Gymnastic

This week Thursday we had gymnastics Kiwi Sport with Steven. We warmed up by doing our basic stretches, and playing an energiser called stuck in the mud.  Some equipment has changed, but the rotation circuits stayed the same. In the first one my group started with, there was the beam, line matt, wedge, and smaller beam for forward rolls on a flatter surface. I enjoyed trying to keep my balance on the beam, and trying to make my cartwheels straight on the blue line. The next one we moved to had the bigger wedge, the long cartwheel matt, the springboard, and the trampoline. I liked jumping on the springboard and landing on the matt, and trying to hold a cartwheel for long. The last one we went to had the bars, handstand matt/hand bars, octagonal tumbler, and the other hand bars. I found the trampoline forward dive challenging since it was nervous for me first doing it.

Collaborative Earth and Beyond

This week for Inquiry, we collaborated with LS1 to active our prior knowledge about science, and earth and beyond. Our first activity was creating a digital bus stop slide to active our prior knowledge. I worked with Charlize and Fui to fill out as much as we could about science, space, earth, our solar system, moon, and sun without searching up any of this information. Then we created a final list of Vocabulary about words related to solar system. We had a time limit, so it was a rush to get information down, then communicate with our partner/s. We finally all watched a video to build on to our prior knowledge and write more onto our presentation.

Planting our Beans | Science Investigations for PB

This week Monday, Mrs. Wells from Tamaki College came in again to continue our experiment about the independent variables which we started last week. Today everyone began making our soils, and planting the dwarf beans. Following the methods, we first put on a pair of gloves each. We all then got  ice-cream container and put our independent variable in first (mine was salt). Then we measured the amount of soil using a scale, making sure we each used the same amount so that this would be an accurate experiment. After putting in 400ml of soil into the container, we mixed the ingredients together. Finally we planted our bean, by measuring 200ml of our soil mixtures into small rectangular containers and made a 3cm hole down. We planted these beans and are each planning to water them to see how they grow.

LS2 Stardome Night Trip

This week Thursday, LS2 year 7's and 8's visited the Stardome in One Tree Hill under our inquiry topic space. People who were able to come, met at the school and we all left at 5:30 on the bus. It was a fun ride on the way their, as it was getting pretty dark. The first thing we did was go into this wide open room with pull down seats, and a big visual dome of the sky above us. Watching the screen above us, one of the instructors talked about the constellations of them. Outside the room were visual activities going more into our solar system, rockets/going into space, and planets. It so fun, and interesting. We came back at 7:45 to finish trip.

Information Report - Emperor Penguins

Emperor Penguins

Emperor Penguins or Aptenodytes, are the largest and one of the most common penguins out their. But these loving and social animals, live a different life than regular birds.

All Penguins are known for their white bellies, and black black, but the Emperor is easily recognizable from the orange patches around the black cap face, and a yellow chest. Female Emperors can weigh up to 23kgs average, and Males as well.

Emperor Penguins eat amounts of food per day, being as much as 6 kilograms. Being carnivores, emperors usually pull all of it’s food resources from the ocean. These are usually krill, crustaceans (crabs, shrimp, prawn, crayfish, etc), squid and other small fish. They can eat as much as 6 kgs a day.

Did you know that Antarctica can get as cold as -60oC?. Emperors are one of the most common Penguins, and are the only types to endemic in the Antarctic area, from the ice and snow, to the coldest waters. Penguins adapted to this icy environment as it helps them navigate. Emperors much like other penguins, have a thick layer of skin that protect them from the cold.

Emperor Penguins are the largest types, the heaviest being 45kgs and that’s weighing 7 times more than an average baby. Their scientific name of Emperors, are spheniscidae, the family of birds.  

These interesting animals are scattered all around the world, and you can even find some in New Zealand in the southern hemisphere.

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This week in writing, we have been learning to write an information report and the structure/language. We were to create an information report about penguins, either penguins in general or a specific species of penguin. First making an note sheet for our information about the appearance, diet, habitat, predators and interesting facts. Then putting everything together into a correctly structured and written Informational Report. My critical partner, Nyjah and I checked helped DRAFT others writing to finalise it.

Who's the Best? (Information Poster) | Independent Reading Challenge

For the past few weeks in reading, we have been doing an independent reading challenge to extend our ability in remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating, and creating when it comes to reading. In this independent challenge, we are to complete those 6 strategies and one of the many responses. I read a book called Who's the Best?, about the planets declaring who is the best based of their special features. I created an information poster about the planets and solar system with facts about them.

First Up (Visual Chart) | Independent Reading Challenge

FOCUS: Recalling Information by recognising, listing, describing, retrieving, naming or finding. 

This term in reading, Rakino group and Waiheke have been doing an independent reading challenge set up by our teacher. I finished reading the book First Up, a book that talks about the story of the first man and space-craft to go into outer space and orbit earth. As an activity for Remembering, I chose to make a visual chart of the things in my article using pictures. In my D.L.O, I included the vostok 1 and Yuri Gagarin. You can find out more about this article in the school journal P3/NO. 1 of 2011.

Return Ticket, Please! & First Up (Venn Diagram) | Independent Reading Challenge/Dialogic Response

This term in reading, we have been focusing on creating responses from school journals around our inquiry topic space, and leaving our own feedback on other responses by peers. This lead to dialogic conversations about our D.L.Os and having learning conversations with others to help our ability and work improve. I enjoyed the 'creating' responses because we are able to showcase our knowledge about the article, in a fun way for others to enjoy or learn from too. The response above is a Venn Diagram about one the two recent articles I read, separating their differences and listing the similarities as well. The dialogic conversation I had above, was with Nyjah about her visual chart for the article First Up.

Science Investigation

This week as inquiry, Mrs. Wells from Tamaki College came taught a small group of people including me about science. We began learning about independent and dependent variables. Independent is what will be changed about an object, and the dependent is what will happen from what it does. We were specifically talking about being able to planting a bean. We talked about the ranges of what we would be changing, and a hypothesis about it. Out of the 9 options, I chose to find what out what will happen if I added salt in the soil to my plant. I am excited for the next lesson.

Multiplication Written Strategy (Place Value)

Last week we were using as many different multiplication strategies to solve 10 equations. Then we were to choose 1 strategy out of the ones we did that was easiest for us. Then there were 3 multiplication written strategies, and we had to pick one of them to show others that strategy to solve it. The equation is about the cupcake factory, and I chose to do it with the place value strategy.

Google Earth (Planet Distance)

This week Mr. Johnston came in and taught LS2 about our inquiry topic space, and the real distance and size of planets. We learnt that on scale, planets seem very close to each other and doesn't showcase the actual size of the planets, because it'll be too big, it is defined by something like a 1 meter in real life. Everyone was amazing and surprised when Mr. Johnston got out a giant sun, the size of the white board. He did a lot of measuring to make this scaled sun. We took a guess at the distance of each planet before being proved completely wrong by Mr. Johnston. We then created Google Earth's of the "solar system", choosing where the sun is from any point in New Zealand after learning from Mr. Johnston. I worked with Nyjah, Mele, and Marieta to create the distance of the planets using a piece of paper with their meter distance. We placed the sun at our school, on the theatre. I was enjoyed doing this, and making a google earth of the solar system.

New Zealand Sign Language | NZSL Week

The past few weeks, we have be learning about the NZ Sign Language, which is very different from other signing. This includes learning the alphabet, phrases, and words. Using our knowledge about NZSL week this year and the sign language, we each created posters. It was interesting watching interpreted songs in New Zealand signing, and finding out more about the NSZL week this year.

Kiwi Can | Gymnastics

This week Thursday was Gymnastics with Steve in the hall. Stretching before preforming any type of gymnastics trick, is very vital. After doing that, we warmed up by playing a game called Toilet Flush, and played like Stuck in the mud. If you were tagged, you had to get on one knee and put one arm out. If you wanted to get out of the mud then someone had to pretend to sit on your knee which was the toilet, and push your arm down which was the flush. Next we got back into our rotation groups from last week. We started at circuit 2 like last time as well. There was the beam, cartwheel line, forward roll beam, and the cartwheel bench. I tried each of them, and enjoy getting multiple goes at it before time was up. At the next circuit, there was a backwards roll square, a handstand mat, a gymnastics spring board, and a trampoline. I tried each of them at this rotation many times too, and enjoyed all of them. At the last circuit we went to, there was a hand stand matt again but against the wall, the bar lifts, lift up bars, and the leg bench. I enjoyed circuit 1 the most (with the trampoline). This week I was surprised that I did all of the activities, and wasn't hesitant or scared to try any of them this time. Espicially the backwards roll, I was instead excited to try it this time.

Kiwi Can

This week we had Kiwi Can with Ms. Pee ho, and Ms Page. Our new theme is Integrity, and our topic focus is honesty. Integrity means to do the right thing even when no one is looking, and honesty takes
a big role in that. Telling the truth betters you and others, even if it is hard to get out. To get us warmed up, we first played three sports. The actions were shooting a basketball, karate kick, and fists. This was fun, but we only had a few rounds of it. Our main activity of the day was role playing. Whatever our idea was, we had to include showing integrity somehow. My group was Chavda, Florence, Pua, Neveah, and Jonathan, and our idea we were given window. Our acting was about 4 people tossing a ball to each other, but one throws it too aggressively and causes to break the window of another persons house. The owner came out and asked who did it, but to only receive lies from all but 1. Jonathan owns up to his mistakes, and everything was okay. It was interesting watching everyone else role plays for their idea that they were given, and I learned that our truth affects others around us. We finished our Kiwi Can session with a game of GKQ (General Knowledge).

Tech (Wood Work) - Continuing our Designs

This term the year 7's are continue their woodwork designs with Mr. Grundy. We have 3 weeks left to finish up our designs from last term, and take them home. I am still working on creating my bird house, and today I have started the front side of my Bird House. I still have my sides/walls to do, and the lift-able roof on the top. After completing the front of my Bird House, I will need to go to Mr. Grundy to get the hole for the entrance cut out. We also started writing what we know about How to create a design out of wood on a piece of paper. This will help to write the report cards. I really enjoy my designs, as it is an original idea and I would love to take it home.

An Agent of Change

An Agent of Change is someone who has the mentality and dedication to use every opportunity as a chance to improve and make a change in their learning. Today we created Agent of Change D.L.O's talking about how we can be agents of a change and what we will do to become agents of change.