Informed Argument Podcast

click here for podcast!

1. What did you learn about writing informed arguments?

I have learned many techniques, like adding Language, Organization, Voice and Emotional Appeal (LOVE) to my argument. I have learned about voice the most, and how to choose powerful words that convince the listener and reader about my view of the topic.

2. What did you find challenging about writing this genre? How did you overcome the challenge?

What I found most challenging was writing a thoughtful introduction which could set up and introduce the following two claims from each side of the topic. I had to make sure I caught the reader's attention with something they could think about and reflect throughout the whole podcast. I overcame this challenge by setting a question, allowing the reader to think and relate.

3. What did you find challenging about recording the podcast?

Many things were slightly challenging for me. The first challenge was maintaining an engaging voice throughout the podcast, the second challenge was trying not to laugh in the podcast, and trying to seem serious and professional in what I was saying. The final challenge was then uploading the podcast to my blog.

4. What are you most proud of about your podcast?

I am most proud of the way I conveyed my voice in the podcast. I thought I was pretty convincing, and used a lot of evidence to support my claim of less homework.

5. What are you hoping your listeners will feel/do as a result of listening to your podcast?

I am hoping teachers and parents will be a bit more gentle on homework for kids, and realize that extra homework isn't going to help them very much.

End of Year Reflection

PE / Health End of Year Reflection - 6th Grade

Copy these questions to your blog and complete them in class. This will be the last formative assessment of the year so do your best work. Label your blog post “pe”

Write  your favourite sports quote and tell who said it and what it means to you. This quote was by Babe Ruth, and it means a lot to me. It tells me that if you never give up, it will be hard for the people around you to beat you. This is something I usually keep in mind if I am lagging behind, and I want to give up.

What does wellness mean to you? To me, being well means eating right, sleeping on time, and exercising daily. When we do all these things everyday, that is called being well.

What do you do on a daily basis to be well and healthy? Everyday, exercise and do yoga to build my flexibility. Sometimes I also go out to swim for an hour, and other times I go to the gym and run, cycle, and stretch my hamstrings for an hour.

BRAIN BREAK: 20 Jumping Jacks

Rate your enjoyment of  PE? 1-5 (1=poor 5=awesome) What are your favorite things about PE? I would rate PE a 4. My favorite things were doing the fitness test and kilometer run, because I could see where I am at, and what I need to do to improve. Then when I set my personal record, I feel proud of myself. I also liked the following units: Tennis, Badminton, Basketball, Floor Hockey, Volleyball and Rugby.

Rate your enjoyment of  Health? 1-5 (1=poor 5=awesome) What are your favorite things about Health? I would rate it a 3. I liked the units we had, they were very informative and gave me good background knowledge of important topics. I gave it a 3 though, because I felt that there wasn't much physical activity involved, and there was a lot of sitting.

What would you change about the Health or PE program? This is already going to change, but in health, maybe some more interactive, physical activities.

BRAIN BREAK: 1 minute of push-ups (or as many as you can do in 1 minute)

How physically active have you been this year on a weekly basis? Share as many of the sports, select teams, intramural sports or activities that you participated in this year in 6th grade. Include activities you do both in and out of school. When I went to India, I hiked on a mountain for about 7 hours coming and going. I don't participate in any intramural activities, but I think I will next year. I do Movement (dance) every PE day.

Finish this sentence. I am a good teammate because… I am a good teammate because I help other people if they have questions, and allow other people to join my group if I can.

How have you shown leadership this year in PE? What qualities make you a good leader? (If you have not taken the opportunity to lead this year what you could do to improve on this next year?) I have not really been a leader, but I will next year. I have noticed the leaders step up even if they aren't asked to, and let everybody say their opinion. This makes me think that I should take every opportunity to be leader, teaching others and learning myself.

What is your strongest area of physical fitness? (strength, flexibility, cardio respiratory endurance) Which area do you need to work on? I think my strongest area of physical fitness would be flexibility. I know that because my physical fitness in sit and reach was 39, and I was very proud of that. I need to work on cardio respiratory endurance.

Why do you think being physically active is important? Being physically active throughout your life is important because if we remain active, it reduces risk of problems later on. It also keeps your mind peaceful and allows you to concentrate.

BRAIN BREAK: One minute of sit-ups

Describe your strengths and weaknesses eating ‘MyPlate’ 3 meals a day. I always drink three glasses of milk and two cups of yogurt a day now, and I only used to drink one or two glasses a day before. This gives me a lot of calcium a day. I also have green vegetables everyday too. A thing to work on would be to eat more nuts to provide protein and energy. I probably only eat nuts twice every month.

What is your food goal? (Review your MyPlate blog post) Did you achieve your “food goal” or do you need to continue to work on it? I have achieved my goal of three glasses of milk a day. I regularly drink lots of milk, and I have a reminder note that reminds me to take calcium.

How stressed have you been this semester? I have been quite stressed sometimes. I have been stressed in a good way though, for example when it is the day of the Kilometer Run, I stress myself to do well and make a personal record. This stress helps me and motivates me to do well in the thing I am doing.

What two strategies work best for you to reduce stress? Sometimes I just go outside I run around in the fresh air, and sometimes I talk to my mom about the issue.

BRAIN BREAK: Hold the hamstring stretch for 30 seconds x2

If you finish early and are proud of your work, you may watch the following videos with your ear buds in. PEOPLE ARE AWESOME 2015 (UNBELIEVABLE) PEOPLE ARE AWESOME SPORT EDITION Epic Trick Shot Battle | Dude Perfect Danny Macaskill: The Ridge

BRAIN BREAK: Run one lap of the track

Find your favourite videos which promote lifetime sports or activity or health living and add the link to the following Google Doc. Favourite Sports Videos from 6th Grade 2015

Criminal Investigation- Suspect in Science

Who do you think is responsible for the crime?

I suspect Mrs. Koltutsky and her family did the crime of vandalism, and certain evidences have provoked my decision. For example, a poster says "catch us if you can", which means there is more than one criminal. Secondly, it was painted using acrylic paint, and the only source for art supplies and paint is in Mr. Koltutsky's room since he is an art teacher. Also there were pictures and paintings of ancient Egypt and Egyptian Pharaohs. Ms. Koltutsky is a social studies teacher, and sometime ago she said she had been to Egypt before. On the gerbil cage, Ms. Koltutsky had written a poem, and she is an RLA teacher as well. Also, in that poem, she had mentioned her kids, and truly enough, she does have two sons! The greatest evidence though, was another poem which stated her passions like music, hiking and biking. All these evidences clearly show who the jealous culprit is- Ms. Koltutsky.

Science Fishing Derby Reflection

This is a picture of the Electromagnet Fishing Pole attracting some paper clips

For our project, we experimented with a lot of different ways to bring a strong magnetic fishing pole. This blog post is all about the process, how we experimented, failed, experimented, and succeeded!

We first tried putting all our required materials assembled on the stick. Our task was to be able to make a circuit, where the screw could attract paper clips, and then efficiently be able to disconnect, so that we could drop the paperclips in our basket. The first experiment we did, was coiling the wire around the screw. We had to see whether coiling tightly and neatly around would be more effective, or coiling loose, and crossed. Coiling tightly was more effective. Once the coiling was done, we placed the battery holder and battery on the stick, and used a rubber band to help keep the battery in place, but also to be able to adjust the placing of the battery whenever we wanted. We had made mistakes in between like using too much tape on the wires, losing some of the magnetic effect. We also connected our wires around a metal slide, which prevented the circuit to form, where the magnetism would reach the screw. By doing that mistake, the magnetism was just bouncing of the slide, and going back to the battery. it wasn't reaching the screw. We finally just used the slide as a surface for placing the wires, but made sure the wires weren't affected. Once everything seemed in place, we tested our fishing pole. The magnetism was there, but not strong enough to pick up any clips. I concluded that the magnetism was weak and maybe there was a problem in the batteries. It turned out the batteries were worn out, and new batteries were then replaced. Finally the fishing pole worked, and in the Derby Challenge, my partner and I were able to get 8 paper clips!

What I took away from this challenge, was that to make a good fishing pole, the coiling should be tight and neat to make the magnetism stronger, and the batteries and battery holder should be tested before assembling. Also, being careful with making a circuit is very important, to make sure nothing is taking the magnetism away. The circuit was made by connecting one end of the wire with one end of the battery wire. The other wire was not connected because that was going to be the navigator for the switch. For the switch we used a clip. we touched the two wires and placed a clip to secure the connection. then when we wanted to detach the connection so that the paper clip caught could fall, we simply took the clip out and separated the two wires.

Poetry Slam!

1. What do you know about poetry that you didn't know before? How do your poems demonstrate your knowledge of poetry? 

I definitely feel I have grown as a writer. I now use various poetic devices that were new to me before. Devices like onomatopoeia, alliteration, consonance, assonance, hyperbole, and couplets were what I learned. My poems demonstrate knowledge of poetry because my poem has almost everything I learned and took away from the Poetry unit. I feel I am confident and flexible in using multiple devices to enhance my poem.

2. For your "best" poem, explain the following
How did you come up with the idea for this poem? What was your planning process?

The way I came up with the whole idea of this was through artwork. Our class got a chance to glance at some artwork by advanced students for the Art Show. That tour was great in reviving our imagination, and pouring out feelings and thoughts. I got inspired by one painting of buildings locked in a circle, surrounded by light blue clouds. Immediately the clouds made me think of freedom, dreams, and imagination. I then got reminded of being taken to a different place, which the buildings in the middle of a circle represented in my mind.  My poem played with colors and actions, and crazy objects entering my mid, like it actually did when I first saw the artwork.

What moves did you make as a poet? Explain your revision process.

I first sketched how the painting looked like, and then added some observations. Next,  I started with a few simple lines describing what I thought when I saw the painting. Later on, I added poetic devices like imagery, line breaks, stanzas, and rhyme. The end was for small revisions to make my poem come to life, and adding an "I" feel so that readers could relate to my message conveyed.

What feelings or ideas do you hope to instill in your reader?

By adding a personal yet common feel to the poem, I think many readers will be able to relate to what I said. The message of my poem is we are all capable of imagining, and we shouldn't stop imagination from being wild.

Comparison of the Typical Time Spent on Homework

       

C side B Block has an interquartile range of 37.5. This box plot is similar with the other box plot because both the box plots have an outlier of 120. Some differences were the entry information was different for example the mean, median, mode, and interquartile range. For this set of data the outliers were: 180, 135, 135, 120. This class spends shorter because the outliers skew the data, and without counting the outliers, the range is 60, which is less than the other box plot.

                        

B side B block has an interquartile range of 45. This box plot is similar with the other box plot because, again, the outlier is the same, 120. It is different because everything is different from the other box plot. The outliers were:120, 120. This class spends longer time because not counting the outliers, the range is 65, which is greater than the other box plot.

Math Blog Post Reflection

What is the height of a typical 6th grader?

The height of a typical 6th grader is 60.9 inches. When I look at the spreadsheet, I can see a lot of entries between 60-62, so it makes sense to think about 60.9 inches. The height of 6th graders have a lot of variability because the range of the data is 20, concluding that the difference of the tallest person to the shortest person is a total of 20 inches (one foot and eight inches). My height is 62.5 inches, which is 1.6 inches above the average. The interquartile range of the data set is 4. Outliers were there, which affect the range, and the range was 20 inches. 20 inches is quite big, showing that there was a lot of variability, including the outliers.

Be Your Own Support (Literary Essay)

Be Your Own Support

By: Vainavi Gambhir

In life, it is common to lose someone very close to your heart. And especially when that person has supported you during tough times, it hurts to let them go. This is what happens to Caitlyn, a girl suffering from Asperger’s syndrome, in Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, when she loses her brother, Devon, and loses all support. As the book progresses, she then finds a solution- closure.

In this book, Caitlyn loses her brother Devon, and life seems confusing. She needs company and someone to talk to, but nobody in her class is willing to be her friend. She then realizes that to overcome Devon’s death, and find closure, she needs to finish his incomplete project- his chest. Then comes the part where she completes what she set off for, and in the end it is a proud moment for the whole family.

Caitlyn was the most affected of all by Devon’s death since she was coping with both loss and her syndrome. She needed a friend and someone to talk to, someone to support her, which is why during school she would try making friends, but couldn’t find much except people demeaning her. “He turns his head to me and whispers, Loser. I know, I tell him, but I’m going to keep trying.” - (pg. 154) She didn’t give up and showed determination to either make the right friends, or have no friends at all. On page 171 and 173 of the book, the way Caitlyn tried making friends with Mia and Laura showed she was desperate, but instead she received unkind comments from them, and so it was decided they were not going to be her friends. This part of the book really brought out the message that everyone needs friends, and especially for a person who lost all support and has their own pressures, making friends becomes both essential and hard.

In this book, the author, Kathryn Erskine showed symbolism in her writing. Devon’s incomplete chest showed the significance of what was missing all along- the finished chest, just like the complete Devon was missing. After Caitlyn completed Devon’s chest, she felt a sense of closure that Devon was complete, exactly like his chest, and the feeling of closure she got was what she was missing all along. Caitlyn shouts, “DEVON’S CHEST! HIS EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT!” - (pg. 151）This quote is suitable to show how determined Caitlyn was to finish what her brother had set off to do.

By finishing Devon’s incomplete project, Caitlyn found her sense of closure. She persevered, from struggling to find friends to finishing an incomplete chest of Devon’s. This proved to be a proud moment for not only her, but the whole family, as Caitlyn now knows she completed a close object of Devon’s, and as a result, gained her closure, and felt satisfied. In the end, confronting your challenges and finding a way that helps you stay strong is what we should all do when we confront a difficult situation. There is always a way to find closure, and when support is not there for you, be your own support.

Reflection:

What I liked most about the book Mockingbird, was that it portrayed the characters in a very complex, yet understandable way. I could connect to certain parts of the story, and agree that life isn't always easy. My book club gave good quality discussions which helped me understand some points I missed. We all took turns in talking, and it was interesting to see the different views of my members. Belonging to this club helped me grow by speaking and discussing, and I got a better understanding of the book. As a writer, I have grown a lot. I can now use elements like transitions in my writing, and I learned something new- succinct summaries. Some challenges I faced while writing my essay were finding direct quotes from the book that precisely supported my claim. I have definitely surprised myself as a writer by trying a genre based on a book. Literary essays were very fun to learn!

Google Map Reflection

1. How did making a google map about Ancient Greece help you understand the geography more effectively than a "paper and pencil" map?

By studying the google map, I could clearly see the location, and geographical conditions, whereas in a paper and pencil map, the information would be brief enough to fit in a page, and many important details would be overlooked. Through the Google map I can scroll, zoom in, and find the sub details that build my general knowledge even more.

2. How did making a google map about Ancient Greece help you understand more about the culture of Ancient Greece?

Looking at the Google map, I could see the pinpointed locations at different positions; some along the coastline, some near fertile soil and greenery, and through that I could infer the lifestyle and culture. For Example, I could infer that since the location is near the sea, trading was a big part of lifestyle, and culture could be the items the merchants and traders traded.

3. What were the features of google maps that you enjoyed working with to make your map effective?

I enjoyed everything since all the features did some role in making the map more effective.

4. What challenges did you face when working with google maps?

Finding the specific answers and reliable sources were the challenges I had.

5. What challenges or successes did you encounter when working with a partner in this assignment?

A success was that we communicated well and did our part of the map on time, and we had no arguments on the research. A challenge was that sometimes it was hard to see each others work on the map, and it took some time to save the information.

6. What advice would you give another student about working with google maps?

An advice I would give is zoom in around the pinpointed location, and research a little bit about that. You may find some relevant information which can solve some questions that you couldn't answer.

7. What will you always remember about Ancient Greece from having made a google map?

I will always remember the location of many key locations in Ancient Greece, and connect to how the people might have lived their lives.


link to map:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?hl=en&authuser=0&mid=z0m8kk_bYMio.kBvrddHsekVM 

Math Project Reflection

What did you already know? 

I already knew that interest was included in investments.

What did you learn?

I learned a lot! I didn't know how to work with spreadsheets, and I didn't really understand much about investing and interests; how it works and what it means.

How might this affect what you do in the future?

In the future, when I make any presentations, or I am given an assignment to work with spreadsheets, I will know all the elements including graphs, tables, pie charts, and format.

What was your favorite part about about the project? Least favorite part?

My favorite part was getting straight to creating my presentation, and creating pie charts and graphs.
My least favorite part was probably completing the worksheet, I guess I really just wanted to start my presentation!



here's the link to the google presentation:

https://docs.google.com/a/sas.edu.sg/presentation/d/1bFHDPZdfn09WjkVOG9h19eV70kKkUqq4T5anhgfRf6k/edit#slide=id.g7c0a1774b_07

Here's the link to the worksheet:

https://docs.google.com/a/sas.edu.sg/document/d/1BvZWBNmhT7yXnT0wzdKxrSM7mqh36RBodasYueqTkAo/edit

Here's the link to the spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/a/sas.edu.sg/spreadsheets/d/1h1Q_0XqOsyIQktHuubJGTDyXxIsaej40W4dGnSf9txA/edit#gid=0

Writing Goal Reflection

Process goal: Trying out new techniques (more than once)

I have made progress on my goal. I can use different structures and techniques mainly in my reading responses. My evidence is that in my reading responses, I use different themes and sentence starters, which is improving my grade. A next step would be to practice using techniques while I read. At the end of each book, I can make a brief response and practice different techniques through that.

Product goal: Structure

• Leads
• Transitions
• sequence of ideas
• conclusions

I have made a lot of progress on this goal! I use many more complex transitions, and my structure and sequence is well-developed and clearer. Leads and conclusions have improved the most, because I feel I am able to gather all the points of my writing and introduce them, and sum them up. My writing reads more fluently and professionally because of that. I can tell the difference when I compare other writing. A next step could be to keep transitions in mind while writing.

Art Sun Symbol (Picture and Reflection)

My sun symbol is coffee. It sounds a bit weird, but my logic was that sun = morning = waking up = coffee. That is why coffee was my sun symbol. I am proud of my shading and creativity. If I had an opportunity to do it again, a thing I would do differently would be choice of background colors. Otherwise, I have surprised myself as an artist.

Art Photos (Picture and Reflection)

This is one of my photos. This shows texture. I used some paperclips, and overlapped one another till a paper clip stands out. I then blurred the sides, and changed the color of the image by editing. I find this work to be the best because it has good focus, and finding the texture is pretty easy.

Art Name Design (Pictures and Reflection)

4 Ideations                                

For my ideations, I just drew random thoughts that came in my mind. Nothing by itself was worth a draft, but all the different ideas together seemed better.

Experimenting Textures With Circles

While experimenting, I tried practicing color contrast and blend, and creativity was something I kept in mind. Shading and textures were very helpful to practice for my draft.

Rough Draft

Here's my draft! This was a great opportunity to see what colors and shades would work. I did all my experimenting here. 

Final Art Work!

Finally, here's my artwork! I was very proud of how it turned out, and I liked the shading and creativity. This work definitely shows who I am.

Greek Myth Reflection

A Poisonous Punishment

After Arielle, a simple girl who lived in a small cottage, returned from her pottery making lessons, she decided to go apple picking from a well-known garden with her mom. The garden was beautiful, it beared the juiciest, sweetest and freshest apples. No fruit vendor could provide apples of better quality than these. The problem was that in an attempt to take a crunchy bite of of the juice-oozing apples, many died. Some apples were poisonous; they were so deadly that one bite was all that was needed to kill anybody. Luckily her mom, Terriesta, having experience with harvest, knew all about the poisonous apples and how to identify them. She taught Arielle too, so that she could separate the edible apples for her. Terriesta loved and trusted her daughter more than anything. The only thing was that she couldn’t bear if any of the rules or directions weren’t obeyed. That was the only reason why Arielle feared her mom.

After Terriesta finished picking apples from the tree, Arielle would sit on a rock and start to separate the edible apples from the poisonous. Terriesta didn’t allow Arielle to leave the rock without informing her because she feared Arielle would get lost and never find her way through the twisted trees and confusing paths. Every week it was the same routine, until one week, Arielle heard a harp being played at a distance. It was the Siren. She could hear the melodious harp being played at different pitches, blending in beautifully. She could also hear light whispering that welcomed Arielle to listen to them, and she got hypnotized. The music was so enticing that she just couldn’t resist running and taking a closer look. After some time, when the music stopped, and Arielle came back to her senses, she ran back to the rock. She was just in time because Terriesta was coming too. Arielle knew that her mom would be very upset to hear that she hadn’t done her job and instead had run off without telling her. So she decided to lie that she had separated the good ones from the poisonous ones, and then quickly separate them when Terriesta wasn’t there. When Terriesta approached the rock, she questioned Arielle about the task she had given. Arielle reluctantly said that she had done her job, and then gave a drained, faint smile. Terriesta, having trusted her daughter so much, left for home without seeing the empty basket in the corner. Arielle could feel a bag of guilt tugging in her throat, but she was relieved to see that Terriesta was out of sight. Arielle was always given the task to then pick wild berries from the neighboring bushes, and separate the ripe berries from the sour. She found this opportunity to quickly separate her apples before Terriesta came out to check.

When Apollo, the god of truth, heard Arielle’s lie and deceit to her mom, he was infuriated.

“Why did she lie? By committing a grave mistake in front of my eyes, she will get her punishment. But how do I give her such a punishment, that will leave her in nothing but regret?” He thought hard, and finally came to the conclusion that the best way to punish Arielle, was to punish her mom.

“But since Terriesta has no fault, I will let her stay and enjoy with the gods once she dies.”

Apollo then walked away, eyeing Arielle quickly doing her job. How about I leave a few poisonous apples for Terriesta to eat? And so that happened, even though Arielle had been very careful, she had to leave a few poisonous apples. When she returned home, she lied that there weren’t any good berries to eat, and then placed the apple basket on the counter next to her mom. Terriesta was pleased to see the apples, and picked an apple without looking. Evidently, the apple she picked, was indeed one of the poisonous apples. She took an immediate bite of the crunchy fruit, and began work. Arielle was happy that she had gotten away with her lie. Apollo just sighed. He then waited to see when the poisonous apple would do its work, and Arielle would realize her mistake.

Days passed by, until one week, Arielle and her mother decided to pick fresh mangoes. The mangoes weren’t poisonous so it was easy to pick the right, ripe mango. Stretching her arms, Arielle reached for the dangling mangoes this time, and let Terriesta sit on the rock and wait. The moment Terriesta sat on the rock, she felt sick. Suddenly, with a loud THUD, she fell to the ground. Even the birds chirping nearby paused their music. Dropping her basket, Arielle turned around to check what had happened. Arielle was in shock, Terriesta lay dead.

“Mother! Wake up! Oh, what happened?” Ariella screamed.

“This is the result for lying to your mother. This is the work of a poisonous apple.” a voice boomed. It was Apollo. Ariella was speechless, her face blood red with shame. How could I lie to my mother, that too, in front of the god of truth? She dropped to her knees and cried. She felt horrible, and regretted the mistake she made. Then she noticed her mom slowly turn into a green apple.

“This, and every green apple will remind you of your lie. Every sour bite will remind you of what you’ve done, and make you cry at your mistake. Every green crunch will represent the poison your mother took. The punishment wasn’t for your mother, but for you. Every minute will torture you, recalling this bitter memory.”

And so Ariella kept the green apple as a punishment, to punish the lie she said. And so now when anyone takes a bite of a green apple, all they will taste is a green, sour crunch which brings Ariella’s lie, the first lie, in front of the world.

Reflection:

I have definitely grown as a writer! When I compare my Myth with my On-demand, I can see a significant difference in word choice, authenticity, and structure. I feel more comfortable in applying skills such as appositive, participle, and absolute phrases in my writing now. I have really improved on structure as well. Challenges like myth authenticity and including Membean words were faced, but it was actually fun to find ways to overcome them. I was full of surprises when I compared my on-demand with my recent writing! I didn't know I could write in an authentic way! I got feedback to focus on Greek terms and originality which further improved my myth.

Semester 2 Reading Goal Reflection

My habit goal is to read a book regularly for 20 mins- pushing my variety of genres and my reading level- and finish a book in about 2 weeks.

My thinking goal is to try new response techniques to get a variety of possibilities for reading responses.

I have definitely made progress on my goals. Reading regularly has become more of a habit now. I find that when I'm interested in a book, reading regularly becomes a lot easier because I want to reading more and go through the story quicker. I have read a lot of books that just bored me, and maybe that's why it took me a long time to finish that book. Finding an interesting book is what is helping me achieve my goal. My habit goal is slowly but surely progressing as I do more and more reading responses. My reader's notebook has a lot of beneficial tools to help me improve on my techniques. I have faced slight challenges with my habit goal- reading regularly- because I don't seem to find a 20 minute chunk, and sometimes the book doesn't grab my attention. My next step for my thinking goal would be to use the reading response as an opportunity to improve on my techniques. I will use the reading responses as a way to use different formats for my writing. For my habit goal, my next step would be to make sure I find good books for good understanding, responses, stickies, and reflection.

Science- Microscope Lab "e"

 1. Photo















2. Why do the "e"s look different on each of the microscopic views?

The lens were set in different perspectives, with zooming in and out. Zoomed in, we could see the pattern and textures of the "e".

3. Why does the "e" appear different (inverted) to the naked eye?

The "e" appears inverted to the naked eye because the light waves cross before reaching your eye, appearing inverted.

Math Reciprocal Reflection

Just Take a Break From Screen Time

Just Take a Break From Screen Time

Most parents think that technology can take their child one step further, and is a very interesting and useful tool in life. Well, there is no doubt, that technology has done wonders with iPods, iPhones, iTouches, iPads, Kindles and many more. But don’t they think that electronics are NEGATIVELY impacting their child? Research say that children below 13 years should not be given electronics to handle. So if your child is above 13 years, you now must be thinking, my child is above 13, it’s okay for her to do what she wants. And if that is what you’re thinking, then you are wrong. Electronics can impact everybody. Even parents get impacted. Believe it or not, too much screen time has other influences than just eyesight. It impacts your mental health, it minimizes family time and “in person” social time, and if you really think about it, you’re mostly not that productive. Thus, I believe that electronics are really taking up people’s lives, and they should only be used when needed.

We all know that screen time damages eyesight. But did you know that your mental health is impacted too? Parents, have you ever noticed your child quite frequently feeling cranky and quite, and then wondered why? This is possibly because screen time has impacted your child’s mood. Excessive screen time is what impacts mood, and concentration level. Some doctors call it an electronic screen syndrome.

“Taken together, [studies show] internet addiction is associated with structural and functional changes in brain regions involving emotional processing, executive attention, decision making, and cognitive control.”

  ~ research authors summarizing impact of excessive screen time.

Children, do you ever feel like you are not getting enough time with your family? Have you ever even noticed this? Well it’s about time you start thinking about it. One reason you might be lacking family time is because probably electronics carry you away, and your whole day passes by. Moreover, referring back to mood, after long hours of screen time, it is typical that people don’t feel like talking to anyone and want some time to just stare into space. Your brain gets used to the position and functioning that happens while watching T.V, and for some time, you just feel like keeping that position the same- resulting in staring into space. That is also why electronics feel so addicting, and you don’t realize when time flies by. If we think about it, we are getting more experience electronically, than academically and socially.

Let’s face it, are we being very productive? Sometimes maybe yes- but other times, not so much. Now don’t get me wrong, education and productivity related work like online homework and/or assignments are very important. That is when you can get your daily screen time. Other than that, things that aren’t related to being productive, could be substituted. It is habitual that if you’re bored, you feel like electronics is your go-to option, and you can’t live without it, but there are so many other things we can do with our life other than spending it in front of a screen. For example, outdoor activities are great to build metabolism and adrenaline. Spending time and laughing with family and friends is another way to keep you happy and healthy. You should even leave some time for yourself, where you can close your door and start writing, reading, drawing, just some time to let your imagination and creativity flow, far from your computer’s shadows. There is so much productivity you can do, instead of wasting time with your electronics.

So now that you know the consequences, let’s look on the brighter side. Referring back to the beginning, we know we should only minimize screen time to when needed, but how? First of all the reason why you even start is because probably the electronics are near you, and your brain signals you to pick it up and use it. So try this. Switch them off, put them away when not needed, and go somewhere else and and be more active or creative. Wouldn’t it make you more productive and healthy, and help your brain function and concentrate? Moreover, wouldn’t that give you time for your family? Yes it would, and after some time it’ll become a habit, and you will notice change in yourself and your behavior. All in all, you can change your future by starting now, and trust me, you will get great benefits by just taking a break from screen time.

1. How have you grown as a writer?

I definitely have learned to make less important parts shorter, and elaborate on more important parts of the story. This was one of my weaknesses as a writer, and I'm starting to overcome it!

2. What new skills do you feel more confident to apply to your essay writing?

I have learned different useful techniques like anecdotes, lists, counter-claims and so on. I have tried to use that, in order to make me look like an expert in my topic.

3. What challenges did you face when writing your Personal Essay?

Adding transitions to my essay had become my main focus in the end, and I tried to fit them in places I wanted. It was a bit challenging because I felt my essay didn't need too many transitions, but my partner recommended to add more. I had to add new sentences, eliminate others, and add transistions with the new sentences.

4. How have you surprised yourself as a writer?

I was really proud of the way I put the information all together. I was surprised when I was able to organize the thoughts because of planners,  and feedback.

5. What feedback did you receive that will help you grow as a writer?

I got some feedback to use connectors, like transitions to make my writing smoother, and to set a conversation and interest in the topic.