After an extremely busy year of learning, it was lovely to have the chance to have a relaxing day spending time with classmates. Here are some photos of our trip...
Last week, we had a fabulous trip away, first going to the Blue Baths for a swim, and then onto the Amazing Race which was staged in the beautiful Government Gardens. The weather was perfect (not too hot and not too cold, with just the right amount of sun), and everything ran smoothly. After an extremely busy year of learning, it was lovely to have the chance to have a relaxing day spending time with classmates. Here are some photos of our trip...
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Today we attended a fantastic Aboriginal show featuring the modern Didgeridoo known as a Didgeribone. When we came back to class, we discussed some of what we had seen, and then decided to try out playing a traditional Didgeridoo (brought in to us by Ali). It's not as easy it looks, and only one or two students actually managed to achieve the correct sound. Here's some photos from this... Today we have performed our end of term plays. Each term the quality of the performances improves as students work much harder to meet our success criteria. This term was no exception, with almost everyone learning their lines off by heart, and with each group making an effort with props, and their positions. Here they are for you to enjoy...
Room 14 have been very lucky to have three students all the way from China, for the last couple of weeks. They have been experiencing life in a New Zealand school. There are more adventures to be had in New Zealand and so today is their last day with us. We are sad to see them go! Every week we like to spend one of our oral language sessions looking at topical issues in the news (this is the meaty stuff, not the 'snack bite' news). This morning we took a look at a video on the Stuff.co.nz news website related to positive/negative advertising images (8 year olds sum up the problem with fashion ads). A group of Spanish 8 year olds were given a screen and scrolled through advertising images from exclusive and expensive brands of fashion, and their facial expressions and body language was recorded as well as their discussions on what they were seeing. We watched the video and were equally horrified by what we saw. After watching the video we did two PMIs, one on men, one on women and then we discussed what we had seen. This was a really powerful illustration of the nature of advertising and the very unfair way that women are often depicted. We had a very full and out times loud discussion with many opinions and a whole lot of questions such as: Why would women almost always be depicted in such negative ways? Why are only men shown as strong, intelligent and confident? We talked about 'hidden agendas' and how important it is to be aware of what message the brands are sending to their audiences and clients. We also talked of the need to avoid purchasing products where the brand promotes such negative images. Here are our PMI's for you to take a look at.
We celebrate fabulous examples of writing in Room 14, and now you get to share in our celebrations here on our blog page. We will update this slideshow regularly with new examples of great work. Take a look and enjoy this great writing...
We have been working on our performance skills this week in class, in preparation for our term plays. We've set criteria that needs to be followed to ensure our plays are worthy of viewing including knowing our lines off by heart, projecting our voices, speaking with clarity, acting out our parts, and making sure that we never put our back to the audience (with speech). Take a look and see if you think we've met the criteria.
We were extremely lucky yesterday to have a visit from Brad Scott, a local Volcanologist who came to speak to the senior school about our local area. We learnt some fascinating facts about the region around us, including some of the geological history, and key facts about Rotorua's lake and surrounding areas. Having spent the last few weeks studying the geothermal features of Rotorua, we found we were able to understand the extra (and at times technical) information we heard from Brad. What a great way to add to our understanding of our local area!
Today we decided to drop our class plan to do something that everyone really wanted to do (we've been working hard on our written explanations - and getting them onto Blogger, so it was a reasonable request!) At team assembly yesterday, Rm 12 had shared their awesome animal e-cards, and we loved the idea so much, that in a morning discussion, we made the decision to do something similar. We took a pile of the Countdown animal cards, and each student randomly chose one. They then had to work quickly to find four fast facts, and read more about that animal. Next, they constructed a paragraph from the point of view of that animal (with class negotiated criteria). From there, a class book was made with a page allocated to each student. We talked about the graphics required in having a 'professional look' to our e-book, and agreed on a standard template.
Here is our e-book for you to enjoy. Not everyone has finished yet, but it will be finished on Monday and it is very informative. This term has had a sports focus on running. Earlier this term, we competed in the Rotorua Mini Marathon which is held the day before the Rotorua Marathon, and now we have just had our school cross country event. The sun shone, the weather was perfect and everyone gave it their best shot. Here are some photos from the event... Room 14 has been very lucky to have the opportunity to take part in three sessions on cycling skills. We've learned about correct helmet fittings, how to scoot on your bike, riding slowly with control, balance and a whole lot more. It's been valuable learning for our students, especially as so many of them do ride bikes regularly. This week we have been learning about Anzac Day and what it actually represents. We have learnt loads about WW1 and the men who fought in Gallipoli. Today the senior school took part in an Anzac ceremony, remembering local men who lost their lives, and all the soldiers and non-combatants who were a part of WW1 and other wars. In our classroom today, we have turned our desks upside down and created trenches and bunker areas, and all the students have had to spend their time in the trenches, cramped, with the sound of gunfire and battle. We've written letters home to talk about the conditions, and about how the 'adventure' was anything but. This has been a great topic to cover, and the children have a much deeper understanding of the profound effects of war on both soldiers and those left at home. We are learning about our neighbours, Australia in class. We're looking at whole range of areas, from the history to present day Australia. For art, we have looked at traditional Aboriginal art, and the common features seen in the artworks. From this, we have constructed our own artworks, using some of these features, and they are striking. Here are our finished artworks, with more to be finished in the next few days. |
AuthorWelcome to our 2015 Class Blog. It is here that you will see posts of what is happening in our classroom. Over this year we will regularly post information, examples of work, videos, images and more. Please check often to see what we are doing. We love comments so please feel free to place comments on any of our posts. Enjoy! Archives
December 2015
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