Science

Little Molas Reflection

My activity was to determine the amount of nitrate in the lake. Although we didn’t have the correct chemicals, my group was able to make an educated guess based on the health of the aquatic life, which it was very clear that there were thriving fish, insects, plants, and more. There was no surface runoff, litter, or groundwater that was flowing into the lake, so from these observations, we can say that there was around 3.5mg/L of nitrate in the lake. The water quality test makes it very clear to me how important it is to understand the health of the nature around us, so that we can improve, protect, and potentially restore if we need to. I think making a hypothesis was particularly challenging, considering we couldn’t get much information about Little Molas specifically, it was basically like picking any number and just throwing it out there. I think it was easier to actually go to Little Molas and confirm our hypothesis by being able to look at the health of the lake and the area.

Chemistry

Science Quiz Reflections

Our first quiz was about topics like ionic and covalent bonding, determining the amount of neutrons, protons, and electrons based on the atomic number or atomic mass, and finding the amount of valence electrons in an atom. I got 5 out of 6 questions right on this quiz, which means, I got a meets. I only got one question wrong because I didn't read the question thoroughly, and thought that it said atomic mass instead of atomic number. In the future, I plan to thoroughly reread the questions to make sure I don't lose a point on a silly mistake like this.

Our second quiz was about ionic and covalent bonds and compounds, chemical and physical changes, and chemical equations and diagrams. I got a meets, because I got all of the 8 questions correct. I think that I would have gotten a meets anyways, but it did help that I was able to use my anchor chart as a "cheat sheet". I have been very on top of my anchor charts and have put a lot of effort and detail into my entries, so it basically gave me all of the answers I needed. I think since in the future I will not be able to use my anchor chart, I should spend more time studying beforehand so as to not have to rely on my anchor chart which I will not be able to use.

Our final chemistry quiz was about all of the topics we have covered in the first chemistry unit. It tested us on types of electrons and their shells, determining the atomic mass, atomic number, and finding out the number of neutrons and electrons in an atom by just looking at those two. It also talked about ionic and covalent bonds, endothermic and exothermic reactions, and drawing a diagram of an atom based on the box on the periodic table. Near the end of the test, it tested us on chemical equations and different types of chemical reactions based on the outcome of the chemical equations. I'd say that this part was the most had because I had trouble with thoroughly reading through the equations and almost got one of them wrong because I confused two types of reactions with one another, but I was able to fix this since I figured that the test probably wouldn't give us two questions with the same answer, and leave out a whole other important type of reaction. I got an exceeds on this test, and only got one wrong out of 37 questions. I think that although I got an exceeds, I should probably study more because I did not study whatsoever leading up to this test, and I think it is a good habit to study for tests regardless of how you think you'll do or how easy you think it will be, because it will prepare me for the future and the test may not always be as easy.

Anchor Chart Reflection

Throughout this unit, we did an anchor chart entry after every science class. The anchor chart was a summary of the class and a definition of what we learned in our own words. We used anchor charts to prove that we understood what we learned in class, and we also were able to use it as a "cheat sheet" for our chemistry test, except for our unit test. However much information you put into it was what you could use on the test, and it would inevitably help you the more work that you did on it. I got an exceeds on my anchor chart. Although sometimes I did the entries a little bit late, I always got them done and they always had a lot of handy information, relevant visuals, and it was very neat and organized with colors and boxes. I hope to get the same grade on my anchor chart, yet I hope to finish them the day of so I don't have to worry about filling in my entries from the week earlier the week that they're due. I think to do this I will also keep the same formatting and colors, because that was one of the main reasons that my anchor chart stayed so organized. I color coded most of it.

Chemical Theater Reflection

This exhibition was about different types of chemical reactions and the way they worked. Everyone had a different chemical reaction, for example, rainbow fire. Basically, the reaction that you did was supposed to be captivating and entertaining all while being informative as well. In rainbow fire, they explained how each different substance, when mixed with methanol and fire, creates vibrant flames. I performed a liquid nitrogen reaction, which isn't actually a reaction at all. Since it was the first year we've done liquid nitrogen, we didn't really know all of the specifics of how to do it, so we sort of just explained what it was, why it was so cold, and then for our actual experiment, we just froze some stuff and showed the effects of extreme and rapid freezing of objects and materials. I think that I did well during this exhibition, however, I feel that I was pretty unprepared prior to the actual performance. I put in very little effort to memorizing my notecards, and eventually lost them. I didn't attempt to make and memorize any new ones, so I was sort of stuttering and using filler words during my part of the presentation. I also forgot to prepare some of the necessities for our demonstration, so during the time that we were supposed to be presenting, we spent a little bit scrambling around trying to get everything ready. In the future I think that I will take things more seriously, instead of brushing things off and assuming I'll be fine. Overall, I got an exceeds on this exhibition. I think It was mostly because I did two extensions and had many parts in the presentation that I did well, but just a couple mistakes that I think could have been avoided. I made the exhibition poster that went on the sign at the front of the school, and helped to make the large periodic table that showcased our art projects, which were CD covers of element infographics.

Letter to a Future Student

Waves

Science Quiz Reflections

This quiz was about the things we have learned about waves so far. It included topics like wavelength, frequency and amplitude, electromagnetism, and things like refraction, reflection, transmission, and absorption. I got a meets on this quiz because I got 8 out of 9 questions correct. I only got one question wrong about the wavelength, but I think that can be improved pretty easily. I hope that for future tests and quizzes and can be more prepared, in the category of my anchor chart. Although I am all caught up now, by the time we took this test I was 4 entries behind. I think to improve this, I will set a goal to decrease procrastination and complete my anchor charts on time.

Anchor Chart Reflection

For each unit in science, we do an anchor chart. an anchor chart is basically like notes that you take to summarize what we learned in class. We do an entry after every science class, and we have to draw a visual representation of the topic that we covered in that entry. In total, we did 6 entries. I got an exceeds on this anchor chart, because each of my entries were extremely detailed and engaging, and my visual representations were relevant to the topic, as well as being very well drawn. I put a lot of effort into this anchor chart, as we can see by looking at these pages, and I am very proud of say that I think I deserved this exceeds. I hope to get an exceeds on the next anchor chart, and I am not doubtful that I will receive this grade if I keep putting in my best effort. To do this, I will continue to keep the same layout of my anchor chart that I have been using for a while, but I will try to procrastinate a lot less, because I found it more difficult to summarize these topics after a couple of days, and it was more difficult to

Escape Room Reflection

My group mates said they worked together really well and used their personal skills to their advantage. They said they really liked the feel of the whole thing and they really felt like they were on the Titanic, so that motivated them to actually participate. They said they felt like their interaction with the players as hosts went well, and that they gave them some guidance without helping them too much. The main challenge they said they faced was that one of their hosts was not there, meaning me. They said this made it difficult to play my clues because they did not know how to do it, so they were struggling with the players. They said they think they could have learned how my puzzle worked ahead of time so they were more prepared. My group mates said that the players felt that they learned a lot about the basics of light and sound waves. They also said it was a little confusing why they were trying to escape the titanic but also learning about light and sound waves because it was a little hard to connect the topics. Overall I do think they left with more knowledge of light and sound waves than when they came. My group said they said they really liked how it felt like they were actually there and they really liked the soundscape. My group members think it was really immersive with more than one sense like eyesight and hearing which was cool that they were able to feel like they were actually there. They said they think if they were to do this again we could have made some more physical decorations so that it looked a little more like an engine room. If I were to design an escape room like this again, I would utilize the lockbox differently. I would do this because I found it difficult to incorporate the lockbox with our clues, and it seemed sort of out of place when it came time to use it in our exhibition. In the future, if I designed an escape room like this one, I would figure out a way to use my lockbox before I began my other clues, that way it would not seem so out of place and crammed in when it came time to put it in the escape room. I think that our group worked very well together. We divided the work very evenly and everyone had a job to do. The workload wasn’t too heavy on one person and too light on another, and we were able to resolve conflicts and create solutions for problems in a very polite and mature way. We also were able to focus and get work done, as well as being able to have fun and joke around with each other at the same time. I originally received an approaching on this exhibition. This was not because I did bad, but when my group members used my clues, they forgot to put them in the right spot. This led to me not being able to find my clues, giving me a developing in this category. Eventually, I just reprinted and redid all of my clues because we couldn't find them, and I got my grade up to a meets.

Forces and Motion

Rocket Manual Reflection

This assignment had us create a rocket manual that explained and emonstrate dusing a diagram how each of Newton's 3 laws of motion relartes to rocket science. We were required to provide a diagram of a rocket overcoming air resistance and gravity and creating a thrust force, an equation to calculate the force of a 75,000 kg rocket moving with an acceleration of 90 m/s2 using the equation force equals mass times acceleration, and a diagram of a rocket engine. This was required to demonstrate our understanding of how all of the things we learned tie into our final project, and how we can be fully prepared for exhibition. One fun fact I learned was that rockets don't accelerate by pushing against the ground or the air, but by expelling hot exhaust gases backwards, therefore creating a thrust force which allows the rocket to take off and continue to accelerate. This assignment will hep us with the rocket exhibition because we will have more knowledge to be able to create a better rocket. What we have learned here will give us a better understanding of how rockets work and the complex factors behind rocket science, furthermore helping us design a functional and protective rocket.

Forces and Motion Anchor Chart and Quizzes

Teh scientific topics covered on our anchor charts included topics of mass, volume, density, speed, velocity, accelration, newton's 3 laws of motion, free body diagrams, and kinetic and potential energy. I got a meets on the first quiz, a meets on the second, and an exceeds on the final quiz. I think I could have gotten en exceeds on the first two quizzes, yet it was only possible to get a meets on the first two. I got these grades because I studied hard and put in the effort to make my anchor chart detailed and informational so that it would be easier to use during quizzes and I would have a sort of cheat sheet. I would rate my effort a 3.5/5 because I really procrastinated a lot and I had to take a lot of time to catch up on my anchor chart because I took a long time to do it a lot. Though I procrastinated on this, I put in a, lot of effort to get it done and for that I think I deserve a mediocre rating. I think my anchor charts evolved massively over the year. At the start if the year, I think I wrote a lot of unnecessary information, which took a lot of time and took up space on my anchor chart. Now at the end of the year, I think I write more crucial and essential information without taking nearly as much time or space as before. I think that I also improved with my images. Before, I spent a lot of time on my images, and didn't really convey the lesson as much in these detailed yet not relevant images. I think I will most likely use the same tactics as we have used in our anchor charts, where I summarize our lessons and what to keep in mind in a document, so that I can use that to study before a test. I think that this would be beneficial and I think it is a good way to study and keeep information in your mind for tests, essays, quizzes, etc.

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