Why do you think Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs created monuments?

I think they created monuments because they believed that that was the only way to represent their thoughts and beliefs. The pharaoh I researched on, Ramses II, built monuments to represent his religious beliefs and to enhance his relationship with Ra, the god that he worshipped. Pharaohs might have also built monuments because they wanted to be remembered and they believe that monuments would be the best solution. For example, Ramses II built the Ramesseum because it was the place where his memory would be kept alive after he passed on from his world.

2. What monuments in our society are similar? (be sure to provide explanations and graphics).

One monument that was similar to Ancient Egypt's monuments would be the Statue Of Liberty, which is located in New

York. The Statue Of Liberty was a gift to America from France. It was first completed in France and then presented to America on July 4, 1884. It's similarity would be the Abu Simbel, which is a monument that Ramses II built, because

both buildings showed purpose. The Statue Of Liberty was given to the US by the French to commemorate the 100th anniversary of American Declaration Of Independence.

Another monument would be the Taj Mahal. Many say that if you kiss someone at the Taj Mahal at sunset, you'll know if she/he is your true love, which makes the Taj Mahal the perfect place to symbolise love! It is located in India and it is also one of the 7 Wonders of The World. It's similarity would probably be the Caesareum, which was founded by Cleopatra. According to Natalie's blog (Thanks!), it was to symbolize her love for one man named Julius Caesar.

3. How did the using google docs as the main portal for collaboration help you with this assignment?

Google Docs is an absolute tool for presentations, projects and research, especially if you're working in a group. On a collaborative document, you can chat with them in case you're stuck or just don't know what to do. Google Docs also automatically saves your work, so your partner can always be updated on your work. They can also tell if you have been doing your share of work.

4. What did you learn from this assignment?

I learned that pharaohs didn't just build monuments for the sake of it. They actually did it for many purposes such as, religious beliefs, love, glory and many others. Another thing I learned is just everything about Ramses II. I actually never knew that they were so many pharaohs. I only knew 2; King Tut and Cleopatra. And this project just opened me up to a whole new subject.

5. What was challenging?

What I think was challenging was just getting the iMovie done. Sometimes in class, you aren't able to always finish your work and you have to do some work at home, but the fact that you and your partner have very different schedules, it would be hard to make some time for each other.

6. Which schoolwide learning results were evident in this assignment?

I think "Collaborate Constructively","Think Creatively", and "Learn Enthusiastically" were some of the SLRs that were evident in this assignment because you and your partner had to work together, think of some creative ways to do your iMovie, and along the way, having enough information to learn and fit into your iMovie.

SOURCES

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX81q37pkVntzKJA4OqYhwD4MCA45wo0fVZZO-iJVbzybvpEu97pU5RDewDadhAuyUROGkzSIIlKnrWzchlO9vfd1ZZ6IPF8hvyBCGXMiTsNDrF4qwVOs5ZbOsgEcSibV0Gzkg-PjnDnj0/s570/statue_of_liberty_800cropped[1].jpg

http://www.veneziatravel.com/dbpics/cities/thumb1264343496Abu_Simbel1_gdj.jpg

http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1/401877-Caesareum-Alexandria.jpg

http://rajivawijesinha.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/taj-mahal.jpg

北 京 欢 迎 你, Beijing Welcomes You :)

In class, we all had to present a powerpoint on our home city. Even though my home city is KL, I chose Beijing because 1) a lot of people were doing KL and 2) I consider it my second home since I lived there for 7.5 years.

1) What you believe you did well on the project?

What I believe I did well on my project is the information I found. I put in the requirements that Mrs Narsiman expected us to put it in. Environmental factors, historical factors, statistical information and other interesting facts. I believe I covered all the guidelines Mrs Narsiman gave us.

2) What you would improve for future presentations/projects?

Something I would like to improve for future presentations/projects would be the oral part of my presentation. I should be more prepared with speaker notes, notecards etc...I start to fidget and tend to look at the board very often. In the future, I can work on my physical appearance, no moving my hands and eye contact. Even though I LOVE performing on stage, I have a phobia of presenting my work to a crowd of people because of the worry of the quality of my work.

3) What did you learn from your preparation (for your presentation) in addition to the presentations of others?

I learned that you should be confident and proud of your work, because (courtesy of my friend, Natalie's, blog post) if you're confident enough, then everything will be fine. I also learned that you should always use your time wisely because you never know what will happen. Like for me, I had no wifi that week so I couldn't do any internet-related homework, so I problem-solved and try to get as much as I could in class so that I wouldn't have any problem with homework at home.

4) What is your analysis of your performance?

Overall, I think my performance was good. I could've have done worse, but the best piece can ALWAYS be improved because no matter what, we will always have presentations to do. I'll take the mistakes I made and put them into effect the next time I present my work and will be proud of my work. And I won't worry about anything.

If you would like to see my presentation and you'd like to learn more about Beijing, here's a link to my project----https://docs.google.com/a/iskl.edu.my/present/edit?id=0AaIsXQbl7EzZZGRkMnpzYmpfNDZjanRrd2ZmOQ&hl=en

Sources

-http://comps.fotosearch.com/comp/IMZ/IMZ008/businessman-making-presentation_~wdr0002.jpg

-Google Docs "Nadia_Beijing" https://docs.google.com/a/iskl.edu.my/present/edit?id=0AaIsXQbl7EzZZGRkMnpzYmpfNDZjanRrd2ZmOQ&hl=en

New Year's Resolutions and Goals from 2011 To The London Olympics

New Year's Resolutions and Goals

Who here has made up some New Year's resolutions? How many of you have done it EVERY year? For me, this is my first year making New Year's resolutions. And that's perfect because 2011 is the start of a new decade. A fresh start. Here in this blogpost, it will ALL be about my New Year's resolutions and goals (not to be arrogant) and about my mom, dad and sister's New Year's resolution. Enjoy!

My first New Year's Resolution is to be nicer to my family. Sometimes they can just
REALLY tick me off by asking questions over and over again, making me pause the DVD all the time so they can go to the bathroom etc. But all families have their rows and fights now and then because it's life. So I have to adapt to get used to that and control my patience. My second New Year's resolution is to be nice to other people, not only to my friends but to all the others I don't know as much as my friends. Some people say that I'm bossy and I seem very mean and arrogant to them.To be honest, I don't believe this even other I have had my moments. I would let them sit next to me at lunch if they're lonely and let them have a piece of seaweed etc. In 2011, I will try my best to complete these resolutions and surely, I will be a better person in time for the London Olympics.

Many people have goals like "I don't want to have fights with my family" or "I want to get fit." I have goal that relate to my strength, swimming. I will always have a goal for my swimming but these 3 goals, to me, are the most important and hardest to achieve. They are to go under 37 for my 50 breastroke, at least a 1:20 for my 100 breatsroke and to dip under 30 seconds for 50 free. To succeed and achieve the goals, I have chosen 3 methods of strategy. 1) I will work harder in training and give 110% everyday even if I feel down. 2) I will eat more healthier such as eatying right before a competition or just simply not beating junk. And finally 3) I will have a positive attitude everyday. Not looking at my past and thinking "I can't do this.

Hope you liked reading about my New Year's resolutions and my goals. I also hope you enjoy reading about my Winter holidays and what I heard and did.
 

A Harry Potter Marathon and An Unique New Year's Resolution

I stayed here in KL for my winter break. For the first part (1.5 weeks, it was actually pretty boring. Swimming everyday and double training on Tuesday and Thursday. Not really fun right? Well, my dad and I went to the DVD store and bought every Harry Potter DVD until Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. I brought it home and popped Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone into the DVD player. It was good, good enough for me to watch the second one. Way good! Then came all the other DVDs, #3, #4, #5 and then #6. Sure enough, I had finished a Harry Potter marathon. It's amazing what spare time can hypnotise you to do.

My family doesn't always make New Year's resolutions but I found this one actually interesting. They said, based on age and probability, they should all be nice to me! I asked them about this and they answered "Well Nadia, since you are the youngest in the family you will end up burying us in to the ground." I felt quite happy about this because well, they should be nice to me. My sister, Diana, started arguing about how I could die earlier than her by a drunk driver or a car accident etc. But then my mom started emphasising on the BASED ON PROBABILITY part of every sentence she said. This only proves that we should all be nice to eah other even though we have our fights because you never know what will happen in the next 5 seconds.


This concludes my blog post on my New Year's resolutions, my goals and 2 things I did over the winter holidays. This is NadiaRedza :) signing out.

My Zeitgeist-First Half Of 6th Grade

Here is a video of pictures of my first half of 6th grade AKA a zeitgeist

I'm Unique...I'm JJ...

On Tuesday November 30th, Mr Whiting had come in to help us find out how we learn best and what our profile was.  My profile was profile JJ, which means that I am gestalt dominant, right eye dominant, left ear dominant, right hand dominant and left leg dominant.  In this blog post, you will learn when I learn best, what I need to do, some strategies that would help me in my learning and what I would like my teachers to know about me. Even though some information does not suit my character, it is the perfect profile for me.

When do I learn best? I learn best through movement and by focusing on the whole picture, context and emotional relevance to self. My movements tend to be spontaneous and fluid but I have the good coordination with my body. For example, I can exhibit good technique when doing a specific dance step but I may lack skill when I'm stressed. I also learn best when I am relaxed since for me, I see the whole picture instead of step-by-step. 

What do I need to do? I need to do activities that have cross lateral hand and foot play such as knitting, writing, drawing with the non-dominant hand, massaging the TMJ, walking, dancing, soccer and martial arts like Tai Chi. In my opinion, something I need to do is to be assertive. I won't be too assertive that everyone would hate me, but assertive enough to tell someone to back off if they are annoying me. 

What are the strategies that would help me in my learning? One strategy that would help me learn is to refrain from sitting on the left side of the classroom as it will affect my hearing. The profile suggested doing Lazy 8's and having people encourage and model for me on how to learn with details.

Something teachers should know about me is that whenever you are explaining homework or a unit in class, I will be playing with my pencil or doodling. Why? I don't know. It is something that keeps me awake. It may seem like I am not listening but I am. Another thing I would like teachers to know about me is that unfairness can really get me mad. I will start to tense my body up and will clench my pencil tightly when writing. One example of unfairness to me is not picking me when I have my hand up. Many people in my class just shout out the answer and the teacher won't mind. It seems unfair to the people who are quiet and are disciplined enough to raise their hands. Another thing that would tick me off are hypocrites. If someone tells me something I'm not supposed to do and behind my back they do it, it will get me angry as they are basically, liars. 

Below is a picture of me and JJ

I hope you learned more about me and my profile, JJ. Thanks for reading (: 

Lit Circles FTW (With A Twist) :)

This week instead of doing our normal Lit. Circles by ourselves, there was a little change. This week's Lit Circle was called "Literature Circles With A Twist...". Mrs Narsiman wants us to do a blog post on these 3 questions that relate to this week's literature circle; what are the benefits of working with a class-mate, what were some challenges and obstacles you overcame or tried to overcome and what were new understandings you gained about the novel.

What are the benefits of working with a class mate? There were two main benefits; you didn't have to do more but LESS work this time round and you had somebody that you rely on that can correct your work and give you suggestions. Many people would think less work is good because well, it's less work! For example, my partner was Natalie, and we did our literature circles together. As in, we were both online and we would discuss if a question was good or not or if our passage had enough But actually, it means that we can take the week we are given to do better and improved work because we won't have to stress thinking, " The 2nd benefit was that somebody was correcting your work and helping you make it better. Natalie was really helpful and gave me lots of ways to improve my Lit. Circle. She had corrected my grammar and made sure I had enough evidence and examples. 


What are some challenges/obstacles that you overcame (tried to overcome)? One challenge I obviously had was getting my ideas to full marks. I knew my partner was excellent at literature circles, so to not dissapoint her and letting her think that the hard work she put in wasn't worth anything, I had to kick it up a notch. 

What were some new understandings you gained about the novel? The True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle is, without doubt, a very hard book to understand. But I have gained some new understandings about this superb novel. One understanding I gained was that a good author leaves bold hints of what is going to happen next.  This proves the author is a marvelous one because that's how they can pull the reader into the book and want to 


All though literature circles are not the best way to spend a weekend on, it has definitely changed after this twist :)

Lit Circles FTW :)

 Lit Circles is not necessarily my favorite assignment, but it's not the worst (or is it?) Right now, I am reading the novel The True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle. Literature Circles are basically something that helps you to understand novels by letting you choose 2 passages you thought was important, 2 questions you have, 2 responses you have TO the questions, 2 connections, and 2 new vocabulary words. 


Many people wonder why we review our literature circles in groups, better yet, how the discussion helps our understanding of the novel. The True Confessions Of Charlotte Doyle is a very complex book. It's the kind of book where you have to read between the lines and really know what the text means. The discussion helped me to understand the novel because of 2 reasons. One reason occurs when you share ideas with your group. When someone shares their own idea, you start to think about other thoughts that you forgot to put on your literature circle. This can help you understand the book more because it gets your brain working even more than you thought was possible. For example, someone might think a character as mean or snobby, but you thought of the exact opposite! They give examples and reasons and you find out that it can work both ways. 


People make different kinds of connections. Some people base their connections on different books or movies.  I tend to base my connections as personal ones. One connection I made at the recent discussion was about when I am left alone, since Charlotte is left alone on the ship. My other connection was how I am also put into a group FULL of boys! I have so many examples (well, only 2). One example was in 5th grade when I was put into a group of 7 BOYS! Phew, that was torture...Another example is at the Kuala Selangor Firefly Field Trip. I was put into a group of boys when we went to go on a boat to see the fireflies. 

        After reading THIS far into the book (9 chapters for the win!), I think it is safe to make predictions. One prediction I have is I think Charlotte will fall madly in love with Captain Jaggery. I have read a part where Charlotte is heads over heels for him because he is so handsome and so gentleman-like. Another connection I have is that Charlotte will try to escape after being held in a boat with no one to entertain her. She may try to hide or even jump off the side of the ship and swim to shore. You never what will happen next though!