奥妙宇宙等待求知者来信 2022-23 No. 19
Bits and Bytes | Create Colors with RGB LED 
电子旋律 数位节拍｜三原色灯让色彩缤纷
How do we see color from digital devices? How can a computer monitor create so many colors? How does the large signage around Shenzhen display colors? These questions and more were what guided our G6 CS elective students as they uncovered the programming/circuitry behind RGB LEDs. Our technologists set out to control an RGB LED on their own and replicate the colors observed on their digital screen. Their goal was to have the ability to create 16,777,216 different colors with one RGB LED.
我们是如何从电子设备中看到颜色的？电脑显示器如何创造斑斓色彩？深圳随处可见的大型显示屏又为何能展示不同的颜色？类似的问题有许多，六年级的学生们怀抱疑问与好奇，开始学习三原色灯（RGB LED）背后的编程和电路相关知识。
他们尝试自行控制RGB LED，以复现他们在电子屏幕上看到的颜色，并期望最终能够使用RGB LED创造16,777,216种不同的颜色。
To begin, our inquisitive young computer scientists learned how to use a purely digital signal; only on or off, to create red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, yellow, and white colors in their RGB LED. While they were able to create colors other than red, green, and blue by sending HIGH (255) signals to various leads of their RGB LEDs, they were not capable of producing colors that required a brightness somewhere in between HIGH and LOW; for example, orange (255, 125, 0).
首先，充满探索欲的学生们学会了如何使用纯数字信号，仅通过“开”和“关”让RGB LED呈现红、绿、蓝、青、紫红、黄、白等颜色。在这个阶段，尽管他们可以通过向RGB LED发送高强度信号（255），创造红、绿、蓝以外的颜色，但仍然无法调节高低强度值中间的RGB值域，从而呈现橙色（255, 125, 0）等需要亮度变化的颜色。
Our electricians soon realized that they could not create other colors since they didn’t have the range to do so. Previously, students learned how to program a circuit using a potentiometer and a built-in Arduino function called a map to convert an analog input into a digital output. They used a potentiometer to create a dimmer system for an LED, allowing the user to adjust the LED’s brightness within a range of 0-255 (zero being no voltage and off, and 255 being high voltage and completely bright). Using this approach, students were able to use 3 potentiometers to control the red, green, and blue leads of the RGB LED. The students now had access to a value of 28 (1 byte; 0-255) for their respective colors. Since they had access to 3 LEDS, they wound up with 3 bytes, or 28 x 3 which gave them access to 16,777,216 color variations, allowing them to access all color combinations produced with an RGB LED.
学生们很快意识到，他们无法通过调节某些值域以呈现更多的颜色。此前，大家学习了如何使用电位器和Arduino内置的map功能对电路进行编程，将模拟信号转化为数字信号。他们使用电位器设计了LED调光系统，让使用者在0-255的范围内调节LED亮度（0为无电压和无亮度，255为高电压和最大亮度）。学生通过这种方式，使用3个电位器分别控制了RGB LED的红、绿、蓝三色灯光。每种颜色的灯光可控值为28 (1个字节；0-255)，三种颜色的可控值便是3个字节（28 x 3），也就是16,777,216种颜色的变化。这意味着大家能够通过RGB LED呈现所有的颜色组合。
Using the Serial class and the print/println method, students tracked the values of the potentiometers to ensure that they were in the correct range to create their desired colors. Our technicians also visually inspected their RGB LEDs to verify that the colors they coded were actualized in their circuit.
通过使用编程语言中的Serial class 和print/println，学生们能够追踪电位器的数值变化，并确保该数值处于正确范围内，且能够呈现目标颜色。最后，大家通过目测RGB LED的颜色变化，验证了电路中的颜色编码。
“When I joined the G6 CS elective, the first simple thing we learned was digital and analog read. Later, we learned how to use potentiometers and photoresistors to change values of variables in the code. After that, we learned about the Serial Monitor, which is so important to our code because you can pinpoint what error the code has. For example, if you mapped something wrong and one of the LEDs does not shine, you might believe it was a wiring error and spend your whole work period checking, dismantling, and rebuilding your design. If you have the Serial Monitor on the other hand, you will intuitively know what was wrong with the code and you would not spend time on nonsense. Lastly, we learned about RGB LEDs. I was confused with the RGB LED, believing that four leads are not enough because we need six. But after we were told our RGB LEDs had a common cathode, it all made sense. With all this knowledge, the build was smooth with the assistance of the data from the Serial Monitor.”
“六年级的计算机科学选修课刚开始，我们便学习了最为基础的模拟和数字信号读数。随后，我们还学会了通过电位器和光敏电阻调节代码中的变量，并使用串行监视器（Serial Monitor）准确定位代码中的错误。
Serial Monitor对我们至关重要，例如，当编码过程中出现错误导致某个LED灯无法点亮，我们可能会误以为这是一个接线错误，并用一整段实操课程的时间来检查、拆卸和重建自己的设计，但Serial Monitor能够很快地显示代码的错误之处，帮我们节省大量时间和精力。
最后，我们深入学习了RGB LED的相关知识。我最初非常困惑，误以为RGB LED需要6个引脚，而不是4个。当得知RGB LED使用的是共阴极后，我的疑问便引刃而解了。在这些理论知识和Serial Monitor的辅助下，我们很顺利便组装好了自己的RGB LED。”--- Ted Huang
Field Trip to Hong Kong International Literary Festival 香港国际文学节之旅
On Saturday, March 11, some G12 students had the opportunity to attend the Hong Kong International Literary Festival at the Fringe Club in Central, Hong Kong. These students, who have been exploring character identities in their Capstone Literature class this year, welcomed the opportunity to hear authors discuss how they go about creating authentic characters. And, they had the chance to meet the authors and have their books signed.
3月11日星期六，毕业班的部分学生在老师的带领下，参加了2023年香港国际文学节。学生们一直在此前的顶点文学课程中探索小说里的人物身份，而在本次文学节中，大家终于能够与神往已久的作者见面，面对面聆听他们分享角色创作心得，还能得到作者的亲笔签名。
Ken Zheng said his favorite part was hearing and meeting David A. Robertson. Ken said, " Robertson called his literature “land-based”-- that even without visiting before, a person could feel a particular place’s connection to their family and history immediately upon entering that place, as if the land remembered. I had never lived in my parents’ country until I was 12, but the moment I set foot in their hometown I knew it was my hometown too. I felt my own story resonate with that of Robertson’s—a human connection formed by storytelling; I promptly cemented that magical moment by buying On the Trapline, getting it signed, and taking a group photo with him!
与作家David A.Robertson的交流让Ken Zheng记忆犹新。Robertson先生称自己的文学为“根植于大地的创作”——即使没有去过，一个人来到某个地方时也能立即感受到该地与他们的家庭和历史的联系，仿佛这片土地被铭记于心。Ken说：“12岁以前，我从未在父母的故乡生活过，但踏上这片土地的瞬间，我就知道这不仅是父母的故乡，也是我的家乡。Robertson先生通过讲故事的方式创造了人与人之间的纽带，他笔下的故事让我很有共鸣。我立即买下了《On the Trapline》这本书，还得到了作者签名并与他合影留念，这段经历非常美妙！”
Chan Hyuk Park said that he thinks, "one of the most beneficial aspects of the field trip was getting some understanding of how authors think when they write and how much of their personal experiences affect their writing." Plus, it was his first time getting a book signed by an author, so it was exciting.
Chan Hyuk Park同学说：“我在这次文学之旅中最大的收获之一，便是了解作者在写作时的想法，以及他们的个人经历对写作的影响。“此外，这也是Park第一次获得作者的亲笔签名，着实令人兴奋。
Jill Lyu noticed that the writers all wrote about hard topics relating to colonialism and cultural preservation. "Because they shared how their perspectives and cognition changed as their knowledge about their characters' cultures grew," Jill was "informed of the importance of seeing cultures relatively," and gained a deeper understanding of cultural inclusivity.
Jill Lyu注意到，这些作家的创作中都涉及了殖民主义和文化保护等充满挑战性的话题。她说：“诸位作者分享了自身的观点和认知是如何随着对角色文化了解的增长而发生改变的，这不禁让我意识到相对辩证地看待文化的重要性”，同时，她也对文化包容性有了更深的理解。
Finally, Eric Liu felt that because the authors he heard speak all came from diverse international backgrounds, he "learned the humanity they discussed within their own stories are the common themes shared between all cultural identities and something that goes beyond cultural limitations." Eric said he was really encouraged by such a meaningful trip.
最后，Eric Liu也分享了自己的感受。他了解到本次活动的作者都拥有不同的国际文化背景，但作者在故事中讨论的人性是所有文化身份之间的共同主题，也是超越文化局限的内容。这样一次有意义的旅行让他备受启发。
Chaperones Jacob Liu and Jennifer Roth were equally inspired by the event. Ms. Jenn said, "Watching students take in what the authors were sharing and immediately apply it to their own lives and experiences was so gratifying because it validated the importance of studying literature and also reinforced what a special group of students we have here at BISZ."
作为本次活动的领队老师，Jacob Liu 和Jennifer Roth同样感触颇深。Ms. Jenn感慨道：“学生们在理解作者分享的内容后，能够立即代入自己的生活和经历，这是非常令人欣慰的。这证明了文学学习的重要性，也彰显了BISZ学子对文学的独特感知。”
Mr. Jacob said, "Listening to writers from different cultural backgrounds introduced the influence of family, homeland, and religion in their literary creations during the event, cultivating a deep understanding of history and culture, which has generated exciting inspiration for future Chinese literature exploration with students.
Mr. Jacob 谈到此行的收获时，说：“在活动期间，我们聆听了不同文化背景的作家介绍家庭、故土和宗教对各自文学创作的影响，深化了对历史和文化多样性的理解，这也为将来的中国文学课程探索提供了激动人心的灵感和启发。”
Early Childhood Education 幼儿部
Safari on Campus
校内“观兽之旅”
The start of the third school quarter brought with it a new topic for PreK-2 to explore: habitats! This topic always brings such excitement for the students as they get to learn more about these environments and the plant and animal life that thrives therein. Diving deeper into grassland habitats, the students learned about a safari: an adventure that takes you into the wilds of Africa to observe the incredible animals of the African Savanna in their natural habitat. Equipped with an alphabet grid and some binoculars, the students went on a safari of their own, looking for different kinds of grassland animals hidden outside, and matching the first letter of the animal they saw to the corresponding letter on their grid. What an exciting outdoor expedition it was!
第三学季伊始，幼儿园四岁班的孩子们开始了对“栖息地”这一主题的探索，大家都很兴奋能够了解不同的生态环境及其中生长的动植物！深入学习草原栖息地的相关知识后，学生们明白了“观兽之旅”指的是在非洲大草原上近距离观察各种野生动物的精彩大冒险。于是，大家带着字母表和望远镜，也在校园中开始了自己的“观兽之旅”，寻找各种隐藏在户外草坪中的小动物，并将动物名称的首字母与网格图中的对应字母相匹配。“小小探险家“们在这次独特的户外探险活动中享受到了别样的乐趣！
Primary School 小学部
G1 Mental Health Class: Emotions
一年级德育课：情绪
Recently, G1 students learned about emotions in Mental Health class under the guidance of LETs. In this unit, students not only learned how to feel their own emotions and identify others' emotions with the help of clues, such as expressions and tone of voice, but also learned how to express their own emotions and needs in a clear way.
近期，一年级学生在德育课上，与班主任老师一起学习了“情绪”的相关内容。在这个单元中，同学们不仅学会了如何感受自己的情绪，通过表情和语气等“信号”来识别他人的情绪，还学习了如何清晰表达自己的情绪与需求。
In the subsequent activity class, students drew pictures of their recent experience of feeling sad, angry or nervous, and then tried to use the sentence pattern "I feel...... because...... I hope you can......" to express feelings and needs. Through such methods, students even tried to verbalize their feelings and solve small conflicts with their friends by themselves during recess time. We are so delighted to see our first graders benefit so much from the Mental Health class!
在接下来的德育活动课上，同学们结合所学知识，画出了自己最近遇到的伤心、紧张或是生气的事情，并使用“因为......”，“我感到......”和“我希望你能......”等句式，写下自己的感受与想法。课后，大家还尝试着用语言口头表达自己的感受，自己解决与同学间的小误会。期待一年级学生在德育课上的更多收获！
G5 Mental Health Class: Communication
五年级德育课：沟通
G5 students discussed communication in their recent Mental Health class. After exploring different communication skills and better ways of communication, our fifth graders even put down what they learned on paper and made wonderful posters, which are now presented on a “communication board” on the third floor.
五年级近期的德育课主题是沟通与交流。大家探索了不同沟通技巧和方式后，在纸上记录所学内容，并且精心制作了海报。学校三楼的“沟通墙”上展示了这些海报，呈现了同学们的学习成果和过人创意。
One of the most useful tools in communication is putting yourself in others’ shoes. Under the guidance of the LETs, G5 students have also realized the importance of such aspects; they realized the differences between themselves and their families in their upbringing, personalities and experiences, and that is exactly the reason why they have to try to understand each other through communication. Our fifth graders even took the initiative and wrote a letter to their families. We look forward to seeing our students use the skills they have mastered and build stronger and closer relationships with their families through better communication.
沟通中最重要的方式之一就是换位思考。在班主任老师的指导下，五年级学生意识到了换位思考的重要性，学会理解自己与家人在成长环境、性格和经历等方面都存在不同之处。因此，大家在沟通中需要相互理解，“读懂”彼此的心。同学们主动迈出了沟通的第一步，在本周给家人写了一封“爱的信件”，向家人表达自己的心声。希望同学们能善用掌握到的沟通技巧，与家人建立更紧密、更健康的关系。
High School 高中部
Words Matter | AP Synthesis Writing
纸轻墨浓｜AP综合性写作
G9 students in Honors English Language and Composition are deepening their knowledge and understanding of the AP Synthesis task by crafting their own prompts. Students will begin by choosing topics about issues both relevant to themselves and suitable for the essay. They will then research a variety of sources that provide diverse perspectives on the issue. Finally, students will discuss their sources before selecting the ones that work best together and assembling their prompts.
九年级荣誉英语语言与写作课程的学生正在尝试整合自己的写作片段，以加深对AP综合写作技能的掌握和理解。大家将首先确定一个与自身相关且适合论文写作的题目，再深入研究对于该主题的不同观点，之后，他们讨论、选择最适合的论点，并在自己的写作片段间建立某种逻辑联系，进而支撑该论点的论述。
Lab Time | Light and Photosynthesis
实验时光｜光与光合作用
Students in Honors Biology were investigating how different colours of light impacted the rate of photosynthesis in algae beads by using an indicator solution to show the absorption or release of CO2. Tubes with purple indicators produced more photosynthesis when wrapped in a colour filter and exposed to light. Tubes with a yellow hue produced less photosynthesis and more respiration when wrapped in a colour filter and exposed to light.
荣誉生物课的学生通过使用指示剂溶液显示二氧化碳的吸收与排放情况，正在研究不同颜色的光对海藻光合作用的影响。实验表明，在同样的光照条件和滤光纸下，紫色指示剂溶液试管中的光合作用更盛，而黄色指示剂溶液试管中的光合作用稍弱，但呼吸作用较强。
Upcoming Events 活动预告
Drama Performance of Night of January 16th
戏剧表演《1月16日的夜晚》
We invite you to join us on March 21st for our Introduction to Drama performance of Night of January 16th by Ayn Rand. This play is a courtroom drama filled with mystery and misleading information, with accusations flying through the air. Two opposing sides trying to get to the truth of the death of one Bjorn Faulkner. The Intro students have been workshopping and staging our performance for the past few months and they are ready to share their hard work with all of you. If you are able to attend, please fill out the form below. We look forward to seeing you.
戏剧入门课程的学生将于3月21日上演Ayn Rand的剧目《1月16日的夜晚》。这是一部充满神秘感和误导性信息的法庭戏剧，剧中的对立双方试图找出比约恩·福克纳的死亡真相，呈现了充满张力的戏剧冲突。过去的几个月，学生们围绕这场演出进行了大量的研究、讨论和排练。他们已经做好准备与观众分享这一切努力的精彩成果，诚邀您拨冗莅临，共赏佳剧！
BIBSC Park Lane Harbour Speech & Debate Tournament
中国 · 贝赛思国际/双语学校演讲与辩论联赛
小径湾校区主场赛即将举行
This weekend, the network will bring together students from across the network in its fifth and final “regular season” speech and debate tournament of the year, hosted by BASIS International School Park Lane Harbour. After a year of tournaments being moved online (BISZ, BIHZ, BIGZ, BBSZ), this tournament will finally bring our programs together in a single place, in-person, to compete!
本周末，中国 · 贝赛思国际/双语学校将举办演讲与辩论联赛在本赛季中第五场也是最后一场的校际“常规赛”，本场联赛由华润小径湾贝赛思国际学校主持举办。在经历了此前一年的线上联赛后（深圳贝赛思国际学校、杭州钱江贝赛思国际学校、广州贝赛思国际学校、深圳市福田区贝赛思学校先后轮值主办），本轮赛事首次让各个校区的学生齐聚一堂，进行线下比赛，来完成整个赛程。
BASIS International Park Lane Harbour Head of School John Quirk shares “I welcome you to our school and to this important BASIS Network event. While you are visiting, I hope the warmth and beauty of our surroundings will capture some of your spirit. More importantly, I hope you will feel a sense of camaraderie within a competition that is designed to test your abilities.”
华润小径湾贝赛思国际学校校长John Quirk表示：“欢迎大家来到我校参与贝赛思体系的重要赛事。当你们身处小径湾的美丽校园时，希望校园里的别致风景和温馨环境能振奋你的精神。更为重要的是，希望你们能够在这场能力测试的角逐中同时收获宝贵的友谊。“
The tournament features over 250 students and 60 faculty and staff from across all the BASIS International and Bilingual China schools. Over the course of preliminary competition, there will be 525 speeches and performances and 164 debates. Students will compete in Extemporaneous Speaking, Impromptu Speaking, Interpretation, Original Oratory, and Public Forum Debate. Individual events will narrow down after quarterfinals and semifinals to the top 6 finalists. Debate will go through double octofinals, octofinals, quarterfinals, semifinals until only the top 2 teams remain in the novice and varsity categories.
此次联赛汇聚了来自中国 · 贝赛思国际/双语学校共计250余名参赛学生以及60名教师。在初赛环节，将有525场演讲赛与164场辩论赛。比赛分为：即兴演讲、随性演讲、主题演讲、原创演讲和公共论坛辩论几大竞赛类别。个人竞赛单元中，将在四分之一决赛和半决赛中角逐出前六名决赛选手。而辩论赛中，将通过十六分之一决赛、八分之一决赛、四分之一决赛和半决赛，分别在初级组和校队组选出前两名入围选手。
BIBSC Director of Speech & Debate Colin Malinak notes “as a former competitor myself and a coach at the middle school, high school, and collegiate levels, it is hard to express what a tournament can mean. Over the course of this weekend, students will come to know themselves and their classmates better, get to meet and interact with students from all over the country, and push themselves to accomplish things they never knew they were capable of. I hope that this experience is as meaningful for students as my own tournament experiences were to me.”
中国 · 贝赛思国际/双语学校演讲与辩论主任Colin Malinak表示：“作为曾经的一员参赛选手、以及初高中和大学的演讲与辩论的教练，很难准确描述一场联赛的意义所在。通过这个周末的比赛，学生们将更加了解自己和他们的同学，与来自不同学校的学生见面、交流，充分激发自身潜能，挑战自我，完成一些原以为自己做不到的事情。希望这次比赛的经历能够像我曾经参与的比赛那样，成为他们意义重大的一次体验。”
This is an exciting new era in the program and an evolution of the growth of Speech & Debate for BASIS International and Bilingual Schools China. This will be the first ever event to bring students from all 7 of our campuses together in one place. While online events have been happening regularly over the COVID era and the Guangdong campuses have organized sporting events in person, this will mark the first time in the history of the network that our Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Nanjing campuses will travel down South. The event will be joined by our Chief Executive Head of Schools Dr. Mark Reford, Chief Instructional Officer Dr. Scott Adams, BISZ Executive Head of School Nick Botting and BIPH Head of School John Quirk as well as various Department Chairs, Network Course Advisors (CADs) and other administrators and classroom teachers who will all be judging over the course of the weekend supporting students growth and development.
此次联赛是中国 · 贝赛思国际/双语演讲与辩论赛令人激动的全新的起点和赛事发展的新阶段。这将是有史以来首次7所中国贝赛思学校的学生齐聚一堂参与比赛。尽管在新冠疫情时期，线上赛事成为常态，广东省内贝赛思学校虽然也曾举办过线下体育赛事，而本次演讲与辩论联赛，将标志着成都校区、杭州校区和南京校区首次来到南方，所有中国贝赛思学校齐聚一堂开展活动。此外，中国·贝赛思国际/双语学校总校长Dr. Mark Reford、首席教学官Dr. Scott Adams、深圳贝赛思执行校长Nick Botting和华润小径湾贝赛思校长John Quirk以及各部门教研组长、贝赛思课程顾问（CAD）以及众多管理人员和科任教师都将作为评审参与到此次活动中，支持学生的成长和发展。
Vice Head of Middle School and Speech and Debate Coach at Park Lane Harbour Mark Wilkerson offers these words of wisdom for the competitors, “for most of you, this March competition will be your first visit to Park Lane Harbour. For many of you, this will be your first speech competition. For some of you, efforts will be rewarded with recognition in the form of trophies, medals, and ribbons. However, for all of you, the experiences you have from this weekend will stick with you for your entire life. Throughout the weekend, please cheer on your schoolmates during their rounds, but also learn from and celebrate your opponents and other competitors. You are not only participating this weekend to win, but also to learn.”
华润小径湾贝赛思国际学校的初中部副主任兼演讲与辩论教练Mark Wilkerson为参赛选手分享了赛前心得：“对你们中的大多数人来说，这次比赛将是你们第一次来到小径湾校区。对部分学生来说，这是你们即将面对的人生第一次演讲比赛。对有些学生来说，你们的努力将通过奖杯、奖牌和荣誉绶带得以表彰和认同。但无论如何，对所有参赛选手来说，本次参赛将成为你们人生中难以忘怀的精彩体验。在这个周末，请为你的参赛同学加油打气，但同时也要从竞争对手身上学习并为他们呐喊助威。此次比赛不仅仅是为了获胜，更是为了互相学习。”
Good luck to all of the competitors, judges, and administrators!
祝所有的参赛选手、评委和管理团队好运！