The Eiffel Tower

Author's Note: I have just finish my project on the Eiffel Tower.  My end product is a brochure, because I decided that a brochure as a unique and interesting way to share information on the beauty of the Eiffel Tower.  Please enjoy the brochure!

Eiffel tower

View more presentations from votie.

Red Maple Trees

Author's Note: I just finish my project on red maple trees, so I created a digital portfolio to share my research.  In this project I showed and explain characteristics, differences and similarities, and life of red maples.  Please enjoy my project!

Red maple digital portfolio

View more presentations from votie.

Plant Growth Project Gone Wrong

Author's Note:  This piece was written to reflect a science experiment that Callie and I conducted.  In this piece I will try to vary the lengths of my sentences and find better words for words that are originally weak.  I will also try to start my sentences with different words.

One day Callie and I were thinking of doing a project together, but we couldn't think of an idea.  We brainstormed, but nothing too interesting came to mind.  Ding!  An idea popped into my head.  I suggested that we should do a project on plant growth that tested whether orange juice, water or milk would help flowers grow best.  Callie and I both thought it was a great idea... at first.

We gathered our supplies which were a bottle of milk, some orange juice, a cup of water, a few cups, soil, and Purple Coneflower seeds.  Then we labeled the cups with the type of liquid each plant would be watered with.  Once we were done with putting the seeds and soil in the cups, we watered them and set them on the windowsill where they had some sun.
Each week we would record their growth and water them.  Other than that we let them be.  As I worked at my desk, I kept an eye on them.  One day I saw a shadow moving inside the cup.  I went over to the cup to see what was inside.  That shadow was actually a bug; we were not thinking that orange juice would attract bugs at the time of our brainstorming.  On the plant watered by milk grew mold; we didn't think of that outcome either.  The fun didn't end here.

Next week we went to the fridge to get the milk and orange juice.  The most disgusting think laid before my eyes... rotten milk.  I showed the bottle to Callie and we decided to dump it in the sink.  As I observed the scene, I realized the fridge was unplugged.  We tried to make the odor less strong by running the water and adding soap.  While it drained, we went to the bathroom to clean the bottles.  The residue from the orange juice and milk were hard to scrub out, but we eventually got it.  When we came back to the classroom, we found that the water had all drained and all that was left was the chunks of what used to be milk.  Mckena helped us reduce the stench by adding a spritz of perfume to the sink.  Mr. Johnson helped us by scraping up the clump and putting them into a bag.  It was not a pretty sight. 

This project was not finished, because of the events that took place.  Although, we did learn many helpful lessons from our experience.  Next time we do a project we will take all the possible outcomes of our experiment into consideration, and we will not use things that spoil quickly.  Also, if our project required refrigeration, to make sure the refrigerator is plugged in.  If you try this project, make sure you're prepared.

The Letter

Author's Note: For our district writing assessment we didn't have a specific topic to go off of, so we got to write anything we wanted to that showed who we are as a writer.  I like fictional pieces, because it's a fun way for me to express my type of writing, so this is what I wrote.

I got this weird letter the other day, but I’m not supposed to tell anyone.  You can probably keep a secret, though.  So, I’m going to tell you about that day, the letter, and how I became the unluckiest person on the planet, well, next to Amber.

“Ding!” the school bell rang.

“Okay, so for your homework tonight what do you have to do?” Mr. Green, our science teacher, asked our class.

“Create a model of a sedimentary rock,” we mumbled back.

“Okay, see you guys tomorrow!”

I picked up my books and started heading to the library.

“Hey, Cami,” said my roommate/best friend Amber as she nudged me on the shoulder.  How was science?”

“Easy,” I replied.  “How was art?”

“It was so fun; we made sculptures, and mine is going to look so cool in our room!”

“Nice,” I giggled.

As we walked to the library I was reading a list of materials I needed to make a rock for science.  On our way there, I stopped by the school store to get some supplies.

Clay, paint, scissors.  Clay, paint, scissors. Then, I grabbed the supplies off the shelf and went to the check out desk.

“$10.59 is your total,” the cashier read off the screen.

“Clink! Clink! Clink!” went the coins when she dropped them into the cash register.

“Have a great day!” the cashier exclaimed as she handed me the bag off materials.

In the library, I rolled the clay into a giant ball and split the clay in half.  Afterwards, I sprinted to the cafeteria to put the clay in the microwave. 

Once my clay was hard the school bell rang again, “Ding!”

Amber and I walked to the dormitories, up the stairs, down the hall, and to our room, room 72.  I walked to the other side of the room and dropped my bags on the floor, in front of my bed.  Tired and exhausted, I laid down on my bed and sighed, looking at the glow-in-the dark stars I stuck on the ceiling.  While I rested Amber went downstairs to get snacks from the vending machine.  Amber left a water bottle on my bedside table for me, so I decided to take a few sips, to have enough energy to do my homework. A few minutes later I placed all my supplies on my desk in the corner of the room.

Clay… check!  Paint… check! Scissors… check!  Then, I grabbed the gray paint and started mixing it with the tan paint.  Slowly, I dabbed the bristles of my brush into the creamy color and started to coat the outside of the rock.  The first layer was almost dry so I started another one.  While the second coat dried, I drank a little but more water to keep me awake.  Now I had to paint layers on the inside of my rock.  I grabbed my scarlet bottle of paint and poured a little bit in a dish; the paint spread and covered the bottom of the bowl.  Across the inside of the rock, I created fiery, red stripes.  On my last stroke I was about ready to start making orange stripes then someone knocked on the door.

“Hello, who is it?” I ask since I was busy painting.  Then, I stopped in the middle of an orange stripe and walked towards the door.  “Hello?”  As I walked faster the person out in the hallway seemed to be running faster.  Quickly, I twisted the door knob and yanked on it.  The only thing I saw was the back of a yellow tennis shoe. 

“I wonder what that was about,” I thought as I walked back to my desk. 

Suddenly, I stopped, turned around and walked back to the door.   In front of me laid a manila envelope labeled, “DON’T SHOW TO ANYONE.”  My mind went back and forth debating if I should open it; I was scared to, yet curious to see what was inside.  So, I slowly and carefully tore open the sealed flap.  A letter was the only item that sat in this envelope.

With a feeling I felt would be regret, I read the letter that said, “Amber is with me right now and I am not going to let her go unless you do exactly what I say.  You are the only one that can save her.  No one, not even Amber, knows about this right now.  If you tell anyone about this or disobey my orders, I will know, and no one will ever hear from Amber again!  Poor Amber only has a month, so listen well and no one gets hurt.  Signed, the Hat.”

My stomach was spinning, my heart was pounding, and I was speechless.  I couldn’t move; I was frozen solid.  When, I was done registering what just happened I dropped the letter, buried my head into my pillow and cried.  What was I supposed to do?

Music

 Author's Note:  I created this piece to inform people on how music is important.  Also, to challenge myself to start the sentences with different words.

Music is a very important element in life.  It can touch the world in many ways.  Everyone should be a part of music in someway, because it has an effect on everyone's life.

When you are in a certain mood and you just want to let it out or forget about it, music can help you with that.  If you're really mad about something, make up a song and express yourself.  Or, when you're sad and you've had a really rough day you can calm down and listen to you're iPod.

Also, when you make with other people you can get to know them and make more friends.  That's why orchestra, band, and choir are great activities to be a part of.  People can see the real you when you make music. When, make music together you are friends until you stop.

Teamwork is another reason why music is so incredible.  Everyone and everything counts when you make music.  One alone can do so much, but when you all work together, you get a bigger and better outcome.  The beat of a drum is hardly anything, but when you add the clarinets, flutes, violins, and voices, it takes everything and brings it to a whole new level.

This is why I think that music is such an important part of life.  I don't think there's anyone that shouldn't love music, because life would be nothing without it.  Music is everything.

Dolphins

Author's Note:  This piece was created to write research in a fun and creative way.  It was the first piece I wrote this year, and was also written to better understand the project process.

September 4, 2011 

Dear Friend,

            I have just taken a trip to the zoo.  There are so many exhibits, but I have to say the dolphin exhibit is my favorite, specifically the bottlenose dolphins, also known as the Delphinidae family.  Dolphins are very entertaining and fascinating mammals with all their tail clapping, riding waves, chasing, and leaping out of the water. 

In fact, there is so much more to learn about them.  Do you know that male dolphins are called bulls, the female are called cows, and their offspring are called calves?  Or that bottlenose dolphins travel in groups that are called pods and contain 2-15 dolphins? What a family!

There are so many types of dolphins to learn about.  So, in addition to going to the zoo, I decided to do a little bit of research. These creatures have unique characteristics.  Their brains are bigger than ours, but their brains are the closest in size to our brains. The tail fins are used for moving while the dorsal fin and forefins are used to steer.  Dolphins do not have hair and are coated by a layer of fat.  Because dolphins are mammals, they cannot breathe underwater, but they breathe through their blowhole voluntarily, not automatically like we do. 

  It turns out that there were many more species of dolphins, and they’re all different in some ways.  For instance, that there is more than 30 different dolphin species, and some live in freshwater.  All the different dolphins can have between 8 and 250 teeth.  Maui dolphins are the smallest dolphins, being 4 feet long. Orcas are the largest, with male dolphins being 25 feet long.  The Chinese River dolphin and the Indus River dolphin are endangered.  They are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Dolphins have the same type of diet as most large fish do.  Their preys are fish and crustaceans, but when fish are sparse they will eat squid and nocturnal fish (fish that don’t sleep at night).  Most times dolphins attack their prey with their pod.  The dolphins will herd the fish into open waters and create groups of fish called “food balls”, and eat the fish in the group while some of the other dolphins keep the fish from escaping.  By striking the fish with their tails they can herd the fish into “food balls” and break apart the fish.  A dolphin’s teeth are not used to chew but to hold on to something.  Although, when they are young they feed on their mothers’ milk.  These mammals use echolocation to find their way around and to locate their food.

In conclusion, dolphins vary in size, color, and shape.  As you can see, dolphins are very intelligent and interesting creatures.

Sincerely,

Tien   

Dolphins Bibliography

"AquaFacts." www.vanaqua.org | Vancouver Aquarium. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Sept. 2011. <http://www.vanaqua.org/education/aquafacts/dolphins.html>.

"dolphin, aquatic mammal: Characteristics and Species — FactMonster.com." Fact Monster: Online Almanac, Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Homework Help — FactMonster.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Sept. 2011. <http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0857792.html>.

"Dolphin Facts - Defenders of Wildlife." Defenders of Wildlife - Protection of endangered species, imperiled species, habitats. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Sept. 2011. <http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/dolphin.php>.

"Dolphin Facts for Kids." Facts about Dolphins. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Sept. 2011. <http://www.dolphins-world.com/Dolphin_Facts_for_Kids.html>.

"Dolphin Smart." Facts about Dolphins. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Sept. 2011. <http://www.dolphins-world.com/Dolphin_Smart.html>.

Walker, Sally M.. Dolphins . Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, 1999. Print.

"Dolphins: Interview with Research Biologist Daniel K. Odell." Teaching Resources, Children's Book Recommendations, and Student Activities | Scholastic.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Sept. 2011. <http://teacher.scholastic.com/dolphin/danint.htm>.

"Feeding methods of Dolphins." tursiops.org . N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2011. <http://tursiops.org/delphius/dolphins_fe.html>.

"Minnesota Zoo." Minnesota Zoo. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Sept. 2011. <http://www.mnzoo.org/animals/animals_dolphin.asp>

predators, both, and prey alike. When viewed from above the dark dorsal surface. "Dolphins: Bottlenose Dolphin Species Profile (Tursiops truncatus)." Dolphin Trainer .com - Marine Mammal Information Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Sept. 2011. <http://www.dolphintrainer.com/

<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4927224/Pink-dolphin-appears-in-US-lake.html>. 

"Welcome to Dolphin Research Center." Swim with the dolphins at Dolphin Research Center Marathon FL, Dolphin and Sea Lion Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Sept. 2011. <http://www.dolphins.org/kids_area_funfacts_dolphins.php>.