Explanatory Synthesis Notes

My first source explains how he discovered the science of body language and the types of ideas he formed about body language. I felt that this would be considered a credible source because where do you start with something when you want to explain all of it? The beginning. His different ideas felt important to me because it is useful to know where it all began and how his ideas and conceptions changed over time as more and more people became interested in the idea of body language.

My second source was very useful because there was more information on the types of studies she held and more information on what she did and does specifically compared to the first source, who is quite a bit older than her. Her ideas were more personal because she related them back to her own life as a beginner college student who was just in a terrible car accident leaving her with severe head trauma and doctors that didn't ever think that she would be able to get to where she is now. The phrase that she lived by in her beginning years as a college student were "fake it until you make it". This quote was very important to her and it can be very relatable. It is something that many people can do. The other things that she discussed were how to make yourself more confident by making your body physically bigger (stretching out, hands on hips, not crouched). I tried doing this myself and it worked, I felt more confident and less stressed out, and it only took two minutes.

Both of my sources are very valuable to me because there are multiple spots in my essay where I can insert their information or cite them. They are very successful people who have a lot under their belt therefore I believe that their information is valid and should be taken in to consideration.

Explaining My Interests

My main interest is my Guinea Pig. I have had her since November and I love her very much. I am always finding new things for her to play with and new things to do for her. I like to take care of people and especially animals and knowing that when I go home every day she will be there for me to take care of her. Watching out for people and animals is something that I've always done, I have had a bird since I was six years old and have been taking care of him up until two years ago when I had to put him down because of an illness. Those two years that I didn't have my bird to take care of were very boring to me, I felt like I was missing something in my life and it was a pet. When I got Heidi (my guinea pig) the whole in my heart was instantly filled. I have had nothing but good experiences with her. I have never had a Guinea Pig before and knew nothing about them so when I fist got her I had a lot to learn. I love learning about things that I am interested in. I know now more about Guinea Pigs now than I ever have before. All the different types of fruits & vegetables that they can eat are something that I like to learn about, how to properly care for them, types of bedding, and so much more. There are many things that a person can learn about a subject but it is so much more interesting and fun when it is about something that you love. When I got Heidi, I started out with regular shredded wood shavings. They were relatively costly and I was determined to find a different way of bedding for her. I eventually learned about the fleece bedding method. You take a sheet of fleece, fit it to the size of their cage and then put some sort of absorbent layer under that. I purchased 3 yards of fleece for 40 cents on amazon and found old towels in my home for the absorbent lay underneath and have been using those since I've had her. I love fleece, it is very neat looking and the shredded bedding was not, it is such a money saver and I would recommend it to anyone with a Guinea Pig. 

Thoughts on Peers Reviewing our Essays

I personally didn't benefit from the peer reviews. I felt that a lot of the things the people said were things that I did right or the things that I already knew that I had to fix. I wish we would have had more time to work with the professor because he knows what to look for compared to the students that are in his class. Would have preferred to have a full day to work on our essays with the professor in the room with us able to answer any of the questions that we have but to a certain extent of course. I also think that a better example on what we should have done for a design plan should have been available considering that myself and other students I know have never done a design plan before. Overall I think that my essay is fairly good with few corrections that need to be taken care of and I think that those who looked over my essay saw the same things that I did.