RAFT- Chile

Role: Alberto
Audience: Chilean Couple
Format: Letter
Topic: Lessons Learned


Dear Chilean Couple,

We thank you for helping us with fixing our motorcycle and my friend Ernesto can not stop talking about the thoughts and ideas you shared with us. You can already see the wheels in his head turning. The journey has been long and we have encountered several interesting individuals on our travels including the two of you. We hope this experience will become something greater than ourselves and that we can learn something about the cultures and countries we visit. Lessons we learned so far are that life is not fair and that you have to take what you get. Except what happens and never regret what you did something it may impact you in the long run.

Sincerely,
Alberto

IR Blog Post 3

Symbols:

-The keys could represent the steps in which we take through life and each one brings us closer to finding out our purpose.

Themes & Ideas:
-Friendship
-Trust
-Adventure
- To never give up
-Finding a purpose in life

Connections & Questions:
- How will Jeremy and Lizzy be able to find all the keys in time for Jeremy's thirteenth birthday?
- What could possibly be in the box that Jeremy's father left him?

IR Blog Post 2

Characters:

Larry- Owner of Larry's Locks and Clocks, who helps Jeremy and Lizzy try to find the keys to the box
Bobby Sanchez- five year old in the building
Samantha and Rick- Two new kids that moved into the building who are both fourteen and are twins
Grandma Annie- Lizzy's grandmother who emailed her about the state fair
Mr. Muldoun- hefty man, who has an idea of where they can find the keys
Mitch- Works at the Fink's Comics and Magic store

Events & Places:
-Jeremy and Lizzy start looking for the keys that will unlock the secret box Jeremy's father left him.
-Have several plans on how to find these keys including the flea market, locksmith and going to Larry's Locks and Clocks shop.
-After going through the box of keys Larry had in his shop, they moved onto the next item on their list.
-Jeremy and Lizzy then take the subway to the 26th street flea market in hopes a vender would have a st of keys.
-They came down to the last option on their list which they had hoped would not come down to.

IR #2 Blog Post 1

Jeremy and Lizzy continue to question the mysterious box that came in the mail for him and they put their heads together to come up with several plans in order to retrieve the missing keys. Crossing off Plans A,B and C for they had already tried those. They discuss their options, Plan D- Taking the box to Larry's Locks and Clocks, Plan E- Take the subway to the 26th street Flea Market or a locksmith and Plan F- Hopefully it does not have to come to that.  So they decide with Plan D and go to visit Larry Senior to see if he could help them open it. They go into the back room and to start try all the keys Larry's store, unfortunately none fit. Jeremy and Lizzy move onto Plan E, the flea market hoping to have more luck at a vendors table. When this fails, Lizzy describes the supplies they need for Plan F which may involve bribing a security guard with candy.

Quote: I have a plan. Come over at 10 am. Bring the letter and the box. Sorry it took so long to get back to you, what with the whole Friday Night Is Family Movie Night thing. Field of Dreams again. AGAIN!! Don't be late! Lizzy

- Message sent through the wall between Jeremy and Lizzy's apartment rooms telling him she has a pan to find the keys for the box. (p. 25)

R.A.F.T Argentina

Role- Alberto
Audience-Ernesto's mom
Format- Tweet
Topic- Obstacles/ Challenges

We are leaving Comeback in Miramar and riding to Necochea where a friend of mine lives. However, Che getting sick has steered us off course but eventually we get back on our way reaching San Martin de los Andres where we are welcomed with open arms and plenty of food. Che even manages to steal a bottle of red wine by pretending to be drunk. On the Seven Lakes Road, just our luck...a flat. Have to patch that up at a shed of an Austrian caretaker and accidentally shot the couple's dog, Bobby.

Glenn Beck's Video Post

I felt that Glenn Beck's view of Ernesto or Che was not at all surprising from what I found out about Che as Beck and the other man mentioned different facts about him. From both opinions, it seems that the men believed that Che was this horrible person and refered to him as " a Stalin wanna be". He was aslo linked to have become a icon on t shirts which was not recommended to wear if you have no idea who this person is or what he stands for. What made Glenn's point so persuasive was the tone in his voice, he spoke loudly and was practically screaming at the viewer so they would pay attention to what he had to say. Overall, both views of Che were very negative and after learning more about the man behind the picture I can see why these two men felt this way.

RAFT Intro

Role- You
Audience- Classmates
Format- Tweet
Topic- What do you expect to study this M.P. ?

Sitting in English class writing bout wat I expect 2 study this marking period. I think thro the Motorcycle Diaries, I will study bout the struggle of 1 man & his journey of transformation and corruption. How a young & spiritual man becomes the most known icon in all of Latin America.

TMD Preview

1.The book we are about to read is considered a 'travel diary.' In terms of writing style, what do you expect from this type of book? I expect this trip to later turn into a journey or quest that either one of these characters thought would happen. They will meet some interesting people and experiences that will change their outlook on their own lives and those of others.

2. Based off the clip, 180 South, your research, the preview, and the timeline/bio you looked over, what are some of the major issues you expect to read about? Possibily strong political influeneces, corruption of the government and the people of their country suffering under the dictatorship.

3. How will this differ from the previous two books we've studied? I think the difference is how these people live and it is a journey that they have to overcome by on their own. It's more of a story of where they ended up after all this is over.

IR Blog Post 3

Symbols:

-The box: Jeremy's hopes and dreams, the only thing he has left of his father

Themes & Ideas:
Friendship
Meaning of Life
Curiosity
Exploring the world around you

Connections & Questions:
-If the box was so important why did Harold lose the only set of keys to open it?
-What is our purpose in life?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3SajbRpVRc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aboZctrHfK8&feature=related

IR Blog Post 2

Characters:

Jeremy-Main character, thirteen years old, sweats peanut butter ( his mother serves him never but peanut butter sandwiches at every meal).

Lizzy- Jeremy's best friend, has red hair, has a tendency to shoplift that has no monetary value and is a very loud person.

Nick- Mailman that delievers the package to Jeremy's apartment.

Harold- Name on the letter to Jeremy's mother explaining that he lost the set of keys in which opens the box Jeremy's father left him.

Events & Places-

- Lizzy steals a Bettie and Veronica comicbook from Fink's Comics and Magic store

-The reader learns a little bit about Jeremy's father who passed away when he was thirty-nine years old after a fortune teller predicted that he would die at the age of forty.

-Meet the mailman, Nick and convinces him to let Jeremy sign for his mother's package promising to wait until she gets home before opening it.

- The package gets ripped and the two friends end up opening it anyway. They find a box full of crumbled up newspapers covering a wooden handmade box from his father with a letter addressed to Jeremy's mother.

- After reading the letter, they realize that Jeremy's mother knew about this box and that Harold lost the only set of keys to open it and Jeremy's thirteenth birthday was a month away.

Digital Portfolio, IR MP3, RSS, Blogs - IR #1 Blog Post 1

The book I am reading for my Independent reading project is called Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass. The main character is a thirteen year old boy named Jeremy Fink who lives in an apartment building with his mother and best friend Lizzy in New York City. Coming home from Fink's Comics and Magic store, they convince the postman to hand over a package addressed to Jeremy's mother. The package is "accidentally" opened and the two friends discover under a pile of newspapers is a box handcraved by Jeremy's father. This is the inscription on bottom of the box:


"Um, you might want to turn it over," Lizzy says. I just keep shaking the box back and forth, mesmerized. She finally grabs it from my hands, flips it over, and hands it back. Staring up at me are the engraved words THE MEANING OF LIFE; FOR JEREMY FINK TO OPEN ON HIS 13th BIRTHDAY.  (pg.13)

Theme #4 Reflection

1. I feel I did very well however it was not as good compared to my last theme grade I received. I think the overall paper was well written but I know I could have done better on certain areas such as citations and explaining the examples more clearly.

2. Some opportunity areas for my writing might be going into more detail when explaining quotes and examples to support my thesis.

3. Some things I could improve on for next time would be to look closer at my sentence structures, making the paragraphs and examples flow with together and give myself more time in order to complete the paper.

180 South Reflection

"It's like the quest for the holy grail. Who gives a [darn] what the grail is, its the quest that counts...its the transformation that is within you that is important."


1. I thought this quote was very inspirational and it discusses how the quest counts no matter if you succeed or fail. It is all about the journey and the people you encounter along the way that make it all worthwhile. And how something like Jeff and his friends did transformed them as a person and made they all aware of nature and living to protect something you love. 


2. I can apply this quote to my own life as well considering I am transitioning into adulthood and going to college becoming independent. This is a huge transformation in my life learning how to take care of myself and getting more responsibilities as I venture out on my own.