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Zoos and Scientific Research

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:31:41 GMT

How do zoos help with scientific research?

Level: Intermediate

Zoos play an important role in research and conservation. The first places I thought of to look for information on this topic were the websites of New Zealand's zoos. The Auckland Zoo website has a great page about research under their conservation menu. Wellington Zoo also has pages about conservation and research which you will find by clicking on the tabs on their about the zoo page.

Other zoos will have information about how they help with research too. San Diego Zoo, for example, has details of their research on their conservation page. We just need to go to their website and click on Conservation to learn more. Chester Zoo in England has a good site here too.

HOT TIP: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the ‘about us’ link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the company’s mission and values are.

Next I did a google search, using the phrase zoo scientific research and found this site from National Geographic. National Geographic is an awesome organisation that you may be familiar with because of their magazine. They also have a great kids site that you may find useful for other homework questions in the future.

HOT TIP: When searching Google, if you put speech marks ” ” or ‘ ‘ around your search term, Google will search for it as a phrase. Very handy if you’re looking for something in particular and you know the words will be in that order.

Discrimination

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:16:41 GMT

What is discrimination and why is it bad?

Level: Primary / Intermediate

A good place to start would be finding out exactly what is meant by discrimination.

HOT TIP: Not sure what a word means? Try using Google as a dictionary. The trick is to type the word define in front of the word you want to define, then click Search. To find the meaning of the word discrimination, we used the terms define discrimination. This brought up several definitions of the word, the first one being the two-part answer here, which seems to explain it quite well.

HOT TIP: Reading a few different definitions will help your understanding of the topic. If you don’t understand, keep looking for one that uses language at your level. And if the definition uses words that you don't understand, see if you can find out what they mean as well! The words prejudicial and prejudice, for instance, are often used when people are talking about discrimination, and you might find it useful to look up the Google Dictionary definition of these too.

As you can see, there are two meanings given for the word discrimination. The first one is simple - it refers to the little decisions that all of us make every day from the moment we get up that involve choosing one thing rather than another.

The second meaning is the one that could be described as 'bad'. It refers to people being treated better or worse than other people, because of things that are seen to make them different in some way. This can be the colour of their skin, whether they have special needs, what religion they are, how old they are, what they look like, or many other things that have nothing to do with their value as a person. Among children school bullying is a serious form of discrimination that you may have seen, or experienced for yourself.

HOT TIP: One of our favourite health sites to recommend is called Kids Health. It has three sections: for parents, for children and for teens. They each have a search box which searches across all three ‘sites’. The articles will have a K next to them if they are especially written for primary school students. The above information about bullying was found by going to the home page and typing the word Bullying into the Search box of the Kids Section, on the left at the top of the page. The same search using the words Special Needs brought up useful information on this topic. Try it out for any human body or health related homework questions you get!

Discrimination often happens because of ignorance. People can be afraid of something they don't understand, or someone who is different, and this fear can sometimes lead to bad treatment of people who are seen this way. There are several books you could look for in your school or public library that explain discrimination well. The famous fairy tale The Ugly Duckling (you can read it online here) is a good place to start. It is an excellent example both of discrimination and the important fact that people who are different often have special and exciting things about them because of their difference.

You could also look for information about Anne Frank, a young girl not much older than you who suffered very badly because of discrimination against her race (she was Jewish). Her story does not end happily, but the diary she wrote has made her famous all over the world, and shown millions of people what a very dangerous thing discrimination can be. A librarian could help you find material about Anne that is suitable for your age group.

Another famous child whose courage made people more aware of injustice was six-year-old Ruby Bridges. This site from Thinkquest has a lot of information about Ruby, and there is also a book about her, The story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, that you might enjoy reading. (We like Thinkquest because it is a site put together by students like yourself, under the guidance of a teacher, and has information at a good level for primary school children). These girls were real people, while the little girl in the book Each kindness by Jacqueline Woodson (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012) is not. However, she suffers discrimination from the other children in her class because she is poor and has shabby clothes and looks different from them. (And everyone is made unhappy because of this, not just the child who is being bullied).

All of these books will make you think. And thinking leads to understanding, which is the very best weapon against 'bad' discrimination.

Norse Mythology

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:49:17 GMT

Who was the Norse God Thor?

Level: Intermediate / Junior Secondary.

Almost every culture and nationality possesses their own traditional Gods of legend and mythology, and the Norse tradition is no exception.

We started our search by typing Norse Mythology into Google. This brought up many different sites - we chose Wikipedia as it is often a good place to start.

HOT TIP: Wikipedia has great coverage of many topics, including Norse Mythology. But you need to be aware that this information is contributed by lots of different people. If you are using this site, it always pays to check the information against that on other sites or in books from the library.

We also liked the site The Norse Gods, which has a link to a list of the Gods. From this list we clicked on Thor, which gave a good description of the god of war, thunder and strength. Thor is perhaps the most well-known of the Norse gods and, like the others, has his particular skills and areas of responsibility.

The Norse gods, like most others, and, indeed, most families, have varied relationships and a hierarchy of importance. A family tree helps trace these relationships. We like this site because it clearly shows Thor in relation to some of the other gods of Norse mythology.

The BBC website is a great place to find current and historical information - we found information and video clips on Norse gods here.

There is much popular interest in Norse mythology and both the bands Thor and Thorr's Hammer show an aspect of this interest.

If you are interested in mythology of another culture check out our Many Answers entry on Ancient Greek gods and goddesses.

Cyberbullying

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 17:00:59 GMT

Where can I find information on the impacts of cyberbullying? What can be done to prevent cyberbullying?

Level: Intermediate / Secondary

All forms of bullying, including cyberbullying, can be a tough subject to research. This is because it can take so many different forms and it can affect people in a lot of different ways.

If issues like cyberbullying are affecting you personally, it's a good idea to talk to someone about it - maybe your parents or your teacher? Or you can ring and talk to the helpful people at: Kidsline - ph 0800 543 754 (anytime), and Youthline - 0800 376 633. Calls are free, and confidential.

To find out more about cyberbullying, we went to one of our favourite websites, KidsHealth. We like this site because it covers emotional health as well as physical health. We clicked into the Teen section of the website, and did a search using the keyword "bullying". This brought up plenty of different results, including a page on cyberbullying. There are four pages of information here about cyberbullying, what it is, what kind of consequences it has, and what to do if you are being cyberbullied or if a friend is bullying someone else.

At the bottom of the page there are related links that look at other kinds of bullying, and there is also a page of Online Safety tips. This is definitely worth a read.

Another page that we found in the KidsHealth search results for 'bullying' was a video of teens talking about their experiences with bullying. Watching this should give you some ideas about the impact bullying, including cyberbullying, can have on people.

There is an excellent New Zealand based website, Cyberbullying Information and Advice, which has info for young people, parents and teachers. Click on 'enter the site for young people' and have a look around. You should find answers to lots of frequently asked questions about cyberbullying.

There are more answers to different questions under the 'for parents' and 'for teachers' parts of the website as well. For example under the 'teachers' section, you can find easy to understand information about studies that have been done about the effects cyberbullying can have on young people. There's also excellent information about what the law can do to prevent cyberbullying.

HOT TIP: We like this website because it's run by a reputable New Zealand organisation - NetSafe. You can tell it is from an organisation because of the .org in the URL, and you can see it's run by NetSafe because of the NetSafe logo in the top corner of the main page.

NetSafe is a great site to look at for heaps of information about internet safety. They have a section on cyberbullying as well. You can find it by clicking on the bullying tab near the bottom of the page. There's more answers to frequently asked questions here too, including how to prevent textbullying and cyberbullying. There is also info about Facebook gossip and rumour pages, which can be a form of cyberbullying.

HOT TIP: One other place you can look for info about cyberbullying is the news! You can use Google to find news stories, just click on the News tab at the top of the main page of Google. Next, type your keywords into the search box. We used "cyber bullying New Zealand" so that we would get results about the issue in New Zealand, but you can look at other countries to see what the rest of the world is doing about cyber bullying.

The news articles will be ranked with the most recent ones at the top of the page.

For more info, check out our ManyAnswers entries on Bullying, and the social implications of Facebook.

Graffiti Art

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:10:27 GMT

What is the difference between graffiti and tagging?

Level: Intermediate/Secondary

Graffiti has existed since ancient times with examples going back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. We started with a Google search by typing these keywords graffiti history facts. The first link from our search results has good information about graffiti and tagging with definitions that describe the different styles.

HOT TIP: Reading a few different definitions will help your understanding of the topic. If you don’t understand, keep looking for one that uses language at your level.

For more detailed information about the culture of graffiti check out Graffiti Grapher. This website covers the birth and evolution of graffiti, tagging, and contemporary graffiti. You can also read about two of the most successful graffiti artists, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring along with their associated art movement. More profiles and images of international graffiti artists can also be searched on this graffiti website.

Graffiti art in New Zealand became popular in the 1980's with the rise of hiphop music. Well known hiphop artist Darryl Thomson and member of the hiphop group Upper Hutt Posse established himself as a graffiti artist during that decade. Graffiti vandalism or tagging in New Zealand is regarded by some people as unacceptable although some forms of graffiti art are acceptable such as commissioned murals. Search Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand for examples of tags and graffiti art in and around Wellington.

HOT TIP: We like Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand because it's from a government organisation. You can tell this by their web address – they have .govt in their address. Overseas government websites will have .gov in their web address.

A list of New Zealand graffiti artists is also searchable on the Fatcap website. From the homepage click on the Pictures tab, select Worldwide Graffiti from the dropdown list, then click on the map of New Zealand to scroll through the different graffiti styles created by local artists.

Don't forget to checkout this fun and interactive website which allows you to create your own graffiti style.

Toucans

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 15:08:46 GMT

What is the smallest and what is the largest toucan?

Level: Primary / Intermediate

Toucan is the common name given to a group of tropical birds known for their large colourful beaks. More than 30 birds belong to the toucan family, whose scientific name is Ramphastidae. Toucans range in size from around 30 - 60 centimetres long.

To find out which toucan species is the largest, we started with a Google search. We entered the search terms 'largest toucan' into the search box. From our results, we selected the link to San Diego Zoo. There is lots of excellent information about toucans here. In particular, the 'Quick facts' column on the left hand side of the page names the largest and smallest toucan by body length. It also identifies the heaviest and lightest toucan by weight.

HOT TIP: We like this site because it's from a reputable organisation. You can tell this by its web address - it has .org in the address.

From our Google search results, we also took a look at the link to Animal Fact Guide. This site has some great information about the largest toucan species. The Animal Spot has some excellent information about the largest toucan species too.

Now that you know the names of the smallest and largest toucan species, you could use these names as keywords or search terms to find out more information about each species.

For more information check out our ManyAnswers entry on Tropical birds.

History of Transport.

Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:57:32 GMT

When did transport begin?

Level: Primary/Intermediate

A good place to start looking for information is on Google. Some examples of keywords that work well are transport history, transport history timeline and transport history for kids. We found some great timelines on About.com, Kids.net.au and Energy Kids about the history of transportation, which provide some information about when transport started and how it developed. We tried a search on Factmonster by typing in transport. We uncovered a list of results, which includes links to lists of milestones in transportation history on the rails and on the road. We also searched Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, by typing in transport history. The results link to articles which include information on the history of transportation in New Zealand. You might be interested in reading about how transport played a role in the development of industries in the Waikato and freight transport.

Kidipede (History for Kids) is a great history resource to use because it is designed for primary and intermediate students. The information is reliable and has been contributed by experts. It is also very easy to understand and is ideal for school projects. Here are some results from a search by typing in transport history, which included a link to an article on Ancient Engineering, which covers some historical information on how transport started. You will also find an article on the history of transport and travel on History World.

HOT TIP: A website’s address (URL) can give you a hint about how reliable it is. Look for addresses in the results that have .edu in the URL or .ac (for educational sites from New Zealand). These are quality sites from educational institutions such as universities

NZ History Online is a great website to use because it provides detailed information and resources that showcase themes in New Zealand history, including a page on Transport. It gives links to articles about the history of various types of transport including The North Island main trunk line and Lyttelton-Wellington ferries.

You may be interested in viewing Wellington City Library's Heritage page on Trams in Wellington, which provides a historical account of public transport in Wellington.

HOT TIP: Another place to look is Wikipedia which has great coverage of many topics, including History of Transport, Transport Timelines and Timeline of transportation technology. But you need to be aware that this information is contributed by lots of different people. If you are using this site, it always pays to check the information against that on other sites or in books from the library.

Marie Foster

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 10:43:29 GMT

Where can I find information about Marie Foster?

Level: Primary / Intermediate

United States Civil Rights Activist Marie Foster is less well known than many of her contemporaries but she is a fine example of the dedication and commitment demonstrated by so many who worked to achieve equal status for non-white United States citizens.

We started searching for information on Google by typing in the keywords "Marie Foster".

The first link in our search was a Wikipedia entry, which is a great place to start.

HOT TIP: Wikipedia has great coverage of many topics, including Marie Foster but you need to be aware that this information is contributed by lots of different people. If you are using this site it always pays to check the information against that on other sites or in books from the library.

Now that we know Marie Foster was involved in civil rights, we can narrow our search down. Using Google again, we typed the keywords - "Marie Foster" and "Civil rights".

We liked the page Marie Foster - History Engine because it is from a reputable educational site. Another site we liked was Marie Foster, an Alabama original.

HOT TIP: We like these sites because they’re either from a government organisation (Ministry or Council) OR a reputable organisation. You can tell this by their web address – they have either .org or .govt in their address. Reliable educational sites have .edu in their address.

Marie Foster was most active in the area of Selma, Dallas Country, in Alabama and is noted for her involvement in the "Bloody Sunday" march that took place on 7 March 1965. Although injured Foster took part in the Selma-Montgomery march that occurred two weeks later.

Foster was active in the civil rights movement right up to her death in 2003 and was the subject of many obituaries and articles that noted her contribution, particularly in matters of voting rights and education.

Light Pollution

Mon, 27 May 2013 08:40:08 GMT

What is the impact of deforestation and urbanisation on light patterns around the world?

Level: Secondary

When searching these topics online you will find it difficult to find all this information in one package. The best way to approach this topic is look at deforestation and urbanisation separately, then compare your results and see where there are overlaps. Also, to be more effective in finding information on light patterns use the phrase light pollution instead of light patterns. Light pollution is the term used in literature for the production of excess light from urban areas.

To begin searching we recommend a visual approach. Start your search with Google and the keywords "light pollution maps". Select the link Mapsmaniac. When the site loads, click on the hyperlink Blue Marble Nightlights which will show you a map of the world at night. Type any location into the search box and it will show you the patterns of light in that part of the world. Check out the contrast between the cities and the countryside.

There is increasing concern as more people move into cities about the effect artificial light is having on animals that are used to living in the dark. The Darksky organisation is an advocacy group for the more efficient use of lights. New Zealand set a precedent in 2012 by creating the world's first Dark sky reserve in Tekapo around the world renowned Mt John observatory.

For the second part of your topic try the same visual approach to searching. For this search use the keywords "deforestation and maps". Select the Tropical Deforestation - NASA Earth Observatory link which will take you to an article on deforestation. Another page we liked on this site is this one - Earthobservatory is part of the NASA website which has lots of information relevant to this topic. Click on the features tab and explore the topics on the right-hand side of the page. The land tab is a good place to start.

HOT TIP: We like these sites because they’re either from a government organisation (Ministry or Council) OR a reputable organisation. You can tell this by their web address – they have either .org or .govt in their address. They’re also New Zealand sites, so relevant for us. Overseas government websites will have .gov in their web address.

Now you have a picture of the current situation you can then go back and search for articles to support your research topic.

For more information check out our Many Answers entries on Urbanisation and Rainforest destruction.

Urbanisation

Mon, 27 May 2013 08:49:57 GMT

How does urbanisation happen?

Level: Secondary

Urbanisation is regarded by some writers as a modern phenomenon, but urbanisation has been a feature of human societies for several thousand years. Start your search with Google and the keywords "urbanisation and history". We liked the link Ancient History Encyclopedia. This has a good article of the beginnings of urbanisation. You will notice that the writer uses the word cities a lot. Urbanisation is a term used to describe the process of people coming together to live in large concentrations. Cities is a better word to use when researching the history of urbanisation.

Another way to look at this question is to use the define function on Google. Use this format - "urbanisation DEFINE". Select some, read and compare them. How clear are they? This example from Encyclopedia Britannica gives a brief definition of urbanisation and places it in an historical context.

HOT TIP: A website’s address (URL) can give you a hint about how reliable it is. Look for addresses in the results that have .edu in the URL or .ac (for educational sites from New Zealand). These are quality sites from educational institutions such as universities.

There was a period of intense urbanisation that began just over 200 years ago when the Industrial Revolution began in England. People had to move to towns and cities to be near factories in order to get work. This growth kept going and led to the cities we know today.

For a look at the process of urbanisation over the last 200 years we recommend the Internet Geography website which is aimed at secondary school students in the United Kingdom. The examples are all English, but it does break the topic down into manageable sections. If you want statistics on urbanisation for your studies, sites such as CIA World Factbook and UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) are a good starting point.

For a look at the urbanisation process in New Zealand we recommend Te Ara-the encyclopedia of New Zealand. Put urbanisation into the search box and check your results. Te Ara is a good source to start researching the urbanisation of Māori within New Zealand society. For statistics on urbanisation in New Zealand we recommend the Statistics New Zealand website.