This has been one of the biggest years of growth for me in English. My growth can be seen in several different areas. I have learned a lot about writing, reading, and speaking. I have also learned a lot about who I am as writer, reader, and speaker through this year.
Firstly, I have developed a whole new style of writing. As a writer, I have been able to right in a more professional way because of two main components: sentence structure and word choice. Before this year, I lacked in both of these areas because of little exposure to other writings. This year I have had experience reading more books such as Warriors Don’t Cry, And Then There Were None, and Julius Caesar. These readings helped me be acquainted with more advanced writing methods. They gave me a better understanding of what writing is. The main thing I found was that sentence structure is very important. Sentence structure can change the tone and message of a writing if sentences don’t connect with other sentences. The sentences should all have the same vibe, and that all starts with sentence structure. I tried focusing on sentence structure the most during the adversity essay. In my notebook I said my sentence structure was great for this piece because I spent time reviewing. This was from directly after I turned in the adversity essay, so it was still fresh in my mind. Therefore, the books did help me understand more about how to write. I think another big portion of my growth in writing is from Mrs. Jank’s quick lessons on the board. In almost every paper we wrote, Mrs. Jank would write examples or tips on the board for us. I found them to be very helpful when writing. I was able to directly apply a lesson to my writing. I used her advice the most during the research paper unit because I didn’t have much experience with them. She had many examples for this unit. The most usable for me was the lesson about integrating sources into writing. Integrating sources is a part of structure, which is another major area of growth. I have learned how to more formally structure a piece of writing. My research paper is a great example of the new structure ideas I acquired. The structure can be seen with in the paragraphs by quote integration, but it can also be seen through the paper as a whole. This was one of my most well structured pieces. It all flowed very nicely because of the structure tips I learned from Mrs. Jank and the books. All these advances have helped me become a better writer than I ever envisioned at the beginning of the year.
Advances within the category of reading have helped me become a better reader. I have been exposed to more mature books and readings this year. These readings have helped me expand my vocabulary. They also helped me understand the book more because of the more detailed writing. Since these books are written for mature people, the authors are able to use more sophisticated words with elaborate punctuation. I would say the book Warriors Don’t Cry was the most advanced book I read this year. I was able to determine how she felt because her style of writing draws the reader in to understand. She kept the reader engaged the whole time, sharing many different eventful stories. Since everything was from her perspective, we were able to see how she felt. I accredit my new expanded vocabulary to the books we read in class, like Warriors Don’t Cry, but also to what I have done outside of class. This year I have started to explore more on my own. I have grown eagerness to learn in a self-driven fashion. I have read many more articles online about various real-world topics than I have ever before. My go-to place to find articles is on the app called Flipboard, and I also enjoy diving into intriguing stories in the newspaper. They have helped me become a better writer because I am reading detailed works of writing. I am able to discover how professionals write, and I can directly input these learnings into my writing. These readings have also helped me become a better reader because I am receiving more practice my reading. The only way to become a better reader is to practice. Another growth of mine is being able to read faster while still picking up and understanding the information. This is due to all the reading I have done this year. This year I have found a greater passion for reading. The amounts of reading are a lot for me but not to others. I have never enjoyed reading, but I a starting to relish it more and more.
Speaking and presenting is a different story because I don’t have much experience at all in this category. I knew coming into this year that it was the year of presentations. At the beginning of the year I was very scared, and I wanted this year to go by as fast as possible. However, my thoughts changed throughout the year as I got more and more comfortable presenting. By no means is this my favorite thing to do. I still get a little nervous and uncomfortable when presenting but I think that is mostly natural. I am very pleased with the way I have grown in this category. I now feel like I am prepared and polished enough to give decent presentations. My drastic growth can be seen from the first presentation of the year to the last. At the first presentation—introductory speech—I was unprepared, remarkably nervous, and I rushed to get it done. I didn’t prepare well because I never practiced my presentation without reading my script word-for-word. I was insanely nervous for this presentation because I had a bad mindset. I knew it was going to go bad just because I had never done it before. This nervousness carried over into the presentation. I rushed everything and even left out a whole section of my script. It was absolutely terrible. But, with each presentation I grew more and more. The last presentation I gave—creative writing—was one of my top two for the year. I was comfortable, calm, cool, and collected. All of this showed in my presentation. I had a strong voice, good pace and annunciation, facial features, and voice and tone. These all show the growth that occurred for me over this year. It all came from practice, just like reading. The more times I presented, the better I got.
Overall, this year was great for my English career. I advanced many skills I already had, and I even developed some new ones. I greatly improved my writing pieces because of my expanded vocabulary and improved sentence structure ides. My reading skills continue to flourish as I keep reading more on my own. I am probably most happy with the growth of my presenting skills. I became more and more comfortable for each presentation. Hopefully, I will see my English skills continue to grow in the areas of writing, reading, and presenting as I continue to mature.
Cayden's English Blog 