Science DSLO Semester Reflection

        This semester, we have learned a lot in science. Through, worksheets, online/physical simulations, experiments, games, visual interpretations, and more, we have been able to explore our units of basic science skills and heredity. What we have done in science class reflects on the Desired Student Learning Outcomes of SAS. Some that I can directly connect to are communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. 

Communication       
        Throughout this semester in science, we have communicated our understanding in many ways that aren't just verbally. On a regular basis, we are given online worksheets to complete as an introduction or follow-up for an activity. In science, we are basically always communicating our understanding, be it through the result of an experiment, through entry tasks, or even verbally during discussions. During partner activities, we are expected to share our ideas and conjoin them into one answer. Our opinions can even differ, and that makes the communication with our partner more positive and flexible. Examples of communication needed would be like when partners made a model of the mitosis and meiosis process.

Collaboration

        Collaborating was definitely an integral part of science class. To start off, we would frequently get new seating arrangements with different partners to work with, and that ensured that students collaborate and work well with everyone. Science class even challenges the collaboration to a new level, where partners can have a difference in opinion and they have to join both opinions into one answer. Very often we conduct experiments and Lab assignments that involve a partner- but we don't only work with partners.

        Individual and self-paced work time helps the student individually process the lesson, and display their understanding and opinion freely. Science class has a fine balance of a collaborative and individual module. Examples of activities involving collaboration would be like the Cow Eye Guided Reading because we had to work with our partners to do the guided reading and combine our hypotheses. Another collaborative activity would be the DNA Extraction Lab. That involved a step by step process that required the communication and collaboration of partners in order to extract the DNA out of the wheat germ.

Critical Thinking

        Critical Thinking was definitely a part of the science curriculum. In Science class, we would be expected to show our critical thinking skills by asking questions involving deeper-level thinking and ability to transfer knowledge from class. In tests, there is an "Exemplary" section that requires applying what we have learned in different situations. There are also reflection questions in the class activities to help us critically think about the activity and how it's helping us better understand the unit. For example, in the Bunny Simulation Activity there were reflection questions to reinforce our understanding of Natural Selection.


        All in all, this semester of Science has used Communication, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking as DSLOs to help us grow and meaningfully connect to these values. Exploring these DSLOs has helped me understand how the Science curriculum is truly meaningful and unique in helping us successfully enrich our learning. Connecting Science to the SAS DSLOs has just made me look foreward even more to the next semester and how that learning will connect to such major values.
 

RLA Persuasive Speech

I was proud of my projection and emphasis on certain words with eye contact and gestures. I could work on maybe slowing down at parts and using techniques like repetition. 

SS Federalism

RLA Journalism Podcast- "Angling the Mirror: Time to Reflect on the Quieter Side"

Math Reflection Post

SMART SLEEP GOAL

I want to make sure I’m in bed by 10p.m every school night. I will manage my work more effectively so that I’m able to hit the bed on time. Sleeping on time will help me feel emotionally healthier and boost my growth. I will make sure to check in on how I’m doing before December break to see how this change shows its benefits. As a reward, I will get the weekends to sleep later.

Movement Description for Accompanying and Evading

• TOUCH : 2 handed carry while moving, from ground and upright positions; fluid running motion with ball in front to enable passing options on both sides; using misdirection and fakes effectively http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-V_I3OufSY

• BASKETBALL: 2 handed catch, control while dribbling; effective scanning to see the field of play at all times; being aware of space and changing direction to create, or eliminate open spaces https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMtY-dxN82U

• FLAG FOOTBALL : catching a spiral pass downfield, controlled carry while evading, executing patterns to optimize space and evade defenders http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPqmmsjOdtU

FITNESS DECIDE Model

         DECIDE :   My FITNESS Plan

D Define the Problem	Select the FITNESS COMPONENT or SKILL COMPONENT you’d most like to improve this year. (Fitness: Cardio, Muscular Strength, Muscular endurance, Flexibility, Body Composition.core strength) (Skill: Balance, Agility, Coordination, Power, Speed,  Reaction Time) Explain why you chose this component. I chose this component because I want to improve on my mile time to at least 8:25, and I want to improve on my overall stamina for all sports. Create and  link a short video (10-15 seconds) that illustrates your chosen component. (using your laptop, iPad, iPhone, or other device). Upload to youtube and paste youtube link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUl0bcCqZWg
E Explore the Alternatives	List 3 other Fitness/Skill Components that you could also improve and explain how they will benefit your overall fitness: Skill: speed (will help me also with my reaction time, and will help train me with my cardio) 2. Fitness: core strength (this is great for body composition and balance as well because these skills involve pure core strength in order to balance and hold the body in a certain position.) 3.  Fitness: flexibility (warms up my muscles and joints and allows for a better session. Loosens muscles that are tight. Having a flexible body can help me just overall perform better, as I would have loose muscles and maximum blood circulation.
C Consider the Consequences	Identify 2 positive and 2 negative possible outcomes as a result of your choice: (Ask yourself … how risky is each alternative? What are the chances of success? How would it affect my short term fitness? How would it affect my fitness long term?) Positive Working on my cardio means I will be able to sustain energy and fitness on cardio related activities for a longer period of time.      2. I will be able to improve my mile time and strengthen my cardio endurance Negative      1.  If I just focus on my cardio, I may be weakening other components of fitness because I’m not practicing those.     2.  Being fit doesn’t just mean in terms of cardio stamina, there are many other components that won’t get better if I leave them alone so my overall performance won’t be that strong
I Identify Values	This decision is important to me because.......... (Why do you value fitness?) I value fitness because I know how important it is for my body. Without fitness, there is a very high chance of diseases and problems later on. The highest percentage of the reason why people die in America is because of lack of fitness (even higher than smoking or drinking!!) Also, being fit overall just helps with a person’s confidence and self-esteem. I want to push myself this year to improve my mile-time, and if I am able to improve on my cardiovascular endurance, I will approach PE more confidently and positively.
D Decide and Act	Create an action plan for improvement.  Outline a plan for a week of fitness activity that will improve your chosen component. Creat a video (10-15 seconds) of your chosen activity to help illustrate your plan.  Day 1: Pilates (20 min) + 2 laps around the SAS track in the morning (with 5 min warm-ups) Day 2: Pilates (20 min) + 10 min exercises (dynamic and static) Day 3: Swimming (60 min) Day 4: Pilates (20 min) + gym (60 min) Day 5: pilates (20 min) + 2 laps around track in morning (with 5 min warm-ups) Day 6: gym (60 min) Day 7: pilates (20 min) and exercises (10 min) I will run outside in the school mornings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUl0bcCqZWg I will do pilates to improve my flexibility, core strength, muscular endurance, body composition, and also stamina I will swim and go to the gym as part of my major workouts to improve cardio I will make sure to continue doing warm-up exercises and stretches to keep my muscles ready for exercise and improve many other fitness and skill related components.
E Evaluate the results	My goal was to improve a specific fitness component.  I will know that my decision and action plan has been effective when.........  The mile-times throughout the year will be evidence for this. If I am able to improve bit by bit on my mile times and overall stamina, then that means that my decide plan for improving my cardio is effective.

My Fitness Card

RLA Top 10 List- "What I Think About While in Air"

Have you ever had a late-night flight? 12am, 1am... perhaps even 3am? Well, I did. This fall break, on the flight going to my destination. I was cranky that night, with my eyelids swollen the size of party balloons and my eyelashes heavy as bricks. I was crying for sleep. Just one small nap.....just one quick rest....
Too late.
Before I knew it, we were swept away by the elevator and vacuumed into the taxi.
I decided...there was a solution! I could sleep in the plane!
Surely I wouldn't stay awake the whole flight... right?
But then, while we were in the plane, and the plane was about to take off, instead of snoozing and getting a good chunk of sleep like I'd anticipated I would, I started looking through the magazine for movies.
Like really, MOVIES.
And then I looked through the menu of food they were serving.
Like really, A MENU.
And then I started thinking about how the destination would look like, with a pink-lemonade-stained sky, and a sticky sun....
LIKE REALLY, THINKING.

And out of all the things I did in my 5-hour flight, I couldn't find the word 'sleep' anywhere. Where did it go? I don't know, maybe it vanished amongst the exciting selection of movies I had yet to watch, or the mouth-watering list of cuisines I had yet to try, or even the beautiful landscape of the destination I had yet to visit. Maybe I wasn't tired anymore...
But then, I was tired. I was tired after we landed. As if magic, my eyelids swelled the size of hot air balloons, and my eyelashes felt as heavy as a whole brick house!
And then, I was left with the misery of staying tired until I decided we could sleep in the hotel room... right?
But then.

"I Can..." Choir Statements

I can do the basic solfege using hand signs and accurate pitches using head voice.

I can use tonal memory to blend more than one pitch together at the same time. I can manipulate and improvise some notes to create different tunes. All of this is shown through harmonizing with a partner. 

Application Essay- Most Meaningful

Most Meaningful

By: Vainavi Gambhir

“Never trust me.

       I might tell a lie,

     I might make you cry.

    I’m kinda’ like a bully,

bad luck you trust me fully.”

The problem was: I wasn’t the bully. Poetry was the real bully. It troubled me because I didn’t know how to get a poem to sound meaningful. Poetry was quite different than any other form of writing. There was literally no rule to it, yet there were too many. Embedded in every sentence had to be some important message; every word had to be stuffed with “meat” and impact.

I remember the time when I was so determined to actually finish writing a poem of some sort. My third-grade self recalled what my teacher had told me about writing poetry.

“Think about something that impacts the world, and write about that to make the poem powerful.”

• The burning face and skinned elbows hiding behind older, tougher fists.

• The noise of a growling stomach and cracking joints searching a trash bin for traces of survival.

  These were pretty powerful topics.

        Big. Impactful. Important.

I decided to go for ocean pollution. I mean, who wouldn’t fall for choking animals tied in nets with plastic down their throats? I worked on getting some good imagery and emotion into the poem. In time, I’d even achieved adding as many impactful words as my nine-year-old brain could think of, with (of course) a seemingly clear and meaningful message.

“ …The nets attack,

as the poison spreads.

Creating a blanket

of trash… “

But was this poem meaningful enough to me?

I realized how many authors and children had already written about issues in the world. I narrowed my eyebrows and blinked at my work: the words that were someone else’s, the problem known to everyone. I was confused. Wasn’t this what would make my poem meaningful? Yet it wasn’t working, and so I crumpled the black words into a ball to be shoved away. I gazed outside the window at the golden streaks in the sea as the wet sun seeped through the sticky, evening clouds. I observed the people scurrying to coffee shops and malls, tranced by their phones. I noticed the sky blend from amber, to crimson, to pink. I then turned to the crumpled ball of poetry.

And I smiled.

As I grasped my pencil for the second time, I suddenly felt the rough wood around the metallic lead. I began to write. Not about all the issues in the world, the major events, tragic losses, or anything big. I wrote about the light bulb at my bedside table, flickering like the sun peeking behind a scribble of mountains. I wrote about that sea outside my window, the waves spreading like a melting cube of ice. I wrote about that one moment when I was at the beach, tasting the sweet breeze and feeling the sandy granules between my toes. It was the first time in so long that I had actually lived the moment I was in. I’d felt so powerful then. But I felt the same way now too. My pencil glided across those familiar lines in my notebook like ice.

“Think about something that impacts the world, and write about that to make the poem powerful.”

I understood how those small moments are the greatest impact on every single person; everyone is made of those moments, whether cherished or not. Likewise, each word for a moment represents a tiny puzzle piece of who I am, what my poem of life is.

And ever since I held that rough pencil between my fingers again, I realized that every moment was a precious topic to write about in itself. Writing about my surroundings helped me open my eyes and mind to recognize the hidden poetry every little thing offered. I felt like I had grown to appreciate the most trivial acts in my surroundings.

I began to write poems about nothing. It was astonishing how much of nothing there was to write about.

And through my life, “stuffing” each moment like a meaningful word is what would make my poem of life truly reflective and complete. Just like a good poem.

Small. Precise. Precious.

         I glanced back at the poetry I’d formed in my notebook…

“...feet sunk in the rich earth

The sunset dancing above my hair,

cherishing the moment for all its worth,

As I breathe today’s fresh air.”

      … and I signed my name below.

My PE Goal For 8th Grade

My PE goal for 8th grade is to improve my mile time from 9:12 to at least 8:40 in this year. I will prepare for this by going to the gym for an hour at least 3 days a week. This will help me be fitter and more confident.

Ellis Island Reflection

September 19, 1907

1. How do you think people felt upon their arrival at Ellis Island?

The people probably felt very nervous because very few of them would actually get a US citizenship and move forward without being sent back. They probably would think of ways and answers to move forward. And since the ship ride would be very long to arrive at Ellis Island, many would feel sick and cold.

2. What do you think the screening process was like in immigration hall?

The process must be very painstaking. Many would get sent back over trivial issues or lack of certain things. While checking for diseases, it was very unhygienic because using the same tool to check an ill person, the doctors would check other people. That's why even if the people weren't ill, they would become ill and would almost always get sent back.

3. How did you feel when you arrived at the classroom and learned about your fate?

When I arrived at the classroom and learned about my fate, I felt it was quite unfair, because since I was deported, I was being sent back repeatedly and called "mental" or "sick". It was almost impossible for anyone to get by without having the officer point out something that wasn't true.

Health Wellness Prezi

Letter to Bartolomé de las Casas

Dear Bartolemé de las Casas,

After taken away by the government, I was given a chance to write this letter to you. I feel the Encomienda system is different from what both of us have learned and known. Don't you feel that all men are equal, created by god the same way? Well, that is what we have grown up knowing; the pastor in the church says that too. Bartolomé, you know this is wrong! You have grown up with an indigenous person like me; therefore, I urge you to help do something about this Encomienda system that will benefit the treatment of all the Tainos. I am being taken away because I had a good start on my education. Would this mean everyone with a good education has to leave? Why is this only me, our friends, the Tainos? Why aren't we free to grow and progress when we have given every respect to our guests who had come? All men are created equal, and you know that Bartolemé. Please do something.
                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                 Your friend,
                                                                                                                             Juanico

Coming Soon! My Reading Challenge Reflection

First Feature Article- Health Blogpost

Reflect on how your findings will affect your PERSONAL health practice

My findings on effectively managing time to get enough sleep will definitely affect my personal health practice because I now know what to do when I feel I have too much work to do. Instead of sacrificing precious sleep time to finish my work or vice-versa, I can apply my solutions and feel more calm about my schedule. I know that procrastinating is just going to make me more overwhelmed, so through my 2-minute rule, I can set myself in motion to complete my work more swiftly.

What will you do to influence/advocate your ideas to others?

I feel it is easier to reach out and help my peers or family members, so I will first advocate my findings and solutions to them, and then we all can spread this through other sources like other relatives, social media, presentations, or even posters on walls of common places (ex. MRT stations, condos, supermarkets, movie halls...). How I can advocate these solutions to my parents and peers might be through studying their habits and observing what impacts occur when they change their mindset about busy schedules and follow the solutions given.

Consider how your peers' findings relate to your personal health. List, reflect and explain 3 ideas you were influenced by when reviewing your peer's work:

Many of my peers found technology related to sleep. I unknowingly just use electronics or watch TV before going to bed, but my peers have found that melatonin is less when technology is used before bed, and also the brain can't recognize night or day because of the electronic's light. Not only this, sleep patterns are affected; we may assume sleeping at 12 am and waking up at 9 am would give the 9 hours we need, but when we sleep so late, our body can't adapt easily to the strict wake-up timings of school days. What my peers told me about body image was very shocking. Since I'm happy with my body, it is harder to understand how other teens who have anorexia or bulimia might be facing. It is crucial that in order for a teen to stay healthy, they must be surrounded by positive people who can encourage them about loving themselves. I was also drastically affected by the issue of teens cutting themselves. I learned that cutting is another way to express pain and surprisingly, feel better. This issue has made me realize how important it is to be happy with what life gives us, and if we are facing some sort of pressure (social, peer, academic), we should communicate with people we are comfortable with.

Are You the Average 7th Grader at SAS?

My Ecological Footprint

THIS IS MY ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

THIS IS MY DAD'S ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

Globalization Unit Reflection

1. How has cultural/social, technological/environmental, and political/economic globalization transformed our world? (Give some specific examples from our unit, ITN's etc.)                                                                                                                                                  

Globalization has impacted our life in many factors, like culturally, technologically, and environmentally. Culturally, this world has drastically westernised in food, clothing, cinema choice, and language. WE now see fast food chains like KFC and McDonalds all around the world, even in developing or emerging countries like India and places in China. We even wear shirts and jeans which are almost a symbol of western clothing. Listening to western songs, familiarising with Hollywood cinema and learning to speak English is very common even to people who aren't American. Technologically, the globalization of such devices like computers, iPads, Kindles, and iPhones have allowed us to now connect with our friends and family from around the world. And as the discovery of people's interests and wants increase, new inventions and versions of the types of technology are increasing. This will continue if we continue showing interest in the latest gadgets and inventions making life easier. But on the contrary, looking at the labor used to make such technology and the life span of that technology, rapidly expanding such a technological business could prove harmful. We need to replace our phones after sometime. Environmentally, the globalization of the new technologies such as cars are harmful for the environment. Likewise, the globalization of awareness to protect the environment is very strong. We are now more aware of organic foods, plastic waste, paper waste and more, using recycling bins and thought-provoking lessons in schools.

1. How has and will aspects of globalization impact your life? (Give specific examples.)

Almost everything I wear comes from globalized companies like Sketchers, New Balance, Gap, ...     

This shows the major impact globalization has on what I wear. When we look at our lifestyle, we are now more exposed to globalised foods from different cultures. Even though we are now more exposed to a western culture globally, some of the traditions like architecture and rituals are fading away. This can be negative as an impact in the future, because then we won't get to experience and learn about other cultures, and there won't be anything precious to preserve and discover. Technology wise, in many places we are actually on our electronic devices like phones before we do anything. Examples are like before eating our meal, on public transport, when we're bored, and to take pictures. Although the latest inventions on technology that are expanding throughout the years have successfully transformed our world, it is rapidly growing in an almost dangerous way, controlling our lives. 

Plant Experiment

Link to Plant Graph

                03/30/16                                                                                                

                                                                                                                         







                  04/5/16












                  04/11/16

Compost Making a Difference

Westside School is trying to solve the problem of diverting tens-of-thousands of pounds of food scraps from the landfill each year. The Compost Club keeps a lead person to take on the recycling duties, so that the composting process can start. They estimate the amount of worm bins to keep the food waste running smoothly. They then raise funds for the school or business through their fundraising efforts, and install the system when the funding is secure. The Compost Club even shares a school-wide lesson called "Recycling Changes Everything". This is meant to raise awareness teach skills for students to learn and understand. The club encourages the schools to sell the compost, and aren't surprised when they earn $1,000 annually! All in all, The Compost Club has solved the problem of the food waste, providing fresh, rich soil in return, and earning money for making a difference.

Gravity

How do the objects represent gravity?

Some objects are denser because of their mass, therefore have a greater gravitational pull. Others are less dense because their mass being less, therefore have less gravitational pull.

What would the heavier and lighter objects represent in our universe?

For example the sun is denser because or a greater mass, which is why it has a stronger gravity which pulls the other planets around to make an orbit.

Does the size matter?

No size doesn't matter, what matters is the mass, if an object is smaller in size, but is heavier, the gravity will still be stronger and heavier.

What about the mass?

The mass does matter, since how dense the object is, depends on how heavy it is. Heavier objects with a greater mass will be denser therefore have a stronger gravitational pull.

Write a sentence to summarise the law of gravity. 

The heavier the mass, the more the gravitational pull.

Planets and Solar System

Planets and Solar System

Planets/Sun	Diameter in Kilometers	Distance from the Sun in Kilometers		Number of Moons	1 Rotation (Hour)	Orbit Sun (Earth Days)
Mercury	4,878	57,910,000		0	1,408	88
Venus	12,100	67,000,000		0	5,832	225
Earth	12,742	93,000,000		1	24	365.25
Mars	6,792	227,936,640		2	25	686
Jupiter	142,984	149,600,000		67	10	4,380
Saturn	116,464	1,426,725,400		62	11	10,585
Uranus	50,000	2,870,972,200		27	17	30,660
Neptune	49,200	4,500,000,000		14	16	60,225
Pluto	2,370	3,670,000,000		5	156	90,520
Sun	864,938	0		0	587.28	0

Planets and Solar System
Planets/Sun	Diameter in Kilometers	Distance from the Sun in Kilometers		Number of Moons	1 Rotation (Hour)	Orbit Sun (Earth Days)	Weight on each planet	Age on each planet
Mercury	4,878	57,910,000		0	1,408	88	14.7	52
Venus	12,100	67,000,000		0	5,832	225	35.3	20
Earth	12,742	93,000,000		1	24	365.25	39	12
Mars	6,792	227,936,640		2	25	686	14.7	6
Jupiter	142,984	149,600,000		67	10	4,380	92.1	1
Saturn	116,464	1,426,725,400		62	11	10,585	41.4	0
Uranus	50,000	2,870,972,200		27	17	30,660	34.6	0
Neptune	49,200	4,500,000,000		14	16	60,225	43.8	0
Pluto	2,370	3,670,000,000		5	156	90,520	2.6	0
Sun	864,938	0		0	587.28	0	1055.8

Why is the weight different in each planet?

Weight would be different in each planet because of the difference in gravity. The planet with less gravity would make me lighter, and vice-versa.

Why would my age change on different planets?

My age would change on different planets because their time is different from that of earth's. For us, a year would be a different amount of time for another planet. That is why 12 years for my age on earth would be a different age for another planet. It takes each planet their own amount of earth days to orbit the sun, like for earth it's a year.