Q2. Reflection

1. What topics/ activities did I enjoy the most / least? Why?

 I like writing my own passages using descriptive skills the most. The reason why is that I can express my feeling and situation freely. I couldn't enjoy literature circle activity well. Analyzing whole noble and having presentations are too heavy for me.


2. How was I able to develop my communication skills?
    What difficulties did I encounter when communicating in class?

I try to develop my communication skills by practice listening. Sometimes I watched BBC News to improve my English listening. I practiced hard, nevertheless I still have difficulty on speaking and listening someone who speaks very fast.


3. How did I prepare for
a) descriptive letter : This assessment went off during the 2 lessons. So, after the first lesson, at home, I wrote the draft for next day's writing. It was really helpful to me.

b) semester exam : I studied grammar and writing skills to get good score especially on questions number 6 and 7.

How can I improve?
I got B on my semester exam. Next time, I should read the passages more carefully to reduce mistakes on easy questions like number 1 and 2.

4. Other thoughts / comments?
  Criterion A (Content) - 7
   : Generally able to capture dominant impression. Ideas are relevant and descriptive.

Criterion B (Language) - 5
   : Some  in language but a good attempt to we receive and praginative language

An experience in a place

 The table clock on my desk is passing at half past eleven. Through the window, there is midnight blue sky. Completing lab report until tomorrow puts me under tough stress and it smashes my lung cruelly. Countless words are wandering weightlessly in my head like planets that run about in confusion in the empty inky space. Using gravity, I want to drag the words down but it does not work. Words are holding out stubbornly and playing at a tug of war forcibly with my dim judgement. As time goes by, now both of the hour hand and minute hand meet together and they stand upright. My heart almost runs riot facing at outside of the Earth and my concentration makes a flat sound with a whoosh. The words feel like that wandering the space seem to drawn into a black hole so still finding the way to get out of the Andromeda. Finally, as finishing the lab report, all the words stop wandering and they go back to their place again.

The transition description

 
 The sun goes down and darkness fall. At dusk time, the color or the sky is lavender like cotton candy but for now midnight blue tent cover the world. Because of night breeze, the tent starts to wave with a flutter. On the tent, the shining shimmering and sharp holes like shattered biscuits are numberless as the sand. On the left side, there is the bridge as long as the Great Wall of China. Before the sunset on the bridge, street lamps do not go on, then it change to the bluish glow of the street lamp that looks like the vague moonlight. It does not have any fountains or illuminations. Before long, the fountains on the bridge are dancing with swing its arms, and it twinkles as much as sunlight. In addition, the fountains are rainbow also its color represents affirmation and hope. There are many buildings looked blue opposite the river, and it is totally changed the mood by lights on. The lights for the buildings and towers look like stars are staring at me.

A place (from an outsider's perspective) description

 This is the place of my last high school 'Young Dong Ill High School' in South Korea.

 In front of the high school, there are bare branches of the trees and bushes like hedgehogs. They all do not get dressed, so they look cold. At a distance, the placard, which said 'Celebrate Entrance to Young Dong Ill High School' flaps flutter in the wind. Beyond the fleecy blanket of fallen leaves, the rainbow- colored bicycles are waiting for students. Behind the bicycles, there is brick-red main building, which has windows with wide white frame. Between the two of brick-red buildings, ivory main entrance that huge as Grand Canyon and looks like the temples at Greek Rome is standing. Top of the every four columns, there are elaborate and delicate sculpture.  The school logo is above the glimmering name of the school. The logo represents courage and wisdom. Inside the columns, there is the entrance. The entrance is a period. On the last day of school, as walking out of the entrance,  it was the ending of my high school life in Korea. 

Description from a novel

The Body - Stephen King

 To me summer is always going to mean running down the road to the Florida Market with coins jumping in my pocket and the sun flying my brains. The word brings a picture to my mind of railway tracks running off into the distance. There were also favourite songs and films, games to play, grass to cut, sports to play and teams to support. (Stephen King and Robin Waterfield, The body, page 20)

King, Stephen, and Robin Waterfield. "Chapter 10 Milo and Chopper." The Body. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2008. 20. Print.

Before - After Photo

a. Personification

The fountains on the bridge are dancing with swing its arms.

The lights on the brides stare me .

b. Hyperbole

The fountains bright as much as sunlight.

                                         

c. Symbolism

The color of fountains, rainbow-colored represents affirmation and hope.

Just right after the sun set, the sky's color is lavender like cotton candy. (Similie)

The fountains are rainbow.  (Metaphor)

Reflection Journals - Analytical Essay & Literature Circle

Analytical Essay (10.Oct.2014)

What were my goals / objectives?

 Last task, the letter to character, I got the score 4/7. And the problems were mainly about grammar. So, I set my goals to reduce my grammatical errors.

What skills did I use / learn / develop?

 I learned and developed the right grammar for writing from books and internet lecture. I studied about the subjunctive mood, relative pronoun etc.

I used the things which I studied before and before I submitted, I checked for spelling and grammatical errors.

What were the results of my efforts?

I did my best to reduce my grammatical errors, but still I got 4/7. I think grammar skill could be improve in short terms. So I am going to try to study more about it.

1. Literature Circle

a. Comments by teacher + score
  (17 / 20) : 5  

Analyzing : Very good analysis of each concept, linking all ideas to the (6)
Organizing : Good presentations planning - very well organizing (6)
Producing text : Generally very clear presentations some issues language minor (5)

Provides introduction to help understand textThoughtful to the text

Provides images traits of characters

Themes good analyzing

Does not show growth of characters of strongness.

b. My reaction (I learned that .. / I felt that ...)
 

 I realized that I didn't show much things about characters like growth. And now maybe I got how to do these presentation things. It was my first time so I was very nervous and didn't know how to do it, but next time I want to do better than now.

2. Analytical Essay

 a. Comments

Analyzing : Generally adequate analysis of Karniss' development but lacks depth of discussion.  Organizing : Generally groups idea together but structure is basic, at times confusing.
Using Language : Attempt at sophistical language but expression and sentence construction poor.

 Capital (SV) :2

Subject verb agreement (SV) :2

Verb tense (VT) :21

Word choice error(WC) :1

Expression Unclear (EXP) :3

Sentence Construction (SC) :7  

b. Reaction

I agree with the comments. I also think my using language is not good enough. Maybe I can improve it by reading news or books in English. For this term vacation, I decide to read a book in English. 

Then, I realized that my descriptions and analyzing are lacked. Next time, I am going to try to write more in detail and intentionally.

 I most have problem with the part of verb tense. I didn't know I couldn't use the past tense in my essay. I thought that I read the book before, so I had to use past tense. Now, I realized it, so I am not going to repeat these mistakes for my next tasks.

c. Further reflection

 Generally a good attempt but will need to improve language and structure

 Question : What strategies did you use for this task?              

                    I tried to reduce grammatical errors than last task the letter to character.

                  What skills did you use? Learn? Develop?

                    I learned and developed the right grammar for writing from books and internet lecture.
                    I studied about the subjunctive mood, relative pronoun etc. I used the things which I 
                    studied before and before I submitted, I checked for spelling and grammatical errors.