Future Focused

Here is a poster we created to show what we think future focused learning is. To the left we have painted, 'The Present' and on the right is, 'The Future'. 
lol from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.

Mini Tattoo Project

For our task we were to create two tattoo designs. The first one being a cultural one and the second being one that represented yourself. The presentation above includes the tattoos and an explanation for each I created. 

Samoan Pe'a

In extension, we have been looking at symbols and the meanings and reasons behind the tattoos. But the very tattoo we have been researching and focusing on is the samoan Tatau, or, the Pe'a.

Recently, we were visited by Mr Tele'a, who was going to show us his very own Tatau. But before we could ask questions and find out more information about it, Mrs Tele'a pointed out some of the elements included in the tattoo such as the va'a (canoe).

The Va'a, is a 20-30 cm solid coloured strip that represents family. It wraps around the back and towards the front. In this case, the va'a wraps around and comes just under the ribcage. It also has an arrow point or a faaulutao at each end. 

Once we had done that, we started asking him questions we had prepared before. We asked about the designs, the meanings, how long it took, etc. He answered the questions with detail and explained things very well. One thing he said that I found quite interesting, was that if you unwrap the Pe'a from around your body and look it as if you were looking at it on a piece of paper, it'll look like a bat.

We are now working on creating and designing two of our very own symbols/tattoos. One of them had to include one aspect of our culture or heritage and the other, had to represent ourselves. Currently, I am working on designing the two tattoo's. 

Storyline Reflection

Last week the year 5, 6, 7 and 8 extension groups went along to The Storylines Festival out at the Vodafone Events Center. It was a pretty interesting and enjoyable day hearing from the different authors but overall, my favourite’s were probably, Juliette McIver and Jill McGregor, even though they both wrote children’s books.

These two authors were very entertaining, interacted with the audience and creative. Juliette had a really ‘out there’ kind of personality and seemed really excited. She was really into rhyming and also created her own words. She also read aloud one of her books called, Queen Alice’s Palaces. Jill, was more of an educational writer who spoke with a soft tone. She talked about her experiences in the islands and why she started writing.

If I presented at the festival, I would try to interact with the audience to get them more excited and interested. Maybe things like, getting some students on stage to act out parts of the story or getting them to read the speech bits in a voice that matched the character. That would be quite interesting.

Overall, I had a great time listening and learning about the different authors even though I did enjoy last year’s Storyline Festival more enjoyable and interesting.

Year 8 Camp!

A few weeks ago, the year 8’s were lucky enough to go and camp at the Marsden Bay Christian Camp in Ruakaka. It was so much fun, I wish it had lasted longer! Over the four days we spent there, I got to enjoy relaxing, many activities and more.

Day 1 wasn’t that bad but it surely wasn’t my favourite. After taking a 2 hour bus drive, we stopped at Langs Bay and started our hike towards Waipu Cove. Ms Squires had planned what was supposed to be an easy walk, but due to the weather it wasn’t so. The track was not only slippery but very narrow which made it harder for everyone to avoid plummeting to their deaths. But luckily, everyone made it to the end.

For me, my favourite day was day 3. We did many different activities such as a fire pit cooking challenge, archery, a confidence course, frisbee golf and kayaking! Then to finish the night off, we all gathered around a campfire and sang songs.

But overall, my highlight from camp was probably spending time together as a whole year 8 group (instead of just our team groups). Also, getting to know other people that I don’t usually hang out with.

Tangle Explanation

A celtic knot is a piece of art that has been interwoven to create the illusion that it has no beginning or end. Having that class 1 and class 5 have combined (Panuba), this particular style of art is great as a collaborative project, as everyone can contribute with their own design.

It’s a great idea to do some planning and researching before you start draft-sketching. Look at different designs, patterns, colours and symbols you could include in your piece. But remember to include something that represents you.

Choosing only a few colours that contrast each other would be better than using a lot. Bright and bold colours will also make your artwork stand out more.

Placing all the pieces in the right place of the tangle can be quite confusing, so it's a good idea to label them. This way, it'll be easier to assemble the celtic knot.

My Avatar

Self Management has been something we've focused on this year and in my class we have a Self Management Level Board. This board has three levels. Level 1; I need help to manage myself. Level 2; I am able to manage myself but I sometimes go off task. Level 3; I can manage myself well, inside and outside of the classroom. 

Above, is my avatar that I have created. I think that I can place myself at Level 3 as I can manage myself well away from the teacher and keep on task.

Day 1 Term 4

The first day of the last term had started and no one was expecting what we had just been informed about. Class 1 and Class 5 were being merged together. Now it was one large class with three teachers.

It was quite surprising to hear that our class would be changing again, and, in a different way. Along with my friends, we've been moved around the school in to other classes ever since last year. But to be merged, didn't bother me very much and it actually ended up being quite a good day.

They Don't Really Care About Us

For the year 7 and 8’s, self management is a big thing we are currently looking at to improve. So, our teacher, Mrs Nua, gave the class a task where we had to create a MTV. We were given a limited time frame and a few songs to choose from, all by Michael Jackson. Below is the finished result.

They Don't Really Care About US! from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.

Unique Games - Dandy Shandy

As part of our inquiry task, we are to find and research a unique and uncommon game that has originated from one of the countries participating in the Commonwealth Games. Tyla, my partner, and I have chosen a game called Dandy Shandy. We have struggled to find any real historic background, so therefore we assumed that it originated from Jamaica, having everything we came upon related back to it.

Storylines 2014

This Thursday, the extension group is heading to the Storyline's Festival at the Vodafone Events Centre. Similar to last year, we will be hearing from four New Zealand authors, Jill MacGregor, Juliette MacIver, Cath Mayo and Paula Green. Below is a short biography about each of the authors we will be seeing.

Jill MacGregor was born in Dunedin but currently lives on the Kapiti Coast. She was a VSA teacher in Tonga for two years. She has travelled throughout the Pacific Island exploring and experiencing the cultures and the village life. Her ‘Children Of The Pacific’ stories are based on her own experiences in the islands.

Juliette MacIver is an author of Children’s books, who grew up in Wellington and went to Victoria University. There, she completed a degree in linguistics then got a diploma in teaching English. When she was young, she always enjoyed writing but never really thought she would, ‘Be A Writer’.

Born in Auckland, Catherine Mayo writes novels for young adults. She is a musician and is apart of a band called Gentle Annie.

Paula Green lives with her husband on the West Coast of Auckland. She writes poets and Childrens stories. Including Flamingo Bendalingo and Macaroni Moon, she has published eight poetry collections.

My Mascot

During class, we were given the task to research and create our own mascot. We learnt about the past mascots, such as Shera the tiger from the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth. Then we had to draw our own mascot and write a background story. A mascot is something that is supposed to bring good luck to an event or organization. They can also be a representative for brands and other things. 

I have chosen to draw and make my mascot a sheep because of how common they are in New Zealand. His name is Waipounamu, meaning south. I have decided to name him this due to the popularity of sheep in the South Island of New Zealand. He has a silver fern going across his fluffy coat. 

Life Education Caravan - Marijuana

Being the age we are, our (Team 5's) visits to the Life Education Caravan were mainly focused on drugs and alcohol. We learnt about the effects it can have on people and listened to a few people who shared their own experience with drugs and alcohol. Many things were talked about and one of them was, Marijuana. I have decided to write a quick paragraph, highlighting some of the main things we learnt about it. 

Usually seen as a gateway drug, Marijuana can be easy to access, cheap and it can lead you into the web of addiction. ‘Once you start, its hard to stop.’ This drug is quite common and is referred to in a variety of ways, such as, weed, pot, herbs, tinnies, etc. The effect it can have on you, not only changes the way you think but also the way you look. It damages the brain and stops you from reaching your full potential.

Astria Countdown To Impact #2

Gloria and I, tried to play the game, Astria, everyday but it we found it quite difficult, especially when we were close to finishing. It would start glitching and freezing but soon, we found out it wasn't just ours. Soon we were told that every else was having the same problem and that there was a bug in the game.

Luckily, we recieved a new link and were able to finish the game. But we did do a few things on Wednesday and Thursday when we played. We figured out that we have finished all the areas, except for the part that involved the council. So we presented our chosen solution, which was Solar Sail, to the council and waited for their approval. There were a few reasons as to why we chose it such as how, this idea resulted in less deaths and the information that was given about this idea seemed more credible. 

Not long after explaining why we chose this option, out of the four, we continued on our journey to saving the planet. It ended up being quite an effective choice and we saved the planet and killed no one while doing so. 

Overall, the game didn't end up being very hard but it was pretty enjoyable. I do think if it had more activites and tasks, it would've been better. But the game was quite good.

Astria Countdown To Impact #1

The Extension group have been given the opportunity to trial a new game, which is designed to help improve literacy skills. It was designed and created by a group based at the Auckland University.

Gloria and I paired up and started the game. We acted as the Alpha Leader in the future, whose duty was to prevent an astroid from destroying many lives and their planet, Astria. There are different area's to the base that you can explore to try and find clues and information. 

The most difficult thing for me was finding the right people to talk to for the right information. Also, another thing I found hard was rating whether or not some of the pieces of information were very credible.

Today, I think Gloria and I did quite well for our first time. We achieved a lot more than we thought we would, especially in the time we were given.

Sarah Cowley

During the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth games, I will be following the kiwi athlete, Sarah Cowley. She was born in Rotorua on the 3rd of February 1984. In the games, she will be competing in the High Jump event. 

For Sarah, this will be her second time competing in the commonwealth games. In 2006 at the Melbourne games, she placed tenth in the heptathlon event. She has also competed at the 2012 London Olympics and placed 26th in the heptathlon event. 

Smart Footprint

Class 1 - Smart Foot-Print from Team 5 PES on Vimeo.
Here is a M.T.V we, Lisia, Jorja, Gloria, Tyla and I have created to the song, We Cant Stop by Miley Cyrus. The lyrics have been re-written to match our theme about having a smart footprint. Hope you enjoy!

20 Thinkers Keys : BAR Keys

For the last few weeks we have been looking at what the 20 Thinkers Keys. Each week we have been focusing on one of the 20 and have learnt more about it. Today we looked at the B.A.R Key. B.A.R stands for B : Bigger , A : Add , R : Replace. As an activity, we were given five minutes to draw a simple house. Here is the house, below, I drew.

Five minutes passed and now came the second part of the task. We rotated around the room, skipping a few computers, then made a change on the other persons house. With the first computer we stopped at, we had to make something Bigger, following the B.A.R. Key steps. We then rotated again but on the next computer we had to add something. Lastly we replaced something on the final house we stopped at. Here are the changes people have added to my house. (Below)

Sound Presentation

Here is yet another presentation. But this is all about sound.

The Scientific Method

Here is a presentation I have created showing the steps of the scientific method.