Teacher September, 2024

HUGO
RODRIGUEZ

Table of Contents

I. Writings

II. Article Summaries

III. Create Activities

IV. Synthesize Activities

1. All First Drafts (there will be 2 this month) - Save your first
draft and put it in your Portfolio.

1st Draft (1): Writing # 1

Brandon Sanderson, a famous fantasy writer, is

considered by many experts a genius in the literary
world because of his prolific work. Born in Utah, US,
he started his hero path in his late 20s. After
finishing his studies in Biochemistry and English, he
found a job as a receptionist, where he started his
first novel and later his first trilogy (Mistborn). It was
the last one that catapulted him to success.
Acclaimed by many for the amazing capacity to
world-build and describe, like anybody else, a whole
new world called “The Cosmere”. According to “The
Front”, Sanderson can create such complex
characters like those of other authors, but he does
something else. He explores the mental health of
the character, which makes the readers relate to
them. His journey hasn't been easy; he's very
methodical at work. His goal is to achieve 3,000
words of writing per day. Thanks to this, he has
already published 71 books, and he's planning to
publish five more this year. For many reasons, in my
opinion and that of many professionals,
Brandon Sanderson is the greatest fantasy author of
all time.
2. All Final Drafts (there will be 2 this month) – Save your final
drafts also and put them in your Portfolio.

Final Draft (1): Writing # 1

Brandon Sanderson, a famous fantasy writer, is

considered by many experts to be a genius in the
literary world because of his prolific work. Born in
Utah, US, he started his heroic path in his late 20s.
After finishing his studies in Biochemistry and
English, he found a job as a receptionist, where he
started his first novel and later his first trilogy
(Mistborn). It was the last one that catapulted him to
success. Acclaimed by many for the amazing
capacity to world-building and descriptive writing,
like anybody else. He wrote a whole new world
called “The Cosmere”. According to “The
Front”, Sanderson can create such complex
characters like those of other authors, but he does
something else. He explores the mental health of
the character, which makes the readers relate to
them. His journey hasn't been easy; to afford his
passion, he took night shifts in jobs not related to
his former carrier, so he could write in his free
hours. He's very methodical at work. His goal is to
achieve 3,000 words of writing per day. Thanks to
this, he has already published 71 books, and he's
planning to publish five more this year. For many
reasons, in my opinion and that of many
professionals, Brandon Sanderson is the greatest
fantasy author of all time.
 1st Draft (2): Writing # 2

Susan Abarca, my best friend, is

an example for me because she accomplished her
dream of becoming a researcher regardless of not
having family support and facing many economic
problems. Her journey wasn't easy; she had to deal with
poverty and the abandonment of her father. She came
from Cuzco when she was 8, after her father left. Lima
was difficult; her mother doesn't have a former job or
any family support. After they found a place where to
live, her mother got very sick, and she had to raise her
baby sister by her own. She was forced to work at the
neighborhood market, spending the mornings assisting
at the fruit stalls. When her brother got back to home at
night, she went to school. She always wanted to be a
doctor and, in a way, help people. Despite her family's
opinion, she entered San Marcos University to study
medicine. During those years of studying, she struggled
a lot with economic problems. She applied for a job in
the university library, and she got it. With that money,
she could afford her transportation and food. After she
graduated, things became a little easier; she could find
a job and sustained her family. During our years in the
residence, she decided to do research instead of health
care. She was aware of the little progress in treatments
for many infectious diseases in Peru, like tuberculosis.
She moved to England four years ago after applying for
a scholarship. She is doing an amazing job in the
tuberculosis and HIV fields, making many discoveries
that one day benefit the medical community. I'm proud
of her; she inspires me when I want to quit. Her
perseverance and positivism inspire me to keep trying,
whatever the hurdles.
 Final Draft (2): Writing # 2

Susan Abarca, my best friend, is

an example for me because she accomplished her
dream of becoming a researcher regardless of not
having family support and facing many economic
problems. Her journey wasn't easy; she had to deal with
poverty and the abandonment of her father. She came
from Cuzco when she was 8, after her father left. Lima
was difficult; her mother doesn't have a former job or
any family support. After they found a place to live, her
mother got very sick and she had to raise her baby
sister by her own. She was forced to work at the
neighborhood market, spending the mornings assisting
at the fruit stalls. When her brother got back to home at
night, she went to school. She always wanted to be a
doctor and, in a way, help people. Despite her family's
opinion, she entered San Marcos University to study
medicine. During those years of studying, she struggled
a lot with economic problems. She applied for a job in
the university library, and she got it. With that money,
she could afford her transportation and food. After she
graduated, things became a little easier. She could find
a job and sustained her family. During our years in the
residence, she decided to do research instead of health
care. She was aware of the little progress in treatments
for many infectious diseases in Peru, like tuberculosis.
She moved to England four years ago after applying for
a scholarship. She is doing an amazing job in the
tuberculosis and HIV fields, making many discoveries
that will one day benefit the medical community. I'm
proud of her; she inspires me when I want to quit. Her
perseverance and positivity inspire me to keep trying,
whatever the hurdles.
3. Article Summaries (there needs to be 3 summaries) – Pick any article
from any written source (newspaper, magazine, book, or online source).
Read the article and then write at least a one paragraph summary about
the article. If you’re reading an online article, include the link to the
article also.

Article Summaries N° 1

Source : https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-06-09/brandon-
sanderson-an-immeasurable-phenomenon-of-literary-fantasy.html

Brandon Sanderson, one of my favorite

authors, became a writer when he was all grown up. He wrote his first
books while he was working as a receptionist. He had already studied
biochemistry and English. For me, this makes a lot of sense because
my favorite trilogy has a lot of information about metals and their
interactions. Only a person who really understands this chemical
reaction can write something like that. Lucky for readers, he
abandoned his other careers to focus on writing. He is a very prolific
author. He writes 3000 words per day. And he works on many projects
at the same time. In the last few years, he has been very active
online; he has created his own website. The main purpose is to be in
contact with the readers and fans. Through the web, people can see
the advance of his new projects. Also, he could collect a lot of money
—almost 41 million dollars—to afford the publication of his new books.
Contrary to what other people could think. The editorials that work
with him are not preoccupied by this fact because at the end they will
also publish the books in a very neat format, like Sanderson likes. The
Nova edition is so elegant and very polished. All fans love it. Right
now, Brandon S. is considered in the same level of George RR Martin,
but unfortunately, RR Martin has been left aside because it had
passed almost 10 years from his last book. On the other hand,
Sanderson has promised to publish 19 more books. Fans are
astonished.

Article Summaries N° 2

Source: https://thecatalystnews.com/2024/09/12/an-evening-
with-r-f-kuang/

R. F. Kuang, an American Chinese woman, is

well-known as a fantasy writer. She achieved success very fast after
the publishing of her first book, “The Poppy War,” which is a reference
to the Sino-Chinese war, through the eyes of a female orphan called
Rin. The popularity of this book makes her win the Nebula prize. The
main trait of her characters is that all are Chinese or mixed Chinese,
but no one fits into the stereotypes that usually surrender Chinese
immigrants. Kuang feels she doesn't fit into any cliché roles, so she
realizes the need to diversify how people perceive them. Right now,
Rebecca is working on a PhD at Yale, and her last novel is going to be
released in 2025.
 Article Summaries N° 3

Source: The Fifth Season (novel) by N. K. Jemisin.

The Fifth Season, written by NK Jemisin, is a

fantasy book about an apocalyptic world. The story took place in a world
called Stillness, where natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, and
volcanic eruptions occur on a regular basis. The fifth season, written by
NK Jemisin, is a fantasy book about an apocalyptic world. The story took
place in a world called Stillness, where each time there is a disaster like
earthquakes, a volcano's eruption, or a tsunami. These phenomena
occur more frequently when there is going to be a new season. In this
world, we have a special people with the power to control the earth,
called the Orogenes. These people are discriminated against because of
their power. Some of them are killed by their own families, and others
are taken to a kind of center where the government keeps them locked
up. We follow the story of three women. First, Essun is a middle-aged
woman who just lost her children, one of whom was killed by her
husband and the other was kidnapped by him. To find her daughter,
she'll follow every clue that points her in the right direction. The second
one is about Damaya, a girl born with this power. She is kept hidden by
her family until they give her to a guardian who is going to take her to
Fulcrum, a place where the Orogenes are trained to serve the world. And
finally, we follow the story of Syenita, a young woman who just finished
her train in the fulcrum. She is going to accomplish a mission that
consisted of procreating a baby with the most powerful of the Orogenes,
Alabaster, to later give this baby to the fulcrum. Through Alabaster,
Syenita discovers the ugly truth about what the government and the
Fulcrum do to people like her. During the story of 3 women, we
discovered the injustice and cruelty of this world against the Orogenes,
who are not considered humans. The 3 are going to face moments of
revelation that are going to change their destiny. Most of the book
consists of the creation of the world; the author wants to put the reader
in the shoes of each character. At the beginning, it is very difficult to
emphasize the adult's character. Until the author revels the plot, these
women are the same person. After being chased by her old guardian,
who wants to claim her children, Syenita, in a desperate moment,
decides to destroy everything around her, including her own child. She
knows she is a slave, and if she allows that, she will be like them. So, she
took the power of the earth and caused a massive catastrophe. All is
destroyed; she doesn't have anything, so she ran away. After wandering
around the world for two years, she changed her identity to Essun. She
changed her identity to Essun. But this story just began when, after 2
years of looking for her last children alive, she met again with Alabaster.
 Jemisin wants to show us what discrimination and oppression mean
without talking about races. The discomfort you feel while you're reading
is because she describes cruelty with passivity and normalizes it until
you see the word through Alabaster's eyes, and you finally wake up. The
book dedication says, “For all those that have to fight for the respect
that everyone else is given without question." It's a good way to
summarize the book, the fight and the search for respect.

4.-All Create Activities (there will be 3 this month) – There are 3 Create
Activities in the book, one for each unit. Read the instructions for all of the
Create Activities, complete the activities and put the Create Activities in your
Portfolio.

UNIT 1

Many people who suffer from ASD have problems with being
flexible.

According to Gladwell it requires at least 10 000 hours to

transform talent into expertise.

A lack of structure can make Daniel Tamett anxious.

For many people with ASD, social interaction is difficult.

Scans of the brains of autistic savants suggest the right

hemisphere compensates the left hemisphere´s damage.

Autistic savant can retain large amounts of information

without a problem.
 Despite his disability, Daniel Tamett memorized Pi to 22, 514
decimal places to show that it doesn´t stop him from being
successful.

UNIT 2

Dear Professor:

Probably you won't remember me; I took the last

semester with you. Everybody at the school used to
talk about your class, so I decided to enroll in the
English course. I was very curious about how it could
be different from other teachers. Since I was a 12-
year-old kid, I was interested in writing. I used to be
very proud of my stories, until one kid took my notes
and made fun of me. I feel so ashamed. Not only that,
but I had to struggle with the bullying during the
whole year. I didn't write anything more until I heard
from you. Your life and your pride inspire me. I feel
free again from all my doubts. That bad experience
wasn’t defeated me. I have everything in my power to
accomplish my dreams. If nothing stops you, why
UNIT 3

Q1: Kristen, one aspect that influenced in your

decision to test. Is it the fact that you are expecting to
test negative?

A: Not at all, I was convinced that I was going to test

positive. I wanted to be prepared and made all the
arrangements that I would need to organize the years
that I left. Regardless of the results, it was the right
thing to do.

Q2: Kristen, if the test had been positive, would you

had been open to trying alternative treatments?

A: Of course. I believe in science, and I love my life. I

would have done it all in order to have a better quality
of life.

Q3: Mr. Cousin. Have you ever consulted another

specialist to confirm your diagnosis?

A: Yes, I've consulted many specialists. I was very

skeptical about accepting my diagnosis. After a while
of going to many hospitals, I decided to return to my
first doctor. My denial stage had been over.

Q4: Mr. Cousin, in your opinion. Do you think the

laughter therapy could be a potential treatment for
other diseases?

A: I'm pretty sure that the LT is for everybody. Many

diseases affect not only physically our body. The
impact of the illness includes our mood and feelings.
It's proven that stress and a state of persistent sadness
could lower our defences.
5.- All Synthesize Activities (there will be 3 this month) – There are 3
Synthesize Activities in the book, one for each unit. Read the instructions for
all of the Synthesize Activities, complete the activities and put the
Synthesize Activities in your Portfolio.

UNIT 1

Daniel Tammmet is a genius because of his extraordinary

mental abilities. He's what is called an autistic savant. Which means
he belongs to the autistic spectrum, but he is able to calculate and
retain a great amount of information. His abilities appeared when he
was four years old, and he had a seizure. Since then, he started
seeing the numbers differently; he saw them like shapes, colors, and
even sounds. His astonishment abilities allow him to memorize pi to
26 000 decimal places and multiply bigger numbers in just seconds.
Despite his amazing capacities, he struggles with some disabilities.
He needs to have some routines, and he can't tolerate social
interaction. Luckily, he has met people like him, which makes him feel
more comfortable and understood. He wants to show the world that
everybody is different in many ways, just like him.
Success is not an accident; you have to work harder to
achieve it. Gladwell proved this in his book when he used the case of
the Beatles to explain to us that you need at least 10,000 hours of
practice to attain true expertise. His findings have been verified by
the neurologist Levitin, who, after studying many famous people,
confirms this statement. Apparently, it takes this long for the brain to
assimilate all the necessary knowledge. The common factor among all
these successful people is hard work and persistence.
The only similarity that I found between the two stories is
embracement. Any talent can't be evolved or achieved if people don't
make the decision to develop it. Whether by nature or nurture, talents
must be practiced and improved. Maybe the first ones have an easy
path, but they've had to deal with a lot since they were children. They
need to make the decision when they are not ready enough. The
second ones have the chance to be old enough to make it when they
are prepared. One thing is certain: both ways require commitment to
the chosen purpose.
UNIT 2

Frank McCourt is a survivor, and

Marla Runyan is a self-resilient person. Both managed to conquer
obstacles in their life journeys. However, the beginning was entirely
different for each of them. While Frank handled his hunger with
humor and optimism, a very rare mood in extreme poverty. Marla
faced her blindness with the support of her family and her mother.
Both lives have been difficult. But one is an exceptional history of
survival and bravery, and the other is about a resilient woman. In
these histories, I don’t think they are talking about the same thing,
but they complement each other in many ways. What would Frank
have been capable of if he had grown up in a family like Marla's?
Could Marla make it through the same circumstances as Frank? Even
though Frank and Marla's stories are inspirational for many people, it
is unrealistic to assume that all individuals living in poverty or facing
other challenges will achieve their goals and contribute to
society. The path that Frank faced to become a Pulitzer Prize winner is
an exception, like her sports career with Mara. We need to be in an
egalitarian world to judge and expect greatness from everybody. At
the same time, it's nice to know about their lives, it gave us hope.
UNIT 3

Even though both methods are different

(one is for diagnosis and the other for treatment), they share

some similarities. The two techniques are new and unusual

choices for many people. The advantage of this is that you don't

need a receipt or prescription to access them. You can do them

by yourself without a doctor's indication. Nowadays, in many

hospitals, they are part of their protocols .