Emily's Portfolio

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PE: Badminton End of Unit Reflection

Throughout this unit, I learned and improved in developing my serves accurately, and also practiced playing games with a partner. I enjoyed this unit because I improved a lot in receiving and faking the returns, so it would be harder for the opponent to anticipate. Something I can still improve on is forehand serves because I usually do backhand, and I can do so by practicing that more.

Math: Unit 2 Reflection & Semester Check-In

Part 1: Unit 2 Topic A and B Test Reflection (Functions & Statistics)

A. Evidence of Your Best Thinking

Select two questions from your Unit 2 test that best show your thinking.

  1. I chose Question 3b as evidence of my best thinking because I think I effectively used the graph to calculate how much a person would pay for their golf club based on the distance (yards) they are able to hit.
  1. I also chose Question 4 as evidence of my best thinking because I used the slope intercept and rounded the answer correctly. I also think I did well in explaining what the slope meant in the context.

B. Skills Reflection

Complete each sentence honestly and thoughtfully.

  1. Throughout Unit 2, I improved the most at identifying the slope, and also being able to find a certain plotted point using the slope intercept equation.
  1. One skill from this unit that I still need to work on is writing a function, which was reflected in my project “Write a story” that was completed with my partner.
  1. The biggest challenge for me on this assessment was considering correlation vs. causation.
  1. One strategy that helped me on this test was memorizing the slope intercept formulas, and also reviewing days before the test.

Part 2: Goal Reflection & End-of-Semester Check-In

A. Looking Back at Your Last Goal

Last unit, you set this goal:
In the next unit, I want to be able to understand why and how methods are used in math problems. (As well as using the method)

  1. How well did you work toward this goal?
    ✔ Very well ☐ Somewhat ☐ I struggled with this
  1. What helped you make progress toward this goal?

Paying attention in class and taking neat notes.

  1. What got in the way of this goal (if anything)?

Nothing in particular.

B. End-of-Semester Self Reflection

  1. List three strengths you have shown last semester:

-Completing work on time

-Taking clear notes

-Explaining why an answer is incorrect

  1. List three areas you still want to improve:

-Study more effectively

-Memorizing a formula

-Be more active in class

C. New Academic Goal Moving Forward

Complete all parts:

  1. In the next unit I want to participate more in class, and try harder when there are options.
  1. What might get in the way of this goal?

I might be nervous to share an answer.

  1. What will I do if I get stuck or need help?

I would email the teacher to ask, or come in during lunch to get help.

Math: Design Your Own Story (Piecewise Function Project) Reflection

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Emily Zhou – L4 Unit 2 Design a Story Problem – 3765153
Download

-Describe your story and what real-life situation it modeled?

        My story is about a coffee shop and a record of its earnings, and how it relates to a real world situation. It models a store and it’s incomes.

        -What part of your project are you most proud of? Why?

        I’m most proud of the story, because while it is fun and interesting, it is also mathematically related.

        -What was the hardest part of creating your piecewise function?

        The hardest part was making sure the function exactly matched with the story. When the story mentioned that they made, for example, 100$ less in one hour, when my partner and I tried to graph it, it looked like the store was losing money, not making less.

        -If you could revise one part of this project, what would you improve and how?

        If I could revise one part, it would be the labels on the x axis as it caused a lot of confusion due to graph interpretation errors. This was already changed through a re-submission, and the x axis title “Earnings” was changed to “Profits”.

        -What did this project help you understand better about piecewise functions?

        Before the project, I didn’t really know what a piecewise function even was, so this project helped my understanding and also gave me an opportunity to practice what I learned.

        Art: Mixed Media Self Portrait Reflection

        What key message do you want your audience to understand about you as they view your artwork? How did you communicate this message?

        I want the audience to understand my values, hobbies, and overall what makes up who I am. For example, the butterfly on my right shoulder represents some important memories I had with my family, at the same time symbolizing hope and personal growth. I communicate this message through visuals/symbols.

        During the creation of your artwork, how did you take risks and experiment in order to effectively express your intended message?

        An example of a risk I took is adding the flowers, because it was not in my original plan. (The purpose was to replace the smiley face, as I thought it didn’t fit the theme of the art well.) However, it worked well as it matched with the butterfly. (Nature) This effectively expressed my intended message of being positive, as flowers represent joy and growth. Although the sunflower was not included, I think it’s important to include that the sunflower always “faces” the positive side (sun).

        PE: Outdoor Invasion Unit + Swimming Unit Reflection

        Soccer

        In this unit, we learned and reviewed soccer. We practiced footwork and shooting, and playing in a team. I think I improved most in passing to other teammates and transitioning from offense to defense. Something that still needs improvement is marking opponents to defend, as the game is very quick and fast-paced. At the end of the unit, I was able to dribble and shoot goals successfully.

        Swimming – Water Polo

        In the swimming unit, we practiced both the basic three strokes (freestyle, breaststroke, and backstroke) and how to play water polo. To play water polo, we practiced treading, which is very important as the head must be kept above water during the game. We also practiced passing and catching the ball with one hand while treading, which I found a bit difficult. At the end of the unit, I was able to pass and shoot the ball during a water polo game.

        Art: Kool Koor Reflection

        Group Art Piece (Guided by Kool Koor)

        1. Cultural Influence on Aesthetic Choices

        After meeting Kool Koor and learning about his artistic journey, how do you think his background in the graffiti culture of the Bronx influenced his aesthetic choices in the techniques and styles he demonstrated? 

        Graffiti culture is usually fast paced, urgent, which expresses self identity and community. Some significant similarites between his past work and current work are his personal signature (used in negative space), and color choices to create contrast. Kool Koor’s background shaped his current style and technique through his lettering style, emphasis on movement, and complex compositions. His jagged lines in his old art in the 1970s or 1980s is reflected in his current work. I can see this through his patterns drawn by marker and his signature symbols.

        2. Environmental Impact on Art Creation

        Considering Kool Koor’s shift from street art to studio work, how do you think different environments (like the streets versus a classroom) impact an artist’s creative process and choices? In what ways did you feel these environmental influences while trying out his painting style?

        On the streets, (since graffiti is usually illegal), artists are more rushed, therefore their art is likely more jagged or not as precise. In a classroom, however, there is much more time and artists can be more precise, so they could chose a more expressive or concise style to convey.

        3. Personal Reflection on Aesthetic Development

        What aspects of your culture or environment do you think will influence your future artistic choices for your self-portrait mixed media artwork? How can you incorporate elements from your own background into your artwork to express your unique identity?

        I think my hobbies, culture, and surroundings would affect my art style the most, because I am used to drawing neat or concise lines. (Though this style can change) I also like bold or vibrant colors so that parts of the art could stand out to create meaning. I can incorporate my own background into my art through symbolism, shapes, or lettering.

        Math Unit 1 Reflection and Goal Setting

        I chose question 8 as evidence of my best thinking because I think I explained why triangle JKL is the imposter pretty well, using the theorem SAS.

        I also think I demonstrated good critical thinking in question 2, because I used graphed lines to find the point they all shared, then dilated the figure.

        Throughout this unit, I improved most in demonstrating rigid transformations and dilations. Before, I didn’t know how to use the mathematical language for transformations and did not know how to dilate. Now I know both of those topics, and I think I’m pretty familiar in doing it.

        I feel that I still need to work on rotations because it is difficult for me to perform rotations without tracing papers. I can do this by memorizing the (x,y) changes for each type of rotation. Eg. CW Rotation 90 degrees –> (x,y) –> (y,-x)

        Strengths:

        -Completing work on time

        -Taking clear notes

        -Explaining why an answer is correct

        Improvements to make:

        I want to improve in connecting on example to another problem so that it will be easier and more clear (to solve).

        I want to improve in memorization of math terms, as sometimes I forget.

        I want to improve in using precise mathematical language as in the COL I used “flip” instead of “reflect”.

        Academic Goal:

        In the next unit, I want to be able to understand why and how methods are used in math problems. (As well as using the method)

        Images of COL

        Language Arts Unit 1: Operation First Contact Reflection

        What did I learn about language, communication, or writing through this unit? 

        I learned/ reviewed parts of speech and how they are used in sentences. In addition to this, I taught my Alien AI Naru how to use parts of speech and speak English in general. I learned about compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences. I also learned about connotation VS. denotation. I demonstrated understanding of these by annotating and analyzing a paragraph Naru produced.

        Which piece best shows my growth so far this year?

        Analyzation + Annotation of Alien Produce Paragraph

        The link above includes images of an evaluation of the paragraph my alien produced. I skimmed through it and highlighted parts where parts of speech were used. I also analyzed the choice of adjectives, and found out the connotation and denotation used. This shows all my learning as I used everything.

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