Log 1

 

 Hello! I’m Shanny, I am going to  share my reading history, my interest and the goals of this course below.

My Reading History

   To understand English vocabulary, I started with textbooks to improve my English skills. As my English level improved, I read my first English novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I found this book easy for a beginner in a second language (L2) to read. The vocabulary and sentences were not too difficult to comprehend, making it an ideal first novel for me. As my ability progressed, I began reading the news from The New York Times occasionally.

    After entering college, professor asked us to read books and write reading logs to document our reading journey. When I first got the book from the professor, I opened it and found many words I didn't know. Initially, I read and searched for the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary simultaneously. This approach wasted a lot of time, as it took me many times to get through just one page. So, I searched online for tips on effective reading. I learned that reading and looking up words at the same time is not the best method—it wastes time and prevents the reader from fully understanding the book's content. The suggestion was to skip unfamiliar words or try to infer their meanings from the context. Through that course, it sparked my interest in reading books. I started reading for 1 to 2 hours every might. From this experience, I realized that although reading an English novel might be more challenging than reading a Mandarin one, cultivating a reading habit, learning new writing skills, and gaining new perspectives are valuable rewards. Choosing a theme I like is crucial because it helps me get into the book and stay interested. After the course last semester, I bought three books to read: Atomic Habits, Same as Ever, and The Psychology of Money. Reading books has become one of my main interests in life.

My other Interest: Baking

    Next, I would like to share another interest of mine—baking. I enjoy making cookies, cakes, and a traditional Taiwanese dessert called mung bean cake. I usually make desserts during my summer vacations. Baking helps me release stress, and I believe that doing something I enjoy in my free time helps me relax.

Goals for This Course

    To conclude, I hope to cultivate more reading and writing skills from this course. I also aim to discover more topics that interest me, allowing me to use the writing techniques I learn from books to improve my writing abilities. My goal is to write essays and articles that are more convincing and professional.

    Feel free to share in the comments below!