In this unit, I learned how to properly throw a frisbee and play cornhole. I’m actually quite good at cornhole, and even got the bean bags in the hole a couple times. As for frisbee, I’m mediocre at it. I’m not good but not bad. I think with enough practice, I could get much better at frisbee-throwing and getting it in the targets.
In this unit, I learned how to do high and long jumps, and we also sprinted 100 meters. The thing I enjoyed most was the high jumps, because it was something I didn’t completely fail at. I’d say a challenging thing was the long jumps, because I didn’t get a long distance.
What I Learned:
So far in VMM Class, we’ve learned basic chord fingerings, different strumming patterns, and how to perform blues music. The very first thing we learned were chord fingerings. Chord fingerings are essentially just where you place your fingers to make different chords. We later used those fingerings to create our own blues song, with lyrics about things we disliked. Later on, the VMM teacher, Mr. Bott, taught us some different strumming patterns we could incorporate into the music. For the final project of our blues unit, we performed our songs in groups in front of the class. Currently, we are practicing our vocal music for the upcoming concert.
Blues Lyrics Artifact:
This is a photo of the blues lyrics I wrote. I chose to include this artifact because it’s something that I enjoyed creating in VMM.
Chords Artifact:
This is a photo of the chords that I and 3 other people performed together in front of the class (not to be mistaken with the final project). I chose this because even though normally, I hate public performances, I actually liked doing this one.
Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships:
For this unit, we learned about the characteristics of a healthy and unhealthy relationship. Healthy relationships respect boundaries, have effective communication, and ask for consent. Unhealthy relationships involve disrespect towards one another, sometimes a form of abuse, and one partner controlling the other. For the final project, we were separated into groups and used a piece of media to analyze as either a healthy or unhealthy relationship.
Mental Health Conditions:
For this unit, we learned about the different types of mental health conditions. There are many, like eating disorders, PTSD, and anxiety disorders. For the final project, we worked in groups and studied a specific type of mental health condition in depth. We then made a presentation which we shared in front of the class. My group studied all types of anxiety disorders, which include Generalized Anxiety Disorders, Panic Disorders, and Social Anxiety.
The Teen Brain:
For this unit, we learned about the teen brain and its main sections. The three main parts are the prefrontal cortex, shortened as PFC, the amygdala, and the hippocampus. The PFC is in charge of making logical decisions and controlling your impulses, basically the strict mom of the brain. The amygdala is in charge of processing emotions and detecting threats. It’s the thing that drives the flight or fight response in your body, giving you that adrenaline rush. The hippocampus is essentially a memory organizer. It takes short-term memories helps turn them into long-term ones stored elsewhere in the brain.
Strengths:
2 strengths that I demonstrated in Semester 1 were organization and time management. In terms of organization, I had a to-do list where I listed everything that needed to be done that day and updated it regularly. Time management wise, I estimated how much time each task would take and gave each task a time slot. That way, I could efficiently complete all my tasks.
Areas of Improvement:
2 areas of improvement are making my notes tidy and having a positive mindset. In my science and math notebook, I don’t put as much effort in its neatness as I should. They often have messy handwriting and I don’t make indexes to label where each topic is. That reduces the helpfulness and efficiency of the notebooks. As for having a positive mindset, sometimes, I am not enthusiastic about being in a class, especially if there’s a lesson with a lot of work in it. That doesn’t really affect anyone else besides me, but it definitely makes me less productive and concentrated.
Pickleball:
In the pickleball unit, I learned how to grip the paddle and the rules of the game. Something I did well on are my serves, since I can often ace the other teams. I think that an area of improvement is my ability to return fast serves, since I often can’t. I believe that my tennis skills may have improved my pickleball skills.
Badminton:
Something I learned in this unit is how to serve the shuttle and how to smash. I improved on being able to pass back a smash. I hope to improve on my dropshots in the future.
Soccer:
When we started the soccer unit, I didn’t even know how to dribble let alone passing and shooting. Thanks to my teachers, I became average at the sport and did decently. I learned what all the soccer positions were as well.
Water Polo/Swimming:
When we started the swimming unit, I wasn’t able to swim and tread in the water. However, as the unit progressed, I was able to do freestyle and tread for short period of time. I also learned how to play water polo and the different positions in the sport.
PE Table Tennis Reflection:
In this unit, I learned how to serve, use top spin, perform backhand and forehand hits, and the 2 grips. I think that over the unit, I improved quite a bit, since before I always got the balls out, but now I can do a pretty long rally.
2 things I did well on for this unit were time management and organization. I planned ahead and decided what needed to be done each day so that I could finish the project with no stress. One thing I could improve on is not talking as much to my tablemates during class and working more. They often had conversations that I engaged in, getting me off task.
The hardest part of the process of was making my product look aesthetic and interesting. Cutting out each individual picture/item was time consuming, as the cover alone took 1 hour. Not only that, but each page I wrote also took about 1 hour. I worked through it by managing my time well and dividing each section of the product into a reasonable amount of work per day.
I used Flint AI as a thought partner and organizer. I gave it sample questions, and in return, it gave me feedback on how to make them more story-provoking. That was helpful, since it made my dad go more in depth about his experiences and childhood. The Flint bot also helped organize my question bank, so I could complete the interview without many instances where I was looking around for certain questions.
My final product effectively communicated my thinking by having clear and concise writing. It was easy to follow and understand, in my opinion. If I had more time, I would add more images in the contents of the book, not just on the cover. My product didn’t really have many pictures inside, so I feel that it could definitely use some more to make it look better.
My Vision Board:
I chose the word prelude as a word to describe semester 1, since it means an action or event serving as an introduction to something more important, and semester 2 is more difficult than 1.
I chose the word maelstrom for as a word to describe semester 2, since a maelstrom of emotions means a situation in which there are a lot of confused activities, emotions, etc., and that’s what I’m feeling in semester 2 right now.
I chose the picture of a girl speaking in front of a large audience, since I want to look that confident when doing public speaking.
My Academic and Non-Academic Goals:
- By the end of semester 2, I will get all meetings for my Spanish report card. I will do so by studying Spanish for 20 minutes everyday and talking to the teacher if confused. I can check my progress by tracking my grade report.
- By the end of March, I want to earn all meetings for my final quarter ELA independent passport. I will do so by dedicating 30 minutes everyday to my passport and signing up everyday for a conference. I will check my progress by looking at the sign-up sheet everyday.
- By the end of semester 2, I want to be able to make 95% of my shots go over the net. I will do so by getting suggestions from my coaches and practicing more. To measure, I will count how many shots go over divided by how many I hit.
TTG Goal:
I want to work on being an effective collaborator because I believe that learning how to work with different personalities to complete a goal quickly is one of the most important skills you can learn. I will work on it by expressing my ideas when in a group project at least twice a day.
I chose these two artifacts because it shows the growth in my ability to be a good socratic seminar participant. In the first one I did, I only spoke one time and only for 16 seconds, not even close to the class average. However, for the second one, I spoke 7 times and for an average of 1:43, getting much closer to the class average. That displays my growth in being a good participant for socratic seminars. This shows that I grew as a public speaker, since previously, I wasn’t able to speak up and express my thoughts, but now, I overcame that fear and am able to talk more.
Evidence of Organization:
My science notebook became more useful as the school year continued, as I took more care to add details and clarity to my work.
Evidence of Active Learner Habits:
3 active learner skills I’ve improved on are preparing for assessments/deadlines, stays “dialed in”, and works to the best of my ability. One active learner skill that continues to be an area of growth based on the evidence from Schoology is demonstrates positive attitude. I plan to improve on this by maintaining a growth mindset.
Evidence of Understanding of Key Concepts:
My understanding of key concepts is sufficient, as I only have 2 2/3’s from the start of the semester to now.
Evidence of Growth in Science Skills:
Standard 1: Developing and Using Models
Standard 2: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
Standard 3: Engaging in Argument from Evidence (CER)
Standard 4: Asking Questions and Defining Problems
Standard 5: Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking
Standard 6: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
As shown in the images, my first CER score was 2.5 while the second one was a 3. You can also see by reading the evidence on my notecards and document, that the second CER I did, the digital one, had better quality evidence. To add on, the evidence in the first one has no quantitative data or introduction, while my second one does. That shows my growth in being able to engage in argument from evidence.