Hi! Personally I've had a really positive experience at VSL when I was taking the Year 10 Japanese course last year. The teachers were really skilled and they loved teaching us Japanese, so it was an awesome environment to study Japanese and to foster a love for the language. Though I'm pretty sure this depends on which VSL campus you go to.
NicoNico
- Joined Apr 23, 2023
Lemonade_222 Yep definitely!! Thank you
Lemonade_222 Thank you so much!! I'm sorry for the late reply - I had a Japanese SAC yesterday, but I took your advice to action.
Lemonade_222 Hi thank you so much for the detailed response! I really like learning Japanese but it's really hard for me to crack the score that I want. But I'll try my best in improving my skills. Also, would you mind sharing what happened to your oral and the written exam as per your first post in this thread? I'm sorry for all the questions but I don't really get the chance to talk to someone who has an amazing study score in Japanese. Thank you again!
Lemonade_222 Hey Lemonade_222! Congrats for your awesome study score!
I'm currently studying Japanese Unit 1/2 and I was wondering what were you averaging during the year and what you got on the exam as I am aiming for a similar study score. Also if you don't mind, do you have any tips for the listening component? Thanks so much!Term 2, Week 5
Hi everyone! It seems like forever since I've updated this journal, but it has been only two weeks. I had a lot of things going on. Last week was a blur - I had a pile of tests that I needed to take and etc. I also ended up catching a cold, where my nose has become a fountain of snot, which really didn't make things any better. But since I feel better now, I was thinking that I should start early on preparing for my exams and assessments in the coming weeks. And I've also discovered a passion for drumming!
I don't have any big assessments this week, so I will devote this week to preparing for my assessments early on and planning a revision schedule for the exam.
Here are my goals for this week!
Finish making the PPT
Catch up on the subjects I've missed
Go over the text again - collect quotes/evidence per theme
Take care everyone, and stay warm!
Signing off,
NicoNico- Edited
Term 2, Week 2 Reflection & Week 3 Goals
Time really flies. I can still remember my first day of year 10 so vividly, but now we're heading towards the half of this term. In a few weeks, it will be halfway through year 10!
Week 2 was busy as well. It was mostly learning the content, since there will be tests in the following weeks. I have my assessment for Japanese next week and possibly a chemistry quiz as well. I feel pretty prepared, but I've been struggling to not go over the word limit. It's really hard controlling the size of my paragraph, since I feel like everything is relevant.
Fun fact, I was zoning out during my humanities class since it was right before lunch and the lesson itself was really boring. But then my teacher suddenly asked me a question in front of the whole class, and I totally blanked out at that moment and ended up giving a completely irrelevant answer
Here are my goals for week 3!
Plan for 2 essay prompts about my text
Go over the Japanese writing resources
Print out my work experience form
Have a nice weekend everybody!
Signing off,
NicoNico- Edited
Hi there johnny ! I know that it is very disappointing when we don't get the mark that we aimed for, particularly if we put in our best efforts. I got a 64% on my creative piece this year, and I was also very disappointed. My school is very competitive, and I felt like I was getting nowhere since all of my friends got really good marks and I was the only one who didn't. Honestly I don't really feel smart at all as well, since I forget stuff so easily. But nonetheless, this is a journey, and sadly we're bound to face some hardships. If we bounce back quickly, review our mistakes, and work on it, I'm sure you'll see some improvements! As a VCE student, I don't really know what your assignment was, but I learnt that the quality of practice is fundamental, even more than the quantity of practice. So for next time, I suggest scrutinising the feedback you received from your drafts and hone those skills.
I'm really sorry if my advice was a bit bad, but I just wanted to motivate you that it's not over yet, and there's still a big adventure ahead of you! I hope you bounce back quickly and get the marks you want! We're all in it together
- Edited
Term 2, Week 2
Hi there again! I was hoping to update this journal over the weekend, but this site had shut down. It's okay, I can always update it anytime.
So, last week was a breeze. I had a lot of work to do over the weekend, but I ended up watching a drama and I was in tears after it lol. It was just so touching. But nonetheless, I've been able to stick to my revision goals and using my commuting time wisely. I've definitely been struggling to get out of bed in the morning because I am always so tired.
These are my goals for this week!
1. Go over 4 past papers for math:
I have a math test coming up, so I'm hoping to get as many past papers done. For now, I'm looking at 4.
I'm hoping to get a good grasp of the marking scheme, identify my errors, and wrap my head around some challenging trick questions.
2. Write 3 practice essays for Japanese and get them marked:
Another assessment for Japanese! I've realised that time is essential for Japanese writing tests, so I'm hoping to elevate my level of writing as much as I can in timed conditions!
I hope to reduce my spelling errors, and write kanji correctly throughout my preparation.
3. Further annotate my text and deepen my understanding of it:
Currently, I have a decent understanding of the text I'm reading, but it's not enough. I want to find some key moments in the text and link it back to themes.
I'm going to brain dump all of my existing knowledge into a mind map and see how much I know about the text specifically!
4. Start reading the book I've always longed to read!
- My greatest goal for this week! I've always been fascinated with Greek mythology, having read all of Rick Riordan's series. I'm hoping to start read a Greek play!
5. Exercise 10 minutes a day:
- Honestly not my favourite, but for the sake of my wellbeing, I'm going to have to exercise sooner or later. Since I'm terrible at PE nor do I enjoy it, I'll start off with something light. I'll go for a walk for at least 10 minutes a day!
Phew, that was quite tiring. Anyway, I'm off to start my homework. All the best for week 2 everyone (and university students, though I don't know what week you guys are in)!
Signing off,
NicoNicoGoals for Term 2
So... I guess I've spent my holidays quite efficiently. I was able to build up on my English writing skills, and I got some practice done as well, including analysing my text that we're going to be reading this term. But I guess I didn't also do completely well, since I neglected almost all of my other subjects completely. Anyway, since it's in the past, I can't really do anything about it other than learning from my mistakes, and most importantly, moving forward.
This brings to me to my goals for term 2. To be honest, I've always been that person where I would set really high goals, fail to achieve that, and end up procrastinating. Nonetheless, I have gotten better at setting more realistic goals over the years.. And here we are! These are my goals for term 2:
1. Get out of bed immediately after the alarm goes on. No snoozing!
- This goal is a bit vague compared to the others, but I'm going to have to force myself to actually get myself out of bed. It's actually going to be harder since winter is coming, and I can't help but to nestle in my bed during these times.
2. Squeeze in 30 minutes of studying before I eat breakfast.
Bit of a personal note, but I'm actually preparing for the JLPT examination at the end of the year. And I've got a vast amount of vocabulary and kanji I have to go over. I want to prepare little bit by bit, but also consistently, and not cramming (like I usually do). Here's the plan I devised.
What am I going to do? I am going to revise the vocabulary, etc. I've learnt the day before. I am going to do look, say, write, cover, check. I am also going to go over 3 sets of JLPT vocabulary.
3. Use my commuting time wisely.
I have actually wasted my commuting time during term 1. Considering that I need to get a lot of work done now, I need to utilise this time very wisely. Here's what I'm going to do.
I get car sick very easily. So, I can't really do stuff like catching up on my maths homework or planning for an essay, because I'm going to end up feeling nauseous. Instead, on the way to school, I'm going to listen to the news (specifically economics related) and also NHK. This way, I'll be able to expand my knowledge and improve my listening skills for Japanese.
On the way home, I'm actually going to use this time to plan for what I need to get done on that day, and use the remaining time to chill, since I'm usually completely worn out by the end of school.
4. Revise, revise, revise! Make sure I go over what I learnt right afterschool, through implementing active recall.
I think this one is my most important goal. As I mentioned earlier, I used to be, and I am still sort of the person who always ends up cramming for a test or an assignment. Spacing out my revision blocks is a task for the future in the meanwhile, so I'm actually going to try my best to at least get my daily revision done properly.
Right after I get home, I'm going to dedicate at least 30 minutes to go over what I've learnt during the day and refine my notes if I have to. Then, I'll brain dump everything that I've learnt on that day (through a mind-map, etc.) and identify my missing gaps.
Anyway, that's my goals for term 2! Good luck to me, and everyone out there!
Signing off,
NicoNicoHi all!
I know it's nearing the end of the school holidays, but I thought that I want to create a journey journal to record my high school life and to also motivate myself. I'm currently in Year 10, and I hope that I can continue this journal until graduation! I'll try my best to update this journal at least fortnightly. Fingers crossed that I don't forget the existence of this journal!
Signing off,
NicoNico