Literacy News

Over the past couple of weeks tech literacy students have been working on their instruction text. Please enjoy a few of the contributions.

How to overcome stress by creating a stress ball?

-Mini Salibi

When you exercise pressure on a stress ball, the nerves and the muscles stimulate and contract, making them stronger. This improves the nervous system and reduces essential hormones, which control and curb stress levels.

Requirements:

• Balloon
• Orbeez
• Water
• Glitter

Steps:

1. Stretch out the balloon
2. Using a funnel to keep the balloon open fill the balloon with orbeez and glitter.
3. After adding your orbeez and glitter, add how much water you want, the more water you add the bigger your stress ball will be.
4. Remove the funnel from the balloon and let out as much air as you can
5. Tie the neck of the balloon tightly
6. Snip off the excess rubber from the balloon
7. Squish, you're done!

Troubleshooting/Additional Info:

If your balloon pops this means that you simply haven't stretched out your balloon enough or you could create a new one using a thicker material because this is bound to happen.

How to Plait your Hair?

 -Simon Wong

Requirements:

• 3 pieces of rope (unattached)
• Or someone’s hair (recommended with medium to long hair length
• A pair of two hands

Steps:

1.First you divide the strand of hair you desire to plait into 3 pieces

2.Then you move the right strand into your direction towards the middle of the left and right strand which turns the right stand into the middle

(make sure it’s not too loose nor tight)

3.Then the next step would be to move the left stand towards you like the second step but it’s towards the right until it’s between the middle and the right (make sure there isn’t to much of a gap near the starting point that you’ve created)

4.Then from that point it’ll be repeated again from the second step and third until you reach the end with the piece being about 3 centimeters to the end of the knots where you finally tie it off.

5.To tie it off you put the hair into the hair tie so it’s in the middle but remember that the hair tie has to be at the end of the knots.

6.You then twist it once and repeat the putting into the loop while it being a tight fitting, until you can no longer twist it then now you’re finished with the plaiting

Troubleshooting/Additional Info

When the plaiting is too loose - If it’s too loose you pull on it a bit harder/tighter but not too tight that you either hurt yourself or pull the hair out.

How to create a 1st Level Dungeons and Dragons character (5e)

Requirements 

• A computer
• 4, 6 sided dice (you do not own any, you can use Google’s dice roller)
• A Fifth Edition D&D Character sheet
• D&D fifth edition Player’s Handbook (if you do not own one, here is a free pdf version https://orkerhulen.dk/onewebmedia/DnD%205e%20Players%20Handbook%20%28BnW%20OCR%29.pdf)
• Printer
• Paper
• Pencil
• Eraser

*Print your character sheet out before creating your character*

1. Choose your race. If this is your first time creating a character, choose a race from the Player's Handbook. (example of a race ^)

2. Choose your class (example of a class ^)

3. Roll four 6-sided dice (4d6) and record the total of the highest three dice on a piece of paper. These will determine your ability scores for strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom and charisma.

(here, you would add 6, 4 and 13. 6+4+3=13, so your ability score would be 13)

4. Add your highest roll to the ability/s that is most important for your class (refer to the Player’s Handbook) in the corresponding box.

5. Add the rest of your rolls to your other abilities.

6. Record the traits from your race onto your sheet under the traits and features section, add to your ability scores if your race contributes to that (refer to the Player’s Handbook).

7. Add modifiers to your ability scores. The score is the number you rolled before. Write the modifier under the corresponding ability in the circle. 

Your boxes should look like this (scores may vary)

8. Choose and write down skills in the skills sections that correspond with your chosen class (refer to Player’s handbook).

9. Calculate HP (Hit Points) according to you class (refer to your class)

10. Choose and write down weapons and/or spells from your chosen class into the tools and/or spells section (refer to the Player’s Handbook).

11. Choose armor from your selected class and write it down in the tools section. Record your armor class score into the armor class box.

12. Add any additional languages your class allows you to learn (refer to the Player’s Handbook) in your Proficiencies and Languages box.

13. Write down additional features about your character such as a name, their age, gender, their personality traits, how they look, etc.

14. Create a backstory for your character. Talk to your DM about this, they can incorporate your character’s backstory into the adventure to make it more personal.  

How to defend against an attacker with their hands on your shoulders

-Flynn Becker

What you will need:

• A volunteer to practice on
• A crash pad so you don't injure the volunteer

Steps:

1. The attacker will have their hands on your shoulders and may be pushing you back, but not into a wall. The attacker will have their arms on the inside space of yours. 
2. Put your right arm inside the space and pull down from their elbow on their right arm.
3. Twist your body so your back is facing them and grab hold of their right arm with both hands.
4. Using your body and their arm as a fulcrum/pivot point, pull the attacker over your shoulder and throw them onto the crash pad.
5. To make sure that they will not continue to attack, you can punch them in the liver on the right side of their body under their ribcage, their nose or kick them in the groin or head.

Problems that may occur:

1. If the attacker is too heavy to pull over your shoulder, you can try throwing them over your hip or you can even just trip them with your foot.

How to shoot a Basketball

-Jasper Ecleo

Materials

A basketball

A hoop of some sort(optional)

Procedure

1) Line up your shooting hand with the lines on the ball vertically, like a guideline.

2)Line up your off hand with the lines vertically on the ball, either on the left or right side.(Depending on handedness)3)Square up your feet, with the side your shooting hand is in slightly in front of your other foot.4)After squaring up, bring the ball downwards, in front of the bottom of your stomach.5)Bend your knees in, the lower you get the more power your shot tends to have.6)Spring your legs up after bending.(Jumping or hopping in place)7)Bring the ball up during the jump above your forehead, giving space to not obstruct your view or touch the ball.8)At the apex of your jump, flick the ball towards the hoop (or up straight if no hoop) with your shooting hand, using the offhand as either a guide only or a push off with your thumb.

9)A good shot usually has a form of spin, so make sure to flick it instead of pushing it off with your shooting hand.10) Practice doing all of the steps in one fluid motion.Well done, you now hopefully know how to shoot a basketball.