Reflection
1. How challenging was this project for you?
This project was pretty difficult as a whole but especially when we were writing the paragraphs. For me personally, I find it hard to write about myself of experiences I've had. I prefer to write about something other than myself, such as a current event or a book report. Coming up with individual stories about ourselves took a while and it was pretty frustrating but that is all part of growing. I will never get better at something without struggle, and I think it was important for me to do a project like this. I wouldn't want to do something like this again, but that is the only way to grow.
2. What was the easiest part of this project?
The easiest part of this project was making the product we would present. There were no specific requirements, so it was up to us to decide what we wanted to do. We could make it as simple as we wanted, or make it intricate and detailed. We had to put some thought into it, but not as much as we did with the paragraphs. We also didn't spend as much time on them as with the writing so it was easier.
3. How comfortable did you feel during your presentation?
I felt very confident during my presentation. I enjoy public speaking usually and I have done it many times, from all my past years. I knew the content I was going to be saying, so I had no reason to be nervous or afraid. I volunteered to go up because that way I wouldn't have to deal with the feeling of anticipation every time she pulled a stick. This way it wasn't a surprise to me, I could prepare myself mentally, and I could just get it over with. One thing I might have changed was reading another paragraph but that had nothing to do with feeling other comfortable. Other than that, I think it went well.
4. Did you receive critique and feedback form anyone? If so who? Was the feedback helpful?
I received feedback from three people, all of whom were students. It was Joseph, Stacy, and Nadine. Their critique was very helpful. It helped me refine both my paragraphs and my presentation. There were a few things I had to change in my writing but most of the feedback was positive. The major thing I had to change in my presentation was saying "uh". I tend to do that a lot when I am talking but I have improved. When I was in seventh grade, I said it in every sentence but now I say it a lot less. There's always room for improvement, and I think I can still get better. I was pretty proud of myself, though, because I said it very few times at the Barnes and Nobles Bookfair.
5. Did you provide kind, specific, and helpful feedback in the peer review session? Who did you assess?
During the class presentations I critiqued two people, Joseph and Stacy. I felt my feedback was KSH. I had a warm and a cool critique for every single category on both of their critique sheets. I took my time and was thoughtful about what I writing. I was still finishing up the critique long after they were done presenting. I made sure what I wrote was understandable, so they could implement it next time they presented. I also critiqued Cole's writing. There were multiple grammatical errors, but I fixed it so it would look more professional and understandable.
6. Did you attend the Barnes and Noble Bookfair?
I did attend the bookfair and presented my final product. I thought I would be more nervous but I wasn't at all. I thought I did a good job in front of all those people but looking back it was pretty short. Like in the class presentations, if I would have read another paragraph it would have been better and I could've given more detail.
7. Do you think you were on task for the vast majority of the time given to work on writing and construction?
I do believe I was on task most of the time. In class is where I did all of the construction portion of the project. I brought the materials from home, but only worked on it in class. The writing I did a lot of in class but I finished at home. I wasn't perfect, and got off task some times, but for the majority of the work time I was focused on my work. There were times when other people were distracting me, which is when I would go outside so I wouldn't be distracted.
8. What grade do you think you deserve?
For this project, I think I deserve an A. I was focused most of the time in class, and got my work done. The construction portion was unique only to me, and it was something very personal. I put a lot of time and effort into the writing, too. All of the paragraphs were thought out and planned before they were even written. I spent a lot of time thinking about some short stories I would want to put into this piece and how I would write them. I met all the criteria, for both the writing and the construction. I gave thoughtful critique to my peers on both the presentation and the writing. Finally, I attended the bookfair and presented my final product in front of a whole crowd.
9. If you could change something about this project, what would it be?
If I could change something, I would just not have this project completely. I did not enjoy writing about myself or creating something that was personal to me. This project also seemed repetitive. We do something very similar to this at the beginning of every year. I would have preferred it if we could have done a project about something else, such as ancient Chinese history, for example. I think we could've actually learned something new, instead of doing the same thing we always do.
1. How challenging was this project for you?
This project was pretty difficult as a whole but especially when we were writing the paragraphs. For me personally, I find it hard to write about myself of experiences I've had. I prefer to write about something other than myself, such as a current event or a book report. Coming up with individual stories about ourselves took a while and it was pretty frustrating but that is all part of growing. I will never get better at something without struggle, and I think it was important for me to do a project like this. I wouldn't want to do something like this again, but that is the only way to grow.
2. What was the easiest part of this project?
The easiest part of this project was making the product we would present. There were no specific requirements, so it was up to us to decide what we wanted to do. We could make it as simple as we wanted, or make it intricate and detailed. We had to put some thought into it, but not as much as we did with the paragraphs. We also didn't spend as much time on them as with the writing so it was easier.
3. How comfortable did you feel during your presentation?
I felt very confident during my presentation. I enjoy public speaking usually and I have done it many times, from all my past years. I knew the content I was going to be saying, so I had no reason to be nervous or afraid. I volunteered to go up because that way I wouldn't have to deal with the feeling of anticipation every time she pulled a stick. This way it wasn't a surprise to me, I could prepare myself mentally, and I could just get it over with. One thing I might have changed was reading another paragraph but that had nothing to do with feeling other comfortable. Other than that, I think it went well.
4. Did you receive critique and feedback form anyone? If so who? Was the feedback helpful?
I received feedback from three people, all of whom were students. It was Joseph, Stacy, and Nadine. Their critique was very helpful. It helped me refine both my paragraphs and my presentation. There were a few things I had to change in my writing but most of the feedback was positive. The major thing I had to change in my presentation was saying "uh". I tend to do that a lot when I am talking but I have improved. When I was in seventh grade, I said it in every sentence but now I say it a lot less. There's always room for improvement, and I think I can still get better. I was pretty proud of myself, though, because I said it very few times at the Barnes and Nobles Bookfair.
5. Did you provide kind, specific, and helpful feedback in the peer review session? Who did you assess?
During the class presentations I critiqued two people, Joseph and Stacy. I felt my feedback was KSH. I had a warm and a cool critique for every single category on both of their critique sheets. I took my time and was thoughtful about what I writing. I was still finishing up the critique long after they were done presenting. I made sure what I wrote was understandable, so they could implement it next time they presented. I also critiqued Cole's writing. There were multiple grammatical errors, but I fixed it so it would look more professional and understandable.
6. Did you attend the Barnes and Noble Bookfair?
I did attend the bookfair and presented my final product. I thought I would be more nervous but I wasn't at all. I thought I did a good job in front of all those people but looking back it was pretty short. Like in the class presentations, if I would have read another paragraph it would have been better and I could've given more detail.
7. Do you think you were on task for the vast majority of the time given to work on writing and construction?
I do believe I was on task most of the time. In class is where I did all of the construction portion of the project. I brought the materials from home, but only worked on it in class. The writing I did a lot of in class but I finished at home. I wasn't perfect, and got off task some times, but for the majority of the work time I was focused on my work. There were times when other people were distracting me, which is when I would go outside so I wouldn't be distracted.
8. What grade do you think you deserve?
For this project, I think I deserve an A. I was focused most of the time in class, and got my work done. The construction portion was unique only to me, and it was something very personal. I put a lot of time and effort into the writing, too. All of the paragraphs were thought out and planned before they were even written. I spent a lot of time thinking about some short stories I would want to put into this piece and how I would write them. I met all the criteria, for both the writing and the construction. I gave thoughtful critique to my peers on both the presentation and the writing. Finally, I attended the bookfair and presented my final product in front of a whole crowd.
9. If you could change something about this project, what would it be?
If I could change something, I would just not have this project completely. I did not enjoy writing about myself or creating something that was personal to me. This project also seemed repetitive. We do something very similar to this at the beginning of every year. I would have preferred it if we could have done a project about something else, such as ancient Chinese history, for example. I think we could've actually learned something new, instead of doing the same thing we always do.