Welcome to these children’s lives…
Category: Grade 10
Core Competencies – Self Assessment – Projet Radio
1.2 L’immigration Chinoise et la Perspectique Historique
Voici l’enregistrement de Nighina et Clare. Nighina a choisi de présenter la perspective un professeur européen dans une des écoles affectées et Clare a répondu avec la perspective d’une enfante chinoise. Ensuite, Clare a choisi de présenter la perspective d’une enfante chinoise et Nighina a répondu avec des questions d’une perspective d’un professeur européen.
Supernatural Riverside – Bees PSA
Flame Lab
In Science class, we did a series of experiments that had different chemical reactions and equations. The three tests we did were with calcium metal and water, decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, and sodium carbonate and hydrochloric acid. Each reactant created a different gas. These gases were tested with a flame or embers on a splint to see how the fire would react.
Calcium metal and water
Using calcium metal and water, we tried to create hydrogen gas. When the water was added to the calcium metal, it reacted by created hydrogen gas. We then trapped the hydrogen gas to do a flame test. We took a splint lit on fire near the gas. When the flame came into contact with the gas, it reacted by growing, then making a loud sound and going out. This happened because the reaction created a lot of heat and the molecules expanded rapidly and caused the flame to extinguish and create a noise. Also, when hydrogen reacts with air is when there is an ignited flame that creates oxygen. This results in the product of hydrogen gas and oxygen being water.
Decomposition of hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide and potassium iodide were added together to react and create oxygen gas. The potassium iodide was used to decompose the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. The two reacted together by turning into a golden-orange liquid. Then the flame test happened. The glowing splint was brought close to the chemical and grew to a flame. This is because the gas created was oxygen and the oxygen was what was needed to create the fire. This oxygen gas was what helped the embers become a flame.
Sodium carbonate and hydrochloric acid
We created carbon dioxide this time when the sodium carbonate and hydrochloric acid. When the two reacted to each other, it created bubbles to the top of the test tube, then settled down. When the flame came close to the chemical, it went out. This is because the carbon dioxide made it impossible for the flame to continue burning. This is because a flame needs oxygen gas to keep burning and the carbon dioxide doesn’t let the oxygen remain so the flame can sustain itself.
Knowing how gases and flames react to each other is important for general life. If it is understood that a flame needs heat, fuel, and oxygen. When oxygen is replaced, you can see the flame go out. When there is oxygen production, the embers become a flame. When there is more hydrogen, the heat became more. Understanding this can help and be useful to potentially stopping a fire from spreading. This is because you know what gases can make it worse and what gases to eliminate to stop the flame growth.
To conclude, this experiment was a fun and safe way to watch a flames reaction to different gases and to work on balancing equations.
Vaccines, Antibiotics, and Hormones
Tay-Sachs Disease – Mendelian Genetics
The genetic disorder that causes the destruction of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord is called Tay-Sachs disease. This disease can begin as a child, around ages three to six months, and can cause inability to sit, turnover, or crawl. These symptoms are then followed by seizures, inability to move, and loss of hearing. The child dies early in childhood. It is seen that these symptoms occur later in childhood or adulthood, but it is less common and mild in nature.
This disease is passed down from a parent in an autosomal recessive manner. If the child inherits both of this recessive gene, they are likely to have this disease. The recessive genes cause a mutation when creating the enzyme Betahexosamidase A which leads to toxicity when it causes a build-up of molecules within the cells.
This disease is rare but follows the people of Ashkenazi Jews, French Canadians of the southeast, and Cajuns of Southern Louisana. It is more common in these populations to receive the recessive gene twice. Those whose alleles are both for this recessive disease have the illness. It follows the Mendelian genetics because it is an allele that follows only on the recessive gene and can only cause change if the carrier has two recessive genes for this disease.
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tay%E2%80%93Sachs_disease
http://www.primehealthchannel.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Tay-Sachs-Disease.jpg
DNA Isolation Lab – My Amazing DNA
This is a DNA strand from a cell inside my cheek! Looks super weird, kinda like a spider-web almost, but it’s cool, right? Well, with the help of dish soap, salt water solution, and alcohol, I was able to isolate the DNA strand from inside the nucleus of the cells inside my cheek.
Bubble Gum Lab
This lab was to find out which brand gum, between Hubba Bubba and Big League Chew, could produce the biggest bubbles and how the different products stretched. Both gums weighed 7.9 grams. Hubba Bubba was Gum A and Big League Chew was Gum B. Gum A was purple and had a thick density. It was in the shape of a tightly packed block and was very sturdy. Gum B was pink and stringy. It was very thin and flexible. We came up with a hypothesis for the two gums bubble creating ability. If Hubba Bubba is blown into a bubble, then it will be larger than Big League Chew because Hubba Bubba has a stronger consistency and won’t break as easily as it grows.
Our material was as follows; Hubba Bubba, Big League Chew, 1 metre stick, and 2 pieces of tin foil.
The lab began with one of us chewing the gum for 3 minutes, then blowing bubbles 5 times and measuring them to find the average. We did the exact same procedure for the next gum.
| Gum A | Circumfrence |
| 1 | 16 cm |
| 2 | 21 cm |
| 3 | 12 cm |
| 4 | 14 cm |
| 5 | 25 cm |
| Gum B | Circumfrence |
| 1 | 6 cm |
| 2 | 19 cm |
| 3 | 14 cm |
| 4 | 8 cm |
| 5 | 11 cm |
After taking all the measurements we found the average of Gum A was 17.6 cm in circumference and Gum B had 11.6 cm in circumference.
We could then conclude that Hubba Bubba is the gum best for blowing bubbles between the two. This is because the gum was much thicker and harder to chew in the mouth; when blown, it had a thicker consistency and could stretch farther and not break.
Part 2, we tested how far each gum could stretch and how that related to its bubble size. If the gum was able to create big bubbles, then it should also stretch further because it is strong enough to stretch and not break.
We took the pieces of tin foil, stuck two ends of the gum to them, and pulled. With one trial we found that Gum A had the length of 46.1 cm and Gum B got to 82 cm.
We could then conclude that our hypothesis was incorrect. If a piece of gum has a bigger bubble size than another brand, this does not mean the stretchability is larger as well. If it blows a bigger bubble it is because the strength of the consistency is able to hold much more air. The more thin and stringier the gum, the further it should be able to stretch. This data showed that the Big League Chew was stringier, with a softer consistency. Hubba Bubba had a strong consistency that let it be blown huge, but couldn’t stretch as far when pulled.
We also recognized that there could have been some factors that could’ve affected the outcome of this experiment.
- The ability to blow bubbles. The bubble blowers experience in chewing and blowing bubbles.
- The length that the gum was chewed.
- Whether or not the gum was chewed recently or it waited a while and got dry.
- The chewers chew and the strength of their chew. The level of softness they got it to.
- The saliva of the chewer.
To finally conclude, after observing both experiments and seeing the results, our hypothesis should be refuted. Even though the first hypothesis was proven correct, the second one was proven wrong. For both these experiments, the factors listed above could’ve definitely played a role in the success of finding an accurate resolution. From what witnessed with our experiment, the gum stretchability was different when being blown into and being pulled. I think this is because of how long Gum A waited until it was pulled. When we went to pull Gum A, it was super dry and stuck together closely. This could be an explanation for why Gum B was able to be pulled so much farther, it was still soft from freshly being chewed. The results of this experiment were not accurate, we had many factors that were changing the results and the variables. We should have waited the same amount of time before pulling Gum B as we did Gum A. In the end, we did learn that every part of an experiment matters to the results and that we were able to blow bigger bubbles with Hubba Bubba and not have it break.
Negative Stereotypes and Terms
In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, the words “retard” and “indian” were often used. The “indians” were portrayed as drunk and hopeless, supporting the negative stereotypes towards them. Sherman Alexie’s novel uses these negative stereotypes and terms in hopes to bring light to the problems behind these stereotypes and terms and explain them. Throughout this novel, stereotypes are used; they are explained and corrected as the novel goes on. The politically incorrect words “indian” or “retard” are used to present the reality of them.
It took the effort of an indigenous writer to help bring awareness and reality to the stories behind stereotypes of people who live on reservations. With his personal experiences of living in a Seattle reservation, he was able to create a fictional story of what life there or on reservations is like. With his experiences, he was able to create the story behind the stereotype of drunk indians. Indians are “drunk and unhappy” (212). They are drunk because they are unhappy and they are unhappy because they are drunk. Alexie informs readers that this unhappiness comes from the “sad, sad, sad reservation” (43) where the sadness comes from the society teaching them “how to give up” (42). This society that wants to “kill indian culture” (36) and assimilate and control the group. Instead of just stating these stereotypes, Alexie uses them in benefit of explaining the reason behind them. People view indians as drunk. They are drunks, but Alexie informs the readers why from the perspective of the protagonist, Junior. The stereotype that indians are all rich because of casinos and tax breaks was also eliminated when Junior mentioned that the casino is a “money-loosing business” (119). This protagonist sees the socially construct lack of hope and poverty in the reservation, and watches that lead to sadness coped with alcohol. With the support and use of the negative stereotypes, Alexie was able to get the chance to explain the serious reasons and problems behind them.
When the title uses the word “indian”, people instantly are thrown off and question it. When the word “retard” gets commonly used, people begin to try and see why, what the word means, and it’s effect. The word “indian” or “retard” can be seen as politically incorrect. When the novel is a National Book Award winner, readers will question the acceptance of the use of these words. The shock of this word being widely used in this novel makes people search the correctness of the term. With this research, people can discover the history and the relevance of this word. Alexie’s use of the word “indian” made people want to correct themselves; search up and find out that the word has no real relevance to these tribes; realize that it comes from colonization and accidental term for a group of people by Columbus; and know that there’s no harm or offense in using this word as an umbrella term for tribes that lived on this country before colonization. When it comes to the word “retard”, Alexie uses it so harshly from the protagonists mouth, it becomes known as offensive. When Junior calls himself a “retard”(4) that is part of the “retards on the rez”(4) who get beaten up, it is agreeable that it is a cruel term for those who are different. It fits it’s context and really reveals the extent of Junior’s differences. Alexie takes advantage of his position and uses these terms; as result, he makes learning the reality of these words possible. Using these terms that seem incorrect is the way that Alexie supports the understanding of these terms and how they should or shouldn’t be used.
Sherman Alexie supports these negative stereotypes and terms in the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian to explain them to the readers and help bring understanding to the problems behind them, eliminating the negative perception of them. The belief that Indigenous people are drunks had a reason behind them, a seriously problematic reason, that was explained. This explanation was shown through the perspective of Junior watching his tribe members give up and result to alcohol abuse to numb their problems. The unprofessional terms were used to bring light to the meaning of these words; Alexie used them to show the readers what they really meant and the purpose of these terms. It is through the use and support of these stereotypical terms and views that readers can begin to realize the incorrect perspective of them and help correct themselves. Alexie supported and took advantage of all these stereotypes, to help eliminate the misconception behind them, in his novel about an Indian boy named Junior.