Ancient Egypt Imovie Reflection

Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs created monuments for various reasons. I think that the main reason the Pharaohs created monuments was to make people remember them. The monuments usually showed how powerful and mighty the pharaohs were. The Pharaohs also created monuments as tributes to their gods. Another reason the pharaohs created monuments was to portray themselves as someone else. For example, Cleopatra created a monument portraying herself as Isis, the mother goddess, because she believed that she was the reincarnation of Isis.

There are monuments that are similar in our society such as the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben and The Great Wall of China because they represent the country that they are in. For example, you will know that you are in Paris when you see the Eiffel Tower and that you are in China when you see the Great Wall of China. The Louvre is an interesting example of a monument because part of it is designed as a modern glass pyramid. In Malaysia, the Tugu Kebangsaan (National Monument) is a tribute to heroic soldiers who sacrificed their lives to fight for Malaysia.

These are the graphics:

The Louvre Eiffel TowerTugu Kebangsaan

Using google docs was good because my partner and I could work at the same time and see what each other was doing. The benefit of this was that I would not repeat what she had done. We could also edit and correct each other's work in real time. It was also good because I could communicate with my partner and get a response immediately. Even if she was offline, google docs allowed me to leave notes for her that she could read later. So I think google docs enabled us to work in a very productive way.

I learnt from this assignment that Cleopatra committed suicide either by getting bitten by an asp or by rubbing toxic ointment on herself. I also learnt that Cleopatra thought that she was the reincarnation of Isis, the mother goddess. I also learnt that Cleopatra ruled after the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, in the Ptolemaic dynasty of Ancient Egypt, during the Hellenistic times.

The challenging part of this assignment was finding information on the monuments that Cleopatra created. In the end, Mrs N advised us to research Cleopatra's tomb. We found some interesting information from that, like how her tomb was discovered under the sea. It was also quite challenging to find the true history of Cleopatra because there were quite a lot of stories about her.

In this assignment, my partner and I had to collaborate constructively to produce a good iMovie. We had to plan the work that each partner would do separately and then act as a team to put the work together. We also had to communicate effectively with each other and the audience. Both of us had to speak clearly while recording and tell the story in an interesting way.

I enjoyed this assignment because the subject was very interesting and I was able to learn a lot from my partner, Sunskruthi.

Nick's city reflection

Last week, My teacher gave us an assignment which was to give a presentation based on the city we call home. We had to find out the history, environmental factors, median age, statistical information, etc based on the chosen city. I chose Kuala Lumpur. I was actually nervous to go up to present but I got the courage to do it when I saw how well my friends gave their presentation. I thought they were really brave and presented with courage.

I think I did alright on certain parts. For example, in the historical factors section, I mentioned Kuala Lumpur's founding and when it achieved city status. In the environmental factors section, I mentioned the local vegetation, water supply and the topography. I included some graphics so that the audience could more easily understand what I was talking about. I showed a clear map of the location of my city and I also showed its origins. I gave the right statistical information like the population, and important dates in Kuala Lumpur's history.

To improve my presentation in the future, I would try and understand what I have written so that when the teacher or the audience ask me what it means, I would know how to answer. Instead of just including information that other people can find on websites, I would include information from my own experience that no one else would know of like where the best roti canai is or like which place has the best view of Kuala Lumpur. I think I should also put less animations on my presentation so there is more space to put more information. There is also more information I should include like the Petronas Twin Towers even though I did put in a picture of it.

In doing this assignment, I learnt many things about Kuala Lumpur. I did not know that Kuala Lumpur had its origins in the 1850s. I was surprised to discover that Kuala Lumpur achieved city status only in 1972 , more than a hundred years after it was founded. I had learnt in my presentation that the population in Kuala Lumpur is 1.9million. I also had not known that the Titiwangsa mountains protected the eastern side of Kuala Lumpur from the monsoon rains.

Overall, I think that I didn't do very well for the presentation. I think I didn't put enough effort into my work. I just copied a lot of information straight from websites and pasted it onto the presentation. Also, I didn't make much eye contact with the audience because I didn't memorize what I wanted to say and kept looking at the presentation which was being projected on the whiteboard. I also think I didn't present in a very interesting way.

Here is a picture of my presentation:

If you want to see my presentation visit this link!

https://docs.google.com/a/iskl.edu.my/present/edit?id=0AQyiJzjoNVqrZG1mbW14eF8yMGZmeG5kOXho&hl=en

My resolutions

It is finally a new year, 2011, and I have decided to make some resolutions and set some goals that I want to accomplish. Before this I had never made any resolutions or even knew what the word meant! I know some people say that people who make resolutions don't keep them, but this is going to be different! This is my first time and I'm not going to start off on the wrong foot.My first resolution is to work harder at my studies. I need to do this because right now my grades are quite bad. I know I can do better. I want to make my parents and teachers proud. By doing well in my studies, I will have more time to do other stuff, which brings me to my second resolution ...
My second resolution is to get really fit. I am getting flabby and I know it's bad for my health. The problem is that I love food and most of my free time is spent doing passive things like reading, watching TV or playing video games. I don't spend enough time doing healthy activities like sports. I like to play tennis and football but sometimes I find that there's no time for that since I have a lot of afternoon classes. I do play tennis once a week but I really should play more often. 
My third resolution is that I want to become more organized because I am not as you all call it, a "neat freak". Probably my messiness runs in the family. My dad is really messy! His study has piles and piles of books and newspapers and electronic equipment and other stuff. Walking into it is like going on an obstacle course. I am trying to change my destiny by being organized!
My first goal has been to learn more about Greek mythology. Ever since I started reading Percy Jackson and re-reading the Lord of the Rings, I have become fascinated with tales of men and gods. I think it is very interesting. 
My second goal is that I want to be better at football. I love watching and playing football. I support Manchester United and I love to see how well the players pass the ball and work together as a team. Right now I think I am not great at it because my fitness levels are not as good as some of my friends. I want to get chosen for the school football team and to achieve that I have to become much better. 
During the Christmas holidays last year, my family and I went to Penang for a week. We went with my my grandmother, my aunt (who came back from New York City for the holidays), my uncle and his kids. All of us stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel. It was very exciting and fun because there was a great big swimming pool, water slides, and a kids' club where you could play video games, foosball or pool. I spent most of the day playing in the pool and on the water slides. For dinner, all of us kids had pizzas and burgers from room service. The adults preferred to go out for dinner. So it was really fun because we could do anything we wanted in the hotel suite while they were away. I think it's the best hotel in Penang. We returned to KL the day after Christmas so that part wasn't quite fun. But I guess I must have had too much fun during the holiday because I just slept all the way home. But it wasn't too bad because after the Penang holiday I had a few days to play with the Xbox 360 Kinect hands-free video game system which my sister and I got for Christmas. Here are some pictures of my holiday and the Kinect I got for Christmas:

Our Stylised X'mas tree.

My Kinect all set up and ready to go!

My" Ultimate" favourite game!!

The Hard Rock Hotel!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weee! Sliding down was awesome!!!

The Biggest smiles from my cousin Matt and my sis Allegra ; )

So I think I had a really great Christmas holiday. But now that the holidays are over, I am focused on achieving my resolutions and goals. 2011, here I come!

My zeitgeist

Here is my grade 6 Zeitgeist. Enjoy!

My learning preference

No, that's not a drawing of me! It shows my learning profile!


We recently did an experiment in class to see the different ways that students learn. Some prefer to learn by touching things while others may prefer to hear about things. After we did a self-assessment, we matched the results to a profile. My learning profile was. It says that I am Gestalt dominant and I prefer to learn by visualizing things.

I was shocked to see that my profile was spot on. It quite accurately describes what I am like in real life. For example I have problems communicating, remembering and listening to people when I am under stress. Sometimes even though I am able to see the whole picture, I have problems in finding the words or language to express the idea. For me, language is not an initial response.

The profile says I am a visual learner that needs to see the whole three dimensional perspective and emotional elements to learn. I learn best when I can understand the whole picture and why the subject is relevant or important to me. I usually only become interested and motivated when I can understand why I should be learning the subject. Unlike other people, I prefer not to follow step-by-step instructions. I tend to do something by imagining the end results and then intuitively doing what seems right. I think that this is because I am Gestalt dominant. I am more creative than logical. This shows in the way I study. I don't like to be glued to the chair the whole class. I'm always itching to move around. I would like to lie down, sit on the floor or of course walk around. I always like surprises. I like it when the teacher asks us students what we want to do and then vote on what we should do next. I have no doubt that I learn best when I have some input in deciding how or what to learn.

The stuff I need to work on is controlling my stress level because if I get stressed out I would have a hard time communicating, remembering and listening to people. When I am stressed, I feel clumsy and stuck. I find it even more difficult to find the words to express myself even if I know the answer. I also need to concentrate harder when I am studying because I get distracted really easily. The way to do that is to remove things that can become distractions.

The strategies that would help me in learning would be to try and concentrate and to follow the assignment step by step. I think that maybe I should stop talking to my friends when the teacher is teaching because I would not know what the teacher is teaching. I need to read a lot more when I have free time to improve my vocabulary because it is pretty weak right now. I need to concentrate harder and stop looking at people around me because I get distracted so easily. So I must become more focused and disciplined.

I would like my teachers to make studying interesting and exciting. I like it better than just learning in a routine way. In my previous school, teachers usually stood in front of the class and lectured the students. I found it hard to learn. Here at ISKL, the way subjects are taught is quite different and I find it much more interesting. I know my teachers here make a lot of effort to guide me and I appreciate it. But I hope they understand that maybe my weaknesses are due to the fact that I prefer to learn in a different way from other students. I hope they will sometimes ask me for my opinion on what to study or how to study. I would like my teachers to explain the importance or relevance of a subject to me. But now that I know my learning preferences, I will try to improve myself and take advantage of my own way of learning.

Collaborate literature circle (Thunder Cave)

         In humanities, we had a collaborative literature circle and my partner
was Harry Park. The book that we are reading for our literature circle
is "Thunder Cave" written by Roland Smith. I have blogged about this
book before.

1.The benefits of working with a classmate

Working with a classmate was a good experience. It is quite different
from class group discussions. Apart from sharing our ideas and
opinions with each other, we help each other choose passages to read
and how to write about the passages. We also work more closely
together and even edit each other's work. It makes doing a literature
circle assignment a lot easier.

Working with a classmate means I can concentrate better on my part of
the assignment. I have more time to think about my part of the
question because I only need to focus on one part while my partner
does the other part. Sharing an assignment lessens a lot of burden.

Having a partner also makes it possible for me to have a deeper
understanding of the passage I picked because I can spend more time
reading and understanding the passage. Having someone to discuss the
passage with makes it easier to get on with the work. Sometimes my
classmate has a different opinion on the passage and it gives me more
ideas to think about. For example it was interesting to see how Harry
did his assignment. We work very differently. Harry puts a lot of his
opinions into his writing. I usually refer a lot to the passage and
put a lot of quotations in my writing. In future I will put more of my
opinions in my writing.

Another benefit is that we check and edit each other's work before we
submit the work because if the classmate's work has grammatical errors
or if it doesn't make sense, it could affect my grades too.

So I think there are many benefits of working with a classmate.


2.Challenges / obstacles which you overcame (tried to overcome)

The challenges / obstacles I overcame was with the connection. I had
trouble thinking about a connection because the passage that I wrote
was where Jacob was learning how to camouflage himself to blend in
with the surroundings. Harry said that I should make it up, so I
thought to make one up like I camouflage myself to get out of survival
school because I hated it. Then when I was playing one of my games I
figured out that I could write about one of my games.

Another obstacle was that sometimes we couldn't agree on stuff like
the connection, questions and answers and sometimes he would change my
work and I would get upset about it. After working together for a
while, I came up with the idea of generating a few options and we
would choose one that we both agreed on. Even then we still sometimes
ended up with different opinions or ideas on how to write the answer.
I know that people sharing a lit circle don't always see things eye to
eye. But it is natural that we have our different opinions and the
important thing is to voice it out whether we agree with each other or
not is another issue. In the real world sometimes we may have to work
with people that have different communication skills. This can be hard sometimes but
somehow we have to work things out to accomplish our goals.


3.New understandings that you gained about the novel.

For the passage that Harry chose, at first I agreed with Harry's
opinion that the relationship between Supeet and Jacob was important
because Supeet taught Jacob how to survive in the savanna. Supeet was
like a teacher to Jacob and that was a very important point in the
passage. But when I read and re-read the passage that Harry had
chosen, I realized that what was more important was that Supeet had
saved Jacob from death and after that they formed a strong friendship.

Another new understanding I gained is that after meeting Supeet, Jacob
decides to not rush to find his father and instead take more time to
learn how to survive in the savanna from Supeet. As a Masai, Supeet
knows a lot about how to survive in the savanna like having a
different water purification method, how to borrow food from animals
and how to approach animals. Jacob asked Supeet to help him find his
father's camp. Why would Supeet agree to help Jacob, a stranger that
he had just met? I think it's because Supeet realized that he and
Jacob were alike and that they shared the same goals. At first their
relationship is like a teacher and student but later they become good
friends. I think that Jacob's friendship with Supeet gets stronger as
they keep traveling together and i think with this strong friendship,
they can accomplish anything together.

I enjoyed doing my assignment with a partner because having someone to
discuss things with makes the work easier and a lot more interesting.
Sharing a common burden of completing a task where we are graded
perhaps bonds us in a special way just like Jacob and Supeet. We are
dependent on each other to work towards a good grade. It's good to
know that ... I am not alone ...

Lit circle discussion for Thunder Cave

              Discussing the literature circle with my friends allowed me to understand the character Jacob and the story better. In our group dicussions, I am able to share my ideas and listen to my group's ideas too. Sharing ideas in a group gives me a better understanding of the story. The different opinions give me more and more ideas on how to write my literature circle. I think it's cool and interesting that different people can have different opinions and explanations about the same passage. I guess it's because we are from different parts of the world. We also shared our connections and see if they are connected to the passage that we picked. Hearing personal connections helps me to understand not only the story but my friends too. Having group dicussions like this is fun and at the same time we are able to learn from each other. It is also interesting that the same story has so many interpretations and I really enjoyed hearing my friends telling their version of the story.
              I thought our group connected very well. Some of us chose the same passage .Obviously we connected in the choice of passage but some of us chose it for the same reasons but others chose it for different reasons. We may not have had the same opinion all the time,but we were interested to hear what the others had to say. Through sharing I was sometimes influenced by some of my group's opinion. So some of us were connected in opinions after the discussions. I also found that some of our personal experiences that we shared were quite similar and so we were able to relate to each others' feelings and thoughts during the discussions. I think I might get a better understanding about my group with more of these discussions.
          
              I predict that Jacob will find his bicycle and probably blend in with a herd of zebras.I predict that the pendant Jacob found in his mother's room will help him one day. I also predict that Jacob will go back with his dad to get his mom's jewelery back. But I think it won't be easy or simple. There will be surprises for Jacob, like how his bike was stolen. I predict that Jacob will use his survival skills well. Therefore I think that this story will have a  happy ending!