Final Gr 6 Drama Performance

I am happy with my overall performance. The rest of the members did great too! I think I could talk a bit slower and articulate a bit more so that it sounds more dramatic. Before, I had given myself a 7-8, now I'd probably give myself an 8- 8 3/4. I do feel more confident and dramatic, and the voice unit really helped elevate my projection and clarity! 

Math Reflection, Fractions and Decimals

Part 1: In some cases, it would be more useful to use fractions. That is when for example we have a question:
color in 4/9 of the square. How much of the square isn't shaded?
If we solve this problem with fractions it would be visually easier to tell the difference and comprehend. Since 9 is an odd number, and not a multiple of 10, it would be MUCH harder to solve.
In other cases, it would be more appropriate to use decimals for example money. The reason we use decimals for money is so that we can tell between dollars and cents. Let's take 8/10 as an example. Reading 8/10 as 0.80 would be much easier and less confusing when it comes to money.

Part 2: When we compare whole numbers, the one with more digits is greater. This doesn't apply for decimals though. In decimals, the deeper into the place value we go, the number or portion becomes smaller and smaller. That is because in decimal place value we work with "th"s. For example, which is greater, 0.04 or 0.004? 0.04 would be greater because 4/100 is shaded more than 4/1000, which would be really small in quantity.

The Wheel

So here is my Google presentation on a very useful accomplishment... the wheel! I had a lot of fun with the time I had to show my learning and thinking. Just think about it this way, without wheels, you'd be carrying all your belongings with you, imagine that!

"Sportsmanship- on the sporting field and in everyday life"

Sportsmanship is how YOU choose to act. It's all linked to attitude like for example, we are always given the choice to either win, or help an opposing team. If we end up helping the team, it turns out that you gain more respect and achievement while not physically winning. If we play fair, you end up feeling more pride and satisfaction that you have ACTUALLY won something honestly, and that is your 100% hard work and determination. For example, I always congratulate people who have achieved something or done really well on something because my mom has always told me that a positive attitude and sincere determination is a HUGE element for success. 3 ways we can demonstrate good sportsmanship could be
                                                                   - congratulating others' success
                                                                   - helping a rival team
                                                                   - playing fair and not cheating

Sportsmanship doesn't always have to be shown on a field, it can be done at home, or somewhere else too. To be honest, I can recall quite a few times when I've not demonstrated good sportsmanship. But here are a few ways we can demonstrate good sportsmanship other than on the filed (I need this!).
                                                                     - congratulating others' success
                                                                     - genuinely praising people and not demeaning them
                                                                     - *here's a new one* encouraging people to achieve their                                                                            goals

Sportsmanship Poster

Submarine Model-Building

1.    Draw a colored sketch of your submarine model in the floating, sinking or neutrally buoyant position. Take a photo of your sketch and insert the photo below the title of your blog entry. You could also do your drawing use a digital drawing tool if you like. 

2.   Part of the design process, is to think of design ideas to try and then test to see how those design ideas actually work. 

• Describe any design ideas that you had which did not work as expected.  
• Describe any design ideas that you had which did work as expected. 

Quite a few ideas didn't work. We thought putting a lot of weights might do the trick, but then it was impossible to get the submarine to float. We put weights in different places, but that restricted the bottle to stay still and balance. We also thought of adding balloons, hopefully helping the bottle to float, but that didn't make any difference. At most, the problem was to get the bottle to float after it had sunk.

Some ideas did work too, getting us a step further from reaching our goal. Putting weights on one side of the bottle helped the bottle sink horizontally. Blowing air in the tube we attached to a hole (made by the Bunsen Burner) helped the bottle float. It was important to keep weight and air balanced so that we could succeed. 

3. 

Describe at least two ways that your model works like a real submarine.

Describe at least two ways your model works differently than a real submarine

Both the bottle, and a normal submarine include weight and air as controls.

They both have a sinking and floating as elements, and have ways to be controlled.

While in order to float we used a pipe, and shoved in a hole. Then we blew in the pipe, causing the submarine to float. For a real submarine though, people won't just make a hole, and blow in a pipe. Blowing in the pipe was just for the bottle submarine to float.
The bottle submarine needed weight in order to sink. A real submarine wouldn't need any weights since it's quite heavy itself.

4.    Did you ever feel like you were not going to be able to successfully modify the plastic bottle to make it dive and float like a submarine?  If you did not give up, what strategies helped you persevere and keep going? 

At one point it was a bit frustrating. None of the methods or strategies were working, and it had become confusing as to what the real problem was. We started again and again, thinking of new placement styles for the components. We tried going through steps and weight comparisons step by step. We figured adding weight (metal rings) on the outside would prevent movement, resulting in an equal balance between air and weight.

Fraction Comparison Reflection

"You know how to compare fractions using cross products, LCD, and logical reasoning. When is it better to use one method over another?"

It depends, if the fraction is something complicated like 56/79 and 34/38, it would be more efficient to use cross products.

If a fraction is easy, something like 3/4 and 2/5, logical reasoning works best. Remember that all these methods work, it's just important to know which method works quickly, accurately, and efficiently.

Comparing the PN On Demand with our Personal Narrative

           I can definitely see the change! The first thing I noticed, was that my word choice, and description was much better in my Personal Narrative. I feel much better using inner thinking, and taking my heart, and stretching it. It was a bit hard figuring out how to start my PN and how to end it. Otherwise, I was really surprised to see my progress, and I really thought that mini lessons and partner feedback really enhanced my thinking. These techniques made me think deeper on how I can make my heart shine throughout the story. In my On Demand writing though, I noticed more dialogue than in my recent Personal Narrative, but my Personal Narrative didn't have as much, so that's something I can work on. I'm really impressed with the development of my writing, and I would love to it grow throughout the year as well!

My Archaeology Google Sites 2014

This is a link to my Archaeology Google site that I made in Grade 6 Social Studies. I hope you learn something about the history of Pompeii.


https://sites.google.com/a/sas.edu.sg/vainavi-s-archaeology-site/ 

Milestones

  Milestones

It was a beautiful sunny day. Flowers bloomed, leaves started to crisp up, and trees whispered to the wind. That month of May was filled with a variety flowers and beds of wet grass, and the colors reflected on the ground, creating an illusion of pigmented air.

We were all ready.

Everyone had waited for this day to come, partly because they wanted to put an end to me waking up, and wanting company. The anticipation really got over me, I didn’t even know if I was breathing properly or not! It was like ice flakes, tickling my spine layer by layer. Cars and trucks zoomed past my ear, leaving a gush of wind in the warm air. The boiling sun melted on my head, and then subsided with a cool breeze. Before I knew it, my footsteps slowed down, and the sun faded away, leaving distant golden rays around the rims of the windows. There were posters and signs, dragging me through the hallway behind my mom. Fingers pointed towards a room, and there we were, in a waiting room, my mom laying on a cart-ish bed, my dad sitting in a chair. I was with my mom, constantly taking selfies. The darkness, and a mild smell of peach swam around the room. After some time, trails of walking echoed in the nearby hallway, getting louder and clearer by ever step.

“We’re ready,” two nurses cheerfully chorused, holding the door to drag my mom out of the door.

“Who is going with her?”

My dad stood up, and he was gone too.

I then sat down, not knowing what to expect. I had woken up totally fresh and energized, but the more I waited, the more I started to feel nervous and weary. All the emotions I had had inside were banging simultaneously.

The telephone suddenly rang, disturbing the peace in the room. I checked the time frantically,

What, it has been an hour already?

The telephone rang again. I picked it up reluctantly. I started to ponder over so many thoughts while a vague voice was talking to me.

“Come down to the first floor, Vainavi,” my dad gently demanded.

I wanted to ask him so many questions, but I felt so hampered. There was no time to waste. I darted towards the elevator, then flew across the hallway swinging my arms, and letting the wind carry it for me.

I halted.

There I saw my dad, gently smiling at a cart- two carts sorry, and he glanced at me from a distance. That’s when I started to get the shivers from face to toe, and toe to face.

I darted some more, not caring how the wind was treating my arms. I felt shaky, I felt weird. I was confused. All of the feelings I had, melted down. I couldn’t handle it. It just exploded-

Suddenly, it all blanked out.

           I looked down in front of me, and my hands felt numb. I couldn’t believe what I saw, I wasn’t prepared for that moment. I didn’t know what to do, and all I wanted to do was slow down and stop s-s-hhh-aki-ng.

           I just kept on staring at the carts, my eyes reflecting down to fragile skin, and eyes closed. I needed someone to hide my face and emotions, so I just threw my arms around my dad- who was astonished for a second, and buried my face as deep as possible. I could see people passing by, some stopping to take a look, so I knew that I wasn’t fully covered. But no one knew that behind my arms and hair, tears were trickling down my cheeks. Only my dad could sense my movement and breathing. I was overwhelmed and excited, but a bit shocked and stiff, and I never knew getting two siblings together would be so weird! I sped across the same, familiar hallways, and restlessly waited to reach the 3rd floor in the waiting room.

             (DURING THIS TIME, I WAS JUST TRYING TO TAKE IN WHAT I SAW.)

          It did hit me though, when I got to know that they were premature, and my brother was in the ICU because he had some breathing problems, but the doctors said he was going to be perfectly fine in a few days, and that currently, my sister was in the nursery, sleeping with other babies. So I relaxed, bringing my arms back from the wind.

           The moment I saw my sister, peacefully sleeping, while others were crying I said,

“Mark my words, she is going to be the cutest, calmest, and the sharpest girl in this nursery- although, she would be a little shy!”

After a few days, when my brother arrived in the room where my mom was staying, I felt like he would be the naughtiest, and the most social. Turns out that a year later, my sister (Parisa) is a total tomboy. She is super interested in sports, books, and music. She is super talkative, and is the boss who runs the whole house. I was right though, when I said she was going to be sharp and cute! My brother (Panav), on the other hand, is naughty, yet very shy. He is his mom’s boy, and isn’t fully attached to me yet… but I’m almost there!

“OUWWWW!! LEAVE MY HAIR!”

Now, when I think about all the responsibilities that come along with having the pleasure to be a big sister, I also think that wow, I am such a lucky person that every morning when I wake up, the first thing I see are my brother and sister on my bed, laughing and waking me up! I think about every time I would feel like I needed some company. I realize that this is one of those times, that will never forget no matter how matter how many years pass by,

and no matter how many milestones are complete.

Favorite Number Project

Track PE

Block D Track

Block D Tennis

Block D Swim

How can you decide whether finding common multiples or common factors is helpful in solving a problem?

 Least Common Multiples- which ever multiple comes first from 2 numbers, is called the least common multiple

Finding common multiples and common factors are extremely important in solving a problem, because that is one of the first essential steps to break down, and simplify thinking. For example, if we come across a question that asks you to find a mystery number, and you are given the following clues
LEAST COMMON MULTIPLE IS 7
GREATEST COMMON FACTOR IS 70
The first step would be to find the answer.

8!

TEN is a person who is dying to hit the stage on day one of drama and would willingly perform in front of all of 7th grade right NOW! ONE is a person who would rather be ANYWHERE but the stage and would prefer to be wrapped up in a blanket back in their bed hugging their teddy bear. On this scale of one to ten, I would be a 7 or 8. I feel I can go on stage, and give a pretty confident and decent play or performance. I would like new experiences with drama, and feel I am capable to entertain the audience. A minus point that's really important though, is that I can be super calm at times, a bit nervous (usually), or get really nervous (occasionally). I have a loud, clear voice that should be easy to hear. I like how the setup, preparing, make-up and costume works, and I like to be the center of attention. Sometimes though, I feel the pressure and back off a bit from being a main character. Most of the time, I push myself to participate, and get the best role possible. I like participating, partly because I know this can give me a golden opportunity to master the extra curricular activity part for getting in a good university later on in my life.

Drama Background

Background people are blurry, avoiding contact with camera.

Main character is the biggest, and centered in the "spotlight".

No specific words coming out, heard a few words though, in, ya. That's it.

Laptop Check

I made sure all the questions were answered, and I wrote my mom's response. My dad was gone on a business trip so I didn't check with him.

1) I will carry the laptop with me since my backpack is usually full. I ride the bus, so I will make sure not to forget the laptop, and be careless.

2) The laptop will be in my arms and I will make sure it is with me throughout the time period. I will not crush, damage, or hit my computer on the bus ride.

Laptop Care Poster

Productivity and Organization

Leaving a Positive Digital Footprint

              Leaving a Positive Digital Footprint

Have you ever thought that something that seemed super cool and funny a minute ago, can get you in trouble? Not just a basic problem that you can solve quickly, but problems that can ruin your future and your relationships. The worst part is, that in most cases, you can’t look back at what you’ve done, because you just left a negative digital footprint. Think twice about posting anything, and prevent many problems that could come your way.

Photo by Google Images- Mr Frew - http://mrfrew.weebly.com/digital-footprint.html

To be honest, I never knew that there was anything like a digital footprint. When I was first asked about it, I had no answer. I got to know about it a year ago, in my 5th grade Tech class, and it came in my mind that this was something that could ruin people’s future. I started feeling really passionate about this topic and decided to look deeper into it. The more I thought about how dangerous one mistake could be, and how digital footprints could impact entrance into universities and colleges, the more I thought that leaving a footprint is extremely beneficial. As long as it is a positive footprint, it could also help you with getting entrance in jobs and colleges. If you know that you can leave a positive footprint, and not a negative one, and you think that this could not only ruin your future, but somebody else’s, it can give you a good feeling of leaving a positive print, and not ruining someone else’s.

Keeping in mind that leaving a negative footprint will ruin your future and give you nothing but regret, post kind, relevant, and respectful comments to your peers, and protect your identity from the social community.

Using Your Laptop

Digital Citizenship Agreement Pledge

As a responsible Digital Citizen at SAS, I, Vainavi, promise to respect and protect myself, others, and intellectual property while learning, sharing, and collaborating online.

Orchids

This non fiction piece was done without help from Mrs. Clayton. It was an independent piece that I really enjoyed. It was all about orchids, a part of nature. Most people probably wouldn't think much about such a flower, but you'll be surprised how interesting they are! So sit back, relax, and enjoy as I take you into the lives of orchids!

Mercy Otis Warren- Significant Person Project

A person who can change history with her arguments and thoughts. A person who can help others even when she faces difficulties. A person who left a place in history. Mercy Otis Warren, a respected, pure, and religious woman who stayed strong and helped give justice. Step into her world where you will be introduced with every characteristic, struggle, importance, and impact she made.

“A superfluity of wealth, and a train of domestic slaves, naturally banish a sense of general liberty, and nourish the seeds of that kind of independence that usually terminates in aristocracy.”  Mercy Otis Warren had once said.

Mercy Otis Warren was an important historical figure that changed and made a difference in history. She was a very smart, fair, and humble person who couldn’t stand situations that were unfair. She would express her thoughts and feelings through a unique way- writing, since she was a writer. When Mercy would feel something was wrong, she would immediately write arguments in favor of independence.

Through her writing, she also helped people in the American Revolution. One example of how she changed certain laws were, she thought that the taxes were too high, and workers were paid too little or sometimes not even paid. She also thought that women were not given the same rights as men to fight in battlefields. She wanted to change all that so she wrote arguments and protested, influencing American Patriots. It was said that women were not allowed to write and talk about politics but Mercy changed that too. Moreover, she encouraged people in Massachusetts to become patriots. She was the main cause for freedom and change in history. Her actions set an example to people and changed history for the better.  

Life wasn’t as perfect and smooth as butter, there were challenges Mercy Otis Warren had faced. She faced sudden incidents, and when she thought she was ready for it, there was really nothing she could do. One of the first tragedies she had faced was her older brother, Jemmy got badly injured by the Loyalist enemies. She had nearly lost one of her dearest companions. It was like a dark cloud had released on her, she wasn’t able to move on! After some time, Jemmy’s body had healed, but his mind didn’t. He was declared insane. Mercy knew that she wasn’t going to let her personal life interfere with her professional, and so she tried to move on. What more could she do? Just as she was getting used to the incident, another obstacle came her way. Lots of people on the ground, dead- it was the Boston Massacre. Mercy couldn’t help anyone, she needed to help herself! The Patriots refused to buy the british goods, everything was in a mess, but helpless Mercy couldn’t do anything. Another problem for her and the people were that the taxes were too high. Moreover, workers were paid too little. Even extra work didn’t get them anywhere. Mercy knew this was unfair, and this time she could do something to solve the problem. She wrote. She wrote like crazy, writing arguments and protests to help. She knew that this was causing problems for not only her and the people, but the workers’ families as well. They were struggling and weren’t able to survive. Even though Mercy’s life wasn’t as perfect as we thought it was, she stayed strong and never gave up. Through her tragic times, she stayed positive and hoped for the best. In the end, she somehow helped people even when she didn’t!

If I “put myself in Mercy shoes”, I probably wouldn’t have the strength and courage to concentrate on my professional life, when so much is going on in my personal life. If we take the incident where her older brother, Jemmy, got badly injured and declared insane, I would feel like I have twice the burden of handling my people. She had lost her dearest companion who had helped, and supported her through times that she was stumped. Mercy had to deal with everything ALONE. It must have been very hard to move on, and try not to think about it. If we look at the time the Boston Massacre happened, I wouldn’t be able to take very good care of the town because I would need to look after my brother and my family. I would probably also fall short of supplies. The taxes were too high, nobody was able to buy the british’s expensive goods. It was a harsh treatment on their part, and everything was a mess. Mercy Otis Warren had to go through a lot. All the decisions she made, I probably would not be able to handle all that.

Mercy still holds great importance because without her, life would probably not have been the same in present day. From the impact, to going through what she had gone through, Mercy changed what was wrong, and tried to make her surrounding, a better place.

An Eight Year Difference-What Happened?

The most obvious change spotted is that in the first picture eight years ago, people are just watching the event (nothing in their hands). Whereas in the second picture during 2013 was taken when people had started using iPads, and new electronic devices. The technology has changed a lot in only eight years! We can see a whole room of the lights of the electronics!

The world is definitely different because of this change in technology. Before, with nothing in people's hands, they would just stare and do nothing...but watch the event. In 2013, when iPads were released, people started using them for capturing moments of it (like taking photos, videos, and sending them to other friends). This would allow them to look back at what they captured, laugh and remember it later when they would get older. This is definitely a good change that has happened in these 8 years.

I don't know what new invention might pop up in another eight years, it better be a good change!

What Are These?

So I was just looking at some flowers in Google images, and I came across some very peculiar flowers that looked more like............animals!
I'll give you 10 seconds to guess what this flower looks like.

Answer: It  looks like a sad monkey. At least that's what the title of this picture was.

Check out some more.

                                   The flowers above are actually supposed to be orchids!
Now I would like to know about what YOU think. Are these plastic flowers? Are they photo shopped? Is this just a painting? In general, is this true? I think these orchids are real flowers. Just because they look like monkeys, doesn't mean these aren't flowers. I guess flowers have their own appearance.

Please tell me your thoughts about these two pictures by commenting below!

Singapore and Malaysia Haze

This is all about the hazardous air in not only Malaysia, but a few other places as well. This news report was chosen because it explains the depth of the problems in a very detailed and serious way.
In CHINESE, I created my own video, where the pictures and reports are the same, but the voice is different. In this, I'm the reporter and if you don't know Chinese, follow through the pictures and captions. I hope this pollution and haze stops, and strict action is taken.

Picture Prompt

      If I had to choose between pressing a rewind button or a pause button for my life, I would press the rewind button. I have a couple reasons why I would want to do that. First, if I have ever done anything bad, gotten in trouble when it was not my fault, or made my parents angry, I could rewind, and fix my mistakes. Keeping all the things in mind, I could change what I did, to something I should have done a long time ago. Second, by rewinding, I could do something extraordinary. I could help people out when I didn't, and help my mom with her work when I backed off. Third, by rewinding I could save money. What I mean by that, is whenever I have wasted my parents' money on something totally stupid, I could change that and save more money. I still regret the fact that in Kindergarten, I was the silliest person. The strap of my shoe had gotten out. Instead of buckling it back in, I told my teacher that my shoe broke! The teacher put a long strip of duct tape around the shoe, and my mom had to buy new shoes for me since duct tape shoes just didn't look right! I wasted approximately US$65. If I had those $65, I could have used it for something more productive. Anyways, last but not least, the most important, by rewinding, I could fix all the mistakes that I ever did and keep a positive atmosphere around me. I hope these reasons convinced you!

Second Trip To Christalite Methodist Home!

           I had an amazing time at the Christalite Methodist Home! Even though I have already been there in December, I still enjoyed going to Christalite as much as before! I met new people, and tried following the goals everyone set. I engaged conversations with people who were willing to talk, and tried to make people happier when they weren't. A few people were enjoying their time, glueing and sticking small decorations on their hearts. Others were in another section of a room, making pasta necklaces that were dyed with vinegar. People's moods were different. With a new change, sometimes you would want to step back, and just enjoy without any disturbance. Others were very welcoming. Those people are the type that would find satisfaction and happiness, seeing us teach them. Both attitudes are fine, as long as they are having fun, and getting engaged with what they're doing. It was an honor to be able to bring light and change to a person's life, and hopefully they will never forget this day. I also must acknowledge everyone in the class. They helped a lot! One thing I liked was the teamwork, which was one of the goals. I DEFINITELY followed one goal...... to have fun!!!
            

Ancient Tibetan Singing Bowl Sessions

We went to the fifth grade group room to experience the Ancient Tibetan Singing Bowls. At first I thought that I might not experience much but............... I experienced A LOT!

First, we had a quick 10 second session with one bowl. Then, the sessions got bigger and bigger with more and more bowls clashing together creating a very peaceful melody. The longer the session, the better I felt after waking up. It was almost like the bowls were actually singing and chatting with each other,in a very calming way.
I had visualized a lot of things during that time. Colors and different sounds filled my head, almost making me fall asleep! This may sound weird, but I started getting pictures of butterflies in my head!

I enjoyed this a lot and this was a really soothing activity done. Credits go to Mr. Cael for playing the bowls.

Images of Singapore Museum Field Trip

        I had an awesome time spending three hours in Images of Singapore Museum. I learned and saw many exciting facts and things/artifacts. Some things I saw were....

        I saw some mannequins dressed up into different clothes. Those mannequins represented the people from different countries. There were stalls or goods around the mannequins too, those represented the jobs and tradings these people had back then. We could see the cozy, small homes and the life they had in rows of stalls.
     
        We learned about the four winds. The four ethnic groups were India, China, Malaysia, and Europe. Each of the groups wanted one thing to come in their country. Together, the four groups came up with Peace, Harmony, Community and Family. These are the things they wanted Singapore to have to make it a better place to live in. So far they have succeeded!

        We also learned about Singapore's history. There was a time when Japan had invaded Singapore and Singapore no longer became a free country. There was a possibility of war between Japan and Singapore, And war it was. In 1950, it was a big day for Singapore because Singapore got independence. It became a free country again!

        Now I hope you know not only how much fun I had, but how much I learned! 

Macaws

My non-fiction topic is about macaws. Macaws are types of parrots that are very pretty (in my opinion)and colorful. They have quite a few abilities no other parrot would have. This topic has been very exciting yet educational for me. Read on to see the life of these amazing macaws!