Social Studies Reflection #2

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1. This unit I have been learning about the world’s most populous which is China. I have learned about how China has to try and meet such a big goal of  having enough space and food for everyone in the country. They are trying to have a birth rate equal to the number of deaths each year so that the population won’t rise nor decrease. I have thought about the plans China has about generating more clean electricity and promote economic growth but slow down the population growth. I think that China really needs to think about decreasing the number of births because if this continues and China experiences a disaster such as a drought, there won’t be enough food and people will die causing the economy to slow down.

 

Here is a picture of the population growth in China and how it keeps rising:

Screen Shot 2014-11-10 at 2.47.12 PM

 

Here is a link to a great website called TCI:

http://www.teachtci.com/

2. I am aiming for badge #2 this unit. Last unit I got badge #3 which I was okay with. This year I would like to try and reach for a better badge. I will aim to get this badge my using my more time during weekends to study for upcoming tests in social studies and put in more effort into my work. Some of the work and projects I have done last unit could have been better because I was more rushed and didn’t have time. Now I can take for time to do a better job so that I could receive the second badge.

3. My goal from the last post reflection was to try and find a way to store all my data in a chart or graph so that it can be easy for me to learn and study from. I could make something like a KTW chart which I explained in my last reflection post which helps me store and memorise data. I have started to make a graph with all my information but having frequently checked it. I have been busy and not have a chance to add more information to my chart. Over the next few days, I think it would be a great idea to re-read the chapter and add any important notes into my studying. I could also complete the interactive online reading challenge.

4. I just had my conferences last week and they went very well. I was happy about my grades. For work habits, I got all consistent which is something I am really proud of. During the conferences we also talked about my goals, and things I should improve on. The one thing I found that I should improve on are my critical thinking explanations. I have gotten some AE’s on this part of tests because I usually lose control of the question and write unnecessary things in my answer. My goal is to try to make sure my answers clearly relate to the critical thinking questions because adding unnecessary information can give me lower grades. Over all, I am very happy about my performance in class and hope to keep up the good work.

OccupyHK

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OccupyHK started on the 28th of September 2014 and has continued on ever since. The protesters (mainly university students) are fighting against the government because they want democracy, since China has to accept the future Chief Executive of Hong Kong before he can be chosen. The Hong Kong protests have become more violent and have included arrests, tear gas and pepper spray shown in the picture below. The umbrella man is the new mascot of the protests symbolising peace and freedom which can be found at the protest sight. Here is a link to a good website showing more information.

In my opinion, I think that the protesters have a point about being democratic, but they are expressing it in the wrong way. If they want to be democratic, sure, they can set up polling like what Scotland did when they wanted to separate from England or communicate their ideas with the government peacefully, but why block the streets and start causing protests. This decreases their chance of being democrats and causes even bigger problem for the traffic, API and economy of Hong Kong. Now the government and police have to convince them to stop before things start to get out of hand and Hong Kong will be in an economic crisis

The one thing I am confused and want to know more about is why is the Hong Kong Protests mostly called Occupy Central while it takes places in Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Mongkok, while Central doesn’t really have anything to do with it. I found a map about where the protests take place and it shows me that the protests are no where near to central so this got me confused. Also, when I went to Central the other day, the streets weren’t closed and everything looked perfectly normal. A strategy I could use to try and find the answer to this could be asking my parents about this during dinner or trying to read more news articles which could give me a deeper understanding.

Here is a picture showing how violent the protests are in Hong Kong.

Here is a picture showing how violent the protests are in Hong Kong.

 

 

 

 

Social Studies Chapter 1&2 Summary

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I enjoyed learning about chapters 1&2. I learned a lot of information about maps, how to read maps, how to design/show information on maps and the basic elements on a map in Chapter 1. I learned about landforms, climates, vegetation, population density, resources and regions. I found the KTW chart quite useful. The chart helped me record key information about the basics of map design. The KTW chart was a good study guide for me.

One of the answers I gave for the end of chapter survey was that I hope the future units included more interactive learning. I find that I learn better when I learn interactively.

Mr. Pierce gave me a Ferdinand Magellan Badge. I am pretty happy with the badge I got and I agree with him. I mostly got ME’s with some AE’s, so this would fit me. I was in the gold level because I got all ME’s for my work habits. Next time I will try to get a higher level.

I found that the study guide chart at the end didn’t really help a lot. I found it quite boring and always drifted off when I worked on it. I also didn’t find it useful because it was more work than a studying because it took forever to complete. The thing I found useful in the last chapter was the reading challenge. It was fun and you had to remember facts at the same time. As I told you earlier, I like to learn interactively. I played the reading challenge every night because the test had multiple choice questions just like the game. I felt confident when I did the test because of the reading challenge. The reading challenge helped me get 100% correct on the test.

I specific goal I have for unit 2 is to try to make some type of chart or graph for me to store information (like the KTW chart) or maybe a flashcard game with key words. Since I like to learn interactively, this could help me study more efficiently. This could help me get higher grades because I am the sort of kids who doesn’t enjoy studying by looking at books.

 

Here is the link to a cool website with cool flags. I found this website really cool because I love to look at maps. I like to look at creative maps as well. The cool thing about this was that we could also design a creative map that relates to us.

Cool Flags Link

Here is a two of the cool maps I liked.

there-are-more-people-living-inside-this-circle-than-outside-of-itflag-map-denmark-puerto

 

 

My Brother Sam Is Dead E-Log

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My Brother Sam Is Dead

Pages Read: Whole Book

This E-Log will be written about the last part of the book.

 

Retell: Sam and the Rebel troops had come to Redding to start an encampment and stay there for the winter. One evening, Sam ran over to the house where Tim and his Mum were. They started a conversation and missed each other a lot. Suddenly, they heard an noise and cows mooing. Sam and Tim ran out the back door to find that some cattle had been stolen. Cattle was very scare during the American Revolution so people had to steal. Sam ran out and chased after the cattle thief’s. Sadly, there was more cattle thief then Sam and caught him. They brought him back to the encampment and blamed Sam on stealing cattle. Sam was then put into a jail. He went through trials, and one day, they decided to execute him. Tim and his mother were really sad. Tim was with his mother one evening, when he decided to go out and save Sam. He took his dad’s gun and ran out into the snow. Once he reached the encampment, he sprinting to the wall and threw the gun over into the jail area. Then, guards started shooting him and Tim scrabbled home. He knew it was a waste because Sam was moved some place else. Soon, the day of the execution came. Tim’s mother didn’t go so Tim decided to go himself. It was very crowded. First, the minister said a prayer and then hung a soldier. After that, Sam was brought out. He had a sack on his head and was placed in the middle. Three men with muskets aim at him, shot and then killed him.

Relate: I can’t relate to this book, but I remember reading a book similar to this. I forgot the tittle, but I know that it was about a boy and his family. They were very poor and had almost no food. One day, the  boy ran out and stole a cow. He was running home, when some people caught him. He was then killed. This was a similar ending to the story My Brother Sam Is Dead.

Reflect: I was wondering why stealing was so strict to General Putnam? Even though just taking some cattle, doesn’t mean you have to execute people. Now a days, people go to court and jail, but back then, people had to be executed. I feel very bad for the people who were executed but didn’t do anything. Why does the world have to be so bad?