Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Unit 5: Weather Vocabulary

from http://www.bom.gov.au/info/wwords/

Description of Phenomena
Fog: Suspension of very small water droplets in the air, reducing visibility at ground level to less than a kilometer.

Smog: Smog ( contraction for 'smoke fog') is a fog in which smoke or other forms of atmospheric pollutant have an important part in causing the fog to thicken, and have unpleasant and dangerous physiological effects.

Mist: Similar to fog, but visibility remains more than a kilometre.

Frost: Deposit of soft white ice crystals or frozen dew drops on objects near the ground; formed when surface temperature falls below freezing point.

Precipitation: Any or all of the forms of water particles, whether liquid (e.g. rain, drizzle) or solid (e.g. hail, snow), that fall from a cloud or group of clouds and reach the ground. (See Drizzle, Rain)

Drizzle: Fairly uniform precipitation composed exclusively of very small water droplets (less than 0.5 mm in diameter) very close to one another.

Rain: Precipitation of liquid water drops greater than 0.5 mm in diameter. In contrast to showers, it is steadier and normally falls from stratiform (layer) cloud.

Showers: Usually begin and end suddenly. Relatively short-lived, but may last half an hour. Often, but not always, separated by blue sky.

Blizzard: Violent and very cold wind which is laden with snow, some part, at least, of which has been raised from snow covered ground.

Thunderstorms: Thunderstorms are one or more convective clouds in which electrical discharge can be seen as lightning and heard as thunder by a person on the earth's surface.
A severe thunderstorm produces one or more of :-

hail at the ground with diameter of 2 cm or more;
wind gusts at the ground of 90 km/h or more;
tornadoes; or
very heavy rain likely to cause flash flooding.
Tornado: A tall, rapidly rotating column of air between 5 and 1000 metres in diameter which is attached to the base of a cumulonimbus or large cumulus cloud and which is capable of producing damage at the earth's surface.

Precipitation
Duration
Brief: Short duration.

Intermittent: Precipitation which ceases at times.

Occasional: Precipitation which while not frequent, is recurrent.

Frequent: Showers occurring regularly and often.

Continuous: Precipitation which does not cease, or ceases only briefly.

Periods of Rain: Rain is expected to fall most of the time, but there will be breaks.

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Intensity
Slight or Light:

Rain: Individual drops easily identified, puddles form slowly, small streams may flow in gutters.

Drizzle: Can be felt on the face but is not visible. Produces little run off from roads or roofs. Generally visibility is reduced, but not less than 1000 m.

Snow: Small sparse flakes. Visibility generally reduced but not less than 1000 m.

Hail: Sparse hailstones of small size, often mixed with rain.

Moderate:

Rain: Rapidly forming puddles, down pipes flowing freely, some spray visible over hard surfaces.

Drizzle: Window and road surfaces streaming with moisture. Visibility generally between 400 and 1000 m.

Snow: Large numerous flakes and visibility generally between 400-1000 m.

Hail: Particles numerous enough to whiten the ground.

Heavy:

Rain: Falls in sheets, misty spray over hard surfaces, may cause roaring noise on roof.

Drizzle: Visibility reduced to less than 400 m.

Snow: Numerous flakes of all sizes. Visibility generally reduced below 400 m.

Hail: A proportion of the hailstones exceed 6 mm diameter.

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Distribution of Showers(or other weather phenomena)
Few: Indicating timing, not an area.

Isolated: Showers which are well separated in space during a given period.

Local: Restricted to relatively small areas.

Patchy: Occurring irregularly over an area.

Scattered: Irregularly distributed over an area. Showers which, while not widespread, can occur anywhere in an area. Implies a slightly greater incidence than isolated.

Sporadic: Scattered or dispersed in respect of locality or local distribution. Characterised by occasional or isolated occurrence.

Widespread: Occurring extensively throughout an area.

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Wind Terms
The wind is a continuous succession of gusts and lulls associated with equally rapid changes of direction over a range which may exceed 30°. The mean wind speed over a period of time is therefore the mean of many gusts and lulls. Usually only the mean wind is forecast, unless the gusts are expected to be a significant feature. For instance, Fresh, gusty southwest winds indicates that the mean wind speed will be between 17 and 21 knots and the mean wind direction will be from the southwest, but that there will also be gusts to speeds significantly higher than the mean.

Gust: A gust is any sudden increase of wind of short duration, usually a few seconds.

Squall: A squall comprises a rather sudden increase of the mean wind speed which lasts for several minutes at least before the mean wind returns to near its previous value. A squall may include many gusts.

Wind descriptions (derived from the Beaufort Wind Scale) Wind speeds are given as the equivalent speed at a standard height of 10 metres above open flat ground

Student Blogs

Mathew's Blog for Reading Comprehension:
http://4rc.blogspot.com

Eve's Blog for Reading Comprehension:
http://eve4rc.blogspot.com/

Monday, June 25, 2007

SQ3R - A Reading and Study Skill System

SQ3R - A Reading and Study Skill System

Classic system presented by way of Virginia Tech: http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/sq3r.html

SURVEY - gather the information necessary to focus and formulate goals.
  1. Read the title - help your mind prepare to receive the subject at hand.
  2. Read the introduction and/or summary - orient yourself to how this chapter fits the author's purposes, and focus on the author's statement of most important points.
  3. Notice each boldface heading and subheading - organize your mind before you begin to read - build a structure for the thoughts and details to come.
  4. Notice any graphics - charts, maps, diagrams, etc. are there to make a point - don't miss them.
  5. Notice reading aids - italics, bold face print, chapter objective, end-of -chapter questions are all included to help you sort, comprehend, and remember.
QUESTION - help your mind engage and concentrate.

One section at a time, turn the boldface heading into as many questions as you think will be answered in that section. The better the questions, the better your comprehension is likely to be. You may always add further questions as you proceed. When your mind is actively searching for answers to questions it becomes engaged in learning.

READ - fill in the information around the mental structures you've been building.

Read each section (one at a time) with your questions in mind. Look for the answers, and notice if you need to make up some new questions.

RECITE - retrain your mind to concentrate and learn as it reads.

After each section - stop, recall your questions, and see if you can answer them from memory. If not, look back again (as often as necessary) but don't go on to the next section until you can recite.

REVIEW - refine your mental organization and begin building memory.

Once you've finished the entire chapter using the preceding steps, go back over all the questions from all the headings. See if you can still answer them. If not, look back and refresh your memory, then continue.

REMEMBER: THE INFORMATION YOU GAIN FROM READING IS IMPORTANT. IF YOU JUST "DO IT" WITHOUT LEARNING SOMETHING. YOU'RE WASTING A LOT OF TIME. TRAIN YOUR MIND TO LEARN!!!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Extreme Sports

Definitions of extreme sports on the Web:

Extreme sports (now also known as action sports) is a general, somewhat hazily-defined term for a collection of newer sports involving adrenaline-inducing action. They often feature a combination of speed, height, danger and spectacular stunts. Levels of danger vary widely, but there is always an element — an "extreme" factor — that causes an adrenaline rush which keeps participants loyal to their sport. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_Sports

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Work Ethic

The Protestant work ethic, or sometimes called the Puritan work ethic, is a Calvinist value emphasizing the necessity of constant labor in a person's calling as a sign of personal salvation. Protestants beginning with Martin Luther had reconceptualised work as a duty in the world for the benefit of the individual and society as a whole. The Catholic idea of good works was transformed into an obligation to work diligently as a sign of grace.

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic

Unit 3: Work

work

NOUN: 1. Something done: act, action, deed, doing, thing. See DO. 2. Activity pursued as a livelihood: art, business, calling, career, craft, employment, job, line, métier, occupation, profession, pursuit, trade, vocation. Slang : racket. Archaic : employ. See ACTION. 3. Something that is the result of creative effort: composition, opus, piece, production. See MAKE. 4. Physical exertion that is usually difficult and exhausting: drudgery, labor, moil, toil, travail. Informal : sweat. Chiefly British : fag. Idioms: sweat of one's brow. See WORK. 5. An issue of printed material offered for sale or distribution: opus, publication, title, volume. See WORDS. 6. Informal. An amount or quantity from which nothing is left out or held back. Used in plural: aggregate, all, entirety, everything, gross, sum, total, totality, whole. Idioms: everything but (or except) the kitchen sink, lock, stock, and barrel, the whole ball of wax (or kit and caboodle) (or megillah) (or nine yards) (or shebang) . See PART. 7. A building or complex in which an industry is located. Used in plural: factory, mill, plant. See MAKE, PLACE. 8. The technique, style, and quality of working: craftsmanship, workmanship. See WORK.
VERB: 1. To react in a specified way: act, behave, function, operate, perform. See ACTION. 2. To introduce gradually and slyly: edge, foist, infiltrate, insinuate, wind2, worm. See ENTER. 3. To exert one's mental or physical powers, usually under difficulty and to the point of exhaustion: drive, fag, labor, moil, strain1, strive, sweat, toil, travail, tug. Idioms: break one's back (or neck) . See WORK. 4. To control or direct the functioning of: manage, operate, run, use. See CONTROL. 5. To turn out well: come off, go, go over, pan out, succeed, work out. Slang : click. See THRIVE. 6. To prepare (soil) for the planting and raising of crops: cultivate, culture, dress, tend2, till. See PREPARED, TOUCH. 7. To arrive at an answer to (a mathematical problem): solve, work out. Informal : figure out. See REASON. 8. To force to work: drive, task, tax. Idioms: crack the whip. See WORK. 9. To handle in a way so as to mix, form, and shape: knead, manipulate. See TOUCH. 10. To perform a function effectively: function, go, operate, run, take. See THRIVE.
PHRASAL VERB: work out To plan the details or arrangements of: arrange, lay out, prepare, schedule. See PLANNED. work out 1. To form a strategy for: blueprint, cast, chart, conceive, contrive, design, devise, formulate, frame, lay1, plan, project, scheme, strategize. Informal : dope out. Idioms: lay plans. See PLANNED. 2. To subject to or engage in forms of exertion in order to train, strengthen, or condition: drill, exercise, practice, train. See WORK. 3. To turn out well: come off, go, go over, pan out, succeed, work. Slang : click. See THRIVE. 4. To arrive at an answer to (a mathematical problem): solve, work. Informal : figure out. See REASON. work up To stir to action or feeling: egg on, excite, foment, galvanize, goad, impel, incite, inflame, inspire, instigate, motivate, move, pique, prick, prod, prompt, propel, provoke, set off, spur, stimulate, touch off, trigger. See CAUSE, EXCITE.


Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition. Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Spelling and Pronunciation


Spelling Rules
syllablesEvery syllable has one vowel sound.
cC can be pronounced as /k/ or /s/.
cC is pronounced as /s/ before an e, i, or y (cent, city, cycle).
cIt is pronounced as /k/ before everything else (cat, clip).
gG is pronounced as /g/ or /j/.
gG may be pronounced as /j/ before an e, i, or y (gem, giant, gym).
gIt is pronounced as /g/ before everything else (garden, glad).
qQ is always followed by a u (queen).
f, l,sDouble the consonants f, l, and s at the end of a one-syllable word that has just one vowel (stiff, spell, pass).
kTo spell the sound of /k/ at the end of a word, we use ck or k. Use ck after a short vowel (sick). After everything else, use a k (milk).
a,e,o,uA, e, o, and u usually say their name at the end of a syllable (a-pron, me, go, u-nit).
v, jWords do not end in v or j. We add a silent-e at the end of the word (have).
I,oI and o may be pronounced as /i/ and /o/ before two consonants (kind, sold).
j/J/ is spelled dge after a short vowel (edge).

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Freemind link

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Musical Instrument Vocabulary

From http://www.manythings.org/vocabulary/lists/c/words.php?f=musical_instruments
accordion
agogo bells
bagpipes
banjo
baritone
bass drum
bassoon
bell lyre
bongos
bugle
castanets
celeste
cello
chimes
clarinet
claves
conga
cornet
cowbell
crash cymbal
cymbal
drum
drum set
electric guitar
euphonium
flugelhorn
flute
French horn
glockenspiel
gong
grand piano
guitar
harmonica
harp
kettledrum
lute
mandolin
maracas
marimba
oboe
orchestra bells
piano
piccolo
recorder
ride cymbal
saxophone
scraper
sizzle cymbal
snare drum
sousaphone
splash cymbal
steel drums
tenor drum
timbales
timpani
tom-tom
triangle
trombone
trumpet
tuba
vibraphone
violin
xylophone

Required text for class

Required text:
Richards, Jack C. and Samuela Eckstut-Didier. Strategic Reading 1: Building Effective Reading Skills. Los Angeles, CA: Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN: 0521555809.

Where do you stand?

Where do you stand

FEET: What do I stand for as a foundation of reading comprehension?

STOMACH: What upsets me about reading comprehension?

HEART: What do I love about reading comprehension?

HANDS: What do I feel about reading comprehension?

EARS: What do I hear about reading comprehension?

EYES: What do I see about reading comprehension?

BRAIN: What do I think about reading comprehension?