Common Essay Mistakes

A large part of AVID is becoming a better writer so we can be prepared to write at the college level.  It's okay to have questions about the grammar, just make sure you ask them! Check out the advice below and explore the links as well for more information.

• Using numbers in an essay.
• Capitalize the first letter in every sentence, proper nouns, initials.
• Did you know there's a National Punctuation Day? Check your punctuation rules here.
• Abbreviations...use them when you are taking notes, DO NOT use them when writing something that will be graded, when applying to college, a job, or an internship, and/or in the work place. (Unless it is an acronym, but make sure you spell in out the first time you use it; AVID, Advancement Via Individual Determination.)
• Your essays should usually be aligned to the left. You can center a title and large quotations from a different text, but unless the teacher, MLA, or APA say otherwise, leave the text aligned to the left.
• Your font should be size 12, unless otherwise specified.
• Choose a legible font (not in bold, cursive, color, or something with pictures).
• Double space when told to or following a specific format, otherwise it is up to you.
• Check out this poster for the rules for quotation marks.

http://edwardhowell.blogspot.com/

Will Power

What is "Will Power"?

I would define will power as the ability to overcome what is holding you back.  It is determination.  It is rising above laziness and procrastination and going for your goals.  Will power is difficult to find when things are fighting you back.  Stress from daily life can cause you to simply want to crawl up into a ball on the floor and cry!  

So how do you find "Will Power"?

You must have confidence in yourself and see that everyone struggles.  As a teen growing up in a world that is consistently changing while your still adapting to your body is super difficult.  You have all these new responsibilities and no one is really helping you figure out how to get everything done.  Then your parents and teachers have high expectations for you....talk about wanting to give up!  But if you take a second to analyze who you are and what you are good at, you will see that you have something special inside of you.  If you have a hard time seeing what that is, ask someone that knows you well and sees your potential.  You need to find a strategy in how to accomplish the goals you have and a team to cheerlead you on.  If you know what you want and have passion inside of you, you will find a way to make it happen.  That is your "Will Power".  It is what drives you to get things done.

What can "Will Power" accomplish?

Will power will help you decide between what is right and what is wrong which will keep you on the right side of the tracks.  Having a strong will power will help you accomplish your goals, give you better confidence, and therefore open more doors for your future.  You will see that more people will want to be around you, teachers will want to help you succeed, and parents will give you more freedom.  Before you know it, colleges will offer you money to go to their school if you have a strong "Will Power".  

Do you have "Will Power"?  Comment below!

Social Networking

Dictionary.com defines networking as a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.  So social networking sites give people the forum to communicate.  Most social networking sites aim to offer a positive service, but if you aren't careful you could see how the Fishbowl Effect comes into play.

What's the Fishbowl Effect, you ask.  Well, if you remember looking at a goldfish in a round fishbowl, you can remember that from different angels, the fish looks different.  Same thing happens with what you put online.  Whether it is a written post or a picture that you've put online, whoever is observing can only interpret what they see.  If the story isn't completely told or the details of what was occurring when the picture was taken, people are left to assume.

Let's look at Facebook as an example.  More than 800 million people use Facebook.  Because it is a popular place for people to display themselves, employers and colleges often use it to screen people before an interview.  Often times when people are careless about what they post on Facebook so they are not given a chance to discuss with a university or potential employer who they really are.  Once something is on the internet, it stays in cyberspace forever.  That is why it is SO important to think before you post.  

Important things to remember:

• Make your password strong.  Example: SnowedN47.  Do not share with anyone (but your parents if they ask for it).
• Keep personal information like your birthday, phone number, email, home address, etc. private.  If your friends really need that information, you can give it to them personally.  You don't want to make yourself vulnerable to weirdos.
• Careful with the photos you AND your friends post!  Do not upload pictures or videos  that you wouldn’t want to share with  your grandparents, teachers, or future bosses. Once you post something online it’s there forever. A picture can be sent to thousands of people in minutes.  Think about college acceptance and job opportunities.  Would someone hire you based on the pictures you post?
• Think before you write.  If you wouldn’t say it to them in person then you shouldn’t say it online.  Whatever you write can come back to you (in seconds or in years).  This is how cyber-bullying usually starts.

Frequently asked questions:

A guy that rides my bus asked me to be friends with him on Facebook.  I know his name, but I've never hung out with him before.  Should I accept?

     I would so no.  If you don't KNOW him, why does he need to see so much information about you?

This girl on Facebook has the same name as me!  She asked be to be her friend.  Should I accept?

     NO.  You have NO idea who this person is.  They could easily be a weirdo.

Someone I'm friends with on Facebook has posted a picture of me that I don't like.  What do I do?

     First, you can untag yourself.  Problem won't be resolved though.  So you'll want to kindly ask your friend to remove it.  If they refuse, you can ask Facebook to remove it stating it is a harassing photo of you.  Remember, you can do this whenever you see something obscene (sex, drugs, violence...).

One of my friends is being bullied on Facebook.  What can I do?

     Tell a one of your administrators.  They can help keep you anonymous while addressing the issue.  You can try to nicely explain to the person that what they have posted is hurtful if you are good friends with them.  Remember, if you don't do anything when you see someone being bullied, you are just as guilty.

That looks cool!  Should I click on it?

     Probably not!  Often scams are sent out through social networking sites.  These scams can collect your information and hack your account.  This is unneeded stress so just avoid trying to figure out who is looking at your wall.

This is making me feel really bad.  Should I delete my Facebook account?

    Up to you.  If you're addicted or see added drama, stress, and anxiety to your life, I'll say yes.  If you know how to use social networking properly, you should be fine.

Why does Mrs. Triplett have a teacher friendly account?

     I want to continue to support my students even after they leave middle school.  I want them to know that I am here for them in whatever way they need me.  Since most everyone has Facebook and checks it more regularly than their email, I figure that it is a good way to stay in touch.

Last piece of advice: check your privacy on Facebook.  Only friends should be able to see your wall, info, and pictures.  This will avoid drama.  Let's leave the drama for the TV!

New Year Resolutions

“I'm gonna make a change for once in my life.  It's going to feel real good. I’m going to make a difference.  I’m going to make it right…I'm starting with the Man in the Mirror.  I'm asking him to change his ways.  No message could have been any clearer. If you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself, and then make a change.”  -adapted from Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson.

As AVID students, we know that we should always improve ourselves.  Now is the time!  Why?  A new year symbolizes a new beginning.  It gives us a chance to start fresh and wash away our bad habits.  In AVID, we not only have New Year Resolutions, but we also create a plan on how to accomplish them.  We do this because we know that many people create New Year Resolutions, but they only last a few weeks.  Our plans state the steps we need to take to be successful in completing our New Year Resolutions.  We even hold each other accountable.  We are a family, aren't we? 

Some of the top New Year Resolutions are to get healthy (be able to run a half marathon), be happier (focus on the positives), travel more (visit a cousin in Norway!), spend more time with family (spending more money on gas might help the economy!), do more community service, (Project Linus!),  be a better friend (communication!), learn something new (like how to put the binding on a quilt properly), and save money (for college!).  As a teacher, I'd recommend any of those!  What ever your resolutions are, make sure to create a plan and write it down.  Think long term and not just January!  Stay flexible; if something doesn't quite work, you can adjust your plan.  Make sure to share your plan with friends and family that will support you.  Reward yourself when you accomplish small goals that go with your New Year Resolutions so you will keep your momentum.  

We said that the new year symbolizes a time for change.  But why can't you change yourself whenever you want to?  You can!  Just remember that if we don't create goals for ourselves, we will stay stagnate in life.  And we all know a little something about stagnate water, right?  It smells!  So unless you want to smell your whole life, create some New Year Resolutions!

"This is the day your life will surely change.  This is the day when things fall into place."  -This is the Day by The The

Comment below and share your New Year Resolution!

Highlighted Pastiches

Trust by Irma


Those who don't trust and only know how to judge.
They think everyone is guilty.
They think no one is nice especially if they're different.
They are dumb for we are smart.
But we can be trusted.
We know who to trust and who not to trust, and we should not judge based on differences, we are under God's eyes. But not everyone feels the same. 
Yeah. That is how life goes.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Peters Burton

Dr. Peters Burton from George Mason University was our guest speaker on Dec. 20th.  She shared her story with us about how she and her family escaped hardships in Ireland, how she landed in foster care, and how she ended up attending several universities for free.  Before all that though, she ate a candle (or was it...?)!  Her bio at GMU is available here.  Her book is entitled Thinking Like Scientists: Using Metacognitive Prompts to Develop Nature of Science Knowledge.  Dr. Peters Burton said that her goal is to help teachers create meaningful science lessons in their classroom that inspire students to want to learn.  If you would like to email her, her email is Epeters1@gmu.edu.

If you were in the class, what did you find interesting about Dr. Peters Burton?

Why take Cornell Notes?

In the late 1800's, a German psychologist and researcher named Herman Ebbinghaus was the first to study forgetting and remembering.  His studies yielded that within 24 hours after a lecture, a person loses 50-80% of the information learned.  As days go on, more and more information is lost.  His results were plotted is what is known as the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve.  This reveals a relationship between forgetting and time.  Information can be lost very quickly as it is learned so repetition is important to remember things.


Continued research on forgetting and remember from the University of Waterloo led to this information based on one hour lecture:
On Day 1, you enter knowing 0% of what will be covered (this is the baseline of the curve).  At the end of the lecture you know 100% of what you will know (this is the highest point of the curve).  By Day 2, if you have done nothing with the information you learned in the lecture, you will have lost 50-80%!  Our brains are constantly recording information on a temporary basis: scraps of conversation heard on the sidewalk, what the person in front of you is wearing...Because this information isn't necessary, our brains simply unload it at the end of the day, but what about the lecture?!  By Day 7, we remember even less and by Day 30 we only remember about 2-3% of what was discussed during the lecture!  Obviously, we can see the impact this might have on tests, and end of year exams!  This could cause some serious anxiety.

Good News: You can change this! A big signal to your brain is how often you repeat thing.  The more you go over information, the more you will remember if.  So here is the formula: Within 24 hours of getting new information, spend at least 10 minutes reviewing it and you will raise it back up to 100%.  Review it again within 7 days and it will only take 5 minutes to reactive your brain.  Do this each week and after 30 days of learning the new material, you'll only need to review it for 2-4 minutes.  No cramming needed here because we managed our time correctly.

More recent studies by Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock in 2001, identify that summarizing and note taking is key to taking information and putting it in the long term memory.  It helps to promote better comprehension because you have to put the information in your own words.  A good set of notes can be a study guide to help you review the information on a daily basis.

So in AVID, we use Cornell Notes to help us because it is a form of note taking that acts as a study guide.  We have to go over the information a few times which helps us repeat what we've learned allowing us to do better on tests.  This results in a higher GPA and more opportunities!

Do you have more questions about note taking?  Have you seen an improvement in your grades since you've been practicing taking Cornell Notes?  Make sure to leave a comment below.

Remember:

“One learns through the processing of information by the brain.  Words very, very seldom imprint themselves on the brain; but ones thinking does.” -Walter Pauk

Some of what is written was adapted from an unknown author.  The information was presented at a meeting that Mrs. Triplett attended and no author was given.

AVID Student Speaker Contest

Awarding all speakers $500 and a chance to speak before thousands at the
2012 Summer Institutes

Note: Speaker contests will remain open until the end of the year (December 31, 2011).

Student are the highlight of Summer Institute. Selected students will speak during the Day 2 General Session in front of thousands of educators from across the country. We look forward to hearing your AVID story.

• Student Speaker Contest

Have questions or concerns? Email speaker@avidcenter.org.

Note: Entrants can apply online using the Student Speaker Contest Application!

Speech Prompts

Think about your experiences with AVID and how working with AVID teachers, tutors and peers has helped you open doors to opportunity and change and define your future. The best speeches will address all of the prompts below.

• How have you been influenced by your experience in AVID? What kind of opportunities has AVID made possible for you?
  
• How have your AVID teacher(s), tutors, and peers helped you grow academically or intellectually? How has participating in the AVID program enriched your life, whether because of your peers, tutors or teacher?
• What obstacles have you faced and how has your AVID family helped you to cope and possibly overcome them?

Guidelines

• Speech should be approximately 500-750 words long.
• Speech should be four to five minutes long.

Deadline

• Application cut-off date: December 31, 2011.

Apply online using the Student Speaker Contest Application.


Example:Jonathan Grant Brown

Is this the future?

"Watch "A Day Made of Glass" and take a look at Corning's vision for the future with specialty glass at the heart of it.  Learn more about Corning at corning.com. Search for career opportunities at corning.com/careers."

How crazy is that?!  A lot of these technologies already exist so we could see this happening in our lifetimes!  I love the idea of decorating the fridge with my favorite MOVING pictures!!  Comment on this post to share your thoughts.

James Madison University

The 8th graders went with the 9th graders to James Madison University on Tuesday!  We had a blast.  We saw lots of cows, rain, and even a dead bear on the drive out to Harrisonburg, VA.  The AVIDers on the bus watched Karate Kid, but those in Mrs. Triplett's car listened to Bush, The Cranberries, Los Del Rio, and Juanes!  We discussed gun control, how to support our slacking friends, and how Angry Birds requires a lot of Algebra skills.

Once we got to campus, we entered what used to be James Madison High School and had a quick bathroom break and introduction.  Our tour guide was very nice and wanted to make sure we were interested in college; not just JMU.  We then hopped back on the bus and walked around campus.

Did you know if you clap your hands in the very center of campus you can hear a squeak!  It sounds like you stepped on a mouse.  This is because of the way the sounds waves travel to the buildings and back.  We tried it, and it is true.  So strange!

James Madison University is also home to a "Kissing Rock".  Apparently, if you kiss your loved one while sitting on the rock, you'll eventually get married!  Don't try it out until you are ready to propose!

After everyone tried hearing the squeak, we went for lunch.  The buffet was great.  Mrs. Triplett had a delicious salad.  She really liked how the food was labeled with the calorie content and allergens.

After lunch we visited the library.  Mrs. Triplett did mention that ECU's library is more technologically advanced, but JMU's has a Starbucks right inside.  How cool is that?  Grab your Skinny Vanilla Latte and start researching!

We then went to the  John C Wells Planetarium.  Our guide talked a lot about how knowing math and science can help advance our careers. We then watched a video about how two small pieces of glass have shaped the future of science.  Did you know that the star Vega is 26 light years away?  That means if you look at it through a telescope, you are actually seeing what it looked like 26 years ago!

After the show and a quick bathroom break, we boarded the bus.  Some of us went for a short jog after a missing wallet was NOT left in the planetarium!  We hit the road and got back to school before the late buses rolled out.

Mrs. Triplett had a lot of fun.  She was SO happy to see some of her high schoolers that she misses SO much.  Mrs. Triplett wishes that we could have learned a little more about what JMU has to offer for a kid from Annandale, but she thought the campus was very nice.  It has that old university feel without feeling like you're in the middle of no where.  There's lots of shopping close by and lots of activities to offer.  It is also close enough to the parents, but far enough away so you feel independent!

PS: We now know who the next Galileo will be!

James Madison University on College Board.
Check out what's going on at JMU by visiting them on Twitter!
See videos of what life is like on their YouTube page!
Here's another channel too!