Throughout this school year of 2012-2013, there have been many experiences worth writing about. In fact, I have many experiences, I'm not sure where to begin. For a start, I really enjoyed all the projects that we were able to finish. Whether it be a good project, or one that I simply decided to procrastinate on, the project would always come out nicely. The very first assignment/ project that I was supposed to do, was to create a water bottle type of rocket. We needed to use our resources, and building skills, and finally create something worth while. I believe that all projects have some type of purpose to it. This particular one showed us some good examples of Newton's Three Laws of Motion. (For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.) So, when the bottle is connected to the air pump, it will be faced down, but shoot up into the sky. 
   The second most memorable thing we were subjected to, were the interactions in core. We had to re live what the people in the past had experienced. Some of these were more enjoyable then others.

The Columbian Exchange definitely had it's perks, and it's tragedies. Europe and North America were the posts of this trade, and the world Columbian, referring to Columbus, when he discovered the continent of North America. Columbus was in search of India, but instead, fell upon this continent, that we now call North America. Back to the Columbian trade, there were some positive connotations about this particular trade. The trade had introduced a boat load of new animals. Each of these animals were never really understood, and so they seemed new to these people. Although some of them, such as the llama was introduced years and years before.
   The negative connotation was disease. Many new di

This previous Tuesday, we were admitted to go to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, on our annual Zoo Day. Many stations and activities were put up to signify where we were supposed to go next. Out of the many stations, and activities that were completed, I really enjoyed going over to the stingrays. Ever since I was a child, being a marine biologists was a dream of mine. I always enjoyed going over to see, and touch the see animals. They were always so peaceful. Although they are care free, it doesn't mean that they are happy. Some studies show that the dolphin stresses the most, of almost all of the animals. Millions are being captivated, and held against their will, which should not be permitted in my case.

The two most important civilizations in our history, were the Aztec, and the Inca's. Both civilizations contributed much to our modern day society. For example, both had harvested great crops, that are still eaten today. The temples,and buildings created by them still stand tall, and they will forever be remembered. The two civilizations vanished when the Spanish arrived. Hernan Cortes led his men to go into the Aztec empire. He was in search for gold, and such. He was welcomed in the empire by Moctezuma II, because the Aztec's believed that he was a god that was there to help them. However, their fate was twisted as Cortes attacked them. The Spaniards had more advanced weaponry to use against the Aztec's and the Aztec's simply had a spear and a shield. The time of the Aztec's came to an end.
    The Inca empire was another group of people located in the depths of Mesoamerica or modern day Mexico. The Inca's had also grown and lived well. They grew crops, and traded with others, so it was normal for them. As the Aztec's, they were attacked by the Spanish, and killed. Some of them went into slavery. 

Out of the many memorable, and enjoyable moments this year, it was quiet difficult to pick a favorite. In Core, I actually enjoyed ALL of the assignments, and projects we created, but now it's time to decide. I chose the Renaissance Hall of Fame poster, as my favorite project. We constructed a poster, from any one in the Renaissance, and were a bit political, in my opinion. We demanded of others to vote for our person. Many individuals decided to do Leonardo da Vinci, or Marco Polo, but I wanted to come from a different approach, and decided to do Christian de Pizzan. She was one of the few women who were remembered till this day.
    This project wasn't the favorite to many students, as they didn't exactly know who to do the poster on. In the second half of our grade, we were submitted to go in front of the class, and orally present it. Everyone, I'm sure, was as nervous as I was, but somehow, you have to overcome that fear, and emotion. Others did their presentations in about 2-3 minutes, while it seemed like I took over 7 minutes presenting mine. All the information on my board, wasn't presented all the way, but i still managed to get the important bits on information in. 

The Maya civilization, was a group of people who have lived in the area of Mesoamerica, or modern day Mexico. They built great temples and structures that are still viewable to this day. Some archeologists have found great art pieces that were constructed from the Maya. They were very prosperous, until something very peculiar happened. They suddenly disappeared from our records. May theories have been contributed to their absence, but he still aren't completely sure why. Some argue that they dispersed due to the fact that they were so many of them, and their food supply, or agriculture area soon ran out. Others may believe that they had all died off, due to many battles, and wars. My theory is a bit unlike theirs, and I have a bit of evidence.
    In my head, I have several beliefs on what ACTUALLY happened to the Maya, and why they all disappeared. In actuality, I believe that they ran out of the agriculture area, and food. They might have used that area for a while, and finally, when the land could give them no more, they simply moved on elsewhere. They most likely found a place with greater fertile lands, and more food that is provided for them. 

It has been several days now, and still nothing. Wait, scratch that, we can finally see something in the horizon. For many days we have been searching for some place to settle in. So far we hadn't had the best of luck, but now I'm sure we can see something. The lands that we pass seem already occupied, or the land isn't large enough for our group of people. Once we can catch this land, it may be ours. Finally, we have arrived. This piece of land has resources that we need to survive, as well as the climate. There is water, food, and several sticks, and other items we need. I, myself, and  hunter-gatherer. I can do two things at once, hunting, and gathering, as my name explains.
   The hardest choice of them all is deciding whether I want to stay in this settlement, or continue moving. I believe that this is the right place for us, as the others can't travel any longer. In contrast, there might be better land further north from here.  

Out of the numerous books I have read this year, I found that I had more than one favorite. Each had  their own individual category. These books ranged from mystery, to adventure, to novels. Although I loved to read the warrior series, and the Princess Academy books, my favorite this year has to be a book titled The Clearing. This book is about a girl by the name of Cassy,and she dwells in a secluded forest area with the rest of her family. Fatherless, her brother carries on duties for her. She begins to wonder aimlessly one day while searching for almost nothing, when she comes across a clearing. This clearing is a time machine basically. There seems to be fog covering the whole clearing. She hears motor noises, and decides to step forward. A boy, around her age, is seen mowing his lawn. Quizzically, she really has no idea where she is, or how she got there. All she known, is that she is lost, physically and mentally.
     The plot is, the boy, Henry, has been living in the past, and his brother is out in war. He goes MIA,and they don't know where he is. Henry prays that time will freeze, and that is exactly what happened. 

European history has gone on for many ages in the past, some events are more important than others. The Scientific Revolution was one of those events, that were one of the most important. Before this time, many individuals had gone on believing the teachings, and scripts of Aristotle. They didn't exactly look past Aristotle, and saw everything he did as correct. However, according to modern day science, they were indeed wrong. No one had made a stand quiet yet, until Nicolaus Copernicus came into play. He was an astronomer, that looked much farther that Aristotle's teachings. Although, he did look up to Aristotle, he didn't understand hiss meanings. The same events that occurred, happened to Galileo, Kepler, and Brahe. They are indeed the most well known in this specific time period.

Martin Luther was a man of truth although, he didn't realize it himself. He knew he had something within him, but he didn't think he was enough for anything. He even went to such lengths, to become a monk, and cleansed his soul every so often. He  was most well known for nailing the 95 theses to the Church door. These theses were complaints against the pope and the church. If I were to have any say in this at all, I believe I could state five theses about school, and education. My first these, would probably have to revolve around music. I believe that all students should be forced to play an instrument, even against their will. Playing an instrument isn't completely useless,a s it will higher your IQ. Secondly, I believe that students should be given the opportunity to do more hands on activities. The students will not only enjoy it, but also learn in a different sort of way.
          In the third column, Our school systems should be like Japan. Although they have many students, they have the teachers rotate instead. The students stay int heir same homeroom, while the teachers go in and out, teaching different subjects. Therefore, some confusion regarding the students will die down a bit. For my fourth column, students should probably be able to use laptops more, to enhance learning, and make it a fun and easy experience for the teachers as well as the students. Finally, school shouldn't start as early in the morning, simply because they will be extremely tired, and exhausted, they won't be able to think properly.