Arshelle Johnson Capstone

During my four years of high school I have observed that not many teens are familiar with the meaning of sexual health, so I choose this topic as my Capstone. Having a Mother that has worked with sex education almost all of her working career I received  information regarding sexual health earlier than some of my peers. I wanted to look more into school based programs that inform young minds about safe sex. OIC of America offers a TPP ( Teen Pregnancy Prevention) program which is funded by the Office of Adolescent Health and the DHHS.TPP goes into different school across the Philadelphia area and teaches young people on pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) prevention. September 21-23, 2014 I attended a National Performance Measurement Conference. While attending the conference I was able to sit in on a couple of sessions, in these sessions they focused on key target populations and locating hard to find community level data. While at the conference one of the activities I participated in with the Philadelphia group were to evaluate pregnancy rates and performance measures to develop an action plan for re-application. On April 17,2015 I attended the TPP Leadership Academy. I participated in a  Pros and Cons of Sexting and Texting activity as while as team building activities. While working on my Capstone I was able to gain understanding of the TPP program while also learning what is focused on to build a program such as TPP.


Capstone

Bibliography


http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/state-policies-on-sex-education-in-schools.aspx


"State Policies on Sex Education in Schools." State Policies on Sex Education in Schools. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2015.


In this article it speaks about the breakdown of what states allow sex education in schools. In this article they also talk about why these states allow schools to implement these programs . They go state by state and talk about the programs that they have and what they are allowed to educate the teenagers and children with. Something that I found really interesting was that pennsylvania was not on this list.  



http://www.plannedparenthood.org/educators/implementing-sex-education


"Implementing Sex Education." Implementing Sex Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2015.

This source talks about how to implement sex education in a school setting. How it should be taught so that the audience understands the message and what they are trying to get through and to also help them fully learn about sex education. They talk about how each topic should be talked about and how it needs to be approached depending on the age of students. They also talk about how education does not just stop at school it is also a conversation that should be done in the household.



http://www.popednews.org/


"The Popular Education News Continues With A New Editor!!" N.p., 09 Apr. 09. Web.


This source talks about what it takes to be a good educator, how you should approach children when talking about any topic. What students are receptive to, how they learn the best and how they retain what they learn. In the article they talk about how certain things need to be taught certain ways depending on the community that you are in.


OIC of America

http://www.oicofamerica.org/


This is the program that I am working with they are located on 1415 N. Broad st. There mission is the continue to provide a quality education, training and employment and housing services. They reach out to the community to provide them with the tools that they need in order to succeed. Their motto is “Helping People Help Themselves.” This organization focuses on the African American community, the sexual health programs that they provide focus on the poorer communities.



http://www.avert.org/sex-education-works.htm

Sex Education That Works." Sex Education That Works. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2015.

This article talks about what works best for sex education. What teaching methods work best for students. It also talks about how sex education is a very touchy subject so it needs to be approached in an appropriate manner. It talks about what attitudes and beliefs should young people should be exposed to. It talks about how students need to be able to form their own opinions about sex education and what it means to them.



http://www.studentcouncil.ie/Running


This source talks about the most effective way to run a student council and how the flow of the meeting should run. It talks about how to become organized and how to keep people engaged. It also gives you other various links to other websites where they talk about what is best to do for running a student council. It also gives you examples of student run councils that have worked over the year and gives you guidelines as to how you should run yours.  



https://www.nasc.us/

"National Association of Student Councils." (NASC). N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.


This website is the main website for the National Association of Student Councils. It speaks about the many student run councils around America. It also talks about the history of this association and why it was put in place. They want to help students become advocates for themselves and making sure that they have a voice, they want to help establish strong student councils that will make a change in their communities.


André Gallagher-Souza Capstone

For my capstone project I raised money doing " magic shows " for the SLA boys basketball team. I wanted to combine two things I like in something fun.

I created contact with my Equatorian friend's host family, and theywere the ones who helped me in stting up the events. In the first three weeks, I just performed in block parties; they would hire me to entertain the people, but the last one was something bigger. They took me for a booth where I had to attract people to their tend with my magic tricks. They made announcements and everything for me...

At the end of the project I raised 400$ which was the amount of money that I had combined with Mr. Kay ( the basketball coach ). With this money he could purchase new jerseys for the boys.

The project was a success! The project helped me in creating new firends, contacts, opportunities, etc. At the end, I could notice that I was a lot more confident in performing and handling the crowd, which helps you in express yourself better; and of course... the improvement of the language since English is my second one.






1st Source


"Bicycle Cards." Bicycle® Playing Cards. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

< http://www.bicyclecards.com/> .


I selected this source because the 3 most important things for you to become a magician , or if you want to become one, are : The performance, skill ( sleight of hand ) and EQUIPMENT.
Since I began studying magic , I always had difficulty making certain movements with the cards , and I was often annoyed because my movements were not equal, as the magicians that I admire. So after I discovered that professional magicians used this deck brand , I ran to the internet to see if they had a own site .
Having the right equipment makes a big difference, with the right deck we are able to make techniques and advanced moves that leave people impressed , thus making the performance at another level , because the only thing you want to do while does a magic trick, is to impress the audience .





2nd Source


"How to Do the Dynamo Shuffle / Sybil Cut Tutorial / Learn Card Flourishes / REVEALED." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIVP-jCMYow >


This source is extremely important, because I think it was because of it that I had this desire to learn all I know. At the beginning of my life as a "magician" if I can say that... I did not want to do anything that was connected with magic, I just wanted to do "cool" things with a deck, which are called "cardistry". It was in this video I started my passion for cards and so it was taking me to what I am today.On the page of this video, all the others videos that were related, were about magic tricks, then one day I was interested to a trick that was called: The ambitious card, (which is now a performance I do all the time) I clicked and so it all began.




3rd Source


"David Blaine Real Or Magic TV Show 2013 Full." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.


< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU4YQJYM6yo >

I selected this source because this magician called david blaine, is my mentor. All I know is because of him, I watched his performances so much that now I perform exactly like him. It was at this particular show, he did with celebrities like Kate Perry, Kenye West ... I started to like him, because everyone likes magic, but to see a magician doing absurd things with stars that we love, makes us, want to do the same.

 Whenever I see, and  think something is cool, I do not content myself with only watching, I want to learn, and that's my motto of life, if I can say that. Now I can take the same people’s  reaction, that he was taking from those people on that show.






4th Source


"David Blaine Street Magic (Made in 1997 - 2013)." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqJ0GaVU344  >


I found this source very useful because in my early days as a magician, because I wanted to be a pro with cards, I did not want to make big shows on stages and things like that, so I thought myself to be a card magician. In this video we see David Blaine( the magician) performing what we call, street magic, which for me is the best kind of magic, because we go on the streets, and we ask random people if they want to see something amazing with simple objects, like a cell phone, a balloon or a pack of cards.



5th Source


"Disturb Reality." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.


< https://www.youtube.com/user/howtoDisturbReality >


This source is, and was useful for me, because while i was practicing it was in this Youtube channel that I learned my first magic moves, the guys who used to make the videos, used to make tutorials, for basic sleight of hands techniques. I started watching his videos to learn amateur card tricks. With time passing I realized that those videos was , becoming very " basic" for me, so then I started to read books, written by great magicians, because I wanted to upgrade level as a card magician. Because it is in old books that we study the true secrets of magic.



6th Source


"SECRETS OF DAVID BLAINE." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.


< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvz7a3kOB1A >


Most of my sources are videos, and in this video source is very useful because, the guy that presents the video, give us tips for people that wants to do street magic. He give us very good tips, about how to approach people that we never met, performance tips, how to handle the crowd etc. When I was back in Brazil I made a street magic video with two other friends, and It was one of the coolest thing I've ever done, and in this video that I mentioned, the guy says things that you really need to know, things that I had to do in my street magic video, so it worth it check it out.




7th Source


"Lincoln Now: The Art of Cardistry by Dan and Dave." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPCJY2Ctdzs >


This source provides us, cardistry.

Cardistry, is nothing more nothing less , than fancy moves, and techniques, that you need to learn to be a good card magician. Because once you are skilled with cards, the first thing that you need to do, is to show the audience that you are good, we need to show them that we are going to do something amazing with the cards, we are not going to do a amateur trick. This is very important because if you make cardistry moves (before you perform the magic trick for it self), for someone, this person will expect something awesome, and then you will have a better reaction.





8th Source


"On How I Approach Strangers in the Street | Humans of New York Creator Brandon Stanton | UCD, Dublin." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPxzlGPrM3A >


I found this source useful because, the guy that is talking in this video is a photographer, and he is telling us how he asked random people on the streets to take pictures of them. And he told us how he accomplished that, in one of the coldest city in the world, which is New York. And this is very useful because when we perform street magic we must know those same things, because it is the same concept. We need to be quick, precise and do something remarkable. Make the the day of those people.




9th Source


"A Beginner’s Guide to Fundraising." The Fundraising Authority RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.


<http://www.thefundraisingauthority.com/fundraising-basics/>.


This source provided me information about how to create an organized and successful fundraiser. I have been doing card magic for a long time, but I have never done it to make a profit and help others. Because of that I will need to persuade the viewers to give me money. This will mean that I have to be very charming and respectful. I think I will be able to get them to pay me because the money will go to the SLA basketball team and my tricks are impressive. One limitation to this site is that it is not made for small events like mine.   


10th Source

"David Blaine Street Magic." David Blaine Style Best Free Magic Tricks Revealed. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.


< http://www.goodtricks.net/david-blaine-street-magic-tricks.html >


This source is useful because it give us a few exemple tricks that we can do while performing on the streets. Because once you are on the streets we need to be quick, we can not take so much time of the audience, so in this source we can select a few tricks that are very good for this condition. One limitation that I found on this source, is that at the examples,  there is just a few card tricks, and I wished there was more so I could have more ideas, since I am a card magician.


Marcus Burrell Capstone

http://https://docs.google.com/document/d/12_OjNVpn9s7voYpQi7-syrW6C1zIholO5K3u2aWhZlI/editMy capstone was completed as of may 18th. Another student and myself hosted the first ever SLA Ultimate frisbee clinic where we taught new players and JV players how to play the sport. Passing down our knowledge and what we have learned to them. You could say it's like we are going to continue playing through them after we graduate. The whole point was to prepare them for the future and make another championship run and continue the great name that the Rockets have created. As well as spreading awareness about the sport. People hear the name and immediately think it's something dumb or soft, until you actually play the sport. It is probably one of the hardest sports to play aside from athleticism. The amount if skill and brain power needed for this sport is incredible and does not receive enough credit. More people should be out playing Ultimate and that is exactly what we tried to encourage. The clinic was a huge success as kids left the fields with smiles on their faces. Honestly, there is no greater joy than playing Ultimate Frisbee for Science Leadership Academy.
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Darya Nemati Capstone

Abstract:

My partner, Marlyn, and I began a partnership with Benjamin Franklin Science Corner in Paraguay this past October. The Science Corner hosted a series of science festivals throughout several cities this year and we were given the opportunity to be a part of the excitement. The goal of the festivals was to present science in a fun and engaging manner for students who are not fortunate enough to learn the material in school.

We cultivated a relationship via email and video chat with a group of five engineers. Marlyn and I quickly became familiarized with the education system in Paraguay. After some introductory conversations where we learned each other's strengths, we were given the task of displaying physics and chemistry concepts through simple experiments using materials that were easily accessible to the engineers in Paraguay. Each experiment that was displayed at the fairs required an intricate process to ensure the most successful outcome. My partner and I divided the work so that we each had very specific goals. My goal was to research and create science topics that would be exciting for students between the ages of eight and eighteen. Marlyn’s goal was to display the experiments chosen in the most engaging and creative way. After brainstorming ideas, we began the google hangouts to inquire about materials available and ideas for improvement. There was a good deal of back and forth communication before the final experiments were sent over to the engineers. The last step in the process was the troubleshooting, which took place after the experiments were created by the engineers. 

The first festival took place in the city of Caacupé on October 25th. The engineers were able to find and hotspot in order for Marlyn and I to witness the fair live. Hundreds of young students were in attendance, testing the experiments we had created for the festival. The look of fascination on the students’ faces was exhilarating. The second fair took place on March 27th in Villa Hayes and the last one will be held in Villarrica on May 29th. 


Final Product:

http://phillytoparaguay.weebly.com/


Bibliography:


  1. Mr. VK

    1. The most important source I can name is our mentor, Mr. Vk, who brought this project to us and has helped us tremendously along the way. Mr. VK is our number one source when it comes to communication with the engineers in Paraguay. He is cc’ed on all emails that are sent back and forth. He checks all work that is being sent over to the engineers before it is sent and always gives us his input. VK has also been a source for other sources that have come our way such as books and articles.


  1. Claudia & other engineers @ the ben franklin science corner

    1. Claudia, our main contact in Paraguay, works with a group of five other engineers at the Benjamin Franklin Science Corner. The BFSC has developed a partnership with the Franklin Institute, which is how my partner and I became involved. The BFSC is one of the organizations featured in the science fairs being held around the country of Paraguay. All of our science experiment proposals have been sent to Claudia and the group of engineers, who build the actual models and test all experiments before taking them to the fairs. We have had many google hangouts to help with experiment testing in any way we can and make any changes to the procedures or materials if necessary.


  1. "Benjamin Franklin Science Corner - About - Google+." Benjamin Franklin Science Corner - About - Google+. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <https://plus.google.com/+BenjaminFranklinScienceCornerAsunci%C3%B3n/about?gl=us&hl=en>

    1. The Benjamin Franklin Science Corner is the organization we are in communication with in Paraguay. Their mission is to bring science and technology to students who are not fortunate enough to get the experience in school. Most students in Paraguay are only in school for four to five hours a day and have no hands on science curriculum whatsoever. The Science Corner supports Paraguayan education by promoting science and technology among the youth and by promoting scientific education. The Benjamin Franklin Science Corner website has a blog and many photos that have aided us in our capstone process.


  1. "Fun Cool Exciting Science Experiments for Children and Kids." Fun Cool Exciting Science Experiments for Children and Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://weirdsciencekids.com/FunExperiments.html>

    1. This source provides information about science experiments that will be used in our proposals to the engineers in Paraguay. The science fairs were organized with the intention of giving students around the area, who don’t have a strong science curriculum in their schools, the opportunity to get hands on science experience. This source provides many experiments that are simple and entertaining for the younger kids at the fair. The oobleck experiment was one of the most successful ones, despite the fact that it was one of the simplest ones. This source has brought many ideas to our attention, whether we use the specific experiment or not.


  1. "Experimental Procedure." Experimental Procedure. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://www.angelfire.com/scifi2/physics600/procedure.html>

    1. This source was used to create the Trebuchet for the first science fair and will be used again to better the second version of the model. We used this source only as a template for our model. The units we use here are different than the ones used in Paraguay, therefore we had to convert all units to the metric system. After doing that we also had to scale the original trebuchet down because size was a factor for the engineers. Although there were other procedures for trebuchets that we looked at, this source was the most comprehensive and specific one we found.


  1. "Chemistry." Science Fair Projects, Ideas, and Experiments. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.<http://www.sciencefairadventure.com/Chemistry.aspx>

    1. This source was used for the ideas on Chemistry experiments. We had about four chemistry experiment proposals for the first fair. One was the shiny penny experiment which is always a classic for kids and very easy to show. The second, was also a simple one that involved the reaction between vinegar and baking soda. Another proposal was for an experiment that involved making slime, which is a great way to get students to do some very hands-on work in a fun way. The last one consisted of making saturated copper sulfate solution. The goal for many of these experiments was to create them using the most simple and attainable materials possible.   


  1. "Physics Science Fair Project Ideas." Physics Science Fair Project Ideas. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/Intro-Physics.shtml>

    1. This source was used for the ideas on Physics experiments. We had about four physics experiment proposals for the first fair. The first one was building a parachute and using different shapes for the parachute to see the difference it would make. The second involved watching the motion of a trash bag filled with air. Another experiment was a water bottle toss, involving a water bottle with a poked hole in the cap. This experiment was a test of gravity. The last experiment, and my personal favorite was building a gyroscope using a bicycle wheel. The goal for many of these experiments was to create them using the most simple and attainable materials possible.  


  1. "Thinking about How to Evaluate Your Program? These Strategies Will Get You Started. Gajda, Rebecca & Jennifer Jewiss." Thinking about How to Evaluate Your Program? These Strategies Will Get You Started. Gajda, Rebecca & Jennifer Jewiss. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=9&n=8>

    1. Although our capstone is not necessary building a program, we decided that there should still be some type of evaluation to ensure our work was making progress. This source gives information on the most effective ways of evaluating a program and much more. The source includes a clear outline of the steps needed in order to evaluate the program, it’s progress, and it’s effectiveness. The source enforces the fact that having a specific audience is essential. Quantity and quality are both factors that are explained in depth. Assessing outcomes, achievements and indicators is very important in maintaining success in a program.


  1. "Designing a Survey." Designing a Survey. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/Soc_survey.shtml>

    1. This source will come in handy when making the surveys for the next fair. I wasn’t expecting to have to research this, I thought I could just create one but then it dawned on me that I’d never made one. I didn’t know where to start so I decided why not look it up? Sure enough I found many credible sites, but I chose this one because it is specifically based on creating surveys revolving around science courses and curriculums, which is exactly what I will be evaluating. This source gives me ideas on what questions to ask, as well as objectives to keep in mind and templates to use.


  1. "The Popular Education News: What Is Popular Education?" The Popular Education News: What Is Popular Education? N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.popednews.org/newsletters/definitions.html>

    1. This source is valuable in learning how we want to connect with the students at the fair. Although, we won’t be there with them we want projects they see to be as meaningful as possible. Our goal is that students learn some science in a much more interactive way then they are used to. Popular education is a collective effort, one that engages students and allows them to work together and participate in the material. Popular education begins with learning the students’ ability and knowledge, which is what we want to learn through the surveys we will be giving at the next fair.

Ibn-Haneef Nelson Capstone

For my Capstone project I decided to create and run a one day basketball clinic for young children ages 8 through 16. The goal I had set for this project was to give children who may not be as fortunate an opportunity gain new skills and experience. At the clinic we taught the children simple yet effective techniques and skills to try to improve their game. I played for SLA's Varsity Boys Basketball team for my entire high school career and developed from a not very skilled guard to a potential Division Three college athlete. Playing basketball can open doors for people who work to become great. My passion for basketball started in the 8th grade when I attended UPenn's Basketball camp, and I feel that if that passion developed at a younger age I could be potentially be playing Division One Basketball. So with this clinic I looked to help one of the children see basketball as more than a hobby they enjoyed, but to try to possibly make a career with the sport.
  1. Kay, Matthew. "Interview of Mr. Kay." Personal interview. 30 Jan. 2015.

  • This source provides further information about African Americans and their relationship with poverty.


  • I selected this source because it helps add to my argument about how teaching and aiding youth that don’t live in the best neighborhood could influence their life in positive way.


  • I found this source useful because it helped aid my argument.


  • One limitation of this source was it is an opinion.


  1. Rami, Meenoo. "Interview of Meenoo Rami." Personal interview. 30 Jan. 2015.

  • This source provides further information about African Americans and their relationship with poverty.


  • I selected this source because it helps add to my argument about how teaching and aiding youth that don’t live in the best neighborhood could influence their life in positive way.


  • I found this source useful because it helped aid my argument.


  • One limitation of this source was it is an opinion.


  1. Jeffcoat, Thomas. "Interview of Thomas Jeffcoat." Personal interview. 30 Jan. 2015.

  • This source provides further information about African Americans and their relationship with poverty.


  • I selected this source because it helps add to my argument about how teaching and aiding youth that don’t live in the best neighborhood could influence their life in positive way.


  • I found this source useful because it helped aid my argument.


  • One limitation of this source was it is an opinion.


  1. Spells, Ashley. "Interview of Ashley Spells." Personal interview. 30 Jan. 2015.

  • This source provides further information about African Americans and their relationship with poverty.


  • I selected this source because it helps add to my argument about how teaching and aiding youth that don’t live in the best neighborhood could influence their life in positive way.


  • I found this source useful because it helped aid my argument.


  • One limitation of this source was it is an opinion.

  1. TIERNEY, JOHN. "Prison and the Poverty Trap." The New York Times. N.p., 18 Feb. 2013. Web.

  • This source provides information about the relationship between poverty and African Americans, and how youth that aren’t on the best path fall into the “trap” of being in and out of the system.


  • I selected this source because it helps add to my argument about how teaching and aiding youth that don’t live in the best neighborhood could influence their life in positive way.


  • I found this source useful because it helped aid my argument.


  • One limitation of this source was it doesn’t directly relate to philadelphia.


  1. MLaughlin, Lacey. "The Poverty-Crime Connection." The Poverty-Crime Connection. N.p., 19 Oct. 2011. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

  • This source provides information about the relationship between poverty and African Americans, and how youth that aren’t on the best path fall into the “trap” of being in and out of the system.


  • I selected this source because it helps add to my argument about how teaching and aiding youth that don’t live in the best neighborhood could influence their life in positive way.


  • I found this source useful because it helped aid my argument.


  • One limitation of this source was it doesn’t directly relate to philadelphia.


  1. Jensen, Eric. "Membership." How Poverty Affects Behavior and Academic Performance. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

  • This source provides information about the relationship between poverty and African Americans, and how youth that aren’t on the best path fall into the “trap” of being in and out of the system.


  • I selected this source because it helps add to my argument about how teaching and aiding youth that don’t live in the best neighborhood could influence their life in positive way.


  • I found this source useful because it helped aid my argument.


  • One limitation of this source was it doesn’t directly relate to philadelphia.

  1. "Poverty Rate by Race/Ethnicity." The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. N.p., 2013. Web.

  • This source provides information about the relationship between poverty and African Americans, and how youth that aren’t on the best path fall into the “trap” of being in and out of the system.


  • I selected this source because it helps add to my argument about how teaching and aiding youth that don’t live in the best neighborhood could influence their life in positive way.


  • I found this source useful because it helped aid my argument.


  • One limitation of this source was it doesn’t directly relate to philadelphia.


  1. Morello, Carol. "Poverty Rates Higher for Blacks and Hispanics than Whites and Asians." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 20 Feb. 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

  • This source provides information about the relationship between poverty and African Americans, and how youth that aren’t on the best path fall into the “trap” of being in and out of the system.


  • I selected this source because it helps add to my argument about how teaching and aiding youth that don’t live in the best neighborhood could influence their life in positive way.


  • I found this source useful because it helped aid my argument.


  • One limitation of this source was it doesn’t directly relate to philadelphia.


  1. Plumer, Brad. "These Ten Charts Show the Black-white Economic Gap Hasn't Budged in 50 Years." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

  • This source provides information about the relationship between poverty and African Americans, and how youth that aren’t on the best path fall into the “trap” of being in and out of the system.


  • I selected this source because it helps add to my argument about how teaching and aiding youth that don’t live in the best neighborhood could influence their life in positive way.


  • I found this source useful because it helped aid my argument.


  • One limitation of this source was it doesn’t directly relate to philadelphia.







http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/poverty-rates-higher-for-blacks-and-hispanics-than-whites-and-asians/2013/02/20/401e6a6e-7b78-11e2-9a75-dab0201670da_story.html


http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/poverty-rate-by-raceethnicity/


http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109074/chapters/How-Poverty-Affects-Behavior-and-Academic-Performance.aspx


http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2011/oct/19/the-poverty-crime-connection/


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/science/long-prison-terms-eyed-as-contributing-to-poverty.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Anna Davies Capstone

28DayFix

For my capstone I chose to focus on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle such as eating healthy and working out to keep your body and mind healthy as well. My project consists of a pamphlet that has a 28 day workout plan, and numerous recipes for low calorie healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. As I got older I became more conscious about the food that I eat and how good or bad it is for my body and mind which is why I chose this as the topic for my capstone. I want to make people aware that eating healthy can be fun and way more tasty than eating unhealthy processed foods. Not only is eating healthy and working out good for you in a physical aspect, it’s also good for you mentally. I know I personally feel really good after a quick 30 minute workout and delicious fresh plate of food. I had two people, a close friend of mine and my sister try my 28dayfix workout plan and meal plan and both of them felt 10 times better than they did before. Not only did they feel healthier and happier, my sister especially saw some physical results. She lost a total of 11 pounds by following the workout plan and adding a daily 1 mile run to her schedule. The reason that I chose to make my project in physical form is so I can hand it out to students and they can easily access the information if they don’t have access to the internet.


"Healthy Eating Tips." Healthy Eating Tips. N.p., n.d

http://choosemyplate.gov/healthy-eating-tips.html

This source will give you some tips on little things that you can do to improve your diet and get rid of some of the things that you eat that you would be better off not eating. Even little choices like there are on this link can make you feel better inside and out on a daily basis.


"Healthy Eating." : Easy Tips for Planning a Healthy Diet and Sticking to It. N.p., n.d.

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-eating.htm

This link was very helpful to me because the hardest part of dieting is sticking to it and not cheating. In this article it gives you some tips on how to plan the right diet for you and how to go about sticking to it. Also it has some good information about how eating food that is good for you can actually make you feel better all around.


"Healthy Recipes, Healthy Eating, Healthy Cooking | Eating Well." Healthy Recipes, Healthy Eating, Healthy Cooking | Eating Well. N.p., n.d.

http://www.eatingwell.com/

Think source has many different recipes and ideas for healthy tasteful meal. One misconceptions that people often have about eating healthy is that the food is bland and not tasty. This websites will bring you to tons of different delicious healthy recipes.


"Benefits of Eating What's in Season." Seasonal Food:

http://life.gaiam.com/article/benefits-eating-what-s-season

Another thing about eating healthy that most people aren’t aware about is how important it is to try and eat fruits and veggies that are in season rather than ones that aren’t. Eating foods that are in season is way better for you than eating them when they aren’t because fruits and veggies being produced in winter are far from natural.


"Real Food Defined (The Rules) - 100 Days of Real Food." 100 Days of Real Food. http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-defined-a-k-a-the-rules/

Eating “whole” foods is another really important part of eating healthy. Eating whole foods means not eating processed foods. It means preparing your own food in it’ whole real form. This link gives lots of helpful information on the topic.

"Health & Fitness on Pinterest - Workouts, Healthy Diets and More."Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/categories/health_fitness/

For the workout portion of my capstone a lot of the information that help in my decision making was workout plans that I found on pinterest. There’s tons of helpful charts and weekly workout techniques on here.


Brian Birkmire Captsone

​My Capstone project was to host an Ultimate Frisbee tournament with my peer Julian Makarechi called “Hip-Hop” for other high school teams all around Philadelphia. The purpose of the project was to not only give back to the teams that consistently host tournaments but to also build networks with PADA, PHUEL, and  the other teams attending. We worked with many people to get supplies like snacks, cones, porter potties, and merchandise. It was a difficult process but the outcome was magnificent and everything went smooth. We were able to have a two day tournament (Saturday & Sunday) at the field in Oaks, PA, for all of the boys teams while the girls played Saturday only. In total, we had about 16 teams that came out to support us. I learned from this experience how to put myself out there and step outside my comfort zone. I also learned what it takes to create an event and how much time and effort is put into it.

​​

Sources:


#1 Chris Lehmann (Coach of SLA Boys Varsity Ultimate/Principle of Science Leadership Academy) "Chris Lehmann." Interview by Brian J. Birkmire. Chris Lehmann. SLA Varsity Ultimate. Philadelphia, PENNSYLVANIA, n.d. Television.”


This is a reliable source because Mr. Lehmann has been playing for 23 years and is well known throughout the entire Ultimate world. He has been a huge asset and a wonderful mentor, giving us the right knowledge to complete tasks and contact the right associates. Also, he has been to and played at hundreds of tournaments throughout his Frisbee career, so he knows exactly what to have at the events. There were no limitations to this source because we can ask Lehmann anything at any given moment.



#2 "Home." Philadelphia Area Disc Alliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <pada.org>”


This is a reliable source because it has contacts of everyone we’ve already and will be in communication with. We used the website to find the Program Director of PADA, Rick Atkins. Also, this website gives information on how long the people have been in charge and have worked for PADA. This website is useful because it gives a schedule for any upcoming events that I can attend, also allowing us to promote our tournament. This source’s only limitation is what it can offer, but it gave us plenty of information to work with and especially who to keep in touch with to have everything we need for the tournament.



#3 Rick Atkins (PADA Program Director) "Rick Atkins." Interview by Brian J. Birkmire. Rick Atkins. PADA. Philadelphia, PENNSYLVANIA, n.d. Television.”


Rick has been a huge asset to the entire capstone project. I can’t tell you how many emails we’ve exchanged getting us much detailed information as possible. Rick has helped us immensely with what to have, what to bring, who to contact, when to contact them and much more. We are continuously in communication with Rick, even if it means we must send emails consistently, but it is imperative that we get any and all information necessary. We will continue to keep in touch with him about the finalization of our tournament. There are no limitations to this source because we can ask Rick for help at any time about anything.




#4 "Philadelphia Spinners - Major League Ultimate." Philadelphia Spinners. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015 <http://philadelphia.spinners.mlultimate.com/>”


This source has been very reliable because it allows Julian and I to contact the professional Ultimate representatives. The Philadelphia Spinners are the professional team for this wonderful city, and play in the MLU (Major League Ultimate). The Spinners are popular, not only in the Ultimate world, but luckily this will gives us ideas on what to add to what we already have. The Spinners hold events all the time, so we can gain some inspiration from their past events. Also, if possible, we can get some Spinners players to attend our tournament and give autographs and lessons. This source has no limitations besides what is on the website, but we can always contact people in the Spinners management.



#5 "The 10 Steps to a Successful Fundraising Event." The Fundraising Authority RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.thefundraisingauthority.com/fundraising-basics/fundraising-event/>”


This was one of the first websites we visited to get a good idea of what it takes to have a fundraising event. Most of the information was straight forward and very detailed in what a fundraiser really means and how to get it to work. The step by step process gave us a good idea on what to do next. Currently, we use the steps as a checklist to ask ourselves did we do everything they are saying works. Although it’s the basics, they are essential to creating a successful fundraising event. There are only some limitations to the source like the fact there’s only 10 steps given.



#6 "Rob Jenkins." Interview by Brian J. Birkmire. Rob Jenkins - Former SLA Ultimate Player. SLA Varsity Ultimate. Philadelphia, PENNSYLVANIA, n.d. Television.”


This source would have to be the best. Rob has previously played with Julian and I for about three years at SLA. He also was captain before Julian and I, so not only has he been a teammate but a former friend. Rob’s capstone was the creation of a frisbee tournament he called it Huck to the Moon. We wanted to continue his ideas and this is how we decided on our capstone. Rob has been very helpful in letting us know who we should contact and has also given us tips to improve from his tournament. We chose this source because we felt who would be better than someone that has done this exact event before on his own. Rob has given us lots of support and we know we can ask him anything and he will lend us a hand. This source has no limitations because we can ask Rob for any favor and he will help Julian and I.






#7 "Breakmark | Breakmark Apparel." Breakmark. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.breakmark.com/>“


This source has been very reliable because they are a business that creates Ultimate Frisbee apparel. We have been in constant contact with one of their representatives about the jerseys and other clothes we will be selling at the tournament. He also has helped us with logo ideas and finalizations on the jersey color schemes with the clothing and the logo together. He also has ensured us that when we give him the exact dates for the tournament he will have all the products ready and prepared to selling on time throughout the entire event. This source has no limitations because we can consistently ask for any new products and clothing.



#8 "Projects - Skyd Magazine." Skyd Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://skydmagazine.com/projects/>”


This source is full of Ultimate News all around the world. Skyd is a website we use to check out current Ultimate news and information. They always have great writers putting out interesting articles. They also describe major events all around the country and update the news about it. This notifies us of any upcoming events that would be inspirational to know about. This source’s only limitations is that we can’t watch the events live or know how they set everything up.



#9 "Ultimate Frisbee Field Dimensions and Layout Tool | Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker." Ultimate Frisbee Field Dimensions and Layout Tool | Tru Mark Athletic Field Marker. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.<http://www.athleticfieldmarker.com/ultimatefrisbeefield/>”


This source is reliable because it gives us the proper dimensions for an Ultimate Frisbee field. Being host of the entire tournament, it will be our responsibility to prepare everything and set everything up, including the fields. We are only given a specific square foot area of space and must make the right amount of fields to withhold the brackets of teams. This means Julian and I must know how many fields we can fit given the limited space we have. I chose this website because it’s a perfect example for what we will need. This source has no limitations because it’s specifically on one topic that I needed to find so it is a great source.



#10 "USA Ultimate." USA Ultimate. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.usaultimate.org/index.html>”


This is a reliable source because it is the heart and soul of Ultimate Frisbee. The USA Ultimate is the main life source of any and all Ultimate in the entire country. Their website is filled with information on important Frisbee representatives and the “top dogs.” The website also has the Official US Ultimate Rulebook, which is something important to the entire tournament. The rulebook states any and all rules that teams must obey when playing. This is important to the tournament because it will be used throughout the day. This websites is a good source because we can have access to the rules at anytime during the day if needed. There is no limitations to this source because we can use the Contact Us section if we need any questions answered.



Chaveliz Nieves Capstone

As a senior at Science Leadership Academy, we had to create a Capstone (senior project). We were able to make it about anything we wanted. I knew I wanted to work with my friend but we didn't know how since it was an individual project. She shared her ideas for her Capstone, which was to fundraise money for her friend whom passed away from cancer a year ago. I wanted to create a detailed pamphlet about  Breast Cancer, Cure and Treatments, how to detect it, etc. I came to the conclusion that although it would be very informative, it would be harder to inform more people of this illness. My second option was to create a website. All of the information that would have been on the pamphlet would be online, and it would be accessible to all of the students in SLA, all of my social media friends, as well as my friend Jennifer Perez's friends too. 

The purpose of this website is to inform people on the dangers of cancer as well as how to detect it and treat it. This website provides additional links to support groups for people who are experiencing lack of support.In addition ot creating the website,  I attended the 2015 American Association for Cancer Research as well as the Susan G. Komen walk to provide more information for the website about Cancer. 

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY


Rosen, Leo and Gloria. "What Is Breast Cancer?" What Is Breast Cancer? American Cancer Society, 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 28 Jan. 2015. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-what-is-breast-cancer>.

        Breast cancer is hard to detect. Many people both women and men get breast cancer Knowing what breast cancer is and how it can be detected is explained in this website.  Also the different types of breast cancers are explained too. Diagrams are also provided in this link because it shows what happens to the lymph noodles in the breasts. This website is more of a scientific approach to what actually is breast cancer but in terms that people can understand. The diagrams provided show what a regular breast that does not have cancer should look like or feel like and then it shows the breast with inflamed areas that can show probable detection of breast cancer.



Rosen, Leo and Gloria. " Types of Breast Cancer?" Types of Breast Cancers? American Cancer Society, 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 28 Jan. 2015. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-breast-cancer-type>


There are many different types of cancers. One of them is ductal carcinoma. Different ways that they are describes or even the different types of cancers that fall under this category are ,Adenoid cystic carcinoma, Low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma (this is a type of metaplastic , Medullary carcinoma , Mucinous  carcinoma , Papillary carcinoma, and Tubular carcinoma.  The infiltrating ductal carcinomas that are more dangerous and life threatening are Metaplastic carcinoma , Micropapillary carcinoma and Mixed carcinoma. They are life threatening but they are treated the same way. there i s no cure for actual cancer there is just treatment for it and since there is just treatment, they all undergo the same process depending on how developed the part of the cancer in the breast is.



.

Rosen, Leo and Gloria. " Breast Cancer Key Statistics?"Statistics? American Cancer Society, 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 28 Jan. 2015. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/detailedguide/breast-cancer-key-statistics>

The website predicts that in the United states there will be many cases of breast cancer in 2015. Although they are all serious, some of them aren’t life threatening. There will be about 231,840 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. In addition there will also be  about 60,290 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed , which is one of the earliest signs of breast cancer .Also, there will be over 40,000 women who will die from breast cancer this year. That death rate is about 1 in every 36 women in America.




"Male Breast Cancer." Definition. Mayo Clinic, 25 Feb. 2012. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/male-breast-cancer/basics/definition/con-20025972>.

Males can also get breast cancer. The cancer that me can get forms in the tissue of their breast. It is known as a disease that only women can get because they have breast but men do get it too. The cancer in male breast is usually detected in men who are older. And sometimes it is hard to detect if a male has breast cancer. It is the same procedure that would be done for a woman but since they do not know they have it due to it being mostly a woman’s disease, they are ignorant to this. Usually it is detected in the later stages in men because they do not really know what symptoms to look for if they do have it.




"Crowdfunding for Everyone!" GoFundMe: #1 for Crowdfunding & Fundraising Websites. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.gofundme.com/>.


Go fundme.com is a website that is basically what is the title says. It is a funding website that can be used for a specific person, group or anything you would like to use it for to receive fundings and donations. These donations are very easy to receive. We will be creating a website, for people to be able to donate money online. The team name is PINK ROCKETS and the pink rockets will be set up on a website with a gofundme.com link to receive donations! These donations will then be donated to the Susan G. K. research and another will be towards a smaller group funding for ella.


Rosemary Designs. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.whitepages.com/business/rosemary-design-philadelphia-pa>.


Another method of fundraising will be to create Ribbons with Rosemary- Designs that will have the word #PINK ROCKETS . Rosemary Designs is a small store located on Front street between allegheny and westmoreland streets. We will be creating ribbons with the team name. The team name be printed on the ribbons and we will talk to her to see if she will be able to create ribbons for a discounted price. We will also be able to see if the manager would be able to  create other objects since she customized many things such as ribbons, pins, balloons and many more.


Recording and Photography With Mr. Herman

Mr. Herman was my photography teacher last year (Junior year). A few weeks ago, he sent out a message saying we can still use the photo lab and computers, and just the equipment in his room. I will be using one of the cameras in his room to document the process. I will be taking pictures of everything we do. Creating the ribbons to selling the ribbons. We will also record us attending the cancer walk. that way not only are we documenting what we do, but the website created will be informative as well as interesting because it just won’t be full of words.


"Eating Unhealthy Food." Breastcancer.org. BreastCancer.org, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2015. <http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/unhealthy_food>.


May diets are supposed  to keep us healthy. But many of the foods that we are being feed today cause some type of cancer due to the chemicals added to our foods. About 30 to 40 percent of breast cancer is diet related. Although these although these statistics are hard to believe, if we eat more natural foods the chances of getting cancer decrease. Eating foods such as fruits and vegetables decrease the chances of getting cancers. Eating the healthier foods are more expensive but are more beneficial in the long run. Foods with high levels of fat and processing lead to obesity in the long run and that can also relate to more diseases that can also lead to other cancers.


"National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences." Breast Cancer. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/breast-cancer/>.


This is a link that actually ends up leading to a book. The research in the website and in the book are actually about what foods are related to cancer. And not specifically certain foods but that they know there is a correlation due to the things that they add to the foods.They have also conducted studies to see if this is also a genetically thing. They studies over 50 women who are sisters of another women who have or have had breast cancer t see if there is also a correlation between breast cancer and the genetics of a person.



Online, Available. Epithelial–mesenchymal Transition in Breast Cancer Development (2003): n. pag. Host Microenvironment in Breast Cancer Development. 3 Feb. 2003. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/bcr578.pdf>.


This is a pdf version of a lab. this is the hardcore science behind some of the parts of the body and how they may act as a host towards foreign bacteria and germs.  the website mostly talks about what EMTis  which actually stands for  epithelial–mesenchymal transition . this is going to help me throughout my capstone because I can no further my research and actually try to understand what breast cancer is and why it can form in the bodies of some people even though it may not even be diet related it can just be hereditary and how it can be prevented


Coffey, Donald S. "Controlling Cancer Through Research." American Assosiation for Cancer Research. United States, Philadelphia. 21 Apr. 2015. Speech.


This speech was about controlling cancer through research. A professor gave a speech of what cancer is and how it can be treated. Further information of what types of cancer are treated and others cured. They show the progress they have made throughout the years as well as how when there was no treatment. This speech was useful for my project because it will explain how my information is relative to his speech and how we should focus more time on research for cancer.


Alex Held Capstone


When deciding upon an Capstone, my fellow group mates and myself knew we wanted to create something both interactive and interesting, not only for us, but for others. Having been involved in The Franklin Institute’s Project SPACE program as volunteers for a few years, we thought it’d be a great idea to showcase what we’ve learned as a part of the program and at the same time extend that knowledge to others. Our capstone was to teach an astronomy-based mini-course to SLA freshman at The Franklin Institute. All having a different area of expertise, we decided that we each have our own week to teach what we wanted in the course. The process of becoming more familiarized with the content than we’d already been was fascinating. We were given tremendous opportunities to work with great minds in the fields of science, astronomy, and astrophysics. Although we all put in many hours doing research and organizing our course content, the most challenging part was creating a lesson plan that students would enjoy. We each taught two classes, the first four weeks would be one group of freshman, and the next four a different bunch. The point of this was to show growth, comparing the first time to the second to see what we had changed. The main goals we set out to achieve were to educate students about astronomy and all its wonders, but at the same time inspire them to actively pursue additional knowledge of it.


Link to my Teaching Plan: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SdQGbz-O3dNiEt8kJfmiEz-fIAsehmdilfPN6PjSwDw/edit




Capstone Teaching Plan
Capstone Pictures
Annotated Bibliography:

Darvill, Andy. "The Electromagnetic Spectrum: Home Page." The Electromagnetic Spectrum:

Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2015. <http://www.darvill.clara.net/emag/>.


This website suits beginners who have little to no knowledge of the electromagnetic spectrum. This is valuable to me and what I want to teach in my course because the electromagnetic spectrum is such an integral part of telescopic observation of the universe. This site gives me great analogies for how to electromagnetic spectrum works and even what uses each wavelength has in everyday life. An activity can be centered around what each wavelength can and cannot do for us. Additionally, posing a question to student that asks them why certain wavelengths are dangerous will allow them to think decide amongst themselves what the right answer is.


Fuchs, Miriam. "Teaching Astronomy." Personal interview. 23 Jan. 2014.


Miriam “Mimi” Fuchs is an employee at the Franklin Institute, who specializes in the study in red dwarf stars and most umbrella terms in astronomy. She and my group have collaborated over the past few months, along with Dr. Pitts and Dr. Stovall, on how the course would be run with what would be taught. She has given my group and I many idea for content and some suggestions for activities that will engage the audience. In our most recent meeting on Friday 1/23, she gave me and idea for an activity that would explain the way a reflecting telescope works and on a more basic level, the images that bent light creates. The idea of the activity is centered around the simplicity of the directions and the basic premise of bending light so that anyone can understand how a reflecting telescope functions without any confusing terminology or past experience necessary.


Learner, Richard. Astronomy through the Telescope. The 500-year story of the Instruments, the

Inventors, and their Discoveries. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York 1981

This book covers the 500 year development of the telescope in astronomy. It touches on important figures and crucial points in history that were essential to the progression of telescopes and astronomy overall. The book begins with the 14th century and ends in the 18th. The 17th century was the most important time for telescopic advancement, as many of the greatest minds in astronomy and physics like Galileo, Newton, and later Kepler, developed designs that inspired some of the most famous creations in astrophotography like the Hubble Space Telescope.


Lowe, Stewart, Chris North, and Robert Simpson. "What Am I Looking At?"What Am I Looking

At? Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 09, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.chromoscope.net/1.4.1/what.html>.


This website offers its viewers a look at the universe through different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectroscopy is the study of how matter interacts with radiated energy. Typically, through this process, astronomers via telescopes are able to classify different types of stars through the elements they have inside of them, which are seen through different colors of light and wavelengths. This website is a fascinating and educational tool for showing students how the electromagnetic spectrum works and what spectroscopy is. Many activities could be centered around this website, specifically asking students what changing the wavelengths setting allows the viewer to do. The answer would be allowing the viewer to see celestial objects emitting different types of electromagnetic radiation and that we can only see certain thing under specific wavelengths, (i.e. x-ray stars’ light can obviously only be seen in the x-ray wavelength).


Pitts, Derrick, Sc.D. "Teaching Astronomy." Personal interview. 23 Jan. 2015.


Dr. Derrick Pitts is the Chief Astronomer and Planetary Director for the Franklin Institute. He graduated from Germantown Academy in Pennsylvania, then pursued his Master’s degree from St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, and then finally received his honorary Doctorate in science from the LaSalle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Derrick Pitts is also my mentor for my capstone, as well as serving as mentor for the other members of my capstone group. He has been and continues to be a great resource for me. In a debrief meeting that he and I had last Friday, 1/23, we spoke of the ways I could improve my understanding of how the content that i am teaching and developing different ways to convey that content. He gave me an idea for an activity involving the way light is shifted and even bent as it travels through different mediums. In the example, it asked students to describe the similarities between three mediums that appear in everyday life: water, air, and glass, which the answer was transparency. The activity is an analogy for how reflecting telescopes work and how they see light from space.


Stovall, Idris, Ph.D. "Course Reflection & Performance Evaluation." Personal interview. 23 Jan.

2015.


Dr. Idris Stovall is the Mathematician and Director of STEM Youth and School Programs at The Franklin Institute. He received his Ph.D in Mathematics from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Over the past few months, I have worked Dr. Derrick Pitts and Dr. Idris Stovall, both great minds in sciences. Idris has collaborated with my group members and I about how to course should be facilitated, specifically the meat and bones of courses, like the dates that the classes will be held, and what each of should be focusing on with our individual teaching plans. Dr. Stovall met with my group and I on Friday along with Dr. Pitts. Dr. Stovall gave me a brief rundown of my performance on Wednesday, 1/21, letting me know how I did, giving me positive and constructive critiques. He recommended different forms of reflection that could be implemented into the course. For example, one possible form of reflection he mentioned, which we both spoke about, was giving the students a pre-quiz at the beginning of every class, and finishing the course with a post quiz containing important elements from each individual class at the end of the final class.



"Hubble Essentials." HubbleSite. Astronomy Inc., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

<http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/hubble_essentials/>.


This website gives the viewer a fascinating and enriching experience as they are able to discover the journey of the Hubble Space Telescope from its launch to present day, mentioning key points of discovery and astrophotography along the way, as well as few mishaps through through the years. The Hubble website has some incredible resources and even better that can be used to easily turn heads. The website overall provides great insight on how the telescope functions and what it has done for modern astronomy. The content on the site can aid anyone who desires to learn about or convey information to others about the Hubble and its missions.



"Hydrogen Alpha Explained." Hydrogen Alpha Explained. Astronomy Know How, 2006. Web. 30

Jan. 2015. <http://www.astronomyknowhow.com/hydrogen-alpha.htm>.


This website is a great resource that teaches the importance and benefits of proper filtration of telescopes when viewing the sun. Since the sun can obviously cause far more damage to a viewer looking through a telescope without the right filter or one at all due to the intense magnification, it is important that beginners learn the reason for filters and gain the knowledge of which filters they should use for which job. The hydrogen alpha filter allows the viewer to see, yep, hydrogen on the sun. Since hydrogen in its atomic form can only exist on the parts of the sun where the temperature is cool enough, the filter will only show it on the photosphere and chromosphere. Using a H-alpha filter, viewers are able to see things like solar prominences, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections. This is vital for the course because there are two main filters used that telescopes use to observe the sun: hydrogen alpha and mylar, each showing different parts of the sun and different solar phenomena.


"Reflecting Telescopes." Reflecting Telescopes. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

<http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/light/reflecting.html>.


This website offers a full astronomy course, covering many topics regarding space and important figures in its history. The specific page I selected covered reflecting telescopes and their development from refractors, as well as a diagram showing how most models work. This is useful for me because refractors and reflectors and the the two most important types of telescopes, even though refractors and antiquated compared to reflectors. Reflectors create an image by bending light with sets of curved mirrors that direct the light towards the eye piece. This diagram is a great segway into an activity that involves comparing the two types of telescopes, refractors and reflectors.


"Refracting Telescopes." Refracting Telescopes. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

<http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/light/refracting.html>.


This website, the same as the one above, covers the mother of reflecting telescopes, refracting telescopes. Although refractors have been replaced by reflectors on a grander scale of astrophotography, refractors are not totally obsolete, and are much more affordable than refractors. The first telescopes used with lenses did not appear until roughly 400 years ago. The information on this website provides a diagram of how a refracting telescope works and also what flaws ultimately caused it to be replaced by reflecting telescopes. The people involved in the creation and widespread use of refracting telescopes are equally important as the machines they used. These figures include, Galileo, Hans Lippershey, and later Isaac Newton. All of these men are vital to the understanding of how telescopes came about.




Jian Zhang Capstone

Abstract


The project that I chose for my capstone is the blood drive. As many of us know every year there are blood drives here at SLA. This year I decided to continue that and organize the blood drive in order to help the people in need. In order for the blood drive to be a success I must learn as much as I can about the blood drive and what the blood is used for. During this I learned that blood is not something that everyone can just give to someone. Only certain kinds of blood can be used on other kinds of blood types. A blood can only be used on people with A type blood, B can only be used for B type blood and so on. However there is one type of blood that anyone can use. That is the O type blood, O blood can be given to anyone since it is compatible with any blood type. During this process I also researched many things about advertising which was pretty interesting. There are many ways to attract the attention of the people. Persuade the people to do things they don't really need to. But overall I have learned many things about blood, the red cross and even parts of marketing.


Digital


c.JPG

This was taken during the drive as people are getting ready to donate blood. There were seniors like me, some sophomores and even the assistant principal himself.


b.JPG

In the waiting room we see a senior who has just finished donating blood and is now relaxing and enjoying a light snack.


a.JPG

Here we have two hard working SLA students helping out with the drive. They are in charge of helping people who have yet to sign up actually sign up. They did a very good job and helped many people sign up in order to donate.


d.JPG

This bag of blood may not seem like much, but it will go and help out many people out there.

It may go to operations, transfusions, treating certain blood problems and many others.

(maybe vampires too)


e.JPG

Last but not least is a view from someone who is donating blood, aka myself.

It is quite a sight laying down and watching your blood being slowly drained out of you.

But this blood may save many lives, just the idea alone is worth it.






Bibliography


"Latest News." ​American Red Cross​. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <​http://www.redcross.org​>. My project is to run a successful blood drive, know that I need someone who actually have the certification and the equipment to do so. When thinking of saving people and helping people in need, red cross was the first group that comes to mind. Not only do they save lives, they also do many other things to help people in need. So I knew I had to have them do the drive, as luck would have it, it seems that the previous person who did the drive also used red cross. This makes red cross the perfect group to colab with to do the blood drive.


"Share Your Power ­ Donate Blood." ​Share Your Power ­ Donate Blood​. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <​http://www.oneblood.org/​>. In order to run a blood drive, I needed to know about blood first. All I know is that blood comes in different types O, A, AB etc. However there are many other things I didn’t know. One of which is that there is also O­ blood that can be used for anyone since the body will not reject it. This website gave me the information I needed to know about blood in nice short videos that is easy to understand.


"New Health Guide." ​Blood Type Chart​. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <​http://www.newhealthguide.org/Blood­Type­Chart.html​>. After finding out about how there is O­ blood that can be used on anyone, I decided to do some light research on how rare each blood type is. And of course the best type of blood, O­, is also one of the rarer blood type. However O+ will also work for many different blood types with the only downside being O blood type people can only take blood from other O blood people. THe good news is that 38.5% of the population has O type blood.


"Am I Eligible?" ​Am I Eligible?​ Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <​http://www.bloodcenters.org/blood­donation/am­i­eligible/​>. I need to understand who and what do they need to donate blood to the Red Cross. Since I have donated before I do know that you need to be of age to donate or if you are under 16 you will need parent permission. Also blood sugar, pressure and such are also something that needs to be checked before one can donate blood. So this website was able to help me understand more about the requirements of donation. With that I can make much better announcement when it comes to telling people about the drive.


"How to Increase Red Blood Cells | MD­Health.com." ​How to Increase Red Blood Cells | MD­Health.com​. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <​http://www.md­health.com/How­To­Increase­Red­Blood­Cells.html​>. Blood is not only important to people who gets in accidents, it is important for everyone. That is why we generally prefer to keep them inside our body most of the time. So to use something to get blood out of us, when it should stay inside, would cause some problems for the donor. So in order to keep the donor alive as well so they can donate again later, there needs a way to give them a quick boost. Things such as nuts contains a good amount of iron and can help the body to create more blood.


"Blood Transfusion." ​Why It's Done​. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <​http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests­procedures/blood­transfusion/basics/why­its­done/prc­20021 256​>. With the blood that we will be getting from the blood drive, it can help many people. Blood transfusions isn’t only for people who lost lots of blood, people with certain illness also needs blood. There also also people with problematic blood and needs transfusions to keep their bodies working as well. Then there are some people who don’t really need the blood, but the plasma within the blood. However since plasma is in the blood so actual blood will be needed anyways. So blood is used in many way to keep people from being sick, anemic and most importantly dying.


"The Needle Phobia Page ­ Fear of Needles and Needle Procedures." ​The Needle Phobia Page ­ Fear of Needles and Needle Procedures​. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <​http://www.needlephobia.com/​>. In order to extract blood from the donors a certain tool is required. Yes there is the blood bags and stuff but the thing that actually goes in and gets the blood out is the needle. However there are people who are deathly afraid of needles so much so that there is a word for it. Trypanophobia is the fear of needles, and surprisingly 20% of all the worlds population have this. That means 2/10 potential donors won’t even bother just because there is a sharp pointy stick that have to poke them. So this website gives some of the reasons why people are afraid of it and with some luck a way or two to get around that.


Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <​http://hr.fiu.edu/index.php?name=reward_recognition​>. To me, the reason for giving blood is one it helps people and two it also makes me feel happy knowing that someone out there is alive because I give out some blood. But of course no one really knows what happened to your blood. It may just be sitting on a shelf for weeks without ever being bothered with. So can we make people who donate feel that feeling without showing them what the actual blood is doing? The plan is to give them a small reward such as a sticker. Even though the sticker isn’t really anything big, just the act of getting something should make the donor feel that “I made a difference and this sticker shows it” kind of feeling. This website explores the idea of giving and how and why it works.


"Donate Blood." ​How to Organize a Blood Drive​. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <​http://www.communitybloodservices.org/db_organizedrive.php​>. One can never have enough backups when it comes to doing something. Since my project is running a blood drive, I want red cross to do it since I very much trust them. However they may not always be able to do so. So having a backup in this case is very important just in case red cross is unable to do so. As I was search around I found that while red cross is the biggest when it comes to blood drives and stuff, they were not the only ones. Most places and hospital are able to host blood drives since they have the equipment as well as the requirements to do so. This website just shows an alternate way to a blood drive just in case red cross couldn’t make it.


"Blood Donation Documentary ­ A." ​YouTube​. YouTube. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6qHPvowGA8​>. Since this is my first time actually running a blood drive, I have no idea what I will be running into. So in order to prepare for some of things that will happen, I decided to look for some form of documentary on blood drives. However even the all mighty internet doesn’t seem to give any and the only thing that does is youtube. While I don’t really think youtube is a good source, it is the only one I can find. So I looked through many video and found that it was more helpful then I thought it would. Some shows how the process of the drive works, what to do during the drive, how to prepare for the drive and other information that I might need.


RubyJane Anderson Capstone

For this project, Max Amar-Olkus and I wrote, starred in, edited, and directed two short documentaries about SLA. Before we started producing the videos, we did a lot of research. We researched topics relating to comedy, journalism, and comedic journalism. We watched a lot of our favorite news programs like Vice, John Oliver, and Jon Stewart. We then brainstormed some topics for episodes.

Our first story was about cutting in the school lunch line. We set up a hidden camera to document the cutting and to see who was cutting in line. We then identified those people and interviewed them. We also interviewed school staff to see what they thought about cutting in line. After we got all of our footage, we built the story around that and wrote narration for the episode. We recorded the narration, edited the video, then published in on youtube.

After “The Lunch Line”, we decided to do a story about the state of the school building. This episode mostly focused on holes in the wall and the toilet paper problem. Again, we interviewed staff and students, built the story around that, recorded narration, edited, and published.



Kennedy Coverdale Capstone

Abstract

My Capstone Project was to teach a class at my middle school that I previously attended: Greene Street Friends School. I wanted to teach them about math, which is a subject I’m passionate about. I introduced the students a new concept a bit ahead of time, which the teacher whom I was working with encouraged. I also worked with a partner; Peter Ricker, who was also teaching a math class in the same school. We collaborated with our mentor and the math teacher in order to finalize our learning plan and what concepts we were going to teach the class. We researched many topics on how to keep children engaged in learning and how to convey new concepts to children who may not get it the first time. Teaching the class proved harder than we though, and a newfound respect for teachers blossomed from my experience. However, it was an engaging and learning experience that I thoroughly enjoyed.


Digitized Portion

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After going over the warm up problem for the class, I walked around to help the students get an idea of what to do and see what their answers were. I wanted to see their progress and their work and what their thinking actually was before trying my best to steer them in the right direction without outwardly telling them the answer.


IMG_2451.JPG

This was after conversing with the teacher about the problem and how to go along with teaching the class about the new concept. Here, I write down the steps on the board and take questions as we go along, the class thoroughly engaged.


Bibliography

Canon, Chris. "Engaging Students | How to Keep Students Engaged!"YouTube. YouTube, 8 May 2013.

Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-39RPNvmoE>

This video provides me with more information about activities for students in the classroom. It also provides information on the types of activities and how they should be set up in order to keep students engaged in the activity itself. This source is very useful because it provides me with idea on how to set up the activities and drives me away from doing worksheets or a short quiz at the end of the class. However, one limitation is that the author talks about keeping them engaged during the entire year, not just on the first day, which is difficult because I’m only going to be with the kids for an hour during the day.


ESL5204. "The Toughest Class You Will Ever Teach: 9 Tips for Engaging Middle School Students."

BusyTeacher. BusyTeacher, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

<http://busyteacher.org/10666-teach-9-tips-engaging-middle-school-students.html>.

This source provides me information about teaching a middle school class, basically the age group I’m aiming to teach. It also provides me with information about to construct a lesson plan and classroom activities in order to keep the kids engaged. It gives me ideas about discussions and physical activities, and how the middle school mind works. They describe it as “... what does a teacher do when her students are too young to think like adults but are trying their hardest to escape childhood?” That quote helps me think about how their minds work and what I was like when I was in middle school. However, one setback to this source is that it’s not very detailed and doesn’t give examples of what I could do.


"Free Resources for Teachers: Middle School." Free Resources for Teachers: Middle School. National

Institute on Drug Abuse, Jan. 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.drugabuse.gov/free-resources-teachers-middle-school>

This source gives me a lot of links and different resources about teaching about drug use to middle school students. This is extremely helpful because it gives me many resources to use and activities to do with the kids. It comes from the National Institute on Drug Abuse so I know it’s accurate information that’s being given to me, and I know it’s helpful in making middle schoolers understand the dangers of drugs. I knew I was going to have a hard time explaining drugs to middle schools in order for them to understand, and make them comprehend the dangers, especially since high school is right around the corner for them.


Johnson, Ben. "The Art of Managing Middle School Students." Edutopia. George Lucas Educational

Foundation, 4 Sept. 2014. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

<http://www.edutopia.org/blog/art-of-managing-middle-schoolers-ben-johnson>.

This source provides me information about middle school student behaviors and how to deal with them effectively. It also gives me ideas about engaging the students and making them pay attention to me and what I’m teaching. One setback to this source is that the source puts down the advice, thinking that the teacher who is reading the source is an adult, while I’m a teenager, someone who is at most four years older than the kids I’ll be teaching. Demanding respect from kids as a kid myself is a bit difficult, since I know as a middle schooler I wouldn’t pay a senior in high school any mind at all. However, I shall still use this source because it’s still helpful in other areas, and maybe I can implement the advice given and be successful.


"Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know." Talking to Your Kids-Communicating the Risks. National Institute

on Drug Abuse, Mar. 2014. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-facts-parents-need-to-know/talking-to-your-kids-communicating-risks>

This source provides me with information about talking to middle school children about drugs, specifically Marijuana. It gives all the warnings about it being addictive and crushes some myths about it as well. This source is going to help me talk to the kids about drugs in general, not just marijuana. One limitation to this source is the fact that it’s only talking about marijuana and not any other drugs, which makes me think that I should only talk about marijuana since it’s the most prevalent in high school.


Milkova, Stiliana. "Strategies for Effective Lesson Planning." Strategies for Effective Lesson Planning.

Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

<http://www.crlt.umich.edu/node/520>

This source provides me with information on how to create a productive and interesting lesson plan, especially without having to teach kids about something they already know. It will help me formulate every aspect of the teaching/learning plan, and combined with other sources, will help me have a layout and be more organized with this learning process. It gives me detailed explanations on how to do each part of the lesson plan while keeping students engaged. I selected this source because it stemmed from a teaching department in a university, which I would think would be experts on how to teach children.


"Publications - Mind Over Matter." Publications. National Institute on Drug Abuse, n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

<http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/finder/t/157/MindOverMatter>

This source provides me with information and games and activities about drug abuse and the effects it has on the brain and body. They seem really fun and interesting for the middle schoolers to play, and they don’t require any technology to play and do the activity. I chose this source because it’s from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, meaning these games are accurate and truthful and don’t contain anything that’s inaccurate or might throw my lesson off track. This source is very useful because it gives me ideas of activities the kids could do in order to enhance their learning experience and make the class interesting and fun and very engaging.


Strauss, Valerie. "Five Key Strategies to Get/keep Kids Engaged at School." Washington Post. The

Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2013. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/29/five-key-strategies-to-getkeep-kids-engaged-at-school/>

This source provides me with information regarding student engagement in the classroom. The content in the article comes from a book called “Classroom Q & As: Expert Strategies For Teaching,”, published by Education Week. It talked about how to keep students engaged throughout the year. However, one setback of this source is just that: it’s about keeping kids engaged throughout the year instead of just one classroom session at a time. Despite this though, I can still use this source to help me formulate a productive and interesting lesson plan for the middle schoolers in order to keep them from falling asleep at their desks or talking to one another.


Taylor, Miranda. "A Lesson in Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse for MN Middle Schoolers." Health Talk.

University Minnesota, 02 Oct. 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. < http://www.healthtalk.umn.edu/2013/10/02/prescription-drug-abus-education-for-mn-middle-schools/>

This source provides me with ideas on how to teach the middle schoolers about drugs and the effect they can have on their lives. It even talks about talking to them about high school and making them realize they’ll be around drugs all the time once they come to high school, and learning how to politely turn away from people who offer them, no matter what they say. And even they give some examples as to what the kids might ask me and how I can even incorporate humor and some silliness into the conversation so that it won’t be so tense in the classroom. One limitation to this source is that it’s more of an article talking about what some people from the University of Minnesota did while teaching kids about drugs.


Wolpert-Gawron, Heather. "Kids Speak Out on Student Engagement. "Edutopia. George Lucas Educational

Foundation, 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

<http://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-engagement-stories-heather-wolpert-gawron>

This source provides me information about what keeps kids engaged during a lesson in the classroom. The quotes on the article come from actual eighth grade students, right around the range I’m looking to teach for my Capstone. This source is very helpful because it gives me ideas on classroom activities and things to do so the children can stay engaged and actually pay attention to the point of the lesson, along with having fun and giving them something to remember. It makes my job easier when creating a lesson plan so I know what to do and what to give the kids in order to have a productive classroom experience.


Betty Louis Capstone

In every young girl’s life there is the need to find out who one is, what/who does one want to be, to be accepted, wanted, and to to strive one’s best abilities. In urban communities, (especially ones that are widely populated with minorities) those important needs encouraged aren’t always steered in the right direction of a prosperous future. Acknowledging this economic error, I decided to provide my community an act of community service that helps decreases this issue for my senior capstone. As a young girl, I myself was in need of assistance of those mental necessities. I greatly lacked social and athletic skills. Then, I was directed to WINS (Women In Naturals Sciences) an after school/summer enrichment program that promotes the educational value in the sciences (especially women in the sciences) and offers a large sum of professional and development key skills as well as trips needed for the professional fields (interviews, college tours, internships.. exc.) which changed me for the better. To give back I became the manager’s, Ms. Betsy Payne and the coordinator’s Ms. Kimberly Godfrey assistance in the nomination process for the upcoming girl’s willing to participate in this program, in workshops for the current girls in WINS, and the Academy of Natural Sciences’s assistance in being a WINS explainer in their exhibit Outside-In. My initial topic for this project was “Making a Difference” to show that the little good deeds done for someone else can create a huge impact for the community.


wins3
Bibliography:
  • "WINS (Women in Natural Sciences)." Drexel University -. Pat Warner, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://www.ansp.org/education/programs/wins/>.

This source is very reliable and gives the viewer a general background information as to what the program WINS is essentially about. There are also guidelines as to what steps can or should be taken for young's wanting to be involved in the program and for faculty/staff teachers who would like to nominate young impressive girls. This sources will be very handy when I put my presentation together for me to explain to my audience what WINS is and how it was founded, what was it’s purpose, opinions from other girls there, how it branched out, and how it looks for it’s scouts.

  • "Women in Natural Sciences." Women in Natural Sciences. College of Natural Sciences, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <https://cns.utexas.edu/wins>.

In this source this is a program that has the exact name as wins, initial purpose, and abstract. The only difference is that this version of Wins is a college level step up. This program in Texas is exclusively for students who are in the University of Texas at Austin College of Natural Sciences. But other than that the two are very similar. It offers a lot of outreach and volunteer opportunities that students will gain benefits with while being in the program. In my capstone I would use this to compare and explain in depth the importance of a program like WINS.

  • WINS 30th Anniversary. Perf. Betsy Payne. WINS 30th Anniversary. Academy of Natural Sciences, 20 Sept. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-3M_md_7Lc>.

This is a youtube video that is mostly about the WINS 30th anniversary in being of strong existence. In this video girls who have graduated from WINS along with the manager and coordinator of the program explain about their experiences and the impact that WINS has had on their lives. They also explain about the class trips, and science based workshops that go on in the program. In my capstone it would be great to show a piece of this video because my big sister in the program actually speaks on her experiences in WINS and how it basically helped her succeed throughout her high school career.

  • "WINS." Women in Natural Sciences. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://www.natsci.colostate.edu/faculty-staff/women-in-natural-sciences/>.

This would be a following up example of the WINS program in Texas. This also another WINS program but it is in Colorado State University; College of Natural Sciences. This webpage states their goal in promoting women in the field of natural sciences by providing them with a large amount of educational opportunities that involve networking, mentoring and much more. I could speak on how we are even more lucky because of lot of these programs that are similar to the WINS in Philly are college based and only for college students in that particular college, while the wins in philly targets rising female freshman high school girls that are within the Philadelphia school district instead. Helping the generation at a young age.

  • "Afterschool Alliance :: The Importance of Afterschool and Summer Learning Programs in African-American and Latino Communities (2013)." Afterschool Alliance :: The Importance of Afterschool and Summer Learning Programs in African-American and Latino Communities (2013). N.p., July 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2015. <http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/issue_59_African-American_and_Latino_Communities.cfm>.

This is a well written essay on the importance and massive effect of after school programs on minorities today. I would use this the back up my argument in why WINS is important and why I think I chose my capstone to be aiding them in getting more girls to apply for the program. I choose my capstone to be solely based on helping my mentors in keeping a strong foundation of the program not only because of how it impacted my life but also because of how its services will and can impact hundreds of other lives in the philadelphia area.

  • "Women In Natural Sciences." YouTube. YouTube, 28 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bii4u-P1BO4>.

This is a video on youtube on a student's perspective of what wins is. The video is mostly a lot of pictures, but in each picture the girls in it are smiling, touching animals, pipetting, enjoying themselves, and each others company. There is not one picture where there is only one girl in it. This shows more of the sisterhood and closeness that comes with WINS. You’ll receive good friends that you’ll learn to love and keep for a very long time. It’s more than just an after school program, it’s a never ending cycle of sisterhood among the girls.

  • Zielinski, Sarah. "Ten Historic Female Scientists You Should Know."Smithsonian. Smithsonian, 09 Sept. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/ten-historic-female-scientists-you-should-know-84028788/?no-ist>.

This is a website on some basic information and research on the top ten female scientist that changed the course of history. During one of the series of classes and workshops given in the program Wins there is a class solely based on female scientist whose great contribution to science has led us to the discoveries we are well known with today. It is pushed on us to know these things because back in the day women were shunned on wanting a similar education that was given to men and after the long fight for such a change to be made, our reputation of adding on to science must not be stopped. Though it may seem like we are all average, each and every one of us has the potential and intelligence to do something similar as to what these great women in history did.  

  • "The Untapped Potential of Young Women in Natural Sciences."TreeHugger. N.p., 16 June 2014. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://www.treehugger.com/green-jobs/untapped-potential-young-women-natural-sciences.html>.

This website is talking about there is a need and demand for more women to actively participate and man a career in the STEM fields. It’s not just an issue in America, it’s an issue everywhere which is why this science based program wins is contributing economically. Young ladies that are willing to pursue a career in the stem field in WINS are in the win for the money. A job for them in that field will be ensured for them in the future for it is needed. With young ladies going into those fields and WINS providing them with enough support to be successful will help increase those numbers in which more females are needed in the careers in the stem field.

  • N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://wins.ethz.ch/about.html>.

Like the other examples this is also another wins program located somewhere else. This one is for females of a much higher educational level. It is offered the Phd students and scientific staff. This is one is much more intense. Some of their events involve scientist flying from across the world from a wide range of industries and doing conventions to learn from one another. It is said that it doesn’t even have to be all about work, conversations can range to personal aspects of life as well. Their purpose is to connect women of scientific backgrounds and career experience socially and academically to make an even huger impact.

In this article the author writes how science is just another subject in class that ladies have yet to master. Even though there has been may great women in history who have contributed profoundly to the field leading into new discoveries and innovations, there is still more to be done. Science is a never ending and constantly new subject everyday and it is up to us to keep up to speed with it and stay on the ball to conquer it. She explains that women have to be the ones to led and help situate and make sense of things that are continuing to grow more complex in this field.


Leah Kelly Capstone

Ever since I was a girl I have had a passion for photography and in the past few years have actively pursued expanding my portrait portfolio. Therefore, for my senior capstone I decided to create an instructional portrait photography guide full of all the tips and tricks that I have used while shooting. 

The process was rather scattered, since I was coordinating photoshoots while editing past ones while trying to format my final instructional manual, but I wouldn't have had it any other way because it kept me busy! 

After this year long process of creating a portfolio and then putting it all together in a portrait guide, I have learned a lot about myself as a photographer and myself as a learner. First of all, I learned a ton more about how to compose a nice shot and about lighting, framing and editing. I also learned how important it is to be organized with photoshoots and to not procrastinate on editing pictures, because it can all really back up!

Overall, the capstone process for me was a wonderful one. I'm extremely proud of the pictures that I took and the final manual that I created, and I hope that future photography classes at SLA will use my manual as a guide.

View my Instructional Manual here.


1. Busselle, Michael, and David Wilson. The Perfect Portrait Guide: How to Photograph People.

Mies: RotoVision, 2002. Internet Archive. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.


While this is a physical book, I found a free copy of it online on an internet archive which is extremely helpful because now I can access it whenever I please. The section in particular that I looked at was on page 24, the “Directing Relaxed Poses” section. This is so important to my project because I want my subjects to be looking natural and happy rather than stiff and uptight. Along with this section, I related it to the next section entitled “The Candid Camera” which was useful specifically in teaching about take candid portraits, which I will use when I do group photoshoots.

The limitation that I found with this source is that while they showed example photographs in the two main sections that I looked at, they did not talk very much about the composition of the photograph but rather about the subject. I wish that with some of the photographs they had talked about the f-stop and shutter speed that they used since that is a huge component of any photograph.

Overall, however, this source was extremely helpful and will aid me in my group shots and family portraits as well as my overall composition.


2. Dickson, Christina N. "6 Tips for Perfect Composition in Portrait Photography." Digital

Photography School. N.p., 20 Sept. 2009. Web. 13 Jan. 2015.


This source was incredible because the entire site is full of amazing photography tips. The thing that I liked most about this source was that I started reading and taking notes on this article but then ended up clicking all around the website and learning tons of new things about photography.

This particular article, however, was useful because it reminded me of all the basics of portrait photography such as filling the frame, the rule of thirds and creating texture. While I have found other specific sources for different kinds of photography, this was a resource that I found that gives an overall review of everything that any type of photographer needs to know no matter what kind of portraits they’re doing.

The one limitation to this article is that I don’t like the example photos that they chose. They had awesome lessons and great explanations about six different points, but the images that they chose to represent the mini-lesson were not very appealing in my opinion. While this may seem like a negative thing, it actually helped me because I was able to look at the photograph and think about what I would have done differently, which in turn helps me become a better photographer.


3. Drew Bittel. "8 Framing Secrets for Creating Interesting Portraits." NYIP Photo Articles. New York

Institute of Photography, 29 June 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

This source is extremely credible because it is from the New York Institute of Photography. While it provided basic information on how to shoot portraits, it was particularly helpful because it showed creative ways to frame different portraits and simply make them more interesting to look at. I am going to use this knowledge especially when I take family portraits to make them look nicer and in order to use props. Overall, this reliable source opened up my creative eye to new ways to take portraits using props, different backgrounds and texture.

The limitation to this source was that they only provided eight examples of ways to frame the photographs more creatively and I would have preferred more. However, even though there were minimal examples it makes me think about if I had written the article what I would have added and how I can incorporate those into my pictures.


4. Gregory, Alyssa. "7 Tips for Writing an Effective Instruction Manual."Business and Marketing.

Sitepoint, 16 Mar. 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.


This source shifted the focus away from my actual photography skills and more onto my final product: the manual. Since I’ve never written a manual before, this source was so useful because it talked about the main things that I should include and how to make it effective and creative. It included strategies such as outlining it first, getting out of your own head, being brief and using visual aids. In my opinion, the visual aids are particularly helpful because high school students especially like to look at pictures and read as little as possible.

The limitation that I found with this website is that they didn’t give an example of a good instructional manual, they just listed different things that a good one had in it. While this website brought up good points with how to be thorough and well understood with my manual, it didn’t show any examples of good instructional manuals or even link to something else that I could read about how to be effective.

Overall, however, this source was overall very helpful because it gave me basic knowledge on how to create an informative manual.


5. Klinger, Teri. "7 Steps to Making a Great Silhouette." Weblog post. Teri Klinger Photography. N.p.,

30 May 2014. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.


First of all, I know that this source is credible because this is the photographer who took my friend’s senior pictures and who I have been in contact with about different photography things. I have studied Teri’s work and discussed it with her so I know that she is not only an excellent photographer but also very smart with editing and framing photos, which is knowledge that she has shared with me.

This source was especially helpful because it gave a bunch of tips on how to capture an awesome silhouette, which I will need to use when I take pictures at the shelter and I can’t reveal the identity of the children or the moms. Therefore, this source was so helpful because it gave me tangible tips about lighting and position in order to produce a beautiful silhouette.

The one limitation that I found with this source is that she only wrote about outdoor silhouettes and most of her examples used sunsets. In my case, however, I am going to have to use backlighting of windows or other natural light and this source did not provide information on how to take those kind of pictures.





6. "Lightroom Tutorials." Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. Adobe, n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2015.


This source was one of the most helpful ones out of everything that I’ve used so far. While this is mainly the home page of the tutorials, in connected me to a bunch of different links about everything I could ever want to know about Lightroom, which was so useful because that is the editing program that I am using. Also, I know that it’s reliable because the company that produces Lightroom, Adobe, is the one who owns this website and posts all of the tutorials.

Honestly, this resource did not have any down sides. Everything that I needed to know about Lightroom was on one reliable source and could be easily found through either the drop-down menus or the search bar. There were videos as well as images as well as readings, which catered to all three of the ways that I learn best. In addition, if I was still confused, there is a live chat option which meant that all of my questions could be answered by a real person and left this resource being an overall success.


7. Meyer, Jeff. "Family Photos: What the Pros Don't Say about Taking Pictures of Family." Digital

Camera World. Future, 26 Feb. 2013. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.


This source was so helpful because I am doing multiple different shoots with families. Some of them have little kids, some have dogs and some are all older kids, but this resource pretty much touched on every single one of those. Within this article, there are eight different pages focusing on different aspects of family portraits such as capturing action photos, posed photos and candid photos. These three pages in particular were so useful to me because I like to have a blend of all of those when I do a photoshoot.

The limitation to this source, like many other sources, is that I didn’t find that they had enough examples of photographs showing each of their techniques. For instance, they only had one picture for each of the candid, action and posed pages which lead me to believe that either not enough time was put into this article or the photographer simply couldn’t capture what he needed. However, this makes me want to be able to try out all of the techniques the author mentioned and prove his points even more than he could.


8. Smith, Brian. Secrets of Great Portrait Photography: Photographs of the Famous and Infamous. San

Francisco: New Riders, 2013. Print.


This was definitely one of the coolest sources that I found in my search. Brian Smith is an incredible photographer and has been doing it for many years according to his book, which I believe makes him an expert and a credible source.

While this book focuses on all aspects of portrait photography, what I noticed and found particularly helpful in this book was his use of color and how he used the skin color, outfits and backgrounds to create beautiful portrait photography. For example, he took a beautiful picture of an actress in a red dress with red lipstick against a red curtain.

Originally, I thought that it would look silly if almost everything in the photo was the same color or even in the same color scheme, but his purpose in that photograph was to make the actress’ ivory skin stand out and in the end, it made for a stunning photograph.

While this was an incredible book that I learned a lot from, the one downside was that it was extremely expensive so I couldn’t buy it. However, I am happy that I was able to find it, read it, take notes on it and have it overall be useful in my capstone.


9. Stitzer, Barbara. "How to Use Triangles to Improve Your Portraits Composition." Photodoto. N.p.,

23 Jan. 2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.


Even though I have taken a photography class and have been taking pictures for as long as I can remember (even though they weren’t always good), this is an aspect of photography that I’ve never quite realized but that this website brought up, which is extremely helpful. This source is all about using triangles in your portraits to make the pictures more balanced and appealing to the eye, which I will use specifically when I take group portraits.

I also know that this source is credible because one of my previous sources, the Digital Photography School, linked me to this website for further information. Therefore, through the sharing of reliable sources I was able to find this article and learn a lot from it.


10. Wilson, Jodi. "Photography: How to Capture Your Kids without Revealing Their Identity."

Practising Simplicity. N.p., 26 Jan. 2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.


This source is one of the most important ones to me because I will be using these skills in one of my most important shoots. It is one thing to be able to capture the identity of someone well and create a beautiful portrait, but another thing to keep the identity hidden and still capture the essence of someone in a photograph, which is what the website taught me to do and how I will use it.

This source might not be completely credible because it is a blog written by a woman named Jodi Wilson, but since all of these photography websites are opinions and tips anyway, not facts, I’m not bothered by the fact that every single thing that she writes might not be true.

However, that being said, I think that all of the points that she brings up are awesome and will really help me in my photoshoots.


Monisha Das Capstone

Throughout the course of my capstone I had many bake sales. When I had a sale I experimented with different things in order to see what would bring in more profit. I looked at what days of the week brings in more money as well as different products. After doing my bake sales I was able to gather numerical data. After gathering my data, I looked at the income for the day and the actual profit, which I got by subtracting the money spent from the income. At the end it was just a matter of looking at all my data and studying it to understand what was good and bad. 

Outside of the bake sales, I made separate cakes. The money I raised from the bake sales went into make the outside cakes and by necessary equipments. With these I was able to experiment with different decorating techniques such as frosting, glaze, melted chocolate, and ganache. By doing the bake sales and outside projects I was able to understand my capstone from the business side as well as develop baking skills.

This is the link to my online website, Mini's Baker, which holds the description of my capstone, my data, analysis, as well as pictures of my bake sales and my outside cake projects.

Resources I used for my capstone can be found here

Emalyn Bartholomew Capstone

The goal of this project was to make these books that people are so familiar with and love dearly come to life in an entirely different way. I read often, but it’s not everyday that you consciously try to make stories like these so much larger. I also hoped to create an interest in different books with different kids, and create an interest in storytelling. I wanted to make this cookbook attainable for kids of different ages, and make these stories accessible in a whole different way. Not only was this an expansion project for the audience, but it also forced me to experiment with forms of writing that were unfamiliar to me. Instructional writing is something that I had never done much of in the past, and felt very uncomfortable with at first. It took me many hours of pouring over different cookbooks, targeted at both kid and adult audiences, to feel comfortable enough to begin writing my own interpretations. 

capstone book
Works Cited


1. Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. New York: Collins, 1979. Print.

This source is one of the first books that came to mind when I began thinking of recipes to pull. While there isn’t a specific recipe that can be pulled, I have lots of ideas for things involving different kinds of fruit. This is also a great book to use because it is widely known and very popular among kids. Hopefully this will help make the book interesting and attainable to kids of many ages, as it will be a familiar story. I will have to be a little bit creative when it comes to creating a recipe, but I’m sure that I’ll be able to use all the fruit mentioned in an interesting way.


2. Carroll, Lewis, John Tenniel, and Lewis Carroll. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ; &, Through the

Looking-glass. New York, NY: Bantam Dell, 2006. Print.

This book is one of my all-time favorite stories. Not only that, but because of the animated film it is widely known and loved. While not so many kids will have read the book, they will still know the story and that makes it ideal. I’m hoping that including elements of this story in my cookbook will make kids more interested in reading the novel, which is one of my favorites. I am also hoping that this can bridge the gap between younger children and older children, which is another goal of my project.


3. Custer, Delores. Food Styling: The Art of Preparing Food For the Camera. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Print.

At first when I found this source, I didn’t think it would have much meaning for my project. As I continued reading, however, I realized how wrong I was. This book is beautifully put together, and gave me a lot of information about photographing food. This was something I hadn’t thought much about, but of course pictures of the finished product need to be included in my cookbook. I was able to take down some extremely helpful notes on food photography, that I’m sure I will reference when I get to that stage. I was not able to buy the book, but thankfully found it in Barnes and Noble to take notes from. I hope to find it in the library so I can check it out closer to the time that I’ll be taking pictures.


4. Forest, Heather, and Susan Gaber. Stone Soup. Little Rock, AR: August House LittleFolk, 1998. Print.

This was the first book that I thought of when I decided on this topic. Not only do I love the story- a sweet tale that teaches about the importance of sharing- but I have always been intrigued by ‘stone’ soup. I have since discovered that ‘stone’ soup is just vegetable soup, which was slightly disappointing but I am excited to make it nonetheless. This is the first recipe that I will find or create, and I am excited to think about which elements of the story to pull out when designing the book. I do hope that I am able to locate my copy of this book, but I’m sure it will be in the library should I need to check it out.


5. Gilletz, Norene. "The Right Way to Write Recipes." The Right Way to Write Recipes by Norene Gilletz. Blacksun, 2011. Web. 21 Jan. 2015.

This source gives great detail on how to effectively write recipes. Writing the recipes was one of the things that I was worried about with this project, as it was something I had never done before. I had never heard of this author before, so I did a little research to make sure she knew what she was talking about. Gilletz has no less than nine cookbooks out, and is one of the top-selling cookbook authors. She is also a food consultant and a cooking instructor. I have no doubt that she knows what it takes to write recipes, and I found her tips both easy to follow and extremely helpful. I have no doubt I will be referencing this webpage often!


6. Jacob, Dianne. Will Write for Food: The Complete Guide to Writing Cookbooks, Blogs, Reviews, Memoir, and More. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Lifelong, 2010. Print.

This was the first book that came to me in my search for how to write a good cookbook. This book came along with great reviews and recommendations, and I knew it was one I had to check out. Dianne Jacob is both a book editor and cookbook author, so I was pretty willing to trust her ideas. I was able to pull out several simple tips for writing good cookbooks, and I look forward to applying them when I get to this point in my project.


7. Marshall, James. George and Martha: The Complete Stories of Two Best Friends. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. Print.

I wasn’t familiar with this book before researching for this project. It came recommended by several families that I know and work for with young children, so I knew I had to look into it. I know there’s some great recipes I can pull out from these books, and I’m excited to begin the process of creating and experimenting with cooking. I do not own this book, but I was able to borrow it from a family that I work for. I do think this will be a good book to include for the younger children.


8. Numeroff, Laura Joffe., and Felicia Bond. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. New York: Laura Geringer, 2007. Print.

This source is an obvious choice when thinking of children’s books that highlight food. Cookies are always delicious, and I definitely they’re necessary for a children’s cookbook. Not only are cookies loved by children, but the book is as well. It’s a hugely popular book, and I think kids will be excited to see it included in the cookbook. I know that there are other books in this ‘series’ as well, such as If You Give a Pig a Pancake, or If You Give a Moose a Muffin, and I am considering incorporating those as well. I’m not sure if I will do that, but it is a possibility.


9. Ostmann, Barbara Gibbs., and Jane L. Baker. The Recipe Writer's Handbook. New York: Wiley, 2001. Print.

This source is one that came up pretty quickly in my search for recipe-writing resources. While I’m not quite at this stage yet, I think it’s definitely helpful to have on hand for when I get there. I don’t know if writing the recipes will be difficult for me, but I am anticipating that it will be very different from the writing that I am used to. Because of this, I’m trying to pull together as many resources as I can for support when I begin this stage of my project. I have no doubt that I’ll be turning to this handbook often.


10. Walker, Barbara M. The Little House Cookbook: Frontier Foods from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Classic Stories. New York: Harper & Row, 1989. Print.

This resource is incredibly valuable, because it is very similar to the project that I’m creating. Instead of pooling together recipes from different children’s books, however, this cookbook focuses on the Little House in the Woods series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved this series, and this source is a great mentor text for me to check in with. I think it does a great job at incorporating the stories into the pages, making the book feel very authentic. This is something I definitely want to achieve with my own cookbook, so I’m sure I’ll be referring to this one often.








Nick Clark Takes 1-Hitter into 7th; Ben Simon Shuts Door on Lincoln; SLA Reaches City Final Four

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Screen Shot 2015-05-20 at 10.36.59 PM
Every Rocket that stepped to the plate got at least 1 hit (nearly everyone got 2) in a convincing win over tough A-Division Lincoln. A huge bunt by Ben Simon moved a runner to third after Kevin Williams smacked a double down the third base line, and David Baker tied the game 1-1 with an RBI single. In an epic at bat, Ben Simon struck again in the 5th with a critical 2-run single to give SLA a 3-1 lead. Kevin Courtney crushed a shot to left center to plate 2 more making it 5-1 in the 6th. Ijustice Avery and Lukas Supovitz-Aznar made ESPN-worthy defensive stops to help Nick Clark take a 1-hitter into the final inning, and Ben Simon came in to end Lincoln's season.

The Rockets continue to prove doubters wrong with their 16th straight win, the last 3 over A-Division powerhouses Esperanza, Frankford and Lincoln. SLA advances to their first Public League Final Four, and will play MaST Charter to reach the City Final. (Video of Final Out)

Alaina Silverman Capstone

Abstract

Reading is one of my greatest passions and I am dedicated to discovering as many stories as I can. Writing a beautiful or exhilarating story is one of the most difficult and unlauded tasks a person can take on - it took me almost a year of unsuccessfully trying to write for my capstone to learn this. During this time, my characters, plot, and fictional world went through so many iterations that the narrative I have now barely resembles what I thought I would write back in September. Even with guidance from Mr. Miles and many writing how-tos, it took time to create unique characters. Though I have not written as nearly as much as I want for this capstone (only 10,000 words), I fully anticipate completing my novel in the upcoming months for my own satisfaction.


The story focuses on a very distant future where the world is ‘at capacity’ - there is no space for people, which leads to the degeneration of civil behavior. When this society inevitably collapses, the plot then jumps to a point past this to examine the aftermath.


Works Cited

"Beyond the Cliché: How to Create Characters That Fascinate | Write to Done." Write to Done Beyond the Cliche How to Create Characters That Fascinate Comments. N.p., 06 Apr. 2012. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://writetodone.com/how-to-create-characters/>.

I chose writing a short novel as my capstone because I wanted to bring something new to the metaphorical literary gene pool; this source is all about cliche characters, and how to avoid them. Even though I am familiar with many tropes through my own reading experience, it was incredibly helpful to have some of them listed out along with ways to make sure my characters are unique. I believe this source is credible because the writer of the article is also the author of several books (whose genres range from young adult novels to historical fiction). She has also written a book on how to improve writing techniques.


Gerrold, David. Worlds of Wonder: How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy. Cincinnati, OH:

Writer's Digest, 2001. Print.


This book is aimed directly at science fiction and fantasy novel writers, but many of the tips and advice can carry over into other genres of literature. Worlds of Wonder is full of writing exercises that are fun and interesting to complete; I like the focus that the author puts on creating a sense of wonder in the reader, and how or where to draw inspiration from. He also brings up good points about the importance of consistency and how to make sure a story maintains its believability right from the start. This source is and will be incredibly useful to read through when I am in the process of writing.


Gingerich, Jon. "Five Plot Devices That Hurt Your Writing." LitReactor. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://litreactor.com/columns/five-plot-devices-that-hurt-your-writing>.

I am not used to writing plots - most of the writing I have done in the past five years has been academic essays and informative narratives. Now that I am dipping my toes into stories, which require a plot, this website is a good place to start familiarizes myself with what I should not do. Some of the things to avoid I already know I am susceptible to doing - such as the deus ex machina and writing too much of my personal experience in. The advice the site gives on not getting caught in these pitfalls is sound.


"The Golden Rules for a Good Plot | Scribendi.com." The Golden Rules for a Good Plot | Scribendi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.scribendi.com/advice/goldenrulesforagoodplot.en.html>.

This site is full of writing resources, mainly focused on logistics and how or when to get things done. This particular article elaborates on the process of making a good plot. It comes from the opinion that plot should be established before the story is written; someone writing a story should create a ‘skeleton’ or outline with the intention of staying on track when doing actual writing. This would be good for me to do because I often go on tangents when I write, which takes up time that could have been spent on editing or furthering my story and capstone.


."How to Write Dialogue That Works – Elements of a Story." How to Write Dialogue That Works – Elements of a Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.creative-writing-now.com/how-to-write-dialogue.html>.

Dialogue is one of the trickiest parts of any book; good dialogue fleshes out characters and gives insight into the world, but bad plot can turn a reader away from the story entirely. This website is concise and gives examples of both what not to do and what to emulate because it’s so good. I plan on having my cast of characters interact with each other extensively. Since this means I will have a quite a bit of dialogue, I want to make sure I am doing my story and characters credit and am not being melodramatic, boring, or unrealistic.


Kirkman, John, and Christopher Turk. Effective Writing: Improving Scientific, Technical and Business Communication. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Google Books. Google. Web. <http://books.google.com/books?id=JwN6AgAAQBAJ&pg=PT120&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false>.

Effective Writing is an interesting book on a writer can create flow in their stories. Another noteworthy aspect of the book is that it also addresses charts and images, and how that can add to or detract from the reader’s understanding. Reminiscent of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, this book examines word choice, brevity versus colloquialisms, and how to write in an active (rather than passive) manner.  This is important for me because I write many of my academic (and especially scientific) essays in a passive voice to avoid making false generalizations and referring to myself; in a story, a passive voice doesn’t serve the purpose of getting the story across.


"Story Lite Writers Software to Maximize Productivity." Story Lite Productivity Software for Writing and Editing. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.storylite.com/how-to-use-story-lite-software/short-story-stories-novella-writer/>.

While the website is essentially one large ad for writing software, this particular page calls out the difference in anecdotes, novellas, and full length stories. It gives examples of authors who wrote short stories before moving on to longer works of fiction, and also writers who started with short stories but then expanded them into full novels. In describing the distinction between anecdotes and short stories, it also describes what elements make either one good and enjoyable to read. The site also says the most compelling short stories deal with powerful themes, like ageing or love. I hadn’t thought of defining my stories in terms of themes, I think it would be interesting to do so.


"TARA K. HARPERWRITER'S WORKSHOP First Person or Third?" First Person or Third Person? N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.tarakharper.com/k_frstpr.htm>.

Before I start writing, I need to commit myself to a certain style of writing. At its core, this

means either first person, or third person. Both has merits; with first person, I have access to the thoughts and feelings of my main character, while with third person, I have more control over what the reader takes away from my population of characters as a whole. There are also detriments to both: for example, with first person, the narration is limited to the owner of the point of view. The point of view I choose will directly affect how i write my story.


"Voice in Writing: Developing a Unique Writing Voice." WritersDigestcom. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/voice-in-writing-developing-a-unique-writing-voice>.

This article explains the importance of developing a writing voice. I like that a writing voice isn’t described in terms of strength, but rather how true and distinct it is from other voices. I also like that the author took the time to contrast ‘writing voice’ from ‘style’, where voice is the the authors sensibilities and personality coming through. This is important in the foundation of my story, making sure I keep my voice and don’t ‘pick up’ other author’s traits accidentally. Keeping my voice consistent is also very important; since I will be writing in bursts, there might be some fluctuation in how I write.


Wending, Chuck. "The Zero-Fuckery Quick-Create Guide To Kick-Ass Characters (And All The Crazy Plot Stuff That Surrounds 'Em)."Terribleminds Chuck Wendig. N.p., 28 Oct. 2013. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2013/10/28/plot-and-character/>.

This article was written in an accessible, humorous way. The author disapproves of, and explains why he disapproves of, typical character mapping and character quizzes. Knowing what a character’s favorite color, or how tall they are, ultimately does nothing to develop their personality. Instead, Wending gives the reader a myriad of other exercises to do to help ground a particular character - like writing a 100 character bio for them. The article also explains where plot really comes from; not only is plot derived from conflict, but the character’s inability or unwillingness to address an issue affects the storyline greatly. Figuring out how a character relates to an event is important to establish before writing.



Other Sources

Burroway, Janet, Elizabeth Stuckey-French, and Ned Stuckey-French. Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.


Cohen, Richard. Writer's Mind: Crafting Fiction. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Pub. Group, 1995. Print.


"What Makes a Good Story? Tips for Young Authors." What Makes a Good Story? (Tips for Young Authors). N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2015. <http://www.aaronshep.com/youngauthor/elements.html>.


How to Lie with Statistics: Book Meeting 2

podcast 2 final
(read chapters 4, 5, 6, 7)


Group Members

Monisha Das

Alexis Mccormick

Alaina Silverman

Nia Hammond


Discussed:

Inside cover quotes

Paragraph interpretations

Articles surrounding misleading data visualizations:

  • Monisha: http://qz.com/122921/the-chart-tim-cook-doesnt-want-you-to-see/
  • Alexis: http://www.mediaite.com/tv/fox-news-airs-seriously-misleading-obamacare-graphic/
  • Alaina: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-32606724
  • Nia: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10625168/Treasury-rebuked-over-misleading-flood-spending-graph.html

How To Lie With Statistic Podcast 2 - Alex and Chaveliz

​Members:
Alex Held and Chaveliz Nieves

What we discussed:
We answered all questions from our viewers and discussed the later chapters in the book.

How we discussed it:
We had a conversation, asking each other the questions and replying to them.

Conflicts:
Chaveliz and I disagreed upon which average was best for representing grades in two stats classes.

Questions discussed?
How often is this seen?
What data can we trust?


How To Lie With Statistics #2

Podcast 1

How to Lie With Statistics

Pierce L, Leah P, Tytianna B

What we discussed:
We talked about Chapters 1 through 3 and how to connected with the quotes in the beginning of the book. 
How we discussed:
We started by reading the quotes and then going around and talking about the chapters and how they related to the quotes.
Points of conflict/questions:
N/A



Podcast 1

Stats Book Talk 2

​Members:
Maggie Hohenstein and Lisa Kang

What we discussed:
We answered all the questions from the first podcast and we talked about why companies are allowed to do things like have misleading information. We also talks about how people can change things on graphs to make it look better than it actually is. To go along with that, both of us found a misleading graph and talked about them.

How we discussed it:
We just had a conversation on the chapters.

Conflicts:
We didn't have any conflicts.

Questions that came up:
Why are companies allowed to do that?
Why don't companies spend their money on actually make good products than spending money trying to make the products look good?

Statistics Book talk 2