Author Archives: 076-avasudevan

Economic Theory 12: Final Reflection

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I can examine and evaluate to improve my own work; evidence of that is…

Throughout our “Corporate Conquest” project, I made sure to test the game with classmates to see if anything was confusing. After each playtest, I took feedback seriously and used it to improve the instructions and balance the game. For example, when players said some events were too unpredictable or the rules weren’t clear, I rewrote sections and adjusted the cards. This helped us make the game more fun and understandable for everyone.

I look for, develop and weigh different perspectives and pieces of evidence, as demonstrated by…

When we were deciding which companies and economic events to feature on the board, I made sure everyone’s ideas were included. We discussed as a group what would make sense for the game and what would be the most interesting for players. I listened to my teammates and made sure we all agreed before making changes, so the final product reflected all our contributions and different perspectives.

I gather and synthesize information to develop logical conclusions, such as when…

While designing the Chance and Community Chest cards, I researched modern economic situations like tech booms and stock crashes. I used this information to create cards that would teach players about real-world economics, not just random events. By combining what I learned in class with current events, I helped make sure our game modeled concepts like inflation, scarcity, and supply and demand in a way that made sense and was fun to play.

English First Peoples 11 Reflection

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The above is a mind map that I completed for an assignment that draws on many of the Indigenous perspectives we have drawn on in this class. During this assignment, I feel that I strongly demonstrated aspects of create and communicate competencies. I did this by creating an interesting online design to effectively show everything that I have learned regarding the assigned topic.

Throughout the semester, I have shown good competency in the communication competency by representing my ideas successfully during class group discussions, and through my work on projects and assignments as well. For next time, I would consider improving my creative abilities, and try to go more above and beyond to extend my learning. Additionally, I would maintain a deeper focus during class, and be consistent with my efforts towards class-related tasks.

AP Chemistry: Self Assessment

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Artifact:

The above image is from my inquiry lab project for the labs portion of AP Chemistry. In this lab, My goal was to in a way ‘simulate a washing-machine’ by adding a clothing dye stain to a cotton ball, and submerging it and mixing it within different dilutions of water and bleach mixtures. In the above image, I tested this by timing the amount of time it took two drops of clothing dye to fade it’s color inside different concentrations of water and bleach (10ml bleach + 90ml water, 5ml bleach + 95ml water, 2ml bleach + 98 ml water) and using those results to calculate the reaction rate.

Throughout this project, as well as in the image above, I have demonstrated the creative thinking core competency, as I have brainstormed a unique idea that has an interesting real-world application. I have connected it to concepts learned in AP Chemistry such as reaction rates and solutions, and developed my ideas by looking at various labs in our lab textbook. Additionally, I changed the solvent from food coloring to clothing dye with the suggestion of my teacher, who recommended that I used a more realistic chemical for the given project idea. I feel that in the future, I can improve my ideas by making them more complex and adding more depth to them, which is something I look forward to doing in upcoming activities.

AP Calculus AB: Personal Awareness and Responsibility Self Assessment

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This semester, I have feel that I have improved my higher-level mathematical abilities significantly through the AP Calculus AB course. While facing challenges, I try to take a step back and make a plan as to how I will execute my tasks to the best of my ability, while maintaining maximum mental steadiness.

When I need to boost my mood or re-focus, I usually take a walk in nature or engage in physical activity, as it helps me focus on my body and mind rather than get distracted needlessly. Additionally, I often sit in silence for a brief period of time (without doing anything, just staring at a wall).

I can prevent some school-related stress by creating a comprehensive schedule and sticking to it, and using my free-time to efficiently complete any of my work. I can also seek help if needed and use additional resources to aid my learning.

Some of the things I do to stay mentally and physically healthy include running and biking, as well as meditation and yoga. These help me more easily relax my body and stay focused during stressful situations.

When I am feeling down about school, I remind myself that failure or falling short is a part of long-term success, and that whatever happens is for a reason. I also remember that I can always improve my academic situation, and that there are many ways to succeed.

Artifact of something that helps me manage my stress:

Foundations of Inquiry Reflection

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Originally, when I started my inquiry, my Inquiry Question was: How can sustainable and fair health systems be created to achieve universal health coverage and improve global well-being? 

The focus of my inquiry shifted since I wrote my personal learning plan, as I wanted to do something that would better showcase my creativity and also complete something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while. In the end, I decided to do this by writing a children’s book based on an event that occurred for me a few years back, while incorporating elements of the negative effects of climate change into the book, to get children interested in how issues related to it can be solved in the long run.

I feel that in general, I had good time management over the duration of the project, as I was able to finish by the time I expected to, when I originally started. I would say that I have spent roughly 45-50 hours in total completing the project. Reading other children’s books as a source of inspiration and knowledge was a valuable resource when I was imagining the story, and it helped me fix some things in the book that have now made the book much more enjoyable for a potential reader. 

I originally faced many challenges coming up with ideas for the book, as it was quite overwhelming to have to author an entire book from scratch. However, this was short-lived, and I changed my perspective by simply writing what came to my mind as a draft and making significant edits and expansions as I went along with the project. 

I feel that my Critical/Creative Thinking skills have improved drastically during this project, and I have enhanced my imagination in the process. In addition to learning much about how to write a children’s book and just a novel in general, I have learned lots about the publishing process and the steps I will be taking afterwards, likely during the summer once the illustrations are done and I am ready to publish. I also feel a good sense of personal/social awareness coming, as I plan to donate any money raised from the sale of the book to organizations and initiatives funding climate change issues and general problems in the world. 

I have formally shared my learning and complete progress in front of a group of peers/teachers/mentors twice, through simply explaining a brief synopsis of the book and the overall process of how I have completed my project. Furthermore, I have presented my vision for what I will be doing next in terms of my novel; (self-publishing on Amazon KDP, illustrations, donating money raised from book). 

I will be doing Advanced Inquiry next year and will be working on a new project. However, I am currently unsure of what that is. 

Personal Awareness and Responsibility: How I manage school-related stress

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Something that helps me manage my stress inside and outside of school:

When I get stuck on a problem, I have strategies for what to do next. They include trying to review content related to the question I am working on, and theWhen I make mistakes, I don’t beat myself up. Instead I …n try again with new insight into the problem. I also like to watch videos on the topic, as I find different explanations on a challenging topic to be interesting.

When I need to boost my mood or re-focus, I often enjoy meditating or listening to calming music. I also like to indulge in creative activities like writing and playing the piano when I have lost my focus. These activities help me, as they reset my mind from all distractions and make me feel more calm.

I can prevent some school-related stress by trying to finish my work whenever I have free time, and creating a proper study plan that fits within my time schedule. I can also reduce stress by taking short times off to recharge, like spending time with friends and family.

When I make mistakes, I don’t beat myself up. Instead, I remind myself that mistakes are a crucial part of learning effectively, and progress does not happen without them. I continue to put my best efforts forward, and correct mistakes along the way.

Inquiry Journey

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My Inquiry

For my inquiry this semester, I had originally decided to do something related to Good Health & Wellbeing, but then switched to something more focused on Climate Action, as I felt that it could tie into some of the other goals of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and thus be more effective and interesting to do a project related to. For this, I decided to write a novel focused on children aged 7-12, which would give them an interesting perspective into sort of ‘the modern climate situation’ in an interesting and captivating matter.

The above is a small part of the so far 7 chapter book I have been writing for part of this semester.

Curricular Reflection

So far, one challenge I have faced is being able to consistently work on my project, as I sometimes find it difficult to manage many assignments simultaneously, however I’ve been able to drastically improve my work habits and prioritize my commitments. At one point, I shifted my inquiry focus from researching about Good Health & Wellbeing to writing a book about the effects of climate change, in a very child-friendly yet informative way. Moving forward, I would like to eventually publish this book, and continue to learn more about the interesting topics of the science of climate change.

Core Competency Reflection

I deliberately learn about things that interest me, and new ideas pop into my head.
An example of how I have seen growth in this competency this semester is when I shifted my area of focus rather substantially, which shows that I follow the ideas and topics that I am most interested in researching and developing my knowledge in. I have also further developed my creative abilities by being able to develop small ideas like a simple book idea of a young boy, into a fascinating, well-progressed (thus far) book.

I give, receive, and act on feedback to progress in my goals.
An example of how I have grown in this core competency this semester is many times when I have received useful insight from others regarding my book. I have asked many friends and some teacher about what they think could use some improvement in the book, and I have been able to incorporate many of their ideas within the book, or keep them in the back of my mind for adding them into the story later, as it continues to progress. In order to reach my goal of creating the best possible book possible, I understand that accepting and acting on constructive criticism is paramount.

French 11 Reflection

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Elle Me Dit – MIKA

Core Competency Reflection

Evidence that I can acquire information about complex and specialized topics from various sources synthesize it, and present it with thoughtful analysis can be found in my presentation on the song Elle me dit by MIKA. After researching and understanding the song’s deeper meaning and it’s connection to the purpose of MIKA writing it, I was able to then show how it was connected to how the song reflects themes like optimism and questions like ‘what are you doing with your life’.

My strategies of where I communicate clearly and purposefully can be seen in my presentation, where I organized the information in an effective way, used visual support for the key points, and presented it in a way that the class would understand, as our simple French has not yet fully developed.

Going Forward

Going forward I would like to improve my speaking skills and confidence, especially in past tense. This is because I think it’s very important to be able to convey information in different forms, and simply being good at present tense is not enough. To achieve this goal, I will continue to practice my French skills and pay special attention to speaking effectively in past tense and future tense. This will help me improve my general communication skills as well, as I will have a more nuanced understanding of words and structures.

Chemistry 12 Core Competency Reflection

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Our goal in this lab was to determine the solubility product constant (Ksp) of a slightly soluble salt. We used test tubes and measuring cylinders to prepare solutions of different concentrations and observed the formation of a precipitate (solid) to find the saturation point and calculate Ksp. By recording the ion concentration at equilibrium, we obtained the value of the solubility product constant.

While working on this lab, I demonstrated my Social Awareness and Responsibility by showing that I can work well with my partner and take responsibility for my actions by dividing the job equally. I can also resolve problems respectfully and effectively. During the process of the lab where we were combined the two sets of test tubes, we were somewhat confused on how it should be done, and we each had different idea. While one of us thought we were just putting the test tubes together, the other thought we were mixing them together. We settled that mixing the contents together would be the right away, and I confirmed it by asking the teacher.

I also feel that our time management during this lab was quite good, as we had ample time to review our results and make predictions about some calculations and what they would encompass.

Active Health Unit Core Competency Reflection

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An example of one of my daily lifestyle trackers, in which I had a very good amount of exercise, excellent nutrition, and very good hydration throughout the day.

An example of a plate of food with a variety of fruits and vegetables, plenty of protein rich foods, and excellent whole grain options.

Considering my daily lifestyle tracker, I feel that I exceled at eating very nutritious food and burning the required amount of calories through various intensive physical activities. On the rest aspect, I am confident that I consistently get a good amount of sleep every night (usually 8-9 hours). For possible improvements, I think that I can work on being more social, especially with those I am unfamiliar with. Additionally, I can incorporate different types of sports into my exercising routine, rather than solely focusing on ‘racquet sports’. During this unit, I demonstrated the core competency of positive personal identity, which was reflected by my ability of eating consistently healthy foods, while being able to drink a good amount of water/other forms of hydration throughout the day, especially when exercising. I demonstrated the competency of personal responsibility in this way, by taking a few minutes after each day in the daily lifestyle tracker to honestly note my health down. It also reflects my social skills as I was able to effectively connect with friends, as evident on my daily trackers.