Zeitgeist

Above is my zeitgeist for the first semester of sixth grade (August 3- December 17). The zeitgeist shows how I felt during the semester. I hope you enjoy!

Collaborating Constructively in Literature Circles with a Twist

For literature circles with a twist, instead of filling out the discussion sheet by ourselves, we had to work with a partner. To do this, we had to collaborate constructively. My partner and I both had to pick on passage and write about why we picked it, think of one question, do one response to the question, one connection, and one vocabulary.

What are the benefits of working with a classmate?

There were a lot of benefits from working with a classmate. One of them was that you didn't have to do as much work. When you work with a partner, you only have to do half the amount of work. Before we started working with a classmate for literature circles, we all had to do two of everything. Now all we have to do is one of everything, which is much easier. This is very helpful because you can spend more time editing your work. Another of the benefits of working with a partner is that you get a lot of helpful feedback. This can help us get a higher grade. For example, when my partner read my passage and noticed a few grammar mistakes. With her help, I fixed them. If I hadn't fixed my mistakes, I would have gotten points of from them, giving me a lower grade. The last benefit of working with a classmate is that it makes you do your work on time. It makes you do your work on time because if you don't, your partner would remind you at school. It is good to have someone to remind you to do your work because sometimes to forget and have to rush to do it at the last minute. Having someone to work with you is really helpful because they help to improve your grade.

What are some of the challenges and obstacles which you overcame or tried to overcome?

There were a few challenges that I had to overcome on the way. One of them was my question. I find it really hard to think of a level three question. At first, my question was only at level two. To get it a little higher to a level three, instead of asking my partner (she wasn't online at that time), I asked my sister instead. She helped me by giving me feedback. Another challenge that I faced was that my partner didn't do her work according to the recommended daily workload. I got worried that she had forgot to do her part and told her to do it the next day. Though my partner started doing filling in her part on the discussion sheet on Friday, she still did a really good job.

What are some of the new understandings that you gained about the novel?

There are many new things that I learned that helped me understand the novel better. But all the new information that I learned was not from working with a partner. This was because my partner and I both think from the same view. One of the things that I learned was that Captain Jaggery is a murderer. The captain killed Cranick by shouting him with a pistol. This was very surprising to me because I thought that Captain Jaggery was a gentleman and a gentleman would never do that. Even though it was surprising to me that the captain is a murderer, it fits right into place and I finally know the answer to the mystery of who is the "bad guy." Another thing that I learned is how brave Charlotte is. Charlotte had whipped Captain Jaggery on accident and got him really angry. Though she knew that she had made the captain really angry, Charlotte still managed to find the courage to go and apologize to him. This is really brave of Charlotte because she knows that Captain Jaggery is a murderer and could murder her at any moment. I have learned a lot of things that have helped me understand the book much better.

Collaborating constructively really helped me to improve in filling out the discussion sheets. Learning to work together is very important because by working together, it makes your job easier and better.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle Discussion Reflection #1

In humanities, I am reading the book The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi for literature circles. In literature circles discussions, my group and I have to share the passages that we picked and why we picked it, our questions and answers, our connections to the book and some new vocabulary that we learned. This is my reflection for our first literature circles discussion for The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.

How did your discussion help your understanding of the novel?

My discussion helped me understand the book better because my group made me think about the book from a different view. My group members and I all have very different personalities and that causes what point of view we think from to be different. Before the discussion, I thought that Captain Jaggery was the "bad guy" in the book. After the discussion, my group members gave me a few more possibilities. The discussions also help me understand the book better because if I have any questions, I can ask my group during the discussion. The last way that the discussion helped me to understand the book better is because during discussion when we share our questions, it makes me think deeper into the book to try and answer my groups questions. That makes me realize some things about the characters that I never realized before.

What connections did you make during your discussion?

My group and I made a lot of connections during our discussion. Some of them were when we were sharing our passages. A lot of the passages and why we choose them were the same. We also made a lot of connections when we were sharing our connections to the book. Sometimes when another person is sharing their connection, it reminds me of something similar that happened to me before. The last connections that we made was that we all thought that the book was interesting to read.

What do you predict will happen in the book?

I predict that there is someone on the ship that wants to harm Charlotte. I think that it might be the Captain, Zachariah, or Mr. Keetch. Charlotte is in danger. I also think that in the next few chapters, Charlotte would start to feel lonely and start to become friends with the crew. I think that because the only people on the ship with Charlotte are the crew and the captain. Charlotte likes the captain because he is a gentleman but he is also very busy and does not have much time to sit and talk to Charlotte. The only other people that Charlotte can talk to is the crew. I think that at first, Charlotte would try to avoid the crew but soon get too lonely and start talking to them. When she talks to them, they would slowly start becoming friends. 

Even though I find it hard to fill in the discussion sheet, I think that it is worth the time. The discussions help me understand the book much better in many different ways. I also think that the discussions are fun. In my opinion, they are the best part of literature circles.

Graphic Citations:

http://boughanfire.com/2009/09/book-review-true-confessions-of-charlotte-doyle/

Developing Malaysia

A map of South East Asia

           

           Malaysia is part of a big group called South East Asia. It is located Below Thailand and above Singapore. Malaysia is very close to the equator. Being close to the equator gives Malaysia some advantages such as having only two seasons: the rain season and the dry season. Malaysia doesn't have to worry about snowstorms or blizzards. Being close to the equator keeps Malaysia warm all year round. This means that tropical fruits and farms can survive through out the whole year. 

          Another advantage that Malaysia has is petroleum gas. Petroleum gas is an important natural resource found in the ocean. The petroleum has made Malaysia very wealthy. Malaysia sells the petroleum to other countries and makes a lot of money from it. It helps Malaysia to develop with modern technology. An example of how rich and powerful the petroleum company is when Malaysia wanted a building that would be famous in the world. The petroleum company was very rich so they decided to build the Petronas Twin Towers. Local Malaysians also get to enjoying a lower price for the petrol gas.

Petroleum oil is what makes a car move. 

           Malaysia was once the world's largest producer of palm oil, rubber, and tin. Palm oil is a natural resource found in Malaysia. It is an edible oil. Palm oil is used for cooking and baking. Rubber is another one of the many natural resources of Malaysia. Rubber is used to make the wheels of a car. When the car was invented, America needed a lot of rubber to make tires. They payed a high amount of money for it and in result, rubber, along with petroleum gas made Malaysia wealthy. Tin was also something that Malaysia produced. Tin is used for making the containers for canned food and the cans of soft drink.

           Malaysia has many advantages like the weather and many natural resources that are helping it to develop.

Graphic Citation:

http://blog.seawrights.com/about-our-ministry/cambodia-map/

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KLCC_twin_towers3.JPG

Field Trip to Kuala Selangor

I think that I collaborated constructively well on my teams field trip to Kuala Selangor. Collaborating constructively means to work together without complaining, fighting, or arguing. One of the times when I showed that I collaborated constructively was when we did the supply search. My room mates and I had to write down 26 things, one for each letter of the alphabet, in three minutes but that thing that started we had with us or something that we could carry. To get this done, my team and I had to work together. In the end, we only got nine points but we tried our best. Another way that I showed that I could collaborate constructively was when my roommates and I made our beds. We helped one another to fold our blankets neatly. By helping each other, the job was easier and faster to do.

The next way that I showed collaborating constructively was when we played the noun game. My team for this game was Lily, Tiffany, Esme, Carl, Deeban, and me. In this game, the teachers would say a noun and in thirty seconds, my group and I had to create a statue showing the noun. The hard thing was that we couldn't talk to each other or we would be disqualified. In the end, my team managed to win two points.

The last way that I showed that I could collaborate constructively was when we planted mangroves. We had to walk through mud that acted like quicksand. If we stood in one place for too long, we would sink and get stuck! The guide told us to stay on the logs and try not to step in the mud as much as possible. At the beginning, I stayed with Esme and we held on to each other to stay balanced on the logs. After about half way, Esme went faster and I stayed with Tiffany instead. I did the same thing to Tiffany that I did to Esme. I held on to her. Soon, Tiffany went faster than me and I was with Sheta. Same as before, we held on to each other. By working together with others, I managed to plant a mangrove and not fall or get stuck in the mud. Collaborating constructively is very important. It makes the job easier, faster, and funner to do.

I also think that I communicated effectively well on the trip to Kuala Selangor. Communicating Effectively means to use different ways to communicate with people. One of the ways that I showed this was when we did the noun games. We couldn't talk so we had to use our body language. This was hard at first because I couldn't understand what my teammates were trying to tell me. On the fist few rounds, my teammates and I had to just guess what each of us were trying to tell each other. We were really bad at it. Towards the end of the game, we finally started to understand each others body language and we won two points. Another way that I showed that I could communicate effectively was when we planted the mangroves. We had to help each other out of the mud when we got stuck. We had to communicate to do this. We would try to figure a way to get them out by talking. Talking is also a way of communicating effectively. In the end, we all managed to get out of the mud. Communicating Effectively helps people to understand you. Communicating effectively can be talking, body language, writing and many other things.

Our team trip to Kuala Selangor taught me a lot. The most important thing that it taught me was that it is important to use all the SLRs, Learn Enthusiastically, Think Creatively, Live Ethically, Reason Critically, Collaborating Constructively, and Communicating Effectively.

Graphic Citation:

http://www.thisistraining.de/management%20skills.html
http://www.clipartof.com/gallery/clipart/teamwork_23.html

http://www.myharcum.com/s/1044/index.aspx?sid=1044&gid=1&pgid=290

Bullying

Everyone has witnessed or bullied someone before. A time when I witnessed bullying was last year at my old school. My old school was split up to popular, average, and the weird groups. I was in the average group. Usually the popular and average groups never got teased but the weird group did. There was one boy in particular called Tom, (he wasn't actually called Tom, this is just so people wouldn't know who he is) who almost everyone used to tease and call him names (but I didn't). 

Whenever he touched something, people would say, "Don't touch that! Tom put cooties on it," or "Tom touched you! You have cooties now." Whenever Tom heard this he would try to act as if it didn't bother him but you could tell that it actually did. When we had to work in groups, no one wanted to work with him. The teacher always had to put Tom in a group and everyone in the group would usually not let him do or touch anything. The odd thing was that when my friend asked the people who were teasing Tom if they believed in cooties, they all said no. 

This kept on going for the whole year. The worst thing was that when people teased and called Tom names in front of a teacher, the teacher didn't even care and never did anything. Tom never told on anyone to the teacher because if he did, he knew that he would be called a "tattle-tale" and a lot of people would dislike him even more. Tom tried asked the people teasing him to stop a few times but they always just kept teasing and calling him names. No one knew who started this but there was no reason to. Tom didn't have a problem, he was normal sized, he didn't act like a girl, and he was okay in all subjects. The good thing was that he did have a few friends. 

Now that I looked back at the situation, I think that I should helped Tom. It was unfair how people bullied him. I guess that I was just afraid of being teased if I stood up for Tom. I could have also told the people bullying him to stop being mean or I could have told a teacher. There were many things that I could do instead of ignoring the situation. Next time I see someone being bullied, I will try to help them.

Two goals that I have for this year to make ISKL a better place are:

- I will not bully anyone in any way.

- If I see someone being bullied, I will try to help them.

Graphic Citation:

http://staff.harrisonburg.k12.va.us/~jgamble/

A Time I Showed Courage

A time I showed courage was when my family and I were on a holiday in Redang. Redang is an island off the east coast of Malaysia and is famous for snorkeling. My family and I went there for three days and two nights.

On the first day of our trip, we got our snorkels and went for open-sea snorkeling. We got to swim in the middle of the ocean and see a lot of amazing fish. There were small fish and big fish, shy fish and confident fish. The only bad thing was that the sea water was very, very salty. The next day we went for two snorkeling trips. The first one was in the morning at a marine park and the second was a afternoon open-sea snorkeling. They were both really fun and exciting, but the excitement doesn't end there.

In the evening of the second day, my family and I were walking on the beach. It was a low tide and my sisters and I decided to go out to the sea. We were nearly there when a slipped and fell. I reached out to grab something and cut my hand on a coral. It was a really small but deep cut. I quickly washed the cut in water and it soon stopped bleeding. It didn't hurt but my parents insisted that I went to the hotel's first aid room.

We had to wait for a long time before it was our turn. When the doctor saw my hand, he said that I would need to get stitches within 24 hours or I might get an infection! Getting an infection would mean that it would hurt twice as much when I got stitches. Both my sisters have had stitches before and told me that it hurt. I was really afraid and didn't want to feel any pain. In the end I still got the stitches.

The doctor told me that only the injections would hurt, and it did. I could feel the needle going through my skin. After the injections, I had to wait for a few minutes for the injections to work. When I couldn't feel my hand anymore, the doctor gave me two stitches. He also gave me bandages and pain killers and I was free to go. The doctor told me that I wasn't aloud to get my hand wet for a week. Back in the hotel room my sisters kept asking me is it hurt and I told them the truth, yes, it hurt a lot! I managed cry or scream when I got my stitches and I felt really proud of myself for being able to tell the doctor to give me stitches. The next day, my family and I went back to Kuala Lumpur and my hand didn't hurt anymore.

My experience of getting stitches helps me whenever I have to get other injections. I would always tell myself that it couldn't hurt more than receiving stitches. I am now braver because of them. My conclusion is that it was a good but painful experience.


Graphic Citation:
http://www.plan-a-destination-wedding.com/bavaro-princess-wedding-package.html

Understanding the Past

How can understanding the past, help us understand our world?

Understanding the past helps us understand the world we live in now much better. Have you ever wondered how humans looked like 3 million years ago? Have you ever thought about how we make tools like knifes and swords? Without the past, we might never know or understand why. 

Another thing that makes understanding t he past important is our beliefs. If we didn't understand the past, it would be very hard to be religious. Most, if not all, religions are to do with the past. By understanding the past, we can understand the religions better.

Understanding the past means that we can also learn from it. We learn a lot from the past to help us understand our world better. We take things like spears to understand how to hunt. We study the mistakes and the wrong that ancient humans did, so that we won't make the same mistakes.

Understanding the past is like understanding a map. It can help us and guide us into the future. But sometimes, there are missing pieces in the map. We will have guess what to do. Sometimes we do not guess right and take the wrong path, but that is okay. We can retrace our steps and go another way. That way, people of the future will know what way was right. 

Understanding the past will help us understand what kind of world we are living in.

Historian, Archeologist, or Geographer

                                  

If I had to choose to be either a archeologist, historian, or a geographer it would be a historian. But it is not because I really like to write down history but because the other two jobs kind of scares me. Like an archeologist. They dig up bones and find plates and books that someone used a long, long time ago. I find it a little creepy to dig up and find a skull of a person who died. Most people would say, what's so scary about being a geographer? Well I think that it is scary because you would be standing, lets say in a desert. You study about your surroundings and find that the ancient egyptians used to be buried here! That would be scary. So that leaves me with the historian.

A historian is someone who studies and writes about history. I think that it will be best for me to be a historian out of the three social scientist because I prefer to stay indoors. For a archeologist and a geographer, they have to go out almost all day to do their job. I also think that the historian is the best match for me because I like learning about history. I especially like learning about all the silly things that people used to think was real, like witchcraft. I always ask myself, where did they get those ideas from? Another reason why I want to be a historian is because I like reading books. I don't get bored of sitting around and reading or writing all day. 

If I had to be a social scientist, I would choose to be a HISTORIAN.

                         

Graphic Citation:

http://www.dynamicearthwebquest.com/process.htm

http://www.insmogandthunder.com/historian.html

Introduction

My name is Josephine. I come from Singapore but I am currently living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I go to middle school at ISKL. I have been in Kuala Lumpur for 7 years now. Before coming here, I lived in Singapore for 3 years. There are five people in my family, my dad, my mom, my two older sisters, and me.

The last three books that I have read are:

- The Rope Trick by Lloyd Alexander

- A Little Princess by Frances Hodson Burnett

- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

The last movie that I saw was Avatar. Avatar was directed by James Cameron. It is a really nice show. The plants in the show were amazing!

My academic goal this year is to improve my grammar skills and to get good grades (A or above) for all my subjects.

My social goal this year is to make a lot of new friends. I also want to try to be nice to everyone, even if I don't know them.

My favorite vacation memory was when my family and I went to Redang for snorkeling. We got to see a lot of cool and unusual fish. We also got to swim in the middle of the ocean! My family and I stayed in redang for 3 days and 2 nights.

Five adjectives that can describe me are:

- Organized

- Impatient

- Sensible

- Nice

- Quiet

Thanks for reading my first blog post.

Graphic Citation:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Animated-Flag-Singapore.gif

http://www.sherv.net/word-emoticons.html