With Language Arts coming to a close it is time to reflect on how I have enhanced my skills this year. This semester provided me with a clear path of what I need to work on by next year. I was also fortunate enough to be given an opportunity to work with a dedicated and amazing teacher. During this semester I had taken note of my strengths and weaknesses in this course and I based my goals from this information. I was able to distinguish my growth as a student while seeing improvements in my writing , reading, and learning ability.

I am very proud to say that I have grown as a reader. I am extremely picky with my books and usually I spend more time finding a book than actually reading one.  This semester I was able to read four books which is a record for me. I really want to boost that number up by next year. I plan to read more books  during the upcoming semester and even during the summer. I want to increase how many books I read during a year since I was personally not satisfied with the amount of books I read in 2014. I thought I should engage in books with the genre of fiction and mystery since I love reading books with this content.I also realized when I am reading I can now analyze the text in the novel I am reading. I can recollect information  from previous passages and apply it further in the novel. I noticed that their was a significant change in my reading this year and I am quite content with this development.

I have also noticed a significant difference in my writing since the beginning of this semester. I have learned to use my resources that I have been provided with such as a thesaurus and dictionary. I also noticed by using these resources my marks have changed completely which is fantastic. By broadening my vocab in my writing I was also able to make my writing sound more like my grade level rather than a kindergarten student. I am able to apply a lot of the literary terms that I have learned this year. I want to start working on my sentence structure to make an extremely powerful piece one day. I know for a fact that sentence structure has a huge impact on making a bold statement and creating a force of tension which I want to create. I also discovered that I fancy Edgar Allen Poe writing because of the content of mystery and strange attributes it has. However I also realized the amount of analyzing that is involved in his writing. I wish to continue reading his dark stories since they are so intriguing. Overall I have improved a lot with my writing and gradually it will hopefully be even better than what  it is currently.

I definitely had some challenges as a learner during the beginning of this semester however I have noticed progress in my learning skills. Usually it takes me quite awhile to understand concepts except for this class. I was quite quick to comprehend the reasoning and purpose of why we are learning something, and it was quite easy connect with the resources I was given.  I am best at learning acronyms and novel studies.  I struggle with writing mechanics and keeping up with my reading habits, except I have recognized a progress in these gaps because of what I had learned during class. If I was a teacher there is not one change I would make to Hunnisett’s way of teaching except reducing the amount of homework we get, of course. Otherwise when we discuss my learning, I have seen such a major difference that I am quite impressed with myself.

This is the first time in many years that I have a teacher who was actually passionate about Language Arts and who inspired me to work my hardest in this course. I have learned so much in these past few months and I owe it all to my teacher. I have never felt so proud of myself while doing a specific course.  I have learned so much in this short time about poems , short stories, and so much more. I have learned about how people can transform a catastrophe into something so beautiful in words. Thank you so much HunniHunni for becoming my role model and my inspiration. You have changed my way of thinking in many ways which you will not understand. I am going to miss this class a lot since it was the only thing I looked forward too during first semester. Thank you once again!

As I stand among you to honor my late father, Atticus Finch, I am stunned on how he must have touched all your lives. I have no words to describe how my father drastically changed my life and how privileged I feel to be known as his daughter. We are not here to mourn my father’s death but we are here to reminiscence the memories we have all shared with him.

My father and I had an exceptional father and daughter relationship. He was not only my father but he had also taken on the challenging role of my mother. As I see many close friends sitting here today, you all are extremely familiar of the lack of motherly presence in my life however you all might not know how I have never felt this absence with Atticus by my side. My father was able to provide maternal and paternal love for both Jem and I. The respect I have for my father is beyond understanding.

I have not only lost my mother and father today I have lost my best friend. The best friend who would spend nights reading with me until my yawns would signal that we have had enough. The best friend who held me close and embraced my body during the days I have felt nothing but defeat. Finally the best friend who never gave up on me no matter what kind of circumstances were presented to him. I will forever be grateful for this ideal best friend and trust me when I say he was irreplaceable.

Many sitting here this beautiful Sunday evening have been touched by my father no matter how significant the impact might have been. Atticus was a great man who had numerous attributes to inspire too. He believed in the equality between others no matter what differences they had. Atticus was a man that inherited qualities that he made sure were passed down to his children. He is someone I aspire to be like in my upcoming years. My father had accomplished so much on his time on earth and I am appreciative towards him for passing down these core values onto me. I was fortunate enough to be brought up in a family of acceptance and understanding.

The last few words I have left for my father before we depart today is thank you so much. I commend you on the patience you had to deal with my troublesome behavior. I acknowledge your efforts you have made to be a prodigious father and let me be the first to tell you that you were successful in this mission. Atticus you will be forever missed and remembered for the impact you have made on many individuals lives. We love you Atticus.

1-Percy Jackson: Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (416 pages)

This book was filled with thrill and excitement. By reading this I was able to to distinguish my passion and love for Greek mythology. Percy was discovering more about himself and his father in this book. I would recommend this book to students who are eager to try something new and for people who are intrigued by Greek mythology.

2-Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (288 pages)

This book was able to expand my knowledge of Greek Mythology. This novel had a variety of character developments, building off of the characters from the the  first book.  I would recommend this book for those who are intrigued by adventurous battles and audacious characters.

3-:Percy Jackson:The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan (320 pages)

In this book, I was introduced to the concept of sacrifice and misfortunes through out the world of Greek Mythology. This book also focused on girl power and emphasized the moral importance of how girls are equally as significant fighters just like Percy Jackson is. I would recommend this book to those who like to see the power of women rise and would like to know more about Greek Mythology.

4-Percy Jackson: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan (368 pages)

This book was more about solving puzzles as it  was based more on mystery and new discoveries. This novel greatly deals with creations of new inventions. This novel deals with an enormous amount of suspension that keeps you on your toes the entire time. I recommend this book for people who are into solving mysteries and are intrigued by deceiving plot lines.

5-Percy Jackson: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan (381 pages)

In this novel Percy Jackson was able to increase his skill and knowledge about his background. Percy also strengthens his friendships through this adventures filled with action and new discoveries. He also solves the an on going mystery from book one. I learned a lot from Percy’s perseverance. I would recommend this book for others who are wiling to put up with Percy’s mysteries and thrilling revelations.

6- Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell ( 336 pages)

This book was a bit of  dark book in my opinion. It is the regular cliche love story but with a few faults. This novel focuses on the idea of love but also contributes to the concepts of bullying, domestic violence at home, self esteem issues, and discrimination. I would recommend this book for people who are suffering from any of these disorders since it is a huge spirit lifter. This book gives a sense of hope that everything will be okay.

7-The Fault in the Stars by John Green (313 pages)

This novel gave a different outlook on cancer. It was not a typical thought of someone needing sympathy. Hazel Grace was able to share her thoughts on how she viewed the cancer life compared to many others. The novel sparks up romance and even the conception of loss. I was not too fond of this book even though I could relate to the idea of a beloved one having cancer. I would recommend this book for John Green lovers and people who are extremely emotional.

8- Papertowns by John Green (305 pages)

This novel was amazing at the beginning since I thought it was a different perspective of the world. It clashed two characters with completely different personalities which I thought was amusing. When we were approaching the climax of the story it began to sound like a typical goose chase. I was also not too fond of the ending since it was not exactly what I expected. The ending could relate to a dead end since I realized this book was going nowhere. I would recommend this book for people who just want to pass time to read and are die hard fans of John Green. ( I’m not as you can tell)

9-Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (371 pages)

This book is my favorite book hands down. I loved it. There was a sense of reality in the writers words. It taught morals, values and consequences. This novel had explored the idea of guilt and regret. It was a very unique book from the previous books I have encountered. I would recommend this book for an audience that is old enough to understand the faults in our world and the concept of struggle.

To Date: 3098 pages ( 60 pages per week /9 pages per day) 

Current book : A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Future Books: 

1.I am Malala

2. 13 Reasons

3. Bad Girls Don’t Die

4. The Maze Runner

Goals for quarter 2: My goal for quarter 2 is to read all of my future books by June 24th. I will try out one more John Green book and even try a Stephen King book. I will try my hardest to read more and to find the time to read. I am trying my best to read more at the current moment in order to get my pattern back on track. I also want to try to increase my speed of reading since I take a long time with a book.

Dear Areesha,

It is quite evident that you love to read since your nose is always in a book majority of the time. I have come across a book that has charmed me in multiple ways and I know that would fascinate you. This novel is known as The Kite Runner, a popular read , written by Khaled Hosseni who had been inclusive about morals , and values in his novel. I thought this would be considered a commendable recommendation since these values are similar to the ones we were brought up with. While reading this novel you will notice that many of the values introduced are relevant to our daily lives.

This novel takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan with a main character known as Amir who has a best friend, Hassan. During The Kite Runner we notice that Amir encounters a situation and how his response towards it will affect him for a long period of time while he carries a pool of guilt with him. We understand the dilemmas that he must confront because of a mistake he had made blindly as a child. We advance with Amir in his future and we grasp the concept of how this particular blunder comes back to bite him later in time.

The Kite Runner intrigued me especially due to the fact that it has particular characters that resembles someone who used to be part of our life, our grandfather. Amir’s father was portrayed as a respected man around the distract in Kabul whose attributes reminded of our grandfather. He inherits many qualities that I thought was a replica of our grandfather. While reading this novel I felt a sense of solace since this resemblance gave a vibe as if he was right by my side. Not only were the characters a resemblance of beloved one in our life but also were the struggles that were compatible to our parents endeavors . While Amir and his father were emerging into a new location they faced the idea of starting from scratch in an accommodation where many are not aware of their superior identity in Kabul. This exact event was experienced by our parents when they to the chance to settle in Calgary. I found it not only more enjoyable but convenient to read this novel since there were many moments where I could relate to it.

This novel has also contributed towards my perception of values that we were taught as children. The act of honesty , and loyalty were key concepts of this book in my perspective. As children these were significant conceptions our parents taught us and The Kite Runner clearly covers this in the novel.By the end of this novel I was able to expand my understanding of these traits and so will you once you read this novel.

As my sister you should know how gruesome my reading habits are in general so for me to advocate such a novel to you is considered a huge deal. Keeping that in mind I hope you decide to give this book a try.

Love,

Asna

BY ELIZABETH BISHOP