Reflecting on my productive experience during the winter break: My English week journal

　　Reflecting on My Productive Experience during the Winter Break: My English Week Journal

　　Winter break is always an excellent opportunity for students to relax and recharge after a demanding semester. However, this year, I decided to take a different approach to my winter break and make it productive by engaging in several tasks that would improve my English skills. Among these tasks was keeping an English week journal, which not only improved my grammar and vocabulary but also helped me reflect on my daily activities. In this article, I will reflect on my productive experience during the winter break and how my English week journal helped me achieve my goals.

　　Day 1: December 21

　　After the end of the fall semester, I decided to take a break from academic work and travel to a nearby city to visit my relatives. The journey was a breath of fresh air, as I used this time to reflect on my academic progress, which was a much-needed break before starting my English week journal. During the journey, I observed the surroundings, trying to form sentences in English to describe the people, the buildings, and the atmosphere.

　　Day 2: December 22

　　On the second day, I had a meeting with a friend from high school who is now studying in the United States. We communicated in English throughout the meeting, sharing experiences, and practicing our pronunciation. After the meeting, I went back to my hotel room and chronicled my conversations in my English week journal. Writing down my thoughts and the new vocabulary I learned helped cement my newly acquired English skills and improve my writing proficiency.

　　Day 3: December 23

　　On this day, I spent the morning watching an English speaking TV show. This activity helped me become more comfortable listening to spoken English and become more familiar with conversational phrases. After watching the show, I wrote a review in my English week journal, summarizing the plot and reviewing the acting while focusing on vocabulary and my grammatical accuracy.

　　Day 4: December 24

　　As Christmas Eve arrived, I spent the day reading a novel about a Japanese immigrant settling in America. The novel was written in English, which helped me improve my reading comprehension and learn more about dominant cultural norms in the United States. I also wrote down new words I encountered while reading to add to my vocabulary. Later in the evening, I attended a Christmas gathering where I talked with friends who were also practicing their English.

　　Day 5: December 25

　　I spent Christmas Day practicing pronunciation by reading aloud copy from a classic novel while recording myself. After reading, I listened to my recordings and identified the areas where I needed to improve. Writing about these areas of improvement in my English week journal helped me create a plan for correcting my pronunciation.

　　Day 6: December 26

　　On this day, I resumed watching the TV show I started earlier in the week, but this time, I watched with subtitles to understand difficult dialogues or phrases. This exercise helped me understand spoken English better and improved my reading speed while also expanding my vocabulary.

　　Day 7: December 27

　　On the final day of my English week journal, I wrote a reflection of each day and how the activities I engaged in improved my English skills. Reflecting on my progress throughout the week made me realize that my English skills had indeed improved, and I felt more comfortable communicating in the language.

　　In conclusion, English week was a unique and productive experience for me. Through the different activities, I not only improved my English skills but also had fun while doing it. Keeping an English week journal helped me reflect on my progress and shortcomings, which improved my writing and critical thinking skills. I recommend this approach to every student willing to improve their English skills.