Isabella Blackwell — Science Leadership Academy @ Center City

FULL PODCAST for: "How To Lie With Statistics"

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in Statistics - Miles - C on Friday, June 3, 2016 at 11:02 am

This is our final podcast that is a combination of all four of our podcasts, that is 42 minutes long!

For this podcast, we mainly focused on what the book was trying to portray to us through the authors confusing writing, the illustrations, etc.

Our shortest podcast was the one about the Introduction, where we discussed what we thought the book was going to be talking about, and what was going to happen.

In our first "official" podcast, we focused on chapters 1 and 2. We mainly pointed out what we read about collecting data sets and how we go about them. We talked about examples used in the book about choosing samples, being bias, collecting data, and other statistical things. For the most part, what we were reading was familiar to us because we just learned about the things talked about in class.

In the second podcast we talked about advertisements, coin flips, IQ's, and how we interpreted different illustrations in the chapters. We compared what we read to the things we learned in class. One spefic thing was the coin flips. When we learned about coin flips, we thought it would always be 50/50 when flipping, but that wasn't correct.

In our last podcast, we focused on the rest of the book (to chapter 10). We mainly focused on the titles of the book, and how they correlated to the writing. We also talked about the "bigger picture" which was, what we each thought it meant what the author meant by "How to lie with Statistics".

Enjoy our FINAL PODCAST HERE!

Speakers: Isabella Blackwell, Jada Terrell, and Kadija Koita

Isabella Blackwell's Capstone

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in Capstone - Martin - Wed on Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 10:21 pm

For my capstone, I initially wanted to base it off of Youtube, and create a Youtube channel with content of my own on it. I watch Youtube videos everyday, and it has honestly become apart of my daily life. I thought it would be a great idea to create videos of my own that people my age could relate to, and take a liking to. I started to "vlog" in the fall, but in the end, I just wasn't comfortable with the content. I also just didn't know how I could connect that capstone idea back with SLA's core values. After talking with my mentor, and throwing around ideas, I decided to do something that I love, which is volleyball. Along with my team and coach, I worked hard to create a "Students vs. Teachers Volleyball Game", that will take place on Tuesday, May 24th 2016.

To make this all happen, a lot of things had to be planned, and difficult decisions had to be made. We had to get a gym to have it in, decide who was going to play, get ahold of teachers who wanted to participate, spread the word and get students interested, figure out how to make money off of it, etc. Phone calls were made, and we ended up booking Lloyd Hall, on Boathouse Row, to host the game. I made a forum for teachers to sign up to play, with information about their shirt size and nickname so they could have a "jersey". I signed and distributed tickets to sell to people interested in coming to the game to have fun and support. I also made flyers to post around the school with information about the game like, the cost of entrance (initially 3 dollars, now 2 dollars and 5 dollars at the door) and the time, date and location. Below is a picture of the flyer, along with a picture of the matching slip of information about the game that goes with a ticket when bought.

Here is my Annotated Bibliography!

McCarthy's Unbridged: Page 27

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in Being Human - Giknis - B on Friday, January 29, 2016 at 7:14 am

The passage below is a continuation of what happens on and after page 27 of Cormac McCarthy’s, The Road.

(The Road 27) “We should go, Papa. Can we go?

Yes. We can go.

I’m scared.

I know. I’m sorry.

I’m really scared.

It’s all right. We shouldn’t have come.”

One night later, they trudged along the dark Eastern Mountain, hoping to find somewhere to sleep that covered themselves from the wet cacophony that had suddenly come.

How about here, Papa?

Okay. We will stay here. You hungry?

No.

After the boy had shown no interest in eating, the man devoured half of what they had to eat. As the man ate, the boy made himself a place to lay and began to drift off.

Good night Papa, stay close.

Stayclose?

Yes. StayClose.

Okay, good night.

The boy had fallen into a heavy sleep, though his sleep seemed to be a restless one. The man wondered if the boy was still on edge about visiting his old home.

Trying to sleep, the boy thought of his home, living with both parents. He remembered them bickering and never being content. Every time they would fight, the mother threatened to leave them. The man would beg her to not, but in the end, she did.

Mom don't leave, said the boy in his sleep.

What?

Mom.....mom...

Just then, after hearing his son say the word "Mom", he knew why the boy was acting the way he was. The boy didn't want to lose anyone else. He didn't want the man to leave him like his mother did. The boy told him to stay close before he went into his slumber, he was terrified of the house, and wanted to leave. The boy is always paranoid. The man now understood.

Rationale:

Throughout the whole novel The Road by Cormac McCarthy, they boy seemed to be very scared, on edge, and paranoid wherever he and his father went. In the very beginning of the novel, one specific scene stood out to me. This was on page 27, when the boy and the man took a visit to the man’s childhood home. I wanted to make the plot a continuation of the boy’s and the man’s conversation and an explanation of the boy’s feelings.

For this, I wanted to develop the boy’s character, and why he was always so scared, and attached to the man. I decided on making up the reason the boy feel so terrified at the man’s old house, because of his past experiences at his home when he lived with both his mother and his father. So I added that the boy just didn’t want to loose any one else, and obviously until the end of the novel, the man is all the boy had.

I added another short conversation, and more dialogue to page 27’s writing. I placed my writing here because the man and the boy were just having a conversation about leaving, and they did. So this was the perfect place to expand on the boy’s feelings at the house, and just throughout the novel. Creating a motif was very hard for me. I decided on “I’m scared”, which is what the boy would always say, everywhere they went.

I focused on two themes for my “made up” part of the book, and I chose the short and to the point conversations the boy and the man always had, and the boy’s paranoid feelings. With these themes, i answered the questions of “Why is the boy always so anxious and very...aware?”, and “Why were all the conversations between the boy and the man so short?”. Basically, I wanted to have the answers to both be, again, the boy is always like this because of the way he was previously living with both the man and his mother before she left. The boy doesn’t want to lose his father like he lost his mom...so he is very cautious and on edge about everything. The conversations between him and his father are keep so short because they both don’t want to “mess things up” I guess you could say. What i’m trying to say here is they just don’t want to say the wrong thing that makes each other mad, or have bad feelings towards each other because they never knew the next time they would see each other. That’s why they were so close.

Book Review: Fangirl

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in English 3 - Rami - D on Wednesday, November 5, 2014 at 5:53 am

Twin sisters Cath and Wren both loved Simon Snow. Like, they were obsessed. They related to Simon Snow, and this fan fiction got them through some major moments in their life including one with their mom. They weren’t like any other old fan. When they were kids, their life was Simon Snow. But that was soon to change….

Cath is an obsessed Simon Smith fan. It’s still her life. Cath doesn’t want to let it go. Wren, not so much. Both sisters are going to the same college now and Wren believes that the whole Simon Snow thing was just a phase. Wren is over it. She is now in college, over the whole Simon Snow thing, and she thinks her sister should be too. Wren wants to be independent and in this well written story, she distances herself from her sister (Cath). She doesn't want to dorm with Cath, she wants to do things on her own and be independent.

When Cath and Wren don’t share a room, Cath is completely lost and isn’t in her own comfort zone. She doesn’t like it. Her new roommate isn’t what she is used to. She was pretty, had a hot boyfriend, and so many other things Cath didn’t have. Her new professor was different too. She didn’t really reside with him well because he HATED fan fiction, which is what she loved (Simon Snow). Then she met one of her peers in class. He was gorgeous to Cath. A God. This was hard. Meeting all these new people, who did things way differently than she had. She didn’t party, drink, or do well with boys. It was all different for her, especially because she wasn’t experiencing any of it with her sister.

There were new people, new environments, new opportunities, and Cath didn’t care for any of it. She missed her life back at home where she did everything with her sister. Where she was with her loving father. Where it was okay to love Simon Snow. Where she didn’t have to be alone.

The main person/thing Cath thought about while she was miserable at her college in Nebraska was her father, and his well being. Her father hated to be alone, and he felt lonely because both of his daughters had to leave him for college. Though he was distraught, he didn’t want his kids to worry about him, so he tried to cover up his feelings, but Cath sensed them. No matter how many times her dad told her he was okay, Cath insisted that she would go back home and take care of him, leave her college and find somewhere else to go that was closer to him. Despite all the setbacks and emotions, she got into a groove. College got easier for Cath. She had a very loyal “friend”, got used to the environment, and learned a lot about herself as Cath, not as the twin or as Wren’s sister.

Rainbow Rowell, the amazing and talented author of Fangirl is a Nebraska girl herself, and chose to set this story in Nebraska as well. She lives in Omaha with her husband and two sons. Rainbow Rowell is a New York Times: Bestselling author, and this is only her second book! Her first novel was Eleanor & Park and Attachments. Rowell writes this story beautifully, despite the swears and curses she wrote with! It is romantic and a bit sexual, full of adventure, and filled with life lessons throughout the whole novel.

I related to this book a lot. Though i’m not in college, I still went through and I am still going through many of the problems Cath (and Wren) encountered in this novel. Especially with the whole “fangirl” thing, because I myself am a fangirl. I was told a lot of the same things Cath was told about growing out of her fangirling and that she needed to get out of that “phase”. I understood Cath’s opinion on it, and also agreed. If you like something, you don’t just have to give it up. Yes, put your priorities first, but you don’t just have to give up on something you enjoy because others look down on it.

People who would enjoy this novel would be mature young adults, definitely above the age 14. People who love fiction, especially fiction set in the modern day. Fangirl is a fun, and sexy (but not too sexy) relatable book for people who are “fangirls” and “fanboys” themselves. Even if you aren’t a “fangirl/boy”, you’ll still pick up this book and love it! It took me a little while to finish this novel because I am a slower reader, but it definitely isn’t a very easy/light read.

Fangirl

Rainbow Rowell

433 pages

September 10th, 2013

Contemporary Fiction

Creative Piece:

The creative piece tells a little about what goes on with Cath in the novel. The last part of the creative piece is from Cath’s point of view/her voice.

Fangirl: Intro

Final Portfolio

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in World History - Block - C on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 at 5:09 pm

In September 2013, I entered my World History class I was assigned to and found that my teacher was Mr. Block. I wasn’t very excited to have history because I never really liked the class, or the the things that were taught in it. But, the first day of history, we actually were having a discussion and ended up using M&M’s. M&M’s? Oh, I could tell that it was going to be a fun year!

My favorite activity and project in history this year was the first trial. Actually, it was all of the trials. I loved those. I loved that I could put my opinion in the trial along with all the research that I did, depending on what I was assigned to. It was also hard for me because other peoples opinions weren’t always right in my eyes and I don’t agree with people easily.

In one of my first journals, I said, "Not to procrastinate and to get my work done when I first get it.." (Journal Entry #4). This made me think about all the struggles I had in History class this year. It was hard for me to adjust to the “sophomore lifestyle” but I think I did an okay job. I did slack for some quarters, and in the end I tried to pull everything together and I think I need to work on that the most. Next year I really need to begin to procrastinate less, because it is a very crucial and important year.

Creativity happened in history class this year during the keystone pipeline monologue project in the beginning in the year. For that project, I used creativity in the way I wrote my monologues, the way I talked in my video and just the whole thing overall.

So I did have some bad expectations and things that I didn’t like, but it turned out okay. There were a bunch of assignments I loved and a bunch that i hated. The projects and the worksheets were a little intense since we did sometimes get them back to back, but it was fine. I think that from all of this, I have learned to just be more productive at an earlier time.

Links to my work:

http://scienceleadership.org/blog/Pipeline_Monologue_Project-25

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1_kp2JKv6YfH52AGvQKW93OifebhVutVrJsSOuPqYX_I/edit?usp=drive_web

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1rgruHQE41gP0n0B9AtYBwcuVCzHZwlDaPBBk2Eko1Ws/edit?usp=drive_web

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1cIG17epnv-g1niXB_lFjF8tHzkX0pxSM7VklYKosFiI/edit

Revolution Guidebook Project

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in World History - Block - C on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 2:46 pm

In History Class, for about the past month, we have been focusing on revolutions. We have had conversations about what happens in them, how they are handled, who leads them, etc. In class, we focused on one of the revolutions in particular, (The French Revolution) and sort of acted it out. We were different characters, had different jobs, etc. We watched different videos in class about revolutions like, "The Square", and even talked about a modern day revolution in the Ukraine.

For my benchmark, I chose to compare 2 different revolutions. I chose The American Revolution and the Ukraine. I talked about how they were lead, and if there really need to be a leader in revolutions. It was interesting for me to research how leaders lead and to also throw in my own opinion.

History BM: Revolution Digital Story from Isabella Blackwell on Vimeo.

La Entrevista Benchmark

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in Spanish 2 - Bey - X on Tuesday, December 17, 2013 at 11:25 am

http://youtu.be/A9Ib15ckFFU

Pipeline Monologue Project

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in World History - Block - C on Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 5:39 am

Part I:

In this unit, I have learned about the many advantages and disadvantages of the Keystone Pipeline. The Keystone Pipeline is a proposed seven billion dollar pipeline that is supposed to carry oil from Canada’s tar sands all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. This pipeline seems to be a problem all around the world and has been the topic of discussion for years now. I have been able to read and watch many articles and videos about this pipeline to try to form an opinion on it. Most the videos I watched seemed to be very happy about the coming of the pipeline, (which came off as one sided and biased) while in articles, they were all talking about how bad this would affect our world. After reading and hearing all these opinions and information about the pipeline in this unit, I am feeling really excited to see the outcome of this project.

Part II:

- “The Keystone XL project is a proposed extension of the Keystone pipeline, which became operational in June 2010.”

(http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/five-things/the-keystone-xl-pipeline/12200/)

- “The Keystone XL Pipeline Project is a proposed 1,179-mile (1,897 km), 36-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline, beginning in Hardisty, Alta., and extending south to Steele City, Neb. This pipeline is a critical infrastructure project for the energy security of the United States and for strengthening the American economy.”

(http://keystone-xl.com/about/the-project/)

- “If we are truly concerned about carbon, it seems to me building a state-of the-art pipeline which is the most efficient way to get -- to move oil around is the best approach,” (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/environment/jan-june13/keystone_02-18.html)

- “The pipeline will have capacity to transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day to Gulf Coast and Midwest refineries, reducing American dependence on oil from Venezuela and the Middle East by up to 40 per cent.”

(http://keystone-xl.com/about/the-project/)

- “Unfortunately, an area the size of Florida is already set for extraction. Before TransCanada can begin construction, however, the company needs a presidential permit from the Obama administration because the pipeline crosses an international border.”

(http://www.foe.org/projects/climate-and-energy/tar-sands/keystone-xl-pipeline)

Part III:

Ralph’s Episodes

(Walks into his office, takes off his coat and sits down at his desk to see all of his co-workers long faces and subtle movement) Ugh. I just can’t take it… the.. the the silence in here is unbearable. Hey…. Hey.. What’s up with you guys? (No one answers and they all look at him with blank faces) HELLLOOO? Can you guys stop acting like complete jerks and talk? We have work to do and you guys are all sitting around doing nothing. WTF?

Th- The Pipeline? What’s wrong with it? Isn’t it great?!

My problem? What do you mean what is my problem? You guys are the fucking crazy ones. (Chuckles) You all don’t agree with it? We- We went over this in a meeting yesterday! You all agreed then!

WOOOOOOO! Big FUCKING whoop! Since when did yall ever care about anyone else not- n having a job after the pipeline? Who the hell cares? You’ll still have you job so just shut your mouths! So what if their families suffer? You still have food… don’t you????? Oh yeah, thats right, you will. And what is this about it’s going to cause the th the production of greenhouse emissions that contribute to climate change. Is this science class, no I don’t think so. That’s quite ridiculous for anyone to be worried about, don’t you think?

Listen here and listen good. The Pipeline is amazing. It’ll improve so much. You all are so worried about facts well here ya go: Canadian oil resources will limit the U- U.S.’s dependence on foreign oil, if there is greater access to oil, that will push down the world's crude prices, and we will generate 1.8 b-b billion dollars in economic activity during construction in Nebraska alone. How’s that for ya? Hu, HUH?

What?! (Snatches off hat & becomes even angrier) Now you’re worried about tar sands?!?!?!?! GOD, just kill me would ya please?! Why do you assholes care about that HUH? If the pipeline wears out that’s where the builders will come in to refuckingbuild it okay idiots? You all are so quick to think you know it all, WHEN YOU DON’T!

An- And you know what? Those tar sands, that’s not even gonna happen. There are so many plus’ to this pipeline and you all are looking for ways to tear it down. (looks around at everyone in the office paying close attention to his answers towards different people in the room) You guys need to seriously get over it. This shit is happening, and it’s happening now. Next meeting is in 20, be prepared to not FUCKING CHANGE YOUR MINDS!

(Grabs his coat and leaves with a disgusted look on his face)

Beatrice’s Distraught

(Hears noises outside, recognizes them & decides to join in today’s protest) (Walks outside and is confused)

What the heck? My lord what is going on?! Why are there people being arrested? (She had never witnessed people getting arrested for protests before)

Wait! Why are these innocent protesters getting arrested?! They are all over the place! Oh my gosh, SUSAN?! AND ANNIE?! God my beautiful neighbors!

(Sees police officer and runs up to him to ask questions)

Wait….. what?! This doesn’t make any sense. How is this illegal? This happens all the time. They are just fighting for what’s right! Why are you all arresting them?!

What do you mean they’re disrupting a neighborhood, disturbing the people in it?! I live in this neighborhood and I am NOT disturbed! I completely agree with them! Do you even know what they are protesting about?

(Looks at the police officer's face and shakes her head after he says no)

They are angry about the Pipeline and how it is going to destroy our world! And do you know how much money is being spent for all this buffoonery?! It is a 7 billion dollar proposed pipeline! That is ridiculous! Do you know what we could be using this money for, i mean, we -----

(the policeman cut her off)

(Her face drops & she is taken back after the police officer interrupts her)

Excuse me! You didn’t have to be rude! I was just helping YOU learn about the pipeline! Okay, I don’t care who you are! Police Officer or not, you are WRONG! I actually came out here to protest and fight for what is right, and if you can’t see that this pipeline is is is… is ABSURD, you’re an idiot!

(Looks up at police offer and stares right into his eyes) I have a right to speak my mind and speak the truth! It is pathetic that the employment rate will go DOWN after this, not up! 40% of people in the U.S. work at gas stations and they get paid minimum wage at that! What will all those people do? Don’t you think they have families to take care of?

So you think people that work to help build the pipeline aren’t gonna have jobs? Yes they will! Just because they are working to build the pipeline doesn’t mean that’s the only job they are assigned to to build! They work on different projects! But it’s different for the workers at gas stations. They can’t just move on to another thing! It doesn’t make any sense for to be arresting people. Don’t we have freedom of speech? You are just wasting your time in the ferocious heat trying to arrest people when you know you can’t get them all.

(Laughs at herself in her thoughts) Ha… you know what? Why am I here fighting with you when I can be making a difference. (Starts walking back towards her home & starts talking to herself) I don’t think i’ll stop protesting.. but I guess I should benefit myself. I’ll take it to the government. All I have to do is write a letter… and create a petition! hmmm….

(Walks into house & shuts door)

The Undecidable Bob

(Outside, sitting down at his assigned worksite for the pipeline creation eating his lunch)

Hey (whispers to another worker) When did you start working here? 3 years ago?! WOW. Can you just hear me out really quickly? Uhhhhhh, I just need someone to listen to me. My thoughts about this pipeline have been crazy lately! I need to get this off my chest.

(Smiles at his cobuilder who says he’ll listen)

Okay.. thanks! So ummm, about a year ago I started working to help build this pipeline. At first, boy was I ummm. excited ! I used to take on any task and build anything anyone would ask me to. But uhh now, in all honesty, I hate this job. I have to work out in the sun every single day and I don’t get paid much. But I have to do it for my family.

I mean… I uhh, maybe I would like my job better if it were for a better cause. I mean, I ummm, I understand the point of it, but I don’t necessarily think that this is the best way to approach this situation. On the bad side, people are gonna lose their jobs. But on the good side it is “supposed” to help the economy. It’s like, I understand it, but I don’t think it is completely right or fair to both sides of people. The ones who agree, and the ones who disagree. I have to keep working for the money too. If not, I can’t pay rent, or I won’t have gas money. I have a family to raise and I can’t do that with no money.

You do know that the pipeline is supposed to be carrying oil from Canada’s tar sands and down to U.S. refineries by the Gulf of Mexico, r-r right? (Looks at his cobuilder for reassurance)

I don’t think that all the protesters will be able to open the governments as to see that this pipeline is affecting them and that it is wrong. People don’t have power over the government. I mean maybe some people will change their minds, but they won’t put a stop to it. Especially after all the money proposals and time has gone into it so far. And the poor government, they have to ignore all these people and just go along with it. I bet you some of them don’t even agree as much, like me, but need their job.

(Shakes his head and becomes embarrassed)

You know what, umm, sorry. Uhhh, nevermind. I’ll be fine, Ummm. I don’t know why I’m pouring my feelings out to a stranger, umm. Sorry, s-s-sorry.

(Backs up quickly and removes himself from that very awkward position.)

Part IV:

Ralph's Episodes from Isabella Blackwell on Vimeo.

Independent Reading Q4: 13 Reasons Why

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in English 1 - Dunn on Saturday, June 8, 2013 at 9:37 pm

Written Assignment:

For my final Independent Reading Project I read 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. This was a very and suspenseful novel. There were many things that intrigued me and hooked me onto this book. It tells the story of a girl by the name of Hannah Baker who killed herself. Clay Jensen, one of Hannah’s acquaintances, was the one who was listening to the tapes throughout the novel.

One thing that I loved about this book was the detail in each character. Even though all you heard Hannah from was her tapes and thoughts, you could cleary guess what was going through her head. She was a depressed and stressed girl that had “reasons” for everything. I liked how Jay showed her emotions and feelings and it was also very relatable to the mind of a young teenage girl. Even though all teenage girls can’t say they killed themselves, there are things that make them want to. The reasons Hannah had were all great examples of that. (Whether it was related to relationships, friends, or family.)

This book was really interesting to read and I didn’t want to stop. Although I couldn’t relate completely, most of Hannahs reasons were things that have happened to me before. It made me feel like I’m not the only one struggling with the kinds of problems she had. Even if I didn’t have suicidal thoughts because of my problems, I was probably pretty close. This book just reminded me of how my life used to be. It felt good to read because it was a reminder that I overcame my emotions and didn’t resort to what Hannah did. Overall, this book was actually better than I expected it to be and I would recommend it to many people.

Creative Assignment (Playlist):

Stranger by Jhene Aiko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y21lLimmy8Y
This song is about the artist having a connection with someone she hasn't met or someone she doesn't know too much about, but they have the same type of feelings. It also tells the story of someone not knowing what they have done or who has done something. In the book, Hannah has all these feelings for people that don't even know what they did.

Save Me by Nicki Minaj: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYNPuckZX7k
This song tells the story of a girl who is lost and needs someone to help save her. She needs someone there to help before she loses her mind and does something crazy. In the book, Hannah actually went crazy and committed suicide.

Sad Songs by Melanie Fiona: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjYmepzHrFg
Melanie Fiona sings her heart out about how she has no one to share or hear her feelings with. She sings about all the sad memories she has with people that brought her depression. In the book, Hannah is telling these people that broke her down what they did on the tapes.

Lost by Frank Ocean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_XQaIcIAfg
This song is about a young teen that lost himself and didn't know where his mind was. He let other people control him and didn't know how he could fix it. In the book, Hannah has all these reasons (13 to be exact) why she did what she did to herself. The reasons were all about what people did to her, such as Tyler, who was "creeping" in on her while she was getting dressed. Things such as this built up anger inside her that made her lose herself.

Ordinary People by John Legend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIh07c_P4hc
John sings about how everyone is very different, but more alike than you know. This song sends a message that people should be treated equally and should never feel like they a beneath someone. In the book, this is obviously the main reason why Hannah plugged the plug on herself.

Catch Me by Nicki Minaj: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuBDKSqIDSw
This song by Nicki talks says so much. She delivers lines about how people used to tear her down and make her feel invisible. My favorite line would have to be, "It's funny how you could always make me feel small, I have given my all. Catch me, catch me, I think I am going to fall...." That one line, I think, basically describes the whole book. People always made Hannah feel like she was small and unimportant.

E1U9: La Casa de Melissa

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in Spanish 1 - Manuel on Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 9:29 am

Introduction:

Melissa es muy bonita y artistica. Ella tiene 15 anos. La color favorita de Melissa es amarillo. Ella se gusta la playa. Tambien, ella le gusta leer y dormir mucho. Ella quiere dos ninos, una nina, y un nene.

La casa de Melissa esta en frente de la playa. Es muy tranquilo. Es cerca de la playa. Ella tiene tres perros y dos gatos. Los perros y gatos hacen mucho ruido. Ella no tiene un carro porque no es necesario. En la casa hay una officina, una cocina, un sotano, habitaciones, banos, y la playa en el frente.

La Officina:
-Es muy grande
-Es amarillo
-Tiene un escritorio y una computadora

The-second-room-on-Black-And-Yellow-Office

Cocina:
-Una estufa
-Una nevera
-Lavamanos
-Dos ventanas

Mejor Habitacion:
-Tiene quatro ventanas
-Hay una alfombra
-Tiene una lampara

Bano:
-Tiene dos duchas
-Es muy grande
-Una lavamanos

Sotano:
-Muchas actividades
-Tres lamparas
-Una ventana
-Una alfombra amarillo

You and the World: Agent of Change

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in English 1 - Dunn on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 11:13 pm

Hello! As you know from my previous blogs, this is my 3rd blog for the You and the World Project. To refresh your memory, my name is Isabella and this is my agent of change blog, as well as my final blog post for this project. For my Agent of Change portion of this experience, I went and helped out with needy families at the Ronald McDonald House on Erie Ave. in Philadelphia. This made me feel great that I was able to help families and made me see what more to life there actually is.

For my last part of my You and the World Project I baked cupcakes for the Ronald McDonald House. They need things like food, volunteers, and basically anything that could help out, so that’s what I did. When I went to give them the baked goods on April 27, 2013, they actually took the time to give me a tour of the house! I got to see where all the kids play & hang out and found out about more opportunities of ways someone my age can help. They informed me about Pull Tabs. Pull tabs are the little tabs on the top of soda cans that you pull to open the can. When you collect these tabs and give it to the R.M.H., they can get back money in return. When I found out about this, I automatically had to jump on the opportunity. Now, I’m also collecting pull tabs at school for the R.M.H. On May 9th, 2013, I presented a presentation all about my visit to the Ronald McDonald House. It informed my peers about the history, ideas, and main focus of the house.

My process was very long and hard. I had so many ideas of what I wanted to do and how much I wanted to do. My project was all over the place and I ran into many problems. The main problem was my age. You have to be 18 or older to do most of the volunteering at any hospital or place with children that needed help. I had to call many different people and places to see what was available for me to do. I also had to do a lot of research to see if any of what I wanted to do would benefit anyone. I wanted to do some much in so little time. But I realized that my project doesn’t have to stop here. I can do one thing at a time and keep doing it as long as I want to.

This whole project experience has had a HUGE impact on me. I now realize that this stuff is actually interesting. I used to think that volunteering and helping people was dumb and out of my league. At first, I didn’t even want to think about this project, and now I don’t want it to end. When you actually go and help people and you know it’s for a good cause it makes you feel amazing. It makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something great! (which you have!) Especially when you are in the moment, and actually going out into the real world. I am still researching and learning about my topic and wanting to do more with the Ronald McDonald House. I loved the feeling of helping out and knowing people would appreciate it. I felt and still feel like a leader. I took charge and made a change in something I believe in. I will take a lot from this project. It definitely made a change in my attitude and, I feel, made me a better person.

Click here for Blog #1
Click here for Blog #2
Annotated Bibliography
Below are some pictures that I took while I was at the Ronald McDonald House 1: cupcakes I baked, 2: what the letter I wrote said, 3: bear statue made of toys, 4: wall of names of the kids.
I also have my presentation along with my notes.

E1 U4 Me Gusta SLA

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in Spanish 1 - Manuel on Friday, February 8, 2013 at 10:39 am

Jasmin: #1
Aaron: #2
Trinity: #3
Veronica: #4
Brittany: #5

¡Hola! Mi nombre es Isabella Blackwell. Yo tengo catorce anos. Soy estudiante de Science Leadership Academy. Science Leadership Academy es una escuela buena con estudiantes inteligentes. Esta cerca de Trader Joe’s y The Franklin Institute. Esta en el centro de la ciudad. Es muy divertida y interesante. Hay aproximadamente quinientos estudiantes y treinta profesores. Hay cinco pisos el edificio. Tenemos muchos deportes. Tenemos Football Americano, Baloncesto, Voleibol, y muchos más. Yo no participo en nada porque soy muy perezosa.

Tengo siete classes. Tengo Matemáticas, Inglés, Español, Drama, Historia, Almuerzo y Arte. Mis clases favoritas son Arte porque es muy interesante, y Espanol porque es muy fácil. No me gusta mucho Matemáticas porque es muy difícil. Para todas las clases, yo necesito un lápiz, un marcador, una carpeta, un libro, mi computadora, y una calculadora. Para tener éxito en todas las clases, es importante que yo preste atención, que escuche bien a los profesores, y que haga mis tareas todas las noches.

La Srta. Manuel enseña Espanol. La Srta. Manuel es muy inteligente y guapa. Ella es Filipina y tiene una familia muy grande. Ella es mi profesora favorita . Ella es muy divertida. Señor Sherif enseña bioquimica. El es muy “interesante” y divertido. El tiene los ojos azules y el pelo gris. Su clase es muy aburrida. No me gusta mucho, pero es un poqito interesante. El Señor Sanchez enseña Historia. El es Latino. El es uno de mi profesores favoritos. El tiene el pelo largo para un hombre. El Señor Kay enseña Drama. La clase de Drama es mi favorita. El Señor Kay es muy cómico y bajo.

Me gusta SLA porque es muy divertido y educativo y también puede ser relajado y interesante. SLA es muy desafiante. Lo que más me gusta de SLA son los buenos estudiantes y bueno amigos. SLA es muy importante para mi porque es una buena escuela y me siento bien como estudiante allí.

YATW: Blog #2

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in English 1 - Dunn on Monday, January 21, 2013 at 10:49 pm

Hey everyone this is Isabella Blackwell. Welcome to my second post of my “You and the World” blog. If you didn’t read my first blog, check it out here. What I wanted to look deeper into & focus on for my 2nd blog post was how kids and parents deal with having special needs & attention. I decided to reach out and actually talk to a representative who works with these kids (& volunteers) to see what life is really like for people in that situation. I talked to someone named “John” from the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia.

Q: What exactly do you do?

A: I pretty much do whatever Linda (Director of Volunteers) tells me needs to be done. I help out with the kids, & make sure everything is in order.

Q: What types of support does the Ronald McDonald House provide for both the kids & parents?

A: Its a home away from home where generally, it puts the parents at ease knowing that they have a nice warm bed to go to at night while the children are in the hospital. It’s just a friendly environment for them to stay at, and not really have to worry about anything else.

Q: How do the kids cope with their environment at the hospital?

A: The kids cope with the environment very well actually. They don’t really see it as a place where they get better, more as where they go for a vacation. They think of it as just somewhere to have fun with the other kids that stay there.

Q: How do the parents deal with leaving their kids at the hospital?

A: The parents deal with leaving their kids at the hospital feeling fine. They know that their child is getting better.

Q: When you volunteer, what do you think that high school students like me take away from it most?

A: They probably take away the fact that they can play with the other kids. They learn that kids who have cancer or whatever the disease they have is aren’t really different than them, but the same in many ways.

Q: Do the volunteers actually get to talk to the kids and their families?

A: The volunteers do get to talk to the kids and parents, but there are some guidelines they have to follow. They aren’t allowed to pick up a child at all. So they are allowed to talk to them, but they can’t get on a very friendly basis because it would turn into a liability issue.

I took a lot out of this phone conversation. It made me think about how patients and just regular students live the same. They all have goals, & like to do the same things. Just like our parents are supportive of our goals, the parents of these patients are the same about their child’s growth and recovery. Overall, I enjoyed learning more about the different ways people live.

Los Seres Queridos en Mi Vida

Posted by Isabella Blackwell on Saturday, January 12, 2013 at 8:31 pm

Slide 1: ¡Hola!

¡Hola! Bienvenidos a mi proyecto. Espero que lo disfruten. 3, 2, 1, VAMOS!!!!!!

Slide 2: Yo

Me llamo Isabella Blackwell. Soy muy peresosa y loca.Tengo los ojos marrones y el pelo marron tambien. Me gusta la rappera Nicki Minaj mucho. Ella es muy talentosa. Me encanta la cantante Jhene Aiko. Ella es muy bonita y talentosa tambien. Me fascina ir de compras con mi amigos.

Slide 3: El or Ella (Melissa)

Ella se llama Melissa. Ella es muy guapa, trabajadora, y comica. Ella Tiene dos gatos, tres perros, y dos pescados. Le gusta el cantante Bruno Mars. Le encanta ositos de goma. Ella tiene quince anos. La quiera porque ella es perfecta. Ella es una buena amiga.

Slide 4: Ellos (Milahn & Tjay)

Ellos son Milahn y Tjay. Los dos son locos, comicos, y tambien tienen ojos marrones. Los dos tienen familias grandes. Los dos les gusta hablar por telefono y comer mucho. Son importante para mi porque los dos son buenisimos amigos.

Slide 5: (Brittany & Gabby)

Sus nombres son Brittany y Gabby. Ellas son bastante guapas. Ellas tienen el pelo marron. Tienen un monton de amigos. Les gusta pasar un rato con amigos y tambien dormir. Me caen bien porque ellas son genial.

Slide 6: Nosotras (Sana & Isabella)

Nosotras somos Sana y Isabella. Somos mejor amigas. Nosotras somos locas y bajas. Nosotras tenemos familias grandes. Tenemos el pelo marron y los ojos marrones tambien. A nosotras nos encanta Nicki Minaj, Hi-Chews, y dormir en oovoo. Nosotras nos llevamos bien porque somos buenasimas amigas.

Slide 7: Fin

Bueno, gracias por midar! Adios amigos!

Q2 Benchmark: (Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff)

Posted by Isabella Blackwell on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 8:39 am

Isabella Blackwell

The Best Independent Reading Project Ever!!

Book Review of Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff

What do you do when life gives you lemons? Make lemonade. Award Winning author, Virginia Euwer Wolff, makes this exact point in her intriguing novel “Make Lemonade”. This book is a must read for young girls (and boys) learning to make the right choices for a good life in the future.

This empowering story was honored as “Top of the List” on Booklist.com. It was also named as a School Library Journal’s Best Book. In addition, the American Library Association tags it as “A best book for young adults.” and Publishers Weekly reviews the book as “Radiant with hope.” while Kirkus Reviews calls it “Powerfully moving.”

The novel explores the life of 14 year old LaVaughn. As a hardworking student, LaVaughn is excited about experiencing college life and anxious about how she is going to get there. Her mother tells her that her ticket to college is money, and that she needs to make it herself. She gets started right away, and takes a job as a babysitter for seventeen year-old Jolly. Not knowing what she was getting herself into, LaVaughn goes to see Jolly and her two kids Jeremy and Jilly. As soon as she walks into the house she is amazed and disgusted at the same time. Cockroaches, messy floors and tables, and kids with food all over themselves were only a few of the things she sees that are a complete opposite of the life she is used to.

As the story evolves, LaVaughn creates a very strong bond with the children and surprisingly develops a unique friendship with Jolly too. She learns that Jolly is even less stable than most seventeen year olds because of the route her life has taken. LaVaughn is shocked and truly affected by Jolly’s struggle to provide for her kids and herself. She struggles herself as the relationship she has formed with them begins to affect her personal and academic life. Does she stay and continue to help them or does cut ties in order to make herself and her studies her priorities?

LaVaughn is strong in character and is confident in the decisions she makes. She is the star in this journey and can inspire young people to be empathetic, caring, and smart decision makers. She is bright and smart enough to learn the lessons around her.

I relate to LaVaughn in that I have learned difficult life lessons by seeing the choices made by others around me. In my personal life, there is a person who has chosen to inflict pain and physical injury to themselves in order to deal with difficult situations or problems in their life. Unfortunately their choices continue to lead them to a future with few opportunities and unhappiness. LaVaughn reminds me to think independently and to use my experiences and the experiences of others to make positive life choices.

This book was a pleasure to read. It is for sure a new favorite and I found it enjoyable and hard to put down. The messages and life lessons that I came away with will be memorable to say the least. Young people will appreciate the flow of this book written in poetic form. It is relatable and inspiring.

Media Fluency

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in Technology- Freshmen - Hull on Wednesday, December 5, 2012 at 10:27 am

I have words of things that describe me completely. I also have pictures of somethings too. I have a picture of my 2 favorite artists, Nicki Minaj and Jhene Aiko. They are the people I look up to the most and listen to their music the most. There is a speaker representing how "loud" I was and a Sapphire stone representing that I am a Virgo.Then I have Big Sister, and "Singing" because I love to sing. I also used a lot of colors for my words. Wild, crazy, Loud, Hyper and Reliable are the words that pop up in my mind about myself. I also tried different fonts and sizes.

YATW

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in English 1 - Dunn on Monday, December 3, 2012 at 7:30 am

Hello, My name is Isabella Blackwell, I am a freshman at Science Leadership Academy. This year in Mrs. Dunn’s English Class, all students had to choose a specific topic that we felt strongly about to become agents of change. The topic I chose was to learn about what causes children to go into hospitals and why they are so appreciative unlike kids my age who aren’t in hospitals. I wanted to basically go and see why they act this way, and compare it to real life. Also, to give talk to kids in hospitals and give them “support’.

Many people don’t know or care to understand that life is harder for many people other than themselves. Usually people cry over not getting to go to a party or getting your phone taken awa,y from them. I realized that even I do this too. Kids in hospitals are on deathbeds and their parents not knowing if their kids are going to be alive.

At CHOP, there are many kids that are survivors of many things. One kid named Will had a lot of things wrong with him. He had UPJ and kidney stones. The hard part about it was that there wasn’t even any symptoms or signs that he had these disorders. He was only 3 years old when doctors told him that something was wrong. But in the end, he was very greatfull that he was able to come over it and still become a great kid. Meanwhile, kids like me dont understand what it is to have something this serious happen in your life.

Another child that has had a really rough time “growing up” was Hadi. Hadi had to have reconstructive surgery. He had problems in a private area and wa very young when it started. There were so many questions on why this was happening to him. Thats why I was so concerned about people not seeing past their stupid problems about getting in trouble or just drama.

I want to put my focus on talking to kids in hospitals and seeing how they adapt to life basically “living” in the hospital. I want to go to CHOP and do what I said above. But overall, I am really interested in seeing what it is that keeps these kids so motivated and thankful.

Annotated Bibliography:

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1AH89M54dl775tI0l4DV62_VHoxS9jV9mlR7l570CpIQ/edit

Una Carta para Ti

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in Spanish 1 - Manuel on Friday, November 30, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Querid@ _____________,

¡Hola! Mi nombre es Isabella Blackwell. Mi familia soy de Puerto Rico, pero yo vivo en Filadelfia. Tengos catorze anos. Mi cumpoleanos es el tres de septiembre. Ahora, hace mucho frio en Filadelfia. No me gusta nada frio, pero mi gusta comer, dormir, y ir de compras. Yo soy muy perezosa. Yo odio de ayudar en la casa.

¿Y a ti? ¿Que te gusta hacer? ¿Que no te gusta hacer? ¿Que tiempo hace hoy en _________ ? ¿Cuando es tu cumpleanos? Y Cuantos anos tienes tu? Bueno, me voy porque tengo que dormir. ¡Hasta luego!

Con Cariño,
Isabella

The Injustice in Maycomb

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in English 1 - Dunn on Monday, November 5, 2012 at 8:09 am

The Spanish Alphabet

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in Spanish 1 - Manuel on Thursday, October 25, 2012 at 9:35 am

To know how to say the alphabet, you must know how to spell, and pronounce the letters.

a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, ñ, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z

The Spanish alphabet has 27 letters and has ñ added to it.

These are the letters pronunciation along with name of each letter:

Ñ:

Z: zeta

Heres a video of me saying the alphabet:

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B0_RHCT1Z_PuaFM2bS1Oay00Y2M

I hope you enjoyed and learned!

Isabella's Home Network

Posted by Isabella Blackwell in Technology- Freshmen - Hull on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at 12:35 pm

1) I use my laptop and phone to connect to the internet.
2)I learned about how the actual internet connects, and that it is more than just my router. I never even cared or payed attention about how things that I use daily actual work. The main thing that I learned and found interests in was my ISP, which is connected with comcast.
3)I would tell them that even if it IS expensive to have a home network, it does help a lot. But when you do get home network, you have to make sure that all your wires are plugged in and connected in the right places.