Ali's Portfolio

Math — Goal Reflection & End-of-Semester Check-In

January 9, 2026 /

A. Looking Back at Your Last Goal

Last unit, I set this goal: I want to improve my speed and efficiency in class while not losing accuracy.

How well did I work toward this goal?
√  Very well ☐ Somewhat ☐ I struggled with this

What helped you make progress toward this goal?

I avoided possible distractions such as the urge to chat to friends or laziness.

What got in the way of this goal (if anything)?

    Sleepiness; I often feel sleepy in Math class for unknown reasons.

    B. End-of-Semester Self Reflection

    List three strengths you have shown last semester:

    I was resilient and did not give up on harder questions, I was careful to not make silly calculation errors, and I was active in class and offered my ideas.

      List three areas you still want to improve:

      I still want to improve at completing my tests faster, because on long CoLs I’m often rushed when I get to the L4 section. I also want to improve at regularly reviewing my notes, and helping others more on class.

        C. New Academic Goal Moving Forward

        In the next unit I want to improve at completing my tests faster, because on long CoLs I’m often rushed when I get to the L4 section.

          What might get in the way of this goal?

          Long L3 sections or zoning out in the middle of the test.

            What will I do if I get stuck or need help?

              I could practice more to improve fluency.

              Math — Unit 2 CoL (Functions & Statistics)

              January 9, 2026 /

              A. Evidence of Your Best Thinking

              1. I chose L3 Critical Thinking as evidence of my best thinking because it shows that I am able to interpret data in context and consider correlation vs. causation.
              1. I chose L3 Statistics question 4 as evidence of my best thinking because it demonstrates that I am able to use a line of best fit to solve problems, and interpret its slope and y-intercept in context.

              B. Skills Reflection

              1. Throughout Unit 2, I improved the most at statistics. One of my weakest areas of math prior to this was statistics, I learned many new things, for example, line of best fit, correlation coefficient, and residual plots were new to me.
              1. One skill from this unit that I still need to work on is residual plots. Although I grasp the concept well enough, I find it difficult to use a residual plot to guess the line of best fit.
              1. The biggest challenge for me on this assessment was making sure all of my calculations were correct. I understand all class content, so the most common mistakes for me are careless calculation errors or not reading the question correctly. Besides silly mistakes, I misinterpreted the L4 section almost entirely.
              1. One strategy that helped me on this test was double checking the L3 section for silly mistakes.

              Math — Unit 2 Piecewise Function Project

              January 6, 2026 /
              Ali (Sherry) Ma – L4 Unit 2 Design a Story Problem – 3759681Download

              In this task we were required to make a story and a piecewise graph the represents it. It was a partner project (we could use the same story but had to write our own calculations to demonstrate our understanding) and my partner was Natalie Suen.

              1. Describe your story and what real-life situation it modeled?

              My story modeled James and Eric’s (Natalie’s cousins) climb in up a fictional mountain named Dragonspine. The graph showed their altitude relative the the time passed.

              2. What part of your project are you most proud of? Why?

              I am the most proud of the graphing and the story itself. It took me and my partner quite a long time and a lot of brainpower to figure out which scales are most appropriate to draw our graph, and all of the names in the story are actually references to a game, which requires a bit of research. Another thing I am proud of is that we added a section where James and Eric died and respawned at the bottom of the mountain, thus making the graph have 2 functions.

              3. What was the hardest part of creating your piecewise function?

              As mentioned before, the hardest part was probably graphing the function. We had to figure out what scale and units are most appropriate for our graph while making sure we take every detail into account. Besides this, the calculations took me a lot of time and care as well. They weren’t hard, there was just a lot to do and consider.

              4. If you could revise one part of this project, what would you improve and how?

              I would make a clearer graph, because right now the graph is hand-drawn, making it very blurry. If there were a next time, I would make a digital graph (hopefully with a graphing tool) in addition to the hand-drawn one. In addition, I would consider the story more carefully to make it more realistic, for example, in my current version, I did not account for time spent talking to NPC, eating food, or respawning.

              5. What did this project help you understand better about piecewise functions?

              This project helped me understand how to graph each detail of a piecewise function, and how piecewise functions can represent things in daily life.

              Design Tech — Sem 1 Reflection

              December 12, 2025 /

              In this semester, we had 2 major modules in DT, which are Tissue box Project and Robotics Unit.

              In the tissue box project, we were required to create a working tissubox with a design theme assigned to us.

              This is my final product, design on paper, and process journal (below, form top to bottom order)

              Ali Ma 8C1 Graphic Design (9)Download

              Our second module was on VEX IQ robotics, which I have prior experience in from ASA. We were first tasked to study gear ratio and make a fast car. We drove the car around the classroom, timed, and coded it so it would drive from one side of the classroom, bump into a wall, active bumper sensor, then drive back. The second challenge was to build a clawbot and so something similar to official VEX mix and match. We stacked cubical blocks on top of each other on an elevated platform and worked with other teams to aim for highest scores.

              Here is link to my Robotics Process Journal. (below)

              https://www.canva.com/design/DAG4WUHyHng/ro0WPbrtS6D4_Yr55fCCqg/view?utm_content=DAG4WUHyHng&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h9081273ffc

              PE — Soccer

              November 25, 2025 /

              Image source: https://www.exeternh.gov/recreation/soccer

              Before the unit, I already had basic dribbling and shooting skills.

              In this unit, I improved at defensive abilities as well as being goalie. I also got better at dribbling and midfielding.

              I still need to improve on shooting at the right time and at the right angle. (I can shoot, but it doesn’t usually go in, because the goalie can block it)

              Science — Sem 1 Active Learner Reflection

              November 6, 2025 /
              Active Learner Science Seld Assessment 2025Download

              above: My Science Semester 1 Active Learner Reflection

              What are you most proud of in this class so far?
              I am proud of how consistently engaged I am during lessons. I participate actively, ask questions, and try my best even when I’m unsure. I’ve noticed myself becoming more confident in sharing ideas, which shows my growth in both effort and persistence.

              What has been your biggest challenge in this class?
              At the moment, I don’t have one specific major challenge. However, I am aware that there are always areas to improve as the class becomes more advanced.

              How have you demonstrated the qualities of an Active Learner? Are there any areas where you want to grow or improve next quarter?
              I consistently take part in class and group discussions, and I’m not afraid to contribute even if my answer might be wrong. I stay focused and make sure I’m supporting my group’s progress rather than getting off task.
              Going forward, I’d like to spend more time reviewing past material so I can keep concepts fresh and build a stronger foundation for what we learn next.

              My Current Goal

              My new goal is to keep up with class better. As of now I still sometimes take classwork home to complete. I aim to be able to complete all classwork within class time, so I won’t need to complete classwork at home.

              I have made some progress towards my goal; recently I only occasionally have to complete science work at home.

              Math — Sticker Project

              October 21, 2025 /

              My digital submission (above)

              In this project, we were tasked with displaying our knowledge of translations, reflections, rotations and dilations by creating a geometrical sticker, then explaining the different mathematical concepts applied.

              I liked the creative element to this project, and I enjoyed creating my design. One thing that I wish was different is perhaps we could have been given more class time to work on this project, as I know that it was not just me who had to do a lot of work at home.

              First page of my physical submission (above)

              Math — Unit 1 Summative

              October 21, 2025 /

              1.    I chose question 6 and 7 as evidence of my best thinking because I was able to demonstrate my ability to prove congruence using mathematical evidence and reasoning with accurate vocabulary.

              2.    I chose the critical thinking question as evidence of my best thinking because critical thinking shows that I thoroughly understand the class content, and is able to draw mathematical conclusions from given information.

              3.    Throughout this unit, I improved the most at understanding how to prove congruence. (ASA, SAS, AAS, SSS)

              4.    I feel that I still need to work on improving efficiency in assessments, as I checked my L3 section for too long, so I didn’t have time to complete the L4.

              5.    List three of your strengths so far this year.

              1. I am able to perform reflections that are not across the axis or y=x
              2. I am able to perform negative dilations
              3. I am able to perform rotations that are not a multiple of 90 degrees

              6.    List three things you want to improve on in the next unit.

              1. I want to improve efficiency while maintaining accuracy
              2. I want to improve on taking neater and clearer notes
              3. I want to improve my grades, especially L4s

               7.    Create an academic goal by completing the sentences and answering the questions.

              In the next unit, I want to improve my speed and efficiency in class while not losing accuracy.

               What might get in the way of this goal?

              Possible distractions such as the urge to chat to friends or laziness.

               What can I do if I get stuck or need help?

              I could time myself and give myself time limits. For example, I could tell myself to complete the assignment within 8 minutes, and put up a focus timer.

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