My favorite project by far I've done in this class is the creative WWII choice project. It included an essay to help us find reliable resources, and a visible representation of however we wanted to present to the class. To start, I decided on the Battle of Midway as my topic, and started my research. I used my research to create my essay explaining all the main battle tactics and plans used in the battle that I found extremely interesting. I've always wanted to learn more about this battle; all I knew before was that it was the turning point in the war and was fought over an American island in the Pacific. As I dug deeper, I loved learning about all the different plans, code breakers, aircraft carriers and aircraft used in the battle, and I have a whole different outlook on the war after this project. For my creative portion, I decided to make a model of the USS Yorktown, which sunk at Midway a few days after the battle. However, before it sunk, it had an amazing story behind it, and it was so amazing to find out about it.

I am very proud of this project because I felt as though I had been an expert of the topic for a day as I presented, and my classmates learned from it. Diving into the depths of how well thought out the plans were on each side is something I find incredible, and gladly wrote and spoke about my findings. One of the challenges I faced during this project was the visual representation and presentation portion. I wanted to find the right visual to present so I could explain the topic thoroughly. Choosing the USS Yorktown isn't something I regret making as part of it, but it was the presentation. I feel I could've incorporated more audience engagement and gave myself more time to think. That way I could process what I was saying so I could've been less tense. However, I am proud of my hard work and it was such a fun project to do! I included this because it shows that I am willing to fully commit to my ideas and persevere to make them work in any situation needed.

Throughout my time in this class, we've done multiple timed writings, where we are given a prompt and have to explain our thinking using evidence. When I first started this, I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to go about writing, and it showed in my first paper. Some of the flaws included repetition, not sticking to one theme, and not exactly getting the point I wanted across. However, as time went by, I slowly improved in this skill, and I'm still improving to this day. My goal is always to try and outdo my last grade to show my growth, and so far it has been working. These writings really help me think clearly quicker, and will be a really useful skill when I'm older. What I find most challenging about these writings is trying to work in every single idea into the paper while under the pressure of the clock. I usually find that I can't fully finish my thought or explanation because I'm afraid I will run out of time. I don't go as in depth as I could, and that is something for me to work on. I included this because it shows that I can work under a pressured situation and come out stronger. Also, with time and hard work, my writing as well as my fear of the deadline greatly improves.