This semester I read Spare Parts by Joshua Davis in my college 1 class. The reading journals that I did really help me understand the novel better. The book had many characters and events. I think it would have been very difficult to understand without the RRJs. They helped me organize my thoughts and understand each section of the book. Before doing RRJs, I would just mindlessly read through a book and not think about the deeper meanings. Sometimes, I don’t make connections with previous chapters of the book because I cannot remember what happened and I don’t have any notes to turn back too. RRJs improved my reading because it helped me practice writing down the main points and make connections. Also, I can study these RRJs to recall the past events.
In this book, it covered many themes that many college students could relate to. For instance, the story covered bullying, robotics, immigration, and many others. The reading journals helped me understand the themes and led me to connect with the story. The theme of bullying stood out to me because it helped me see the struggle that many immigrant students faced. Lorenzo was bullied due to his appearance and language barrier at first. The group of boys all endured hardships to accomplish their dreams. They inspired me to never give up in college even if I may struggle in some classes.
My reading skills have improved this semester. As I read, I now focus more on the whole picture. Before reading, I try to familiarize myself with the topic so that I have some background information. After reading the text once, I reread and start annotating the text. I usually underlined and highlighted words. Underlined words mean that they need to be reviewed because they are difficult concepts and will be on the tests. The highlighted words are important events or character traits. By using these strategies, my reading and writing ability improved.I feel like an insider in reading for college when I understand and connect with the information. I would still feel like an outsider when I encounter difficult material that I have never seen before. I want to improve this by reading more so it can expand my knowledge.
In this book, it covered many themes that many college students could relate to. For instance, the story covered bullying, robotics, immigration, and many others. The reading journals helped me understand the themes and led me to connect with the story. The theme of bullying stood out to me because it helped me see the struggle that many immigrant students faced. Lorenzo was bullied due to his appearance and language barrier at first. The group of boys all endured hardships to accomplish their dreams. They inspired me to never give up in college even if I may struggle in some classes.
My reading skills have improved this semester. As I read, I now focus more on the whole picture. Before reading, I try to familiarize myself with the topic so that I have some background information. After reading the text once, I reread and start annotating the text. I usually underlined and highlighted words. Underlined words mean that they need to be reviewed because they are difficult concepts and will be on the tests. The highlighted words are important events or character traits. By using these strategies, my reading and writing ability improved.I feel like an insider in reading for college when I understand and connect with the information. I would still feel like an outsider when I encounter difficult material that I have never seen before. I want to improve this by reading more so it can expand my knowledge.
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