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Unit 1- The power of Names
Unit 1- The power of Names
In this unit, we focus on names and people, so the first in-class assignment we do is to choose a country and a popular first name from that country, and the country I introduced is Italy. The popular first name in Italy is Leonardo, which is popular because it evokes Da Vinci, feels timeless, is revered by celebrities like DiCaprio, and is fashionably shortened to Leo.
The second assignment we did was a one-minute speech to describe one old person you know, and I think I didn't do well on this project, because during the speech, I didn't prepare enough, so I didn't do well during the speech, and also my pronunciation wasn't clear, and some grammar error made my score go very low.
The third assignment is the PPT- Self-Introduction. I haven't presented it yet, but I think it will be good, because I prepared and practiced a lot at school. In my PPT, I have introduced my age, background, educational background, hobbies & interests, the sports I play, fun facts, and my dreams &
The thing I think I should improve is by preparing more for the one-minute speech, so that my pronunciation and grammar can be better. I also need to practice speaking more confidently without reading the script.
This connects to other English works because it focuses on presentation and communication, which are important in many subjects. It also connects to some history and culture because we learned about the traditions of names from different countries.
This assignment shows that names and identity are connected to culture and the world. For example, the name “Leonardo” is how culture and media spread names across countries.
By learning about names from other countries and reading stories like Trickster and Red Eyes, I can see different cultures and ideas. This helps me understand new values, beliefs, and identities.
It builds on earlier English projects where I practiced speaking, writing, and presenting. This time, I had to use those skills to make a PPT, prepare a speech, and understand Red Eyes readings.
I learned that preparation and practice are very important. I prepared very well for Self-Introduction, so I felt confident. I didn't prepare enough for the speech, so it showed in the grade I got on the assignment. I plan to practice more and check my pronunciation.
I didn't get feedback from a peer, but the teacher's feedback helped me notice where my pronunciation was unclear and when I needed to slow down. Their suggestions motivated me to practice more and improve my confidence.
Presentation and speaking skills will be useful in future classes, job interviews, and even daily communication. Learning to connect with people from other cultures will also help me in international environments.
My strengths were preparation, organization, and practicing multiple times. I made sure the slides were clear and included important details such as my background, hobbies, and goals.
I need to work on speaking smoothly without reading too much from notes. I also want to improve my pronunciation so my audience understands me better.
I enjoyed making the PPT because it allowed me to be creative and share personal information about myself, like my hobbies and dreams.
Overall, I feel positive about my projects. Even though my one-minute speech did not go well, I learned from that experience. I feel more confident about my Self-Introduction presentation because I got to know that I have to prepare and practice before the project.
Unit 2 - Friendship & Relationship
For Unit 2, we learn about friendship & relationships. It is important to have a good and stable relationship or friendship. By having a stable and strong relationship. Academically, they can help you with the homework, give you advice, motivate you, and the most importantly part is to make the school more enjoyable. Emotionally, they can give you emotional support, such as when you are feeling upset or stressed, because school can be tough, and friends can listen and help you feel better, boost your confidence by encouraging and cheering you up. Socially, helps you meet new people, like inviting you to a party and introducing you to their friends.
Essay: The most influential person in your Life
The most influential person in your life. Basically, this essay is about the most influential person in my life, and I chose to write about my coach because he taught me a lot and helped me grow as a player and as a person. While writing this essay, I practiced using correct grammar, punctuation, and smoother sentence transitions. Even though there were still some small mistakes, I was too hurried to turn in this assignment. I also learned how to make my writing sound more natural and emotional, rather than robotic. For example, I fixed sentences like “because he cares about me” to “because he cares about me,” and I broke long sentences into shorter ones to make them easier to read. Through this process, I improved my grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and I also learned how to express my real feelings more clearly in writing.
One-minute speech
For my one-minute speech, I decided to describe my best friend, Hank. The one-minute speech was simply a chance to perform and talk about someone important to me, and I chose Hank because he has been my best friend for six years. We always do everything together, no matter what. In my speech, I talked about how we first met, what we enjoy doing together, and why he means so much to me. We both love playing basketball, and I shared how our friendship grew through playing together and spending time outside of school.
While preparing this speech, I learned how to organize my thoughts clearly and express my ideas in a short amount of time. I also practiced speaking with confidence and emotion so that my speech would sound natural instead of memorized. This experience helped me improve my speaking skills and made me realize how important it is to show real feelings when talking about something that matters to you.
Red Eyes Reading
For the Red Eyes book, we had already took a test covering chapter 1 to chapter 6. My grade wasn't very good at first , because I didn't read the book carefully enough. Fortunately, Mr. Jacek helped us review in class, and that really improved my understanding and my grade. Without his help, I might have failed the test because I have trouble remembering what I read. Now we are reading chapters 7 to 12, and I plan to pay attention to the details so I can get a better grade this time.
Short Story: The most powerful couple
It doesn’t mean they are powerful, but that they influenced a lot of people and became really famous for their art. Their paintings showed their feelings, their culture, and their ideas about life. Even though their relationship had some problems, they still supported each other in their art. Frida is known for her self-portraits that show her pain and emotions, and Diego is known for his big murals that tell stories about Mexican people. Together, they changed the way people see art and Mexican culture, and they still inspire many people today.
SDG 4 - Quality Education
In this unit, I connected my learning to SDG 4: Quality Education, which aims to give everyone equal opportunities to learn. Through all the activities in this unit, I improved my reading, writing, and speaking abilities, and also learned learned how relationships help support our study.
In my essay about my coach, I practiced my grammar, organization, and expressing my emotions through writing. I learned how education can happen both inside and outside the classroom, because my coach taught me lessons about teamwork and personal growth.
In my one-minute speech about my best friend Hank, I practiced speaking clearly and confidently in front of others. I learned that communication is an important part of a good education because it helps us share ideas and build strong connections.
During the reading of Red Eyes, I realized that understanding deeply takes focus and effort. When my teacher helped me review the chapters, I saw how the teacher helps us in class make class easier and more interesting.
Finally, the short story about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera showed me how creativity can inspire others. Their art taught me that learning is not just about facts but also about expressing feelings, culture, and ideas.
Overall, Unit 2 helped me understand that quality education is about learning from different experiences, like teachers, friends, books, and even art. It encourages me to keep improving myself and to help others learn to.
What I learned in Unit 2, I learned that relationships and friendships play a big role in our lives. Writing about my coach and best friend helped me realize how important support and encouragement are in school and life. The Red Eyes reading and the story about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera taught me to look deeper into meaning, culture, and emotions in literature. Through this unit, I improved my writing, speaking, and reading skills, and I learned how to express my ideas more naturally and confidently.
My goals for future classes are: In the next classes, I want to keep improving my English and become more confident when I speak and write. Sometimes I do my homework too fast, so I want to learn to take more time and check my grammar and spelling before I turn it in. I also want to learn more new words and make my sentences sound more natural. My goal is to keep trying my best, learn from my mistakes, and do better each time. I believe if I work hard and don’t give up, I can keep improving and become more confident in English.
Unit 3 - Hobbies & Interests
For Unit 3, we learn about hobbies and interests. It is important to have meaningful and personal hobbies or interests you enjoy. Having a hobby or interest that you are passionate about can benefit you in many ways. Academically, hobbies, like reading puzzles, or learning an instrument, can improve your focus, memory, and creativity, which help with studying and completing projects. Emotionally, hobbies give you a way to relax and express yourself when you feel stressed or bored. They can make you feel happy, proud, and more confident. Socially, sharing your interests helps you meet new people with similar passions, whether by joining a club, playing on a team, or talking about your hobby with others, which makes socializing easier and more interesting.
Hobbies group presentation
For my group presentation about hobbies, it is about the importance of hobbies in our lives. A topic that was assigned to our group is also a part of the class project. Since it is an assigned project, we tried to make it interesting by connecting it to our own experiences and adding real examples, like popular hobbies in Taiwan and how technology is changing them. The progress wasn't easy, though. Some teammates weren't very motivated; they didn't really care about the grade or were too busy with other things. That makes the rest of us have to cover more work and help finish their parts. We had to rush at the end to put everything together, which was stressful. But in the end, we learned how to work as a team even when things were uneven, how to communicate better, and how to make an assigned topic by adding our own voice and creativity.
One-minute speech
For my one-minute speech, I decided to talk about my hobbies and interests, cycling. The one-minute speech was simply a chance to perform and share something I enjoy, and I chose cycling because it's a big part of my life. I started cycling when I was around 4 years old, and I really got into it because it's a fun way to stay active and clear my mind. In my speech, I shared the highlights, such as how riding helps me relax, the feeling of moving forward, speeding up on my bike, and how it is something I can do alone or with friends. I also discussed some of the challenges, such as dealing with flat tires or riding in the rain. While preparing, I learned how to share my experiences clearly. I practiced speaking naturally, and it helped me become a better and more confident speaker.
Video - Hobbies and interests
For the video on hobbies and interests, we watched a YouTube video where the speaker shared different hobbies people can try and why they are meaningful and useful. In the video, the speaker said that activities like painting, walking outdoors, reading, coding with AI tools, and exercising. He explained how each hobby can help with relaxation, creativity, learning, and staying active. He also advised on choosing a hobby that you are interested in, not just what is popular or easy. From this activity, I learned how to listen and look for the key information and summarize content clearly. It also improved my note-taking and comprehension skills.
SDG 3- Good Health and Well being
In this unit, I connected my learning to SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being, which focuses on encouraging healthy lives and well-being for everyone. Through the activities in this unit, I gained an understanding of how hobbies are not just for fun; they are essential for both our mental and physical well-being.
In my One-Minute Speech about my favorite hobbies and interests, I shared how this hobby helps me clear my mind and stay active. I learned that doing different activities and having a hobby to reduce stress are key parts of staying healthy, both mentally and physically.
During the Group Presentation about hobbies and interests, my team and I did the research about how hobbies like sports, art, and technology can reduce stress and have a better mood. We also talked about how balancing work with personal interests is important for a healthy lifestyle.
From the Video Comprehension activity, I learned about different hobbies such as painting, reading, coding, and how each of them can help with relaxation, learning, and creativity. This taught me that well-being is not only about exercise but also about doing things that make you happy and engaged.
Lastly, researching popular hobbies in Taiwan and unusual hobbies around the world made me see how people in different places use interests to cope with stress, connect with others, and find something interesting in daily life.
Overall, Unit 3 helped me understand that good health is about more than just not being sick—it’s about taking care of your mind and body through things you love. It encourages me to keep making time for my hobbies and to value well-being in my daily routine.
What I Learned & My Goals for Future Classes
Through this unit, I learned how important it is to balance school with activities I enjoy. After working on the group presentation, I learned how to collaborate with teammates effectively, even when things get stressful, and how to turn an assigned topic into something we can connect with. Preparing my one-minute speech helped me become more confident when speaking in front of the class. The video assignment improved my listening and summarizing skills. Above all, I realized that spending time on hobbies isn't a waste of time; it is necessary for staying healthy and focused.
My goal for future classes is to keep improving my teamwork and time management, especially on group projects. I also want to continue building my speaking skills and start applying what I learn about health and well-being to my daily routine, like making sure I still have time to cycle or relax even when school work gets busy.
How this unit connect to my other classes
Math: For this unit, it is connected to math. When we were doing the group presentation, we used percentages and graphs to show data about popular hobbies in Taiwan. This helped me understand how math is to present real-world information clearly.
Geography: In this unit, when we researched popular hobbies in different places, it connected to how culture and environment influence what people do for fun. For example, people in Taiwan like to go to night markets, while in colder countries such as Japan or Korea, hobbies like ice skating or skiing are more common.
PBL: This whole unit was like one big PBL project. We had to research, collaborate, create slides, and present. These are all skills we use in PBL to solve problems and share our learning.
Unit 4- Musicians
Unit 4- Musicians
One-minute speech
For my one-minute speech, I decided to talk about my favorite artist, Charlie Puth. The one-minute speech was simply a chance to perform and share about someone I really admire, and I chose Charlie Puth because his music and talent have inspired me a lot. In my speech, I talked about how he started making music at a young age, how he became famous through YouTube and social media, and what makes his style unique, like his perfect pitch and catchy pop songs. I also shared why his music means so much to me, especially like "Attention and "Left and Right, " how listening to his music helps me relax and feel more energetic. While preparing this speech, I learned how to share the most interesting details about someone clearly and briefly. I also practiced speaking with confidence and emotion, so my words felt more genuine. This helped me improve my speaking skills and showed me how to talk about something that truly comes from my heart.
Overall Reflection
Overall Reflection
This semester in English, I learned how to use language to express my ideas and understand global issues (SDGs). From Unit 1 to Unit 4, my skills have improved significantly due to the teacher's excellent instruction. Looking back, I notice a big change in my confidence and the way I tackle my assignments compared to the start of the semester.
The part of the semester I enjoyed the most was working on projects about my own life and hobbies. For example, in unit 1, I made a short presentation about my identity, and in unit 3, I wrote about cycling. I have been cycling since I was four years old, so it was easy for me to talk about it. However, the reading assignments were more difficult at first. In Unit 2, I didn't do well on the Red Eyes reading because I was skimming the text too fast. Mr. Jacek's feedback made a big difference; he helped me realize that I need to read more carefully to understand the context of the book. Because of his guidance, my summaries and video comprehension work in Unit 3 got much better.
I also have to deal with some challenges, such as presenting in front of the class and group work. In Unit 1, my first speech was not good because I didn't prepare enough, and my pronunciation was pretty bad. I learned from this mistake, and with the teacher's help on how to present better, I practiced much more for my Unit 4 speech about Charlie Puth. I tried to speak with more feeling instead of just reading from the screen. Group work was also hard in Unit 3 because some of my partners didn't want to work, so it caused us have to do extra work to finish the project on time, which taught me how to handle pressure and be a leader.
Another important part of this class was learning about the SDGs. In Unit 3, we talked about SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being. I learned that hobbies like cycling are not just for fun, but they are also important for mental health. We even connected this to other subjects, like using math to make graphs about hobbies and geography to see how the weather in places like Japan affects what people do for fun. This showed me that English class is connected to the real world.
Overall, my English has improved a lot this semester because the teaching was so helpful and clear. In the future, I want to keep practising so I can write more naturally. My goal is to manage my time better so I don't have to rush my work at the last minute. I also want to keep building my speaking confidence so I can feel more comfortable in front of the class. Just a master taught me that if I put in the effort and follow the teacher's advice, I can keep getting better at English.
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