Week 15: Writing Post

What did you like best about the writing for this class? What would you like to see more of?

I liked the storytelling posts and I liked having the option between Storybook or Portfolio. There's really nothing I would suggest seeing more of.

Did you choose the Storybook or the Portfolio? Are you happy with your choice? What information should I emphasize to next semester's students when they make that choice?

I chose the Portfolio and I am happy with my choice. I guess emphasize in the beginning of the semester that students may be using the storytelling posts for Portfolios.

Do you have suggestions for the commenting process: suggestions about commenting on blog posts? suggestions about comments on Storybooks/Portfolios?

I guess to suggest more feedback and for people to point out grammatical and punctuation errors.

What kinds of comments did you find most useful as you working on your Storybook/Portfolio?

I like comments when people give me suggestions or possible changes I can make to improve my story.

Do you think this class helped you to improve your writing?

Yeah, I think this class helped me with my grammar and punctuation errors.

What kind of writing do you see yourself doing in your future career? Will writing be important in that career?

The kind of writing I see myself doing is very technical writing that are based on factual evidence since my major is chemical engineering.

As you look back on your writing this semester, what advice do you have for students who will be getting started next semester?

You have more imagination and creativity than you thought and write something that you would like to read!

Week 15: Reading Review Post

What did you like best about the readings for this class? Are there any general suggestions you would make about how the readings are set up?

 I liked how each of the readings had a middle point where we could stop. It was very useful during busy weeks of the semester. I also liked the notes that were added to a few of the stories. I found them very helpful in units that were difficult to understand. I also liked how in the Table of Contents, there was a "pairing" of certain units with similar themes! I actually utilized that a lot!

Did you find some new reading diary strategies that you used in the second half of the semester?

During the second half of the semester, I tried to take the time to read the whole unit in a day instead of reading splitting the halves in two days. This helped me organize my thoughts and compare/contrast the stories or story throughout a unit better.

What did you think of the overall balance between reading - writing - commenting in the class assignments? Do you think I should offer a reading assignment extra credit option?

There was a good balance between reading, writing, and commenting in the class. An extra credit option would be nice. I'm not sure how that would be conducted. 

As you look back from the end of the semester, what advice do you have for students who will be getting started next semester?

 This class takes some time, but if you plan things out and work ahead, it will make your semester much easier!

I had an enjoyable experience with the Un-Textbook. It is very different from what I am used to, but it allowed me to personalize and adjust my reading to fit my interests. I think the most useful priorities would be to add more notes to units and to create "anthology" units. The notes I found more useful were the ones that were linked to Wikipedia sites where we could find more information. There were a few in the Psyche and Cupid unit. As for "anthology" units, these would be pretty helpful especially for Storybooks! I know I had trouble coming up with a Storybook idea so I would have liked this when I was thinking of topics for my Storybook. Also, it allows students to compare and contrast themes of different cultures and time periods.

Portfolio Guide

Week 6: Kai-Lan

Week 2: Venus and Psyche

Week 9: The Sweet and Sour of Love and Strawberries

Week 3: The Beggar Businessman

Week 4: The Man Who Thought He was a Fisherman

Week 14 (Reading Diary): Grimm (Hunt)

Grimm (Hunt)

Hansel and Grethel - I already read the original of this story before, but I still enjoyed it! It is a good first story for this unit! I am guessing that the overall theme of this unit is about children meeting obstacles and they have to figure out how to find their way home.

Thumbling - This is basically, the male version of Thumbelina. I found it interesting and I like how clever Thumbling is. This also has the theme of a child meeting obstacles as he finds his way home.

Allerleirauh - I feel like this story fits better with the Grimm (Crane) unit.

Snow White and Rose Red - I was expecting this story to be related or a sequel to the original Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, but it's not. I think I like this story a bit better anyway. I found it endearing, entertaining, and enjoyable.

Overall, I think this unit is a bit strange. I liked it at the beginning, but then the second half of the reading got very confusing.

Week 6 (Storytelling): Kai-Lan

 

(Laotian Wedding Tradition; source: Our Journeys Within)

January 7, 1707

“To my one and only Kaipo,

It has been many months since our last meeting. I constantly think about you and the past times when we were together. Remember when we used to gaze at the stars or when we found that lost puppy? I recently saw that puppy with its family and she looked very happy! I wish I could feel just as happy. I miss your handsome face looking at me. I miss your strong hands holding mine. I miss your calm voice steadying my heart. Ever since my father forbade me to see you, you are all I can think about.

I hate my father. He and his servants are constantly watching me. My father is frequently boasting to others how he drove you away. He invites many suitors into my home. He is expecting me to marry one of them. However, I refuse all of them. You are all that I want. No one can compare to you. Our love is stronger than any distance that keeps us apart. I will never betray our love or you.

We have been apart for too long. These past months have felt like centuries to me. Time moves so slowly when you are not around. I cannot wait anymore. My father is hosting a feast for all in the province tomorrow night. Please come. I must see you. I must be with you.

Love,

Your Dearest Aelan”

The next night, the feast was held. It was possibly grander than any of the king’s feasts. People from all over the province came to enjoy the festivities. They were everywhere and the room was filled with constant laughter and merriment. Everyone was enjoying the party except for one, Aelan. She constantly kept an eye out for her dear lover. However, she could not find him. Dismayed, she stepped outside into the garden to get away from the crowd. Suddenly, she heard shrubs shake and turned around to see her lover, Kaipo, standing there in front of her. She ran to him and they embraced. Tears filled her eyes and it felt as if they had never been separated at all. Kaipo looked lovingly into Aelan’s eyes. Right then, he pleaded her to elope with him. She did not think twice before complying. They both jumped on his horse and while they did that, a servant saw them trying to escape. He immediately told Aelan’s father and a search party was formed.

Kaipo and Aelan went far past the city limits and into the dangerous and rocky mountains. The two lovers came to a huge canyon and had nowhere to go. The search party was catching up to them. They were trapped. Kaipo and Aelan looked at each other and nodded. They both decided that they would rather die together than be separated again. So, they jumped. They were so close to making it to the other side, but their weight was just too much. The couple and their steed fell into the river at the bottom of the canyon. The search party saw this. The river was two hundred feet below the top of the rocky canyon, so there was no way the couple could have survived. They decided that there was no reason to continue and they returned home. However, by the will of God, the couple and horse fell into the river and survived the fall. They scrambled out of the river with a few bruises, but very much alive. The couple was so tired that they laid on the riverbank and looked up into the stars. They lived happily ever after.

Author's Note - The original storyline comes from Lovers' Leap in the Laos Unit. For my past storytellings, I usually do a modernization of the plot, but this time I did something different and tried a love letter style. In the original plot, the lovers do not make it over the cliff, but I wanted to have a happier ending than that. Then, in my original storytelling, I wrote that the couple made it over to the other side of the canyon, but I realized that it was a bit predictable so I changed it for my portfolio to the way it is now. I actually like my new ending a lot and I think it is more interesting. Other than that, I kept the story basically the same. For the title, I combined the lovers' names together. In Laotian, "Kaipo" is a male name meaning "sweetheart" and "Aelan" is a female name meaning "flower." I know that it is pretty cheesy. In fact, my whole story is pretty cheesy. I imagined the lovers to be around sixteen or seventeen years old so I figured that I could get away with it. This reminded me a bit of Romeo and Juliet as I was reading it so I added the detail about the stars. Star-crossed lovers usually have tragic endings because the stars controls people’s fates, but like I said, I wanted a happier ending. Therefore, in the end, I just had the couples stare at the stars as a triumph over what their fate should have been. 

If you are having trouble deciding what unit to read next week, I highly recommend the Laos Unit! It has some really good stories and many have surprising endings. The diction and wording are also easy to read! If you have any suggestions for what I should read next week, please leave a comment below!


Book: Laos Fairy Tales

Author: Katherine Neville Fleeson

Year Published: 1899

Web Source: Project Gutenberg

Week 13 (Essay): Grimm (Crane) Unit

This week I read the Grimm (Crane) unit. I actually really enjoyed this unit. It was quite interesting especially because of some of the unexpected endings. My favorite stories are King Thrushbeard and the Three Spinsters. I liked King Thrushbeard because I thought it was sweet how the King loved the princess so much, but he could see how arrogant and obnoxious she was. So, he disguised himself and went through all this work just to show her modesty. It was a bit heartwarming. As for the Three Spinsters, this story was very short, but I thought it was pretty funny! I originally thought it was going to be like Rumpelstiltskin, but it was not. In my opinion, it was better! My least favorite story was Snow White. This story was long and it felt like it dragged on a bit. All the stories were very straightforward so no background information or additional notes were needed. The overview gave a good description of the unit. It felt like the overall theme of this unit was about princesses except for the Fisherman and his Wife and the Robber Bridegroom. My overall goal for this class was to expose me to works of writing. This week, I did not choose something as obscure as I usually do. I choose something that I was a bit familiar with, but I had never really read. I found it as a fitting choice. I did not really learn anything from this unit nor did I have any expectations. However, something that surprised me was how gruesome the Robber Bridegroom story was! I remember have a few shivers and goose bumps while reading that story. Overall, I liked this unit! I recommend it to anyone that wants something easy to read. It has a good number of twists and turns that make it an interesting read!

Reading Diary (Week 13): Grimm Tales

Grimm (Crane)

Fisherman and His Wife - I found this story the most humorous out of the three. The wife is never content with what she has once she realizes that she can wish for whatever she wants. When she finally wishes for the power to control the sun and moon, she ends up back where she started in a small little hovel. This is probably why genies only give out three wishes.

Aschenputtel - I remember reading this earlier in the semester. I think it is in someone's storybook. Anyway, this is my first time actually reading the original and it was more gruesome than I expected. There is a lot of extreme actions taken. Nonetheless, it was an interesting story.

Robber Bridegroom - This was a very surprising story! I did not expect this to happen at all. It made me feel a bit uncomfortable reading it honestly. I don't know how people come up with this stuff.

Six Swans - This was a nice story. I had never heard of it before, but it is actually very popular. It was a nice story.

King Thrushbeard - This is probably my favorite story out of all the ones from this unit. I did not expect the ending at all and I thought it was really sweet! It kind of reminded me of the Beggar King from the Jewish Fairy Tales unit.

Three Spinsters - This story was super funny! I definitely recommend it to people! I think it would be a really good story to do a storytelling over too!

Snow White - I actually did not like this story very much. It was kind of long. I didn't feel like there was a really stand out moment in this story. It was so-so.

Google Timer Tech Tip

I do not really have any time management tricks when I am doing work. I just try to take a few breaks when I am studying or doing work every few hours or so. However, I do not have a timer for that. This is my first time using the Google Timer until now and I find it very handy! I think I will start incorporating this!

Week 2 (Storytelling): Venus and Psyche

In the meadows of Nysa, one of the goddess’s favorite sacred havens, Venus walks through throngs of flowers to celebrate the new spring. Sunshine illuminates the vast meadows and reflects from the waters that it is almost blinding. However, it is not a sight you want to close your eyes from. Countless blossoms bloom in the new sunshine, creatures emerge from their winter slumber, and chatter fills the air with liveliness. Venus watches as her servants enjoy the relaxing day. Some are picking flowers, while some sit, sharing secrets, and others are playing a…….scream? Everyone looks at the source of the noise. One young servant dressed in blue clothes looks pale and is as frozen as if Medusa had stunned her.

Venus hurries to her. “What is it, my child?”

She turns to look in the same direction and sees it. Not an it, a her. A young maiden in her later teens emerges from behind the tree.

“What is this nonsense? What name do you go by, young maiden? Why do you trespass here?”

“I am known as Psyche, the youngest princess of a king, not far from here. I did not mean to cause harm. I just wanted to gander with my own eyes the beauty of this place,” says the pretty young maiden.

“These lands are blessed, as decreed by the father of all gods himself. No mortal is allowed to walk on the soft soil or lay his or her eyes on the lush greenery. Begone,” sneered one servant.

“Yes, no servants are permitted to come here, especially not a vile-looking creature as yourself, human,” laughed another. All the servants followed.

However, this young maiden was not a vile-looking creature. She was actually a very beautiful girl, an uncommon beauty. She had light brown hair done up in an unruly braid that hung down on her shoulders. Her pale and delicate skin greatly contrasted with her strong facial features, deep-set eyes, a tall nose, high cheekbones, and a pointed chin. Her most attractive feature was her eyes. They shined light brown in the sunlight, but in the shade they looked green around the edges. They were the most unique set of eyes the goddess had ever laid her eyes on.  She had to have them.

“Tell me, Psyche, why do your eyes change as they do? They are a wonder that I have not seen before and I am the fairest of all creatures in Heaven and Earth. Tell me, Psyche.”

 “I am sorry, great Venus, I do not know why. I am the only of my family and our kingdom that can do such.”

“I see. You do know where you are standing is sacred ground? The air you are breathing is revered? The sight you are seeing is blessed? Your kind is not welcomed here.”

“Yes, I do know. Please spare my life! I did not wish to do harm! I just wanted to see your splendor with my own eyes. You are the queen of all that is exquisite,” begged Psyche.

“Do not be afraid, young and naïve Psyche. I will not take your life away. However, I cannot allow you to leave unpunished from trespassing. Since you yearned so much to see this safe haven, I shall make sure this that last thing you see.”

With that, the goddess’s servants held poor and struggling Psyche down, while one pulled out her eyes. Psyche cried with all her lungs with the worse pain.

“My eyes! How can I see now? Please Venus, give me back my sight!”
“They are mine now. Hush, young one. Stay calm. I will not give back your eyes, but I will make you my servant. I will grant you immortality and your status will no longer be a mere mortal."

(Psyche Before The Throne Of Venus; 

photo by Henrietta Rae; source:ArtScroll)

Author's Note  - In the original plot of Cupid and Psyche, Venus is jealous of Psyche because humans used to praise her more than they praised Venus. If you do not already know, when Venus is envious of someone, she goes on a rampage. There is a lot more to the story, but at some point, Venus is torturing poor Psyche. When I first wrote this story, I tried to come up with a storyline that went with the original storyline of Venus and Psyche. However, I came at a dead end and ran out of things to write so I looked at storytelling from my peers and realized that some people took a completely different take from the original plot. So I redid my whole storyline to what it is now. Obviously, this is completely different from the original storyline so this is not a retelling of the story. Rather, I use the characters, their personalities, and some of the basic ideas from the original story and made a completely new storyline. I ended up liking this version of my storytelling a lot more than what I had before even though it is a bit gruesome. I tried to imitate the typical flamboyant and descriptive language Roman stories are written in. I'm not sure if I did it justice, but I gave it a shot.

Book: The Golden Ass
Author:ApuleiusYear
Published: 2013
Web Source: Poetry in Translation

Google Search-by-Image Tech Tip

(Incarnation of Vishnu as a Fish)

Here is the picture I chose for the Tech Tip, it is the Incarnation of Vishnu as a Fish. To read more about it, you can go to the Wikipedia page about Matsya.

Week 12 (Essay): King Arthur Review

(King Arthur on BBC Wales)

This week I read the King Arthur unit. This unit is about the life and quests of King Arthur and his companions including Merlin the magician and his Queen Guinevere. Before reading this, I had a general idea of what the unit was about, but I had never actually read it. Nonetheless, I did enjoy reading this unit. My favorite stories are The Drawing of the Sword and The Passing of Merlin. The Drawing of the Sword is a very appropriate first story because it is the beginning of the unit and the beginning of Arthur’s life as king. As for The Passing of Merlin, even though this is a very sad story, I found it interesting how the great and powerful Merlin met his demise because of a maiden. It is strange how people can be blinded by beauty so easily. My least favorite stories were the Questing Beast and the Coming of the Holy Graal. I understand that this is where Merlin and Arthur meet, but I felt like this section could have been mentioned in a note. As for The Coming of the Holy Graal, I also do not think this story was necessary to add. I could not figure out how it added to the overall effect of the story. This could also had just been a note rather than a story. It was just so-so.

I found that each story had an appropriate amount of notes. I enjoyed how there were additional Wikipedia links where students could read more on certain stories. I certainly took advantage of that and it was very convenient!

I also found that the overview gave a good description of the unit. I did not have any certain expectations coming into this story because I originally was going to read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. I do not think anything really surprised me while I was reading the unit either.

Week 12 (Storytelling): Arthur as King

A long time ago when there was no king to maintain order in Britain, the country was broken and a mess. Laws were constantly broken. Countless Knights ran amuck in order to seize the crown for himself. Finally, the great and powerful magician, Merlin, stepped forward and discussed with the Archbishop and the lords and gentleman of Britain of who should rule the throne. All the men agreed to meet in Britain on Christmas Day.

When these great men met together in Britain, they saw a great stone bearing a sword. Engraved on the stone were the words, "Whoso pulleth out this sword is by right of birth King of England". Intrigued, all the knights, lords, and gentlemen attempted to pull out the sword with the hopes of receiving the kingdom. However, all failed without even shaking the sword from its base. The Archbishop declared for two Knights, noble and true, to stand guard on this mysterious sword.

Weeks went by and no one was successful at drawing the sword. On New Year’s Day, a tournament was held for all Knights across the land. Two contestants were the brave Sir Ector and his valiant son, Sir Kay. Along with them was the young Arthur whom was about the same age as Sir Kay. However, unbeknownst to himself is not of their blood and kin. Regardless, Sir Ector treated Arthur like one of his own.

As the three of them traveled to the tournament, Sir Kay realized that he had unbuckled his sword last night and had forgotten it at home. Sir Kay asked Arthur to bring it to him because he could not enter the tournament without it. So, Arthur rode back home to fetch his brother’s sword. Unfortunately, he could not enter the home because everyone had left to watch the tournament. Arthur did not want to disappoint his brother, whom he looked up to dearly, so he remembered the sword stuck in the rock. Arthur quickly rode to that sword, but he did not see any of the knights around it. Ignoring that, he grabbed the handle and gently pulled. The sword came out easily.

Just as this happened, the Archbishop was leaving the Great Church to head to the tournament. He saw Arthur pull the sword out of the stone. However, before he could approach the boy, Arthur was already hurrying to the tournament to meet his brother. The Archbishop was amazed and scurried to the tournament as fast as he could. Once the Archbishop entered the arena, he saw Arthur in the middle of the field as he was handing his brother the sword. The Archbishop hurried to the scene. All spectators stopped and watched him. The Archbishop walked to Arthur and told the audience, "Here is your new King!"

Author's Note - This story is originally from Drawing of the Sword from the King Arthur unit. I really liked this unit and I found it very interesting. I chose to retell this story because I believe that it is one many have heard of, but have not actually read. For my rendition, I did not change much from the actual story except for the ending. In the end, the Archbishop does not actually see Arthur pull out the sword at first and all the details that followed that. However, I felt that my ending gave the original a bit more drama. It also adds a bit of a cliff hanger.

King Arthur: Tales of the Round Table by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1902).

Week 12 (Reading Diary): King Arthur

King Arthur
I was originally going to read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but I changed my mind last minute to read this unit since it related better with the unit I read last week.

Drawing of the Sword - What a perfect beginning story for this unit! I liked it a lot. I had already knew a general idea of the story, but this was my first time actually reading and I was not disappointed. It was a great story to start out with.

Sword Excalibur - I have always heard of this term and of the Lady of the Lake, but I never brought myself to research it a bit. Now I finally know! This unit is a lot more interesting then I was expecting.

Passing of Merlin - Yikes! What a harsh break up! Poor guy got tricked by the one he loved even though he knew it was going to happen to him anyway.

Sir Lancelot's Vision  - This story was kind of confusing to follow, but I think I still understood it for the most part. I enjoyed it. After reading the note for this, I decided to read through some of the wikipedia pages. I found it very interesting!

End of Arthur - This story was actually difficult to follow. I wish the notes expanded a bit more about Sir Mordred and his plot to kill Arthur. It is fitting for the last story to be the demise of Arthur since this is the King Arthur unit. Not only that, it showed the end of Lancelot and Guenevere.