6th Grade for me has eventually come to an end. I would like to share my feelings about my wonderful time in grade 6 accompanied by my friends, teachers, and, of course, stress from projects and homework.
What piece of work and learning are you most proud? Explain.
The work that I'm most proud of this year is my Ancient Egyptian Diary. What we had to do for this was basically put ourselves into an Ancient Egyptian's shoe. We had to write diaries as if we were that character from that social class. For me, I was lucky that I got "pharaoh" as my character. I am proud of this piece of work not mainly because I got a reasonably good grade, but rather because of the effort that I put in to it. My grade was an A-, obviously not that great, but still, it was pretty good. Normally I don't really say A- is a high grade, but for writing, it was. I'm not that type of person who is really good at writing, and that is why I put alot of effort in it. I had good teachers and peers that edited my work, so thanks to them too. Most of all, I really enjoyed the project because I was always curious about historical subjects.
What were your greatest challenges?
Humanities would be one of the most fun classes in grade 6, because all of the projects we did were really fun, creative, and interesting (not to mention about the literature circles), because those were, indeed, my worst nightmares in 6th grade. I had done lit circles in 5th grade, but those were completely different. We only had one role to do, which was nothing compared to what we had to do here in grade 6. At first, when I discovered about how hard it was to score points, I didn't get what were expected of me. I didn't understand how they wanted me to think deeper, and what that would be like. I also didn't know if my opinions were "deep" enough, or if they were up to standard or not. But as I gained experience through more lit circles, I came to understand my wonders. Then, at that point, my next problem was how to get there, and the amount of time it would take me. No matter how hard I tried, lit circles were still being obstacles for me every week. I needed a very long time to think and get all my ideas down. I found out that it took incredibly long, so I had to start on it alot earlier.
Reflecting on your growth this year, what did you learn about yourself as a learner?
I found that working individually is alot more easier in terms of convenience, organization, and confidence that the work will be completed in time. Usually what happens to me is that the people in my group figure out that I work alot, and they take advantage of that and do nothing, which makes me have to work harder in order to complete the work on time. On the other hand, working in groups are also helpful because there would be lots of different ideas to consider (if members actually contribute and take part in the assignment, obviously), which would be very useful. It also helps develop your collaborating constructively skills.
To evaluate your work habits, choose one of the following from each category (and provide explanations):
a) Behaviour
=> Perfect - the model studentI am not the kind of student that would go goofing around in class, and not paying attention. When work time is given in class, I try to take the most advantage out of it and not chat with my friends. But yes, I admit, that sometimes, though rarely, I do get distracted and that is something that I probably need to work on next year. I am also nice to everyone, and I treat everyone with respect, and kindness. I try my best to follow the middle school core values.
b) Participation
=> Satisfactory
I participate in class activities and those kind of things, but I'm not the one who always actively participate in everything. That doesn't mean that I'm always a quiet student who doesn't share any ideas at all, though. When I have ideas or questions, I raise up my hand.
c) Organization
=> I'm super organized
I am always a very organized student. I keep everything in seperate folders or binders, and I label them. I memorize my schedule, and I always know where my stuff are. When homework is assigned, even though it's not due the next day, I always complete as soon as possible, because I'm afraid that I might forget or have to rush through it in the end. I am a clean freak, so when things are not organized I get irritated and have to do it in the end. I also think that them more organized you are, the better you will succeed in things. As a result, I always keep my locker organized, my binders and schoolwork organized in one place, and many other things like that so when I need something I don't have to go and dig everything out and get things even messier just to find something that should be simple.
d) Effort
=>Satisfactory / I always go above and beyond what is required.
I say that I'm between the two levels because I always try to go beyond what I have to do, even though I don't always make it. But I do think that I can do better because some of the mistakes I make involve me being careless. For example, in tests. I complete the test, but sometimes, I don't check over as detailed as I should, and I miss certain mistakes that cost me some points.
Based upon your reflections, write two personal learning goals for Grade 7 next year.
In Grade 7, I plan to.....
Organize my time more wisely so that I get all the work done well with effort on time both working in groups and alone, so that I can keep my grades high.
In Grade 7, I plan to.....
Participate a little bit more in class and not to get distracted easily by my friends or anything.
Is there any more information about yourself that you would like your teachers to know?
There is something that I would like my teachers to know about me. I am a hardworking student, and I will be responsible for getting things done in time. If I need to do something, I will do it without having to be told so many times. I always try to do the best I can, I really care about my grades, so I will focus on school. Sometimes I might seem a like a quiet student, but that does not mean that I'm bored or anything like that.
What was your favorite activity lesson in Humanities this year? What did you enjoy about it?
My favorite activity lesson in Humanities was probably the Tic-Tac-Toe Assignments. I really liked the idea that you could choose the projects you wanted to do, and I also really like do things outside of the box and thinking creatively about different ways to do things. Because the assignments were supposed to make us do creative things, it was open to all sorts of ideas that my group and I could think of.
What activity do you think we could have spent more time on?
The activity that I thought we could have spent more time on was the auto-biography books. I was really excited at the beginning that I would have a whole book of memories from grade 6 created by myself. But, unfortunately, as time passed by we got busy with other things and totally forgot about out books.
Finally, cast your minds back to the first few months of middle school(when you arrived in grade 6) what "Words of Wisdom" or "Advice" could you pass on to the Class of 2018?
Some "Words of Wisdom" or "Advice" I would give the Class of 2018 would be to not stress about anything. Keep in mind that everything is always possible to handle, so relax, and buckle your seatbelts. Be ready. Be ready for anything that would come in your way - fun, bad, sad, exciting, fascinating, all kinds of events!! Be ready to ask uestions, and be ready to explore middle school!!!
