Trip to the Antarctic Centre || Recount

On Friday the 4th of September 2020, the Year 10 ESOL class went on a class trip to the Antarctic Centre with Ms Briggs, Mrs Flores and Mrs Handley by taxi van. We went on a trip as is part of our Antarctic Exploration studies, the trip helped us to learn and know more about Antarctica. When we arrived we met our educator named Jane.

After we met Jane, she introduced herself to our group and then took us upstairs and started the workshop. Jane told us many facts about Antarctica like the race of the two-man; Amundsen and Scott to the South Pole and we learnt the two explorers have two different ways of reaching the South Pole as Amundsen team took huskies to pull their sleds while on the other side Scott team took ponies and few dogs and made people pull his sleds. In the end, Amundsen wins the race as he is the first one to reach the pole. This is one of the facts that I learned from the workshops.

After the workshop, Jane took us outside and we saw this vehicle called 'Hagglund'. We were separated into two groups as there were two Hagglunds that we could ride and she introduced us to our driver. While we were enjoying the ride, the person who was driving the Hagglund told us many things about the vehicle but no one was listening to him as we kept screaming inside. It was an astonishing ride and thrilling because there would be a hill where we would go up and suddenly go down. I didn't expect that it was going to be a bumpy but enjoyable ride. I also learnt that Hagglund can float in water. The cost of Hagglund is $250,000 if it's brand new and if it's old it only costs between $30,000 to $100,000. Probably the reason why Hagglund cost a lot is because it's warm inside and the vehicle is very sturdy. Right after we got back to the main entrance of the centre, Jane took us to the penguins. I saw five penguins called Little blue penguins. Out of the five penguins, there was a Little Blue Penguin that has bad eyesight. We watched them getting fed for breakfast by the keeper. As she was feeding the penguins she told us that the oldest little blue penguin that ever lives in the International Antarctic Centre was 25 years old, four times the average lifespan of Little Blue Penguins.

Next, we went to the 4D room to watch a movie called Ice Voyage. The movie was about a journey to Antarctica and species living in Antarctica. In the movie, we saw seals and penguins, we saw different kinds of penguins like the Emperor, King and Gentoo. The 4D movie was really fun, we felt like we were really in the ship, we felt the shakiness of the boat as our seat was also shaking, ice water would release out of nowhere every time the cold water of the ocean splashes in the ship.

By 11 o'clock, we had free time, during this time my friends and I took 20 minutes of our 40 minutes of our break time to go around the centre, as we were wandering around the centre we were looking for the huskies but sadly they were no huskies because of the pandemic hence we decided that we'll just be going to take a rest and eat our lunch. While we were eating our lunch we also answered some questions in our booklet.

After our free time, the Y10 ESOL class went to the storm room. Jane told us some rules like we are not allowed to go on some part of the storm room. Before we entered the room, we were told to wear a shoe cover so we won't slip as the ground is slippery and icy. As we entered the storm room, the coldness welcomed us. After 7 minutes of wandering around the room, the room started to get dark and the wind started to get stronger. When the storm started, cold winds touched our skins. The wind is different from the wind that welcomes us, it's strong and I could hear the blow of the wind. The storm lasted for 8 minutes and the maximum wind speed was 42km/h and the wind chill was -18, to stay warm many boys went inside the igloo to make themselves warm while my friends and I gathered together like a penguin to stay at least warm. As time passed, I could hardly feel my nose and my hands were starting to get numb because of the cold and my knees were starting to ache because of the cold.

Lastly, we went to the Exploration room. There I saw a lot of facts about Antarctica that would help me to finish the questions in my Booklet. Other than finding out the answer I also saw an artificial penguin of Emperors, King and Gentoo. There was also a huge solar system that we could spin and you could see what month it would be winter, summer, autumn or spring in Antarctica and you can also see the sunlight would reflect in the Antarctic when it's summer. Other students are focusing on their booklet whilst some students took pictures. To spend the rest of my time in the exploration room I took pictures of the facts so I can just write it down when we get to school.

At 12:45 pm, the taxi van arrives to fetch us and bring us back to school. At that time I felt sad and thought that the trip was too short as I still wanted to ride the Hagglund again and went to the storm room. Even though I felt sad I enjoyed the trip because it was my first time going to the International Antarctic Centre. By 1 o'clock we are already at school and that's where our trip ends.

Children of Blood and Bone Chapter

 Chapter 79 – Zélie

Inan’s amber eyes trap me in the truth of his betrayal, but it isn’t the gaze I know. He’s a stranger. A soldier. The shell of the little prince.
Note: It is interesting to think about how Zélie became an empty “shell” after Saran tortured her. After talking with Saran, Inan became a shell, also.
Think back to when Inan said they had no choice but to kill the maji.
Zélie said “There’s always a choice.”
A message I take from this scene is Inan believes that magic should be gone just like the beliefs of his Father. He trusted and has more faith in his Father, I also think he believs in whatever the king says because he will be the "future King of the Orisha".

Children of Blood and Bone Chapter 76

 Chapter 76 - Amari

  “So is it my turn?” Zélie asks. “Is this where you push me?”
I shake my head. “I needed to hear that. I needed you. After Binta died, you were the first person to treat me like more than some silly princess. I know you may not see it, but you believed I could be the Lionaire before anyone ever uttered that name.”
...
“No matter what he did, no matter what you see, believe me when I tell you it is not forever,” I say. “If you broke me free, you will find a way to save yourself.”
A message I take from this scene is even though Zelie lost her magic Amari still believe that she can bring the magic back in Orisha and so is Zelie's magic.

Children of Blood and Bone Chapter 75

 Chapter 75 - Zélie

“I could skin Saran alive and I still wouldn’t have my revenge.” I shrug off his hand. “It’s not about him. It’s not even about me. If I don’t stop him tomorrow, he’ll destroy my people like he destroyed me.”
For the first time since the torture, I feel a hint of the old fire that used to roar louder than my fear. But its flame is weak now; as soon as it flickers, it’s blown out by the wind.
Notice that Zélie is putting her duty before herself, just like King Saran and Inan.

But how are they different from each other? I think their difference between each other is Zelie only want the King to be dead while King Saran wants all the maji and diviners to be gone. Zelie would also sacrifice herself even it means death just to bring back the magic.

At the end of the chapter, we are led to believe Zélie is going to go to Roën’s room. Instead, she goes to Amari for support. Why is this important? It's important because you can see the development of Zelie's characte and the relationship between Amari and Zelie, you can see the difference how Zelie acts toward Amari on early chapter and in this chapter.

Children of Blood and Bone

 Chapter 74 – Inan

Note: This time you have not been provided a quote from the story. This is an explanation.
King Saran firmly believes in duty over self. Peace between maji and kosidán failed in the past, so he does not want to try again.
Inan believes he must make a similar choice between his country and his heart. He makes the same choice as his father, even though the majacite sword blisters his own skin (this is symbolism). Inan gives up everything to be everything his Father wants.

A message I take from this scene is that Inan is scared that it may also happen to him the same as his father, he might fail in becoming a king if he put his love first and not his kingdom. Before King Saran also chose love before kingdom but he was betrayed by his love.

Children and Blood and Bone

 Chapter 66 – Inan

Father stands in his night robes, scanning a faded map. No sign of hatred. Not even a hint of disgust.
For him, carving MAGGOT into a girl’s back is just another day’s work.
…
In that instant it hits me: Zulaikha’s death. Zélie’s screams. They don’t mean a thing to him. Because they’re maji, they’re nothing.

This reminds me of a corrupt government that doesn't care about those people in his country that are poor and living slums.

The message I take from this scene is that the King doesn't feel any care but nothing but hatred towards the maji/diviner. He resents the maji because the maji killed his family before.

Kinematics

In maths, we have been focusing on Kinematics. This week we have lean about Acceleration, Newton's 3 Laws and Mass and Weight.

Acceleration
The following equation links the acceleration of an object, it's change in speed and the time taken. 

The formula that is used to find the acceleration is;

a=Δv ➗ t

Eg. A runner accelerates from 0m/s to 8m/s in 10s.

a=Δv ➗ t
  = 8➗10

  = 0.8 m/s2

Newton's 3 Laws

• An object will either remain at rest or moving with constant speed if no unbalanced force acts on it.
• If an unbalanced force acts on an object it will accelerate.
• Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Mass and Weight

An object's mass and its weight are two different things. Mass is the amount of matter in an object, measured in kg. We often (mistakenly) call this our weight. Weight is a force of gravity which acts on an object, measured in N.

Formula:                                                          

Fw = mg 

Where: Fw is the weight force of an object (in N)

             m is the mass of the object (in kg)

             g is the acceleration due to gravity (10 m/s2)

Eg. A car with mass 1500kg accelerates at 7m/s2.

      F= ma

        = 1500 x 7

        = 10 500N

 

Rube Goldberg Machines

In Science, we have to create Rube Goldberg Machines, our teacher separates us into 6 groups and I'm in group B. Group B create an inclined plane out of cardboard, popsicle sticks and toilet paper cardboard. For the popsicle to stick on the cardboard I used a glue gun to stick it and I used the toilet paper cardboard as a support to make my cardboard slope. In the end, all of the machines that were made by each group are put all together and made big Rube Goldberg Machines.

Children of Blood and Bone Chapter 59

 Chapter 59 – Zélie

“How will me coming back to Lagos solve any of that?” I ask. “As we speak, your father calls for my head!”
“My father’s scared.” Inan shakes his head. “He’s misguided, but his fear is justified. All the monarchy’s ever seen is the destruction maji can bring. They’ve never experienced anything like this.” He gestures to the camp, face alight with so much hope his smile practically glows in the darkness. “Zulaikha created this in one moon, and there are already more diviners in Lagos than anywhere else in Orïsha. Just imagine what we could accomplish with the resources of the monarchy behind us.”
A message I take from this scene is that Zelie is hesitating whether she should bring back the magic or not or come back to Lagos with Inan to help her solve the problem and rebuild Illorin. She is worried that maji cannot control their power and hurt innocent people and more people will be in danger because of the magic and one the magic come back this can be another reason for The Raid to happen again.

Stencil

 In Art, we have been working on our stencils. For the stencil, I choose to create one of the characters from One Piece; Ace. I choose to do him as he is one of the cool characters in the anime. For the background, I tried to create a similar colour to fire elements because his power is fire and it also represents his personality, that is why I put red at the top and yellow on the bottom and I tried to blend both colours in the middle to make it looks good and create an orange-ish colour. For my stencils, I choose the colour black to make my character stand out and react to my background and the tool I used is the paint sponge brush. The space you see in his face is his hair, the reason I didn't add his hair in my stencil is that I just want his face to be the whole point of my stencil and so his hat and I think it looks good this way. The reason why I add his hat is that it's one of his trademark in the anime, which he already had when he began his journey as a pirate. Another reason why I choose him is that he is one of the brothers of the main character - Luffy that sadly died in the anime. My work is too simply because I don't want to add anything on my painting and I like how plain it is.

Children of Blood and Bone Chapter 56

Chapter 56 – Zélie 

We zip through the crowd while celebrants thrust and shimmy by our sides. Though part of me wants to cry, I crane my neck to take in the crowd, craving their joy, their life. 
 The children of Orïsha dance like there’s no tomorrow, each step praising the gods. Their mouths glorify the rapture of liberation, their hearts sing the Yoruba songs of freedom. My ears dance at the words of my language, words I once thought I’d never hear outside my head. They seem to light up the air with their delight.
 It’s like the whole world can breathe again.

A message I take from this scene is that finally, Zelie found a place where he can live happily just like before the raid happened. The diviners are also living in a place where they don't have to worry about their lives every day and about the tax they have to pay.  

20th Century Essay

In Social Studies, we've been studying about inventions that were created at different times. I choose to look up at 20th Century inventions as during this time conflict arises around the world.

During the 20th Century period, there were some significant technological advancements. Some of the important inventions during this time were an aeroplane, the radio broadcast and plastic. These inventions are all still widely seen and used today. Amazingly, these inventions are now more advanced and more durable.

One of the significant inventions during this time was the aeroplane. The first successful invention of the aeroplane was on December 17, 1903, by Wilbur and Orville Wright. This invention was a significant device because we know that the 20th century held remarkable events that somehow change the world and have a big part in history. This invention helped a lot of people, it assists them to travel from one place to another for a matter of time. The aeroplane is able to connect nations that would have never been connected and it helps us to show a new and unseen perspective of Earth. As time passes, the aeroplane can still be seen and becomes more strong and tough as the size also becomes bigger, it can hold a hundred times more people than the first aeroplane. Therefore aeroplane is an important invention of this time.

The second important invention during this period was radio broadcast. In 1906 Reginald Fessenden became the first person to make a public radio broadcast. Just like the aeroplane, radio helps people to entertain themselves and lessen their boredom. Radio somehow brought nations together and it’s another whole new way for people to communicate and interact. The 20th century is one of the very cruel stages in history, but for people to make their bad day and ennui away they listen to music every day. It becomes part of their daily life. This device still exists today and used today and it becomes more high tech and improved a lot but it still provides real-time information and can provide the most recent updates to listeners. Therefore the radio is an important invention of this time.

Lastly, one of the important inventions that are also made in the 20th century is plastic. Plastic was first invented in 1907 by Leo Baekeland. Plastic somehow became helpful during this time as people used it to carry their belongings and plastics can be reused or recycled and some types of plastics can turn it into reusable durable plastic bags. This invention has some advantages and disadvantages, for example, plastics cause water pollution and land pollution. Plastic is one of the reasons why we are suffering from a serious problem called pollution. Plastic takes 1000 years to decompose and plastic can be dangerous for not just humans and the environment but it can also endanger the animal lives. Just like the other two inventions, plastic still can be seen and used these days but some countries try to reduce the plastic and make an eco-friendly bag made out of fabric. Therefore plastic is an important invention of this time.

In conclusion, there were many significant technological advancements seen during the 20th Century. Some of those discussed are aeroplane, radio and plastic. These are all commonly seen today all over the world and are still very important.

Dogs of the Vastness

 We have been studying Antarctica. We listened to a story about Nanook, a husky who was sent to Antarctica on an expedition in 1901. We then wrote the next chapter of the story from Nanook’s ‘Point of View’. 

Another morning starts, our team just woke up from sleep. While I am sitting and staring at the light coming from outside while waiting for Weller to feed us, I’m looking forward to what are we going to do today. We start the day just like how we always did - eating, but somehow I felt like there is something different today and that is probably because Weller didn’t talk to us and I guess I am the only one who noticed how he didn’t speak to us as Hectors and others are still eating aggressively, and maybe I’m the only one who is questioning regarding how he acts. 

An hour has passed and Weller still didn’t let us egress the barn and put us any harness. While on the other hand, Hector and the team are getting really impatient as they now starting to howl but after waiting for another thirty minutes Weller finally come back except this time I can feel his heavy emotion, now I’m really sure that today is different. I know Weller didn’t come here to get us to work.

After we all ate, Weller gathers us all together and now he is looking so serious. He told us that in two days we will be leaving Lyttleton and we’ll be moving to our new house called Antarctica. Right after he told us the news, the mood changes as Hector is now looking solemn, Fluff came back to his sleep as anything didn’t happen. I can’t fathom my feeling as I went outside to wander around and wondering what’s in Antarctica; wondering if there’s a field full of green grass I can run around, wondering what’s the environment and climate and so many wonders drift in my mind.

Two days have passed since we have heard the news and today is the day we are leaving Lyttleton, it’s been three nights since I have a nice sleep since I heard the news I can’t stop thinking about it. 
Our ship has arrived, I can see that it’s loaded of containers and few people probably also going in Antarctica but it has enough space for us roam and run around. I run as if I am not worried about leaving, I run as if I am not wondering. I can’t wait to see what awaits for us in our new home called Antarctica.

Algebra

Substitution

Substitution into an equation replacing a variable with a number when it is known, and then evaluating that equation (calculating the value of the result). It is always important to remember the following.

- Always use the correct order of operation - BEDMAS
- One or more variables or the number next to each other (such as 3a or pqr) means to multiply them
- A fraction represents division (top ➗ bottom)

- Don't forget to replace a variable with its value every time it appears in a formula.

Example: If a= 2 b=4 c=5

5c = [5x5 = 25]

6a-2 = [6x2 - 2 = 10]

Using Formulae

We often use formulae to represent practical situations. For example, the formulae for the area of a triangle is:

A=½bh     

Where: b= base

            h = height