CH GCE Portfolio

In the first unit of my junior Humanities class "Policy," we have been discussing legislation and government policy. We looked at legislation surrounding WWI and how those policies then worked for WWII. For our field experiences, we virtually met with public defender Akio Katano and former United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. We visited the National Veterans Art Museum and looked at art made by veterans deployed during the Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan war. For class we had to read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien to better understand the Vietnam war. For this action project, we then had the chance to choose a bill that has not been passed and write a letter to our representatives voicing our opinions on the bill. In my letter below, I have written a letter to my house of representatives to vote on a bill that I believe to be really important. Throughout this, we have to continue using rhetoric, policy, and a great argument! - - - - - - - - - - - - -  ...

In the second unit of my junior STEAM class "Urban Planning," we spent the past couple of weeks learning about energy. In this unit, we learned about the War of Currents, AC/ DC energy, circuits, and Ohm’s law. For our FE, we met virtually with guests from Farr Associates. We learned about sustainable and energy-efficient architecture. For this action project, we had to create a circuit using 1 main switch and at least 1 parallel branch switch. We then have to calculate the voltage and current running through the circuit and estimate how much energy could be saved with our energy-efficient design.  CH. "circuit model and frame." 2021. Lightbulb 1 would represent the power to the entire room. Lightbulb 2 would represent a coffee machine. Lightbulb 3 would represent the dishwasher. Lightbulb 4 would represent the ceiling fan and light in the room. Lightbulb 1 and 4 will always turn on at the same time because they are part of the same branch. You can turn on and off l...

This is the first Action Project (AP) for my STEAM class Urban Planning. In this first unit, we learned about the law of sines and cosines, the 7 ancient wonders of the world, free body diagrams, bridges, gravity, and Newton's Laws. For this unit's field experience, our teacher walked around downtown Chicago and showed our class the DuSable bridge, the river walk, and lower wacker virtually. For this AP, we were tasked with making truss bridges with a maximum of 60 popsicle sticks and a bottle of Elmer's Glue. One struggle I had with this project was getting the two truss sides of the bridge to stay together. To fix this I had to think of creative ways to keep my bridge up while I glued them together. CH. "Slideshow." Google Slides, 2021.

In my humanities class, "A Nations Argument", we recently finished our second unit called Antithesis. In this unit, we learned about logical fallacies, premises, and the difference between valid and sound arguments. We learned about life in the US after separating from Britain. We looked closely at the United States Constitution and how the amendments were first used in supreme court cases. We met virtually with public defender Connie Jordan, 27th ward Alderman Burnett, and 40th ward Alderman Vasquez. To end this unit, our teacher asked us all to amend an ordinance in the Chicago Municipal code that we believe is unjust. I picked Chicago's hate-crime ordinance.  Unjust Chicago Municipal Code: 8-4-085 Hate crimes.  (a) No person shall, by reason of any motive or intent relating to, or any antipathy, animosity or hostility based upon, the actual or perceived race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, ancestry, sexual orientation, active or prior military status, or m...

In the third unit of my junior STEAM class "Light, Sound, & Time," we spent the past couple of weeks learning about time.  We spent the first week learning about different ways people measured time. We learned about latitude and longitude, Foucault's pendulum, and arc length. We learned about the theory of general relativity, the twin paradox, and the concept of time travel. Our class met with Taylor Hoyt, a UChicago graduate who studied astrophysics. The class focused on the history of time-telling devices such as incense clocks, candle clocks, and hourglasses. My research helped inspire my own time-telling device called the Light Alarm. I was inspired by the simplicity of the physical design of modern alarm clocks. I was also inspired by sundials and how the device uses light to tell time. I took these qualities and created a unique way of telling time. Watch my video to learn more about my invention! In conclusion, I liked completing this unit. I had a fun time lea...

In unit two of my junior STEAM class "Light, Sound, & Time," we spent the past couple of weeks learning about sound.  We learned the anatomy of the human ear and how it perceives sound. We learned about the speed of sound, reflection and refraction, soundwaves, frequency, and wavelength. We learned about the Doppler effect and musical instruments. For our action project at the end of the unit, we had to make a one-string guitar or Diddley Bow out of common materials.  CH. "Diddley Bow." 2021. The Diddley Bow creates sound through the one guitar string. This guitar string is pulled tight between two nails that are mounted on a piece of wood. At one end of the string, there is a dead battery wedged underneath the string to create tension. The other end of the string runs through a soup can, this also creates tension. The tension allows the string to vibrate. The soup can then amplifies those vibrations the same way a soundhole does on a guitar. This creates the so...

In my Humanities class, "A Nations Argument", we recently finished our first unit called Thesis. In this class, we focused on the Declaration of Independence and the way argument constructed our nation. In our class, we watched a lecture from Yale Professor Freeman about the American revolution. We also met with Principal Ben Blair of Rodgers Park Montessori School. For this action project, we had to declare an independent study. I choose to declare an independent study about mental health awareness.  “Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources.” Coral Springs, 2021.  Topic:  Mental Health Introduction: I am writing this declaration to fight for a class based on the wellness and awareness of mental health. It is necessary to learn about mental health so that we can all be more compassionate and understanding of each other. Personal and Logical Evidence:  School and learning are meant to prepare students for the world and the independent choices they will have ...