🧠BRAIN BUILDING🧠

 In Kakapo class we have been learning all about the brain.  Today we got into groups.  Each group was given a different part of the brain to focus on.  Cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem, amygdala and the temporal/occipital lobes.

Each group had to read through and choose the information that related to 'their' part of the brain.  After identifying this information the groups dicussed which information was important.  They conducted further research to answer any questions they had or anything that they may not have understood.

THEN... Mrs Cutler gave each group playdough. Each group had a different colour.  The task was to use the playdough to create their part of the brain into a 3D model.  For this each group had to collaborate further to check position, scale and to join them up to build our brain.

In Class Mahi Tahi

Even though we are in Level 1 - we have decided not to engage in Mahi Tahi with the three senior classes for the entirity of the term.  So... this week Kakapo had a contract activity that was Mahi Tahi as we know it..but with only our class.

The task was to create a functioning water wheel using only a selection of resources and supplies - rubber bands, skewers, balloons, paper plates, paper cups, tape, hot glue, straws, egg cartons.

 

This task required all of the 4 Cs (Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Communication and Creativity).  The main communication came when groups were planning - there was a lot of discussion around everyone's understanding on what a water wheel was and its purpose.

Check out the video of one of our water wheel designs and see the individual blogs to find out how Kakapo Kids found this challenge. 

Figuratively speaking....

This week, Kakapo have been working on Figurative Language.

We have been doing a few different tasks focusing on our learning about metaphors, similes, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia and idioms. 

Powerful Paragraphs 💥

In our literacy warm up's we have been looking at an image.  We use the photo to write a moment in time OR describe what we see.

We look carefully at the photo using our senses.  We look with our maths eyes.  We look with our imaginations.  We look at the small details.

We have ten minutes to write.  After we have written we have time to check back over our paragraph.  We share and discuss.  We share the figurative language we have heard.  As an audience could we imagine what was happening? Were we hooked? Did we want to know more...

We then have some time to rework our paragraphs.  We are trying to improve our paragraphs by checking for language features and organisation, spelling, punctuation. Do we have different sentence types to add interest?  

We share with a buddy and check again.  

Idioms 📕

In our contracts there has been a different idiom.  Without googling or asking someone we need to explain what we think the idiom means.  Our first idiom was "never judge a book by its cover"  

Poetry Bus Stop 🚌

We had five different poems spread around the room and a information chart of figurative language. We read the poem and discussed as a group what language features we found in the poem.  Then, Mrs Cutler would yell "BUS STOP" which means we moved to a different poem.  We could go to whatever poem we wanted to each time we moved.  This was a fun way of identifying language features.  

Check out our individual blogs to see some of our Powerful Paragraph examples! 

Hanging Baskets

Today we finally got to pot up the hanging baskets that Mrs Cutler bought waaaaay before lockdown.  We used to have hanging baskets but the plants kept dying because we didnt have a proper watering system.  We tried really really hard to keep them alive!

This time the hanging baskets are different, they hold water a little better and we decided to put different plants in them.

We chose succulents because there are lots of different colours and shapes AND they don't need a lot of attention to live ... a bonus when we still haven't sorted a watering system.

We have learned about how succulents have 'pups', and how they can grow from a leaf!

We love to beautify our school and we cant wait for our succulent baskets to take off!

Emotion Wheel

This week one of our contract tasks was to think about what colours & patterns came to our mind when we thought of these emotions:

Excitement * Sadness * Happiness * Anger * Pride * Scared

We had to think of ways to represent what each of these emotions mean to us and translate that emotion into art.

The instructions were to only use colour, pattern, shapes and symbols to represent the feelings. No cartoons, faces or words.

This is what each member of our class came up with.  Have a look - can you guess which emotion is which?

Lest We Forget

This week, Kakapo's contract had a definite ANZAC theme.  Over the past few weeks we have been learning about war time and how that affected NZ and NZers.

Children got creative making their own poppies to put in their windows ready to Stand At Dawn on Saturday with the rest of NZ.  We had poppies created out of shells, cupcake holders, origami, drawn, 3D poppies... it was amazing!

To help discuss the long term effects of the lockdown on NZ I asked children to plan a holiday anywhere in NZ.  We discussed the importance of seeing our own country and putting money back into it also.  We wrote information reports about the place we wanted to visit in NZ.

We had an ANZAC video to watch with comprehension questions.  Time lines and decimals for maths.  Plus lots of little tasks to help around the house as well.

Kakapo are ready to stand at dawn tomorrow in remembrance and acknowledgement of ANZAC day.

Float, Float, Float Your Boat ... ⛵

For Mahi Tahi last week Mrs Cutler gave out this challenge...

This task required all of the 4 Cs but especially Critical Thinking and Communication.

The time limit was a challenge but the boats that were created were amazing.

We looked at the successful designs and discussed why and how they were successful.  We did the same for the unsuccessful boats. Photos to come!

Mahi Tahi 2020

For those of you who are new to our blog, Mahi Tahi is where the three senior classes come together and work on a range of tasks. We chose the name Mahi Tahi because it means 'working as one'.  We used to meet twice a week, but this year we have two new teachers in the senior syndicate.  So while Mrs Cutler is the "Original", this year she is making sure we ease into the learning for everyone who is new to Mahi Tahi ... the teachers, new students and the year 5s.

Search our blog with 'mahi tahi' to see some of the awesome activities and learning we did in 2019.

During Mahi Tahi we learn about the four C's.  Collaboration, Communication, Critical Thinking and Creativity. The activities range from STEM to baking to art to school beautification to maths challenges.  Children are grouped randomly - we do aim to have one person from each year level in a group.

The aim is to instill 21st century skills in a way that every person gets to shine, take leadership, share ideas, follow leadership and practice the 4C's.  Now that you know what Mahi Tahi is - keep an eye out for some 2020 Mahi Tahi posts!

Te Hiku Manaiakalani Outreach 2 First Movie Festival

This year has been our first Te Hiku Movie Festival, the movies have been played on the big screen at the Te Ahu Cinema in Kaitaia on Thursday 7 November. This is one of the lucky movies to be chosen from our school. Congratulations to everyone involved in the production of this movie. Please enjoy and feel free to leave a comment below for the students.

Tui have Green Fingers

A few terms ago the big trees at the front of our school had to be cut down to make way for a new bus area.  These trees were established and huge meaning they gave us shade on the field.
Mrs Cutler organised for some new plants to be purchased and on Marcellin Day - the day we give service to the parish and community - Tui class were set to get planting.
We were so excited! We had spades, gloves and buckets.  We were ready!
Then...... when Mrs Cutler dug the first hole, it was like she'd hit concrete.  Pan. A layer of solid soil! Even if she'd been able to dig a big enough hole the pan was so solid the plants roots would never have been able to get through it.
So, feeling a bit down, we had to come up with a Plan B.
After a while we had help from some Dad's who came to school over the weekend with an auger.  They dug the holes in the places Mrs Cutler had marked. 
Yesterday, we all went out again and this time we were successful in our service! The native plants, flaxes and trees are in the ground.  We took turns planting and delivering mulch. The Tui kids set up a human chain to pass buckets of mulch and plants along. 
We planted around 60 plants in about an hour. 
Once the plants grow we'll have shade, a place to build huts and flowers for the bees.

Fair and Equal

It is Social Justice Week this week and we have been learning about being FAIR and being EQUAL.
We discussed what we thought each of these words meant.  Tui thought that the words basically meant the same thing.

Each child was given an 'ailment'.  The ailments ranged from a ache, a cough or sore tummy to a broken leg or cut head.  The children had to discuss who was worse off.

After this discussion the children came to the 'Doctor' for treatment.  Each child was given a piece of paper that they were not allowed to look at until everyone had seen the 'Doctor'.  The treatments were revealed..... everyone received a band-aid!  There was much discussion about this!

"How will a band-aid fix my runny nose?"
"A band-aid isn't going to help my broken leg!"
"Yay! I need a band-aid for the cut on my hand!"

We discussed this further as a class.  Was receiving a band-aid fair? or equal?
The penny dropped and the difference between fair and equal was clear!

Fair is when everyone gets what they need or deserve
Equal is when everyone gets the same regardless of need.

Check out the Tui Class individual blogs to see more!

Lick, Lick, YUCK, YUCK!!

Today for Mahi Tahi the task was to collaborate and communicate .... while being blindfolded and tasting foods! The person blindfolded had to taste the food and describe what it was to their buddy.  
There were some interesting faces with some of the foods!
There was lime juice, golden syrup, baking soda, chilli sauce, icing sugar, rice bubbles, marmite, caper, salt, mustard and cocoa powder.  

Everyone had a turn at tasting and describing.  The children were pushed outside of their comfort zone! 
  

What would you have liked to have tasted??