Abstract: For my capstone project I decided to create a guide for new freshman into SLA. I named this guide SLA 101. In order to properly make my guide I had to do some research on student behavior, bad tendencies most students have, and tips to help make students successful. My research consist of interviews from students currently enrolled at SLA and some online research. From everything I’ve learned and the knowledge that I currently know came together to make my capstone “SLA 101”.

video: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/12942976/Bran's%20capstone.m4v 

bibliography:

1. Sloane, Cathryn. "Practice College Study Skills During High School." US News. 14 Oct. 2013. U.S.News & World Report. 30 Jan. 2014 <http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-admissions-playbook/2013/10/14/practice-college-study-skills-during-high-school>.

2. "College: Sleep, Grades, Life (Pick two)." - PSY 1001 Spring 2012 Section 014 and 015. 31 Jan. 2014 <http://blog.lib.umn.edu/clar0841/psychblog2012/2012/01/college-sleep-grades-life-pick-two.html>.

3. "How to Be a Successful High School Student." WikiHow. 31 Jan. 2014 <http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Successful-High-School-Student>.

• What surprised you most about this information? I would say the biggest surprise i seen was when the population of immigrate decreased to 500,000 in 1940. i knew that it would be less people because of all the things that were taking place at the time. but i would of never thought it would go down that far.
•  What seemed quite obvious about explaining this data set? the population of immigrate are shattered, there is not a steady rate in which it moves.
• Looking at the overall trend and incorporating what you know about the US presently, predict and defend the immigration trend for the next two decades. i would think that the immigration rate will increase in the next to decades. the reason i say this is because right now our country does have much reason for people not wanting to come to the country. there is no war, the country is still an democracy and the economy is pretty good. these reason along with other will make immigrate want to travel to the U.S.
• Describe how you made a decision on how to visually represent the information. we decided to make a google presentation powerpoint because everyone in the group can access it and it is one of the best form of presenting.
• What parts of group work were challenging? i cant say we had a challenging but we could of worked better with communicating with each other.
• What would you do differently if you had this project to do over? i would find more information about the date and see if i missed anything.
  
  
  https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/presentation/d/1KKM8c1tQc4xmcnJpJWbk4SqKjZFAmAffBDsfDhkgF8A/edit#slide=id.gfdfe30f_9_0

Intro: hello everyone listening my name is Brandon Mangum and I’m coming to you from young bran international broadcast. The topic I’m going to talk to you about today is on new single mothers. The main questions for this topic is “how do single mother stay finically stable while taking care of kids? and how does only having a mother in the kids life affect them?

Reflection:

By doing these interview I learned the kids could be deeply affected by some of the truckles the parents face. One example I notice is when Marie talks about having her older son take care of his sister because she couldn’t since she has to work. Her son picks his sister up from the daycare and walk with her home, and take care of her while there home. Marie put a lot of responsibilities on him. I can relate to that because my mother puts a lot of responsibilities on me as well. This makes me feel better because now I know I’m not alone other and placed in the same position as me. Another thing I notice is how in both interviewees talk about their trouble with transportation for their kids. Marie said that sometimes she couldn’t be there or take him to basketball games he had. My mother said something similar; she said that she couldn’t take her kids to any after school activities. Overall I learn that it could be many different obstacle that a family with one parent will face, although it might me hard to deal with, most likely you will find a way to over come those truckles.

Brandon Mangum

11/4/11

The trip I took where I discovered my accent

I will always remember the first time I discovered I had an accent. It was about five years ago when my family and I went on a family vacation to my mother’s birthplace, Antigua. It is a nice small island in the Caribbean. Shortly after we arrived my aunt picked us up from the airport. When I saw her, I said “hello.” She said it back, along with some other stuff I couldn’t understand very well. I had no clue what she said because she spoke very fast and with a heavy accent. To me, it sounded like she said “Hey-o tap don here”. I was very confused and didn’t know-how to respond to that so I just said “Okay”. She laughed at me.

“How are you doing Aunt Carmen?”

“Good boy, wagwan?”

“What??”

“That means what’s going on Brandon, that’s just how people say it here”

“Oh okay. I’m good, how long did it take you to get here?”

“Tree minnut,”

“What?” My mom repeated her and said “Three minutes Brandon” because she knew I wouldn’t understand what she said. My aunt then drove us to her home. I unpack all of my things in my room and then walked to a local restaurant.

“Hi, can I get a cheese steak platter please” The waiter looked at me with a strange look on his face.

“What chu chat bout.” I asked him again and this time I pointed to a picture of a sandwich. Then he asked me if I was American. I was confused in what that had to do with anything, but I still responded.

 “Yes I am, why?”

“Ohhh, I con tell from ya accent, me boy. Ya yankee.”

“What do you mean? I don’t have an accent. What’s a yankee?”

“Ya lie, yu got accent. Yankee’s American’s”

“No I don’t, you have an accent, and I speak normal.”

He said something else to me but I was unsure in what he said, it sounded like he said, “ya wrong me young bud boy.” I was ten at the time so I just thought he was dumb. I started to get mad because he insisted I had an accent, since I live in America everyone talks the same, we don’t think of ourselves having an accents. We just think that we speak “normal” and if anyone speaks different from us we think that they are strange and they have an accent or dialect. Because of how we are in America, It made me a little confused when he kept on addressing the fact I had an accent.

I left the store and went home so I can eat with my family. I walked into the kitchen surprised to see my cousin. I was happy to see them but also kind of mad because I felt that these were more people I’m going to have a hard time understanding. I thought it might be best if I tried to speak like them.

“Wagwan Mon.”

 “Good man, what’s up man?” I felt weird after I said that, but I thought that’s how they talk and they will understand me.

“Look how big ye got, how old ya be?”

“Ten, man” all of a sudden my cousin starts to make a strange face. I reflected on what I said that would cause her to do that. I thought maybe it could be because I said “man” after every sentence. Or maybe it’s because I didn’t pronounce “man” like they do. I began talking normally again because evidently I was doing something wrong.

Mike Rose said something in his story that can relates to my situation. In I just wanna be average, Mike Rose wrote “The curse of a moderately soulful kid trapped in white skin.” In his story Mike is a new student at a new school and most of the students that attend that school are a different race then he is. Mike sticks out compared to all of the others. The quote explains a lot, it make me feel better because now I know that if they were in the U.S., they would have a hard time understanding us and our slang as I do in Antigua. Mike Rose is saying that if you are trapped in a place that has a different way with words then you are used to, it will cause you will stick out. Now I know if I don’t completely understand someone it’s not my fault, it’s just because of where I am. People can tell a lot from the way a person speak, they can identify their race, age, and even where a person lives.

My cousins wanted to help me fit in around there so they are helping me speak with their dialect. It was hard for me to catch on because it was so different from what I’m used to saying. Most of the common phases that people use a lot, Antiguan would say different. Words like “ stop nah, no nyum um, not at tall, me no know, and me gal” are word they say and use on a daily bases. For the most part I don’t know what they meant.  But I slowly learned and was able to finish the rest of my vacation “fitting in”. I never thought it would be a dialect that is so far off from mines. After the trip their I learned a lot about how people can tell so much just from how a person talk and that people will stick out if you speak different. I’m with my cousins help it wouldn’t be next that next time and I would feel so alone or “trapped in a white skin.”

Am I a Man or a Coward?

            I’m so happy we got out of school early; I had a fun time today. The only bad part of the day was that I have to attend my ILP. It’s all the way on spring garden and broad St. It starts soon so I had to hurry up and get there. I walked to the trolley and I took it to 15^th street. After I arrived at 15^th street I had to wait for the train. As I was waiting I notice about seven boys that were near me. I didn’t think anything of it the time; I just kept on playing the games on my phone. When the train came I walked on and sat in the first seat I saw. The boys that I saw at the train station walked on the train towards the far back. After waiting on the train for 3 minutes, I got up because my stop was next. Then all of a sudden the seven boys walked up next to me and surrounded me on the train. Two of them had their fist balled up. He looked like he was going to punch me but before he could the doors opened and I quickly walked out. I went up all the stairs until I was finally above ground. For a quick second I thought I lost them, but sadly, that wasn’t the case at all.

Why are those boys running towards me? Did I do something to anger them? Should I run away? I wish someone could answer my questions but unfortunately there is no one to answer them. I increased my speed and pretended like I didn’t see them, hoping they will stop running and not mess with me. But I couldn’t be more wrong, the gang of boys just ran faster towards me with balled up fist. I knew now I only had once choice, which is to run. I ran across the street, trying to dodge cars and avoid getting killed or very badly injured. I’m ducking under tree branches, jumping over fire hydrant, and hopping over gates. I never got so tried in my life. But I couldn’t help but think that I was acting like a “bitch” by running away from those boys. I started to feel like a coward or a punk because I didn’t stand my ground and fight those boys for whatever they wanted. I always called my self a man but can I still say that after what I’m doing now? A lot of men that I know would never run away from other people the way I did. Maybe I should stop running catch my breath for a little and try to flight all of them, I mean that what a man would do right? A true man wouldn’t like other people implant for into them, causing him to run. If I were a real man like I think I am, I would just flight with pride and if I lose at lease I lose being a man instead of a “pussy”. I started to slow down as I thought about it some more. Should I be a safe coward or be an injured man with pride? 

9/14/11

Unbearable Pain

What do they mean, when they ask

“How old are you?” 

“What grade are you in?”

“How tall are you?”

The first time I got asked these horrible questions was my first day of 6^th grade. It began when I walked into my homeroom class; there was a nice breeze of cool air, and a strong vanilla scent coming towards me as I entered. I felt enthusiastic and happy to be there. I Sat down at the closest seat I saw and I started to have a conversation with some of my friends. After a few minutes of being in class my teacher called my name to ask me something.

My teacher ms. Barks said, “I think you got the wrong class? 3^rd grade is down stairs with Ms. James”.

I responded with a confused look on my face and I said, “No, I’m in your class,” then I showed her my paper. She looked at it then immediately she got a shocked look on her face. It was an amazed look that a person would have when they win the lottery. She apologized to me with that same look on her face.

She said “I’m sorry for doubting you, you just look younger they others kids your age”. “Its cool” I said but I was still wondering how I looked younger then everybody else. I pounded for a little bite wondering how I was different from other boys in my class. But I couldn’t think of anything.

The next day I came to school I notice a new girl in the class. I found her very pretty so I thought I should introduce myself to her. I began to walk up to her when I notice that she was taller than me. I worried about for a little bite. I started thinking to my self “do I want a girl that taller then me”. Never the less I still went up to her and started talking. I started off by having a normal conversation with her, I said hello and introduce myself. Then I asked her for her number.

She replied back to me by saying, “ how old are you? Are you even in this grade?”

 I said I’m 11 years old and I’m in 6^th grade. She then embarrasses me by saying “your to short and you don’t look 11”. I began to tear up when I said, “I’m not short”. She said, “ You look like a midget. How tall are you anyway?” I screamed at the top of my lungs and poured down tears of anger. I ran out the classroom at my top speed, I went straight to the bathroom. Since my eyes were so blurry I accidently ran into the females bathroom. I didn’t notice it at first.

But then I heard a little girl scream, “there’s a boy in here”.

I turned around then someone else said, “he’s a midget”. I was heart broken. I felt as if someone shot me five times with a shotgun at my heart. This is the unbearable pain I felt. I just drop to the ground and laid there until the teacher came for me.

The next day of school came. I didn’t want to go, I begged my mom not to send me to school but it didn’t work she still made me go. So I figured since I had to go I should make the best of it. So I tried on things to make myself look taller. I put on some very thick pair of socks and some boots with the highest soul. I also put on a hat. I walked out the house looking kind of dumb because it was still summer it the temperature was 88º, but I didn’t care because I looked taller. I got to the school and walked in the class thinking I’m the “big man on campus.” I looked for the same girl that called me short yesterday; I wanted to see if see still felt the same way.

After I found her I walk to her and said “Hi.”

She said “hey”.

So I then asked “can I get your number now that I’m taller.”

She laughed and said “you don’t look taller at all; you still look like a seven-year-old midget.”

I cried for a little bit. But then I stopped because I realized that crying is not going to make anything better because people are always going to judge you by your physical appearance and I cant do anything to stop them.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12942976/spanish%20bm%20-%20Large.m4v

First you have to know the numbers in Spanish up to one hundred. To ask the time in Spanish you would say ¿Qué hora es/son? Which of couse mean what time is it. If the time is 1:00 you would say es la una. Now if it is 2 o clock, 3 o clock, 4 o clock, ect. You would say son las dos, son la tres, son las cuatro, etc. If the time end in 30 you would say medra. So if the time is 3:30 you would say son las tres y medra. if the

Time end in 15 you would say cuarto. If the time is 2:15 you would say son las dos Y cuarto.if the time ends in 45 you would say cuarto but u use it different . so if the time is 4:45 you would say son las cinco menos cuarto. If the time is ending in 46-59 you would say son las _______ menos ______. So for example if the time was 1:55 you would say son las dos menos cinco. A hint to help you would be when say menos think of minus.

:15 Cuarto

:30 Medra

:45 Menos cuarto

:50 Menos diez

¿Que hora es/son What time is it.

Examples

7:00 Son las siete

4:55 Son las cinco menos cinco

2:30 Son las dos y medra

2:15 Son las dos y cuarto

1:00 Son es una

10:45 Son las once menos cuarto

10:52 Son las once menos ocho

10:59 Son las once menos uno