My sketchbook cover is a visual representation of who I am. My artwork expresses me in two main ways. First, I included a swimming pool to represent my passion for swimming. Swimming has always brought me joy and taught me a lot, for instance, perseverance. Next to it, I drew a large heart with a contrasted color to make it stand out. The heart symbolizes love for my family and anything that’s important to me.
In the planning stage, I used the design elements like scale, contrast, and movement etc. For example, I intentionally drew the heart big so that it is one of the first things the viewer can catch due to its size and contrast in color. I also used repetition to fill the background with flowers, stars, and polka dots, I find them calming.
I intended the audience to engage with my composition by starting from the bottom left corner as it contains bright colors which creates contrast and would draw the eye first. From there, it extends to the chess board and swimming pool by the movement element. Right beside my hobbies, they would see the red heart as it is large in scale and has a fairly contrasting color. Finally, when they slowly scan up, they will see the floating music notes which is supposed to represent the cello. I also used repetition throughout my whole composition by filling the background and space with flowers, stars and polka dots.
1.) Our story was held in the world of The Sims. Where a Sim’s energy level is measured on a scale from 0% (exhausted) to 100% (rested). Our Sim’s day begins at 12:00a.m (midnight) at 30% energy, where its asleep. This continues until 8:00a.m recovering at 10% energy per hour. At 8:00a.m, the Sim wakes up. After the Sim woke up, its energy starts to drain by 5% per hour. The most draining part of the day is from 9:00a.m to 7:00p.m, when the Sim is at work. This work period drains its energy at a rate of 7.5% per hour. After work, the Sim finally gets back home and enjoys dinner from 7:00p.m to 9:00p.m. The dinner helps the Sim get an instant 10% energy. After enjoying the dinner, the Sim decided to watch some TV, however, it started to get tired. Therefore, its energy level started to drop by a rate of 2.5% every hour. The Sim is now at 25% energy, and is currently 11:00p.m, they go to sleep.
The question we are solving: Find the energy level of the Sim 13 hours after 12a.m.
2.) I am most proud of being able to accurately identify the key features and determine the intervals of increase, decrease and constant from a given graph like the one above. Initially, I often confuse the x and y intercept, however, at the end of this unit, I was able to differentiate the intercepts.
3.) The hardest part of creating our piecewise function was calculating the slope intercept form of the interval and making the intervals make sense in terms of our story. My partner and I spent a lot of time trying to make the intervals of increase and decrease align with what is currently happening in our story. For instance, determining a rate of decrease when the Sim is at work as well as the rate of increase when the Sim is asleep.
4.) If I could revise one part of this project I would improve my explanation for the interpretation of the key features in a graph. I would do this by not only explaining what each features means, but also including specific points into my explanation. For example, I initially wrote “The y-intercept is the starting energy level of the Sims at midnight” but instead I could’ve written “The y-intercept is the starting energy level of the Sims at midnight, which is at 30%.
5.) This project helped me better understand the different parts of a piecewise function and showing how something changes over time. Like what we did, we used a piecewise function to model the story of a Sim’s energy level throughout a day, and each piece of interval had its own meaning.
During this unit, we spent time researching on relationships as well as gender stereotypes and gender norms. At the end of this unit, we worked on a project where we analyzed a song by Taylor Swift, identifying hints of healthy and unhealthy relationships.
Healthy relationships should be comfortable. Partners should respect each other’s boundaries and ask for consent before any move. Both sides should have balanced power, but typically men overpowers women due to gender norms and stereotypes. Gender norms are basically the “rules” of appropriate behavior, traits, and roles of men and women aka unwritten expectations. Similarly, gender stereotypes are the beliefs of how a gender should act. Beliefs like men are strong and women are nurturing could shape unhealthy relationships as this could cause misunderstandings such as men/boys should take the first move and women/girls should be more passive.
In addition, we also studies about identities and how to differentiate gender and sex. Sex is biological, determined by the chromosomes, anatomy, and hormones in ones body, while gender is about identity and societal roles (self perception). Gender exists on a spectrum while sex is binary (male and female).
I used to think that mental health was just lifestyle choices and assumed that people with mental health conditions often acted violently to simply seek for attention. In this unit, I learned that mental health issues are complex, it could result from deeper issues such as emotional distress and societal pressures. For instance, we learned how social media could promote distorted and unrealistic body images through trends like “thinspiration” and “fitspiration” which can make it more challenging for individuals to feel good about themselves.
Now, I see mental health just as important as our physical health. I understand the importance of embracing the people who are currently struggling with mental health conditions. This unit has changed my perspective by allowing my to reflect on how I view myself and others, as well as being more supportive in conversations about mental health and breaking the stigma.
1. I chose question three on my summative as evidence of my best thinking because my solution demonstrates how I am able to describe a sequence of transformations with precise mathematical language.
2. I chose question seven on my summative as evidence of my best thinking because it demonstrates how I am able to identify a geometric argument and justify with valid evidence and reasoning by given information.
Reflection:
1.) Throughout this unit, I improved the most at using precise mathematical language (translation, reflection line, rotation center, dilation scale factor) in my explanation.
2.) I feel that I still need to work on using relevant evidence and reasoning to justify when two angles are congruent.
3.) Strengths:
Applying rigid motions and dilations.
Accurately describe a sequence of transformations that maps one figure onto another.
Determining the missing information to determine if two triangles are congruent.
4.) Improvement:
Extend my understanding through reasoning, solving unknowns, and constructing geometric aregument.
Time management skills as well as homework completion.
Reading questions carefully and always double check before turning in.
Academic Goal:
In the next unit, I want to improve increase test accuracy and avoid blunders.
What might get in the way of this goal?
-I might get anxious and rush through which could negatively impact my grades.
What can I do if I get stuck or need help?
-There are always people that will support me so I could seek for help whenever.
I hypothesize that using Google Calendar’s task management features will help me avoid last-minute work and minimize overdue assignments by providing better organization and deadline awareness.
Three Measurable Outcomes:
1.) Reduce late assignments from approximately 1 per month to 0 late assignments during the testing period.
2.) Increase average sleep time by completing work earlier in the day.
3.) Decrease anxiety about forgotten or last-minute assignments through better tracking.
Baseline Wellness Metrics
Before Google Calendar: Late assignments occurred roughly once per month depending on workload.
Sleep pattern: Gets roughly 8 hours of sleep due to procrastination.
Exercise: At least 5 times a week.
WOOP Goal Scan:
Part 2:
Functionality:
Google Calendar’s core features directly support my organization wellness goal through its task management system. I primarily used the to-do list feature, due date tracking, and reminder notifications – these became my most-used tools because they directly address deadline management. I used the calendar view less frequently since my focus was on task completion rather than time blocking.
Google Calendar markets itself as a comprehensive scheduling and organization tool. My experience aligned with these promises – the app effectively helped me track and complete assignments on time. However, I discovered some limitations: the task interface could be more intuitive, and there’s no built-in priority ranking system beyond manual organization.
Usefulness:
Using my baseline data, I measured significant improvement in my wellness metrics. Before Google Calendar, I had late assignments approximately once per month depending on workload. After 5 days of use, nearly all assignments were completed on time, supporting my hypothesis that better organization would minimize overdue work.
An unintended consequence was that the app encouraged me to front-load my work earlier in the day. By prioritizing schoolwork tasks first in my daily planning, I completed assignments sooner and got more sleep each night – a benefit I hadn’t anticipated.
The app would likely be effective for students with similar organization challenges, though it might be less useful for people who prefer paper-based systems or those with very light workloads.
Design:
Google Calendar employs several design elements that encourage continued use in beneficial ways. The notification system serves as the most valuable feature, providing timely reminders that redirect my attention back to pending work. The task completion interface creates a satisfying user experience – checking off completed assignments provides a sense of reward and accomplishment that motivates continued engagement with the app.
Notably, Google Calendar’s business model appears user-friendly rather than exploitative. The app contains no advertisements and doesn’t pressure users to upgrade to premium features. Google likely monetizes this service through data integration across their ecosystem and by keeping users engaged with their broader suite of products, rather than through direct app-based revenue.
Regarding dependency versus healthy habit formation, Google Calendar currently functions more as a supportive tool than a crutch. While I find myself relying on its convenience and efficiency, particularly the notification system that prevents me from forgetting assignments, the app appears to be reinforcing organizational behaviors rather than replacing my natural ability to stay organized. The reminders serve as training wheels that could potentially help me develop stronger internal time management skills over time.
For this unit, we were taught about how teen brains develop and function. Particularly, the science behind why teens are more likely to take risks than adults. We (in a group of three) created a fun educational video that explained the differences between adult brains and teen brains.
Learning about brain science has significantly impacted my behaviors as I am more aware of myself, and made effort to avoid impulsive decisions. Therefore, flourishing rational decisions.
The most interesting thing I learned about the teenage brain is how it develops: The prefrontal cortex plays a pivotal role in the brain as it is responsible for important skills like planning, prioritizing, impulse control, and making good decisions. However, the PFC is the last region to mature in a teen brain, for this reason, teenagers are more likely to risk.
Understanding how a teen brain functions would improve communication as well as relationships between teens and adults because this way, guardians can better understand and relate. Thus, provide necessary support.
Personally, the most effective strategy in handling stress is just simply sleeping. Getting enough sleep each night not only improves your attention and concentration, but also reduces stress levels and learn/make memories.
To end our 7th grade math, we formed into groups of three to create a game and were assigned to calculate the probability of winning each stage. Our projects were completely handmade and original. 5 stages in total, with the probability of succeeding each stage getting lower. G4, 5, and 6 students were invited to this fair. It was simple to play our game, students hand in 3 tickets per round and they are most likely to win something, unless they get stuck in the first stage. As I said, the probability of succeeding each stage is getting lower, so this means the prizes get better. If you succeed all 5 stages, you win the grand prize (huge plushies with the length of 1 meter).
The process of creating our game were confusing at the start, but as time progressed, my group mates and I slowly got the hang of it. We were all easy going so there wasn’t much conflicts. However, if I were to change anything from this project, it would definitely be increasing the probability of winning the grand prize and assigning each of us a ‘job’ when kids came. For example, I could be in charge of recording the results and my partners could be explaining the game. This could prevent confusions and unnecessary conflicts.
Before the fair began, we calculated the theoretical probability of succeeding each stage and were asked to compare the probability that is theoretically happening and what really happened (experimental probability). The theoretical probability of winning the grand prize is 3.3%, but according to the record sheet, the experimental probability of winning the grand prize was 0% because unfortunately no one won the plushies.
The abuse of power I’ve been researching on for the past few weeks is the Glyphosate Controversy. This event mainly focuses on the danger when companies prioritize their profits over the health and safety of consumers. In addition, I have also realized the importance of using credible reliable sources and learnt how to distinguish between primary and secondary sources. The process of finding articles was challenging because my topic isn’t as well-known as others, like the Rwandan Genocide.However, it was intriguing and I enjoyed exploring.
The Presentation:
Our presentation was in Pecha-Kucha style. A format where the speaker delivers a 20 slide ppt with each slide lasting for about 15 seconds. This name comes from the Japanese phrase, “pecha kucha”, meaning “chit chat”. Our presentations could last for at most 5 minutes, this way, everything would be concise. I prepared a canva ppt slideshow with a single image as the background for each slide. At first, I thought this would be straightforward since 15 seconds per slide is roughly one or two sentences, I could simply improvise. However, it turned out to be quite challenging. During practice, I often ran out of time, which meant I had to cut a lot of information I initially wanted to include.
Matter cycling plays a vital role in ecosystems, especially through the water cycle, carbon-oxygen cycle, and nitrogen cycles. Water is essential for all living organisms and helps transport nutrients needed for photosynthesis.
During photosynthesis, plants would convert carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into oxygen and glucose, which supports the entire food web. Nitrogen is often introduced into ponds through fertilizers which can lead to rapid algal blooms when in excess.
While these blooms can increase the production of oxygen, they can still cause oxygen depletion when the algae die and decay. This is because those harmful organisms take up too much of the oxygen leaving other living things with nearly nothing. This depletion in oxygen can harm fish and other aquatic lives which would eventually disrupt the ecosystem.
The experiential activities related to photosynthesis and ecosystems, for instance, the carbon cycle game, ecosystems in a bottle, stations activity on food chains and webs, and the starch test in leaves really did deepen my understanding of energy flow and matter cycling. I thought that those hands-on experiences could create a visual representation that a video or article on our computer could not. This would eventually lead to a stronger understanding.
Improvements:
However, if I could redo anything in this unit, it would definitely be my L4 project, because I was absent for a few days and didn’t keep up with class (not checking schoology). This made preparation time limited which led to not finishing work before deadline, and not being able to execute my best.
