Category Archives: Grade 11

Pre-Calculus 11 Core Competency Self-Assessment

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Core Competency Reflection

This semester I think that something I did well was using vocabulary and terminology to answer questions in both tests, and assignments. Using vocabulary helped me understand concepts and use my words to explain them effectively. This was helpful for me due to the fact that I learn concepts better when I can use terms or vocabulary to help me get a better idea of it, even if I’m not the best at solving the questions in that specific unit. Fully understanding the terms and concepts I was taught helped me understand and connect concepts I actually understood together in a way where I could express my learning effectively. Knowing the vocabulary was also more efficient for me because if I was struggling to solve a question, I could connect it to the terms I had used and it occasionally helped guide me on where to start or finish with certain questions. For example, using terms and vocabulary also made it easy for me to memorize formulas which help when solving questions in a variety of units.

Another thing that went well for me this semester was working collaboratively alongside others. In this course we did a lot of group work where we would solve questions together and communicate with each other so that everyone understood what was happening. I think group work was very helpful for me because if I didn’t understand something I could ask my peers and they could help me out. Group work was also beneficial because one of my group members could bring up something they use that helps them and it caused the rest of us to think about it and it could help us all. During group work it was also nice to see how others use techniques they have to solve questions and use them as well which broadens my own knowledge on how to answer certain questions as well as tech us new techniques we could potentially use in the future. In the beginning of the course we had to work in groups with people we didn’t really know so it was important to have effective communication to make sure everyone was on the same page and was following along with what was being done. I feel that those skills were transferred over when we got to pick our own groups due to the fact that my group was really good at making sure everyone was on the right track and even supported each other by offering assistance when anyone needed it, and helping each other when we were either struggling or doing a question wrong.

Next I want to reflect on how I was able to treat both myself and others with respect. This kind of builds off of the communication point I had made when talking about communication within group work as well. Within our group whenever a mistake was made, nobody was ever rude or mean to the person who made it. Mistakes occur in math and many other subjects as well, so it is important to be respectful and kind when correcting someone or helping them solve a mistake they made in the equation, question, formula etc. Lastly, this semester I learned a lot about growth in my life. I found out both areas I’ve grown in, as well as areas I want to see growth in, and I can act on them or create a plan accordingly.

Advice for Future Students

My biggest piece of advice for future students in math would be to not let work pile up. It’s really easy for you to fall behind and miss certain units or not understand them but once you are behind it’s easier to let it continue rather than put in the extra effort and get back on track. Other pieces of advice would be to 1) do the assigned workbook questions on time, 2) don’t be afraid to ask for help whenever you find yourself struggling with concepts, 3) pay attention to vocabulary just as much as solving because it can help with questions, 4) Make sure that you use class time effectively to give you more time to study and prevent you from falling behind.

Where I’m From Essay

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My Paper

The Writing Process

During the process of writing my essay I learned a lot of new things about myself and my writing. I enjoyed interviewing my family and learning new things about them, which really helped me understand them a lot more. I also enjoyed having peer editors to see new perspectives of my writing, and what could be done better as well as where changes can be made. It was surprising to learn many new aspects of my family’s lives that I didn’t know about until now. It was difficult taking quotes and incorporating them into an essay in a way that flowed well. However, I overcame that struggle by using the prompts or question I had asked in the sentence to make the quote fit smoothly within my paragraphs. During this assignment, it was easy for me to build off of points in a way to make it clear, interesting and engaging to read. Lastly, this assignment has taught me that looking at something from many different perspective can be beneficial to many aspects of a task or assignment. For example, when completing an assignment, you can improve your writing or research by having someone else look over it to catch any mistakes you may not have noticed and give ideas on how to make your writing more concise or clear.

Core Competency Reflection

I can contribute to and work with criteria to improve my own work; evidence of that is I’m able to use the criteria to plan out how an assignment will look as well as how to meet all expectations of an assignment, in order to improve my learning and skills. My learning and skills improve when I’m more observant and analytical of what needs to be done and make sure I accomplish what I need to for specific tasks.

I show that I value feedback from others in my group by always verifying what they wrote and how I can incorporate their perspective and feedback into the task at hand. During my essay writing process I specifically showed this when we completed peer edits. In order to fully understand how I can improve my writing and essay, I made sure to ask my peers what they wanted to see through their edits if I was ever confused about what they had written.

My strategies for collecting relevant information for specific tasks include reviewing the information I’ve collected, and connecting research to the specific task to check if there is any correlation or relevance. I first re-read my writing or research to check if it all makes sense and relates back to the topic. If the information seems out of place I either to to find ways to connect it to my previous research or I’ll just remove it from the task if it’s just unrelated information. In order to determine if the information I’ve collected is relevant or not I try to see how quick and easily I can connect it back to the original idea. If it’s too confusing and complicated to relate back I just remove that information due to its lack of relevance to the task presented.

I respectfully advocate for my needs by always asking for support when I need it, and planning out what I need to accomplish so that I can set aside adequate amounts of time for myself to complete them. If I ever find myself in need of assistance I’m always willing to reach out to someone whether it be a teacher, peer, or friend. I always try my best to resolve any issues or struggles I’m facing on my own first, but if I cannot figure it out on my own, I know I’m capable of asking others for help when I need it. The next thing I do to advocate for myself is planning what I need to complete and when it needs to be done by. This allows me to give myself enough time to complete any and all tasks I have. It also prevents me from having to rush to get things done, which only results in stress and prevents me from completing my best work.

One goal that I have moving forward is to discover new ways to re-focus myself when completing tasks and assignments. I have a few techniques right now but I still find myself ending up distracted from the tasks I was supposed to be completing. I think this goal would be beneficial for me due to its ability to help me in all areas of my life. Whether it be school, work, or just miscellaneous tasks, staying focused is very important. So, in order to figure out new ways to re-focus I’ve been trying out different things like listening to music, or changing my work environment and seeing which actions help me re-focus as well as stay focused at the same time.

Transforming Parabolas

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my given equation
parent function of parabola

Desmos Graph of Equation and Parent Function

Parent Function and Given Parabola

Significance of a, h, and k Within the Equation

In my equation, a was represented as ½. Due to the fact that the coefficient on the x² value (a) is a positive number the parabola created by my equation opened upwards rather than downwards which is what would’ve occurred had the coefficient been a negative number instead. The coefficient of the equation also determines what the parabola will look like in terms of width, shape and direction. The coefficient of my equation is ½, and because the coefficient is in between 0 and 1 it means that my parabola will be wider, which can be seen on the graph, rather than compressed had the coefficient been greater than 1. The value of h in the equation I was given is 6, it is a positive number due to the fact that when it is plugged into the equation y = a(x – h)2 – k, the 6 becomes a negative number. This means that the parabola’s vertex will be shifted 6 spots to the right of the parent function which in this case is 0. Lastly, in my equation the value of k is -7. This value gives us the upward or downward shift of the parabola meaning that the vertex moves up or down whatever value k represents. In this case my parabola’s vertex was shifted down by 7 places.

Self-Assessment

During this assignment I was able to show my mathematical learning by using the material learned in order to further my understanding of parabola’s and make assumptions regarding how they’d look without the need of a graph. I demonstrated this throughout my explanations of each different variable and how it influences the parabola’s appearance and equation. In order to both show my mathematical understanding I had to use mathematical vocabulary to fully explain the points needed and my thoughts behind them. For example, I used words like coefficient, compressed, vertex, and parabola to have better descriptions of what exactly I was trying to say in a precise and accurate way. Lastly, in this assignment I used formatting to provide a clear and visually appealing way to present my learning so that others could comprehend it better. In my assignment I specifically used the formatting to apply headings and subheadings to represent changes in topics, colours to coordinate images and words, as well as labelling all images and equations to avoid confusion on what is being described and shown to provide more clarity.

Facing a Challenge

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Section 1.5 Question #6 m

The first time I tried this problem I found it challenging because at that point I wasn’t used to seeing an expression within a radical, so it was difficult for me to start solving the question. However, once I recognized the mistakes that I had made along the way it made the question a lot easier to understand.

The reason I had some difficulty while answering this question was because in my first attempt at solving this question I had forgotten to remove the GCF of the first radical the first time, but once I noticed my mistake the question was a lot easier to complete. Although it was quite a simple step, I overlooked it and that had an impact on how I ended up answering the question as well as the way that I got there. After that I noticed that I had forgot to separate the radical to be able to continue solving the question. The reason I had forgot to do so is because radicals are still fairly new to me so I sometimes tend to forget the rules of radicals and when they are applicable. After fixing my mistakes the question was easy to solve. I had to start with removing the GCF of the radical which was 9, leaving behind (x – 1), and because √9 is separated from the starting expression you can remove it. √9 is also a perfect square so the answer to that would just be 3. The last step of the question would just be to collect the like terms which leaves you with the answer 4√x-1 .

In order to figure out my mistake I used strategies including things like looking back at the notes provided to help determine where I had messed up and how I can move myself into to correct path from my mistake. I also asked a peer or friend if I needed extra support or to see mistakes that I overlooked when doing the question.

In order to correctly complete this question, I had to remember to identify a GCF if there is one present, and to simplify the question to make it easier to solve. I also had to remember to simplify within the radical (radicand) whenever possible in order to complete the expression and answer the question.

Next time I encounter a difficult problem, I might try to use other resources provided for me such as the videos and work contained in the school math departments website or using the textbook and working backwards from the answer given. Despite there being other resources I could’ve used the ones I did use were helpful in helping me understand the question, how to solve it, and the reasoning behind the explanation of the answer.

Chemistry Acid-Base Titration Lab

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During this lab, the purpose was to titrate the HCl solution with an unknown concentration of NaOH solution. A titration is a method used to determine the unknown concentration of a solution by adding a solution with a known concentration into it to trigger a reaction and establish or calculate the concentration of the solution.The titration used in this specific lab was to calculate the unknown concentration of hydrochloric acid using a known concentration of sodium hydroxide. The endpoint of a titration is observed when the colour of the solution changes depending on the indicator used. During this lab, the indicator used was phenolphthalein therefore the endpoint of the titration would be when the solution become a shade of very light pink. In order to confirm that an endpoint of a titration has been reached the solution must remain the shade of pink for a minimum of about 30 seconds for the titration to be considered complete. In our lab the results for the concentration of hydrochloric acid was 0.1487M. To calculate our concentration we used the average volume of NaOH used (14.87mL), converted it to litres, calculated the moles of NaOH and used that number to find the moles of HCl and then divided that by litres of HCl to determine the molarity/concentration of the solution.

Buret Titration Volumes
Initial Volume Reading= 0.14 ± 0.01mL
Final Volume Reading= 14.96 ± 0.01mL

Throughout the time that this lab was completed, communication was a large part in the success of it. Being able to work alongside and discuss what steps must be taken in order for this lab to work is really important and my partner and I were able to work together in order to help each other complete the lab to the best of our abilities. We communicated by doing things like reading out the amount left in the buret in order for us to have an estimate of how much more NaOH needed to be added and not move too fast. My partner and I also divided the roles amongst us in order to be efficient and work together to ensure the results come out as successful as possible. Lastly my partner and I were also able to communicate with our teacher if we ever needed guidance or assistance of w were ever unsure about something regarding the lab, resulting in a successful titration lab.

Biology Core Competency Self Reflection

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Communication

My Artifact: Button Dichotomous Key

During the course of creating this artifact my partner Lily and I worked well and were great with how we communicated. We demonstrated communication by actively working together and providing ideas to help support each other and the success of our assignment. Our communication helped us work together, as well as listen to each others ideas and how we can build off of each others to create work that we equally contributed to. Through this activity my communication skills were strengthened and I saw that I’m able to work alongside others in order to create work that covers all aspects discussed within a group. In our group we discussed the similarities and differences of the buttons and how we thought that we could separate them, we also reached out to our teacher when we felt we needed extra support in our assignment. Although a few of our opinions on the characteristics of the buttons didn’t fully correlate, we managed to work together and find similarities between our opinions and work from there.