Allyson Alavez

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Artifact

For our artifact we decided to do a wall that represents the different levels of success.These levels symbolize different accomplishments that people have for themselves For instance bronze represents the first level of success in which people with a growth mindset thrive in due to their capacity of learning and perseverance . Silver is the second level of success it represents accomplishments they have not gave up on. Gold would be a high level of success but on a growth mindset it would not mean that once they have reached that point they are done learning. The books are there to symbolize the challenges they have overcame throughout their journey to success. The person in the yellow shirt is the person with the growth mindset. The reason why we made his shirt yellow is because yellow is the color that of success and perseverance. The person with the purple shirt is the person with the fixed mindset. We chose the color purple for the shirt because the color purple evokes frustration. This represents the frustration fixed mindsets feel when they face a challenge because they think that if they get it wrong they feel they won’t look smart. The purple also shows wisdom, which is something that they are full of as well.The person with the growth mindset has books stacked up as stairs that represent like a path toward success, notice that some books are open and that is because growth mindsets know that they never finish learning. On the other hand the person with the fixed mindset has a closed book because after they have looked at the challenge put by them they feel they can’t overcome it.


Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and talents can be developed and that people are not born with them. Having a growth mindset means understanding that you will always continue to grow your knowledge and can always be better. There are multiple points of views and patterns that are used to address the topic of growth mindset. In an article written by Marina Krakovsky, she profiles a Stanford psychologist named Carol Dweck who believes “you’ll reach new heights if you learn to embrace the occasional tumble”(1). Furthermore, people with a growth mindset tend to accept a challenge when they are faced with them, they don’t feel threatened by predicaments, and they confidently approach them because they know in the end they can learn from mistakes and challenges (5). Patterns in your surroundings and your influencers contribute to what mindset someone has and how they view that certain mindset. In the end, what kind of mindset you have is important because it will shape your learning experience. Will you be stumped because of challenges or continue to face them head on?
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Growth Mindset Reflection

    While I was working on the growth mindset project I learned about how growth mindset influences and affects how children and adults react when they are faced with a challenge. I also learned about how growth mindset and fixed mindset are the two mindsets that two people can have and how that shapes their learning experiences. I did learn something new, growth and fixed mindsets, I had no idea that they even existed. A growth mindset is the belief that you can always grow and develop talents and abilities. A fixed mindset is the belief that you are born with your abilities and that you can never grow at a skill. I learned that I have both types of mindsets, it just depends what topic I’m referring to, at times I’ll have a fixed mindset and at others, I’ll have a growth mindset. I also learned that I can work well with others, I just have to find the right people that I work well with. I learned that I find it easier to form an evaluation of a topic when I can hear different perspectives because other people might introduce something I never even thought of.
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F.I.N.D. Blog Post

One fact about "The Crucible" is that Arthur Miller used it as a way to talk about the Red Scare without directly mentioning it. He talked about it using the Salem Witch Trial Hysteria of 1692 because he found it relevant, however, if he had directly talked about it he would've been in major trouble because everything was censored back then. While reading and learning about "The Crucible" I felt ​dumbstruck. I could not comprehend why people would literally turn against everyone because of accusations from a few. Also, I don't know why the adults and professional judges would actually trust the girls, despite their good acting skills, they had to know that something was up. I also saw how this related to the Red Scare because when we played the game during class I realized that people would make the most irrelevant justifications for their accusations and that's what they did during the play. A new idea that I learned when reading "The Crucible is that people will do anything to get what they want. For instance, Abigail wanted to be with John Proctor so she accused Goody Proctor. Additionally, the Putnam's wanted all the land they could possibly get so they made Ruth, their daughter, accuse land owners so that they could buy their land after they were hanged, this is knows as land lust. A personal decision that I will be making this week after reading "The Crucible" is that I will always go with my gut and will follow what I think is morally correct. Just like John Proctor, I will follow the path that I think is correct, and not the path that everyone is following or the one people are telling me to follow. I chose this image because at the end John Proctor decided to not give in his signed confession and instead be hanged. This related to the decision I will make in the future, despite him wanting to live John realized it was not correct for him to turn in the confession, leading to his decision of being hanged.

October Reflection
This year in terms of reaching my academic goals I have been doing pretty well. I try to participate whenever we are doing the student led discussions. Also, I have gotten more comfortable when I present and speak to the whole class. I haven't been doing very well on reading many books because I haven't found any books that click. At first I was interested in a book series, but then I became uninterested. I think I am doing well in participating in the class, when we have discussions I'm mostly always raising my hand to answer questions, or to add onto someone's answer. Strengths I see in myself in this class are helping others and speaking in front of the class. At first I was shy and didn't feel comfortable in this class, but as time has progressed public speaking has now become a normality. Weaknesses are that everyday we're always doing something and at times it becomes tiring, but that's what this class is all about. As a writer I feel great, although I may not be the greatest writer I love writing. I feel very comfortable when I am writing, and at times it's fun to me. Despite my liking for it, I want to improve, and I feel that in this class I will be able to, I already have with writing "The Crucible." What is challenging for me is the level of analysis we have to use when writing our essays, or even answering questions. You can't just look at the surface of things in this class, you have to dig much deeper. What is easy for me is nothing, everyday you are faced with a new challenge that we have to figure out. Soon we will become comfortable with all the work that is given to us, but we still need to grow us students so that can truly happen. In November I want to work on my writing skills because it is a passion of mine, and I want to be able to execute it properly. I want to be a great writer and be ready for any future essays we will have in this class and in my future school endeavors.  
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Freedom and Conflict 
The positive impacts of conflict are that it creates order and keeps the several systems of our government in check. It allows for no one side to have all of the power and to always get what they want, there will always be an opposing side. For instance, the Democratic and Republican parties contradict and oppose each other’s beliefs, this allows for a true democracy. With this system everybody has a voice and there is not only one party that represents all of the people. The negative impact conflict could have is that it could potentially lead to a civil war. It could spark problems and could cause debacles between the people. The positives of freedom are that it allows the people to live peacefully and to be able to express themselves without being restricted by the government. It could be negative because the people might take take advantage of the freedoms they are given and might disregard the government and laws. Conflict and freedom interrelate because in order for people to have freedom there needs to be conflict. For example, when the United States was founded, there was a war against Britain in order for the colonists to finally be free from their rule. I don’t think they are opposites because in order for the people to be free, there needs to be conflict. Whether that be through different political parties, or even a war at times, it is necessary for the people to be free. There could be a paradoxical relationship between conflict and freedom because conflict may restrict the freedoms of the people. For example, the ongoing debate on gun control. Depending on whether this is continued and brought to the Supreme Court, it may restrict the right to bear arms and some might even lose that freedom.
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Poetry Emulation
America

By Allyson Alavez
II.
There were always tamales though,
For every birthday and wedding,
Several ones on Christmas and New Year’s Eves.
Even on Thanksgiving Day- tamales,
Pork,  chicken, and covered in red salsa-
As well as cauldrons of posole,
Fried plantain pieces, and arroz con leche.
These items required a special visit
To la Northgate on the corner of bristol street
Where men in mandiles stood in senate
Blaming Trump for everything- “Ese hijo de puta!”
The scent of Abuelita’s chocolate and cigarette residue
Filling the air as they recite their scripts,
“Fruta, fruta!” trying to gain their lost wealth,
Unbothered and at peace like the breeze


III.
By five I had grown suspicious- we were still here
Overheard conversations about leaving
Had become realistic and more frequent
I spoke Spanish; my classmates didn’t
We didn’t live in a two- story house, or a house at all
With a maid or a brand new carro del ano,
We were we full with frustration at the pride they didn’t swallow
None of the kids spoke their native tongue,
None of my brothers, cousins, or classmates
Were named Greg, Peter, or Marcia,
Yet we were still not part of the bunch.
None of the animated characters
On Johnny Bravo or The Ren and Stimpy Show
Were named Guadalupe, Lazaro, or Mercedes
American families aren’t like us either-
They don’t have tamales on Thanksgiving;
They eat turkey with cranberry sauce;
They don’t have champurrado, they have pumpkin spice lattes
Like the array of white girls that are always given first class
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  • About Me
  • ELA Blog
  • Reading Log
  • Symposium 2018
  • Writing Portfolio