Term 2 Week 5 (Weekend Assignment)

Write a short essay of about 300 words on the following question:

'Students should be given more freedom in deciding school rules.' What are your views?

Freedom. The state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint, the basic rights of all human beings, as stated by political leaders and the United Nations. Freedom should be enjoyed at any one time, at any place, by anybody. Everyone wants it nowadays; it has become a norm to see many people demanding for it. However, schools are lately becoming like a totalitarian regime, where ground rules set the limits that students can reach by mischief. To be good educational institutions, schools should implement their rules in a correct and proper way such that they do not overly restrain the student. If only the school administration changes the school rules, then this is not helping the students at all as they do not modify the rules towards the students' self interests. Thus, students should be allowed to take part in this amendment as they can fully understand what is best for them and modify the rules to improve their holistic development. If this policy of allowing the students to make their own decisions implements, then students will have much more freedom than before, so they will not complain as much as before.

School rules nowadays can be considered as rigid, which do not cleave to the students' palate. For example, students are not very happy with the fact that they have to wear the same, plain uniform every single day for the whole year and for years after, until they finally graduate. Students will get very bored and sick of wearing the same thing over and over again. What's more, the uniforms are usually not made of very good material such as silk or cashmere, so the students might complain of discomfort, heat and the like. Thus, the schools rules should be modified a little to encompass what the students really need, which in this case is to allow them to wear home clothes to school. They are more comfortable in home clothes, and if this enhances their learning, why not? Universities, colleges and polytechnics all give this freedom to the students. If they can do so, why can't primary and secondary schools follow suit? This is also a test on whether the school is a good school. If the school relents and gives permission, this shows that the school really cares for the students. This quality gives it an advantage over other schools so it can attain a high standard of education.

Corporal punishment has squeezed its way to the top of the students’ “Good riddance” list. Although it is still acceptable in Singapore and many countries, but students should not be treated so harshly at such a tender young age. There are other ways of solving the problem, such as counseling, scolding or even detention. If everything fails, then it would be the ripe time to report it to the police to handle the case. Before that, schools should not take action and cane or suspend the student. Although this is a very effective method of dealing with the student, this would also leave a black mark on his record, and that would totally ruin his future. With advanced technology and the Internet, the student, out of a fit of rage, might decide to post the issue on STOMP. The student would most likely exaggerate the situation, garnering lots of comments by viewers. This would further tarnish the reputation of the school by mistreating students. Thus, the school would not be able to attain its win-win situation, whereby both sides – students and the school – all get advantages. To prevent this from happening, the students should have the freedom to decide what punishment they would get after breaking the rules. The students will then be more willing to accept the punishment after a unanimous consensus. Of course, if the students misuse this freedom to not have any punishment of any sort, then the school must intervene.

There are a few advantages of giving students freedom in deciding school rules. One of them is that the students will be more self-aware of their rules once they have personally set them. If they ever break the rules, they will feel a sense of guilt and remorse as they broke it even when they wanted this rule and chose it in the first place. This will encourage the students to strictly adhere to the rules. Another advantage is that the students have a unique perspective which differentiates them from the school administration. The school administration only ensures the well-being of the students and their education; however, they do not know what they really think of the school rules or even the school itself. This unique perspective allows the students to know the pros and cons of the school rules so that they can pick out its flaws, rectify them and try to create a Utopian school environment to their own benefits. For example, if students are not satisfied with the number of school hours per day, they can possibly shorten them. Who knows, with more time at home to study and revise, their performance and work productivity may increase as a result.

In conclusion, students should indeed be allowed to have freedom to choose their own school rules. To tackle problems faced, utilitarianism is the best way to be used. It means that conduct should be directed toward promoting the greatest happiness of the greatest number of persons. This is very similar to having a win-win situation. Instead of allowing rebellious students to mess up a so-called “perfect” school system run by the school administration, the school should first give the students a little freedom and a chance to share their viewpoints. They should not push it away and reject it. If they can permit the students to do it, then together, the school will prosper. Face the fact: freedom is for all, it has no limits. With a little freedom, big things can be achieved. No matter how it is shunned, it is still there, still present. No one can remove and eradicate it from the face of this world. It is time for the dawn of a new era, an era whereby freedom will rule the world!

Term 2 Lesson 2: War - A Personal Response

Apprehension

As he sat on the three-legged, half-rotten chair, the noise around him reverberated. It was totally unbearable. The area was full of bombings, fires of rifles and the shouts of other soldiers. The US soldiers fought bravely. Facing death directly, they slashed wildly with their bayonets wildly at the enemies at close range. Their battered knees almost buckled under the strain of the tough war. Every few seconds, he would see a comrade shot to death, his eyes horrifyingly wide open. Some of the injured ones were lucky and managed to crawl back to the hut. Upon reaching safety, they lay on their back and gasped loudly with exhaustion while doctors and nurses rushed out to attend to them. He watched the whole process with fascinated horror. The injuries were too gruesome, too gut-wrenching for him to handle. His apprehension on whether the Americans would win this war grew.

Clutching his baton, he suddenly realized he was defenseless to the armed men all around the place, except for the "Hòa bình" sign on the roof of the medical hut which meant peace to the Vietnamese. He was assured that as long as the sign was there, they would never possibly attack it. He glanced at his right shoulder. It was healing, which was injured by a bullet, although he still winced in pain every now and then. He longed to go out there, go out to defeat the Vietnamese. But he was too frightened, the bombings and the massacring of innocent lives. He was too religious to ever commit such a wicked sin. He did not want the burden to crash down on him when he was facing God. Besides, he still had his life to worry about and whether he would still be enjoying the sweet air in his lungs after sunset. He cowered into a corner, just as the sirens wailed, refusing to join in.

Term 2 Week 4 (Weekend Assignment)

Does nuclear energy still have a part to play in the world?

With the increased technological advances in the past 50 years, nuclear energy, although extremely dangerous and destructive, has played a very crucial role in meeting the ever-increasing energy demands of this world and its continual development. Nuclear energy, if used properly and safely for good causes, can serve many useful purposes and bring great benefits to mankind.

Nuclear energy

Chernobyl had experienced the dark side of nuclear energy in 1986. An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere, which spread over much of Western Russia and Europe. It was considered the worst case in history at that time. 25 years later, Japan experienced the same fate of a nuclear meltdown after being rocked by an earthquake followed by a tsunami. These were two rare and unforeseen incidents, the former caused by a sudden power surge; the latter caused by natural disasters. This, however, should not be the case for man to stop developing nuclear energy. In fact, it is imperative in this modern era.

The process to generate nuclear energy is one of the cleanest, and makes the lowest impact on the environment. Nuclear plants do not emit any harmful gases which are usually produced by the conventional electricity power plants that threaten the atmosphere by increasing global warming. They require little space for the energy production, thus conserving land and habitats. It also does not contaminate water sources. The water discharged from nuclear power plants is very safe, free of any radiation or harmful pollutants, and meets all regulatory standards. Hence, this helps in protecting the aquatic life and conserving wildlife. An utmost importance of nuclear energy, is reliability. The energy is not affected by external conditions, unpredictable costs or foreign supplies. Its a reliable source of energy even during extreme weather changes. Nuclear energy requires very little quantity of fuel to produce large quantities of energy. By using it, man can also reduce the dependence on fossil fuels.

One major on-going advancement of the use on nuclear energy is Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), that helps in large scale food irrigation and biological control of pests. Nuclear energy can also be used for food and agriculture via the use of isotopes and radiation techniques. Leading organizations have been working on the technology to increase agricultural production, improve food availability and quality, reduce production costs and minimize pollution of food crop. A very common application of nuclear energy, is in the treatment of cancer - radiotherapy. Also, small amounts of radioisotope tracers are used for diagnostic and research purposes. These techniques have helped in monitoring the levels of toxic substances in food, air and water. Nuclear energy can also be used in industries for processing and sterilization of various products by means of radiation.

In conclusion, nuclear energy has many benefits, such as high performance, energy supply reliability, ensuring environmental safety and conserving resources. Nuclear energy can be used for food and agriculture, and also human health. Man should not waste this valuable resource just because of the dangers involved. However, it is up to them to either use it carefully or abuse it for war or terrorism. With proper use and security, nuclear energy will surely be the fuel source for the 21st century.

Term 2 Online Lesson 1: Crisis in Japan

95 Ichi St, Kyoto, Myagi Prefecture

4 April 2011

Dear brother,

How are you doing in Singapore? I’m sure you have heard about the earthquake back here in Japan. Now, the situation in every city is totally chaotic and the whole area is wiped out. Let me describe what happened to me on March 11.

I was at work as usual, when there were the familiar tremors again. I was unafraid, as I was very used to it. However, they did not stop even after 10 minutes but became even stronger. This was very strange. Then, the tremors became so violent that my computer blacked out and fell flat on my desk. I noticed similar things were happening to my colleagues. My supervisor suddenly rushed out and told us to get under the table. As I followed, I glanced out of the window. Many buildings were collapsed and there was this large “glacier” travelling towards us. Instinctively, I realized that it was a tsunami.

There was no time to run, let alone get out of the building. Seconds later, I heard the first wave hit the building. I felt the whole building being uprooted from the ground. It swayed here and there before regaining its stability. Miraculously, the building was undamaged, except for small cracks here and there at the bottom floors of the building. Afraid that the building might collapse unexpectedly, we immediately rushed out to safety. At the same time, the sirens wailed. All around us, watery debris littered the ground, and our company building seemed one out of a few that still stood.

That night, I camped on the streets for the first time in my life. Although I did not know what had happened to Dad and Mum, I still felt sad for many people as I knew a tsunami and earthquake of this scale was devastating. I slept with uneasiness and apprehension, not knowing what was in for me for the future.

The next morning, I woke up to find rescue workers surrounding us. They escorted us by van to an evacuation centre about 30km away. There were about 100 people already there.

Since then, I have been coping quite well and I am planning to leave for Seattle tomorrow for fear of radiation poisoning. Hope you can visit me there.

Yours sincerely,

Wei Loon

Comments

Dear Mr Lam,
 These are the comments I made on Wei Cong, Joel and Alastair's blogs respectively.

Wei Cong

Joel

Alastair

Term 1 Week 8 (Blended Learning Assignment)

Types of Point of View (P.O.V)
1) Grammatical "Person"
    - First Person (I)
    - Second Person (You)
    - Third Person (He/She)
2) Level of Insight
    - Objective P.O.V (Sees and hears like a camera)
    - Limited Omniscient (Only knows one character's thoughts)
    - Omniscient (All-knowing)

Dead Poet Society

Headmaster

I ambled up the small flight of steps, my head held high. I noticed the watchful eyes of new students following my every move as I stood to face them. “Ladies and gentlemen, the light of knowledge!” I announced loudly as I gave a signal with my eyes to my potbellied assistant. He stepped slowly to the first person sitting in the first row, carrying a lighted thick, white candle. His trembling hands lighted the boy’s candle, stepping back to see the usual ritual of the flame being passed down. I looked back at the mass of students and cleared my throat of phlegm, preparing to give my speech.

New student

As I received my candle flame, I smiled at the headmaster’s assistant, thanking him silently. I stared at it. It was a lovely sight and it looked like a leaping, jumping dragon that raced and danced about wildly in its confines of the candle. I was so mesmerized by it that I did not notice another candle coming into my view, breaking my trance. I then realized it was just another boy wanting to light his candle. As I turned behind, I saw this process repeating itself until the hall was filled with the “light of knowledge”, as the headmaster called it, all the flames burning steadily.

Term 1 Week 7 (Reflections)

Language Arts this term has been very enriching and interesting. I have learnt how to effectively input characterization, dialogue, setting and mood, and plot into any piece of writing I have done. The short story, All Summer In A Day, and the novel To Kill A Mockingbird have been exceptionally helpful in aiding me in these topics. I feel that getting into groups and discussing together to work out solutions and answer question is very innovative and time-efficient. It improves our teamwork and at the same time also lets us share ideas to get the best solution. I hope that we will have more interesting lessons especially ones that involve the use of IT as it appeals more to us.

This term, our ACE points have been narrowed down to only blogging. I hope that we are given a wider variety of options so that our creativity and knowledge is not only limited to the use of blogging. I can suggest using Prezi for presentations as we have used it before for our IH lessons. The comic strips used during the HBL really surprised me as I thought that it would be just writing essays and doing analysis.

Through these points I have mentioned, I am confident that the changes made will surely be for everyone's benefit and we will enjoy Term 2 very much.

Term 1 Week 5 (Literary Devices)

The view stretched for miles into the distance. Far away, the view shrunk in size and dulled in colour as the view blended into a thin, faint line of horizon. The trees stood upright as if they were sentinel guards, giving shade to those who needed it. These were known as the still guards, never leaving their position and never moving. The long, winding road was like a path in the forest, providing more convenience for those who wished to travel. The buildings were proudly erected, showing its worn-out facade of almost twenty years of Singapore's history. Part of the stadium looked like a walled fortress that ironically held most football matches. As the sun rose and a busy day began again, the trees were fondled by the light breeze, waving their evergreen leaves as a greeting. This view represented what was part of the Queenstown estate, symbolizing its beauty, cleanliness and serenity. As people began leaving their homes, the trees were not alone anymore. The day brought new hope, new desire and new courage to strive for the country's prosperity, peace, security and lastly, harmony.

Characterisation: Story Excerpt

He limped painfully away. The man who once was a fearless man, the command of the whole nation, was no longer there. Now a fugitive in his own homeland, two main cities, Lviv and Warsaw were lost. Now was his choice. To return to Moscow and be massacred by the Polish troops on the way, or stay in the fields and starve. Stalin looked at Yakov, tears flowing down his face. He could not remember the last time he shed tears, or even the last time he lost a battle. For him, victory was his personal motto and this unprecedented defeat was a great blow to him. "Come," he said to Yakov. He gently took hold of his son's tender hand and led him away from the muddy fields, mingled with blood. He turned his head and looked to the distant horizon, only to see his beloved country in ruins. He sighed. He should have listened to his advisor. Now, it was too late. All too soon, the country would be overwhelmed by the French, who had allied with the Polish. The two figures, one burly and one small, disappeared into the forest maze, never to be seen again.

Term 1 Week 4 (Neighbourhood)

This picture depicts the view from my bedroom window. Most people do not get such an unobstructed view as it is usually blocked by other residential buildings and I am very fortunate to have this luxury. I have seen this view every day of my entire life and I find it becoming part of myself as I will keep wanting to look outside at least twice a day, in the morning and at night, if not more. Looking out of the window has certainly become a daily routine for me.

I remember that when I was young, I always liked to pester my mother to carry me up to look at the view as I was too short at that time. We could see part of the MRT track and I always got tensed whenever my mother warned me that the train was approaching. Then, we saw the train zooming past the clearing and we cheered loudly. The scene is very peaceful from the busy city life and that also describes my nature and my identity. I am like nature, serene and peaceful.

Home Learning Comic Strip (24 Jan)

By WLCheng | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

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Title: The Christmas Present
Theme: Treat Others Well
Characters: Boy, Boy's mother

Plot: It is Christmas. A boy opens a Christmas present from his friend, Bob. However, it is a prank present as a mechanical devil toy pops out like a jack-in-the-box and growls fiercely. The young boy gets a shock as he thinks that it is real. He begins to cry as his mother rushes out to see what had happened and comforts him.

Background: In the house with a lighted Christmas tree and presents under it.
Explanation: This background was chosen as most families would be at home during Christmas and to open presents especially for children.

1st Scene
Characters: Boy
Explanation: This scene shows the boy excited at Christmas as he has had a lot of presents given to him, especially one given by his friend, Bob.

2nd Scene
Characters: Boy
Explanation: The boy unexpectedly gets a shock after opening a prank present and getting a mechanical devil toy popping out like a jack-in-the-box and growling fiercely.

3rd Scene
Characters: Boy
Explanation: The boy was both angry that his friend would actually play such a trick on him, and also afraid as he thinks that the toy is real. He begins to cry loudly.

Final Scene
Characters: Boy, Boy's mother
Explanation: The boy's mother rushes out to see what made her son cry. She hugs and comforts him that it is only a fake toy and there was absolutely nothing to be scared about.

Term 1 Week 3 (Black Eyed Peas -- Where Is The Love?)

Why be prejudiced?

 
Summary of song

Firstly, I would like to provide the meaning of the two words, Prejudice and Discrimination. Prejudice is an unreasonable feeling, opinion, or attitude, especially of a hostile nature, regarding a racial, religious, or national group. Discrimination means treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit.

The main message of the song is that the blacks are against and lamenting on their discrimination and prejudice around the world. After listening to this song a few times through, I realised that it holds great meaning in it. In the first stanza, the sentence "But if you only have love for your own race Then you only leave space to discriminate And to discriminate only generates hate And if you hatin you're bound to get irate" shows that one thing leads to another and that everyone should love both their own race and other races so as to prevent any discrimination from happening. In the chorus, the song tells what happens to people whom other people are prejudiced to, "People killing people dying Children hurtin you hear them cryin". 

I feel that the part of the song which I have the strongest feeling is the last stanza before the last chorus. It shows that children are wrongly influenced by the media as they show negative images and it is "Infecting their young minds faster than bacteria". They act prejudiced, like what they see in the cinema, and as this goes on, all the values of humanity, fairness and equality are lost. "Instead of spreading love, we're (they're) spreading animosity". 

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Reflections

Racial discrimination cannot carry on as all humans have their own rights and status. Even though the blacks are of a different skin colour, they are still part of this society. In Singapore, everyone is equal regardless of our race, language and religion, as stated in our pledge. Everyone should strive to accept one another regardless of skin colour. We can discriminate somebody in our heart, but no matter how small it is, once we voice it out we are considered a racist. If one was put into the blacks' shoes, he would realise that their plight is worse than it seems, so, we have to sympathize with the blacks. After all, they are still part of our society and have their own capabilities and needs. 

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” If this is the wish of a fellow human being, why do we not fulfil it? Why do we still carry on and even make things worse? What's inside a person matters more than what's outside. Therefore, we should carry on the message of racial harmony so that there will eventually be world peace.

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Where Is The Love Full Lyrics

Term 1 Week 2 (The Coral Island)

Summary of book
Recently, I read a book titled "The Coral Island", authored by R.M Ballantyne and written during the peak of the British Empire in 1857. Firstly, let me give you a brief introduction of the main plot and storyline.

The Coral Island

Ralph Rover, Jack Martin and Peterkin Gay, were three boys who were sole survivors of a shipwreck on one of the Polynesian islands in the Coral Sea. The islands were better known as the Coral Islands for their abundance of necessities such as food, water and materials. Their life at first was quite idyllic, with only a few tools at hand. However, they seemed to have landed upon one of the most plentiful islands in the region, without any savages inhabiting the island, and thus had no plan whatsoever for the future, deciding to follow fate.

The story continued on to describe their adventures together and the challenges they faced. They met savage Polynesians and even British pirates who claimed to be traders of the Polynesians but were actually no less savage than the Polynesians themselves. The boys found themselves in Mango Island, after Ralph discovered that Tararo, a chief whom they helped in a tribal battle, was living there. They intervened in the conflict between the islanders who were converted to Christianity and those who were not, and Tararo who called for their arrest. They were rescued in the end by a missionary who converted Tararo and the other unbelieving islanders. The boys soon set sail homebound, older and wiser.

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Reflections
After reading this book, I was very touched by the bond of friendship between the three boys. They went through thick and thin together and never gave up on each other. The part when Tararo and his men rubbed noses with the boys as a form of a farewell gesture after the gory battle between the two tribes was very heartwarming as they had spent a few days living and communicating together. Peterkin even shed tears when they left in their war-canoes.

The author used a very wide range of vocabulary. He also had a very exciting plot and could make the story seem very realistic. Once I picked up that book, I was so engrossed in it that I was sometimes reluctant to stop for my meals! The first part of the story was very useful and enriching as it told about basic survival skills. The author used a lot of dialogue in his story and also described in great detail what condition and surroundings the boys were in.

I would definitely recommend this novel to my friends as this story is very interesting and it can be considered as one of the popular classics. This book has upped my interest in reading and it would certainly be the same for anyone who reads it.

WELCOME!!!

Welcome to my Sec 2 Language Arts Blog 2011!!! :D