3rd Quarter Reflections

Prompts:

1.  Of the books you have read this quarter, which was your favorite? Why? 

2.  What is something you have accomplished this quarter that you are proud of? 

3.  How have your research skills improved? 


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This quarter has been filled with many lessons, books, essays, etc. It may have been hectic at times but it has taught me many things. These things can range from creating an argumentative essay, to writing poetry, and all the way to analyzing charter development. I also read a lot more books, putting my closer to achieving my 40 book challenge.

1.

       I haven't read many books this quarter, which is something I have to work on next quarter, however I did read A Bronx Masquerade in class.  That has to be my favorite out of the little books I've read. It's my favorite book of the quarter because it was such a simple book yet it had a lot of meaning behind it. As we read it I fell in love with the characters, and their personalities. My favorite character was Raul because he was confident with his art, and didn't care what anyone thought. I actually became emotionally attached to the characters, such as Lupe. I was genuinely concerned for her, I thought she was going to do something she would later regret.  Not only did the characters and their drama interest me but their poems did too.  I really enjoyed the poetry and a lot of it inspired me and helped me create my own poems. It was very interesting reading about how the characters felt and what they thought, especially about their surroundings. This has to be one of the only books that I've read that can actually fall into realistic fiction. Overall I loved it!


2.

       There are many things that I have accomplished this quarter, one of them being getting 4's on 6/7 of my vocabulary tests. I am also proud of the fact that I have improved with my MAP scores for both math and reading. However, an achievement that I am the most proud of is being able to create poetry. I remember getting mad when we had to write our own poems because I hated it, but when I was finished I'd be so happy with the result. I would be so proud and happy that I'd go and read it to my whole family, it got to the point where my sister would say "I don't care, can you leave me alone?" (She's always like that though). My favorite poem I created is my Picture Poem. I grew fond of the poems, and when they rhymed perfectly I would be so happy. At first I thought it was going to be super hard, and it was at times, but it was worth it. I feel like poetry is a way to put all of your emotions and thoughts down, and since they don't have to be explicit it just makes the experience even better. It's been quite an experience learning about poetry as well as making it.

3.

       My research skills have improved greatly since the beginning of the year. Out of all the assignments we have done, I think the biggest assignment that has helped me improve a lot would be writing our argumentative essay.  That project took a lot of researching and it was one where I learned a lot of things on what to do and what not to do. For example, I have improved with using the TIQA format as well as summarizing. Also, our interview project we had to do with some well known people from the Bronx also helped. I think something that is very important that I've learned is how to create a works cited page. Before this year, I didn't even know what it was. These projects have allowed me to improve my skills. Our aow's have also helped improve my research skills, especially because we do it so often it's just something you continuously do that, after a while, starts making a difference. If someone were to ask me right now if I think that I've improved with doing research and collecting data I'd have to answer with a definitely. How did I do this? The answer is simple, the amount of times Mrs. Larson has assigned us a research project has exposed our class to newer things regarding it. Not only that, but we've also learned how to properly do them. At the end of the day, I'm just happy I did something productive.

       In general, this quarter has been filled with many lessons and some new experiences. I'm really happy that we have 3/4 of the school year over already. This was just another step into getting closer to summer!