Khloe's Portfolio

Social Studies Unit 2: Essay 

January 11, 2026 /

After deciding on the mode of communication or transportation we are going to look into, we dived into research. We explored how to identify credible sources and how to annotate articles effectively. We then set off to find 3 useful articles relating to our topic and annotated them in a method that answers the essential question. After using various colors of highlighters to differentiate vital information from those that are inapplicable, we put the key information into a graphic organizer, systemizing our research. Once we gathered all the information required, we began writing the CER essay based on the following structure: a hook, body paragraph 1 positive impacts, body paragraph 2 negative impacts, body paragraph 3 who fixed the negative impacts, and to sum it all up, the conclusion.

What I think I did well was the graphic organizer, in which I articulated key points clearly, used key words from sources, and effectively identified multiple pieces of evidence from various sources that strongly support my key paragraphs. As for the essay, I succeeded in providing relevant and well-selected evidence, effectively supporting my claim. My citations are accurate, and the connection between my evidence and claim is clear.

On the other hand, I still need to work on sufficiently using class time, which I failed to do, resulting me to needing to stay after school to finalize the essay. I also need to work on strengthening the bridge between my evidence and my claim. Focusing on explicitly articulating how the data supports my conclusion.

Social Studies Unit 2: Visual Presentation

January 10, 2026 /

https://saschina-my.sharepoint.com/personal/catherine_sawyer_saschina_org/_layouts/15/stream.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fcatherine%5Fsawyer%5Fsaschina%5Forg%2FDocuments%2FSocial%20Studies%202025%2D2026%2FTransportaion%20and%20Communication%2FTransportation%20and%20Communication%20videos%2FIMG%5F0237%2EMOV&referrer=StreamWebApp%2EWeb&referrerScenario=AddressBarCopied%2Eview%2Ea69d72f6%2D6dba%2D4aaf%2D8b5e%2Dd0efbe80c74f

In the course of this unit, we explored modes of communication and transportation that were historically relevant but either rendered obsolete by advancements or went through evolution and enhancement, playing a pivotal role even in our society today whether positively or negatively. We were then instructed to decide on one of these technologies and dive into deeper research. Based on personal preference, we were permitted to choose our own form of visual presentation that demonstrates our learning and understanding of this unit. This could be digital, for instance, a Minecraft world, or physical, like a cardboard or clay presentation. The final state of this project was a well-constructed oral presentation to a live audience, who is your peers and parents. Your presentation should cover areas such as positive and negative impacts of your technology, who fixed the negative impact, did this solution work, why or why not, and so on. As for me, the technology I looked into was fiber optics. I used cardboard to model how fiber optics would function within a neighborhood, as well as how the cables and optical fibers are constructed at places we can and cannot see.

Generally speaking, I believe I did well on my presentation to the class. I answered the required questions, and my presentation was engaging and audible. I would also agree that I have thoroughly understood my chosen topic and discovered fascinating info I never acquired.

Nonetheless, I still have several areas I need to improve upon; for instance, I have poor time management skills. Even with plenty of given class time, I was unable to sufficiently use my time and construct a sophisticated model that I was proud of. My creativity lacked greatly, and my model was short of aesthetics. Even though fiber optics possesses uniqueness and no repetition across the grade, its “one and only” quality made my research and requesting for help a lot more challenging. These are all points of development that I should note for future reference.

PROPORTIONALITY & PERCENTAGES

December 27, 2025 /

Unit 3 Summary Math

  • U: What do you understand in this unit?

I was able to understand the importance of percentages in our life as well as how understanding proportionality and being able to calculate percentages is crucial in contributing to daily activities such as shopping, dining, stocks, and banking. I understood the percentage formulas and how to calculate percent changes, discounts, markup rate, etc.

  • N: What new information did you learn in this unit?

From my classmates, I learned multiple methods to solving the same questions using decimals, percentages and fractions. I realizes that there could be countless other correct solutions to one problem so as how incorporating more than one can assist you in checking answers, spotting mistakes and flaws in the original solution or even discover a more efficient and accurate way of tackling a complicated problem.

  • I: What was interesting in this unit?

I found the final summative project interesting as we were able to research a topic of our choice and present our learning in a creative and fun way. This helped me better understand this unit and also realized how our learning in school could take place in daily use.

  • T: What was tricky for you in this unit?

I found banking to be the more challenging part of this unit. Although I was able to understand simple interest and how to calculate it, I acknowledge that there are many other types of interest, such as compound interest and so on, that I still don’t understand that well. For the summative project, I was originally going to choose banking, but after seeing all the complicated numbers, interest rates, and other things that just get my brain swirling, I settled on dining. That was a lot simpler and tasty too 😛

U3 Summary Sheet:

Unit 2: Cells and Human Body System Portfolios Reflection

December 17, 2025 /

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: What happens inside our body when we get sick?

PART 1 ESSENTIAL QUESTION AND STANDARD REFLECTION

  1. My learning and understanding of cells and the human system have allowed me to better grasp the concepts and scientific vocabulary mentioned in my research. This fundamental knowledge enhanced my learning speed and effectiveness, enabling me to dive deeper into the material and build a more solid understanding.
  2. Understanding the body as a system composed of groups of cells helped me connect the concepts of human health and sickness. I was able to understand how individual cells, organelles, and their systems work together to either fight off infections or malfunction due to the illness, leading to an intensification of the situation and resulting in secondary illness. This made me realize how each cell, organelle, and system in our body plays a part in keeping us healthy or causing illness.

PART 2 LEARNING EXPERIENCES

  1. The Edible Cell activity was an impactful and memorable experience for me as a learner. When filling out the chart to decide which candy would represent a specific cell organelle, I realized there were still certain organelles I wasn’t quite familiar with. This sparked me to ask questions and led me to conduct further research. Not only did this improve my learning, but it also made it fun! The hands-on experience of creating a cell model with jelly and candy, and the chance to eat it afterward, filled the classroom with the sweet aroma of candy and lively conversation, making it an enjoyable and memorable lesson.
  2. Another impactful and memorable experience was the Independent Research Project (Blind Box). This project stood out to me from the very first day it was introduced. Personally, I love blind boxes and IP characters, and I had once thought about creating one myself, so this felt like the perfect opportunity to bring that idea to life. I was able to apply the nuanced research and knowledge I had gained in a way that connected to something I was genuinely interested in. This experience not only enhanced my current learning but also led to new discoveries and mind-blowing facts during the creation process. In the end, my model turned out decently, though I know it could definitely be improved. Still, I was quite impressed with my CER essays, model, and the research I conducted. This was certainly the highlight of the unit!

PART 3 IMPROVEMENT

One area of my learning that I would like to improve is consistently achieving the L3 standard for each assignment without needing resubmission. The main reason I fell short in this regard was that I didn’t put enough effort and focus into my assignments. I wasn’t adequately prepared for quizzes and didn’t ask questions about concepts I didn’t fully understand. Additionally, I was careless in not reviewing my work or checking the rubric before submitting, which led to avoidable mistakes that negatively impacted my grade. Moving forward, I will work on being more diligent in my preparation and more thorough in reviewing my work before submission.

Creating Standard – Self-Expression and Persistence

December 17, 2025 /

Clay Artwork

Clay Artwork Planning

Name Drawing Planning

  1. How do your final clay piece and name drawing reflect different aspects of your identity (who you are)?

My final clay piece is an extension of my personal aesthetics and creativity, serving as a testament to my deep appreciation for the ocean and its natural forms. This artwork reveals my meticulous observations of my surroundings and taking actions to fill in the gaps it contains. The name drawing is a visual narrative of my personality and passions, blending my preferred graffiti art style with symbolic self-representation. Each embedded symbol reveals a distinct facet of my character, for example, the thought bubble signifies my introspective nature, the basketball represents my fav of all time sport, the book highlights my love for literature and reading, and the chili is a representation of my preference for spicy flavors.

2. How did you demonstrate persistence while creating these two works of art?

    My initial encounter with spray paint presented a significant challenge; achieving control and smooth color gradients was far more difficult than anticipated, and the initial outcome was a disappointment. However, instead of conceding defeat, I persisted and pushed on, and in the end, it wasn’t so bad after all. Working with clay has been a consistent weakness of mine. I found remembering the techniques and creating adequate shapes challenging, even though I often got frustrated and wanted to quit, I didn’t, and even sacrificed some of my lunch to fix my artwork, ultimately resulting in a decent final piece I’m proud of.

    Artivist Piece

    December 15, 2025 /

    [Now or Never]

    [Now or Never] captures the quiet, unspoken sorrow of love and regret, embodying the delicate tension between life and death. A woman, ethereal and ghost-like, observes her husband—grief-stricken and burdened by remorse—approaching her grave, now piled with flowers. The scene is a poignant reflection on how we often fail to express our gratitude in life, only to shower tributes on the departed once they are gone.

    The targeted audience of [Now or Never] is honestly everyone. This piece speaks universally, urging viewers to reflect on the importance of cherishing those around us. It conveys a powerful message to be present, to express gratitude, and to never take the people we love for granted. By illustrating the quiet sorrow of unspoken appreciation, it serves as a reminder to show our gratitude while we still have the chance, before it’s too late.

    3 design strategies I incorporated into this piece are emotional appeal, visual symbols, and juxtaposition.

    [Now or Never] is emotionally appealing by using silent expressions to portray the feeling of grief and regret, highlighting the human nature of obtuse realization, speaking to the hearts of anyone who has ever experienced the complexity of relationships, loss, and the quiet weight of regret. It serves as a reminder to treasure the moments we have with those around us, and to never take the fleeting presence of loved ones for granted.

    The flowers in [Now or Never] serve as visual symbols, as flowers, when given in life, are often a symbol of affection, appreciation, or celebration. However, in [Now or Never], the flowers are placed on the grave after death, creating a visual contrast between unexpressed gratitude during life and the outpouring of recognition after someone has passed.

    [Now or Never] incorporates juxtaposition to amplify its emotional depth and thematic resonance. The most striking contrast is the ethereal, ghost-like form of the woman, which is juxtaposed with the tangible, living figure of her husband carrying flowers to her grave. The woman, a symbol of loss and absence, watches silently as the man places the flowers on her grave, his act of tribute carrying a weight of regret. This visual shift underscores the irony that we often fail to express our feelings or appreciation until it’s too late. The flowers represent both missed opportunities and the delayed nature of regret.

    Social Studies Unit 1: Media Presentation 📜🌎👩🏻‍🏫

    October 10, 2025 /

    Khloe Wu Gold C1 Media Presentation .mov

    Some pieces of feedback I received that I incorporated into my work are to slow down and have more eye contact when presenting which I attempted to improve in my second presentation. I achieved this by simplifying the chunks of words on my note cards into simple bullet points that I can glance at and improvise. I also practiced pausing every now and then to slow down my pace and give time for both myself and the audience to think and absorb the information. Another piece of feedback I received on my project was to enhance my transitions so that my video can flow more naturally. I achieved this by by refining the cuts between scenes and using smoother transition effects to maintain a continuous flow.

    1 thing that I’m proud of from this unit is generally the idea and layout of my project. I was able to support the purpose of media by fulfilling the major criteria that I was assessed upon, such as incorporating words with strong connotations, deciding on suitable language choices and non-language choices. In my presentation, I succeeded in delivering my message in a clear and confident tone and explained to my audience the creation process and theme of my project.

    1 thing that I want to keep working on is to add in more gesture and expression when presenting to convey emotions and engage my audience. I would also like to work on features of my video by enhancing the voice quality and volume of my recordings to make my video more engaging.

    Bias is the tendency of one to lean in a particular direction often in a way that is unfair or clouded. Bias is often shaped by feelings, experiences, preference, or the influence of those around you, rather than objective facts. Bias can distort reality leading to clouded judgement, skewed opinions, prejudice against or towards someone.

    1 positive outcome of people having the same perspective might be less conflict, chaos, and time wasted on the debate on a certain subject instead of steps to action. When everyone have the same perspective, people naturally come together and become a more harmonious and cohesive group. When the world unites to accomplish a common goal, it would be more efficient to solve concerning world issues because people are willing to contribute and put in more effort to achieve this aim. People would also take a greater liking and understanding of one another. People would gain the ability to better accept each other and feel respected themselves, compromise and fostering empathy in a society would build community.

    1 negative outcome of people having the same perspective might be the lack of creativity and innovation. A lack of diverse viewpoints may limit a group on only one possible idea instead of searching for alternatives. Without critical thinking, possible occurrence may be ignored leading to lack of preparation and missed opportunities, and the inability to adapt to new challenges.

    Math Unit 1 Proportional Relationships Reflection

    October 10, 2025 /

    U: What do you understand in this unit?

    I’m able to clearly identify a proportional and not proportional relationship and also practice precisely stating an equation. I understand the concept of finding the constant of proportionality and unit rate, as well as demonstrating the relationship on a graph.

    N: What new information did you learn in this unit?

    Something new I learned this unit is the equation for finding the constant of proportionality. I learned that to find the COP all you need to do is to identify the x and y of the scenario and divide y by x, while if you were to solve for x you just need to multiply the reciprocal of the COP.

    I: What was interesting in this unit?

    One interesting thing about proportional relationships is that when two quantities are proportional, their relationship can be represented by a straight line that passes through the origin on a graph. This gives us a constant ratio between them. This balancing and scale property can also be useful in real-world situations, understanding proportional relationships ultimately allows you to make sense of the world.

    T: What was tricky for you in this unit?

    A challenge I encounter may be to accurately identify and understand the relationship between different variables in more complicated questions and resulting in an incorrect answer and approach to the question. I find it tricky when there’s a lot of elements in a problem that I have to calculate and solve for which confuses me.

    🏓PE TABLE TENNIS REFLECTION🏓🤔

    September 6, 2025 /

    Throughout the table tennis unit, we explored several techniques that applies to both forehand and backhand as well as the various grips.

    One of the key skills I prioritize when practicing is my serve. As a starter my serve was on the table and misleading, therefore I begun with rehearsing an authentic serve behind the baseline of the table. Once I acquired this skill for both forehand and backhand, I attempted to make the ball spin by tilting the racket inwards acting as a ramp for the ball to glide through. This technique also assist in accelerating the ball making the serve more challenging for the opponent to return.

    A challenge I encountered was my backhand serve. As the majority of my class including the teachers applies the handshake grip, me in contrast prefer the penhold grip. However, the backhand serve for handshake grips and penhold differs in a certain way. As a result, the process of teaching me the backhand serve with the penhold way was rather awkward and difficult. Even so, in the end I had sufficiently learned the serve by several pursuits and fails and so on.

    Looking back on the unit, I decided it was a fairly fun experience overall. I particularly enjoyed the first 15 minutes of class where we get to find a friend and play. Personally I really liked playing doubles as you get to collaborate and alternate with every strike. I especially prefer being able to celebrate a point or a win with a partner and sharing the satisfactory. This unit also helped me gain interest in table tennis and even obtained some new skills not to mention advancing some simple techniques too.

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