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Post by Gregory Hewett on Feb 9, 2011 12:29:08 GMT 5.5
Post your final copies of your I-Search projects here.
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Post by anand on Mar 15, 2011 18:25:58 GMT 5.5
March, 14, 2011 Anand The I-search My topic started out with me reading about a much more serious article a few months ago: wars! The main wars I was reading about were World War II and the Cold War. The reason I was reading about these topics is that I was trying to find out if there were any wars that were going on that I could use as topics for my looming current event. While searching for ongoing wars I stumbled upon an interesting site on World War II. Fascinated, I began reading. The site described the ways various media such as movies and comics helped keep people’s hopes up in America during the wars. Interested as I was, I saw the clock ticking, and I hastily bookmarked the page and resumed searching for a current event topic. Later in the week, after doing my current event, I opened up the website again and began to read. I soon finished it, and interested, I explored the links at the bottom of the page. The links led to other interesting sites, which along with adding on to the information I had already learnt about the popularity of comics and other media in America during WWII and the Cold War, also mentioned that the “Golden Age” of comics and other media [when comics first became popular and major companies were formed] was during the Great Depression! During the Great Depression, people who had jobs and people who didn’t have jobs alike wanted entertainment. Eyes hurting and brain buzzing, I went to sleep. The next morning I went to the library and checked a book called Comic Book Century. I read it and returned it to the library, and then I forgot all about the topic . The months passed and I gained and lost interest in many topics. Then, almost four months after I had forgotten about the topic, Mr. Hewett announced we would be doing a MAJOR project in Social Studies soon. I asked some 7th grade students about it and they said it was some kind of independent study project. Excited, I went and searched my computer’s bookmarks folder for topics that interested me. I came up with six big topics: Ninjas, Comics, Alchemy, Ancient Greek Gods, Samurais, and Japanese Mythical Creatures. All the topics interested me a lot, but I already knew a lot about Japanese Mythical Creatures and Ancient Greek Gods, so I vetoed those topics. I also realized I wasn’t interested in Samurais and Alchemy too, so I vetoed those. Finally, I vetoed Ninjas because I preferred Comics. I decided to narrow the topic down to American Comic Book History. I did the Pre-Search, and when it turned out that I had enough sources of information, I asked Mr. Hewett if I could do the topic. He approved it immediately, and I posted it in the discussion forum. That was the start of my I-Search. Now that you’ve read the story of how I came about my topic, it’s time to go over what I know about the topic, what I think I know, my wild guesses , and what I need to know. What I know is quite simple; I know that during the Great Depression, people who had and didn’t have jobs both needed entertainment. The people with jobs needed entertainment to take their minds off the looming possibility of losing their jobs, and the people without jobs needed entertainment to take their minds off of their predicament. The only difference between the two was that people with jobs could afford to pay for it while people without jobs couldn’t. The most popular forms of entertainment were films and comics. The Great Depression was called the “ Golden Age “ of comics due to the fact that the Great Depression is when major comic companies were established and comic sales went up. I also know that during World War II, many existing comic book characters fought the Axis powers in their comics. World War IIinspired many comic book heroes [Such as Captain America and the Destroyer.] and villains. [Such as the Red Skull.] World War II was called the “ Silver Age “ of comics due to the revival of many old comic book characters and the creation of many more characters. I also know that now several movies and video games are being made out of comic book characters. Several original comic book series are being remodeled or have new storylines, such as Amazing Spiderman being remade into Ultimate Spiderman. There’s not much that I think I know; I think I know that comic books are still popular, but not as popular as video games and movies, and I think I know that there was a set of rules called the CCAP that banned certain content in comics. My wild guesses are few in number. My wild guesses are that comics were more popular than movies back then and that the CCAP was broken sometime in the 1990s. I also guess that there was one person who created most of the comic book characters. I also guess that comics lost popularity in the mid 1960- 1970s. There are lots of things I need and want to know: Was the CCAP ever broken? If so, how was it broken? How did comics gain popularity back then? What were parents’ reactions towards comic? What was the history behind comics? What was the origin of comics in America? What was the initial price of comics at that time? The Research phase of my I-Search was by far the hardest and most fun part of my I-Search. I had 2 main problems: Finding information that I didn’t already have and to sift through my piles of information and find the useful pieces of information. The first problem was easy to fix: all I did was not taking down any repeating information. I just wrote a “CR” next to it for cross-reference. The other problem was harder to find a solution for. In the end I only took information that I 100% needed for my I-Search. Evaluating the credibility of information was easy. Since my information was repeated on every site I went to, it was easy to check if my information was true or false. An example of this is how all the sites agreed that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were the creators of Superman. Developing multiple perspectives was harder- almost all of the sources of information were analyzing the information from one angle. However, one book called Comic Book Century looked at the information from different angles, which helped develop my own perspectives. The perspectives I developed were the perspectives of a critic, a student, a fan, an author, and a historian. Quite a bit of information was biased, which I only saw after developing my multiple perspectives. Bias is when a person records information differently because of various personal opinions. A good example is a website about a famous tourist spot. Maybe some sites will examine the place critically and point various flaws in its history, but if the site was encouraging you to come stay at a resort near the tourist spot, they will probably sugarcoat the various features of the place to make you want to go there. Many websites were biased because they were fan sites or they had been reading comics all their life, so they were fiercely loyal to the comics. However, one site written as a thesis statement for college and Comic Book Century weren’t I biased, so I could get some clear, reasonable information. The bias was very little in these sources. Finally, I think that my research had some problems, but overall the information I needed was easy to find. However, I would advise anyone who is reading this to put lots of effort in your research; information may hard to find, or if it’s easy to find you might find a real gem if you work harder. You also have to be patient. Research is a long process. It’ll take a long time to finish, but once you do, you can sigh, lean back, and relax . I never gave much thought to how American comics came about. How they were formed. How they started. I just read them, reliving Spiderman’s adventures, laughing at the Flash, biting my nails as Batman grappled with Joker. And in the end, when the hero came out victorious, I threw up my hands and silently cheered. But I never gave a thought to how they were created. Why they were created. But now I believe they were created and maintained for a reason. I believe that now they are an integral part of American culture and embody our hopes, feelings, dreams, and fears. I also believe they started out as a way to make money, a way to provide entertainment, but evolved into so much more. And that is what I intend to prove. Comic books appeared as early as 1833 as collections of comic strips. One of the oldest comics was The Adventures of Obidahiah Oldbuck. Another early comic book was The Yellow Kid in McFadden’s Flats. The Yellow Kid did not speak; words appeared on his nightshirt, which he wore at all times. Even then, comics were mildly popular. (Wikipedia: American Comic Book) Still, comic books did become very popular until the 1930s. The comics craze started in 1929, when Dell Publishing published The Funnies. It was 16 pages and ran for 36 issues. The last issue was on October 16, 1930. In 1933, Eastern Color Printing produced Funnies on Parade, which was like The Funnies, except that it had only 8 pages. It was sent as a free promotional item for people who bought Procter and Gamble soap. It was sold on newsstands. The promo was a success, and comics slowly began to crawl forward. Other titles like these were Famous Funnies and New Fun. Comics really began to boom in 1938 when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s Superman appeared in Action Comics #1. This began the trend of the superhero genre. With the start of the superhero genre came the start of the Golden age of comics, from the 1930s to the 1940s. Comics were very popular by this time, being one of the main forms of entertainment during the Great Depression and during World War 2. (Comic Book Century, 2008) However, after World War 2, superhero comics began to die out, leaving only Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman at the top. Comics as a whole were still thriving straight through the 1950s however, experimenting with various themes. The most popular theme was the horror genre, which was mainly fueled by EC, or Entertainment comics. (A Short History of American Comic Books, 2000) However, concern began to rise when Fredric Wertham, a Psychologist published his book, Seduction of the Innocent, which detailed what Wertham thought was a sadistic and homosexual undertone to comics. Soon, parents and clubs began to burn comics, and entire cities banned comics. Something had to be done! This got the attention of the government, who created the Comics Code Authority, which banned bad content in comics. This put many comic companies out of business, and this along with the virtual death of the superhero genre ended the Golden Age of Comics. By now comics were deeply ingrained in society, and many felt their demise strongly. (Superheroes on the Couch.) Comics only became popular again during the Silver age of Comics, a period of time from the 1950s to the mid 1970s. This period was when comics began to revive many of the dead superheroes such as the Atom, Hawkman, and the Green Lantern. It started when a new version of Flash was featured in Showcase #4. The Silver Age was also the start of characters such as the Fantastic Four and The Hulk. But while this was going on, underground Comix had appeared. Comix is a term used to describe comics that broke the CCA without anyone knowing. It referenced modern drug culture, hippism, and other touchy topics. The movement started with Zap Comix#1 by Robert Crumb. However, not all comics broke the CCA for bad reasons. Comics such as Spiderman and the Green Arrow showed that drugs are horrible and destructive- but technically broke the comic’s code. The CCA soon dissolved, with advantages and disadvantages. The advantages were that comics could touch on topics that could help warn kids. The flip side was that inappropriate comics had now been reintroduced. And that started the Modern Age of comics, where many characters now have several titles to their name, and have been rewritten again and again. It also introduced a love of antiheroes such as Punisher and Wolverine. But by now comics weren’t things people bought and read. They were major parts of American culture, as native to the American people as Apple Pie. Comics are still evolving. They always will be. But now they have reached a new level of significance. Characters that have started out in comics have branched out to other forms of media, such as movies, TV shows, and video games. Comics are still as popular as they once were, maybe even more, with events such as Superman’s death, Spiderman’s wedding, and Batman’s retirement. Comics will never be the same again, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that they are some of the biggest parts of American culture, and will stay that way for a long time. So in conclusion, “I believe that now they are an integral part of American culture and embody our hopes, feelings, dreams, and fears. I also believe they started out as a way to make money, a way to provide entertainment, but evolved into so much more. And that is what I intend to prove.” As I have taken you through the history of comics I have pointed this out repeatedly; though comics started out as a form of cheap entertainment during the Great Depression and World War 2, became very important to most Americans, alerting even the government attention to it! It is so deeply ingrained in American culture that it is spoken in the same sentence and awe as the Declaration of Independence. Comics address serious issues while providing entertainment. Most comic characters are based on our dreams [Superman, Spiderman etc.] and our fears [Venom, Lex Luther, Batman etc.] Even the creators of these characters admit that they were based of childhood fears, adolescent dreams, and other things. The point is comics are an essential part of American culture. And that is what I wanted say. Thank you for reading! The End! Citations: Laluminere, CL. (2000). Feature | a short history of american comic books. Montreal; Unknown: Unknown. Unknown, UK. (Unknown).Comic book - wikipedia.Unknown, Uknown: Unknown Unknown, UK. (Unknown).American comic book - wikipedia.Unknown, Uknown: Unknown. Rich? R. (1992-2006). Comic art &graffix gallery history of comic art.Unknown, Uknown: Unknown. Bellis, MB. ( ??). The history of comic books.Unknown, Uknown: Unknown. Pustz, M.P. (2010-09-01). Cfp: comic books and american cultural history. Fitchburg, MA 01420: Economics, History, and Political Science Dept. Fitchburg State University. Kerensky, SK. (2007). Comic book century. Twenty-First Century Books.
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Post by arya on Mar 16, 2011 16:24:19 GMT 5.5
When Mr. Hewett told the class that we had to come up with two or three ideas for the start of our I-search on Friday, I began to think right away. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was sure that what I was going to do would be something that I really wanted to learn about. Luckily, we were given the whole weekend to brainstorm ideas. Then, I remembered a book that I had read last year. It was called The Egypt Game; I loved it because it had a lot of voice and it was like Harry Potter with an Egyptian twist. Always filled with excitement and suspense, it was as if the characters never slept and were always up to something. The book was about a group of kids who looked past their differences and created an imaginary game.
After I had read that book it made me want to learn more about Egypt and its appealing history. I had always loved Egypt for its unique lifestyle and culture, but I had never truly learned its culture. So I decided that I would study a significant aspect of Egypt such as the pyramids, gods and goddesses, or a certain ruler. But that was where I got stuck. I didn’t know what I wanted to do about Egypt, because we were allowed to do anything. I was so confused, so I decided that I would just write all those ideas down and decide which one I wanted to do as my topic later. When I came to school on Monday, and Mr. Hewett told us to decide two of our topics to do the pre- search on- the pre-search is a process in which we can find the topic we can find here websites and one book. Then I eventually s chose pyramids because I found all these wonderful websites and a very interesting book on. I am really interested in learning about Egyptian pyramids.
I only know a few facts about my topic and that is why I chose it. But the facts that I do know are that the pyramids all have special reasons of why they use pyramids. This is similar to how Hindus have special rituals for certain reasons like taking away bad luck and bringing in good luck. Another fact I know for sure is that some tombs are kept in the pyramids. Like how some people bury dead bodies after they are cremated, instead, Egyptians wrap the dead bodies- like mummies- and put them in something that looks like a chest.
Then they put it in a chamber in the pyramid. Some facts that I might know about pyramids are that an Egyptian pyramid called the Great Pyramid is the biggest pyramid in Egypt. Another fact (I’m not sure if it is true) is that it takes many years to build a pyramid. Some wild guesses that I can make about my topic would be that there used to be rituals done in the pyramids. Maybe they gave offerings and sacrifices to god. For instance, offerings to a family for good luck. The exact information that I would need to know is the following:
1. What are the significances of the Egyptian pyramids? 2. Who came up with the idea of pyramids? 3. What pyramid is the biggest? 4. What pyramid is the first pyramid ever made? 5. Whose tomb was first buried?
These are questions that I want to know about during my research on pyramids. When I started taking notes I found many interesting facts about pyramids. One of the obstacles I had to overcome while researching would have been how we had to cross-reference all of the information that we think seems unusual. I had to do that a number of times. This problem was easy to overcome because all we had to do was to cross- reference, which means we would have to check in other resources for the fact that we think was unusual. I think that my information is accurate because I cross- referenced and made sure it was reasonable. I am of course not fully sure whether it is true and fully and strongly accurate but I think it is reasonable and possible facts. I used many resources while researching and I think that all of the authors of the books and creators of the website did try and give as much of accuracy possible. While reading all of this I had to understand and categorize whether the resource was bias or not, I also had to find out what perspective the creator or author is writing from. One very good example Mr. Hewett gave the class was that if you go to a website and it’s supposed to be about a famous and beautiful desert. And then at the end of the site they tell you to come to their hotel and that they will give you a tour of the desert and tell you about its significances. Why would they do this? It is because the people of the hotel will make money if you come to their hotel, stay there, and take their tours. While I was researching in this project I past many sites with bias opinions. Mr. Hewett had given an example to the class on how people show bias also. The example was that if there was a war. The winners will obviously be alive, but the losers would have all been killed. Therefore when you read a book about that particular war there would be bias because the winners wrote it. So the winners would probably make them look proud and dignified. I thought that was a very helpful example when I was looking for any bias opinions in the sites I was looking at and researching in. This part of the I-search helped me understand to identify bias opinions, and which perspectives the book or site was written in. Some advice I would give to others would probably be to make sure they are organized with the information they find out and make sure they understand everything in the resource you are researching in.
Pyramids! The unique structure- gigantic in size, no opening, no closure, what a figure to comprehend! I became very curious to find who invented pyramids, what they are all about, where most pyramids are located, when were certain pyramids built, and how people built pyramids, I was pondering on all those questions and about this marvelous piece of human creation. I know that this topic is quite broad. That is why I thought about what I want to learn about and why I was interested in this topic. I told everyone what I want to learn about in the previous I search part, so I won’t bore you with listing what I wanted to learn about. The construction of ancient Egyptian pyramids and what pyramids were used for; that is my thesis statement. What are the different types of pyramids? How long does it take to build a pyramid? What are the dimensions of the largest pyramid? What were pyramids used for? These questions were running in my head for quite a while so when the researching part of our I search, I went wild! While researching I was sure that I would not stop researching until I found the answers to at least some of my questions.
It was like I was in a library filled with information only on pyramids, like I was going on a travelator to the past and seeing and taking notes on everything that happened then. I was happy and contented at the end when I had gotten the answers to all of my questions.
The different types of pyramids are the step pyramid, mastaba, and the modern pyramid with smooth sides. It can take up to 5 years to build a pyramid, but it varies with the size of the pyramid. The biggest pyramid is called the Great pyramid and the pyramid is four- hundred and eighty- two feet tall. Pyramids were used for digging up and putting tombs and mummies of pharaohs, princes, and queens.
Bibliography Title…………………………………Website………………………………………. National Geographic: Egypt Secrets of an Ancient World…. Willard, PW. (2005). National geographic: Egypt secrets of an ancient world. New York, New York: national geographic society.
Pyramids of Egypt: History for kids…. Macaulay, DM. (1982). Pyramids of Egypt. Portland, Oregon: Portland state university. Pyramids……………….. Pyramids. (2000). Boston, US: The British Museum.
Pyramids in Egypt……………… Barrow, MB. (2002). Pyramids in egypt. Oklahoma, US: Woodlands junior high school.
Great Pyramid…….. Hynoson, CH. (2006). Great Pyramid, Columbus, Ohio: School Specialty Publishing.
The Pyramid Builders………. Smith, CS. (1991). The Pyramid Builders. New Jersey, US: Media Projects Incorporated.
Pyramids……. Millard, AM. (1996). Pyramids. Broadway, New York: Scholastic Incorporated.
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Post by roshini on Mar 16, 2011 16:27:06 GMT 5.5
I Search It was the last few minutes of school, on the last day; I was squirming in my chair listening for the bell. Then all of the sudden I heard the principal’s scratchy voice from the intercom, she was saying that she was hoping to see us again next year and told us to have a wonderful summer vacation. Unexpectedly the final bell rang; I was so eager, because I was going to India after two long years. I also was cheerless, because that would be my last time seeing my classmates and that classroom in a while, part of that was because I was going to be gone for the next year or so.
I was the first person to walk out of the classroom with my backpack, I was ready to go home and to the airport. When I went down I could not find my mom. After the longest three minutes of my life my mom appeared that is what it felt like. I was ready to go home and pack for the flight, which was supposed to leave in a couple of days. I was hoping that the flight would not be cancelled, like my cousin’s who left a week earlier.
When I arrived at my house I was surprised with a few unexpected guests, my best friend, Oviya. I was really excited when I saw here; I knew I would miss her when I went to India. Although it was the last day of school I could not relax, I had to pack all the stuff I wanted to take with me. I was really worried about the flight at the same time I was excited.
The reason I was worried was because a few weeks ago my cousin left for India, but her flight got cancelled due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Their flight was postponed to last week and one more reason is because in the news they said that it was very dangerous to travel in a time like this.
After three days of waiting, I finally was standing in the middle of the airport with my family. I was very anxious; I didn’t know what to do. After going through the whole security at the airport I was in the airplane. Although I was scared I was sitting down calmly, trying not to show it.
Later the flight landed, and from that day on I have been wondering about how these volcanoes are erupting around the world. About eight months from the day I landed in India, Mr. Hewett, my language arts teacher told about a project called I-search. When he first told us that we will get to choose our topics, I was happy because usually the teachers make us do essays on boring topics. The first topic that came to my mind was about the volcanic eruption in Iceland. And this is why I chose the volcanic activity in Iceland as my topic for the I-Search project.
I didn’t know much about my topic before I researched about it. These were some of the facts that I already knew about the volcanic activity in Iceland. I knew that there was a very big eruption in the year 2010, why it happened, I didn’t know. Also, I knew that Iceland is known for its volcanoes and glaciers; it is often called the land of fire and ice. This is about all I knew before doing this project. I know some of these facts because I read a book during the pre-search phase of this project.
Well, I could make some assumptions about my topic but, not much though. I could guess that it is very cold there and very hard for people to live in Iceland because of the ice and volcanoes. Living in Iceland is one thing I would never do; I would never be that brave. I could also guess that global warming might have been part of the reason why there was such a huge eruption last year. Also I think something to do with plate tonics caused the eruption. I got the last idea recently, when we were learning about plate boundaries and earthquakes in science class.
I can make some guesses, for example in Iceland when there is a volcanic eruption more damage is caused. The reason is that there is ice and lava in the same place touching each other, which gives of more smoke. I think that this is why last the eruption had such a big impact on the whole world. I feel that this guess is worth considering later.
These questions have guided me through my research project as well as helping me to know what exactly to research about. 1. Why did the volcanic eruption last year cause so much damage? 2. Has there been a huge eruption like this in the past? 3. What are the different types of volcanoes? 4. Is there any way to predict when a volcano will erupt? 5. How volcanoes erupt? I have conducted my research successfully although I had to overcome some obstacles. One of the biggest problems that I encountered was that some of the vocabulary was very high. Now I know why I had such a tough time trying to find the correct website with the right amount of information. How I overcame this was by using a dictionary to look up the words. Also another problem I had to conquer was that most of the information was written for adults not for sixth graders. I used the same method to solve this problem, but I also asked my parents and Mrs. Lotter, my science teacher about some of the doubts I had. Throughout the whole time we were doing this project, our teacher told us to look out for bias in websites. Well, after he first mentioned this, the first thought that that came to my mind was what he meant by that. At that moment I did not know what the word meant, I had only heard it before. After we had a detailed discussion about the meaning I understood. In this project I had looked for bias by re-checking the information. One thing that I had learnt from doing this project was to cross-reference the information I found. This I think is an important factor for any research project. What cross-referencing means is to make sure the information is accurate by checking multiple sources before coming to a final conclusion. Another technique to follow is to look at the problem from different perspectives or in other words points of view. If you have to ever do this project I have some advice you might find useful. First I would like to say choose a topic that you are truly interested in, not one that just comes to your mind first. Secondly be wise while picking the five questions you would like an answer for. I had made a mistake while choosing my topic. I think I might have been able to chose a better topic if I had had more time. In the beginning my topic interested me, but know not that much. If I ever actually do this project again I will probably find a better way to organize the notes that I have taken. Also I will not be stressed out about this project. This is how I will improve on this project if I ever do it again. One hot summer day, I got to know from my parents that my departure from the U.S to India got postponed by three days. They explained the reasons to me, saying that there was a volcanic eruption in Iceland, which had totally disrupted all the flights in and out of Europe. This inspired me to choose my topic and learn about it. As I have told you, my topic is about the volcanoes in Iceland. I never knew before this project and science class that the earth, which seems to be so quiet on the surface, would have so many things happening inside it. After doing the I-Search, I have learnt a lot about how harsh these natural disasters can be and what damage they can cause. One of the questions that I answered during this project was what are the different types of volcanoes. After doing research I found out about it. The three basic types of volcanoes are shield, cinder cone, and composite volcanoes. A shield volcano is formed when layers of slow moving lava cool. This type of volcano starts forming underwater; most of a shield volcano is underwater. Also the sides of the volcano are not steep, although they can be tall. The Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world, if you count the part that is underwater, and it is a shield volcano. The second type of volcano is a cinder cone volcano; it is made of pyroclastic material. Pyroclastic is made of hot ash, dust, and debris. The pyroclastic material is not cemented together so it erodes much quicker than any other type of volcano. The third type of volcano is the most common, composite volcanoes. One good example of it would be Mt. Fuji They can create an explosive eruption followed by a soft flow of lava. An explosive eruption happens only once or twice a year, but causes a lot of damage. During the eruption pyroclastic material, debris, ash and gas explode from it. On the other hand there are non- explosive eruptions, these types of eruptions take place underwater and on land. If you think about it, even right now there is an eruption taking place. The second question I had was why the volcanic eruption last year caused so much damage; the volcano that erupted is called Eyjafjallajökull. In the beginning I wondered why it was so notable, the answer to that question is because it produced a lot of ash, debris, and gas. In about six days the ash had spread half way across Europe, during this time period most of the airports were closed. This leads to my next question. Has there been an eruption like this in the past? According to my research there has been many, but they were not that noticeable. This is only because they did not affect the whole world in the same way Eyjafjallajökull did. Another question I always pondered about is why there are so many eruptions in Iceland. This is due to plate tectonics, the movement of plates in the lithosphere. First of all the lithosphere is one of the layers of the earth, after it comes, the asthenosphere, then the mesosphere, even deeper in the earth is the outer core and the inner core. These are the ways that scientists have classified the layers of the earth using its physical properties. They also have classified the layers using its composition; they are the crust, mantle, and the core. Tectonic plates are a part of the lithosphere which is the rigid, top most layer of the mantle. There are ten major tectonic plates, (Pacific, North American, Cocos, Nazca, South American, African, Eurasian, Indian, Australian, and Antarctic plates.) When these plates move and touch each other they can create earthquakes and volcanoes. There are specific ways they move called boundaries, they are transform, convergent and divergent boundaries. One thing that you should remember is that the plates can move underwater or on land. A transform boundary takes place where tectonic plates touch each other and slide past each other diagonally. This motion also creates a strike-slip faults; one good example would be the fault in California. A divergent boundary is when two plates move away from each other creating a normal fault. When this happens underwater magma will come up from the mantle and fill up the gap. This process is called sea floor spreading, during the process a straight line of underwater mountains form called mid-ocean ridges. A convergent boundary is when two plates push against each other which cause a reverse fault. When they push together one plate sinks or they create mountains, some can even be volcanic. Iceland is located where the Pacific plate and the North American plate are, right at the mid-Atlantic ridge, which is a divergent plate boundary. Since Iceland has a very unique geological condition it is a paradise for volcanologist, all over the world. The most active volcano right now and in the past 500 years, in Iceland, is Grímsvötn. There are different ways to predict volcanic eruptions, specifically three. The first way is to measure small earthquakes. Usually before an eruption there are small earthquakes. The second way is to use a tiltmeter; it helps scientists to detect small changes in the volcanoes slope. When magma rises through vents in the volcano, it will have more of a bulge. The final way is to use GPS, (global positioning system), to record the changes in surface temperature and gas emissions. This is one of the newest ways to predict volcanic eruptions. Also when scientists predict volcanic eruptions they look and study past records and patterns. In the future scientists will find better ways to predict volcanic eruptions.
After I had done this project I felt that I had learnt a lot, which is what counts. I have always wanted to be a scientist and after I completed this project I felt even more inspired to become one. I had learnt a lot of scientific facts from this project that will help me in the future. Also I the way we conducted research was very effective and useful
Title………………………… Website Volcanism in Iceland…………………… Waugh, DW. (2005).Volcanism Iceland. New York, New York: scholastic publishers. Earth Science…………. Holt, RH. (2007).Earth science. Austin, Texas: A Harcourt Education Company. 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull……………………….Hendry, ERH. (2010). 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull. Oklahoma, US: Oklahoma university. Iceland…………Gritzner, CFG. (2003). Iceland. USA: Chelsea House Publishers. Why do volcanoes erupt?................. Grant, GU. (2010). Why do volcanoes erupt? USA: Arragone National Laboratory. Unknown, UK. (2010). Volcanoes of Iceland. Iceland: Volcano Discovery.
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Post by wonyoung on Mar 16, 2011 20:24:42 GMT 5.5
March 14, 2011 Won Young [glow=red,2,300]The I-Search[/glow] Part 1 A Long time ago when I was five years old, I heard my parents talking about news in which many people died and injured in Indonesia due to a tsunami. I wasn¡¦t sure and much clear of it when I heard it, but then I wanted to articulate about tsunami deeper. So I felt like learning about tsunamis. When I was first grade, I read a book about tsunami in library (In Korea). Since I was so little, I understood only a little information such as its really destructive and that it was one of the natural hazards. That even made me more curious to know about tsunami. Five years later, I got an opportunity to study about tsunami; My humanities teacher Mr. Hewett announced that we¡¦re going to have a (research) project and he flexibly allowed us to choose a topic which we¡¦re interested among three topics. I was thinking of what to choose as my topic and then I went to the library to see books to get some topics. There I got many topics such as Korean Civil war, Big Bang, and Nuclear Energy. Then I found a book named ¡§Tsunami.¡¨ Then I remembered everything that my parents talked about and the book I read in first grade. Of course, I really thought this was a great chance for me to learn about my favorite topic - tsunamis. So I chose tsunami, or tidal wave, as my topic. The next day, I informed to Mr. Hewett that my topic was tsunami, and I was fortunate that nobody else chose natural hazard as their topic. He of course approved my topic as I chose. I felt very contented. When I went to my home, I was thinking what to write regarding my topic. I came out with many ideas such as how and why does the tsunami occur, how big destructions does it gives to us, and where, which place is most well built and is ready to fight against the deadly tsunami. I had to be careful because if my topic is broad, I have to stay midnight writing the informations given, or when my topic is too narrow, I have to suffer finding lack of information. The next day, I posted my topic on our discussion forum. Many other students had various types of interesting topics, but I liked mine the best. Since this is one month, or about four weeks project, my research topic on tsunami should not be too broad or too narrow. So I double checked to make sure whether my research topic was too broad or too narrow, but it wasn¡¦t like that, which meant I was ready to rock and roll!!! Part 2I already know that a tsunami is a natural hazard, which is caused by seismic waves which occurs in mantle, and it only takes place in oceans or seas. I know about this information because I studied about seismic waves in science class. Normal waves are 3m tall and 16~32km/h, which is about a speed of an athlete, but compare to tsunami, it is fast as 724~1045km/h when it is in middle of the ocean and it is about 30~60cm tall (normal airplane is about 800km/h, but jets are 1200km/h). But when it strikes coastal areas, it is 30m high and also 56~354km/h (the fastest speed of a train is 330km/h). I have recently read a book about natural hazards, and I have gathered this information from it. I think I might know that the name of tsunami came from Japan, because Japan is an island country where tsunami strikes often. I also might know that before tsunami occurs, there will be some signs such as volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. I think that hurricane is another reason which makes tsunami occurs. I made many wild guesses about my topic and one of them is that Pacific Ocean is more prone to tsunamis. I also have another guess which is I think there might be some group of countries which they help each other when tsunami occurs. I need to know where tsunami occurs more often than other places. I must know that how big damage does it cause and the ways which affects the human being. I really need to know the relationship between the earthquake scale and tsunami. The last thing which I am eager to know about is how tsunami looks like in universe. Part 3Overcoming ObstaclesThere were few problems while I was doing my research, and one of them was that the information given in my links was too hard for me to understand (not all, only some). I dealt with that problem by reading the informations carefully and kept read it again and again until I understood. Also I made use of using the dictionary which was pretty helpful. There was another problem which led to the desperate hole that when I was looking for the file where all my informations were written in my words were gone! I was really worried that I had to change ALL the informations again to my words, then with my last hope I searched every file which contains word document and I found it. That was how I overcome with this problem. Evaluating Credibility/Cross-Referencing Your SourcesWhile I was researching, there was hardly any time to check whether my information was correct, and once I had to evaluate the credibility of my information I read from one of the website about the world¡¦s largest tsunami. In that website, it said that the tsunami occurred in Lituya bay was 500m, but two other websites assumed that it was exactly 524.256m. Apart from these informations, everything else was all similar when I compared with other sources, so I didn¡¦t have to evaluate the credibility, or cross-reference my sources. Developing Multiple PerspectivesFrom my perspective, tsunami which is also my topic is awesome, or EPIC! Though it does affect our human society, it is the power of the nature which god created, and which we, the humans, cannot stop it or predict when it will occur. From my tutor¡¦s perspectives, she thinks that tsunami is a giant wave. It causes destructions to the world. At last, from my English friend¡¦s (Cal) perspective, usually tsunami occurs when volcano erupts or earthquake occurs, and if there is very big storm or lots of wind. Evaluating BiasThe informations that I have got through many sources were factual. More or less the informations were all similar when I compared with many sources. Even I referred Korean book which also gave the same informations which I got from the other websites. Altogether, my informations from books and websites were almost fair and similar. Personal Reflection and Advice for OthersI have of course learned more about tsunami, and I learned different types of tsunami which is mega tsunami and others. I also learned about the destructions caused by tsunami, and I hope I will get more in sight about my study on tsunami, because even the tsunami occurs, I know how to escape from it and the precaution which I need to take after and before tsunami occurs. Few things which I want to convey are that when the earthquake occurs, never go near to the sea, because it can most probably cause tsunami. I also want to tell that it is safe to be in the middle of the ocean or sea when the tsunami occurs. Part 4Establish a thesis statementI got to see the news about a tsunami which occurred in Indonesia, which also affected South Korea, African countries, and southern Asia. My parents were really surprised that even though Indonesia was far away from South Korea, ten people died because of that earthquake. Then I was interested in tsunamis. I was interested about their vast physical damage, and their power which shows that we cannot stop or predict, or block them. Support your thesis statement with direct and indirect quotations and give credit for both¡§The seas are the heart's blood of the earth.¡¨ Was written by, Henry Beston, the Headlong Wave in the Outermost House, 1928 But the sea itself sucked the blood of many lives in the form of a tsunami. "People were screaming and kids were screaming all over the place, screaming 'help, help'. And after a few minutes you didn't hear the kids anymore..." The above quote was said by, Czech model Petra Nemcova The next day those kids' were in the funeral. Abundant research presented from at least 5 sources United States Search and Rescue Task Force 1. Tsunamis are formed as a result of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or landslides that occur under the sea. When these events occur under the water, huge amounts of energy are released as a result of quick upward bottom movement. For example, if a volcanic eruption occurs, the ocean floor may very quickly move upward several hundred feet. When this happens, huge volumes of ocean water are pushed upward and a wave is formed. A large earthquake can lift thousands of square kilometers of sea floor which will cause the formation of huge waves. The Pacific Ocean is especially prone to tsunamis as a result of the large amount of undersea geological activity. In the deep open sea, tsunamis move at speeds approaching a jet aircraft (500 mph or more). As they approach the shore, they slow down. When a tsunami arrives at the shore, it usually does so as a rapidly rising tide moving at about 70 km/hour (45 mph). Beyond the tremendous destruction of life that tsunamis cause, they have also caused massive physical damage. They have entirely destroyed buildings and left towns looking like a nuclear war zone. They have lifted boats high out of the water and violently hurled them against the shore, smashing them to pieces. They have bent parking meters all the way down to the ground. In one incredible story, during the huge tsunami in Lituya Bay, Alaska (mentioned above), a boat with two people in it was carried from the bay, over tree tops and over the land out into the ocean. The people survived to tell the tale. www.ussartf.org/tsunamis.htm#top2. ¡§Tsunami the great Waves¡¨: tsunamis are a threat to life and property to anyone living near the ocean. For example, in 1992 and 1993 over 2,000 people were killed by tsunamis occurring in Nicaragua, Indonesia and Japan. Property damage was nearly one billion dollars. The 1960 Chile Earthquake generated a Pacific-wide tsunami that caused widespread death and destruction in Chile, Hawaii, Japan and other areas in the Pacific. Large tsunamis have been known to rise over 100 feet, while tsunamis 10 to 20 feet high can be very destructive and cause many deaths and injuries. This study also revealed on what the people should do when tsunami occurs. ƒÜ Be aware of tsunami facts. This knowledge could save your life! Share this knowledge with your relatives and friends. It could save their lives! ƒÜ If you are in school and you hear there is a tsunami warning, you should follow the advice of teachers and other school personnel. ƒÜ If you are at home and hear there is a tsunami warning, you should make sure you entire family is aware of the warning. Your family should evacuate your house if you live in a tsunami evacuation. Move in an orderly, calm and safe manner to the evacuation site or to any safe place outside your evacuation zone. Follow the advice of local emergency and law enforcement authorities. ƒÜ If you are at the beach or near the ocean and you feel the earth shake, move immediately to higher ground. DO NOT wait for a tsunami warning to be announced. Stay away from rivers and streams that lead to the ocean as you would stay away from the beach and ocean if there is a tsunami. A regional tsunami from a local earthquake could strike some areas before a tsunami warning could be announced. ƒÜ Tsunamis generated in distant locations will generally give people enough time to move to higher ground. For locally generated tsunamis, where you might feel the ground shake, you may only have a few minutes to move to higher ground. www.nws.noaa.gov/om/brochures/tsunami.htm3. ¡§What causes tsunami¡¨: Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning ''harbor wave'' that refers to a series of large ocean waves that hit a shoreline. These waves may be as long as 100km and travel across the ocean at speeds of up to 800kmh. There may be a constant stream of waves that that batter the shore for between 10 and 60 minutes. Indonesia is thought to be the worst-hit country in the region, with 4,185 confirmed dead. Hundreds of fishermen are missing off the southern Indian coast and witnesses have reported scores of bodies being washed up on beaches. This study also revealed about the way tsunami develop. Everybody knows that what goes up must come down. This is particularly true for water which always likes to form a nice flat surface. So once the mountain of water has risen up the next step is for the sea to level itself out. The mountain of water comes back down. This pushes the water that was underneath it outwards. The force of the water moves through the ocean causing an underwater force that travels for hundreds of Kilometers. The force of the water can reach speeds of up to 800kmh as it surges through the ocean. The energy is underwater and is not noticeable on the surface. As this force travels through the ocean it may eventually reach the shore. At this point, the sea becomes shallower. However, the energy in the water is still the same. The energy is compressed and the water is pushed upwards. This is how the energy is transferred from being underwater into waves on the surface. - hubpages.com/hub/What-causes-a-Tsunami ConclusionFrom this study, I learned a lot more about tsunami and it gave me immense information than I knew about it before. Many studies revealed that tsunami is caused by earthquake, volcanic eruptions, and etc. Tsunami causes vast destruction; physical damage to people, gives a great loss of buildings and structures, many people dies, and it gives vast financial damage to the government. Scientists are working their best to evacuate as many as people possible within the particular occurrence of the tsunami, and tries to evacuate people quicker. Whoever is survived from tsunami, will never forget about it until they die. This study made me understood the real power of the nature
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Post by hyolin on Mar 16, 2011 20:33:14 GMT 5.5
I-Search By: Hyo Lin Song When I was 6 years old, my grandma used to tell me some Korean myths and folktales, and that used to be one of my favorite moments of the day. I used to enjoy every minute of it, and finally, I decided to write down all the titles and make a short summary of each tale and eventually I made a small paper booklet. Then I found out that I would be coming to India to live for four years, and entered AISC. One day, Mr. Hewett brought out the project called I-Search and told us that we could choose what we wanted to research on. Although I stayed at AISC for four years, I have never heard a teacher giving us the liberty to choose what we wanted to find out and learn about. As soon as I reached home, I started to think of some ideas, but it wasn¡¦t as easy as I expected. I wondered what I would really be interested in because this was seriously a one in a million chance! I thought and thought until my mom called me for dinner and before standing up, my eye caught something in bright pink saying ¡§Hyo Lin¡¦s personal myths and stories- made with Granny¡¨ in the corner of the bookshelf. I opened it and flicked through, spotting some of my favorite tales. Then I felt a light bulb switching on in my brain. I thought, since I am living in India, I could research on Indian myths and superstitions, and at the same time, add some of it in my booklet! Thinking it was now or never, I searched the internet for Indian mythology and superstitions, but soon I realized that my topic was a bit too broad. I also couldn¡¦t find any books on it in our library. So I decided to change the whole topic into Rivers in Indian Mythology because I was fascinated with the different stories about rivers and how and where they originated. Confident with the topic, I went to Mr. Hewett the next day and got it approved, and from that day on, my I-Search topic became Rivers in Indian Mythology. Indian mythology has a lot of areas that can be explored. I think many of the myths and beliefs are based on science and have a hidden meaning. To Indians, rivers are more than just water bodies and are worshipped as gods or goddesses, which is also why there are so many of them. These rivers also have interesting stories on how they originated. I have heard and read about many stories based on the rivers and also seen fascinating documentaries on how these rivers are worshipped. I assume that these rivers play such a significant role in the lives of Indians because life in ancient times always revolved around the river since it provided people with food and water. I suppose worshipping the river was a way of making sure people took care of the rivers and prevented pollution. Since the origins of these rivers were from mountains, the water was rich in minerals, calcium, and other elements which also gave it a healing power that made people in the ancient times think it was magical. Applying what I learnt in science class about minerals and its properties gave me this idea. I guess, just like behind most myths there are scientific facts, each of the myths about these rivers can also be traced back to science. I guess the floods were caused when the gods were crying, or maybe rivers dried up when they were angry or wasn¡¦t satisfied with the offerings. Maybe, the gods represent kings that rule and take care of the river and the fish and other organisms are like the citizens of the kingdom. Since the country India itself is considered as a god, maybe the rivers are like her veins running through her body giving life! A lot of questions can be answered through research, and I¡¦m the kind of person who enjoys reading stories. It will be exciting to find out how these stories originated and also get the following questions answered: ƒÜ How did these rivers originate? ƒÜ What are the stories behind the origins? ƒÜ Why did the ancient Indians believe the rivers were gods? ƒÜ Which god represented each river? ƒÜ Do these myths have scientific reasons? ƒÜ How do the present day people know about these stories and
how many of them actually believe in it? Ć If the people still believed the rivers were gods, do you think it would be less polluted?
These points can be used as a guide during my research and also make sure that I don¡¦t miss out anything. As I started listing the topics I was interested in, the first obstacle I had to overcome was choosing the appropriate topic among my wide interests. Once I short-listed Indian mythology, (a very wide subject), I did a little bit of research before deciding on the origin of rivers as my topic. My next obstacle was finding books in the library. After going through hundreds of books that weren¡¦t related to my topic, I finally found just ONE book that had one chapter on the origin of Ganga. My next step was to search the internet to check if I could find sufficient amount of information on my topic. After going through many sites, I realized that since myths have been passed on by word of mouth over the many generations, different versions of the myth exist and it was hard to decide which tale to believe in. I solved it by asking a few Indian friends of mine. Since I¡¦m a Korean, I also found pronouncing and understanding Indian terms a little challenging. To check if the information I had found was accurate, I compared different sites. I also asked different people their versions of the story of the origins of the rivers in India. I tried to avoid sites that had open axis and relied more on sites that had verifiable data. Some sites that were of Indian origin seemed to have unnecessary details and seemed to glorify the Indian gods and goddesses beyond measure. I tried to find facts and scientific theories that supported the stories. For example, through the internet I found out that the river Ganga originates at Gangotri glacier in Uttarakhand, Himalayas, where five smaller streams join and form the second largest river in India. The river Ganga is worshipped by Hindus throughout its course and some of the most visited pilgrim sites in India are located along it. These pilgrims believe that the river has magical powers, can heal and forgive people for the sins they have done. Many stories revolve around the mythological origin of Ganga, some stating that Lord Rama resides at its banks while another story talks about the river passing through the matted hair of Lord Shiva. Considering that I have almost finished the I-Search and next I get to start on the actual research I can¡¦t wait to find out more about the river and the many stories that have originated from it. I hope I learn a lot about Indian mythology and get an insight to why these myths were created and what makes the Indians believe in it. I hope at the end of the research I have enough information to take back to Korea about India and the mystical stories that India is known for.
I believe that myths are not entirely superstition and most myths can be scientifically reasoned. Retelling of facts would be just researching on the origins of rivers. In my research I also looked up natural disasters that happened around the same time as the origin of rivers to see if they can be linked to its origin. So my thesis statement for now would be ¡¥Behind the origin of Rivers.¡¦ But as I do my research, and find out more about my topic, I might have to change my thesis statement accordingly. Along the Saraswati River the Indus Valley civilization once flourished. While the reason for the sudden vanishing of the civilization is unknown, archaeologists have suggested that this could possibly be linked to the drying up of the Saraswati River. The once lush and fertile land of present day Rajasthan is now a desert. According to Indian myths, this was caused because of a curse by the gods. One such story is about the goddess Saraswati from whose hand the book of learning is snatched away as she came down from the hills. This ashamed her and she became a river which sank into the Earth. Many other rivers along this same line of Saraswati also dried up. Maybe it was because of some human activities like building a dam or something as simple as an earthquake that caused this change. People back then probably did not know the actual reason and since they had no way of proving any ideas, they came up with these kinds of myths.
Story of the River Ganga was the next myth I came across. The birth of Ganga is linked to King Sagara of Ayodhya. The 1000 sons of King Sagara set out to search for their father¡¦s sacred horse that was stolen and found it grazing in the hermitage of sage Kapila. Sage Kapila was angry by the disturbance and burnt the 1000 sons into ashes. Long time after, an ancestor of the family, Bhagiratha, prayed to Lord Brahma to forgive his uncles and let them peacefully go to Heaven. Lord Brahma asks Ganga, the daughter of the Himalayas, to come down to the Earth for this purpose. But Ganga, being so powerful, would have broken the Earth, so Lord Shiva was asked to hold the weight of Ganga on his matted hair. The river Ganga actually originates from the Gangotri glacier in the Himalayas. This could be probably why she is called the daughter of the Himalayas. The glacier melts during the summer feeding the river. If the entire glacier melted, all of a sudden it would probably cause the biggest flood ever! Maybe this story was made up to explain the beautiful design of nature. The mighty river Brahmaputra is one of the only river considered as male. A story goes that Barashurama, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, got rid of his sins by bathing in this sacred river. He had an axe stuck on the palm when he beheaded his mother, and this axe fell off his hand when he used it to make way for the river to escape from the blocks that had confined it. The Brahmaputra is known for its force as it flows through some of the wildest terrains. Since force and aggression are usually associated as masculine this river probably was known as a male river rampaging around his territory.
Ancient Indians probably believed these rivers to be sacred because they were linked to their gods. So the answer to my research is not all myths are nonsense, maybe it¡¦s time to think over it again. Often as I look at nature, I wonder where it all originated and who created it all. Maybe millions of years ago, before science and technology developed, our ancestors also wondered about the same things. Maybe children long time ago asked their parents about who created and how the rivers were created and some parent back then made up the stories that have been passed down over generations. If, the science wasn¡¦t so developed and we didn¡¦t know what a river is, I think the water might be less polluted. We would¡¦ve still thought that these rivers were sacred and they were gods and we wouldn¡¦t carelessly throw garbage into it. Nowadays, with all the development in science we know that these stories are not exactly true, but still it is very interesting. My interest in mythology is mainly because of the fascinating stories and considering it has been passed on for so many generations, is almost like proof that these stories interest many people around. My research was just about getting to know these stories and understand them better. Now that I know more about the Indian myths, it feels like as if I know the country and the people way better than before. I also found out that most of the Indian myths are a little similar to the Korean folktales my grandmother used to tell me. I am fully satisfied with what I have figured out and hope to see one of the three major rivers of India before I go back to Korea. I am glad we did an I-Search project. The internet has many sites that tell us about the different river stories, like: Raja, DR. (2008). Birth of Ganga, Indian mythology. Tamil Nadu, India: Indianetzone.
Various, MV. (2010). Brahmaputra river. New Delhi, India: Wikipedia.
Jamu, U.N. (2007). Saraswati River. New Delhi, India: Utathya.
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Post by manuel on Mar 16, 2011 20:43:24 GMT 5.5
Manuel Feb.2, 2011 I-Search What’s an interesting event that caused a lot of deaths? The topic that I wanted to choose was World War Two. Before we even started with the I-Search, I had questions and doubts about World War Two; what was the war about? How did it happen? When did it happen? Why did it happen? And how did it end? I only knew the basic events about World War Two. I knew that the Nazis tried to kill as many Jews as possible, and how Adolf Hitler killed himself, and how Hitler wanted to conquer Europe. I wanted to find out more about the war. Then Mr. Hewett told us about the I-Search and how we could choose whatever topic we were interested in as long as it is not to broad or to narrow. Before he even had finished saying the instructions; I already knew what to choose, World War Two. This was a perfect moment for me to learn more about World War Two. As soon as I told Mr. Hewett about my topic he approved it. Why did I choose World War Two? Well, back in third grade when I was still living in Mexico. They told us that we had to act out any story that we wanted to share to the class. So I got partnered up with four of my classmates and started thinking what we should act out. After five minutes of thinking one of my partners spoke, “What if we act out World War Two?” Everyone in my group including me agreed with him, but we only had one problem: we didn’t know what happened in World War 2. So that day after school my partners and I went over to my house to do some research about World War Two. At the end of the day we were able to find the information that we needed. The next day when the teacher asked us to act out in front of the class, we acted out what we had found out about World War Two, meaning the basic stuff since we were only third graders. After that I still wouldn’t get what happened at World War Two. That’s what made me choose World War Two as my topic. I wanted to learn the important events. Was World War Two a really important event? I also asked my parents before telling Mr. Hewett about the topic that I wanted to choose, World War Two. They said that it was a pretty good idea. My other topic idea if I could not find enough information about World War Two would have been ninjas. Ninjas are really mysterious that I thought that it could work out as a secondary option. My third option would have been the Cold War. I thought that World War Two was more interesting than the Cold War, so I decided that the Cold War should be my third option. My conclusion is that I’m really enthusiastic about researching about World War Two and I hope that I finally get to understand my biggest doubt about it: Why was World War Two important? World War Two is considered one of the most important events in history. The summary that I know about it is: World War Two lasted from 1938 to 1945. Hitler wanted to conquer Europe and later on the world. He killed many Jews. Hitler started attacking Europe until the United States showed up and helped the remaining parts of Europe. In the end, the United States and their followers of Europe attacked Germany. Where Adolf Hitler was settled. When the United States got to Adolf Hitler’s location, they found him dead. Later they found out that he killed himself with a gun. What I think I know about my topic is that Hitler did not like Jews for a reason, and that some parts of France and Russia were still not conquered by the Nazis when the United States arrived. The United States somehow noticed that Europe was being attacked by Germany. Ana Frank’s diary helped us find out more about how World War Two felt. It was a hard time for the Jews living on a concentration camp. And that without the United State’s help, Europe would have been conquered. Was Adolf Hitler mad at the Jews because he had a bad experience when he was young? Did France and Russia accept the United State’s help the first time they offered it? Did the United States get informed about Germany attacking Europe on a letter that took a long time to arrive to America? Was Ana Frank’s diary useful for learning the settlement of World War Two? Was living in a concentration camp a survival or die for the Jews? Would Europe be gone and be part of Germany without the United State’s help? The questions that I want to find out during I-Search are: 1.What benefit did Europe get by having the United State’s help to defeat Adolf Hitler? 2.What’s the story of World War Two? 3.Was there any groups of countries against each other during World War Two and which countries were they. 4.Where and when were the first battle and the last battle? 5.Why did Hitler decided to start World War Two? I hope that these questions will guide me through my I-Search and that I will be able to succeed on explaining World War Two on a single project. Was it easy to find information about World War Two? The answer to that question is sort of. The first thing that I found on the internet was Wikipedia. I first thought that Wikipedia would explain everything about my topic, but it didn’t. However, I got answered one of my questions out of reading the Wikipedia article. Was there any groups of countries against each other during World War Two and which countries were they? Yes there were groups of countries during World War Two. Later that day, Mr. Hewett showed us how to make a delicious account and how to use it to find information about your topic. So I tried it and guess what? I found tons of websites with useless information about my topic. I looked at some of them, but they did not have the information that I wanted. They only had the basic information about World War 2. So I kept looking through the websites and one of them caught my eye: www.world-war-2.info I looked through all of the contents and found the answers to my questions. What’s the story of World War Two? What benefit did Europe get by having the United State’s help to defeat Adolf Hitler? Where and when were the first battle and the last battle? Why did Hitler decide to start World War Two? And I also got the same answer to for my first question: Was there any groups of countries against each other during World War Two and which countries were they? That did not mean I was done with my research. I had to make sure that the information was correct by looking at other websites. So I went back to delicious, the I went back to the World War Two tab, I kept looking through the websites about World War Two and found another useful website: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/world_war2/. It was a website that BBC made for other people to learn about World War Two. I used BBC to make sure that my answers were correct, and they were. The rest of the work was to read the books that I borrowed from the library. They were about how the citizens felt during World War Two and a little summary about what happened. So basically I was done with my research. The information that I found during my research was very detailed and explained what the conflicts were and how the war ended up. I got timelines of the war, summaries, and history about it. I was able to understand what the writer was trying to say. Part 4 concludes my I-Search project. During this part I’m going to explain the questions that I got and what the answers of them are. First question: What benefit did Europe get by having the United State’s help to defeat Adolf Hitler? I got the answer to that question from BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/world_war2/). And from the main World War Two website. : (http://www.world-war-2.info) The United States was attacked by Japan (The Axis) in December 7, 1941. After that the United States immediately declared war on Japan and Germany. On January 1, 1942 the United States joined the Allies. The United States was coming up with the plans accompanied with Russia. The United States had the most Battleships, (meaning for battles in the ocean) and they were making free countries join their forces. They also owned most of the technology, guns, ships, and tanks. They would keep fighting no matter what. Finally they made captive countries be free. Next question: What’s the story of World War Two? When World War 1 was over, they signed a contract on June 28, 1919 called “Treaty of Versailles” In January 30, 1933; Hitler was appointed Reichskanzler (Chancellor).Later, The German president died, meaning that the presidency fell into Hitler’s hands. On March 16, 1935, the Versailles Treaty was violated as Hitler ordered Germany to re-arm. These steps produced nothing more than official protests from Britain and France. Later, Italy and Germany signed “The Pact of Steel” which formed the Axis group. Then World War Two started by the Nazis and Italy invading Poland on September 1, 1939. Next question: Were there any groups of countries against each other during World War Two and which countries were they? Yes there were groups of countries against each other during World War Two: The Allies and the Axis. The leaders in the Allied group were: The United States of America, England, and France. The allied group started with France and England. Later the United States and Russia joined as well. The United States joined the Allied group in January 1, 1942. And Russia joined in June 1941. Then the main leaders in the Axis group were: Germany, Italy, and Japan. Next question: Where and where were the first battle and the last battle? The first battle was in Poland on September 1, 1939 when Italy and Germany surrounded Poland. Within a month, Poland was defeated by a combination of Germans and Italians. And the last Battle was in Japan when the Japanese were attacked by surprise with an atomic bomb killing 120,000 civilians. After that they were surrounded by the Allied force in September 2, 1945. And the last question is: Why did Hitler decide to start World War Two? The reason of Adolf Hitler starting World War Two was because of the conflicts during World War 1. When the president died, Hitler got the power. He still wasn’t pleased for what happened in World War 1 since there were a lot of people booing him. So he broke the “Treaty of Versailles” to form a new army so he could get his honor back. My conclusion to this project is that it was kind of fun and interesting. I learned a lot about World War 2 during this project and I hope that Mr. Hewett will keep this project for the next year students. The end Bibliography BBC website: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/world_war2/Wikipedia article en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_war_2 Main World War 2 website www.world-war-2.info/ People at the center of World War 2 by Audrey Kupferberg Witness to history World War 2 by Sean Connolly
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Post by danielle on Mar 17, 2011 11:40:50 GMT 5.5
For my I-Search project, I chose to study witchcraft. The following is about why I chose this topic. I chose to research witchcraft because I feel drawn to this topic. I have always liked to know about magic, and I think it is fascinating. I know that witchcraft is often used for healing, but people think that witchcraft is dark magic. I think that witchcraft is interesting, but I am not quite sure why. I feel connected to witchcraft, and I have an impulse to know more about it.
I know that witchcraft has played a large part in history, and I know people were suspicious of witchcraft. I do not know why this is so, and I wish to learn more about ancient times, the history of witchcraft, and how it was created. I would also like to know about what happened to make people afraid of witchcraft. I often thought about what it would be like to be a witch. I feel that if I were a witch, I could use my powers for good. I think that witchcraft is fascinating and mystical, and I feel an unexplainable connection to this topic.
Witchcraft has a long, complicated, intriguing history, and I know that it has been practiced for centuries. I would like to know what happened in the past and the different types of witchcraft. I would like to know how it all began and what kind of things witches used for their different spells. There are a lot of mysteries regarding witchcraft, which I have an urge to know about.
My interest in witchcraft increased when I read the Harry Potter series. The idea of magic fascinated me, so I felt an even stronger urge to find out more about witchcraft and sorcery.
So I want to learn more about this and I know I can find out a lot. I never had time to research this topic, however much I wanted to learn about it. So I left the topic alone and concentrated on my studies and other important things. I still thought and wondered about it and wished I had the time to find out more. Then I came into this school and learnt about this project, and I realized that it was the perfect opportunity to find out the answers to my questions.
So this project is about witchcraft, its history, and other mysteries. I hope you find this topic as interesting as I do.
I know that in medieval times, people did not like witches and often accused them of associating them with the devil. I also know that people in medieval times burnt witches alive or drowned them. They also hung witches when they found them guilty of witchcraft. I know that in ancient times, witches were healers and some were shamans, who healed their tribe. I also know that in Salem, Massachusetts, there is a long history of witchcraft and paranormal things happened. During the Salem witchcraft trial, seven men and thirteen women were executed for practicing witchcraft, and some of them claimed a mysterious black man forced them to. Some were innocent, but the afflicted girls who were badly affected by witchcraft, claimed they were evil. So the village ordered them to be hung. One supposed witch was only five years old. I think they did not like them because of the church and maybe they thought that magic was sinning. I think that the church might have turned the people against witches, even if it was lies.
I can guess that not all witches were bad, but I think that they were under some influence. I can guess that maybe they didn’t do dark magic on purpose but they could have been possessed or something related to it. I wonder what made them decide to practice witchcraft. I am guessing that the Church in ancient times accused those who did not follow the Church was associating with the devil and were most likely witches. I can guess that maybe witches would meet up once in a while, perhaps during the full moon. I need to know the history of witchcraft. I also need to know the different types of witchcraft and the traditions of it. I need to know about witchcraft through the ages and the gods witches worship. I would like to know about what witches in the modern age are like. I would also like to research whether there are any rules that witches have to follow before they cast a spell and the rituals they follow. I wonder how witchcraft was created and who invented it. I want to know if there is a difference between witchcraft and sorcery and whether they are both good. I need to know about dark magic and white magic, and whether or not dark magic was intentional. While researching, I came across problems, of course, but I managed to solve them. For example, I could not find a piece of information that I needed to fit with the rest of my notes. So I spent ages searching for it and eventually I found it. I was also unable to find sources as few believe in witchcraft. I spent hours looking for books and websites and I found it at last.
I think that my sources are trustworthy because I found websites that support my information. For example, I found a website on different styles of witchcraft and I wasn’t sure if it was true. After more research I stumbled upon another website with the same information. I think that the information was fair and accurate. I think that they found information from old history and some archeologists found cave paintings that support the evidence. There is clear proof of the information that I found and I trust that it is true. I do not think that the information is biased because my information was from different points of view. I found some bias, but other than that it was mostly fair. One of my source’s author claimed to be a witch and I think the motive of the writer was just to interest people and maybe get others to practice witchcraft. It was a bit biased but it was good information. I have sources from a witch’s point of view and human’s point of view. I feel different emotions and thoughts for different views. I think people were unfair to witches in the olden days, but I can sort of understand why they were afraid. I think both like a witch and a human sometimes, but I think it’s important to have different perspectives.
I think that what I have found is interesting and I am sure others would be too. Sometimes I think others might find me a bit crazy or weird because most people do not believe in such things. I am also a Catholic and Catholics are not supposed to believe in witchcraft. In the olden days, witchcraft was considered a sin. My advice for others is to stand up for what you believe in and do not let what others say get to you. I also think that you should meet obstacles head on and overcome them. Work hard and you will find what you need.
This was the story of my research and what I went through to get my information. I hope you enjoy what I found.
When I was younger, my mother would tell me stories. She told me many tales, but I had a favorite. They were stories of witchcraft. I loved them and thought about them often. When I came to this school and found out about this project I thought I would research them. A lot of people do not believe in witchcraft, but I have found a lot of information that might make them believe.
I have found out many things. I have learnt about the different types of witchcraft. They are Alexandrian witchcraft, Gardenian witchcraft, American witchcraft, and Seax witchcraft. Alexandrian witchcraft was created in the 1960s and named after its creator, Alexander Sanders. He was proclaimed as the “King of Witches”.
Gardenian witchcraft was named after its founder, Gerald B Gardner. It was created in 1939. It is the dominant tradition in the world today. It centers on the Goddess and the Horned God.
In the coven, they are represented by the High Priest and High Priestess. The High Priestess is head of the coven. Nature is honored as the acceptance of all living things. There is great emphasis on reincarnation. American witchcraft was founded by Victor Anderson and Gwydion Pendderwen in the 1940s. It was a small, secretive religion in the beginning, but now it has reached a wide audience. It honors nature and reveres the deities that personify the forces of nature, life, fertility, death, and rebirth. Some aspects of this craft are still secret, but most of them are open.
Seax witchcraft was founded by Raymond Buckland in 1973. He was dissatisfied with the corruption and ego he saw in several covens. So he developed Seax Wicca to answer his concerns. Witchcraft was usually practiced by old or experienced women, but men also practiced it. Witches were the mediators between the humans and the angels and spirits. They prayed to the higher beings for help and when they found answers, the whole process was called witchcraft. It is an earth based religion that is practiced all across the world.
I used to wonder when witchcraft originated, but with research, I found the answers. It dates 40,000 years back to the Paleolithic period.
Recently, archeologists have revealed that during the Paleolithic period, witches worshipped the hunter god and the fertility goddess. This was proven by cave paintings, estimated to be about 30,000 years old. The paintings show a man with the head of a stag and a pregnant woman standing in a circle with eleven other people. These remnants go to prove that witchcraft is one of the oldest religions in the world, older than Christianity.
Witchcraft has been practiced all over the world. It was practiced in the Elizabethan society, Native America, Egypt, and many other places.
I used to wonder about black magic and white magic. Dark witches practiced the secret arts to harm others and were naturally persecuted and killed. However, not all witches were bad. White witches were considered as wise women. But personally I think that witches have their own reasons for practicing dark magic, and that all witches have both a dark side and a light side.
In ancient times, people believed in spirits, gods, and goddesses, unlike people in modern day. They associated spirits, gods, and goddesses with the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon. The people depended on agriculture, which depended on the seasons. The agricultural year ended with the completion of harvest and the sowing of new seeds for the crop in the New Year.
There are certain rules to follow. An example is the Wiccan Rede. It is the rule of conduct that all witches must follow. It states that a witch may engage in any action, as long as it is carefully considered, and their actions must not harm anybody. Witchcraft is ruled by the Law of Threefold. This law is the belief that any action taken by a witch that affects someone else will return to the witch threefold, either harm or good.
I have found all this information, and I know in my heart that it is true. I hope that whoever doesn’t believe in witchcraft will see the facts that I have found, and know for themselves that it is true.
Resources: Witch, KW. (2009). Origin of witchcraft. Australia: Unknown (witchcraft.com.au) unknown, unknown. (1998). Witchcraft. USA, America: unknown. (http://www.paralumun.com/witchcraft.htm) Wikipedia, unknown. (2010). Witchcraft. unknown: wikipedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft) jackson, SJ. (1956). The witchcraft of salem village. United States, America: Random House, Inc.
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Post by monet on Mar 17, 2011 11:47:54 GMT 5.5
Monet Swain March 17, 2011 EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY One year ago I was in 5th grade. In the middle of the year in class, we started to look up information about Egyptian gods. When we were first introduced to this project we watched a video about it. The video was basically about the main Egyptian gods and goddesses. Mostly about the first God ,Ra, and there were other gods and goddesses too. After we watched the video we went to the library to look at pictures about the Egyptian gods. Our teacher Mrs. Shobana told us we were going to do a play about the Egyptian gods. We went to the library to pick out which character we wanted to be in the play. The goddess I chose was Isis, one of the main goddesses. We were split into two groups. It depended on which Egyptian god you were and who that god or goddesses was related to. In my group there were 10 parts and eight other people, not including me because someone played two parts. In the play we had to create the story about the Egyptian gods who were in our group. When it was time to perform the play to the other 5th graders, I don’t know how the play went because I was there I was in the USA. However, I heard the play went really well in my group and someone in my group also did my part too. Before I did the play I read part of a book called Percy Jackson: and the Lighting Thief. The book is about Greek Gods and about a boy who is a half blood and his father was Poseidon. A half blood is a mix between a Greek god and a human. So I started to look up lots of information about Greek gods. Then when we got the project about Egyptian gods and goddesses I started to look up information about it as well. Now I have already finished the full series of Percy Jackson. Also I still look up information about Egyptian and Greek gods and goddesses. I have lots of questions about Egyptian Mythology. Here are a few of them, Did the gods and goddesses live on earth and when they died did they become Egyptian gods and goddesses? Were any of them Pharos or Queens? How many gods and goddesses are there? Are there stories made up about there lives on Earth and other things? Are there still gods and goddesses today? Do people worship them the same today? What did they do for the people? Why did the people believe in them? Did things happen on Earth that was linked to the gods or goddesses? Where children gods or goddesses? If there were children gods or goddesses what were the Child gods or goddesses and did they ever live on Earth? One year later, which is now, we are working on a project in Mr. Hewett’s class called I-Search. In I-Search we had to pick which project we wanted to do base on a story that we have a passion for. I chose Egyptian Mythology, but my first choice would have been Greek Mythology but, someone in my class has already chosen that topic so I chose Egyptian Mythology. In this project I get to answer my questions about Egyptian gods and goddesses and learn more about them through this project. That’s why I chose this topic. I know about the Egyptian God Ra; Ra is the sun God he was one of the first Egyptian gods. Ra spat out one god and one goddess; their names were Nut and Geb. Ra spat them out so they could have children. They had four children their names were Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nepthys. Osiris and Isis are married they had one child named Horus and his wife’s name is Hathor. Horus and Hathor had a son who was one of the first pharos. Seth and Nepthys were married and had a son named Anubis. Last year in 5th grade when we had a play on Egyptian gods and goddesses we also learned a lot of information about them. We also had to learn about the characters in our group that we were in. I know a little bit about the two gods, Osiris and Seth. The two brothers Osiris and Seth, both of them had a piece of land. Osiris had the black land and Seth had the red land. Seth got mad at Osiris because Osiris had the black land. The black land got water from the river and the black soil was and still is good for planting. The red land barely gets any water and the sun is always beaming on it. Also, Seth was mad at Osiris because he found out that Osiris was the father of Anibus. Nepthys had a child with Osiris she and Seth could not have a child. So Seth wanted to kill Osiris. One day Seth killed Osiris and mummified him and put all his body parts over Egypt. One day Isis went looking for all her husband’s body parts. Once she found all the body parts Osiris came back to life. When he came back alive, he and Isis had their son Horus. Then Osiris became the king of the underworld with his wife Isis. Last year when we had a play this is what it was basically about. However, I only remember some information and I’m not sure about it. Here are a few of my wild guesses that I have. I think Seth killed his brother, not just because of the two reasons above. Some of the gods and goddesses had animals as their heads to worship something. All of the gods and goddesses hold a symbol, the symbol might mean they are Egyptian God or Goddess. Out of these three guesses I would want to explore the symbol they hold. I need to learn and research more about Nut and Geb’s family, and their children and parent. I need to find out how many Gods and Goddesses there are and how many have animal heads or features. Why did they really have to have children with their family, like their siblings? Did all the gods and goddesses live on Earth and if they did what were they and what did they do. If they lived on Earth why were they chosen to be the Egyptian gods and goddesses? As I did my research one of my obstacles was at the end of class sometimes I would get tired because of typing so long. I would deal with it by taking a break of typing then go back to typing. I would also sometimes or even rarely get hungry in class, but mainly at the end of class. If I did get hungry, I would try not to think about it while I was typing. It wouldn’t make me start talking about food about my topic because my topic is on Egyptian Mythology. In my topic, when I was researching about it I barely cross-referenced because everything seemed real except for two things. I cross-referenced something I found about there were 700 Egyptian gods and goddesses to another website and they said there were 144 Egyptian gods and goddesses. After that website they said a different number too, and than I tried another one and another one. They all said a different amount of Egyptian gods and goddesses. I also wanted to know was the first Egyptian god’s name, Atum or Ra? I checked two websites and they said he’s called by both said he’s called both names. I didn’t see any different stories about the same thing because they are all myths. There also were no bias on Egyptian gods and goddesses I could find. When I was looking up research on my topic it was sort of hard to find the research on it. There wasn’t a lot of information on it when I looked on different websites. It was easy to find information on some of the main gods and goddesses. Like the fist family was really easy to find information about it. Was trying to find information about other Egyptian gods and goddesses. In the books I read there was a lot of information on all the Egyptian gods and goddesses. However, the information was basically on the first family too. I think this I-Search project was helpful for me so I can answer all my questions about the Egyptian gods and goddesses. It also allowed me to learn a lot more information about Egyptian Mythology. For the people who are doing the I-Search project, it provides a good chance for then to pick a project that would help then answer their questions and learn information about it too. In this project I don’t think anything can improve it for next year I think this project is the best it can be. Just when we started the I-Search Mr. Hewett took us to the library to pick what topic we wanted to do. I couldn’t think of any topic I wanted to do then I asked my friend what topic she was doing. She said she was doing Greek Mythology, so I was thinking maybe I should do Egyptian Mythology. Since last year we learned about the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses and I did a play on it. I still had a lot of questions that needed to be answered. So I started to research about what is really Egyptian Mythology I already know what it is but, I wanted to know specifically what it is. I found out Egyptian Mythology is what the Egyptians believed in about their gods. While looking up this information, I found information about the story of Ra and Isis. Legends say that Ra, Sun God as well as the king of the Egyptian Gods, was sought after by many because of his position in power. He was nearly murdered many times. But finally, one Goddess forcefully made him retires, keeping the truth a secret. You will find out who she is later on. I developed my thesis by a friend helping me, I was going to do is Egyptian mythology is not real but, she told me it would be offensive to those who believe in Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, so I changed it. I’ve checked five sites they all say this thesis is true, but some of them have different versions. Out of all of these sites here is what I understand. One day Isis created a magical serpent from her spear to Ra’s spittle which was a poison so Ra would become weak and would not be able to cure himself. She did this because the Egyptians wanted to kill Ra was in high power. She asked him to tell her his real name was the only way she could he heal him. Also Isis is the most powerful healer. Ra tried to fuel her with his lesser names but she didn’t believe him. Finally he told her his real name so she cured him. Later on Isis forced Ra to retire. Ra sent his daughter to get revenge for him from Isis and the snake. Here are four of the sites I found my information… 1. www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/isisra.html2. www.sacred-texts.com/egy/ebod/ebod07.htm3. www.lordalford.com/.../egyptian%20The%20Story%20of%20Ra.doc4. landofkam.viviti.com/the-story-of-ra-and-oset-aset-auset-or-isis-5. www.mythfolklore.net/3043mythfolklore/reading/egypt/pages/02.htmIn conclusion, I think this statement is correct about the story of Ra and Isis and that it was the right thing for Isis to do because he was in power of all the Egyptians way to long, also Ra would not have been alive if it wasn’t for Isis. I-Search Citations 1. The British Museum, T.B.M. Gods and goddesses. Britain: The British Musuem 2. Mythmaiden, M. (2006). Ancient legends & myths. December 27,2010: 3. Egyptian Gods index. 4. Mark de la Hey, M.D.L.H. (1994, 1995). Egyptian gods. 5. Egyptian gods. (December 16 2008 ). 6. Jenny Hill,J.H. Ancient Egypt online. 7. British Museum,B.M . The legend of Ra an Isis 8. Land of Kam . (2010). 9. Mandy Barrow,M.B . Ancient Egypt. UK: 10. Ola Nilsson,O.N. Egyptian mythology. Sweden: 11. Lewis Spence,L.S. (1990). Myths & legends of ancient egyptian . London: Gorge G. Harrap & Company. 12. Kathryn Hinds,K.H. (2007). Life in ancient egypt religion. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation.
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