Tereza's Portfolio

Goal Progress:
A few months ago, we created a vision board to follow for the year/semester.
The goals I have set can be found here: ACADEMIC GOALS.pdf

Challenges:
While working towards my goals, I often at times procrastinated and told myself that I would do it later. Or sometimes I would go out with my friends and do all the work the day before. I realised this was a way to miss assignments, become more stressed, and more overwhelmed. So I tried to create balance with School v.s Friends/Social Life, this took some getting used to because I had my phone notifications on and I would get distracted, but I found a mechanism that actually worked for me.

As a student and a Soccer player, challenges that I experience are often being a team player and keeping my eyes open to see who I can pass to when in danger. I often keep the ball to myself and run all over the field instead of doing smart movements and being more aware of my surroundings.

New Insights:
Through this process, I realised that balance and self-awareness are just as important as hard work. Procrastination doesn’t only affect my grades; it also affects my mental health and confidence. I’ve learned that when I plan ahead and set small, realistic tasks for myself, I feel more in control and less overwhelmed.


Accomplishments:
I have been able to adapt quickly to the new environment, and I truly believe that I have gotten more comfortable with the grading system and curriculum compared to the start of the year.

I have become a better team player while playing soccer, improved my skill and was able to focus better during practices. I listened to my coach and asked for feedback when I felt that I needed it, especially during games or when I played a new position.

Revised Goal:
Looking back, I have set some goals that are easier said than done for me.
For example, practicing the subjects in which I lack skill. Or doing extra homework and familiarising myself with the subject. Mostly because I burn out, or because I have a hard time focusing for a long period of time. So, a goal that I would like to add is: Building a friendlier routine and study schedule for me.

As a soccer player, I didn’t notice how hard it would be to keep my anger or disappointment inside. During matches, I need to shout to relieve my anger. Which isn’t the best way, and can make my coach + other coaches see me. So, a goal I would like to add is: Learn a coping method to maintain calm and reduce shouting.

Suport system:
I have the journal app on my phone, where I can log all my memories, pictures, goals, and any questions for my future self I might have! Since I feel burnt out quickly and tend to get stressed out often as well, I learned that it is very important to have a balance between Studies vs. Friends vs. Family vs. Myself.
I am still learning how to balance everything at once, but my friends and family are helping me along the way.

Next steps:
Academically, my next steps are to create a simple weekly study schedule that spreads out my work instead of leaving it all for the last day. I plan to:

• Turn off or limit notifications during homework and study time.

• Break big assignments into smaller tasks and set mini-deadlines.

• Review difficult subjects a few times a week instead of only before tests.

For soccer, my next steps are to:

• Practice scanning the field more often so I can pass instead of always running with the ball.

• Focus on communication with my teammates.

• Work on a relief strategy during games, like taking deep breaths or walking away for a moment when I feel angry, so I can stay calm and avoid shouting.

Overall, I want to continue using my journal app to reflect on my progress, emotions, and goals. I will check in with myself regularly to see what is working and what I need to adjust. These next steps will help me move closer to my goals while still taking care of my mental health and health

• U: What do you understand in this unit?
  • In this unit, I understand how to calculate percent increase and percent decrease. I also know how to find the discounted price of an item and how to work with sales tax and subtotal. During our shopping project, I was able to find the sale prices for items in different stores and compare them using percentages.
• N: What new information did you learn in this unit?
  • I learned a lot of new vocabulary related to money and percentages, such as discount, sales tax, subtotal, markup, commission, and simple interest. I also learned how to use these ideas in real‑life situations, like shopping and comparing prices at different stores.
• I: What was interesting in this unit?
  • I thought the shopping project was really interesting. I liked choosing items from 3 different stores and finding the discounted price for each hoodie. It was fun to see how the prices changed with different discounts and how percent increase and decrease can be used to compare prices in real life.
• T: What was tricky for you in this unit?
  • The tricky part for me was simple interest, markup, and commissions. I sometimes got confused about how to use the formulas and which numbers to put in. It was also a bit hard to remember the difference between all the new vocabulary words and when to use each one.

PART 1:

The essential question I chose to answer was: How do our body systems work together when we play our favourite sport?

How did what you learned about cells and human body systems help you to answer this essential question?

Learning about cells and human body systems helped me understand what is happening inside my body when I play my favourite sport. I learned that cells are the basic building blocks of the body, and that similar cells group together to form tissues, which then form organs. These organs work together in body systems, like the Skeletal, Muscular, and Nervous systems.

When I run in soccer, my muscular system makes my leg muscles contract so I can run fast, and my skeletal system gives my body structure and support so I don’t collapse. My respiratory system makes me breathe faster to bring more oxygen into my lungs, and my circulatory system uses my heart and blood vessels to pump that oxygen and nutrients to my working muscles. My nervous system quickly sends messages from my brain to my muscles so I can react, change direction, and avoid other players. Learning about how each system is built and what its job is helped me explain how they all work together when I sprint in soccer.

This shows that my body is built in levels: cells -> tissues -> organs -> body systems. Cells with similar jobs form tissues, tissues build organs, and organs work together in body systems like the muscular, skeletal, and nervous systems.

When I sprint in soccer, all of these systems are working together at the same time. My muscles move my bones, and my brain and nerves control the movements I make. Each system is made of groups of cells, so my whole body is really one big system made of many smaller subsystems.

PART 2:

The two learning experiences that helped me understand body systems and cells best were the dissections (Pig’s heart/ lungs and Bullfrog) and the
Extended learning activities (digestion simulation, mini-lung models, and knee reflex check). The dissections were impactful because I am a hands-on learner, and actually seeing and touching real organs helped me grasp their structures and how they connect inside the body better than just looking at diagrams. The extended learning activities also suit my learning style because building and using models, like the mini-lung and digestion simulation, let me see how each system works step-by-step. Doing these activities made the information more memorable and helped me clearly picture how the body systems function in real life.

PART 3:

One thing I would improve is using a final checklist before submitting assignments. Sometimes I miss small details, like labels or explanations, even when I understand the topic. If I checked a list at the end, I could catch mistakes and make sure I followed all the directions. This would help my work better show what I really know.

My Stickers Series is called: Spreading Kindness Through Everyday Life

Many teenagers and even adults today use stickers as a way of expressing themselves. The intended audience is teenagers and anyone who enjoys using stickers.

I chose to do my project using stickers because they are popular and are a way of making connections, people can trade, collect, and share them. Through my stickers, I want to spread kindness, remind others that there are still good people in the world, and help make it a better place, step by step. Stickers can brighten someone’s day with a simple sentence, and that’s what I hope to achieve.

Some design strategies used in my artivist project are:

1. Visual Symbolism: Using icons and color psychology to convey emotions and positive messages.
2. Repetition and Familiarity: Maintaining consistent themes and employing catchy, uplifting slogans.

The reason I chose these two design strategies is that my stickers are designed with simple designs and clear messages in mind, a clear message that (hopefully) makes people smile and brings a little joy. I believe that even small things, like a smile or laughter, are powerful forms of kindness. By spreading these messages in everyday places, I hope to encourage more kindness and positivity wherever the stickers appear.

U: What do you understand in this unit?

I understand better how to identify the CoP between the scaled copies, identify which ones are scaled copies of the original, and possibly understand the main idea of the unit.

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

I learned how to use scale factors to find out the actual size or area of objects from their scaled copies. I also learned how to identify and solve problems using proportions and how scaled copies relate to the original shapes in terms of side lengths and areas.

I: What was interesting in this unit?

I found it interesting how changing the scale factor can impact not just the side lengths, but also the area and other measurements of the shapes. It was also interesting to solve real-world problems, like interpreting blueprints or maps, using scales and ratios.

T: What was tricky for you in this unit?

What was tricky for me was remembering all the different formulas for different equations/problems, and the scale/actual area. What I mean by scale is, for example:

“A map with a scale of 1 inch = 2 yards. The side length of the square on the blueprint is 5 inches. What is the actual area of the courtyard in square meters?”

• U: What do you understand in this unit?
  • I understand better how to use the reciprocal method, and I also understand new vocabulary, which can help me when needing to explain my work. I also learned how to be precise/exact with description and explanations.

• N: What new information did you learn in this unit?
  • I learned how to use the reciprocal method, which involves flipping a number to make division easier. I also got a basic understanding of what LCM (Least Common Multiple) and GCM (Greatest Common Multiple) are.

• I: What was interesting in this unit?
  • I thought this unit was interesting because I learned a new way to divide numbers by using the reciprocal method, which made the process easier.

• T: What was tricky for you in this unit?
  • When solving word problems, I understand how to use the reciprocal method, but I sometimes get confused about which numbers I need to flip.