Mud Bricks, Water Tower, and Lots of Writing Awesomeness! LL #7

Pre-Algebra:

This week I learned about adding and subtracting integers while following the rules.

Creative Writing:

This week in my Link Education League class, I filled out a plotting worksheet for my novel, The War of Imagination Island, and we talked about each item on the paper. Next week I need to: 1. Bring my tablet to school to begin writing my novel. 2. Bring my Novel Writing Prep book and the notebook where I did the exercise (I did this over the summer for fun) to the coming classes. 3. Write down some starting point ideas so I can start my novel without getting stuck.

Social Studies:

This week I learned about Ancient India. I learned that the people made houses with bricks made from dirt, straw, and clay. So, I experimented with different ratios of the dirt and straw (there was some clay in the dirt I used) to see what made the best brick.

Yes, I know there is some straw stuck to the bottom of the brick. My brother poured straw over the box where I placed them to dry.

Quite obviously not a brick, ha ha.

Next, I tested them to see how they would hold up. The only thing I had time for (before it started to rain) was dropping it from approximately 3 feet.

YES, I KNOW there is straw in the background! It was raining and I had to test quickly, so I couldn't clean it up after each drop! (It was quite a downpour, actually. I would've been soaked through had I been out for 30 seconds longer.)

It was pretty interesting to see the differences between the two. Clearly, the first one (half and half ratio) was the best brick. Still, who knows what the Ancient people did? They lived in dirt brick houses, after all. (That sounded weird.)

Tech (Exploring Technology):

This week I learned about droughts. I made a water tower for my town, Enderville, in a desert. 

I also put some water in it to show what it does- collects rainwater for times of drought.

Something that doesn't make sense- it doesn't rain in the desert, so... why did I build something to collect rainwater? I forgot that part and built it in the desert, because it went with the "drought" setting. I didn't have time to rebuild it in a different place, so that's what I get. Anyway, I think it's pretty cool.

Elective (Writing For Publication):

This week I researched some more ideas for my magazine columns in my class. We had a research party. We ate treats and used some tablets to research. I decided to work on my Nubian Food Traditions column this week. I found some cool facts. I'd share more, but I want it to be a surprise. Be patient until we publish the magazine. I'm so excited!