Wednesday, February 22, 2012

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....



Friday, February 17, 2012

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. 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

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.


Friday, February 3, 2012

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

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

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!


Monday, January 30, 2012

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.