KRM GCE Portfolio

In my STEAM class, Urban Planning, we are in our last unit, Flow. We have been studying how different cities have different styles of urban planning. We visited the Pedway Tunnels for an FE which was really cool because I don't take public transportation, except for when I am going on an FE, and it was amazing seeing the way that the architects designed this underground tunnel for people when the weather is looking rough. We watched 3 different Ted Talks but they were all about urban planning. James Kunstler talked about urban planning "disappointing cities". Ellen James Dunham talked about turning dead malls into community spaces for the people that live in the same area. Majora Carter spoke on getting more green spaces in under privileged neighborhoods. I agree with Dunham and Carter because what they are trying to do is make communities better and stronger for the people that live in the same space/ area. For this AP, we had to take a place anywhere in the world and de...

In my STEAM class, Urban Planning, we finished our second unit, Power, and we learned a lot about circuits and eco friendly home appliances. For this unit, we went to the Museum of Science and Industry to watch the Tesla coil be set off. That was a really cool experience because I wasn't expecting for the coil to be that loud. We have been studying circuits and how to make them. We learned about the different symbols that are used for circuits when you draw them out. For this AP, we were paired up with another person in our class and that made the process of this project better because there was a lot of work that had to be done for this AP. The format for this AP, was slideshow format. In our slideshow, you will see the circuit that we created, the eco friendly home appliances that each resistor is representing, calculations, and more. We had to talk about how this AP connected with SDG 7 and why we chose it. You will learn about the circuit that we designed and the home applianc...

This is the last term of my junior year in my STEAM class called "Urban Planning". We have been focusing on bridges during the first unit of Urban Planning called "Load". We looked at different types of bridges and we studied why some bridges are more stable than others. We also learned about the forces that act upon bridges and the different types of energy that is created. For this AP, we had to build a bridge with our partners out of toothpicks and we tested them with weights in the OC. This was a very fun process and I enjoyed watching how my classmates had different ideas for the same type of bridge. My partner and I put a lot of work into building our bridge and I am happy that we were able to work with each other without any problems. I hope you enjoy my project, Thank You! For the process, everyone received 60 popsicles sticks and Elmer's glue. We had to make the bridges so that they can hold up to 10 pounds. Our bridge was able to hold ...

This is my last AP for my STEAM class called Light, Sound, and Time. In our last unit, we have been focusing on time and how there are different devices made to tell time. For this AP, we had to design a new version of a clock and add something to it so that it is an original. At first, I felt like this was going to be hard because I didn't know what exactly to add to a clock. My design is based off of a couple different devices that are already made that people use on a daily basis. We had to make a video explaining what our device is and how it functions. We looked at different types of clocks for this unit as well. Some examples that we looked at were sundials, candle clocks, incense clocks, hourglasses, atomic clocks, and water clocks. We learned a lot about latitude and longitude and how these two can help you find out the time without a clock available. Down below you will see the device that I designed and I hope that you find my device interesting! This Time Has Everyth...

In my STEAM class, Light, Sound, and Time, we have been focusing on the vibrations that come from guitars. We visited Chicago Music Exchange for an FE, and we learned about the different guitars and why some cost much more then others. We learned about the guitar and how each part of the guitar does something to help produce sound. The guitar strings can be made with different materials, which would give the guitar a different pitch because each different material produces a different sound. It can also have a different pitch based off of the thickness, tension, and length of the string. For this AP, we made a Diddley Bow for our project. We had to bring in a can and battery and Adam gave us wood, screws, and guitar strings. Making the Diddley Bow was the hard part. I struggled with making sure that the guitar string was tight so that there could be a noise coming from the Diddley Bow. Adam helped me with making sure that the string was tight so that the instrument can produce sound. D...

In my STEAM class called Light, Sound, and Time. In this class, we have been watching videos on the three of these things relate in one way. We learned about how things get there color and how the eye perceives color in different ways. We learned about light waves and sound waves. Light waves are transversal. Sound waves are longitudinal. We have been looking at cameras and how they are able to take pictures. For this AP, we designed a pinhole camera. We had to bring in an oatmeal can or a box for the body of the camera. We had to bring in soda cans for the covering of the hole that is cut into the body of the camera. After the aluminum was in the box or oatmeal can, we stuck a hole in the middle of the aluminum piece with a pin because that is where the light is going to get through. We had to paint the inside of the body of the camera black and cover up all spaces where light could get into the camera because if there was some form of light in the body then the camera would not be ab...

In my elective class called "Game Changers",we have been working on creating our own game. We went to stores for materials that we will need for our game. We went with the idea that I made up for the game because Aaron thought that it was a great idea. The game consists of learning how to dance and memorizing dance moves. While I was designing this game I was thinking about it becoming a party game or a family game because you can have fun and you will have to interact with other people for this game. The age range for this game would be 7-adult because I test played this game with younger children and the people who played were 5-adults. I saw that the 5 and 6 year olds were not understanding what to do and the 7- up were able to remember the steps easily and didn't need help with the dance choreography that was given to them. This game was very fun to make and I enjoyed creating a game that I thought would be fun for people to play because a lot of people enjoy dancing ...

In Design and Engineering, we have been working on our last AP for this term. For this project, we had to get a character that Adam assigned us and we had to design a new bike. We had three different people come in who work with bike companies and they talked to us about the type of bike they have, problems they have with it and reasons why they like the bikes. This was a partner project and my partner and I worked great together. We both did work and we made sure that everything was needed and all of the right information was on the right slides. Each group of partners got a person, and we had to design a certain bike for our character. We had to take a bike and add more things to it so that it could fit our person perfectly. When we were creating our bike, I decided that we should 3D print our model so that it could look better than a bike made out of straws and wooden popsicle sticks. Adam helped us with the 3D printer and I was able to finish the project. We created a slide show an...

This year, I am in a class called Design and Engineering. In this class we have been focusing on garden tools, empathy, sympathy, and apathy. We had to interview a gardener and ask them questions about tools that they use and how they would want for the tool to be improved in any way. We have visited Home Depot, Beyond Design, and we also planted plants outside of the school. For this AP, we had to choose a tool that was helpful to the world, and we had to make a better design so that it can be more useful and helpful for elderly people. When we went to Home Depot, I chose the pressure washer as my tool. I saw that there are different types of pressure washers and they all have different prices. The smaller the pressure washer, it is less money. The bigger the pressure washer is, it is more money. I also noticed that all pressure washers are used to clean different things. The smaller the pressure washer is, it has less power with the water which allows the machine to clean windows and...

In my STEAM class, Cure, we have been working on our second AP for this class. For this project, we had to think of a bacteria/disease that we wanted to know more about and we had to find different ways of curing the bacteria's that we chose. We had to find different names for the medicaments and drugs that we chose for this bacteria. I learned that there are three different kinds of ways to treat yourself:  Over-The-Counter (OTC) Drugs. OTC's are drugs that have less restriction but they are regulated.  Prescription Drugs. These are drugs that need a recommendation from a professional, like a doctor or surgeon. Treatments. These are drugs that are everything else but they are unregulated. We learned the difference between drugs and medicines, and we also learned the difference between treating and curing and intended effects and side effects. We got to look at box's of medicine and we were looking at the drug facts that are on the back of the medicine. ...

This is my last AP for the class and sophomore year! I am so proud of the work that I have completed in this class and I am really thankful for all of the work that I have received in this class because this class has helped me notice what I want to become when I get older. I would like to thank Aaron for giving me so much helpful information this year and I would like to thank him for teaching me this year. For this AP, we had to create a profile for a patient that is worried about having a disorder or disease because someone in their family had it. My role in this project was to be a doctor and give advice and help to my patient so that I can make sure that the disorder or disease that she is talking about; she doesn't get it. I had to put their information down so that we could learn about their medical history and what type of medicines we should give them and what not to give them so that we aren't messing up their body in any way. Another thing that I had ...

This is my first AP for Cure. In cure, we have been learning about the body but focusing more on the cell, how it works, what it looks like, and how there are different types of cells. We have done experiments in class so that we could look at cells under a microscope. We swabbed different areas in the school to see if they had any bacteria on it and we put them into containers that show us the bacteria so that we can see them. It was pretty cool but gross at the same time. Some of them had fungus inside of them and it shocked me because I did not know that fungus would grow inside of the container. We learned how to use a microscope, how they work, and how many different types of microscopes there are. We were looking at different viruses that were put on slides so that we could put them underneath a microscope. It was interesting looking at these viruses because they were so different and I did not know that they were different colors. We looked at the ce...

In Disease, we are working with different disorders that people have. This unit was very fun because I was able to learn new things about different disorders that people have to go through. This is my second AP in this class and I feel that I did better on this project than my first one because I made sure that I was using the rubric properly. We used the DSM 5 to help with this project because it helped us look for symptoms of our disorder. We watched simulations of different disorders and they gave me different viewpoints on everything. When we were watching these videos, I was thinking to myself, just saying that everyone is the same. People with disorders are NOT weird. They are unique. I was also able to realize what it was like to be a person that was the caregiver of the person with the disorder. We have not gone on any FE's in this class yet, but we have learned a lot in these past two units. For this project, we had to show a simulation of our disorder. Some people did a v...

We are in a STEAM class called Disease. In this class, we are learning about the 11 body systems and how they work. For this project, we had to interview someone that we knew or someone that knew someone with a disease. I interviewed someone in my family for my project because I was able to see some of the effects the condition had on my family member it was hard to come up with questions to ask my interviewee because I had to find symptoms, and I had to try and feel the same way they felt when they had this condition. Before I started my interview I needed some research so that I would at least know what I was interviewing my person on. I had to draw a body outline for the disease I chose because I had to show an image of the body systems that this condition affects. Everyone in the class chose a different disease and they talked about how their disease affects people and how the disease also affects certain body systems. We had to figure out keywords for the disease and symptoms tha...

In RPG, we made it to the 3D section of this class. I have learned how to use a 3D printer and I also learned about the different websites you have to use so that your object can be made. For this project, we had to make a design that could out the school. We also had to work with partners. I feel like my design is very helpful because it allows things to stay in place and not everywhere in the class room. This design took a long time to make but it was worth it because it came out looking great. I feel that the 3D printers should be used more in the world because they actually make life easier. All you have to do is upload whatever design you want into a network and BAM, you have a design that can help you or someone else. Adam helped everyone in the class and I feel like we all are thankful for Adam's help in the class. This is the last AP of his class and I feel like Adam's class helped me learn a lot. I never knew that 3D printers existed until I came to GCE and then I lear...

In Rapid Prototyping we were learning about the Carvey machine and how they work. I enjoyed this topic much better than unit 1 because I was more engaged in class and I knew what I was doing. The Carvey machine makes everything look so much better, especially when you are comparing it to something that you made by hand. We haven't gone on any FE's for this unit yet, but we will be going on one on December 15,2017. My experience with the Carvey machine was amazing. I was so surprised at the way my project came out. It was very nice and clean. There were some malfunctions when it came to my design because we were only allowed to use 2 drills. I had to use the smallest drill due to my designs, but I am very happy with the way my project came out. In RPG, we have been working on distance formula, how to find mass, volume, distance, and much more. You will be seeing examples of what we learned in my project. You will also see my project and the outcome of my handmade and Carvey proj...

In Rapid Prototyping, we have been talking about how to use a CNC Machine.  It has been really fun learning how to work with electronics and going to mHub to see the different types of machines.  We learned how CNC Machines work and how to use them.  They aren't that hard, and that was what surprised me the most because I never used one before and I thought that it was going to be difficult. When we went to mHub we walked around and saw the different types of machines they have and what they use to make them work.  I will admit, I was tired of walking around but I do feel that the experience was a good thing to learn.  For our AP, we had to make a slideshow and we had to compare a piece of art to the CNC version of the art piece.   In Conclusion, this project was very interesting and I thought that the CNC Machine was a very cool piece of machinery and I enjoyed working with it.

During our last week of Population, we have been working on understanding the Nature Preservation Method and how it helps scientist discover new things and make new observations.  For my AP, I talked about why photography is important to the scientist.  Science would be very hard to understand for layman because they don't study science.  Pictures help a lot when it comes to primary children because they may not be as smart as a 15-year-old is.  This was a very good project because it made sense to me and I was able to connect this project to my actual life.  Aaron gave us a rubric that made sense to me and I was able to do exactly what I was supposed to do.  I feel like I am going to pass this AP and I hope that Aaron enjoys this AP. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is my first action project. The projects are based on organisms that the 10th-grade class went to go visit at the Lincoln Park Zoo. I chose the Lion as my organism because I’ve always found them interesting. I feel like I personally connect with this certain animal because My zodiac sign is the Leo and I wanted to know if we had any traits that were the same. And I feel like we do. I will be talking about how they act, what habitat do they live in, the type of foods they eat, etc. I want to know how they are and what their life is like. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The African Lion Here lies a chart of what family my organism come from and what its taxonomic levels are: TAXONOMY LEVEL CLASSIFICATION OF YOUR ORGANISM PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION Kingdom Animalia Heterotrophic Phylum Chordata Spinal Cord Class Mammalia Fur O...