Basically, today we went through our common test papers. Although I have no idea how most of us did, Ms J said that on the whole we did really well, considering that we were graded on our blog posts, our presentations (when we became teachers) and many others.
I am very happy with my geography results, and I hope the rest of you also are satisfied with your results. If you are, congratulations! If you are not, 加油! Try again next term!
As I reflect on how I study and so on, I realized that I have learnt a lot through how I study and there are many things that I should improve on. Here are three of them.
1. We should start revising early. This applies to other subjects too. We should not squeeze everything at the last minute. Everyday revision also helps. My dad says that if we don’t revise what we have learnt on that day, we would have forgotten most of it the next day.
2. Sleeping too late is not a good thing to do. Your brain needs enough rest to get ready for the next day. If we are too tired, we will not be able to concentrate during the exam.
3. Start memorising early. Geography has so much such to memorise. Sigh. So I realised that the best thing to do would be spread out all the things that we need to memorise and start early. If we try memorising all of it the night before, it would be very tough to squeeze it all into your brain. Besides, nobody guarantees that all of it would come back the next day! Plus, it might stay in our head for a long time, and we will need to revise it again to make sure that it stays in our head. We don’t study just for the exam itself but also for the next few years of our secondary school life.
Reflection on what have affected our results both positively and negatively might benefit us so that during the next time we study for the next exam, we know what to do and what not to do, what to change in terms of how we study. For Jimmy Dean once said, “I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” To me, in this case, the direction of the wind is the test, the sails mean the way we study and the destination is our results. So, I hope that all the points I have given to you will help you start on your revision.
God bless!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
Yesterday, we started studying about a fascinating case study on the ‘River Nile’. I like to call it ‘Mission: Nile’, because of the word ‘case’ in ‘case study’ reminds me of detectives work. Which means that we are detectives in ‘Mission: Nile’ researching for clues and facts. And that is what I have done in the Internet.
Okay, let’s start with the positive impacts. After going through all the positive impacts, Chrystal came up with a question that was really quite mind blogging, and needed some research to find clues for the answer in the ‘crime scene’- the Internet. The question is ‘How do water theme parks waste water?’ Well, after research, I decided to use one water theme park- The Waveyard.
According to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21897687/, The Waveyard uses 50 million gallons of water at first to fill its artificial oceans and rivers. Replenishing water lost to evaporation and spillage requires another 60 to 100 million gallons per year, enough to support about 1,200 people in the Phoenix area. That is a lot. A LOT. The Phoenix area is the sixth most populated city in the United States, having 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data. Most of all, it is a desert. That is really using water for our own enjoyment but not thinking of the people. For your information, they opened in 2010. You can visit their website, http://www.waveyard.com/.
Another thing that came up during class was about white water rafting. Nobody knew how white water rafting really felt except for Nicole and Ms J, and you’ll never know until you watch this video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B66vSNnsaw
Now about the River Nile. More interesting clues taken from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/nile-river-facts.html!
· The Nile originates in Burundi, which is located South of the Equator and then flows across Northeastern Africa, finally crossing Egypt and then drains into the Mediterranean Sea.
· It is one of the longest rivers in the world; it used to be the longest but recent studies suggest that Amazon River can be longer than Nile. The length of the river is approximately 6695 km and the river has two tributaries.
· Only 22% of the river passes through Egypt, the other countries through which Nile passes are Sudan, Burundi, Ethiopia, Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.
· The cities that Nile flows past are Cairo, Khartoum, Gondokoro, Aswan, Karnak, Thebes and the town of Alexandria.
· River Nile has two tributaries namely the Blue Nile and the White Nile; the volume of water of Nile is mostly determined by the Blue Nile, which contributes more than 50% of the water of the Nile River but then fertility wise, both the tributaries contribute considerably. In fact White Nile is called so because it appears white due to the presence of silt. White Nile originates at Lake Victoria and then the Blue Nile, which originates at Lake Tana in Ethiopia, joins in Sudan and proceeds northwards.
· The source of the river is debatable since it is commonly known that the source of the river is Lake Victoria, which is the biggest lake in Africa, but it is observed that on the northern side of the lake there is a waterfall called Ripon Falls, which has a small opening and seemingly that is where the water in the River Nile comes from but then this cannot be held as the ultimate truth since there are many rivers that flow into Lake Victoria therefore which one of these or if all of them are the sources of The Nile. Presently River Kagera and its tributary, which is called Ruvubu whose headwaters are in Burundi, are considered to be the source of the River Nile.
· Nile also played an important in the building if the famous Pyramids since the blocks of stone, which were used to make these pyramids, were actually transported from the source to the site with the help of Nile.
One of the positive impacts of rivers is transportation. The last point proves that rivers aren’t just used to transport humans from one place to another. They are also used to transport things for humans. Another example is using rivers to transport tree trunks from one place along a river to another place.
Well, I suppose that wasn’t a bad start to ‘Mission: Nile’!
Okay, let’s start with the positive impacts. After going through all the positive impacts, Chrystal came up with a question that was really quite mind blogging, and needed some research to find clues for the answer in the ‘crime scene’- the Internet. The question is ‘How do water theme parks waste water?’ Well, after research, I decided to use one water theme park- The Waveyard.
According to http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21897687/, The Waveyard uses 50 million gallons of water at first to fill its artificial oceans and rivers. Replenishing water lost to evaporation and spillage requires another 60 to 100 million gallons per year, enough to support about 1,200 people in the Phoenix area. That is a lot. A LOT. The Phoenix area is the sixth most populated city in the United States, having 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data. Most of all, it is a desert. That is really using water for our own enjoyment but not thinking of the people. For your information, they opened in 2010. You can visit their website, http://www.waveyard.com/.
Another thing that came up during class was about white water rafting. Nobody knew how white water rafting really felt except for Nicole and Ms J, and you’ll never know until you watch this video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B66vSNnsaw
Now about the River Nile. More interesting clues taken from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/nile-river-facts.html!
· The Nile originates in Burundi, which is located South of the Equator and then flows across Northeastern Africa, finally crossing Egypt and then drains into the Mediterranean Sea.
· It is one of the longest rivers in the world; it used to be the longest but recent studies suggest that Amazon River can be longer than Nile. The length of the river is approximately 6695 km and the river has two tributaries.
· Only 22% of the river passes through Egypt, the other countries through which Nile passes are Sudan, Burundi, Ethiopia, Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.
· The cities that Nile flows past are Cairo, Khartoum, Gondokoro, Aswan, Karnak, Thebes and the town of Alexandria.
· River Nile has two tributaries namely the Blue Nile and the White Nile; the volume of water of Nile is mostly determined by the Blue Nile, which contributes more than 50% of the water of the Nile River but then fertility wise, both the tributaries contribute considerably. In fact White Nile is called so because it appears white due to the presence of silt. White Nile originates at Lake Victoria and then the Blue Nile, which originates at Lake Tana in Ethiopia, joins in Sudan and proceeds northwards.
· The source of the river is debatable since it is commonly known that the source of the river is Lake Victoria, which is the biggest lake in Africa, but it is observed that on the northern side of the lake there is a waterfall called Ripon Falls, which has a small opening and seemingly that is where the water in the River Nile comes from but then this cannot be held as the ultimate truth since there are many rivers that flow into Lake Victoria therefore which one of these or if all of them are the sources of The Nile. Presently River Kagera and its tributary, which is called Ruvubu whose headwaters are in Burundi, are considered to be the source of the River Nile.
· Nile also played an important in the building if the famous Pyramids since the blocks of stone, which were used to make these pyramids, were actually transported from the source to the site with the help of Nile.
One of the positive impacts of rivers is transportation. The last point proves that rivers aren’t just used to transport humans from one place to another. They are also used to transport things for humans. Another example is using rivers to transport tree trunks from one place along a river to another place.
Well, I suppose that wasn’t a bad start to ‘Mission: Nile’!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Week 6: Geography
On Friday of week 6, Miss J gave us some questions for us to answer to revise and recall what we have been taught so far. The following will be the questions given.
1. What is a drainage basin? How is it different from a watershed?
2. Explain the differences between the process of erosion and deposition.
3. Describe the characteristics of floodplains and explain its formation.
4. What are deltas?
Miss J pointed out some misinterpretations. Basically, a drainage basin is a land area on which a river flows, and a watershed will be an imaginary boundary separating one drainage basin from another. Next, the definition of erosion will be the wearing down of surfaces with the assistance of wind or water (etc.). Deposition will be the release or dropping off of sediments by water to attain river equilibrium. Moreover, a floodplain is a broad, low-lying land made from the accumulation of deposited sediments overtime. The river with a lot of energy will overflow its banks, the water spread will lose energy and hence, deposition takes place with the coarse and heavier sediments first, followed by the fine and lighter sediments. Furthermore, deltas are the accumulation of sediments at the river mouth near the distributaries.
REVISION!!!!!
Our term two common tests are approaching. So let us revise what we had learnt so far. Let’s start with the continents. There are a total of seven continents: North America, South America, Antarctica, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. Next up, there are five main oceans. They are the Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Now, there are some plates we need to remember. They are the Pacific Plate, North American Plate, South American Plate, Nazca Plate, Caribbean Plate, Antarctic Plate, European Plate, Arabian Plate, Indo-Australian Plate and the Philippine plate. Okay, now let’s locate where some fold mountains are in the world. The Andes Mountains are located in South America, the Appalachian Mountains are located in North America, the Himalayan Mountains are located in Asia and the Alps are located in Europe. Moreover, the Great Dividing Range is located in Australia. Does anyone remember how do Fold Mountains form? They are formed from the collision of two plates which links back to plate movement and the formation of volcanoes as well. When two plates collide, they may result in being forced upwards and hence series of folds form. Hence we have our fold mountains! Nevertheless, we have vulcanicity. What is it? It is the process in which magma and other materials reach the Earth’s surface. A volcano eruption is a release pressure, never an explosion! It releases into the air magma and gases. What are the parts of a volcano? They are the magma chamber, the main vent, side vent, the crater, the whole pipe that leads to the opening and the summit. Volcanoes are formed overtime when layers of magma accumulate and harden. They are mainly found on plate boundaries. They can also be formed from subductions. Now, the MAIN components to the physical environment will be the weather and climate, rivers, lakes and oceans, natural vegetation and rocks and landforms.
Now let’s revise on the recent topic rivers and environments. There are three main parts to the river system. The upper course, middle course and the lower course. All rivers start at the river source and end at the river mouth. Tributaries are lakes and streams that join the main river channel and distributaries are like tubes that lead the main flow of water into the oceans. Meanders are formed when the river erodes sideways and deposits its sediments it is carrying in the opposite direction. A valley is a low area between hills and mountains. The main thing for this chapter will be ENERGY. As long as the river has energy, it will flow. Even from lowland to highland, it can still flow. The river always tries to achieve river equilibrium. When the river does not have enough energy, it will go through the process deposition. If the river has too much energy, it will find ways to get rid of some of its energy. A river with energy can chiefly do three things. Erosion, Transportation and Deposition. A waterfall is a vertical flow of fast-moving water falling from a great height. It is also part of the river system. It is made from erosions. The waterfall will have a bigger plunge pool every time erosion takes place.
1. What is a drainage basin? How is it different from a watershed?
2. Explain the differences between the process of erosion and deposition.
3. Describe the characteristics of floodplains and explain its formation.
4. What are deltas?
Miss J pointed out some misinterpretations. Basically, a drainage basin is a land area on which a river flows, and a watershed will be an imaginary boundary separating one drainage basin from another. Next, the definition of erosion will be the wearing down of surfaces with the assistance of wind or water (etc.). Deposition will be the release or dropping off of sediments by water to attain river equilibrium. Moreover, a floodplain is a broad, low-lying land made from the accumulation of deposited sediments overtime. The river with a lot of energy will overflow its banks, the water spread will lose energy and hence, deposition takes place with the coarse and heavier sediments first, followed by the fine and lighter sediments. Furthermore, deltas are the accumulation of sediments at the river mouth near the distributaries.
REVISION!!!!!
Our term two common tests are approaching. So let us revise what we had learnt so far. Let’s start with the continents. There are a total of seven continents: North America, South America, Antarctica, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. Next up, there are five main oceans. They are the Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Now, there are some plates we need to remember. They are the Pacific Plate, North American Plate, South American Plate, Nazca Plate, Caribbean Plate, Antarctic Plate, European Plate, Arabian Plate, Indo-Australian Plate and the Philippine plate. Okay, now let’s locate where some fold mountains are in the world. The Andes Mountains are located in South America, the Appalachian Mountains are located in North America, the Himalayan Mountains are located in Asia and the Alps are located in Europe. Moreover, the Great Dividing Range is located in Australia. Does anyone remember how do Fold Mountains form? They are formed from the collision of two plates which links back to plate movement and the formation of volcanoes as well. When two plates collide, they may result in being forced upwards and hence series of folds form. Hence we have our fold mountains! Nevertheless, we have vulcanicity. What is it? It is the process in which magma and other materials reach the Earth’s surface. A volcano eruption is a release pressure, never an explosion! It releases into the air magma and gases. What are the parts of a volcano? They are the magma chamber, the main vent, side vent, the crater, the whole pipe that leads to the opening and the summit. Volcanoes are formed overtime when layers of magma accumulate and harden. They are mainly found on plate boundaries. They can also be formed from subductions. Now, the MAIN components to the physical environment will be the weather and climate, rivers, lakes and oceans, natural vegetation and rocks and landforms.
Now let’s revise on the recent topic rivers and environments. There are three main parts to the river system. The upper course, middle course and the lower course. All rivers start at the river source and end at the river mouth. Tributaries are lakes and streams that join the main river channel and distributaries are like tubes that lead the main flow of water into the oceans. Meanders are formed when the river erodes sideways and deposits its sediments it is carrying in the opposite direction. A valley is a low area between hills and mountains. The main thing for this chapter will be ENERGY. As long as the river has energy, it will flow. Even from lowland to highland, it can still flow. The river always tries to achieve river equilibrium. When the river does not have enough energy, it will go through the process deposition. If the river has too much energy, it will find ways to get rid of some of its energy. A river with energy can chiefly do three things. Erosion, Transportation and Deposition. A waterfall is a vertical flow of fast-moving water falling from a great height. It is also part of the river system. It is made from erosions. The waterfall will have a bigger plunge pool every time erosion takes place.
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