Finding the midpoint

We viewed a video about 4 boys who drew two points, and a point in the middle. After that, we had to guess which person had the closest point in the middle. Furthermore, we had to back up these facts with why. I thought it was Chris because I thought his looked a lot more accurate, while the others were less precise.

This is Chris's guess, except without the coordinates. (It comes later) 

In the beginning, if I would want to know the exact midpoint of each one, and who got the closest I would need to know a lot of things. I would want to know the coordinates of each point, and want to measure the distance between each point with a formula. After, we talked about which one would be closest to the middle and why. I was the only person who guessed Chris, and when asked why, I just said that it looked that way. Someone then contradicted me by saying that his was too spread out, and I agreed. 

Afterwards, Ms. Ange showed us the exact coordinates, angles, and lengths, and we had to figure out a way to find the exact midpoint. My first reaction was to look at each information given and just guess to see which one was most accurate. For example, which one had the straightest angle, and which measurements were the most even. Then, when we had access to the internet, I decided to find the midpoint formula, and plug each person's lengths into it. I would then compare and subtract the guess and the actual midpoints, and see which ones were the most accurate. I found that Andrew's and Nathan's were both equally accurate. 

Lyric Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3rgqNBz0M4&feature=share&list=PLyYEYDZM6caILdaH3zvijHoiLInU5m_2b&index=3

For my Stepping up to the Stage class we had to pick a song that we like and preform it. The only catch was that we couldn't sing it, but instead we had to preform it like a poem or monologue. We also had to use our body to portray most of the words sang in the lyrics. Furthermore, we had to change our tone at least three times in the song. Another thing that also made it difficult was the fact that we had to say it in a perspective different than the actual song.

I think my speech went fairly well. I did all the movements I wanted to and more. For example there were some parts that I just decided to add a movement. I also changed my voice three times which I thought was very good since I thought I would struggle with that. Also we were required to have a prop or use something in the room and  I completed this task. I pointed to the windows which I thought was a good idea. One thing that I would like to change was the fact that sometimes I read the lyrics in the same rhythm, therefore making it boring. I would really like to break that habit because it doesn't sound proffesional and it makes it seem like I'm nervous.

Overall, I think I did a good job of completing what was asked of me but I can still work on my rhythm.

Science Fair Reflection 2014

1. What was the most enjoyable part of creating your science fair project (not counting the actual fair)?

The most enjoyable part was probably making the poster because I had so much ideas for it. I had a picture of it in my mind, and even though it didn't necessarily turn out like it, I really liked it. I wanted to make it neat yet colorful, and in the end it did turn out that way.  

2. What was the most difficult or frustrating part of your project?

The most difficult part was probably doing the background research because it took us a long time to get everything together. We also needed to research about multiple things because we were doing a project that had multiple aspects. Furthermore, we had put our research in an order that made sense.

3. Pick one project (other than your own) that you found interesting and/or impressive. Describe what you liked about it.

I found Manuela's and Nati's project very interesting; the whole concept of conformity really mesmerizes me. It was very interesting how they did their experimenting and how they thought about the situation they were going to create. It was very original and very well thought out and I hope to do something like that next year.

4. What problems/challenges did you run into this year as you worked on your project? What steps did you take to overcome these challenges?

Some of the difficulties that we ran into was the fact that we didn't know how to begin our conclusion and just the whole conclusion in general. It was very tough to see what we would write about, and how we would explain everything in a logical manner. Also I was trying to be very precise in order to do well.

5. Thinking of your own project, what would you do differently next time? Address only those factors that you have control over (you don’t have control over getting sick or your mom going out of town, for example).

Next time I would probably try to have all our experiments done in one day because it would be much more simpler and organized. For example, Lauren and I finished our experiments on different dates so we didn't know when to start out lab report. Also it would've been better to do it on the same day because we would be doing it together instead of separately.

6. While presenting your project, what do you think you did you do well?

I think I spoke very enthusiastically.You could tell that while my partner and I were speaking the audience was listening attentively. I also believe I did this since I tried to  sound as excited and happy as possible because if you are happy, then your audience is happy. Also I tried to engage the audience in with the speech. For example, before we would start I would ask what grade they are in and what their project is. I liked doing this technique because it made the audience feel a part of something.

7.While presenting your project, what do you think you could have done better?

I could've definitely worked on my eye contact because I knew sometimes I would look too much at my clipboard. I sometimes have a problem with mumbling but when I read something off a page, I don't mumble, so thats why I looked down often. I tried to work hard on looking at the audience but sometimes that made me forget my speech. But, as the presentations went on, I got better and better with this problem and started looking more at the audience.

8. Did you work alone or in a pair?     Would you choose to do that again?  Why or why not?

I worked in a pair with Lauren Householder, and I don't think I would do it again. This is because sometimes I would wait on her to do something, and meanwhile I would be doing nothing or vice versa. Also it caused a lot of stress for me to write a conclusion that fit her idea of what it meant; sometimes our ideas clashed, and we didn't like the opposing thought. Furthermore sometimes we got very distracted and didn't work on the project when we were supposed to. Overall I would work alone next time we do the science fair.

9. Are you happy with the topic you chose?    Would you chose to investigate it again in the future?  Why or why not?

I am very proud of our project and all we have done with it. I would definitely choose it again in the future for multiple reasons. First off, my knowledge would grow larger which would make the project more logical. For example, we didn't take into consideration measuring the mass of the fruits. The mass should've been the same between each of the fruits in order to get accurate results. In the future, I would also study the chemical compositions of each fruit we are measuring to explain why I believe the results came out the way that it did.

10. Do you feel you were prepared enough to present you project to others at the science fair?  Why or why not?  

I think I was prepared to do the presentation because I knew what I was going to say in my head and I remember being very confident before the speech. There could've been more work with my memorization but I think I did a pretty good job. I said every line I was supposed to and it just flowed very well together as a whole. Also I stood up with a good posture which means that I was happy and confident with my work. Furthermore, I feel that I was prepared for my speech.

11.  Did you use the feedback that you were given electronically?  If so, in what ways was it helpful?  If not, why not?

I don't think it was very helpful. This is because everyone gave us high numbers so we didn't really know what to improve on. Also no one gave us personal feedback where they specifically tell us what we need to improve on. I found this very challenging to work with because I didn't know how to improve or grow as an academic learner. Other times I couldn't even access the page of responses and it told me I didn't have access. Also there was one point in our presentation when our QR code didn't even work at all and it told the scanners that it was because of the authors of the QR code. My partner and I hadn't changed anything, but it soon started working again in a few minutes.

12.Self Evaluation

Evaluate yourself in these areas.  (5 is highest, 1 is lowest) Highlight the number that you feel best describes your overall performance.  Feel free to explain your ratings in the space below.

Originality of Topic                         1       2       3       4       5

Knowledge about your topic           1       2       3       4       5

Effort/Hard Work                           1       2       3       4       5

Communicator                                  1       2       3       4       5

(board, speech, etc.)

13. What did this project do to help you become a better learner/better thinker?

I think project really helped me learn the importance of background research. This is because we had done some research about our topic, but once we did the experiment we needed to research more about our topic. This threw off our schedule a little since we couldn't start writing our lab report when we didn't even know what had happened. This experience helped me as a learner because I learned that I need to fully understand the topic to a maximum before I should start experimenting.

14. What do you think your teacher could do differently next year to help future students be more successful?

I think next year the teacher can help us more with writing our conclusions because my partner and I couldn't quite understand the ruric. I would've liked it a lot more if the teacher had done mini lessons on what to have in the conclusion and how to write it and the techniques that she was looking for. Other than this, I think our science teacher helped us a lot with the project and answered all the questions that were asked.

15.  Do you have any other thought about the science fair that you would like to share?

I wish next year there would be a more organized system for bringing people up to our rooms. My room was upstairs, and the only one in its hall so the majority of our time was spent sitting down and talking to each other. I just would have wished that an even amount of people come to each room, or the room arrangements are changed.

16. Here is where you can include pictures and/or video that you took of yourself with your project

Speech

I believe that my speech didn't go as well as I thought. For example, I wanted to do so much more gestures. I also wanted to change my voice a little more, and I wanted to walk around a lot more. Even though, I did have a few mistakes, I still did a few things that I liked in my speech. For example, there was one part of my speech where I emphasized a word, when I didn't mean to, and it turned out very good. I also had a few moments when I caught eye contact with a few people, and it really made the speech a lot better. 

This speech was about a personal experience that has happened in our life, that has changed us. I talked about the time I moved into my new house, and about how I was so excited about the pool. My intentions for this speech, were not to be about the pool and me riding on it, I meant it to be about how I changed as a person from before to now. For example, how I became more mature, and how I changed to being more optimistic and more happy in my life. I had a lot of challenges when I was writing my speech. For example, I had a lot of trouble figuring out what I was going to talk about, because I never really had an adventurous life. I thought and I thought, and finally I came up with this idea, and I knew it was perfect for this class. Before the speech, I definitely felt very nervous, because I felt like I hadn't practiced it enough, even though I practiced more than I should've. After my speech, I felt a lot better that it was over, and it seemed like it went on forever. I wasn't exactly unhappy about my speech, but I was more disappointed that I didn't do the things that I hoped to. Some of the feedback that I had recieved was that I didn't have enough eye contact, and I agreed with that. When I'm nervous, I try to look down at my paper, more than look at other people, because sometimes it makes me feel uncomfortable, and so I really need to work on that.

I feel that the areas of strength for me s my voice and articulation, because I talk a lot to other people, so most of the time I don't feel uncomfortable. Also, I have taken a few theater classes, so I know how to speak and seem like I'm completely comfortable with my surroundings. The areas that I really need to work on is eye contact, and the swaying that I do when I'm nervous. I'm not sure if anyone notices my "swaying" because most of the time I just tap on my legs, or move my hands in a pattern, but I definitely need to work on it. Also I need to work with eye contact, and feeling more comfortable with myself, and looking at others. 

Overall, I feel like I did a pretty good job, and I feel proud of myself that I had received the award, and I hope the next speech goes as well as this one! 

Science Artifact

These picture above show my Science Tests. This test was very challenging for me in many ways. First, we had a formative test, which means a test that does not count, but it shows you what you do and do not know. On my formative test, I got a decent score, but I wanted to be better. I studied night after night, and I continued to redo my notes on a piece of paper. I really wanted to do good, but the problem was, that some of the concepts, were confusing to me. I didn't know about some things, but I memorized the facts about them. What I did was go and ask my brother for help. This technique really helped me since I know I can count on my brother to help me understand what the scientific terms pertained. Next, I typed up my notes and made my own test to go with them. This technique also helps me because I try to come up with the hardest questions I can think of, and try to answer them. The day I had the test, I was very nervous, and very scared since I knew I had to do phenomenal, or all my studying would go to waste. As I said I was very scared, but I tried my best, and I think my best was amazing. When I got my test back, I had received a 171/190 which meant I had received a 90%. You may not think this is the best score, but actually I had one of the largest scores in my class, and the highest score that I had seen was a 91%. I was so happy, and my parents were too. They told me they were proud of me, and that really made me happy to know I made my parents happy.

Humanities Artifact

 This I believe Video

This is my This I believe video for my Humanities class. This project that we did really made me think about my curiosity about movie making, and even writing. In this project we had to write an essay about the moral we believed in. For example, in mine I put that I believe in not judging people before you get to know them. 

For this project, we first needed to write an essay about a moral that we believed in. I couldn't think of one thing and it took me a few days to come up with an idea and outline of what I would do for my piece. Next, we needed to actually write the piece and that took many stages. First, you needed to make a detailed outline of what you would write about. This part really was challenging for me, since I was never good with narrative writing. Next we had to write our first draft. Then we had to check with someone else. I was glad we did this step, because I always think my piece is fine, but then when someone else reads it they see the flaws in it, and I really benefit from it. Then we had to write our final draft. Now we had to do the movie, and it was due 4 days later! This step was definitely  the hardest for me since I was always technologically challenged. I was never good with making movies, or being creative, and plus everything had to come from creative commons! I was so afraid I wouldn't make the deadline, but after hard work and commitment, I did and I was so glad.

This project that I have done really made me explore options of what I could do for other projects, and what are my strengths and weaknesses of my skills. This project really made me think of how challenging something can be, in a little period of time. I think I really showed communication skills since I talked with many people to see what ideas I would do. It was a very tough project but I really showed mastery in it, I believe. I am very proud of my project, and I guess my teacher was too because I received a 97 on the multimedia project, and a 98 on my piece.