My PSA on Healthier School Lunches! 

http://akabodian7.pbworks.com/w/page/29857400/Victoria

 

 

 

    Elaine L

5/4/11

5th Hour

Rare and Remarkable

The Chinchilla

 

Chinchillas are a very interesting type of animal that most people do not know about.  Although most people to do not know about chinchillas many people have also wanted the chinchillas for their very soft, thick coat of fur. Chinchillas can be found in the Andes Mountains, in Bolivia, Chile and Peru, along as pets all over the world.  Even though many people have not heard about the chinchilla they have many unique features.

 

Chinchillas are a very small animal in both the rodent and mammal family, only weighing up to a pound.  They can be all the way from 8.75 inches long up to 15 inches long not including their tail.  Their tail is usually 3-6 inches long, making them a possible length of 21 inches long.

 

Most chinchillas are nocturnal, so they search for there food at night and at dusk.  Chinchillas have some very unique features, some of which they use at night while looking for their food.  When they are looking for food they use their whiskers to help find there way.    Chinchillas diet is very important in the wild and as pets consisting of all vegetation and plant matter.  In zoos and at home chinchillas eat rabbit food, apples, carrots, and hay.  Chinchillas also like to have treats, some like cheerios and raisins, but may only have 2-3 of them a week.  If they eat to many of them or eat them before they are six months old they may become sick.  Sense the chinchilla is small in size it does not require a lot of water.  In the wild sense it looks for food at dusk, the plants usually have dew on them from earlier that morning, which then becomes the chinchillas main source of water.  If the chinchilla is kept as a pet it must have an available water source.

 

Chinchillas are from South America, in Bolivia, Chile, and Peru.  They live 8,000 ft above sea level, usually in burrows or in rock crevices.  Animals like the eagle and the fox are predators to the chinchilla.  Jumping up to three feet, and climbing up trees allows the chinchillas to escape some predators.

 

You can tell what the chinchilla is feeling depending on the sounds that it is making.  One of the sounds is a barking a sound to show that it is afraid.  If you were to get a chinchilla it may make a chirping noise because it is not used to the new area.  Once your chinchilla gets used to the new area it may make a singing noise to show joy and comfort.  Chinchillas must stay at a temperature lower than 75 degrees or else they may become very sick and could die.  A way to cool down your chinchilla is to freeze a piece of marble and lay your chinchilla on top of it.  

 

Most chinchillas live up to ten years in the wild, but can live up to twenty years if owned as a pet.  Chinchillas usually have two to three litters of kits a year that are usually born in the winter.  Each kit is born with fur and teeth, only around 35 grams, and can walk sometime close after their born.

 

Chinchillas have a very unique coat of fur, making it the reason for almost going extinct in the 1900’s.  Many people wanted the fur to make clothing and many other things.  Now they are protected where they are mostly found in Chile, Peru, and Bolivia.

 

Chinchillas are a very interesting type of animal that must not be mistreated.  Without the help in 1923 in the state of California the demand for chinchillas fur would increase in size, and the chinchillas would be even closer to extinction.

 

 

 

Work Sited

 

Amazing Animals of the World Volume 6
    Grolier Educational Corporation, 1995

Dr. Whitfield, Philip. The Simon And Schuster Encyclopedia of Animals
     New York: Simon and Schuster Edition, 1998

easycarechinchilla.com/why-chinchillas-make-sounds/

home.comcast.net/~jaxchinchillas/chinchillacare.html

http://school.eb.com/comptons/artical-9273640?query=chinchillas&ct=

Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc 2011

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/chinchillas.htm

Jones, Clyde. World Book Millennium 2000 edition

http://www.chinchillafacts.net/wild_chinchilla/wild_chincillas.html

 

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://chinchillasbydesign.net/images

http://www.chinchillaplanet.com/chinchillas-in-the-wild/

http://www.garden-city.org/zoo/animalinfo/mammals/chinchillas.htm

www.uvma.org/chinchillas.htm

 

http://www.google.com/imgres?

 

imgurl=http://www.jennykyledesign.com/chincalendar2009/web/KansasCityChinchillas_9.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.jennykyledesign.com/chincalendar2009/winners.html&usg=__YepNT 

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Elaine Loomis

Dec. 15, 2010

 

School Lunch

     Have you ever had one of those days when you felt as though you didn’t want to eat lunch because of the way it looks or tastes?  If school lunches were made more appealing and nutritious, overall student health would improve.    

    If the school lunches were more appealing and nutritious, more students would eat in the cafeteria.  Eating a healthier meal would bring down the percentages of overweight children in the United States.   About 5% to 10% of children ages 2-5 are overweight.  About 17% ages 2-9, 6.5% to 20% ages 6-11, and 5% to 18% of children 12-19 are overweight.  Children who are overweight when young are more likely to get diabetes, have joint problems and have other medical problems when they get older.     

    Presently, many students do not feel energized after they eat a school lunch because the food contains too much fat, salt, sugar and calories.  Having a more nutritious, low fat, low salt, low sugar and low calorie meal would help student’s focus more on school.  Students would participate more in class because they would be more alert.  Being more alert and participating in class would raise students’ grades and help them feel more positive about school, themselves and others.  Also, student’s would have more energy to  participate in after school sports and activities.

A healthier lunch would consist of more fresh fruits and vegetables, a low fat  protein entree, and a fat free or 2% milk.  Students who wanted to substitute a water for milk would have the option to do so.  Low fat, low salt, low sugar, low calorie foods, such as; yogurts and salads should be promoted as healthy alternatives to buying a lunch.  

 

In conclusion, school lunches at the present time lack appearance and taste.  The lunches are high in fat, salt, sugar and calories.  More children are overweight in the United States than ever before. Overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults with severe life threatening medical problems.  School lunches need to change to help solve this crisis.

 

 

If I could go anywhere in the U.S

 

     If I could go anywhere in the U.S I would go to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  In Santa Fe, there are types of buildings that are not found here in Michigan, and there are so many different types of plants and animals that can only survive in certain weather.  Throughout the year Santa Fe has at least 300 days of sunshine, and during July and August the temperature ranges about 93 degrees Fahrenheit.   While in Santa Fe you can climb the Sangre De Cristo, along with many other mountain ranges.  Unlike Michigan, you can find cactuses, and you can also find wild armadillos.  If I could choose anywhere in the U.S I would choose Santa Fe, New Mexico because of the nice climate, and opportunities that I would not have here in Michigan.

 

  

Sal’s Place

 

          In “Walk Two Moons” Sal visits Lake Michigan with her Hiddle Grandparents, on their way to Lewiston, Idaho to see Sal’s mom.  Lake Michigan is located on the west shoreline of Michigan.  While at Lake Michigan you can surf the waves that come in, swim in the water, make sandcastles with your friends, or just sit around and enjoy the nice weather.  Lake Michigan is also close to Grand Rapids, where there are museums, gardens, restaurants, and many things for you to do while enjoying your vacation.  If a tourist was to take a trip to Lake Michigan, he/she should take the time to see just what Michigan has to offer.

 

 

 

www.Google,com

www.destination360.com

www.linandmikerunge.com/2009.aspx

                                                                    www.santa-fe.world-guides.com

 

 

 

The “Bubble” Machine

 

One warm sunny day in Florida, my business partner Dr.Willie Shoeshiner and myself, Dr.Gloria Patella, were working in a laboratory to find a way to protect people from all kinds of weather.  Things were going great! Using voice commanding machines kept our hands free to work.  We were so close to creating the “Bubble” you kept in your pocket, that allowed you to move and access things just as easy as without using the bubble. When bad weather came or the sun was very bright you could pull it out and the “Bubble” would protect you.  

   

After a few months and many hours today of working on our project we decided it was time to test out our creation.  Samantha Snow would be helping us test out the Bubble on winter.  Felix Fall would help us with testing it out for fall, April Flowers for spring, and Summer Holmes for summer.  All of them were very excited to help us!  They would have to go through three simple steps.  They would have to test how durable the bubble was for their season, how pliable it was for doing work, and how transparent it was to see through.  

 

It had worked!!!  The “Bubble” you used in bad weather was a success!  The Bubble would be out for sale the next summer and we knew everyone would be very excited.  I quickly sent out the news to the press using my new XL3, the phone that brought everything to life.  Until then I would put our security guard Sam Buff in charge.   Sam was a very experienced security guard who went to a school just for security training, so we knew he was the best one for the job.

 

    After the press put out our news about the bubble many people became very excited and curious.  Many asked so many questions that it seemed as though they were trying to steal our creation, and many were becoming shrews.  Many of the questions that were asked were, “So what made you guys want to create this invention?”  Another one was, “So how did you guys create this invention?”  Out of all of the people that asked us about our invention there was one person who seemed to be asking the most amount of questions.  His name was Theodore.  Theodore referred to himself as a super villain, even though he could never hurt anyone or anything.   Theodore had all of the newest creations, inventions, tools, and anything else you could think of.

 

    Sam was doing a great job protecting our invention!  He had informed us that Theodore had tried to steal our invention a couple of times, although Sam was able to stop him.  After we heard that Theodore had tried to steal our invention we decided to add one more extra person to help Sam guard it.  We decided to put our assistant robot Robby in that place.  After Theodore saw that we had added one extra person to guard our invention he did not even dare to try to steal it again, for he knew that with two people guarding it he would not have a chance.  

 

    A few months went by and no one else had tried to steal the invention.  The rest of the year went on and still no one had tried to steal it.  Eventually summer came around and it was time for the Bubble to go to the market.  It seemed as though everyone had gotten a “Bubble”, and loved it!  They were so excited that for once when it was snowing or raining outside, they knew that they would not get all wet.  They were also very excited that their hair would not get all messy when it was windy outside.  The last reason was that when they went outside on a sunny day for a walk or a run, they would not have to apply sunscreen because the bubble kept out all of the harmful UVA rays.

 

Seeing all of these people enjoying the creation made me feel as if I had reached a goal higher then I could ever think of.  At the end of everything, Dr.Wllie Shoeshiner and myself were very proud of our invention and so was everyone else that contributed.  We hope that this experiment will help us in the future and promote other inventions to come.  We also hope that everyone who bought a Bubble will continue using it, and will tell their how much they enjoy it, how well it works, and get their friends to purchase a bubble too.  If enough bubbles are sold then Dr. Willie Shoeshiner and myself can retire.

 

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Elaine Loomis

1-14-11

5th Hour

The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney

 

I think “The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney” by Lauren Barnholdt was a well written book.  I personally would give this book 3 stars out of 5 because there were many well written parts, however there were many parts that repeated over and over.  Throughout the book there were many times when I felt as though I did not want to put the book down.  On the other hand there were some times where I felt as if I wanted to skip a few paragraphs and move on to the next page because the author repeated a lot of the same things one right after another.

           “The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney” is mostly about a girl named Devon “Devi” Delaney, who goes off to live with her grandma for the summer while her parents sort things out.  Devon starts to live a different life around many lies, including how people call her “Devi”.   Devon’s new friend Lexi that she meets while at camp thinks of Devon as one of the most popular girls at her school, wears all of this cute clothing, and has a boyfriend that everyone wants.  Devon continues to tell Lexi things that are not true to make Lexi think she was different than who she really was.  She would tell what was going on between her parents and how they were thinking about getting a divorce.  Given that she did not really know Lexi, and thought she would never see her again, she believed she could tell stories.
           One day when Devon was in middle of class she heard a name she had not heard in a while, it was Devi!  Devon looked up to see Lexi standing in the doorway with her teacher.  To Devon’s surprise Lexi had moved to her city and school because her dad had gotten a job offer.  Devon started to become afraid because she knew that something very bad was going to happen, and that she would have to quickly find a way to cover up many mistakes she made by telling Lexi lies over the summer.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Your Wiki Page

 

This is your individual wiki page for 7th grade English.  You can delete some or all of these words after you read them and make this page look the way you want it to look.  (You'll still be able to see them on the Template page under the Folders for each hour)

 

 

 

You will, of course, be graded on your wiki at several points this school year.  Your wiki will be graded on the following criteria:

• that you make your page uniquely yours (25%)

• this means that you change the font & colors, as well as add other features along the way

• that you use your time well when we have computer time (25%)

• this means that you don't talk too much and/or be distracted by your friends when you have time to work
• this also means that you try your hardest and do your best

• that you meet the requirements for each individual assignment (50%)

• these requirements will be explained on each assignment's handout sheet

 

Here are some other things to keep in mind: 

• you and your parents signed a form saying you will you this wiki responsibly
• please do not put others down or use profanity (or upload any songs/videos that use profanity)
• part of the fun of wikis, and websites in general, is that you can create links to other websites
• if you include something about Yellowstone National Park in your writing, you can create a link to it
• find the web address for Yellowstone National Park and copy it (right click, Copy)
• highlight the word you want to be the link (Yellowstone, for example)
• on this page (in Edit mode), click on the globe above that says "Insert/Edit Link" if you scroll over it
• under "Link type" choose URL
• paste the Yellowstone address in the lower box and click OK
• click on Save in the lower left corner and then see if it worked
• here are a couple tips when changing the background color
• for some reason, pbwiki's editing program doesn't seem to allow a whole page background change (if you figure it out, let me know).  So, you may have to fill in the section in which you want to change the color; you can do this by using the Tab key on your keyboard.  Tab through the area, then highlight it.  Then go up to the Background Color tab (above, left) and change the color to one you like
• make sure you choose a color isn't too dark; the font color (black, for example) needs to be able to be read over your background color (brown background would make a black font hard to read).
• here are a couple tips regarding font choice
• please stay somewhat consistent with your font choice; it's easier to read than... if it changes too often
• try to make the font size of titles a bit larger; you can use the Format area above and choose a Heading
• keep your wiki page organized
• feel free to add a page that's linked to your page if you want; it's a good idea to make a link back to your page
• if you add photos, include brief captions about what's going on or who is in the photos or why the photo is on your wiki (no last names, please)
• you can make folders on the Side Bar area; maybe a folder for each of your other three Core areas (Social Studies, Science, and Math) and/or a Hobbies Folder
• please do not add plugins right away; we will get there at some point.

 

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