I am proud of how I did on my presentation and how I memorised my speech. Some challenges for me was mostly pace because i was stressed at the time and when i realised i was going to fast it was too late because I was already 80% done with my presentation. I used feedback a lot, when my peers said it wasnt well memorised, i memorised it a lot and perfected it. If i could redo the summative assessment i would add more slides and go a bit slower so that it would’ve been 5 minutes on the dot or close to 5 minutes. I would tell myself to prepare myself more before the presentation so that i could memorise it more in general.
This science unit taught me a lot about ecosystems, photosynthesis, and how living things work together. One thing I felt really confident in was the Ecosystem in a Bottle project.
I had already done something like it before, so I already understood how plants, water, sunlight, and animals help keep the ecosystem alive. It was easier for me to explain how everything worked together and what would happen if one part changed. I also liked building the bottle because it was fun and interesting to watch over time.
One thing I struggled with was learning the roles in ecosystems. I mixed up producers, consumers, and decomposers because I forgot which job each one had. I also had a hard time understanding how energy moves through a food chain. Some of the notes were confusing at first, but the class activities helped me understand it better later on. I also learned a lot from the photosynthesis labs and the pond simulation. These activities showed me how plants make their own food using sunlight and why plants are important for life. Overall, I think I got better at understanding ecosystems and how all living things depend on each other.
this is my original design for the ecosystem bottle
Explain how mathematical thinking was used in the activities during this unit (Weave Silk, Photo Hunt, Folding Paper and Trace, Construction Line Drawings, and Digital Tessellations.) Use Math and Art terms to support your thinking.
Mathematical thinking was used a lot during our tessellation because of how precise we had to be when handling the ruler and the pencil so that it was very accurate. Folding paper was a really important and a hard part of this unit because, well you had to fold very precisely so that you didn’t have to restart. During Weave Silk, this activity involved creating patterns using geometry and symmetry. The way we used colours and shapes can show how mathematical relationships create an amazing masterpiece. Construction lines was one of the hardest parts because of how precise we had to be, if we were off for even a centimetre we would have to restart, which frustrated me, and a lot of other students.
What did you used to think about viral claims and what do you think about them now?
I used to think that they were truthful sometimes and sometimes not truthful but I didn’t check before but now since I know how to do a CRAAP test I check claims online whenever I come across one.
How did you analyse what you were seeing online?
I used the CRAAP test technique and used credible sources to check the information.
What helped you most to become more health media literate?
The CRAAP test helped me become more health media literate because of how I actually checked the information online..
During this unit, I learned that apples can look and taste different because of both their genetics and the environment they grow in. The genetics decide things like how sweet or sour an apple can be, and the environment affects how those traits actually show up. For example, apples grown in a sunnier place might taste sweeter than the same type grown somewhere colder. I also learned that apples can reproduce sexually through seeds, which creates new varieties, and asexually through grafting, which helps farmers make identical apple trees. Understanding both types of reproduction helped me see why there are so many apple varieties but also why some apples stay the same every time. Overall, the combination of genetics and environment explains why apples have so much variety in taste, color, and texture.
The two learning experiences that helped me the most were the apple DNA extraction and the flower dissection. The DNA extraction was memorable because I could actually see the DNA, which made the idea of cells and genetics feel more real. The flower dissection also helped me because I learn best when I can touch and see things instead of just reading about them. Doing these activities made it easier for me to understand how reproduction works in plants and how traits get passed on.
One thing I want to improve is checking the rubric before I submit my work. Sometimes I forget small details like labels or descriptions, and that affects my grade even when the main idea is correct. If I use the rubric as a checklist, I think my work will be more complete and I won’t need to redo as many assignments.
How did SLC go?
My overall SLC presentation went well and I would say that I spoke confidently and memorised most of my presentation and looked at the audience (my parents and advisor) a lot through my presentation.
How will you apply what you learned for the rest of this school year?
I will apply what I learned this semester to the rest of the year by staying focused in class and making a schedule to organise my homework and studies.
What did you learn about yourself as a student and communicator? What insights surprised you?
I learned that I procrastinate a lot as a student and that I need to organise my studies and homework through a schedule to stay organised.
What might you do differently when preparing for next year’s conference?
I will finish my slides earlier so that I can practice my speech and presentation earlier on so that it looks professional and well memorised.
What did you create? What influenced your choice of media (art materials) for this piece?
I created a close up image of a leaf on a round canvas mostly with water colour but also added some clay around the edges to give more depth.I was inspired by David Goodsell and his scientific images made by watercolour.
How did creating your artwork help you develop your artistic skills? In which specific areas did you notice growth, and where do you see opportunities for further improvement as an artist
I learned new techniques in watercolour from my artwork such as wetting a paper towel, then running it through my artwork so that it makes white lines through the green. I noticed growth in how I hold the brush, before my hands were shaky and I couldn’t hold the brush, now I can hold the brush with no shaking and draw precisely.
How does your artwork relate to your analysis of the subject you chose?
It relates because David Goodsell also draws scientific images and I decided to draw a close up image of a leaf.
As you analyze his work further, is there anything new you learned about him, his artwork, or his techniques that you found particularly interesting and inspiring?
From David Goodsell, i learned that cells arent just little circles with molecules inside but very detailed organisms that are really complictaed to draw and understand at the same time. His technique of gliding the brush so effortlessly made me amazed, he draws really precisely with water color which is not very easy.
I chose to do David Goodsell because i am inspired of his artwork and i am also interested in cells which explains why i went for a plant leaf type of cell- looking design on my canvas. If i get another chance to collaborate art and science, i would definetely do David Goodsell again.
To make this video, I first had to gather information about Pelé and his childhood or else I wouldn’t have anything to talk about. After finding enough information then making an essay, I needed to find pictures online about him so that I could make a video. Lastly, I timed my speech so that my voice and the pictures would match well, then I included the final photos and finished my video.
For the things that went well, I would say that I looked at the audience a lot while talking and memorised my speech quite well and I also felt very confident during my speech.
I could improve on timing the speech and the photos more precisely and also not procrastinating as much. I felt like I was behind on my video for the photos and also went over my videos time span. I also need to work on answering the main questions about Pelé and gathering more information about him. Instead of speaking about Pelé’s childhood, I just told a story which was wrong because I was supposed to answer the questions about my historical figure and not do the opposite by “storytelling”.
I am proud of how I did not make a lot of convention errors on this paragraph compared to my other paragraphs which had a lot of convention errors. I am also proud of the detail and effort that I put into this story and that I didn’t leave it vague because of my bad habit of not describing a lot.
The subject that was difficult for me was conventions. I didn’t really understand it when we first started learning it and didn’t understand the concept of conventions which made it hard for me when I had to use them.
If I could redo the assignment, I would study more before writing it and use flint more to learn about conventions so that I wouldn’t have struggled as much as I did on my dystopian story. I realised that I need to study more additionally and not just only learning at school but more doing both, studying at home while also working at school so that I can thoroughly memorise the subject.
The advice I would give myself for unit 4 is to not leave projects for the last day and start it the first day it is assigned so that later on if I finish it early I can still apply some edits to fix it and not just do it on the last day and hope I get a good grade. I also want to tell myself that I need to focus more in class in general because I feel like I am always talking with my table partner which really distracts me and I have realised in the few recent weeks of school. I think that I work pretty slow when I’m not focused and my eyes just start to wander around when I’m not focused and which doesn’t let me work which isn’t a good thing.
The goal that I want to set for future work is to study more whenever I have free time after school or to be focused more in class and ignore all distractions and talk less to my table partner so that I can focus on my work and stay on task at all times.
I used Ai to make a 3 day meal plan for Bob while following the Harvard Healthy Plate to make healthy meals throughout the day for Bob to eat, be full, but still be healthy.
I learned that you need to be healthy and eat healthy foods so that you can weight and get the daily vitamins that you need.
I made my master chef dish by cutting up fruit and making hummus while one of my partners made chips and guacamole, and the other partner brought some additional vegetables.
I learned to do things myself in this project and also how to make hummus without adult supervision.
For my goal, I need to eat more to gain weight so that I can have a healthy amount of fat and muscle. I just need to eat more food so that I can grow taller and stronger and healthier. I didn’t only choose this goal because of my parents but I slowly realised that I was very underweight and that I needed to gain more weight to be at the ideal weight and to be healthy in general.