End of Year Reflection Blog

1: What are the three most important things you learned this year?

There are many things I learned during this year, but the three most important things are how to use topic sentences, time management, and that reading helps your vocabulary. Using topic sentences has become easier to me because I just rephrase the question and answer it without making the answer confusing. Time management was something that was hard to do but I learned that in order to get work done you have to set time for yourself to get something done. I've always thought that reading was just something you were forced to do but instead it's a new way of learning extra words.

2: What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?

Something we did this year that I will remember for the rest of my life is all the parties we had and seeing everyone have a good time. I think I will remember this because when I first came into this class I wasn't sure as to what I was expecting but when the year progressed, I learned that things will get tough sometimes but there's almost always a reward.

3: What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?

The nicest thing someone did in class for me this year was always reminding me what we had for homework when I forgot. Even though it may not seem like a lot, it really helped me out. I would always ask them for clarification on our assignments each day and I'm glad they didn't get annoyed with me asking. Something I realized from doing this was that paying attention is really crucial in a class like this.

4: What is something you taught your teacher or classmate this year?

Something I have taught one of my classmates this year is that people will most likely not be there for you when you need something. Although it could be the littlest thing like borrowing a pencil, some people may not be willing to give one to you. Due to this, it could be a big life lesson that most people aren't going to always be doing everything for you and that you'll have to do things for yourself.

5: In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?

The area that I think I have made my biggest improvement is all of our grammar lessons. Before we started having these lessons, I used to think that sentences were easy but I realized there's more to commas and to the sentences I use. My biggest improvement was creating sentences with all the bits of information we learned throughout the year. Something I have accomplished this year was making sure I had my work done. I'm proud of this because it was hard to actually get up and do my homework without getting distracted.

6: What was the most challenging part of this year for you?

The most challenging part of this year was studying for our vocab tests. I believe this was the hardest part of this year because I was not prepared at all for memorizing words and their parts of speech. I used to get bad grades on most of my tests and that’s when I realized I would have to actually try harder than I did because my methods weren’t working. At one point my mom had to talk to me and got me to study each night until I had the words imprinted in my brain. As a result of this, I started getting better at vocabulary.

7: What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?

My best piece of writing this year was my letter poem. I think this is my best poem because it was about myself and as I was doing it, the words just came into my mind and I ended up writing a great poem. I didn't really like the poetry unit overall but when Mrs. Larson assigned us to do the letter poem I already knew what I would write about.

8: Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?

Out of all the books I have read this year, my favorite was First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung. This is one of my favorite books because as I was reading it, I always wanted to read more than assigned. At first, I didn’t think I would like the book but the word choice and detail on each page made it more interesting. I liked how it was written to keep you captivated at all times but never bored with what you were reading.

9: What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?

Some advice I would give students who will be in this class next year is to always do your work on time. Always doing your work is a key to getting good grades in this class and understanding the material. It may be hard in the beginning and you might get an abundant amount of falcon fouls, but as the quarters go by you will realize that when you do your work on time you’ll feel relieved. Another piece of advice I would give is always listen in class, either the teacher could call on you and you won’t know what to say, or there are directions given and you didn’t hear them.

Of Mice and Men: The Movie

Section 2:

In the movie, Of Mice and Men, there were two scenes which were not in the book or they appeared differently. In one scene, Slim tells George to take an injured horse into the barn and he does. As he comes in the barn, Curley's wife appears and claims that the barn is much cooler than the bunkhouse. She then tells George about her injured foot and says that Curley did it. Then she flirts with him but he doesn't pay attention to it. As this is happening, Curley comes in and gets mad that George and his wife are talking. Curley tells her to get back in the house after that.

In another scene, George and Lennie were working in the ranch when Curley's wife came and asked about Lennie's face and what caused the marks to appear. This happened in the book but the setting was different, so instead of it being inside the bunkhouse, they were outside working. Another thing that was different was there were characters that didn't come into that scene, such as Candy and Crooks.

These new scenes do not change my opinion of Curley's wife. In the new scenes, Curley's wife is almost always bringing attention to her and how she never has anyone to talk to. Even though she never stops trying to talk to the men in the bunkhouse, it shows how lonely she really is. I think the director chose to add these scenes to give her more qualities than just being a tramp. By letting her talk to George and Lennie, it shows that she is persistent in getting people to talk to her even if it means causing trouble.

Section 4:

My general thoughts of this book was impressed. I felt this way because the author managed to fit in so much in a few chapters. The impact this book had on me was that loneliness was a big thing in the time period back then and it still is. Most people who are lonely will do anything to make a friend. I would recommend this book to my mom because she was interested in the first few pages that she read. I would also recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a story that would confuse you but make you think about the story.

Of Mice and Men - Conflict

There are many conflicts in the book “Of Mice and Men” which add to the plot. The conflicts make the plot and story more interesting by adding different scenes or things to make the reader want to read more. The conflict helps the plot as well because it shows what kind of characters are in the story.

One conflict in the story is Man vs. Man. In the story, Lennie and Curley got into a fight when Lennie got caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to do. A quote from the story said, “Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier. “What the hell you laughin’ at?” This shows that Curley got mad over what Lennie was doing which brought tension between them.

Another conflict in this story is how Crooks is treated because of his skin color. This conflict is Man vs. Society. A quote from the book said, “I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse.” This quote shows that the people in the bunkhouse don’t respect him because of the time period in which many colored people were not accepted. This also shows how Society is basically against Crooks for how he looks.

Dream Poem

It's just a dream they said,
you'll never fulfill it.
Maybe I should've listened,
then I wouldn't be filled with dread.

When I was younger,
I wanted to earn people’s approval.
I dreamt of doing something good with my life,
something that wouldn’t disappoint.

As I got older
I realized life gets harder
and harder
until you feel like giving up.

That’s how it was for me,
I gave up.
My dream to do something good,
was nothing but a dream.

Once you wake up,
your dream ends.

Of Mice and Men

In the book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, there are different atmospheres introduced. The atmosphere of the ranch is mostly negative. A quote from the book says, “He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie.” This quote shows that because of how Curley looks at George and Lennie, he could be mad that there are newcomers starting to work in the ranch.

In the bunkhouse the atmosphere is surrounded by gossip. Lennie and George learn new things about different characters by Candy telling them. In the book it says, “He had drawn a derogatory statement from George. He felt safe now…” This quote shows that Candy could tell George more about the people who work here because of his remark. I think that because of what George said, Candy could trust him with more information by judging how he says things or how he replies. With this information, George and Lennie could use it to see who to stay away from and who to kind of trust.

I believe John Steinbeck is trying to send the message of importance or class by not giving Curley’s wife a first name. Even though Curley’s wife is described as good looking, she is still a woman and many women during that time period were not as important. A quote from the book says, “I seen her give Slim the eye. Curley never seen it.” This quote is showing that people don’t look at Curley’s wife as anything but a flirt which gives her a bad personality.