Year End Review
Its already semester break, and that means its time for a look back at everything I've done this year and a small look at what I will be continuing on with when we get back from the holiday break. This semester my school work has mostly consisted of inquiry blocks, bolts, AP Literature/AP Language, and Futurology. I will break this review into those four categories in order to explain everything I have done in a uniform way.
Inquiry Blocks (IB)
This year I participated in two guided inquires and two non guided inquires. The first one was very short and I chose to look into GMO's. The research did not culminate in much except for more general knowledge about our food industry and why people tend to dislike genetically modified food. Personally my research only cemented my personal opinion on GMO's, which is that they can be very important for the future of our food industry.
My second IB was also non guided, but I struggled to find a focus, so eventually I decided to use my work in futurology and combine it with my options for the DOL. What I ended up doing was facilitating a discussion at the DOL around adoption. This was one of my highlights this year and also one of the best experiences I have had in my high school career. Three or four families that went to the discussion had either adopted or been adopted and therefore mad the discussion informative/interesting. I went in with a plan but had to shift my tactics on the spot and went to a less formal version of the discussion and it went really well. I will speak more on my futurology work when we get to that category.
Even though the DOL went well, I chose to try out a guided IB for both the 3rd and 4th inquiry blocks. Second term began with the political guided inquiry which I joined in on because of the government credit offered. However, the point of the IB was to understand your own political viewpoint and beliefs so I also joined for that. We figured out our political compass by researching the political landscape in six categories. Some of these issues were, the environment, education, civil rights, governmental reform, international relations, and the economy. The research ended with a political manifesto of our beliefs. I think my manifesto represented my political beliefs at the time well, but it is the sort of thing that may change over time. After that, we had a debate in which I was the moderator, so I came up with questions and managed the time.
My final IB, aquaponics, was also guided. The goal of the IB was to learn about, design, and build an aquaponics system. The basic idea of aquaponics is using fish and plants, but no soil, to create a self sustaining eco system. We quickly began designing a low budget system that would use pockets on an upright board with a fish tank underneath. The fish tank pumps nutrients up to a PVC pipe that then pushes the water down and the pockets drain it back into the tank. The next step was figuring out what materials were necessary and then making blueprints for the whole system. It took us two presentations to get the money, but once we did we built the system within the space of three days. It is still not totally complete, but we had the fish and the structure built to present for the DOL. Along with five other students I helped explain the whole system and how we will use it to grow food for the community.
BOLTS
This semester I completed six BOLTS within mosaic. The BOLTS were "So you want to be a writer", "Vegas baby", "Serial season 1", "Visualize this", "Why so sad", and "Show me the money". I needed english and may credit this year, so that why mostly why I chose to participate in these bolts.
My first BOLT "So you want to be a writer" was one about creative writing. Everyday I wrote for an hour at the same time. The goal of this BOLT was to improve your creative writing skill by practicing and training yourself to be creative. My writing wasn't always great, but the purpose was to get better and I believe I did that. The hardest part for me was writing dialogue, but in order to write stories you need to practice both writing thought and writing dialogue.
"Vegas baby" focused on odds, specifically in casino games. The three games we worked with were Craps, Roulette, and BlackJack. These games all have poor odds, but in comparison to some other games they are good bets. By knowing the odds of the game and comparing data we collected with certain rolls, I was able to identify the best strategies for each game. The main thing that sticks out is that you should walk into a casino expecting to come out with less money.
For the second round of BOLTS I chose "Serial season 1", which was designed around a podcast dealing with true crime. The goal of the BOLT was to listen to every episode of the podcast and then figure out who murdered a girl named Hae Min Lee. This true crime podcast provides evidence from a large number of people and different accounts of what happened. After meeting frequently, our final assignment was to create our very own podcast episode in which I (along with my partners) revealed who we thought committed the crime, and why.
"Visualize this" dealt with patterns that you might see in real life, or other patterns and how to identify them. This really involved both identifying the current situation and then being able to predict the next set, as well as figuring out how the patter might grow rather than just repeating itself. To finish off he BOLT I created my own optical illusion that worked well.
"Why so sad" was my favorite BOLT so far, because it was about the archetype of tragedy in literature. Not only did we take a look at classical tragedies like Icarus, Niobe, Midas, and Hamlet, but we also focussed on more modern tragedies. To really get an understanding of the archetype, we started with the classical tragedies. Through reading and discussing these I got a feel for what to look for in tragedy, sort of like a check list. If you can check certain things off than it becomes a tragedy instead of being a sad story. After looking at the classics we watched a movie called "Million dollar baby" which is more modern and has elements of tragedy. The final was an essay on something in real life that has been called a tragedy. I chose to examine the death of Len Bias, and to explain why I think his death was truly an archetypal tragedy.
Lastly, "Show me the money" was sort of a preparation BOLT where I learned about Banks, Credit cards, Debit cards, interest, and took a look at how much I spend. After getting a better understanding of the things mentioned above, I planned out some future expenses for my BOLT final. I plan on going to college and then owning pets, so I took a look at those expenses and then calculated how much I can make before then to reduce those costs. Overall I feel more comfortable about finances, especially knowing when to use credit vs debit cards, and which checking/savings accounts are better than others.
AP Lit/Lang
Throughout the semester I have been working on both AP lit and lang to go along with the IB's and BOLTS. A small group of students who wanted to take the AP tests has been working through both courses with Mr. Schneider. At first we were meeting and reading as a group for AP lit, but after we finished Beloved the group struggled to keep the same pace. The group split and now I have been working independently through the poetry unit. So far I have completed some work on tone, and written a couple essays about poems. With lang we meet weekly to discuss and then write. We have worked on writing arguments and learning by reading famous argument pieces. Both lit and lang are going to be continuing throughout the year up until the AP test.
Futurology
My outside class this Semester was futurology, where students identify world problems and the attempt to solve them. The class resembles mosaic in that you learn through a lot of research and collaboration. My main focus for the majority of the semester was adoption. Many people have issues adopting because of money or the time it takes, however adoption is a great way to help children in need. This project led to my discussion night at the DOL where i received a lot of valuable information regarding adoption. While the DOL and other interviews I conducted went well, I could not seem to figure out how I could actually help through promoting adoption. Eventually I looked into the law side of adoption and settled on changing foster care law as my new goal. I want to fix foster law in a way that will keep kids safe and give them a chance at a successful future. This project will continue next semester when I do independent study.
Overview
I would say that this semester has been a successful one. I have accomplished a lot of was I wanted to, but I know I can do even more next semester. With ACT and SAT tests coming up for me, as well as all of my ongoing projects I will be plenty busy. My main goal is to get almost all, if not all, of my required credits this year so that next year I can pursue an internship and more community work.
