.:Jiak Ko Pi for Bilingual Gentlemen:.

Pre-learning List

2011-01-16T22:49:00.003+08:00

Dear 1-1 and 1-9,

I just checked the contact list and some of you still have not updated the contacts yet, PLEASE DO SO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Please click below to get your pre-learning list, it will be available only for one week.

Pre learning list

Thanks.

Miss Zheng

Pompeii Exhibition to the Naitonal Museum

2011-01-13T18:07:00.005+08:00

Dear 1-1 and 1-9.

I have five slots for each class to go to the Pompeii Exhibition in the National Museum on the 18th of Jan 2011 (next Tuesday) from 1.15pm to 3.45pm.

The exhibition is free and there is two way transport provided to and fro from the museum.

What is it about?

Photo credited to National Museum

It's about life in Rome in 79CE which was buried under volcanic ash and pumice due to the eruption of of Mount Vesuvius in southern Italy.

As spaces are limited. It will be given only to those who make a comment on the tag board.

Please indicate your name, class and index number for you interest in this exhibition. It will be good for those who can go as it would be a good starter for the chapter and study of Volcanoes next week. PLEASE INDICATE INTEREST BY TONIGHT!13/01/11, THE FIRST FIVE FROM EACH CLASS WOULD BE AWARDED THE PLACE TO GO. The exhibition is FREE!

Thanks!

Cheers!
Miss Zheng

Administration for 1-9

2011-01-13T18:04:00.003+08:00

Dear 1-9,

Please remember to prepare the following:

An exercise note book for note taking
Decide on the colour of the geography file, the cheap plastic ones with holes are fine, not the slot in kind.
Please fill up your contact information by clicking onto this link Class Contact 1-9 and fill the information.(PLEASE REMEMBER TO CLICK ON "FILE" at the left top corner and SAVE the document after you entered your details and exiting the link)All information is confidential and SHOULD BE ONLY FOR TEACHERS' USE.
Please remember to birng both your textbook and workbook at ALL TIMES.

thanks!

Cheers!

Miss Zheng

Adminstrative Stuff for 1-1

2011-01-12T19:40:00.001+08:00

Dear 1-1,

Please remember to do the following:

1) To download and print the pre-learning list and file it in your Geography File once you get it. (Do it once Sharepoint is ready to access)

3) Bring your textbook and workbook every lesson.

4) Please bring an exercise book (Geography Notebook) to do note-taking during Geography class.

5) Please fill up your contact information by this Friday (19/01/11) by clicking on this link:
1-1 Class Contact (PLEASE REMEMBER TO CLICK ON "FILE" at the left top corner and SAVE the document after you entered your details and exiting the link)
All information is confidential and SHOULD BE ONLY FOR TEACHERS' USE.

Cheers!
Miss Zheng

WELCOME 1-1 and 1-9!

2011-01-11T14:49:00.002+08:00

Dear 1-1 and 1-9!

Welcome to Jiak Kopi!

This is one of the many platforms that I will use for teaching, mainly this blog is for me to put up videos that I may show in class for you to go through them and re-cap or to put up questions and answers that your classmates may ask or I may post for food for thought.

So check this site once a week at least!=)

Cheers!
Miss Zheng ;)

Questions for Sec 2 MR (CA3)

2010-08-10T19:16:00.004+08:00

Hi guys from 2-5 & 2-9,

Below are some questions posted by your peers and might be useful for revision if you need it. The newer questions at the top and the older ones at the bottom. Cheers! Hope mugging for Geo, Sci and Maths have been well over the weekend.

I don't understand chap 3 revision paper, qn4. (Ben 2-9)

For this questions, first you need to know what is the sequence of of the different settlements. the first type of settlement that is very common and can be found mostly everywhere is your villages.That is why they form the base of the pyramid, because in terms of absolute number of village settlements, there are many, but the size of the village settlement is small.

Next, when many small village settlements group together, they form a town, so that is why they form the middle part of the pyramid. There are not as much towns found as compared to villages BUT the size of a town as a settlement, is larger than that of a village settlement.

Lastly, many towns form your city, and that is why it is at the top of the pyramid. The number of cities is lesser than that of a town or village found in the world, but the size of a city is very much larger than that of a town and village.

For instance, Blk 451, Blk 452 of bishan street 22 forms your villages, together, they form Bishan Town, then, AMK town, Bishan Town, Pasir Ris Town, Telok Blangah Town etc, all the towns in Singapore form your Singapore City. There are many many blocks (villages) in Singapore, fewer number of Towns, and there is only one City (Singapore).

Hope this illustration helps.

Chapt 4 revision paper, qn 10,why the answer is D and not C? (Wei Yang 2-9)

A Water that floods the fields has been treated.
B More fertilisers have been added to the slopes as there is much soil erosion.
C The slopes have been flattened to allow crops to be grown.
D Steps have been cut into the slopes to create flat land.

Wei Yang, the picture shows a land which is not flat, probably a hill. It shows terraces, which mean, the original, sloped land has been cut into the step like terraces you see in the picture, thus answer has to be D and not C.The slopes are not flattened, if it is flattened, then you would not see steps at all.

Miss zheng, what do u call a pyramid that has bulging top, normal middle, and a thin bottom? (Yikai 2-5)

2-5 Wayne: inverted pyramid? (Yes it can be called an inverted-like pyramid)
But it really depends on what it looks like, so depends on what the diagram shows. If you really cannot decipher the shape, then I advise for you to describe the shape.

In chp 4 revision paper ques 9, why is 'B' the answer and not 'C'? And for ques 11, why is the answer 'A' and not 'C'? (Kang Qiao 2-5)

For Qn 9, answer is B, as inputs for wet rice is not as much as compared to C. First you eliminate the answers A & D as output per land area is low in this two but wet rice output per land area is high. So answer can only be B or C. But for C, it’s a better answer for high tech farming where inputs are very high (esp capital) & land area very small. B is a better answer as inputs are not as much as high tech farming and the land area is not as small as high tech farming, so B is a better answer to choose for Wet rice cultivation and I would say ans B is for High tech farming.

What’s the difference between factors and reasons.(Yuren 2-5)

Depends on the questions, they are quite similar. but factors in population u gt to think about BR, DR, Immigration rate, Emigration rate etc. reasons, tend to be longer answers and are elaborated.

What are some of the components of the human environment? I. %9The people occupying an area II. %9The movement of people or goods from one place to another using vehicles %9III. %9The growing of cr err in the 1st revision paper 2nd quetion, why is the answer C? shouldnt burning fossil fuels be also human activity? (Yi Kai 2-5)

COMPONENTS of Human environment. Still remember PSATC?Population, Settlement, Agriculture, Transport & Communication. So ans is C.
I. The people occupying an area (Settlement)
II. The movement of people or goods from one place to another using vehicles (Transport)
III. The growing of crops (Agriculture)
IV. The burning of fossil fuels (Human ACTIVITY not COMPONENT)

What is grid settlement? (Kang Qiao 2-5)

Grid settlement is more like how a town is being planned, like a grid. You need not know that , you just need to know only what is a dispersed, linear and nucleated settlement.

How are wet rice cultivated on hill sloped irrigated? (Kang Qiao 2-5)

Hills are cut into terraces, mud walls called bunds are built & then they are flooded in order to grow WET rice. They are irrigated like on normal flat land through irrigation canals built alongside the slope. natural rainfall can also flood the terraces.

May i ask why is it that for shifting cultivation, only small land is needed? And for plantation agriculture, are the felled trees burned?(Kang Qiao 2-5)

Small land is needed as shifting cultivation is for subsistence, but large forest land is cleared as it would be easier to clear a large land area first so that the family need not have to do the labourious work of having to clear again the next time they shift to a new area to grow crops. For plantation agriculture, yes, felled trees are burnt also for the reason as a source of fertilizer or nutrient. It also makes the work easier for plantation when burning is carried out as weeds, or competing plants will be rid off already.

Hey miss zheng, may i know how to explain for fluctuating trend? Like do u write increasing in a fluctuating trend? or decreasing? since fluctuating is up and down both? (Yikai 2-5)

Flunctuating trend, the characteristic is that it goes up and down. If the values overall goes up, you say fluctuating increasingly, though it is going up n dwn.unless its constant across, its just fluctuating up and down (no increasing or decreasing)

Questions asked for MR 2

2010-05-04T18:11:00.012+08:00

How to describe the process of exfoliation in a shorter way?

There is no shorter way, look at Page 92 to know how to explain. The key concept is the repeated expansion and contraction and about these two forces being against each other resulting in uneven expansion or contraction which weaken the rock’s SURFACE LAYER. And as said in class, with water present, the surface layer will tend to crack more easily and break off in layers.

What is annual rainfall and temperature for polar climate?

Did you not listen in class for the worksheet I went through? And you cannot find the answer yourself?

Look at Page 146 of your textbook.

In general, polar climate experiences VERY low rainfall throughout the year and very low temperatures (below FREEZING POINT) for majority of the year.

Why are the most of the active volcanoes located at the pacific ring of fire?

Most active volcanoes are located at the pacific ring of fire as this is where the impact of movements is the greatest in the boundaries of the plates that are found around the pacific ring of fire as compared to other places.

Who might use satellite images?

Look at page 67 of textbook. Usually people who study changes in the environment, for instance, specifically the meteorologists who can use satellite images to forecast weather or warn people about dangers such as hurricanes. Environmental scientists who warn people about the impact of global warming through the study of the satellite images of ice cap melt in the north pole.

What is the meaning of fieldwork?

Look at page 8 of your textbook.

Fieldwork is work at first hand, which means gathering evidence directly from the environment rather than from books or other references/resources. For instance for your eco tourism project, you did fieldwork to gather information about the tropical rainforest by observing the tropical rainforests instead of reading off the information easily from the Internet.

What is the definition of transpiration?

Transpiration is the process where plants give out water vapour into the air through their leaves.

How to write numerical data?

What kind of numerical data you are talking about?

Look below for hints.

How to read tables:

1) Study the columns in the table carefully-the headings, the items, the units of measurements.

2) Look for extreme values in figures, example: the highest and lowest, largest and smallest, densest and least dense.

3) Look for any links or patterns/trends between the values and between the items and the values in the columns. Make general statements of what is observed.

4) Some questions would require you to read values directly form the table, others may require you to do simple calculations based on the values given in the table and others might require you to infer (decipher/interpret) from the given values.

Steps in reading line graph

1) Study the graph carefully and take note of the headings, the x-axis, the y axis and the units of measurements.

2) Note the values, example the highest and lowest values.

3) Observe the gradient of the line which indicates the rate of increase or decrease.

4) Note the relationship between the x-axix or y-axis.

5) Some questions might require you to read directly from the graph while others may require you to calculate or even infer from the given values.

Reading a bar graph

1) Study the information on the x-axis and the y-axis carefully.

2) Look at the distribution of the data , for example, the point with the highest or lowest value.

3) Take note of any changes that may have taken place in the data, example, the increase or decrease in that value.

4) Loof for any links you may find between the x-axis and the y-axis.

Reading Pie charts

1) Look at the pie chart or the legend on the pie chart to find the value of each item.

2) Locate the largest amount, followed by the next until the last amount which is the smallest.

3) Read the questions carefully and answer them, using the numbers (numerical data) correctly.

4) Some questions might require references to be made from the values givem.

Reading combination of data representations (e.g climograph-bar and line graph)

1) Study the information in each represntaiton closely using the skills you have acquired.

2) Look for relationships shown in each representation (e.g for climograph, mean annual rainfall or temperature, temperature range (highest temperature of the month and lowest temperature of the month)

3) Look for links between the representations ( High annual rainfall and temperature)

4) Analyze the links between the representations using prior knowledge you have about the links. (means most probably climograph is representing a tropical climate.)

Which is the hardest rock and why?
The hardest rock among the three types of rocks is the igneous rock. Igneous rock when they formed are formed where the crystals of the minerals grow closely together with no lines of weaknesses or air pockets that allow weathering agents to attack.
Whereas sedimentary rocks are usually layered (lines of weaknesses), moreover some sedimentary rocks are compacted together with different sediments of different sizes, there might be air pockets in between the rocks when they are in the process of cementing each other.
For metamorphic rock, some rocks are made up of sedimentary rocks (which already have lines of weaknesses), if they are made up of igneous rock, even though there is highly no lines of weaknesses as compared to sedimentary rock, but as the igneous rock undergo intense heat and pressure, it becomes weaker [think in terms of heat can melt the rock and pressure can cause the rock to form folds leading to cracks etc]. That is why among all three, igneous is usually the hardest.
Pushing causes fomation of mountians, then what does pushing ands sliding form?
You mean, what does pulling and sliding form?
Pushing can form mountains and volcanoes
Pulling can form new ocean floor, ocean ridges (e.g Mid Atlandtic Ridge)
Sliding tend to form faults (e.g San Andreas fault )
All of these, pull, push and slide can cause your earthquakes and all tend to happen at plate boundaries.
What is the difference between aerial and satellite photos?
Aerial photographs are taken above ground from an airplane or a tall building whereas satellite images are usually taken by instruments on board a satellite.
Aerial photographs show a bigger area than a landscape photograph, usually at a local or national scale, on the other hand, satellite images show a large area on the Earth's surface, usually at a regional or global scale.
Aerial photographs are usually used to help to estimate the size of a feature or an area, such as the area of a school whereas satellite photographs are usually helpful in studying the changes in the environment.
Answers all found in Pg 66-67 of textbook.
How is human environment formed?
A human environment is formed when a physical environment is changed as a result of human activities. For example, humans make changes to the living environment to suit one’s needs, using materials (natural resources, pg 21 in textbook) which humans can find in the physical environment for their own use (specific example: clearing forests and using the wood to build houses.)
What is the difference in the appearance for igneous and sedimentary rock?
The physical appearance of igneous rock is that it has a crystalline appearance, where some are coarse-grained or fine-grained whereas, for sedimentary rock, it is usually layered in appearance.
Explain time zone
Time zone is the zone/area in which a place/location experience a specific standard time. Each time zone represents 15 ° longitude or the distance the Earth rotates in one hour.
Is the GMT also the same as the IDL?
No. Greenwich Mean Time is the base time zone at 0° longitude (Pg 40 of textbook), whereas International Data Line is the 180° longitude that lies directly opposite the Greenwich Meridian 0° longitude. And GMT is not equal to Greenwich Meridian. GMT is the time zone found at the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude)
How does the human environment affect the physical environment positively?
It is not the human environment per say that affect the physical environment, but more of humans changing the environment for their own use, be it having positive or negative effects.
Humans can affect physical environment positively for instance be re-forestation (replanting the forest) or re-growing the place that was once destroyed either naturally(through natural disasters) or through human activities.

Is there any distinct weaknesses of using between Satellite and landscape photos?
The main weakness of satellite photos are that they do not show physical or human features in great detail as compared to landscape photographs.

The main weakness for landscape photos is that a landscape photograph which are taken at ground level and covers only a SMA LL area whereas satellite photos takes photographs of a LARGE area on the Earth’s surface.

How to draw the cross profile of a mountain or hill?
See page 54 and 55 of text book, the height of the contour will coincide with the Y-axis of the graph below. And label the distinct features such as rounded summit, steep slope and a height of more than 600m for a mountain and the features seen for a hill if you draw a hill.

What is landscape photo limitaion?
See answer above
You can add on that as it covers a small area, it cannot help study changes in the environment on a global or regional scale.
Another limitation would be as compared to satellite images, landscape photographs are usually not taken in “real time” where images can be viewed within seconds after they have been taken.

Is plain a landform?
Yes, plain is a type of physical landform.

How are stalagmites and salactites formed?
You need not know the detailed process but you need to know that it is due to weathering and formed from action ofwater where acidic rainwater can dissolve limestone to form them and are usually found inside limestone caves. Action of water also formed landforms such as caves. For instance in Jenolan Caves in Australia, or what I have gone through in class, Har Long Bay in Vietnam or Guilin in China. All of which are limestone caves.

You need to know that stalagmite is the landform structure that is from the ground, whereas stalactites are landform structures from the ceiling.

Questions by students

2010-04-08T19:06:00.006+08:00

Dear Gentlemen,

Below are questions asked by your schoolmates, you may look at them and see if they can also help you clarify some doubts.

I will update it constantly with any quesitons asked.

How are volcanoes formed? (Asked by Shawn, 1-5) [Chapter 8, answer in pg 84 of textbook]
1) Volcanoes are formed by the process of vulcanicity.
2) This usually happens when two plates collide with each other and where the denser plate will sink into the mantle and melt into magma due to the high temperatures.
3) The high temperatures also causes built up pressure of gases under the Earth's surface which leads to an eruption due to the release of this built up pressure of gases.
4) When the magma escapes to the Earth's surface through a single hole due to eruption, the cooler temperatures on the Earth's surface causes the lava to harden and solidify.
5) Overtime, with repeated eruptions, the hardened layers of lava results in a cone-shaped mountain called a volcano.

How do plates move? (Question in mini test and re-asked by Deon, 1-5) [Chapter8, answer explained in blog post and ink experiment video]

Plates lie/float on molten mantle.
Plates moves as the hightemperatures within the Earth surface causes the molten mantle to flow in certain directions due to convection currents.
Therefore, movements of the mantle cause the crustal plates that lie on it to move.

How are plateaux formed? (Question by Warren, 1-9) [Chapter 8, textbook pg 97]

1) Plateaux are formed by the process of vulcanicity.
2) This usually happens when there is a long crack or fault in the Earth's crust.
3) The high temperatures also causes built up pressure of gases under the Earth's surface which leads to an eruption due to the release of this built up pressure of gases.

4)Magma then escapes from a long crack or fault and spreads over a very large area, the cooler temperatures on the Earth's surface causes the lava to harden and solidify.

5) Overtime, with repeated eruptions, the hardened layers of lava results in a plateau.

*Process is the same as volcano, just that instead of a single hole vent, its a large LONG crack or fault.

Chapter 9: Rocks

2010-04-05T22:12:00.004+08:00

Hi Gentlemen,

My apologies for the late post of videos on the Chapter 9. But as you prepare for your class test this Saturday, please go through the videos below if you still have any queries or aren't sure of some concepts.

Here's the video I showed you during class, when I wanted to introduce to you the three different rock types and the rock cycle. It's really a good visual re-cap of the whole chapter itself. You can watch the video until 1.24 minutes as after that it is not relevant, but more for general knowledge.

The next few videos are quite old videos but quite good in knowing in details the different rocks.

IGNEOUS ROCK

Here's a video that shows you how to identify igneous rocks..

SEDIMENTARY ROCK

Here's a video about the Grand Canyon and how it is made up of mainly sedimentary rock, for your interest. =)

METAMORPHIC ROCK

Finishing it off, is this rock cycle video I showed you in class, go through the animation and in your mind have the thought process of what the rock cycle is about.

This can be found at http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/gsl/site/GSL/lang/en/page3892.html too.

EARTH HOUR and Fish & Co

2010-03-23T19:19:00.006+08:00

Hi Gentlemen,

I thought I would do a bit of promotion for Fish & Co and their good cause.

If you still do not know, Earth Hour 2010 is going to happen this Saturday. Earth Hour was a movement started in Australia in 2007, where homes and business pledged to switch off their lights for 1 hour and and has ever since swept the whole world. The whole idea is about making a change in our habits to at least help Earth in whatever way we can.

No doubt, sometimes asking ourselves to be really clean and green can sometimes be difficult but something has to start somewhere, somehow. I think supporting Earth Hour is a good start. Imagine the whole world without lights for that 1 hour, on how much we can save on that amount of energy used to actually produce that light.

Below is the poster by Fish and Co.....

......and you can catch their catchy video to do our part for Earth here also.

Spread the word and get a $1 voucher where u can purchase their famed fish and chips for just $1!=)

If you want to know more about Earth Hour, go to their official website HERE!

Oh, want to your part to save a bit of energy? When you are googling for anything , use this search engine Blackle instead. Blackle is mainly google search engine just that instead of colour and white screen (it uses more electricity as compared to a black screen) it uses mainly a black screen and greys.

Be green spread the message!=)

Cheers,

Miss Zheng

Chapter 8: Animation of Plate Tectonics

2010-03-13T16:14:00.003+08:00

Dear Gentlemen,

Click the link below and explore the website for different animations of the different processes taught in class already so as to better understand and visualize what is taught already. =)

http://whs.moodledo.co.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=972

Cheers,

Miss Zheng

Chapter 8: Vulcanicity and the landforms

2010-03-13T15:37:00.004+08:00

Dear Gentlemen,

Below are the videos I went through with you (Class 1-9), Class 1-5, you can look through it as you read the textbook and do your notes.

How Volcanoes are formed (Vulcanicity)

The video above talks about how volcanoes form and this process of Vulcanicity is a very important geographical concept that you must know for Chapter 8. The video also talks about the Pacific Ring of Fire which is found in the Pacific Ocean area, please note that you must know how to highlight where the Pacific Ring of Fire is.

The next video below is about the different types of volcanoes that can be found, this is added knowledge that is not talked about in your textbook. The analogy I gave in Class 1-9 is honey and milk. Honey and milk are both liquids, but Honey is much thicker than milk. I gave the example in class that if I was to pour out honey and milk on the tables, which will flow faster, if you have eaten both liquids, your answer should be milk will faster. As such, since milk can flow faster, this would also mean that milk can go over a larger surface area on the table as compared to milk.

You all know that when magma reaches the Earth's surface, it becomes lava and it cools down when on the Earth's surface and hardens. So if milk can reach over a larger surface on the table, this would also mean that the surface area for it to be in contact with cooler air would be larger, so it will cool down much faster as compared to honey.

Different volcanoes are made up of different materials and magma that comes up to the earth's surface, some lava may be very thick or some very thin, so eventually it will form different kind of volcanoes. Read the notes on the Volcanoes, below there are the different types of volcanoes introduced, you will not be tested but it is for you general knowledge.

Remember for all that I have gone through, you must know the

1) the difference between magma and lava

2) where the most volcanic activity occurs (plate boundaries)

3) how does an eruption occur

4) different crustal plates, how to identify and label them.

5) The different internal processes that happen (PULL, PUSH, SLIDE)

6) The resultant landforms due to the internal processes

7) To draw and label a basic cross section of a volcano

8) How volcanoes are formed (To be able to describe)

9) The location of the Pacific Ring of Fire

Don't leave it to last minute to finish your work, do it NOW, and so that you can enjoy at the later parts of your holidays.

Cheers,

Miss Zheng

Chapter 8: Internal Structure and forces that create landforms

2010-03-11T19:27:00.004+08:00

Dear Gentlemen,

Below are the videos I showed in class today to better let you visualize and know what are geographical concepts and ideas of this chapter. Do look through the videos again as revision and get a better understanding of the many new geographical concepts introduced.

Video on the Internal Structure of the Earth

Video on the Early Earth (The idea of supercontinent Pangaea, Laurasia and Gondwandaland)

Video on the concept of Plate Tectonics Theory, Continental Drift, plate boundaries(constructive & destructive) and the different internal forces (Push, Pull and Slide)

How convection currents work in the Continental Drift Theory (To cause plates to push, pull and slide with each other)

Eruption of Kilauea Volcano (In Hawaii, which is mentioned in the "How volcanoes form" video above, where hotspots were introduced and that volcanoes at hotspots form due to the loose rocks rising up from the core to the crust)

Remember to label the different plates on your notes and also know where fold mountains can be found on the world map!

Chapter 8: Will Krakatoa rock the world again?

2010-03-10T22:39:00.006+08:00

Dear Gentlemen,

Especially for Class 1-5, I told you all about Krakatoa found in Indonesia and how it's explosiveness could be heard as far as Perth in Australia, also added that the amount of TNT/power that Krakatoa 13,000 times the power of the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima! This eruption caused change in weather where average global temperatures following the eruption fell by as much as 1.2 C, as the huge quantities of sulphur dioxide pumped into the atmosphere resulted in clouds that reflected a greater amount of incoming light from the sun. Also of course, destruction to not only humans but also the physical environment.

Just last year, there were speculation of Krakatoa stirring and threatening to erupt again. See excerpts of the online UK daily news and the pictures of Krakatoa taken from there.

Ominous glow: In 1883, more than 36,0000 people died when Krakatoa erupted - today, thousands more farmers live near the volcano

Risk: The smoking time-bomb is located on the Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra

Ticking timebomb: Islanders thought they had avoided another disaster after things went quiet in 2008

Firestorm: In an awesome display of flaming lava and molten ash, Anak Krakatoa - the child of Krakatoa - reveals its latent power. In recent years, eruptions have steadily grown in intensity

Devil’s cauldron: Krakatoa’s eruptions draw in violent thunderstorms, adding to the air of menace

All photos from website,CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE

Data of sea level rise in pictorial form

2010-03-06T23:41:00.002+08:00

Taken from here

Chapter 6:Photographs and the environment

2010-03-06T13:19:00.003+08:00

Dear Gentlemen,

Just as we wrapped up Chapter 6 on photographs and how to interpret it, do visit the NASA website link (in case you do not know what NASA is, it's called National Aeronautics and Space Administration and it's set up in the U.S.A) here

Below are just some photos take from the website, it's really mainly photos about space and the Earth, which reminds us on ow we should protect Earth and appreciate the beauty it has to offer to us ...=)

Enjoy the weekend!

Cheers,

Miss Zheng

Chilean Earthquake Shifting the Earth Axis!!?

2010-03-03T20:36:00.004+08:00

The diving tectonic plate at the epicenter of the magnitude 8.8 Chile earthquake Saturday helped to temporarily redistribute mass on Earth.

Dear Gentlemen,

Recently, the a 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Chile and now scientists are saying that it has caused the axis(remember it's imaginary) to shift,causing the spin to be not as fast as before, resulting in shorter days...

Look at the video below to understand...

NASA explained that the key to the shift was due to the location of the Earthquake, with the fault slicing through Earth at a steeper angle, making "Chile fault more effective in moving earth's mass vertically and hence more effective in shifting Earth's figure axis.

You can click on NASA website to read and find out more.

Though devastating, it is really interesting on how what we were studied before and what we are studying now and in the future are really things happening around us NOW.

So remember that our actions and interactions with the environment is very important. =)

How a Handphone is recycled

2010-03-03T15:20:00.003+08:00

Hi Gentlemen,

As what I posted in the previous two posts, I mention about the initiative the school is having in terms of recycling old handphones or accessories, do take time to see how our handphones can be actually recycled into different plastics, ceramics and metals that can be re-used for the production of other handphones or even other products (like gold used in your mum's jewellery =P )

So visit Nokia's website and learn more about it.

Cheers,
Miss Zheng

Sports and Geography =)

2010-03-02T14:15:00.006+08:00

photos credit to : Notcot

Hi Gentlemen,

Just as we are studying about our environment and how we should care for our environment, also how there are interrelationships between humans and the environment, I just came across a smart advertising from the Nike, doing the Soccer Kit for the upcoming World Cup.

What caught my attention was Nike's attempt to be environmentally friendly in using recycled plastic bottles to come up with the Shirt in the kits they are selling. Awesome idea! See the pictures below! Quite an amazing advertising piece too =)

So in line with my previous post about recycling, do your part and remember to RECYLE your old handphones and accessories which cannot be used anymore!

RECYCLE YOUR OLD HANDPHONES IN CHS!

2010-03-02T13:13:00.002+08:00

Dear Gentlemen

Do u have old rusty hps lying around your house? Well, here's something you can do to your "beyond revived" hp and the environment as well!

Your old mobile phones and other accessories can be broken down into recycled parts, and be used to make other objects.

A team from SAJC has collaborated with NOKIA to collect all spoilt hps and accessories from as many consumers as they can.

You can drop spoilt/rotten/beyond repaired hps and accessories in the huge green box with a Nokia Logo in the Secondary School General Office. The deadline is Friday, 1pm.

You can also pass it to me if you want! Spread the message to your family members and ask if they want to discard their unwanted handphones!

Do your bit, and save GAIA!!!!

Chapter 4 & 5-Map Skills

2010-02-26T18:00:00.003+08:00

Hi guys,

Do go into the weblinks below to re-cap and reinforce certain concepts you have learnt for Chapter 4 and 5.

You can go through the lessons again and play the games to test your knowledge, you will find some parts very similar to your HBL =P Do try it!=)

Revision on map skills
http://mapzone.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapzone/PagesHomeworkHelp/mapability/

Games to test certain concepts
http://mapzone.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/mapzone/PagesHomeworkHelp/maptivity/

Cheers,
Miss Zheng

Interesting things about the solar system (Chapter 2)

2010-01-21T16:51:00.004+08:00

Hi guys,

This is additional interesting information that you might want to look at if your interested in the science behind the solar system or other planets.It is not tested for mastery review, it is for additional knowledge =)

Video that shows about the birth of the Solar System

For further information of the solar system and the universe and its studies do check out NASA ("National Aeronautics and Space Administration" of USA) exploration web at http://www.nasa.gov/exploration/home/index.html

PLANET QUEST

This is a website by NASA for finding out if there is a possibility of another "Earth"

Go to Alien Safari to know of some of the extreme micro-organisms on Earth and how they help to indicate that there are similar life forms as these may exist in other planets with similar conditions in which they thrive in, suggesting possibility of other lifeforms thriving in other planets....

Cheers!

Miss Zheng

Chapter 2: Earth our Home

2010-01-21T16:07:00.010+08:00

Hi guys,

Here's a little song about the different planets of the Solar system which might help you remember them more easily.

There were two major questions I posed in class:

What causes day and night?
Why are there seasons?

Remember that ROTATION of the Earth is the cause of day and night, whereas the REVOLUTION and the tilt of the axis of the Earth, causes the seasons in some countries.

Here's the video I showed in class about why there are seasons, do look through it for re-cap or revision purposes.

I also went onto emphasize on the big idea of this chapter is really to point out the fragility of Earth and our impact through our human activities on it. There is no need for you to know the nitty gritty details of the size or distance of the planets from the sun but more importantly, the solar system was introduced to you in this chapter to point you to a fact that only planet Earth has the capability to support the many awesome and amazing life forms as seen in this movie trailer, Earth

This is mainly due to certain characteristics that Earth has, which are:

Gravity
Atmosphere (having high percentage of oxygen and abundance of water)
Suitable Temperature (between zero degrees and one hundred degrees, links back to the earlier part about the solar system and how difference in temperatures are experienced differently in different parts of the world)

At the end of lesson today, I told you the importance of why Geography is taught to you in Secondary school, I challenged you of the small little things that you can do to help minimize the negative impact we humans are having on Earth. Be it switching off the light and fans when you leave the classroom or using less of material things we might have. I also asked you to consider what YOU would do as your generation is the one already receiving some of the effects of the older generations' actions, what will YOU do for YOUR future generation?

Look at this video and think if you are the LOST generation or are you NOT the lost generation.

Chapter 1: Why and How do we study Geography?

2010-01-21T15:21:00.009+08:00

WHY do we study Geography?

This was a question posted to you gentlemen in class and some of you pointed out that because there is only ONE Earth and we should respect and look after it.

You also said that we are studying Geography now in Secondary school so that we can understand Earth better.

I also reminded you about what you learnt in the first lesson about this big concept about the interrelationship between humans and the environment and that Geography is one important subject that looks into that and we went through this diagram in class.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

http://talentedapps.wordpress.com/2009/03/

All of the above are about the knowledge that you can gain from studying Geography, I also pointed out the skills stated below that you would be learning which also be useful not only in Geography and also other subjects as well.

Ability to locate and acquire information
Using questioning techniques [Starter Questions Technique: 5 Wives (Who, What,Where, Wen Why and 1 Husband (How)] which look into cause and effects of an action.
And eventually for you to develop your critical thinking and decision making skills.

WAYS OF STUDYING GEOGRAPHY

There were three major ways introduced to you on how we can study Geography and they are:

Fieldwork (remember the simulation survey you did for Bookshop Auntie on the most popular pens that she should sell to Catholic High boys to improve her business)
Case studies (remember the flooding case study in Manila we did in class)
Media (Books, internet, newspapers, movies etc)

Chapter 1: What is Geography?

2010-01-21T14:22:00.007+08:00

Hi 1-5 and 1-9,

Last week, we looked at Chapter 1 and got to know what is Geography. In your own words, below are the statements some of you guys wrote about what you thought what Geography was about before I met you officially to help you understand what is this subject of Geography.

It is the study of the Earth
It is about the different places in the world
It is about the world and countries
It is about land of weathers and nature
Position of stuff in the world
It is about the countries and landscapes they produce
It is about maps and climates of the world
Study of map

Excellent guesses and ideas, as there are many big ideas and concepts of Geography that some of you have mentioned are going to be taught to you during these 6 months!=)

I also showed you the following video below to ask you if you think Geography is about what the video showed.....

Well, Geography as some of you wrote is indeed about the countries and other places of the world as what the video above shows, but Geography is not only about that. In class, I liken Geography as a subject that is multi-disciplinary that involves subjects like science and maths. I also shared what I thought Geography is about to me(see below).

Field of study that enables us to find answers to questions about the world around us, about where things are and how and why they got there.
Relationship(s) between humans and the environment

At the end, there is a very important term I introduced in class and is a BIG idea/concept throughout this whole six months of study of Geography.

So do remember this, that Geography is really about the

INTERRELATIONSHIPS

PHYSICAL-HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

found on earth..=)

Geography of Food

2009-10-22T14:42:00.000+08:00

Make A difference (WWF)

2009-10-09T07:57:00.002+08:00

BLOG ACTION DAY-15 OCTOBER 2009

2009-10-08T11:22:00.003+08:00

Hi boys...

If you all are bloggers, do consider doing this since it is also after your examinations...=)

Everything you throw comes back

2009-10-07T11:44:00.003+08:00

Below are three pictures of witty education about not throwing stuff unnecessarily.

Enjoy!

Photo sources from: http://www.bedifferent.it/scheda_blog.php?id=79

Dust Storm in Australia (Sydney)

2009-10-07T07:09:00.002+08:00

Hi guys,

Though examinations may be over, but do look through the video and see how just like the haze problem, dust storms can also cause problems, in terms of visibility, health and environment.

CO2 emissions could fall due to recession

2009-10-06T22:22:00.003+08:00

Below is an interesting article read from AFP related to what you are revising and studying, do take a read if you have time.

BANGKOK (AFP) - – Carbon dioxide emissions, the main driver of global warming, could fall three percent worldwide in 2009 due to the global economic crisis, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday.

This would be the steepest drop in CO2 emissions for 40 years, chief IEA economist Fatih Birol said at a press conference in Bangkok, adding that the average annual growth in global carbon output until now has been three percent.

Birol said this silver-lining drop in carbon pollution was a "unique window of opportunity" for the world to put itself on a path to limit the increase in global temperatures to two degrees celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), the scientific threshold for dangerous global warming.

The recession-driven fall would lead to CO2 emissions in 2020 being five percent lower than the IEA forecast from just a year ago, even if no further action is taken to curb global warming, he added.

The IEA estimate is part of its World Energy Outlook report, an excerpt of which was released at UN climate talks underway in the Thai capital.

It outlined how steeply countries would have to cut their carbon emissions over the next 20 years in order fix the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere at a level that would ensure the two degree threshold is not crossed.

That level, measured in parts per million, is 450 ppm, according to a benchmark scientific report issued in 2007 by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

"By reducing emissions, the financial and economic crisis has created a window of opportunity to transition the global energy system to a 450 ppm trajectory," said UN climate chief Yvo de Boer in a preface to the new IEA report.

"This gives us a chance to make real progress toward a clean energy future, but only if the right policies are put in place promptly," added IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka in a statement.

"Every year of delay adds an extra 500 billion dollars (340 billion euros) to the investment needed between 2010 and 2030 in the energy sector," he warned.

The climate talks under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have been stymied for months, and are running out of time to deliver a new global climate treaty at a December conference in Copenhagen.

Rich and poor nations are divided over how to share the burden of cutting greenhouse gases, and who is going to pay for it.

A steel factory belching smoke in the western suburbs of Beijing, 2008. The International Energy Agency said that carbon dioxide emissions, the main driver of global warming, could fall three percent worldwide in 2009 due to the global economic crisis

Developed nations are willing to take the lead, but expect emerging giants such as China, Brazil and India to commit to mitigation measures as well -- pledges these countries have fiercely resisted.

Rich nations created the problem and should bear the brunt of the responsibility to fix it, the developing countries say.

Economist Birol confirmed that China surpassed the United States as the world's top carbon polluter in 2007, adding that "it will be the same in the future"

Source: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20091006/tts-climate-warming-energy-economy-iea-c1b2fc3.html (AFP)

Time to be spent on EOY and tips for each section

2009-10-06T17:23:00.001+08:00

MCQ (8 minutes)

Read the questions carefully. Highlight/Underline key words that might help you find the correct answer. E.g “not”, “most”, “least”

Take note of words that are in bold/italic/underlined.

Always choose the BEST answer that is available. Many answers in MCQ can be correct, but always choose the BEST.

Mapwork (7 minutes)

Remember the skills learnt for topography:

1) Always read the legend first, look at what each symbol signifies or represents.

2) Read the title of the topography map. (Which sometimes can give you the clue on what the map is about)

3) Identify the north arrow.

4) Identify the physical features: E.g. Relief, water bodies, and vegetation.

Relief-determine the highest height of the place with the trigo station (A triangle with a dot in the middle)

Contours-look at how each contour is spaced apart: Nearer to each other means steep gradient, further from each other means gentle gradient.

Water bodies: Rivers, lakes, ponds, seas, look for floodplains, dams, irrigation canals or any water body related feature that can be found near or at the water body.

5) Identify the human features: Settlements, railways, roads, electrical lines, factories, industries, school, place of worship.

Settlement pattern: dispersed, linear, nucleated (Know the characteristics and remember to use EVIDENCE from the map if questions about settlement patterns are asked.

6) Four-grid reference, e.g. 0623, Six-grid reference, e.g. 062234. Always read the easting (x-axis) first, then the northing, y-axis. Always read the left hand bottom corner of the box of where the feature is located.

Normal Mapwork:

Got to know the continents, oceans, prominent countries and places learnt. Any map that can be found in the textbook can be tested

Basic Techniques (8 mins)

Always STUDY and ANALYZE at the photograph or graphical representations (pie chart, table, x-y graph etc) carefully and in detail. Spend at least 1 minute on this.

Photograph: Key words that you should use when describing a photograph or identifying features found on a photograph.

Foreground, middleground, background.

Left, right, top, bottom

North, south, east, west.

ALWAYS USE EVIDENCE SEEN FROM THE PHOTOGRAPH OR PICTURE TO SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER (for both basic technique questions and structured)

e.g from what year to what year, how much have increased, decreased, stayed constant, fluctuating, started, ended etc. Whenever, there are numericals, please use them.

Gradient of slope-best to use if there are no numerical to help support how much something have changed. But if there is numerical data, it is better to use the number data that you can analyze and interpret with to support your answer.

Structured (52 minutes, one question, approximately 13 minutes)

Always elaborate, your answers with explanation /or with examples.

Follow the sequence below when answering structured questions, especially when the question is of a 3 marks or above kind of weightage.

1) Topical sentence

2) Explanation/Elaboration

3) Example

Earthquake, Tsunamis, Haze

2009-10-02T08:57:00.006+08:00

Hi guys,

As we are finishing off Chapter 10, and how I keep stressing from time to time the very real effects of our actions and pollution that we humans create that would lead to an increased occurrence of disastrous phenomena or natural disasters that would eventually hit back on humanity.

Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/samoa/6247891/British-toddler-swept-out-to-sea-among-Samoa-tsunami-victims.html

Recent natural disasters seen around the world is clear as crystal, like where Tsunami hit in the South Pacific, Samoa.

Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6992499.stm

Near to home, at Padang, Indonesia a 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings and led to fires, leading to quite a number dead and the death toll is still climbing. Even back in Singapore, some parts of Singapore could feel the tremors.

Source:http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/messages/578191/2506855.html?1243388040

And at home, the haze problem is creeping back,with the very dry weather, causing the fires in Indonesia to be persistent. The Pollutant Standard Index is at 53 (at a moderate range), but visibility has significantly dropped.

The environmental problems or natural disasters the human race face is very real and could be triggered or worsened by the pollution we have created, increasing global warming and also ozone depletion.

As you guys study for your EOY, you can use such examples in your answers if need be.

And remember, what you are studying now are not for your grades only, the knowledge you gained through the classes with should EMPOWER you to make better, wiser and conscious choices that help the environment, and of course for a better future for your generation on this Earth.

2009-09-28T15:06:00.002+08:00

Australian town in 'world-first' bottled water ban

(AFP) -26th Sept 2009

SYDNEY — An Australian town pulled all bottled water from its shelves Saturday and replaced it with refillable bottles in what is believed to be a world-first ban.

Hundreds of people marched through the picturesque rural town of Bundanoon to mark the first day of its bottled water ban by unveiling a series of new public drinking fountains, said campaign spokesman John Dee.

Shopkeepers ceremoniously removed the last bottles of water from their shelves and replaced them with reusable bottles that can be filled from fountains inside the town's shops or at water stations in the street.

"Every bottle today was taken off the shelf and out of the fridges so you can only now buy refillable bottles in shops in Bundanoon," Dee told AFP.

The tiny town, two hours south of Sydney, voted in July to ban bottled water after a drinks company moved to tap into a local aquifer for its bottled water business.

"In the process of the campaign against that the local people became educated about the environmental impact of bottled water," said Dee.

"A local retailer came up with this idea of well why don't we do something about that and actually stop selling the bottled water and it got a favourable reaction," he said.

Dee said the 2,000-person town had made international headlines with their bid, which he hoped would spur communities across the world to action.

"Whilst our politicians grapple with the enormity of dealing with climate change what Bundanoon shows is that at the very local level we can sometimes do things that can surprise ourselves, in terms of our ability to bring about real and measurable change that has a real benefit for the environment," he said.

The cash savings only made the project more compelling, he added.

"I think that's why this campaign is doing so well, because we're saying to people you can save money and save the environment at the same time," said Dee. "The alternative doesn't have a sexy brand, doesn't have pictures of mountain streams on the front of it, it comes out of your tap."

Activists say bottling water causes unnecessary use of plastics and fuel for transport. A New South Wales study found that in 2006, the industry was responsible for releasing 60,000 tonnes of gases blamed for global warming.

Article from AFP, taken from : http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hZlHknsnA1Yhe-ZMnEDsF9w9U5qQ

Tips on how to study Chapter 7, 8 and for EOY

2009-09-22T15:42:00.003+08:00

Dear Gentlemen,

1) Definitions of important concepts (a summary usually can be found at the last few pages of the chapter)

2) Playback questions in your textbook are good guiding questions to re-cap what you should know from the chapter.

3) Case Studies are important.

4) Maps, Figures and Diagrams found in the textbook should be studied and familiarized.

Cheers, Miss Zheng

Chapter 8: Water Supply (Intro)

2009-09-15T12:28:00.004+08:00

Dear Gentlemen,

Here's the video I showed in class to introduce you to the topic on Water Supply. You will realize as we go through this chapter that water supply of the world is facing constraints just like land supply. You will also realize that a lot of factors contributing to the high demand for water(mainly high population growth/numbers in the world) and constraints are similar to what we have studied in the chapter of land supply.

Similarly, just like how we devise ways to increase land supply, humans have also devised ways to increase water supply, either by increasing price of water, creating more water sources or conservation, very similar methods/strategies we have learnt in the chapter on land supply.

As you start preparing for your end of the year examinations, see how you can study smart and interlink these two chapters together.

Chapter 7:Responses to rising demand for land (Increasing supply of land and Conservation)

2009-09-15T11:51:00.010+08:00

Hi guys,

Here is a re-cap on the last bit of Chapter 7: Responses to rising demand for land

Besides, increasing the price, which I have touched about on the concept of Price mechanism, below are the two other ways to meet the rising demand for land.

Increasing the supply of land:

1) Land Clearance: Clearing forests and demolishing buildings

2) Land Reclamation: Landfill method, Empoldering, reclaiming derelict land

3)Maximising existing landuse: Maxmising urban landuse (mixing urban landuse and high density building)

Mixing urban landuse (examples: Sengkang and Jurong)

High density building

Conservation of land

1) Nature parks, wetlands or in general other green spaces.

Oil threat to Australia wildlife By Phil Mercer BBC News, Sydney

2009-09-14T00:42:00.005+08:00

Hi guys,

As you all did Worksheet 6.2 and one of the headlines was about oil spill and the question asked about its impact, below is an article on BBC news about a oil spill from a rig in the Timor sea affecting the waters around Australia (which you can see here, it is a problem transcending all 3 scales: local (Timor Sea), regional(Timor Sea and other waters around Australia, global:affecting endangered marine animals and species that are of the world). Help to clear the slick came from the regions, specifically an emergency rig from Singapore.

Do read the article and gain some insight.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Photo credits: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8252982.stm

Conservationists believe that, in its rush to exploit abundant natural resources, Australia risks inflicting irreparable damage on its fragile environment.

Environmentalists have warned that an oil slick caused by an accident on a rig in the Timor Sea is threatening wildlife in Australian waters.

Oil has been flowing from the West Atlas platform for three weeks.

Safety authorities have been using chemicals to try to break up the spill but warn it could be at least two more weeks before the leak is plugged.
Up to 400 barrels of oil per day have been pouring into the Timor Sea to Australia's north.

An emergency rig has arrived from Singapore to repair the damage and aircraft and boats have been dousing the slick with dispersants

Fragile environment

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has said that this has helped to contain the spread of oil, the bulk of which remains around the drilling platform thanks, in part, to benign weather conditions.

Officials have stated that the slick is about 170km (100 miles) from the Australian coast.

Environmental groups believe the contamination poses a significant threat to wildlife and is heading towards land.

Piers Verstegen, from the Conservation Council of Western Australia, says the spill - off the north coast of the Kimberley region where whales congregate - is an ecological disaster.

"Humpback whales, an endangered species, go to that area and that region to calf and give birth and this oil spill is happening just off the Kimberley coast," Mr Verstegen said.

"The oil, as far as we are aware, is travelling towards the Kimberley coastline but it is definitely affecting areas that are used by these whales and dolphins."
Fishermen have reported seeing endangered flatback turtles covered in oil.

There have also been claims that fish and sea-snakes have been poisoned.

From:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8252982.stm

Agriculture pioneer Borlaug dies

2009-09-13T21:44:00.003+08:00

Photo credits:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8253005.stm

Norman Borlaug, the man known as the father of the Green Revolution in agriculture, has died in the US state of Texas aged 95.

Prof Borlaug won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for agricultural innovation and the development of high-yield crops.

The Green Revolution helped world food production more than double between 1960 and 1990 with Asia, Africa and Latin America in particular benefiting.

The Nobel Institute said he had helped save hundreds of millions of lives.

Prof Borlaug died late on Saturday evening at his home in Dallas from complications with cancer, said a spokesperson for Texas A&M University, where he had worked.

'A better place'

In the early 1960s Prof Borlaug realised that creating short-stemmed varieties would leave food plants more energy for growing larger heads of grain.

His high-yield, disease-resistant dwarf wheat quickly boosted harvests in Latin America, and his techniques were particularly successful in South Asia, where famine was widespread.

Analysts believe the Green Revolution helped avert a worldwide famine in the late 20th century.

A close friend of Prof Borlaug at Texas A&M, Dr Ed Runge, told Associated Press news agency: "He has probably done more and is known by fewer people than anybody that has done that much... He made the world a better place."

The Nobel prize presentation said Prof Borlaug "more than any other single person of his age... has helped to provide bread for a hungry world". Prof Borlaug continued his work into his 90s.

At a conference in the Philippines in 2006 he said: "We still have a large number of miserable, hungry people and this contributes to world instability.
"Human misery is explosive, and you better not forget that."

Norman Borlaug was born in Iowa in 1914.
He studied at the University of Minnesota and later worked for DuPont and the Rockefeller Foundation.

He set up his wheat and maize centre in 1963 to train scientists.
Prof Borlaug was awarded the highest US civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal, in 2007.

from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8253005.stm, 13 September 2009

Chaper 7: Effectiveness of Land Reclamation

2009-09-04T18:19:00.005+08:00

Hi guys,

Countries that are small like Singapore or where it is mainly made up of lowlands, below the sea level like the Netherlands, land reclamation is a popular solution to the limited land supply the country has. However, land reclamation is not all rosy and good, there are costs that the country have to bear when they embark on land reclamation and limitations to land reclamation itself.

They are:

1) Limitations on the current technology

2)Cost of reclaiming deeper waters

3)Availability of sand for reclamation

4)National territory boundaries (Law of the Sea)

5)Negative impacts on the environment:destruction of natural habitats and sedimentation

Sedimentation is a form of water pollution and I mentioned in class it affects especially the corals found in the sea, I questioned in class if there were corals found in Singapore and many of you said yes. Unlike the beautiful corals of myriad colours of other countries such as Malaysia, the Maldives or Australia, Singapore's corals are usually dull and brownish in colour. This is mainly due to the high sedimentation in Singapore waters that restrict certain growth of aquatic plants that produce the sugars which gives off the pretty colours that you see.

Below are the two videos that I showed about sedimentation and the corals found at Pulau Hantu. enjoy!

Effect of Sedimentation

Pulau Hantu

Below is a map of the areas where you can find corals in Singapore and the type of corals you can find.

Below is another video about the marine life and corals of Singapore, with better colours..enjoy!

Chaper 7: Land Reclamation ( 3 methods)

2009-09-04T13:44:00.006+08:00

In class, I have gone through with you that land reclamation is the creation of dry land from an area covered by water. Land reclamation can also refer to the process of recovering land that is damaged and abandoned and making it usable again.

There are three major methods that for land reclamation:

1)Landfill: create land by draining waterlogged areas such as swamps and marshes and filling them with material like sand to form dry land.

2) Empoldering: method of creating land from the sea through the use of polders.

3) Reclaiming derelict land:

-->Poor farming practices:

1) Through usage of fertilizers.

2) Letting the land lie fallow.

-->Mining activities:

1)Spoil banks have to be levelled

2)Mining pools filled.

3)Chemicals can be introduced to treat acidic soil

4)Vegetation planted to prevent soil erosion.

Chapter 7:Land Supply (Responses to limited land supply)

2009-08-28T17:23:00.002+08:00

I moved on to the ways in which we can increase land supply or to solve land supply problems.

They are:

1)Increasing price of land

2)Increasing supply of land

3)Conserving land.

1) INCREASING PRICE OF LAND

For increasing price of land, the concept that surrounds this is price mechanism and is about the demand and supply graph as shown below:

Second way is to increase supply of land and related to Chapter 4 on Agriculture where you learnt people clear the forest for land for settlement and agricultural purposes.

So two ways were demolishing old buildings and deforestation. The video below showed about deforestation in Brazil, at the Amazon rainforest and I told you to think about the negative effects that it brings besides being able to increase supply of land and that forests around the world are carbon sinks. Look at the video for re-cap and look at why deforestation is so rampant in Brazil, link it back to the concept of demand and supply too.

Possible impacts of deforestation:

1)Loss of biodiversity

2)Habitat degradation

3)Modified global climate (emission of CO2)

4)Social impact (indigenous people)

2) INCREASING SUPPLY OF LAND

Below was the video i showed about how Dubai is increasing their supply of land largely for tourism purposes.

Below are the satellite images that showed the growth of the islands of Dubai

Jan 1973-Barely much settlements seen

August 1990-Transport networks and settlements sighted

Oct 2006-Increase in settlement and transport networks and the growth of the Dubai islands

Images credited to : http://kuusanmaki.com/blog/?p=21

Chapter 7:Land Supply (Reasons for Land Constraint)

2009-08-28T16:33:00.008+08:00

Hi guys,

For the past week, I started the lesson on land supply by using the newspaper game and had each of you represent as particular landuse (

be it for housing, settlement, factories etc) and you guys had to STRATEGIZE and plan how you could accommodate as much people as possible on the folded newspaper (which represented 30% of the Earth surface made up of land) w

ithout stepping out of it.

I told you all as you relate back the the topic, land supply is limited and there is a need for people to strategize on how to best use the piece of land as there is not only limited land supply, there is also a rising demand of it due to mainly the increasing population growth of the world.

The important concept that reflects about land constraint is this: CARRYING CAPACITY.

Carrying Capacity is the maximum number of people an area can support comfortably

without straining its supply of resources for future use.

The Generation of change starts from YOU.

2009-08-25T16:36:00.006+08:00

The video below is the the conclusion video I showed you boys in class for the chapter on Managing the Changing Environment. And after the video I challenged you boys to be the Generation of Change where you will be problem solvers and Earth savers and to REVERSE what our forefathers have done the environment in which we are experiencing the impacts and effects now.

It's not too late yet, don't wait till its too late.

You still have at least 40 more years to live and in order to have a better future on Mother Earth, I challenge you to lead an environmentally friendly life through small steps that will help in conserving the environment for a better future for yourself and the next generations to come.

Start small.

Start now.

Start with yourself.

don't be part of the Lost Generation...

Nursing home says children hardly visit parents to avoid paying fees (Singapore)

2009-08-25T16:22:00.002+08:00

The article below is about the problem of an aged population in Singapore where seemingly and increasingly more Singaporeans are abandoning their parents and not visiting them due to the fees need to paid to look after them. I do hope that in the future, your generation will not do the same and that each and everyone of you will appreciate your parents and look after them after they grow old.

Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, August 25

SINGAPORE: Abandoning parents may not be common but it is becoming an emerging issue in Singapore

Five per cent of the elderly at Bright Hill Evergreen Home have not seen their children for some time. The home said the children do not visit so as to avoid paying ward fees.

Ninety per cent of some 140 elderly in the home have children who are unable to support them.

Staff at the nursing home said the children would cite reasons such as being busy with work, being ill or that they are having family problems.

The staff added that the elderly who have not seen their children in a long time are prone to depression, and most refuse treatment.

The home said they usually turn to counselling and games to help the elderly keep their minds off their children.

One elderly at the home said: "My children do not come over to visit me, they never came once."

Tang Yip Chong, head nurse, Bright Hill Evergreen Home, said: "The family normally has to pay (the ward fees) for a long time for the parents to stay in the home. (There is a) burden on them (the children), so after some time, they come (less often) to visit the patients so they can more or less escape paying the ward fees."

— CNA/yt

Story of Stuff (Animated)

2009-08-22T12:52:00.006+08:00

Below is a 20 minutes plus long video about the "Story about Stuff", it is really a good animation and video show that links up the whole story about how human change the earth (through industrialization and extracting resources from the Earth), how the developed countries(in this case, the context is USA) kind of exploit the developing countries and most importantly, our human actions affecting the earth.

A good wrap up and summary on Chapter 6: Managing our changing environment.

Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Managing Our Changing Environment

2009-08-17T17:10:00.008+08:00

Hi guys, today in class I talked about how we humans have been changing BOTH the physical and human environments to meet our needs. I also reminded us that as we take the resources out of the Earth with a unprecedented rate, we are in a danger zone of having the Earth's natural resources running low for our future generations (your future children) and also when we take from the Earth, we are also damaging the Earth through the processes and the by-products that we generate to create the goods and produce that we consume.

Below are the videos I showed in class today, look through them again as a re-cap about the kind and amount of waste we throw and how some cannot even be broke down, remember glass? In Singapore, being an affluent society, we are a "throw-away society/country" and the amount of unwarranted waste is great, so do think about what as an individual, can you do to play a part in conserving our Earth....recycling is not the convenient green solution that we should head towards. Instead, we should really be reducing our own consumption of goods and products that are not really needed by us to live, but are only wants.

GARBAGE CRISIS

CASE STUDY: NAPLES (ITALY) GARBAGE PROBLEMS

The video below is about Naples of Italy and how the huge amount of garbage have caused trouble to not only the locals (poisoning of vegetable produce,poisoned water supply due to the leakages in landfills, foul smells of rubbish thrown on the streets) but is also as a result of a regional effect (the mafia bringing in rubbish from outside Naples and illegally dumping it in Naples) and even international (of the processed food, mozzarella cheese which they export out)

So in studying this chapter and the following chapters, we need to not only think about the inter-relationships between humans and the environment (where we are actually inter-dependent, what happens at the far end of the Earth can eventually affect us), we need to think about the impacts of our human actions in the three spatial scale: local, national/regional and global/international.

The video below is about the fast fashion that is happening around the world especially in developed countries such as the USA or UK where high end fashion design threads are made readily available to the mass market and made affordable now, thus feeding to the growing problem of a Throw-away society. With fashion made to be easily accessed and disposed, the amount of waste generated by it is an on high. The video below shows the ways in curbing the waste created by fashion. So the next time you buy your Chinese New Year clothes, negotiate with your mother to not buy clothes in red which you will not get to wear so often but in tradition with Chinese New Year, buy clothes that will last you throughout the year and something that you will wear.

The link here shows you a video on how to handle e-waste, another big contributor to waste where electronic appliances phase out at a very fast rate, resulting in the massive e-waste created.

Click here!

URBAN FARM: High tech Farming in the Urban City

2009-08-16T22:15:00.002+08:00

Below is a video on high tech farming in the urban city, specifically on the rooftop on buildings. Look at how technology play a big part in ensuring the growth of the vegetable produce. The whole urban farm is really self sustainable and mechanics behind is like nature, following the laws of the ecosystem. It's really a brilliant idea to use roof top space to have a high tech garden.

Do you think it is viable for Singapore's HDB flats' rooftops? A consideration HDB or other construction developers should have don't you think so?

Chapter 4: Plantation Agriculture and High Tech farming

2009-08-16T22:00:00.001+08:00

Below are the videos that were shown in class about Plantation agriculture and high tech farming. Do see them as a re-cap on the chapters.

As you re-cap on the video, remember on what I said about the impact on the environment that comes with Plantation agriculture,which is related to the next few chapters that we are going to go through which is about "Managing our Environment"

The video above is about hydroponics done in the United States and below is about High-tech farming in Israel (on animal produce: milk).

Earth in animates satellite imagery and spatial data..

2009-08-16T21:56:00.000+08:00

Below is a video about Earth in satellite imagery and all..interesting video...enjoy!

The World is getting crowded: A pictorial story

2009-07-31T16:24:00.010+08:00

Hi guys, below are pictures that depict of the problem of overpopulation around the world and how you can see if overpopulation is left alone on its own, how much stress it will put on the world resources, land supply, water supply, etc...this is really happening around the world and do think about its impacts and how can we actually slow down or help prevent a crisis from happening due to overpopulation...

Imagine every inch of the transport mode/system is filled with people, imagine Singaporeans hugging onto the SMRT train!

Jammed Transport networks: Getting stuck in Singapore's peak hours is quite bad..imagine having to queue even longer...look at the picture below and u will get what I mean...

Overcrowded Housing: Amount of land able to contain all the housing needs of such a burgeoning population is going to be a feat..

Fighting for jobs: Below are the number of people appearing at a job career fair...wages one have to take in the future is going to spiral downwards if population of the world is just going keep spiralling upwards.

Crowded Amenities: Imagine swimming in a public pool with so many people, on a side note, imagine if one person secretly pees =P...and everyone does the same thinking that others will not do it...ewwwww....

It's scary seeing the pictures of so many people and imagine its like that in Singapore, with every step you take, you bump to another Singaporean....scary....

Credits of photos: http://www.crookedbrains.net/2008/01/world-is-getting-crowded.html

Chapter 4: Agriculture-Wet Rice cultivation

2009-07-31T14:45:00.004+08:00

Below is the video I showed in class of the processes of Wet Rice Cultivation in Sri Lanka. A visual re-cap, so you can look through it again.

Below is the video about how Technology have changed the way people

farm, especially in developed countries, in this instance, the video shows

about Japan.

Chapter 4: Agriculture-Shifting cultivation (Hill Rice Farming)

2009-07-30T16:21:00.005+08:00

Go this website to know about hill rice farming in East Malaysia, the website also gives a good idea about the process of hill rice farming.

Click here!

Below is the video I showed in class about how shifting cultivators actually carry out the process of "Slash and Burn" to prepare the land for farming. A visual re-cap of the process of Shifting Cultivation.

A Member of Parliament's view on Old Age in Singapore

2009-07-28T20:51:00.002+08:00

Below is an article by Member of Parliment, Hri Kumar on the issue old age, and the problem of Singaporeans not wanting to take the responsibility of taking care of the elderly. I mentioned in class before as we talked about the consequences of having an aged population and that I hope that none of you would entertain the thought of sending your parents to the old age home when you grow up to be fathers on your own.

Read the blog post by Hri Kumar below and maybe ponder and think about what he said in his post, especially about putting in place legislation so that the aged would be taken care of (kind of sad, don't you think if a law has to be put in place to teach Singaporeans about filial piety?)

======================================================
OLD AGE

Taken from : http://hri-kumar.blogspot.com/2009/07/old-age.html

One of the hardest part of my job as MP is meeting elderly Singaporeans whose children are unwilling to support them. It is not just the challeges that they have to go through to make ends meet. The thought that your own flesh and blood have abandoned you must be infinitely more wounding. There is no single reason why they find themselves in this situation. I am sure not one side is completely to blame, just as no one is entirely blameless.

But whatever the cause, the elderly must be helped. How we should do this is the big question.

When (then) NMP Walter Woon introduced the Maintenace of Parents Bill in Parliament, it caused no end of controversy. Many felt that the Government should not interfere in family relationships and dynamics. I do not believe anyone wants this. It would not be necessary if everyone looked after their parents. But some do not. The counter is that the State should provide for the elderly, so that the children do not have to. That is one solution, but is this also what we want? First, many Singaporeans love and respect their parents, and will happily provide for them. That is a value we must preserve, and our policies should not discourage this. Second, should everyone then have to subsidise children who are not willing to discharge that responsibility? Because when one asks the State to pay, in reality it means that we all pay.

We then come to the group which poses the real difficulty: children who are willing to support their parents, but say that they cannot afford to. There are of course such genuine cases. But there are unfortunately also some who say they cannot afford it, but what they really mean is that maintaining their parents is not high on their list of priorities. So, we have recently read in the newspapers of people who say they cannot pay the nursing home charges for their parents, but can nonetheless afford cars. Should Singaporeans be subsidising this group?

So cases must be individually assessed, and where necessary, help will be given. The problem is that it is often difficult to define when help is necessary. The children's wages are a good yardstck, but imperfect. A person can have a higher wage, but larger fixed expenses. Then you have to go into which expenses are truly necessary and which are not. It is a minefield. Then there are cases where the children can afford it, but their parents do not want to file a case with the Maintenance Tribunal. That reluctance is understandable, but what is the solution then? Should Singaporeans subsidise such personal choices? If yes, who would want to go the Tribunal in the first place?

This is a difficult issue, and one which will become more challenging as our population ages.

Chapter 3-Settlement: Everchanging

2009-07-24T16:30:00.003+08:00

Remember that I said in class that a settlement is ever changing and it can grow or it can actually degenerate? Well the video below is about Manchester (good news for Manchester United Fans, you get to see how Old Trafford actually changed), the city that has been changing over the years. Look at the video and see the features of the urban settlement change, its changing functions and regeneration...enjoy!

Chapter 3-Settlement: Urban settlement

2009-07-21T22:21:00.010+08:00

Below are pictures of different well-known cities (urban settlements) around the world. Look at the evidence from each photo which portrays that they are of an urban settlements.

enjoy the photos as some of them are really stunning.=) you can go to this webbie to view other stunning photos too!

Singapore

Shanghai

New York City

Kuala Lumpur

South Korea

All photos and credits to :http://techxav.com/2009/07/20/70-beautiful-stunning-photographs-of-city-skylines-around-the-world/

Hank the singing bottle...Recycling

2009-07-19T02:23:00.002+08:00

a video about recycling...enjoy!=)

Chapter 2 Population: Consequences of Population Explosion (High Population Growth)

2009-07-17T17:59:00.005+08:00

The vide below is about the consequences of overpopulation that is happening in Egypt and also the actions the government is taking to help curb the

problem.

The video is a good visual re-cap on what we went through in class about the problems of high population growth/overpopulation.

Go to the website below for a pictorial view and audio story of Dharavi, Asia's largest slum...see the effects on how overpopulation can cause a high demand on housing and other resources, this is also a good prelude to the next chapter on Settlement, about the settlement patterns.

Asia Largest Slum

Chapter 2 Population: Consequences of Ageing Population in Asia

2009-07-17T17:12:00.006+08:00

Below is an article taken from ChannelNews Asia which predominately talks about the consequences of the growing ageing(greying) population for Asia, do have a read on the article and see if you can sieve out the reasons for the increasing growing population (causes) and also the consequences of an ageing population.

ADB study shows greying Asia faces pensions time bomb
Posted: 11 July 2009 2033 hrs

MANILA: Asia is facing an ageing crisis with weak and inadequate pension systems and family-based support dwindling, a leading development bank said Saturday.

"A young continent reaping the demographic dividend of a large youthful workforce is giving way to a greying continent where the ratio of retirees to workers is on the rise," senior Asian Development Bank economist Park Donghyun said in a study released by the Manila-based lender.

Improved female education and better medical care is inducing Asians to have fewer children, allowing them to live longer and causing a "seismic" demographic shift, Park said.

The median age of China, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam "will exceed the world average by 2050" which spells trouble for their pension systems along with that of the Philippines, the study said.

The greying phenomenon is more pronounced in East and Southeast Asia than in South Asia, it added.

"In contrast to industrialised countries, most Asian countries do not yet have mature, well-functioning pension systems," Park said.

"As a result, they are ill-prepared to provide economic security for the large number of retirees who loom on the horizon."

The bank found "key systemic failures" including low coverage, inadequate benefits, lack of financial sustainability and insufficient support for the elderly poor".

Meanwhile "the weakening of informal family-based old age support mechanisms suggests a greater role for formal pension systems throughout the region".

Asians have traditionally looked to their children to take care of their material needs in old age, in effect relying on a substitute pension system in a region where it was not uncommon for three generations to live under one roof.

However, rapid urbanisation and the reduced role of agriculture in the economy "are creating a vacuum in Asia’s old age support, a vacuum that must be filled by formal pension systems".

The study warned that globalisation had also weakened job security, pushing large numbers of people into the informal sector, where they enjoy no pension or labour protection coverage.

Park said the pension systems of the eight countries covered a mere 13.2-58 per cent of the labour force, with the coverage rates for working-age populations at just 10.8 to 40 per cent.

These compare poorly with around 90 per cent of the labour force of developed countries and between 60 and 75 per cent of the working-age population, the economist added.

- AFP/yb

Image and article take from: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/441775/1/.html

Chapter 2-Population: Population Distribution and Density and Population Pyramid

2009-07-08T11:27:00.011+08:00

Population Distribution and Density

Below are the tables that the two classes did in class in the factors that affect population distribution and density.

Class 2-3

Class 2-9

Population Pyramid

Below is a short introduction about what a Population Pyramid is, look through and have an idea of what characteristics a Less Developed country (Less economically developed country) and a Developed country (More economically developed country) would have. Enjoy!

Here is another site besides the CIA factbook mentioned earlier in an older post where you can access to a country's facts and figures, statistics and other information. Go into the weblink and click at any country you are interested in. Do look especially at the population pyramids of different countries for a reference which can be found under the headline "age distribution".

Website link: http://www.nationmaster.com/country/

Below are three countries' population pyramids taken from the website above. These countries are the ones we often talked about in class. Compare and see the different shapes of the three countries, look at the different characteristics and what can you deduce from them?

Bangladesh

(Image taken from http://www.nationmaster.com/country/)

United Kingdom

(Image taken from http://www.nationmaster.com/country/)

Singapore

(Image taken from http://www.nationmaster.com/country/)

Chapter 2: Population (Population Growth)

2009-07-06T15:40:00.010+08:00

The above video was shown as a hook in class, to get the Chapter on Population started with the classes. This a daily life affair of Japanese in Tokyo getting onto the train and the squeezing is sure far worst then what we experience here in Singapore! They even have people designated to push the people into the train in order to get everyone in. Quit an amazing feat too.

The video below was shown in class and its about Lagos (do look through it again if you couldn't catch the audio), one of the growing populous cities in Nigeria and of course instead of a megacities present, megaslums have actually taken prominence.

Below is a website link that you can go to, to look at the real-time SIMULATION of the birth rate and death rates around the world, in addition to the population growth, it has incorporated also the amount of CO2 that we humans have emitted thus far (though it is actually much lower as compared to reality)

Quite interesting, go click and have a look---> Breathing Earth !

This is another website to get up to date data of the world or specific countries in terms of population growth, birth rate, death rate etc or any other facts on the world--->CIA -The World Factbook

Chapter 1: Introduction to the Human Environment

2009-07-01T18:53:00.002+08:00

COMPONENTS OF THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

P A S T C

Population

Agriculture

Settlement

Transport

Communications

And below the graphic organizer that was done in class last week. =)

Diagram is adapted from Liaw, B. T and Bunnet R B, 2007, Inspiring Discovery in Geography 2A (Population and Settlements), Star Publihsing Pte Ltd, Pg 5

Introduction: What do YOU think is Geography?

2009-07-01T17:04:00.003+08:00

Many a times, when the word, "Geography" comes into mind, I think quite instantly, people would associate it with having the knowledge of countries around the world. Or I guess, the skill of reading of maps would come into mind. So in one of my class I showed this cartoon, "Yakko's World" from Animaniacs (1990s) to test if most of my students agree that Geography is about knowing the countries of the world.

Initially, I wanted to show another video, about a 2 year old girl that shows that she is really good with the world map! Amazing! But the clip is like 8 minutes so kind of long, so showed Yakko's World instead. So shall show the other video here instead.

So what do I think is Geography?

Since Secondary One to up to my varsity days, teachers and lecturers alike have always mentioned that the word "Geography" came from the Ancient Greeks and they married the root word "ge" for earth and "grapho" for "to write" to form what we know as "Geography" today. Rightly so, Geography to me is indeed about writing about the Earth BUT not only about countries around the world.

More importantly, Geography I feel is one subject that enables us to find answers to questions about the world around us-about where things are and how and why they got there and the heart of all things that make this world that we call home tick is about the relationship(s) between humans and this world. =)

Purpose of this Virtual Space

2009-03-23T11:32:00.000+08:00

Jiak Ko Pi was the term used to hook Miss Zheng by her Geography teacher when the teacher came into class to introduce the subject of Geography back in her Secondary School days

Jiak Ko Pi literally means "eating coffee" and has no relation whatsoever of the subject of Geography but was thought as a unique name as a title insert and blog address name that students can easily remember. It also sounds very much like Geo-gra-phy (Jiak-Ko-Pi) don't you think so? ; )

The purpose of this virtual space is mainly for students studying Geography under Miss Zheng for enrichment and additional knowledge of the topics taught within the classroom.

This space is also a virtual archive of videos/photos or other forms of media of some of the topics taught during class time.

It is also a place where you can find interesting things or happenings around the world that are related to Geography.

Please make sure to give credit for anything taken from this blog, please email the owner at misszzheng@gmail.com for any enquiries or permission of usage of materials found here.