We read a book called Lord of the Flies in English class in the first quarter. On the first day of class, I felt a weird silence where the ‘ghost of Mr. R’ didn’t say anything and when we, all by ourselves, had to figure out what we had to do after reading the directions he had left us. We started from choosing the leaders, Fredrik and Sai. Then, we answered the questions after grouping ourselves into four small groups, and we discussed our answers with everyone. Mr. R finally told us what we were doing and how it related to the book at the end. After that lesson, we were assigned to read few chapters for homework after each class. We always had a discussion about the chapters we read for homework and everyone had chance to talk and/or ask questions in class. Finally, after finishing the Lord of the Flies, our projects were issued and I made a book cover with a blurb. Now, here are the five different ESLRs that helped me to finish the novel, participate in class-discussions and complete my project this quarter with the book, Lord of the Flies.
The first ESLR that I achieved is a self-directed learner. I accomplished this ESLR while trying to finish the novel when I accepted responsibility for my own learning, and identified my needs and applied appropriate learning strategies, and when I demonstrated competency in time management and organizational skills. I did these by reading appropriate pages that were assigned for homework every night/day and by looking at the appropriate websites for extra information that related to the book. However, I didn’t take notes using the post-its while I was reading. Therefore, I could have been a stronger self-directed learner if I accepted more responsibility for my own learning, and if I applied more appropriate learning strategies by using the post-its more effectively to take notes on each chapters of the book. I would have had better understanding of the book because I could have communicated my thoughts and asked questions more effectively with other people if I used more post-its to write comments while reading. I think I was a more self-directed when I was reading this book than when I was reading The Giver from last year, because I accepted responsibility for my own learning more, and because I identified my needs and applied appropriate learning strategies by using internet for research.
In class-discussions, I was a self-directed learner by accepting responsibility for my own learning and by monitoring, adjusting, and documenting work in progress. I did all of the above by taking my own notes when discussing the incidents in the book and by taking risks by ask people questions. What I didn’t do in order to be a better self-directed learner was to try to find appropriate evidence that would have supported my opinions from the book when answering the questions. So, what I could have done in order to be a surpassing self-directed learner was to find some dialogues or events that would have helped my ideas. I believe I was more self-directed in class discussion compare to last year because I took notes for myself to monitor, adjust and document work in progress. I took creative risks in developing untried ideas, and I demonstrated competency in goal setting, time management, and organizational skills in order to be a self-directed learner through completing my project. Specific examples are making my own creative book cover with original blurb, finishing my project on time without any struggle, and by making the ‘assessment project prospectus’ and writing down the things I have to do to have my project done on time. Some things that I didn’t do are research for important events that I could apply for my blurb and checking my blurb many times, writing. If I had done this, I could have been more self-directed compare to last year, because I managed more to demonstrate competency in goal setting, time management, and organizational skills this year compare to last year. Overall, I think I was being an ‘above-average’ self-directed learner when reading the novel, participating in class discussions, and completing my project although I could have done much better.
Academic achiever is my next ESLR. By letting me access information from a variety of sources and demonstrate the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, this ESLR was helpful until I finished the Lord of the Flies. I proved that I was being an academic achiever while reading the book by applying appropriate websites for extra information on the chapters I read. However, I didn’t use the sticky notes for better understanding of the book and if I had used the sticky notes effectively I would have been more involved in class discussions due to better understanding of the book. I also skipped many descriptive paragraphs that I thought were boring that would have helped me to know what is going on in the book because I often didn’t know what is going on due to so much skipping. Therefore, things that I could have done for improvement are using the sticky notes effectively and not skipping the long paragraphs. If I had done those two things, I would have been a stronger academic achiever by demonstrating progress and by continually adjusting work to maintain high standards. I think I am a better academic achiever this year than last year because I accessed information from a variety of sources for extra information this year, something that I never did last year. I was being an academic achiever in class-discussions by demonstrating the ability to work both independently and collaboratively. I did this by taking notes on what people are discussing and by participating and communicating with other people during the class discussions. However, I wasn’t being a strong academic achiever in class discussions because I didn’t share the information I found from the research I did and didn’t try to find the scenes from the book to support my ideas to be more convincing than arguing with people without any logical sense. I could have been a stronger academic achiever by accessing information from a variety of sources through sharing what I found from the websites with other people and by using the book to find logical evidences to support my thoughts. I would have got higher standard on participation marks if I had done this. In my point of view, I think I am more successful this year than last year because I relied on other people last year but I demonstrated the ability to work both independently and collaboratively this year. Through the project, I demonstrated progress and I continually assessed, evaluated and adjusted work to maintain high standards. The two specific examples are that I finished my project few days before it was due, and I brought it to school on the day before it was due to ask Mr. R. I suppose that my project improved a lot from last year’s project because I continually assessed, evaluated and adjusted work to maintain high standards. As a result, I believe that I was being an okay academic achiever while reading, weak academic achiever in class discussions and quite a strong academic achiever through completing my project.
The third ESLR is critical thinker. In order to be more successful critical thinker, I should have applied problem-solving skills to facilitate learning by writing notes, important events, comments, things I don’t understand very well, and by asking ‘what if’ questions and answering them with logical evidences from the book. I believe that I improved a lot from last year because I identified, evaluated and used resources effectively for the purpose of problem solving by doing research on the book for extra information. I was being such a weak critical thinker during class discussions. The only thing I did was build meaning and understanding using prior knowledge and new information by taking notes while discussing the problem. So, there are many things I didn’t do that could have helped me to improve. I do not find many things that are different from last year, I didn’t improve very much except for the fact that I built meaning and understanding using prior knowledge and new information by taking notes while discussing. I was being quite a strong critical thinker by completing my project by building meaning and understanding using prior knowledge and new information and by solving problems using a variety of strategies. I did this by making the book cover with the pictures of the objects with the tags saying what they symbolized in the real world and the other one with the pictures that compare the day time and night, and by making the blurb. Things that I could have done for a better project was to use resources effectively for the purpose of problem solving by using the book more often for the descriptions of the important events and by using websites for information that I could have added in the blurb. My thoughts on the project are that I improved a lot from last year because I solved problems using a variety of strategies by being original this year. I think I was being an acceptable critical thinker while struggling to finish the book, poor one in class discussions, and a superior critical thinker when finishing my project.
My second to last ESLR that I achieved is involved citizen. I demonstrated responsibility in active decision-making while reading the Lord of the Flies when I decided to read appropriate pages everyday and when I decided to do research for extra information that relates to the book. What I didn’t do was to help other people when they asked me about the book. By sharing what I found from the research with some of my friends what I could have done was to seek to improve the lives of others in the community. I think I didn’t improve very much from last year but one difference that I found is that I demonstrated responsibility in active decision-making by deciding when to read. In class discussions, I was being an involved citizen by demonstrating awareness and respect for the rights of others, seeking to improve the lives of others, and by interacting respectfully with people of diverse cultures. I did this by raising my hand instead of shouting my opinion out loud, participating in discussions instead of just listening, and by communicating with other people from different countries. What I could have done to be a better involved citizen was to demonstrate care and concern for the environment by throwing away the things that we messed up instead of thinking, ‘let someone else do it’. In my opinion, I think I improved as an involved citizen from last year by interacting respectfully with people of diverse cultures and by demonstrating awareness and respect for the rights of others. I did these by summarizing the story of the book so that anyone who wants to know about the Lord of the Flies would know after reading few sentences, people who don’t really understand will understand the conception of the book better, and by deciding to finish my project a few days before it is due. I could have demonstrated care and concern for the environment by recycling the papers that I didn’t use to be better involved citizen. My improvement from last year is that I seek to improve the lives of others in the community by writing the summary of the book so that other people can understand better . Overall, I think I was being an acceptable involved citizen when I was reading the novel, participating in class discussions, and when I was completing my project.
Effective communicator is the last ESLR that I achieved. When I was trying to finish the book, I utilized technology as a tool for communication by using appropriate pages for extra information that relates to the book. However, I didn’t share what I found from the internet. Therefore, I should have collaborated with others in appropriate learning situations to achieve group goals in order to be a better effective communicator. In my point of view, I improved from last year by using appropriate websites for information. I was being an effective communicator in class discussions by listening respectfully and ask questions to facilitate. I this by answering the questions that other people asked, agreeing/disagreeing/adding onto other people’s answers, asking questions, listening to other people’s opinions, not giving orders to other people, and by communicating with other people so that we can all understand the incidents happening in Lord of the Flies better. If I asked more questions to facilitate understanding, everyone could have thought deeper about the problems I think I would have been a better effective communicator. What I know about my process from last year is that I listened more respectfully and asked questions to facilitate understanding more by communicating with people in order and under control.I demonstrated my creative talent to convey ideas, collaborated with others in appropriate learning situations to achieve group goals, and I understood and conveyed written, visual information using appropriate media through my project. I have done these by making the book covers that are creative and original, by understanding what other people had done for their projects through communication in class, and by presenting what I have done with my project to the rest of the people. If I had done that, I would have had better understanding on what they have done. My process from last year is that I demonstrated my creative talents to convey ideas, and understood and conveyed written, oral and visual information using appropriate media through my project. As a result, I think I was being a fair effective communicator while trying to finish the novel, participate in class discussions, and completing my project.
Overall, I achieved all of the five ESLRs, self-directed learner, academic achiever, critical thinker, involved citizen, and effective communicator. The ESLR that helped me the most to finish the novel is self-directed learner when it helped me to be responsible of my own learning and to demonstrate competency in goal setting, time management, and organizational skills meaning that it helped me to decide to read everyday in order to finish the book. Effective communicator is the ESLR that helped me the most when participating in class discussions because it helped me to listen respectfully and ask questions to facilitate understanding and achieve insight, and because I wouldn’t have been able to communicate my thoughts with other people if I wasn’t being an effective communicator. The most helpful ESLR to complete my project is self-directed learner because I wouldn’t have achieve academic achiever if I wasn’t taking creative risks in developing untried ideas.
<- A picture of the city after the Asian Tsunami.
<- Map of the countries where the Asian Tsunami occured.
<- This is the picture of Adolf Hitler who caused the Holocaust
<- Dead bodies during the Holocaust
<- Lives in the camp
<- Holocaust
<- The Secret Annexe where Anne Frank lived for 2 years with 7 other people.
<- The attic of the Secret Annexe
<- Picture of the Frank Family: Margot, Daddy, Anne, Mummy
<- Teddy bear that I will take
<< Make-up set that I would take
Welcome to Sarah’s school blog. This is my first post.
