ENG 9 QuickWrites Notebook

Starlette Zaw
Term 1
August 26, 2022

Prompt #1 Back to School Aug 26, 2022

You have now been here on campus near one full week. List five (5) (or more) observations you've made that are
new, interesting, troublesome, inviting, intriguing, challenging, or just confusing. Choose one or two to develop
more in writing and thinking: how might this observation impact you this year?
● Different table setups
● Fresh air & open spaces
● Padlocks on lockers
● Structure of school
● Location of eating lunch
I like that there we have different table setups for each room, it creates a new feeling for each class and makes it feel more
personalized and unique. I really enjoy that there are a lot of open spaces and windows because it makes the class feel
more natural. It feels less like being stuck inside a room all day, and whenever we need fresh air, it’s really easy to get it. I
think the padlocks on the lockers are really challenging and it’s a hassle to open them every single time, but it’s helped me
make some new friends because I seriously need some help opening the padlocks. The open spaces and fresh air helps
with ventilation, so honestly, I think it will help spread COVID a lot less and help reduce infections. The padlocks are
good security I guess because it’s really hard to break into because the metal is really thick. At least it looks thick. This
year, because of those padlocks alone, I will make a ton of new friends. Trust me.

Prompt #2 Literacy Goals Aug 30, 2022

Return to your own literacy goals for this academic school year. What were your top two goals for language class?
How are you going to accomplish those two goals? What strategies and weekly (daily?) practices are you going to
put into place to assure success? How will you determine success or goal accomplishment? You should use the
attached SWOT and/or SMART analysis to help you in your endeavors.
My top two literacy goals for this class were to develop an understanding of the Shakespearan language without by
learning the translations and to read at least one classic book, hopefully, The Great Gatsby because I’ve been wanting to
read that for a while. I will accomplish those goals by reading Shakespeare plays and reading the translations and with
practice, I am hoping that the words and what they mean will stick to my brain. For the classic novel, there’s only one
way to accomplish it so I don’t think I have to come up with a plan for that. I will know that I have accomplished my
goals when I can read Shakespeare and understand the majority of the foreign words without being confused. I will try to
read it every time I feel like learning something new, which is actually quite often so I think I will be able to do this for
around 2 hours a week. I will feel like I’ve accomplished my goal of reading a classic when I have read one book and
understood every aspect of it.

Prompt #3 Poems Aug 31, 2022

What do you know about poems? Where do they come from, or, how long have they been around? What was the
first poem you ever read or heard? What was it about? What is your favorite poem? What is it about? Where did
you come across this poem? Why is it your favorite? What is a poem that you have been taught? Why was this
poem taught to you? Is there a poem from your culture that everyone from that place, that everybody, knows by
heart?
Poems are pieces of writing that tell a story, it’s hard to find the right words to define poems as it is a very unrestrained
topic. There are certain types of poems like sonnets, haikus, etc. where there are rules you have to follow but there’s also
blank/free verse where you can write anything you want and there are no rules you have to follow. There are exceptions,
but generally, poetry has a lot more poetic devices and literary techniques than prose, mostly because not a lot of people
actually use poetic devices in real life. The first poem I’ve probably ever heard is like a Burmese poem in a
pre-kindergarten Burmese textbook that mainly talks about vowels and stuff. I think it was about like a dance, but I can’t
really remember because it was years ago. My favorite poem is Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen because it is rich
in imagery, and similes and there’s an interesting backstory to it. It’s about how the general public and propaganda
brainwash young men into thinking that war shows courage and is fun when really it’s not. It emphasizes the trauma and
pain you get when you go to war and how the old Latin saying “Dulce et Decorum est pro-Patria Mori,” meaning “Sweet
and proper it is to die for your country” was not true at all. I came across this poem when I was studying war poetry in
my English class. A poem I have been taught is “Who’s for the Game” by Jessie Pope. This poem was taught to me
because the teacher thought it was essential for us to understand the type of propaganda the young men saw at the time of
war. I’m not sure if I know a poem from my culture that everyone knows by heart because the Burmese poems in my
head are very close to zero but if the national anthem counts, I’d say that.

Prompt #4 Newsfeed Sep 2, 2022

What are your sources for news and current events? Rank them in importance. Why do you prefer your sources
over other available newsfeeds? What section(s) of news do you go to first? How do you get news about your
hometown and/or country? What are the reliable sources where you come from? How do you differentiate credible
sources from not credible or biased news sources?
I usually use The Guardian or the daily newspaper for news and current events. Sometimes I watch the news on television
(usually BBC) if I’m bored to actually watch a movie or show. 1st- The Guardian 2nd- The daily newspaper 3rd- TV.
I prefer these sources of other available newsfeeds because they’re reliable and not completely boring. If it’s on
television, I can’t really choose what section to go to but if it’s the newspaper or online articles I read the sections on pop
culture and international news first. I get my daily dose of information about my hometown either from the Burmese
newspapers or from my dad. The reliable sources are probably the newspapers because sometimes TV news is filtered in
this country. I differentiate credible sources from not credible/bias sources by observing the type of news they tend to talk
about and seeing if the majority of people trust this source. I also look at who wrote it to see if they are educated and etc.

Prompt #5 A Painting Sep 6, 2022

The painting depicts a picture of a room with a large, round, portal-like circle in the middle. There is a flood of light
coming in from the portal which is a different location than the one they are currently in. There are 3 women in the
foreground, one on the left, one on the right, and one in the middle. The one in the middle looks like she is controlling the
portal, judging by the hand gestures directed towards the portal. The painting has mostly warm colors, such as red,
orange, and yellow giving it a calm, cozy atmosphere. The room is dimly lit, with a few lamps and no natural lighting,
than the light coming from the portal. The wallpaper of the room has a rich flowered wallpaper, colored in blue and gold.
This makes the room looks royal and classy. The apparel of the women is not modern, they look old-fashioned. The
interior decoration can be seen when you look carefully at the painting, as it is dimly lit by the lamps. However, the portal
seems captivating and it looks like a dream. It reminds me of the movie Dr. Strange: The Multiverse of Madness because
the shape and the illustration of the portal are extremely similar. The woman in the middle seems mesmerized by it and
can’t peel her eyes away from it. It makes me wonder, “Why did she open the portal?” She seems hesitant to go through
but maybe it’s because it was never her intention to go through the portal.

Prompt #6 Self-Evaluation & Grading w/Examples Sep 9, 2022

Please make a copy of the Habits & Attitudes Checklist. Use Kami (or other software) to fill this out.
You should be making this sheet thinking about 2022 and you as a student. That is focus only on the last 9 months
when marking yourself in the different categories. Only some of those categories will apply to the last four (4)
weeks.Next, go to the ISY Grade Scale document in your Reusable Doc and mark yourself as a student according
to the definitions given. Describe what work and habits you have and completed at the proficiency level you have
described yourself. Place a live link to your completed Habits & Attitudes within your writing on this QuikWrite
prompt page.
Live Link
Overall, in my English classes, I think I am a hardworking student. I gave myself a C for all the categories in organization
as I’m always prepared to learn, on time for class, and prepared with all my materials. I always submit assignments and
homework on time and if I can’t I make sure to communicate effectively with my teachers. For the organization category,
I think I am a 7 student. The Engagement categories, it’s split into 4 parts and I believe I’m consistent in 3 of those. For
the first one(Stay focused on learning and instruction during class), I gave myself a C because I am always focused I am
also actively engaged in class discussions and learning and I place effort into work. I am respectful to individuals, the
class and guidelines so I gave that a C too. However, I gave myself a U in collaborating effectively as sometimes I
struggle to work with other people, but most of the time I manage. It’s not that I can’t, I can collaborate with people, I just
don’t know if I can collaborate effectively. Reflect on learning and take appropriate steps to improve