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Did you know, if you worry about how you will perform on a math test, it may actually contribute to a lower test grade. The feelings of fear or dread, can sap the brain's limited amount of working capacity. You need that working capacity because it helps you complete difficult math problems. Mark Ashcraft, a psychologist, says that "math anxiety occupies a person's working memory." However, worrying about the math task can take up a large chunk of the person's working memory as well. Also, he said "While easy math tasks such as addition requires only a small fraction of a person's working memory, harder computations require much more." Stress about a test can even make the smartest math student choke. Everyone gets nervous or stressed out about a test, so I think that everyone should think positive and believe that they are going to get a 100 on that test.
Every student, has to take a math test while their in school. Recently, nine states have decided to make a common high school math test for the first time. The states include, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. All of those nine states are trying to figure out which students to give the test to, but they know that the test will probably go to the students who are taking Algebra II. Also, the states are thinking that they are going to consider making the test scores available to collage placement offices. Students usually take Algebra II after taking algebra and geometry. Research has shown that students who complete Algebra II, are more likely to earn a collage degree. By knowing that, more states are requiring their high school students to take Algebra II. However many people are disagreeing with the decision to have a few states have to same high school math test, they feel that the states are setting there standards too low. Also, many more students are able to achieve proficiency on the state tests than on national math tests. In my opinion, states should make there own tests that are different from other states, because when the actual tests cames around then that will judge how much that student really knows on that subject.
More than 40 years ago, the country was introduced to a "new" math. But, slowly this "new" math in schools has been replaced with an even "newer" math. In some schools this "newer" math is being used with an effort to spice up the learning. Many students love that "newer" math because they do not have to memorize different tables and formulas. However, some experts disagree with the "newer" math. For example, they feel like the "newer" math has too much color, and too many examples. Also, they feel like the teachers are leaving out important information that the students need to know. To add emphasis, they feel like the parents of the students should ask questions about the teaching methods, and talk with school officials about the test scores of the students. In my opinion, we should stick with the "new" math because if the students aren't learning the right material then, that student could have difficulty the state test. Also, people feel that this "newer" math is not helping the students learn the right essentials. In conclusion, if the "new" math has helped people learn math in the past, then why would we change that math in the future.
The topic that I have decided to blog about is the lab that we did in class that was called the popping lab. Three interesting facts about this topic was the when the group mixed baking soda and vinegar, the cork popped off the test tube and went some amount of meters. Second, depending on the amount of baking soda put into the lab determined how far the cork will fly. Third, this lab required the groups to really think about the quantity of the substances, because if the cork flew to the window three times then the group would get extra credit. In my opinion, this was great. However, there are a lot of class room labs on the Internet. For example, Google has a lot of great websites, that teach people how to do that lab at home. In conclusion, labs are the funnest things ever.
Who: Walruses, Polar Bears, and Ice Seals
What: Animals are dieing from the melting ice caps in Alaska
When: Everyday
Where: Alaska
In Alaska the ice caps (glaciers) are melting as a cause of global warming. As a result of these melting, the animals that live up there such as walruses, polar bears, and ice seals are dieing. In the spring time the caps melt even more which causing the walruses to lye on the ice, but they are found all over the ice which is not so good. Also, the seals live in the water and they cut a hole in the ice, with their claws, so that they can create lairs on the top of the ice where they are able to birth their young, if the ice keeps melting they will not be able to birth their young. In my opinion, we should try to help the cause of global warming, because it is killing the environment and the animals. If we don't try to stop this, the sea animals are going to suffer.
Who: Gorilla'sWhat: Being killedWhere: Democratic Republic of CongoWhen: Past last yearWhy: Nobody knows yetIn many places gorilla's are being killed by Poachers'. Sometimes you can find a gorilla with missing arms or legs, thats because they have been shot at, or yo may find dead gorilla's because they have been shot to death. There are about 700 mountain gorillas left in the world today. We need to help this problem before gorilla's are extinct just like the dinosaurs. In my opinion, I think that we should just leave the gorilla's alone, they haven't done anything to us so why should we kill them. In relation to that the gorilla's are called gentle giants, that because they haven't really hurt a human for no reason. However, gorilla's will attack if you come close to the babies or the mother. But other than that the are gentle giants, who shouldn't be killed.
A class assignment that we are currently working on is about wiki's. Wiki's are an online website that people can go to, to get information about a certain topic. My wiki is about Divergent Boundary. And Divergent Boundary means, where new crust is generated as the plates pull away from each other. Also, my teacher says that wiki's are an online chat, because you can look at your classmates work, and you can look at there wiki's to get ideas about your own wiki. However, if you explore through wiki, you can find different tools to make your wiki better than it already is. In our wiki, for our unit, it has all information about science. In addition, you can add pictures and likes to websites, so your reader can learn a little more information about your topic. In conclusion, wiki's a great, and you can learn a lot from them.
