Blog Post #8: Essay Exam Practice - 2

Since the 1980s, there has been “a gradual climb upward in both enrollment and participation” of high school sports. I think this is happening for a few reasons. I think the students want an opportunity to get scholarship money, to meet friends with similar interests, and to get exercise. These three things have influence students all around the world.

The first reason why high school sports have become more common is because you can gain scholarship money. This can be very important to a student graduating. Because our economy is not in the best shape right now, students feel pressure to find other ways to pay for college. A sports scholarship can be very beneficial. Sports scholarships can, based on you abilities, give you a “full ride” to that school. This means that the school will pay for your tuition so that you can play for that school. I think this is a great thing. It allows people who would not be able to pay for college an opportunity to play a sport at the college level while also getting a great education.

The second reason why high school sports have become more common is because you can meet new friends with similar interests. For most high school students, going to a new school can be scary an intimidating. Even though this is true, school sport allow for the students to meet others with the same passion in that sport. Most sports teams have long practices, making the students on the team spend a lot of time together. This helps them become close and become great friends.  High school sports also allow the students to meet older students to help them with the transition from middle school to high school.  Coaches can also become good friends to students in school sports. Because they spend a lot of time with the coaches, the coaches start to help and guide the students throughout their high school careers.

The third reason why high school sports have become more common is because you can get exercise. In the past couple year’s obesity has become a problem in America. This also causes health problems like heart disease and diabetes. With more kids joining school sports, it is allowing kids to get exercise and stay fit. The problem with children now a day is that they are more concerned with video games and the internet instead of going outside to play. The students want a way to stay in shape and get exercise so they feel that by joining a sport, it will push them to stay in shape throughout their high school careers, while also teaching them how to properly stay in shape for the rest of their life.

I think that high school sports have become more common for different reasons. They allow kids to gain scholarships for college, make new friends with similar interests, and also stay fit with exercise. In the future, if there is more of a climb like there is now, there will more positive reasons why students enjoy to participate in high school sports

Blog Post #7: Essay Exam Practice

QUESTION 1: The excerpt below points out, “One in seven children is a bully or the target of a bully.”  In your view, are schools doing enough to address the problem of bullies at school?  Be certain to include specific examples and details in your discussion. 

THESIS 1: I believe that schools aren't doing enough to address the problem of bullies at school. This is because kids are asking for help, they are getting as much punishment for bullying and parents dont stop bullying when they hear about it.

INTRODUCTION 1: I don't think schools are doing enough to stop bullying. I think this because kids are asking for help, who are getting bullied, kids aren't getting as much punishment for bullying, and parents don't stop bullying when they hear about it.

CONCLUSION 1: In conclusion, schools should pay attention to the kids more. They are asking for help, the bullies aren't getting as much punishment and parents aren't doing anything about the problem either

QUESTION 2: The article excerpted below reports the increased involvement of boys and girls in high school athletics.  Why do you think that since the 1980’s high school athletics have seen “a gradual climb upward in both enrollment and participation?”  Explain at least three, but no more than five, reasons in your discussion, and be certain to include specific details and examples.

THESIS 2: I believe that high school students have become more involved with athletics because it keeps them in shape, its an outlet, and they can make friends with the same interest as them.

INTRODUCTION 2: In the past couple decades, more and more students has started to become more involved with school sports. There are a few reason I  I believe this is because it keeps them in shape, its an outlet, and they can make friends with the same interest as them.

CONCLUSION 2: In conclusion, i believe that many students have decided to join a school sports team for a few reasons. They want to stay in shape, have an outlet and lastly meet new friends.

QUESTION 3:The school administrator who wrote the excerpt below states that “our priority must be to focus on the quality of the teachers we hire.”  If you were in charge of hiring high-quality teachers for a school, what characteristics would you seek in your candidates?  Examine at least three, but no more than five, characteristics, and be certain to include specific examples and details in your discussion.

THESIS 3: Teachers should be hired with higher qualities.  They should be a good motivator, a good speaker, and understand ability. 

INTRODUCTION 3: Many teachers are hired without focusing on the quality of the teacher. I think this is completely wrong. I think administrators should hire teachers with good qualities like motivating, well spoken and someone who understand ability.

CONCLUSION 3: In conclusion, I believe that administrators need to focus more hiring someone with good qualities rather than someone who will be able to start as soon as possible. The administrators should focus on characteristics like someone who is motivating, well spoken, and understands ability.

Blog Post #6: Position Paper Prewriting - Research

TOPIC: Are child beauty pageants corrupting children?  

SOURCE 1: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/child-beauty-pageants-pros-and-cons.html

SUMMARY:  The source first  talks about when beauty pageants were started. It also talks about how beauty pageants have changed and are now viewed as very seductive. It tell you what the girls are judge on. Then it gets into the pros of beauty pageants. The article says "At a very young age the child learns discipline, patience and confidence. The pride of standing and modeling in front of an audience instills self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment." An coordinator of beauty pageants says that it should be treated like an everyday extra curricular activity. It is also good because you can win scholarships. The article then explained the cons. It describes what the constant comparing could so to a child's self esteem. The article says "The mothers pressurize their children to work on their appearance to look like a barbie doll. The cost of entering a child beauty pageant is quite expensive. The cost includes entry fees, training program, accommodation and hair and make-up services by a professional." The article ends saying that child beauty pageants will always be something to debate over.


SOURCE 2: http://www.ehow.com/info_8134648_pros-cons-child-beauty-pageants.html


SUMMARY:This source says that competition can be healthy for children because it can teach them that they will not always be winners. On the other side, it says that the competition can get very serious and other more serious competitors can make you seem like you still can't win. It then goes into the topic of stucture and discipline. The girls are taught to be on a set schedule for eating and practicing. Athough it will teach them structure, this can be bad because the girls may feel as if they have no time on their hands to hang out with friends. It then gets into family support. It states that these competitions bring a family together to cheer on their little one. The article states that money is also a big aspect. "Parents will have to pay for travel, specialized training (such as a vocal coach) and for each costume or talent prop their child needs in order to compete." The last component discussed is their physical and mental health. It says that beauty pagents "promote self confidence and a positive body image" Some of the girls get too caught up with the pressure and can develop problems like depression or anxiety because of the competitive atmosphere. Also many competitors use unhealthy dieting to be a "perfect size"

SOURCE 3: http://beauty-pageants.creative-elearning.com/Pros_and_Cons_of_Child_Beauty_Pageants.php


SUMMARY: This article's main points were just bases on the pros and cons of beauty pageants. "Women who participate in beauty pageants have a once in a lifetime chance to earn a lot of money which they can use for many things and one of them is college." This describes one of the pros of pageants. It also says that even if you don't win you gain other things like "public speaking and interviewing skills, learning time management and most importantly, how to main pose and grace when you are under pressure." These things can be put onto your college applications. Some of the cons say that you will be very busy and you may not have time for your friends and family. It also says that the effects of losing in a beauty pageants can bring out insecurities. "In the end, the one who will join the beauty pageant is you daughter, not you so respect her decision whatever it is." 

SOURCE 4: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-baby-beauty-pageants.htm


SUMMARY: This article is mainly based on parents entering their babies into beauty pageants. One problem that was discussed was that the babies are too little to have a say or understand what they are doing. In the article, they also discussed how much money the pageants cost and how it is a waste because the babies are so little. Another disadvantage is that some parents are overly competitive and get carried away. 

SOURCE 5: http://www.articledoctor.com/eating-disorders/eating-disorders-and-beauty-pageants---short-stories-on-eating-disorders-and-beauty-pageants-2150


SUMMARY: This article talks about how beauty contest are mainly based on looks and partially on talent and personality. "Women who aim to take part in beauty pageants or those who have already won continue to diet to the point of harming themselves. Most models and beauty queens suffer from some form of eating disorder." This article continues to talk about the problems the contestants have with their weight. Many girls start pageants when they are younger so the constant problems with their weight starts earlier. "Malnutrition sets in their body sometimes at the young age of 14 or 16." Most beauty contestants should be healthy role models but that is rarely the case in pageants.

Blog Post #5: Position Paper Prewriting - Topic

CHILD BEAUTY PAGENTS
PROS:

-They can earn scholarships

-Can gain confidence and be comfortable around big crowd

-Make new friends

- Teach kids to be gracious winners and good losers (learn the aspects of rules and playing fairly)

CONS:

-If they don't win, they might take it personally and get hurt feelings

-Child pageants are time consuming

-Little girls are wearing make up and tanning which they are too young for

-Child pageants can be very expensive

- Pageant moms can be pretty nasty 

STEM CELL RESEARCH:

Pros:

-Help treat a range of medical problem
-Adult stem cells would not be that interesting because they do not have the same properties as stem cells from a fetus
-Outcome overpowers ethical issues

Cons:

-Ethical issues of scientific work on aborted fetuses did not justify the possible benefits

-A fertilized egg should be valued as a human life

-Can lead to knowledge on how to clone humans

-Develop more ethical methods (such as using adult stem cells)

Blog Post #4: Rhetorical Analysis Prewriting

ASPCA Ad:

Logos: 

-says a statistic
-says 60 cents won't be worth anything so put it towards the ASPCA

Ethos: 

-shows credibility by the name (i.e. ASPCA)

-uses Sarah McLachlan, a celebrity, to show that if she has time to worry about the animals and so something, then so can other people

Pathos: 

-makes you want to help the animals

-shows a dog sitting behind a gate looking like he is sad

CoverGirl Ad:

Logos:

-it says "doesn't compare to the other $180 dollar make up"

Ethos:

-uses Taylor Swift, a young celebrity to help get a younger demographic to start using the product
-each time a new type of make up comes out, they use a new and more popular celebrity for the new ad

Pathos: 

-she is smiling, showing happiness, which you connect with using the product

Blog Post #3: Memoir Prewriting-Setting the Scene

It was about 8 o' clock on a Saturday night. The sky was dark rich blue with little dots of white and fluffs of clouds. We had just pulled up to the hotel where my friend was having her birthday party. My sister was calm and collected as usual while we unpacked the car of over night bags. On the other hand, I'm flustered and stressed about where we should put the bags on the curb and thinking about how I can find free parking. I was worried because I didn't have any money on me and parking near the hotel was $20 I asked my sister if she wanted me to go find parking or if she wanted to. She said,
"I'll go upstairs and you can go find the parking."
As I start up the car, I watch my sister open the doors to the hotel and walk in to me my friend. I slowly drive off into the street and start to look for any signs that say, "Free Parking" As I am driving down the road, I start to get frustrated because I can't find any signs. Suddenly, I pull up to stop sign that says I can only make a right turn. Without thinking or looking around me for sighs, I see myself taking the wrong exit and ending up in D.C. While I'm driving,I decide to pull out my GPS to help me at least get back to the hotel. Although I hate when people use their phones while driving, I knew that this was a necessary moment. I took out my Blackberry and watched the screen appear with the words VZ Navigator. Thankfully the address was already punched into my phone from earlier. I quickely went to "Resent searches" and then clicked the hotel's address. Right as I click the address, I look up and see the big green sign saying, "Pentagon". I finally realized that I took myself all the way to D.C. While looking at the map, I start to get confused about which street I am supposed to turn onto next. I realized that I should just take the nearest exit and try to get back to the hotel from there. Right as I get off the exit, I reach a constuction zone that has all these orange and yellow signs. Right as I start to figure out where I am, in comparison to the GPS, I see a sign that says detour. As I follow the signs, my GPS starts to get confused with the direction it is trying to take me, and it freezes.While I am still looking at my GPS and trying to unfreeze my phone, I suddenly see a bright white flash taking a picture of my car. I also hear about five car horns honking repeatidly. Right as I look up, I see that I just ran a red light. I look in my rear-view mirror to see if the light on the opposite side was also red, and of course, it was. Looking at that little red circle in my rear-view mirror is an image that I still freak out about when I visualize it in my head. Although I didn't get caught by the cops, I pull over to the curb on K Street. I turn my car off and start to panic. I knew I was going to get a ticket later on in the mail, but the real problem was that the car I was driving, wasn't my car. It was my mom's car. I call my sister and thankfully she calms me down.
"Jasmine, are you pulled over", she says in a calm voice.
"Yeah, I can't believe I just ran a red light! Mom is going to kill me!" I reply franticlly.
"Forget about mom right now, that is just going to stress you out more. I'm sure she will understand once you explain it to her." she says, continuing in an even calmer voice.
"Now look at the GPS...are you looking?"
"Yes." I said.
"Carefully figure out where you need to go and find the roads. Just calm down and you will figure it out.
"Okay, I will, I'll see you in a few. Bye."
After I heard the phone call end, I take a few deep breaths and figure out where I need to go.
After an hour or so of wandering the streets of D.C, I find my way back to the hotel. Although I found my way back safely to the hotel, I never found any free parking.

Blog #2: Memoir Prewriting Complication

I had just dropped off my sister at the hotel where my friend was having her birthday party sleepover. I told my sister to go upstairs to the room while I went to look for free parking, because I didn't have any money to be paying for $20 parking. As I am driving down the road, I start to get frustrated because I can't find any free parking. In the blink of an eye, I see myself taking the wrong exit and ending up in D.C. While I'm driving,I decide to pull out my GPS to help me at least get back to the hotel. I finally get all the information put in and start to follow the GPS. While looking at the map, I start to get confused about which street I am supposed to turn onto next. While I am still looking at my GPS, I suddenly see a bright white flash taking a picture of my car. Right as I look up, I see that I just ran a red light. Although I didn't get caught by the cops, I pull over and start to panic. I knew I was going to get a ticket later on in the mail, but the real problem was that the car I was driving, wasn't my car. It was my mom's car. I call my sister and thankfully she calms me down. She tells me to look at the GPS now and carefully figure out where I need to go. After an hour or so of wandering the streets of D.C, I find my way back to the hotel. Although I found my way back safely to the hotel, I never found any free parking.