Capstone #2

I am now finished with my Capstone interview, which means I am 1/3 done with the Capstone era. I thought of interviewing a few people who specialized in or studied sunsets/sunrises and weather, and soon enough I chose someone who worked at a University, plus they wrote an article I liked.

The first part of the interview process was finding a person and setting it up. After I chose the expert, which was someone named Stephen Cordfidi, I asked Ms. Boyer to email them, requesting the interview. My email looked something like this:

Hello, my name is Jane, and I am a 5th grader at Heathcote Elementary school in Scarsdale, NY. 

I have a simple request. In school, I am studying for a very important project before Middle School. My topic is Sunsets & Sunrises. I wanted to ask if I could possibly interview you for my project? Interviewing someone will help me get the best information for my presentation. 

I understand if you might be busy, -this isn’t a forceful message- though I would appreciate it if we can plan something in an email, phone call, or zoom. 

Thank you, Jane 

After two days, I was excited to find out that they had responded to the email Ms. Boyer sent. We then needed to plan a day to do the interview, which was a struggle.

It was on a Monday that I received their response to the email, and on the following Wednesday, I would have surgery and probably wouldn’t be in school until the next Monday, which was the day Interviewing was due. I was planning on doing my interview the next Monday, (sadly) but thankfully it was changed to the next day, (Tuesday) after that!

Another thing you need to do before an interview is write down interview questions. I had already written mine with my research, though I looked over it to make sure they were good questions. Writing the questions was my favorite part because I had many in mind.

My least favorite part was writing down notes while I was doing the interview. Since Mr. Cordfidi was an advanced expert, he answered the questions in a bit of a confusing, or should I say more advanced way, so it was hard to write down. Also, he spoke really fast and I didn’t have time to get through all the details. I still liked interviewing him though, it helped me get more information about my topic in an ‘advanced’ way.

Keep you posted,

Jane

Capstone #1

In school, I’m starting a very important project called Capstone, which every 5th Grader in the whole direct has done every year, since 2016. Capstone is a project where you get to choose any topic and research and take notes about it. You also have to interview a person that has to do with your topic -like a professor or someone who specializes in your topic.- Then you gather your information and make a presentation. I feel nervous about doing this project because it is the biggest and most important project before Middle School.

Anyway, for my topic, I chose sunsets and sunrises. I chose this topic because I really am interested in sunsets and sunrises, and I want to know how they are made. At first, when I chose this topic, I thought there weren’t going to be any good resources, but it turns out there is much more than I needed.

After you chose a topic you have to think of a keyword question for your topic and start research in a digital notebook. My question is, “What is the science behind sunsets and sunrises? How do they work?” because I really wanted to know how they work. After I made a digital notebook and wrote down notes from the resources.

I also thought it wasn’t too hard to brainstorm a few sub-questions because I already knew what I was going for. But something that was challenging was finding specific answers from websites, for my sub-questions, because most of the articles were about the same thing.

I am still working on finding someone to interview, but I already found some choices. The way I found someone to interview was, that I found professors or people who are experts in my topic, and I found their email, website, or social media. I found someone from NOAA and wrote an introduction, -which is a request email to interview the person.-

 

Refugee Response Q&A

Why is Walleed not scared? Why does he not get super frustrated? Does it seem like he doesn’t care?

I think Walleed acts like he isn’t scared because he is probably in shock, and overwhelmed by everything. His family’s apartment was hit by a missile, there were many bombs, they were being shot from their car, and had to walk so many hours. He usually doesn’t get super frustrated when bad things happen because for a long time so many tragic things have happened it probably sucked all the emotion and hope out of him. He probably does care on the inside but he doesn’t want to show emotions. It is very hard for young kids like him to go through all this, it must be hard for him.

I wonder how all of these kids get the confidence to do things, and how they get so brave?

I think how they get that confidence is because they are going through so many serious and life-changing things they need their confidence and hope to keep going. Josef was so desperate to get off the boat to Cuba, that he had the confidence and bravery to slap his dad. Isabel was also very brave to jump off the boat to save a person because her grandmother had died drowning. Mahmoud was brave and confident enough to go from being completely invisible to stay alive to being the opposite of invisible to try and save himself and his family. They are very brave because either way again, they have to experience war and bombs and being close to death, which is how it already makes them even braver. 

Comparing Smoky Night and Fly Away Home

Similarities:

One similarity that was in both Smoky Night and Fly Away Home that really stood out to me, was that they both had envolved animals that symbolized hope, and important life messages and lessons. What I mean by this is in Fly Away Home, the bird gave Andrew hope for a better future and a home, because he lived in an Airport and didn’t have a home, and things weren’t going well for him. And so the bird showed him a mirror of hope because it was like his situation when the bird was trapped and then finally got freed.  It reflects on his situation like someday a door will open for an oppertunity. Andrew thinks that one day he will get an apartment and a better life situation.

In Smoky Night the two cats becoming friends turned into a friendship for not just the cats but people. It also changes the prespective on people, because at first Daniel’s family and the Kim’s weren’t friends, and neither were the cats. Each family hated one another, but after the cats came together in the fire, the two families got to know eachother and started becoming friends. This shows a message that you should not judge someone when you don’t know them.

I think that means a lot because both of the stories had to do with huge life faces and problems, and this type of effect put into the story is a good symbolization of hope and reflects onto messages and friendship.

Differences:

Each Story also has a big difference. In the start, I noticed that each the stories ended very differently. What I mean by this is that, in Smoky Night there was a riot and a fire, but then at the ending of the story it had a happy ending where the two families became friends.

But on the other hand, Fly Away Home had a deeper and not as happy ending. It wasn’t exactly a happy ending, because he was still doing badly in the Airport, but it also was like a cliff hanger to a new oppertunity. I think this because in the story, it showed how the bills were to high to own an apartment, and Andrew was jealous of other people who had homes, but one thing struck me when I looked at the ending. Andrew says: “Sometimes I just want to cry. I think Dad and I will be here forever,”-“Then I remember the bird. It took a while, but a door opened, and when the bird left, it flew free, I know it was singing.” This means a lot, because it was almost like a bad ending, but that part at the end was like Andrew remembering hope, and the bird, and someday he will find a better home and a door will open.

Wild Born – Brandon Mull – Meilin’s Character Traits

I am reading the book Wild Born, and I think that one of the main characters, Meilin, is very brave and determined. I think this because she is determined to train to fight the Devourers who attacked Zhong, shown in the book. A reason for this is that she had said in the book when the attack took place, “Father, I don’t want to go!” “Please let me defend our home!” 

I realized this shows that she would do anything to save her home, and she is determined, brave, and willing enough to try and fight for Zhong. She is strong and a good fighter, but she obeyed her father, and was forced by Greencloaks to leave Zhong because she is the general’s daughter, and she summoned one of the fallen four great spirit animals. 

Soon enough she realizes it is a good cause that she went with the Greencloaks to Sunset tower to train, which the purpose for this was so that she is ready to fight for Erdas. 

Another reason she is determined to train and fight for Erdas and Zhong is that while some of the other chosen ones of the four were complaining and not being serious about having to train, she said in the text, “This is a poor hour for humor.” “Zhong is under heavy attack. The Greencloaks smuggled me away as my father fought to defend our city.” And much more continents were under attack, and she was serious and determined about training while the others weren’t. 

Another reason why she is very determined about training to get ready to fight is that she also said, “Look. Every minute we are stuck here in training is another minute my father and his army have to struggle without us.” She is also very serious about training with her spirit animal panda, Jhi, though Jhi isn’t serious.

This shows she is very determined and cares a lot. She is also very brave because she is willing to do anything for her father and Zhong, and all of Erdas.