Research Reflections and the Magic School Bus

Research Reflections:
For the past month, we have been researching body systems on our own.


One good thing about doing it this way is that we can find information on our own and letting us have more freedom. It is also fun checking out different websites. Researching on our own lets us understand better what we're doing.

One thing I didn't like about doing it this way is that it can get very frustrating when you can't find the answer to a question and you just get really pissed. I don't like it when you just can't find the answer and when you do, you have to change it into your own words.

I think Mrs. Smith planned it this way because we can understand better when we do it on our own instead of Mrs. Smith just printing down the information and we don't understand. We can learn more on our own because we know what we are typing not just reading it or listening to it. If we don't understand the information on the internet, it is useless if we just plagiarize or we can't learn a lot of things.

One suggestion I have for Mrs. Smith is to make us hand in the work earlier so we can do more under pressure because you get really nervous about the work and you have to hand it in the next day. Which means when we are not under pressure we have more time to write so we can write more.

Another suggestion I have for Mrs. Smith is to give us less information so that we can handle harder questions.

The Magic School Bus:
Today in Science we watched "The Magic School Bus". The episode was about the class going into Arnold's digestive system.

One thing that was correct in the movie is villi absorbs nutrients and exports the nutrients into the circulatory system.
Another thing that was correct in the movie is that the esophagus pushes the food down to the stomach.

One thing that was incorrect in the movie is that digestion does not take 10 hours to digest
Another thing that was incorrect in the movie is that there are two holes at the throat and a flap to cover the other one.

Cat's crimes get owner in a flap

It's great being given new toys all the time, but not when they're covered in cat drool and not when you know they've been pinched from someone else's pet!

That's why Frankie the cat's owner, Julie Bishop, is in a flap - Frankie's brought about 35 stuffed toys home in the past year but none of them are his.

She thinks the two-year-old moggy is swiping them from other homes in Swindon, but doesn't know how or why.

Now she's desperately trying to trace the toys' owners to give them back.

Julie says Frankie is always coming back to the house with 'presents' for them, including mice, but the number of soft toys has rocketed over the past few months.

"He's very pleased with himself," she said. "He gives us a big miaow to let us know when he's brought them in.

"At first it was quite funny, but now it's obvious somebody's bought all these toys for their pet and now they don't have any - they're all here!"

Cowell can't pick X Factor winner

This year's X Factor final will be the most exciting ever, according to top judge Simon Cowell.

He says he really doesn't know which of the three acts will take the top prize of a record contract worth £1m.

Alexandra Burke has been the favourite all along, but group JLS and 16-year-old Eoghan Quigg could also win.

And it could be an important year to take the top prize, as Cowell said this time round the second-place artist may not get a record deal.

He explained that the cash problems around the world at the moment would make it difficult for him to try to make anyone other than the winner a star.

"I'm not going to make any decisions at this time. I think under the current climate I would say it was more important to win the show this year than any other year.

"Like every other business the record business is tougher than it was last year."

Even though the winner gets a big-money record deal, actually worth just over £1m, they aren't just handed all that cash in a suitcase.

Cowell explained that the winner act will get £150,000, but the rest of the money is spent on making them a success.

He said it costs up to £500,000 to record an album, around £200,000 to make music videos and another £400,000 on marketing and advertising.

But Cowell did say he expected the show's winner to be Christmas number one, whichever of the three finalists wins the most votes.

Blues and Reds in Champions glory

Chelsea have made it to the last 16 of the Champions League with a 2-1 win against Romanian champions Cluj.

Salomon Kalou got the opener for Chelsea six minutes before the break at Stamford Bridge, but Yssouf Kone soon headed home an equalizer.

It was left to substitute Didier Drogba to net the winner, and help Chelsea finish second in Group A behind Roma.

Elsewhere, Liverpool also had a good night, coming from behind to beat PSV Eindhoven 3-1 to finish top of Group D.

A close range shot from Danko Lazovic gave PSV the lead to the delight of home fans early on, but the Reds equalized within 10 minutes with a Ryan Babel header.

Albert Riera and David Ngog netted the other two goals after the break.

Zoo poo used to grow fruit & veg

An animal park in Leicestershire has started recycling the hundreds of tonnes of poo produced by its animals to help grow crops for them to feed on.

Twycross Zoo has about 1,000 animals, which produce about 800 tonnes of poo every year - that's about the same weight as 160 elephants!

But now, instead of sending the muck to landfill, they've got a machine which can turn the poo into compost.

The compost's used on crops to feed the animals, then the cycle starts again!

Zoo conservation officer Claire Pipes said: "We buy the food, feed it to the animals and it comes out the other end.

"We collect it, compost it and grow stuff for the animals which then goes back into their mouths."

Elephants are the biggest contributors to the zoo's poo mountain and keepers say this is the best way they've found to keep all the waste on site.

Compost is an organic material that can be made from rotten food scraps, garden waste and the poo of some animals.

It's great at helping things grow in the garden as it's full of things called nutrients that feed the soil.

Queen to speak to Parliament

She will make a speech before MPs in the House of Lords, and talk through the new laws that the Labour government wants to introduce. The Queen makes the speech because she is our head of state, which is supposed to mean the politicians work for her. But really she accepts the advice of the government on which laws it thinks are best for the country. This year political experts say she will be talking about laws to cut crime and how the government hopes to get through the current global cash crisis. The Queen's speech is a big event and is full of tradition. That can mean it looks a bit old fashioned at times, but the head of the Royal Family has been making this speech to Parliament for hundreds of years. As well as explaining the government's plans, the Queen's speech is also the official opening of a new session of Parliament.

New park to protect gorillas

A new park has been created in the African country of Cameroon to try to protect a critically endangered species of gorilla. There are only thought to be about 300 Cross River gorillas left in the world and up to 115 of them are living in the Takamanda National Park. Part of the problem they face is from hunters and people who cut down trees in the forests where they like to live. But animal experts say the new national park should help to stop that threat. Sreven Sanderson from the Wildlife Conservation Society said the creation of the park sent a powerful message to the world about conservation. "The government of Cameroon is to be commended for taking this step in saving the Cross River gorilla for future generations," he said.

Arsenal back on track with win

Arsenal have got their Premier League campaign back on track with a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The Gunners had been trailing after an own goal by Johan Djorou, but two goals by Robin Van Persie in just three minutes, turned the game on its head.

Earlier, Wayne Rooney scored his 100th goal for Manchester United to give them a 1-0 win over rivals Manchester City.

United took control early on and kept the advantage even after a handball by Cristiano Ronaldo got him sent off.
The win means United stay third in the Premier League, narrowing the gap behind Chelsea and Liverpool to five points, while Arsenal leapfrog Aston Villa to go fourth.

Elsewhere, Everton beat Tottenham 1-0 thanks to a Steven Pienaar goal, while Portsmouth scored a 3-2 victory against Blackburn.

It's Pompey's first win with Tony Adams in charge at Fratton Park and sees them move up to eighth place.

Meanwhile, Blackburn are still stuck near the bottom of the table after their ninth defeat in a row, which is the club's worst run of results in a decade.


Who: Wayne Rooney
What: Wayne Rooney scored his 100th goal for Manchester United to give them a 1-0 win over rivals Manchester City.
When: November 30
Where: Premier League
Why: To help the Gunners win

The Paper Tower

In Advisory class, we built a paper tower that could withstand 50 grams. The tower that was the tallest and could withstand the weights wins and my team won.

I was a problem solver because we learned that our tower was not stable enough to withstand the 50 grams so we added supporters to stable it.

I was a effective communicator because we talked about what we can do to keep the tower stable.

Thinking Skills

Understand
I understood what Mr. Truchon said when he was explaining to us about square roots. I understood it or I perceived the intended meaning of what Mr. Truchon was talking about.

Evaluate
I corrected other people's homework in Math class. I evaluated their work which means that I corrected their work and told them what they could do to improve their work.

Didier Drogba misses three matches for throwing a coin to the opposing team's fans

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has been banned for three matches after throwing a coin back to opposition supporters.

Drogba will miss three Premier League matches while suspended, against Newcastle, Arsenal and Bolton.

It all happened in a match between Chelsea and Burnley in the Carling Cup. Drogba had just scored, and celebrated his goal near the Burnley fans.

A coin was thrown from the crowd, and Drogba threw it back. Football bosses charged him with violent conduct.

Who: Drogba
What: Drogba is banned for throwing a coin back to the crowd
When: November 18
Where: At the soccer field
Why: Because one of the opposing fan through a coin to him so he threw it back.

3 Student Outcomes

First of all I am a person of high character because when I am kicking soccer, I am fair and honest and does not cheat.

Second of all, I am a effective communicator because I am not afraid of making speeches in front of crowds.

Lastly I am a active learner cause I am always asking questions and paying attention to the teacher.

3 Habbits

One thing that I think that needs improvement is exercising more, I am always told that I am too short and that I look like a fifth grader. Maybe I should join the boy's basketball club even if everybody is much taller or instead of using the computer everyday, I should go out to play a little bit of sports now and then. In my iCal I can add at every break "Exercise".

Another thing is that I am bad at concentrating when doing homework at home, because when I am doing homework I sometimes start to daydream. Maybe I should put a sign above my desk saying "YOU SHOULD BE WORKING!' because when I daydream I always stare up at the ceiling.

Lastly, I think that I am too fat because my brother always calls me fat for fun. I think that I can eat less so that I would not be so fat, or I can stop going to 7-11 to buy drinks.

Obama's Effects in Asia

I think Obama will affect Asia the most of all the American Presidents because Obama said that he was going to help everyone that he can. Now is the right time to affect Asia because Asia is in the middle of a war and that Obama can stop racist.

"From an Asian point of view, we all know how much respect matters and how much we want to respect our leaders, so I think Obama will be someone whom our leadership will want to deal more freely and comfortably with because he brings charisma, intelligence and warmth to the table." Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

"He gives a sense of hope that he can integrate not only a nation that is fractured, but a world that has become increasingly disintegrated. And I think he will be able to integrate forces in a way that McCain might not have been able to do." Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/387890/1/.html

Time Mangement Tips

-Develop blocks of study time

-Schedule weekly reviews and updates

-Prioritize assignments

-Develop alternative study places free from distractions

-Use your time wisely

-Review studies and readings just before class

-Review lecture material immediately after class

-Schedule time for critical course events

-Focus at least 50% of your study time on "output" of information.

-Practice doing what you will be asked to do on the exam.

-Set your purpose before beginning to read or study.

-Prepare study sheets that reorganize the information in ways that fit your learning style (e.g., Tables, Figures, Flow Charts, etc.).

-Survey reading materials and notes to find the Focus and Perspective before you begin to read or study.

Task A Organization

1)It keeps us tidy and you can find the thing that you organized easily. (Andrew)

Benefits are that you gain time, and you can do your work more efficiently. (Victor)

The benefits of being more organized are that you can work faster and more efficiently. (Serena)

The benefits of being more organized is that you can get work done more efficiently. (Mom)

The benefits of being more organized is that you can have more time to do other stuff and finishing the work earlier. (Dad)

2)What prevents people from being more organized is being lazy. (Andrew)

Distractions like games and stuff prevents people from being organized. (Victor)

What prevents people from being more organized is playing games, not sleeping enough, dreaming etc. (Serena)

3)-Removing distractions and improving concentration

-Maintaining a balance between homework and other activities

-Reducing stress, such as that caused by test anxiety

-Subject-specific study strategies

-Speed reading

3 Student Learning Outcomes

First of all I am a person of high character because when I am kicking soccer, I am fair and honest and does not cheat.

Second of all, I am a effective communicator because I am good at making speeches in front of crowds.

Lastly I am a community contributor because I help people all the time.

What I learned from reading other people's blogs...

I learnt that there are different kinds of learning and learning involves a lot of thinking. You can also learn from other people like I am doing now or you can learn from trial and error. Learning means to acquire knowledge of a thing through experience, study, or being taught. Learning also means to become aware of something etc.

I learnt that blogging has its rules and when you are blogging, you should not post anything to hurt others and you should not post any personal information. When you are blogging it is the same as learning, except you are showing others what you learned. When you blog you think deeper about the main idea and then you express it by showing others your idea. When you post a comment you are telling others what there is to improve and your own ideas about the idea the blogger is talking about.

Parents' ban on trick or treating

Are you off on your witch's broomstick to go trick or treating tonight or have you been told you've got to stay in?

According to a survey, more than half of the parents asked said they'd banned their kids from trick or treating because they think it can all go wrong.

Lots of them are worried some spooky costumes frighten little kids or older people too much, and in the past people have got hurt when tricks go wrong.

Police are doing what they can by getting much tougher on trouble-makers.

In some parts of the UK, there are already £80 fines for people who get caught throwing eggs or damaging people's homes.

A police spokesman said: "Most people who go trick or treating are out to have fun and everybody respects that, but sadly there are sometimes people who take the tricking a bit far."

One town in Derbyshire's even giving teenagers free James Bond tickets to try to stop them causing trouble.

If you're still desperate to go trick or treating, there are some things you can do to stay safe.

• Go in a group
• Try to get an adult to go with you
• If you're just with your mates, keep phoning home to let your parents know you're safe.

Who: Children
What: children are taking the tricking to seriously
When:October 31
Where: Everywhere
Why: For fun

How come people are giving them free James Bond tickets?
Why are the children taking the trick part so seriously?
What happened to make them feel that way?

Boy finds cheetah in back garden

A nine-year-old boy in Cambridgeshire got a huge shock when he came face-to-face with a cheetah in his back garden.

Toby was playing with his bike when he spotted the big cat. He ran indoors as the animal pounced on his bike and started tearing up the seat.

The cheetah had escaped from a nearby zoo, but its keepers soon arrived with the police to capture it.

They said the creature had escaped because of a broken electric fence, but wouldn't have harmed Toby.

Cheetahs are the fastest animals on land, and can reach speeds of over 60 miles per hour.

The three-year-old creature which Toby found in his garden had escaped from Hamerton Zoo.

Zoo director Andrew Swales said: "He wouldn't pose any danger and his reaction to strangers would be the same as a pet dog - either a friendly greeting or a guarded retreat.

"I do not know of any cases of a cheetah attacking a human."

Who: Cheetah and a 9 year-old boy

What: A 9 year-old boy found a cheeta in his backyard

When: October 30th

Where:In the boy's back yard

Why: the cheetah broke out from a nearby zoo

How did the cheetah figure out the electric fence was broken?

Why did the cheetah start to tear up the boy's bike?

What made the cheetah to want to go out?

Re-Dos for assingnments

Why do you think they do this?
I think Mrs Smith and Mr Truchon gives us a second chance for assignments because, we can learn from our past mistakes and redo them for better grades.

Why do you think this might be important in your learning?
This might be important in our learning because we have to redo it to understand what we did wrong and so we can use trial and error to learn.

What do you like about this approach?
I like this because we can get a better grade and to earn more knowledge.

What do you dislike about this approach?
I don't like this, because we have to do extra work even when you get to have better grades.

Why is it better to get information from a book or an online encycopedia than searching it on a search engine.

I think it is better to get information on a search engine, because you can decide whether you want the information or not. There are more options in the search engine than searching it on a online encyclopedia. When you are searching on an online encyclopedia or a book, you usually know the information is correct, but when you are searching on that, you usually won't get all the information you need. When searching on a search engine, you have more options and more information that you can get and use. When searching on wikipedia you have tons of information but most you don't really get what it is saying.

Boo Boo, the smallest dog in the world

Boo Boo:

A tiny dog from America called Boo Boo has been named as the smallest pooch in the world.

At just four inches (10.16cm) tall, the Chihuahua is the world's smallest dog in height, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Boo Boo's owner, Lana Elswick, breeds Chihuahuas, and said Boo Boo was the size of her thumb when she was born.

Mrs Elswick told an American newspaper that the Chihuahua is a total diva, and her favourite food is crisps.

Boo Boo hasn't got much bigger since being born a year ago, weighing just 42.5 grams (1.5 ounces).

Mrs Elswick explained that she had her dog measured in May, but didn't send it to world record bosses until June.

She found out that Boo Boo was the smallest dog in the world on 10 September in an email.

The tiny dog is about the same height as a mobile phone.

What happened to the dog, has the dog been in an accident that caused him to become so small?
Why is the dog so small.
How can the dog survive when it was born according to the size.

Hamster gives up life on-the-run

Zoe Appleby was looking after Fudgie for a friend when the furry explorer made a run for it and shot down a hole in the kitchen floor.

Everyone feared the worst when even fire crews using a chocolate-covered camera and vacuum cleaner couldn't find Fudgie and tempt her to come back out.

But now she's tired of life underground and climbed back into her cage by herself.

Zoe's dad, Derek Appleby, saw Fudgie back in her cage as he got ready for work on Thursday morning.

Her mom, Angela, said they were so happy that she was back.

"When my husband found her, it was like Christmas morning for the children," she said.

"We were so relieved and immediately called Heather, who had loaned Fudgie to us, to let her know the good news."

How come the hamster gave up life on the run (My hamster ran out outside and did not return yet)?
What happened to make him want to come back into the cage, was it food shortage?
Why did they let the hamster come out so easily?

Finding the answer is not aways the most important

Finding the answer is not always most important, because the journey to the answer is more important than the answer. Have anyone wanted to show you something but you don't know what that is. Imagine that thing is on a mountain and when you are climbing up the mountain, you are very excited but when you see that the thing is just a rock, you will realize that the result is not the most important but the journey is the most important. This is also the same as understanding the question. When you see a question, have to understand the calculations and not just finding the answer. If you understand the calculations, you can use the same calculations next time you see a question that is similar to the other question.

Reflections on Learning

I learned a lot about learning during the past few weeks. I learned about how to concentrate when your doing homework.
I learned about how to learn best like removing distractions or taking breaks from time to time.
I learned about Bloom's Taxonomy and the different levels of learning.
I learned about how to blog and how to use mindmeister.

Reflections About Blogging

I learned a lot about blogging, such as:
-Don't let anyone access to your private information and do not tell others your private information.
-Always be alert for suspicious people
-If you meet someone online, be careful because it might be someone who is lying just to take advantage of you.
-When you are blogging, you have to remember everyone will be able to see the post once you posted it

Study Skills

Best types of Learning

-Removing distractions and improving concentration

-Maintaining a balance between homework and other activities

-Reducing stress, such as that caused by test anxiety

-Subject-specific study strategies

-Speed reading

-Note taking

-Preparing for exams

-Time Management

-Self Motivation

-Talking to serious students

A.S.P.I.R.E.

A:Approach / attitude / arrange

S: Select / Survey / Study

P: Put aside / peice together

I: Inspect / Investigate / Inquire

R: Reconsider / Reflect / Relay

E: Evaluate / Examine / Explore

5 Student Outcomes

Active Learner

I was an active learner because I recorded all the data and answered all the questions.
I was not a active learner because I wasn't concentrating on my work.

Effective Communicator

I was an effective communicator I communicated with my group efficiently.
I was not an effective communicator when I was not listening to my group and not sharing ideas.

Community Contributor

I was an community contributor when I helped clean up the equipment.
I was not an community contributor when I banged the holder a bit to harder (It didn't break of crack Mrs. Smith)

Critical Thinker
I was an critical thinker because I solved all of the problems on the lab by myself.
I was not an critical thinker when I was just sitting around waiting for my group to tell me the answer.
Person of High Character

I was an person of high character when I helped my group a few problems they did not know.
I was not an person of high character when I refused to give them the answers to the questions.

Wild fires raging in California!

Huge wildfires are causing chaos in California.So far, two people have died and about 12,000 others have had to leave their homes as the flames tear through neighborhoods north of Los Angeles.

Who:Wildfires
What:Wildfires are raging in California
When: October 14
Where:Los Angeles

Top toys for Christmas!

A cupcake maker, High School Musical dance mat and Star Wars voice changer are among the top new toys for Christmas.Toy sellers have come up with a list of all the latest gadgets and games they think you'll be desperate to get your hands on.

Who: Toys
What: New toys for Christmas
When: October 15
Where: America

Man has first two arm transplant

Karl Merk lost his arms in a farm accident six years ago, but in July, doctors did a 15-hour operation to fix the donor arms to his body. But doctors say it could take up to two years before he can properly use his hands again.
Who: Karl Merk
What: Karl Merk is the first person to have both of his arms double arm transplant. Doctors fixed the donor arms to Karl Merk's body.
When: October 9 2008
Where: In a surgery room
Why: To fix the man's arm.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7660000/newsid_7660500/7660502.stm

'Deepest ever' living fish found

Scientists think that they discovered the 'deepest ever' living fish ever. Experts from the UK and Japan caught 17 of the strange-looking snailfish on camera nearly five miles under the Pacific ocean, near Japan. Researchers are pretty excited about their find as they said the only other examples of life at that depth were old specimens that are held in museums.

Exotic pets could make kids ill

Lizards, turtles, even hedgehogs can make children ill. American experts says that some pets carry bugs which they can pass on to children and old people to make them sick, and other animals like iguanas and monkeys can bite or scratch causing infliction.

What do you think about caning?

Teachers think that some kids are now behaving so badly in school that the only way to keep them under control is by beating them with a stick. One in five teachers think they should be allowed to use a stick called a cane to hit you as a punishment. You cannot cane children at school now because it is against the law. In the past, teachers were allowed to use physical punishment on badly behaved kids.

"Jet Man"?!?!?!

A Swiss pilot was the first person to zoom across the English channel using a single jet-propelled wing that was 2.5 meters wide and had 4 simple jet engines to keep him airborne! He flew at speeds more than 200 km/hr for the 35.4 km journey. He covered that distance in less than 10 minutes.

Ways of learning

Economics: Economics is the study of how people choose to use their scarce resources to meet their competing desires. Resources include money, property, and time. A resource is considered scarce when people cannot obtain as much of it as they would choose if the resource were free.

Writing: Writing is to record something in letters, or words.

Reading: Reading is the process of getting information from something that is written or printed. It is one of the most important skills in everyday life.

Sociology: Sociology is the study of social life, society. And study society include culture, convention.

Political Science: Political Science is the study of public principles, public systems, public behavior and governments which includes political parties, elections, and public administration.

Religion: Every society has a religion. For many people, religion is an organized system of beliefs, rituals, personal practices, and worship directed toward a supreme power or deity.

Art: In a broad sense, art is skill in making or doing. We can say that someone knows and practices the art of basket-weaving, of tuning a piano, or even of hitting a home run. In this sense, there are many arts—as many as there are kinds of deliberate, specialized activities for human beings to engage in.

Geography: Geography is the study of the location and distribution of living things and the earth features among which they live. Geographers study where people, animals, and plants live and their relationship with rivers, deserts, and other earth features. Geographers also examine where earth features are located, how they came to be there, and why their location is important.

History: History is a branch of knowledge that is the study of past events particularly in a written record of the human race, but generally including scientific and archeological discoveries of the past.

Fake Baby Powder!

Over 6244 babies have been poisoned by China's FAKE milk powder. The chemical metamine was already found in 22 brands of milk powder companies from China. People fear that some of the imported products are from China, which can cause death.

Economics

Economics is the study of how people choose to use their scarce resources to meet their competing desires. Resources include money, property, and time. A resource is considered scarce when people cannot obtain as much of it as they would choose if the resource were free.

Huge Typhoon!!

The last typhoon destroyed a lot of buildings, a tunnel with people inside, and a bridge with cars on it. More than eleven people died. It will take very long to replace everything and it won't be possible to replace the deaths. This typhoon was terrible for Taiwan.

5 reasons why blogging helps students learn

Blogging helps students learn because:

1. It is FUN FUN.
2. Most students rather type on the computer than writing on sheets of paper.
3. Students would like to browse around on fellow student's blogs.
4. Shy people would rather blog than to do a presentation.
5. Blogs are easily saved, easily viewed and unlikely to lose it.