Extra Credit

Extra Credit

Look over the extra credit opportunities that you have completed during the semester. Select the seven that you feel represent you best. Complete the following handout to receive the plus/minus bump.

1. Extra credit opportunity: Locate a memoir and read it.

Why did you complete this opportunity?

I thought it was interesting that people posted ALL sorts of different storys, and there were no specifications they had to follow.

What did you learn from this opportunity?

I read an article on a man who met JD Salinger. It was a really fun story, and it was a cool adventure since Salinger is such a recluse.

2. Extra credit opportunity: Watch three news broadcasts. As you watch, reflect on who the attended audience is. Reflect on how this affects the audience.

Why did you complete this opportunity?

I chose this extra credit, because I don’t watch the news nearly enough.

What did you learn from this opportunity?

I learned that different stations put dissimilar nuances on stories. It was funny to see how one story could be retold three separate ways, still explaining the actual detail, but putting a totally different spin on it.

3. Extra credit opportunity: Submit your poem or memoir to the Eckerd review.

Why did you complete this opportunity?

No real reason, except for extra credit. I submitted my memoir.

What did you learn from this opportunity?

The only reason I felt comfortable giving them such a personal piece of writing was because if it was chosen I wouldn’t be here to feel embarrassed or uneasy.

4. Extra credit opportunity: Dress up for Halloween in a fashion we have discussed in class.

Why did you complete this opportunity?

I chose this extra credit because it was bound to happen, and it was silly to say the least.

What did you learn from this opportunity?

Many naive girls choose to dress extremely revealing for this holiday… I didn’t have a costume when I went home so my friend loaned me hers from last year. Let us just say it was somewhat trashy.

5. Extra credit opportunity: Use recycled paper for a class assignment.

Why did you complete this opportunity?

I chose this one because I felt it was a good source of conservation. I didn’t do it for our class but I did it for a term paper in another (15-20 pages).

What did you learn from this opportunity?

I realized that even baby steps are good steps when it comes to leading a less wasteful life.

6. Extra credit opportunity: Send your blog to five of your friends.

Why did you complete this opportunity?

I chose this because I thought it would be cool to show my family and friends what I had been working on so hard this semester.

What did you learn from this opportunity?

My family, more so than my friends, were very excited that I shared my blog with them. I believe it made them feel more connected to me and involved in my life away from home.

7. Extra credit opportunity: Commit a random act of kindness.

Why did you complete this opportunity?

I did this because it was easy; I try to do nice things for others as often as I can.

What did you learn from this opportunity?

I learned that even the littlest amount of recognition can help. One of the ones that I did was give this interesting homeless man a few dollar (who knows what he’ll truly spend it on) and he was so grateful he nearly started crying… it was very rewarding.

Timed Writing

For project three in Persuasive and Analytical Writing, I examined the negative impact Americans had on the environment. For the final assignment our class was informed that we were to make a blog, three letters, and a children’s fable on whatever topic we had chosen. I immediately cringed, how was I supposed to make American’s ignorance towards the environment into all these different things... especially a children’s tale?! It wasn’t until the professor further explained to us why we were doing all this, that I achieved the ultimate boon. We were using these three types of mediums to reach out to all ages and audiences, and make our insights available to an extremely large scale of individuals.

To express my views of the topic to a larger audience I created a blog, in doing so I was able to really get my message out there. After a bit more research on Americans and the environment, I found three organizations that actively worked with the issue (Green Peace, Friends of the Earth, & Green Action). I then proceeded to write letters to these associations after fully inspecting their websites. In this correspondence I commented on my appreciation for what they did, instead of simply informing the public of horrors we inflict upon the environment, these institutes also go out and take action! Ultimately for project three, I created a children’s story to relay my subject to a younger crowd. I constructed a fable titled, “Jean the Silly Human Being,” which was about a day in the life of a young wasteful girl named Jean. On every page the reader is told to identify what Jean is doing that wouldn’t be classified as a conservation lifestyle.

Overall, project three was a very interesting and rewarding assignment. I was able to see how broadly spread a topic could go. A complex issue like conservation could be expressed to Internet users on a blog, to organizations through a letter, or (even more absurdly) to a child through a silly little story. This task was a great way to experience all different styles and formalities; it taught an immense amount about my versatility as a writer.

Fable Rough Draft

***Before the child would read this short story, the teacher would explain that they must identify (on EACH page) what “Jean” was doing wrong. On every page there is an example of wrongdoing to the environment. In this story the following issues can be observed: water conservation, air pollution, paper waste, recycling, and energy conservation. The students would then be asked what “Jean” could do differently to conserve and be more environmentally conscious.***

Jean the Silly Human Being

Everyday Jean would wake up and brush her teeth 374 strokes. While she left her sink running she would carefully scrub187 times on her top teeth and 187 brushes for her bottom teeth. She did this because she wanted her teeth to sparkle.

After breakfast Jean would have her mom drive her to school, she NEVER took that awful bus! She hated the smell of the stinky fat bus driver, and she hated sitting in the back of the bus. Plus, Jean thought she looked pretty cool when she arrived to school in her mom’s sporty red car.

In class Jean would use her new blue pen to doodle on page after page of her notebook. When class was over she’d secretly crumple up her 14 pages of pictures, and throw them away so no one would ever see her amazing artistic ability.

At lunch Jean would rip open her brown paper bagged lunch to see what her mom had packed her. Today she had a sandwich (with no crusts) neatly placed in a zip lock baggy, a bag of potato chips, an apple, and last but not least a can of soda to wash it all down. After eating her entire lunch (except for the apple, who likes apples?!) Jean threw away the trash, including the soda can and crumpled up plastic bag, into the big trash bin that stood right next to a small blue one. Jean never really understood why that little blue one was there, no one ever used it, and there were silly white arrows on it.

After recess and a little more school, it was time for Jean to go home… but of course NOT on that stinky bus!

The dinner rule in Jean’s house was: I cook, YOU clean! Since tonight Jean’s mom and brother were making dinner, it was her turn to do the dishes. Jean HATED washing the dishes, so she set the table with plastic plates; now all she’d have to do is throw the plates away!

Following dinner, Jean would again brush her teeth 374 times, put on her pajamas, and get into bed. Before she’d fall asleep Jean would read a chapter in her book, “100 Ways I can help Save the Environment.” Once her eyes became tired, Jean would go to sleep… but she didn’t like to sleep in the pitch black so Jean left her light on ALL night.