Final 32Q
Every year we have a TPOL, the reflection for it can be different. In 8th grade our TPOL was about a project we had, this TPOL is more of a reflection of this year, 9th grade. 32Q stands for 3 celebrations we have this year, they can be about new habits you've learned or something that you are really proud about. 2 areas of growth which is areas that you feel that you can improve on, and the Q being for a question that you have for your teachers. My 3 celebrations were being able to know what I want to pursue as a career, my ability to analyze something, and being open with new people and connecting with teachers. My 2 areas of growth are to expand my vocabulary more and being more open with family. The question I posed to my teachers is: Has the academic world tried to tell you that the way you teach is wrong and you should teach traditionally, if so how did you overcome it? This 32Q felt more organic because I meant what I said. When I say this I am not trying to say I dont mean things, but that this time I said things that I am truly proud about. My areas of growth feel more personal and have more importance for my life.
Original Shakespearean Sonnet
We first began this project by first learning what a sonnet is. A sonnet is a writing piece that must have 3 quatrains, a couplet, and a rhyme scheme. A quatrain is a section of the piece that is 4 lines. A couplet is 2 lines of the piece, bringing the total amount of lines to 14. Each line can only have 10 syllables in total and the final word in each line must rhyme with the last word in every other line besides the couplet. We first read sonnets 18 and 130. Our first official try at making one was when we went on a camping trip and got into groups. We only got to do one quatrain because we were stuck with being able to rhyme and using only 10 syllables.
This is one of my favorite projects because it is one of the few that lets me express myself. I didn't have to create anything with a team and I didn't need to depend on someone for ideas. I followed my passion, which is cars, and in my sonnet i explained the way I view cars and the car industry. In my first quatrain I start from when I was little and when I watched the Pixar film Cars. I then explain how my dads cars saved my cousin when he crashed because it was metal. On my second quatrain I explain how I see cars racing and how they smell and how they try to be faster than its competitors. In my last quatrain and couplet I am viewing cars as a car enthusiast. I see the differences in vehicles between different countries.
Project Proposal
The design proposal got its life from our Tiny Homes Big Community projects where you can go to "Tiny House Big Community Project" which is under 9th grade physics if you would like to learn more. Here we received ideas from our clients from a downtown artistic housing called Space 4 Art. Our goal was to make communal spaces for their new facility, ours for example was the outdoor kitchen. We got ideas and concerns from them and made various designs digitally and small scale models. In order to present to a client your prototype, solution, or product, you must give them a proposal. The proposal serves to give your client a perspective of who he/she is investing time and money into. First comes a thank you letter to show your client that you actually care for them and not just the opportunity of presenting something to them. Then you must have a mission statement that talks about yourself or your organization. This is a very short no more than 50 word hook for your client. After this comes the overview and goals section. This helps your client or any other person wishing to know what you're design is. This is the the base that holds up everything, here you have to be as descriptive as possible. The entire purpose of this section is for your reader to envision what your space will look like without actually seeing a picture. You should include the location, its purposes, and maintenance if it applies. Going after this, you need to explain how you will get funds to build your space. if you're someone that is actually going to help the community in a way you can receive grants. Grants are money pieces that anyone can receive as long as they show proof that they're using it exactly what it was intended for. You can list fundraisers and other ways of raising money. The final piece to this puzzle is Site and Physical Planning. Here you are showing images of where your space is located on a model and on a floor plan.
Artifacts
Our First Draft |
Our Second Draft |
Our Final Draft |
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Reflection For Design Proposal
The process of going through a real life scenario for a school project has been absolutely game changing. It gives a first hand look on what else is required to show a product. The development of writing a proposal really requires you to understand your product. You have to know measurements and where various things are located and why they are there. For example our community space was the Outdoor Kitchen. Our client wanted a movable and permanent space and we gave it her. Since there was a design involved we had to use measurements to give the reader a view of the space. For example we had a movable space which was 8 by 8 feet. We had to include this so they know exactly what they're putting time into. Since we had various appliances we had to list what they were and why. This piece was difficult because since its a group effort, some members worked entirely in the design and understood, while others needed explaining. The mission statement was the most important to us because its short but can have a powerful kick to it. This gives the client a first hand look at who he/she is dealing with. We didn't know how to explain what we did into two short sentences. Finally we used our team name and put exactly what we do and we gotit done. Overall our proposal is very thorough all though there are details that need changing. We ended up showing them how big the space is and what appliances are used through words.
"At This Moment I Am"
The At This Moment I Am Project is a way for our teacher to get to know us. Here you had to write about yourself and how you see yourself right now. You can write that you're awkward or humble just as long as it come from your heart. Every student had to make their piece as powerful as they could. It could be the most personal aspect of them or just something that they feel that makes them likeable. This really makes it easier for anyone to get to know a person since you get to know who they really are. They could be shy, angry, or just happy.
My Draft For "At This Moment I Am"
Reflection For "At This Moment I Am"
The final stages of this project were very strong for me. As i started to grow with my piece more, my point of view of myself changes. I saw all the things that I have done wrong before. I would feel helpless and feel that maybe i was sharing too much to my audience. As i grew more, i saw that I got closer with my teacher, Ms.Britt. She would ask me more frequently of how I was doing and push me to actually be someone in a classroom. My final result for my project was me talking about me.Only I know myself better than anybody else. I am a very awkward kid and very shy, so that is shy i wrote it on my piece. I have a passion for cars, that is why i wrote about it and my image was a cylinder.This piece is in fact a piece of me. This is probably the closest that anyone will be able to know who I really am. This project was a good start to get to be more open with your peers and teachers.
5 Paragraph Essay
We had been given an article about a teacher arguing that Shakespeare should not be taught in schools. She discussed reasons that make Shakespeare irrelevant in today's English classes. I thought that Shakespeare is no longer relevant too, so our teacher gave us a chance to explain and argue why he is no longer relevant through a five paragraph essay where we say our thesis statement and use evidence. There were some good pints in the article, we read this article and one in response to what this teacher said. A takeaway that I have from the other article is that some people say that reading Shakespeare is a privilege because you can have a conversation about him.
I felt confident with my essay because I felt like it was backed up well with facts from the article and I had a strong thesis statement. This was the first time I've done an essay in a while so it felt good to write something that could be powerful. I would love to add in some advance vocabulary to spice up my writing a little bit. I would also like to get more evidence through multiple articles rather than just one.
Vignettes
A vignette is an episode. We read these in a book call The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. The main character is a girl named Esperanza. A vignette is a writing piece that can have a meaning behind it and can be ironic. We made our own after reading the chapters from The House On Mango Street. We wrote ours about topics that we can closely relate to. I wrote abut my first home, the stereotype behind boys and girls, and finally my name and how I like it.
With me making this vignette, I was able to reflect on the early life stages of my life. In my first vignette named home, I am talking about my first house, this was where I lived 2 months after I was born. I decided to do my vignette about my other house because I had recently moved. I felt that this one is the most important writing piece for me because I tried to fit in as much of my childhood and memories into this vignette. My second vignette was about stereotypes behind boys and girls, I explained how I am amazed by cars and airplanes to show that they are cool and not just things that belong to boys. My last vignette I explain how I disliked my name but then realizing that when they ask me how to pronounce my name it is pretty much a conversation starter.
"What I Know"
The beginning of this writing piece started with us reading The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, we then began to learn more about her. Each chapter in this book is a vignette. The vignettes were pretty short but what made them important is the messages that were behind them. We read a writing piece by Sandra Cisneros where she talks about what she thinks writer blocks are. In the vignettes she talks about what she knows and her development in understanding. In this writing piece we wrote about what we know, and I know what my passion is and what builds it up.
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This writing piece opened up something new for me. It made me realize that writing can be about me and not about some subject that I find no interest on. Although my piece is short, this is one of my first writing pieces where I am open about what I like and the goal I have for me. I took the opportunity to do this because it is not often that you can just write what you like and what you know. I have learned to look more into writing rather than just reading them because there could be an important meaning. The house on Mango street was full of them and this was just the beginning. I have learned to find dramatic irony, which is when the reader knows something but the the protagonists of the story don't.