Colorado...

So I'm hanging out in Colorado for my cousin's missionary homecoming. And it's 70 degrees... That's crazy.

This is a picture of me and my brother. He is still at the age that it's still cool to miss me. Too bad my other siblings aren't. 

Writing and Research Lab

So going into the lab was kind of helpful. I found another article to use that works really well. If I had more questions then I think that it would have been more helpful. They mostly went over what we did in the library on Friday and Monday but in a little more detail. Anyway I'm off to go take a test...

Happy Friday everyone :)

I might just use these...

What's Math got to do with it?- Book

The Teaching Gap- Book

Classroom Environment- Psychology of Classroom Learning: An Encyclopedia

Majoring in Math not always a Classroom Plus- Magazine

Thesis- Need for change

Although some people have gone through the same math programs throughout school and have done well, mathematics education in the US needs to change because the US is becoming further and further behind other countries in math.

My roommate and I like math... Just a little bit 

The goal was to write 0-20 using only 4 4's. Here is 1-10 and we ran out of room.

Trying to Find a Topic...

1. Changing how math is taught in school (Why do most math classes work in silence? What are some other ways that math is taught in school besides just copying off the board? Should people really be separated in math levels?)

2. Christopher Columbus (Why do so many people think that he is bad? What is the Church's view on him?)

3. Why lemon aid stands shouldn't be illegal. (okay so probably not this one... (Why is it important for children to work and to earn their own money?)

So I'm not sure about these... So it might be totally random. I guess we will see.

More than your weight... "Food for Thought"

Each year people decide to lose weight for their New Year’s resolution. Many sites have had pictures like this floating around, trying to “motivate” people. These pictures show how much society is focused on the size of someone rather than what the person is actually like. Amy Reeves’ blog post focuses on how this needs to be changed, how pictures like this are not the way to motivate people, and that our bodies are miracles.

“Food For Thought” is an effective argument to persuade women to see their bodies as beautiful and not try to make their bodies something that they can’t be. It uses pictures to draw emotions, personal stories, and strong words to create a feeling that what we see in the mirror is not what matters most. The author asks a couple of questions in her post to make the audience think. “Who has the right to tell a little girl that she is not the right shape?” “What right does my weight have to control my happiness?” These two questions are two of the main points of her paper.

The first thing seen on Amy’s blog are the pictures that prompted her blog post. These pictures show images of skinny girls and what the “ideal” weight and body type is, along with words and phrases like “So are those fries really worth it?” The author argues that this is not okay and she feels very strongly about it. She goes on to say that it is important to eat healthy but some junk food is okay. Her argument is food is not a sin and that we need to enjoy our life and not focus on the “perfect body.” The images fill the audience with negative emotions because most people cant be that skinny, even if they tried really hard. They would feel disappointment in themselves and shame when looking at these tiny girls. Because they are pictures they can be photo shopped, so it is possible that no one could be really that skinny. They feel guilt when they eat whatever they want to eat. They know they can’t be that skinny so it makes them not even want to try. These pictures are pushing people away from trying to live a healthy life style. These pictures don’t give an option of being normal for the person’s body type. When the audience sees the pictures, they hope that these aren’t really pictures going around the Internet. They also hope that people aren’t that shallow and that weight isn’t that important. She wants the audience to dislike the pictures and their purpose.

Her use of personal stories helps her connect with the audience, letting them know that she has been in that situation so she knows what she is talking about. She knows that when she is trying to keep in shape, she feels better and when she is being lazy and eating unhealthy she feels sick. It makes her seem on the audience’s level and leads to them trusting her more. Everyone who has been on a diet knows how much better they feel after they start eating right. So the audience knows that she actually tries to make a difference with her diet but doesn’t go extreme like the pictures in her blog suggest people do. Amy talks about when she was younger she felt very self-conscious about her weight and how she looked. It makes the audience feel sorry for her as a little girl and many people will connect to that. The feelings and emotions she describes many people, especially women, have all felt. She says in her post, “I remember… turning bright red when I had to order a bigger sized school t-shirt than the rest of my friends.” Many people can identify with feeling different than everyone else, so it connects her to the audience. It doesn’t matter if they have had the exact experience because it shows that the person writing is normal. She is not someone preaching to her audience; she knows what being a heavier girl is like. When she connects with the audience then they are more willing to think about what she is saying about her paper. People are more willing to listen to a friend in situations like this, rather than someone that they barely know. Through her style of writing she becomes relatable and more like a friend.

Amy uses strong words to say that the American culture is teaching children that the outside is more important than the inside. She shares her feelings of when she held her niece for the first time. She says, “I can't stand the thought of this new and perfect baby being thrown into a world that will tell her all of the reasons why she shouldn't think she is perfect.” She has so much feeling in these paragraphs, that even if you don’t think that this is important, you can tell that she feels strongly about it.  She uses strong words, like “I can’t stand”, to show her emotion rather than just saying something like, “it is sad that...” This effectively shows the audience that she cares about what she is talking about. When someone realizes that the author cares, they are more likely to listen and actually change. If she didn’t care about what she was writing about, she wouldn’t be able to write anything important about her topic.

The author also compares the idea of being super skinny to the women who put rings around their neck to make them longer. Many people don’t see that as beauty and she wants her readers to realize that anything that harms them should not be considered beautiful. Amy points out that when people are anorexic, they are not healthy. They have many problems with their bodies, all for the sake of an idea of beauty. She shows a connection between the bizarre type of beauty of the longer neck and the skinny bodies of models and it makes the audience realize that if it is unhealthy, it shouldn’t be considered pretty. This pushes people away from wanting to be that skinny, which is one of the points of her writing this post.

Amy puts many words in quotes or bold them to put emphasis on something and to use a sarcastic tone. This shows what she thinks is most important and this carries on to the readers. Some examples are “motivational” and “We will never be skinny enough.” When it is placed in bold or underlined is almost like shouting something to the audience. The quotes also put a sarcastic edge to the sentence. Putting it in quotes shows that it is not what she thinks, but instead it is what others think. So these “motivational” pictures in her mind are anything but and people can tell by her writing. Also the phrase “food is not a sin” is one of her major points and is bolded so it is easily seen. This lets her audience know that this is what she thinks is the most important thing in her paper. If the audience doesn’t get anything else, the author wants them to know that she disagrees with what the pictures at the top stand for.

At the end of her paper Amy challenges her audience to start a change about how the world feels about bodies. She uses a quote from Gandhi, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." She says that she believes that most people truly do believe that what is on the outside is not as important that is on the inside, and that people just need to let others know. It calls the audience to help change how the world feels about the issue. It is not a flaw in a person to be heavier, and the American society need to help one another realize that. Her article points this out, through her words and her pictures, to shock people and make them realize that their bodies are indeed wonderful.

Reflections...

So I like the Rhetorical Analysis better than the Opinion Editorial paper... I'm okay with not being as creative. I really liked looking at others blogs and seeing what they do. I really liked the blog I chose to analyze. The writing center wasn't as helpful this time but it was still good. The peer review was also really helpful.

My roommate took this in Salt Lake.

Peer Review vs Peer Review

I liked the second review for our RA better than the first. I liked how there was more than one view point when we were reviewing our paper. I also liked how we had more time to actually read and think about what we are going to say. I really liked all the comments written down on the paper. The extra time to look at the other papers was definitely the thing I appreciated the most.

One thing I liked better about the Opinion Editorial review was that it was one on one and we could go into more detail. I don't know if I feel that way because I was the last one to go for the RA but I felt like I talked more about my questions about what the other person was saying with the first.

Now I'm off to do a paper for math....

Worries about Bread... Part 2

Funny story- Last time we had a free blog post I talked about how we just got a bread machine and how it never works out for us. 

This is our attempt number... I've lost count actually. My roommate forgot the yeast.

We have problems. 

The sad thing is that one of my roommates ate most of it anyway. 

Figurative Language

Tone: She uses quotes and words to make the end of the blog post uplifting and inspiring. It makes the reader want to do something to change. 

"You hear that Gandhi quote thrown around all of the time: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." So, it starts with me."

Pictures: She uses the pictures that she is arguing against to prove her point that we really shouldn't care about being "perfect." It creates a negative feeling towards them

Rhetorical questions: She asks why does our weight matter so much to the world, and what can we do to change it. 

She describes her awkward years so that we can picture it and we know what she was going through. 

Inner Beauty

“Food For Thought” is an effective argument to persuade women to see their bodies as beautiful how they are and not try to make their bodies something that they cant be. It uses pictures to draw emotions, personal stories, and strong words to create a feeling that what we see in the mirror is not what matters most.

Link. Link. And another link

So these are my three ideas for my Rhetorical Analysis.


The first one is about how we should be proud of our body and that it doesn't matter what our weight is. She is talking to all girls, not just the ones who have trouble with their weight.  

Link

This one the writer is a Member of the Church. He is writing to other members of the church saying that we should be kinder and less judgmental. It is a really good paper.

Link

This third one is a girl who is trying to prove that she isn't a hipster. It is kinda hilarious. She is mainly talking to her friends who have been giving her a hard time lately.

Link

Reflections

I liked my topic for my Opinion Editorial but I had so many ideas for it that it was hard to connect them sometimes. The Writing Center really helped me, and I kind of wish that I had gone earlier because it would have saved me from some frustration. Having other look at my work was also very helpful. The peer review went well. I don't like expressing my opinions on things so this paper was a challenge for me at times. But most of the time I really enjoyed writing it and the blog part of it made it so much better. I  have decided that like blog posts a lot better than writing a paper.

Here is one more Marching Band video. Hope you enjoy!

The Benefits of Music

Music helps with learning and in many other aspects of everyday life. Every child, especially LDS children, growing up needs to be in some sort of music program: for example, band, orchestra, choir or private lessons. Being involved helps them learn faster and become well rounded children. Music inspires people and lets them express their emotions. It is vital part of our lives as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Music enhances creativity and helps them learn and understand. Music Educators Journal, September, 2000 says, “On the 1999 SAT, music students continue to outperform their non-arts peers, scoring 61 points higher on the verbal portion and 42 points higher on the math portion of the exam.” There are many stories of this type of thing happening. People who play music often find patterns in problems that others would not notice. They come up with more creative and efficient ways to remember and find answers. Finding patterns—a common method musicians use—helps students with learning math, which is often one of the hardest subjects for students.

One argument that many make against learning how to play an instrument is that there is time taken out of class to learn that could be used for other subjects. However, United Musical Instruments USA, Inc., 1995 says, “A study showed student absence from class to study a musical instrument does not result in lower academic achievement.  They found no difference in academic achievement between sixth grade students who were excused from class for instrumental study and those who were not, matching variables of sex, race, IQ, cumulative achievement, school attended, and classroom teacher.” This study shows that even though these students took time out to go play the instrument, they can easily still keep up with the other students. 

It is obvious that learning how to play an instrument has no negative effect on the overall learning experience. In fact, it actually improves children’s learning abilities. It aids in brain functioning because playing music uses various brain functions at the same time. Hearing, sight, memory, and motor control are used every time you play an instrument. In Marching Band you must learn well how to memorize the pieces you play. If you don’t have your music memorized, it is hard to play and march at the same time. Multi-tasking is a skill that uses more of your brain. The year in high school that I didn’t do marching band was the hardest year for me to memorize because I did not have the practice that had had before.

This is my roommate at a talent show. She was playing a piece that she had memorized a few years before.

Because music helps with memory, teachers may make up songs to help memorize something. In one of my high school math classes we would make up songs to help memorize things. This technique made math so much easier for everyone in the class. Songs in primary also have a similar purpose. The songs teach basic doctrines in ways children can remember. I still have most of the Scripture Mastery memorized from Old and New Testament because our teacher used songs to help us memorize. On the other hand, for Book of Mormon and D&C we rarely used the songs and I barely remember them. If children were in a music class, the more they would turn to songs to help with memory like I did.

This is one example of a song made to help with memory-

Music has always been huge part of the LDS Church. It helps the Saints worship and inspires people to improve. “Music can set an atmosphere of worship that invites the spirit of revelation, of testimony.” President Boyd K. Packer said. I’m not saying that everyone needs to be perfect at singing but I do believe everyone should have the basic knowledge of the notes. Music classes teach you how to better stay with the beat and give you more confidence. If more people had some type of music lessons then many would not be as scared to sing in front of people.

Being in a band, orchestra or choir also gives you many leadership experiences. Having these leadership opportunities will help later in life when looking and applying for a job. It teaches children to be responsible for themselves and others. It also makes them work as a team.

Another reason it is important to learn how to play an instrument or to sing is that it helps us better understand ourselves. Being part of a choir or play an instrument helps children express their emotions as they grow up. It makes us appreciate the work that the artists put into a piece of music and recognize why so many people may love it. After taking a music class last semester my feelings about certain music changed drastically. I was able to better understand what the composer was trying to do and the feelings they were trying to convey to the listener.

Music is everywhere. We hear it almost constantly: in restaurants, on the street, in church and many other places. Some can’t study with out music. It is a useful tool that allows us to detach from the world and let us feel emotions that we otherwise could not. Happy songs can improve our mood and many even bring us to tears. It sparks imagination and helps us use both sides of the brain. Participating in a music group would not only help the musician, but also inspire children everywhere.

Worries about Bread

A post about anything? Good thing that I'm really creative. Okay, here it goes.

We have a bread maker and EVERY time we make bread in it, something goes wrong.

See below

This was our first attempt. It looks like a brain, or that someone tried to torture it.

Our second attempt we took it out of the bread machine to bake it and it kind of worked. It still had a little bit of that tortured look to it.

Third attempt it stuck to the bottom of the pan and we couldn't get it out. We sat there hacking away at it for a half hour and when you can smell fresh bread, a half an hour is way too long.

I think we have problems. It is really quite frustrating. 

Oh what to do? 

Ethos, Logos, and Pathos

Looking through my paper I realized how much Ethos, Logos and Pathos are inter-connected.

Ethos

I use a quote in my paper from the Music Educators Journal to help the reader understand that I know what I am talking about. It also gives the reader another source to look to.

Logos

In my paper I explain why having music in a child’s life is important. I use facts and have specific reasons to why it is important to be part of a choir, band or orchestra.

Pathos

I use an experience from my own life and explain how music has helped my memory. This also could be under Ethos because it shows that I have actually been through this process myself.  

Anyways this is a drumline who won State back home a couple years ago. Sorry if the movie is bad, none of the recordings are that great... 

Claim, Reasons, Assumptions

Main Claim:

Music groups help students in other subjects and help them become more well rounded.

Reasons:

Helps with memory

Gives leadership opportunities

Makes them feel part of something

Helps them learn

Assumptions:

People want to be smarter and have better memories.

Leadership opportunities are helpful

Another picture from my band, there is a lot of them