Any Questions - Latest Topics RSS

Tonga

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:38:43 GMT

Where can I find information on Tonga?

LEVEL: Primary/Intermediate

A lot of information can be found on countries, but a reliable starting point is the BBC site; choose the Asia-Pacific listing, use the country box and the drop down box to find Tonga. You can also check out Factmonster which gives lots of information and facts on countries around the world.

A good place to start when looking for information about what to see and do in a country will be a simple search in Google. In this case we can search for Tonga and add the word tourist or travel guide.

When looking for tourist information first look for the official government sites that often mention the National Tourist Office or Visitors' Bureau. They will usually have the most complete and up to date information. Some travel guide publishers have established websites and one of the best to search is Lonely Planet. Local sites can also be helpful for example Tonga Tourist information, and Tonga’s domestic airline. These sites all offer useful, up to date information for planning a trip including what to see and do; just remember that quite often they will be trying to sell tours and travel related services.

HOT TIP – When you are browsing the websites don’t forget to check out the entries for pacific travel guides as well as Tonga is one of the Pacific Islands.

Conservation status of the quetzal (bird)

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:44:58 GMT

What did people do to the quetzal to make it endangered?

LEVEL: Intermediate, Secondary

A good way to start this topic is a search for background information using a general encyclopedia like Wikipedia. Simply use your keyword Quetzal in the search box at the top of the right of the screen.

HOT TIP: Wikipedia has great coverage of many topics, 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.

The Quetzal article says that: “None of the Quetzal species are under immediate threat in the wild, although the Resplendent Quetzal is at Near Threatened status”, which definitely needs checking! Click on the Near Threatened link to get a table of different conservation statuses used by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

We found the best explanation of all these different terms by going to Google and typing in iucn status definition. One of the results which appeared is the official IUCN website which has a list and description of the different statuses. This information is reliable as the .org in the address tells us it is the official website for the IUCN.

Now that we have a better idea of the meaning of endangered and threatened species, let’s see how people have treated the Resplendent Quetzal, which seems to be the most threatened type of quetzal.

Start with Google by typing Resplendent Quetzal into the search box. Check each site to see if it contains information on human treatment and conservation status of the birds. It is a good idea to check the first two pages of Google results as the best websites don’t always appear in the first 10 results. Neotropical Birds at Cornell University has a very detailed answer - when you are looking at this site it helps to use the index panel to the left of the main picture. Arkive is another good site on the Google list – you should use the handy tabs above the main text box, especially those for Facts, Status, Threats, and Conservation.

There is also some useful information at the IUCN website we visited earlier. Simply type Quetzal into the search box and it will bring up the scientific names of the different species. Clicking on the different name will reveal information about each species, including threats.

Adaptation - secondary

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:54:39 GMT

How do plants and animals adapt to their environment?

Level: Secondary

If you are looking for New Zealand based information, like how different plants and animals have adapted to live in New Zealand's unique environment, then Te Ara is a very useful website.

Click on 'The Bush'. We want this section because it has information on all the plants and animals of New Zealand.
Now click on 'Understanding the Natural World'.
Next is 'Evolution of Plants and Animals'.
Click on 'The Full Story' on the left hand side.

The Science Learning Hub is one of our favourite websites to look at for the answers to all kinds of scientific questions. Do a search for 'adaptation' in the search bar at the top. If you are looking for a specific plant or animal then you can use that animals name as your keyword as well. For example, type in 'tuatara adaptations' to find information about how the tuatara has adapted to life in New Zealand.

HOT TIP: We chose Te Ara and the Science Learning Hub because they’re either from a government organisation 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.

Another place to look is Wikipedia which has great coverage of many topics, including adaptation. 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.

For more details information you can explore the EPIC databases. A really good place to look is Science In Context. Use your search terms 'animal adaptations' or change the terms to suite what kind of adaptation you are looking for.

HOT TIP: To get to the EPIC databases you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or, you can log on to AnyQuestions.co.nz between 1 and 6pm Monday to Friday, and one of the librarians can help you online.

Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.

A really useful website for NCEA students is Study It. From here you can choose your year level, topic and achievement standard and get a whole lot of tips about how to study. It will even give you some great revision websites for your topic. There is a section about how to study for your Evolution unit standard if you select 'Biology', 'Level Three' then 'Patterns of Evolution'.

Last but not least, check out our Many Answers entry on Tuatara Adaptations!

Adaptation

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:42:11 GMT

How do plants and animals adapt to their environment?

Level: Primary/Intermediate

We often get asked how particular animals (such as the megazostrodon and the tuatara) adapted to their environments. Here are some websites we like about animal adaptation.

A good place to start is Suzy's Fact Sheets, from Suzy's World. Have a look down the list for the word 'Evolution' and click on it to read more.

HOT TIP: Remember, if you are not sure what a word means, try using Google as a dictionary. The trick is to type the word define: (with the colon) in front of the word you want to define, then click Search. E.g. if you wanted to define the word adaptation, your search would be define: adaptation. This searches for all the meanings on the web that define your word.

For students of all ages, check out How Stuff Works. This website explains how almost everything works! To find out what adaptation means and how it works:

Click on the tab 'Science' along the top of the page.
Next click on 'Science Dictionary'.
Now click on 'Biology Terms' in the grey box on the left hand side. We want biology because it is the study of living things.
Click on 'See More'.
Now find 'Adaptation'. It should be right at the top of the results because all the topics are arranged alphabetically.

If you are looking for New Zealand based information, like how different plants and animals have adapted to live in New Zealand's unique environment, then Te Ara is a very useful website.

Click on 'The Bush'. We want this section because it has information on all the plants and animals of New Zealand.
Now click on 'Understanding the Natural World'.
Next is 'Evolution of Plants and Animals'.

HOT TIP: For more information, check out our entry on Tuatara Adatations.

Tuatara adaptions

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:19:53 GMT

How has the tuatara adapted over the last 300 million years?

Level: Intermediate/Secondary

On the Science Learning Hub website there is some great info about tuatara adaptations in New Zealand. Use the search box on the top right of the site and search for tuatara adaptations. There are some great articles that come up that will help explain animal adaptation and evolution.

HOT TIP: We chose Science Learning Hub because it’s from a reputable organisation. You can tell this by their web address – they have .org in their address. They’re also a New Zealand site, so relevant for us. You can trust the information from this site.

There is a really cool video explaining the evolution of the tuatara on Te Ara. To get to it first we need to find the page dedicated to the tuatara. You can do this by searching 'tuatara' in the search box near the top of the page.

There is another way to find the tuatara's page on Te Ara. This way is a little longer but it will show you more of the website as you go, which could be very useful for your homework.

From the home page select 'The Bush.'
A tuatara is a kind of reptile so we want to click on Fish, Frogs and Reptiles.
Now select Tuatara. This will give you the option to read the short story or the long story depending on how much information you want. Click 'read the full story' for the long story.
To find the video about tuatara evolution, click on 'images and media'. This is a yellow tab near the top of the page.
The video is on page two.

HOT TIP: We chose Te Ara because it is from a government organisation (the New Zealand Government). You can tell this by the web address – it has .govt in the address. It is also a New Zealand site, so relevant for us.

Check out the tuatara's entry on Wild Facts by using the search box on the right hand side. Wild Facts is a blog all about mysterious animal behaviour and animal adaptations. It is written by a man with Bachelor of Science degree with a specialisation in Wildlife and Habitat Ecology, so the information is trustworthy.

HOT TIP: Another place to look is Wikipedia which has great coverage of many topics, including the tuatara. 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.

HOT TIP: To find more general information, see our ManyAnswers entry on the Tuatara here.

Ghetto - definition

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:56:27 GMT

What does 'ghetto' mean?

Level: Primary/Intermediate

To start with, you can use Google as a dictionary. The trick is to type the word define: (with the colon) in front of the word you want to define, then click Search. E.g. if you wanted to define the word ghetto, your search would be define: ghetto. This searches for all the meanings on the web that define your word.

We like the definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary, as it's easy to understand and from a reputable source.

Another great site for this type of question is Fact Monster. Just type the keyword ghetto into the search box at the top.

HOT TIP: Another place to look is Wikipedia which has great coverage of many topics, including the ghetto. 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.

Meaning of the letters "doc"

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:19:45 GMT

What does "doc" mean?

Level: Intermediate

There could be several different meanings for the letters "doc" depending on how they are used.

It might be the start of a word that has been shortened to just the first three letters. The Oxford Dictionary (one of the EPIC databases) can help you find a useful list of English words starting with "doc", including what they mean. Simply type "doc" in the search bar up the top of the screen

HOT TIP: To get to the EPIC databases you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or, you can log on to AnyQuestions.co.nz between 1 and 6pm Monday to Friday, and one of the librarians can help you online.

Groups of letters like this can also be used as what we call 'acronyms'. That is, a phrase is shortened by taking just the first letter of each word, like "Dive Onto Cottonwool" (that one is made up!). If you try searching Google using "doc nz" you will find some acronyms we use in New Zealand.

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. E.g. If you wanted to define the word "doc", your search would be define doc. This searches for all the meanings on the web that define your word.

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.

Selling New Zealand land

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:39:19 GMT

Should NZ land be sold to foreigners?

Level: Secondary

This question could mean either:

1. the sale of public land (e.g. rivers and beaches) to overseas businesses, or
2. the selling of private land (e.g. a house and section) to someone who is not from New Zealand.

We will be looking at the first meaning, a question which has been hotly debated in the lead up to the 2011 general election.

The selling of public land (or anything else owned by the New Zealand Government) is often called the "sale of state assets". The NZ Government Treasury website has a useful page explaining what is currently owned by the Government. It also includes a brief history of sales of state assets in New Zealand.

There are lots of newspaper articles with different viewpoints on the Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre (available through the EPIC databases.) Simply search for "asset sales new zealand" or "asset sales elections".

HOT TIP: To get to the EPIC databases you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or you can log on to AnyQuestions.co.nz between 1 and 6pm Monday to Friday and one of the librarians can help you online.

HOT TIP: Check out our other entries on the New Zealand general election 2011.

Curry - food

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:49:39 GMT

What country does the word "curry" come from?

Level: Intermediate

The Encyclopedia Britannica has some great info about curry dishes, where they come from and why it is called "curry" in the first place. Simply type "curry" in the search bar - the first few results will be the most helpful.

(You can access the Encyclopedia Britannica through the EPIC databases at school or in some public libraries.)

If you have discovered which language or country "curry" comes from but would like to know more, just search again for that language or country in the Encyclopedia and you will find separate articles about them.

HOT TIP: Another place to look is Wikipedia which has great coverage of many topics, including curry. 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 and in books from the library.

Gisborne

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:06:37 GMT

Where do I find information about Gisborne?

Level: Primary/Intermediate

We recommend Te Ara for general historical, geographic and social information from New Zealand and this includes Gisborne and the East Coast region. Typing Gisborne in the search bar will provide some worthwhile results.

HOT TIP: We chose Te Ara because it is from a government 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.

Another excellent website for New Zealand information is DigitalNZ. This website lets you search easily for New Zealand digital content and to filter your results. For example, you can type in the keyword Gisborne, and then filter for just images.

For local and current news from the Gisborne region we recommend the Gisborne Herald website.

HOT TIP: A good place to start looking is Wikipedia which has great coverage of many topics, including Gisborne, 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.