Through this unit, I learned a lot of different skills in badminton. We practiced the two different serves (forehand low and backhand low), overhead clear, drop shot… and others. We got to play singles and doubles which were both really fun. Although I don’t play a lot of badminton, I still enjoyed the matches. Hope there are more fun units coming up.
1. Active Learner Habits
One strength I bring to math class is preparation, I bring all the things needed in class (notebook, laptop etc.) almost all the time. Another strength I bring is homework completion, I always make sure the assigned homework is completed before class. A third strength I bring is a positive attitude towards learning math.
One habit I want to improve in the coming semester is take better notes. While I took notes in the 1st semester, I realised my notes did not contain all the neccesary informations. These notes are important for my learning and my revision, it is important to improve it. I will work on this habit by writing down the important ideas and concepts in my notebook, also write down some examples that could help me understand it better. In addition, I will try to review my notes after each lesson in order to put in additional informaiton which I may not have time to put in at class or when I am watching the video.
2. Math Notation and Communication
My math work has improved as it is more organized and the handwriting is clearer.
3. Evidence of Understanding of Key Concepts
One strength in this work is I turned the different parts of Alan’s trip into mathematical explanation. After explaining the parts, I used the information to answer the questions. I think this part of work shows my ability to relate a real-life situation to math as well as solve questions with the math concepts.
This work shows growth over time because I explained my sticker using the transformations that we’ve learned. It shows that I am capable of explaining a picture with transformations; for example, how did this translate to that, how did this rotate to that…
My examples show growth in my ability to use what we’ve learned to solve different problems.
Unit 2 Topic A and B Test Reflection (Functions & Statistics)
A. Evidence of Your Best Thinking
- I chose Question 1 as evidence of my best thinking because I think answering this question can effectively show my understanding of the basic ideas we learned throughout this unit. In this question, I was asked to write down the domain, range, maximum, minimum, interval(s) of increase and decrease… which can demonstrate my understanding of these concepts.
- I also chose Question 3 as evidence of my best thinking because it shows my understanding of statistics. To answer this question, I had to describe the association within the data points on the graph given, whether it is strong or weak, positive or negative, linear or non-linear, is there any outliers? Describing the graph shows that I have mastered the knowledge around these topics. those things.
B. Skills Reflection
- Throughout Unit 2, I improved the most at identifying slopes and their interpreations. I also learnt how to use formulas such as y=mx+b and y-y1=m(x-x1) to solve math problems.
- One skill from this unit that I still need to work on is to improve my ability to leverage the knowledge and skills I learnt. Even thought I can remember the knowledge and answer straightforward questions well, it is often a little bit of a struggle for me when the questions are not asked in a direct manner.
- The biggest challenge for me on this assessment was the critical thinking section, I didn’t manage to use the knowledge learnt to answer some of the questions.
- One strategy that helped me on this test was to memorize the DOTS, it helped me remember all the parts when I am explaining an association. It would be hard to memorize all parts without this trick. Reviewing after I am finished also helped me to avoid careless mistakes.
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 review once every week to check that I understand things, if not then I need to reach out to the teacher.”
- How well did you work toward this goal?
☐ Very well ☐ Somewhat ☐ I struggled with this
- What helped you make progress toward this goal? I made progress towards this goal as I started reviewing what I have learnt occasionally rather than only before the test.
- What got in the way of this goal (if anything)? I didn’t really reach out to the teacher as I prefer to go through the lessons using the PPT when I encounter any issues during my review. However, it may be better to ask the teacher at times rather than trying to figure it out alone as I can be wrong in interpreting the PPT. In addition, teacher can sometimes give me better way to memorize the concepts.
B. End-of-Semester Self Reflection
- List three strengths you have shown last semester: 1. Good understanding of the concepts taught. 2. Working hard even on homework that are not graded. 3. Participating actively in class.
- List three areas you still want to improve: 1. Critical thinking skills. 2. Make better notes in class. 3. Avoid careless mistakes.
C. New Academic Goal Moving Forward
- In the next unit I want to make sure I understand all the concepts and ideas thoroughly and being capable of using them to solve both direct and indirect problems.
- What might get in the way of this goal? As we advance in the year, the content of the class is likely to be more complicated and therefore it may I take a lot of more time and effort to understand them thoroughly.
- What will I do if I get stuck or need help? Reach out to the teacher during lunch break, ask for clarification or any other questions. I can also use the “Need Help? Extra Practice?” section in the lesson on Schoology for some extra exercises.
1. Describe your story and what real-life situation it modeled?
My story is about how Alan check on Baidu Map the time needed for a journey to a friend’s place in order to determine when to leave home. However, after delaying the departure time for 10 mins, the traffic conditions got worse. In addition, he took a wrong turn which he did not budget for. As a result, he was late for an hour. The story modeled situation where sometimes we check online for the time required for a journey without thinking that traffic conditions change quite dramatically depending on the time of the day. In addition, there could be unexpected situation (such as taking a wrong turn) when we drive. Throughout this ride, Alan had times where the road was really congested, fast-driving on the highway, even a wrong turn. I drew a graph modeling his distance to the destination against time to record his journey.
2. What part of your project are you most proud of? Why?
I am the most proud of my explanation of the story problem. I draw a very clear graph in recording his journey. I also managed to explain what each interval means and were able to put down the equations for them. I feel like I tried my best to give a “mathematic description”, using numbers, x’s and y’s to represent Alan’s trip.
3. What was the hardest part of creating your piecewise function?
The hardest part for me was to create the story as it needed to have the different intervals and at the same time it needed to be realistic. I think the story I have created is interesting and definitely realistic. Before this creation, I spent a lot of time and effort brainstorming lots of ideas before deciding on this particular story.
4. If you could revise one part of this project, what would you improve and how?
If I could revise and improve this project, I would try harder to give an explanation that is easier to understand. Even though I have it very precise, I feel like I can organize it into a form which it will be easier for the reader to get a clearer idea on what I am talking about.
5. What did this project help you understand better about piecewise functions?
I think the project helped me a lot in understanding the things we have learned in class. Although I felt I was quite familiar with the concept of piecewise functions before the project, having to come up with a real-life situations gave me a deeper understanding. After the project, I understood how things like slopes, intervals, equations could help explain real-life situations. I also acquired a much better feel on how a graph could help explain a real-life situation.
Audience Insight: What key message do you want your audience to understand about you as they view your artwork? How did you communicate this message?
For this artwork, I want my audience to get to know a bit about me without actually meeting me. In this piece, I used symbols to show my identity and my interest. For instance, I used the tennis ball symbol to show my passion for tennis. The maple leaf symbol represents Canada, which is my nationality/the place I see as home. I also created a chat box symbol and a light bulb symbol to show my personality: sociable and full of ideas. The two people holding hands represent that I love my friends, am good at making friends, and treasure my friendships. While there were only a few points, these are the important characteristics and traits about me.
Risk and Experimentation: During the creation of your artwork, how did you take risks and experiment in order to effectively express your intended message?
Although I had my symbols planned out, I struggled to arrange them in a way that looked interconnected in my artwork. While I wanted to make the symbols somehow visually connect to me, there isn’t a “formula” to do so. I had to repeatedly play with the sizes, positions, orientation, and relative distances of the symbols until I got to one that “felt right.” For example, I finally placed the tennis ball on my right shoulder, creating the effect that it is rolling down my shoulders. I also decided to have two people standing on my shoulder to show the importance of friends in my heart. I am satisfied with my final result, and it was a result of continuous experimentation.
Explanation of Video:
This video analyzes the relationship between the two characters in the Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. Its purpose is to identify the healthy and unhealthy traits in their relationship. Overall speaking, my partner and I identified their relationship to be unhealthy. It lacks consistent consent, communication, and a lot of other traits that should be present in a healthy relationship.
Important Ideas:
Throughout this unit, we learned a lot about gender identity and healthy relationships. Regarding gender identity, we learned that people can have different gender identities despite their biological sex (sex being born with). We also got to understand the vocabulary related to this issue and the challenges people having different gender identities are going through. Regarding relationships, we learned how to identify a healthy relationship by its traits, such as consistent communication and consent. Most importantly, we got to practice how to speak and act in a better way, not too passive and not too aggressive, which gives us the ability to make our relationships with others healthier.
In this unit, we’ve practiced the basic swimming skills such as freestyle, backstroke… We mainly focused on learning water polo skills, being able to play the sport. We started with treading water, being able to float at a spot above water using legs. We basically practiced every class just to get familiar with it and be able to apply the skill into the actual water polo activity. I wasn’t really comfortable in water from the start, but through out the practices, I got better and better. I think this unit benefits me a lot, having the skills to stay in water can keep me safe. Looking forward to the upcoming units!
In this unit, I learned a lot about the different types of mental health issues and did a presentation with my assigned group mates. We took notes of others’ presentations so that we actually learn more about the topic.
After all the presentations were done, I found out that a lot of the mental health issues are likely to happen because of the environment or perhaps are passed genetically. For example, OCD often times appear for genetic reasons, not because the person just wants everything to be neat and clean; that is just a stereotype.
Before the unit, I used to think the mental health issues such as anxiety and depression were never going to be my concern. I thought my family and friends would never suffer from those problems. As I am mentally healthy and have never seen anyone with those issues, I assume those issues are uncommon; therefore, they only bother a small proportion of the population. I didn’t really care about it since I don’t think I or the people I care about would suffer from these sicknesses. However, after studying this unit, I understand mental health issues are a lot more common than I think and can happen to anyone. The takeaway reminds me to always be kind to others, doing what I can to prevent people from getting those illnesses or help people who may be suffering from them.
I also used to think people who suffer from mental health issues are just too sensitive. Now I know that it is out of their control, and I should be sympathetic about it. Going forward, if I do happen to meet with anyone who is suffering from these issues, I will try to be much more understanding rather than judging them.