Write two paragraphs, one for each topic, one for "something new" and one for "something memorable." You may mention multiple examples or expand on one example. Your paragraphs should be a minimum of 150 words and maximum of 200 words for each topic.
Be specific and detailed in your writing. Use your best sentences and proofread carefully. Work is due before class time on Wednesday, January 21. Post here and bring a copy, properly formatted, to class to hand in that day. Thank you everyone.
My comments will follow yours and will be posted before the end of next week.
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8 comments:
QinHe
65654
Jan19, 2015
Something New; Something Memorable
I got something new in Brad’s class. They had always been in my image that at the first class of Brad, he asked us to post our homeworks on the blog of Palcenglish11 and then bring a print copy to the class on the due day. I was curious of these new ideas. I never did so and I didn’t know the benefit of them. But now, after a period of insisting on that, I find I have got a good habit of checking our class website, keeping homeworks on my computer, and sometimes sharing my classmates’ assignments was also pleasant. And then, Brad said we’ll discuss our topics in class groups almost every week, “if you don’t finish your homework in time, you will prevent your group’s performance.” That was an other new idea to me – I had both duties of finishing my assignment that not only for myself but also for my partners.
By Brad’s teaching style, every month we represented our assignments in our classes. I really liked them and I also got something memorable from them that would help me somewhere and sometimes, I am sure maybe not exactly. I remember after the first representation, Brad told us a good representor has to be in a suitable wearing; a self-confident character; a constant, friendly and enthusiastic eye contact; etc. What is more, from those representations, I also read something memorable from my classmates. Someone showed her gratitude for other else who ever helped her family. Someone showed her special family membership. Someone showed her romantic emotion on certain summer morning. I would never forget Heru, showing his track of life in our class. He was since poor, even a bit depressed with unfair treatment, “why I am not as rich as some riches? Why I am not as handsome as some lucky man?...” all these experiences caused him strong, calm, hardwork. This gave me a sense to rething something in my life. Anyway, all these are memorable.
Something New
For me, creating an account and being part of the blog spot was something new. It was like being part of a prestigious magazine where only members of the club will read my comments and take it very seriously. Knowing this fact, it was a burden that many classmates from my class and including other peers from English 12 would read it. It was uncomfortable at the beginning; however, it was useful because reading the teacher’s comment and also other comments from my peers helped me to guide myself through the process of the assignment. On the other hand, reading comments under the blogs was attractive not only because we could have a guide for the work, but also because it created for us the stage of expectation for the comments on the assignment. The experience of learning something new is always remarkable; I truly appreciated that in this way of, “posting on the blog,” is starting to build my confidence in writing.
Something Memorable
There are a lot of memorable moments that I will for sure remember in this class, but if I have to choose one I’ll definitely says, writing a poem, it was a challenging experience. I will never forget the first poem assignment “Here I am”, where I had to follow carefully the model, because the piece of art only had a 100 word limit. I had to focus closely and carefully into the details of the poem. The content of the gerunds, and the punctuation (because even a comma made a different in the meaning) and the rhymes on the words past and future tense in which the poem starts. It makes me feel like making a resume in a 100 words about where I am in my life. It was a challenging job but this assignment help me strengthen my skills and squeeze my brain to the max of thinking (like lemons for lemonade); on the other hand, the experience of writing in this class, as challenge as it was, gave me the ability to manage more tools in my writing process. This class was tough and demanding but useful in many ways if you wish to be successful in the future.
Something New
After dinner, I sit at table quietly and recall every class I took in the past three months which appears in front of me like it happened yesterday. I hope this semester will not close so fast (in fact, it is two weeks shorter than other terms) as I am still immersed in the awesome atmosphere in the classroom. I am trying to figure out why I like this class. It is an English class, but we don’t need to hold a textbook and know what will happen during whole semester; Brad designs worksheet before every class, and we don’t know what surprise is waiting for us before we come in the classroom. It is an English class, but we don’t need to listen to one-way instruction by a teacher; instead, we can talk, share, even debate with our classmates during group discussion, finding so many amazing ideas from other students with diverse race, age and cultural background. It is an English class, but we can share the photograph taken at our favorite place and open our hearts for others to shorten distance among us. It is an English class, but we can watch movies -- even silent movie -- in the class; after that, we can share our response to the movie from different point of views to inspire us walking on the correct path. Even though there are so many extremely new things, it is definitely an English class which improves my English competency and attracts me to learn more.
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Something Memorable
What is memorable after three months study at English 11 class? Everyone might have his/her own answer, but for me, it is Participation. At first, unlike other courses, we don’t have a textbook; instead, Brad designs everything and fine tunes the course every semester, we feel this is the course specifically designed for us and we are willing to actively participate into it. Secondly, Brad seldom lectures in the class even though it is easier for most teachers to instruct by following a script; however, he always encourages us to present our opinions in the class or in group discussion and builds up an interactive atmosphere, each of us is aware that we are engaged and our voice is respected by other people. Next, we have a blog in which every student is involved. We share our articles there and I am usually surprised by elegant sentences from others. I feel we all are tightly connected together not only in class, but also post class. Lastly, we get chance to recite our poems in front of class, it is a holy moment when I listen to every word my classmates recite from their hearts, and that makes me feel warm and touched. “As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters,” as J.K. Rowling said in her speech, a three-month semester is short, but it is long enough for me to memorize something about Brad’s class.
Something New
English 11 was something new and it was a great experience for me to learn new skills such as blog’s assignments and poetry in Mr. Hyde’s class. I remember when Mr. Hyde gave us the “Here I Am” assignment for the first time he asked us to post it on the blog. I was a bit uncomfortable to share my writing with my classmates or with the public. After the “Here I- Am,” I realized that no one is perfect and everyone has her or his weakness. The point of sharing our homework on the blog is just to learn from each other’s skills and abilities. Moreover, writing a poem in English was totally a new thing for me, and I truly enjoyed it. Thank you to Mr. Hyde for giving me this opportunity to challenge myself and learn new skills.
Something Memorable
There are several memorable scenes that I remember vividly. These included our group discussions, our image presentations and the movie. Our group discussions always occurred in a friendly environment which made us very comfortable. These discussions were very interesting because there were different people from different cultures, believes and ideas. We all contributed comments and received comments about our assignments, but with lots of respect towards each other’s point of views. Moreover, I found out our image presentations amusing because we had lots of fun while we were presenting our images. “Temple Grandin” was one of the best movies that I had ever seen in my English class. It truly astonished me by its incredible theme. “Temple Grandin” was a girl with high-functioning autism. This disease could happen to any of us and know how to deal with it. I am glad Mr. Hyde showed us “Temple Grandin”. I will always remember this entire experience.
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Something New
Studying English 11 is another challenge for me to accomplish towards a better future. I am proud of myself to learn “Something New”. The “Blog” was new to me. At first, I did not like the idea of putting my work in a blog for everyone to see. What if my grammar was wrong? What if they don't like my idea regarding the homework we worked on? Instead of worrying about these matters I realized this was a great opportunity to learn something new and share my ideas with others. It has also helped me grow and develop better writing skills. I remembered the “Image presentation” we brought to class, a picture that was most important to our community. That exercise was fantastic, since we are all new to this country, we learn the importance of the things we appreciate even a small and simple things around us. Another new thing I have experienced was writing a poem. I called it “A Dreamer's Note” my “Own Poem” which was a great accomplishment for me since I have never written a poem in my life. Me? A poet! No! But yeah why not! And I am proud of myself. Thanks to Mr. Hyde.
--202 words
Something Memorable
What makes things memorable is that they are meaningful, especial and enduring. Mr. Hyde taught us many memorable things in class. Particularly, “Here I Am” was our first blog assignment and presentation. We were all kind of nervous and shaking to perform in front of the class, but Mr. Hyde and the rest of the class kept us calm and confident by giving us support and applause before we started. It was memorable that we surpassed the challenge that was given to us. Other than the presentation, we also watched a few videos and the most memorable one was “Temple Grandin.” It was about a person who faced an incredible challenge in life; Autism, and overcame all the trials that came her way. Such an inspiring film that taught us how to appreciate the value of life. Most memorable of all was that we learned to respect, to listen, and to share opinions in a group discussion about a short story .These memories were not only important to me but it is significant in assisting me to be the best student and person I can be.
---186 words
Something Memorable
For me writing the “Here I Am” poem is a memorable moment. I had the same task last semester, which I had found a hard, interesting, and a big time consuming assignment. It was the same this time. At first I was hoping that the experience of writing the first poem would help me. However, it was a new background and contained the same struggle. It was interesting to look for words that can fit in something what I want to say. I wanted to talk about how life is always going in the same circle and even it is same brings changes. I do not know how much I succeed in it or not, but I had a fun writing it. It took me so many hours to write it down, and I am glad. At least, I could put a side all my worries and problems in the life for a moment while I was writing a poem (sounds like stress relief technic). I hope that other students enjoyed, much as I did writing and presenting the “Here I Am” poem.
- 186 words
Something New
The great thing I learned this semester is writing with style. Kurt Vonnegut’s article How to Write with Style taught me to keep it simple, say what you mean and sound like yourself - It is a very successful technic in writing. However, I have always thought that writing school assignment includes using complicated and strange words; words that I do not use usually, and I do not understand the full meaning of. His suggestion to keep it simple makes me more confident in writing my assignments. It is like taking off a big burden from my back. Now, it is easier for me to write what I mean using words, which have real meaning for me. I learned that whatever I am writing about, it doesn’t have to be high sophisticated or rocket science. I just simply need sound like myself. This is something brand-new that I learned this semester. I am so thankful to Mr. Brad for his interesting, enjoyable, and not stressful classes.
- 168 words
Something New
In Brad’s English class, speaking of something new, the blog writing could be inevitably one of these, I
believe, for most of his students. As for me, it is not only a new experience of expressing my ideas
publicly but also a different way to appreciate the works of my fellow students. In my previous classes, I
had few chances to review the writing of other students; however, with the assignment of blog writing, I
learned from my fellow students after class – their skills of writing, experiences, thoughts, and emotions.
In addition, we were asked to read out loud our homework or responses in a group discussion, which
never happened to my English learning before. Under this circumstance, I needed to read, talk and
discuss with group members in English, giving me the chance to instantly respond in English, orally and
in mind. We also had several chances to give presentation before the whole class; having been far away
from being a student at school for decades, I regarded it as a new task and took it seriously, so I prepared
for my presentations every time. Indeed, I learned something not only new but also valuable in my
English 11 class.
Something Memorable
The memorable events I have in Brad’s English 11 are more than these I can share here. Because of the
limited space, I only present the memorable experiences from the parts of film and presentations.
“Temple Grandin” is an inspiring, unforgettable film. It is about Ms. Temple Grandin, who is a person
with high-functioning autism, and the inventor of the hug machine for calming hypersensitive people
like her. Being a parent, I am impressed and touched by the perseverance and patience of her mother,
never giving her up and one essential person contributing her success. Additionally, Dr. Carlock’s truly
understanding her uniqueness and sincerely helping her also deeply vibrate me. He told Temple that
death didn’t mean nothing was left; instead, the wonderful memories were kept with us. These powerful
words of wisdom are like a bell ringing in my head. When recalling the presentations given in the class,
I always think of Qin He and her photo, a place presenting oriental garden scenery. Until now, I am still
amazed by the pretty image she captured; it is a beautiful plant, rooting in my mind. Her presentation
aroused my resonance as well. As an immigrant here, like her, I can understand the difficulties she has
been encountering. Now that we are here, we just continue to involve ourselves into our communities,
and eventually communities would become parts of our lives. In fact, studying with my fellow students
in Brad’s class itself is a memorable journey of learning. Thank you, Brand and my fellow students.
Something New
This term brought me a few new challenges. The first and most important one was having to compress my curriculum into a semester shortened by three weeks. I had to decide what to leave in and what to leave out while, at the same time, fulfilling the complex requirements of a senior English course. That meant we had no time for my usual media-related unit (of which I have several variations) and, for that, I feel both frustrated and sorry. At the same time, however, I faced new students as I always do. This term, for the first time ever, I had no students from my June 2014 English 11 join my English 12 class. It was all new faces, which, although students may not feel it as I do, makes my job even more challenging. This classroom, because of the interactions among you, depends very heavily on your good nature and willingness to try something new yourselves. I was very relieved to find that my students were capable of doing so (not saying we didn’t have any problems along the way!) and could adapt to my personal style. Thank you all for helping me meet the challenges this term.—200 words
Something Memorable
I plan to retire soon and this has lead to a number of memorable incidents, not always as part of my classroom teaching. In the past, I had a reputation for being a “strict” and “difficult” teacher. It wasn’t entirely a wrong assumption. I was tougher and less flexible in my early years, but working with students has taught me a great deal about human nature. Giving someone the benefit of the doubt (without being a pushover of course) has made my classroom a better and more welcoming place. Now, I face a new problem: students don’t want me to retire! I have been approached a number of times this semester by students who plan to take my courses and are worried that I may leave before they have the chance to attend. Sometimes, they are students who may not make it to English 11 until 2017 or later. It is an interesting dilemma for me, both personally and professionally. Teaching is tiring work and, to be effective, teachers need energy and enthusiasm each and every day. Most days I am fine; others, it is hard and I know I am not my best. Whatever happens, I will remember all the students here at PALC with great fondness when I do decide to go.—214 words
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