Helen's Portfolio

My story is about a doctor from a war-torn country migrating to the United States, who tried to rebuild his career there. He rented an apartment and started with a job as a delivery truck driver, then a job as a hospital orderly after he passed his exam with a promotion later, then finally ending with a job as a staff physician after he got his doctor’s medical license. However, just after he got his promotion, he was diagnosed with major depression, which cost him almost all his money to treat. And on his 23rd month in the US, he died of a car accident. Our story modeled the changes in his balance after he moved to the US.

The part of your project that I am most proud of is being able to figure out a way for our model to have a x-intercept, which meant that his balance had to clear to zero. The hardest part of creating my piecewise function is figuring out which points are open circles and which points are closed circles. If I could revise one part of this project, I would strengthen clarity in my written explanations. This project helped me understand the intervals in piecewise functions better.

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

A. I chose question 6 as evidence of my best thinking because it’s was an extension and I got it right. I also chose question 7 as evidence of my best thinking because even though I forgot to explain the y-intercept for part a, I was still able to complete parts b, c, and d and get them correct.

B. Throughout unit 2, I improved most at interpreting linear models using slope, intercept, and correlation and distinguishing correlation from causation. One skill from this unit that I still need to work on is identifying outliers. The biggest challenge for me on this assessment was distinguishing correlation from causation. One strategy that helped me on this test was using residual plots to evaluate how well a line fits the data.

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

A. Last unit, I set this goal: in the next unit, use more precise notation when doing my work, and I think I worked well towards this goal, because I was able to remember how to explain what the slope and y-intercept each mean in context. Ms. Fisher’s reminders helped me work towards this goal.

B. Three strengths of my strengths so far this year are being able to interpret linear models using slope, intercept, and correlation, distinguish correlation from causation, and use residual plots to evaluate how well a line fits the data. Three things I want to improve on in the next unit are engaging more in class discussions, reading the problem carefully first to avoid making careless mistakes, and leaving extra time in the end to check my work before submission. 

C. In the next unit, I want to be more careful and double-check when doing my work, whether if it’s an assessment, a quiz, or just a practice. Something that might get in the way of this goal is running out of time. I don’t think that I will get stuck, but I might forget; however, I could remember to do it every time I do a practice, so that I can remember during an assessment.