Dylan's Portfolio

Unit 4 Dystopian Fiction Reflection

December 16, 2025 /

What did I learn about Dystopian Fiction?

I learned that dystopian fiction is a type of story set in a future or imaginary society where people’s lives are controlled. I learned that these stories usually show governments or groups with too much power and people who have limited or none freedom. I also learned that readers should think about seven key ideas in dystopian fiction: Totalitarianism, control of nature, the illusion of Utopia, Social Control, Dehumanization, Constant Surveillance, Conformity vs Difference. Dystopian fiction mades me think more deeply about how society works. I learned that these stories warn readers about what could happen if problems like inequality, abuse of power, or loss of individuality are ignored.

How does Dystopian Fiction encourage me to think about real life?

Dystopian fiction encourages me to think about real life by showing exaggerated versions of real-world problems and times when a country in the real world is being ruled like this and making me imagine what could happen if those problems get worse. It makes me think about issues like government control, loss of freedom, technology being misused, and people giving up individuality for safety or comfort. These stories help me compare the fictional society to my own world and question whether things are fair or right. Overall, dystopian fiction encourages me to be more aware, think critically, and consider how my choices and society’s choices can shape the future.

I enjoyed/did not enjoy the Giver

I enjoyed the Giver when main information has been leaked in the story, but I don’t like the ending because it makes me fee like there should be more of the book and I don’t feel well when I read an unfinished book.

How has my ability to write academic paragraphs inproved?

My ability to write academic paragraphs improved because before, I needed to think about my claim, evidence, reasoning, and conclusion, but now, I just need to think what claim and what evidence I need to put inside my paragraph. I also improved my use of academic language.

How have I become better at literature discussions?

I know now do validate people and how to challenge people without angering them. I also improved my accent and I can communicate better.

Math Baking Sell Project

November 29, 2025 /

What did We do?

On day 1, I made the 3 recipes, chose on recipe, determine how much of each ingredient in both metric and US systems, and determined the name for the bakery name. On day 2, we provided all the unit rates with proper unit labels and we provided all the batch and respective calculations for each ingredient. On day 3, we provided a clear mathematical explanation for the cost of 1 batch, how much servings provided, and the cost of each serving. We also determined a percentage markup and the sell price and made a poster for homework. On day 4, we wrote a pitch the explains how we got our sell prices based on our markup.

What worked well?

Making the yogurt went really well, and selling it was just as successful—we sold out in under 45 minutes. My partners and I worked together smoothly throughout the entire process, which helped everything run efficiently and made the project even more enjoyable.

What didn’t worked well?

We didn’t have time for everyone to be together to make the yogurt, so my mom and I made it with some extra help from Ryan. Even though the whole group couldn’t be there, we still managed to get everything done efficiently.

Personal Relevence

This unit was directly related to business, so if I become a salesman later in life, this unit will likely impact ho I do in the market. We also had fun and got more experience for making yogurt and being businessmens.

Unit 2 Otzi Unit Portfolio Reflection 

November 27, 2025 /
  1. What did I work on? 
  1. During this unit, ‘Why should we care about the past?’, I worked on  
    • Making observations, inferences and wonderings, using photos and articles as evidence, writing a CER paragraph, and asking, answering open and closed questions, and taking part in the Otzi Mock Trial, my role was bailiff and court reporter. 
  1. What did I learn? Why should we care about the past? 
    • We should care about the past because it helps us understand how people lived, what they discovered, and how their ideas shaped the world we live in today. By studying lost knowledge, we can make new advancements and avoid repeating past mistakes. Learning about ancient technology, beliefs, and daily life can inspire new ideas and help us better understand how humans have changed over time. 
  1. What worked well? 
    • I am proud of being the bailiff during the Ötzi Mock Trial, writing my final CER draft, and creating a strong newspaper article. I am proud of the work above because these tasks showed my strengths in writing and my ability to stay focused. I’m especially proud of taking on the bailiff role because I don’t usually feel comfortable speaking in front of large groups, so this was a big step for me. 
    1. What did not work well? 
      • I found some parts of this unit challenging, especially speaking in front of many people, interviewing others, and keeping track of where to submit my assignments. These were difficult because I get stage fright and sometimes make mistakes when presenting or performing. I also tend to rush when submitting work, which leads to turning it in the wrong place. 
      1. Personal Relevance 
        • Collaboration and communications skills are important in my future because if I get into the NBA (my first dream job), I will need strong communication skills because I’ll be interviewed and will have to answer questions on live TV. If I become a writer (my second dream job), I will need to communicate clearly with publishers and persuade them to publish my books. 
        1. This is a photo of my work about my newspaper. 

        Balloon Car Reflection

        November 12, 2025 /

        The balloon car was built using a ballon, 4 wheels, a tray, 2 straws, and axle. We used it to learn about Newton’s 3 laws, how to use a data table, and how to draw a free-body diagram. We connected the balloon car to all of the 3 laws.

        Newton’s 1st law states that an object will stay in motion of stay at rest unless acted by an outside force. We see this law in action with the balloon car when it moved by adding air into the balloon (applied force) and when the balloon car didn’t move by having no air in the balloon. Newton’s 2nd law states that force equals mass times acceleration. We see this law in actions with the balloon car when adding more air into the balloon (force) make the car go faster (acceleration) , but when we add washers to the car (mass), it slows down.Newton’s 3rd law states every action has an equal and opposite reaction. We see his law in action with the balloon car when the car bumps into a chair (action), and then the car roll backwards after hitting the chair (reaction).

        The data gathering worked well because both of us agreed on most things, so the data was relatively reliable. Connecting to Newton’s laws worked well because there is nothing not agreeable with Newton’s 3 laws. The only things that worked well doesn’t require much collaboration.

        It was a struggle to collaborate because we all had our own ideas and what to stick with it. To solve this problem we said what each person will work separately. It was a struggle to build the balloon car because we had our own ideas for the car, and we kept messing up.

        The balloon car was like a car in the real world, when I pumped air into the ballon, it’s like pumping gasoline into a real car. I see Newton’s 1st law in real life when I push a toy car, it moves, but the friction stops it, and when I don’t put force on it, it doesn’t move. I see Newton’s 2nd law in the real life when I push boxes with nothing inside, it moves faster than me pushing boxes with fruit inside. I see Newton’s 3rd law when I push boxes. When I push boxes, the boxes push me back.

        Egg Car Reflection

        November 12, 2025 /

        The criteria of the egg car is to stop the egg from cracking when bumping into a cement block while having 2 safety systems.

        We see Newton’s 1st law in action of Inertia when the car is stopped by the cement block, but nothing is stopping the egg from keep going. Newton’s 1st law states that an object will stay in motion or stay at rest unless acted on by another force. We see Newton’s 3rd law in action when the car bumps into the cement block and the block pushes back. Newton’s 3rd law states every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

        The building worked well because we had almost no arguments and everything was according to our plan. We also used minimum paper and we were pretty proud of that. The teamwork also worked well because we had no arguments and we had connected out ideas perfectly.

        The testing was not successful. To solve this problem, we should’ve put the egg holder in the very back of the car, so the cement block wouldn’t even touch the egg holder. The car went flying for some other cars. To solve this problem, I would add more paper to have more weight and have big wheels to stablilize the car.

        Now, I know that safety systems are what keeps the passenger in the car safe. There must be a part of the vehicle to protect the driver from being crushed. It is important to know about Newton’s 3 laws because you can predict how much damage you and the car will recieve and how to protect yourself from actual car crashes.

        Art Reflexion

        October 30, 2025 /

        I am proud of my clay shoe becuase it’s really realistic, it uses multiple stratigies, and how I was able to use these stratagies. It’s a smaller model of a real shoe. I made it with a 3 slabs, 2 pinchpots.

        Creative Writing Reflection

        October 30, 2025 /

        What are we doing?

        Writing a fictional story based on a theme that matters to me.

        What are we leaning?

        Theme (my purpose for writing this story, my message to readers)

        Character Development (creating believable characters with positive & negative traits)

        Plot (the sequence of events in my story; Western and Eastern approaches to storytelling)

        Setting (the world that I create for my story)

        What’s working?

        My story bursts with vivid imagery, intense atmosphere, and relentless momentum. The world I’ve built feels alive and layered, with themes of loss and identity adding emotional depth beneath the chaos.

        Area for more growth

        My story’s main problems are clarity and focus. Sometimes my descriptions become so dense that the plot is hard to follow, and the vivid imagery can overwhelm rather than guide the reader. I also think that the part of the story I decided to write wasn’t really connected to the theme—it was growing toward it, but it never quite reached the point where the theme was clearly expressed.

        Personal Relevance

        I think writing would be my secondary job or my backup plan if I didn’t manage to get my dream job, and I would be writing creative writing as an author.

        Critical Thinking: Indi Robot Cars & Gravitrax

        October 7, 2025 /

        I played with Indi Robot cars and Gravitrax to strengthen my critical thinking skills.

        Critical thinking is to analyze the problem and figure out how to fix the problem.

        I thought critically when I figured out how to get the 2 marbles in the same place by using bridges.

        I thought critically when I figured out what the robot car does on each color.

        I struggled when I can’t find the right piece and bridge to make the marble turn into the end piece.

        Today’s learning helps me understand what critical thinking actually is and practices my critical thinking skills.

        Unit 1 Olympic Portfolio Reflection 

        September 24, 2025 /

        1. What did I work on? 
        1. During this unit, Campaign for the Olympics, I worked on creating a Pitch and Persuade Script to the IOC to choose my host country, China, to host to host the 2040 summer Olympics. I worked on my presentation skills, and I printed the script to help me memorize my script. I created a presentation PPT, and I used the SAS Databases images. I used the SAS Databases to complete my research about China. I used the class persuasive sentence starter to make my speech very persuasive. 
        1. What did I learn? Why do global sporting events exist? 
        1. Global sporting events exist because to bring together and help people celebrate different cultures through sport. They increase the economy; they showcase the host country’s culture and are a positive influence in the world. 
        1. What worked well? 
        1. I am proud of using at least 3 persuasive languages, speaking with a loud and clear voice, and using the SAS Databases.  
        1. I am proud of the things above because the IOC can be convinced, every member can understand what I’m saying, and I can use the SAS Databases in the future. 
        1. What did not work well? 
        1. I found some things challenging, they were presenting to a crowd and not using filler words. 
        1. I found the things above challenging because I hate presenting to people that are not close to me and I can’t control being nervous and using filler words. 
        1. Personal Relevance 
        1. Collaboration and communications skills are important in my future because I would have to present in my future career, especially when I join the NBA. 
        1. This is a photo of my work about my introduction 
        1. Insert photo here 
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