Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Of tests, exams and chapter 15 @ 6:43 PM
Tentatively, there will be tests every week, only unless there are holidays or other events that clash during that week. Nontheless, with only 12 weeks in this term to teach you all 7 chapters for the normal classes and 8 (chapter 20 included) for the express, I recommend all to read up the following chapters before coming to class.
The exams will include chapter 14 to 21 (exlcuding 20 for normal classes), this time round it should be easier than the first semester's exam, so I am expecting much higher number of passes.
Next, in order to prepare you for chapter 15, here are a few major tips (which actually if you read your textbook, you do not need)
1. Max & min temperature
mean (mean = average) temperature: (max-min)/2 ....duh
2. temperature range
max temp- min temp
3. Rainfall
READ THE BOOK, VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
4. Wind Rose
The one with the longest arm shows which direction the wind is blowing most constantly. Take note that a wind rose is NOT a wind vane. Here are 2 pictures to show you the difference.
The one on the left is a wind vane and the one on the right is a wind rose.
The rest of the material I will present in class, it is a fun topic and I think you all will enjoy it.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Happy Holidays and notes on Rivers & People @ 6:07 PM
Happy holidays, hope everyone is enjoying their holidays. Anyway, remember to do review exercise. The things to take note about chapter 14 is that there are both positive and negative impacts that the river can have on people. The positive impacts that rivers have on people can also lead to people abusing the river for those uses and in the end polluting or damaging the ecological system in the river. I will not go into too much detail, as I can see alot of you understand this part of the chapter.Please take note that the River Nile and Aswan high Dam case study is different from the rest of the chapter, as it builds upon your understanding from the earlier part of the chapter. The problems and benefits that the Aswan High Dam can be summarised as followed:
Benefits:
1. Hydroelectric energy.
2. Water level is same throughout the year.
3. Crops can be grown throughout the year.
4. Boats can travel up and down the year throughout the year.
5. Arid (dry and infertile) land now be irrigated (watered) to become arable land (land is good
Question: Why does point 3, 4 & 5 related to point 2.
Problems:
1. Less sediments are flowing down the river.
2. Farmland down river are less infertile.
3. Fish population are reduced.
4. Habitats are reduced, animals and plants species and populations are reduced.
5. People have to leave their homes and houses upriver.
Question: Why does point 2, 3 & 4 related to point 1.
Here are a couple more sites you can go and read up about.
http://geography.about.com/od/specificplacesofinterest/a/nile.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan_High_Dam
here is a site on arid and arable land:
http://geography.about.com/od/physicalgeography/a/deserts.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arable
Those of you who are going on holidays, take some photos of what you think is arid (dry) land and arable (fertile) land. A good tell tale sign if it is barren with little plants (arid) or is any farming (arable). We can share the photos when we come back to schoool.