Research Project: Pregnancy, Infants or Children

On Wednesday I will be asking you to choose a research topic relating to pregnancy, infants or children.  I will not be giving you a list of topics because I want you to think of something that interests you.  No two students can have the same topic, so have a backup plan -- or get to me first with your topic.

I want you to begin researching your topic and keeping track of your sources.  I will be asking for references (we will use www.easybib.com to format them) and at least 1 related picture.  You can begin your research project in a new blog post which you can continue to edit, update and add pictures to as you work through the project.  When finished, you can post your project to the final location on the class blog.

Students will be added to a "community blog" where research reports will be posted for grading.  These research reports will be available publicly [and advertised to teachers for their feedback] so please take this assignment seriously.  This will be a 50 point assignment so it has a lot of potential to help your grade -- or hurt it.

Some of the topics that students chose in the past included child abuse, teen pregnancy, child autism, corporal punishment, infant vision development, adoption, Downs Syndrome, Goldenhar Syndrome, abortion, SIDS, effects of marijuana on unborn children, and more.  Sometimes it's better to have a specific topic (like a specific birth defect or nutritional supplement) than a broad topic (like birth defects or nutrition).

These will be resources out in the public domain.  People will be reading them and using them as informational tools.  Please take this assignment seriously.

Home Price Trends

We have talked a little bit about real estate as an investment.  Today we are going to explore that briefly, and tomorrow we will continue discussing differences in investments and diversification.

Sacramento Housing Prices

Looking at Home Prices: Follow these steps to research a homes value

1. Let's take a look at the web site Zillow -- a site built to let people see what use to be secret information shown only to real estate sales people.  Here's a link to my house on Zillow: (CLICK HERE).  
2. First, look at how the page is set up and see what information is available for my neighborhood.  
3. Next, look at the graph showing the homes value.  Click on "10 years" to view the 10-year history (if not already selected).
4. You can see the housing market "crash" in Kelseyville by looking at this graph.  You can see where the previous owners bought [and lost] the house and where my family bought the house.  This is why having a basic understanding of how the housing market works can help you.
5. Check your address [or a friend/family members] and see what their house value has done.
6. Write a paragraph giving me your expectation of what the housing market will do in the future.  Will it go up or down?  Why do you believe that?
7. Write a paragraph discussing how real estate investments are similar and different from other types of investments (like precious metals, the stock market, etc.)

Researching Individual Stocks

Today we will complete our Individual Stock Research project.  You are finding 9 stocks that are interesting to you which you will be using when we begin our Virtual Stock Exchange project.

We will also be discussing what the "range" means (52-week low/high) and what the news has to do with stock value.

Before you join our Stock Market Simulation, make sure you understand the rules.  You will receive $10,000 in virtual money (no, you don't get to keep it) to invest in stocks as low as $.50 in value.

You can join via Market Watch here: http://www.marketwatch.com/game/khs2014 (password: knights)

If you are required to join Market Watch, know that you don't have to provide much detail.  I gave them my real email address (which you will need to verify the account) and I set both my occupation and industry as "Education."  I gave them a birth year, but that's really not their business either.  Finally, note that I un-checked all of the "Newsletters and Alerts" and "Communications preferences" boxes.

There are a variety of strategies for "playing the market" -- and millions of dollars are made every year on books telling you how to do it.  The strategies are endless.  Some suggest investing in "penny stocks" -- others in "blue chip stocks".  Some tell you to buy when a stock has taken a total nosedive and some will tell you to buy when it's on its' way up.  Some tell you to invest in one risky stock and others advise you to diversify your investment.  There's no "right way" to invest in the stock market.  It's all at risk.

For my challenge (since it's not real money) I went to look for cheap stock [you can buy more stocks that way] but I wanted a large company.  I found an article for "Billion Dollar Companies With Stocks Under $10" here: http://www.cnbc.com/id/44962045/Billion_Dollar_Companies_With_Stocks_Under_10

The problems with having large numbers of low dollar stocks is that the value of your portfolio is more volatile.  I went from being in first place in our Stock Market Challenge to almost last place... and back to first within an hours time.

Writing Scholarship Essays

When you start researching scholarship opportunities, you will quickly find out that many of the scholarship programs for which you qualify involve writing a scholarship worthy essay. Very few programs are based strictly on an application form or transcript. Scholarship committees like essays because they are able to get a better sense of who the applicants really are from reading their original writing than from simply looking at a form or seeing a listing of completed classes and grades.

When you are faced with the challenge of scholarship essay writing, remind yourself that the effort you put into writing your essay represents the chance to sell yourself to the scholarship committee. A winning scholarship essay is one that truly sets a particular applicant apart from the others. If you tell your story clearly and persuasively, you just might find yourself receiving a congratulatory letter from the scholarship committee!

Tips for Writing Effective Scholarship Essays:

• Read the instructions and make sure you understand them before you start writing.
• Think about what you are going to write and organize your thoughts before you start writing.
• Begin the writing process by writing an outline.
• Make sure your outline touches on every aspect required per the instructions.
• Write your essay by elaborating on each of the points in your outline.
• Use clear, concise and simple language throughout the essay.
• State your accomplishments without coming across as if you are bragging.
• Make sure your grammar and spelling are impeccable.
• Read the question again and then read your essay to be certain that the essay addresses every point.
• Have someone with strong writing and editing skills proofread the essay before you submit it.
• It’s better to be too long than too short. You can always edit down the material you find to be least relevant, but it is much more difficult to add to an essay that is too short.
• Talk to teachers, counselors, and admissions officers and have them read your sample scholarship essays. Doing so will allow them to give you feedback about specific questions as well as suggestions about your writing in general.
• Unless there is a very specific prompt [as you will see below], choose a topic that truly interests you. If you are genuinely passionate about something, it will show in your writing

Today and Tomorrow's Assignment:

The following sample scholarship essay examples have been taken from a number of accredited universities from across the country, including Cal State University Northridge, Purdue University, The University of California, and the University of Washington. All of these questions are somewhat common as scholarship essay prompts—the chances are high that you will see at least one of them on your scholarship application.

1. Where do you see yourself in 1 year? 5 years? 10 years?
2. How would an education from (name of college you are applying to) enrich your personal life and help you reach your career goals?
3. Describe your cultural background and how it has shaped the person you are.
4. If you know what you intend to major in, discuss what led you to choose this area of study and how you hope to contribute to this field upon graduation from college.
5. What is your favorite novel, movie, song, or work of art? What resonates with you and why has it become an important part of your life?

Write responses [up to a page] for each and use them as a general foundation for your written statements —most scholarship essays will require you to answer one of these three questions in some way.  Save these essay prompts do your ThawSpace and back them up to a USB drive and in your email.  You are building a collection of these kinds of documents to use later in life.

However, do NOT simply copy and paste your responses on multiple applications. Every written statement you submit should be unique—simply use this exercise as a means to better prepare yourself for the application process.

Begin Scholarship Research

Today we are going to begin researching scholarships for college.  Even if you aren't planning on going to college, do the project.  You may find something that interests you or that inspires you to look further.
Believe it or not, there are scholarships for some very strange things.  If you're a guy over 6'1 or a girl over 5'10 you can qualify for a "Tall Clubs" scholarship.  There's a scholarship for left-handed people.  There's a scholarship for duck callers.  If you're a skateboarder, you can qualify for a skateboard scholarship.  There seriously is free money out there if you're willing to work for it.  (Here are some other strange scholarships)

TODAY: Find a college scholarship that you think you would qualify for and begin the application process.  There is a list below that you can start with.  You may also want to check out "Paying for College Student Resource Guide" for information on scholarships, internships, fellowships, resource books, and websites -- there are a LOT of scholarships in there.  You can also view the Congresswoman's web site here: http://roybal-allard.house.gov/students/

Read about how to apply for the scholarship and begin writing your essay [scholarships generally require an essay wanting you to explain why you deserve the money].  Note the requirements of the essay -- it might be 500 words, 750 words, or 2500 words.  The essay may want specific topics covered, want you to address certain issues, or have you solve a certain problem.  Watch your spelling, punctuation, and grammar.  We will complete these essays tomorrow and turn them in.

We have many scholarships posted on the KHS Web Site -- or you can go directly to the Scholarships page here.