Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Dekada '70 resources

I've never read Lualhati Bautista's Dekada '70, a novel about a family's struggles during the martial law regime. Apparently it's required in some schools, but it wasn't in mine.

For the sake of those who have to read it (and maybe some who just want to), here are a few resources:

If you have 100 pesos or so to spare, you can get a copy at your nearest bookstore, because as far as I know it's always in print.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Newton's laws of motion

The three laws of motion as compiled by Sir Isaac Newton:
First law - An object will stay at rest or continue at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force. (Law of inertia)

Second law - The rate of change of momentum of a body is proportional to the resultant force acting on the body and is in the same direction. (Law of acceleration)

Third law - For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. (Law of reciprocal actions)

Physics is fun, once you get the hang of it.

Youtube video of people having fun with Newton's Laws. (Don't try at home!)

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Very very basic Afro-Asian Literature resources

A subject called "Afro-Asian Literature" is taught to sophomores as part of the high school curriculum in the Philippines. In my experience, we weren't required to read more than what the textbook (Gems in Afro-Asian Literature) contained. I won't be surprised if that's the case for many schools today still.

While reading selected stories from the Philippines and other countries was fun and enriching, it's hard to understand based on that book alone how diverse Asian literature is, much more if you add African literature.

Here are links to more links... just so you know that English 2 is not the end of it.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Philippine government

The Philippines is a democratic republic, and its government is made up of three branches:
  • Executive - This is the Office of the President (Pangulo), head of state and head of government
  • Legislative - Composed of the Senate (Senado) and the House of Representatives (Kapulungan ng mga Kinatawan)
  • Judicial - The Supreme Court (Kataastaasang Hukuman)

More on this:

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Economics resources

Even if you don't intend to pursue a career in the stock market or finance, chances are you'll still want to make money, or start a business, or work for a business... in any case, it's good to be familiar with the way goods and services are produced, distributed and consumed in the Philippines and the world.

For those who come from entrepreneurial families, this awareness may come sooner than third year high school Economics. But for the others, better late than never.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Ibong Adarna links

Ibong Adarna is the enchanted bird from the Philippine korido of the same name. The story itself is an old-fashioned epic starring a sick king and his three sons, searching for a cure in the form of the Ibong Adarna. The bird's songs could either heal people or make them fall asleep (and its droppings turned the sleeping people to stone).

This is required reading for high school freshmen.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Trigonometry for the unwilling

Despite being slightly math-phobic, trigonometry made sense to me. I just kept imagining a ladder leaning against a wall, and I'd do all right. Trigonometry was concrete. And it should be easier to digest for you students -- it's taught in fourth year high school, right around the time when you're thinking of what college course to apply to, and what to do for the rest of your life. Especially you people with engineering-related aspirations... you should embrace this subject and not snooze through it.

Searching for "basic trigonometry" on Youtube will also lead you to a bunch of interesting videos. Go for that if you have a good Internet connection.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Florante at Laura

Florante at Laura by Francisco Balagtas is required reading for the Filipino language and literature subject in second year high school. Being asked to stage it in class is very common, and was in fact one of the highlights of my sophomore year.

Salamat sa iyo, ó nánasang írog,
cong halagahán mo itóng aquing pagod,
ang tulâ ma,i, bucál nang bait na capós,
paquiquinaban~gan nang ibig tumaróc.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Writing essays

When I had to write essays in class under time pressure, I usually went step-by-step like this:

1. Decide on my position regarding the question BEFORE I START WRITING. (And yet I forgot to do this sometimes, believe it or not.)
2. Declare my position if not in the first sentence, in the first two sentences.
3. Use the rest of the space to explain.
4. Use the last two lines (or last line) to re-state my position.

Some essays will require more research and organization, and here are some tips from other sources.

This is from Kathy Livingston's site and these apply more for essays that you get as homework assignments:

1. Decide on your topic.
2. Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas.
3. Write your thesis statement.
4. Write the body.
Write the main points.
Write the subpoints.
Elaborate on the subpoints.
5. Write the introduction.
6. Write the conclusion.
7. Add the finishing touches.

Something on effective essay-question answering from the Purdue University Online Writing Lab:

1. Read through all the questions carefully.
2. Budget your time and decide which question(s) you will answer first.
3. Underline the key word(s) which tell you what to do for each question.
4. Choose an organizational pattern appropriate for each key word and plan your answers on scratch paper or in the margins.
5. Write your answers as quickly and as legibly as you can; do not take the time to recopy.

(Go to the page for the complete list of tips.)

Monday, March 3, 2008

El Fili study guides

OK, so I never finished reading El Filibusterismo, Jose Rizal's sequel to Noli Me Tangere. I got by reading a study guide in the form of a cheap comic book. If I were a student today, I would have tried a little harder.