Jingxuan's Portfolio

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 3 as evidence of my best thinking because it required a thorough analysis of the correlation coefficient. Although my initial response was unclear, I learned the importance of distinguishing between correlation and causation, which deepened my understanding of statistical relationships.
2. I chose Question 5 as evidence of my best thinking because it involved interpreting a graphical representation of functions. I accurately described how the function behaved across various intervals, which illustrates my solid grasp of mathematical concepts.

B. Skills Reflection

Complete each sentence honestly and thoughtfully.

• Throughout Unit 2, I improved the most at interpreting piecewise functions and understanding their practical applications. This was evident in my ability to create a meaningful pricing model in my design project.
• One skill from this unit that I still need to work on is explaining complex statistical concepts more clearly. I received feedback that my written explanations lacked detail, especially regarding the correlation coefficient.
• The biggest challenge for me on this assessment was ensuring that my writing was legible and clear. I realized that my explanations were sometimes difficult to read, which affected my overall score.
• One strategy that helped me on this test was reviewing examples from class discussions. By seeing how others approached problems, I was able to adopt effective reasoning techniques.

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

A. Looking Back at Your Last Goal

• Last unit, you set this goal: I aimed to improve my statistical reasoning and written explanations.
• How well did you work toward this goal?
  ☐ Very well ☐ Somewhat ☑ I struggled with this
• What helped you make progress toward this goal? My participation in group studies allowed me to discuss and clarify difficult concepts with peers, which aided my understanding.
• What got in the way of this goal (if anything)? My tendency to rush when writing responses often led to unclear explanations, which I recognized as a barrier to achieving my goal.

B. End-of-Semester Self Reflection

• List three strengths you have shown last semester:
  1. Strong understanding of functions and their graphical representations.
  2. Creativity in designing real-world applications, as illustrated in my piecewise pricing model.
  3. Effective collaboration with peers during group projects.
• List three areas you still want to improve:
  1. Clarity and detail in written mathematical explanations.
  2. Distinguishing between correlation and causation in statistical analysis.
  3. Overall time management during assessments to ensure clarity and legibility.

C. New Academic Goal Moving Forward

Complete all parts:

• In the next unit I want to enhance my ability to explain statistical concepts clearly by focusing on the structure and detail in my written responses.
• What might get in the way of this goal? My habit of writing quickly under time pressure could impede my clarity if not managed well.

• • What will I do if I get stuck or need help? I will schedule regular meetings with my teacher or peers for feedback on my written work and seek out additional resources to support my understanding.

My story is about “Scent God” perfumery, where customers pay different rates for custom fragrances based on how concentrated the perfume oil is. It models a real-life tiered pricing system, like when phone plans, electricity rates, or tax brackets charge different amounts depending on how much you use. In this case, the more concentrated the perfume, the higher the price per percent of oil — but the rate changes at certain concentration levels. I am most proud of the tiered pricing system and how we connected that to a piecewise function, and how we were able to make the price decrease with a special discount. The hardest part about creating the function was linking and connecting the story with the graph and function. We had to experiment with different prices and tiers to get a clear piecewise function. We tried different starting points and different methods to make the function decrease. If we had more time, I would make my story clearer and make it make more sense.

Audience Insight:
The key message I want my audience to understand is that my identity is a deep, layered, and emotional
composite of my experiences and interests. I want them to see that who I am is not one simple thing, but a
rich tapestry. I communicated this message by making the artwork itself a direct dive into my emotions
and identity, using visual complexity to mirror my internal complexity. The goal is for the viewer to feel a
sense of connection by recognizing the sincerity and personal investment in the piece, and to see its
uniqueness as a reflection of my own.
Risk and Experimentation:
I took a significant artistic risk by moving outside my established practice to experiment with new
materials and techniques. Specifically, I had never worked with spray paint or pursued layered effects
before this piece. I embraced this experimentation to effectively express the intended message because the
process of layering and blending with a new, fluid medium directly paralleled the act of exploring and
building my layered identity. The risk was in the unknown outcome, but it was essential to finding a
fresh, authentic visual language for my emotions.

Reflection on Soccer Unit

Over the past few weeks in the soccer unit, I’ve learned a lot about teamwork, technique, and personal improvement. This unit challenged me to push my boundaries, stay focused during drills, and apply feedback from coaches and teammates to my game.

What I set out to improve

• Dribbling: Improve ball control under pressure, close with speed while keeping the ball close, and use both feet to manoeuvre around defenders.
• Shooting: Increase shooting accuracy and power, develop a reliable shooting technique (plant foot placement, hip rotation, and follow-through), and finish from different angles and distances.

How I worked on dribbling

• Consistency in touch: I focused on keeping the ball close to my feet during cone dribbling drills, practising with both the inside and outside of my foot.
• Decision-making under pressure: In small-sided games, I trained myself to scan the field, identify space, and choose to dribble or pass within 2–3 seconds.
• Foot skill variety: I incorporated moves like the quick step-over, feints, and change of pace to beat defenders while maintaining control.

How I worked on shooting

• Technique and form: I paid close attention to my plant foot placement, knee over the ball, and a smooth follow-through to keep shots on target.
• Power and accuracy: Through repetition, I worked on striking with the laces and practicing placement over power alone, aiming for corners and just inside the post.
• Situational finishing: I practiced finishing from different angles, with and without a defender, and after receiving a pass in stride to simulate game-like scenarios.

Areas for continued growth

• Dribbling under heavier pressure: I want to refine shield technique and decision-making when faced with multiple defenders.
• First touch under pressure: Improving reception from crosses and through passes to set up immediate finishing or distribution.
• Consistency in finishing: Focusing on finishing from rapid transitions and during fatigue to maintain performance in longer matches.

Personal reflection

This unit pushed me to be proactive about my development. I noticed that consistent practice, even in short daily sessions, leads to noticeable gains. I’m proud of the progress I’ve made in dribbling and shooting, and I’m excited to continue building these skills.

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1. Cultural Influence on Aesthetic Choices

Kool Koor’s background in Bronx graffiti has greatly influenced his art style. Graffiti is all about bold colors and energy, and Kool Koor’s work reflects that vibrancy. His techniques, like layering and using bright contrasts, show how his experiences in the streets shape his art, making it relatable and powerful.

2. Environmental Impact on Art Creation

Moving from street art to studio work changes how an artist creates. In the streets, art is spontaneous, while in the studio, there’s more time to think and refine. During the workshop, I noticed this difference. Trying Kool Koor’s techniques in class allowed me to focus on smooth lines and details, which I found fascinating and inspiring. It was really different from graffiti, which sometimes is not that detailed, and I think that really shows his change of style over time.

3. Personal Reflection on Aesthetic Development

Looking ahead, my culture and environment will influence the art i make, especially in my self-portrait mixed media project. Inspired by Kool Koor, I want to include smooth lines and intricate details that reflect my identity. For example, the patterns and color choices in my work could be inspired by Chinese culture and elements. By blending these elements, I can create a piece that shows who I am while still celebrating my background and expressing myself.

What I explored

• I asked: To what extent do popularity differences between the NBA and WNBA explain the salary gap between male and female basketball players?
• I used different sources: articles, reports, and some basic data about TV ratings, sponsors, and salaries.
• I also thought about other possible reasons besides popularity, like how leagues are run and how much money is available.

What I did and found

• Popularity matters: The NBA is watched by more people on TV and online, and it gets more sponsorship money. This means there is more money to share with NBA players.
• How salaries work: NBA salaries come from big deals (TV rights, tickets, and merchandise). The WNBA gets less money from these sources, so players’ salaries are smaller.
• Not the only reason: Popularity helps explain part of the difference, but there are other factors too, such as how leagues invest in women’s sports and broader ideas about gender in sports.
• Other factors I noticed: Media attention, marketing, ownership choices, and ideas about women’s sports all affect how much money is available to pay players.
• Popularity is important: More fans and more sponsorships lead to bigger salaries.
• Other pieces matter: Money, how leagues are funded, and social attitudes also shape pay.
• Change is possible: If there’s more investment in women’s basketball and better media coverage, WNBA salaries could rise.

Challenges and questions

• Data limits: It was hard to find exact numbers that compare every part of the money people make (contracts, endorsements, etc.).
• Causation vs. correlation: Just because popularity and salaries go up together doesn’t prove one causes the other. More study would help.
• How to improve: What specific steps could leagues, sponsors, and schools take to support pay equality?

I need to improve at making my thinking clearer and organizing my work. In question 8, I had the right answer, but because I wasn’t able to make my thinking process clear to the teacher, I got the question wrong. I will make sure I write down my thinking step by step and organize it in my head before i write it.

In this unit, we taught and trained an alien that was assigned to us.

My alien’s name is Talu; he is from Kiva-9 and landed on Earth due to a cosmic incident.

I think I did a good job teaching him because he has learned very quickly and can produce a very high-level paragraph. He also understands the English language very well demonstrated by speaking in slang.

Below is the paragraph that the Alien produced, which has all 8 parts of speech and different types of sentences.

Below are the paragraphs the Alien produced using all types of imagery, asking and answering questions, and appropriately using slang to show its understanding of the L4 standards.

Essential Question: In what ways can an exhibition influence the ideas, beliefs, and experiences of an audience?

During the exhibition, my experience interacting with the artwork was immersive and interesting. El Anatsui’s Wall and Waves drew me in with its large size and the way the metal pieces shimmer and flow, so I moved closer to study the materials and then stepped back to see how the forms sweep across the space. Van Gogh’s paintings invited me to inspect the brushwork up close and then enjoy the vibrant colors from a distance, and the overall energy of the room—other visitors quietly watching and talking softly—made my emotional reaction stronger. My peers’ experiences around me varied too: some people focused on the idea of recycling and how waste becomes art in El Anatsui, while others talked about Van Gogh’s feelings and how color can express mood. The exhibition curator’s intentions were shown in the wall texts and on the website, which framed the works as ideas about transformation, memory, and connections around the world. This helped me think about environmental issues and personal meaning, not just how the art looks. For activities, I did guided prompts that asked me to notice material and space, made quick sketches in my notebook to capture textures, joined discussions with peers to hear different viewpoints, and took photos to document what I saw. All of these parts together showed me how exhibitions can influence ideas, beliefs, and experiences.

Throughout this ping pong unit, I had the opportunity to learn and practice various serves, which enhanced my understanding of the game and improved my skills significantly. The focus on serves was particularly enlightening; I discovered how different techniques can affect the ball’s trajectory and the opponent’s ability to return it.

One of the most helpful aspects was experimenting with different spins. Learning to execute a backspin and topspin serve added variety to my game, making it more unpredictable and challenging for my opponents. I practiced these serves repeatedly, which not only built my confidence but also improved my precision and control.

Playing games was another highlight of this unit. Engaging in friendly matches with classmates allowed me to apply the new skills I had acquired. It was rewarding to see my serves pay off during gameplay, leading to points that contributed to my team’s success. The competitive environment fostered camaraderie and encouraged us to push each other to improve.

I also learned the importance of strategy in ping pong. Observing my opponents and adjusting my serves and shots accordingly became a key part of my approach. This experience taught me that winning isn’t solely about individual skill, but also about adaptability and mental agility.

Overall, this ping pong unit has been a valuable learning experience. I have gained not only technical skills but also a deeper appreciation for the game’s tactical elements. I look forward to continuing to develop my abilities and applying what I’ve learned in future matches.