Why I KNOW I am Ready to Transition to Grade 10

To me this year was like finishing a good book. A good book requires a lot of time and a lot of thought. It is full of different characters, perspectives and experiences. But then comes the time when you come to the final chapter. You can look back and see how everything has changed form the start. This TPOL marks the end of Grade 9. It is bittersweet; there were things I loved and grew in and things that I think should have been written differently.

What I loved

I loved showing my personality more in the poem project and the Vibrant videos.

Through the poems project, I was able to show the things that shape my world view like my family, my move to BC, and my experiences with friends. In the first Vibrant Video, I showed my Iove of reading in an exaggerated and funny way. Another part of Grade 9 I really enjoyed was the revolutions on trial project. I did not know anything about Revolutions. From Nation X to the Mock trial, I feel like I learned the content better in these creative ways. To this day I can tell you a lot of facts about the Haitian Revolution.

Where I grew

Looking back on my learning plan, I see my growth throughout the year in my core competency profiles. For example, in the Communication Core Competency, I grew in my communicating. At the beginning of the year I was in profile two: “in familiar settings I communicate with peers and adults.” At the end of this year, I demonstrate a strong profile four and even some of profile five. I can “communicate clearly and purposefully using a variety of forms appropriately.”

I showed this through my Scimatics video when I used Keynote where I put together all the learning I showed in the milestones into the video. TinkerCad models, voiceover, and animations were all ways I communicated my understanding of the project.

I have also grown in the Thinking Core Competency. At the beginning of the year, my critical and reflective thinking profile was at profile two, but now, looking back at my work, I believe I am at a profile 4: “I can gather and combine new evidence with what I already know to develop reasoned conclusions, judgments, or plans”.

 

One way I showed this was through my Documentary for Maker. Researching games, their benefits, and interviewing Ms. Brady, I gathered evidence, made a plan, and created a documentary that clearly communicated my message. My video skills and storytelling skills also show growth. I am particularly proud of my editing in that Documentary.

Part of the Personal and Social Core Competency is personal awareness and responsibility. This is the part of the Personal and Social Core Competency that I think I grew in the most this year. At the beginning of the year, I would describe myself at profile three but now I am at profile five. I “recognize my value and advocate for my rights. I take responsibility for my choices, actions and achievements.” I showed this growth in multiple projects, but the one I am going to highlight is DI. I planned out when our group would meet, how we would meet the deadlines, and made sure I contributed using my strengths. I knew I didn’t want to write the whole script so I built the hydraulics in the mysterious object. When a group member dropped out, I helped to alter our story to adapt. 

Like a good book, there has been great character development through these projects I mentioned as well as through the the Loon Lake trip. I learned I do NOT function well without caffeine in the morning and that sitting on the ground in a basement for two hours is NOT something I enjoy. But I learned that I am very good at battle archery, that my class CAN work together through the scavenger hunt and ropes ferry, and that fans were a hot commodity. Joselyn is also really afraid of being hit by a battle archery arrow. This year, I have improved in managing and using my time well with going to LAC to not asking for extensions the day the assignment is due. The Things app has been really helpful with keeping track of what I have to do and I will continue to use that in Grade 10.

 

 

 

Coming to the end of a story, you also notice the things you wish had been different. I really struggle to talk to my teachers. This has always been the case for me and even though I am getting better at it, I wish I improved more. I could have had a less stressful year if I had communicated better or sooner. I think making efforts to talk to my teachers about non-school related subjects would help me feel more comfortable to communicate with them when I am stressed. Something else I really wish could be written differently is team work and peer critique. I know the importance of team work but I found my teams this year very challenging. For example, in my last exhibition, my group was full of students who would not contribute or follow through on a plan. Often times, in team work situations others do not follow instructions, which I find disrespectful to the teachers and other learners. Other students tell me not to worry about deadlines and this creates a problem for me that I have not been able to solve yet. Next year, if I were writing the story, I would have more projects where I could pick my partners. 

Finishing this book, I look forward to the next one in the series. I predict the main character will have many more struggles and problems like deadlines and too many blog posts. But there will also be adventures and growth and hopefully a field school that includes caffeine.