This December has been full of activities at school and has been really quite nice. I have done so much this month and I’m looking forward to everything I will be doing in January.
First, we have recently finished an end-of-term project in the Performance Learning Program on the environment and us. For my project, I researched how the trash we throw out affects sea birds such as the Western Gull. I found that birds can be harmed by almost everything we own and use. With this in mind, I created eleven trading cards to demonstrate the impact of trash on birds and what we can do to reduce it. We presented our projects at an open-house-style event. I was able to answer all of the questions that people asked me about it, and I learned quite a lot that I didn’t know before. I was very pleased by how my project ended up after I worked so hard on it.
The next thing we have done this term that I have really enjoyed is a math and science project based around protecting architecture from earthquakes. This project challenged me, especially testing what systems would be best for earthquake-proofing definitely learned a lot. We worked in pairs for it, and used an app called Minecraft. For my pair’s project, we decided to create a Norman-inspired castle made of cobblestone. We earthquake-proofed it by attaching sheer walls constructed out of steel to absorb force. We also used steel to create arches, beams, and shake arms, which would limit damage in the event of an earthquake. Our project ended up turning out just the way we had hoped.
In January I am looking forward to quite a few things. First of all, I’m looking forward to new projects and units in math and science. We have been working on surface area and learning about earthquakes for quite a while now, and I am excited to try something different. Second, I’m looking forward to starting wood shop and metal shop. I have been in home economics for more than four months and am excited to try something new for my elective. In wood shop we will make a gumball machine and a toy boat, and then in metal shop we will make a balancing man out of metal. January will be a great month for me and I’m very excited for it.
In summary, I have worked on a couple key projects in December and I will work on a few more in January. I have learned how trash affects seagulls and the challenges with building in earthquake-prone areas. I will create wooden and metal figurines in wood and metal shop, and I will start new units in science and math. This is a new way of learning for me. The project based learning, enriching assignments, technology integration, and a hands-on environment has helped me learn in a way I haven’t before. I can’t wait for 2017!
I LOVE this post it is my life