My Zeitgeist Project

Here is my Zeitgeist Project from the first semester of Grade 6. Enjoy and Hope you like it!

As you all know, one of our school-wide learning results (SLR's) is to
Collaborate Constructively.
This week for Literature Circles, you have had the opportunity to work
with a partner and collaborate on your Literature Circle Discussion
sheet.
In a well structured response (3 paragraphs or more), provide feedback on:

1.The benefits of working with a classmate.
2. Challenges / obstacles which you overcame (tried to overcome).
3. New understandings that you gained about the novel.

This week I had the opportunity to work on my literature circle with a teammate. I think that working in a group is better than working on your own because others can contribute ideas and themes together. Your partner can help you in parts that you are not confident in answering. I also think that having a partner is better than working alone because you can get each others opinions and also correct the essays.That is what I like of having a partner for the lit circles.
 
The challenges for me in the lit circles are the questions. I think answering them is hard because you have to answer it in the form of a reason, detail and fact. I struggle with this and is an area that I will focus on improving. It is also hard for me because it takes a lot of time and I do not like things that takes a lot of time. When something takes along time, I feel like I am loosing focus and its difficult to stay on task.

I thought that Jacob was supposed to stay focused and search for his dad but he took a day off and met a member of a Masai's tribe and the Masai taught him some survival skills. This surprised me. I thought he would never stay off task and he does although the survival skills could help him later when he is in the bush looking for his father. The first glance at the book, I thought every thing was about Thunder Caves. I read some parts about the book and it was not all about Caves in the beginning.

Reflection On Thunder Cave by Roland Smith

In Humanities, we are reading and discussing a novel called "Thunder Cave." The people that are in my group are: Jessica, Janette, Alexia, Esme, Andrew and me. 



1. How your discussion helped your understanding of the novel. 


The discussion helped me understand the book because other people told me why they think that the passage is important to them. Not everyone has the same opinions,views, feelings and comments. This is the chance to express why their passage is important and gives us different angles. Fortunately, most of my team members bring their paper work to discuss in class. However, someone usually forgets or did not complete their assignment. This makes me feel quite disappointed. During literature circle, I am normally mellow and tame because I am listening to other people's opinion. In the future, I will try to participate more by adding my views.


Sometimes we pick the same passage but have different opinions and others miss out some the key point.

Flag Of Kenya

2.)Connections that you made during your discussion.                       


For this part of the lit circle discussion it helps me understand  my friends better because of their experiences in connection with the main character, in this case, Jacob.No one changed my view or convinced me in the discussion.Some people added value by giving comments of that passage. Sometimes I reminded myself about the situation that people shared. l imagined that I was in Jacob's shoes by pretending that I was there but no one talked about that so I kept quiet.




Map Of Nguruman Escarpment and Nairobi, Kenya, Africa

3.) Predictions



We made some predictions about Jacob's story. The group did not think that he could raise enough money to pay his ticket to Kenya. Nobody was explosive or argued during the first Thunder Cave meeting because not everyone was prepared. It is more interesting to discuss the book with a lot of people instead of reading the book alone. Every one thought instead of just agreeing.




http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Cave-Roland-Smith/dp/0786811595/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_a
http://www.google.com.my/imglanding?q=Nguruman+Escarpment+Africa+map&um=1&hl=en&tbs=isch:1&tbnid=PjaZIOTM4YOjWM:&imgrefurl=http://alluringasia.com/Country/Kenya/accommodations/521&imgurl=http://alluringasia.com/images/fi1842.jpg&zoom=1&w=528&h=473&iact=rc&ei=x43WTMvMGpOfccHRha8L&oei=vo3WTMv6IIuwuAPd-bClBQ&esq=4&page=4&tbnh=136&tbnw=152&start=57&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:57&biw=1273&bih=584    http://www.google.com.my/imglanding?imgurl=http://unimaps.com/flags-africa/kenya-flag.gif&imgrefurl=http://unimaps.com/flags-africa/kenya-print2.html&h=599&w=900&sz=22&tbnid=MKbFgZrzkBn-zM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=146&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dflag%2Bof%2BKenya&zoom=1&q=flag+of+Kenya&hl=en&usg=__P-VyRHOdoN41ufCidM6H1jPKbAs%3D&sa=X&ei=3Y_WTO6ZJ4H-vQPtmdCkCQ&ved=0CB8Q9QEwAQ

1. What role did geographic location and natural resources play in the the development of Malaysia?

 

Malaysia is a peninsula that is strategically located between the straits of Malacca, the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. It is divided into two regions:Peninsula Malaysia, and Sabah and Sarawak(the East Malaysia)  This country is a very convenient stop for Western traders as ships are able to cross over from the Indian Ocean to the  Pacific Ocean.For the past few centuries, the Dutch and the English were able to conduct business since they could cut across from the West and become a gateway to the East. Malaysia is on the equator which is one of the hottest part of the world. The British colonized Malaysia because of our maritime boundaries with Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines and many other countries. The Straits Settlements or Malacca is a trading hub which is the key to the reason the British colonized this important country.

After independence from the British, Malaysia grew at a rate of 6.5% yearly for the last 50 years because of our natural resources.The development of Malaysia is due to the huge reserves of natural resources such as:  Natural Rubber,palm oil, pepper, electronic equipment, Textile and apparels, timber and timber products, wooden furniture, Petroleum crude oil and LNG and tin. We are able to export raw materials and manufacture in our country. We have diverse capabilities which fueled us economically to be one of the most successful nations today.

The most important natural resources in Malaysia is the human capital or people. Malaysia has skilled laborers and educated citizens to support the development of this country. The combination of the strategic location and the natural resources promoted our country to the success of this nation. Additionally, Malaysia has no natural disasters like blizzards, earthquakes, volcanos or floods.All these factors contributes to the nation success.

http://www.mapsofworld.com/malaysia/malaysia-political-map.html

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.rspo.eu/images/rspo_pics_oil_palm_fruit4.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.rspo.eu/images/index.html&h=2299&w=1527&sz=3411&tbnid=mcuHiKqhLcOYIM:&tbnh=276&tbnw=183&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dimages%2Bof%2Bpalm%2Boil&zoom=1&q=images+of+palm+oil&hl=en&usg=__ViXoXrGj1k3J2Aslhzb1Q5yR1Vo=&sa=X&ei=vF7JTKH4IoTmsQPRhM2YDg&ved=0CBAQ9QEwAg

http://www.google.com.my/imglanding?imgurl=http://rw-3.com/wp-content/uploads//computer-factory.jpg&imgrefurl=http://rw-3.com/tag/globalization/&h=276&w=460&sz=46&tbnid=KhaH1cs3kCv33M:&tbnh=77&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcomputer%2Bfactory%2Bphotos&zoom=1&q=computer+factory+photos&usg=___xP9wtdB-9XZIzg_PsaJZVKaZTg%3D&sa=X&ei=eWPJTJD_OoHCcffo5c0O&ved=0CB8Q9QEwAQ

                               

The Mud Times. By Sara MudSkipper

A group called 6C is coming to plant mangrove saplings today. I've heard they are giants! "They're coming!" yelled mother. I watched as they arrived wearing boots. They started stepping on our pets! "Cuddly Crab is dead!" my brother moaned. Suddenly one of the giants sank into the mud. People yelled and tried to help the other giant up out of the mud. One of the giants was just about of the mud when it started to sink really deep! They are very heavy. More of my friends started being stepped on and hurt! I was so sad! My best friend was being searched for by her parents but was nowhere to be found.

Very little of them stayed on the logs and pathways and followed the guides rules. Most of them wandered off the path, sank, and yelled for help. They're not very smart! One boy went to the end and back safely. Then he went back again, just to help one boy. How brave! I heard his name was Alex or Alexander.  Turns out he was the cleanest by the end. I wonder with so much mud how can he go in twice and not be the muddiest?

People continued to slip and fall.  It was a disaster for the people.  However, they were supposed to plant more saplings instead of killing them when the fell. Some people fell face first into the mud.  Most of them got injuries. People come every month but this lot had to be the clumsiest bunch we had ever seen.

I think that planting more mangrove saplings is a good idea, but unfortunately people get injured a lot. People are heavy and clumsy and should be much more careful when planting mangroves saplings. This is my personal opinion, not that it will make a difference. Thank you for reading this article, The Mud Times.

Say no to bullying

In third grade, I experienced a dreadful bullying ever. Merilia is a
nasty person who bullied me and every girl in my class. This took
place in my old school. I told my teacher that she has been really

mean. She calls me names like "idiot, loser, stupid chicken," and

tells everyone to leave me out of any games and conversations and
teases me. One fine day, it got so serious that I freaked out in front
of my class when I had to give my presentation. I never told my mom
how badly I was treated. She made everyone hate me and no one spoke to

me for about a month they only spoke me only when they had to.

If this ever happens again, I will be courageous enough to stand up
for myself and not keep it a secret for such a long time. I will
respond in a different way by demanding her to stop calling me names
and if she still does not stop, I will tell the principle and my mom.
I am certain that my mom will do something about it. None of my
classmates or friends helped me in my dreaded situation, unlike in
ISKL, my friends here support me through out my difficulties in
friendship.

When you have a problem, you should tell someone that will be in a
position to help you. Moreover, I will not allow people to walk all
over me, speak over me or call me names. When are friends disagree, we
should encourage them to mend their relationship.

Courage

     Courage is an ability to face difficulty,danger, or pain, as it is a  physical or mental challenge. The  Old French meaning of courage is  from "cuer", which means "heart."

     Last year during the Night of the Notables,we had to perform infront of the whole school, speaking about people who stand up for their rights. I felt nervous and frightened but my friends encouraged me to overcome my fear. With some hesitation I spoke out loud to the sea of people. Everyone paid attention to our speech and the audience was still and quiet.  Although I was petrified and paralyzed with fear, I was brave enough to perform in front of strangers who were staring at me when I spoke. I built up my strength and confronted my fears as I thought about the foot steps my subject, Rosa Parks, standing up for her moral rights. It occurred to me that my fears were so minute compared to Rosa Parks. For her it meant her life.

      Rosa Parks was the Notable I choose, she confronted courage as well as Martin Luther King Jr, John F Kennedy, Gandhi, Nelson Mandala and more. It is a matter of life or death for the people named above to show their courage in their own way who makes them a Notable.


Courage is bravery,
Courage is absence of fear,
Courage is standing up for the rights of others I hear.

Courage is caring,
Courage is love,
Courage is all of the things above.

Sara

If I were to choose between archeologist, historian, or a geographer, I would choose to be an archeologist because I would like to study the past of human beings and dig to find fossils, bones and artifacts. We would travel to different places to discover human remains. I have always found archeologist fascinating because I love getting my hands dirty, and it reminds me of playing on the sand at the beach.  I love to sieve through the sand for rocks, shells and little stones,often thrilled by my findings. 

                  Hello, my name is Sara Goei. I am from Malaysia. My maternal grandpa is from Canada and  my maternal grandmother is from Bangkok. My paternal grandparents are from Indonesia. My mom is from Malaysia and my dad is from Singapore. Now I'm reading a book called 'Maximum Ride'. My friend recommended it to me. So far so good. Its funny and exiting. The last movie I saw was 'Despicable Me'. My goal is to get an A in all my classes and to make a lot of new friends . My favorite vacation memory was when I went to Bangkok at a place called 'camp funaraniam' with my friend Amy. 


1.) slim
2.) shy sometimes 
3.) kind 
4.) great
5.) quiet