Social Studies: Anti-Vietnam War Songs, Imagine by John Lennon

 Hi there!

Today I will be writing about the Anti-Vietnam War song, Imagine by John Lennon in 1971. 

Here is a video of the song:

Here are the lyrics to 'Imagine': 

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace, you

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world, you

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

What was the song about?

The song is a cleverly sugarcoated message directed toward the Vietnam war. Lennon completely disagreed with the idea of war, he believed that everyone should love each other and that we should live in a world of peace. His message behind the song was, "If you want peace, you have to imagine it first". 

John Lennon questions whether we need things which divide us as people, like possessions and religion. He believed/though people might get along better and love each other without having these things. 

He was also inspired by the film, Forrest Gump. He recalled watching it and agreeing with Forrest when he talks about a place without 'possessions' or 'religion'. The main inspiration however was from poems from the book, Grapefruit Yoko Ono, Lennon's wife had written. 

'Imagine' is a complex song, for a first time listener it will seem like a regular song asking for peace and some piano notes. This call for peace really calls for annulment of what we hold onto vehemently. It isn't a song of instruction which tells us to let go of how we present ourselves, but instead a song which provokes us into thinking and imagining things which seem outlandish in our society. 

It is a song which is revolutionary, but doesn't actually call for a revolution as such. It still has rightfully enduring relevance as it did fifty years ago when it was written. People want to imagine a peaceful place without the everlasting conflicts John Lennon sings about.

Thanks for reading!

Social Studies: The Beatles N.Z. Tour, Perspectives

 Hi there!

Today I will be writing a perspective blog post regarding the The Beatles tour. The two perspectives I will be covering are:

- Those who were for the tour

- Those who were against it

Perspective 1, For:

Who were they?

The people who were for The Beatles tour were the youth in New Zealand. Most specifically the teenage girls. 

Why did they feel the way they did?

The youth were for the tour of New Zealand because they felt as if The Beatles were they way the could express themselves and burst forth from the stereotypes and normality they were forced to live in. They believed that The Beatles were high and mighty, above everything else in the world. 

The Beatles were worshipped wherever their music came about, making them be seen godlike by their swooning fans. The Beatles provided the youth with basically some drama in their lives. Fans devoted their lives to The Beatles. They had an unsettling love for them which consumed them completely and shut off the rest of the world. 

The Beatles were relatable people, they were young  and represented others who wanted independence. This made The Beatles extremely loved by the youth in the world. 

Perspective 2, Against: 

Who were they?

The people who were against the tour of The Beatles in New Zealand were the older generation. These were generally the parents of the Beatle-hysteric young people who had grown up in a society where women had to stay at home, cook, clean, take care of children and be waiting for their husbands when they came home. This generation had grown up with The Depression and wars, which shaped them differently as people. 

Why did they feel the way they did?

This generation felt like this because they didn't believe that songs should be sung about young girls, especially songs which sexualised the young girls too. They didn't like the challenging of the youth, they didn't like that they were rebelling and expressing their opinion. 

Some people also didn't like the The Beatles and what they stood for because of their religious views. They believed that The Beatles lead the youth to Sin and troublemaking because they started to behave differently. 

"The songs of the Beatles and their contemporaries (including the local Beatles pastiche, Ray Columbus and the Invaders, with their huge hit “She's a Mod”) were listened to by a generation of youths who felt that they were suddenly liberated from many of the inhibitions of their parents, and who believed that only they knew how to enjoy themselves properly."

- Source: (adapted): Paul Moon, New Zealand in the Twentieth Century (Auckland: Harper Collins, 2011), pp 433–434

Here is map of where The Beatles toured, created on 'My Maps':

Thanks for reading!

Science: Making Salt Crystals

 Hi there!

Today I will be talking about how I made salt crystals in my Acids & Bases unit in Science class.

Aim: 

To produce copper sulfate salt by reacting copper oxide with an acid.

Method: 

1. Add 20mL of sulfuric acid to a 100mL beaker. Heat the acid until it reaches 70°C. Turn off your Bunsen burner. 

2. Once heated, use a spatula to add pea-sized portions of copper oxide to the beaker. Stir the mixture for 30 seconds.

3. Repeat step 2 until no more will dissolve. Allow the beaker to cool. 

4. Fold the filter paper and place it in the funnel. Place funnel into the second beaker. 

5. Make sure the beaker is cool enough to hold at the top. The contents should still be hot. You may need your teacher to complete this step. 

6. Gently swirl the contents of the beaker to mix, and then pour into the filter paper in the funnel. Allow to filter through.

7. Rinse the beaker you used to heat the mixture previously, and place it back on top of your tripod filled with 50-60mL of water.

8. Place the evaporating basin on top of the beaker and carefully pour some of the solution from the beaker into the evaporating basin.

9. Gently heat the beaker until the solution in the evaporating basin has reduced by half. 

10. Leave the evaporating basin to cool. Once cool, move the evaporating basin to a warm place where it will not be disturbed (i.e. a window-sill) and observe over the next few days. Blue copper sulfate crystals should form. 

Results/Observations: 

When the powder was added and mixed in, it created a black solution. Once it was cool enough we filtered it and instead of being black, the water/liquid which drained out was a bright blue colour. When all of the black mixture had been drained and turned blue, we reheated the blue liquid until it reduced by half its previous size. This was done in the morning so, after approximately 24 hours this blue liquid had evaporated and disappeared, and in its place were bright blue salt crystals. 

Here is a photo of how the crystals turned out:

Discussion: 

Here is the experiments literal meaning/chemical equation of what we made:

A chemical equation is an equation which is used in science. Instead of using words such as 'reacts with' or 'and', you would use a '+' to signify this. To show what direction an equation is going to replace it instead of 'to form'  or an '=' symbol, an arrow is used to show this. 

However, when dealing with acids and bases (bases = alkalis) the chemical equation will be different. The acid and base will form a salt, not the type you sprinkle on food however. 

The name of a salt is made up of two parts: 

(The chemical equation for this is: 

(Magnesium hydroxide + Hydrochloric acid --> Magnesium chloride + water)) 

The acid and base will also create water. If there are equal parts of Hydrogen (acid) or H+ and Hydroxide (base/alkali) or OH−, you will get water, or H2O. It doesn't mean that this is drinkable water though!

There are 3 main types of acids we have learnt: nitric acid, sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid. When these acids become a salt in an experiment, they become: nitrates, sulfates and chlorides. 

In the chemical equation we used, our metal (copper oxide (base/alkali)) started off as a powder. We added it until no more would dissolve to a 70°C beaker filled with the required amount of 20mL of sulfuric acid. We then filtered this solution which was pitch black through filter paper in a funnel into a beaker. Then, the most surprising thing happened, the filtered solution came out bright blue and in the form of water! Then to make the salt crystals, we poured our solution into an evaporating basin and placed it over a boiling beaker of water. Once our solution was reduced by half its size, we took it off the heat and let it evaporate all the water to leave us with blue salt crystals. 

 

Conclusion: 

This experiment worked. I was able to create copper sulfate salt with copper oxide and an acid. I would not do anything differently in this experiment. 

Thanks for reading!  

Wānanga: Reflection Section

Hi there!

Today I will be doing another Reflection Section.

Title: What we know about the ship blocking the Suez Canal 

Type: Article

Creator: Isabel DeBre, Stuff

Purpose: to inform

Date: March 26 2021

Critical Literacy Question: What does the author of this text want us to know?

Statement: The author wants us to know about a large cargo ship blocking the Suez Canal, a vital passage of water which brings good into to many countries and exports good out too. The ship is wedged across the width of the Canal, it is guessed that the wind was too strong and swung the ship sideways. 

Evidence: There are photos showing the cargo ship stuck, as well as photos from smaller tug boats trying to help out. 

Explanation: I believe the author wants us to know about this as it can affect many countries because they don't have supplies and it will also effect their economy. 

Thanks for reading!

English: Goals

Hi there! 

Today in English class I will be talking about what my goals are for English class as well as some other things.

What are your goals for learning in English this year?

My goals are to: 

- Get Excellence marks in my work

- Learn new things about English studies

- Learn more about film study/analysis 

- Stay focused on my work during class and not get distracted

- Not distract others, whether that be pen clicking or talking to someone about something

- Keeping the quality of my work consistent

- Finishing my work on time without rush

- Not procrastinating!!

- Improve my vocabulary

- Improve my public speaking

- Use more complex punctuation 

What would help you achieve your goals in English?

I believe that the most important and useful things I could do in English are sitting with people who motivate me and don't distract me.  Sitting with people who ask me what we're supposed to be doing and asking me for answers as they don't do work frustrates me which therefore doesn't let me do quality work. I also believe listening to the teachers instructions are extremely important and asking the teacher questions to make sure I understand what I am supposed to be doing. 

What do YOU need to do to achieve these goals?

Some things I think would help me achieve my goals would be trying to do more work in class so I don't need to do it out of school and rush to finish it for the next day. I also think that surrounding myself with people who I work well with and who do their work so I stay on task. Giving myself realistic goals of what I want to achieve so I don't overwhelm myself. 

What could the teacher do to help you achieve your goals?

The teacher could help me achieve my goals by looking at them and seeing if they can do anything in their teaching plan which relates and could help me. The teacher could also ask us how our goals are going every once in a while and if they aren't going well, possibly give us some tips on how to fix it and get back on track.

What could the class/your peers do to help you achieve your goals?

My class could help me with my goals by not making fun of my goals, being kind to others including myself, Listening to opinions that others have to say, respecting every student and respecting the teacher. Showing common sense and not speaking over others purposefully so they aren't heard. I would also like my peers to keep their opinions to themselves if they don't agree with something, instead of causing a ruckus which takes away our learning time. 

What could YOU do to improve learning conditions for others in this class?

- I could keep the noise I make to a minimum so I don't distract my classmates. 

- I could ask people if they are okay with me sitting with them rather than assuming.

- Listen to the teacher's instructions so I don't need to ask others or vice-versa.

- Respect others choices and opinions even if I don't agree with them/not be judgmental toward them

Thanks for reading!

Wānanga: Reflection Section

 Hi there!

In this reflection section, I will be writing about a book I finished reading recently, Solitaire. 

Title: Solitaire

Type: Novel

Creator: Alice Oseman 

Purpose: To entertain 

Date: 2014

Critical Literacy Question: Who would be most likely to read this text and why?

Statement: I think that a young person is most likely to read this text.

Evidence: I think this because it is a youth love story, it features characters in their teenage years as well as problems they experience. It is a relatable story.

Explanation: I believe this because I was able to relate to some of the things in this book, whereas with other books I have read I have not been able to relate to them.

Thanks for reading!

Science: Testing pH Experiment

 Hi there!

Today I will be writing about an experiment I did today in Science class.

Aim: 

To test pH of a range of household chemicals

Method: 

1. Add a few drops of each chemical to a spot on your spotting tile. If a substance is solid or powdered you will need to mix it with a few drops of water before testing it. 

2. Test the chemicals with litmus papers.

3. Test each chemical with a few drops of Universal indicator. 

Results: 

Chemical being tested	Colour in blue litmus	Colour in red litmus	Colour in Universal indicator
Toilet Cleaner	Red	Red	Red/Orange
Floor Cleaner	Violet/Blue	Violet/Blue	(Dark) Green
Vinegar	Red	Red	Pink/Orange
Baking Soda	Blue	Blue	Turquoise

Discussion:

This is the pH scale. It shows the different pH levels, they vary from 0-14. 0 being the strongest acidic pH and 14 being the strongest alkaline/basic pH. There is a neutral pH level too, it is not acidic, but it is not an alkali either, this level of pH is 7 which is also the middle number of the pH scale. In this scale, red would signify that the pH level is extremely acidic, dark blue would signify that the pH level is basic/alkaline. 

There are 3 different ways to measure pH, red litmus paper, blue litmus paper and Universal Indicator. The litmus papers don't show how strong the chemical or solution is. Red litmus paper turns blue if put in an alkaline solution and remains red if put in an acidic solution. Blue litmus paper turns red in an acidic solution, it remains blue if put in a basic solution. 

Here are some examples: 

• Saliva has a pH of about 6, this means it is a weak acid. It also means it would be light green on the pH scale for the U.I. (Universal Indicator).
• Toilet cleaner turned red in blue and red litmus paper, meaning it was acidic. 
• Both litmus papers turned dark blue when placed in floor cleaner, this showed that they were a base. When U.I. was dropped into the floor cleaner, it turned green. 
• When U.I. was dropped into Vinegar, it turned an orange-pink colour, signifying it was a stronger acid. When the litmus papers were put in, they both turned red, showing it was an acid. 
• Baking soda turned blue when U.I. was dropped in, the same happened when litmus paper was placed in too. This would mean that baking soda is a base. 

Conclusion:

I enjoyed doing this experiment a lot. I was able to test various chemicals and see their pH levels. I liked seeing how quickly the litmus paper and Universal Indicator would react to the chemicals I chose to experiment on. It was interesting seeing what colour the Universal indicator would change to also. I would have liked to have tested more chemicals but apart from that, I really liked this experiment. 

Thanks for reading!