Creativity Abounds - taking a break from the Chromebook as an interface to learning

 Today we decided to reconnect with our creative selves. Instead of doing our online activities for reading and math, we decided to focus solely on STEAM play. Here are some photos of their day...

STEAM

As part of our student agency progressions across the school, our class focusses on developing their play-based learning through STEAM - that is, moving from experimental play to play with purpose. It is an opportunity to self-select tinkering experiences, art development, scientific thinking, and pondering through play. Today we took a closer look at engineering and tinkered with the idea of building the tallest building. However, we could only use cardboard and scissors - no sellotape or glue.

Here are their creations...

1. Using corrugated-card and interlinking slots to stabilize the tower. 2. Stacking tubes on to platforms.

3. Stacking large to small boxes. Creating windows for aesthetic value.  4. Stacking and stabilizing.

5. Single tube tower with platforms.

Kaha measured each tower to find the winners.

Mathematical Thinking

Mrs Mill put us on to 3-Act Task math problems to teach us how to notice and wonder what math interactions might be going on in three separate but interrelated video clips. Here are some pics showing their working out ideas.
First they watch a clip. Then they write down what they notice. After that they write down (or draw) what they wonder. We then pair up with a shoulder buddy to share our thinking.
Next we are introduced to another clip. This will have more information which will alter or justify their ideas. More thinking ensues.
Finally the last clip is shared which is like a big reveal to share the whole picture. Is it what they thought? Were they thinking with their math brains? How did they show their thinking?

Learning Maps

In class, we completed our second learning map. Here is a video of students sharing their maps with each other.

Season Study

Following our Soil Study during Distance Learning, we moved our focus to the Seasons. We continued our observations of plants, above and below the soil, and learned which vegetables grow best in which seasons.

Part of our season learning was to understand how seasons happen. We played with models of the earth and sun (oranges from the neighbours and torches) and realised that in order for the earth to experience seasons, it must circumnavigate the sun on a tilt rather than straight up and down (otherwise there would be no change). To get this, we marked the equator and the northern and southern hemisphere. It is the most interesting "Planet Earth and Beyond" lesson I have ever experienced, and they are 7-year-olds! Curiosity and a thirst to learn has boundless opportunity.

These are our Autumn Leaves published writing set underneath our cultivated foods artwork.

Understanding how seasons happen...

Notice the rock layer and the weather shown in the sky (Tawhirimatea)

Painting "sand" into our soil to show soil types. We used gold glitter mixed with glue.

Creating a rainbow collage for our art installation.

Our trip to the Tairawhiti Envirocentre

The other week we went on a class trip to the Tairawhiti Envirocentre so that we could visit their edible garden and learn about the beneficial insects. We even got to eat carrots straight out of the ground. Some students found a spider that was initially thought to be a katipo spider, but with a scientific investigation (classification books and magnifying glasses), we found out that it was in fact a false katipo. Fortunately, they are not poisonous. What a great find!

Autumn Leaves

As part of our Atua study, we are learning about seasons. We have read books about the seasons and played under the trees outside - an Autumn learning experience. Then we sat in and around the trees to write.

Granny Groggin

Week 2 back in class, Week 7 of Term 2. Our shared book was Granny Groggin and the fun part was that we all helped to narrate it. In this piece of work that we share, we have used shapes, lines, and images. We have even arranged the images. We are getting really good at using the different parts of Google Drawings and learning some helpful Googlelicious tips.

Busy with STEAM and Mindfulness

In the first week or so, we have been reacquainting ourselves with our learning space, reflecting on life in isolation and how we are harnessing that as we move forward.

Our painted veggies

Artists in residence. We have been studying vegetable plants and have now sketched vegetables growing in the garden - roots and all! Here we are using watercolors, blending, colour mixing, shading with paint strengths. Great way to learn about this medium.

Now we're sharing bubbles!

We spent the first few days of Level 2 reflecting on life in our bubble, and what life will mean for us moving forward. So, of course, we studied bubbles, blew and playing with bubbles, and then created our own bubble art. Finally, we joined our bubbles together to represent the rejoining of our class.

The Magic Land

Our focus blend was -nd. We found so many words that had the -nd blend sound in it. We also added images of the things that we would want to see in our Magic Land.

Alley Cats

Imagine you were an Alley Cat. What would you do? How would you move around the streets and alleys?

The Spy Meeting

"We are spies, we are spies, you can tell we are spies!"

Last week we dressed up as spies and went into our backyards with our note pads to spy on what we could find. I love the way that Zoe made her own binoculars. I spied birds eating my plants and caterpillars chomping the vegetable leaves. What did you spy?

Isolation Appreciation

I just love to read the top 10 list of what you appreciate most while in isolation. We can't control things but we can make the most of it. I appreciate the special times that you have shared Rongomatane.

Distance Learning Reflections

As we move closer to returning to school it seemed like the right time to reflect on how this experience has been for us all as learners.

Food fit for a King

Our shared book last week was, Food fit for a King, by Jill Eggleton. It was very popular with the children and they enjoyed the questions throughout. For this task, they were asked to finish the story with their own ending. Some very thoughtful and kind ideas shared.

I Wish...

For our shared poem, I Wish... we took a close look at the blend, -ft. Our task was to find the -ft words in the poem and then list as many -ft words that we know. As part of our presentation, we shared a place that we wished to go and the gift we would bring back.

Orange Math

Last week, Mrs Mill posted a new challenge about oranges - wedges to be exact. How many wedges could you estimate? How many parts of the whole do you think there are? How many oranges does that make then? Some fabulous estimation, mathematical thinking, models, and equations shared.

Silly Sentences

Silly sentences are a popular way to get started with writing your own sentences. They don't have to make sense but they must be fun to write! If it makes you giggle, then you are doing it right. Go ahead - give it a try!

Once Upon a Picture

This week we are thinking about the picture, "The Tree". There were lots of questions to get us thinking and inspired to write. The beauty of this is that you can take your writing in any direction you like.

Free Writing

I have loved the writing that has been shared from students that they have done, simply because they enjoy it - whether it's the subject or the need to share an experience. It also gives the freedom to express yourself. Have fun with it! I look forward to more next week.

Word Detectives - Long -i Sound

We have been acting as Word Detectives as we take a close look at words that have the long -i sound. This piece of word work comes from Wainui School. Isn't it great that teachers can collaborate across schools? Thank you!

Isolation Appreciation Writing

Here are another one of the offerings from the same stupendous teacher. This time we make a list of things that we have appreciated during our time in isolation. This was added last week so we will be adding on to this slide deck as students writing comes in.

Life in Your Bubble

This was part of the slide deck that another wonderful teacher shared so I set it up for our tamariki.  I have spoken to the students that have done this writing activity and they really enjoyed it. They had to think about bubble experiences that started with words from the alphabet. Their bubble A-Z gives us insight into how this experience has been for them. Enjoy!

WoW - Stupendous

Our word of the week from our shared book, The Amazing Machine, was stupendous. See if you can find some other words that mean stupendous from the work shared by our students.

Study Ladder

Today we talked about how we were going with Study Ladder. Many students had completed the tasks that I have set so I shared some new tasks that I had put on for them (as requested). They all knew how they were progressing and what levels they were on, so in celebration of this I am sharing the updated set of Study Ladder certificates. Ka mau te wehi, Rongomatane!

We Got This, Rongomatane!

After Rongomatane saw the Makaraka Staff video that they shared, they were inspired to do the same. After a few attempts to get the videos sent through (sorry guys, technical difficulties), it's ready to go. The main theme that I got from watching this video, is how much we are all missing each other and can't wait to see one another again. Perhaps that's why we love to catch up during our Google Meets. Thank you, parents, for taking up the challenge. Our tamariki are very lucky to have you! Stay tuned for Rongomatane's next crazy adventure😜And a big thank you to my son, Ethan for putting the video together. "It takes a Village!"

ANZAC Day Study

Over the past week, we have discussed ANZAC Day and what it means to us. During our Hangout Meets we shared ideas like, "a day to remember the soldiers that died at war" and "we have a place to feel safe because of what they did." Even though we couldn't celebrate like we have in the past, we decided to try and make it special anyway. Here is what we did...

The Amazing Machine

We read the shared book, The Amazing Machine. We can read along with Mrs Hannah and then practise our voices like we do in class. There were a few tricky words to learn too. This week we created our own Amazing Machines, just like Fenella Figgins. What do you think?

I Love...

Last week we read and practiced our shared poem, I Love... It has helped us to learn about the -lk sound in words. We found lots of -lk words in the poem and also from our own knowledge. To help us remember the sound we do a gulp action because we all learn and remember in different ways. This week we challenged ourselves to include a photo of an -lk word.

Our Writing for Week 1

For writing, we can choose "silly sentences" and/or "once upon a picture" options. We can also choose to be a Word Detective. Then there's always the chance to write about whatever we like. So many choices!!! And that's what writing should be - a chance to share ideas on paper (or Chromebooks).

Precious Moments

Last week, Maia welcomed her little brother to the world. Here is a photo of her visiting the hospital under the strict rules of Covid-19 Level 4. Mum and baby are doing fine, and Maia is excited beyond words.

Vegetable Garden Math

During Week 1, Mrs Mill set a task to investigate 2-dimensional shapes. Here is the work that the children shared with her. It is always nice to combine math with art and creative thinking.

The Genie - Shared Poem

Here is the work that we have done with our Shared Poem.

LEARN: We were looking for words that have the long -e sound and use the blends, -ie and -ee. We found words in the poem and added words that we know.

CREATE: Finally, we used Google Drawings to Create a display of these words, including an image of a genie and 3 wishes that we would choose.

SHARE: This is a slide deck of student work. Please make a comment that is Positive, Thoughtful, and Helpful.

Study Ladder Progress

Wow! I have been so impressed with how many students are spending time on Study Ladder to learn and practise their math knowledge and strategies. Here are some students worth celebrating as they achieved certificates for their hard work.

Life in our Bubbles

Rongomatane students have been very busy in their bubble over the holidays. Here are some photos of the things that they have been doing. Thank you for sharing the things that you have been doing over the bubble holiday during our Google Hangout Meet this morning. Your input has shaped the way this presentation was put together.

Barney Malloon's Balloon

In Ronogomatane, we have been learning about Google Drawings. Each week we read a shared book. After reading Barney Malloon's Balloon, we created our own ballon scenes using Google Drawings. There was so much new learning. We learnt about inserting shapes, changing their size, filling with colour, and moving them around the screen. Then we found out how to insert a background image and how to add a title with Word Art. Next time we will make sure that we all save our creations into the correct folder so Mrs Hannah can share them on our Blog. Here is what we created.

Our Goldfish Reef

Last week our class goldfish, Reef sadly passed away. He had been sick from a very warm summer but we had hoped he would come right. He was purchased two years ago as part of a financial literacy lesson. We fundraised for him and researched what we needed to look after him. At morning tea we held a funeral where many students attended, some spoke. There were many fond memories of caring for our class pet over the years. We will all miss Reef very much. Here is a piece of writing from Maia about her thoughts and feelings from this experience.

Goodbye Reef

I love you in our class and I bet everyone else did too.
You were the first pet in a class I had. You were a Goldfish.
It reminds me of when I had one at home.  I miss you and mine.
Your name was Reef. I had two Goldfish, one was named Reef
and one was Goldey. They passed away like you. Hope you
see them in heaven.

    

By Maia       

Covid-19 (CoronaVirus)

On Monday, Mr. Swann talked to the school about CoronaVirus. We watched a video from Nano Girl about what CoronaVirus is and how to wash our hands. It was very interesting. This is what James wrote about it.

16 March 2020

CoronaVirus - Covid-19

What is CoronaVirus?   It is a type of virus that came from
China.

How does CoronaVirus spread?
It spreads by sneezing, coughing and putting your fingers in
your mouth, eyes, and nose.

What can we do to stop the spread?

Wash your hands. Sneeze and cough into your elbow and don’t
put your fingers in your nose and mouth.

How to wash your hands

Step 1 Put heaps of soap onto your hands

Step 2 Rub the soap on your hands, fingers, and wrists for
20 seconds.

Step 3 Rinse the soap off with water.

Press Board Creations

We have been making our class Press Boards. We used Sharpie and Dye. It took quite a long time to complete. We needed to be patient with our patterns and use lots of detail to make them look creative. We enjoyed painting with the dyes as they transformed them so quickly into colourful creations. We found the sharpie work difficult because it took ages to draw the patterns - our hands got sore!
Next time we might work with a partner. We love what we have created!

Welcome to 2020!

This year we embark on our new 2020 learning journey. This is our Rongomatane Blog. We are a class of Year 2/3 students that are beginning to use Chromebooks for the first time. In this blog area, you will find examples of our learning and the ways that we are using Digital Learning in our class. Enjoy!