Ramzi’s Academics in Eighth Grade

This journal will reflect and overview the progress I have made during and after finishing the poetry unit in the third quarter. In our eighth grade English class we have been learning and studying the fundamentals and keys to compose a great poem. We studied countless types of poetry such as the Haiku, Sensory poem, message poem, Rhyme, Rhythm, Repetition poems and others. The progress I made through this amazing subject was quite challenging in the beginning but then as my interest grew so did my vocabulary, artistic side and understanding. Other than poetry we also learned how to make the photos we had taken and turned them in to art forms by meticulously taking the time and effort to gather an astounding picture. We also learned some new vocabulary, words such as similes, metaphors and stanzas. We then were assigned to complete a peculiar task. The Teen life project was for a group of six people from different countries to work together and gather information and data to create our own unique project. It was really hard to communicate, only through emails and on our blogs.

In the following paragraphs, I will state the different ESLRs (Expected school wide learning results) that I used in the poetry unit with some details and the examples of how I used these traits along with various other details to show my understanding of Bloom Taxonomy. The Bloom taxonomy is a list of a few terms that help to make any writing assignment more detail and ensure the essay has all the information needed. In each paragraph, I have also compiled a list of bullet points for each ESLR that I personally accomplished. I will then talk about a few bullet points in the ESLR that I thought I could have improved on. I will also include what I think the ESLR means in my own words. Finally I will give a self assessment on how well I think I have performed as a Critical Thinker, Academic Achiever, Self – Directed learner, Effective Communicator and Involved citizen.

To be an Academic Achiever you must improve in various subjects and learn from past mistakes and errors. You have to demonstrate progress in all curricular areas.  I showed my efforts in this ESLR by increasing my knowledge and skill in all areas related to the poetry unit. I increased my knowledge on different words by learning all the vocabulary words like Stanzas, Personification, alliteration, assonance, quatrain and much much more. I learned how to take pictures that are worthwhile to look at, along with finding areas where the light and shading really made the image more unique and stand out in a crowd. I especially learned all about the various poems we looked through in class including the cards we used in the classroom to create a poem will all the senses.  I also boosted my confidence when the entire class had to read out loud our poems to a crowd at the poetry night and also when we read out poems in class with my fellow students. It made it scarier when we had to stand on chair to be higher that the class to present our creative writing. Standing on the chair made us view the crowd in a different way. While I improved on my poetry talents I had also improved on my communication skill when we were assigned to create the teen life project with people in Canada, Columbia and the United States of America. Last of all I improved on my creativity while I created my poetry book for the poetry night. Another bullet point for being an Academic Achiever is to demonstrate the ability to work both independently and collaboratively. I worked independently through basically every thing such as the poems, vocabulary words, photographs and the poem cards our English teacher gave to us in class. I also showed my capabilities in working with other people when we were doing the Teen life project, Poetry night, and the poetry book. In the Teen life project I had to work together with people from other countries if I wanted my assignment to be successful. Each country had an assignment like finding data, creating a poem and finding pictures. In the poetry night and the poetry book, I worked and talked with my friends to get ideas for the book and the stalls in the poetry night. In the end, all the assignments I had to do independently and collaboratively became a wonderful achievement. Last but not least, I accessed information from a variety of sources like books, computer, friends and family. I used books that I found at home to see how I should format the layout of my book like placing the biography at the back page, to add pictures in every page, to have boarders and having a table of context. A term for this ESLR I could have improved is continually asses, evaluate and adjust work to maintain high standards. During the process of the poetry unit I had changed and modified my poetry but it wasn’t for high standards but for personal feelings and appreciation of poetry. I wanted to revise my poems for my knowledge and not for my grades. Either way I feel that I would have revised and edited my poems. All in all I feel that I was an academic achieve and if I were to be grade on this particular ESLR I would receive a grade of B+. I believe that I would get this grade because I had improved in many of the curricular areas but with some minor adjustments I really trust that I will get better on every level of this unit.

To be a true critical thinker you must think outside the box or think of new untried ideas. Critical thinking means to build meaning and understanding using prior knowledge and new information. I showed my ability to accomplish this by using what I knew about the vocabulary words such as Haiku while I also take notes on the subject. I feel that I had achieved this goal far beyond my expectations because I knew that I had some comprehension on the vocabulary words, but after this unit I am confident in my understanding of the meaning of poetry. A second bullet point I used to be a critical thinker is applying problem-solving skills to facilitate learning. I used this term with my poetry book and with the poems I made. I applied problem-solving skills on my poetry book whenever a problem released itself. For instance, I had to come up with a way to organize my poems in my poetry book and at last I decided to organize it by type of poem. With all my poems I had to adjust them and problem-solve to make it fit the criteria. For example in my 3 R’s poem I had to modify my poem so it would rhythm and had the same number of syllables along with having some repeating words. Finally I gathered, analyzed and processed information from a variety of sources with the Teen life project. Our school with many students had gathered data, charts, graphs and other students from around the globe analyzed and processed them to create a power point. A section of this ESLR I could improve on is identifying, evaluating and using resources effectively for the purpose of problem solving. I would want to improve on this trait because without it I would just be doing things because the teacher told me. I never actually identify, evaluate or use resources for the purpose of problem solving I only do it because of the teachers’ request. On the whole I feel that I was a critical thinker but there are some traits I really need to improve on. I would give myself a final grade of B. I think I deserved this grade because I thought about things I already knew and applied it with new information. I would also need to use the passion I have for this unit and use it to create an interest so I would problem solving without the teachers’ request.

Being a self-directed leaner in my own words is doing work with out some one telling you and accepting your mistakes. By identifying my needs and applying appropriate learning skills I was being a self- directed learner. I revealed this in all my poems I wrote by knowing that figurative language was my weakness and creativity on my poetry book was my strong point. So I focused more on the figurative language more than my creativity. I would also ask help from my friends or family whenever I didn’t understand a word or needed help for my book such as the title or the design. Other self-directed leaner traits I accomplished were to take creative risks in developing untried ideas. I used this term especially in my poetry book when I was picking a theme or design for my book. In my book, I also tried a new way to draw people in by using untried ideas, in particular instead of writing “my poetry book” I wrote “here’s my view on life” “where’s yours”. An additional term to this ESLR is demonstrating competency in goal setting (accomplishing your fears), time management (Able to finish the home work), and organizational skills (never losing papers). I accomplished my fears by learner how to cope with every day stress when I knew we were going to have to read our poem in class and on poetry night. I was able to finish and hand in my homework every class and I keep all my poetry paper in my binder, so when it came to make the book I would have some extra poems to put in. Lastly to monitor, adjust and document work in progress was a trait me and my entire class had accomplished successfully because after we had created or started a poem in class we were all then assigned to finish it at home and edit it. A key trait of being a self directed learner that I didn’t achieve is to accept responsibility for their own learning such as goal setting. I hadn’t really set a high goal for myself, I have only completed the goals or tasked that my English teacher has set. I was a good self directed learner but there is lots of room for improvement. I would assess myself as a B. I agree with this grade because even though I did think for myself I didn’t set any personal goal which is a major key in being a self direct learner especial if you want to improve.

To be an involved citizen you basically need to help others. You have to seek to improve the lives of others in their community. I completed this task by joining the committee that organized the stalls which talked about poetry and introduced it to other parents and teachers who came to the poetry night. Another feature of being a self directed learner that I used was demonstrating care and concern for their environment. I did this by writing a message poem about the effects of global warming in the earth and how every one needs to help solve this issue. Finally I demonstrated awareness and respect for the rights of others. I did this by listening and respecting others when they were reading and presenting their poems out loud to the class and I respected them as an audience at the poetry night. I could have improved on the bullet point demonstrate responsibility in active decision- making because when I was doing my poetry book and miscellaneous poems I had difficulty thinking of types of poem, style or theme I should do and which ones made it most appealing. In total I feel that I was a good involved citizen and really respected others. I would have given my self an A-.

Being an effective communicator means to communicate through oral, written and media forms. I demonstrated my creative talents to convey ideas by using different forms of communication such as standing on a chair in class to read my poem, photographs and various poems so show others about my view on life, poetry night to show parents and teachers along with visitors the exciting and astonishing way of writing poetry. I had also used vocabulary words to specify my ideas and understand other ideas along. Last of all, I incorporated/ utilized technology as a tool for communication. I showed this trait by using the internet and email to communicate between my teammates in other countries to help each other through out the teen life project. I could have improved on listen respectfully and ask question to facilitate understanding and achieve insight in the ESLR. I need to improve this trait because I listen respectfully but I don’t ask many questions to help me with the unit. This is an important bullet point to accomplish because with out it my overall understanding is relatively low. Overall I would give my self an A-.

I had an amazing and unforgettable time on this unit. It was much different and new to me and at first I felt that it would be a total waste of time, but as I endured through this unit my small interest in the subject developed into my upbeat sensation for learning and writing more types of poems. Although I had an incredible journey through this adventure I would say that if I had another chance I would have done some things differently. For my book I would have wanted to have spent more time on it, because I wanted to make every picture and poetry stand out and have its own uniqueness. Furthermore I would have loved to redo time and review and revise every poem to make sure it was at my highest capabilities and not be so sluggish. If we were ever going to have this unit again on the poetry night and when I stood on the chair I would have wanted to be more confident and enthusiastic about poems so the readers could feel my passion in my creative writing. For my Teen Life project, I would have loved to communicate more with my team members in and outside school. Lastly with my photographs I wanted to use al my knowledge now and apply to my photographs in the beginning.

The ESLR I feel that I had improved and accomplished most is academic achiever and the ESLR I feel I could improve and needs more focus on is self- directed learner. I think I was a better academic achiever than a self- directed learner because I had improved on all areas since this was a new type of unit the skills I relatively use had shot out. I wasn’t such a good self –directed learner because I had just wrote the poems and took the pictures I was told. I could have improved it by doing things with my own interest and not because of a teacher.

To conclude, the ESLRs I had talked and explained about include Critical Thinker, Involved citizen, Self- directed learner, academic achieve and effective communicator. I feel that many improvements have been made. My overall grade I feel I got for the poetry unit is a B+. I have many good traits and a few bad traits that can be improved. The ESLR I feel I am most excellent in is Academic achiever, Effective communicator and involved citizen. The ESLRs I think I need improvement on is self directed learner and critical thinker. In the beginning of the unit I felt that I would dread the time but during and after we all went through it I enjoy poetry and how it is a new form of communication. I undoubtedly say that I will continue the amazing experience of poetry.

In our class we had to either create a movie of Anne’s voice or a monument in her honor. The paragraphs below are about images, symbols, sounds and how they are used in the presentation along with how they influence and appeal to viewers. The paragraphs also talk about ESLR’s used, our overall grade and what each member of our group had done.

The symbols we had used were a train, chimney, radio, diary, bare wire, bar code, Star of David, Gates to camps and
Iwo Jima.

The train represents how all the Jews were taken away from there families by force and sent to a miserable camp where they were to die. Most of the Jews that were transported died before even reaching the camps which turned this symbol from just transportation to death to actual death.

The chimney was a sad symbol because it represents how the Nazi’s burned all the Jews. It was a way of eliminating Jews. Of course it was no the only means of extermination but to us it was the most brutal.

The radio was like our modern television or computer, it was in fact they only way of knowing about the outside world for Anne. Since she was stuck in the secret annex with no way to escape to the outside world she had to relay on this old but effective way of communication to learn about the war and the outside world.

Anne’s diary is a major symbol which represents the hope people have for their life, family and the world. It also shows that every one needs someone who they could express their feelings too. Even though she had all the essential things like food and water she didn’t have anyone who she could talk and who would listen to a teenager since everyone living there was a bit moody.

The bare wire was a sign of containment and a sign of no escape. Since the borders of concentration camps were either lined with walls, bare wire or fences. I thought that the barb wire was the most effective item to display to show restraint.

The bar codes were written on each prisoner for labeling, it represents how their identity and individually were taken away as soon as they arrived in the camps. The Star of David is a symbol that represents the Jews, but we had used this star with our own custom animation to help make the symbol represent the prisoners of Jews. Every one who was a Jew had to wear they particular star to distinguish their race.

Gates to the camps were the imaginary border line from life and death. Even on the outside world you will be dragged into the inside of the gates. Most likely the people who were dragged into the gates would probably never get out. The camps had given little food so the only way for them to not starve to death is to communicate or get through the grates.

The last symbol is the
Iwo Jima this symbol is a statue that represents the victory in World War Two. There are many statues of this which represents the amount of countries that were affected and the number of countries who tried to stop this horrible event.

The symbols will be influential on people because when ever they see the sign they will remember the power point which is much easier to memorize then a bunch of words. Symbols are also more appealing to viewers like images so it would grab their entire intention.

The images that we had used were basically about Anne Frank and the Holocaust. Anne Frank pictures were about her form a baby too about 17 years old because she didn’t live any longer. Some of the pictures were also of the secret Annex. The picture of the holocaust had included the before and after pictures of the war. I choose these pictures to make people viewing it more emotional. I thought that the starving children were a good picture for this. Images are influential because you get to see with your own eyes what the results of some actions are. It is also more appealing to people to see visuals because they are visual learners.

We had only used one sound because if we had added more the effects might have taken more of the excitement away from the visuals which to us is the most important. We had chosen this particular song because it had a smooth and easy flow of rhythm which makes it very effective for this type of power point. The smooth violent sound made it a lot sadder and more influential on all the viewers. Sound effects give written and visual presentations more appealing to people and influences them to take action.

Text didn’t play a major role in this power point presentation but if we hadn’t used it, it might not have been as effective, the reason being that text helps the viewers know what you are trying to say, what you are trying to build up, and also to let the viewers get ready for the next images.

I overall think that the three major aspect (symbols, images, sounds and text) when put all together can be very influential and appealing to viewers especially if it is a major problem happening right now.

The most important aspect of this essay is the main messages that it unleashes to the world which aren’t in word form. Symbols are the most important things to help people remember and stop awful event like this to ever happen again. To see which symbol is overall the best you have to know every ones role in the power point, the war and the book or Anne Frank. To our group the most powerful symbol is bar code because it talks about how the Jews weren’t treated like a human but more like a product, while I feel that the most powerful and meaningful image is the picture of the children that were starving and how you could se their misery and their ribs.

The biggest ESLR to me and my group is effective communicator because we are warning the outside world of the past disasters and though they can’t change history they can change their actions and the present.

We made a PowerPoint presentation but we made it look like an iMovie because that was the original assignment so we demonstrated our creative talents to convey ideas and we incorporated technology as a tool for communication because were trying to bring over a message about Anne Frank. We listened respectfully and asked questions to achieve insight, not just to the teacher but also to each other. When ever we had questions or comments we would always express them. We demonstrated the skill of effective collaboration by dividing up the work and by helping each other complete our parts of the project when ever they needed help. We had to collaborate with each other to achieve group goals because that was one of the major points of this project, to make us collaborate and work with each other. We had to understand the written, oral and visual information in our project to make the project sensible. We also demonstrated awareness for the role of the audience in the sense that we didn’t used to explicit images and texts from WWII so that if by any chance WWII victims would see this PowerPoint they won’t get hurt or offended also we had chosen some cruel and nasty pictures to show our class how to change the future actions we take.

Some other bullet points we did that weren’t an effective communicator is we build meaning and understanding by using prior knowledge and new information because we did it about Anne Frank and the WWII so we had to do some research and we had to learn about WWII and Anne Frank to successfully complete this project. We demonstrated the skills and ability to work both independently and collaboratively by doing most of the work together at school and everything what we couldn’t finish we did at home. We also used a variety of sources like the internet and books to get our information from and we used technology to creatively and efficiently complete our project. We demonstrated responsibility in active decision making and awareness for the right of others and interacted respectfully with people of diverse cultures by looking at our content and audience during active decision making and interacting respectfully with ourselves (members in our team).We accepted responsibility for our own learning by taking on the tasks we (members of our team) had given us, took creative risks in developing untried ideas by doing a PowerPoint rather than an iMovie or a memorial and we demonstrated competency in goal setting, time management and organizational skills by setting our personal goals within the group, managing our time in and out of school and organizational skills by organizing this project.

In this project, we divided our job into three so that everyone has to do something. Firstly, Ramzi found images, made first draft of the power point, described the symbol of each pictures and reflected the ESLR’s in this project. He was the hardest worker in this group, and I think he worked as a leader to finish this project. Secondly,
Milos found the music, and made the power point look like a movie. He was technologically advanced and helped us so much. He was very supportive, as well. Then, I found images and wrote, “Who did what” part of this essay. I think I worked well, and was corporative. Overall, we did such a great job, and we always worked together very hard.

At the end of all our work we had not just created a power point that will just play one day and that’s the end but it will stay with the entire class for years to come. We had created a piece of the war that we will never forget or let ever happen again. My group and I had thought overall that the finish product was a great success. The entire group had felt that our final grade would be excellent, the reason being that we had thought hard and long for the perfect songs to be able to place in our power point. We would give our grade for the entire final project a B or a B+.

I thought in the beginning we would not be able to accomplish this task but in the end it was worked out nicely. The entire process of setting this entire project was quite simple because if you had planned and organized every ones tasks you can easily accomplish the project with commitment. In the beginning we had decide dot make a power point. Then we had found all the sounds and images we were going to use. After that we had made a story board and we had planned all the images, text and sounds we were going to use for each slide show. At last we created the power point. Once we had finished the power point we had split the responsibility of the written part of the essay. Through out the entire procedure we were organized which allowed us to do every thing fast and efficiently.

            This journal is an overview of the progress I have made during and after finishing the book Lord of the Flies. It will also state the different ESLR’s (Expected School- Wide Learning results) used in my project and how they contributed through out this book. The journal will be in a format of Bloom’s Taxonomy. The Bloom Taxonomy is a list of a few terms that describe the ideas needed for a journal to meet its expectations along with the ability to include all information. The journal will reflect the final project prepared, the discussions in-class, and the novel we read along with the different ESLR’s used. Each paragraph will start with the different ESLR and their main ideas followed by the ways I used them in the three stages. I will also try to give examples of the areas of the ESLR where I can improve to achieve a greater grade or assessment. The paragraphs will explain how I can develop on being a self-directed learner, an academic achiever, a critical thinker, involved citizen and an effective communicator.

To be self- directed learner you must be able to identify your needs and apply appropriate learning skills. This ESLR to me means doing your work without someone telling you. I was able to identify my the needs and I had applied appropriate skills in the novel by knowing my slow reading which made me read at a steady pace and not read at the last minute. One day I had a mountain of homework and knowing my slow reading I had increased the amount and time period I spent reading.  

I had communicated in different ways by asking questions, pointing out facts and adding comments, this made me a self- directed learner. Another example of self- direct learner is taking creative risks in developing untried ideas. I used this in reading the novel by making the atmosphere of the location I read to fit the plot of the book. For example in the chapter about Jack killing a pig, I turned off my lights to create a dim, creepy and frightening mood. In order to be a self- directed learner by taking risks, I had asked questions even though they sounded stupid. Another risk I took is that instead of just making a model of an island I prepared a pamphlet to explain my thoughts to give more of an idea of the book. The pamphlet contains extra info such as “what if” questions and main characters and their roles.  

I demonstrated my time management skill by read chapters thoroughly and clearly to get a better understanding of the book. For example I read the beginning chapter bit by bit because it was puzzling. I established my competency in goal setting in my project by fulfilling the details about the island and the book along with it. For home- work the entire class had to read two chapters and I felt that a big load of stress was coming on, so I made a goal to read ½ a chapter when I got home, ½ at night and the same next day. Whenever I wanted to show my organizational skills, I placed post- its around the book pages with the main ideas so it would benefit me in the future. We had monitored and documented all of the events in the book with notes along with group discussions to give every one a better understanding. Whenever I thought I needed information for later, I recorded main ideas, good descriptions and comments. I felt that I could have improved on accepting responsibility for my own learning because sometimes in chapters I didn’t understand, I didn’t look on the internet for a better view. Instead I waited for the class discussions. I would change this by looking on the internet or asking friends if something is not clear to me. If I wanted a better understanding of the events and situations of the first chapter, I should have asked my friends to help me. I have been a self- directed learner in the past when I caught with my up homework by asking my friends what the assignments were. 

            An academic achiever demonstrates progress in all curricular areas, access information from a variety of sources and demonstrates the ability to work independently and collaboratively. In other words an academic achiever means to learn from your mistakes and improve in all areas. I progressed in all areas such as my reading skills from the novel by reading the amount needed everyday even if it did put me to sleep sometimes, my oral skills in class discussions along with the skill of speaking my mind whenever I had questions, comments or concerns and I improved on my creativity skills in the project during the designing of the setting of the book. I accessed many sources of information such as the web for brief description of chapters from the novel and asked friends to help me understand the areas that are blurry through the phone or at school. Using my memory of the movie of Lord of the Flies the first time I watched it, I could get some details of the books event from the movie. I also used the internet to get the general idea of how an island looks in my project. In the discussions, I asked my classmates and Mr. R some questions and gave some feed- back by asking question and then comments and then back and forth again like a debate. I had shown that I could have worked by myself and with teammates. While we had group discussions on every chapter, at home I read the chapters alone and placed notes. On the post-its I included every thing I thought even if it was just “wow” or “amazing”.

Worked by myself to create the project, but I still got ideas and help from my parents and siblings. As an academic achiever I discovered that I didn’t continually assess, evaluate and adjust work to maintain high standards because in the novel I had not read as thoroughly as I could have while on the project I had used 100%. Whether it was school classes or extra curricular activities, I used this ESLR whenever I grew. I had used this ESLR whenever I had improved in any areas. It could be anything from school classes to extra curricular actives and sports.       

An additional aspect of the ESLR is critical thinker. A few points that describe this ESLR is building meaning and understanding using prior knowledge and new information. The bullet points are basically saying to think outside of the box. I built meaning in understanding by taking notes on every chapter along with notes in class reviews to help me raise and boost up my perceptive of the book. I used past and present reference to increase the understanding of the book and its ideas because I remember how I felt when I was small and I was lost in a mall. I guess that was the same reaction and emotion the boys on the island felt. For my project I was a critical thinker by using all the information I knew about islands with new information gathered from the internet, the book and nature to figure a great design for my view of the island because you can’t have an island that is as big as a continent or and island with no vegetation.  Whenever I had a feeling or guess about the future I used problem solving skills. This is known as foreshadowing which means to use current events and ideas to predict about the future. Throughout my project I made some assumptions about my island and when the model didn’t match the books location, shape or area I changed it to try and fit the descriptions.

In critical thinker I gathered different information from different sources through the students’ opinions in discussions and my family along with the websites for my project. These are all ways I used my sources effectively. To me I hadn’t really shown that I identified, evaluated and use resources effectively for the purpose of problem solving because I usually only used the sources to find information I need but not for the purpose of solving it. This could be changed by, getting more attached to the book so I would find solutions for the fun of it.

The next ESLR is involved citizen which in short means to help others even though there is no reward. Involved citizen is when you improve the lives of others in their community, show care for the environment and demonstrate awareness and respect for other people’s rights. I did this for the novel because I tried to persuade my family members to attempt to read the book so they can see the messages and themes of the book. I also did the same for my project, but I explained it further by making short summaries and showed the locations of the symbolic items. This all shows how I improved other people’s lives.

I also respected other people’s rights all the way through the assignment in all three groups by letting every have a say about there belief and feelings

The last but certainly not least ESLR is Effective Communicator. This ESLR means to demonstrate creative talents to convey ideas, listen respectfully and ask questions to facilitate understanding and achieve insight, collaborate with others in appropriate learning situations to achieve group goals and last of all in understand and convey written, oral and visual information using appropriate media. This ESLR in brief is someone who communicates either through oral, written of visual media. I used this ESLR everywhere. I demonstrated creative talents to convey ideas by producing a visual project instead of a written project. I used different ways of thinking and points of view for class discussions to let everyone have a say from their own view and for the novel I asked for my brothers’ view of what he thought of the book since he read Lord of the Flies. I especially listened respectfully and asked questions to facilitate understanding and achieve insight by listening, asking questions and giving feed back. I understood and conveyed written, oral and visual information when the whole class had different types of projects from oral posters to written essays to visual t- shirts for different types of learners to recognize. I collaborated with others in appropriate learning situations to achieve group goals whenever I had group or class discussions all through out the quarter. One day our class had worked collectively to discuss the book without the teacher telling us, everyone could express themselves to our friends instead of the teacher. Listen respectfully and ask question to facilitate understanding and achieve insight is an ESLR I thought everyone used in discussions.

My goal was complete but if I were to have a second chance to relive the past few weeks I would try to improve on ESLR’s in the statements above and work on my reading by making sure I have an excellent understanding of every the chapter, plot, setting and character by rereading areas I don’t get. For the class discussions I would want to raise my hand more and express my thoughts more to the class. In my project, I could have brought it further out by showing more events like the trail Ralph went through when running from Jack or I could have placed more “Want If” questions around the island to give a greater consideration of the novel and how the story could have changed.  

            Overall I feel that I achieved the right amount of the ESLR’s during and after the book although I feel that my weakness is class discussions because I usually didn’t raise my hand in the classroom. If I were to get a grade on my reading, discussions in class and the project (all three groups) I feel I would receive something between B- and B+. I feel that I had shown great improvement in the ESLR’s such as academic achiever, self- directed learner, critical thinker and involved citizen. I know that I need to improve on being an effective communicator whenever speaking in public in this entire quarter. I can adjust this by expressing my thoughts and opinions in class and not think too much in the answers I will receive. I think the ESLR’s I used best for reading the novel is self-directed learner. I thought in discussions I was a good effective communicator while for my project I was a critical thinker. To me the ESLR’s I notice that were similar are self directed learner, academic achiever and critical thinker. I feel that these ESLR’s are all related through their bullet points. They all relate to each other because each of the ESLR’s can be fulfilled in school work and grades. I wish we were able to move further into the book to learn and comprehend more hidden messages.     

Six Traits- I used 

Idea: Understanding the ESLRs in relation to Lord of the flies explained by using blooms taxonomy.

Organization: I organized my journal by having an introduction, middle and conclusion. In each of the middle paragraphs in had one ESLR, the different points used and how I used them and last a point of the ESLR I can improve on. In the conclusion I had said what I can overall improve on and the ESLRs I think are related.  

Voice: These are some sentences I thought that brightened and gave it life was.

-I remember one day I had a mountain load of homework and knowing my slow reading I had increased the amount and time period I spent reading.

-For home work the entire class had to read 2 chapters for home work and I felt that a big load of stress was coming on so I made a goal to read ½ a chapter when I got home, ½ at night and the same next day.

- I had progressed in all areas such as my reading skills from the novel by reading the amount needed everyday even if it did put me to sleep sometimes

- In the discussions I asked my classmates and Mr. Raizdana some questions and gave some feed back by giving question and then comments and then back and forth again like a debate.

- I had used past and present reference to increase the understanding of the book and its ideas because I remember how I felt when I was small and I was lost in a mall and I guess that was the same reaction and emotion the boys on the island felt.

Word Choice: Here are some words I thought were common and not descriptive and the news words that change that.

            Made- Prepared

            Good- Excellent

            Try- Attempt

            Improve- Develop

            Confusing- puzzling

            Since- Given that

            Improved- grew

            Get- Receive

            Greater- Larger

            Thought- Opinion

Sentence Fluency:  Some sentences I thought were the same form and patterns and how I changed them.

            -a   This also made me find new and different ways of communicating to my class mate in group discussions by asking questions, pointing out facts and adding comments.

            -b   Since I had asked questions, pointed out facts and added comments, this made me a self- directed learner of the different ways I communicated. At school one day I found the desk arranged in a square form for discussions so I thought of larger ways of expanding my communication skills.

            -a     I had also shown my organizational skill by placing post- its around the book to keep the main events out.  

            -b     Whenever I wanted to show my organizational skills, I placed post- its around the book pages with the main ideas so it would benefit me in the future.

            -a      I had used this ESLR whenever I had improved in any areas. It could be anything from school classes to extra curricular actives and sports.

            -b     Whether it was school classes or extra curricular activities, I used this ESLR whenever I grew. I had used this ESLR whenever I had improved in any areas. It could be anything from school classes to extra curricular actives and sports.

            -a      I had personally made my island to be based on Ralphs view by making his community the front of the island.

            -b      Given that I had used Ralphs’ point of view of the island, I had personally made my island from a different view.

            -a       In class discussions I tried to ask questions that even though may seem or sound stupid so I can get all my questions answered.

            -b       In order to be a self- directed learner by taking risks, I had asked questions even though they sounded stupid.