Working at Home - America's cup

26/09/2013

Discussion Questions

   

Factual

1. Where did the first America’s Cup take place?

2. Who introduced the idea of sponsorship in sport?

3. Who sponsors the cup for the winner of the challenger series?

4. What was the name of the NZ boat that won the America’s Cup in 1995?

5.  In 2000 some of the members of Team New Zealand left and went to which team?

Answers

1. The first America’s Cup was located in England around the Isle of Wight during 1851.

2. Sir Thomas Lipton was one of the first people to introduce sponsorship in sport.

3. Louis Vuitton sponsors the cup for the winner of the challenger series.

4. The boat which won the America’s Cup in 1995 for New Zealand was called Black Magic.

5. Some of the members from New Zealand’s team joined Alinghi which was a new Swiss team.

Challenge

Make a timeline from 1851 to the present day showing who has won the America’s Cup over

the years. Use the information in this article to help you or, if you have access to a computer,

jump online and draw up a more detailed timeline.

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The Reindeer

WALHT: write a captivating narrative that engages our readers while also maintaining the correct structure.

The Reindeer

Imagine looking up at the night sky on Christmas eve seeing flying reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh. This folklore are why reindeers are well known. Sadly they can’t fly but the species are at least concern and they aren’t endangered.

The reindeer is apart of the deer family with other animals including moose, deer, elk and chital. A reindeer’s body has the colours of gray, brown and a hint of yellow. Most calves which are baby reindeer start off with brownish-red fur then develop their colour as they mature into adults. Both female and male grow antlers but male’s antlers are larger in size. There’s a rare population of female reindeer that don’t have any antlers at all.

Reindeer calves are usually born during daylight hours in the morning because they need enough energy to follow their herd at night. Within a couple of hours after they’re born they’re up and following their mothers. When they’re adults, reindeer measure up to 180cm long, stand up to 110cm at the shoulder and weigh about 81 to 153kg. This mammal lives up to 10 to 15 years.

Reindeer have different herds which are groups of them together. The group of mammals usually follow a leader who leads them to different areas. Sometimes a herd of reindeer drag people in sleighs in cold snowy areas. They originated in Siberia and later grew in Norway. Now they can be found in Eastern Europe, Alaska, Canada, Russia and even in China.

Instead of seeing them flying in the sky you could see them together in a herd out in the wild. There’s a lot more to these mammals besides them pulling Santa’s sleigh from the well-known folklore.

Making Sherbet

Today we made sherbet. I mixed a part of baking soda, citric acid, raro and icing sugar all together. My hypothesis was that it wouldn’t react to my tongue and that it would just taste sweet. It felt like a big bang when the sherbet touched my tongue. I could feel it fizz and foam all around my mouth. The citrus taste was from the raro and citric acid and the sweetness was from the icing sugar. I think the foaming reaction came from the baking soda.

Science Investigation : Exploring the Chemicals

We are learning about chemical reactions. Today, we mixed different acids with different bases. We used test tubes to place our liquids and teaspoons to collect different acids. To mix the two different things together we used popsicle sticks and a glass beaker.

My hypothesis for citric acid and vinegar together would be for it to fizz up and foam. When we added the vinegar to the citric acid it foamed and turned yellow/brown in colour. It also smelt very bitter from the vinegar.

My hypothesis for the raro and lemon juice was for it to bubble up. What really happened was that the two dissolved. It smelt like orange juice and looked fizzy. The colour of it was very concentrated as well.

My hypothesis for tartaric acid, baking soda and vinegar was for it to fizzy, foam and bubble up. It did exactly what we thought it would. At the bottom of the beaker the baking soda and tartaric acid which wasn’t touched by the vinegar turned crystally and hard.

My hypothesis for chalk, raro and lemon juice was for it to go bubbly and hard. When we poured the acid into the base it didn’t have a very big reaction. When we mixed the two together with a popsicle stick it just dissolved and turned red in colour.

Manaiakalani Student Leaders Conference 2013

Last Friday I was lucky enough to attend the first ever Manaiakalani Student Leaders Conference at Tamaki College. I was one out of four people to represent my school at this years student conference.

When we entered the foyer people handed us schwag bags filled with different goodies. Tamaki College’s hall filled up quickly with different leaders from all the schools in the Manaiakalani cluster. After a quick introduction from Mrs Burt we had to mix and mingle with all the other students there at the conference.

Later, Andrew Patterson had a very inspiring talk about technology and our future. He introduced different websites including TED.com and khanacademy.com. Five students from Tamaki College advertised their business, ‘Geek Cafe’. After their talk we had a delicious morning tea  which was provided by Tamaki College’s Year 13 Catering and Hospitality students. Lunch was also catered by them.

We then did a design challenge provided with smartphones from two people from Telecom, Devon Stewart and Dion Keating. We worked with the students sitting with us at the table which were the leaders from Pt England School. The scavenger hunt was difficult because we had to download different aps and we had to text in our answers. We ended up coming in second place to Stonefields who came first.

Our second challenge was to make a video using the ap dropbox. In our little video we involved our highlight of the day which was how we needed three things to get to our dream job. They then showed all the videos on the big projector.

After a long day at the Manaiakalani Student Leaders Conference for 2013 I learnt about how important it is to have a plan B if your plan A doesn’t work out. Overall, the whole day was very inspiring. It made me think that if you have a goal you’ll need to have a strategy or a plan to get there.

Why Breakfast is Important

Breakfast is a very important meal for students to have daily. Having this meal gives you the strength and energy for the school day ahead of you. Without eating something for the start of the day it’s most likely you’ll slack off and get tired easily. I think that all students should have breakfast every morning because it’s good for their mental and physical health.

First, not having breakfast changes your mood and the way you think. Not having food in your stomach before the day starts makes you hungry which makes you feel different moods. Not a lot of people like others who are irritated so do yourself a favour for everyone, including yourself by having breakfast.

Second, without breakfast you lack energy and it’s harder for you to concentrate. People who skip breakfast usually can’t think straight and it’s harder for them to cope in class. By eating the most important meal of the day it’ll give you energy for your brain to think and pay attention in class.

Third, if not eating breakfast is in your routine it may cause diseases and sicknesses. If you don’t eat you may get sick and it’ll have a stronger effect on you compared to people who have breakfast. Having something to eat in the morning is good to have in your daily routine and it’s healthy for you and your body.

So, it is good for students to have breakfast in the morning. You’ll prevent the consequences like getting sick or having the urge to sleep during class. After all, it is the most important meal of the day so it’s time to do something about your health by eating breakfast.

The Penny Farthing Bicycle

WALHT: Use information skills to find information and combine it together using words and images to inform others.

Penny Farthings

The Penny Farthing is a type of bicycle that has two different sized wheels. One large front wheel and a much smaller wheel at the back. The front wheel can be up to 5 ft high which makes it harder to ride on. This bicycle was popular in the 1870’s till the 1890’s which was in the Victorian era.

Invention and Inspiration

It was invented in the 1870’s by James Starley and was given the name ‘Penny Farthing’ when the bicycle was nearly outdated. The name of this bike got it’s inspiration from the old British coins, pennies and farthings. When the penny is on the left and the farthing is on the right it forms the shape of the two wheels.

Getting on the Bicycle

The disadvantage of this bicycle is that it’s difficult to get on and off, and falling off of it is a serious hazard. To get onto the seat of the bike one foot would have to be placed on a peg behind the back wheel. The rider gets a hold onto the handlebar and lifts themselves onto the saddle. In most photos of people riding penny farthings they’re on clear roads since it’s most likely they’re avoiding potholes, stones and animals on the road.

Riding the Bicycle

Riding the penny farthing is similar to riding a normal bicycle. To avoid falling it’s important to pedal steadily and to keep balance. When people ride penny farthings their backs are always straight. If not it’s most likely they’ll fall off which can cause bad injuries.

The Penny Farthing Today

In the year 1888, John Dunlop re-invented his son’s tricycle which made it the new trend. Because of this it made the penny farthing obsolete (out of date). Five years later penny farthings were no longer being made. People who were interested in this bicycle adapted the design and built new penny farthings that are much more safe and easier to use.