Category Archives: Grade 11

First Peoples English 11

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My Writing

Ray Levoi, a young FBI agent, embarks on a difficult journey of self-discovery while investigating a murder on a Native American reservation. Through his interactions with the Native American community and his personal exploration of his heritage, Ray finds himself and develops a strong connection with his roots/heritage. Ray’s investigation on the Native American reservation and the people he meets such as Sam Reaches, Walter Crow Horse, and Maggie Eagle Bear become a catalyst for his personal transformation. This leading him to rediscover and embrace his heritage, ultimately providing him with a renewed sense of identity and belonging. 

Sam Reaches, a knowledgeable and reserved elder, is essential to Ray’s quest for identity and reunification with his roots. Sam becomes. somewhat of a mentor and guide for Ray via their interactions and chats, sharing priceless insights and knowledge about Native American culture and spirituality. Ray can speak up and explore his own biases and preconceptions because of Sam’s understanding and sympathetic nature.  

Even though Ray was rude to Sam toward the beginning, Sam continued to try and help Ray in his investigation and self-identity journey. Ray learns the importance of his lineage and how it affects his identity under Sam’s tutelage. Ray is guided through the complexities of Native American history, traditions, and challenges through what Sam tells him, which finally helps him come to a profound understanding of himself and a strong appreciation for his lineage. One way that Sam helps show Ray that the Natives aren’t the “bad guys”, and that there is someone else working against him, is when he showed Ray the bullet casing after Ray was under fire at Sam’s house. The FBI tries to lead Ray to think that it was Jimmy Looks Twice or ARM members, however, Sam quickly disproves that. He does so by showing Ray that the bullet casing was “federal issued”, meaning it’s something that only the police or FBI would have access to.  

A reason that most of Ray’s change is external, is because of the Natives he meets that help him see the corruption in the FBI. Walter Crow Horse is an FBI officer that Ray meets on the investigation and ends up helping him find out the truth about what the FBI is doing. Ray is often told by Frank Coutelle to discredit what Walter says as he is not part of their branch of the FBI. Though that is true, he says it because his not being part of the same branch, means that he most likely disagrees with the true motives of the FBI. As Ray and Walter became closer, he shares stories of past injustices and the longstanding mistreatment of Native Americans, making Ray question the integrity of the organization Ray represents. Another thing that Walter did to help Ray find his identity, was to invite him to grandpa Reaches’ house. When at his house, when sitting around the campfire, Ray has a vision of a memory from when he was a child. A memory of his father being drunk when he was much younger. This memory Ray has been trying to suppress for a long time.  

Maggie Eagle Bear, a resilient member of the Native American community, plays a pivotal role in helping Ray find, form, and change his identity. When Ray visits Maggie at the river, they have a deep conversation about his past and more specifically, his father. Ray shares how his father was a drunk, and reckless, and that he “drunk himself to death”. Ray told everyone that he didn’t know his father, but this is most likely because he was ashamed of him. As Ray gets his Sioux heritage from his father, this is why he is ashamed and doesn’t speak about his Native heritage. When Ray was talking to Maggie, that is the first time he opened up to anyone about what happened with his father, this means that Maggie helped him accept who his father was and is less ashamed of his Sioux heritage. This changing Ray’s identity.  

In conclusion, the movie Thunderheart portrays how Ray Levoi’s investigation on the Native reservation becomes a catalyst for his personal transformation, leading him to rediscover and embrace his heritage. Through interactions with people like Sam Reaches and Maggie Eagle Bear, he undergoes a profound journey of self-discovery, developing a renewed sense of identity and belonging.  

Thunderheart Dir. Michael Adapted, Performers Ray – Val Kilmer, Walter – Graham Green, Frank – Sam Shepard, Sam – Ted Thin Elk, Maggie – Sheih Tousey, Tri Star, 1992. DVD

Core Competency Reflection

Critical Thinking

Ḵayx̱(“kai-hh” –mink) teaches us to think critically and persevere when faced with a challenge. Mink teaches us to observe, analyze, and critique information and experiences. Our inquiries provide us with opportunities to question and investigate as well as develop and design plans.

Question and Investigate – It was vital that I apply my critical thinking and questioning skills in this project to build a good idea on which to write our essay. We created an essay about the main character Ray Levoi in the film Thunderheart and how he changed during the film for this assignment. The question was whether Ray’s shift was more external or internal. This compelled me to reexamine the circumstances surrounding Ray’s identity shift. To find the answer to this question, I had to go back and explore and rewatch parts of the movie to figure out what was causing his change. Though Ray’s transformation was not one or the other, I concluded that the cause of his transformation was mostly external. He would not have gone through the changes he did if it hadn’t been for the people he encountered along the way. In my essay, I go into greater depth on why the change was primarily external.

Creative Thinking

Sḵewḵ'(“sk-oww-k” –raven) teaches us to be creative and playful in all that we do. Raven teaches us to generate new ideas inspired by others or by our own personal experiences. As Creative Thinkers, we can generate unique and innovative ideas.

Generating/Developing Ideas – As I investigated the intricate shifts experienced by Ray Levoi in the novel, this task provided an opportunity to display creative thinking. The causes for his shift were not immediately apparent, necessitating innovative and critical thinking on my part in order to produce thoughts and comprehend what inspired his new sense of self. This entailed analyzing several options, such as influential mentors, life-changing experiences, or the wisdom of supporting characters. I obtained a better knowledge of the aspects influencing Ray’s progress through creative thinking.

Furthermore, I investigated if Ray’s change was caused by external or internal forces. I produced a well-rounded view of Ray’s journey by analyzing the impact of contacts with diverse people and exposure to different cultures, as well as Ray’s own self-reflection and personal growth. This creative thinking method allowed me to compose an article that depicts the complicated nature of Ray Levoi’s change as well as the dynamic elements that drove his character development.

Communication

Tḵáya(“tuh-kai-ya” –wolf) teaches us to communicate clearly. Wolf teaches us how we can connect and engage with others; gather and share information; and cooperate with others by listening to and respecting each other.

Acquire, Interpret, and Present Information – This essay provided an excellent opportunity for me to demonstrate my ability to clearly explain information. This task allowed me to exhibit my ability to properly communicate the knowledge and insights I had gained. I was able to deliver the facts to the reader in an easily understood manner by organizing my thoughts, arranging the essay coherently, and utilizing brief language. This experience reinforced my ability to articulate ideas and communicate complicated concepts in a clear and straightforward manner.

One Goal I Have For Myself

Some of the things I do to stay mentally and physically healthy include…

I find myself often feeling stretched thin because I don’t often think of ways to maintain or improve my mental health. Some ways that I might try to improve my mental health when feeling stressed are by doing things like prioritizing self-care. Doing activities that make me happy, trying to have a well-balanced diet, and getting sufficient sleep are some examples of ways I can prioritize myself. Another thing I can do to help my mental health are to practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques. Taking maybe 10 minutes a day to meditate or listening to some music I enjoy are simple ways that can help me achieve this goal.

Graphing A Parabola

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My Parabola: 𝑦=−2(𝑥+1)2−7

The Standard Parabola: y=x2 or y=a(x-h)2+k

My Parabola is the one in red and the standard is the one in blue.

y=a(x-h)2+k If “a” is negative, the parabola opens downward, as shown by the red parabola above, and if “a” is positive, the parabola opens upward, as shown by the blue parabola above. The parameter “a” also affects the breadth of the parabola. The “h” defines how far the parabola is displaced off the x-axis. For instance, if “h” is positive as in the red parabola, the 1 in the equation for the blue parabola is made negative, shifting the parabola -1 times to the left. The vertex’s x point and axis of symmetry are both represented by the opposite sign of “h”. The red parabola (mine) is shifted -7 down according to “k,” which also affects how the parabola is shifted on the y axis. The value of “k” also defines the vertex’s y-coordinate, minimum and maximum values. So to clearly find the vertex of a parabola you get the opposite sign of “h” for x (mine would be -1), and “k” for y (mine would b -7). So my vertex would b (-1,-7). You can also tell your axis of symmetry by getting whatever the x was for your vertex (mine would be x=-1).

Self Assessment

I used a graph, an equation, and a verbal example to illustrate the same mathematical concept in three different methods. This was very helpful in explaining my parabola and making graphing it clear.

In this assignment, I used terms like “minimum and maximum values,” “axis of symmetry,” “vertex,” and others. I used these terms to better explain my parabola.

I used formatting to present organized, clear information by condensing it into a manageable bundle and creating a pleasing layout. I chose to be concise with my information while still writing in an easy-to-read manner that is full of necessary information.