Tips for Math in 6th Grade

Below is a video I made with some friends in math class that explains some tips for Math class in 6th grade. Enjoy!

Modeling Subtraction and Multiplication

Here is a presentation Kayla and I made in Math class to explain how to model multiplication and subtraction equations that involve negative and/or positive integers, and how to solve them.

Health & Wellness Reflection

What does wellness mean to you? Wellness is overall health, and doing what's right for your body. For example, when you are consistently eating foods from different food groups, you are practicing proper wellness. Wellness can be the right eating, the right physical fitness, or the right amount of sleep. It's really how well you treat your body.

Which habit of 54321+8 is your strength? Why? (Review your earlier blog post) Looking back at my presentation and my blog post, I think my best habit is the +8 sleep. I know I get at least 8 hours of sleep per night, because I go to sleep at 8:30 or 9pm on school nights, and wake up at 6am. This gives me a minimum of 9 hours of sleep per night. One thing I didn't get a lot of at the start of the year that I do now is 5 fruits and veggies per day. After learning about the positive effects of fruit and vegetables, I was more mindful about adding those to my meals. For example, my breakfast is normally just a grain, protein, and milk, but now I try to throw grapes, blueberries, or strawberries in.

Which habit do you need to continue to improve on? I have been trying to drink more water, but I think I need to keep that a consistent. On some days, I'm really thoughtful about how much water I drink, but on others, I don't have as much water as I should. One thing I got from making my 54321+8 presentation is drinking healthy flavored water, to be able to drink more. I tried this, and really liked it, so that is something I can continue doing to build this into a real habit. Flavored water I made at home! Another thing I have been doing to work to this goal is taking my water bottle to my classes, so I can keep taking sips of water. Bringing my water bottle to class! So, for me, this goal is about keeping it consistent and making it a habit.

How physically active have you been this year on a weekly basis? Share as many things that you can remember. As the year has gone on, I have gotten more and more physically active. In the first trimester, I didn't have a whole lot physical activity. I was doing the basketball intramural once a week, and had tennis lessons once a week, but most other days only had miscellaneous activities. In the second season, I got into the basketball team, which took up 4/5 school days, and I also continued with my tennis lessons on the weekends. Finally, I really got into the track season, by training 3/5 or 4/5 school days a week for that. In addition to that season, I also started running at home much more often. For example, on Saturdays I would run 5 kilometers with my dad. At this point, I normally exercise on both days of the weekend by running, biking, playing tennis, or going to the gym with a parent. On weekdays, I play basketball with friends or run with them. Where I am right now with my physical fitness is really a result of what I've done all year, because I have made so many friends while playing sports, whom I can still play with in an unstructured way. I can also take the workouts I have learned while playing on a team, and apply those to my own time. I went back to my Daily Physical Activity Doc, and saw that in November, I was only getting 60 minutes of physical activity 3/7 days a week. Now, I get that on almost all days of the week.

What is your strongest area of physical fitness? (strength, flexibility, cardio respiratory endurance) Which are do you need to work on? For the whole year, cardio respiratory endurance has been my strength. I have always had strong KM times. I think the track season really helped me as a runner, especially with my running form and mental strength. I have been trying to improve my core strength all year for the push-ups test. With the track season, I learned about how core is important for running. This is why I have got into the habit of practicing with the plank exercise at least once a week. So my physical activities have really helped me with my fitness tests.

Why do you think being physically active is important? After getting and increasing amount of physical activity this year, I have seen that it has helped my body's strength and wellness. Being physically active gives you fresh air, which is really good for your wellness. It helps your body stay strong, which helps with daily life.

How well do you eat ‘MyPlate’ 3 meals a day? My dinner definitely meets the 'MyPlate' meal, because it always has foods from all food groups. My breakfast normally has every food group, except for vegetables, which can be hard to incorporate into breakfast. My lunch normally has 3/5 food groups, or 4/5. So I have at least one meal that meets 'MyPlate,' but my other meals are almost there.

What is your food goal? (Review your earlier blog post) Did you achieve your “food goal” or do you need to continue to work on it? My food goal was to incorporate more fruits into my meals, which I think I have achieved. Now, I have fruit with my breakfast, and after my dinner. It is quick and easy for me to throw these into my breakfast and dinner.

How stressed have you been this semester? On a scale from 1 to 10, I have been at a maximum of 6.5. Sometimes, I get really stressed about homework and school projects. But unlike the last semester, I have learned how to deal with stress better.

What two strategies work best for you to reduce stress? I am a thinker, so I like to think through things to reduce stress. So, sometimes, I think through or plan through something that I'm stressed about. For example, if I'm stressed about homework, I use the 'Reminders' app to help stay organized. Using 'Reminders' to stay organized. Another thing I do is talk to one of my parents. My mom is always great help with staying organized with homework. For example, if I am worried about a project, I may ask my mom what she thinks, so I get solutions, and stay calm.

What do you do on a daily basis to promote wellness? If I am ever talking with a friend about wellness, I will bring up my ways to do it. For example, in Math class the other day, I was sharing 'Reminders' with some of my classmates, so they can reduce stress as well. Sharing 'Reminders' with friends

May 2015 Band Concert Reflection

Concert Reflection for May 12, 2015

1. Did you feel well prepared for this performance, why or why not? (ie: Did you do what was expected of you leading up to the concert?)

I felt really well prepared for this concert, because I put in more effort at home than I had for the previous concert. For this concert, I really tried to focus on things that I knew I needed work on in general. For example, I knew I would occasionally have rhythm issues, so I made sure to count through my part at home. I also worked more on 'chunking' or playing only the parts I need to work on. I think I did do what was expected of me on stage and in the audience.

2. What was the strongest part of our performance, and why?

I think our band as a whole performed African Folk Trilogy the strongest. We already had quite a bit of experience with this song because we played the first section for our previous concert. Also, this was probably the least challenging piece out of all of our pieces for this concert. The notes, but mostly rhythms were much more simple than the rhythms and notes in our pieces for this concert. For this reason, everyone was able to play this piece the best.
In general though, I think everyone blended their sound really well. For most of the time, we played together at the same time.

3.  What was the weakest part of our performance, and why? What can we (and you) do to improve for next time?

One thing we should've worked more on is our dynamics. I did try to make an effort to accurately follow the dynamics. But, the entire band and I could have put more work into doing this. I think this part was weakest because we started off with the right dynamics, but they faded out. Also, it can be difficult when someone next to you is playing loud when you aren't supposed to, and you want to be heard as well. When this happens, it seems to be about self control with the volume. But overall, we should've been more consistent with the dynamics.

4. On a scale from 1 to 5, (5 being the best) how would you rate the overall band students’ behavior as audience members for this concert?  Why? (no names please)

I would give the band students' audience behavior a 4/5. We were respectful to the musicians on stage, but there was some talking here and there. Our behavior was better than last concert, but it wasn't perfect.

5. What was your favorite piece and why?
My favorite piece was The Lost Tomb, because I thought it sounded the best. I really liked how the music was low, which gave a mysterious effect. Also, I liked how the melody and the harmony sounded together. This piece was also a challenge, which made it fun. I had more things to work on this concert than the last concert, and I felt that this piece was more at my level. The work behind it and the sound of the piece are what made The Lost Tomb my favorite piece.

Electromagnet Fishing Pole

In Science, as a part of our electricity unit, we have been making electromagnets. Our mission is to make an electromagnet fishing pole (paperclips and brass fasteners being the fish). The fishing pole also had to have a switch, that turned off the electromagnetism. Here are all the plans I've had, leading up to final design.

We were given a 50cm wooden pole, two AA batteries, and there were other miscellaneous items available to us

First Design:

For this design, things were quite simple. We simply had the battery pack on the wooden pole, and the battery's wires were connected to a steel nail, which had a wire coil coiled around it. We already knew that coiling wire around the nail was required to have an electromagnet. There were two problems with this design: 1. The electromagnetic force wasn't powerful enough. 2. It didn't have a switch. Although these were the obvious issues with this design, we did run into other issues.

Second Design:

We had the same set up as the previous design, but a problem we didn't think we would encounter is having the battery pack mess us up. We tested our fishing rod with and without the battery pack, and the strength of the electromagnet was much higher without the battery pack. The video below explains this. The picture to the left shows two nails together. The thing is, we didn't have enough strength to pick up a large paperclip, so we tried having two nails to get more strength. That didn't make a difference, but the type of nail did. In the previous design, we used a steel nail. Here, we used an iron nail because we learned that iron conducts electricity better than steel. So our second design had two iron nails, no battery pack, and still no switch.



Third (Final) Design:

Our third and final design was our best design. We decided to include the battery pack, because it helps keep the batteries together. What we decided to do was make sure we have a battery pack that doesn't mess things up, by testing multiple battery packs. Since two nails didn't make a difference, we just used one iron nail. For our switch, we used a brass fastener. We had one battery pack wire connected to one side of the wire coil- this was a permanent connection. For the other, we put the battery wire under the brass fastener (that was taped to the wooden pole) and put the wire coil wire under the other flap of the brass fastener. We thought of using a thumb tack or paper clip for this same switch idea, but brass fasteners seemed to conduct electricity the best. So technically, the electromagnetism was going through the brad. That was our final design!

Here is a video of us explaining how our last and final design worked (taken right before the derby):

Informed Argument Essay

For the past four weeks in RLA, we have been writing our informed argument essays (as you can tell by the title). For this essay, we worked on making it based on fact, not personal experience. We spent some time doing research and finding dependable sources. Another thing we spent a lot of time on was the organization and flow of the essay. To do this, we focused on adding in transitions and subordinating conjunctions (AAAWWUBBIS). In addition, we worked on having strong language and voice, to suit the tone we want to have. This also connects to emotional appeal to the essay.
I spent time on my voice, and adding humor to my essay; since I normally try to write a sophisticated essay. I also spent time keeping my essay focused, because my writing normally has things it doesn't need in it.
Here's the essay:

Competitive Sports in Schools

by Kavya N.

We have always thought of sports for children as play time, fresh air, or time for them to have fun. Recently though, youth sports have developed into something much larger. Competitive sports. Now, children have the opportunity to turn play time into so much more. Unquestionably, students obtain more than just athletic skills from playing on a team sport. Determination, collaboration skills, leadership, social skills, exposure. And there isn’t any better place they can get these skills from. They turn what was once their free time into learning so many important lessons. But lately, schools have been questioning the benefits of competitive sports, and have been going against them. As a result, there is a shortfall of these essential capabilities in kids. You see, competitive sports have effects on children that we never knew of. Competitive sports keep them healthy, but more importantly teach them life lessons and teach important skills; that they can apply to many other places. 

First off, competitive sports keep kids healthy- both in the mind, and body. Team sports give kids an overall healthy state of mind and body. Being a part of a school sports team is a great way for this to happen, because they regularly get to play something. Doing this teaches them about lifelong fitness, which sticks with them forever. Exercise and fitness gets more important as you get older, so kids starting young is a great idea. As a matter of fact, the Foundation for Global Sports Development say that “young people generally get less physical activity the older they get, but if they stay involved in sports programs, they’re more likely to reap the physical benefits they otherwise would not receive.” In other words, it’s really important that kids are exposed to sports at a young age. The thing is, when they participate in a sports team, they are easily able to get into the practice of a healthy lifestyle. Although it’s quite obvious that sports keep kids healthy, the difference between regular sports and competitive sports keeping you healthy is that competitive sports require more from the kid, and more than that give them a healthier state of mind. Charles Bush-Joseph, the team physician for the Chicago White Sox and Chicago bulls says, “sports help build a healthy mind, body, and spirit.” As kids learn about teamwork, determination, and other crucial lessons, they build a healthy mind, and spirit. Playing regularly on a team and required solid training easily builds a healthy body. Not only do sports keep children physically healthy, but they impact kids’ lifelong health and wellness, and teach them good health habits. The Datalys Center- Sports Injury Research and Prevention says that kids involved in youth sports are seen to “consume more fruits and vegetables; watch less television; and be more satisfied with their weight” than kids who do not participate in competitive or team sports. Thus, students obtain mental and physical health benefits from playing competitive sports.
These are competitive sports we’re talking about. They obviously teach kids lessons, and give them some hardcore soft skills. It teaches them to be determined, because they push to win. It teaches them about teamwork, which happens simply through playing on a team. As a matter of fact, the National Federation of State High School Activity Associations say that competitive sport promotes “participation and sportsmanship...” Also, it teaches kids to be independent. While many people say that kids get injured easily while playing sports, learning to deal with these injuries enforces independence in the kid. It also teaches them to learn from mistakes, so they don’t get that injury again. In addition to enforcing important skills in the kid, competitive sports teach kids life long lessons, that will stick with them. They teach kids about winning, and more importantly loosing. This is an important lesson to learn, because everyone faces failures throughout their lifetime. All of these happen through experience. Experience that children can’t get in classrooms.  "It offers a beginning to see the world outside his or her community and socio-economic class. With travel, children can see the world, and, in turn, grow and develop," says Bruce Kidd, Dean, Faculty of Physical Education and Health at the University of Toronto.  While students who just play sports for fun will only think about sports as fun, students who play competitive sports get this real experience. Playing with other schools, having your ex-bestie on your team, scoring a goal for your team, working on that one move your coach wants you to get down. These are the experiences that enforce persistence, sportsmanship, and collaboration, only in kids who play competitive sports. It also gives kids great goal-setting skills, when there is a sport-related skill they want to achieve. This also leads to determination– pushing to win, or to achieve a personal goal. On top of these breathtaking skills an athletic child has, team sports can help students with time management. While sports keep young athletes so busy and tired, they must work hard to stay organized with school work and sports. Kirk Mango, author of Becoming a True Champion: Achieving Athletic Excellence from the Inside Out, says, “thrust into circumstances where balancing one’s time becomes a necessity, competitive sports forces athletes into situations where they must acquire solid time-management skills or suffer the consequences.” Once again, playing sports for fun doesn’t have this effect on kids. But when they are part of a competitive sport team, the fixed practices, and the effort students must put in brings in the time management factor. Wow. Stupendous skills and thrilling teachings. All it takes are competitive sports to make you fabulous– and we still have another reason to go.
As a result of learning these lessons, kids can apply what they learn in school sports to so many other places. They learn all-round skills, that they can’t get anywhere else. Of course, they can apply the skills they learn to school. In fact, Lauren Bradley, 16, junior at Assumption High School, in a discussion with school sport officials about having competitive school sports said, “During lacrosse, I never watch TV. My grades are my best when I am playing a sport.” When students are put into environments where will power, collaboration, success, and strategy are in the air, there’s no doubt that they will academic successes as a result. Daniel Gould, from ISYS (Institute for Study of Youth Sports) wrote, “a multi-year study conducted in Michigan has shown that children who participate in sport have increased educational aspirations, closer ties to school and increased occupational aspirations in youth.” As well as helping students academically, competitive sports help students in their social lives. Team sports show kids how to work with others, and participate with them. TrueSport, a “community based movement that champions the positive values and life lessons learned through sport,” says that, “There is a growing body of research focused on the association between school-based physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance among school-aged youth” suggesting that such activity “may have an impact on academic performance through a variety of direct and indirect physiological, cognitive, emotional, and learning mechanisms” According to TrueSport, multiple studies of kids who participate in competitive sports, in comparison to kids who don’t, exhibit “higher grades, expectations, and attainment; stronger peer relationships; and greater family attachment and more frequent interactions with parents.” They can also use these skills in future jobs, as well as adulthood in general. As adults, having a degree isn’t the only thing that will land kids a job. It’s the soft skills they obtain as child athletes. Professors from the Ivy League institution Cornell University did a study about how youth sports affects students through adulthood. The study used students’ biodata to show how men who participated in varsity sports affected them an average of 60 years later. The results? Former student athletes exhibited “higher levels of leadership and enjoyed higher-status careers,” as well as showing more soft skills than non-athletes. It was found that the high school athletes volunteered more frequently, and donated to charity. This not only proves that students can use their skills in adulthood, but also shows that youth sports have a lasting effect. The teamwork and sportsmanship required in competitive sports help them work with other people. Independence and determination are both skills that help children in the real world itself. So really, competitive sports give kids they can use anywhere. What a package!
Now, although we’ve cleared that children benefit hugely through competitive sports, some argue that getting involved in competitive sports at a young age can give them fatal injuries. And for this reason, they oppose having these sports. But, if students are afraid and constrained from playing sports at a young age because of injuries, they may have that fear for the rest of their life. Consequently, they won’t be able to try something new; and more importantly, will live with a fear for their whole life. Imagine that. Never getting to try what you saw other kids do, and being afraid of it. On top of that, missing out on all of the great benefits.
In the past, we didn’t think about competitive sports this way. We didn’t see them as an opportunity for kids to gain lifelong skills. Today, we understand these great outcomes in kids, but schools have began to oppose them. In the near future, it is possible that team sports could get completely wiped out. In simpler terms, so do these skills in children. And just imagine the world of tomorrow– with none of these mind-boggling skills. Where would the children of tomorrow end up then?