My Zeitgeist

Learning profiles- How do I learn best?

 These days in class Mr. Whiting has been coming in and talking to us about learning profiles and how they show us where we work better and how we work better. We have been testing our brain, ear, hand and leg to see if we are the right or left side of the brain, ear, hand, and the leg. We tested our hands by having someone drop a pen and whichever hand came up it showed which side we were. For the eye we had to focus on one thing and when we closed an eye and we could see then with the other eye we couldn't then it meant we were the eye that we could see with. Now more about me and how I learn best. I learn best when I am by my humanities teacher's  cupboard at the front because on my profile it says that I am left eared and when Mrs. Narsiman is talking if I am not in the right place I have to turn my chair and sometimes in other rooms there isn't that much space by that part in the room and it gets really annoying because sometimes the teachers are annoyed and then when I don't concentrate I start talking to other people and then they get annoyed and then I get my friends in trouble and I get in trouble too. I don't really agree with this sheet of paper about what foot I use often because in soccer I use both feet but mostly my right. I do agree but not fully because the first time I tried the experiment to see which leg I used the most, the first time I landed on my left but then the second time I landed on my right. The next time I landed on my right so that is why I filled it out as right leg. Also sometimes when you are in the classroom with all the lights on and there is a white board right in front of you, sometimes you can't see because the light reflects of the white board and it blocks your vision. I have had that happen to me sometimes in band last year and when our band teacher was writing about our instrument or about the piece of music we had I would always struggle and move around and look to the left and stuff like that because it was really hard for me to see. I was often asking the people beside me what he was writing because I was right in front of the white board and I couldn't see because of the reflection.

  If I am not sitting in the right spot or something is wrong then I need to tell the teacher and why and if she still doesn't believe me I can take that sheet to her and explain why I need to move in order to get a better grade if my grades are down or if I can't see and then she asks me a question and then I just sit there like I wasn't paying any attention.

Some things that would help me learn are if I have friends or best friends in my class to not sit right next to them because if we became best friends we probably like talk or do funny things or something like that and if we've done that as long as we have had each other we probably would do it in class and stuff like that. Also if I am sitting by someone who likes to fidget or talk to me, I will try to move because I don't want to be distracted because if there was a test today and it was worth a lot of points and it could get my grade up from an A to an A+ than I would try my hardest to move and to listen although the guy I'm sitting next to will be talking to me because some people would just leave the test and sometimes say whatever because it goes from an A to an A+ but I would want an A+ as my final grade because if there was another test and I got a no pass on that one it would put me down to a B+ instead of a normal B. Those are some of the things that can help me learn throughout the year and maybe even throughout my lifetime. But don't mistake avoiding your friends in class with avoiding your friends forever because if you avoid them like in the mornings or after school they might think they have done something wrong and then they will feel bad. 

I would like my teachers to know this about me so that if I ever have really bad grades in one of my subjects this could help me. Also so that if I happen to move and forget to tell my teacher she will know why I moved. If my teacher didn't know this about me she wouldn't let me move and then I would be stuck there and if you are somebody who likes to talk but that's not the thing holding you back, then the teacher will think that you are a bad student because you are talking a lot and she will think that is why you have a really bad grade. This is why I want my teachers to know this about me.

Iiterature Cirlces

The good thing about working with a partner is that if you think your'e question or a part of the lit circle isn't that great you always have their help and the same with them, if they think their's is not that great you can help them too. Also it's fun to see what connections and passages they have because sometimes they have really good connections and passages and it's always cool to see what people think because not all people are the same. Also you can push other people to the limit because if you are working together and you both like challenges that's what thing that will really help you. There are different levels of questions, connections, vocab and passages and you really want you and your partner to go to the limit because the better the work the better the grade. Sometimes you will get really mad at your partner but after the lit circle is done you realize that you got mad at them for giving you a better grade. Also as  you are working you improve your collaborative skills because if you don't finish it in class you always find some way to work it out at home. It also improves your reasoning skills.

There can also be challenges because sometimes when you are at home it can be different because sometimes your internet shuts down and then you have a problem because you have to do it on word and print it out at if you don't have a printer then it's just not your day. Also you might have the same passages and then you have to work out who changes theirs because sometimes you might not want to do the work but your partner doesn't either so then you have to see who's is better because then you can get a good grade for that section. Also sometimes they might do the lit circle right away and they sometimes work in a different way so if you think that would help you, you can try because since you just worked with your partner you can try it!

Sometimes parts of the book can be really hard to understand and your partner can help you understand them. I really think I can focus more on my lit circle because my partner has shown me many different ways to work on it. Sometimes I leave it till the last minute but now I will always start as soon as I have a chance. These are some of the benefits of working with a partner

The literature circle discussion helped me understand the book more because at some parts of the book it got really confusing and so my group could tell me what actually happened. Also it's cool to see what other people thought about the book and what they wrote. Sometimes you would have the same passage but you would have written down something totally different. If you told the story wrong they could help you fix your mistakes. Sometimes you would have a person that was really good at questions and it's always fun to have a challenge and try to answer their question.

Some of my connections were identical to other's. In the book Brian's parents had a divorce and I have a friend who's parents are divorced to and so did another person in my literature circle. Some of our passages were the same and while we were discussing them, my group would come up with their own connections and it was really interesting.

Some predictions I have are that since the word hatchet is the title and Brian is in the woods, I think he will use his hatchet for survival. He will use it to find food, kill animals and also maybe make a shelter. It will be a very hard life for Brian because his parents are divorced and now he is stranded in the jungle with a hatchet.

Papa New Guinea, New Zealand And Australia

Why is New Zealand and Australia wealthier and more technologically advanced then Papa New Guinea? Even though Papa New Guinea is located in the same region as N.Z. and Australia, Papa New Guineans are planters and hunters. In order to survive they have to work really hard on hunting and gathering so that they can survive. They also live in a whole different environment than N.Z. and Australia.

N.Z. and Australia had people coming in from Europe. When those people came in they would bring some of their everyday supplies and they would start a whole new life there. At that time Europe was already wealthy and  had discovered technology. Most of the people in Europe had at least one type of object that included tech. Then trade came in. Sometimes the Kiwis and Australians  would trade some of their everyday life supplies for something that included tech.

Papa New Guineans didn't have people coming in to their country because they lived in the jungle. Also they had a less healthy lifestyle because they lived in the jungle and there are not many animals. Also they could be easily injured because their shelters would be made of bamboo and leaves. Animals could easily come and attack if they picked a wrong place to live. This is why Kiwis and Australians are wealthier and more technologically advanced.

Some reasons why New Zealand and Australia are wealthier than Papa New Guinea

NZ and Australia are richer and more wealthy because they live in a whole different community. They have animals that help them by pulling things and sometimes they can be transportation. Also they have way more plants which helps them grow more food and they have tech and buildings because in the olden days they would have british prisoners and so they would stay there and basically live their life there. They also have much smarter wealthier people. That is why they have buildings and tech. There are more non-white people and a long time ago they were much less wealthy people and they learned how to survive with sticks and stuff, so they didn't want to live differently so they didn't bother making buildings and tech. Also Papa New Guinea is in the jungles and there aren't many people there so it would be hard for them to build lots of buildings and make things because for one the people don't know how to make buildings and two they live in a whole different place. This is why Papa New Guinea is much less wealthier than NZ and Australia.

Mudskipper Story

I had just finished breakfast and walked into my mom and dad's room. I had a feeling it was a very special day but i didn't know why. I have a sister in my family, an older one. Shes really annoying. So when she woke up we went outside to play. She made me. We played soccer until we got really tired. While we were playing we heard sounds that sounded like elephant foot steps.As soon as we were going to check it out, our worst enemy came. The humans. As soon as we saw them my sister and I quickly climbed back into our house, got in our bedrooms and locked the doors. This was a very scary moment.

What were they doing asked my friend johnny. We looked closely  and saw that they were planting mangroves. There was a huge line of people. They were saying " gee, this looks really fun but I hope we wont fall and get MUD SKIPPERS in our boots". As soon I heard that word I told  myself that I had to get in at least one of their boots. Squish squish one of them had already gone. I tried to get in one of their boots but he was just too fast. Luckily he fell down and yes! I got in his boot. It was so cool having not to walk but I was still moving. It was like I was flying to another country!

Well my time has come so I hopped out of his boot. It took a while for the line to go away but at least I met new friends. I met new friends because my house was right beside them and there was no way I could get there without dying. I had to wonder around my village and find and play with friends so that it would waste my time and I didn't have to stay in one place doing nothing for the whole day. Sometimes bad things can lead to a really happy moment and it can help you by entertaining you and help you live safer.

Courage Connections

My friends and I just finished playing British Bulldogs and we were walking back to our lockers when we found an alley that was almost pitch black and inside that alley we heard someone tripping and crying. We found that there was someone in the alley that had gotten hit by someone really hard and she was bleeding. At first my friend's and I wanted to help but right when we were about to talk to her we saw someone behind her and then we all wondered what to do and what the person behind her was doing. So we all wanted to go back in there but then we thought about our safety and we shivered as we thought about what would happen to us if we went back in there. This was one of the times in my life when I felt that I really should of told someone but if I did and the bully found out I would be in a lot of danger.


Another time when I saw bullying and I wanted to help but I couldn't was when I saw a friend of mine being dragged behind the basketball court and so I followed them without them knowing and I saw something. I saw a bunch of girls there too. I remembered a couple of days ago my friend told me a secret and it was about this girl that he really liked and as soon as my thought drifted away I saw him admit right in her face that he really liked her. I really felt like going up to the people who dragged my friend and saying why don't you go up to someone you really like and tell them you like them and see how you feel because I was really annoyed about the fact that he had forced my friend to let out one of his biggest secrets. When he was done telling the person that he liked her his face turned bright red and I felt really sorry for him.

Next time if something like that happens again I would go and help the person that is being bullied. If I tell them to stop and they don't I would probably go tell someone that could handle the situation or maybe someone I feel that could really help and stop the situation right there and now.

Two goals that I have is to tell the newcomers that they shouldn't be scared of the people that are in higher grades than they are because one thing is that they actually never do anything to you although they are tall and huge and the second thing is that if they do they would either get kicked out of school or suspended. Also another goal I have is that whenever I get bullied or see someone else get bullied I should go and tell a teacher and not fight back because fighting isn't going to solve the problem.

A Time When I Showed Courage

Everybody thinks of courage in different ways. Courage could be facing your fears or accomplishing something amazing and there are many other ways to think of it to. I think of it as facing your fears. Everyone has had a chance or has shown courage in their lifetime. My family and I were in singapore for a baseball tournament and this was our last game of the day.


We got to be in the field first and the other team got to bat. Out of my team (which was 9 people) I got the best field position which was shortstop. Shortstop was the best position because you got to call out all the plays and mostly all the baseballs go in that direction. I like baseball to be hit to me but I dont like them to hit me. Finally the last batter on their team was up. Our pitcher pitched the ball and he hit it straight at me! It was a line drive which ment it was aiming at my chest and right before I caught it it bounced and hit me in the stomach! It really hurt but at least I got the batter out and it was our turn to bat.


Now it was our turn to bat. This tournament was only supposed to be for children ages 10-12 but their pitcher was 15 years old and pitched 90 miles per hour! All my friends hit the ball and either got a single or a double. They would also always eventually get to home base. Finally the second last batter Caleb batted and got a single. As I stepped up to home plate my legs were shaking like I was freezing cold. As I got ready I thought in my mind if we were the last to bat, we were tied and I hit the ball all we had to do was run home. So two strikes had gone by. This was the last pitch. As the pitcher wound up I got ready to swing and BAM! I hit the ball to hard and in the wrong place so it really hurt my hand but we won the game!

As the game ended everybody started throwing me up in the air like I hit a home run or something but in the end I learned a really big lesson. The lesson was that unless it is something dangerous or that could kill you don't back out. I was really proud of myself but at the same time I learned a really big lesson thanks to the pitcher that was 15 years old.

How Did Early Humans Use Art To Express Their Prehistoric Culture?

A couple of days ago my group and I were assigned to a cave painting and we presented to the class what the painting meant. Our painting was a very precise and detailed painting and in that painting there was a chest and animals running away from something. Their drawings come in different sizes and very detailed. I think they are very detailed because the early humans wanted to explain very clearly to people how they lived their lives during those days.


Next, early humans draw with mostly brown and black and sometimes grey. I think that is because in those days the only tools they had for painting were rocks and tools they made themselves with were from rocks and sticks. Lets say they had dark clouds and some brown land,  they would color the land brown and the clouds black. I especially think that the early humans are very precise and they want people to know exactly what had happened.


Last but not least, early humans use art to express their culture by drawing different pictures and different symbols. The thing that catches my eye the most is if they draw something really unrealistic but its not always unrealistic, sometimes it's the opposite. In my group's painting there was a chest that was left behind and around it were bison and other animals so we think that what the early human is trying to say is that there was a tribe before and the animals were running away and that forced the tribe that was there to run and they lost a chest. Now you know that you should always look at the painting and ask your group " what is the early human trying to tell us"?

Sources

http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/archaeology-6.jpg&imgrefurl=http://science.howstuffworks.com/archaeology2.htm&usg=__JqOgD5vYPdasUr3ptwXtixr7b8k=&h=309&w=400&sz=65&hl=en&start=0&tbnid=5cIMO-mEq5Gq7M:&tbnh=167&tbnw=227&prev=/images%3Fq%3Darchaeologists%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D650%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=811&vpy=357&dur=438&hovh=178&hovw=231&tx=179&ty=178&ei=ZQBpTNrbG4KSvAPJyvj9Aw&oei=ZQBpTNrbG4KSvAPJyvj9Aw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0





http://www.google.com.my/imgres?imgurl=http://www.foxnews.com/images/307243/0_61_090507_ancient_beehives.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,295757,00.html&usg=__BRrwVOoOpGaWz7rND34SwWY6UQM=&h=240&w=320&sz=17&hl=en&start=0&tbnid=d7-hVrDOrzbIEM:&tbnh=167&tbnw=232&prev=/images%3Fq%3Darchaeologists%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D650%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=156&vpy=353&dur=2238&hovh=192&hovw=256&tx=172&ty=176&ei=ZQBpTNrbG4KSvAPJyvj9Aw&oei=ZQBpTNrbG4KSvAPJyvj9Aw&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0

Why a Geographer or a Historian Wouldn't be my Dream Job

I didn't choose Geographer because for one thing I don't enjoy geography and I'm not that great at it. It's also one of those things where your'e better at one thing that another. I also didn't choose Historian because  most of the time Historian's depend on facts that Archaeologists find and I am one of those people who don't like to wait very much.

Why I want to be an Archaeologist

I want to be an Archaeologist because they get to travel around the world and discover old bones and fossils that were left in the past and its not a job where you have to sit around in a room all day and research and write paragraphs about the discovery you made. Showing new questions around and to the world would be amazing. I like to do research to but I also like to get outside and dig. Most of the time you have to do some research on whatever you found but like I said I dont really like sitting inside a room and writing all day. Archaeologists are also really cool because they dont just study on one subject. There are many things people haven't discovered yet. I think this would be a good job for me because most of the time I can figure out things but if I get stuck I can always find a way to fix it.

Social Scientists

If I had to choose a dream job out of an Archaeologist, Geographer or a Historian it would be an Archaeologist. There are some reasons why I would want to be an Archaeologist. I never really thought I would be an Archaeologist before though.

What are 5 adjectives about yourself?

5 adjectives about myself would be sporty, helpful, kind, somewhat intelligent and unorganized.

What is one social goal you have for this year?

One social goal I have for this year is to make more friends so that if my friends leave I will have plenty more to spend time with.

What is one academic goal you have for this year?

One academic goal I have this year is to improve my writing skills because I know that I need to practice more. Another academic goal I have is to get better grades.

What is the last movie you have seen?

The last movie I have seen would be Despicable Me. It was about a villain who had little minions who were working for him and he had a scientist. While the minions were busy working on weapons Gru the villain was busy stealing the statue of liberty in Los Angeles. The minions were working on a big plan but in the middle Gru ends up adopting three girls. The girls were very nice buy Gru's professer said that he couldn't take over the moon with three children so he had to give them back to the orphaninch but just as the girls were having fun they found out they had to go. In the end Gru gives up the moon and takes the three girls back.

WHAT ARE THE LAST THREE BOOKS YOU HAVE READ?

The last three books I read were Dragon Rider, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Hiccup Horrendus. Dragon Rider was written by Cornelia Funke and it was about dragons who had problems with other dragons. They always fought but one night some dragons go really sick of this fighting so they went of to their master in the skies. The master told them that if they ignored the attacking dragons they would stop so the dragons just ignored them and in the end they found that sometimes if you ignore someone that is annoying you they will stop. Diary of a Wimpy Kid was written by Jeff Kinney and it was about a boy named Greg and he had some trouble surviving middle school with his best friend Rowley. His dad was also bugging him about joining after school activities like swimming but Greg wasn't a very good swimmer. After a few months Greg sort of gets along but not really well. He also likes this girl named Holy Hills and he met her at the public pool and she was a lifeguard. In the end Greg gets through middle school but it was very tough. Hiccup Horrendus was written by Cressida Cowell and it was about a boy who was a very good sword fighter and amateur naturalist but he wasn't always like that. One day Hiccup and his friends had to go up to the tallest mountain in the world and get some dragons that they could train. Once they all got up there Hiccup was the only one to get a really good dragon but he saw his friend had trouble getting one. So he gave it to him. Then Hiccup got a dragon but by this time everybody had already gotten down and Hiccup was still up there. Hiccup, by accident woke up the dragons so by now Hiccup was panicking and his trainer told him to jump down and he would catch him
so he did and luckily he made it. Then when they are training their dragons Hiccup's friend got bitten by a dragon and Hiccup had to go up and fight a king to get the cure. In the end Hiccup saves his friend and is named one of the best students at camp. If you like reading you should try some of these books.

About me

Hi my name is Norman and I am from Malaysia. My dad is American and my mom is Malaysian. I have lived in Malaysia pretty much my whole life so I guess you could call it home. I go to this amazing school in Kuala Lumpur and its called ISKL. Right now this is my fourth year at ISKL and I am in middle school. I hope you enjoy my blog.