Since the seniors have graduated, I've been on my own in AP Lang. Instead of doing an innovation project (not enough time to do a meaningful project in that amount of time), I've decided to read a book that I chose. I'm reading Periodic Tales: A Cultural History of the Elements, From Arsenic to Zinc by Hugh Aldersey-Williams. While it sounds like a boring nonfiction about the periodic table, it's actually a historical examination of how each element has influenced social structures and cultures across the span of human existence. The book is split into five parts: Power, Fire, Craft, Beauty, and Earth. Each element is placed in one of these categories and then examined. Aldersey-Williams writes in a very distinct style, almost like Malcolm Gladwell from Outliers or Steven Levitt from Freakonomics. Unlike their books, however, which deal mostly with thought experiments or already collected data, he does some experiments himself. For example, in the chapter "Pee is for Phosphorous", he examines the role of an alchemist back in the 17th century, as well as the art that was inspired by these men. In one of the pieces, it shows a man kneeling reverently in front of a complicated experiment, with apprentices in the background looking on in confusion. Alderney-Williams decides to replicate the experiment, which goes on to show that these alchemists were actually very smart and precise chemists, despite the mystical connotations they held. I am very excited to read this book, and every week I will post about a chapter or chapters and what I found interesting about it.
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I've loved having innovation time this year. It was a great break from the AP curriculum, plus it gave me a chance to explore topics that aren't typically covered in classes here. I think the hardest part of it was definitely choosing a topic, and it took me a long time to come up with ideas on how to make a project out of something I liked. The most meaningful project I did this year was learning Norwegian, since it brought me closer to my dad's side of the family and gave me the skills I needed going into learning a new language.
Last innovation day, I did some more lessons on the Norwegian learning site, although I am quickly running out of lessons to do. The site has been really useful in teaching the basics of the Norwegian language, and what you'd need to know in everyday settings. I want to try and find a site that teaches more slang or conversational Norwegian. I'll look at home to see if I find anything.
Because of testing, I did not have Innovation Day last week. This week, I want to focus on what I want to do to wrap up this year and how to apply it to my life and mindset over the summer.
This week, I started working on my 3 in 3 talk, which I'll present next week. I got a little bit farther on the site I'm using, and I'm about halfway through now. I don't know what I'll do after I finish it, since I do want to keep learning more Norwegian.
I started the first week of my new project today. I decided to do my innovation project on learning Norwegian. I spent most of the hour searching for a website that was free and taught intermediate Norwegian, since I did have some experience with the language. I settled on http://www.ntnu.edu/now, and open online course from the technological university in Norway. I spent about 15 minutes working on that. First, you go through the provided text that they give you while listening to a recording of the passage (recorded in one take, instead of chopped like Siri.) Then you can go through worksheets to perfect listening and spelling. Or look at the grammar rules and study up.
Overall, I think this course in particular might take two to three weeks, and then move on to a similar program. Presented my TED talk this week! This means I will be changing my innovation project and moving on to the next idea! I have to do some research about Norwegian language programs or about other innovation project ideas that I could do.
My TED talk is almost done, with a few more research points to look up and notecards made. I'm presenting this innovation day, so this part of Innovation Day is almost done! I am still thinking about what to do next, but either something with art or learning another language.
This week, I got started on my TED talk and my 3 in 3 presentation. I'm excited to be done with this project, but I don't have an idea for what I want to do for the next project. I'm thinking something with art and painting, but I'm not 100% sure.
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May 2017
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