1st Quarter Reflections

During the year I have changed a lot. I've learned a lot of new skills in my 1st quarter classes. In this blog you'll learn how I've changed.

My 40 Book Challenge is a factor that changed my tastes in books. In the past I would have stuck with fiction and fantasy. But the 40 Book Challenge had requirements that made me read in a variety of genres. The genres were classics, poetry, informational books, historical, etc. So far I've read 4 and 1/2 books. 

In 6 grade I was a blogger in my reading class. This year I'm also blogging and it's had an effect on me. Blogging has made me a better writer because I'm practicing writing with every letter, word, sentence, and paragraph I write. I've learned how to be creative with restrictions and set topics. 

During all my years in school my teachers have given me many strategies that are very useful. For example when testing they tell me to read the questions before I read essays. They also tell me to have a clear and detailed schedule because time management is important. When trying to commit something to memory I've been told to relate things to events or things in my long-term memory. These strategies have helped me throughout this first quarter.

In my reading class researching is an necessary tool. Every day we use this strategy and skill to find the answers to our questions. In the past I thought that I had great researching skills but in this class I see people with true researching skills. Learning new ways to research things and learning new formatting has helped me improve my researching skills. 

This year many new things have been included as a weekly homework event. For example we have to write down our spelling words on quizlet and a sheet of paper along with roots and examples. One thing that I'm glad we have is the AOW or our Article of the Week. In the past I wasn't aware of world news unless someone else informed me about it. With the AOW I'm learning and understanding world problems like refugees and new laws or intentions by people with high rank around the world. I hope to keep on task and keep changing for the better this year.