geniushourreflection.docx |
My Genius Hour Reflection paper above, and below are my artifacts of my presentation.
My Genius Hour Reflection paper above, and below are my artifacts of my presentation.
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Rate your Genius Hour effort from 1-10 (with 10 being superior and 1 being minimal). Explain the reasoning for your score.I believe my effort is deserving of a 9. I have been working very hard with not only my research but I have really stepped out of my comfort zone. I have continued learning a very difficult language--German--even though sometimes I just want to quit. I have also been talking with some other foreign exchange students and host families around here so I can learn what its like. As a person who is not an extrovert, I am very proud of myself for doing this. I have also been brainstorming ideas for fundraising (which is not my forte either). Although the real test for me is actually doing my exchange, I believe I have done a "sehr gut" job on my Genius Hour project. Explain why/why not you think Genius Hour is a good use of your time in English Language Arts.I think Genius Hour is a very good use of our English Language Arts time because (please excuse the clique) it makes learning fun. For me, at least, it makes me look forward to going to this class knowing I get to research something I love. Plus, homework is a good excuse for skipping out on those "fun" family outings.
One thing I don't like is that Genius Hour replaced SSR, which was one of my favorite things in English. I absolutely love reading for pleasure. On a Friday night, one can usually find me curled up somewhere cozy with a good book and a cup of tea. I'd rather read any day than go to a party where there's a pretty good chance kids are going to be getting MIPs. No thanks. If I could have it my way, I'd have a dedicated Genius Hour day and an SSR day--maybe alternating once every other week. What is your step-by-step plan to complete your genius hour project? make an agenda with dates and timelines.Technically, my genius hour project will not be complete until I go and come back from an actual foreign exchange trip, but unfortunately, I don't have enough time for that. So I'll have to settle for something little less extravagant.
The Plan: ~Finish beginner German language skills by May 31 ~Begin learning Swedish by June 18 ~Have a basic understanding of the Swedish language/culture by August 10 ~Begin my second year of intense German language study by September 7 ~Continue raising money for journey between September 2015-January 2017 ~Lock in a first and second choice program by September of 2016 ~Apply for programs by January of 2017 ~Embark on my foreign exchange GAP year journey August of 2017 and return June/July of 2018 ~While I'm there, write continuous blogs for those students wishing to go on a foreign exchange program and talk with students (most likely virtually) about the pros and cons and everything else about foreign exchanging. what progress have you made in the last month on your genius hour project?In the past few months I have continued researching all I need to know about foreign exchange. I have decided to do a summer program (4-8 weeks) during the summer of 2016. Hopefully, by then AFS will have a few more options to go to my top countries. I have looked at the money aspect of it and came up with some fundraising ideas to help me with that. I have discovered that you can GAP year abroad (which is for high school graduates), so I may do that program instead of missing a year of high school. What steps do you plan to take in the next 3 weeks to further your progress on your project?The next few weeks, I plan to continue my search and find some blogs of previous foreign exchange kids who have gone to the countries I'd like to go to. Also, I'd like to come up with more plans to fundraise money. I will also continue working on my foreign language (German) skills so I can be mostly fluent by the time I depart.
describe the progress you've made this semester on your genius hour projectThis semester, I have thoroughly researched many different foreign exchange programs. That in itself took a lot of time, even though I had started to do so before this semester began. I discovered the program I am most likely going to go through. Though it has less diverse programs and is slightly more expensive--the others had sketchy reviews. I am super excited about this prospect. What is the most challenging aspect of your project so far?I have two challenges in this project that rank in a tie for number 1. The first being money. Many of the scholarships out there do not, unfortunately, apply to me, so I have to start from scratch. Programs for a year or semester generally range from $10,000 to $18,000. For summer it is $5,000 to $9,000--and that's just tuition. Having to raise all that money is extremely intimidating, but if this is something I really want, I'll have to.
My second huge challenge deals with my school. For a year or semester program, my school will not count it towards my credits--meaning I'd be a year or semester behind when I come back. I plan on graduating high school and going to a good college right away, and I don't want to spend an extra year learning the same stuff I learned overseas, albeit in a different language, but it's still the same information. |
AuthorYogi and handstand princess. Boxing, food, and guitars. Archives
May 2015
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