Christmas 2008 at Wordlab Alabang

By Wordlab Staff

Wordlab Clinic Alabang clinicians, staff and kids celebrated the holidays with fun-filled, merry-making activities. Our students decorated our clinic with glittery decors that they made themselves:

Yuletide Greetings: Christmas decors created by students and teachers throughout the years...

Beaded Snowflakes also handcrafted by the students adorn the clinic...

Then, our kids wrote and posted their Christmas messages and wishes on our Kid's Corner (above). May all our wishes come true!
(Above) Little carolers from Goals center came and regaled us with joyous Christmas tunes...

And we had lots of fun during our Annual Christmas Party for our kids (below)--enjoying the games, prizes, gifts, and food. Such a memorable time for everyone!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at Wordlab Clinic!

Wordlab Clinic's Halloweek of Fun!

Wordlab Clinic Alabang celebrated 'Halloweek 2008.' Students and teachers made Halloween arts and crafts and had fun decorating the clinic, giving it a 'spooky-tacular' look:

The week's culminating activity was a Halloween Treat-or-Trick event in cooperation with Goals Therapy Center. Sweets and candies were distributed while kids from both centers get to parade around with their ghoulish masks and creative costumes:

In observance of the holidays this weekend (All Souls and Saints' Day), there will be no sessions on October 31 and November 1, 2008. Clinic sessions and office hours will resume on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.

Wordlab clinic teachers staff and students wish everyone a Happy Halloween!

Survey Results: If You WereTo Read Minds, Whose Minds WOuld You Like to Read?

By Raffy

Based from a survey that I did, most people answered "Friends." The reasons why they would like to read friends' minds are first, to always make them happy. Second, so they will know how they feel. Lastly, so they will know their secrets and if they have something bad to say.

The least choices/options that were picked were teachers and parents.

Note:
To all the teachers who participated in the survey, thank you and have a nice day/evening!

Raffy's Survey Pie Chart:

How to Make a Mummy

By Iggy

First they cut the abdomen to take out the stomach, intestine, and the liver; then they take out the brain by using a hook and wash it out with water. Second they filled the body with natron. It is a kind of salt that can drain the fats and put the body in a slanting table to wash away the liquid in the body. They leave the natron for thirty to forty days and then take out the natron in the body to dry it. Third, rub it with perfume and wash it with milk and wine then they put mud and linen to make the nose stay up and make the body into its normal form. Last, they put jewels and amulets then they wrap it with twenty layers of cloth and they put the mask on the body because the spirit can’t recognize its body without its mask. Then they put it in the mummy case and place it in the tomb.

5th International Conference on Teacher Education (ICTED '08) to be held in the Philippines this July!

The 5th International Conference on Teacher Education or ICTED will be held at the Manila Hotel from July 24 to 26, 2008. The conference theme for this year is "Teacher Education Reforms: Access, Participation and Quality."

The ICTED organizing committee said more than a thousand participants are expected to attend the conference, including presidents and heads of universities and colleges in the country, as well as regional directors, schools division superintendents, deans, and faculty members.

International and national resource speakers and lecturers have been invited to share their expertise on education based on their fields of specialization and discipline.

According to the organizers:

Access to education for all children is usually tied to political, economic and social reforms that affect teaching, curriculum, research and development, admission and promotion and quality assessment of schools, classrooms and teachers. ICTEd ’08 provides a unique opportunity for all teacher educators around the world to share their country experience in making their teacher education programs respond to the learning needs of all students.

International movements to eliminate barriers to learning have come and gone. How much progress has been made by countries in enhancing the learning of all children and eradicating the barriers that hinder access to schooling? Have teacher education institutions taken initiatives and leadership in helping schools promote access, participation and quality in their programs, projects and services?

Through ICTEd ’08, countries can learn from each others’ experience and plan strategies for greater global collaboration by way of research, exchange fellowships and joint program initiatives.

This year's ICTED is organized by the College of Education, University of the Philippines. For more information, click here.

My Plans After College

By Ken

My plans after high school are, first, take a 2 year course and second, join a basketball clinic. If I have time, I will play with my friends in the computer shops or play basketball with them in the court or do anything interesting. I will take a 2 year course in photography, auto mechanics, computer programming, or culinary arts. My reason is that so I can develop my learning and share it with my loved ones. I could put up a restaurant business for me and my family. I also want to be a professional chef and play basketball professionally as well. I wanted to be famous in playing basketball. In photography, I want to be professional also, because I want to take many photos of anything nice in the world. If I get married, I want her to help me to manage the restaurant business. I will also join in the lotto so I could win a lot of money. So I could go anywhere and to have whatever I want. I wanted to have many friends. I don’t want my wife to be involved in politics because there are many problems in politics. I want to fix my own car so I can be famous and rich in making new styles of cars.

If I don’t enter college, I will still help my family to expand our grocery business. So I could have work. I will join some basketball leagues so I can be famous without entering colleges. I will follow what my parents want. I will still join the lotto. So If I would win I could solve my problems, enjoy life, use it for business and lastly, I could travel the Philippines.

If I have to choose, I would still want to go to college so my life will be fine.

My Summer Vacation 08

By Paolo T.

My first memorable experience in Whistler was zip trekking. To begin with, I was nervous to try zip trekking. And I was afraid, too, because they said it’s 10,000 feet long, and I might get stuck in the middle. Then, I rode the zip line and that was the one that made me confident. Next, I was second in line to zip line and it’s longer and steeper. Afterwards, we were about to do the hardest zip line in the Bear Tour and I was scared. After that, we tried the longest zip and I was sure it’s going to be alright. Finally, it was my turn to try hanging upside down and I was one of the few people who did it.

My second memorable experience was skiing. To begin with, I went to ski school because my mom, my dad and tita wanted me to learn how to ski more. I took up skiing three years ago but my dad was not yet satisfied with my skiing skills. On my first day of ski school, I was very nervous because it was my first time to be in Whistler mountain and Black Comb. On the second day, I improved a bit on my turning and my skiing. Also, on the third day, I could do edge turning that would make me go quicker. And now I could do black and blue runs. Finally, my mom took me to a treat. Now, I could ski with my whole family.

In conclusion, I was satisfied because it was fun.

My Palawan Experience

By Peter

I and my family went to Coron, Palawan last May 5- 10. We were riding a jeep at the time when we arrived at Coron. After that, we took a boat ride to one of the Palawan islands. While we were on the boat, I saw a lot of mangrove trees and also a big group of red and white jellyfishes. The white ones were big and the red ones were small.

We stayed at a resort called Club Paradise. Club Paradise is a big resort with two sides. The back has a beach and also the front. A band would play every night at the restaurant. Also, everything is already paid for in the buffet, so it’s "all you can eat" buffet. The lounge is next to the pool. Inside there is a bar, a pool table, ping pong table and also a video room. There are two types of rooms you can stay in, the cottage and in the building. There is a tennis court, and a small trek around the island. There is the Eagles Point, a lagoon and an organic garden. The employees have their own rooms and cottages. There is a gift shop, aqua sports store, diving tank store and a diving center called Dugong Diving. They are all around the pool.

The first activity we did was island hopping. During the island hopping, we stopped at a place called 7 Islands. Around the small area we snorkeled, the place is a sea life sanctuary, so under water, I saw vibrant colors of corals and fishes were abundant. After that, we went to a lake area, but to get there we put on Off lotion. We hiked up then back down another way. We saw a big lake in the middle of the island. There were needle fishes and shrimps in the water. After that, we went back on the boat and over to twin lagoon. I was too hungry to swim down to the underwater passage. So I stayed and ate on the boat. Lastly, we went to the hot springs, natural hot springs from a dead volcano. It was warm and very refreshing. On the next day, after that island hopping, we took a boat that took one hour. As we arrived at the island were the safari was, we took a big tram to go and look at the animals. The animals were the giraffes, small deers, bear cats, porcupines and a crocodile. The crocodile was small though. I’ve actually seen bigger ones. I fed the giraffe and petted it. I’ve also fed the bear cat and the deer.

In conclusion, my vacation at Coron Palawan was fun. I hope you too could see what I have seen. So try going to Palawan and share the beauty with your family.

The Story of a Teddy Bear

By Gabby K.

The title of the story is "Teddy Bear For Sale." The main character is Teddy Bear. The story happened in the toy store. The problem in the story is nobody wanted to buy him. The problem was solved when a boy did buy him.

Friends

By Ken

A friend is someone you can talk to, share a secret with, a person who will help you if you needed help, play with you, someone you could trust and lastly, and someone who would do naughty things with you.

Friendship has many meanings. Friendship is a relationship where two persons have similar activities, believes, and interest.

I choose my friends if they have similar hobbies with me. I choose my friends if they understand me and if they join me in doing naughty and fun things.
I and my friends have the best time laughing together in school because we are just "tripping." I and my friends have the worst times, too, when some of them join the other groups because they could be my enemies.

These are the qualities you need to build a lasting friendship. First, you should give time to your friends so you could have long lasting relationships. Next, you should trust your friends so you can tell your problems and secrets with them. Then, you should appreciate things they could do and not do. Last, you should care for them especially in times when they need you.

Friends are important because they do good things for you to become a better person and live a happier life.

*photo courtesy of carf brazil

It Burns!

A Safety Summer Presentation written and narrated by Marielle.

Old Yeller: A Loyal Dog

By Tux

The title of the book that I read was OLD YELLER by Fred Gipson. It happened during the time of the cowboys. In late 1800’s after Civil War, it took place in Texas at the time when Travis' father had to go and make money for the family. He made Travis in charge of the family.

The character in this story is Travis a 14 year old boy who acted like his father and a bit rough to Arliss, his younger bratty brother. Travis lives with his Mom who sure is good in cooking. Another character was a dog that saved the family’s life, Old Yeller, a dog who knows to handle about everything like cows, hogs, especially bears.

The story began when the father of Travis told him that he will be taking charge of the family while he is gone from home for a long time. Travis took care of the family, just like how his father did it and he even acted like his own father. Then, Travis ended up finding a dog eating the family’s meat. Day after day, Travis is starting to find out that the dog could be a good use for the family. They called the dog, Old Yeller. Most of the time, Travis did not like the dog because he hates his behavior and the dog would yell all the time like as if someone was going to kill him. Then Arliss would come to save the day and throw rocks at Travis.

I think the best part of the story was when Travis was saved by Old Yeller from a bear and Yeller was now part of the family. The saddest part of the story was when Old Yeller was bitten by a hydrophobia infected wolf that Travis had to shoot him. But he was sad because Old Yeller was his most favorite dog. Travis would never forget him.

The book showed love and care to something that was of great use to them. I think the book is GREAT because it shows how to be responsible and that making tough decisions in life can make you a grown man.

Drawing Eduardo's Story

By Matthew

The book that I read was "Adventures of a Child of War" by Lin Acacio-Flores. I made four drawings about some of the scenes in the book. I hope you like them...

Drawing #1: In World War II, Eduardo is wearing these shoes because his mother has to cut the front part of it. His mother has to cut his old shoes because he is growing bigger and his shoes did not fit him anymore. Eduardo cannot buy new shoes because there are no shoes for sale during the war.

Drawing #2: One night, every one was carrying sack of rice one by one. They got the rice confiscated by the Japanese Army. They made the Japanese guard drunk so that they can get the rice from the bodega. Eduardo’s father was also carrying two sacks of rice. The others were also carrying more of those because they needed to eat. In the picture, Eduardo was carrying half a sack of rice. But he did not know that the rice was spilling. When he got home, his mother told him that the rice was spilling to the ground. He used the broom to sweep off the rice. If not, the Japanese will follow the line of rice to his house and they will know that they got the rice from the bodega.

Drawing #3: Japanese soldiers jumping out of the jeep while the other one was holding a flag and said BANZAI! The Japanese soldiers were wearing boots, trousers, and hats with cloth to shield their ears from the sun. Their rifles have knives at the front. They use the knives to kill.

Drawing #4: Japanese aircrafts bombing the whole town while Eduardo and his papa were watching a scene of the bombing. The airplanes have a design of the Japanese flags—which is a red circle that symbolizes the rising sun. When the bombs dropped, they exploded and the town was destroyed and houses were on fire.

The Different Ballet Styles

By Sam A.

There are a lot of ballet styles from different countries in the whole world, but instead of mentioning all I would only mention 3. These are coming from United States, France and Russia.

The first ballet style is from the Unites States. Its characteristics are energetic, fast and rapid but graceful.

On the other hand, the ballet style from France is pretty and decorative. They also have amazing steps.

Last but not the least, the ballet style from Russia is forceful and showy. They have strong dancers. They also adopt foreign styles.

From the three different ballet styles, I choose the Russian's because it's so nice to have forceful and showy dancers. Russians also have nice hands and body figures. That's why i choose Russia's ballet dance style.

Living During the War

By Matthew
.

There are five things that I learned about living during World War II. First, the Japanese aircrafts bombed the country. So many people died. Second, the Japanese army was getting food like pigs and chicken, rice, and vegetables. They get the food because they had to feed themselves. The Filipinos managed to get food by getting vegetables from their garden such as camote leaves and katuray flowers. In order to make rice last longer, they cook lugaw instead of steamed rice. Third, the Japanese army captured the big houses of the rich Filipinos. It is because the Japanese soldiers can make it into their barracks. The owners of the houses went out into the streets. Fourth, the Japanese soldiers did not allow the Filipinos to have meetings. For example, if one person was talking to his neighbor, they will get caught. The Japanese did not like them to talk because they might be talking about a plan to fight back. Finally, the Japanese army took control of the gasoline stations because they had to refuel their trucks, tanks, and airplanes. The Filipinos had to walk or ride the bikes because there was no fuel for the cars. The Filipinos needed candles and kerosene lamps to light up their houses because there was no electricity.
I think the life during the war was sad and really hard. I think that war will be game over. It means like no more war anymore. I don’t want war to happen again because I don’t want to die. But if war happens, I will fight back.

Few Days Away: Seminar on Dyslexia Screening in UP

University of the Philippines, College of Education's Reading Education Area, and in cooperation with the Philippine Dyslexia Foundation will present a Seminar- Workshop on "Dyslexia Screening For K-3" on May 10, 2008, 8:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M., at the Benitez Theatre, College of Education U.P. Diliman Q.C.

.......Topics/Speakers:

• What is Dyslexia? Dina Ocampo Ph.D
• What Do We Look Out For? Rhea Jover-Abat
• What Do We Do in the Classroom? Hazelle Preclaro-Ongtengco M.A

REGISTRATION FEE: Php 1,000 (Inclusive of 2 snacks, lunch and handouts)
RESERVATION FEE: Php 200 (non-refundable, deductible)

For more information:
Call or text 0906-4752186 or contact us through our landline 981-8500 loc. 2815. Email at reading.diliman@gmail.com or for reservations, visit Room 200, Reading Education Area, College of Education University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City .

Predators! (Part 2)

by Jakey

Continuation of "Predators" (entry date: March 30, 2008):

Fourth, a predator that uses its hearing ability would be the bats. It also hears echoes so it will not bump into things. It eats only insects.

Fifth, there are predators that trap their prey. To begin with, a humpback whale blows bubbles that trap the fish it would eat. Then, spiders catch small insects by its web. Some makes the web and waits for their dinner to come but some tricks the insects by holding a silk and staying on top of the web. Then when it is near, it drops itself and the silk with it and it will capture the insect.

Last, other predators can trick their prey. For example, there’s Venus flytrap. It has sensitive hair inside it that can trigger the flytrap easily. Next, the adder uses its tail to trick the lizard. The adder has a tail that looks like a small worm so the lizard thinks it is food. When the lizard tries to eat the “little worm,” the adder will pop out and eat it. Last but not least, the angler fish has a part in the body which looks like a worm. When the prey is near the “bait” then it pulls the fish into its mouth--Eew!

These predators are unique in their abilities. I think that you should not have these animals as pets.

I hope you like reading it. But I have a question for you: What predator did you like most?

My Commentary on Frost's "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening"

by Raphael

The imagery of the poem paints a very detailed picture. In stanza two, lines three and four, describes the dark surrounding the character is in. The author of the poem had a good play of words. The poem had alliteration in every stanza. For example, in the first stanza, the letter W for whose and woods, H for his and house, lastly T for think and though. The poem also has personification, like in the line “My little horse must think it queer”, the horse is being personified. Personification is attributing human traits to animals or things. These aspects help the poem by giving an image to the reader so he could understand more about the poem.

The stanzas of the poem were well organized and were based on the order of events. This makes the reader visualize the sequence of the happenings. The rhyme structure of the poem is aaba except the last the stanza which has aaaa, gives more fun on reading. The stanzas have a rhyme pattern which makes the poem catchy. The poem has four stanzas composed of quatrains and each line has eight syllables. Each stanza’s length is long enough to show the idea clearly. If it was too short it will be hard to get the idea.

The theme of the poem is about keeping promises. The traveler in the poem had two choices either to stay in the woods and relax or to keep his promises and continue traveling to his destination. The traveler, not thinking for his pleasure, chose to continue his journey and keep his promises. Today, people should honor their word. It is important because if you stood by your way people will trust you more because you are known as a responsible person.

The content of the poem made more of an impact to me than the way it was written. Also the traveler’s decision affected me. I both disagree and agree in several points of the traveler’s decision. I disagree on the idea of him trespassing because even though no one can witness what he was doing, he should respect another person’s land. Basically trespassing is wrong. Then again, I agree with the fact that he kept his promises for the greater good.

I conclude that the whole poem was constructed well. It has a good structure that could hold a powerful content. It is one thing that I recommend for everyone to read.

Raphael continues to train for his swimming meets. He is currently taking lessons in Latin and brushing up with his Filipino as well.

The Holidays

By Patrick

Last December, I visited my grandparents. It was the time when I celebrated Christmas and New Year at home with my family. On Christmas day, I played MARVEL in PlayStation 2 with my big brother. The main evil characters in the game are Galactuce, Dr. Doom and the Frost Giant. The Superheroes that we teamed up are Spider-man, Ms. Marvel, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, The Thing, and the Silver Surfer.

I received seven gifts in all. The best gift was chocolate. I got different kinds but the one I liked the most was the white chocolate from Hershey’s. After Christmas, we visited our lolo and lola, and they gave us P500 each. At the family gathering, Anna and I sang a High School Musical song entitled “The Start of Something New.” At my grandparent’s farm there is a pool but they have no animals there. It is located in Lucban, Quezon.

On New Year’s Eve, we ate dinner then slept until 12 midnight. At midnight, we had fireworks and then we ate again. The craziest firework was the Dragon’s Wheel of Fortune. It kept on spinning while it sparked and hissed. It was shaped like an octagon, having eight sides.

I think that my holiday was great and my hope for the New Year is that everybody will be good.

Patrick's interest range from Pokemon to Yugioh to High School Musical. He likewise takes Taekwondo classes and would like to polish his skills in golf.

FIRE IN THE EAGLE NEST

By Isak

In the year 1111122222333334444555666778899102030405, 3 clones were in a facility of HUNK & Co. Their names are Dak, Daksis and Dakaria. They were created by the use of the genes of Metal Boss. They were given each a power of the Metal Boss: Dak was given super human mimicking ability, Daksis was given teleportation and was a medium, and Dakaria has invisibility and super human strength. Metal Boss was a soldier whose past is unknown. All they know about him is that he is immortal. They say he is a clone himself. They were created to fight the death Warlordians who eat anything even themselves.

.

Dak and Daksis died in battle against the Warlordians. If you see the bodies of those soldiers, you’ll think even the large DarkadakaHaka a monster that lives in the planet Dafaranian can’t defeat the Warlordians. Now it is up to Dakaria to save the 30,000,000,000 galaxies from the Warlordians, and avenge his brother’s death. His first planet to save was Dafaranian--that’s where the Darkadakahaka lives. The enemy there was Gorkatorks, a veteran in the wars and he serves as the nemesis of Dakaria. Dakaria saved all of the 30,000,000,000 galaxies but now it’s time for him to defeat the Warlordians. They live in a barren world and their main food supply is the Rakmorweans. There in the planet lives 50% of all the Warlordian commanders. Five hundred soldiers went there but three only returned. Dakaria planned a bombardment of all troops from Hunk &co, the military, and the GGS, Global Government Security. The plan was a success and the commanders of the Warlordians were captured and were interrogated personally by Dakaria.

This output is taken from Isak's vivid imagination coupled with inspirations from his favorite, Star Wars. He looks forward to comments, questions, and suggestions with regards to his original works.

The Whipping Boy: an Outstanding Story

By Gabe K.

The Whipping Boy was written by Sid Fleischman. The story happened somewhere in Europe probably in the Middle Ages maybe after the fall of Constantinople. The main characters are Jemmy, and Prince Horace. Jemmy was a rat-catcher who was taken from the streets and forced to become the Whipping Boy. Prince Horace was a bad prince who made pranks that made Jemmy get whipped every time. The other characters are Hold-Your-Nose-Billy and his partner in crime, Cutwater, Betsy and Captain Nips Hold-Your-Nose-Billy was the one who would stop the people in the highway while Cutwater took the loot. Betsy is a gypsy girl who entertains people with her pet bear. Captain Nips sells hot potatoes.

The story began during a great feast when the Prince tied the wigs of the guests on their chairs. The king got angry. He called the Whipping Boy and gave him twenty lashes but he did not scream or beg for mercy. The prince was not pleased because Jemmy was not screaming at all. The prince always misbehaved during classes and he never learned to read or write. But Jemmy learned to read, write and add. And because of Prince’s behavior, Jemmy would always get whipped.

My favorite part of the story is when the rats attacked the two bandits because it was hilarious. My favorite character is Captain Nips. He is a kind person who will always lend a helping hand. I think it was an interesting story and it teaches you a lot of lessons. One lesson I learned was think of others before yourself, like for example when Jemmy helped the prince try to escape instead of thinking of himself. Another lesson is to help strangers who are in need. I think the author is a good one because he taught us lessons, and the story was amazing. I would recommend everyone to read this book because it is definitely an outstanding book!

Predators! (Part 1)

By Jakey

There are animals that eat other animals which are called predators. I will tell you some predators, what their preys are and how they catch their preys

First, these predators use their eyes to hunt. For example, there’s the eagle (right photo). It uses its eyes to catch its prey. When it is able to see its prey, it uses its claws to grab it. Then, there’s the cheetah. They’re really fast. They focus on their target and where they’re going. Finally, the bear uses its eyes to capture fishes that could jump in the stream. If they get their calculation right they would be able to catch the fish without any problem.

Second, some predators use their sense of smell like the coyote. It is like the cheetah but it can only be found in the snow. It uses its nose to find its prey. Then there’s the shark (left photo). It uses its sense of smell to find tiny particles of blood then it will find the animal that dropped the blood

Third, predators can sense the body heat of their prey. To begin with, there’s the vampire bat (right photo) that sense the body heat of injured or sleeping animals. They suck their blood then use their saliva to keep the blood flowing, Eeew! Then, the snake could sense body heat from other animals and uses surprise to capture its prey.

To be continued...

Making a Sandwich

By Erika

My favorite sandwich is hamburger. Other sandwiches that I know are ham, cheese and egg salad sandwich. People like to eat sandwiches because it is easy to make and it is easy to eat. People eat sandwiches for lunch, breakfast or merienda. The sandwich was invented by the Earl of Sandwich. He made the first sandwich when he was playing cards because he did not want to quit the game. He took two slices of bread and put cold meat between the bread. That was the first sandwich!

Here is how to make an egg salad sandwich. You will need two boiled eggs. You need bread, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, fork, bowl and plate. First, you will mash the eggs in the bowl. Second, you will put mayonnaise, salt, pepper and you will mix the egg. Third, you will put the egg mixture on the bread. Last, you will toast the egg sandwich. Enjoy your sandwich!

Erika plans to ride her bike and learn how to cook this summer.