TIPS for SAT Examination

I had never been a good test taker. Especially, standardized tests such as the SAT and the other Advanced Placement courses. Therefore at the start of 2018, I had a mini SAT boot camp, which was to go over strategies and great tips to face the exam in confident. These are the two tips that I personally find helpful. 

Note *** There are so many more tips online that might be helpful to you

  1. Time Management – Answer easy questions first
     In the reading section of the SAT, there are 5 passages that include 10 to 11 questions and a total time of 65 minutes. Which break down to about 13 minutes per passage. Which means you have about a little than a minute to answer the question. Therefore, when facing questions that you are not comfortable at answering skip to the easier ones first.

    *** Don’t forget to mark it down in your answer sheet so that you won’t forget to come back or messed up circling the wrong questions

  2. Always begin with the easier passage 

There are three main passages in the SAT. There are science, US literature, and history and literature. While practicing for the exam, notice the passages that you managed to score a higher score on. Then on the exam, choose to do those passages first before jumping into the old confusing literature passage. 

Image result for good luck on the sat meme

credit: internet 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

Starting Pre-calculus

After the intense practice for the SAT exam, now we are focusing on pre-calculus. We flew through the few chapters since we knew most of the stuffs in it. As I’ve mentioned in my previous posts, we use a lot of Khan Academy as our source to further our learning.

 

One of the part that interest me the most is learning to sketch a polynomial graph. Before I was introduced to pre-calculus I only use to see a parabola graph-shape looking graph but now graphing a polynomial is a much cooler graph(in my opinion). To draw sketch a polynomial functions graph, you need to follow a few steps.

 

Step 1: Find all of the x-intercepts of graph.

Step 2: Make a table of values for the polynomial. Include test points to know whether the graph of the polynomial lies above or below the x-axis on the intervals determined by the zeros. Include the y-intercept in the table.

Step 3: Determine the end behavior of the polynomial.

Step 4: Plot all the intercept and other points you found in the table. Then sketch the graph.

 

Using Desmos, this is the difference between a quadratic and a polynomial graph(bigger power).

This is the graph of : x^3+5

This is the graph of: x^2+5

We spent almost two months practicing for the upcoming SAT in math class. Since we have already know most of its contents, we prioritize those time to finding strategies to beat the test. One of the tricks is to try limiting our time on easier questions so that we could save up more times for the harder ones.

Moreover, as I had gone through many practice tests, I realized that sometimes skipping questions isn’t always bad. So if there are questions that are tricky and would take much time, I would skip the question and move on to the easier ones.

Even Though, everyone is telling me that the result of this test will not depict who I really am, but the result of the test is essential for me, to find awesome opportunities that would brighten up my future, since I would need full scholarship offering from universities.  

 

 

 

 

We used Khan Academy as our main resource in practicing math problems for the SAT. 

The Second Khmer Literacy Festival

As I am one of the authors in writing the Khmer poetry book, three of my friends and I were invited to the 2nd Khmer Literacy Festival, hosted in Batambang province. The festival lasted for three knowledgeable days. After the event, we have learned and discussed about different Khmer novels, listened to poems that written by Cambodian youths, discussed about the Khmer literacy in Cambodia with Cambodia famous writers. On the third day, we were presenting to a group of 50 university students about our experience writing the poems and the process of making the book. I am honored that we were invited as guest speakers to share our experience to the Cambodian youth and get to participated in such a magnificent event.

 

 

Science Behind DeadPool’s Healing Ability

I am a huge Marvel’s fan, especially Deadpool. If you don’t know who Deadpool is, first of all, you got to see the movie; it’s hilarious. Deadpool is a superhero that has a super healing ability. In one of the scenes, his hand got chopped off but grew back in a few hours. 

So, then in Physic class, I was researching about the science behind his healing ability. After an intense four hours researched, I constructed a poster that explains the concept of Deadpool’s healing ability. 

An interesting fact that I learned is a “Mexican Salamander” also have Deadpool’s healing ability. The salamanders could regrow their tale, parts of their brain, and also limbs. Scientists are still looking through further research and explore more about this “Mexican Salamander.”

 

* The photo of the posters will be posted tomorrow. 

 

 

 

Changing the Face of Medicine

A few weeks ago, in physic class, we had a small assignment that required a research paper written about Women participation in STEM. When talking about famous people that have changed the world throughout science, technology, engineering, and math women are not often brought up into the conversations, even though there are a tremendous amount of women that changed the world throughout the aspect of STEM. 

This is the research paper that I have written about a woman that change the face of medicine.

 

“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end. ” Looking through the life of a woman named Elizabeth Blackwell, inspired a tremendous amount of people, especially women in accomplishing their field in a medical study.

 

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell was born on February  3, 1821, in Bristol, England. She was raised in a household that strongly believes in Education. Blackwell’s family moved to the United State in 1832, both for financial issues and to join the anti-slavery movement. Six years later after having been moved to America, unfortunately, her father passed away. Even Though her father passed away, her mother and two older sisters worked as an educator. In addition, Elizabeth Blackwell also gets her first job as a teacher in the US. As a group of educated people, the Blackwell’s family campaigned for women’s rights and supported the anti-slavery movement.

 

Further on, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman that earn the first M.D degree from the New York’s Geneva Medical College, in 1849. After being the first woman who earned the first M.D degree, Elizabeth Blackwell has changed the face of medicine. She encouraged many more women to get in medical school. With the help of her sister and another doctor, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell has established the New York Infirmary for Women and Children at 64 Bleecker Street in 1857. This institution and its medical college for women (opened 1867) provided training and experience for women doctors and medical care for the poor. Elizabeth Blackwell was also an author of many books related to science.

 

With a lot of accomplishment, at the same time, there were also challenges of her way to the success. At the time, when she was finding universities, most of the universities and classes were men and sometimes forbidden for women to study. She applied to the New York’s Geneva Medical College and the man students in the class needed to vote for her to get accepted to the school. The man students took it as a joke and voted yes. As a woman, she also gets a lot of discriminations, which sometimes discourages her from the studying. Moreover, while doing a procedure on an infant she contracted a disease that caused one of her eyes to go blind. With one blind eye, she could not pursue her dream of becoming a surgeon.

 

Currently, women are not the spotlight of the STEM field. It is important to spotlight their accomplishment since it encouraged many other females to participate in the STEM field. Representing the male students as personally believe that there should be an equality between men and women.  

First Beach Ultimate

This is the first ever beach ultimate in Cambodia. I am really lucky that I was a part of it. In addition, the best part of the trip was learning new skills from the other people and also get to know more people that have the same interests as me. As I played more and more I have a better understanding of the spirit of the game. I really like how at the end of the game, both teams came together and create a spirit circle to speak about what you like and what you don’t about the game. I can’t wait to attend this event again next year. 

Surrounded by tourists and aside to the ocean, the game of frisbee was being played. Frisbee is a new sport in Cambodia, people that were watching had interest and were curious about the sport. Many asked about it and few sat under shades and enjoyed the game. 

Khmer Class Creative Writing

In this last term before the Christmas break, we are learning how to write a poem and song. The theme of the poems should be related to the society and leave a message in the reader’s mind. 

Currently, I am working on many different topics, but the one that I really like is the poem that I wrote about teenagers that avoid school and use drugs. 

This is my poem in Khmer,

 

ក្មេងពាល

នៅក្មេងឈាមរាវព្រាវអំពើ   កាងារមិនធ្វើទៅជក់ថ្នាំ

ញ្្ញាំងឲ្យខ្សោយខ្សត់ញាណទាំងប្រាំ ​មិនផុតក្រញាំសម្នាញ់គុក។

 

ជក់ម្តងហើយចង់ជក់ម្តងទៀត ញុាំងអោយវីវៀតក្នុងឧរា

ចិិត្តមួយក្នុងខ្លួនចង់ប្រាថ្នា សូម្បីទេវតាក៏មិនខ្លាច។

 

ជក់ដល់គម្រិតប្រពិត្តខុស អារខ្លួនចង់សុសដោយសារថ្នាំ

មិនតែប៉ុណ្ណោះយើងត្រូវចាំ លឺឡើងចង់សាំ សន្លាប់ខ្លូន។

 

ក៏កាប់សន្លាប់រត់ព្រោងព្រាត មិនខ្វល់ពីញាតិអ្នកជិតខាង

លុយម៉ែលុយឪមានប៉ុន្មាន កូនលួចយកបានទៅទិញថ្នាំ។

 

បង្ហោះម៉ូតូកាប់ចាក់គ្នា   នេះជាវេលាដែលត្រូវក្ស័យ

ធ្វើអោយម៉ែពុកបារម្ភភៃ ពួកកូនចង្រៃធ្លាក់នរក។

 

កើតមកជាមនុស្សនឹងគេដែ ម្តេចក៏មិនប្រែប្រឺងរៀនសូត្រ

ពេលមានឧកាសផុតរបូត នៅភ្លើរហូតគេមើលងាយ

 

ពេលដល់ម៉ោងរៀនគេចសាលា រត់ប្រាស់អាត្មាខ្លាចគ្រូទាន់

នៅក្មេងវាងវៃមិនរស់រាន់   ដល់ពេលគ្រូទាន់អាមាសមុខ។

 

មើលក្នុងទូរទស្សន៏ឃើញមុខកូន ចិត្តម្តាយចង់សូន្យបាយមិនបាន

នឹកកូនខ្លាំងពេកភ្លេចថែប្រាណ លុយទាំងប៉ុន្មានយកជួយកូន។

 

ជក់ថ្នាំផឹកស្រាដើរលេងស្រី មិនស្តាប់សម្តីរបស់ម៉ែ

ដល់ពេលធំហួសចង់កែប្រែ ទើបដឹងថាម៉ែទៅចោលឆ្ញាយ។

Halloween Scary Story

In class today, We did a fun activity on writing Halloween scary story. In this activity, we first started with own story but with a limited time to write, and after a few minutes, we need to rotate our stories around for other friends to continue your story. It was so much fun, in the meantime, we were also being creative in writing those stories. 

This is a Wordle that I created from my story:

 

 

 

Khmer-Dance

Usually, there are a lot of home works on the weekends, so instead of being stress with it, I am doing Khmer dance to keep me relax, have fun, and forget about all the school works. In addition, Cambodia lost a lot of their culture because of the influence from the foreign countries. I believe that in participating in the Khmer dance class would help me to understand about my culture and also preserve it from faded its value.