Solar and Lunar Eclipse

      What is the difference between Solar and Lunar eclipses? 

Solar Eclipse:

Solar eclipse happen when the moon blocked the light from the sun. We see darkness and light glowing around the edge of the earth. 1965 was the last time Solar Eclipse happen in New Zealand. The next solar eclipse in New Zealand will be in 2028 on Saturday.

Lunar Eclipse:

A lunar eclipse happens when the moon passes through the earth shadow. During the Lunar eclipse, we don't see the moon at all. 1965 was the last Lunar eclipse in New Zealand. The next lunar eclipse is on Fri, Nov 19, 2021, at 8:29 pm.

Earth Science - Volcano

 Mayon Volcano

 Aim: To create a volcano and erupt them.

Method: We used scrap cardboard and Tristan brought a 1 Litre bottle. We then glue the bottle into the cardboard. After that we cover the bottle with Newspaper, forming the look of Mayon Volcano. On the second day of science after the glue had dried, we then painted our volcano maroon as the first coat. After few minutes the maroon paint had dried, and we now coloured it with green as the final coat. 

Research: Mayon Volcano is located in Albay, Philippines. It is called to be the world's most perfect volcanic cone because of the symmetry of its shape, it has a base 80 miles (130 km) in circumference and rises to 8,077 feet (2,462 metres) from the shores of Albay Gulf. The most recent eruptive episode began in early January 2018 that consisted of phreatic explosions, steam-and-ash plumes, lava fountaining, and pyroclastic flows. It was reported that the 2000 eruption displaced 14,114 families and damaged at least ₱89-million worth of property and crops. The myth of the creation of Mayon Volcano is as heated as the heart of the peak itself, with a plot involving star-crossed lovers, and a tragic ending leading to the rise of the jewel of Albay. Legend has it that a beautiful maiden, Magayon, lived in a place called.

Result:

Video: Preview attachment IMG_2123.mov

Discuss: The way volcanoes form is when one tectonic plate moves under another. Normally, thin heavy oceanic plates move under a more concentrated continental plate. When there is enough magma builds up in the magma chamber, it will then forces its way up to the surface and erupt, causing volcanic eruptions. The difference between Magma and lava is Magma is an extremely hot liquid and semi-liquid rock the can be found under the Earth's surface. If the magma flows onto earth it will then be called lava. 

Conclusion: Yes, our volcano science work. The eruption went up pretty high up and came down steaming. Maybe next time we will not make it super concentrated just to make it look like real lava.

Science - Ecosystem Project

 Ecosystem Project

During science time, we have been investigating Habitats, ecosystems and the animals/plants that live in them. My group has decided to create a forest ecosystem. That have trees, rocks and bushes. The animals we have made are a rat, pterodactyl and a rabbit.

Dozens of various rats inhabit many different habitats and ecosystems. Because we are creating a forest ecosystem the rat shown is brown. Brown rats are the most common in the forest. 

Pterodactyls are carnivores meaning they only eat meat. Pterodactyls were believed to eat fish and small animals. So a rabbit and a rat would be the ideal food source for a pterodactyl to eat. In our ecosystem, the pterodactyl would be the predator while the rat and rabbit would be the prey.

Here are some pictures:

Making a drill gauge

Today in Metal, our job was to make a drill gauge. We are not yet close to finishing it since we have just started making it today. The first few steps that I did was marked 115mm in the 20 by 3 miles steel flat bar. I then mark a straight line using a ruler and a Sciber. Once that was done I cut it where the mark was with a hacksaw. Afterwards I smooten the edges with a file. 

Here is how my Metal look:

Social Study - Racism

This week on social study we have learned about what is Racism in NZ. There is an article about a Muslim girl that is named Zeinab's. She was once shy about his culture and then when the mosque shooting happens she has realised that she doesn't need to be shy about it. She had realise that she need to be more proud of her own culture. 

This is the words that she said when she became proud of her own culture:

Today, instead of straightening away my brown frizzy curls I will embrace them. 

Instead of shying away from my family when they speak Arabic loudly in public, I will join them. 

Instead of saying no to someone when they ask ”say something in your language,” I will say it. 

Instead of telling my mum to make English food when my friends come over for dinner, I will ask her to make all the Arabic dishes she can think of. 

Instead of denying the roots of my name, I will admit that they are Muslim, I will tell you I was born a Muslim, and I will tell you that no matter if I identify as it or not, I will still die a Muslim. 

Today, I will join my mum as she reads the Quran, as she prays to Allah for the people who lost their lives, the people injured, and the people hurting. 

Posted by Riccarton High School to Facebook with 1.4k Reacts, 110 Comments, 471 Shares on 1 April 2019.

Great Depression

 Why was Germany hit the hardest during the Great Depression? Germany was hit the hardest during the Great Depression because of the major factor, the Treaty of Versailles. It was supposed to settle outstanding disputes following the cessation of hostilities in World War I.  Germany reeled from the huge burden of reparations payments required of it as a condition of the treaty.

Explain what Germany had to agree to by signing the Treaty of Versailles? The three agreements of The Treaty required Germany to disarm, make ample territorial concessions, and pay reparations to certain countries that had formed the Entente powers. 

How was Aotearoa affected by The Great Depression? In New Zealand, the effects of the crash were not immediately apparent. But from 1930 export prices began to plummet, falling 45% by 1933. To a country overwhelmingly dependent on agricultural exports, this was devastating. Demand for their goods and services fell, as did the prices they charged.

DNA Extraction

 Aim: Finding DNA in a kiwi fruit

Method: 

1. Mush half a kiwi fruit in a zip lock bag with a splash of water and a small teaspoon of salt. 
2. Strain the solution through a cloth into a beaker.
3. Add a squirt of dishwashing liquid and stir.
4. Pour into a test tube.
5. Place the test tube in a beaker filled with WARM water.
6. Slowly pour 5mL of methylated spirits down the side of the test tube.  

Results: 

Discussion:

DNA is found in the cell nucleus but some DNA is also found in the mitochondria, Mitochondria are structures within cells that convert the energy from food into a form that cells can use.

Most DNA is made up of simple repeating units called nucleotides. The DNA molecule is described as a double helix but is sometimes also called a twisted ladder that is made with base, sugar and phosphate. 

Conclusion: Did it work? Would you do anything differently? Our experiments work really well because we have found the DNA  In a kiwi fruit. One thing that we might change is to put less water so that it will give us more DNA to take out.

Moral Dilemma

                                    MORAL DILEMMA

Once I'm in this situation, I'll be put under pressure by making me chose if I would sacrifice 1 to save 5 people or save 1 but sacrifice 5 people. 

In my opinion, I will save a large number of people rather than one. If I only save one then that means I have sacrificed all of them just for one person. And there will be more family members that will be angry at me because of how many people I have killed. 

A dilemma is like a trolley problem, is a series of thought experiments in morals and psychology, involving stylized moral dilemmas of whether to sacrifice one person to save a larger number. 

A moral dilemma is a situation in which a person is told to choose between right and wrong. A few examples of a moral dilemma include The classic “lifeboat dilemma”, where there are only 10 spaces in the lifeboat, but there are 11 passengers on the sinking ship. A decision must be made as to who will stay behind. 

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(You are walking through a rail yard when you notice a runaway trolley careening your way. Directly in its path are five people, bound and lying across the tracks. They will die if nothing is done. There is a lever nearby. Pulling it will divert the trolley onto another track. On this other track, however, is a man who cannot hear or see you or the trolley. You can stand by and do nothing, watching as five innocent people die, or you can pull the lever, directly causing one man’s death. Which is the more ethical choice?)

The Trolley Problem: In this situation what I think I would do is pull the lever to sacrifice one man other than sacrificing all five people. 

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(The dilemma is the same, except that you recognize the guy standing alone as the actor and comedian Jim Carrey. And this is “Dumb and Dumber”-era Jim Carrey. In fact, he’s in costume, and has that bowl haircut he sported in the eminently quotable 1994 film. Remembering all of those funny lines makes you smile. What a great movie. The five tied-up people are also Jim Carrey—clones, you assume—but they’re the modern, anti-vaxxer version, with full beards and dead eyes.)

The Jim Carrey: What I would do is not put the trolley and sacrifice Jim Carrey clone. I wouldn't pull the lever to go in another direction since you can make another clone of Jim Carrey if you don't kill him. 

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(In this variation there is no second track but there is another man standing nearby, between the trolley and the five helpless people. If you shove him onto the tracks, his body will likely stop the trolley. You know nothing about this man except that at this very moment he’s on his phone composing a tweet that begins with the word “thread.”

Also, he’s vaping.)

The Thread: My only choice is to shove his body so that it will stop the trolley to save the five helpless people. 

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(You can’t be a hundred percent sure, but it looks like the person standing alone is actually two small people, one standing on the other’s shoulders, sharing a long overcoat. Could they be children? Who are they trying to fool? And why? In any case, they’re probably up to no good.

Does that merit a death sentence, though?)

The long overcoat: I think that it's a bit suspicious that the kids are playing on the railway, so I think that I will pull the lever to save sacrifice the person with the long overcoat rather than the five people that maybe has no idea about the train coming to them. 

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(The lone man is Adolf Hitler. Actually, this one is kind of a no-brainer, isn’t it? Not sure why it’s even listed here.)

The Hitler:  What I would do is pull the lever to save the five people because Hitler was a bad guy that has killed 6 million people.

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Wind Racer (Science)

 Aim: To make the most efficient wind racer which would either go the furthest or looks the most creative.

Equipment: Newspaper, plastic bag, tape, trolley, bamboo/metal rod, skewers.

Method:

• Gather all your equipment

• Set up your trolley and your bamboo stick, by placing the stick in the hole. 

• Cut a plastic bag into a partially large rectangle a size that would suit the stick. 

• Repeat with newspaper or paper. 

• Tape your first rectangle to the rod.

• Repeat with your other material. 

• After use sticks to create a structure for the sail, we used skewers but you can use another material. - Since we used a whole newspaper page, we stuck 2 skewers together from the ends. Making it longer. 

• Stick one pair at the top and another one at the bottom

• Depending on the size of your sail and rod place one or two pairs in the middle too. 

• After, make sure everything is secure by using tape in places that are weak. 

• Finally, decorate to make the appearance look more appealing.

• 
  

Result:

Discussion:  

After building the wind racer, we then went outside for the distance test. We used the leaf blower to move our wind racer. Our wind racer stop at a certain point where the wind of the leaf blower can't reach anymore. We put plastic in front of the cardboard so that it can catch the wind to push it. If we have used the metal stick then probably it could take more air since it's stronger. I forgot to take a picture of our wind racer so I just got a picture from the internet.

Conclusion:

The wind racer that we made turned good, it went pretty far but it stopped because the air of the leaf blower can't reach anymore. We raced with my classmate and I think our wind racer got 3rd/ 2nd place. In design, I think my group and I could still make it look better and make the sail more creative. Anyway, we had fun building our Wind Racer. I hope that if we do it again we will come 1st, and also we might change ours in a different position since our one got stuck in the grass after reaching the capacity of the air from the leaf blower.

Trashing the planet - News Article

Today in social study our task was to make a News article about how we can help the environment to lessen the rubbish that we have. We need to have an appropriate headline, A explanation of the problem and the causes and effects.  I have put the news article that I have made in the link below. 

Here is the link for the news article:

 https://www.canva.com/design/DAEgAs5m8zg/ruDu3spjHMoGT0FV0v3tWw/view?utm_content=DAEgAs5m8zg&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink.

The Bully Chip

  The Bully Chip

Text Title: The Bully Chip 

Text Type: Fantasy Book

Text Creator: Glenn Wood 

Text Purpose: "A year after they defeated Lester Smythe, the evil mastermind, Callum, Sophie and Jinx are having problems with the new kids at Thanxton High. The bullies seem to be targeting them. And the friends soon discover they're in the middle of a dangerous plot for revenge."

Date: Publish on 2013

In those whose interest in those texts: Novel for children by a New Zealander author.

The Evidence: Someone said that this novel is great fun with laudable heroes. Callum and Sophie are great role models and Jinx has his place in spite of being heavily put upon. Ideal as a class read-aloud for school years 5-8 and for reluctant readers in the same age group. 

Helping Eco - Warrior

Today in Social study we have gone around our school and pick up the rubbish that we see. It was really fun picking up rubbish because I think that it really helped our environment to keep clean. 

What did we do to help? The way we have helped Eco-Warrior in our school is that we went around the school picking up all the rubbish that we have seen. We have collected the rubbish with a small bucket and gloves for our hand. It didn't take that long for us to fill the bucket full.    

What are your thoughts? My thought about picking up rubbish in our school is that we are helping each other to make the planet clean. I'm really happy that we have collected those rubbish because I think that it has helped the environment with less flooding. 

What do you want people to know? What I want for people to know is if you see rubbish in your way make sure to pick it up and throw it at the closes bin that you see. That way the rubbish won't get blown away by the wind to the river. If those rubbish has blown into the river, it will now go to the ocean affecting our marine lives. 

                                                

SOCIAL STUDY - Trashing the planet

What have you learned about the video? What I learned about the video is that the earth is dying, the ice is melting, the sea level is rising and there are more factories that are releasing carbon dioxide into the air. We need to work together with us humans to rebuild our planet by reducing plastic waste and making new reusable products.  

Some example that I could do to reduce pollution are:

• Riding a bike or walking instead of driving.

• Taking a bus or carpooling.

• Buying a car that has greater fuel efficiency.

• Turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use.

• Using energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances.

• Buying fewer things that are manufactured using fossil fuels.

 

What has the video encouraged you to think about? The video had encouraged me to think that if all the whales have died, then the ocean will die. If the ocean dies, that means we will also die because almost all the oxygen that we get in the world is from the ocean. 

 

What do you think? What I think about the video is that we need to start changing plastic to something we can reuse. Because more and more every day the ocean gets plastic and marine life thinks that it’s food for them. But they are actually plastic that will kill them.

What can be done to reduce what goes in the red bin? The things that we can do to reduce what goes in the red bin is that we should use more reusable things.