OK, I have to admit, sometimes Miss Sweeny isn’t the best teacher in the world, but she can always make me laugh! By using funny examples that we can all relate to, learning science, can well actually be fun! Who would have through? We have learned a lot so far and I can’t wait to get started on our new project with ecosystems! Some of my friends who have had Miss Sweeny said this was the best project, so I can’t wait to get started!
~CourtneY~
Here are my goals I want to complete!
That’s all right now!
Here are some goals that I have accomplished in the past quarters.
~CourtneY
Biography- Eli Whitney- Social Studies
The cotton gin- most teenagers don’t have a clue on what it is. But, this cotton gin revolutionized the cotton industry during the 1700s. It also helped make the Southern farmers prosper with the quick cotton gin. However, this innovative invention did not strike gold for it’s inventor, Eli Whitney. Instead, people rebelled against it and refused to pay for the usage of the cotton gin. Because of this, other farmers, not quite inventors, made their own cotton gins and sold them for less than Whitney was aiming for. His invention was failing, yet Whitney made a phenomenal comeback.
Eli Whitney was born in the modest town of Westborough –also spelled Westboro– Massachusetts on December 8, 1765. His father, Eli Whitney Sr., was prosperous farmer and his mother, Elizabeth Fay, died when Whitney was only eleven years old. Whitney began working after he opened a nail manufacturing operation in his father’s workshop. However, his stepmother disproved of his operation, as she wanted Whitney to attend collage. Later, Whitney began to work as a farm laborer and schoolteacher to raise money for collage. Whitney expected to study law, but he hadn’t raised enough money; so Whitney headed for South Carolina and graduated from Yale University in 1792. After graduation, Whitney left for Georgia and met Mulberry Grove, and visited her plantation. He then became business parters with Grove’s husband to be, Phineas Miller.
In 1793, Whitney became much more well known after inventing the revolutionary cotton gin. This machine stripped the cotton seed from the actual cotton. Usually, this task is done by hand and takes many hours to complete. The cotton gin could generate up to fifty pounds of clean cotton daily! However, many Southern farms who would prosper form this new invention refused to pay for its use. Whitney also couldn’t stop people from copying and selling his ideas. This put Whitney out of business by 1797, only four years after the cotton gin was first made. In 1802, South Carolina agreed to purchase Eli’s patent right of the cotton gin for $50,000, but they delayed in paying it.
Even after all these setbacks with the cotton gin, Whitney continued to put his skills to the test. In 1789, Whitney engineered the concept of interchangeable parts in a manufacturing system, creating the American mass-production concept and the opportunity for replacement parts. The interchangeable parts ensured that any parts will fit in any gun of the same type; all pieces are guaranteed to fit with others. Whitney, also in 1798, brought ten guns with all the same parts in front of Congress, dis-assembled them, placed the parts in a large pile and reassembled all of the guns. The interchangeable parts system replaced the need for replacing an entire gun of one part malfunctioned. This saved money for the U.S. Military and, finally, struck rich for Whitney, thirty-six years before his death.
January 8, 1825. The headlines shout out, “Great Inventor, Eli Whitney, Dies of Prostrate Cancer.” Whitney died in New Haven, Connecticut at age fifty-nine, and a memorial stands at Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut to this day to honor Whitney’s contribution to the United States at this time. He helped the Southern farmers prosper and strengthened the economic foundation of slavery with the cotton gin. The interchangeable parts helped the U.S. Military while on the battlefield and back at home by making easily fix gun for them to use. Whitney once said of begin his journey as of inventor, “I have now taken a serious task upon myself and I fear a greater one that is in the power of any man to perform in the given time-but it is too late to go back.”
Math! I love math this year, Mrs. Plantan has really helped us understand everything. Before we were working on Geometry, such as area, perimeter, surface area, and volume. I used to think surface area was evil because a teacher in 5th grade taught it not very well. But Mrs. Plantan explained it so much better and now I understand it a whole lot better! Now we are starting a new chapter in math and I can’t wait to get started!
~CourtneY~
When Life Hands You Lemons…
You’ve probably all heard of the famous expression “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” But sometimes making lemonade isn’t the best solution. At those times, that’s when I make grape juice out of my lemons. Well, how does a person make grape juice from lemons? When you run into a problem in life, turn it around and look at it in a completely new way. Never give up and squeeze hard; all “lemons” can be made into “grape juice” with some elbow grease and a small pinch of sugar.
Dare to be different! Instead of looking at your problem straight ahead, look all around, up and down. Most people try and solve their problems with the first thing they think of, the lemonade. You must be ready to think about your “lemons” differently because tough problems require creative solutions. The same applies to ANGEL when it doesn’t upload or save your essay correctly. To make ANGEL and other types of grape juice you need to think of all your options, not just one. Music, art, school lessons- what a pain! They seem to always be on a wrong day at the wrong time. The same happened with my harp lesson on Thursday. My mom and I sat down to think on how to solve this dilemma. We came to the conclusion that the reason I was missing so many harp lessons was scheduling issues on Monday. So, we changed the date to a Monday and I haven’t missed a lesson yet!
Squeeze hard; all “lemons” can be made into “grape juice” with some elbow grease and a pinch of sugar. Think about your problems and what you are going to do to solve it. Then work vigorously and efficiently until you “make your grape juice.” Don’t think everything will fall into order when you first start. Hard work must go into your “grape juice” if you want it to be nice and sweet. While it may seem impossible, there is ALWAYS a way. Never give up! When I was training our dog, Kyle, in Agility, she refused to jump the hurdles. It began to seem impossible, but I wanted to make grape juice, so I worked hard and never gave up. And finally, all our vigorous work paid off by achieving a champion ribbon in our Agility class.
When making “grape juice,” it’s important to put in a little sugar, to lighten up! Face your problems light-hearted; a more serious approach often gets people frustrated. Take a deep breath and have more fun! Problems don’t always need to be super serious! If you do get frustrated, take a break and come back when you can face your problem light-hearted. It’s happened to me before! My mom and I were driving down the road, trying to find the show grounds for a horse show. Being my mom, she got us lost. Instead of getting mad or too serious we took a more relaxed, light-hearted approach. We added some sugar to our problem. My mom and I went down random roads and told each other, “Nope, no horse show down here!” We ended up being late, but my mom and I kept trying and sure added lots of sugar!
So, when life hands you lemons, spin it around. When life hands you lemons, look at them in a whole new way. When life hands you lemons, dare to be different. When life hands you lemons, put in a pinch of sugar. In a word, when life hands you lemons, make grape juice! Making “grape juice” sometimes takes a little longer then your good ‘ole “lemonade.” But be patient, great things take time to develop. Don’t give up even when all ends fall apart. Dust off your “lemons” and continue moving forward. Keep working towards your solution you decided upon. Even if it’s hard, even if it’s different, stick with your choice of solution and make the best grape juice the world has ever tasted!
~CourtneY~
Nerdy Wordy Story Related to Robinson Crusoe
“What a serene day!” Robinson “Robin” Curoe called out to the exquisite sea. The abyss of water stretched out for miles. The prodigious cruise ship that Robin and his friend, Polly, went on every year was heading towards the placid South American islands this year, as it switched destinations every year.
“Robin!” Polly called over the hustle of the cruise ship. “I made a new pot, want to take a look?” Robin and Polly’s favorite activities included pottery as well as woodworking. Robin nodded and his elated countenance was manifest upon his visage. The two walked swiftly down to the homey cabin. Polly opened the door and showed Robin the pot.
“It is very… singular…” Robin’s voice alluded to how he thought the pot was quite ugly, and how he was disappointed on how the pot looked. Polly rolled her eyes, but her countenance displayed profound melancholy. “Sorry,” Robin apologized with only the deepest sincerity. “You have really improved.”
“Will you articulate better?” Polly yelled vexedly at Robin. The crashing of the thunder was only superfluous to the screaming and crying of others aboard the cruise ship.
Robin, not hearing Polly, grabbed his hatchet and a life jacket as the captain’s voice boomed over the intercom. “Stay calm, everyone. Get a life jacket and walk as placidly as possible to the nearest lifeboat. Thank you.” Although his voice was genial, it alluded to how he was full of apprehension. In fact, the apprehension was almost tangible. Polly grabbed a life jacket as well and followed closely behind Robin. The ship shrieked and moaned with melancholy and people answered it with clamors. The undulating sea’s power increased as the last passengers climbed into the life boats. Polly continued to stay close to Robin as a vivid streak of lightning shot through the sky. Looking back, the cruise ship was slowly sinking into the abyss of sea.
It had been hours on the life boats, trying to find another sea-faring ship or land. The languor of the people on Robin and Polly’s life boat was manifest, as many had lain prostrate to try and repose while some asked the austere sky how they had become such martyrs. The captain tried to guide the life boat over the undulating sea and stay strong, but you could see a subtle languor in faith that the life boats could make it to an island or another ship.
“Stay calm, stay calm!” The captain’s voice rose in an apprehension-filled tone as the life boat swayed harshly around another collection of prodigious rocks. But, the next sway wasn’t too lucky. The life boat crashed into a grotesque mess of planks of wood. Clamor filled the air as Polly grabbed Robin and they went under the fierce waves.
Robin was the first to awaken and sit up from his prostrate position on a sandy beach, and Polly rolled over to her side soon after. The sea was once again placid and the sky was a vivid blue. “Where are we?” Polly wondered aloud as she too sat up. Robin just shook his head with his visage having a perplexing countenance.
It had been three months, as Robin observed, since they had landed. Polly suggested that they should give this austere island a name, as calling it “the island” was so yesterday. They marched back to their little hut, which wasn’t very exquisite. Robin had made it with his hatchet during the first couple of days on the island. It was nestled into small grove of trees, grapes, and all types of vulgar -and rare- fruits. The fresh smell of forests and fruits always pervaded throughout the cabin. As they sat underneath the vivid sky, Polly was the first to think up a name. “How about Sun Day for the name of the island?” Polly said stolidly, thinking her idea would go nowhere, yet she continued. “Because we arrived on a Sunday and it always sunny here, ya know?”
“I like it!” Robin jumped up, his countenance articulating that he loved the name.
Polly was wide-eyed as she responded, not half as stolidly as before. “Really? We should carve it into our cabin or a tree!” Polly was now wistful to be taking part in making this island, Sun Day, their new home.
Robin has successfully been keeping track of the days using a pole with notches; and according to it, the pair had been on Sun Day for two years. Not yet had the stumbled across another human being. However, there was a singular part of Sun Day that stuck far into the ocean. Robin, one day, suggested that they traverse across the austere land to see what lay upon this awkward piece of land. Polly accepted genially, and they soon set off with a large amount of provisions of fruits and grapes. After traveling for a few hours, they stopped to repose themselves under the shade of a melancholy willow. Robin and Polly soon set off again, and reach the odd section of Sun Day by late afternoon the next day. However the sun was a vivid as ever, so it encouraged Robin to continue with Polly following vexed behind. “Can’t we take another break?” She wined. “This is so tedious and my feet hurt!”
“Only a little longer Polly,” Robin said amiably. “We’ll be there soon!”
“We better…” Polly moaned under her breath as she trudged along after Robin to the slowly setting sun.
As the sun was setting, Robin almost collided into a sublimely dressed man, with a cap made form goat’s skin. He was tall with long hair and was fitted with a long coat also made from dried goat’s skin. The seemingly old man turned on his heels to face Robin with an unnamable glare in his eyes. “Who in the great Lord’s name are you?” Robin didn’t answer right away; in fact he was looking into the aged man’s face. There was a trace of apprehension and melancholy etched into the old man’s winkles. His eyes were profound; they were telling the story of this man’s life. How he was abandoned, how he was lost, tremulous inside because fear. His wistful desire for love and genial words were displayed in the swirling colors of his eyes.
Robin looked up again, to the man’s face. “What is your name, sir?”
“Robinson Crusoe.”
~CourtneY~
Welcome to iWrite, a blog that is filled with all my reports, witings, and stuff like that! Take a look around, even if there isn’t that much stuff, and enjoy yourself.
Please enjoy, rate, and comment on all of my writings!
Also check out my two other blogs, www.allabouthorses.edublogs.org, www.courtneyh604.edublogs.org!
~CourtneY~
