1. STUDENT LED CONFERENCES SPRING 2015 BEN IVERSON

2. Cover Letter Science this year has covered a wide range of topics. We started the year with learning about the periodic table in our chemistry unit. We learned about the structure of an atom and how to create/read Bohr Models. Later in the year, we began our earth sciences unit. We talked about oceanography and are now learning about rocks and minerals. My favorite part of science this year has been learning about the periodic table. It is interesting to me to see that everything we know of can all be broken down into the same fundamental components. With this knowledge, it is easier to see the world as a system. My least favorite part of science this year is the amount of projects that we do. I like working on projects, they can be very helpful, but I feel that too many projects can distract from the class and just feel like a waste of time.

3. Rate your ability to complete class assignments. I would give myself a 4.5/5 for my ability to complete all assignments for this class. As of right now, I do not have any missing or even late assignments from quarters 1, 2, or 3. This is a pretty good indication that I always complete my work. If there is a project that we are working on, I make sure to put in work time outside of school, often spending hours with my partner to ensure that we complete the assignment. I deducted half of a point because I do not feel that I study as much as I could be. I still do pretty well on my quizzes, but I should spend more time studying.

4. Rate your in class effort and contributions to class discussions. I would rate myself a 4/5. I usually am giving my best effort and participating in class discussions. However, I might get distracted from time to time and focus on something other than the task at hand. Otherwise, I am always working hard on the assignment and I make sure that I am producing quality work. When it comes to class discussions, I almost always have something to say, and I will usually say it. Anytime we talk about a lab or project we did, I will make a contribution to the discussion. I do not speak as often during conversations about TedTalks, and I will make it a point to share my thoughts about them more often.

5. Rate your ability to work with others in this class. I would give my ability to work with others in this class a 5 out of 5. Working with another person(s) can be an incredibly efficient way of getting a project done. I feel that I do a good job of working together with another person to reach a common goal. However, when paired with certain people that will distract me, or who I don’t work well with, we produce work of a lower caliber. When picking a partner, I make sure to choose someone with a strong work ethic who shares similar ideas as me. With the right partner, we can delegate different tasks to one another and “piggyback” off of each other’s ideas to produce the best possible work.

6. Describe the steps you will take to improve you future performance. I will… ▫Make sure to spend more time studying before tests and quizzes. ▫Ask more questions. ▫Make more contributions to class discussions. ▫Make sure to not talk to friends during instruction.

7. Has your performance in science changed? How? Though my grades may say otherwise, I feel that my performance in science has been staying the same, or maybe getting worse. I really enjoyed the topic covered in the beginning of the year. I was much more interested with the material then. Because the information was more interesting to me, I enjoyed the class more and put a lot of effort into really understanding the concepts. Oceanography and geology are areas of science that I do not have a real interest in, so I am not as eager to learn about them. Naturally, when I am not interested with a topic, I won’t work as hard towards it. Had we been working with more interesting topics, by performance likely would have improved.