Whakatauki

Today for Inquiry we were coming up with a Whakatauki that the New Zealand Olympics team could use. My Whakatauki is Stand Tall, Stay United and Strive To Be The Best. Which is Te Atu, Kia Kotahi To Noho, Ngana Kia Pai Ake translated in Maori. I think it would be a great idea for the New Zealand Olympics team to have a Whakatauki because it can encourage them to never give up and try their best.

Winter Olympics Comaparison

This week our inquiry task was to create a Venn Diagram on the Olympic values and our school values. My partner Marieta and I worked really hard to find out the similarities and differences between them. I also found out that the Olympic motto is in Latin and translated it means Faster, Higher, Stronger. 

Softball Reflection

Yesterday we had our first softball session for Kiwi sport. At Kiwi sport we were focusing on softball. Our coach was Alison who I would describe as very funny and serious. First we had to partner up and play catches. Catching was easy because the ball was soft. As part of softball we did a lot of throwing and catching which was pretty fun. We learnt a new move called the Monkeydile which means you have to kneel down and put your hands in a crocodile position ready to snap the ball up with your hands. We were to catch the ball from the ground as well which is called a ground ball. We also learnt that when catching a ball you have to use the butterfly shape with your hands. My partner Ofa and I found it easy because we've already done it before. 

Te Wiki - The Week

For reading this week we read the next article leading to the treaty of Waitangi. The text we read was about the one week before the treaty of Waitangi was signed. It was an interesting book. While reading we had to note all the words we are unsure of or interested in. After reading the text we were to make a DLO summarizing the whole article. I worked with Ofa and Mataio. When we are summarizing a text we use a special method which is to write the 20 most important words, then the 6 most important words and write a short summary. This all links back to the words we were to write down while reading the text. 

P.B.S Whakatauki

Today was a busy day and we had to get to work. As part of our Inquiry this term we had to lean our Whakatauki and learn how to pronounce it properly. Ofa and I work together to make a Digital learning Object having our Whakatauki. I learnt that our Whakatuki is Mannaki Whenua, Mannaki Tangata, Haere Whakamua. I was struggling how to say the word Haere but I have learnt to say the word so many times even in my head I know how to say it. The English version for the Whakatauki is Care for the Land, Care for the People, Go Foward. This has been an amazing experience learning to say my school Whakatauki. 

Olympic Values

For inquiry today our task was to research the Key Values of our School and Olympics  and make a comparison. In order to do that we needed to collect our information from the links that were given to us. I learnt that the Olympic Values are Friendship, Respect and Excellence.

Electives

As part of our math task we were solving out a math problem given by Miss Kirkpatrick. I was working collaboratively with Mikihiro and Ofa. For this problem we used our multiplication, division and subtraction skills and were lucky to get the right answers. At first we were struggling because we didn't understand it so we read it twice and wrote all the key points from the problem. After trying a few times we figured the answer out. Today I learnt how to use my times table facts to find a fraction of a set.

How is Chinese New Year Celebrated? - Explanation

How is Chinese New Year Celebrated?

As you may or may not know Chinese New Year is one of the most celebrated celebrations in the world. The New Year lasts for 15 days and on the final day they have a Lantern festival. Did you know that one sixth of the world celebrate the Chinese New Year? Despite the fact that Chinese New Year is full of joy and happiness, there was a scary background to it!

A long time ago there was a monster named Nian. Who would come to villages and scare everyone.  But soon the people found out a way get rid of the monster once and for all with the help of a wise man. They found out the monster was scared of the color red, loud noises and fire. After they got rid of the monster they turned it into a celebration that we know today to continue to keep the bad spirits away. Are you aware that each new year is represented by a different animal after the new moon rises?

The animals that represent the years are the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey and the rooster. This year is the year of the dog, and its element is earth. People born this year are likely to be loyal and honest. 

Families around the world gather together from all around the world and eat delicious foods such as noodles, shrimp, egg rolls and etc. Each of these foods represents something. Noodles represent a long living life (if you don’t cut them), shrimp represents happiness and egg rolls represent wealth for the upcoming year. After fifteen days they have a lantern festival and parade to keep the bad spirits away. This all links back to the color red, the fire and the loud noises that scared Nian away all those years ago.

Chinese New Year is a special celebration of tradition that is full of love and happiness. 

On the 16th of February was Chinese New Year and as part of our writing task we wrote a explanation about How Chinese New Year is celebrated around the world. I have worked collaboratively with Josh S. Our explanation had to include some of the literacy devices like simile, compound and complex sentences. We have included these literacy devices using FANBOYS and AAAWWUBBIS. Before writing anything we watched a short video about how it all started. We wrote notes and had to discuss our ideas with our buddies. We wrote about the food they eat, the lantern festival, the race of the 12 animals and the monster name Yen who tried to destroy Chinese new year a long time ago. I learnt that on the 15th day of Chinese new year there is a lantern festival that people attend all over the world.

Art - Tech

Today LS2 had the first Tech session and everyone was really excited to get on the bus for Tamaki College. We were split up into 3 groups, I was in year 8 group B. I was with Mrs Telefoni doing art. Today as one of our we listed of everyday symbols we see for example I always see Mc Donald's when I go to my house sometimes. After that we had our second task. For this task we had to create a googles slide showing our own symbols that represent something about us like our hobbies, culture, or traditions.

.

Kiwi Can

Yesterday we had our first Kiwi Can session as it was amazing. Our Kiwi Can tutors were Mrs Lily and Mr Matt. Our theme for this term is Positive Relationships which means connecting with others and encouraging them in different ways you can help them out. If you encourage and support someone it will help them to boost their confidence. Mrs Lily and Mr Matt set up a game for us called 10 second tag that required encouraging and supporting each other in your team. In my opinion there were a lot of people showing the support and encourage to others. I think LS2 has started off with a great job.

Marathon Problem

For Maths this week we have been learning to use place value to add and subtract decimal numbers. We had to pair up with someone to solve a problem that Ms Kirkpatrick set for us. Freeman and I work really hard and got the answers fast. I learnt how to use place value to add and subtract decimal numbers.

The Pathway - Summary

This week for reading our group has been focusing on how the Treaty Of Waitangi came to be. The treaty of Waiting was an agreement between the Maori and the English. During the 1700's - 1800's the British were the superpower of the world. They have colonised many countries that are now independent. The British bought land in New Zealand for things as little as a pound. Even though a pound was useless in New Zealand because they did not use cash. British settlement had a huge impact on New Zealand because that helped to develop the New Zealand that we know of today. Some British people back then weren't respecting the culture and laws the Maori's had put in place. The book we read was basically a timeline that lead up to the signing of the treaty of Waitangi.

Comparison between Soohorang and Neve and Gliz

Today for inquiry our task was to make a comparison between the 2018 Winter Olympic Mascot, Soohorang and another Mascot from a different Winter Olympics. Sky, Marieta and I chose to do the 2006 Mascots Neve and Gliz. I learnt that Soohorang stands for trust, strength and protection. Did you know that Soohorang became the star by getting stuck in a door?

My Morning Routine

Morning Routine

• Alarm goes off / Wake up
• Have a Shower
• Have breakfast
• Leave For School

In the morning it’s quiet hard waking up, but I still have to do it. At night time I have to make sure I brush my teeth and be in bed before 9:15 so I can have a good night sleep and so I’m not a zombie in the morning. To make sure I wake up early in the morning, I set an alarm for 7:00.

When my alarm goes off my Mum comes in my room and opens the blinds, that’s when I feel like a vampire. Then I have to walk  from my bedroom through the snow storm to the shower. When I'm in the shower I make sure wash myself nice and clean. Then I have the most important meal of the day, breakfast.

For breakfast I usually eat scrambled eggs, with toast and black tea while I Netflix and chill. When I finish my breakfast I brush my teeth and get changed into my school uniform. I also have to make sure my sister has had her breakfast and has got everything she needs for school. Then it’s time to leave for school.

Leaving for school is my number one priority for my morning routine. If I wake up early I have to leave early. I am always concerned about the time if I’m late or not. If I’m late for school I run to school not matter if it’s raining or not.

Like I said before it’s hard waking up, but we still have to do it. Having an alarm will help you wake up. Everyone has a morning routine, but not each person has the same routine. I have been doing this routine for two years and mostly during my senior years. This routine that I have been doing has helped me be at school at the right time and have a good education.

For writing this week we have been learning and creating explanations. First before writing anything we went over the structure and the language features of an explanation. I learnt that in an explanation there has to be title (e.g how does a biathlon work?) Introduction, Paragraphs, and the conclusion. I also learnt the language features of an explanation includes similes ( a sentences that has the word like or as) , onomatopoeia (words that include sounds that are alike to the noises the word refers) ,verbs (action word), past tense (walk) etc. For our explanation text we either had to writer about our morning routine or how we walk to school. I decided to write about my morning routine.

Winter Olympics Comparison

For inquiry this week we have been researching the Winter Olympic Games. In groups of three we mad a Venn Diagram comparing the Modern and 1924 Winter Olympics. I learnt that in 1924 that the skeleton wasn't played. I was also really surprised that there were no safety barriers. So far I am enjoying this inquiry topic and I'm hoping to learn even more about the Winter Olympics.

Blog Post Analysis

Our holidays are now over and we got straight back to work. LS2 have created a chart which was based on our blog post numbers. Over the past few years I think I have made an excellent amount of progress on my blog. On the chart it shows my blog post numbers going up not down. I am very proud to see that I have gotten better and I am not slacking off. My goal for 2018 is to have at least 5 blog posts every week and get over 300 blog posts before this year ends.. To show my findings I used a bar graph. I think I will be definitely achieve my goal because I am going to put a lot of work into it.  

Can You Guess What I Did Over The Summer Holidays?

L.I. - Writing to recount

Writing using language features to engage readers

During the Summer Holidays I have done a lot of things like go to Australia. I enjoyed every part of my holiday, especially my uncles wedding. In my recount I have described one event that happened over the long break. Can you guess what I did? I have sentences describing what I did. Can you guess what I did by using the clues provided for you. 

I heard the water crashing.

I heard the loud music piercing through my ears.

I saw the bright colours in the sky, but I was still not impressed

I felt the sand sliding through my palm.

I felt like I was waiting for years, until it was time.

I wondered when the countdown is going to start.

I wondered If there was going to be a big feast after this.

Photo by Steve Austin/ (CC BY-ND 2.0)