Comparing Activity 1 and 2

Activity #2 was almost the exact opposite of activity #1. Though the goal you were trying to achieve was the same (making toys), the means by how that was done was different. Activity number one comprised of creating a attractive enough toy by yourself, so that is can be shosen as a winner the next class. In Activity 2, we needed to then make as many copies as possible of the winning toy working as a team. Also, the winner (Nikaya) was the "manager" of our little toy making factory, and she actually had the opertunity to "fire" us from the activity, resulting in an F as a quiz grade. It was a contest between classes to see who makes the most toys. As I mentioned in my last post about Activity 1, everything was chilled out, and people were having a good ol' time neatly coloring their little figure. On the other hand, in activity 2, people were very tense and nervous, and arguments were frequent. Also, the quality level of toys dropped tremendously due to the pressure of winning against all the other Humanities classes. We also needed to find a strategy that could make us efficiently creat toys faster, so we chose an Assembly Line type formation, where there was a cutting section, a glueing section, and a coloring section. I think Activity 2 gave the class a real idea of what factory life really could be like. In that case, i hope i never have to work in a factory again :P

Activity #1 reflection

It seems pretty chilled. There was no real rush in getting things done, and everybody was having fun creating their toys. People really took their time on making the toy look neat and tidy, carefullly cutting out the shapes from the sheet we got, delicately coloring it, and making sure there was no glue smudges.

What is it like on a Rollercoaster?

You plant yourself down onto the seat, fastening on your safety harness with your clammy, sweaty hands. There is fresh, earthy smell in the air, your friend next to you is smiling, the sun is shining, and your body is beaming with energy. What could possibly go wrong? There is a sudden thud, as if thunder struck, and slowly, almost as if trying to intimidate you, the cart starts to move up the track. You see the twists and turns coming toward you, well actually, your going towards them. Your friend whispers something in your ear, but you wouldnt care less, the road ahead is what is important. Oh my, dont those loops like massive...this may not have been such a great idea. Realizing there is no going back, you close your eyes, hoping not to feel like being dangled like a noose 50 feet into the air, but this feeling is nearly impossible to ignore. As your cart rises into the loop, you start hearing an opera of screams and screeches from the people around you. Now, you can clearly feel the force of gravity pulling at you. It almost seems impossible that that puny, torn safety harness can hold a full grown person. The cart moves slowly across the top of the loop, then accelerates its way down the slope at an alarming speed. At this moment, it is when your adrenaline as it its highest. There is also the most screams at this point, even your friend next to you who pushed you into doing this is crying for mommy. But as it turns out, you feel a slight delight come over you, and a small grin runs across your face. " Damn, I took that on, now I can do anything."

What does the phrase “Necessity is the mother of invention” mean?

Well, the point of this phrase is that, if somebody needs something, or is fed up with participating in a difficult task, then there will be people attempting to invent an object or a way of making the activity easier. If people didn’t need anything, then there would be no point in creating anything.

3 Examples of Inventions

The Tractor: The first gasoline powered tractor was created because of mostly farming reasons around the year 1892 by John Froelich. People used to use horses and bulls for farming, but the animals got old and tired, thus making them useless. This all changed when the tractor came, because it’s a machine, and doesn’t get tired.

The Electric Guitar: The Electric guitar was invented to amplify the sound of a regular traditional guitar. Guitar players from at 1920’s to the 1930’s wanted to have more people here them play at live occasions, so the sound could fit bigger arenas.

The Television: The television was not invented by one single person, but many people working on the concept over the years. The television was invented because people wanted to see images and stories visually. It was used to transmit images through a screen, and later, transmitting clips from long distances away.

Question: How do you learn best? What can Mr. Coyle do to help me learn most effectively in the class?

Well, it might seem improbable, but I learn well all 3 ways. It seems the same to me as long as I pay attention to what is happening. But since I really need a specific answer, id say I’m a visual learner. I remember things when I see them happen very well. When I watch T.V and there is a show on, I remember the key important points very well, and over a long period of time. But I also like learning with things such as a Socratic Seminar. I think the SS is probably my favorite way of discussing a topic.

Mr. Coyle, I think the best way for most students to learn, is to always come up with a new and creative way of learning. One day we could watch some video, then the next we could read an article, then we could be assigned to study to topic in groups and discuss it etc. I think that if there is a same way of learning happening over and over again, that the interest level of student’s drops. But if you come up with something new regularly, then students will think about the subject more because there is different way of learning about it.

Beginning of the Year Questions

What were two highlights from the first week of school?
I liked meeting new people. Its always a pleasure to meet and learn about new teachers and students. I also liked seeing how my friends have changed over the summer. Its kinda fun to see the changes like if theyve grown, hair length, getting braces ETC.


What was your first impression of Humanities?
Well, I though it was going to be a fun year. Last year I saw boards and projects from the 8th Graders, and they looked pretty interesting. Ive also heard from some of them it was going to be a fun class.


What are two goals you have for this quarter in Humanities? (Remember a goal needs to be specific, realistic, and measurable
I want to become a better reviser in writing, because I often misword my work and dont check back on it, and I would also like to improve my participation in a Socratic Seminar. I seem to have good information in my discussions, its just i need to get used to putting down the page numbers and using evidence from the book more often.

The Organization

I have a wide veriety of greasers in ma gang. We got people everywhere around India, especially roaming around the streets of Delhi. We have established a safe haven over at The American Embassy School, but the rest of our whereabouts are confidential. There is our hiest orginizers, Scott Scatman, Kris Z, A.D.I, and Garret Parkstalker, and Paolo. But no good gang is complete without the loot suppliers, Eero PKI, Ale 50euro. Conor G, and Snorri Da Boss. Then of course there is our Undercover Field Men, R()berto(), Agent Griesen, Samuel LeThornhill, and Kartik R4J. Not to mention my personal body gaurds SEB4ST1EN, Yousef "Hammerhead" Alanezi, and The Niel.

But as i said...we have people everywhere, and revealing the identities of absolutely all of our members is confidential...