, I pretended to glue something on a poster board, and my partner told me to make sure that everything was straight and placed on the board neatly.

May 9th Meeting

From Service Learning, I learned about what goes into making a display board and a paper for NHD, since I already did a documentary.I learned that i am very shy in front of a camera. I also learned that I like to volunteer. To be honest, if I was in charge of the group, I wouldn't change anything,because it is going really.

Next week, I think we will shoot the right way to do the display board
http://www.nationalhistoryday.org/
http://www.mililanihs.k12.hi.us/trojan_times/Trojan%20Times%20-Web%20Edition-/News%204/22D180DD-3D1D-4628-AD18-EE64EA6A118A.html
http://projectboards.com/history_fair.htm


One group, is helping with homeless people in the city. One is raising money for childhood cancer research. Another group is helping make school look better

service learning

Service Learning Update

Since one of the people playing a person doing the wrong way to do NHD was not in school. So, yesterday our group came into the computer lab and we shot the people doing the right thing sitting at a computer and researching our topic of police brutality

Service Learning

Last week we did a good job. We recorded the section about picking partners. We shot the wrong way. Two people were discussing their NHD and talking about all the fun and partying they would do. We decided that for next week we would shoot the right way with people talking about all the work that they would get done for NHD

Service Learning

For service learning, we did alot of work. We decided the way we were going to teach about NHD was to make a documentary. In the documentary, we will have mini papers, exhibits, and the other types of projects. We chose a topic we are going to do the
mini projects on crooked cops. It was a very long and tedious time,but we dragged though it and i think the documentary will turn out good.

Service Learning

For Service Learning I am in the NHD Survival. On Friday, we came up with the ideas of what we would put in the documentary such as the pros and cons of working with partners and working alone. Deciding whether to do a paper, documentary, display, or a play.

Service Learning

My service learning is going really well. So far I have volunteered around 5 or 6 hours. To be honest, it doesn't feel like work. I enjoy working with the children and they seem glad to have my company. It makes me feel good inside to know that I helped someone. The children I work with really have their own personalities and stay positive despite their disablities(mostly autism).I now see how alike they are to other children who do not have the same problems. I enjoy spending time with them (especially the other day when they had an Easter Egg hunt). I think I will continue to volunteer there even when I have completed my 15 hours.

service learning

So far, I have picked out 5 independent service projects. One is going to the JRA or Jewish Relief Agency. It is a group that donates food to jewish people in Philadelphia. We bag the food and also we deliver the food to the needy. Many of the people are Russian immigrants who desperately need food. The other is at the Northeast Community Center. Once a week on Tuesdays I volunteer with mentally challenged people and play water games with them at the pool. Another idea I had was cleaning up my neighborhood park and adding extra trash cans. Another idea for when it comes around summer time is talk to the kids at my moms school and talk to them about how important it is to read over the summer time. Last but not least, my house is around the corner from Friends Hospital and help them keep the grounds clean.

The two school wide projects I would like to research in depth are sponsoring entrepreneurs in poverty. Another is talking about the dangers in the acid found in batteries. I would like to sponsor a village in Africa. I another idea is to create a public service announcement on AIDS/HIV. I would like to start a candy sale for breast cancer research. Another is a seminar on web safety

NHD Reflection

For my NHD project, I did a group documentary about the Osage Avenue bombing in 1985. First, to start off I think that me and my group did a good job. I can prove this because our project made it to citywide. Some things I am proud of are the research our group did. Personally, I went to the library and looked at the microfilms of the fateful day of the MOVE bombing (May 13,1985). It was a very long project and I think that we sectioned it out well. We didn't get overly stressed and that is a hard thing to do when an entire class grade was at hand.We never had any challenges communicating what we wanted to change or fix in the documentary. I was proud of how our documentary told a story and progressed in time. One challenge however was including the compromise in the documentary Some challenges we faced as a group included the technology aspect of the documentary. One thing our group didn't do well coming up with a compromise about how we would actually do the documentary. Next, the voiceovers were another difficulty. It seemed every time we went somewhere to do the voice overs there was always background. When we presented our project, I realized how bad they sounded. One thing we could have done better are the voiceovers. However, this was my first time working with iMovie and as a group we were not familiar with it. It was a learning process however and it was a good skill to learn. I also learned about the culture of the MOVE group, a subject I was not familiar with before. Going to the Urban Archives was a learning experience Another thing, is we should have planned out the documentary better. Next year, I think I will work by myself on NHD. For me, it is hard to rely on other people and that stress would be eliminated. I would like to do a paper instead of a documentary because personally, I believe it is easier to do.

Gwendolyn Brooks biography

Part 1 – Gwendolyn Brooks was born June 7th, 1917 in Topeka, Kansas. However before she was 6 months old, her family moved to Chicago. When she was seven years old, her mother discovered her talent for writing. Her mom encouraged her writing. Her mom and dad were very strict and didn’t let her play with the neighborhood kids. As a result, she created her own fun by writing stories. At the age of 13, her poem appeared in a children’s magazine. She was a shy child and remained shy throughout her adult life.

Part 2- After graduating high school, she went on to Wilson Junior College. Her early poem appeared in the Chicago Defender. The newspaper was written mostly for African Americans. In 1945 her first book, A Street In Bronzeville was published. Her next book, Annie Allen received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950. Brooks was the first African American to receive this award. She published her first novel, Maud Martha in ’53. 10 years later, she published Selected Poems. That year she also got a job at Columbia College in Chicago. In 1968, she published her next series, In The Mecca. Later that year, she was named poet laureate of Illinois. In 1976, she received the American Academy of Arts and Literature Award, becoming the first African American to win this award. In her lifetime, she has received 50 honorary doctorates from different colleges and universities. She received 2 Guggenheim Fellowships. Also she was Poetry Consultant of the Library of Congress. In 1990 she took a job as an English professor at Chicago State University.

Part 3- In 1967, she went to the Fisk University Writers Conference. She was met by the new generation of African American writers. This was a wake up call for Brooks, she became aware of how other blacks were feeling and started to write about it. She became less worried about form in her poems. Another thing you should know is she lived her whole life on Chicago’s South Side. This had an influence on her writing as one of the most impressive thing about her, was that she was able to capture her experience of growing up in her work.

Part 4- My character has inspired me because she turned everyday life experiences into works of literature. I would like the to be like her because she has achieved something other people may not even dream about. Despite her accomplishments, she remained humble and remembered where she came from.

Final grade in English

Dear Mr. Romero,

I believe my final grade in English should be an A. Here are a few reasons why. First, I complete all my assignments. Secondly, I pay attention in class. Lastly, I am not loud or disruptive.

First, I complete all my assignments. I stay focused and finish all my work. I haven’t turned an assignment in late for English the whole entire year. I take pride in my homework and do it to the best of my ability.

Secondly, I pay attention in class. I make sure I take notes even when it gets tedious. I want to learn, so I feel like I need to pay attention in class. I don’t want to miss anything, so listening is very important.

Lastly, I am not loud or disruptive. Being loud would keep me and other students from learning. I think it is disrespectful to teachers, whose job is to help us learn. Also, I don’t like seeing my teachers angry with my class

In conclusion, I should get an A as my final grade. Here are a few reasons why First, I complete all my assignments. Secondly, I pay attention in all my classes. Lastly, I am not loud or disruptive.
Sincerely,
Nikki Branhut

Should parents hit their kids ?

I don’t believe parents should be allowed to hit their children. The first reason is that there are other methods of punishment. Secondly, it sends children the message that violence is ok. Lastly, children have no way of stopping their parents if it gets out of hand, like in Huckleberry Finn.

Firstly, there are other methods of punishing children. Off the top of my head I can think of several ways. They include taking away privileges (such as TV or computer use). Punishing dies not always have to be physical. In fact, being physical is less effective than other ways of punishment,

The second reason why I believe that hitting children, as punishment is wrong because it sends the message that violence is okay. Children learn by example. If little Johnny’s mom smacked him for being rude the next day he might smack a kid on the playground. Violence is never the answer and children seeing violence used as punishment don’t learn that. You cannot be a functioning member of society if you do not have that value instilled.

Finally, children have no way of stopping their parents if they get out of hand. For example in the story Huckleberry Finn, the main character has a father who is drunk and very abusive towards his son. His father threatens him that if he goes back to school he will beat him. Huck has no way of stopping his dad. He wants to go to school, but has to live in fear of what his father says,” he’s going coming to him”.

In conclusion, parents should not be able to hit their children. There are other methods of punishment. Hitting children teaches them that violence is okay. Lastly, children have no way of stopping their parents if they get out of hand with the beatings.

Should Huckleberry Finn Be Taught At school ?

I believe that the book Huckleberry Finn should be taught in school. Here are a few reasons why; the first reason is that the book is historically accurate. Secondly, the book deals with very important issues that need to be discussed. Thirdly, the book is meant to be a parody.

Firstly, Huckleberry Finn is historically accurate. There is no way around it; in this time period the n word was used. A white boy who was raised in a time of slavery is going to use the word. In the story, it was never used as an insult; it was used simply as a description, like how we would call someone black or white today.

Next, the book deals with important issues that need to be discussed. In the story, racism is something mentioned a lot. Teaching these issues allow to think about something not just read it and forget about it. Another thing talked about is how opinions have changed since then. If we don’t talk about these issues they become the invisible elephant in the room, it’s still there but everyone is ignoring it.


Lastly, the meant to be a parody. The tone of the story is highly ironic. You can see this when you read how different people use different ways of speech When you read the story you realize how highly moronic the people who believe in slavery actually are. This book was a way Mark Twain could convey his own opinions about slavery and Southern culture.


In conclusion, I believe Huckleberry Finn should be taught at school. There are three reasons why .The first is that the book is historically accurate. Secondly the book serves as a discussion point. Thirdly, Huckleberry Finn is a parody. Don’t let this great piece of literature simply because of the language an undedicated character uses.