Cyber Trolling

     
        I've realized how it's way easier to bully someone online because we feel protected and not so scared of saying derogatory language out loud. However, if we had to say the same thing to the same person, just in a different platform, it would be way harder. We wouldn't do that. The video shows how rare an occasion is when someone bullies another one verbally, face-to-face, with an audience hearing. The message I've learned is that if we can't confront the person and abuse them out loud, we shouldn't be able to do the same online. But I also feel that most of the people who troll actually don't hate the person, they hate themselves because they see a reflection of who they actually wanted to be. Trolling should stop. The main root cause of trolling are the various perspectives on insecurity and imperfections. Everyone is imperfect or has insecurities, but it is the lens in which they see through that changes their perspective about them. We shouldn't pull someone else down because of our perspective; someone else may end up doing the same to us too when their perspective changes.

Rosa Parks

1. Why is bus segregation even a big deal? Who cares who sits in the different parts of the bus? Why does this matter at all?

Bus segregation does matter because it doesn't matter where anyone sits on the bus, but what is affected is the esteem of the people being separated. To have a special spot for only the blacks lowers the importance or value of the blacks, and makes them feel worthless and not "up to the same level" as the whites. I can connect this idea to the book "To Be A Slave", where the slaveowners had ingrained in the slaves' minds that they'd need to serve their master in order to eventually reach up to their level. 

2. Put yourself in Rosa Parks’s shoes: You’re going home from work. You have a family. A small incident arises. What do you honestly do? How far would you go? (Jail? Pay a fine? Lose your life? Explain your limits.)

If I were to put myself in Rosa Parks's shoes, I would probably do the opposite of what she did. If I had a family, work, and a normal life, I would (like many) choose the safer option to pay a fine and end the deal. I would probably not question the unjust system and blindly follow what I'm told so I can feel secure and keep my family and job safe. It's easy to analyse her courageous action, but very hard to do the same. 

3. Parks’ words are very deliberate. She says, “You may do that.” What do you think about the wording of her statement?

She said "you may do that" deliberately because she didn't want to seem like she was being forced. The "you may" sounds like she is giving them permission, rather than them forcing her into arresting her. Another thing we can interpret is that she shows how she is at a higher level in character than the driver. She doesn't argue or act aggressively like some may if they were told they'd get arrested. This shows how strong Rosa Parks was in her beliefs and that she was willing to accept whatever consequences that followed.

SAS Eagle Design

In Art class this semester we worked on a 2D-design unit focused on variation.  We explored variations of themes and many different types of media and techniques. This was my final work.

The eagle design that was based on my personal interest was about my interest in literature and books. I chose a theme of my favorite books to show how much I treasure good books. This also reflects my passion for writing books. As a 5-year-old, I have written many stories, and currently, am also thinking about starting my own novel. In the background are some of my favorite books, most of which are by the authors Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, and JK Rowling. I chose a collage format because I thought I could clearly show my favorite books in a clean format.

The most challenging part of this assignment might have been working with watercolor for one of my eagle designs. The eagle cut-out had many turns and cuts so it was a challenge to get my brush around those. Also, I attempted watercolor poppies for the first time and it was certainly hard to not to make the red color bleed with the brown interior. In the end, I just chose the simplest way to depict poppies, with a round red base and a drop of dark brown in the center. 

I really found the collage technique interesting because of its simplicity yet complexity. Collaged eagles were really cool and complex by the looks of it because of how different patterns clash into a modern design; however, the process is that much simpler and quick to make. The efficiency of making a collage drew me into making two of my eagles collages.

SS Blogpost: My Name

        The name Vainavi means gold, or the Indian goddess of wealth, Lakshmi in the Sanskrit language. My mom said she named me and was attracted to the name because it sounded nice and was a very unique name for any country. Also, the meaning of my name means prosperity and the goddess of wealth, and the Hindu tradition values the family's daughters as the small goddesses of wealth in their house. My family thought that not only did the name sound unique, but the meaning was auspicious and implied that I would bring luck and wealth to the family. 

Health: Personal Choice Nutrition Video

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.