Thursday, December 20, 2012

Classroom Post 24

Thursday, December 20, 2012

So tomorrow is the last day before vacation and I'm not entirely sure if I can make it, so let's see if I can do this post properly. Yesterday we took a ton of notes about a battle in the civil war. I kinda forget which one it was, but I know that it resulted in the Union forces running 25 miles back to a safe place after cadets from the Virgina (?) Military Academy showed up on the scene as the Southern forces retreated and thoroughly kicked our butts.
Today in class we had to look for information from websites on our phones to fill out sheets about the battle of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. My group had Vicksburg, but half of us just sat their the whole time because we didn't have devices. Then we had to rush to write it all down on a long piece of paper so i didn't even get a chance to get the answers from the rest of my group. It was crazy.

I still fee like sharing some of my amazing quotes. I'd pull one out of my quote book but I can't seem to find it right now, so Imma just recite the quote  i have memorized from Lord of the Rings ^_^

"Three rings for the elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for mortal men, doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.
One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them,
One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie."


Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Classroom Post 23

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

In class yesterday, we had another QR code scavenger hunt. It was very intense. Our group was named "Team Avatar" and we kept missing two battle names, but SOMEBODY wouldn't tell us which two. So we continued to triple check every answer, which all fit, and got very frustrated. We still had lots of fun though, so it was okay. I just wanna know what the correct answers were.

Today we read about and discussed the right that says you can't be held for no reason or without a charge, and how it was abused in the Civil War era. Apparently, Honest Abe said it didn't apply in the war time and arrested people for speaking out against the war against the South. People were arrested for things they said publicly, which is completely illegal considering the Freedom of Speech and Press part of the Bill of Rights. So, yeah, it didn't work out well.

And I really liked posting quotes, and I thought of this today in class because the discussion had turned to "does the end justify the means." The following is a mini song from the musical Into the Woods sung by The Baker's Wife in regard to her swindling poor dumb Jack out of his cow for five worthless beans.

"Why you do what you do, that's the point: all the rest of it is chatter. If the thing you do is pure in intent, if it's meant, and it's just a little bent, does it matter? No! What matters is that everyone tells tiny lies. What's important, really is, the size. Only three more tries and we'll have our prize. When the end's in sight, you'll realize: if the end is right, it justifies the beans!"

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Classroom Post 22

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

So in class today and yesterday we discussed the session of the states and their reasoning behind it. We read long sheets of paper and filled in answers on sheets, then copied down other peoples answers to study from. Unfortunately, I was very tired in both of these classes and so I do not remember much.

30-Day Challeneg!
The last post at last! It's been a fun time doing this, and I've loved tracking down all my quotes to use. I'm proud to say I never faltered in this challenge except for today. I couldn't find a quote that i thought would be worthy of this last and final day, so I decided to share three of my favorite meaningful quotes that have not appeared in this challenge.

"I'm not scared, if that's what you're wondering. The moment of death is filled with sound and warmth and light, so much light that it fills me, absorbs me: a tunnel of light, shooting away, arching up and up and up, and if singing were a feeling it would be this, this light, this lifting, like laughing... The rest you have to find out for yourself." - Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

"It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew - and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents - that there was all the difference in the world." - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling

"There's no such thing as a painless lesson, they just don't exist. Sacrifices are necessary: you can't gain anything without losing something first. Although, if you can endure that pain and walk away from it, you'll find that you now have a heart strong enough to overcome any obstacle. Yeah... a heart made Fullmetal." - Edward Elric, "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood"

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Classroom Post 21

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

In class yesterday, we studied a political cartoon from the time leading up to the civil war. It featured four men either fighting over or trying to repair a map of the United States. It was interesting, but weird. Their faces were a little scary.
In class today, we did an Ed cafe. I wound up taking notes all the four people I heard about because I didn't remember anything from the voicethreads. It was a fun time for the most part. I just hope that I didn't miss hearing about anyone super important.

30-Day Challenge!
One day left! I'm almost sad to see this end. It has been fun. I'll have to find something truly amazing for tomorrow. Be prepared for a paragraph quote of epic!

Sunday, Day 27: "Just because I tell you something doesn't mean you're allowed to know!" - Caroline Forbes, The Vampire Diaries

Monday, Day 28: "Well, among other things, I think I just invented the banana daiquiri a couple of centuries early. Do you know they'd never seen a banana before? Always take a banana to a party, Rose. Bananas are good." - Doctor Who

Tuesday, Day 29: "In olden days, a flash of stocking was looked on as something shocking, but heaven knows anything goes!" -Anything Goes

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Classroom Post 20

Saturday, December 1st, 2012

In class Thursday, we read an account of John Brown's raid on Harper Ferry, Virgina. Brown was a northern abolitionist who had cone to believe that the only way to end slavery was through violence. So he lead a group down to Harper Ferry, where they killed five people, including a free black man, in order to take control of the federal arsenal. The idea of this was to inspire the slaves to rebel and to arm them, freeing all the slaves in the area in one fell swoop. Of course, this attempt failed. The marines came, led by Robert E. Lee, and captured Brown. He was put on trial in Virgina courts and sentenced to death for treason. He was considered a martyr for the abolitionist cause by northerners. It was interesting to see such a misguided attempt at freeing slaves. Up until this point, the northerners seemed to be rather passive towards the south, with the exception of Bloody Kansas. This seemed to be a very important step towards the civil war.
In class on Friday, we had a substitute. He passed out a packet containing excerpts from several documents from the time, mostly detailing the southerners' opinions about the northerners. It was an interesting read, as it gives some insight as to the minds of those in the south and why they made the decision to from the Confederacy. For the most part, their anger was completely understand. Politicians gave examples of violence from the northerners, their unwillingness for compromise, and the automatic judgement of those who lived in the south. As someone who believes slavery was horrible, it was interesting to see their side of it. It's kind of like how I've always wondered about what England teaches their kids about the revolutionary war, or what Germany teachers their kids about Hitler. It was their side of the events leading up to the civil war, and in a way, their anger was just as justified, although some of their principles were misguided morally.

30-Day Challenge!

Thursday, Day 24: "There it is again. That itch. Go down go down go down go down go down..."
"The urge to jump... You know where it comes from, that sensation? Genetic heritage. Ever since we were primates in the trees. It was our instincts testing us, calculating whether or not we could reach the next branch."
"No, that's not it. That's too kind... It's not the urge to jump, it's deeper than that... it's the urge to fall." -Doctor Who, series 2, episode 9, "The Satan Pit" (One of the very best episodes in the entire series)

Friday, Day 25: "WINTER GUARD OMG!"

Saturday, Day 26: "No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for like, ten minutes?" -The Incredibles