Category: Scimatics

Boring as Heck

Surviving Year 2 of High School (tPols)

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“Thank you for coming to my presentation of learning. I am the expert on my own learning. I am also responsible and accountable for my own learning. You can expect me to give an honest evaluation of my progress. We will discuss my strengths and opportunities for growth. Thank you in advance for listening and for offering feedback that I can use to improve as a learner.”

This year is my second year in PLP and a lot has happened. As a learner, I’ve had lots of opportunities to grow, and I’m confident that I have improved myself using these opportunities. I’ve brainstormed, compromised on ideas and reached agreement in group projects, worked on my public speaking skills, communicated with my peers, developed my skills in technology, and overall used my creativity as a driving force for my projects.

I will now share with you how I’ve grown as a learner and why I’m ready for the transition to grade 10.

 

Evidence of My Progress as a Learner

Science:

If I had to choose a PLP class to be my favourite, I would have to settle for Science. I felt that during the projects that we did in this class, I was really able to unleash my creativity and create final products that I was really proud of. I feel as though during the duration of Science, I was able to meet, if not go beyond, the goals I had set for myself.

Proud of:

For this assignment, I was really proud of my work on it. I utilized my practice in coding and graphic design to create a “somewhat” comprehensible food web of some of the more basic species. The only thing I’d change if I did this again is making the arrows more orderly and easy to understand. Other than that, this is definitely something I as a learner can be proud of.

 

I really liked the idea of this project because it relied on two abilities that I’m confident in; acting and video editing. I was able to put both of these to good work in this keystone, and I was thrilled with the results afterwards. The accents and impressions, amazing lines, and “smooth” video editing provided for an experience that I was pleased with.

Honourable Mention:

 

Maker

This year in Maker, I was really able to explore my areas of interest more. We spent a lot of time working on photography and videography projects, which is a strength of mine, and I was able to apply these skills well.

Proud of:

This assignment definitely preyed on our patience. In this, I created a Stop Motion video that used both my practice in video editing and filming. I put a lot of time and effort into this project, even asking for an extension just so I could finish it at home because I was so keen on getting the final product just right and as close to the original video as possible (Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”). I wanted to make sure that I as a learner could say “I made that” with confidence.

 

This was a real video editing experience, and I enjoyed every minute of it. From conducting an interview, to filming B-roll of different AR and VR technologies, to spending hours in CapCut, looking over and making sure that my creation was going to be interesting and eye-catching. Creating and presenting this video at the winter 2022 exhibition was an experience I’ll never forget because I was so overjoyed with how the final product turned out and how much people enjoyed watching it.

 

Humanities

We touched on a wide range of topics in humanities, and I found myself intrigued by each one. From sci-fi and Frankenstuffies, to the five themes of geography and slam poetry, it was an exciting and new project at every turn.

Proud of:

Here we have the project called “Rise of the Frankenstuffies”. I was given lots of creative freedom in this project, and I feel like I used it to its fullest potential. I enjoyed getting to make up my own story from scratch that followed my rules in a world of my imagination. Both the most challenging and rewarding part was the video filming and editing, where it was necessary for me to use a green screen on the backdrop while filming and move my stuffies at the same time. All of these working parts definitely made it harder, but I still managed to complete it with general ease and enjoyment. I enjoyed voicing the characters because I got to make up their personalities from scratch as well as I saw fit.

 

This project was certainly an interesting one, and I found myself getting more wrapped up in it by the day. In the past I’ve had my fair share of poems, both in grade 8’s coffeehouse, and in my grade 7 and 6 classes, where we learned more about the vocabulary of poems and how to both make and identify one. The thing about this that specifically stood out to me was how, from the very first day, the poem was meant to be revised by your classmates. You weren’t supposed to get it right first try. You were supposed to look back, ask a peer, and see what you could improve on if anything. Even if you didn’t have anything that you thought you could change, the fresh perspective of someone else definitely aided in making a satisfying final product.

 


This project relied on teamwork and cooperation between your group member(s). Both DIY skills and the creativity of coming up with a (semi) new idea for a board game were necessary in given out to us by the teachers. I had a fun time creating this because I got to design my own player pieces based on information I’d researched about each of the Canadian provinces (see second above photo). I also enjoyed seeing the looks of joy on the grade 8 faces when they got to try our game. I especially enjoyed when they turned to looks of horror when they found out how complicated the game was.

 

This was the most recent humanities project we had, and probably the one I enjoyed the most in the entire year. Now, that might be saying a lot, but I find it to be true in this project. I’ve gotten to use lots of skills, and even further some new ones for me. From acting and theatre performance practice, to sound design and video editing. Even DIY and script writing were included in this collection of talents! This project had it all, and better yet, it was being performed at the spring exhibition. The final product was a massive hit with everyone, and tons of compliments were showered upon my group and me. Collaborating in a group was definitely something that helped the experience because there’s nothing like bouncing ideas off of people you know to create an amazing piece of art. In this case, a performance.

 

Stretches and My Strategies to Deal with Them

Driving Question

Why do you feel you are ready to advance to the next grade level?

I think my work in grade 9 reflects that, as a learner, I have made quite a few final products that I can be proud of, and in the end, I have the skills and spirit to get things done, despite having difficulties arise.

Last year, I had difficulties focusing my attention in class and staying on task. I often distract both classmates and myself, and generally have a harder time completing work within the given class time. This year, though, I’ve had a very successful time focusing and using my time wisely and efficiently to create and accomplish.

I will take my skills, both new and old, my strengths and weaknesses, my strategies for learning, my love of both photography and music, and my newfound knowledge with me as I move into grade 10. (Double digits! Woot woot!)

Never Gonna Give You a Working Circuit: The Power of Electricity and Rick Astley (poor him)

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(The reason for former of this title is due to the fact that at first, it took a few tries to get my operation game working and I got very frustrated at it. The reason for the latter of the title is due to the fact that in the process of making the game playable, I accidentally tore apart the Rick Astley paper doll.)

The Boring Sales Pitch

Welcome to Enticing Electricity (yayyyyy, an alliteration)! A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life. (Huh, wrong thing?) oh well. In this project, I created an infographic on a type of energy generation, learned about stuff, and created an “Operation” style game! Bonus points, it’s Rick Astley! (Or at least a very mangled version of him) Cameron is not responsible for damage to property or person.

[wow, three FNAF references in one paragraph. “A magical place for kids and grown-ups alike, where fantasy and fun come to life.” and “-is not responsible for damage to property or person.” is from phone guy’s first phone call. “mangle-ed” like the animatronic.]
[Tip for discovering what electricity is and how it moves: Stick a fork into and electrical outlet. Who knows, it might even give you superpowers!]

 

Looking Back/My Process

The process I took to get my operation game working consisted of looking at and studying the teacher’s finished box and circuit, and comparing mine to the example. To get my game working, I went step-by-step following both the instructions provided and the reference of the teacher’s box and eventually my game just worked somehow. I don’t really understand why my original design did not work as a complete circuit but I suspect that it could have been because I did not follow the instructions closely enough and didn’t have a lot of experience working with circuits.

 

 

The Skills/The Takeaway of the Process

Electricity is a wide subject with multiple uses, types, jobs, and functions stemming from it. In this unit I learned a lot more about electricity then I said what about then before I started. For one, I learned some of the more famous ways of generating electricity, and the pros and cons of each of them (through sharing around the class and Kurzgesagt). For example, NEI (The Nuclear Energy Institute) claims that solar photovoltaic plants need 75 times more acreage and that wind farms need 360 times more land to generate the same amount of electricity as a nuclear energy facility. I learned stuff like that just from a single keystone! I also learned about Ohm’s Law (Electrical Potential Difference/Voltage = Current x Resistance, Current = EPD/Voltage / Resistance, Resistance = EPD/Voltage / Current), protons and electrons, positive, negative, and neutral charges, and how to create a circuit diagram (what the symbols are and mean).

Next time, I would hope to make my board game look a little more tidy instead of looking like a little kid stepped on it, but I’m still satisfied with just the fact that it works and that I put effort into it. If I had infinite materials, I would most definitely make sure things were better attached, but such is life.

 

A Cameron Point-of-View

(What I, as a human being, enjoyed about it, some images, and some fun personal experiences I had during this time. Including after)


 

 

Video Link of Game in Action: Here

Alright, now that we’ve got all the necessary school stuff out of the way (except for the driving question which is last. Procrastination ?), it’s time to be Camerooooonnnn.

I really enjoyed this project because we could honestly pursue the final task in a pretty wide variety of ways. You could choose any image you wanted (or create one), and choose any items you wanted to extract. I do have to admit, I was a bit lacking in the creativity department at the start, but then I got an idea. An awful idea. I got a wonderful, awful idea ?.

[now a grinch reference too?]

I decided to do… Rick Astley. Yup. What do you extract from him you might ask? Well, it’s “Never”, “Gonna”, “Give”, “You”, and “Up”. Yup. Although, to make the holes big enough for it to be playable, I had to stab him many, many times. With a pencil, with string cutting scissors, with normal school scissors, and with a glue stick. Yup.

On the last day of semester 1, it was even better. We… made s’mores with Bunsen burners (you probably saw the images already). It was fun times in the classroom. We even got to watch Octonauts near the end! Best (and only) Science class ever!

Thanks for being such a great teacher Ms. Kadi!

-your definitely model student, Cam.

P.S. click on the first P.S.

Driving Questions and Answers

How does electricity help shape our society and how can we generate it more sustainably? 

Because it powers technology and makes it possible for modern infrastructure, electricity plays a crucial role in shaping society. It facilitates communication, lighting and heating our homes, and economic expansion. There are a number of options for more environmentally friendly electricity generation:

1. Renewable resources: Utilize renewable energy sources like solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal to produce electricity without consuming any resources or emitting any emissions.

2. Energy conservation: Utilizing energy-efficient technologies and procedures in industries, transportation, and buildings can cut down on energy waste.

3. Smart grids: Install cutting-edge grid systems that are capable of effectively managing demand and integrating renewable sources.

4. Atomic power: Develop cutting-edge nuclear technologies that can produce electricity while minimizing waste and emitting no greenhouse gases.

5. Capture of carbon: To lessen their impact on the environment, fossil fuel power plants should capture and store carbon emissions.

Thank you for your time!

Halfway Through Surviving Year 2 of High School (mPols)

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“Thank you for coming to my presentation of learning. I am the expert on my own learning. I am also responsible and accountable for my own learning. You can expect me to give an honest evaluation of my progress. We will discuss my strengths and opportunities for growth. Thank you in advance for listening and for offering feedback that I can use to improve as a learner.”

We’re almost through the first semester of Grade 9, and I’ve learned and created so many things in PLP in that short time. Now that we’re getting close to that (somewhat) halfway point, it’s time for…

In this blog post, I’ll basically be doing a summative blog post of my projects so far this year, my answers to the driving questions, and which was my favourite project from each by class so far.

Starting off, we have…

Science

Handle with Care

links:

Food Web, Bioaccumulation/Biomagnification GIF, and Mock New Report

This was our first project for the year for Science, and it was a fun one for sure! For the first science project of the semester, we had a wide variety of assignments covering lots of amazing skills. For example, I learned more about coding with the food web assignment. The mock news report got me more familiar with videography techniques and software. I find these 2 skills to be important to me because in the future, two of my dream jobs are game developer and photographer/videographer. These skills have also helped me in more recent projects too! (More on that later)

I really enjoyed this project as the introduction to a new year of science with a new teacher too!

 

Life as we Know It

Links:
Puppet Show and Finish Line Video

The second project was very fun. We learned about sexual reproduction, Meiosis and Mitosis, and asexual reproduction. We had our drawing skills put to the test during the Asexual Reproduction comics, which we made 5 of! (Not a bad thing) Last year, in Scimatics, I did the whole drawing project without an Apple Pencil!

This was a very enjoyable project that let my creativity run wild. I built on quite a few skills, and I’m glad that this is one of the ways to teach us PLP kids.

 

Essential Elements

Links:

Periodic Table Version 1 and Version 2

This unit wasn’t very long because it was paused over winter break and couldn’t be completed in time. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the coding aspect (so much that I made 2 scratch periodic tables).

I’d have to say that even though this was the shortest Science project, it was my favourite one, because I demonstrated that I could go above and beyond if I was passionate about the task. I even helped a classmate make their game because they didn’t understand how.

 

Exciting Electricity

This project was an interesting one, that’s for sure. Whether it was the frustration of not knowing whether the battery, LED light, or even the wire wasn’t working, or the Kurzgesagt videos and Kahoots on the different types of energy. It was unique for sure. Other than that though, I really like the idea of creating our own “Operation” style board game. Mine turned out pretty well. I’m happy with the final product, although it could have been even better with a bit more work. Poor Rick Astley…

 

 

Maker

Vibrant Video

Links:

Clips, Shots and Angles, and Planning and Shooting

The first project to start off maker was a very fun, one which was within my areas of interest. We learned many filming techniques, including rule of thirds, shots and angles, and story boarding. I was able to learn more about photo editing, shading, and lighting just like I had stated in my learning plan as an area of growth. One thing that I would improve on next time is that I want to make the Keystone 1 video in Clips without using other software. I would need to figure out how to use Clips more since I am very confident in my skills with the app at the moment.

I really enjoyed this project because it was an area where I am knowledgeable.

 

Your First Film

Link:

AR Video

I am very proud of the end product of this project, and I feel like I took a lot from this experience. I learned how to conduct an interview properly and had the first experience of an online interview as the interviewer. I also learned what B-roll is, and how to add it efficiently to complement your interview video. I would like to improve my skill of paraphrasing and using my own words in a timely manner to make my presentation seem more like me.

I really enjoyed working on this project because I’m very passionate about technology and so I felt like this was really a way for me to express my skills in video editing, as well as my knowledge in that area of augmented reality. A connection to my personal life is that I enjoy playing. Pokémon go what uses an AR element to enhance the experience all I know this was a really great project to do and I’m very glad that I got to do this project in school.

 

Finding Fun with Videos

Links:

Jump Cut, AR Snow Globe, Green Screen Travel Spot, and Memoji Storytelling

I’m not really sure if this counts as a project, but I still learned quite a few skills during its duration. Just as I said in my learning plan, I discovered photo editing skills, which transferred over into video editing skills. I learned things such as green screening on iMovie and timing videos correctly so that I could make jump cuts. I was able to complete these tasks efficiently and promptly because, as stated in my strengths on my learning plan, learning new technology skills comes quickly to me. I would like to improve my drawing skills as I was not happy with the final product of the Memoji storytelling. I want to add more details. I also want to make them look more realistic and less plain. I would like to, in the future work on my drawing skills more and refine them.

This was a fun collection of assignments that gave me new opportunities to learn, and I’m glad that I got the chance to.

Viral Video Stop Motion

Link:

Final Stopmotion

I really enjoyed this project because it allowed us to choose a topic as our liking and partner up with people of our choice as well. You were able to choose your own viral video to create a reproduction stop motion of it. I chose Rick Astley‘s “Never Gonna Give You Up” because I thought it would be funny and I also have a love for music. I am very happy with how it turned out. I learned patience through struggling with moving around such small pieces without messing it up. What I take away from this experience is that stop motion looks easy, but there’s a lot of effort put in behind it. If I were to do this project again, I would focus on, trying not to show the severed limbs of the characters as these were needed for posing, I would also hope to make the characters look more natural in their poses, and make them look more like they are doing the actions. (The characters were paper.)

I liked this project a lot because it let our creativity run free and let us create a video of our choosing.

 

Humanities

The Power of Geography


Links:

Welcome to Alberta

This project was the introduction to Humanities 9, and it was a “wild ride”, no pun intended. This was my first field study as I was not able to attend last year’s trip to Loon Lake. I feel like being able to experience it in person was more effective than sitting in a desk learning things from a textbook. During this project, I learned about the five themes of geography and what the term geography really means. I learned that there was a lot more to the history of Canada’s railways than I thought; for example, railways were an ingenuity to spread ideas, people and goods across Canada.

If I could go back and redo my E-book, I don’t think I’d change a thing because I’m happy about how my book turned out. I was proud of the photos I took and the written materials I developed for this book.

I’m grateful for the experiences I had and the memories I made on this trip. There’s a time and place for everything, and going on an epic PLP learning advance is, in my mind, one of the best ways to learn effectively.

 

Storm the Barricades


Link:

Revolutions on Trial Video

In “Storm the Barricades” I learned about the things that make up a revolution. Before I began this project, I didn’t have any idea what a revolution was. After going through all the lessons and learning experiences, I can confidently say that revolutions are an important part of creating the societies we live in today. For example, the American Revolution led them to independence from Britain, creating the America we know today. Without the American Revolution, America would most likely still be a part of Britain and perhaps slavery would not yet have been abolished, but that is maybe a big assumption to make.

One area I regret that I would like to improve on next time is the Revolutions on Trial video. I wish that I had incorporated more of my video skills into this project, skills that I acquired earlier on in the year in other projects. I would have incorporated shots, angles and lighting to my advantage to make our video more interesting and appealing to watch, but since this was a team project, these ideas of mine were not used. I can continue to work on my skills and role within a group.

Full Steam Ahead

Link:

Environmental Consequences Final Draft

This project was a great experience, and I really enjoyed the chance to understand the Industrial Revolution, the story behind it, and all of its inventions. One of the most shocking learnings from this revolution was the poor working conditions for people, especially working class children. I feel lucky to be in Canada in this century with better working conditions and unions to improve workplaces.

I learned a lot more about how much this revolution also affected today’s society, both environmentally and mechanically. Environmentally, the consequences were crazy, such ans habitat destruction, deforestation, air pollution, and chemical contamination, which can still be observed today and are contributing to climate change. However, the Industrial Revolution also led to a lot of innovations that have advanced our society in many ways. Some examples of this include the lightbulb, the car, and the steam engine, which are all used in some form today.

 

 

Wildlife Awareness

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Science 9. What a class. If you asked me to describe them us one word, I…probably wouldn’t be able to choose. Back on topic, this projects topic was about the impact on the environment and how we can stop it. In this post, I will share the 3 major keystones, along with 1-2 smaller activities. I will also share my answer to the driving question.

 

Bioaccumulation GIF

The Bioaccumulation GIF was one of our first tasks in class. I really enjoyed this activity because it gave me the chance to explore my skills on my iPad and show off what I’ve learned so far in PLP. I’m proud of my creation and hope that others enjoy it as well.

 

Keystone #1: Food Web

This first Keystone was a fun one. We had to put our skills from last year’s Scimatics “Chemistry Coding” to use.

 

Keystone #2: Mock News Report

The mock news report was a fun keystone because we got the freedom of doing whatever we wanted with the video. We did the research ourselves, put together a script, and created a new report worthy of the title “amateur.” I enjoyed doing this because I got to do funny accents and impressions during it (to the horror of my group members)

 

Keystone #3: Social Media Posts

The final keystone for our project was a unique idea that I felt really relates well with culture nowadays. A social media post. For this assignment, I worked in a pair with Kai. We were tasked with creating 5 social media posts on the 5 different topics we mainly discussed during this project. You only see 2 here because Kai did the other 3. You can check out their blog post by clicking on their name.

 

Driving Question and (hopefully) Answered

Driving Question: In what ways have human beings impacted the delicate cycles within our local ecosystems and how can we lessen our impact?

Answer: Human beings impact the delicate cycles within our local ecosystems in many ways. Some of examples of this are climate change, storm water runoff, air pollution, and habitat loss. These are just a few examples about problems facing ecosystems. One we could lessen some of these problems is by recycling products made from nonrenewable resources (such as plastic, which is made from oil).

Surviving Year 1 of High School (tPols)

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“Thank you for coming to my presentation of learning. I am the expert on my own learning. I am also responsible and accountable for my own learning. You can expect me to give an honest evaluation of my progress. We will discuss my strengths and opportunities for growth. Thank you in advance for listening and for offering feedback that I can use to improve as a learner.”

This year, I’ve worked really hard and made a lot of progress in my learning. I’ve collaborated, shared ideas, communicated with groups, and created some amazing things that I am very proud of. I would like to share with you how I have grown as a learner and am ready for the transition to grade 9.

Reflecting on my Learning Plan and my growth as a learner

Scimatics

In Scimatics, I forecasted earlier in the year that I would reach a sun as a level of accomplishment. I feel like I have met the bar that I set for myself. I continued to show that I could be a productive and reliable group member when given the opportunity, and always completed my portion of the work. I felt like I made a strong effort to bring ideas to the group for the different projects.

I can continue to work on submitting my work on time. For Scimatics in particular, I struggled to manage my time with assignments and often underestimated how long it would take me to complete the work. I may not have submitted them on time, but I always completed the assignments and tried to do the recommended revisions.

– Chemistry Coding

With the Chemistry Coding assignment, I learned that we will almost never get things right on the first try, and that it will take many revisions to achieve the product that you set out to make in the first place. For example, for this assignment, I had to keep going back into the game to fix bugs and glitches and to make sure that it met the criteria.

Humanities

For Humanities, I think one of my greatest skills was in understanding new ideas quite quickly. For example, during the Working with Words project, we learned a lot of new types of poems and I was able to grasp the major concepts in a short amount of time and come up with my own examples of these poems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We used the App Book Creator to create the poem ebook for Working with Words, and I feel like I learned some valuable new skills from this app. Some of those skills include creating background photos and adjusting colour schemes to complement the poems I created.

Some of my stretches for Humanities are related to writing. These include writing longer blog posts, especially reflections. I think I could organize more of a plan before beginning to write. I also need to work on putting in my best effort rather than putting in a mediocre effort and moving on. A great first step would be to go back and review the assignment criteria to check if I have met all of the requirements. Argh Matey is a good example of an assignment where I could have put in greater effort by using more descriptive words in the Pirate Story and could have organized my thoughts a lot more clearly so that the story flowed more naturally.

 

Maker

In Maker, I developed a ton of skills based on the new programs we were introduced to in Maker 8.  One of the new apps that I now use all the time is the Sketches Pro app, and I first discovered it when I participated in the “Power of the Pencil” Carr unit. One example of how I’ve applied it is the cell biology comic creation in Scimatics that we just completed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also really enjoyed all of the photo walks and the tutoring on new photography techniques that could expand our creativity in taking photos. I look forward to using those techniques in grade 9 and seeing what photography challenges lie ahead. I feel like I am already very comfortable photographing nature, but I’d like to work on photographing people and experimenting with different angles and lighting.

Another example of work that I am proud of from Maker 8 is the Geek Out blog post challenge in which we had the freedom to write about our own interests. During this blog challenge, I used my skill of drawing to create a tracing of a photo from the December choir concert, and now I’ve expanded even further on this skill in creating several comic panels in a much faster period of time. Looking back, I think I found the Geek Out challenge a lot more enjoyable because when I’m limited to a particular subject, I feel frustrated by how it squashes my creativity and I can sometimes suffer from a “brain block”. Going into grade 9, I think I need to continue to look for ways that I can express my creativity even when I’m given a specific topic.

Conclusion

I think my work in grade 8 reflects that, as a learner, I may lack motivation and become easily distracted, but in the end, I have the knowledge and the technical skills to get things done.  I’ve grown a lot in terms of my group work skills. I know that I need to continue to work on time management and will find strategies to motivate myself instead of relying on others to help to motivate me. I will take my new iPad skills, group skills, and knowledge with me as I move into grade 9.

Clarion the Pizza

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I’d like to start out this blog post by saying that this was one of the most open projects I’ve done all year. You could choose to create any item you want, in your own unique way. Now, these posts I’ve realized are not supposed to be about explaining the project, they are about reflecting on it. I’m not really sure how to reflect very well, so I’m gonna try my best and show you what it means to me to reflect.

 

This project was very engaging and gave us lots of creativity and influence on the final product. I decided to do a duo partnership with Kai (blog link below). Me and Kai decided to make a pizza, but since it didn’t have many shapes, I realized, Kai made a pizza box for the pizza. It took awhile to get the volume and surface area measurements down but it was worth it (see end for measurements)

Here is the photos of my Pizza and Pizza Box:

  • Top View of Pizza
    Top View of Pizza
  • Side View of Pizza
  • Bottom View of Pizza
  • Top View of Pizza Box
  • Side View of Pizza Box
  • Bottom View of Pizza Box

I put a lot of effort into my slideshow prrsentation and the design of the pizza and i feel like I did a great job overall. Here’s my presentation slideshow now:

Scimatics Design Challenge

Surface area
PIZZA

Top of pepperoni A=πr2=π·1.912≈11.401 x 7 = 79.807
Side of pepperoni
C=2πr=2·π·1.91≈11.969 x 0.1 = 1.197 x 7 = 8.379
Pepperoni 79.807 + 8.379 = 88.186

Top of Cheese A = πr2 = π·11.052 ≈ 383.457 – 79.807 = 303.65

Bottom crust A = πr2 = π·11.052 ≈ 383.457

Pizza 88.186 + 303.65 + 383.457 = 775.293

Volume
PIZZA

Pepperoni V = πr2h = π · 1.912 · 0.1 ≈ 1.14 x 7 = 7.98

Cheese V = πr2h = π · 11.052 · 0.3 ≈ 113.887

Bottom Crust V = πr2h = π · 11.252 · 0.89 ≈ 354.269

Ring of Crust V = πr2h = π · 122 · 2.38 ≈ 1074.425 – 944.319 = 130.106

Pizza 7.98 + 354.269 + 113.887 + 130.106 = 606.242

Surface area
PIZZABOX

Top of Bottom of box 27 x 27 = 729 – (13.5 x 2 + 26 x 2) = 650 (squared)
Sides of bottom of box 27 x 0.375 = 10.125 x 4 = 40.5 (squared)
Bottom of box 27 x 27 = 729 (squared)
Bottom of box 650 + 40.5 + 729 = 1419.5

Top of front wall .5 x 27 = 13.5 x 2 = 27 (squared)
Front of front and back walls 27 x 2.5 = 67.5 x 2 = 135 (squared)
Back of front and back walls 27 x 2.5 = 67.5 – (2.5 x 2) = 62.5 x 2 = 125 (squared)
Right and left of front and back walls 0.5 x 2.5 = 1.25 x 4 = 5 (squared)
Front and back walls 27 + 135 + 125 + 5 = 292

Top of Left and right walls 1 x 26 = 26 x 2 =52 (squared)
Left and right of left and right walls 26 x 2.5 = 65 x 4 = 260 (squared)
Left and right walls 52 + 260 = 312

Bottom All flaps 0.2 x 26.576 = 5.3152 x 3 = 15.946 (squared)
Right and left of all flaps (front and back for front) 26.576 x 1.284 = 34.124 x 6 = 204.744 (squared)
Front and back of all flaps (left and right of front) 0.2 x 1.284 = 0.257 x 6 = 1.542 (squared)
All flaps 15.946 + 204.744 + 1.542 = 222.232

Top of top of box 27 x 27 = 729 (squared)
Sides of top of box 27 x 1 = 27 x 4 = 108 (squared)
Bottom of top of box 27 x 27 = 729 – (5.3152 x 3) = 713.036 (squared)
Top of box 729 + 108 + 713.036 = 1550.036

Pizza Box 1419.5 + 292 + 312 + 222.232 + 1550.036 = 3795.768

Volume
PIZZABOX

Front and back walls 0.5 x 27 x 2.5 = 33.75 x 2 = 67.5 (cubed)

Right and Left walls 26 x 1 x 2.5 = 65 x 2 = 130 (cubed)

Bottom of box 27 x 27 x 0.375 = 273.375 (cubed)

All Flaps 0.2 x 26.576 x 1.284 = 6.825 x 3 = 20.475 (cubed)

Top of box 27 x 27 x 1 = 729 (cubed)

Pizza Box 67.5 + 130 + 273.375 + 20.475 + 729 = 1220.35

Atom Dodger is Broken (somewhat)

CameroonianLeave a comment

This unit of Scimatics was by far the most fun so far. We were assigned with coding a game/simulation related to the molecular theory, the subatomic theory, atoms or anything of the sort. I found this idea really fun because I really like working with technology (one reason of why I joined PLP) and I used to be in a coding camp too. Now without further ado, time to talk about my game.

Atom Dodger 1.0

My game was really fun to code because I had recently been getting into coding again and I like to test my abilities. It was a fun challenge to try and code, fix, and play my game. So in the game, the goal is to get 3 atoms/states of matter researched. You do this by completing 3 levels of dodging atoms flying at you each at different speeds. Use arrow keys to dodge.

Halfway Through Surviving Year 1 of High School (mPols)

CameroonianLeave a comment

Welcome to my presentation!

Today, I will be talking about every subject so far this year and highlighting the most fun projects I did in each subject.

Humanities:

The Medium is the Message AKA Creating Ads:

For the first project, we were assigned a local business and were tasked with creating an ad for them.  Me and my group were assigned a local real estate agent (Patricia Houlihan). We went through multiple stages before achieving a final design that both the business and our group liked. At the start, we were just creating our own personal ones that we thought the business would like. Then, we combined ideas with our group members to make a rough draft group ad.  We all got a turn to get a group interview with David Hepburn, an ad creator agency. We ended up choosing Ruby’s comic book theme and Makai’s mountain background. In the end, this project was a pretty fun startup to a first year of high school.

The Outsiders:

For this project, we read a classic novel both at school and at home, and partook in book discussions every 2-3 chapters. Near the end of the project, we got assigned a scene from the book and started practicing making that scene into a tableau (a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from
history) to perform at the winter exhibition. We were then supposed to transpose the scene into what it might look like in 2021. Me and my group got the Darry slapping Ponyboy scene. We had a lot of fun practicing the tableau. This was a fun project and I gotta say that this was the highlight project of Humanities so far.

Working with Words AKA Poems

For the latest project, we were charged with creating multiple different types of poems over the course of a few weeks and then told to make it into and eBook. It was supposed to be centred around our worldview personally. Not only were there poems in the eBook, but also complementary text (e.g. photos, videos, or drawings that complement the poem) and meaning statements (audio recordings telling the reader, in relation to the driving question [How might I construct text that shows who I am right now?], the meaning behind the poem). At the end of the project, as a presentation of our learning, relatives and friends were invited to watch a live stream of the “Coffee House Performance”, where we would show off the poems that we created in class that same day to show them how neat poems can be. Overall, Humanities has been a really fun subject and I can’t wait to do it again next semester.

 

Scimatics:

Fractions of your Time:

This was the probably the easiest Scimatics project so far. We were told to track our screen time and make note of the different devices and subjects on that respective device. We then made a graph/diagram showing the different types. Even though I could easily understand all the data, others had a hard time figuring it out, probably due to them not being the ones recording the info. Overall, it was a pretty enjoyable starter project to begin the school year with, with easy to follow instructions that most new grade 8s could probably understand.

Tectonic Chances:

We started off by learning more about tectonic plates, mid-ocean ridges, and other things to do with plate tectonics. We then started brainstorming how we could incorporate these vocabulary words into the board game or card game that we’d be creating for it. Me and my partner ended up making a tectonic plate quiz game. We were supposed to include chance in it but I ended up forgetting.

Laser Laws:

Laser Laws has to be the best project in Scimatics so far. It was really cool to experiment with the different angles of lasers and how it could make a cool shape with the right measurements. My group members and I made our laser display space themed, with a funny spaceman reaching out, and our battery pack hidden inside a NASA spaceship. I thought that was pretty clever. One problem that appeared near the end was the fact that our battery pack was dying! This was a BIG problem because we couldn’t remove the batteries from the spaceship without knocking the laser and messing up the trajectory. Luckily, a classmate was able to give us a second battery pack, which I quickly thought to us to just move the wires and connect it to that instead of moving the first battery pack. It didn’t look as good but at least it worked! After that, with the help of no lights and spray smoke, we had one of th most powerful lasers in the room! This was definitely my favourite project so far in Scimatics.

Maker:

Becoming a PLP Learner:

Introducing us at the start of the year to PLP, we have this project. The end goal of this project was to show what you learned so far and prove that you were worthy of the title PLP learner. We learned a lot of cool techniques to making things and used a lot of fun apps. We also learned a lot more about ourself and the world through this first project. At the end of the day, everything went great and we learned a lot.

Constructing Creative Communication:

This project had 2 parts. We were split up into 2 groups: Herzog and Carr. Two famous people with two different talents. Carr people would practice drawing and learn new tips and tricks. The Herzog people practiced their photography skills and worked on new angles and approaches to photo taking. Half way through, once you were finished with that topic, you would switch to the other group. Overall, we learned a lot of things about both subjects and learned some really neat techniques that will definitely come in handy in the future. Personally, I liked Herzog the best, because I want to be a professional photographer, even though i already knew most of the tactics they were teaching us. This was my favourite subject for Maker.

Geek Out Blog Challenge:

This project was a fun and easygoing one. We got to choose a topic that we are really interested in, write blogs about it, and then let people read it online. I chose to write my blog on music; for example, the songs I like to listen to or play on instruments, my musical history, and much more. This was a pretty open project where you could just ramble on about your interests without hesitation.

Destination Imagination:

This is an ongoing program that I can’t spoil much about. All I can tell you is that we are each assigned a challenge and compete by creating inventions, making stories, and then doing an unknown instant challenge. At the end, I’ll definitely do a blog post detailing everything, but until then, adios!

Thanks for Reading!

“Ha ha, now you’re blind!”

CameroonianLeave a comment

3) Write about each curricular competency from the evaluation rubric
write an example of how you used/improved/need to improve each one in a short paragraph.

Introduction:

Hello, my name is Cameron, and welcome to my extremely overdue Scimatics post. In this post, I will be talking about my project end mind map and what I learned throughout the project. I will also be talking about each curricular competency from the evaluation rubric and how I used, improved, and need to improve in each area.

 

My Project End Mind Map:

 

Questioning and predicting: Demonstrate a sustained intellectual curiosity about a scientific topic or problem of personal interest:

Our group hypothesized that the lasers would form a 90-degree triangle when we angled the mirrors based on our calculations and measurements, which demonstrated intellectual curiosity. While the calculations were correct, the laser’s battery pack was dying and would not project the laser correctly, so we had to use critical thinking to complete the assignment.

Communicating and Representing: Represent mathematical ideas in concrete, pictorial, and symbolic forms:

We had to use the Pythagorean theorem to determine how to angle the lasers correctly to create a 90-degree triangle made of laser beams. The theorem allowed us to determine the measurements of the 3 angles within the triangle. We also had to correct the angles of the mirrors and the direction of the laser multiple times to achieve the correct triangle.

Applying and innovating: Cooperatively design projects:

We were innovative when the problem arose that our laser wasn’t working correctly. We were able to cooperatively problem-solve as a group. Our group also had a group discussion that made us come up with great ideas for the theme of the project and the design that we created.

Tectonic Terror (No Earthquakes?)

CameroonianLeave a comment

I learned a lot during this project, and I can confidently say that I have improved my understanding of tectonic plates, major vocabulary such as “subduction” and “faults”, and the design process.

We didn’t incorporate much into our game in terms of mathematics, but somethings that I would like to include next time are as follows:

1. I want to include more mathematical probability and terms into the game

2. I want to make the game shorter and easier to win so that you don’t have to take as much time to complete it.

 

 

 

These are my game rules. We had to rush this list because we were so busy working on the visuals of the game. I will keep in mind for the next project to do everything asked of me and fit all the criteria as best I can (lesson learned: time management important). I still think that the game rules turned out pretty well, even though we didn’t include any probability into it.

 

I strengthened my understanding of the curricular competencies by going through the step-by-step process of creating a game and understanding all the elements that it takes to create the game in its entirety.