My Grade 9 Year
Three words that describe my year are educational, challenging, and rewarding. My school year was very educational because I’ve learned so many new things in each one of my classes. In my English class, I improved on my writing skills and learned how to properly use grammar. In my French class, I learned at least 200 new words and how to pronounce them, and how to understand others when they speak French. The class I learned the most in was my science class, where I learned about circuits, the periodic table, mitosis, parts of the cell and how they function, and much more. Since this semester just started, I haven’t learned much yet, but I have covered the English Revolution, the French Revolution, genetics, and polynomials. My year was challenging because of all of the assignments, tests, and projects I had. Some of my assignments were especially difficult, such as an English assignment where I had to write multiple paragraphs about The Hunger Games, which was the book my class read. My most challenging test was my science final, which had sixty-eight questions and required studying numerous topics. The most challenging project for me was a mitosis project, where I had to draw and write the steps of mitosis. It was challenging since most of the project was drawing, and I’m not the best at it. The third word I chose to describe my year was rewarding, since I would work hard on all of my test and assignments, to get a good grade on each one. The assignments where I did my best work were my English assessment, my science lab on the scientific method, and an assignment where I wrote one hundred words in French. I got an extending or proficient/extending on all of these, which made my hard work very rewarding. My strengths are managing my time well, putting effort and thought into all of my test and assignments, and helping others with their work, especially in math. I try hard on all of my assignments, and I help my friends with their math assignments if they don’t understand something. Currently, my main stretch is in Social Studies, where I struggle to write good explanations on my tests. I’ve had two tests so far, and they have both included a paragraph portion, where I found it hard to answer those questions because I sometimes forgot key details about what I learned. So far, this year has been very successful, and I plan to continue my hard work and effort, and to also turn my stretch into a strength by studying more for my future social studies tests and quizzes.
A Useful Education Website
I chose to share the website ZoteroBib, since I have used it in every assignment or project where I’ve had to cite sources, and it has supported my learning. This year, I used a variety of websites, but I mainly only used them once. This is why my favorite website is ZoteroBib, since it’s helped me with many assignments and projects, and has made them look neater and more organized. It’s really helpful, since whenever I put in a website to cite, it usually fills out all the information for me, such as the date it was posted, the title, and the URL. The only thing I have to manually fill out is the author’s name, but that only takes me thirty seconds max, so ZoteroBib saves me at least a couple of minutes per website. I used ZoteroBib the most when I had a P.E project about mental health, and I listed about seven websites. It only took me five minutes to cite them though, as opposed to the twenty or more minutes it would take me if I didn’t use ZoteroBib. Overall, ZoteroBib has been extremely helpful, and I know I will continue to use this website for the rest of my high school career.
A Useful Education Video
I chose to share a video about dihybrid crosses, because it was extremely useful and taught me everything I needed to know. In my science class this semester, my teacher had an extension sheet about dihybrid crosses, and she told us to watch this video in order to learn it, so I did. It turned out that this video was incredibly helpful, and I was able to learn how to do dihybrid crosses in only five minutes, since the Amoeba Sisters explained it extremely well. They made the letters different colors, so I didn’t get confused, and they explained everything in simple terms. I think I understood how to do this really fast, since in the video, they used an interesting example of a dihybrid cross, which was the trait of having hair or being bald and the trait of liking to sit in sinks or not liking to sit in sinks. This kept me entertained throughout the video, as I never knew that cats liked to sit in sinks since I always thought they despised water. Overall, this video really helped me learn about dihybrid crosses and was the reason I got all the questions on my worksheet right.
A Useful Education Image
I chose to share an image of a periodic table, since it’s the most valuable sheet I was ever given in science. The periodic table helped me so much in my chemistry unit in my science 9 class, since I would use it on a daily basis. I was first given a periodic table near the beginning of last semester, and at first, I was confused on how the periodic table worked. I didn’t know why they were organized in a certain way, why the colors were different, or what each section of the periodic table represented. Slowly, I learned about the periodic table day by day, and it went from something I was learning about, to something that helped me with my learning. I would use my periodic table daily during my chemistry unit, and I was beginning to remember where each element was. It helped me with all my assignments, and saved me from having to memorize the elements, where they are on the periodic table, and their atomic mass. Without my periodic table, I don’t think I could’ve passed my chemistry unit test, let alone my science final, and I plan to use this periodic table in my science 10 class this semester, and likely for the rest of my high school and maybe university career.
An Inspirational Quote
I decided to share this quote because it is a motivational quote that inspires others to be successful in life, whether in sports, academics, or personal aspirations. This quote has motivated me to not give up on my dreams, even when they seem impossible, since it reminds me that persistence leads to success. In my opinion, this quote reminds me that every dream or goal I have in life is possible. Walt Disney, who said this, started with only a dream and a mouse, and he became a world-renowned producer and director. I can relate to this quote because my goal is to study biology in university, which will be quite challenging, so this quote has motivated me to maneuver through any obstacles I face to reach that goal. Overall, this quote has made me more determined to reach every goal I have, and it’s taught me everything is possible and that it just takes a lot of hard work.
An Educational App
An educational app I’ve been using throughout the year, and still use now, is Duolingo. Duolingo wasn’t directly related to my learning in French this year, but it was something I did on the side to help improve and strengthen my French speaking and writing skills. I’ve been using Duolingo since late November, and I’m currently at a 78-day streak. I use Duolingo daily, and I try to do at least twice a day, once in the morning, and once at night. It’s helped me remember all my French words I learned this year, and some extra words, such as chien, which means dog, salade, which means salad, au revoir, which means goodbye, and much more. Duolingo has allowed me greatly to practice my French speaking skills, and I think this is what makes me remember how to pronounce a lot of French words and is why I haven’t forgotten a single word in French, despite my French class ending a month ago. Overall, I believe that if I continue to use Duolingo for the rest of my high school career and practice daily, then I won’t forget any French words I learn, and I will be able to get high marks in French 10, 11, and 12.
Useful Organizational Methods
An organizational method I used this year to stay organized with my assignments is writing a list of all of the work I have to do. For example, every Sunday, I’ll write down every homework assignment I have due that week on my whiteboard, ranked from highest to lowest in priority, and if I have a test, I’ll write down the day I’m taking it. As the week goes by, I’ll erase homework assignments that I’ve finished and handed in and write down assignments I’ve gotten that week. This helps me make sure all my assignments and projects are handed in on time, and that I study for all of my tests and quizzes. Another organizational method I use is putting work into my binder the second I get it. At the beginning of the year, I would stuff all my assignments I got into a pouch in my backpack, even though I had a perfectly good binder to use. This caused my work to become crumpled, and I often struggled to find what I needed. Now that I put my papers in my binder, all my work is in good condition, and it only takes me a couple second to take out my binder and find my work when I’m in class. Overall, these two organizational methods have helped all my work stay neat and tidy, helped me hand in all my assignments on time, and helped me know the days I have a test or a quiz. This is why I decided to share these methods because in my opinion, they are the two most useful ways to stay organized with your work and assignments.
Works Cited
ZoteroBib: Fast, Free Bibliography Generator – MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard Citations. https://zbib.org/. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
“Home.” SCIENCE WITH THE AMOEBA SISTERS, https://www.amoebasisters.com/. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
Periodic Table | Definition, Elements, Groups, Charges, Trends, & Facts | Britannica. 9 Feb. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/science/periodic-table.
“TOP 25 QUOTES BY WALT DISNEY (of 395).” A-Z Quotes, https://www.azquotes.com/author/4000-Walt_Disney. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
Walt Disney Quote: “If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It. Always Remember That This Whole Thing Was Started with a Dream and a Mouse.” https://quotefancy.com/quote/930206/Walt-Disney-If-you-can-dream-it-you-can-do-it-Always-remember-that-this-whole-thing-was. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
“Learn a Language for Free.” Duolingo, https://www.duolingo.com/. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
“Learn a Language for Free.” Duolingo, https://www.duolingo.com/enroll/fr/en/Learn-French. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
Wong, Daniel. “How to Get Organized for School: 30 Simple Tips for Students.” Daniel Wong, 10 Apr. 2017, https://www.daniel-wong.com/2017/04/10/students-get-organised-for-school/.
OTR/L, Colleen Beck. “42 Ways to Help Students Stay Organized at School.” The OT Toolbox, 9 Apr. 2024, https://www.theottoolbox.com/organization-tips-for-students-organize-kids-school-work/.