Introduction
The Fort was a project that was assigned in my Socials 9 class. In this project, we were instructed to design and create a fort that would be self-sustainable in 1685. My role in the fort is to lead as the Chief Trader who just received a significant amount of financial banking anonymously to start a fort on the other side of the world(Canada/New France). Other than the backstory, we were required to include a write up and a personal response. I have attached both at the bottom of this post. Within this project, we had the option to work in a group or work by yourself and to build a fort electronically or in other forms. I decided to work individually and I chose to build a model. (Attached video)
Four Bullet Points I Used
A core competency I used throughout this project was critical thinking.
The first bullet point that I selected is; “I can identify criteria that I can use to analyze evidence”
For example; on the criteria it says to build and create an accurate trading fort. I have done this by researching what some of the British and French forts looked like in the late 1600’s. To explain in more depth, generally all of the British forts had walls and buildings that each had a specific reason. Knowing this information, I implied it into my fort.
The second bullet point that I selected is; “I can analyze evidence from different perspectives”
I have demonstrated this because as I was constructing my fort, I knew that I had to add farms/gardens for farming. While I was designing my fort, I had a plan for how everything would be placed but as I was building it, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would’ve been like for the farmers to farm at a garden that was across the interior of the fort. After viewing evidence from the farmer’s perspective, I changed the location of the garden so it would be easier for them.
The third bullet point that I selected is; “I can explore materials and actions”
I have explored the materials I used in my model. To be more detailed, I came up with the idea to use monopoly houses instead of popsicle sticks or clay because I was playing monopoly a few days before the project was assigned. In other words, I stumbled upon one of my main materials because I was exploring.
The fourth bullet point that I selected is; “I can monitor my progress and adjust my actions to make sure I achieve what I want”
During the weekend, that I constructed my fort, my goal was to complete it in one day. To be more specific, my goal was to finish painting and make all the clay figures before Sunday. To my surprise, the paint took longer to dry, therefore I had to adjust my plans. Instead I was monitoring the paint’s drying process and as I was doing so, I created the clay figures. I improvised and I ended up achieving what I was aiming for.
Two Bullet Points I Need to Work On
The first bullet point I need to work on is ; “I can ask open-ended questions and gather information”
I can ask questions but most of them were not open-ended. I should work on this bullet point because I believe it would be helpful in the future and with other projects to come.
The second bullet point I need to work in is; “I can make choices that will help me create my intended impact on the audience or situation”
Throughout this project, I never thought about how to create intended impact on my audience. This project was only to be displayed if volunteered but so it never crossed my mind. When I saw this bullet point, I knew I should work on this side of critical thinking.
Reflection
Overall, I think I did really good on showcasing what the trading forts were like back in 1685. The buildings were neatly placed and a clear legend was included as well as labeling the little things that couldn’t be included in the legend. I think I deserve an 8/8 because I handed in the fort, the write up and the personal response in early and I followed the criteria the entire time. In the end, the project was very fun and I had a great time constructing and designing it.
Stacey-Fort Project
Competency – Critical Thinking
Mark A
Media and Information:
You have properly integrated your media into your blog and chosen a format which does an excellent job of presenting your assignment. All information clearly relates to the core competency you have chosen. You include several insightful supporting details and/or examples of how you demonstrated the competency.
Organization:
Reflection is very organized with at least 3 well-constructed paragraphs which do an excellent job of communicating your ideas. Your paragraphs use the language of the core competency to thoroughly describe how you addressed the core competency and how you plan to further apply it in the future.