Broken Sword

Well the essay is done. And these are the standards it accomplished.

2.5 and 2.6 Structural Features of Informational Materials

   Read through a couple websites and wrote my essay on Pages before posting it up on Blogger.

1.0 Writing

   Wrote an essay.

1.1/1.2 Organization and Focus

   Came up with a thesis and read up on it. Then I wrote it in an informative tone.

1.3 Research and Technology

   Came up with my thesis and researched as much as I could on it.

2.3.a. Writing Applications

   I'm not sure if the essay was over 1500 words but I tried my best. I actually wrote a lot.

1.0 Written and Oral English Language Conventions

    I wrote in normal English, no slang no " nothin' "

1.3 Grammar and Mechanics of Writing

   I wrote as correctly as I possibly could

The Finale

(Can't help but smile since this will probably be my final "Skool Blog" entry. I might still actually keep writing these, since they do help let some things out in a way I sometimes can't speak them. Now on to the final essay...)

American Football, or Gridiron as it's know outside the United States, is a very competitive contact sport. It involves a combination of strategy and great physical strength. There are several ways a team can score a point, by scoring a touchdown, a field goal, or a safety. All types of teams can score points, the offense, defense, or special teams. The team with the most points by the end of the game wins.

The most common way the offense can score points is by scoring a touchdown, which means carrying the ball over the opponent's end zone; this can be done in one of two ways, by passing or rushing the call.If the quarterback decides to rush the ball, the ballcarrier will usually be handed the ball to run towards the end zone. Normally a running back will be the one rushing, but a quarterback or wide receiver may also run the ball. A touchdown can also be done by passing the ball. The quarterback will throw the ball to an eligible receiver who can catch it while in the end zone. The receiver may also catch the ball before the end zone and carry it across the end zone. A touchdown will award the team 6 points, and possibly more through an extra point or two-point conversion.

Another way a team can score is by scoring a field goal; it is a goal that can be scored during regular play. They are regularly attempted during a fourth down in which the offensive team may not be able to score a touchdown. They may also be attempted during the finals moments of the 2nd or final quarter. A less common time is when the game is in overtime and the team needs to score any points to win. If it is not possible to even gain a field goal, when the ball may fall short of the uprights, then the team may choose to punt to the other team. The punt cannot score any points but it will drive the defending team back towards its own end. This may benefit the punting team greatly. A field goal is worth 3 points while a punk is not worth any.

The final way a team can score a point it by a safety. Safeties can be scored by the defense is the offending team is tackled, goes out of bounds, or fumbles (drops) the ball out of bounds on his own end zone. If the offense initially has the ball, but is intercepted by a defending player who then carries the ball or fumbles it into their own end zone, then it is a score for the offense. Safeties, though, are very rare as they are unlikely and difficult to perform. If the ball goes dead inside the end zone then it is a touchback. A touchback will not score any points though. The team last in possession will start at its 20 yard line with a first down. A Safety will award the team 2 points.

At the end of the 4th quarter, the winning team is the one who has scored the most points. It doesn't matter which of the types of points are scored as long as they have more. If it is a tie then they will go to an additional 15-minute overtime. In overtime the team to score first wins.

Joker and the Thief and the Night

Tired as hell and with a minor eye infection so I won't be able to type a lot today. Gonna write an essay tonight to just finish my standards. I have no idea how many standards it will prove but I have to do something. I have a basic idea of what to do but not really. Got a lot to do today...not just finals work.

I just noticed I never wrote down two standards that I had done.

2.0 Writing Applications

2.6.c. : I wrote about some plays, the players, referees, penalties, and a couple little examples on our website's quiz.

2.6.d. : I tried to write in a simple language...aka dumb it down a little to make it easier to understand.

Modal Soul

It's been a week since we were last in this room. Most people are so far behind since all we haven't been on a computer in a while. I did my extra credit essay and started the football one. But I won't get to that until at least Sunday. I have a couple parties this weekend and going to the beach...hopefully.

But other than that I love my new track sweater. It's way better than the one from last year. I also received two medals. 2nd place on pole vault and 3rd place on the 4x100 relay.

I Want I Want

well its past midnight and I'm finally done with my extra credit essay. I'm hoping to start the next one this weekend or by Monday. But I'll bereally busy tomorrow and I HOPE i get home by 10 or 11 pm... lets see though. I have my track banquet and I want to see the play we helped produce. I want as much extra credit as I can just to make sure I'm good on my grade. And now for more football...NOT. gotta go to sleep...

Up To Now

People say high school can be the worst and best time of your life. For me it’s been very interesting; so many things have happened this year alone. Not all of them have been the greatest things ever though. I’ve gone into the biggest of troubles this year, all while still having fun with my best friends. Yet at the end of the day, we can still laugh about our misfortunes. Some things have happened this year that I will remember for the rest of my life, other things which I wish I had never done them in the first place.

Since even before school started, I was already loving my upcoming sophomore year. Football practice started during the summer, and I was there from the beginning. I would wake up, bus it to school to arrive when practice started, train, go home to rest, and do the same thing the next day. But I made many great friends during my short time there; many of them would be part of the group I was with all year. One of those people who would eventually join our group a little later on is a special little girl who goes my the name Janet Vargas. She and I became great friends during our X-C season and after a very complicated series of events she would be my girlfriend and first love. We’ve gone through a lot, and it hasn’t been easy, but in the end it’s been worth it. These things and many others have made this year the best one so far.

It’s not to say that everything this year has thrown at me has been the greatest. One of my best and worst nights of my life was Homecoming weekend. Homecoming itself was fun but with a hint of disappointment, so we decided to go over a friend’s house to hang out. We end up having a crazy, hectic night and trying to remember it all the next morning when my best friend Norman is dying out on us with a “pain in his chest” (he’s fine now though). Another day I will never forget is January 3rd. I had just come back from my winter trip to Mexico and I was invited to a friend’s Sweet Sixteen. I can’t remember much of what happened that evening because it’s all an emotional blur. All I do know is I woke up the next morning with a hole in my room, a messed up hand, and my body aching. They weren’t my best ideas ever but they’re part of my school experience too.

Im almost half way done with high school, and it’s gone by too fast, but next year is Junior year, my most important year. Since I won’t be attending Verdugo Hills next year, I honestly don’t know how it will play out. All I do know I will be continuing my studies in a school near Santa Ana called Foothill High. I know it sounds as if it were a street away but the name is very misleading for some reason. I know I will be leaving all the people I’ve encountered in the last 10 years but I won’t be leaving everyone. I plan to visit as much as possible and come to every single one of my real school’s football games and every 22 of the month no matter what. I plan to also not take any more sports and just focus on my studies and future plans. After high school, it’s on to higher education!

I’ve grown up a lot this past year. Many great moments have occurred throughout it all, but I made many foolish decisions that I hope not to repeat. But I can still look back and laugh about them all with my best friends and make them as memorable as possible. This school year is almost over and it has turned out to be the greatest time of my life.

Acid Rain

I'm really tired right now; haven't had the best morning. I've only slept 3 1/2 hours and had to suffer through a 2 hour drive to school.

But other than that I just helped Mercedes get some standards written down today. Nothing much other than that. There's no lesson plan and I'm not really caring about today. I just wanna get home and rest. But I will start on an essay this week. I just need a few more standards and I'm pretty much done with this class. Now to focus on Ortiz, who is about to kill me over for his finals this and next week.

Any questions?

Now it's time for some feedback.

• What are some questions you might have on American football? What would you like to know about the sport?
• Since I've been writing for a while and tried to write things in an easy to understand language, what are your concerns or comments? 
  
• Is there anything you might be confused on or want to know more about or don't know anything about which you would want to?

If there's anything just post a comment and I'll try my best to answer any question...

Pac 3

Yesterday was a waste of a day. We didn't do much and I couldn't really blog anything since some people were setting up the computers. I have to start doing an essay and a good one too. But I have no idea what to write about.

But on the other hand, since I stay late to chill with friends, we watched the football team practicing on the baseball field. They're actually starting to look pretty good, but many players are still very small compared to other schools. My cousin, who's in springball, said it's actually an easier workout than last year's springball and summerball practices. There might actually be a good enough team to win at least 3-7 this year.

Another Reflection

In American Football and Canadian Football, a penalty is a punishment called against a team for a violation of the rules, called a foul. The foul, if committed by the defense, will advance the ball 5,10, or 15 yards towards the offending team's end zone. The offense may also gain a 1st down, or when close to the goal line, move the ball half the distance towards. If the offense commits the foul, the penalty might be a loss of a down or a loss of yards, or scoring an automatic safety.

When the foul is committed any time the ball is in play during any down, one or more officials will throw a bright yellow flag towards where it was committed. The play will not stop until the ball is dead (not in play anymore) under normal conditions if there were no penalties. Then the officials will assess if the fouls were committed, which ones, and who was involved. But the final decision is the referee's decision.

He will then normally go to the offended team's captain to ask if they want to accept, or decline the penalty and take the result of the play.

He will then use visual hand signals to specifically describe the foul in detail and the resulting penalty received.

The Phantom Part II

I still have no idea what to do today. After turning in 20 standards I have no idea what to do next. I'm kinda lazy so I don't really want to write an essay, and I don't have access to a Mac computer at home until tomoro so I cant really do much...not really a Windows user so there's so much I can do with it. I'll see what i can get done today though...

Not the funnest morning: running around all crazy trying to get ready after waking up late. All because of my not-so-smart smartphone never ringing my alarm.