Water Project - Week 5: Presentation Day!

This is our schedule for Week 5:

Monday (March 30)	Tuesday (March 31)	Wednesday (April 1)	Thursday (April 2)	Friday (April 3)
Presentation Day! (For 3rd Grade)		Water Presentation is presented (For Science Class)

On Monday, we presented to Ms Dripps' 3rd grade class. We would present on Monday, March 30 at 9:00 am. This was the best time to present because it was during science (so we had permission to leave the science classroom) and it gave us half an hour to make last minute preparations/rehearse.

At 8:55 am, we left the science classroom to get to Ms Dripps' class on time. We got there three minutes early and just waited outside the classroom. Kea-Roy peeked inside and told me that they were doing something, tech or reading. Then, a very excited kid skipped out of the room and drank from the water fountain. I think he was the one who told Ms Dripps we were here. The IA came out and welcomed us in.

Ms Dripps told us that airplay wasn't working right and you wouldn't be able to connect to airplay via wifi. The only way to connect was to plug in a plug. The 3rd graders were starting to head down to the carpet where they would listen to our presentation. Kea-Roy plugged his computer in but it would only show Kea-Roy's desktop on the airplay screen. I tried my computer but the same thing happened. Luckily, Ms Dripps booked the 3rd grade group room. So Kea-Roy and I headed there. We connected to airplay via wifi and it worked.

We presented our presentation filled with facts. One fact was every minute a child dies from a water related disease. After we presented the facts, we played a game. It was a Scratch game coded by Kea-Roy. We split the class in half and assigned them to either my computer or Kea-Roy's computer. They were really like the game and they didn't want to stop playing.

I think this was a very successful water project. Also, I felt that there were no major problem we had to face along the way. The hard work of making the game and presentation paid off!

Water Project - Week 4: Spring Break

Week 4 was spring break so I didn't really do much work on the project. The only thing I did was rehearse my lines for the presentation on Monday, March 30.

Tech 6 - DIY Project

Social Issues Book Club Reflection

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4M_iki8LnY

Book Club Preparations
One of my responses: 

1. Coach Walski has the power.
Evidence:“You can’t play. You can’t play soccer for Lake Windsor Middle School.”
Explanation:Coach Walski has the power because he is the coach. Coaches can choose the team and kick out players. Coach Walski just kicked Paul from the Lake Windsor Middle School.

2. Gino has the power.
Evidence: “Gino Deluca. He’ll be captain this year. No doubt.” Page 47 “Whoa, he said quietly, and gave me a thumbs-up sign with both hands.” Page 49 Explanation: Gino has the power because of two things, the coach chose him to be captain and he is really good at soccer. I can tell this because when Gino gave a thumbs up to Paul after Paul blocked his shot, Paul knew he would be the goalie. Also, he was elected team captain by Coach Walski because of how good he is. In this case, the more skill you have, the more power you get.

One of my reflections:

1. What I did a good job at?
I think I did a good job piggybacking. I used because after I agreed to what somebody else said. For example, Kaylee said “Paul was not fitting in, but at the same time, fitting in” and I replied “I agree because...”


2. What do you need to work on for next time?
I could speak a bit louder and use more inflection because normally I don’t use inflection.

3. What did you learn?
A possible reason why Victor bullies Paul and Joey is to keep his power high. If he doesn’t tease Paul and Joey, the ‘gang’ will start to dislike him and leave him.

Goals
My Goal: Flag at least two times each reading sessions.

Goal Reflection: I didn't achieve this goal however, I was close. I would sometimes only flag one time or not flag at all. Next time, I should put stickies into the book instead of just writing it on the document.

Water Project - Week 3: Final Touches

This week, Kea-Roy and I are adding final touches to our presentation to the third graders. We also have practiced saying the facts. I feel that we are heading the right direction. Kea-Roy also started working on the presentation for the library. Our presentation to the third graders is on March 30.

My Plate

Historical Thinking: Blog Relection

1.What did you learn about thinking like a historian? 

I learned how to look carefully at the source your looking at before you use it. Two great filters are SCAN and FILT-R. I also learned what we look at to make sure the source is reliable. Finally, I learned how to spot discrepancies.

2.What do you like about historical thinking? 

It is a cool way to check if a source is reliable.

3.What do you find challenging about historical thinking? 

If you don't have any background about the place, it is hard to find discrepancies. For example, if a painting of Greece was painted during 500 BCE, you wouldn't be able to tell if that would be a good source to use or not, looking at time.

4.How have you grown as a historical thinker? 

I know so much more after we learned about historical thinking. Before, I would've just used a source that looks reliable. I wouldn't look at the date or author. Now, I look closely at the date and author to see if the source I'm looking at is reliable.

5.What’s next?
Before examining a source, I should have a background about the place/civilization.

Google Map: Blog Reflection

1. How did making a google map about Ancient Greece help you understand the geography more effectively than a “paper and pencil” map?

It helped me understand more effectively because I could see the mountains and the land elevation. I also could see the sea, this shows if it was hard or easy for a civilization to collect water. Water is used for cleaning, washing, showering, drinking, and planting. Water can really affect a civilization. This is why I think the google map is the better map.

2. How did making a google map about Ancient Greece help you understand more about the culture of Ancient Greece?

It was a great way of storing information about civilizations. When we learn something, we can simply add it to our google map. It is also really easy to see the information.

3. What were the features of google maps that you enjoyed working with to make your map effective?

I liked the photo/video feature. It was a great way of sharing images and videos. When you upload multiple images/videos the area where they show the images becomes a slideshows.

4. What challenges did you face when working with google maps?

A challenge I face when working with google maps is getting the layout right. When you copy paste into the pin description, it will group all the paragraphs up. It sometimes also glitches and put letters into the links and split the word in half. This was an annoying challenge I faced when working on the map.

5. What challenges/successes did you encounter when working with a partner on this assignment?

At the beginning of the project, we took a long time placing the pins down. This made us behind. When people were adding content, we were still working on pins. I think this was because of me and Jay's poor relationship and teamwork. But at the end, we still finished the map.

6. What advice would you give another student about working with google maps?
Always write your content into a google doc before putting it into your map. Some times google maps glitches and your content is gone. For example, Rohan wrote a long paragraph about Crete. Suddenly google map glitches and his content was gone forever.

7. What will you always remember about Ancient Greece from having made a google map?

I will always remember the myths about Odysseus like The Cyclops because I wrote summaries about them. I will also remember the time when google maps crashed and I lost all my writing.

Water Project - Week 2: Making Our Presentation

Kea-Roy and I are making our presentation. We are using google slides to show the information and making games to make this presentation more interactive. Kea-Roy has already made one game on Scratch. I think it is a great game, but there was one problem, we only have two computers. This meant we had to split the class into two groups so that everyone can play. One way to solve this problem is to just stop making games that require a computer. The other way is to just split the class into two groups and choose one or two people who can play the game.

Last week, we asked Mrs Wilcox if we could present to her but sadly there was no time for us to present to her class. Right after we got the news, we sent an email to Ms Dripps. Five minutes later, she replied. She was available! Also the timings fit really well. We were available when she was.

Water Project - Week 1: Planning

This week, the water project has been launched! In this project are meant to raise awareness about people not having safe water. With Kea-Roy, we decided to present to elementary school. We decide to present to Ms Wilcox's class and Ms Dripps class because we had siblings there. Our idea was to create a presentation and games to raise awareness about people not having safe water. The presentation is going well and we have just asked Ms Wilcox if we could present to her.

Personal Finance Project

1) What did you already know? I already knew that when people put their money in the bank, they get interest. Interest gives the banker more money.  2) What did you learn? (from the project? from your parents?) To become a millionaire, you need lots of time. Without banks, becoming a millionaire will be really hard. During the project, I saw that a lot of the money that makes you a millionaire is interest. I also learned that 5% interest makes a big difference. 3) How might this affect what you do in the future? This projects might affect me in the future because I am now aware of how saving in a bank gets you interest. Interest gives you more money. 4) What was your favorite part about the project? Least favorite part? My favorite part was when I didn't have to do the math and the spreadsheet would do it for me. Like when you drag the numbers down. It saves a lot of time. The least favorite part of the project was when the spreadsheet wasn't working right. Links Worksheet Spreadsheet Presentation

Writing Goals: Myth Reflection

Writing Goal: I have to use more details and slow the story down so that the readers can picture it in their minds.

I'm halfway there. I have used more details in my writing but haven't really slowed the story down before the climax. One example of me using details in my writing is when I described the boat Ahaanious (main character) used to get to Pluton Island (headquarters of the antagonist). When I got near the climax, I haven't slowed down the story. I haven't captured every single thing the characters do right before the climax. So my next step is to slow the story down during important moments so the readers can picture it.