Learning Blog on Specials

For Chinese Studies I think I do well in reading Chinese characters and in writing Chinese characters. But I think that I do best in writing Chinese characters fast. One thing I should work on in Chinese Studies is doing and handing in my homework on time because every time we get a new homework pack, I always start it when it is suppose to due. Another thing I should work on is studying more on remembering how to write the characters. One thing we did in Chinese class was learn how to play Chinese chess but I wasn't good at it. So another thing I should work on is listening and reading more clearly. One challenge I had in Chinese was practicing the Replacement test. It was challenging for me because you had to write a whole story in Chinese about a lazy person. In 6th grade I am going to continue learning Chinese so I can become fluent.

In Art we did a lot of activities like drawing Ape portraits and doing portraits of our selves and doing our own frame. For the Ape portraits it was a little bit tricky for me because I am not really good in drawing and drawing Apes looked hard for me. And for the Ape portrait I think I need to work on is finding different kinds of colors that would look good together and different colors that would look good together blended. Because during it when I was finding colors my colors didn't really look good for the Ape and when I was coloring the Ape I wasn't that prepared for the colors, so it looked like the colors were all over the place. For the self portrait thing I think It looked really good in the end but in the beginning when I was tracing my picture on my cloth, I messed up a lot.

In Music, we are working on xylophone, I really did well on one of the music pieces as I knew how to play it well. I also knew how to memorize the song so I could play it at home because I have a xylophone at home. We also did a lot of singing and it included a lot of listening to others and a lot of team work in keeping the beat and all looking at the conductor. One thing I should work on in music is practicing more of the minor and major scales because while I was doing the music Ace, I figured that I needed a little more practice.

In P.E. so far what we have been doing was basketball, gymnastics, volley ball and and air hockey. For gymnastics, I did well with the cartwheels, the forward rolls and the hand stands but on a wall. The thing I should work on is landing in a pose after finishing cart wheels or other exercises. For basketball I don't really think that I was good at it. But I think I did well with the shooting. One thing I had a hard time doing was dribbling and protecting the ball like in matches which we didn't get to do though. For volley ball, I think I did well in the serves but at the beginning of the first lesson that was one thing I should work on. When we played matches, I think I should work on running and savng the ball more faster and more often.

In Counseling, we learned about bullying, we learned about the brain and we learned about many other things. While I was learning about bullying, I knew that bullying was a very common thing in school and in other schools. We did a lot of fun activities like little plays, which was one of my favorite activities we did in Counseling. And during the plays we did a lot of listening, team work and creative ideas which I think was a fun thing to do. During the class where we learned about the right and the left brain, I noticed that I was a little bit of each. For me this was one of the most interseting class in Counseling.

Story of Learning

So far I have really tried hard to accomplish my goals. One of the goals I think I did the most work on is solving problems in my head. Because my mom is really good in math, at home my mom likes to teach my different ways to solve problems and so I do it often so it is easy for me to do some of it in my head. Another goal in math was to try and master multiplication facts to 100. I didn't really practice much of it but I think through out the year during school I became much more better in multiplication. Though out January, February and in the beginning of March we didn't do much writing because of civil war but we did a few journal entry's and reports and I think I accomplished my goals. For reading I think I still need to work on reading like up to 30 or 40 minutes of reading. My new goals are going to help me transition to 6th grade which are: writing- use more synonyms in my writing reading- read up to 30 or 40 minutes and math- get multiplication, easy division, addition and subtraction in my head. I think the world math day will help me get multiplication, division, subtraction and addition in my head which I do I like doing.

For reading, math and writing I had a few challenges. For writing one of my challenges were writing journal entry's for the civil war because you really needed to know what was it like being a soldier in the civil war because you have to write a journal entry about being a soldier. I also thought it was challenging because I never was in the civil war. But what helped us was we watched civil war movies. For reading one of my challenges were reading thicker books because I don't really read thick books that often and I don't think some of them are interesting. But I know that I will have to move on in 6th grade and read thicker books, but it will be hard. For math one of my challenges were being fast and doing hard addition and a little bit hard subtraction in my head because while I was doing world math day I felt like I was going a little bit slow.

This year for my responsibility I think I need to work on it more. Because I feel like when I get something important I don't remember to give to my parents and then I don't get it done. For cooperation I think I am good at that becauase I think I get along with a lot of people. And when we are working in a group, I am nice to my group mates and I work with them well. this year Collaboration for me was good. In the beginning of the year I was able to work with with other students and through out he year I was becoming a little bit more better in collaboration. My study habits were okay. When I come home I do my homework right away, when I am supposed to listen I listen and when it is time to learn I learn.

January 8, 2010

1. What is one piece of important learning in reading or writing you have gained this week?

In writing a piece of important information I got was when I was writing an essay, I was told that there is 5 paragraphs in an essay and the first paragraph is the introduction, the second paragraph has a main topic and then supporting facts on the bottom. On the third and fourth it is the same thing as paragraph 2. Then the last paragraph it is the conclusion.

2. Explain how this has helped you in your reading or writing.

This helped me because then when ever I write and essay again, then I know how to organize the paragraphs and that will make my essay smooth and organized. This will also help me because then I know how to support my main topic on the three paragraphs.

3. Explain what the difference is between a common noun and a proper noun.

A common noun is like a word you would see very commonly. Like cat, desk, car. But a proper noun is a noun that is named. Like Mary, Lily, DELL (a type of computer) or SONY (a type of T.V). So a common noun is a thing, person or place but not named but a proper noun is a thing, person or place that is named.