Chapter 8 Activity 2, Revising Sentences and Words

Some students have trouble getting along with their roomates.

Simple/Compound:
          Many students will go to college. It is an excititng adventure. It is a chance for them to be free and to express themselves. For some, it will not be easy. Many students will have roomates. Everyone is different. Some people have trouble adapting to change. They do not like compromise. This can make having a roomate difficult.

Complex/Compund-Complex:
          Many students are excited to finish high school and go to college. College is a place where students feel they can finally be free and express themselves as individuals. Unfortunatly, this is not always as easy as it seems. Some students will have roomates and because everyone is different, there can be conflict between them. When you are living with someone that has trouble adapting to change and does not like to compromise, it can make having a roomate difficult.

My first paragraph was a little difficult to write, because I felt  like I could not emphasize on too much information. The second paragraph was easier, because I didn't feel like I was holding back and I could write more freely. Both paragraphs initially mean the same and the topic is still apparent.

The Extended School Day

     Imagine a seven-year-old whose parents work until five each night. When she arrives home after school, she is on her own. Even though she's a good girl, a lot of things could happen. She could get into trouble just by being curious or something could happen through no fault of her own. All over the country, there are many "latchkey" children like this little girl. There must be some way to deal with the problem. One suggestion is to keep elementary schools open longer than they are now and there are many advantages to this idea.
     Parents wouldn't have to be in a state of uneasiness about whether their child is safe and happy at home, or are their child's needs being met, or feel guilty because they are not able to help a child with homework. The longer day would make it possible for the teacher to provide such help. Extended school hours would also relieve families of the financial burden of hiring a home sitter which can wipe out the family budget and the hassle of worrying whether the person will show up and be reliable.
     The longer school day would benefit children as well. They would be in school where they would have a chance to work on subjects that give them trouble. No student would have to struggle along because there wasn't enough time to give them the help they needed. The longer day would also give children a chance to participate in extracurricular activities. They could join a science club, play on a softball team, sing in a school chorus, or take an art class. Ultimately, the dangers of their being home alone after school would disappear by the time the school bus dropped them off, because at least one parent would be home. The unmentionable horrors feared by parents would not have a chance to happen.
     Finally, the longer school day would also benefit teachers. The longer workday would obviously require schools to increase teachers' pay and the added salary would be an incentive for teachers to stay after school.
     Implementing an extended school day would be expensive, but I feel that many communities would willingly finance its cost because it provides benefits to parents, children, and even teachers. Young children who are home alone, wondering whether to watch another TV or to wander outside, need this longer school day now.

Drug education programs in public schools are (or are not) effective?

1. Drug education helps students become aware of the dangers of drug use.
2. Helps show students how the impact of drug use can affect the people close to them.
3. Teaches how drug use affects and damages the body.

    Many people who use drugs, often lose everything that they care most about. They can lose their jobs, lose friends, and in some severe cases of drug use, even lose their life. Drug use also affects your family life and you may become alienated from most relatives and close friends. Learning about the harmful effects of drug use early, may help deter young students from choosing to do something that they will regret. It helps students to be fully aware of the consequences of their actions.

One morning as I was driving down the street, I observed another car speeding around the curve. The car never slowed down as it headed toward the traffic light. As I watched the traffic light turn from yellow to red, a young couple started to cross the street. When the woman saw the car, she called out to her husband and he jumped onto the shoulder. The man wasn't hurt, but it was obvious the woman was. I ran to a nearby emergency phone and called the police, but unfortunately by the time the ambulance arrived, the woman was already dead. The driver failed the sobriety test and the police found out later that he had two previous offenses. It was a terrible accident and there should be better ways to get drunk drivers off the road.

In-Class Essay

         In the article, Unemployment affects three out of four Americans by the Huffington Post, I learned that 73% of  Americans are unemployed and a majority feel that this unemplyment rate is not temporary.
        The author has researched a survey that asks Americans what they believe is causing the lack of jobs and how the government should handle the problem.
       While the survey shows that Americans are evenly divided on the whether the government should issue a tax cut to create more jobs, the author does not seem to voice their own personal opinion in the article.