1. Describe your story and what real-life situation it modeled?
My story was about a group of friends going to New Zealand, and they wanted to see the pricing of a rental car company.
2. What part of your project are you most proud of? Why?
I am most proud of the story itself because I think it is very realistic and maybe would actually happen in real life
3. What was the hardest part of creating your piecewise function?
I think it was because I had functions that were better in point-slope form, and when I had to convert it into slope-intercept form it would look very wrong.
4. If you could revise one part of this project, what would you improve and how?
I think I would make my drawing better and the explanation of the functions better.
5. What did this project help you understand better about piecewise functions?
They are very easy to use if not in the normal format for piece wise functions, and they are very versatile.
Mental health as people who were normal and people who were so called “sick” and I often used labels, like saying someone with anxiety is just lazy or saying stereotypical things. I saw conditions as a characteristic of a person, influenced by stereotypes in media and stigma.
But now I think:
Mental health is a complicated part of being a human. This unit helped me understand that conditions are medical issues, not personal issues that can be solved in an instant, and that everyone has a unique experience. What changed my thinking was learning about the science behind conditions and hearing personal perspectives, which replaced vague stereotypes with real understanding. This shift is important because it teaches me to offer support instead of judging them.
I have recognized that my previous approach, while efficient, was not the most supportive for collaborative learning. To make progress, I have created a new plan for myself. In future projects, I will:
Review my teammates’ work and provide specific, constructive feedback, highlighting areas that need improvement rather than changing them myself.
Explain my reasoning by suggesting how I might approach the problem, which will help them understand the “why” behind the changes.
I am most proud of my meteor model, because I think it communicates what I learned in unit 1 clearly to an audience, and I tried my best on it.
I think the biggest challenge in this class is staying focused or contributing in group work because sometimes I might be on a table with someone I don’t really like, and when we have to do a group work, I might just stay quiet instead of saying what I think.
I always bring my materials I need to class on time. I try my best to collaborate with my peers, and I use the feedback provided to improve.
My initial hypothesis was: “If I use the app for 7-10 days, then my mood will improve compared to the beginning of this project.” The metrics I used to measure this hypothesis are: I would feel happier and less easily irritated, my overall happiness level on the app would increase, and I would react more positively to major life changes instead of lashing out.
Functionality: Evaluate the app Evaluation: The app functions very well for its stated goal of improving mood and fostering a positive attitude. A core functionality is its abundance of positive affirmation exercises. For instance, one game specifically trains you to identify and select positive emotions while ignoring negative ones, actively redirecting thought patterns.
I primarily used the game features and the quiz or chat functionalities. These were fun and engaging. However, a significant limitation is its free model. Key features, such as the full, detailed report of my own statistics, are locked behind a subscription paywall. This limits the utility for users who cannot or do not wish to pay. I used the game features and the quiz or chat features the most. Some of the marketing descriptions that are on the app is that people feel 35% more positive after use, and it measures your mood scale based on a quiz about your week.
Usefulness (Include a scanned image of your WOOP Goal document): Evaluate the app:
Evaluation: My experience supported the initial hypothesis. Evidence from the app shows that my initial wellness quiz score was 55. After using the app for 7 days, my score improved to 74. This represents roughly a 35% increase, which is what the app’s marketing claims. I did this by taking the quiz, engaging with the games and exercises, and then retaking the quiz to see a higher score.
An unintended consequence was the app’s reliance on games. I expected more traditional breathing or mindfulness exercises, but found the experience was largely built around games. Despite this, the approach was effective for me. Furthermore, the app seems useful for a wide range of users because it begins with a personal quiz, using an AI algorithm to tailor activities to individual demographics and lifestyles.
Design: Analyze specific design elements that encourage continued use – are they beneficial or manipulative?
I think some of the games could be manipulative because they make you feel a sense of dopamine if you beat them or get a new high score, and that can trap you in a feedback loop, which is not good if you want to progress or get better.
Evaluation: The app’s design heavily leverages games to encourage more use. Elements like scoring systems, streaks, and new high scores provide a sense of accomplishment and a dopamine hit. While this is beneficial for maintaining user engagement and motivation, it can also foster some bad habits. The feedback loop created by these games can trap users in a cycle of chasing points, which may not always align with their core values of building authentic habits.
Business Model and Its Influence: Happify makes money through its subscription service, which unlocks premium content and detailed analytics. This business model directly influences the design. Users are constantly blocked by the paywall to access “better” features they are missing. The design, therefore, has to walk a line between providing enough free value to be useful, while also creating a reason to upgrade, sometimes at the cost of the full user experience.
Dependency vs. Healthy Habits: The app has the potential to create both dependency and genuine healthy habits. The gaming elements could create a dependency on the app itself for dopamine, where the user becomes more focused on the game scores than on the underlying mindfulness principles. On the other hand, it successfully introduces and reinforces genuine healthy habits. Through exercises that promote mindfulness, breathing, and openly discussing feelings, it provides users with practical tools they can integrate into their daily lives beyond the app, fostering authentic, long-term wellness.
I think the app makes money by locking some of the features behind a subscription, that way we would have to pay money in order to see what we actually are or have.
Before diving into the brain science of this unit, I often viewed my reactions to stress, deadlines, and social situations as just part of my personality. Learning about the prefrontal cortex, limbic system, and amygdala has been revolutionary. It hasn’t given me an excuse for my behavior, but rather a scientific explanation for it. I now understand that when I feel a strong emotional trigger, like anxiety before a test, it’s not a character flaw, instead it’s my brain’s sympathetic nervous system activating the FFF response. This knowledge is empowering because if I understand the mechanism, I can learn how to work with it.
The Surprising Teen Brain
The most surprising thing I learned about the teenage brain is the concept of delayed gratification. We did an activity that illustrated how the reward system, driven by dopamine, is hyper-sensitive during adolescence. This means we are wired to seek immediate, novel, and exciting rewards, often overlooking long-term consequences. It’s not that teens are bad at planning, it’s that our brains are under construction. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for executive functions like planning and impulse control, is not developed until around 25 years old. Understanding this has made me more patient with myself and my peers when we make impulsive decisions.
Bridging the Gap: Teens and Adults
This knowledge can dramatically improve communication between teens and adults. If adults understand that a teen’s reaction might be driven by a rapidly firing amygdala (the emotional part) and a still-developing prefrontal cortex (the rational brake), they might approach conflicts differently. Instead of seeing a meltdown as defiance, they could see it as distress and a need for co-regulation. Adults can help by creating a calm environment to help engage our parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” system that calms us down), rather than escalating the situation. It shifts the conversation from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What’s happening in your brain, and how can I help?”
My Personal Stress Management Plan
While some stress like eustress can be positive and motivating, chronic distress, released by hormones like cortisol, is harmful. Based on my learning, I’ve identified three key strategies for my personal wellness compass:
Mindfulness and Breath Anchor: I envision using short mindfulness exercises, specifically using my breath anchor, right before starting homework or after a stressful social interaction. This simple act can calm the amygdala and allow my prefrontal cortex to come back online, improving my focus and decision-making.
Physical Activity to Regulate Systems: I learned that exercise is a powerful way to metabolize excess cortisol and balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. I plan to incorporate a 15-minute walk or quick workout after school as a buffer between the school day and homework time. This will help me burn off nervous energy and reset.
Building Resilience Through Gratification: I want to actively practice delayed gratification in small ways. This could mean studying for 25 minutes before checking my phone or saving my allowance for a larger goal instead of spending it immediately. Each small success will literally help strengthen the neural pathways in my prefrontal cortex, building my long-term resilience.
Conclusion and Artifacts
This unit has taught be about the different systems of my own brain. By understanding the roles of the hippocampus in memory, the limbic system in emotion, and the power of dopamine, I feel equipped to navigate the challenges of adolescence with more understanding and intention. My stress management plan is my first step toward taking intentional control of my mental and emotional health.
Something I did well in this unit was collaborating effectively with my peers and developing a consistent forehand and backhand. I made a conscious effort to be a positive and supportive partner during drills and practice games, which I believe helped create a more productive and enjoyable environment for everyone. I’m particularly proud of the progress I made on my technical skills; my forehand gained more power and control, and my backhand became much more reliable, especially when returning faster shots.
Something I want to work on is maintaining my focus and paying closer attention during instructional periods. I noticed that sometimes, especially when we were waiting for our turn or when the teacher was demonstrating a concept to another group, I would get easily distracted by side conversations with my peers. This meant I occasionally missed important instructions or tips that could have helped me improve faster. Moving forward, I will make a greater effort to position myself where I can see the teacher clearly and actively listen to all demonstrations, even if they aren’t directed at my group. I want to ensure I’m getting the most out of every lesson.
The game we created was about a spinning wheel, and there are 3 levels. To get to the final level you would have to chose between even or odd numbers, and since there are 8, its a 50/50 chance, while on the next level you would chose 2 numbers, which would equal a 1/4 chance, and if they win then they get to the final level, which they would pick 1 number, and then if they win they get the grand prize, which is a capybara plushie or lego toys.
We worked on making the sign and decorating our place, there were not many big conflicts and the small conflicts were resolved quickly. Something that went well was that we had a lot of customers and the prizes were all won in the end.
The experimental probability is a bit higher in the first and second level than the theoretical probability but the experimental probability of the third level is lower. This is maybe because not many people could get to the third level.
The abuse of power I chose to research was Operation Gladio
I learned that you have to find sources that have to be trustworthy, like .gov sources etc.
I created a script for my presentation and memorized it.
I think memorizing the script was a bit difficult because it was hard to memorize the script and I had to make sure that the delivery was good.
I think my writing and presentation skills have improved a lot because this year we did a lot of CERs throughout the year, improving my writing skills.
I would recommend Scythe, because its very dynamic and keeps you on the edge.
First of all, we started with doing a paper, which is checking which historical events we knew about. We then did a survey about who we would like to work with. Then, we started with our research graphic organizers, where we had to research 3 sources about our topic. We collaborated with our partners to write the script, which we then used to record for our documentary. Finally, we started with our documentary, where we worked together to complete it.
Something I did well in my documentary was the script, because we worked together pretty well and we got pretty good grades.
Something that I would do differently would be to maybe do a different topic, or maybe try to edit more and try different editing styles.
The green color of Pleasant Pond is primarily caused by algal blooms, which occur due to excess nutrients in the water, especially nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients cycle through the ecosystem, interacting with water and carbon-oxygen cycles, and significantly impact photosynthesis. During algal blooms, increased algae growth can lead to reduced oxygen levels and disrupted aquatic life, illustrating the delicate balance of matter cycling. Photosynthesis plays a crucial role in energy flow within the pond, as it converts sunlight into chemical energy, supporting various organisms in the ecosystem. Overall, understanding these relationships helps clarify how matter cycling and energy flow are interconnected, particularly during algal blooms.
The experiential activities we engaged in, such as the carbon cycle game and the “Ecosystems in a Bottle,” significantly enhanced my understanding of energy flow and matter cycling. For instance, the hands-on nature of the ecosystems in a bottle allowed me to observe firsthand how organisms interact and depend on one another for survival. The starch test demonstrated the importance of photosynthesis, revealing how plants convert light energy into stored energy, which is essential for the entire food web. Overall, these activities provided a deeper, practical understanding of theoretical concepts.
Ecosystem in a bottle pics
If I could improve my learning experience in Unit 5, I would have spent more time collaborating with peers during the stations activity to share insights and deepen our understanding collectively. Additionally, I would have preferred a more interactive presentation format, perhaps through a group project, to explore the cycles of matter and energy. For the unit, I suggest incorporating more real-life case studies of ecosystems affected by algal blooms, as this could provide context and relevance to the concepts we learned. Such improvements would foster a more engaging and comprehensive learning experience for everyone.
