• I set an example for others during class by taking risks and going out of my comfort zone by sharing my thoughts because it starts a more interesting conversation. I am a conscientious learner because I openly share and debate my opinions in class to encourage my classmates to open up. During Friday circles and classroom discussions I take risks by sharing my thoughts without worrying about what others will say. I go outside my comfort zone in sharing thoughts because many of the topics we read about provoked interesting conversations. In the beginning of the year I did not use my class time as effectively as I should have. However, during the year I increased my production in class and engaged with my classmates.

• I always intended to meet homework requirements and to be prepared for class. However, my home environment and personal losses affected my ability to get the work done to my own expectations. This was a difficult year for me and although I always tried to meet homework requirements, and to be prepared for class, I often let myself down. I did take ownership of my learning by always getting the work done, even if it was a little late.

• I could improve on motivating others to stay on task because there were times this year when I fell off tasks and might have taken others off task too. This was never my intention. I have battled a lot of personal issues but did some work I was very proud of in the class. The grade I have in Aeries is a 2.95, if I had allowed myself to be consumed by my challenges this grade could easily have been lower. I had to work twice as hard to stay focused and on track.

• I have a strong desire to grow in reading and writing that goes beyond what is assigned in class. I have high aspirations for after high school and I know that reading and writing skills are important in almost every career.

• I will work on growing my reading comprehension skills and developing a deeper connection to the readings. I always try to work on my writing beause I know it is very important for my future in business or science.

I initiate and participate in a range of collaborative discussions by reaching out to include others, asking questions to clarify understanding, asking follow-up questions to motivate further explanation or to challenge ideas, and I ask and respond to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas in the world.

I have shown these qualities in my JRP panel discussions and in our classroom discussions for the entire semester. I do try to connect my thoughts and ideas to those presented by classmates. In Friday circles I try to encourage others to to share and to actively listen to their perspective. I am always respectful to shared thoughts, even when I disagree, and I continue learning how to respectfully respond to diverse perspectives.

My grade is a 3.25 in Aeries, however, I feel like I have participated at a higher level because I try to support alternate ideas, protect people who are getting attacked for their ideas, and I never put classmates down for the ideas and thoughts they share.

I will work harder to be more supportive of alternate ideas because I have realized that, agree or disagree, the ideas we talk about in Friday circles help strenghten my analysis of claims and counterclaims. I will make more connections between my ideas and my classmates ideas.

Read closely to comprehend texts of above grade-level complexity, identifying and analyzing ambiguities and complexities.

My left arm. . . . and much of the comfort and security I had not valued until it was gone. . . . They asked, “Who hurt you?” My attention was captured by the word they used: Hurt. As though I’d scratched my arm. Didn’t they think I knew it was gone?” (Butler, p 9). The meaning of the opening lines of Kindred became clearer throughout the book, even an educated African-American in 1976 felt permanently disfigured by slavery and society sees it only as a harmless scratch.

The opening lines of the book seem to be referring to just the loss of a limb, however, when I skimmed the book again for quotations the opening lines took on a whole new complexity.

Use other texts from the author or relevant author to support a reading.

In making the connection between slavery and current educational inequities I used appropriate text from another author to support my reading. Access to quality education still suffers from inequality. “It was dangerous to educate slaves, they warned. Education made blacks dissatisfied with slavery. It spoiled them for field work.” (Butler, pp. 236-37). Kindred, illustrated how education was withheld from slaves to keep them from wanting more than enslavement. However, the denial of education did more than that, it made slaves think that they were somehow unfit for education and that they did not deserve to be educated. The educational system still supports the academic success of rich students who have access to the best teachers and resources and is continuing this educational inequality. “Right now, there exists an almost ironclad link between a child’s ZIP code and her chances of success.”

Provide evidence from varying and non-obvious parts of the text to support an analysis

Affirmative action can provide equity to those applying to colleges or for some jobs, but it doesn’t close the education gap, especially the education gap in elementary and high schools. When Nigel says to Dana, “Why you try to talk like white folk?” (Butler, p 74), I wonder if some slaves would have rejected affirmative action too? They might be afraid of losing the connection to their culture, not trusting the government that allowed slavery, or suspicious of teachings. In this clip from my Kindred essay I connected a non-obvious quote from the book to support my analysis that affirmative action alone could not bring educational equality.

I will work harder next year to find better and stronger evidence to support my analysis, especially the outside sources I use. I will need to speed even more time drawing inferences from the text, so I need to leave more time for reading the entire text possibly a second time.

Use specific rhetorical devices to support assertions (ethos, pathos, and logos).

ETHOS example - Early in the article Crawford introduces herself as “a journalism professor at the University of Connecticut, who has “studied the misinformation around the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.” As the reader of this article, these statements established the author’s credibility as a reliable source.

PATHOS example - Then Crawford uses the horrible imagery of parents “faking their children’s deaths,” “allegations they were part of a sex cult,” and politicians “public denial of that Sandy Hook and other mass shooting” ever happened. This imagery was an effective emotional appeal, showing the extreme measures that those trying to undermine ethical and reliable news sources will take to cloud reality.

LOGOS example - Crawford then presents the opposing point of view with information that the “conspiracy theorists accused family members of those killed, survivors of the shooting, religious leaders, neighbors, and first responders of being part of a government plot.” To me, the idea that survivors and victims' families could be responsible for, or staging, their own tragedies defies logic, and pulls me toward her skepticism, even rejection, of news found on social media.

The above examples are from the Fall Final where I used the specific rhetorical devices of ethos, pathos, and logos to analyze the authors article.

Concede thoughtful points to the counterargument.

My example is from my JRP counterargument. - Tripp claims that the changes in Earth's climate are normal, recurrent fluctuations and that it would take another 150 years to know if climate change is actually a man-made event, so no one should be alarmed. This claim is somewhat correct about the natural variability in the weather; however, we have seen an exponential increase that has no natural explanation. Mass extinctions have been linked to increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels long before man walked the earth and began burning fossil fuels (Another Link). However, climate changes experienced today are occurring more rapidly and widespread than at any other time in the history of Earth, and the inhabitants of Earth have previously never caused atmospheric pollution. So, rising temperatures are a meaningful indicator of climate change. I conceded that their claim does have evidence that supports the cycle of extreme weather and warmer temperatures from a supporting export, however, then I but put holes in their argument.

Use reasoning and relevant and significant evidence to make and support a claim when analyzing a topic. Example -

Humans are the leading cause of climate change, and it is affecting our planet in many harmful ways. For example, if we reduce the production of greenhouse gasses, we can reduce the severity of the impacts of climate change. "Concentrations of the key greenhouse gasses have all increased since the industrial revolution due to human activities. Carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide concentrations are more abundant in the earth's atmosphere now than in the last 800,000 years (Causes of Climate Change)."

Next year I will try to use college-level or other advanced sources to ground both sides of the argument to make in-depth connections to the material. I need to dig deeper.

Identify the political and moral biases of your sources and discuss that in their use.

An example of political bias from my JRP is - Other critics of climate change make the issue political, claiming that Democrats are creating panic and fear to support the solar and wind energy companies that support their campaigns and to profit off the fear directly. "Al Gore has made over $100 million from his movie, book, and lectures" (Hertzberg). These claims are an attempt to shift momentum away from carbon emission legislation and to protect the profits of carbon-emitting industries.

After source evaluation, make informed decisions and solve problem(s).

The conclusion from my JRP provides an informed decision to solve the problem - example - Climate change will continue to negatively impact our environment, our food, and our lives. Different forms of transportation, other thanCO₂ producing gas power vehicles, are readily available and can help slow climate change immediately. If every individual does a little to help fix the greenhouse gas problems we are currently experiencing, the problems will begin to lessen.

Make in-depth inferences and applications that go beyond what was taught, such as incorporating elements of narrative and informative/explanatory writing into arguments when appropriate for purpose, audience, and context.

In the short story, "Everything Stuck to Him" I made in-depth inferences using literary lenses about the characters that went beyond what was in the story. Example - I believe that both literary lenses would infer the time period of the story within the story taking place at the beginning of the women’s rights movement, and the more current story about 20 years later. Further, both lenses support the theme that everyone has to grow up sometime. The feminist lens empahsizing that this was more difficult for the man to achieve. Both lenses are generally supportive, the feminist lenses supportive of equal duties and a female voice, and the historicist lens supportive of relationships moving toward the elimination of defined gender roles. While both lenses provide a critical eye of the struggle to commit to the responsibilities of parenthood, the evolution of the characters provided a resolution to this criticism.

Next year I will try to take my research or observations and make recommendations for future projects. I think I need to better recognize the limits of my research early in the research process so I can improve both for the current and future projects.

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence (e.g. reflective, historical investigation, research on specific controversies).

Through historical investigation I presented a clear and distinct perspective to the origin of global warming - example -

Before climate change was an issue, the industrial revolution took place from 1760 to 1840. The industrial revolution was the transition away from an agricultural or resource-based economy to an economy based on mass manufacturing in Great Britain, Europe, and the United States. Massive factories released pollution and greenhouse gas emissions which impacted the atmosphere and accelerated the devastating effects of climate change. . . . There was a second industrial revolution from 1870 to 1910, when fertilizers, chemicals, and electricity were used to further agricultural production and human conveniences. The increased industrialization brought even more pollution and new causes of climate change (ibid). After World War II, the Office of Naval Research began funding many fields of science and, by doing so, helped the understanding of climate change.

Plan and present an argument that supports a precises claim; provides a logical sequence for claims, counterclaims, and evidence and uses rhetorical devices to support assertions (ethos, pathos, and logos).

From my Kindred essay, the precise claim (Access to a quality education is still unequal,) supported my argument that (the attempts to equalize the education gap have struggled) , and I used a logical sequence to present (new perspectives on the problem are dedicated to creating equality in education.) - see complete excerpt below.

Access to a quality education is still unequal, the attempts to equalize the gap have struggled, however, new perspectives on the problem are dedicated to creating equality in education. Unfortunately, the vaccine to end the racial education pandemic relies on the acceptance that equality for all in education will not create more competition for the best jobs, but that it will create more and better jobs for everyone. The claims, counterclaims, and evidence were logical and presented using experts (ethos), created emotional connections to the characters (pathos), and were easy to follow (logos). Next year I will work to expand the use of rhetoricl devices.

Next year I will work on sequencing better and going deeper into emotional impacts. When I am doing the homework I often struggle getting my ideas in a logical order that builds up my arguement. I think I need to build better outlines before I start writing because that will give me the opportunity to look at claim or theme from different perspectives and evaluate better before I start writing.

Determine two or more themes and or central ideas of a grade appropriate text.

Happiness comes from going after your passion not trying to make as much money as possible at a job you hate.

Trying to be liked can have negative effects on the way you are perceived from others.

For Death of a Salesman I had to determine 2 themes for each section of reading.In this section it was about following your passion and being happy with yourself.

Identify the complexities and ambiguities the themes and central ideas raise.

This theme continues in this section of reading because it becomes apparent that Willy has done so much to try and make money and provide a better life for his family. However, in the end Willy gets screwed over and has to borrow money to pay the bills. If his business was a passion, and didn’t work for just money, he would be more inclined to go to work whether he was making money or not. Willy wouldn’t have a lot of the problems he is facing.

I described how the theme related to the book and how it is shows through Willy's character.

Explain how alternate themes could be argued for and why they're less convincing.

Theme - Trying to be liked can have negative effects on the way you are perceived from others.

Alternate theme - In this section of reading it kind of goes against the theme because it talks about how Biff doesn’t care what others think of him and people think he is crazy. So I guess it comes down to a balance that you can’t be a pushover and try to be validated by everyone else, but you also can’t just leave your job and act any way you want at work. The alternate theme of living your life to please only yourself also doesn't bring happiness is less convincing because Biff seems to have what he wants or he takes it. Biff's character begins to see his flaws, but his attempt to bring his father out of the life of lies leads to his father's death.

Next year I will work harder to determine themes and to analyze how the themes relate to characters and how different themes create conflict. I don't exactly meet the standard because even though I do talk about how the section of reading goes against the theme, and I have an alternate theme to compare to my original one, I think I need deeper insight into the author's purpose or message.