NHD Topic Discussion

I decided to tell my brother about my research topic, the rights and responsibilities of US citizens, especially immigrants. I started by asking my brother questions, like, "Can you tell me the rights that US citizens have and what responsibilities come with it?". He said that US citizens have the right to vote, be safe, and be elected and the only responsibility he could think of was jury duty. I then applauded my brother for his efforts and began to expand on his answer. I began to say that US citizens also have the right to petition for a spouse, parent, or sibling, purchase a firearm, to own property, to live permanently in the US, and to leave the US. He was astonished by some of the rights because he had never heard them before. Then I began to explain to him that rights are fraught with many responsibilities such as paying taxes, obey laws, volunteer, and join the US Armed Forces. Afterwards my brother got bored and decided to drink a glass of water and come back, so once he came back I started to tell him about how beneficial immigrants are to the United States. I told him that fuel the American economy, create new jobs, retain the best global talent, make America less globally isolated, enhance the multilingualism in America, opens up ideas from elsewhere, and shape how the world views America. After I explained to my brother, he asked me why I care about this topic. I told him that I was curious about my country and how it works and I also wanted to learn the role of immigrants. 

My thesis is that the many rights that the United States gives to its citizens drive immigrants to come in to this country, but they soon learn that rights are fraught with responsibilities, which can be beneficial to the United States of America. US citizens have the right to vote, get elected, petition for a family member, purchase a firearm, own property, and leave the USA. These rights come with many responsibilities such as paying taxes, jury duty, obey laws, volunteer in a local community, and join the US Armed Forces. These rights drive immigrants to come to the United States. As a result, they contribute by fueling the American economy, creating new jobs, retaining the best global talent, make America less globally isolated, enhance the multilingualism in America, opens up ideas from elsewhere, and shape how the world views America. I chose this topic because I was curious about how the United States operates in terms of citizenship. 

Reading and Work Times: 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

1/21-Tuesday- 10 minutes- pages 111-123

1/22-Wednesday- 15 minutes- pages 124-149

1/23-Thursday- 15 minutes- pages 150-181

1/24-Friday- 45 minutes- pages 182-230

Work on NHD

1/23-Thursday- 20 minutes- Work on Detailed Outline

1/25-Friday- 35 minutes- Work on Detailed Outline

Total Time=140 minutes 

 

 

Reading and Work Times for 1/21

The House of Hades by Rick Riodan

1/15-Wednesday- 30 minutes- pages 104-141

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

1/13-Monday-15 minutes- pages 35-54
1/14-Tuesday-10 minutes- pages 55-66
1/15-Wednesday-10 minutes- pages 67-79
1/16-Thursday-15 minutes- pages 80-97
1/17-Friday-15 minutes-pages 97-110

Work on Noodletools Notecards

1/19-Sunday- 45 minutes

Total Time=140 minutes

Research

My topic that I am researching is immigrants to the United States of America. Immigrants come to the United States from all over the world for many either push or pull reasons. For instance, an immigrant might come to the United States because there is a war in their home country or he/she is looking for a better life. My plan this week will include perfecting my annotated bibliography and starting my research paper. I will use the comments that Mrs. Harper has left for me on my annotated bibliography and try to finish it by Wednesday. I will do this by working at least 25 minutes a day on it. I will also start working on my research paper on Thursday and in order to try to finish it a day before it is due so i don't get a lot of stress.   

Immigrants are important because they have a role in building a strong American economy that can sustain our standing among nations. They do this by opening small businesses that creates new jobs and gives services at competitive prices. Also, immigrants boost demand for local consumer goods and contribute in helping their local communities improve economically. For instance, Chinatown in San Francisco, Little Italy in New York City, the large Arab community in Dearborn, Michigan, and Koreatown in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Also, Immigrants to the United States have always attracted and retained the best and brightest students from around the world. Many of those graduates with a doctorate degree help our higher education system to be innovative and productive especially in Mathematics, Science, and Engineering. This will help boost America’s status in production of cars, trucks, planes, and many other essential goods. Also, most immigrants come at a younger age to this country at the prime of their life production, which improves the percentage of ratio of workers to retirees. 

 
Reading + Work times: 

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan 

1/7-Tuesday- 45 minutes- pages 1-49
1/8-Wednesday- 45 minutes- pages 50-103

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Ellen Forney 

11/10-Friday- 25 minutes- pages 1-27
11/12-Sunday- 15 minutes- pages 18-34

Letter To Younger Me

Dear Younger Omar,

You have grown-up to be a good 14 year old. You have made some big accomplishments and lots of mistakes along the way. For instance, last week I decided to ride my bike in the middle of the street and almost got hit by a car. In order to escape the wrath of the car driver, I tried to land on the grass, but landed head first on the concrete side-walk. Also, you have gotten mostly As over the years. Also, you are the Penniman Scholar. Keep on doing what you are doing, but don't let anyone take advantage of you and be true to yourself.

Make good choices because they change the course of what you do and who you are. Sometimes I make good choices and sometimes I make bad choices. I want you to make more good and well thought out choices than the quick and not so good choices. I also want you to know that it is ok to make bad choices as long as you learn from them. The person that you will become will be shaped by yourself and from information from your parents and wonderful teachers.

Sincerely,

Omar

The Writing Center

I visited the writing center on Wednesday, November 19, 2013. I went because it was required and to improve my Literary Analysis. I had a very positive experience and found it more helpful than I thought it was going to be. My writing fellow gave me great advice and changed the way I look at English papers. I will be going to the writing center more often in the second semester.

Sara Alice did not destroy the paper, which is what I thought she was going to do. Instead she commented on the overall flow of the paragraphs. She also noted on my grammatical mistakes that I had not caught before. Throughout the appointment, Sara Alice was giving me compliments about my essay, which made me feel confident. Also, I liked the survey at the end of the appointment because it made me feel like I could help make the writing center experience even better.

Reading Times:

Lord of the Flies by William Golding 155-202

12/3-Tuesday- 35 minutes- pages 155-168

12/4-Wednesday- 45 minutes- pages 169-182

12/7-Saturday- 20 minutes- pages 183-192 

12/8-Sunday- 20 minutes- pages 193-202

Total Time= 120 minutes 

Reading + Work Times

Allegiant by Veronica Roth 295-391

11/21-Thursday- 40 minutes- pages 295-340
12/1-Sunday- 38 minutes- pages 341-390

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

11/19-Tuesday- 45 minutes- pages 58-94
11/20-Wednesday- 40 minutes- pages 95-123
11/25-Monday- 30 minutes- pages 124-144
11/27-Wednesday- 10 minutes- pages 145-154