Vocabulary Isn't Enough

Caroline Goldberg
Mr. Webb
Saturday January 26th 2013


In a recent study conducted on kindergarten children a new theory has been proven to be true. It is now a fact that teaching kids general, not challenging vocab words in the early years of life effect their growing vocab as older children and teenagers. When teachers give their students not challenging vocab words and do not thoroughly teach the definition of the word, the kids miss patterns in words and don't learn the full definition of important words. Tanya Wright also says that there is not enough vocabulary in elementary school and it is not stressed as much as it should be. She also says that under-privileged children that do not go to a successful school start out with 10,000 words less than children that go to a successful school.

article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130124134046.htm

I think this article and study could really change things in schools. If vocabulary is not stressed enough, the SAT english section could continue to be a problem in America. I think if vocabulary is stressed more as children, we would be more successful while reading complex literature.

Hand Warmers: How Do They Work?

Caroline Goldberg
Mr. Webb
Chemistry Blog


Being in Colorado in January was brutal for me. It turned out to be -13 degrees on average. While there, I had to buy hand warmers, and being a new chemistry student, I wondered how they work. I found an article (http://www.tommcmahon.net/2008/01/how-do-hand-war.html) that explained how these hand warmer packets work. The material inside the packet has a chemical reaction with the air, like how something rusts, and causes a chemical change by getting warmer. The vermiculite in the packet slows the release of heat so the heat can last for hours. Even though these warmers are great, they don't last forever. The iron in the packet eventually becomes iron oxide and the heat stops being released.

Even though this isn't breaking science news, I wanted to know how these hand warmers work and I had no idea that it took so many chemicals just to make them. I do find it interesting that certain chemicals can react to help people stay warm while in the cold mountains.

The Truth About Flu Shots

In the article, Can the Flu Vaccine Make You Sick? (article: http://www.boston.com/dailydose/2013/01/10/health-answers-can-the-flu-vaccine-make-you-feel-sick/VM4emmq0F9LpsIYDvpLSTL/story.html) the many misconceptions of flu shots are explained. For many people, the reason they don't get flu shots is because they think getting a flu shot can give you the flu. Andrew Ulrich explains that the flu virus is dead when it is put in your body and the only normal reaction someone should have to the flu shot is soreness or tenderness to the injection site. He also says that many people are exposed to the virus before they get the shot and get sick. The common misconception is that the actual injection causes the flu virus.

This article is very relevant news wise because just this morning the flu virus outbreak was called an epidemic. I have also refrained from getting a flu shot in fear of getting the flu from the vaccine. Every year, flu vaccines are recommended for everyone over 6 months old and everyone in my family, other than my mom, gets a flu shot annually. After reading this article, I might reconsider.