1st Quarter Reflections

     I feel like I have progressed greatly throughout the 1st Quarter. One way is through my Blog Posts. This year I have really been focused on word choice. I have begun to use more advanced and mature words. My blogs are beginning to sound more sophisticated and more intelligent than in the past. With a new advanced vocabulary has also come a more knowledgeable analysis of text. Not only is that improving my blogs, but things like my AoW's as well. Another way I have progressed with my blogs are through sentence structure. I just recently started focusing on sentence structure, but it is beginning to improve. All of my writing consisted of very lengthy run on sentences. While I still have a bit of work to do, I can tell that it's getting better. I've learned how to break up sentences, to make my writing more effective. Now, it's a lot easier to read my blogs. The sentences are more to the point, and you don't get lost in the middle! I need to continue thinking about word choice and sentence structure as I continue to write, blogs. Hopefully they progress even more throughout the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters.

     I feel that I have also progressed throughout the 1st Quarter, with my writing in general. I am really able to understand what I am reading, much better. With annotating for a specific purpose, I am now able to grasp what I am reading even more than before! Now with the Short Stories and AoW's we are annotating, I am able to write a more intellectual response. I am able to get more out of what I'm reading, and interpret it with greater depth. Also with the new knowledge I am gaining, I am able to have a more educated opinion on topics! I am learning more about what is gong on in the World! I am able to understand new concepts! I am able to identify new things like Writer's Technique, and Character Development in stories! I am able to more easily identify theme and tone. All of these parts of a story that I thought I understood before, I have a better grasp on. I am really developing into a better writer just with the things we've done in the past 10 weeks! 

     All of the progress I've made didn't just happen magically. I've learned and worked on so many skills this quarter. We did a couple of mini lessons on the Parts of a sentence, paragraph structure, topic sentence, and supporting details. Through these lessons I have learned how to write with correct techniques. I've also learned how to correctly identify character developments and author's writing techniques. I've learned to identify both of these in my personal reading book, as well as short stories. It has really helped my overall understanding of what I am reading too! I have also been able to conduct smarter, and more thorough research. I've been able to make my research more affective on the topic I'm looking up. I've also begun to be able to cite sources in MLA format more easily. Certain topics that I've had trouble with in the past are beginning to click. 

     Along with improving upon my skills, I've learned so much about the World. If it weren't for everything we do with the AoW's, I probably wouldn't know what Ebola is! I would maybe have a vague understanding, but I would be pretty confused. Learning about current events has allowed me to become more aware of what is happening in the World today. Now I am able to have an educated conversation with others on topics like this. I don't have a lot of time to read the newspaper or watch the news, so it's awesome that I'm learning about all of these events in school. Overall, I think I've been very successful this quarter, and have learned so much! I'm improving everyday, and I hope to continue this "streak" of learning and improving through the next three quarters.