AE Project

Funny/Artistic

by

Hannah Van Arsdale


My theme is funny and artistic. To show this, I am using acrylic paints and a cat fixed on to my button. I want my box to be fun and interesting, also adding something quirky. I am going to paint my box so it will look like a starry nighttime landscape, and I’ll also add eleven lights in various places, in place of a painted star. All the lights are connected in a circuit, turned on with a switch. The button is connected with the lights on a different circuit. For example, the button is external, connected in a circuit to all eleven lights, which is connected to a battery. This battery then links back to the button, creating one full circuit. I love art, so I used acrylic paints to show that. I also like how you can control something so small as a light bulb, so I included eleven instead of the minimum of five. I also wanted to have my box look sleek and precise, so I painted most of it black. I chose a cat to put on my button because it comes from one of my favorite stores and I've had it for a long time. I used acryllic paints because that is the medium I usually use in art, and in my middle school we did many projects using these paints, so it has sentimental value. My box includes a few components that show how I am funny and artistic in a simple way.

Hero Project Reflection

http://hannahsamazingblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/true-role-model.html
1. How does a hero become a hero?
I believe a hero becomes a hero when they do something memorable. This can be good or bad. The hero is a role model to someone and usually stands up for them.

2. Project Description: In this project we worked with our personal hero, giving interviews with them, taking pictures of them, and really bonding with them to learn more about what makes them a hero, helping us answer the essential question: How does a hero become a hero? We revised our character sketches many times, and the peer reviews from the other class helped a lot.

3. Process: What steps did you take to get to the final product?
I met the deadlines, I think(haha), and keeping my drafts separate helped a lot. One date that I missed was actually finishing the template. I was sick most of that week, so I had an extension, but I still missed my extended deadline. I went to office hours and made it up, with the help of my friends.

4. Reflection: What did you learn? What challenges did you encounter? What would you do the same or different? How will this help you later?
From this I learned how much I love my sister. She really is amazing. And I couldn't have done this without her, so thanks Courtney. When publishing my template I had a lot of trouble, but during MAC News I managed to finish it, but only with the help of Jack Marschke. Diego and Mele helped me out in office hours, so I knew what I had to do. Next time I'll learn to ask for help sooner.

5. Habits of Mind: For this project, I used perspective. When doing one of the peer critiques, we hand over our paper to another student, and have them look at our paper, and vice versa. Well when I got my paper back, I was surprised to see that this student had read my paper and seen it in a different way. From then on I considered the reader's perspective a lot m,ore.

The Origin of Zero

The articles I read really sparked something inside me. I never even thought that zero hadn't existed before. I just thought that it made thought up when all the other numbers were. But really it was invented by people as a place holder. And the people who invented it didn't really know what it was either.

I'm really not sure who invented the number '0'. Though both of the articles say that different people made it up, I think that you can never be sure. I mean, how do we know what people were thinking? We don't know what they knew, and if another civilization came up with the idea first.

I'm not sure how the whole world got the memo to agree to use the number '0', but I guess they did. Also, they originally came up with the idea as just a placeholder. It wasn't meant to be a number, actually. Which seems crazy to me, because I've only thought of it as a number.

A True Role Model

"I fear failure and being less than I can be." We sat on the striped green couch as a movie played out on the screen. Her round face radiated happiness. "It's like if I don't finish or at least try I'm letting my whole life up to this point down." Her words sang in my head. We doused our toes in nail polish remover, watched a cheesy movie, ate popcorn, and tried to stop the next day from coming. Our dad had left and we were left alone to hang out before Courtney had to go back to North Carolina. This was the worst part; the bittersweet evening. It was like we knew what was coming but we couldn't stop it; tomorrow would come and she would catch a plane up to Kernersville.
I had so much fun, though my brother wasn't here to enjoy it. Courtney and Casey had always had a sibling rivalry. "We had a system worked out where he always messed up and I always did the right thing." It wasn't always easy having to take care of a little brother like a child, but Courtney seemed to get through it. She had perseverance. And she still looks out for me. Thinking back, I can't remember a time when she didn't love me. Ever.
"So when are you coming back?" I asked, already knowing the answer. I shifted on the couch uncomfortably in my pajamas. Her feet moved across the carpet, sore and calloused from dancing.
"Christmas time, every six months I come back to SD. I'm going to miss you so much Bean," she said as she slathered on another layer of orange nail polish like she was frosting a cake, not bothering to look up from her work. Her brown hair floated down, glowing from the dim lights inside our house. I sighed, then looked up to the T.V screen, seeing Zac Efron. Oh Zac, I said, why can't she stay longer? Please don't make it end. I mused, then looked over to see my sister's smiling face.
She was always so brave, being the first one in my immediate family to go to college, or becoming something other than a small town waitress, or even just being there for me when I needed it. Courtney truly has a good life; being smart, being loved for who you are, not relying on alcohol or drugs to have an awesome day, and most importantly, being herself. I looked up from my sister's loving gaze to the movie. The credits rolled like slow like a snail, prolonging the sadness, a cue for the night to end. My sister leaned down and hugged me, signaling bedtime. She stood about my height, 5’5 over me, her short brown hair falling past her eyes. They sparkled blue under her glasses, a telltale sign of a Van Arsdale. She hugged tighter, and I didn’t feel like letting go. I hugged back, feeling warm like the hot cocoa from our mugs. This is who I should be like, I thought. We finished our hug, then I dashed up the creaky stairs and into the dark.

Literary Devices

Catching the signal from one of her friends, Angela brushed her skirt, took a deep breath and walked towards where he was sitting. His hand stopped waving and moved over to his backpack. From there, he took out a strangely shaped object, and it looked like it might be dangerous. Little did she know that this would be the end of her. her hair bounced, as if in slow motion. Angela skipped over, plopping down on the shady, moss covered concrete. Her skirt danced, becoming a butterfly, fluttering about.
"Hey," he said, pulling the small thing away from Angela.
"Uh hi... What is that thing you're hiding from me?" she said with a smile. She reached around him, meeting his hand, then she pulled at the object.
"Why, you got me a puppy!" she exclaimed, pulling the boy towards her, hugging him firmly.
"That's not, uh-" he squeaked, his voice masked by her grip.
"It's okay, I know what you mean. You were planning on surprising me, but I am just too sneaky for you!" Angela yipped, releasing him from her grip, and taking the small animal into her arms.
"Now lets get a look at-" she stopped mid-sentence. A blood curdling cry seeped from her lips, moving out to the city streets, where it was unheard, aside from a flock of crows who fled from the terrible noise. She puppy, once seemingly innocent, had morphed into a huge dog, collossal in comparison to the large buildings in Down Town San Diego. The puppy had devoured Angela whole, tromping down the crowded highways to wreak havoc among the tireless city. The boy was left alone, for he was the one who had raised the strange pup, and now picked up his bag, and left the scene.