New Year Resolutions and My Christmas Break

1. Write 2 resolutions and goals for the coming year ~ Be sure to include rationale/ explanations to support your ideas.

New year resolutions are made when a person looks back on previous years and wants to change their lifestyle and habits for the better. People must keep to their word and carry out their resolutions throughout the new year. I tend to break my resolutions quickly when they are small changes to my lifestyle, but when they are important I do try my hardest to fulfill my goals. The problem is I do not make important resolutions any more, so this year I made two resolutions that I think I should complete, because these resolutions will prove useful in the future.

My first resolution is to spend more time with my dog. My dog is more like my brother and he is close to me, because I grew up with him. I do not know why, but something about animals makes me happier and I think they have the same effect on other people, too. Spending time with my dog strengthens my bond with him and also makes me cheerful, but these days I do not have enough time to play with him, because I have loads of work and other jobs to finish. My mom often reminds how important it is to play with him, because he is quite lonely. I am going to fulfill this resolution by playing catch with my dog, taking him on long walks, talking to him, and making sure he feels appreciated and loved. This year I am going to accomplish this for not only me, but also for my dog.

The second resolution that I have set for myself this new year is to enhance a life of an under-privileged. This is usually the goal of my family and I and we have strongly beliefs in it, because there are so many lives that are less fortunate and every child has a right to a bright future. People that are in needy situations require our assistance. I am going to carry out this resolution by sponsoring a child and paying for the child's health benefits using programs such as this one: Sparsh Vachana. This group works in helping children with physical disabilities. For more information go to this site:

http://www.sparshvachana.com/vachana/Default.aspx

Everyone has a right to health, food, and shelter and it is the responsibility of the people of the entire world to help each other for we are all one people, one family. And a family rejoices in success together, but also face problems together.

2. Write a snapshot from your holidays.

The Arabian desert in Dubai was an ocean of golden sand that seemed to stretch endlessly into the horizon. We bounced on our seats in our car and screamed as we slid across hills of sand and rocketed to the tourist spot that included dune buggies to ride. Skidding to a halt, we held on tight to our seat belts and gazed outside. The sun was moving down in the pink and yellow colored sky, as the land welcomed dusk. When we were finally able to take our eyes off the beautiful sky, we were once more interested by what we saw. People were riding dune buggies in a large patch of sunlit sand. The bikers were wearing huge grins and were having the time of their lives.

We trudged in the heavy sand to the man in charge of the dune buggies and my brother and I hopped upon a dune buggy as my parents paid the man. The engine whirred as we started it up and I beamed. The tires that were specially used for riding across sand rotated as we began our journey across the restricted circle of sand that we were to ride around. I felt the wind in my face and my heart pumping rapidly. We traveled across the sand quickly and I could tell my brother, who was driving the vehicle, was making it go too fast for I was literally falling out of my seat. I gripped my seat cushion, in hopes that my hold was strong enough to save me from toppling on the the ground. Luckily, the dune buggy-man indicated my brother to slow down. The rest of the ride was a breeze and relaxing yet exhilarating at the same time. The dune buggy stopped abruptly in its fourth or fifth round of the sand-circle as the man told us our time was up.

This ride was short and only lasted about 40 minutes, but in my mind minutes were hours, so it will always be a thrilling and memorable experience to share.

My dune buggy ride on the sand dunes.

Semester 1 Reflection Zeitgeist

This is my reflection of my first semester of 6th grade. This year has been AMAZING! I hope you enjoy my video. :)

Learning Profile E

Each person has their own unique identity and trademark. Everyone is created the same way, but function and think differently. No person is the same as another. We were able to embrace this fact when we completed a test to see what Learning Profile we had. There were various Learning Profiles that are based on how you do on the test. This test discovers what your learning style is and how you process information. People were grouped into categories that centered around their way of learning. This test gave me an insight to how I learn and how I could preform better. According to my Learning Profile test I am Learning Profile E.

"Learns best by analyzing and communicating (either verbal or written), the details of information. These learners will benefit by being a part of a cooperative learning group that has the freedom to talk and learn."

I learn best when someone explains through verbal or written communication. I understand verbal/written information, for I am able to process it more efficiently. I am quite aided, because most of the assignments my teacher gives us are on written/online documents or sites. This is comfortable for me, because if I misunderstand the instruction or want to recall the it I can always refer to it, easily. A discussions will assist me, for I am able to gain a better understanding with varied aspects and opinions. If I have doubts, I can clarify these in a verbal discussion and thus enhancing my learning. Verbal and written communication are critical to my learning.

"Under stress or new learning may have difficulty seeing, hearing and remembering the details."

I agree with this, because usually when I am under pressure I start to forget what I need to know and often make silly mistakes. Even if I know the facts, say for a test, I tend to stress out and suddenly I cannot remember the essential. I learn best when I am not under pressure and am calm and relaxed. I need to improve on being at ease for if I do so I will succeed. I can accomplish this task of improvement by calming myself before a test and preparing the days before. This way I will know the crucial facts and also be able to remember these facts, for I will not be stressed. I am a perfectionist and have the desire to have everything just right. Though being a perfectionist empowers me to work hard and put the utmost effort into everything I do, it can also lead to stress.

There are certain ways that I prefer to learn, though they may differ from other people's preferences. I want my teacher to know that I am serious about my work and always do my best. My grades are important to me and I value having good grades, because if I earn high grades then I feel rewarded and satisfied and that my completion of various assignments have been appreciated. Often if I do not have good grades, I work hard to improve them. I believe I am a hard worker and want to succeed. No matter what I will aim for accomplishment and never falter in my task to achieve high grades.

This Learning Profile test will aid students and teachers. When students complete this test they are able to identify how they learn and how their learning skills can improve. They can work to develop their weaknesses and maintain their strengths in learning. Though the downside of this test is it may not be accurate to what the student thinks of him/herself. This test is a wonderful opportunity to discover what is the best way for you to learn and how you can improve on your learning skills.

This is my Learning Profile!

Working Together Is Success

A collaborative Lit. Circle enables us to work together. One of the main benefits of working in a partnership for Literature Circles is that the work is divided equally between the two partners . This way there is a decreased workload for both people and more time to focus on making your half of the Lit. Circle the best it can possibly be. A partner can also give you feedback, allowing to edit and revise your work, so you do not have silly mistakes to weigh down your grade. A cooperative partner listens to your ideas and contributes their own. They do not mind if one idea may be dismissed for another. Even though the work is less, you should not slack off, because if one person does not do their work it will affect their own and their partner's grade. When working with my partner I realized that we finished the Lit. Circle very early and before the due date. Usually it would have took longer for me, alone, to be done with the whole Lit. Circle. Since we completed early, we were able to check our work and spotted errors that we had not seen before. I think collaborative Literature Circles have various advantaged benefits.

Though doing a partnership Literature Circle has its benefits, it also has its difficulties. The problems that my partner and I encountered were minor, but nonetheless situations that we had to overcome. There was a moment where we both had run out of ideas and were not doing much work, but soon enough we snapped out of it and worked vigorously to finish the Lit. Circle. An obstacle that we faced was we both picked the same passage. We searched the book for a different passage and eventually found one. I found that working with a partner, though with a few challenges, was a stress-free experience. I realized there is no I in teamwork and that two heads are better than one. 

Having a partner for Literature Circle was interesting, for I was able to gain a better understanding of the novel. My partner opened my mind to new possibilities and additional information and we were able to  write this on our Lit. Circle, making it a mixture of unique thoughts and ideas. Some of her thoughts were so contrasting from mine, that first I had the conception that they were wrong, but once I thought logically I realized that they made sense. This will aid me when I do an individual Lit. Circle for my mind will try to think of other views on the story. I completed a Lit. Circle, with my partner, on a set of chapters in the story, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. One of my conclusions concentrated on the negative: it was Charlotte's fault that Zachariah and Mr. Cranick died. My partner, however, had the idea that it was not completely Charlotte's fault, for it was Captain Jaggery that was the one who was killing innocent people directly. I discovered that I agreed with this, also, but I had never really thought about it. 

Collaborative Literature Circle is a benefitial opportunity to work together and understand the story, thoroughly. With obstacles included, Collaborative Lit. Circles, I believe, are easier. In life you will need to cooperate with different people and this is a way for us to practice this, so we have improved collaboration and communication skills. I enjoy the less stress and the feeling of having a job accomplished before the day it is due. The ability to work in team will prove valuable when I work in a job later in life. The synergy of us two working together made this Literature Circle successful.

http://www.westmeadltd.com/Profile/profile.htm

http://www.trainingtouch.com/?p=193

http://www.ideashelper.com/

Literature Circle Charlotte Doyle Reflection

In sharing knowledge comes the power of understanding. A Literature Circle is an efficient way to share your ideas, thoughts, and predictions. Everyone has individual understanding and viewpoints of a book, so to get another's thoughts on the book is interesting. During my Literature Circle discussion we talked about the book, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, which is an exciting and mysterious book that prefers to give the slightest hints of what is to happen in the future. This magnificent book has many hidden meanings, complex characters, and heart-stopping moments around each corner. Avi has portrayed this novel from the standpoint of a girl named Charlotte, who faces intense moments, without knowing the truth of everything she sees. Each of my group members gave me inferences and thoughts on the book that were dissimilar from my own. I was awed by how differently our minds think, but that was the beauty of the Lit. Circle discussions. 

My understanding of the book was elevated a step higher by the other's comments. Before the discussion, I had the idea that Zachariah was a bad person and nothing else, but afterwards they shed light on an idea that I did not think of: he could also be trying to help Charlotte when he offers her the knife and be a reliable, kind person. I started to understand the hidden meaning of the author's words and that some answers we need to look and ask for. Understanding of the true effect the ship and its crew has had on Charlotte came to me. Charlotte will have to live with the crew and adapt to their way of life,  even though it will be tough because she comes from a higher class society. With the help of the others, I was able to gain a clearer understanding and a mind that Reasoned Critically for each page. I felt that if we Collaborated Constructively then we can understand the novel, thoroughly.

It was fascinating to see that people in my group had similar questions about the story and together we were able to get answers using evidence from the story and our combined thinking. Individual thoughts and opinions brought new questions to the surface, each begging to be answered. We found out that many of our interests were identical, for we picked the same passages. To hear each other's answers to questions was a great experience for we were able to discover that there was information that we could have added to our Lit. Circle Assignment and that we could improve upon these faults in the next Lit. Circle Assignment. We were all able to connect with each other through our similar questions and favorite passages, proving that although minds can think differently, they can also think alike.

Everyone was jittery with excitement of what might happen next to Charlotte. We spent some time speaking of our predictions. There are so many predictions you can make, but you must review the story's words before creating any. My group members kept enlightening me with predictions that I never even thought of like maybe Charlotte murders Zachariah or maybe Charlotte is really a murderer and is not framed after all. All of us could not wait to read more of the story. Each page unraveled another question to answer, another mystery to solve, another piece of the puzzle to put together. The other's predictions seemed to open a door to numerous other thoughts.

Literature Circles bring forward varied opinions, multiple ideas, understanding, and predictions and this opens our minds to ideas and observations that we did not notice before. Each new thought from a fresh mind is like a undiscovered pathway that we can tread. Distinctive, personalized ideas and opinions is what make our world so advanced. A collaborated activity is important for it serves as a way to communicate with other people effectively. Lit. Circle enables all of us to work together with people who each have contrasting backgrounds and minds and come together as a group. These discussions give us the opportunity to see what other people think and appreciate the fact that we are all not the same and have unique ideas and concepts. As the story starts to make us increasingly puzzled the need for Lit. Circle Discussions becomes greater.

My Lit. Circle book

http://www.sunprairiepubliclibrary.org/SunPrairiePublicLibrary-HistoricalSurvivalStories.html

This is my group and I discussing our Literature Circle Assignment.
http://www.slide.com/r/Uqwu6Sam5j8xG-BsA1ycZOhYtd-pJc_w?map=2&cy=bb

Reasons For Advancement

History took different paths for different people because of the environment, not due to biological difference among people. I think there is no such thing as a superior race or superior country. The food production, domestication of animals, availability of land, trade, and colonization was the key to a successful civilization. The countries that seem to be developed today are above the the Tropics of Cancer. We can support this argument with examples of various countries like America which is a vast country with a variety of resources that are useful such as a large amount of water and vacant land and in Euro- Asia there is flat land and a variety of natural resources, like oil, that have helped them become technologically and economically better. On the other hand in Papua New Guinea people have tried to domesticate wild, ferocious animals and failed and cannot plant many useful crops on their land.

The countries above the Tropics of Cancer are wealthier than others because of the species of animals that can be domesticated there, like goat, sheep, and cattle. When the people from England defied the British rule and came to America, they brought with them cattle, which turned out to be a very useful resource. In England the abundance of sheep made them dominant in the wool industry. In Middle East oil available makes them a wealthier country. Large land and more crops help growth of population. Successful farming is dependent on dirt that is fertile. This was a conflict for people who did not live in a land that was fertile. Americans grew tobacco, sugar, cotton, rice, sugar cane, and coffee with the use of slave labor, in its vast, fertile and vacant land. European countries grew crops such as potatoes, wheat, and barely. In countries where there is less agricultural land they cannot grow staple crops. For example in Papua New Guinea, the people eat sago for it is plentiful in their land, but has less protein and is not as nutritious as barely and wheat. Advanced culture developed in areas where there was flat, fertile land as in Mesopotamian civilization or any other early civilizations. The location of these countries above the Tropic of Cancer gave rise to many trade routes and made exchanging of goods between different countries easier.

The other reason for these nations to become wealthier was colonization. Colonization increased the pace of advancement of European countries. New land discoveries made by explorers like Columbus added to the wealth and advancement. European countries became powerful from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, because of money, natural resources, and slaves from colonies. England colonized most of America, India, West Indes, and Africa. Slave trade in America led to more production of agricultural goods and market revolution. Also technical advancement and wealth of these nations made it easier for them to colonize other countries and use their natural resources.

In conclusion, civilization developed not because of intelligence but due to chain developments that was made possible by certain conditions. The biological difference was irrelevant to the rise of power from the countries above the Tropics of Cancer. The conditions of the countries from the same region of the top half-hemisphere of the world ensured a better survival and a convenient way of life. My hypothesis is the key to advancement was the geographical location and the abundance of natural resources both animal and plant life, colonization, and slave labour that enabled more productivity and wealth.

The Tropic of Cancer

www.worldsbestbeachtowns.com/bea...-bahamas

Slave Trade

www1.american.edu/ted/slave.htm

Mesopotamian Civilization

history.howstuffworks.com/asian-...amia.htm

He who plants a tree, Plants a hope. ~Lucy Larcom :)

I trudged up the crumbled side-walk, thinking of how refreshing it would be to lay flat on my bed with a bottle of cold water... Cold, cold water...

"Come on guys! We are almost there!" Mrs. Smith exclaimed over the small rustlings that our feet made on the dead leaves of the trees.

Hot Malaysian air was thick around me. The trees made it a little cooler, each time we walked under it's umbrella-like branches, blocking out the sun. Oh, the sun. It was blazing its overpowering rays upon me and I could not think straight. I organized my thoughts and tried to think of the postives. I am doing this for everyone, for nature, for Mother Earth. This will be worth it in the long run. I thought about the park ranger's words and suddenly I realized that this job of planting one mangrove could affect the environment around it immensely.

Each tree should be thought of as a breath of air. If we run out of trees, we run out of good, clean air. The environment depends on these trees. The branches that reach to the sky balance the environment. But say if these trees were cut down, demolished to make buildings and golf courses, then wouldn't the environment be destroyed? Trees serve for many purposes, so what would happen to the Kuala Selangor Nature Park if the over 200 trees there were to be gone? Animals would be killed and the park would be nothing. Keeping these trees is our duty as the most intelligent race in the world.

In my mind I think of a tree as a guardian and a role model. It unselfishly lends its branches, trunks, and leaves for protection against winds, rains, and floods from reaching the uplands. It also provide safe nursery areas for crustaceans, fishes, and other marine life. The mudflats of Kuala Selangor are home to mudskippers, mud lobsters, and mangrove crabs who wade in its muddy pools. Otters are seen on the water's surfaces. Mangroves are also a source of food for marine life like shrimp. It's roots and branches are shelters for animals. Birds from around the world, like kingfishers, pond herons, bee-eaters, and water cocks migrate and take rest in the mangroves. At the Kuala Selangor Nature Park over 140 species of birds have been spotted, such as the especially rare ones, Nordman Greenshank and Mangrove Pitta. Species of monkeys, such as the Silver Leaf Monkey, are also found across the mangrove trees. Mangroves are important to the ecosystem and the world. Without these Mangroves many animal species would die.

Planting one mangrove, only sacrificing one day of your time, can change the way of life for hundreds of animals that depend on these trees. Keeping these trees alive ensures the survival of animals and the safety of the towns near Selangor River, for they would be flooded without the mangroves. Marine life and wildlife alike of Malaysia and other countries feed here. We should be the warriors for our ecosystem and environment. We should save nature for future generations. We should aid the world when it is at its weakest, because we take the world for granted. Our Earth has always been our resource, our home, and our way of life, so when its in trouble, shouldn't we be there to nurture it? If we work together we can bring the world out of crisis and save millions of lives, just by simple acts of kindness, like planting a mangrove tree.

I took a deep breath and looked at all the mangroves we planted, 80 or so mangrove samplings, so far. Tomorrow another 40 kids would come, endure the torture, complain, ask why we are planting these mangroves, and finally realization will come to them. One day those samplings will be big enough to fulfill its purpose and help the environment around it. One little mangrove sapling can make a huge difference.

Sources

http://www3.leegov.com/dcd/Environmental/Mangroves.htm 

http://hydec.com/ksnp/ 

http://www.wildeyeview.com/places/?p=128

Grey Heron
http://www.maleisure.com/k_selangor.htm

Mudskipper
http://hydec.com/ksnp/ 

Kuala Selangor Nature Park
http://www.wildeyeview.com/places/?p=128 

Silver Leaf Monkey
http://www.wildeyeview.com/places/?p=128