Too Much Pressure for Dance Mom’s

My obsession with Dance Mom’s, a reality show on the Life network, can be fully blamed on my sister. I heard about the show before but was never really that interested in finding the channel and watching it. Then one day my older sister said that if I like Toddlers and Tiaras then I would LOVE Dance Mom’s because they both have crazy moms but in Dance Mom’s the children actually have talent. So on Tuesday about a month ago I turned on the TV and was instantly hooked. Even though I like watching the show I don’t agree with some of the things they do.

For instance, the teachers on TV put way too much pressure on their students. The teachers all want their students to be the best but when they have an off day and don’t perform as well they basically yell at them and tell them how horrible it was. They create a list from the best performance to the worst and the person at the bottom usually doesn’t get a solo for the next show. As a runner for track and cross country I know how it feels to do badly in a race. You already feel terrible, you don’t need to make a list and show it to everybody else to see how bad you did. I think this list is supposed to motivate the kids to do better but I feel like it is actually doing the opposite. If a dancer puts in all their effort in a performance but is constantly at the bottom of the list, would they be motivate or just want to give up? A better list would highlight not just weaknesses but also strengths in a performance.

The parents also put too much pressure on their child to strive to be the best dancer at the studio. For example one mother on “Dance Mom’s: Miami” makes her eight year old daughter get up at 4 a.m. (THAT IS 4 A.M. IN THE MORNING) to do her homework. She is eight years old. When does she have time to be a child if she is always dancing and doesn’t even have time to do her homework? By doing this I feel like the child will be burned out by the age of 15 when she can actually get a professional career out of it. It’s great that they love to dance, but they need to make time for themselves and be a kid also. There are only so many years that a kid can be a kid.

As a result of all this pressure these parents deal with they start to take it out on each other. The fights the moms have are probably escalated to make the show more dramatic but they seem to act worse than their kids. One of the most common fits they have is “how so and so child has more time with the teacher and gets all the attention”. Usually the arguments end in an all-out screaming match and one mom storms out of the room saying “I am done with this, I don’t want my daughter to be around you guys anymore”. They always come back though. The way these parents act makes me feel embarrassed for their child, but the show wouldn’t be as interesting if the parents were normal.

Even though, I don’t approve of the things they do on the show, I won’t stop watching it because I love the drama. Sometimes after watching an episode I wonder with all the pressure the teachers and parents put on the children to be perfect, is the child living out their dreams or are the parents living out their dreams through the child.

ACT Tips: English

The last portion of the ACT test is English competition test. You will read about five passages which are full of errors in punctuation, grammar, sentence structure and usage (these lines are indicated by being underlined). Then you are given choices of what is the correct format of the underline portion. There are also questions that are designed for your rhetorical skills such as organization and style (these items are indicated by a box in the paragraph).  You have 40 minutes and 75 questions to answer which can be a lot unless you use the zap tips that I am going to provide you below. 

Tip #1: Watch out for redundancy, if it can be said in a single word than two words should not be used. Redundancy is quite common in the test because it is a common problem among teenagers. An example of this is “must certainly have” were “have” and “certainly” are redundant. 

Tip #2: Watch out for sentence fragments and check to make sure there is no fragment if a period is in the underline portion or in the answer choice. The ACT test will never have the correct answer to be a sentence fragment. 

Tip #3: Always choose the shorter option if you can’t decide between two or three answers. ACT’s are designed to have multiple choices that sound good but do not stand out. Length choices are usually wrong because they are award and wordy. 

Tip #4: Pay careful attention to the context were a question appears, you cant always read the underline portions. You may assume that everything that is not underline is correct but an incorrect response may be incorrect because it doesn’t work in the paragraph in which it appears. So it is important to read the preceding sentences. 

Tip #5: Sometimes the correct answer to a question is no change at all. So do not overlook the NO CHANGE option because it can be right. According to ZAP it will be correct about 20 percent of the time. 

Tip #6: On many questions you can get rid of answers be ear. If you don’t immediately know an answer, verbalize the answers in your mind. If the choice sounds weird than it is probably wrong. For example “I seen” versus “I saw”.

Tip #7: Study and compare the choices to avoid creating new errors as you correct the original one. Often good-looking answers will have a change in punctuation or usage that makes the choice incorrect. If you don’t double check your answers it can cause problems. So after you think you see the correct answer check the other options first before marking it. 

Tip #8: For all underline items, re read the sentence after you plug in your choice. This is so you avoid making stupid mistakes but make sure to do it quickly so you don’t run out of time. 

Tip #9: According to ZAP there are two ways to attack a little box problem. First determine where in the passage your find the answer. They are either about the nearby sentence or paragraph or on the entire passage. Then re-read or move on depending the type of question. If it’s just a sentence or paragraph re read it and answer but if it’s the entire passage just answer the question and don’t reread.  If you use these steps on the box problems then you will be able to move quickly through the test. 

These are the tips that I was given by ZAP in order to effectively use my time wisely during the test. I really think these tips help me the most and I hope they help you just as much. The most important thing to remember is to watch your time and don’t leave anything blank. 

(Tips provided by

"ZAPS Learning Company - Test Preparation Workshops." ZAPS Learning Company. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. http://www.zaps.com/.)

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Annotated Bibliography “My Name Is Memory

Brashares, Ann. My Name Is Memory. New York: Riverhead, 2010. Print. (pg 324/324)

Since the beginning of the school year I have not read a single romance novel and I was craving for a nice romantic read that was still on the challenging side. My sister was home for spring break and she recommended “My Name Is Memory” to me. This was the perfect romantic book I was looking for. Even though the book is a romance novel, it is not the same as what I would have chosen in the past. 

The style of the book is much like the “Circle” series that I have just finished reading with every chapter switching characters and the year it take place in. The main character takes you through all of the lives that he has lived and where he meets the girl he falls in love with up until the present. There is even a little history thrown into the book with the main character living in Constantinople and then going through World War I and Martin Luther King Jr.’s time. 

The most challenging part of the book was the vocabulary. There were challenging worlds like akin, mantra, nostalgia and prissiness that were placed periodically throughout the book. With the help of the rest of the sentence I could usually get the gist of the word’s meaning.  

One thing that I disliked in the book was the ending.  None of the questions I had were answered at the end of the book. It seemed like there should be a sequel to the book but there was no mention of a second book which publishers and authors usually do.  Even though the vocabulary was challenging and the ending was not my favorite I enjoyed reading the book and would happily recommend it to anyone who loves romance novels.

(312)

ACT Tips: Math

The math portion of the ACT test can be difficult for some people because you have to remember how to do things from algebra and geometry to trigonometry which can be challenging. This portion of the test is the longest because you have an hour to answer 60 questions. Here are some tips on how to attack the math portion of the test provided by my zap class. 

Tip #1: Make three trips through the math portion of the test. On the first trip, work on the problems that you can do quickly. Try to aim for getting all of these questions correct so be careful and watch out for stupid mistakes.  Then on your second trip, work on the harder questions but ones that you know how to do. Finally on the last trip through the test try to work on the most difficult problems and guess on the items that you don’t know. 

Tip #2: Save time by getting familiar with the directions in advance. Since the directions stay the same on each test, if you are aware of them when entering the test you don’t have to waste time reading them.

Tip #3: Every problem has only one correct answer. The easiest and most time efficient way to complete the math test is to do the problem first and then find your answer among the choices. Make sure you look at the format of the choices; you might have to reduce your answer. 

Tip #4: The ACT coordinators go out of their way to find mistakes that people might do along the way and have them as answers. So be extra careful when solving a problem.

Tip #5: Check your work for every problem because it is more important to avoid stupid errors than race through the test to finish it. Even if you see your answer among the choices make sure that you did make a mistake. 

Tip #6: Write at will in your booklet because you are not given any scratch paper. There are four purpose of doing this which are to make sketches and figure out your answers, keep track of your answers, help with your concentration and help clarify the math problem that you are solving. 

Tip #7: If you have no clue on how to set up a math problem try the plugging in your choices to the problem. Start with the middle number because if you plug it in and its to big or to small then you can eliminate other answers that will not work and save time. 

Tip #8: Most of the test will have a couple of problems that involve averaging. These problems aren’t going to be easy like what is the average of 24, 34, and 12, it will be more like a word problem. Usually they will give you two of the three pieces (total, average and numbers) and you will have to find the third. 

Tip #9: Not all figures in the ACT test booklet are drawn to scale, so just because it looks like it could be it doesn’t mean that it is right. When drawings are inaccurate its usually because a correct picture would make the answer to obvious. 

There are the lists of tips that I got for my zap class for the math portion. I hope they do you well and the best of luck in completing the math section.


(Tips provided by

"ZAPS Learning Company - Test Preparation Workshops." ZAPS Learning Company. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. http://www.zaps.com/.)

(569)

"School Pep Assemblies Effective?"

Green and gold shirts, chanting students, school song playing in the background; these are the typical things that you will find in Kennedys pep assembly. The question though, is our pep assembly effective?



The purpose of a pep assembly is to get the whole student body showing their school spirit and acknowledging the hard work we have accomplished in extra circular activities. Kennedy High School has three pep assemblies throughout the year for each trimester.



At everyone, we acknowledge the students who are involved in those seasons’ sports whether it is fall, spring, winter or summer sports. They go down in a huddle as Mr. Stucker announces their accomplishments and goals for the season. Then the captains of the teams have a competition with the other sports to see who wins. These competitions differ each assembly but they are always enjoyable to watch. Some examples of these have to unroll toilet paper rolls and shake golf balls out of a Kleenex box connected to your butt.





In order to get our school spirit up we have competitions between the four grades and who every wins the most point is awarded with the “spirit stick”. The first competition is always the same with who can come up with the best cheer but then they also differ from assembly. They say things like “the person with the most jewelry on” or “the person with the most colorful socks on”. Then one student who thinks they meet these circumstances goes down to the gym and three judges (teachers) vote on what grade represents the idea best. Most of these competitions are fare but some (especially in the spring time) are geared to seniors so they can win. Overall though, people get into these competitions as they cheer on their teammates.



Generally speaking I think that our school pep assemblies have meet the criteria of what a pep assembly is really supposed to be. Everybody seems to be pumped up in the gym with the school song playing and we get competitive in the competitions because we want our grade to win.

(348)

Study Tips for ACT's: Reading

Before I gave you tips on how to attack the science portion of the test, now I am going to give you clues to the reading passage. For me these tips will be most useful because I struggle in the language arts portions.
The reading portion of the test is thirty five minutes long with four passages and ten questions each. Each passage covers different topics which are social studies, natural science, an excerpt from a short story or novel and arts and humanities. Each one of these passages should be approached the same in order to effectively use your time.

Tip #1: the first thing you do is to go through and skim the passages to find the one that appears to be the most difficult for you. After you have identify it, write LAST, because you will read it last and if you run out of time then you can guess on it.

Tip #2: Read the whole passage quickly before answering the questions. Don’t try to completely memorize the reading just read it quickly and look at the questions. Don’t quit reading half way through the passage and go to the questions because you are bored.

Tip #3: Answer all the questions after the passage before you go on to the next reading. No matter how confusing the passage is answer all of the ten questions even if you have to guess. Don’t say to yourself that you will come back to it. It is highly unlikely that you will remember what the passage is about.
Tip #4: Underline important things as you read. Some of the things to look for would be proper nouns, expressions such as “in earlier periods”, and words or expressions that define relationships between ideas or people.
Tip #5: Make notes in the margin that capture the main point of the paragraph. With the underling and making notes you will improve your control on the reading section.

Tip #6: Circle key words along the way such as rather, additionally, because, therefore, besides, and even though. This helps you improve you focus, follow the logic of the passage and reduces the amount of time you spend looking back for information.

Tip #7: Don’t be afraid to use your outside information. If you are running out of time and you can’t find a specific reference get rid of answers that you know are wrong. By doing this you won’t waste time on re reading answers that you know are wrong.

Tip #8: Watch for give away words in true or false statements. Check for words that would give away one or two choices as wrong answers. Some of the key words would be all, always, never and must. More vague words would appear to be true statements like some or often.

Tip #9: When you are running out of time look for questions that provide a line or paragraph reference. These questions are usually quicker to answer and can sometimes be done without reading the passage.

Tip #10: The people who create the ACT’s expect you to be careless and make silly mistakes. They build traps for you to fall in. If you study the wrong choices then you will begin to understand how they are trying to trick you and you will learn to avoid these.

Studying for the ACT’s can be a bit of a drag, especially if you have homework on top of it. When you get free time you don’t want to study for those test, you want to enjoy it but you know in order to get a good score you must prepare. I recently took a class, called ZAP, which taught you how to attack the questions on the ACT. I learned a lot of helpful information from that class so I am going to share some of it to you. There are four different sections on the test, reading, grammar, math and science but right now I am going to focus on the science portion.

The science portion of the test is only 35 minutes long with three charts and graphs, three experiments and one reading comprehension or conflicting viewpoints. In each of those passages there are five to seven questions that need to be completed.

Tip # 1: In order to make the most of your time you should do the charts and graph questions first, then experiments and last the reading section.

Tip #2: Spend about 60 to 90 seconds on the information before you answer the questions. If you read all of the information that is given you will easily run out of time before completing all the questions

Tip #4: Don’t ignore the written information that is present in the passage. Read the titles of the graphs and the labels on the x and y coordinates.

Tip #5: Use the helpful reading tips on the reading comprehension passage in the science portion. Those tips will help you complete the passage quicker without wasting valuable time. Make sure though, that you pay attention to detail and underline.

Tip #6: Every question has only one correct answer. If the two choices appear to be equal then they probably are both incorrect.

Tip #7: Be aware of the time when you are taking the test. When there are only about five minutes left, take a chance and zap answers that are irrelevant and then guess on the remaining. It’s better to fill in a letter than leave it blank!

Tip #8: Many of the questions contain a negative remark such as contradicts, not, would weaken and least. These questions can be tricky but by handling them carefully, you are able to get through them. Circle the negative in the question to make sure that you don’t forget about it. Then make a mark by each answer like yes or no, these simple notes will reduce the amount of confusion and can save you important points on the test.

Tip #9: Keep moving throughout the test. If you don’t work at an upbeat pace you will not be able to finish the test on time. Although you should study the passage carefully do not linger on any of the questions. If you really focus on every choice you will not complete the test.

Tip #10: Study the format of the test in advance. It is important to study the types of passages so when you are taking the test you are able to identify them. When you take the ACT test their will be different topics but the format and types are the same. The more familiar you are the quicker you can move through the test.

I hope that these tips on the science test will do you good when attacking it at the ACTs.


(Tips provided by

"ZAPS Learning Company - Test Preparation Workshops." ZAPS Learning Company. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. http://www.zaps.com/.)

ACT Study Tips: Science

Studying for the ACT’s can be a bit of a drag, especially if you have homework on top of it. When you get free time you don’t want to study for those test, you want to enjoy it but you know in order to get a good score you must prepare. I recently took a class, called ZAP, which taught you how to attack the questions on the ACT. I learned a lot of helpful information from that class so I am going to share some of it to you. There are four different sections on the test, reading, grammar, math and science but right now I am going to focus on the science portion.

The science portion of the test is only 35 minutes long with three charts and graphs, three experiments and one reading comprehension or conflicting viewpoints. In each of those passages there are five to seven questions that need to be completed.

Tip # 1: In order to make the most of your time you should do the charts and graph questions first, then experiments and last the reading section.

Tip #2: Spend about 60 to 90 seconds on the information before you answer the questions. If you read all of the information that is given you will easily run out of time before completing all the questions

Tip #4: Don’t ignore the written information that is present in the passage. Read the titles of the graphs and the labels on the x and y coordinates.

Tip #5: Use the helpful reading tips on the reading comprehension passage in the science portion. Those tips will help you complete the passage quicker without wasting valuable time. Make sure though, that you pay attention to detail and underline.

Tip #6: Every question has only one correct answer. If the two choices appear to be equal then they probably are both incorrect.

Tip #7: Be aware of the time when you are taking the test. When there are only about five minutes left, take a chance and zap answers that are irrelevant and then guess on the remaining. It’s better to fill in a letter than leave it blank!

Tip #8: Many of the questions contain a negative remark such as contradicts, not, would weaken and least. These questions can be tricky but by handling them carefully, you are able to get through them. Circle the negative in the question to make sure that you don’t forget about it. Then make a mark by each answer like yes or no, these simple notes will reduce the amount of confusion and can save you important points on the test.

Tip #9: Keep moving throughout the test. If you don’t work at an upbeat pace you will not be able to finish the test on time. Although you should study the passage carefully do not linger on any of the questions. If you really focus on every choice you will not complete the test.

Tip #10: Study the format of the test in advance. It is important to study the types of passages so when you are taking the test you are able to identify them. When you take the ACT test their will be different topics but the format and types are the same. The more familiar you are the quicker you can move through the test.

I hope that these tips on the science test will do you good when attacking it at the ACTs.


(Tips provided by

"ZAPS Learning Company - Test Preparation Workshops." ZAPS Learning Company. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. http://www.zaps.com/.)

Spring Fever

With this beautiful weather that has sprung upon us in March, there is a longing to be outside. We dread going to school or work and often star at the window all day long, waiting to get off and be able to enjoy the weather. What do these symptoms describe, spring fever, which hits most of us at some point in time and can have negative effects on our body and how we perform at school.



Since this March was especially warm for most of the country spring fever has hit us earlier than normal. This weather is great, but it’s not so dandy for sleeping habits. From the time when we set our clocks forward an hour; the sun has been out later making the day seem longer. Because of this, it makes you want to stay up later sinec the day seems longer but its actually not. If you don’t get the correct amount of sleep you will not be able to perform your best the next day. It can also contribute negative effects on your body and healthy like weight gain.



Spring Fever also contributes negatively to your school work. When the sun is shining brightly outside and the weather is in the 70s and 80s, who wants to be inside on a perfect day like this? We star out the window all day waiting to be let go, not focusing on what the teacher is teaching us. Then when the final bell rings and we rush to get home we neglect to do our homework and instead opt for a better option like taking in the sun outside. By doing these things it will cause your grades to slip because you are not taking fully learning the curriculum and studying for the class.



Some ways to fix the problems of spring fever taking over your body is to set a regular sleep schedule. This is not only important in the spring but all year around because it is easier on the body. A solution to the homework problem is doing your studying outside on your deck or driveway. This way you can soak up the sun but also do your school work.



Spring Fever hits us all but if we let it take over our body it can produce some negative effects not only concerning your heath but also in school. Even though your mood may be better, your grades and body might not be showing it.
(411)

April Fool Pranks

Happy April Fool’s Day! Today is the day where you celebrate the pranks and jokes people play on you and all you have to say is “April Fools…”. I think this is one of my dad’s favorite holidays. He always tapes down are dishes in the morning and puts newspaper in our shoes and coats. One of the most remembered prank that he has done was on my mom. He switched out the newspaper to one that was published last year on April Fool’s Day. I don’t think my mom caught until she came upon something that had already happen and they were covering it new. These were just some of the pranks my dad did. I have come up with a list of pranks that you can do to make laughs every time you do it.

1.      Tie the chairs to the table. This is one of my dad’s old tricks, when we would eat breakfast in the morning we would try to pull out the chairs to find that my dad has tied them to the post with string.

2.      Pull a fake fan cord. You turn on the light to a ceiling fan by pulling the cord. Well, on April Fools day put a fake cord hanging down that is attached to a cup of confetti that is resting on a fan blade. When they pull the cord the confetti will fall on all over (just make sure that the other cord is out of sight).

3.      Nail a Photo to the Fridge. Find a picture and cut off the top of a nail. Glue the top of the nail head to the picture. Then glue a magnet onto the back of the picture and put it on the fridge. It should look like you nailed your photo to the fridge.

4.      Eww… it sticks. Get a whole bunch of people that are going to be around the same person that day. Tell them to pretend that they smell something sticky every time they go by that person and ask them if they smell it to. Throughout the day they will definitely become paranoid. It will be funny as long as it’s not you who they play it on.

5.      Glue a coin to the ground on a side walk that lots of people walk on. Then sit near by and watch how many people try to pick it up. This is a mean prank because I like to pick on pennies and change that I find on the ground, so I would fall for this trick.

6.      Salt and Pepper Anyone. If your family uses salt and pepper a lot, switch the containers. So when they think their putting salt or pepper on their food they are actually doing the opposite. Then sit back and watch the faces of your family when they realize they have been pranked.

7.      Alarm Clocks. Set a whole bunch of alarm clocks at an early time during the morning and place them around the room or the house. Then watch the person try to find them all so they can turn them off and go back to sleep. This, though, might produce a cranky person in the morning so you have to determine if it’s worth it.  

8.      Tooth Brush trick. Dab the victims tooth brush in salt (make sure to shake the excess off) and set it back in place until they brush their teeth. When the put it in their mouth they will be in for a salty surprise.

Those are some of the list of tricks that Imy dad has done or told be about that are harmless (in a way ) but still funny. I hope everybody enjoys their April Fool’s Day and wishing you the best of luck that pranks aren’t played on you.

White

 

Annotated Bibliography

Dekker, Ted. White. Nashville: WestBow, 2004. Print. (pg. 370/370)



“White” is the third and final book of the “Circle” series written by Ted Dekker. Like the first and second book “White” is a science-fiction book which again is different from what I normally read. Since both of the previous books in the series left me wondering what’s going to happen to both of the worlds, I had to check this book out right away or else I might have gone crazy with the questions building up inside of me.



In the beginning the author did a short summary of what happened in the last two books so readers are not confused if they forgot, which I don’t know how you could forget. Over all, this book was a lot easier to read than the first two. This could be because I got use to the switching back and forth between the two different worlds that the main character, Thomas, lives in.



Since the book is an adult fiction novel there is a more difficult vocabulary in it to make it more challenging than a young adult book. For examples there would be words like exponentially, heretical or diabolical that would pop up every once in a while.



I enjoyed reading “White” just as much as the previous books in the series. I wanted to read more and find out what happens to the characters as I progressed through the story. It seemed that whenever something exciting happened in one world the author would switch to the imaginary one. This made me frustrated because then I would have to read more until I found out what happened in the real world, but I did enjoy that. The ending was really good except it was a little confusing on how they ended it. Dekker wrote the ending in a way that it was resolved but he could also produce a fourth book if needed. It left me wondering if Thomas would ever come back to life in the real world and would the book of histories ever be found.



I would recommend this book to anybody but only if you read the first books in the series or else it wouldn’t make sense.
(376)

Why You Should Drink Milk

Eating in the cafeteria at school I see a lot of people not drinking milk and I hear people say they don’t like the taste of it. Milk, though, contains a good dose of calcium and other minerals that are essential for a healthy diet.



Unlike other sugar infested drinks that are supposed to be good for you, milk is a naturally-rich nutrient rich beverage. According to National Dairy Council, the recommended daily amount for calcium is 1,000 milligrams for young adults and 1,200 for adults 50 and over. A cup of milk alone contains 300 milligrams of calcium. Daily amount of Potassium is 4,700 milligrams and milk has 360 milligrams of this per a serving. As you can see it is an obvious shortcut to get to the recommended daily amount that majority of the people don’t make. ("Why You Should…”)



Not only is milk nutrient rich but it also helps build strong bones and teeth. According to Dr. Brazillian calcium in milk helps improve bone density and "Denser bones mean less likelihood of stress fractures and a lower risk of osteoporosis – a major public health threat for over 40 million Americans,". As we grow older our body starts to draw from our bones to maintain other functions so it is important to start at a young age with getting the recommended calcium in order to support your body later on. Calcium is also important in maintain homeostasis in your blood. If there isn’t enough then the blood cells start to draw calcium from you bones leading to osteoporosis. (Woolston)



People who drink milk also tend to be on the skinner side and have an overall healthier diet than those who choose not to. Dr. Brazillian says “By some estimates, about 12 percent of adolescents' total calories come from sodas and sugar-sweetened beverages. Low-fat or fat-free milk can go a long way to change these numbers and add a nutritional, developmental advantage to growing bodies." With obesity on the rise, a glass of milk can contribute to weight loss, strong bones and overall health. (Woolston)





As you can see by not drinking milk you are more at risk for bone diseases and less healthy diet. There are many ways you can add milk to your diet by pouring in on your cereal in the morning or having a glass before you go to bed. There should be no reason that you aren’t getting the recommend daily amount of calcium if you have a couple of glasses of milk a day.

"Why You Should Drink Milk." Healthy Food Guide. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

Woolston, Chris. "Milk: How Much Should You Drink?" Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2010. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.