Category Archives: Language Arts

Reading Analysis, Writing: Poetry and Prose, Drama & Theater, Grammar and Foreign Languages, Vocabulary-Powered Reading Practice.

How to do a Jump stop layup

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The jump stop layup, when used correctly, is extremely effective. The jump stop layup is a simple yet unstoppable move when you master it. This move is used by Dwyane Wade and other NBA athletes.

A jump stop is when you dribble the ball, jump two or three feet in front of you, and pick up your dribble in the air. Make sure both feet hit the ground at the same time so you can pivot with either foot after you land, which is a big deal when a defender is on you.

The jump stop layup can be used in transition or on a fast break and it is very effective either way. How you do a jump stop layup is you do a jump stop on the right or left block in the post and then you shoot a layup. This is one of the simplest moves, yet one of the most dominant moves in basketball.

If your feet don’t land on the ground at the same time you can only pivot with the foot that hit the ground first, which gives the defender an advantage. If you try and pivot with the other foot the referee will call a travel and that will be a turnover.

All you have to focus on as a beginner with this move is making sure both feet hit the ground at the same time. Once you have mastered that, you can work on your pivots and you will be unstoppable.

Responding to Hall of Fame

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Music is not just something you listen to, it’s something you feel. “You can be the greatest, you can be the best, you can be the King Kong banging on your chest”. This is the first line from the song “Hall of Fame” by The Script featuring Will.I.Am. There are plenty of inspiring lines in this song. My favorite lines are, “You can throw your hands up you can beat the clock (yeah) you can move a mountain you break rocks you can be a master don’t wait for luck dedicate yourself and you goin’ find yourself standing in the hall of fame”. They inspire me.

I first heard the song Hall of Fame by the Script when I was watching Sportscenter. It was the song for that week. I really liked it the first time I heard it. Then I started listening to the lyrics and then I really understood the song. The lines, “You can go the distance you can run the mile you can walk straight through hell with a smile” really gives me confidence with what I’m doing when I hear it.

Some songs I think of as a poem, because poetry can be very emotionally moving, and so can music. But not every song is like poetry. Some songs are just annoying. But I like the music that actually means something. Not just non stop cursing and no talent talking or screaming. But the songs that tell a story.

My favorite thing about music, is that some music gives you a certain feeling inside. For example when I hear the song “Hall of Fame” I get really inspired, I usually listen to it while playing basketball or when I’m at the gym. Most modern rap and metal, it’s almost boring to listen to I feel numb at times. In my opinion there is no talent, there is no meaning, and they are just talking about how rich they are or how much there life sucks even though they are living the dream not a lot of people get to live.

And these are the reasons why I recommend the song “Hall of Fame” by The Script. It’s not just cursing every other word (actually not at all), It is an inspiring song, and it tells a story but when it comes to music, the stories the song tell are different for everyone.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi’s Styles

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Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi were two of the greatest men that ever lived. They both impacted our lives today by giving freedom to every human being. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi’s “I have a dream” and “Non-cooperation” speeches had different audiences but similar imagery and purpose.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech was given on August 28, 1963. His imagery was exquisite. One example of imagery he used was, “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood”. What M.L.K. Jr. was saying in this quotation was that it was time to end racism and to begin a time of peace where one is not hated because of the color of one’s skin. When he gave this speech he spoke in front of 250,000 Americans, not including the additional radio listeners. The purpose of the speech was to help give African Americans their freedom in America.

Mahatma Gandhi’s “Non-cooperation” speech was given August 12, 1920 in Madras, India. Gandhi gave this speech to the British government because he wanted freedom for India. Gandhi used imagery similar to Martin Luther King Jr. “On this heart of the Muslims of India has become Lacerated”. This quotation showed that they wanted their freedom from Britain and they wanted it badly.

Gandhi and M.L.K. Jr. had different audiences but similar imagery and purpose in their speeches. The “I have a dream’ speech helped give African-Americans their freedom, and the “Non-cooperation” speech helped give India their independence from Britain. They were two of the most important men in history and they gave two of the most important speeches in history. Without them, history wouldn’t be the same.

The Nuclear arms race

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What do you know about the Nuclear arms race? The Nuclear arms race of the Cold war was when everyone thought the more weapons you had, the more power you had. The Nuclear arms race caused the creation of the Hydrogen bomb, M.A.D. (Mutual assured destruction), and the Nuclear test ban treaty.

The Nuclear arms race was when every country stockpiled on weapons. The countries with the most were the U.S. and U.S.S.R. “The US had 2,032 launchers and 11,000 warheads, The USSR had 2,490 launchers and 10,000 warheads,” (Yahoo). I thought it was a complete waste of money to spend money on a bunch of weapons that we didn’t use, for example the Hydrogen bomb.

The Hydrogen bomb is a “Thermo nuclear weapon that uses the heat generated by a fission bomb to compress and ignite a nuclear, fission state,” (Wikipedia). This results in an explosion. The Hydrogen bomb was designed by Edward Teller and Stanislaw Ulam in 1951. They tested the bomb in 1952. It was called the “Ivy Mike” nuclear test.

The creation of the H-bomb scared Russia into thinking we would attack them which created the idea of M.A.D, Mutual Assured Destruction. M.A.D. meant that if one country strikes another, the other country would strike back, causing a nuclear war.  An example of M.A.D., or Mutual assured destruction, would be if the U.S. attacked U.S.S.R. then U.S.S.R. would attack the U.S. This was a fear of the Cold War. So we agreed on the Nuclear test ban treaty.

The nuclear test ban treaty was an agreement to not use or test any nuclear weapons because of the fears of a Nuclear war. It was manly for the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. because we both had the most weapons in the world. This prevented the use of the Hydrogen bomb, which also put aside M.A.D.

The nuclear arms race caused the creation of the H-bomb, M.A.D., and the Nuclear test ban treaty. And who knows if the H-bomb would have been created if the Nuclear arms race never happened. Or would there be M.A.D if the Hydrogen bomb didn’t get created?Would there have been any wars? Maybe. Or maybe not…

 

The Sharks

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Have you ever played basketball? Well basketball is my life! I’ve been playing basketball for five years now. This year I played for the San Diego Sharks for the first time. It was a great experience because I got to play with some of the best basketball players in San Diego, which really helped enhance my skills.

My first game with the Sharks was intense.  I had spent the night at one of my teammates house, Shai, so I got a ride to the game with him. It was a warm summer day. I really wanted to win because we were playing my friend Jonah’s team. This game was going to be a good one. The game was about to start and we were in our lay-up lines and I was on fire; couldn’t miss. I was as ready as I have ever been. Continue reading →

Alone Poem

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Scared, I am scared
I feel shaken, and scared
Lost, disturbed, but mostly scared

I am shaken, breaking, and scared
I feel my hair has been teared
I hope my pain has been shared
It seems that I am now aware
That life is unfair 

I am horrified, petrified 
I feel i can’t do this anymore
So there for
I will not live anymore

Scared, I am scared
I feel shaken, and scared
Lost, disturbed, but mostly scared

Ballad of 9-11

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Hell, insanity
By far
The worst tragedy
To happen to America
Buildings crashing
Lives leaving
Planes smashing
Smoke blinding
Fire burning
People jumping
The hearts of Americans are stopping
We are burning
Could it get an worse?
The Pentagon
The White House barely made it.
From that day on,
everyone remembers the date
September 11, 2001