Studio 1:

Creating this meme was easy because it was one of the first options available on the website. I
chose this one because I saw it a lot on Twitter a few months ago and thought it was funny. It
took me a while to think of what to write, but I chose to write about procrastination because I
always struggle to get my homework done before the night it is due.

Studio 2:
After reading the chapter on Mindsight Simple Seven by Dr. Dan Siegel, the research on brain
development that surprised me the most was that playtime was essential for a long, healthy
life. Usually, people are criticized for playing because that is something only children can do.
I did not know that laughter and being yourself were so important to brain development.
Something I hadn't considered before was that all seven aspects of the healthy mind platter are
important and there should be a balance between them. One thing I learned about my brain
that I can apply immediately is to have more time-in. I rarely set aside time in my day to
reflect about my thoughts and feelings. I will try to have more time-in at night before I go to
sleep to think about my day. Dr. Dan Seigels healthy mind platter suggestions and the
Dartmouth video on time management have multiple similarities. One similarity is that they
both suggest to focus on one thing at a time. Dr. Dan Seigel says focusing on one thing at a
time helps improve memory and test scores. Another similarity is that both Dr. Dan Seigel and
the Dartmouth video suggest to exercise. Exercise increases growth in the brain. Aerobic
exercise or lifting weights can help support brain function. Exercise causes neuroplasticity
enhancement. Aerobic movement is crucial not only for brain health, but for mental health as
well. I think both the Dartmouth video and Dr. Dan Seigel have similarities because there was
research shown to prove these things help with time management and with brain growth.
Some of the things in Dr. Dan Seigels article are just common sense, like how having enough
sleep is important for brain function. I was surprised on my survey results. I was an above
average planner, but I dont consider myself to be a great planner. I rarely plan out anything
and I only use a planner to write my homework assignments in. The hardest part about
creating my schedule was fitting all of the healthy mind platter suggestions in it. I tried to
model my schedule around a typical week that I have, but I noticed I didnt have any play time
or time-in in my normal schedule. I had to think of a way to fit in a bit of both into my already
full schedule. I didnt want to add time-in because I never reflect on my day and I dont really
see the need for it.

Studio 3:
Alice Walkers When the Other Dancer is the Self.
The personal presence of the author:
Whirling happily in my starchy frock, showing off my biscuit polished patent-leather shoes
and lavender socks, tossing my head in a way that makes my ribbons bounce, I stand, hands
on hips, before my father.
This is an example of the personal presence of the author because it is easy to hear her voice
as she explains her outfit. I can imagine her outfit and her hair easily.
The need to both show and tell:
It is Easter Sunday, 1950. I am dressed in a green, flocked, scalloped-hem dress (handmade
by my adoring sister, Ruth) that has its own smooth satin petticoat and tiny hot-pink roses
tucked into each scallop.
This is an example of the need to both show and tell because the author starts out by saying it
is Easter Sunday, but then sets the scene by going into detail about her dress. This is the
storytelling element that is needed for the story to progress.
Veracity/authenticity:
It is the last thing my right eye sees. I watch as its trunk, its branches, and then its leaves are
blotted out by the rising blood. I am in shock.... But it is really how I look that bothers me the
most. Where the BB pellet struck there is a glob of whitish scar tissue, a hideous cataract, on
my eye.
This is an example of veracity/authenticity because the author is honestly describing her
feelings about being hit with the BB gun. She talks about how she hates the appearance of her
eye which is an important component to continue the story.

Studio 4:
1.Generally the feedback I get from teachers is not helpful. One teacher in particular I can think
of is my AP English Language teacher. The entire class was about writing essays, so you would
think that she would be good at providing feedback on our writing. Unfortunately that was not
the case. She scored our essays based on the AP test, so it was out of 9. Every essay I wrote she
gave me a 7, except for one essay I got an 8. She would never write any feedback on our essays,
she would have conferences with us to talk about things we needed to improve. Every time I
would meet with her, she would tell me to increase my vocabulary and use more diverse words. I
never understood why I got 7s on my essays when all she told me was to use better vocabulary. I
think it hindered my writing because I didnt get the genuine feedback I needed to improve.

2. One thing I can apply from Donald Murray about peer feedback is listen to what the writer
says about the draft and answer any questions they have about it. I think its important to be
critical of a draft, but not so critical that the writer will feel discouraged. Having the writer ask
questions will help the reader focus on exactly what the writer wants to fix and will make the
feedback process go smoothly. Something I can apply from Peter Elbow is criterion-based
feedback. Using this type of feedback helps the reader see small details they might miss while
reading. It can be effective in creating a better essay because the reader can provide helpful
feedback without being too harsh.

Studio 5:
3a. One thing that went well for me while revising my essay was having all of the peer feedback.
It was really helpful having multiple peoples comments to look at and see how other people
interpreted my writing. I think that made the revising process much easier and it took a lot less
time then I thought it would.
3b. It was difficult to decide which parts of the feedback I would actually put into my paper.
Although all of the feedback was helpful, I didnt need to change every part that people
commented on. In some cases, I felt that the sentence that a person commented on didnt need to
be changed or removed because I liked how it fit into the essay.
3c. I can say that I now know how to properly provide feedback on someones essay. In high
school if someone asked me to read their paper, I would only give feedback on spelling or
grammar issues. Occasionally I would say certain sentences should be changed or removed, but
thats it. I was never really taught how to properly give feedback on someones paper.
3e. Using peer feedback definitely helped the revision process because I knew where I needed to
make changes based on what other people said. In high school, I rarely revised my papers
because I wanted to get them over with as soon as possible. The only changes I would make were
spelling and grammar issues. Also, I didnt get anyone to read over my papers, which was
probably a bad idea because having a different set of eyes on a paper is always beneficial.

Studio 6:
3a. Strength #1: Honesty, authenticity, and genuineness
Strength #2: Creativity, ingenuity, and originality
Strength #3: Humor and playfulness
3b. One time I used my top strength, honesty, was when I went shopping with my friends to get
our prom dresses. My one friend found a dress that looked pretty on the hanger, but not so pretty
on her. She was trying to decide between that dress and a different dress. She was really
struggling on which dress she liked more, so she asked for all of our opinions. I said that the
other dress would compliment her better. I was honest, but not in a mean way. My friends know
that I am a honest person and that I will always tell them if something looks good on them or not.
I always try to be honest without being rude because then they could get offended or upset.

Studio 6 Extra Credit:

3. Im going to be honest and say that its not easy to always see the other side of politics,
especially in this past election. Both of the candidates were so controversial and I realized
right away that people from both sides hated the opposing sides candidate. There was a clear
divide between liberals and conservatives that if you agreed with someone from the other
party you were immediately criticized. This was the first time I was able to vote and I was
extremely disappointed with my options. I really didnt want either of the candidates to
become the next president. I guess a specific example would be with my dad. He and I have
opposing views on most things involving politics. Whenever politics would be brought up at
the dinner table an argument would break out. When this happened, I would sit back, be silent,
and listen to both sides of the argument. Then I would formulate my opinion based on the
information I had heard. Also, my best friend has different views than me regarding politics. A
controversial example would be abortion. She is pro-life while I am pro-choice. I listened to
what she had to say about abortion and while I did not agree with her views, I could
understand why she thought the way she did.

Studio 7:
1. I think the story that resonated the most with me was Robyn OBriens because like her child,
I also had a food allergy that went undiagnosed. When I was young, I was allergic to milk and
my parents didnt know. It wasnt until I had a bad reaction to drinking milk that my parents
knew about it. They had me tested for other food allergies and found I was also allergic to
peanuts and corn. I overcame my milk and corn allergies pretty quickly, but I didnt overcome
my peanut allergy until middle school. I had to sit in my doctors office for hours while eating
increasing amounts of peanut butter before they determined I was no longer allergic. I thought it
was interesting that food allergies are more common because of the genetically engineered food
that we eat. I always wondered how I could be born with food allergies and Im glad I finally
learned how it can happen.
2. It was easy to connect my inquiry project to my life because it affects me fairly often. I
decided to research how to become a better test taker. Ive always had a problem doing well on
tests, but I noticed it even more in college. In high school, I could get As in my classes because
of homework and participation grades while still not doing well on tests, but this isnt the case in
college. Some professors only have test grades for the entire class, so if I want to succeed in class
I cant get bad grades on tests. One class that has been hard for me is chemistry. Ive had bad
professors and essentially have to teach myself. I studied over a week for my past test and had
tutoring appointments, but still didnt get the grade I wouldve liked. I want to be able to find and
use test taking strategies to improve my test scores.

Studio 8:
a. I definitely agree with what Ellen Langer is saying here. She says that we mindlessly accept
information from any context because we believe it is true. A lot of the information comes from
sources we would expect to be credible, like news channels or from a teacher or professor. These
are things we wouldnt expect to be false, so we believe what they are saying. Ellen Langer is
also saying that we perceive all information that we learn about ourselves or others in the same
way, without question. Why would someone question information that they believe comes from a
credible source? Usually people believe news channels are truthful because they are just
reporting things that happened around the world.
b. For me, I decide that something is truthful if there are other authors or organizations credited
in the article. When there are multiple sources used for an article or research paper, I consider it
to be more credible. Also, I look to see who the author is. If they are a professor or researcher at
a university they would be more credible to me than an average person writing an article. If the
article is written by a credible organization like the Mayo Clinic I trust that it is correct. As for
news channels, I look to see if there is a lot of bias contained in their stories and if there is I dont
read it. Unfortunately there is usually bias hidden in these channels. Bias is found everywhere
and is usually unintentional. If someone is discussing an issue that they have a previous belief
on, they are more likely to say things that agree with their side of the issue. If I believe
something to be true I definitely find it harder to accept the opposing view as the truth. If I am
talking about an issue with someone, I generally hear what they have to say before I make up my
mind. I think it is important to try and be more open minded about all aspects in life because you
could find that something you believed in turns out to be false.

Studio 9:
1. Advertisement 1 focuses on teenagers of both genders and is about online bullying. It
focuses on people who have good morals that involve combating online bullying. The message is
that instead of bringing people down, we should lift each other up. They are targeting an
audience that wants to end online bullying. Advertisement 2 focuses on people of all ages who
are looking to get away and have fun. The commercial also focuses on people who like to spend
time by the water or doing outdoor activities. They are targeting an audience that wants a break
from their usual routine and have a good time. Advertisement 3 focuses on people of all ages and
specifically people who own or love pets. These people most likely spend time with their pets as
a leisure activity. They are targeting an audience that gets happy when they see cute animals.
2. For the first advertisement, the rhetorical situation is one that is a serious issue in todays
society and is important to me. Although I was never bullied, I know it was a problem in my
school. Most of the bullying in my school was made through snide remarks between friends.
People would comment on someones appearance or on something they liked to do. I never
understood why others felt the need to tear someone down to make themselves feel better. As a
student, it is my responsibility to report bullying if I see it because its the right thing to do. For
the second advertisement, I can relate to the rhetorical situation of wanting to get away. As a
student, it is stressful to have so much work to do and sometimes it feels like it will never end. I
would love to be able to take a break and go on a vacation somewhere fun. For the third
advertisement, I dont really relate to the rhetorical situation. I dont own a pet and I never have.
I do love animals though and I think the message of the advertisement was that everyone could
use cheering up sometimes. I think using pets was a great idea because most people love animals.
As a student, sometimes I find it hard to be happy all the time due to all of the stress I deal with.
Ive realized that happiness can come from even the smallest things and I think thats what this
commercial is about.