Ms. Orana
how word affects me
august 10, 2017
The two words that affect me the most positively and negatively. Encouragement affects me in a positive way because of all the people that supported me. Comparison affects me negatively because no matter how good you are, you're never good enough. I learned about myself, and what I value.
Reflection: Connotation and Denotation August 17, 2017
Knowing the difference between connotation and denotation is very significant. These are my opinions as to why it is so crucial. I learned that to be completely fluent in a language, you must have a deep understanding of connotation and not just denotation. With this knowledge, you are more able to use the appropriate words that make the sentence flow better.
When learning a new language, knowing the word's connotative meaning is very important. Especially when learning a non-native language. When you're using a particular word to convey a message, not knowing the connotative meaning could misguide the listener. For example, you want to compliment someone's outfit by saying "Your outfit is so weird!" The listener could not get your intended message that you like the outfit. Furthermore, they may think that you're insulting their fashion choice. Knowing the connotative meaning will also improve your fluency and accuracy of that certain language. The readers or listeners will have a clearer understanding of what you are trying to convey. Connotation could make or break an argumentative or persuasive essay. Knowing these little connotations will help you tremendously.
Famous public speaker
august 25, 2017
Our group researched about a famous public figure. For us, it was John F. Kennedy. We retained information about his background and most importantly, the famous speech that he made. I learned about his upbringing, how he was raised in an upper class, northeastern family. I also learned about his values and ideologies.
Sharing: my public speaking experience
August 30, 2017
I talked about one of my public speaking experience. I learned that there are more aspects of public speaking that could be improved on. For example, hand gesture, and engaging the audience with a story. Other than the context of the speech itself, there are various factors that affect the quality of your speech.
In ninth grade, I had a huge public speaking project in my English class. We could choose our own topic from a list of world issues, mine was about national security vs. privacy. It was a five-minute speech stating the arguments for both sides. It went well because I was able to convey my message clearly and in time. Also, I got a good grade for that speech. However, I went a little too fast because I was trying to crunch all the information in the tiny amount of time I had. Public speaking definitely benefits me in various ways. It allows me to express my ideas and personal opinions to a group of people. By sharing these, I could get responses from the audience and expand our knowledge on that certain topic. It allows you to get to know yourself more and control your nerves. It allows you to be vulnerable, to sometimes share something so personal to people you don't or barely know.
Reflection: Overcoming the fear of stage fright
September 5, 2017
1. The three strategy I chose are practice the speech, breath deeply, and just do it. I chose these three because it helps to calm your nerves. Practice makes perfect, being an expert at that subject will decrease the chance of you making errors. 2. I tried to use those strategy, before my speech, I practiced profoundly. Then when the time actually came, I just did it without overthinking about every details. Being familiar with the surrounding, imagining the scenario playing off and planning ahead helps. 3. Reading off of notecards didn't work because your hands shake so much and the blurry vision didn't help. Having a lot of time right before the speech didn't help. I tend to think about it over and over which turns to nervousness.
There are many ways that can help me overcome the fear of stage fright and improve my speech. I learned that there is a lot of science behind stage fright. Your body slouch because it will go into the fetal position and you vision blurred in order to see further.
Selecting a Topic: Is it the right topic?
September 11, 2017
Reflection: Our class got to choose our own topic to draft up a speech then later present the speech to the whole class. I did it on Why international schools are overpriced and gave my three main points. I learned how to be a stronger public speaker as well as know more about international schools as a whole
Why international schools in Thailand are overpriced? 2.quality of education & Thai schools compared to schools and universities in other countries cost of living in Thailand and what makes the cost so high. 3. Yes, because I go to an international school right now, and I also went to an international program. I had time studying abroad and Thai schools. My personal experience is strong enough me to be authoritative on this subject. 4. I think my group of audience will be interested because they can relate to my experience. We all go to an international school and I think it would be an engaging topic. 5. Hopefully, the audience could have a new perspective on the topic. To be more aware of the other choices of education and how it compares with Thailand's. Even more, this could influence their choice of college.
Reflection: After Public Speaking Exam
September 21, 2017​
I like how my speech was filled with information and it was arranged well. Each point's transition to the next was smooth. Also, the introduction was great at grabbing the audience's attention. However, I would like to improve my tone and flow of my speech. I went too fast and did not take enough time to emphasize each point. I should take more time to prepare and rehearse it.
Self-Directed Listening Practice
September 28, 2017
Reflection: For this assignment, I listened to a recording of someone informing about snow. I wrote a summary on snow and the dangers that come with it. I learned that the snowiest parts of the world are not in fact around the poles. However, it is in mountainous areas such as the Sierra Nevada, and the Alps.
Where when and how much snowfall is difficult to calculate because heavy snow falls in a small area and a slight change in temperature can drastically change from snow to rain. Snow is a form of frozen water with snow crystals six sides. Water level and temperature affect what kind of snow crystal forms. Plate light- flat -15 celsius alumni- stick like -5c The form can change. Pellets are groups of frozen water. Hail is solid pieces of ice and is dangerous. A snowflake is a group of snow crystals sticking together. It can be up to five centimeters. Light wind and changing atmosphere will lead to this. Snow takes more place. Melted snow flows into the river and helps with agriculture. Snow protect plants and animals.
Snow influence soundwaves, it absorbs soundwave if its fresh snow however when it is hard it amplifies soundwaves. Snow is white because the light is reflected through it. If the snow is five centimeter or thicker, it can be seen as blue. The heaviest snow is in the mountain of Alps, Sierra Nevada, and Rocky mountains. Europe receives a lot of snow, causing negative effects on humans. The US receives a yearly average of 105 snow storm. Manmade snow was created by Japanese scientists. Now it is often used in ski areas. Snow can be dangerous and people are advised to stay home during a snowstorm. People should prepare supplies incase of a storm. They include food, water, and medicine. Snow is also dangerous for drivers, and an emergency kit should be kept in the car.
JOurnal 1: the age I want to be
October 11, 2017
This assignment is for me to ask myself, what age would I want to be? This made me think about the best time I had in my lifetime. It also had me considered about what stages in my life I would be in the future.
If I could be any age I would like to be 12. There are various reasons why this is my preferred age. I had very fond memories then, I had fewer responsibilities, and I had time to enjoy my youth. When I was twelve, school was fun. We had recess which I went sledding and played tag. I also only had one or two paper of homework each week. It was a carefree time when you didn't have to stress about life. On Halloween, our school would have a parade and a party. Everyone dressed up and we watched a movie afterward. It was the age when you're still learning about how to grow up, but not too young that you cannot help yourself at all. I do not like to be my age for many reasons. Firstly, you are making so many decisions that will affect the rest of your life such as college choice, grades, and electives. The pressure that comes with this isn't small either. You should study and get a good SAT and IELTS score, and also excel in school. There's also extracurricular and socializing with friends. All of these takes a substantial amount of time and I find myself exhausted. All these responsibilities are put upon you in just a matter of a few years.
Journal 2: My midterm Break
October 19, 2017
This assignment requires me to talk about my midterm break plans. I talked about all my potential plans and what I wanted to do this break.
This break I do not have solid plans yet but we have a few ideas. My family and I are planning to go to Chiang Rai. I don't think I have ever been there before, so this will be a new experience for me. My family told me that there are a lot of activities I can do there. My P Rahud also agreed to take me out to lunch at Siam Paragon. He will also be treating me the whole meal, which is amazing. It will benefit both of us because we can get closer and bond more. My friends and I are also planning to go to a buffet at the Novotel Hotel sometime this break. It benefits us because the hotel has a buffet promotion right now so we are getting quite a deal with this meal. While I have tons of activities planned out, I am the most excited about the downtime I have. I will finally have time to rewind and relax. I have had a chaotic schedule with volleyball and I am exhausted. I'm really looking forward to laying in my bed and watching Netflix. I want to wake up after the sun is up and not get home at 8 pm at night. Most importantly, I want to sleep more than 9 hours each night. This time will allow me to rest up and it will re-energize me.
Journal 3: A day with a famous person
November 3, 2017
For this assignment, I was appointed to choose a person to spend a day with. I chose Shawn Mendes and gave my reasons for that choice.
If I could spend a day with any famous person I would choose Shawn Mendes. He is a singer/songwriter from Canada. He began posting song covers on vine, within months it got millions of views. He later signed a contract with Island Records and released his first single "Life of the Party." He is the youngest artist to compose his own debut album in the top 25 with a debut song on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2014, Shawn won a Teen Choice Award. Shawn also got to tour with Taylor Swift on her 1989 tour. He quickly rose to fame and won numerous awards. I choose to spend a day with him because he is a musician and an influencer. I want to know how a famous person spends their everyday life and how it differs from my life. I also think that he would be a good company. We could talk about Hollywood and music. It would also be amazing if he could play the guitar and sing for me. I actually saw him perform at Taylor Swift's concert and I will be seeing him this December at his own concert. Even though he is extremely famous, he seems genuine and down to earth.
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8 Common Errors in Writing
November 13, 2017
For this assignment, it was partner work. We worked together to define and give two examples of each type of common errors. We gave two errors and how to correctly revise them. I now know more about comma splice and fused sentence.
Self & Peer REview
November 15, 2017
Reflection: For this assignment, we are correcting our paper as well as getting a peer review. We first correct our own work of any grammatical errors. Then our peers will correct it again, making adjustment they seem fit.
essay writing (final)
November 16, 2017
Reflection: We looked over the reviews that our peers gave us and start to edit the essay. We corrected grammatical errors and improved the structure of the sentences. This will help with the clarity of the essay.
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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZY5iY3zjbKCMB1DmDCRozv9hEVH9c5XvmuqIX0TXhKE/edit?usp=sharing
My writing skills
November 16, 2017
Reflection: I reflected on my writing skills and how my time at MUIDS has changed my English skills.
1. Yes, my use of punctuation has improved. I now use more transitional words that I haven't used in my everyday work. 2. I improved my punctuation skills. This is really beneficial to me because I am taking the SAT this month and it has improved my score. I also learned about the various ways you can start an essay. I usually only do the attention-getting introduction, so it was nice to branch out. I now have a better understanding of pronoun reference. This improves my sentence clarity and makes my essay more factual. I have a better understanding of sentence structure. Previously, I wrote what I felt sounded right. I didn't know if it was an independent clause or why the verb is in the tense it is in.I learned about compound-complex structure and why it is different from the compound or complex sentences. By learning these basic topics, it has improved my SAT writing score and will contribute to my IELTS score. 3. I want to improve more on grammar and punctuation. I have issues with distinguishing which sentence should use semi-colon and colon. Furthermore, I want to perfect my antecedent and pronoun skills. I want to expand my vocabulary knowledge in order to improve my English overall.
describing my classmate
November 23, 2017
She has a small oval shape face. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with every smile. Her laugh is infectious, putting me in a good mood every time. Her wide grin and cheerful attitude can brighten up your day She has fair, and smooth skin; clear of imperfections. Her long luscious black hair cascades down her shoulders. She is slim and has a small built. She is outgoing and friendly. You can often find her making jokes and fooling around. She's not much of a sports person but she is a fan of rap music. We get along really well because we have the same music taste and we like the same TV shows. I am sure you all know this person as she is one of our classmates.
Reflection: I used numerous descriptive words to describe one of my classmate's personality and physical features. I got a chance to incorporate these words and also make the sentences not repetitive.
persuasive essay
december 12, 2017
Are Standardized Tests an Accurate Measure of Student Learning or Ability?
There has been a prolonged debate whether standardized tests accurately measure students’ learning or ability. This is particularly significant because they are used for college admission. Every year students around the world take standardized tests, in fact 6.7 million people took the SAT in 2016 alone. There are numerous reasons why standardized tests are a good measure of student’s ability. It allows students across the world to be fairly and efficiently compared. It helps to improve the education system. Additionally, it allows for a standardized curriculum to be teached and provide data to help promote better education.
Firstly, standardized tests allows students across the world to be justly compared. The curriculum varies significantly from schools to schools across districts and countries. A 3.95 GPA in one school could be more easily attainable than the other based on various factors. In addition, schools may let students get easy grades in order for them to be a more competitive candidate for universities. To eliminate the unbalanced systems, standardized tests are created.
Standardized tests fairly compares students skills and abilities in an efficient amount of time. Most standardized tests are taken in only a few hours and in multiple choice form. This means that the scores are calculated in a matter of weeks for millions of people. While the idea of a test that determines your whole career is daunting, remember standardized tests can be taken multiple times. For example, most people, if not all students take SAT, ACT, IELTS, TOEFL, and so on more than once.
Standardized tests accurately measure students’ performance with no bias. The tests are carefully designed to include the least possible amount of bias. Tests are corrected by machines to prevent human errors. Moreover, many analytics and researchers dedicate their lives to create these tests. Tons of resources, diverse data, and the ability to refine tests based on date contribute to setting the least amount of bias. The refinement and improvement of theses questions also helps. (Groll, 2017) Take this into account, the accountability of numerous administrative far outweigh the other option, which is is getting rid of standardized tests. Instead, college admission will be based solely on GPA, which is composed of tests written by a few teachers.
Thirdly, teachers will know what curriculum to teach and well as determine fundings for districts. The standardized test will be tested on different subtopics within the subject. Schools will have an idea of how and when to teach each subject in order to prepare students for these tests. This will clearly point out the schools with lower scores. The scores on standardized tests are also taken into account for budget. Schools or districts with higher scores gets a higher budget. This will create an incentive for schools to improve their educational system. Furthermore, standardized tests allows the district to compare between the subgroups such as ethnicity, economic status, special needs, and more. These data can further improve the educational programs directed to low scoring groups in order for them to excel as well.
There has been various opposition to standardized tests. Some argued that the test discriminate against minorities groups. However based on statistics, Asians actually score the highest amongst the race. In the 2015 SAT whites average at a score of 1576 while Asians average at 1654. (Hardy, 2015)
Others argued that standardized test , especially college admission ones, tests students on very limited topics which does not correlate with their overall achievements. Of course it doesn’t, that is why universities require a portfolio not just standardized scores. All universities require grades, standardized tests, and extracurricular. All of these factors will be evaluated. Above all, in recent years, universities are placing even more emphasis on volunteering, sports, and other achievements. Juilliard School, a highly prestigious performing arts university require a standardized test score however, they also require an audition and experience in that field.
Furthermore, many claimed that standardized tests have provoke too much anxiety in some students. Instead of trying to eliminate the test altogether, we should encourage more testing. This way, the tests will have lower stakes thus students will be more accustomed to testing. (Groll, 2016)
All in all, standardized test may not measure every single aspect of a student’s ability, but it lays the foundation for the basic knowledge. It is not completely perfect but it is the best shot at evaluating mass amount of students across the globe. Standardized tests are created to eliminate unfairness amongst students scores. Furthermore, it is designed to be unbiased and help improve the education system. The data from these tests will contribute to more funding for low scoring subgroups. Standardized tests shouldn’t be looked at as the enemy, instead it is a tool. A tool to decrease the gap of injustice and provide opportunity for all.
summarize a reading text
january 11, 2018
Summary
Charles Darwin, a biologist came up with the idea of evolution in 1809. More specifically the idea that natural selection and survival of the fittest lead to evolution. He published On the Origin of the Species in 1859 which faced religious opposition.
Alternative medicine is an alternative to Western medicine. It includes homeopathy, acupuncture, herbalism and more. 150 years ago, it was considered the most effective method of medicine. As of recent, however, it was not accepted by doctors as a treatment. Recently, the demand of alternative medicine has spiked and is now being accepted by more doctors and the World Health Organization.
Tissues are group of cells grouped together to form a function. Organs are made of different types of tissues that work together to carry a function. Systems are organs that work together.
Psychologist stated that emotions are essential to us humans. Emotions functions as a link between events in our environment and our responses. It affects our future behavior as well as help us learn. Emotions help us interact more effectively with others.
summary poster
january 18, 2018
Reflection: I used my summarizing skills to pinpoint the main idea and supporting details of the article. I also identified key words and vocabulary that are significant to the article.
writing a good summary (reflection)
january 18, 2018
There are various skills that one should acquire in order to write a good summary. One should be able to identify the main idea of the overall text as well as the main idea of the individual paragraph. You should also be able to paraphrase the sentences in your own words without losing the purpose of the passage. The information should be accurate and in chronological order. It could include a few supporting details only if it contributes to the overall summary. You should also have strong grammar skills and be able to appropriately incorporate transitional words. The writer should include the appropriate length of text. A summary should be about one third or one-fourth of the original text. You should acquire these skills to write a good summary because it will benefit you in many situations. These skills are needed when you are quickly studying for a test or when taking a university exam. It could be applied to job situation such as presenting a report briefly.
Context clue reflection
january 31, 2018
The six types of context clues are synonym and antonyms, example, analogy, Prefix/Suffix, example, explanation, and punctuation Yes, the context clues help me understand unfamiliar because they give me the context of the word and allows a better inference of the word rather than pure guessing. I think the situation that is unfit for using these context clues are when the context clue contains unfamiliar words as well.
Reflection: we got to reflect on what we've learned so far about context clue.
context clue poster
february 2, 2018
Reflection: As a pair, we identified the words in the passage using context clue. The strategies we used varied based on the words.
author's tone reflection
february 22, 2018
Reflection: As a pair, we were to find twelve-tone words and identify the definition. The tone words play a significant role in creating the mood for the story.
Audiobook project
march 6, 2018
Reflection: For this project, our class divided into groups of five and chose our own book. We were to create an audiobook for our chosen book. We chose Robin Hood and assigned each of the members a role. We incorporated our original sound effects to enrich the audio.
APA in-text citation pair work
march 22, 2018
Reflection: For this project, my class divided into pairs. We were assigned to find books with the designated numbers of authors. We used the correct in-text citation and made a poster of our citations.
APA in-text citation Reflection
march 28, 2018
It is important to do proper citation to references because you will avoid plagiarism. It shows that you have a good understanding of how to use the given format. It is fundamental to all essay writing. It will be needed in a variety of situation in the future. There are many benefits of learning about the APA format. In future class assignments, university essays, and even work related essays you will have to use APA format and familiarize yourself with it is always beneficial. An improper citation could decrease your grade point. Furthermore, it could cost you a university or job opportunity. I think it is difficult to remember all the different ways to do in text citation based on what kind of source it is. Each source is quite specific and quite different especially the motion picture and music one. The easy part of the APA citation is the first in-text citation is usually (author name, year)
research paper
may 31, 2018
My research paper covers the topic of diet fads. It explores a few main types of fads and how it supposedly works. The three topics I covered are juice cleanse, diet pills, and exercise machines. I explained how each product is advertised and the scientific studies behind it. My essay also includes quotes from scientist and testimony from real people. I liked researching this topic because it is a topic I am very interested in. I had prior knowledge about this topic but they were pretty vague. The new information was also intriguing and fascinating. Sources and statistics were easy to find which made this assignment much easier. I would improve on rephrasing the sentences to better explain the essay. Also, I would like to improve my grammar and use more advanced vocabulary. In my opinion, my phrasing and vocabulary could be changed to enhance the essay. Also, the arrangement of sentences could be changed in order for the essay to flow better.