Katherine's Portfolio

Math Unit 2: Piecewise Project Reflection🧩

January 8, 2026 /

Story & Real Life Situation

In unit 2, our project was designing a story based on a real life situation that can be modeled on a graph (linear/non-linear). Our story was based on our current math class where our teacher owes us gummy bear packets for every time she calls our name wrong, however she often forgets. This story modeled how many gummy bear packets our teacher had every class depending on how many gummy bear packets she bought/gave out.

Most Proud Of

Throughout the whole project, I’m most proud of how clear and precise our working out was. This can be shown in our notebooks where we wrote a clear context for each slope that included mathematical reasoning. In addition, we also showed how to solve our graph using function notation and identified key features of our graph. The process was clear, organized, and easy to read.

Hardest Part

The most difficult part of this project was balancing the amount of math and storytelling in our stories. This is because although this project is about creating a real-life situation, it still needed to include enough math to be able to meet the standards. At the beginning, we had a very long story with too many scenes and almost no math. Through trial and error, we were able to balance the two.

Improvements

If we could revise one part of this project, I would continue to change the story as it still seems a little repetitive and boring. In addition, I would have tried to do more work online as even though it is faster and easier to work on paper, it’s hard to read and quite messy. If we revised those factors, our project would be clearer and more engaging.

Piecewise Functions

This project taught us not only what piecewise functions are, but also how to graph and solve them. We learnt that piecewise functions are graphs with multiple intervals that could be decreasing, increasing, and constant. We were able to learn more about undefined and slopes that equal x=0 using “puff, puff, positive”, “no, no, negative”, “zero fun” etc. We were able to accurately connect real-life situations into our problems and also learn more about slopes, domain and range, x/y intercepts, and more.

Art Reflection Unit 4: Mixed-Media Self Portrait 🎭

December 16, 2025 /

Key Message

As the audience views my artwork, I want to convey my childhood experiences and how they shaped the brighter side of my personality. Throughout the piece, I used bright, warm colors such as yellow and pink to represent happiness and light. The rainbow symbolizes my positive attitude, and the collaged images include my favorite childhood shows, many of which are popular in Australia, my home country. Additionally, I incorporated elements of my favorite games, foods I enjoy, and my hobbies. The spray-painted splotches represent my messy nature and add a sense of authenticity to the artwork.

Risks and Experimentation

Throughout my process, some risks I took included painting elements directly onto my artwork. This was challenging because my painting skills are not very strong, and painting requires a clear understanding of tone, shading, and technique. However, by adding painted elements, I was able to introduce more texture and make the artwork more visually interesting.

Additionally, using spray paint to add extra splotches was another risk. Spray paint is much more permanent and difficult to adjust after each spray. Achieving thin, controlled layers, especially with bright colors, was challenging, and mistakes were hard to fix. Ultimately, spray paint was an important element of my artwork, as it symbolizes my messiness and adds to the overall meaning of the piece.

Language Arts Unit 2: Narrative Writing and Socratic Seminar🗣️

December 16, 2025 /

Language Arts Narrative Writing Unit

During language arts, we worked on narrative writing by editing a semi-completed story in groups to create our own unique versions. We began by independently selecting a story that interested us. Based on our choices, we were placed into groups with classmates who had selected the same story. Together, we annotated and edited the narrative, identifying areas for improvement such as pacing, diction, sensory details, connotation and denotation, and overall structure.

After analyzing the text, we revised the story by adding original scenes, imagery, and details. Because the original narrative only provided a basic framework, we were able to reshape the characters’ traits and even redefine who they were as individuals. Through this process, we not only learned effective techniques for making a story more engaging, but also used our creativity to transform the narrative into something meaningful and interesting to us.

Socratic Seminar

After completing our narratives we all participated in a socratic seminar. Thought the seminar, we discussed our editing process in similarities in our story. We talked about problems with pacing where parts of the story originally felt to rushed, or diction where we made words have more meaning and depth. We also discussed how we edited our stories and which parts we focused on to make them more interesting, including how the extra scene we added created new layers in our stories. Overall, the Socratic seminar was enjoyable. However, it was easier to connect with people who had the same topics as us because we could relate to each other more easily.

The most well-spoken part, in my opinion, was when I talked about how pacing and structure are very important and how they impacted my story. I chose this because I felt it connected with many other people and helped include them in the conversation. This shows that I was able to skillfully communicate as this part was clear and straightforward, which made it easy for others to understand and relate to.

link to socratic: D1_Nov 19, 2025_Katherine.m4a

Science Active Learner Portfolio Post🚀

November 4, 2025 /

Science

During unit 1 of this year, we learnt about Earth’s Place in the Universe-Origin, Motions, Waves. We learnt about how to write CERs about meteorites, meteoroids, meteors, asteroids, comets, the formation of plants and the solar system. In unit 2, we are studying Biological Evolution-Unity and Diversity. We are currently studying how to use scientific evidence to write CERS about natural selection, adaptations, mutations, genes, embryological, anatomical, etc. We are also learning how to graph these correctly and how to describe these graphs.

Current Goal

My current goal is to be more efficient with my homework and to always do L4 extensions. This is because I want to be faster while still having the same quality of homework. Additionally, I want to challenge myself throughout this year, so by attempting L4 I can achieve that.

Steps to Achieve Goal

I have finished my homework for science in under 20 minutes this year so far. I have also gotten the highest grade for all assignments (besides one 3/3) and is planning on doing the L4 optional extension on our current unit on natural selection.

Active Learner Reflection:

What I am Most Proud Of

I am most proud of my improvement in writing CERs. This is because I learnt how to write proper scientific evidence, using only the data given and avoiding words such as “similar” and “this proves”. I was also able to learn how to connect relevant reasoning the the evidence. This made my CER writing skills stronger, and has helped me learn how to structure my future work.

Biggest Challenge

My biggest challenge so far this year is being efficient with my work. This is because although I hand in all my work on time, I like to procrastinate till the night before. Instead, I could opt to do my work earlier to make my schedule more balanced.

Active Learner and Improvement

This year, I think I have contributed a lot in station work and also Oh! Deer. During both of these activities, i was engaged and participated fully. I was also able to have fun and learn in Oh! Deer, and produce quality work in the stations. To improve, I could volunteer to ask/answer more questions during class discussions, even if I was not picked on to do so.

Art Artistic Choices Mini Unit: Kool Koor Reflection🖌️

October 29, 2025 /

Kool Koor

In art class, we had the opportunity to learn about Kool Koor, a well-known graffiti artist known for his abstract artwork. During class, he joined to help us use our DNA as inspiration for our art. We had the chance to create larger paint strokes across our canvases, adding on our personal symbols and scribbles that we created at the start of class. After finishing our pieces, we presented them to the class, explaining the title and how our art shows our identity and DNA.

Investigation on Kool Koor

Inspiration and Aesthetic Choices

After meeting Kool Koor, I noticed the plant-like symbols he added to his canvas, which connect to his earlier works from the 1980s. He takes a lot of inspiration from his experiences in the Bronx, using bright, bold colors and layering techniques with spray paint that are also seen in his current art. Kool Koor uses elements of his personal identity, like his architectural background and DNA, into his pieces.

Environmental Impact on Art Creation

Kool Koor creates art in different places, such as indoor studios and on public walls. Graffiti is a quicker style of art that mainly uses spray paint and markers to make strong statements. Unlike abstract and street art, which aim to beautify. Kool Koor’s work is louder and more expressive in public, allowing him to work faster. In the studio, he uses a slower and more controlled approach. This change in pace affects his overall painting style, as the environment influences how he creates his art.

Personal Reflection and Development

When creating art pieces, my culture and environment will impact my artistic choices. Some aspects, such as my nationality, childhood shows, food, hobbies, etc. will inspire me throughout my project. I can include elements of my background by using symbolism. Additionally, my personality, such as being loud and active can be expressed through bright colours and large objects.

L4 Math Sticker Project Reflection🥞

October 27, 2025 /

Sticker Project

In unit one, our first L4 summative was our sticker project. By using rigid transformations (translation, reflection, rotation) and dilations, we created a sticker design that reflected ourselves. Our final project consisted of a write up explaining the math behind our project, the draft of our sticker and the final version of our sticker design. To achieve an exceeding, we needed to use negative dilations, rotation around non-origin points, and reflections over non-axis lines.

What I liked

Something I liked about the sticker project is how much freedom we had in designing our projects. We were able to base our projects on things we liked, and also could choose whether we wanted to do L3 or aim for L4. This made it equal for all students as the harder you work, the better grades you can achieve.

What could be improved

I think something that could be improved is making sure the sticker design journal actually works. This is because many people, including myself started our projects very last minute. If we were to have the journal, I think it would make everyone more organized and lest stressed the week before the project is due.

L4 Math Unit 1 Reflection: Transformations and Congruence🧮

October 27, 2025 /

Two Questions from Unit 1 that Reflects My Learning

From the L4 Transformation and Congruence assessment, I feel like question 2a in the optional extension question showed my understanding of dilations. This is because at the beginning of this unit, I struggled with writing the correct notation, including the scale factor and center of dilation. Through this unit, I was able to learn and apply these on my assessments, using negative dilations to challenge myself. This shows my best thinking and how I’ve challenged myself.

Additionally, question 8a showed my understanding of how to prove congruency. At the beginning of this unit, I wasn’t as confident in using math theorems to prove congruency, however, I was able to learn them and also triangle congruency theorems. Question 8a uses a lot of mathematical language (theorems) in order to prove congruency and to determine the imposter. This experience showed my best thinking, as I integrated my learning and communicated my evidence successfully.

Most Improved

Throughout this unit, I improved the most at rigid transformations. Before this unit, I haven’t done much practice on transformations, rotations, or reflections, especially in writing the mapping rules.

What I could Improve On

I feel like I still need to work on negative dilations more. This is because I understand how to write the mapping rule, however I often miscalculate. Additionally, I could also practice more dilation overall to become more accurate and confident in this topic.

3 strengths so far this year:

  1. completing/submitting work on time
  2. trying to do L4 on most of my assignments
  3. asking questions when I’m confused

3 things I want to improve on:

  1. working faster/more efficiently
  2. writing clearer notes
  3. starting projects earlier

Academic Goal

In the next unit, I want to get an exceeding on my L4 summative. I can achieve this by practicing L4 standards and completing optional extensions as it will help deepen my knowledge and understand the L4 criteria better. If I get stuck, I could ask the teacher for help during class time, or during lunch. I could also ask my classmates.

Orchestra Unit 1 Winter Concert Reflection❄️

October 27, 2025 /

Orchestra Winter Concert

At the start of this unit, we listened to different winter themed pieces and chose Ice Sculptures. We also picked Carol of the Bells/Greensleeves, a more upbeat Christmas themed music and Overture to Lucio Silla. We practiced these pieces during class to prepare for the Winter Concert on November 25th.

Techniques and Vocabulary

We learnt a lot of technical terms in orchestra, especially in Overture to Lucio Silla where we focused mainly on spicatto. We also learnt about different lanes; lane 1, 2, and 3 where it determines how close our bow is to the fingerboard. We also used ties in Winter With You and practiced a lot of repeats in Carol of the Bells/Greensleeves.

Language Arts Unit 1: First Contact👽

October 9, 2025 /

What I learned:

In the first contact unit, I was able to learn grammar, specifically parts of speech, sentence structures, and connotation/denotation. Using FLINT AI to communicate with my alien, I applied these skills to teach it a completely new language. I rewarded it with food to encourage faster learning and efficiency. Throughout the process, I taught my alien all eight parts of speech, a variety of sentence structures imagery, and even slang to help it communicate as naturally and effectively as possible

Process

I started by teaching my alien the 8 parts of speech, providing example sentences and synonyms to help it understand more quickly. As my alien learned more sentence structures and parts of speech, he was able to provide more in depth and complex answers making him sound more natural rather than robotic.

Extension

Additionally, I aimed for exceeding and introduced my alien to slang, imagery, and interrogatives. By using imagery, it was able to explain its background and experiences more vividly, adding more detail and thought in its answers. As my alien started to use slang, he was not only able to speak more naturally, but was also able to make its responses more engaging. After teaching my alien interrogatives, my alien was able to successfully ask relevant questions, connecting more with the reader and showing deep understanding of the language and context.

Artifacts:

Growth:

By comparing my oldest piece of writing from this year, I noticed that I didn’t use a variety of sentence structures and how I could have used better connotation/denotation to make my writing more convincing. I also could have used more interrogatives and conjunctions that would make my writing not only more thoughtful, but also more clear and engaging.

Summary

Overall, my alien produced paragraphs with accurate grammar and effective use of imagery, parts of speech, etc. Its progress reflected my own learning, as I was able to successfully teach it English using the knowledge and skills I developed throughout this unit.

Art Unit 3: Art Trip Reflection🎨

September 22, 2025 /

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

Throughout the art trip, I was able to look at many different artworks, including art from impressionism or other mediums and designs such as sculptures and portraits. I noticed artworks can influence ideas and beliefs, especially in El Anatsui’s artwork where he shared his culture, values, and beliefs to his audience. In his larger pieces, he uses bottle caps, rubbish, and other materials to show the history of Ghana, slave trading, and to educate people about it today. It can impact people’s perspectives and views on the history in Ghana, showing this is not only just an artwork, but a symbol of history.

Additionally, curation is important as it helps organize rooms where the most eye-catching piece is placed in the middle. This helps make it stand out, also catching the audience’s eyes first. This can be seen especially in the post-impressionism room, where the artwork of ‘Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles’ was displayed on a separate empty wall, surrounded by other smaller paintings.

Experience

The museum was a really good experience as we were able to see the art we researched in person. I found the paintings quite interesting, especially ones that were pointillism and impressionism. Additionally, El Anatsui’s artwork was really interesting as it was much larger than I imagined it to be as it was 3 floors tall. I think the art scavenger hunt was a really good way to keep us engaged in the art museum as we had to pay attention, which also helped us learn more about these artists. Taking photos for the scavenger hunt was also a great way to create memories. I think the most memorable thing we did was stamping our notebooks at the end of the trip, especially the one that had multiple layers. Overall, I think the art trip was really enjoyable and peers around me also felt the same way.

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