When you think about stocks and the stock market it comes across as boring and an unengaging topic of the business world. The stock market is actually the complete opposite. It's an exciting place where people gamble with luck as well as skill on growing and prospering companies. I have invested in a few stocks, Yamana Gold, Silver Wheaton and Penney Company during an experiment with the lively and ever changing stock market.

            I decided to invest in Yamana Gold, Silver Wheaton Company and J.C Penney because I believed they would show the most results and profit throughout the stock market unit. Yamana Gold is a well known mining, extracting and gold processor. I decided to invest over two hundred shares in this stock because it was at a low point and I believed that the gold market was going to increase. I observed that the gold market or gold company market fluctuates frequently from the stocks charts. Since the company I was interested in was in a low I knew it had to increase at some point. My dad recommended I invest in a silver company stock because the silver market was picking up. I invested in this stock as it was increasing. I chose Silver Wheaton Company because the stock had been increasing steadily over the past weeks so I thought it would be a solid long-term stock. I invested in J.C. Penney because the department stores are known to gain money in their stocks over the Holidays and on spring sales. Also this market doesn't fluctuate as much as the other mineral companies and it provides balance in my stocks. I felt that these companies would produce a large profit over the twenty-four weeks I owned them.

            After completing this project I would've invested a little differently, if I could do it all over again I would've changed where I invested my money and when I invested. First, I would've changed how much and when I invested. It's very important to invest when a company is having a low. The problem is not all of my companies had a low at the same time. When the market is falling it’s called a bear market. When the market is rising it’s called a bull market. The best time to buy is when the market looks like it’s going from a bear market to a bull market. If I had bought my stocks in between this change I would have made a greater profit. The second thing I would change would be to invest less in two of my stocks and more in one of them. I would invest less in Yamana Gold because it was a steady stock but it didn’t get me as large profit that I though it would’ve. I also would’ve invested less in J.C. Penney because this stock didn’t always profit, it had a few weeks of loss. I would’ve liked to invest more in Silver Wheaton because it made me the greatest profit out of all my stocks. This stock was a risk because I know it could’ve profited or lost my money, but I knew it would rise and profit. If I had taken more of a chance on it I could’ve made a lot more money. I’m glad I had the chance to experiment with stocks, but after doing this experiment there are some things I would’ve done a lot differently.

            I would tell future investors to research the stocks their interested in, as well stocks that have a reason for profit. Researching stocks is the most important part of investing. It’s important to look at how the stocks have done over the last weeks and think about how they will do over the weeks that you will own them. You may think a stock is good just by the profit their makings currently, if that’s true, don’t invest in it when it’s having a peak. You will see more results when the stock is bought at a low rather than a high. It’s also important to use your best judgment. Even if you just found your favorite clothing or toy brand, you still have to check if the stock has done well lately and if it’s well known. If an inexpensive stock is predicted to make a lot of money you may want to invest in it. You may be in for the best profits. It’s important to learn what others have to say, but when it comes down to your money follow your instincts.

            I hope my experience has taught you about the stock market. That even though it seems to be a place in some big city that only business men work in, you can be a part of it too. The stock market and the thousands of stocks in it are always open for you to invest in if you’d like. Yamana Gold, Silver Wheaton and Penney Company were great choices for me I hope you can be just as fortunate with stocks as I was. Always remember, the stock market is a roller coaster, you’re just along for the ride.

I chose to design my flag of Antarctica this way because of its climate, location and animal life. Half of the flag is yellow and the other half is black. These two colors represent day and night. This is a large part of Antarctica’s culture because a large amount of the year it is either always blindingly sunny out or an endless black. I also put Antarctica its self in the middle because Antarctica is almost a circle around the South Pole, and when you look south side of a globe the windiest, driest and coldest continent appears to be in the center of everything. There are also two penguins in the continent because penguins make up much of Antarctica’s year-round residents. I also used the saying, “Loved by many, home to none.” I created this because many countries have signed a treaty that states that Antarctica will be left the way it is, in its natural form. This means Antarctica is cared for a great deal for by scientists especially, but there are no permanent residents except for the wildlife. Antarctica is a wondrous and mysterious continent and I believe it should be left that way, unclaimed and unknown.

This is a chart of how deep and how long animals in Antarctica can dive under the chilly surface. The purple bars represent how deep the animals can dive in the water. The light green bars represents how long the animals can stay underwater. Using this information you can learn about how different types of animals in Antacrtica interact with their lakes and ocean. This graph shows how long animals can hold their breath and how deep they can travel under the icey surface of the windiest, driest and coldest continent in the world.

This is my illustration of "nat" the latin root word meaning born.

I chose to hide in a tube of brightly colored paper in the back of our art room. I took two pictures to make this image, the first picture I took was of me laying down. The second picture was of the paper tube and in the backround there was more colored paper. After I had these pictures I cut the backround away from the photo of myself and copied it on to the picture of the tube and paper. I tried to make it look like I was laying in the paper. This project allowed everyone to be really creative and I enjoyed working with the cameras.

Your eye has many pieces that help you see. The eye has lashes, an eye lid and a cornea that protect it. Your iris open and closes your pupil which let's light in which goes through your lens which focuses objects.

We had the Moon Rocks in class.

As I bubble in the Earth’s core I feel a rumble. Magma is a gooey liquid, not as dense as rock, but not a watery substance. I am magma. I am the beginning of the rock cycle. Rocks are formed and melted into me. I feel a escape plan in action, the Earth is going to get rid of me. I wonder how I will cool. I could be shot out of this volcano or I could cool within the Earth’s crust. If I were to cool on the surface of the Earth I would consolidate and be a fine volcanic rock such as Rytholite. I would be an Extrusive Igneous Rock. I might be crystallized and turn into Diorite, an Intrusive Igneous Rock. The ground shakes, I start to bubble up. I am erupting into the atmosphere. I am shot out and become lava.

As I begin to harden I wondered what type of Igneous Rock I will be. I knew this was the beginning of my Rock Cycle. I wonder if I would ever be a Sedimentary Rock maybe a Metamorphic Rock.  This was the start of a great adventure through time. I cooled quickly and I soon became Basalt.  Basalt, like all extrusive rocks has small crystals on its surface.

A large storm was whipping around the landscape, I lifted up off the ground I few times. I was a small rock now, pebble-like and I hoped I would fly to a different location and maybe become a Sedimentary Rock. A gust of wind knocked me up into the air and I was off. When the gust dropped me down I slowly became a solid rock by lithification compacted into a dense rock. I had a few ripple marks on my surfaces from the wind and rain.  I was a Clastic Sedimentary Rock, a dark color of Shale. I waited for the next part of my journey, would I be tossed back into the weathering process or would I move on to be a Metamorphic Rock?

I was buried beneath a few layers of the Earth and the temperatures were slowly rising as I was pushed down towards the core of the Earth. I was soon trapped within the surface of the earth. I started to reorient because of the unequal pressure forced upon me in one direction. My many minerals became perpendicular and aligned in rows making pretty stripes on my surface. I was officially a Foliated Metamorphic Rock. I was a blackish Slate and my stripes reduced the pressure on my crust. The pressure and temperatures rose and I began to melt.

I am Magma. I am the beginning of a new Rock Cycle. I could turn into Intrusive Igneous Rock in the Earth’s crust and be crystallized. Then be pushed into the Earth (and be recrystallized) and form a Nonfoliated Metamorphic Rock such as Marble. Next I might be uplifted and exposed to the chemicals of the ocean. I could turn into a Nonclastic Sedimentary Rock and fossils containing hints of the climates I’ve been exposed to would be shown on my surface. Then I could go through Metamorphism and become an Extrusive Igneous Rock like Andesite. Next I could turn into a Metamorphic Rock again and melt back into Magma.

The Rock Cycle is an ever changing slowly forming and reforming cycle of Earth. The three large families: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic help define the rocks of the Earth by their minerals, shapes and sizing. The Earth throws, buries and blast minerals such as these rocks around in a process. The tectonic plates beneath the surface move the crust and are accountable for the small and juristic changes in the Rock Cycle.  I am recycled from millions of years ago and formed as the Earth’s forces control my path today.

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As the Earth rotates around the sun the sun's rays are directed to hit certain parts of the Earth at certain times. When the sun's rays fall on lines of Latitude on the Earth it is called a Solstice or an Equinox.  These take place four times a year in resolute we have seasons.  The day one may occur may very to the year (always in a range of two days). 

On the 22nd or 23rd of September an Equinox takes place.  This means the sun is directly over the Equator, and its rays are hitting a certain line of Latitude.  If you were in the Southern Hemisphere you would be experiencing a Vernal Equinox and it would be springtime.  If you were in the Northern Hemisphere an Autumnal Equinox would be occurring (at the same time) and it would be fall. 

On the 21st or 22nd of December a Solstice will occur.  The sun will be directly over the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees from the Equator).  In the Northern Hemisphere it will be the Winter Solstice and temperatures will be lower because the sun's rays are directed farther south.  In the Southern Hemisphere the Summer Solstice will be happening and the temperatures will be warm (there). 

On the 20th or 21st of March an Equinox takes place the sun is directly over the Equator.  In the Southern Hemisphere an Autumnal Equinox will be taking place.  In the Northern Hemisphere a Vernal Equinox will be happening. 

On June 20th or 21st a solstice will take place.  This will be the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the temperatures will be in the warmer ranges.  In the Southern Hemisphere the Winter Solstice will be occurring and the temperatures will be colder.  The sun will be directly over the Tropic of Cancer. 

This cycle of Equinoxes and Solstices repeats every season.  The sun is the key to all of our seasons and climate.  The closer you are to the Equator the warmer you will be during a Vernal or Autumnal Equinox.  This is why northern South American and northern African countries are usually warm most of the year.  The poles are so cold because they are so far away from the Equator and the Tropics.

Science- I made a poster on the Giant Forest Hog, I made the poster using research I took. On the poster are drawings and paragraphs about the Giant Forest Hog and its habitat. I learned a research process called double IM. The Giant Forest Hog is a surprisingly interesting species. I learned about its habitat and it's day-to-day life. My poster is complete with a map and a diagram of the animal. I really enjoyed working and learning about this wild animal in Africa.

Language Arts- I wrote a folktale about a native bird that lives on an island located off the West coast of Africa. I wrote many rough drafts as my story evolved. I used many details and descriptive phrases to help my story become more intriguing and fun.

Social Studies-I traveled to Africa and went on an amazing safari. I've visited three countries the first was Sao Tome and Principe. I also visited Tanzania and the pyramids in Egypt. Sao Tome and Principe are islands off the west coast of Africa. They are very remote and unique. There is a lot of different animals and marine life there. The beaches are the main attraction because of the beautiful wildlife. Tanzania is located in East Africa. I met up with one of my friends in the Serengeti and we went on a safari. There are tons of animals and sites to see there. I traveled to Egypt next and stayed in Cairo. I visited the Nile River and the famous tombs. Africa was really fun and it was really interesting to learn about by traveling.

Math- I made a poster with African patterns and colors and I worked on a checkbook for my daily expenses in Africa. We used a series of transformations such as, reflections, rotations and translations on our posters. We used construction paper and colored pencils to make these African posters.

Art- I crafted a whistle from clay, and I am going to paint an African pattern on to it. I may paint a zebra pattern of black and white stripes. The clay will be baked in a kiln to harden before an African design can be painted on the surface.

Technology Education- I am making an M'bira or thumb piano with African symbols on it. The symbols are burned in. I looked through a few African pattern magazines to get an inspiration for my design.

Music- I have listened to a lot of African music from many regions. Some regions were West Africa (especially Gabon) and South Africa. We used large drumsticks to mimic the native "stick music" in Africa by hitting the floor in many rhythms.