RichardMorales

 Prompt Response: Food helps people understand who they are by connecting them to their culture and showing them what makes them unique, even when they feel judged. In Fish Cheeks, Amy feels embarrassed by her family’s traditional Chinese food, but later realizes it represents love and pride in her identity. This shows that food can help people accept both parts of themselves when they feel caught between cultures.

 Prompt Response: Serving leftover Chinese food shows the narrator didn’t put much thought into honoring her grandmother, since food can represent care and culture. The author could have had her make a traditional homemade meal to show more respect and connection. I remember a time I gave someone a simple gift but later realized spending time with them would have meant more.

 Prompt Response: One time I realized my perception of a food was based on a stereotype was with broccoli. When I was younger, I always believed that broccoli was gross and something I would never like. I thought it tasted bad and had a weird texture, mostly because I heard other people complain about it and saw it being portrayed as a “disgusting” vegetable in shows and movies. Because of that, I never really gave it a chance. My perspective started to change when I tried broccoli that was cooked differently than I was used to. Instead of being plain and overcooked, it was seasoned and roasted, which made it taste much better. I remember being surprised that it was actually flavorful and not as bad as I had imagined. That moment made me realize that my opinion was based more on what I had heard than my own experience.

 Prompt Response: The New Orleans episode of Street Food: USA shows that food represents more than just something people eat by highlighting how dishes are connected to culture, identity, and community. One example from the episode is yakamein, a unique noodle soup that reflects the city’s diverse cultural influences. Yakamein is made with noodles, broth, beef, boiled eggs, and seasonings, and it combines elements from both African American and Chinese cultures. This dish is significant because it represents the history of cultural blending in New Orleans, where different communities came together and influenced each other’s food traditions. It is often sold at festivals and family gatherings, making it a shared experience that brings people together.

 Prompt Response:In Honduran culture, one must-have dish that represents our culture is fried plantains. Fried plantains are sweet, ripe plantains that are sliced and cooked until they are golden and slightly crispy on the outside. They are often served with refried beans, eggs, and sometimes a baleada, which is a traditional Honduran tortilla filled with beans, cheese, and other ingredients. This dish is significant because it is a common and comforting meal that many families eat for breakfast or dinner. It represents the simplicity and flavor of Honduran food, using basic ingredients to create something delicious and filling. Fried plantains are also important because they are shared during family meals, bringing people together and reflecting the strong sense of community in Honduran culture.

 Prompt Response: One dish that will always be meanful to me would be fried plantain. Different forms of plantain are used in many dishes in Honduran Culture. It is meaningful to me because it's a typical plate that gives you energy for the whole day possibly and it makes me feel like I belong in my culture. 

 Prompt Response: Brainstorming, drafting, revising, proofreading, and finalizing all played an important role in strengthening my final essay. During brainstorming, I was able to organize my ideas and choose the most meaningful points to include. Drafting helped me put those ideas into a clear structure, even if it wasn’t perfect at first. Revising was especially important because it allowed me to improve the flow of my essay, add stronger evidence, and make my arguments clearer. Proofreading helped me catch grammar and spelling mistakes, which made my writing more polished. Finally, finalizing the essay ensured everything was organized and ready to present.

Prompt Response: Drafting is essential to list out the ideas that you will write about without a final version. In previous essays it has helped me identify strong points to talk about on my body paragraphs. It has even helped me create a strong thesis statement which revealed a weakness I wouldn't know if I didn't draft. 

 Prompt Response: I will start with the introduction of the essay first then I'll complete the conclusion as this are similar. After finishing both the introduction and conclusion I will focus on my 3 body paragraphs because they are time consuming . This is the writing process I use to help me make the best out of my time during essays. The thing I struggle the most on is explaining my analysis I feel like I can't explain something well without referencing back to the text which makes it sound like I'm retelling the story. 

 As of the moment college isn't on my radar I am most interested in a trade school or technical school. A school I've been keeping an eye on is the Georgia Trade School. I am attracted to this one specifically since it has plumbing which is the career I am after. It is also based in Georgia which allows me to stay with family while chasing after my dream. Georgia Piedmont Technical is my 2nd choice it basically has all my needs but I feel like Georgia Trade School has a higher rating. At the moment these are my thoughts about college.

 The idea that most stood out for me in my essay was the 2nd body paragraph. I wrote about Cheryl's drug use and how she used it to mask the pain away. I tried to link it to drug use in general and how people usually get into it to cope with the loss of a love one or a relationship. This hurtful coping mechanism only masks the pain away short term, but long term it just ends up hurting them more. I felt that this idea was my strongest because my topic was how loss impacts identity and out of the many things people usually do during grief is by trying drugs to feel happy during sad times.

 Prompt Response: I learned that if you know what you want to do in the future you can attend a trade school and get hands on experience on that specific job. It is also more affordable and less time consuming then a 4 year college. This information is important for seniors that are seeking affordable colleges/trade schools. 

 Prompt Response: After reviewing my paragraph, I made several revisions to strengthen my writing. First, I made my claim more concise so that my main idea about Cheryl’s growth through fear was clearer. I also added more context before my quotes so the reader could better understand what was happening in the scene. Another change I made was improving my commentary by explaining more about how facing fear leads to her transformation. Instead of just stating that she becomes stronger, I explained how continuing the trail despite fear helps her develop confidence and independence. These revisions helped make my argument clearer and showed more clearly how the evidence supports my claim.

 Prompt response: It is important for students to write essays in their own words because writing helps us develop our thinking skills and deepen our understanding of the material we are learning. When we write our own ideas, we have to think carefully about the text, form our own opinions, and explain our reasoning. Writing in your own words also helps teachers understand what we truly know and what we still need to improve. If a student uses artificial intelligence to generate their ideas, the teacher cannot accurately see the student’s understanding of the topic. This can prevent the student from receiving helpful feedback that would improve their writing skills.

 Prompt response: Today we focused on constructing a strong literary argument paragraph about Wild and whether discomfort is necessary for meaningful personal growth. The most challenging part of the paragraph for me was moving beyond summary in my analysis. It is usually easy for me to explain what happened in the text, but it is harder to explain why that moment is important and how it supports my claim.

Prompt Response: Reflecting on my experiences with essay writing, the most challenging part for me is finding and using strong evidence to support my ideas. When I have a claim, I usually understand what I want to argue, but it can be difficult to choose the best quotes or examples that clearly prove my point. For example, when I write about a book we are reading in class, I sometimes struggle to pick a piece of evidence that directly supports my claim instead of just summarizing what happened in the story.