The three students I am tracking have all turned in their proposals early!
Student 1: Making Macaroons
When I think about
macaroons, I feel as if they are easy to make but that is not true. Something I
have always wanted to know is how do you get the perfect meringue; this is one
of the questions I have been thinking about because whenever I make macaroons
it seems as if I’m missing something or doing something wrong. There is always
a problem, for example, the first time I made them it was so difficult and
confusing. But the most disappointing part was taking the macaroons out of the oven,
and they came out as flat cookies, so they did not even look like macaroons.
I chose this topic
because I wanted to know more about the process of how to get the perfect
macaroon or in other words, a more advanced level of techniques. I really want
to make a macaron that has the following features: one that has the aroma when
you first walk into a French bakery, the lumpy texture from the feet of the
macaroon, and the flavor of heaven. I know how the process goes, but I do not
know what else I could add to make my macaroon so delicious, like the secret ingredient’s
bakers used. Hopefully, by the time I finish this project, I will take everything
that I have learned and use it for future events, and I have been thinking
about getting a job for the summer that includes working in a bakery and introducing
this wonderful pastry.
I have plenty of
resources to help me with my project, but I am thinking of using a cookbook as
an additional resource since cookbooks not only have the recipes, but they have
the directions and techniques for making certain pastries. Also using different
cookbooks can help me find different recipes and expand the different varieties
of recipes.
The way I will compose my
project is by a PowerPoint with my research and my own experiences I have
already had. It is important to also share experiences because it gives the
viewer a more realistic view of the story or projects the narrator is trying to
tell instead of just relying on research. I will also make macarons to present
my project, but I am still thinking if I should make enough for the class, I’m
also hesitant since there can be people that can judge your work even if you
work so hard on it.
The reason I research “how to perfect macarons”
is to obviously make the best macaron so when I present it looks like a
professional chef made it which is going to be difficult, but my research and
the new techniques I have seen from the documentary review will help me. I
think it’s good to share the process of how to make a macaron because it’s very
difficult to make a perfect one the first time and you’ll have struggles along
the way, but once you finally have experience and find resources to help you it
will eventually become easier along the way. I know from my experience the
first time was terrible that I did not even want to try my creation at all but
hopefully when I make them again, I will finally perfect them.
The
way I will make time for my project is by working on it one step at a time every
day and staying on track on what I need to complete. Another way to have this project
done on time is to get less distracted from social media because sometimes it
gets boring after reading so much. I am usually the type of person who likes to
get things done, but also does it right the first time because if I don’t
that’s just going to slow me down and end up with the worse outcome. My goal is
to finish everything before the due date, so I do not need to worry about turning
in my project late.
Student 2: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
For my research project I
am going to research Adverse Childhood Experiences, also known as ACE’s. Adverse
Childhood Experiences are potentially traumatic experiences that occur in
childhood, ages 0-17. There is a series of 10 questions you take to determine
if you have Adverse Childhood experiences.
My central research question is: How do Adverse Childhood
Experiences affect the mental and emotional development in children and
teenagers? How do Adverse Childhood Experiences affect people later in life?
My reason for selecting this topic is that I want to know
how adverse childhood experiences affect my peers. I personally score a four or
five out of ten on the ACE’s test, but there are many things that are not
included in the test that should be included. I would like to know why there
are only those ten categories on the ACE’s test, and why they have not added
other traumatic things such as losing a parent or sibling. I also want to know
how these traumatic experiences will affect us later in life. Do they affect
our success and personal gain? Do our experiences affect how we interact with
our family, friends, and peers?
I am going to use a few methods of gathering information
for this project. I am going to have some of my peers (those who are willing)
take the ACE’s test. If they score one or higher on the test, I will talk to
them about how it has affected them personally, and how it has changed their
views. I want to ask if they think it has affected their ability to trust and let
new people enter their life. I will also talk to some other people who have
experience being around the people who have Adverse Childhood Experiences, such
as teachers, counselors and psychologists. I will read published journals and studies
about Adverse Childhood experiences and how they affect people.
I am going to turn in a traditional research paper as my
form of presentation. I chose this method because it is the most convenient way
for me to organize my project and present it.
To have my final research paper finished and turned in on
time I will most likely use a week to evaluate one resource, and another week
to evaluate a different resource. I will do an interview a day and spend the
next day or so deciding what I want to use in my project and how I want to
include it with other information that I have gathered from other sources.
Student 3: The Fermi Paradox
The central research
question I’m going to research is “Why have we not received any confirmation or
signs that extraterrestrial beings exist in the universe?” Specifically, I’m
going to be talking about the Fermi Paradox, which is the conflict between the
large possibility of life existing outside of earth, and the complete lack of
evidence of extraterrestrial life existing on Earth. I’m going to evaluate the
reasoning behind the idea, talk about the universe, its evolution, and some principles
behind it, and explain some of the theories that have been proposed for the
idea.
The
Fermi Pardox, and the idea of aliens in general, has been a really interesting
topic for me. There have been many movies, books, TV shows, and other forms of
media that have evolved around aliens, especially technologically advanced alien
civilizations. Comparing this with the extraterrestrial evidence in the real
world, it can be observed that there are no clues as to where aliens are at all.
There are thousands of theories and ideas on aliens, but confirmed facts in
this topic are all unclear, because it dabbles into the unknown and unexplored
vastness of the universe. Personally, I find any topics that deal with the
unknown to be very intriguing. This interest really arose
after I read a really good book series that revolved around the idea. The
purpose of the project is to inform others on the topic, and hopefully arouse
their interest in the topic as well.
Besides
the sources required in the curriculum, I’m going to be looking into articles
written by astrophysicists, physicists, cosmologists, or other people who are
involved with the study of the universe or its principles in some way or
another. It will help me better comprehend the history of the universe and principles
governing it, giving me more understanding of the universe in which we live,
and thus better understand theories on where the aliens are when they involve
background understanding of the universe. I will also be looking into videos
(not documentaries) that may further explain certain concepts. Animated videos,
for example, are fun to look at and are also a good way to visualize
information, and so aid in my further comprehension of the topic.
I’m
planning to create a PowerPoint to deliver my project. I think it would be
easier to organize my information into different slides, and it would also be
easier to add pictures next to the text when it is necessary. It may also be
easier to understand organized into different sections, rather than in other
forms of presentation, like a research paper, in which explaining concepts may
be difficult.
I
will be following the guidelines given in Schoology to ensure I have the parts
I need to have done for evaluation finished. I will likely be trying to work
ahead, just so I am certain I have everything finished, including having the
project finished. This means I’ll be looking ahead into the syllabus, and if
possible, finish the assignment due next week finished in the previous week, or
early in the next week.
