If there is disagreement within the group, I find it helpful to discuss both sides to see the pros and cons of each idea. This helps determine which idea will have the best outcome.
I know the group is working well together when I hear each member voicing their opinions. This lets me know that no-one is afraid to voice their concerns and add their own criticisms, ensuring the group’s success.
I show that I value feedback from others in my group by listening to it with open ears. After, I see how I can apply it to my work to further improve it.
I need to work on making an effort to include missing voices/ perspectives by other group members. I can sometimes miss what other group members say and zoom ahead while working. When I hear them I make sure to include them and note any of their feedback, but when I’m in the zone I’m in the zone and it’s hard to hear my group members opinions. To fix this, I must take a step back and include each group member in each topic to ensure nobody is missed.
Curricular Competencies Reflection (Comprehend and Connect)
Reflecting on this assignment, I learned about many indigenous stereotypes that are offensive towards the indigenous community, how a large company like Disney builds on these stereotypes, how easily they are dismissed, and lastly, how these companies will edit parts of history to sell more tickets, in most cases damaging the reputation of the indigenous community. In general, my reading and writing improved during the duration of this essay because I had practice finding sources, taking valid information from the text, and blending quotes into my essay. Something I learned was how to find authentic First Peoples’ texts. After researching Pocahontas,” I learned that many people want an apology and for the stereotypes, movies, etc. to either be stated to be false or corrected. For reconciliation to be built, companies like Disney have to listen to these requests and meet these reasonable demands.
While researching for this essay, I had to tell the difference between facts and opinions to support my points with unbiased sources. I did this by going over multiple websites to see if they all had similar points or facts so I could use them in my essay. This is a useful skill that will be used in assignments in the future. Additionally, I had to analyze articles and make decisions about whether they seemed authentic enough before looking at other sources. Lastly, I reflected on my thinking to come up with the best topics I could think of in order to make the essay as engaging and insightful as possible.
We were given a unique scenario to create a government from scratch, after crashing into a deserted island with your class. You must be ethical and fair with the decisions you make about your government. All government bodies must be discussed with rights and laws to ensure the survival of your citizens and future citizens. The estimated time of arrival of your rescue is unknown and could potentially be forever.
Core Competency Reflection
I can work with others to achieve a goal.
My partner and I conversed and collaborated to produce each response to ensure we agree with almost every law and right. We would bounce off each other’s ideas to complete the project more efficiently. For example, Carter wanted harsh punishment, but that was too extreme for minor infringements, so I bounced off that idea and made a point system which eventually leads to the death penalty.
I can recognize different points of view and can disagree respectfully.
My partner, Carter, wanted our island to be under a communist government. I was opposed to that opinion and respectfully disagreed. I expressed my point in a respectful but persuasive manor telling him, “I envisioned our island under a democratic government that gave the citizens on our island the ability to rise to power through their individual hard work and dedication.” We narrowed down the pros and cons of each and we settled with my approach.
I can take on roles and responsibilities in a group; I do my share.
Before we started this project, my partner and I looked over the criteria and created an outline of our project. We split the work evenly and when I eventually finished my share, I helped my partner finish the remainder of the work.
I can analyze evidence to make judgements.
When brainstorming ideas on our government’s structure, I made sure to look at present day and past governments to find characteristics that would benefit my government in the uncommon position it is in. For example, I looked at the Canada’s charts of freedoms and rights to influence my own government’s rights and freedoms. Additionally, I looked at the Hammurabi code which influenced the harsh punishment criminals on my island face.
Goal: something I need to work on:
I consider more than one way to proceed in an investigation.
Sometimes I can be stubborn and once I find a certain format or idea I like, I find it hard to change it. I can improve on this by brainstorming multiple ideas and keeping an open mind when trying out other ideas. It seems like a simple fix, but it still may take time because it is hard to change one’s mindset when it believes it cannot possibly be wrong.
Curricular Competency Reflection
Originally, my partner proposed the idea of having an almost primitive like government. This involved throwing anyone prosecuted, even for minute crimes, into the sea and left to fend for themself. This of course would lead to the end of our government fast. We decided to change the format of our government after looking at Canada’s government and the code of Hammurabi. We came up with the idea of keeping harsh punishments as a deterrent but having a strike system to prevent the problem faced previously. Additionally, we looked at Canada’s rights and freedoms from Canada’s charter to influence ours. We wanted our government to be fair and equal to everyone, giving everyone the same opportunity to flourish amongst the rest. Our government includes the death penalty which is considered unethical to most considering how often it happens on our island but, given the certain circumstance our government is put in, it is ethical enough because, it will ensure the laws are followed in an early civilization guaranteeing the survival of the island. When the community is flourishing and has a surplus of resources then the punishments will be more relaxed, but until that happens it will remain the same.
While watching The Simpson’s, Mr. Cook would pause whenever a joke with a deeper meaning or a use of a literary device occurred and, he would break it down. First, we learned what Irony, allusion and satire was and we go to see it being used in action through the nostalgia of The Simpson’s making it more engaging. For example, Krusty the Klown asked the question, “what will you do if this show goes off air?” The children responded, “we will kill ourselves.” Mr. Cook broke it down and showed us how it was a use of Satire and how it is showcasing how children can be so consumed into Hollywood, with humour. At the end of the unit we wrote an expository essay about why The Simpson’s is such a successful show. I used examples from the show and explained the deeper meaning of the jokes and showed what literary devices they used. Additionally, I explained how each literary device influenced your opinion and kept the audience engaged. In this expository essay I refined my text by making sure I had a strong thesis statement, followed the rule, less is more, made sure my conclusion restated my thesis statement and made sure I had strong body paragraphs.
Core Competency Reflection
I respectfully advocate for my needs by asking for clarification when I need, asking for help on a certain area in a assignment and asking classmates to proof read my work.
I can contribute to and work with criteria to improve my own work; evidence of that is in my expository essay. I could have written well over one page but, the criteria stated, to keep it around one page. Therefore, I tried my best and shortened the essay as much as I could.
I remain open minded as I explore viable options or alternative approaches, like when I wrote my book report. I had many different books I could have reported on and many different reporting styles. I settled on the book Misery and presented it on PowerPoint.
