7th Grade Reflections
Throughout the year, a plethora of different events had occurred in my 7th Grade Accelerated Language Arts Class. To reading and analyzing iconic novellas to connecting current world events to our personal experiences, we have come an incredibly long way in our ability to understand literature and proper utilization of different tools in the English language. But have we always been as knowledgable as we are today of these topics as we were five months ago? Absolutely not. This is because of our vast improvement since that time. In this blog, I am going to answer different questions and inquiries that many others might have about the Accelerated Language Arts Class. These answers will be based off of recent reflections I have made pertaining to these inquiries.
What are the three most important things you learned this year?
Much like the majority of students currently attending this class, I have learned a monumental amount of knowledge pertaining to different writing formats, annotation methods, and punctuation and spelling strategies that it would be difficult to nitpick merely three lessons. But there are most definitely at least three crucial lessons that I know will forever benefit my reading/writing ethic. The first I must list is proper punctuation while writing. Ask almost anyone who spends a majority of their time writing and creating different professional papers, essays, and documents will tell you that proper punctuation is without a doubt essential in writing a successful document, and this class seems to strongly reinforce this idea. After learning this lesson in ELA, I am much more aware of my punctuation and how to correct it if it happens to be incorrect.
The second lesson that was discussed in this class was how to make connections to literature and personal experiences. Before actually thinking about this topic, I had been reading books and subconsciously refusing to think past the book's text and the book's meanings. Due to this, I found it difficult to truly understand a majority of the book. But after guiding myself to make personal connections to different scenarios occurring in the book in this class, I can now relate more easily to the character's thoughts and emotions.
The last lesson I would like to address in this blog that I believe was very crucial in successfully creating a presentation/essay is annotating right after reading. Before utilizing this skill, I often forgot about the different key details that indicate character traits and personalities. But after learning about annotating further, I can now easily access early thoughts and opinions on the book's content and messages.
What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?
Even though there have been many ELA occurrences that will be hard to forget in the future, there is one that I know is going to be undeniably remembered. That is our Socratic Seminars that we have had. These events may seem forgettable to others, but I believe that the Seminars will be recurring in different other classes and the first ones I had in this class will influence the thinking and participation for future Socratic Seminars.
What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?
I believe that advisory and criticism from others on your works is crucial to succeeding in different classes, and I believe that the criticism from students in Accelerated English Language Arts was absolutely practical, helpful, and clear. This advisory and guidance from other more experienced students really helped me exceed in this class.
What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?
Even though I have been in this current ELA class for a short period of time, I have still been able to educate or make clear to others on different terms and definitions. One of these occurrences was when others were confused on different character traits of characters in the novel "First They Killed My Father". Because of the clarification I had given to others in my literature circle on these topics and topics pertaining to them, we were able to work more efficiently as a group.
In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements?What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?
There have been many areas in which I have improved my work and effort, but one that was quite notable was in my annotating. When I was first starting to annotate, I had made very bland and bare observations towards the passages and words. But after gaining more experience in this area, I now am able to create a much more original and clear observation towards the text.
What was the most challenging part of this year for you?
Even though I have had to overcome a few more minor obstacles during the coarse of this year, but one that was guide major and life-altering challenge I had to face was arriving to this class. Unlike many of the other students currently attending this class, I relocated to this classroom midyear. Because of the lack of knowledge I had on the way of work in this class, I felt bemused and worried and apprehensive of how efficient I will be in future classes. But despite my worries, I had pushed through and overcame a large majorities of my downfalls caused by my new arrival.
What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?
Although I have encountered many flawed pieces of work I have produced, I can recall one that I am thoroughly pleased with. This one is the Article of the Week Poem I had created detailing the causes and effects of the Uber Shooting. I am particularly proud of this poem because I believe I had done a good job at incorporating both actual facts about the event, while simultaneously incorporating both personal and popular emotions and opinions on the entire situation.
Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?
One of the books I had read over the course of this entire class that I had really enjoyed was the book "First They Killed My Father". I had found this book intriguing because it isn't very often in which you can hear the thoughts of a young child during such serious issues, such as war, murder, and rape, and this book was told in entirely that perspective. The book had also touched on the feelings, both emotional and physical, that many people had faced during times of war and poverty, which is particularly fascinating issue in my opinion.
What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?
Don't focus on how others are doing in the class and compare yourself to them. You are an individual. You should be focused on your own works and how you can improve them. You should also make sure that you are listening to the criticism other give you. You do not always have to apply the criticism, especially if it is given solely out of spite or hatred, but you should always listen and consider.
