Classwork

Argumentative Essay

The essay varies in theme, focusing on justice and injustice. I’m thrilled to share that it connects to our PBL project about the unfair treatment of Indigenous groups. We can reveal more information about them by sharing with the audience the injustices they face and suggesting solutions to create change. Overall, this argumentative essay reveals a clear understanding of the topic, and we can persuade readers by our claim and evidence, making it coherent to our PBL problem. Our goal in PBL is to create a game that teaches the audience about Taiwan's rights.

Throughout the learning process, I could have improved my approach to structure and capturing the key ideas of the theme. I should also use more varied vocabulary to make my sentences more polished. As a result, people can understand essays quickly without any obstacles. I could do better in my essay. Undeniably, I used ChatGPT to polish some of my sentences, which I will be cautious next time, because I really want to enhance my writing skills, so better not employ it next time.

Literary Essay

In my literary analysis draft, I realized that I barely followed the topic I chose - How does perspective influence the audience’s understanding of heroism and resistance in The Hunger Games?- so I will need to make many changes. Mr. Cilliers required an analysis essay, but I wrote mine more like a summary. I plan to include more of my own perspective, especially in comparing the book and the movie. In addition, there are some drawbacks with my writing, for example, the thesis is descriptive, not argumentative, and it does not specify how perspective changes meaning or why these differences matter. Despite this, I proceed to connect heroism to loyalty, survival, and personal choice.

Media project 

Throughout the learning process, the video touched me deeply because I have been through a similar situation before. As a victim, you truly do not want to suffer through this experience. Some of my friends were jealous of my success, so they chose to spread rumors about me and isolate me from others. Some people wanted to help, but they were afraid of becoming the next target themselves. The bully I faced was the social bully. I will help my friends and prevent bullying if they’re facing struggles.

Our PSA will highlight bullying in schools and its impact on individuals, while also demonstrating how small acts of kindness can help prevent bullying and contribute to a safer and more friendly environment.

Media project 

Our video is trying to show that, as students, we are facing many struggles — whether they come from relationships, friendships, or schoolwork. We carry a heavy burden on our shoulders every day. As a student, would you want to be bullied and have everything become worse? In the video, Rain was being bullied, but at last Ian Lin helped him. Unfortunately, in real life, the situation is often much more cruel than what the video shows. You may be criticized constantly, and your friends may even turn against you for no clear reason. Through this video, we want to show the importance of putting yourself in others’ shoes and thinking about what is best for others. No one wants to be bullied.

Literary Analysis

It is connected to global issues, such as sacrifice and herisom, which address environmental problems and inequality. The sacrifices necessary to mitigate climate change are a global issue; we should shift the environmental burden to the developing nations.

Media project 

This assignment addresses the serious problem of school bullying in Taiwan, which has become a major social concern in recent years. In Taiwan, there have been real-life cases where students were bullied for long periods of time, leading to severe emotional distress, in some tragic situations, student suicide. These cases have received national attention and have shown that bullying is not just a school problem, but a public issue affecting families and society. Teenagers in Taiwan often face strong academic pressure, expectations from parents, and the influence of social media, which can make the effects of bullying even more harmful. Victims may feel isolated, ashamed, and afraid to ask for help.

Argumentative Essay

Essentially, I can apply what I learned from previous classes - it's like using my input to create an output. This shows my advantages and ability to accomplish the task. This demonstrates my proficiency in English, my knowledge, and how I can apply it effectively. And I need to constantly progress every day, practice makes perfect. Mr Cilliers gave me some feedback about my essay, and one of the drawbacks is that focus on using a wider range of vocabulary, so I could improve my fluency. In this assignment, I looked up some new vocabulary words and writing tips to support the readability of my essay.

Media project 

I planned my schedule of studying English, separating my time into 4 parts, including reading, writing, vocabulary, and podcasts. Throughout my learning till now, I have figured out my personal strategy to become extra "focused" in English. This semester, I prefer to get better at writing and vocabulary, because it's crucial in my IELTS test, and I need to be able to explain clearly and deliver my concepts through the essay. 

As far as I am concerned, my peers support my learning a lot; they contribute by giving me feedback. So eventually, I was able to know my drawbacks and turn them into my advantages. But unfortunately, they will give some useless feedback, so I need to be cautious. Currently, I'm getting better at my writing skills (vocabulary and transition words), although there are lots of issues, but I know that it's part of the process to reach my goal.

Depth of Literary Analysis

Argumentative Essay

I am able to use clear and simple evidence to support and prove that my claims are accurate. Furthermore, having neat and organized writing can enhance my writing skills next semester. This helped me show a deeper understanding and connect my interpretation more clearly to the author's message in The Hunger Games. After reading the book, it reveals that we should apply the power fairly, so the world won't be in chaos.

Literary Analysis

I have trouble answering the topic and polishing my grammar and sentences, but at least I'm able to write a thoughtful and sincere draft with a strong grasp of the themes of heroism and resistance. I need to consistently improve control of sentence structure, transitions, and grammar to enhance readability. Strengthen the essays with clearer perspectives and theses, and clearly respond to the assigned prompt about comparing book POV vs film POV.

Media project

Bullying is a serious problem because words and actions can deeply affect a person’s confidence, mental health, and sense of safety, and the damage is often emotional and long-lasting. Everyone deserves respect, no matter their appearance, background, personality, or abilities. When people see bullying and do nothing, it continues, but when we speak up, support the victim, or report it, we can change the situation. Simple actions like being kind and understanding how others feel help create a safer, happier community for everyone.

Perspective-Taking & Bias Recognition

Social media can twist the truth, with negative content from trolls (haters).  For instance, in The Hunger Games, the Capitol shapes what people see and believe. This helps me to think critically about the truth and the difference between people. If the Capitol didn't show what they do in the game, the audience wouldn't know what struggles they face or how they help others, which can impact how people see them

I learned how to analyze multiple perspectives simultaneously by identifying similarities and making comparisons. I've become more aware of how bias and control appear in stories and media. For example, in The Hunger Games, the Capitol hides the truth and spreads propaganda to control everyone's perspective. It allows me to have multiple perspectives on the characters as we see more about the book. It's a great skill to develop because I can connect each claim and evidence I get to my writing to make it descriptive. 

Ethical Reflection & Personal Growth

Argumentative Essay

At the beginning of the semester, I didn't think too much about fairness, but I did have some ideas about justice and loyalty. Even though I had experienced these circumstances before, after Mr. Cillier explained loyalty, I learned that it isn’t just a strong feeling of support; it is also about protecting the ones you truly love. After reading the book, I learned how important it is to treat everyone equally, rather than engaging in discrimination, stereotyping, or any form of violence.

Media project 

Working on this media project about bullying helped me understand the topic in a much deeper and more meaningful way. Before starting this project, I knew bullying was harmful, but I did not fully realize how serious its emotional and psychological effects can be on people. Through research, planning, and creating our media product, I learned that bullying can impact someone’s confidence, mental health, and even their future decisions.

This project also helped me improve my teamwork and communication skills. Everyone in the group had different ideas, and we had to listen, compromise, and organize our work effectively. Sometimes it was difficult, but learning to cooperate, respect, and supervise each other’s opinions made the final product stronger.

Presentations help people become more confident and teach them how to prepare effectively. They provide us with the opportunity to stay confident, speak clearly to our audience, and deliver our learning to them.

Throughout the process, I realized that sometimes I can't use the correct grammar and vocabulary to polish my sentences. To solve this, I plan to learn more vocabulary and transition words during class. My goal is to complete my essay without any ChatGPT, improving a little bit every day. When the teacher is giving out homework, I’ll start thinking about my approach right away so I can begin working without using artificial intelligence. During personal time, I can read more books or articles to absorb new knowledge and accumulate vocabulary in my brain, and ultimately use it in a right time.

We used to give feedback on our writing assignments in order to improve our writing and get a higher score. But sometimes my peer will offer some ineffective remarks, so I need to ensure giving my writing to the correct person, so he/she will give me accurate comments and opinions. For example, there's one writing - an Argumentative Essay, the score was embarrassing, but it's part of the process, making more mistakes can highly benefit you in your education, accepting teachers' comments, and consistently improving yourself. You will reach your goal one day.