Our Christmas Decorations

A few weeks ago the class first started planning holiday sewing designs for our client, Mr. Johnston, to festively decorate our school Christmas tree displayed in the office. Using different equipment and materials, we were able to make our designs happen. The main requirements were: the size to be 10cm x 10cm, and be able to hang on the tree. And to make the design look aesthetically pleasing: patterns, colour scheme, shapes, essential features. I chose Christmas, and my first idea was mini Christmas tree and the end results were even better than what I had in mind. The first sample (original) turned great due to the days of practicing and experimenting before hand, and so I made a couple more copies. My design required colored felt, gold sequins, colored cotton thread, a needle, and the traced cardboard pieces for the shapes. 

The strengths of my product is that everything is I've used a logically color pattern between the sewing and felt making it look good, and that it's very easy to tell what it is. My product also meets my original criteria in the way it met the circumstances and came out better than expected. I did have to change some material and they way it was attached but nonetheless, it worked out in the end. So it wasn't really hard to make it all although I was almost completely new to doing anything like this, we did a lot of planning and practicing like mentioned d before. I definitely am please with the finished product because it looks like the Christmas tree I intended. Something I might do differently next time is to be prepared for not having all the essential accessories and be opened to try something new with my design.

Overall, this whole experience was an amazing learning opportunity and turned out to be so fun.

If I were Prime Minister..

1. 'Multicultural education resources/opportunities to create a culturally diverse setting in our learning, and will allow us to expand our bases with social structure and cultural concepts to be more connected, comfortable, and in touch with our environment.'

L.I: To think deeply about a change I would make.
On the topic of politics and the election coming up, this activity made us think out of the box. We were to say one thing we would change if we were prime minister, to better New Zealand and why. Something that I was able to come up with seeing as this is a very difficult question, is an adjustment that would improve New Zealand education. I'm very passionate about school, and since this would be an appropriate topic, I've used it in my activity.

Who will get my vote?

L.I: To decide which political party will get your vote by making an informed choice.
Coming up in October, we have New Zealand's general election and for this week our inquiry activity was to make an informed choice on which party/candidate we are voting for with our reasoning as to said party/candidate. To make a decision we did our own research and got help to think about the policies of each party that also resembles our values by looking at each parties policies and beliefs. Being stuck between two political parties, I've chosen to vote and create my DLO on the Green party. Though, the two main/major parties are Labour and National. The gripping factors that have helped me make this decision, are those resembling policies that support and back my outlooks to only better our country. In my DLO, I've written two important topics to me, and chose examples of those policies that Green party underlines with to showcase how their views resemble mine. Also three Green party achievements that are simple yet compelling and explain what they're party is all about. And I then speak about why I support their party in general. 

The 4 Walls of Hauora Poster

L.I: To create an information poster that explains the 4 walls of Hauora.
This week we have been looking the 4 walls of Hauora (Taha Tinana, Taha Hingernaro, Taha Whanau, Taha Wairua) and what each one truly means. We have being doing different activities to in hance our understandings of Hauora and learn how to make sure we are looking after our well being. For this poster we used a website called canva.com, specifically used to create quality designs for work, etc. We use one of the templates and explain what each of the 4 walls mean. Above is what I have created, using different images, labels, and text.

UV Light test with Zally

L.I: To design an inquiry to test predictions on effective UV filters.

This week LS2 has been trialing the electronic sensors for the Kiwrious experiment. Yesterday a few visitors, Suranga, Sonia, Evan, Dawn, and Yvonne from AHL at Auckland university came to our class room to conduct this for our reading/inquiry. This used censors, light, and our devices. The most effective filter the data shows from the green cellphone and paper tissue I tested today was the paper tissue that showed lower UV light index numbers as low as 0.1.

Facts about light

L.I: To understand how light works.
For Inquiry Mr. Johnston has been coming to our class to teach us about light. Together me and Ellenora collected some of the information on Light and created a DLO with 5 facts. We've also done a few activities to experiment with the white light, such as creating a quick toy that shows us the 7 colors on a circular paper wheel with string through the middle that merges into white when it is spun really fast. And also putting transparent 3D square pyramids and triangular prisms where the sun beams, which is a form of light, and creating a rainbow. This activity was really fun and I enjoyed talking about it with Ellenora.

Longest Place Name in the world!

This week Mr. Johnston made a visit to our classroom to recap a little bit about explorers & adventures, and introduced us to the longest place name in the world (picture above). He informed us about why places have their names, for example it could be named after somebody important who then got something in return. After the recap Mr. Johnston surprised with a huge sign with the longest place name in the world written on it! He set us a challenge to try and memories the name and try pronouncing it. The name is a hill called "taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu" and means "The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his kōauau (flute) to his loved one".

About Me

Ciao, my name is Victoria! I’m a year 8 student at Panmure Bridge school, and also the Manaiakalani Leader for 2020. I really love music! One of my current artists I’m listening to is Doja Cat, and J. Cole. My favorite subject in school is writing and reading, because it’s really fun to write my own stories and read fictional books...Roald Dahl is one of the best authors! My goal for this year is to get my gold badges. I hope you enjoy exploring my page!

Kupe & Captain James Cook's Journey to Aoteroa (MAP)

This week for Inquiry we are learning about explorers and adventurers. So a group of us collaboratively created a map that showed the journey of Kupe’s and Captain James Cook’s discovery of New Zealand. This took three of us, Haylee, Fau and Victoria to research about Kupe and the others Chris, Sulia, and Giovanni working on James Cook. We were able to locate where their Journey began and finished, and also making it interactive.x

Water Filter Testing

Last term for inquiry we created our own water filters to improve the state of dirty water.  We worked in small groups, to research how to create filters using a small amount of materials. I worked with Taheesha, Eyaka, Marieta, and Alex. Following our plan, we used charcoal, dirt, grass/gravel, cloth, and our bottle. Our water improved slightly when we compared it to the grading strip probably because we were missing the proper material we needed. And it seem like it wasn't going to work by how fast the water was filtering. 

Early Maori Enterprise & Economics

This week for inquiry we've been looking at Maori enterprise and economics. Learning about when it started, and how it started. In small groups we made a short summary of what we learnt in 5 sentences. Then we made those 5 sentences shorter by using only 10 syllables in each. To do this we used clapping and stomping methods to count them. Everyone's finished summary was recorded and preformed in-front of the class. Here are the both of them:

Original Summary:
Early Maori enterprise started years back. Maori were the first people to start economy in Aotearoa establishing bartering and trading systems between each other. They began to produce and sell more items and market mainly with food. They grew selling livestock and crop. Unfortunately their sales dropped when they lost most of their land and ownership to the crown.
Changed Summary:
Mao-ri en-ter-prise star-ted years a-go. Mao-ri in-tro-duced econ-omy with trad-ing. Pro-du-cing and mar-ket-ing more i-tems. U-sing live-stock, crop, and farm to bar-ter. Un-for-tu-nate-ly sales dropped from lost land.
(The lines show when we stomp, clap, or pat when it's another syllable)

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.

Role Models vs Heros

                       
Our topic for inquiry this term is relationships with others. In this activity we had to define the different between role models and heroes. This was a collaborative task so I had to work with my team group, Fui, Ellenora, Karlos, and Neveah. A role model is someone people look up to as inspiration and ideas. A hero is someone to us that we find special, these people have an effect on us and have some special talent or quality to them. One's hero could even be their dad. We ended up making a Venn Diagram like piece, and explained what both the separate names meant.

What is a Leader?

L.I: To define what is a leader and goals we set being senior students.
Our topic for Inquiry this term is relationships with others. Today we are learning about leaders and leadership. In our groups we had to create a D.L.O about what we think to be a leader means and our goals/responsibilities of being senior students/leaders. My understanding of a leader is that they are role models to others and do their best at everything. They take responsibility for their team or help others who are in need. Our finally D.L.O presents what a leader is, what a leader does, how we can be a good leader, and our goals as a leader.

What is Team? - Sketchnote

L.I: To create a sketch-note that shows your understanding.
Today we had to create a sketch-note that brainstorms ideas about our understanding of Team. This was a group activity so I had to work with Fui, Neveah, Karlos, and Ellenora to come up with some ideas. The sketch-note was a google draw with shapes and symbols for us to create a board about the topic. A team means working together so that everyone can achieve success. 
Click here to get a better view of my work - sketch-note

Rosa Parks | Interactive Presentation

L.I: To create an interactive post about a peaceful activists.
The past 2 weeks for inquiry we have been working on creating an interactive presentation. My partner was Florence, and we chose to make our D.L.O on Rosa Parks. There were specific things we needed to include, being philosophy, biography and LS1 philosophy application. We did this on a google presentation since it was better for what we  were doing. It also had to be interactive somehow so we can then present it in front of the class. Our script had to be different from what was on the real D.L.O so we wrote what we were going to say in the speaker notes. To make our presentation interactive, we asked 4 questions about Rosa Parks for the class and viewers to answer.

Rosa Parks | Planning

This week for Inquiry we have been researching activists and working on creating interactive D.L.O's on them. The chosen activists for Florence and I was Rosa Parks. She was an African-american women supporting and fighting for racial rights. We have completed our planning of what needed to be had in our presentation about our activists. This was a lot to complete and would talk around 2 weeks so what is shown is a plan of what will go in our D.L.O. Her story was a big movement and story. In a short description, she was the women who denied moving from her seat in a bus for a white man and was arrested for the issue.

What is Peace? | Peace Poster & Peace Slide

L.I: To investigate and recognise characteristics, actions and symbols of peaceful activists.
This week for Inquiry we are looking at Peace and everything around it. First we wrote about opposites and sames of peace, using our understanding of peace itself to help us. To do that we got into groups of 5 and wrote as many words of synonyms for peace and antonyms for peace. We then split the group of 5, into 3 and 2. I worked with Florence and. We had to write at-least three words that describe each photo on a google presentation. Using those words, we then had to make sentences out of them and also make sentences of the people's perspective in the photo. We also had to look at statements that we had to talk about what it means when it defines peace. Finally, we went away and made posters explaining what "peace" means to us and put the poster on the slide.

Trench Warfare | WW1 Interactive Book

L.I: To re-search to find information about trenches in world war 1.
This week for inquiry we finished another activity from the interactive book with our partner. This week we were learning about trenches and trenches in World War 1. Trenches are holes in the ground that soldiers used as protection from the enemies and a hide out. We had to find out information about the trenches like how it is built, and also No Man's land. The facts and info we found had to go into the boxes and label them. We also had to find a photo of a trench that we think best represents one in WW1. Me and my partner, Florence decided to write about the use of sandbags in a trench and the periscope. In one of the boxes we also talked about the health in the trenches for the soldiers.

Mounted Artwork Quatrefoils - Finished

This week for art we finished our quatrefoils and mounted them to put up on the walls. We also had to make a blurb for what each of the quatrefoils represents and means. After completting our quatrefoils for Armistice day theme, Max Gimblett theme, and Christmas theme, we had to cut it out to glue and put it on a big white sheet of paper. Our blurb had to be checked then printed out so we could cut and glue on the sheet of paper as well. The medium sized quatrefoil for our armistice/ANZAC day theme was used with pastel and the cross represented the soldiers who took their lifes and the poppies are to signal remembrance and peace of war. The big sized quatrefoil for our Max Gimblett theme was used with paint and represented his style using colours and shapes he used. The last quatrefoil which was the small sized one was used with colours and represented Christmas decorations and the weather. I was very happy with the out come and glad I was able to get it done.