Poetry Project
Project Description
The poetry project was the culmination of all humanities projects this year. We were required to write a poem about a topic that we had learned about in class, whether it be socialization, happiness, or other subjects taught. We explored many poetic devices and elements, including similes, metaphors, alliteration, and tone. One element that I enjoyed learning about was poetic meter. Before this project, I had never learned about iambic pentameter or any form of meter, so I thought that was particularly intriguing. In the end, we each wrote and refined our own poems, partaking in critiques along the way. We were also required to write Growth as a Poet, which was a three paragraph essay discussing poetic changes through the drafts, and how we personally had grown in writing poetry. At the beginning of this project, I did not think I would gain much from learning about poetry. However, it turned out to be a fun, interesting project, and I am glad that I had the chance to write and explore this artistic form of writing.
*Below you can read my poem, titled Materialistic Kindness, and also my Growth as a Poet.
The poetry project was the culmination of all humanities projects this year. We were required to write a poem about a topic that we had learned about in class, whether it be socialization, happiness, or other subjects taught. We explored many poetic devices and elements, including similes, metaphors, alliteration, and tone. One element that I enjoyed learning about was poetic meter. Before this project, I had never learned about iambic pentameter or any form of meter, so I thought that was particularly intriguing. In the end, we each wrote and refined our own poems, partaking in critiques along the way. We were also required to write Growth as a Poet, which was a three paragraph essay discussing poetic changes through the drafts, and how we personally had grown in writing poetry. At the beginning of this project, I did not think I would gain much from learning about poetry. However, it turned out to be a fun, interesting project, and I am glad that I had the chance to write and explore this artistic form of writing.
*Below you can read my poem, titled Materialistic Kindness, and also my Growth as a Poet.
Happiness Project
Project Description
What is happiness? What role does meaning play in finding happiness? What can we do to become happier? All of these questions were explored through the Happiness Project, a study of finding happiness and meaning. To begin this project, we read a profound novel titled Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. This book examined a dystopian society called, appropriately, the Brave New World. The citizens of this society were taught to value happiness above all else. Their lives had little meaning, yet they were content with the easy pleasures that were provided for them. Reading this interesting book introduced us to happiness in an unconventional way; we continued to learn about happiness and meaning through documentaries, videos, articles, and discussion with our peers. We were encouraged to form our own opinions. Then, each student wrote a five paragraph essay about what they believed regarding happiness and meaning. We also created individual art pieces, representative of concepts learned through the project and in our essay.
Project Reflection
1) How do you feel this project has helped you grow as a student? Think about your work habits, study strategies, and the HOHAM.
A large part of the Happiness Project revolved around our individual interpretations of happiness and meaning. We were each asked to create an art piece that represented concepts in our essay and concepts that we had learned throughout the project. I feel that creating my art piece caused growth for me as a student. I do not think of myself as particularly artsy, so I would normally choose not to paint for a project; however, I decided to paint for this project and I think it has “opened a door” for projects in the future. I thoroughly enjoyed painting and found that it was a relaxing break from the stress of writing my essay. In the future, I think that this experience will influence me to try new things and challenge myself to create the best project that I can. Another aspect of this project that has caused personal growth is time management. We were allowed about two weeks to complete the essay and art piece. Originally, I had a tough time deciding what concepts to focus on for my essay, and what sort of art piece I would like to create. Once I had decided on my essay and art piece, time was already running out. However, once I had nailed down my project, I broke up the tasks and designated specific times to complete them. This was the first time I have tried that approach, and it was successful.
2) Generate a plan for your summer that incorporates your understanding of happiness and meaning. Connect what you plan to do with what you learned.
Reading Brave New World and learning about “difficult happiness” in the Happiness Project has taught me that you must work for happiness and overcome obstacles to be truly happy. Based on this knowledge, my summer break could be spent training for mountain biking and Nordic skiing. I would be pursuing happiness because those sports make me happy, and I would continue to become better while challenging myself daily. I could also coach Devo Jr. summer camps, and help to be a positive influence in the lives of young children who are just beginning to love mountain biking. I would like to continue to see my friends as often as possible. Throughout the summer, I would also like to try to use my cell phone less. I could do this by creating a schedule for myself, such as only using my phone every other day or only for music and communication. Additionally, I will attend a month-long leadership camp called Colorado Student Leaders Institute. This will be challenging yet fulfilling, contributing to my happiness. I can use the skills and resources from my camp to positively influence my peers, and help solve community issues. I would like my summer to be a rest period—to reset myself for next year—but I would also like to make use of the time and use it to challenge myself and coach kids.
3) What is your biggest take-away from this project? Explain.
My biggest take-away from the Happiness Project is a new awareness of our society and our values. The society depicted in Brave New World is a dystopia. The citizens of dystopian societies believe that they live quite normally, yet from an outsider’s perspective the society may seem very wrong and out of the ordinary. I thought a lot about the concept of dystopias, and it has caused me to see our society in a new light. Are we a dystopian society? What would our norms and values look like from an outsider’s perspective? While I cannot answer these questions, this project has caused me to examine our society and what I believe in a different way. I do not think we will ever know if we are a dystopian society, because we are living in it. That can be unnerving to think about, but this new awareness is my biggest take away from the Happiness Project.
What is happiness? What role does meaning play in finding happiness? What can we do to become happier? All of these questions were explored through the Happiness Project, a study of finding happiness and meaning. To begin this project, we read a profound novel titled Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. This book examined a dystopian society called, appropriately, the Brave New World. The citizens of this society were taught to value happiness above all else. Their lives had little meaning, yet they were content with the easy pleasures that were provided for them. Reading this interesting book introduced us to happiness in an unconventional way; we continued to learn about happiness and meaning through documentaries, videos, articles, and discussion with our peers. We were encouraged to form our own opinions. Then, each student wrote a five paragraph essay about what they believed regarding happiness and meaning. We also created individual art pieces, representative of concepts learned through the project and in our essay.
Project Reflection
1) How do you feel this project has helped you grow as a student? Think about your work habits, study strategies, and the HOHAM.
A large part of the Happiness Project revolved around our individual interpretations of happiness and meaning. We were each asked to create an art piece that represented concepts in our essay and concepts that we had learned throughout the project. I feel that creating my art piece caused growth for me as a student. I do not think of myself as particularly artsy, so I would normally choose not to paint for a project; however, I decided to paint for this project and I think it has “opened a door” for projects in the future. I thoroughly enjoyed painting and found that it was a relaxing break from the stress of writing my essay. In the future, I think that this experience will influence me to try new things and challenge myself to create the best project that I can. Another aspect of this project that has caused personal growth is time management. We were allowed about two weeks to complete the essay and art piece. Originally, I had a tough time deciding what concepts to focus on for my essay, and what sort of art piece I would like to create. Once I had decided on my essay and art piece, time was already running out. However, once I had nailed down my project, I broke up the tasks and designated specific times to complete them. This was the first time I have tried that approach, and it was successful.
2) Generate a plan for your summer that incorporates your understanding of happiness and meaning. Connect what you plan to do with what you learned.
Reading Brave New World and learning about “difficult happiness” in the Happiness Project has taught me that you must work for happiness and overcome obstacles to be truly happy. Based on this knowledge, my summer break could be spent training for mountain biking and Nordic skiing. I would be pursuing happiness because those sports make me happy, and I would continue to become better while challenging myself daily. I could also coach Devo Jr. summer camps, and help to be a positive influence in the lives of young children who are just beginning to love mountain biking. I would like to continue to see my friends as often as possible. Throughout the summer, I would also like to try to use my cell phone less. I could do this by creating a schedule for myself, such as only using my phone every other day or only for music and communication. Additionally, I will attend a month-long leadership camp called Colorado Student Leaders Institute. This will be challenging yet fulfilling, contributing to my happiness. I can use the skills and resources from my camp to positively influence my peers, and help solve community issues. I would like my summer to be a rest period—to reset myself for next year—but I would also like to make use of the time and use it to challenge myself and coach kids.
3) What is your biggest take-away from this project? Explain.
My biggest take-away from the Happiness Project is a new awareness of our society and our values. The society depicted in Brave New World is a dystopia. The citizens of dystopian societies believe that they live quite normally, yet from an outsider’s perspective the society may seem very wrong and out of the ordinary. I thought a lot about the concept of dystopias, and it has caused me to see our society in a new light. Are we a dystopian society? What would our norms and values look like from an outsider’s perspective? While I cannot answer these questions, this project has caused me to examine our society and what I believe in a different way. I do not think we will ever know if we are a dystopian society, because we are living in it. That can be unnerving to think about, but this new awareness is my biggest take away from the Happiness Project.
Happiness Art Piece
Happiness Essay
Model United Nations Project
Project Description
The Model United Nations Project was a nine-week long project that centered around the United Nations (UN) and two issues that the global community is currently facing. For this project, each student was assigned a country (I was Russia). To begin this project, we learned about the UN - their members, their aims and values, the history of their formation, etc. We then moved on to one conflict that the UN is struggling to resolve: whether or not North Korea should be allowed to possess nuclear weapons. We did a great deal of research on this topic, beginning with watching videos in class. The culmination of research and writing would be exhibited in the form of a Model United Nations conference. Each student was required to research their country's perspective on the matter, |
write a policy paper, and then write a resolution from the viewpoint of their country. Resolutions were written in the resolution format that is used in the real United Nations. Four resolutions that outlined the best solutions were chosen to be amended and voted on in conference, comprising the docket. We were required to use Parliamentary Procedure to speak during the conference, and it was entirely run by students. Each student, as a representative from their country, wrote a speech to be given during the conference that described which resolution they planned to vote for. This project obliged all students to understand their own countries and develop writing skills, while building consensus and working with allies.
Project Reflection
Project Reflection
- What are you most proud of about this conference?
- What did you connect with most in this project, and how did that affect your conference performance?
- What was the most important thing you learned in this project? Why?
Model United Nations Project
Mid-Project Reflection
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I am second from the left in the image above.
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Socialization and Identity Project
Project Description
For the first humanities project of the 2015/2016 school year, we studied the general topic of socialization. We began by studying different sociology concepts including culture, norms, morals, stereotypes, identity categories, and the cycle of socialization. We explored these topics through a variety of videos and articles. We also read a novel titled Mexican White Boy, an excellent story of a teenage boy struggling with his sense of identity, that taught ideas of socialization. Once we had gained background knowledge on the topics involving socialization, we examined ways that we were personally socialized, in negative and positive ways. Our personal socialization was applied to a five paragraph essay that we were each required to write. The essay was one of the final products from this project, along with a symbolistic mask. The mask was created out of a plater cast of the student's face, and then decorated to represent concepts discussed in their essay. You can see my essay and a picture of my mask below.
Project Reflection
This is a quote from my socialization essay, titled Unfolding My Socialization. This is the section of my essay that I am most proud of. The objective of writing socialization essays was to recognize three ways that you have been socialized, write about how this has affected your identity, and state how that makes you feel. In this section, I believe that I accomplished exactly that. For my topic sentence, I clearly state how I have been socialized to believe that women are supposed to present themselves in a way that is feminine. I go on to expand upon this socialization, telling how this affects my identity. Then, I give an in-depth explanation of how this makes me feel. In the other paragraphs from my essay, my feelings are not stated as clearly. I feel that readers can easily empathize with the way that I have been socialized because of the way I wrote this paragraph, and that is what really makes me feel proud of it.
For the first humanities project of the 2015/2016 school year, we studied the general topic of socialization. We began by studying different sociology concepts including culture, norms, morals, stereotypes, identity categories, and the cycle of socialization. We explored these topics through a variety of videos and articles. We also read a novel titled Mexican White Boy, an excellent story of a teenage boy struggling with his sense of identity, that taught ideas of socialization. Once we had gained background knowledge on the topics involving socialization, we examined ways that we were personally socialized, in negative and positive ways. Our personal socialization was applied to a five paragraph essay that we were each required to write. The essay was one of the final products from this project, along with a symbolistic mask. The mask was created out of a plater cast of the student's face, and then decorated to represent concepts discussed in their essay. You can see my essay and a picture of my mask below.
Project Reflection
- Mask: What are you most proud of about your mask? Why?
- Quote: Quote the section of your essay that you are most proud of and describe, in detail, why you are proud of it.
This is a quote from my socialization essay, titled Unfolding My Socialization. This is the section of my essay that I am most proud of. The objective of writing socialization essays was to recognize three ways that you have been socialized, write about how this has affected your identity, and state how that makes you feel. In this section, I believe that I accomplished exactly that. For my topic sentence, I clearly state how I have been socialized to believe that women are supposed to present themselves in a way that is feminine. I go on to expand upon this socialization, telling how this affects my identity. Then, I give an in-depth explanation of how this makes me feel. In the other paragraphs from my essay, my feelings are not stated as clearly. I feel that readers can easily empathize with the way that I have been socialized because of the way I wrote this paragraph, and that is what really makes me feel proud of it.
- Biggest Take-away: What will you remember from this project? Why?
- Growth: What message or concept from this project do you want to share with your community? How could you share this knowledge?