Hi whomever is reading this. I'm Joelle and just ending 9th grade. I was 14 at the beginning of the year, another lowly freshman coming from Redwood Middle School. I was actually really excited for biology because I like anatomy and the human body is pretty fascinating. Turns out we didn't really do much of it, but no matter. I was looking forward to Journalism as well, though if you're taking it this year, it's not an easy class. I also took French 1, Geometry Enriched, World Geo/Health, and English with Wissolik (if you have her, you'll love her). I don't really like math, but I'm good at it. I like writing and I'm pretty good at it. And even though I've been learning Chinese for the past 12 years of my life, I decided to take French, despite knowing that I'm not really good at learning new languages. I've done ballet most of my life and I'm doing dance team next year. I love reading, and wasting my time watching Netflix (although honestly, who doesn't). When I walked in here in the first day, I looked around at my classmates and thought to myself that Mr. Orre was gonna hate our class. You know when you just know the people in your class and know that teachers aren't going to like that particular combination of people? That happened to me. But he actually doesn't... not really anyways. I knew this class was going to be hard, and time consuming, for me, because science usually is. Although Ms. Stewart's class wasn't. And if you know who that is from stories from our grade, you'll know what I mean.
Mr. Orre actually has high expectations, but they aren't impossible to meet. Just don't be an idiot and you'll most likely be fine. When you first walk in, take a seat and pull out your notebook. Then start the do now. Unless he does his mindfulness thingamajig. Which is actually helpful, so don't just scorn at it. And if it's not helpful, think of it as a mini nap before you actually have to do stuff. A typical class day varies from day to day, at least in my opinion. Sometimes you'll do a lab, or do a blog post on the computers, or watch a movie (occasionally). You're expected to do work and not be disrespectful when he's talking. For labs, we do a worksheet and then do the lab, and then write a conclusion on our blog. The homework is strange and takes some getting used to. You basically take notes on the presentation that he accompanies with him talking about the stuff on the presentation. You get a vodcast everyday. For me, the vodcast took around 45 minutes because I'm a really neat person. I had to make sure my relate and reviews were including all of the vocabulary. As for quizzes and tests, well there aren't any quizzes. Not any that I remember anyways. The tests... I have a theory about the tests. That the green tests, Test A, are cursed. Every time I got that color, I got lower than a B. And all the blue tests I got, I got about a B. And I know that it could be purely coincidence, but I'm sticking by my theory. And you know that huge notebook you bought in the beginning of the year? Don't lose anything in that, it becomes very important. Keep it neat, I was so obsessive over mine that I even color coded it. And that blog that you made or will make in the beginning of the year? That becomes super important too. You'll have a lot of posts you have to make and you start writing a lot more. This link is to my first ever blog post. It's my favorite because I get to see how I wrote as an incoming freshman. I know you can't model yours after mine now, but it's nice to see how I've grown throughout the year. I think I grew more organized and I know how to study, finally. Just use your common sense and work hard and you'll be fine.
Well, Mr. Orre hates it when you don't clean up after yourself. Don't talk over him, he'll get mad really quickly. Always silence your phone, and if you're 6th period like I am, don't put your chairs up before he says so. Make sure you pay attention to him because he doesn't like repeating himself. For getting a good grade, just complete your work, don't BS it. It's not worth it. Actually take the time to do the assignment right, and turn them in on time. There are only so many excuses you can use. Because there is homework usually due everyday, homework is a big part of your grade and you should do it. To get a good grade on your tests, try to understand the concepts rather than memorizing vocabulary. Not to say that vocab isn't important, but understanding the concepts will give you a broader understanding encompassing the vocabulary. Do the assignments and pay attention, don't try to forget the information once you've learned it because you'll need it for the final. I've turned in things late, and my grade has suffered because of it. I started to keep track of my time and USE YOUR PLANNER. It helps, you WILL forget assignments, don't chance it. I didn't do the extra credit for the second semester and I'm beginning to really regret that. Always do any extra credit. Better to be safe than sorry. And know when you have a notebook check the following day. I've left a lot of assignments for myself to do the night before and my notebook check grade was ehhhh. So don't leave things to the last minute.
I liked this class. It was definitely challenging. I liked it because it was challenging and made me get organized fast. I'm taking Chem reg next year because I thought that taking Algebra 2 Honors and Chem Honors would be too difficult, so I didn't take the HCRAP test. I was busy that tutorial I think anyways. So basically be organized, ontime, listen, pay attention, and DO ALL EXTRA CREDIT. Have an amazing year!
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