Oregon Trail Presentation

Hanna Diggins

LA/SS: Westward Expansion - Speech Reflection

1. Did you stand up straight but stay relaxed?
I did stand up straight and I did look relaxed. Inside I was super nervous.
2. Did you pause for a moment before you began your speech?
Before I started I took a deep breath. It helped me not be so nervous.
3. Did you look at your audience?
I did look at the audience but I never looked over to my right. I think I could have glanced down at my cards less.
4. Did you let your facial expressions naturally reflect what you were saying?
My facial expressions didn't change that much. What I was saying didn't have really have anything that was exciting, sad, happy. Nothing with alot of emotions, mostly just information.
5. Did you use your hands?
I didnt use my hands at all. All I did was shuffle my note cards from hand to hand.
6. Did you speak loudly enough so that everyone could hear you?
I think that everybody could hear me. I tried to speak louder than I usually do.
7. Did you change your tone to show how you felt (upset, excited) about an idea or to emphasize a point?
I didnt change the tone of my voice. My presentation was mostly information and I wasn't trying to persuade anyone.
8. Was your speed of delivery too fast, too slow or just right?
I think my speed was pretty good. I went a little slow but nothing that bad.
9. Did you practice your speech at home before giving it?
I practiced the speech two times at home. I also tried to memorize some facts that were not on the slides.
10. What did you notice that you did well in your speech?
I think I looked at the audience. I think I knew what I was going to say.
11. Describe one aspect of public speaking you will work to improve?
I need to improve my speech. I need ton not slur my words.

Narrative Writing: Unlocked Door

I was in an empty hallway except for a couple of old dusty pictures that were nailed crookedly on the wall. At the end was a big wooden door with weird carvings on it. I tried to open it but it was stuck. I tried to open it again and pushed hard and it slowly opened just a crack. A faint yellow light was seeping through. The worn metal doorknob was icy cold as I grasped it and gently pushed the door farther open. The hinges squeaked and I quickly slipped inside and closed the door behind me. I looked around and saw that I was surrounded by sand dunes. Each dune was a different color and that they changed color every so often. I was looking at a blue dune as it was changing to purple and noticed that behind it in the distance was a black castle. I took a step toward it and suddenly the black castle and it's huge archway was looming over me. Weird I thought as I stepped under the arch and through the door. Inside was a big room with old tables and chairs. I walked into the next to room and saw that it was empty but there was a door at the other side of the room. My footsteps echoed as I walked across the room and opened the door. There was an empty hallway except for some dusty pictures on the walls. At the end of the hallway was a big wooden door with weird carvings on it that seemed to move if you stared at it to long. I tried to open it but it was stuck. I tried to open it again and pushed hard and it slowly opened just a crack. A faint yellow light illuminated from the crack. The worn doorknob was icy cold to the touch as I held onto it and gently pushed the door farther open...

Rocketships & Radios by Nickasaur!

Oh
My
God.
This girl's a star.
I'll build a rocketship,
Just to take me where you are.
Pass the skies,
I swear no lies.
You don't compete with these,
So when I'm with you, please.

Don't stop,
Won't stop
Go get it girl.
Everyone in this galaxy
Just wants to see you twirl.
One step, two step, now walk it out.
Don't be shy baby,
And show em' what your all about.
No six seven eight nine girl your a ten.
Like late-breaking news on CNN.
Tap-tap-tap it like happy feet.
Rewind, stop, play, and hit repeat.


The lyrics make me feel like the boy really really likes and cares about the girl and will do pretty much anything for the girl. This part of the song makes me think about my friends and how they will do a lot of things for each other. This also makes me think about family because they will also usually do a lot of things for each other. The song reminds me of the movie called A Walk to Remember, which is about a boy who meets a girl with cancer and the boy falls in love with the girl. The boy does a lot of things for the girl before she dies of the cancer. This song also reminds me of another song called Your Guardian Angle by The Red jumpsuit Apparatus, which is also about a boy who will just about anything for the girl. There are a few more songs that remind me of this song but I just can not remember the names. This song does not remind me of any world issues or relate to any world issues. I think that listening to the song is different from reading the lyrics. I think this because there is music going along with the words and you pay attention to the music and maybe not so much to the words. Listening to the music does help me understand the words better because the music helps you know if this is a happy or sad song and helps you understand how the artist wanted you to feel.

Cave Troll Prompt

A sudden thud awoke me from my deep sleep. I had been asleep for many months and my back and neck were very sore and stiff from not moving. I stood up shakily, every movement hurt but I couldn't stop now. I knew it must be another bothersome adventurer coming to fight me. The sound of creaking stairs floated into the blood stained, battle marked room.The smell of a human was faint but slowly growing stronger every second. I knew I couldn't loose against a lousy weak human, after all I knew trolls were much stronger. The skulls of my old opponents lined the cave floor and sat in piles in the corners, their empty eye sockets staring back at me. The sound of footsteps stopped and all I could hear was something shuffling toward my cave. I quickly grabbed my favorite weapon, an axe and stood ready for battle. Ever so slowly a human came into view illuminated in a faint yellow glow holding a brass lantern in one hand and a glowing blue sword in the other. The human charged at me, a flash of blue light flew before my scarred face. I fell to my knees with greenish brown blood dripping from my side. I bellowed out in pain and rage as I swung my axe in a mad fury. The human dodged and slashed again. Full of anger I rolled and stood up avoiding a swing from the glowing blade. Roaring I lunged forward and swung my axe. I felt the it connect to the blade and I knocked the sword out of the humans hands. It skittered across the stone floor and stop a couple of feet away. I swung again and missed as the human rolled out of the way and quickly grabbed the still glowing sword. The human stood up and ran behind me. I tried to turn but I was to slow. Suddenly a huge burst of pain filled my chest. I looked down and saw the tip of the glowing blue sword covered in my own blood sticking out of me. My legs buckled under me and I fell to the ground. I couldn't believe a human had beat me. The last thing I saw was the faintly glowing sword being pulled out of me and the human slowly walking away toward the next room.

What I Am Proud Of

I am proud of my awesome athletic skills. I love playing soccer and have played since I was very young. When I was 3, I played on my first team. At that time I did not even know the point of the game or what a goal was, so I had tons of fun doing cartwheels across the field at every practice. Since then, fortunately, I have learned how to play soccer. I love the running and teamwork parts of soccer. I have now been playing soccer for over half my life on the local teams. I have also gone to soccer camps almost every summer since I started playing soccer. I am currently on the Islanders rec team .

Gymnastics used to be a huge part of my life and I am proud of how much time and effort I put into it.I did gymnastics at Cascade Elite Gymnastics School for 3 1/2 years. Every week our gymnastics team practiced 3 days a week for 3 hours at a time. One of the 3 days we had an extra hour for gymnastics dance practice. I made a decision to stop gymnastics because the amount of time the gymnastics school was asking was to much. I wanted time to do other things. I enjoy the other things that I have time to do now but I miss gymnastics.

I am also proud of my running in track and field. Last year I placed 8th out of all the schools for the 7th grade girls 800 meter relay race. I ran the 100 meter dash and I got 6th place out of all the schools. I also got 8th place out of all the schools in the 400 meter dash. I am also proud of how well I did running the mile, which I did in less than 7 minutes, at school. I also ran the "graveyard run" (the run is over 2 miles long) in less than 16 minutes. I love sports and athletics and I am proud of it.

Favorite Person Writing Assignment

Maddy is someone I look up to. Not only do I look up to her because she is almost 6 feet tall, but because she is a good person and a good friend. If one of her friends is having a rough day Maddy is usually there offering them help and understanding. It might be hard to imagine Maddy as a very bossy 2 year old she used to be since she has changed so much. The first thing I notice about her other than her height, is her shoulder length red/brown hair and her freckles. I also notice that she always seems to be smiling and laughing. Wherever she smiles her colorful braces show over her white teeth. A lot of the time you can't help smiling back at her. She has a great fun to be around attitude. Maddy can joke around and be silly with her friends. At the same time she is a very hard working student. Did I mention she is a straight A student? Whenever I get off track during class she helps me get back on. Maddy is also pretty athletic. Doing volleyball and basketball and being good at both sports. I don't know how Maddy squeezes everything she does into her day because she is also a musician. She plays in jazz band and is a really great trumpet player. Maddy is a very good friend and a good role model. I don't know what I would do without her.

Ansel Adams- Short Biography

Ansel Adams was born on February 20,1902. He died of a heart failure on April 22,1984 at the age of 82. Ansel Adams was a American photographer and is known for his amazing black & white pictures. Some well know pictures that he took are Winter Sunrise taken in 1944 and Sentinel Dome taken in 1940. An interesting fact is that when Ansel was 12 he taught himself to play the piano and he wanted to become a concert pianist. A few years later he and his family went on a trip to Yosemite National Park and there he fell in love with the land. This was a turning point in his life and made him decide to focus on photography rather than his music I chose Ansel Adams because I really liked his pictures of the land and how it was in black & white. With the pictures in black & white you are able to focus on the land without the distractions of color in his pictures. My favorite picture is Jeffrey Pine, Sentinel Dome. I really like this picture because the tree looks really interesting the way it twists and bends over toward the large boulders on the ground next to the tree. I also like the mountains in the background.