My Digital Portfolio Author: SERGIO HIDALGO
Teacher: ERCILIA DELANCER
Level Six English Program (L6 – 019)
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My Digital Portfolio Content Cover page .......................................................................................................................... 1 Content ............................................................................................................................... 2 Reflective letter .................................................................................................................. 3 Sergio Hidalgo’s letter ........................................................................................... 4 Response Essay .................................................................................................................. 6 Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education ........................................................... 7 Exploration/Investigation Essay ...................................................................................... 12 The Story of na Hour ........................................................................................... 13 Interpretation Essay ......................................................................................................... 17 The Starry Night: Interpretation Essay ................................................................ 18 Argumentative Essay ....................................................................................................... 23 Legalize All Drugs: It is not a Good Idea ............................................................ 24 Research Paper ................................................................................................................ 28 We Should not Recieve Classes in English from the Fifth Semester .................. 29 Attachments ..................................................................................................................... 35 Pictures Collage ................................................................................................... 36 Acknowledgment ............................................................................................................ 37 Thanks and farewell ............................................................................................ 38 Final page ........................................................................................................................ 39 2
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Sergio Hidalgo T.2-10 Yachay Tech University UrcuquĂ, Imbabura, Ecuador December 8, 2016 Dear Reader: First, thank you very much for reading my English Language Portfolio. In this letter, I want to talk about my personal history with the English language and show you my portfolio with my better work in level six English. It is important to know that I started to study English seriously when I came to Yachay. Before that, in my English classes both teachers and students had not taken seriously the learning of this language. When I was in school, I have learned a few things such as the alphabet, fruits, animals and these kind of things while in the first grade. In my first English class, the idea of learning another language was surprising and exciting to me. The English classes were taught in Spanish so it was like a translation of the topics. It did not matter to me; I thought that in high school it would be improved and I would learn English in a short time. I always told my mom what I had learned in English classes. Well, that just occurred the two first years because all classes were the same in the next years. In high school the level of English was different a higher level, more grammar, reading and boring things, but the teaching was not at the level that I thought it would be. Teachers often used Spanish and all years were almost the same classes. Actually, that did not matter to me, when one is of that age, nothing is important in life. I just wanted play soccer and play my guitar. I do not regret it, but I knew then that I could study and learn English by myself. That level acquired in high school was not enough to face my first English classes at Yachay. My first teacher was an American teacher called Laura. It was my first time that I had an American teacher. At this time, I realize that my English level was insufficient. I did not understand great part about the topics seen in class, but my teacher was very nice and good, and she repeated the necessary times to explain and make me understand. In the same semester, Laura left Yachay and came another teacher as good as the last. I feel that in this first English level I learned more than in all years before that. The next level taken at Yachay was easy for me, I did not have problems understanding what teacher was talking about. I am thankful with my two first teachers, really. Finishing the common core, I took a crash course in English because I needed have passed at least the level five to take the fifth semester. The crash course was very useful because I started to work in formal things. It was like an introduction to take the level six. I feel that Level 6 English has been one of the most important levels in my studies. I have learned about a lot of rules and techniques used in English language. It will be useful to me because I would like to work in another country, such as: United States, England or Russia, 4
and English is the first language of international communication. English might not be the language used in the country that I will work, but at least I have the rules to follow to learn another language. It will be easier than when I started to learn English language. It is important to mention that I have had the hardest and strictest teacher of English, Ercilia. As writer, one of the most important thing that I have developed in the Level 6 English is thinking about the reactions of people when read an essay, and the impact that will have the things that I write, believing that the impact will be good, convincing people that I have the ability to write an excellent essay. To reach it, has been important the comprehension of the topic treated and the main ideas of this. Knowing if the ideas are the better in the topic is a basic thing to convince the people that you wrote a good essay. As speaker, I think that all levels have been important, but level six has been special with the Ercilia’s corrections. Speaking is one the most important part of English. I think I needed those corrections and I think that Ercilia is hard because she wants the best for us. Thank you again for reading my portfolio. I put in a great deal of effort into my portfolio, and I hope you enjoy reading it. I am confident that you will agree with me that I have become more proficient in English and am ready to pursue my career. I feel that I am ready to face the English language around the world. Sincerely,
Sergio Hidalgo.
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Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education Sergio Hidalgo Yachay University of Investigation and Technological Research
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Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education “Until we get equality in education, we will not have an equal society� affirmed Sonia Sotomayor (2014) talking about inequality in educational system in a congress dedicated to improve quality of education in United States of America. Nowadays, there are still schools where mayors, teachers and students prefer only people of their own race, social status, religion, or color skin. This is a problem which starts with the family, and we need to solve it because kids learn from early ages to be racists. Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and President and CEO of the Learning Policy Institute, in her article Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education, debates about this topic. According to her article, exist a color line that divide people, and attention given to minorities is different than given to foreign people(1998). It should not exist, kids must learn that we are all humans, and all should be treated at the same way, because everybody deserve the same opportunities in everything, every time. The problem starts with the perspective of people, because of the major Americans think that there are not discrimination in current times. Rest of the world would think that is a true, but not because major of people think something it must be a true. We must see the problem from the point of view of people that suffer this problem every day, which are minorities. If we see the problem on this way, we can look for solutions to solve it. Minorities have always been discriminated groups in all the world; talking about United States of America, Afro-Americans, Latins and Asians have been principal victims of racism and discrimination. There are a lot of reasons such as skin color, social economic status, language, culture, or just having it as a bad habit. Minorities are treated with contempt, sometimes people hurt them physically or emotionally just because of some physical or cultural differences.
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They don’t have the same opportunity as much as have people of the own country. They are seen as deadwood and their skills and talent are slighted. Then, they can’t obtain a good job and their children can’t go to a good school; and if they achieve obtain entry in a good schools they are mistreated. But, this problem is not only between American people and foreign people; there are cases in that American people discriminates other American people. For example, in United States of America government is responsible to distribute capital for studying; this capital is obtained from property taxes. Cities where exist a lot of money from property capital there are the best schools, the best infrastructure, the best teachers, and the quality of education is exceptional. But, places where there are little money from property taxes there are bad schools, bad teachers, and education is not appropriate to students. From childhood, parents should teach to their kids that all people have rights and duties. One of the most important right is being treated respectfully and cordially, no matter the age, race, language, and another characteristic; all people deserve the same treat. One of the most important duties as citizens is always give and show this respect. To finish fixing this problem, we need mix kids of all races, religions, social economic status, and all the other characteristics that we have quote, in all schools which allows kids know about another kind of people, their culture, their believes and costumes. It can open their minds and then they can have better social relations with people of any culture and not only with the same characteristics. One of the most important things that are missed in current system is that, having a lot of cultures, where kids enjoy meeting, playing, and studying with kids from the rest of the world. Then, they will learn to be respectful and they will value the whole humanity as they are, knowing that are not the only people in the world, they are not the most important, they do not
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have more value than others because of their lifestyle, we are all have the same opportunities in school or job, and knowing that all people are to be able to do whatever they want, because all people should be free and deserve everything that to make a dignified life. In conclusion, the way to have an equal society is starts from the smallest, the kids. In opposite case, if we want to do it with adult people, it will be difficult, because this people have their ideas and thinking well raised. The difficult part is changing their mind. We must start in basic education; kids are full of love, and we should promote they shoe their love to everybody. The day when we achieve that children understand it, that generation will be the best, having an equal world where all people have the same opportunities to do the best to help improving the quality of all people in the world.
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References Darling-Hammond, L (1998). Unequal Opportunity: Race and Education. Brookings Institution. Retrieved from: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/unequal-opportunity-race-and-education/
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The Story of an Hour Sergio Hidalgo Yachay University of Investigation and Technological Research
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The Story of an Hour Kate Chopin, in 1894 wrote a depressive story: “The Story of an Hour”. This story is based on a woman, Louise, with heart trouble, who after to receive the news of her husband’s death, hid into a room and died. The limited setting of the story means that the woman wanted to be alone, away to the world to assimilate the death of her husband. There are three important points in the story: her loneliness which she treats as freedom, her heart, and her sister who wants to help her. The heart trouble may not represent her physical heart but it is linked with love problems. Maybe she did not love her husband, according Chopin “She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms” (1894, para 3). Maybe she wanted the death of her husband because she whispered that her body and soul were free (Chopin, 1894). The fact that she went to her room alone means that she wanted to enjoy her freedom away to the rest. She closed the door and opened the window to feel freedom in her soul. Maybe she is not depressed, maybe she assimilated the death of her husband from the first moment that she received the news. Her sister Josephine thought that the news had impacted her, she just wanted to help, to calm the suffering, for this reason she implored by admission. Everything make sense when she said Louise that she makes herself ill and Louise answered: “Go away. I am not making myself ill” (Chopin, 1894, para 17). In conclusion, the woman is taken her loneliness and depression as freedom. She was waiting for that moment. It was time to stay away to everything that she wanted to. She
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wanted nobody in her room, because she wanted to enjoy her victory. Her victory was the death of her husband.
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References
Chopin, Kate (1894). The Story of an Hour. Retrieved, 13th October, 2016, from: www.katechopin.org/today/
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The Starry Night: Interpretation Essay Danna Castillo, Sergio Hidalgo YACHAY University of Experimental Technological Research
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The Starry Night: Interpretation Essay “I dream my painting and I paint my dreams” (1985) said Van Gogh in his infinite artistic mind, finishing his work ‘Potato Eaters’. Nowadays, the Masterpiece of postimpressionism is Starry Night. Starry Night was painted in 1889 by Van Gogh while he was in the Saint-Rémy-de-Provence sanatorium in France, where he was hospitalized by himself 13 months before his death. Van Gogh was born in Zundert, Netherlands in 30th March, 1853. He was one the principal post-impressionist painters. Although he sold only one painting in his time, nowadays this painting have become the Masterpiece of Van Gogh and post-impressionism, have been reproduced a lot of times, and has been object of study by many experts in the topic. From 1941 it is in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The measures of this work are 73cm high and 92 cm wide (Van Gogh Gallery, 2015). The elements of this painting represent the best of the post-impressionism using oil techniques and imagination as his main sense to paint, which give the beauty and perfection until the last detail to the paintings. Starry night was painted using a technique called oil on canvas, the most used technique from Reenactment. To use this technique artists mix paint and oil to obtain a firm mixing. They use linen and cotton canvas, because they are more consistent and keep the paint adhered from the first moment. Van Gogh used fine brushes to get all the details in the painting taking care about not damage the others details made but without getting to the excesses. Another great reason why this technique is one of the most used in painting word is because the materials have a better portability and avoid the disadvantages of the other materials’ textures, such as wood (Berger, 1961). In one letter to his brother that he sent from the sanatorium, he said that he was thinking about nature. Also, Van Gogh painted his work from his room in the sanatorium where there was a window but he could not see any city from there but mountains. This make
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sense that he painted Starry night by rote and he had just imagined the picture to make his painting (Paulson, 2016). This is one of the most interesting things about this painting, he did not see in that moment while he was painting to make a Masterpiece, his imagination was enough. The message left by this part is that sometimes our imagination can be most important and powerful that our physical senses. Starry night is a painting that has a combination between real and unreal in the elements that composes it as sky, rolling hills, and dark structure. Vincent van Gogh is characterized by his impressionist painting because impressionism is very creative. In particular, Starry Night is some unreal because he painted while he was resting in the psychiatric hospital. It is possible this painting is partly a figment of Van Gogh's imagination when he looks outside his window. (Shabi, 2013) Elements can be or not figment his imagination had generated intrigue. One of them and main is the sky, it is filled with swirling clouds, stars ablaze with their luminescence and bright crescent moon. Although the features are exaggerated, the most individuals feel comfortable. The sky keeps the viewer’s eyes moving about the painting, following the curves and creating dot to dot with the stars. Next element is rolling hills of the horizon lies a small town. There is a peaceful scene flowing from the structures. The center of the town is a church. This church gives a sense of stability to town and also creates a sense of size and seclusion. Rolling hills spark memories of our own warm childhood years filled with imagination of what exists in the night and dark starry skies. The last main element is a massive dark structure that develops an even greater sense of size and isolation. This structure is magnificent and creates the sensation of depth in the painting, allowing to the audience to interpret different things since a tower until a tree. (Gallery, 2015) A curious aspect of Starry Night is that a group of art critics gives to this picture a religious connotation doubt they found a biblical meaning in the number of stars painted on it
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that allude to specific Bible verse which says “Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, saying, Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.� GENESIS 37:9. Some art critics think that Vincent identified with Joseph because, like him, he did not receive the recognition of the art critics of his time. (Shabi, 2013) Starry Night is a painting very curious because it evokes a mix of emotions. It has negative emotions, but also it has feelings of hope. This work have the capacity touches your heart, soul and convey the passion with it was made. Work was done by Vincent Van Gogh also have simplicity, honesty, and elements to contain life. After his death, he got the glory he wanted so much. Vincent Van Gogh was the forerunner of a style artistic.
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References Shabi, K. (2013, June 3). Starry Night: Meaning of the Vincent Van Gogh Landscape Painting. Retrieved November 15, 2016, from: http://legomenon.com/starry-nightmeaning-of-vincent-van-gogh-painting.html Starry Night – Vincent Van Gogh’s Painting of Hope & Despair. (2009, June 15). Retrieved November 17, 2016, from: http://wanderingmist.com/inspiration/starry-night-vincentvan-gogh-painting-of-hope-and-despair/ Vincent van Gogh: Starry Night. (2015). Retrieved November 15, 2016, from: http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starry-night.html Vincent Van Gogh Gallery. Vincent Van Gogh Biography (2015). Retrieved November 17, 2016, from: http://www.vangoghgallery.com/misc/biography.html Berger, E (1961). History of the Art of Oil Painting. Moscow. Retrieved November 16, 2016, from: http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Oil-on-canvas Paulson, N (2016). Van Gogh, The Starry Night. Khan Academy. Retrieved November 17, 2016, from: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/avant-gardefrance/post-impressionism/a/van-gogh-the-starry-night
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Legalize All Drugs: It is not a Good Idea Sergio Hidalgo YACHAY University of Experimental Technological Research
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Legalize All Drugs: It is not a Good Idea Getting high or having drugs is not a human right stipulated in letters or Constitution. Drugs have been a problem during a lot of years. From the use of drugs in medicines to the personal use of dangerous drugs in people. A lot of legal drugs have made addict to a lot of people. These kind of drugs must be used mandatory, because there are not more choices. Then, think about the use of drugs voluntary; the consequences will be catastrophic (Baum, 2016). Governments should consider the health and safeness of people, that is more important than the money that would be picked up in taxes by drugs selling. The main reasons of no legalization are: there will not be a control in people, mafia will not disappear and economy will not improve in countries legalizers. If all drugs are legalized, first think about people who have self-control, I think that this is not a bad idea. Now, think about the opposite case, people who want more and more drugs. Who will be the responsible for accidents by drugs and/or deaths by overdoses? Governments? Dealers? Think about the syringe sharing. A lot of diseases will be spread around the world. And, what about children? Nobody can guarantee that they and the rest of the people will be safe (Baum, 2016). Legalization of drugs does not guarantee that black market will disappear. As people and Government know, almost all legal business has a black market. The closest example is our country, Ecuador, in which there are business of products such as gas, oil, jewelries, which are legal. But, the illegal traffic of these products continues. Mafia knows that if they traffic their drugs legally, Government will collect taxes from them. But, if they do not pay taxes, they will obtain more money. There are a lot of people saying that collecting taxes from legalization of drugs, economy will improve. They say that this money can be used to help addicted people, 25
building helping centers for example. But, have they thought about how many people become addicted form legalization? How many people will see infected by diseases scattered by drugs consumers? The helping centers and health system will be not enough to attend the millions of people affected in anyway. In order to preserve the life and integrity of people, drugs should not be legalized. It is enough with the legal drugs that exist right now. A lot of families will be affected; mafia will carry on working. In these cases, Government should choose the way that guarantees better the health and integrity of people.
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References Baum, D (2016). Legalize It All. Harper’s Magazine. Retrieved, 1st December, 2016, from: http://harpers.org/archive/2016/04/legalize-it-all/
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We Should Not Receive Classes in English from the Fifth Semester Sergio Hidalgo Yachay University for Experimental Technology and Research
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Abstract Before learning another language, the comprehension of the mother language is very important to understand the current culture where people have lived. This topic can be difficult, then learning another language being in a country where this is not spoken can be more difficult, and more when science language is added. People, and specially Yachay students, should think about the freedom and sovereignty of our country. Language is part of the identity of a country. To introduce other language in science, almost as the official is not respect the freedom and sovereignty of a country, because science is the base of development of a country, mainly in the countries in ways of developing such as Ecuador. The learning of another language is necessary when people get a job or studying in another country that uses that language; nobody should be forced to receive classes in another language being her/his native country. Keywords: English, language, Spanish, learning, country, mother language.
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We Should Not Receive Classes in English from the Fifth Semester English has become the global language. In 2014 around 1.8 billion people spoke and communicate in English (Hammond, 2014). Almost everything about science and social issues is being learned in English. In the world there are around 7000 languages. Spanish is the main language in our country thus in our university, but from fifth semester we receive all classes in English. It is a good idea to have a global language, but people will face some problems. Receiving subjects in English is an extra weight in studies. A lot of students that come to Yachay don’t have a good level of English. Sometimes it is difficult to understand the topics in Spanish, then studying in English is double hard than studying in Spanish. Also, English is being overrated. Given these ideas, there are many reasons to not receive classes in English from fifth semester. Some of them are described next. People should give more value to their mother language, understanding the things that are around them, instead of learning English only. Then, they can learn to communicate with foreign people (Ramesh, 2015). English is not easy to learn. There are a lot of facts that make difficult to understand this language (Oxford Royale Academy, 2015). If everything is learned in one particular language, we are falling in an empire, attending the interests of greatest powers around the word (Cohen, 2012). In our university we can study in Spanish. It would be easier. We will know better our current culture and we would have not attending the whims of any power. Learning about our country and its complete current culture is important to know everything within it: the educational system, the behavior of people and more. Learning and understanding our mother language, fluently and avoiding mistakes as much as possible, is a good start to achieve the last mentioned things. The mother language defines people and their culture. All family, almost all friends and the most important people speak your mother
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language. These reasons give relevance to the importance of learning the mother language as better as people can do it (Ramesh, 2015). Right now Yachay students must concentrate in the last topics, studying the science classes and learn the basis of communication in English. Also, we make all the other activities in Spanish, the contribution of the classes in English will be very little, because students are just learning specific things about science in English. The true communication is almost omitted. To achieve having a fluent language people should practice all the day and every day. One good reason to want to learn another language is having a job or studying in a country where is spoken a different language (Ramesh, 2015). The most of people have had problems understanding dialects or phrases in their own language, or in their own country at least once. The complete comprehension of one language, the mother language, is already a difficult task. Then, start from zero with another language may be more difficult. According to the Oxford Royale Academy, English is specially very hard to learn because there are many factors that make it so: contradictions, exceptions, to order the words, pronunciation, emphasis, homophone, the not interchanging of synonyms, traces of archaic English, and regional dialect (2014). Considering this idea, to learn the basics of English may be easy or difficult, but try learning all the tricks in English may be looking for the death. This difficultness just might reduce when people are in the country where that language is used. Have people ever thought about what is behind the products that they consume? Currently, the major of products are controlled and sold by big business (Miles, 2013). This controlling should be enough; in fact, this should not exist. To want control the language means the manipulation of the countries, play with sovereignty and freedom, because language is an important part of identity in a country. Using another language in science issues is already introduce that language almost in all issues, because science is a very important thing in the
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development of a country. Then, introducing and learning English is automatically fall in American and British empire, they are imposing to us to know their language because they are powers in economy and technology (Cohen, 2012). We should start to produce, then we will to face these powers and fight again the technologies empire. In conclusion, the learning of another language is good when people are in another country. In the meantime, students can live with the learning of basics in English communication, but before that people must know their culture. The good learning of mother language is very important to achieve this objective. If people want to learn another language without knowing their own, it will be a very difficult task and maybe they will suffer a lack of identity. The production of science and technology in the mother language is a starting to get out from the current empires and Yachay is a powerful tool to achieve this aim.
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References Ramesh, A (2015). Should a person give more importance to English than their mother tongue? Quora. The Best Answer to Any Question. Retrieved from: https://www.quora.com/Should-a-person-give-more-importance-to-English-than-theirmother-tongue Oxford Royale Academy (2014). Why Is English So Hard To Learn? Oxford Royale Academy. Retrieved from: https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/articles/learning-english-hard.html Cohen, P (2012). The Rise and Fall of the American Linguistic Empire. Dissent Magazine. Retrieved from: https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-rise-and-fall-of-theamerican-linguistic-empire Hammond, A (2014). How did English become the world’s most widely spoken language? ESL– Language Studies Abroad. Retrieved from: http://blog.esl-languages.com/blog/learnlanguages/english/english-language-global-number-one/ Miles, C. (2103) 10 Corporations Control Almost Everything You Buy — This Chart Shows How. Information Clearing House – World News Daily. Retrieved from: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article36743.htm
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I am very grateful with all people that belong this English level, which has been one of the best, especially by all learning. First, I thank the Yachay people who make the English program possible, they are always pending of the correct execution of program. I thank my teacher, Ercilia, by share a lot of knowledge with us. Without her advices, I had not learned all the interesting things in English level six. I thank my classmates, solidary and honest people with which not only English is learned, but values also. All these people have made possible the English program and this portfolio. But, I have a special thanks to you, reader, really thanks for reading my portfolio. It has not make sense if you were not reading it. Thanks for be so brave to reach the final of my portfolio!
Sincerely,
Sergio.
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