Growth Mindset
In the words of Carol Dweck,”A growth mindset is the belief that you can develop your talents and abilities through hard work, good strategies, and help from others.” There are some rules and contributions to this theory. In an article written by Carol Dweck, a psychologist, she talks about how to recognize and overcome a fake growth mindset. According to her findings, teachers were praising their effort, even if it’s wrong. For instance, Dweck stated,”Teachers need to tell the truth. They can acknowledge laudable effort, but they also need to acknowledge when students are not learning effectively, and then work with them to find new learning strategies.” This shows that you have to tell your students things in a certain way to build that growth mindset. This has contributed to students and teachers because teachers have to know certain things in order for them to teach their students into a growth mindset.
We chose to represent the growth and fixed mindset as an iceberg. Our artifact is an iceberg, which means most of it is underwater. The top represents the fixed mindset because from afar it might look like beautiful cliffs of ice and snow, but came from a chunk of an ice glacier that represents the negative thoughts and no effort. As the top melts, the water cannot refreeze on the top. The part below water represents the growth mindset because icebergs can slowly grow. With a growth mindset, you make mistakes but slowly grow like an iceberg. Our artifact connects to our imperative because many factors contribute to icebergs like the growth, the iceberg melting, and the water. The water represents the clear thoughts and a clear goal of learning and trying. The sky represents the fixed mindset and its foggy thoughts, along with the unclear understandings of things. Our artifact is very important because it represents what both mindsets can be and two sides of the mindsets.

Reading Log #1:  I Am Not Esther Characters

Kirby is the daughter, who's mother left to Africa. Kirby's mother is Marth (or Ellen) according to Caleb. Luisa is the neighbor with 3 kids (practically family), Gemma is Luisa's oldest daughter and Kirby's best friend from their old home. Mum has 5 brothers and 3 sisters that Kirby never knew about. Kirby's aunt is named Naomi, which is tall, blonde, and pregnant. Kirby has many cousins, one of them being Daniel, the eldest one. Rachel and Rebecca are about 12, fine boned, have long fair hair, and big wary eyes. Another boy, Abraham had big eyes like the sisters, but were not wary. Everyone else seemed holy except for him. Luke is the smallest boy (7), and Madgalene, the young girl that had just turned 5. 

Reading Log #2: I am Not Esther (Plot)

An important scene that has just occurred takes place in the park. The incident occurred at an unexpected time. The whole family had just gone to a dreaded trip to the town to get boring uniforms and black shoes for school. The family then went to the park near the lake, and were having a better-than-usual time, and as they were leaving and cleaning up, the incident occurred. They see Miriam. The supposed dead sister,  according to uncle Caleb and aunt Naomi, appeared at the top of the hill staring intently. At the moment when Maggie saw her, she instantly freaked out. She started to scream sounding terrified, which also looking at Miriam, sent chills down Esther's back. The incident was a problem because it would change everything, starting with the family. Nobody could believe it. Nobody said a word. As they all ran away from her and ran inside the van, Miriam was crying and screamed out," Tell her I'm not dead. Tell her I love her!"(90). On the way home nobody said a word.  "The only sound was Maggie's high, kneeling wail."(91). 

October 19, 2017-Reading Log #3// I am Not Esther by Fleur Beale
Topic Choice #4 Literary Elements and Devices

Foreshadowing plays a big role in the story. One way foreshadowing is used is when  Esther goes to the school counselor and tells her about her mother and how she just left her with uncle Caleb. "She never left me! Never! Even when she went on courses and stuff, she'd ring me up every night. That's why I can't understand! It doesn't make sense!"(128). This creates a sense of danger and foreshadows that something might have happened to her mother, or that they are going to find her. Back home, aunt Naomi is very sick. "The twins had made aunt Naomi go to bed. She looked dreadful."(146) This might explain why Aunt Naomi gets very sick, or even dies.