Measuring the Olympics accurately

Measuring the Olympics on PhotoPeach

Elaine had us measuring distance accurately as we took part in a mini class Olympics.  We all had lots of fun throwing and measuring our shots.

What on earth is this?

Check out the thing Eli found.  Leave a comment to tell us what you think it is.

Angus - designer to the Olympics!

To Mrs Taylor

I built this Bow and Arrow out of Lego because I watched the Archery on Sunday. The Italian team won. It was very exciting. The Italian team had to get 10 points (which is a Bullseye) to win the Gold Medal. I hope next time Korea win. China came 7th.  I also watched the swimming and China got a gold medal and a bronze medal in the breaststroke.

I hope New Zealand wins a gold medal.

From Angus

Kotahitanga - Maaori Values

We learned about Kotahitanga with Elaine.  Some of the values are like our A+ Characteristics.  It is our class target to use Kotahitanga every day.

Write us a comment to tell us what values you can see us using in this challenge.

Kotahitanga - Maaori Values on PhotoPeach

Book Sell - Liam

Kotahitanga - Maaori Values

Fluent reading - Josh

Josh has been working on making his reading sound clear and smooth.  Have a listen to this!  Tell him what you think in a comment.

Telling the time tools

What's the time wolf:  match the time for the wolf to move (hour)

Stop the clock:  match the analogue with the digital 15 minutes

Stop the clock:  match the analogue with digital 5 minutes (harder)

Teaching clock:  use this to demonstrate

Hickory clock:  feed the mouse by choosing the correct time (15 minutes)

Reading fluently

Jojo has worked hard to make her reading nice and smooth like talking.  She is working on making it fluent.  Have a listen and give her a comment.  See - she has used one of our new reading phones!

Book Sell - Isabella K

Isabella really loves this book but I didn't quite hear the name of the book - can she write this in a comment below?
I love the excitement and the expression she has used in her voice to share this book.  Well sone Isabella.

Book Sell - Asterix

This is a book sell from Phelix.  I used to love that book too when I was little.

All about Elaine our teacher

These are the great things that Elaine has been doing for us - according to Isabella.  We have Elaine in our class for five whole weeks - until the end of Week 5.

Kotahitanga - Maaori Values

This is what Isabella learned about kotahitanga from Elaine.  We are thinking about using kotahitanga in our class.  Oops - sorry that Isabella is sideways.

Jess and Diabetes

What do we know about Ancient Greece?

Write your two questions as comments after this post.

Lost and found!

The forgetful teacher put down a laptop by the photocopier and left it under a pile of school books.  At 3pm we all panicked that it was missing and checked in every little place it might be.

STOP PANICKING it has been found and will be ready for heaps of learning challenges on Monday.

Bird Feeder and Sugar Water Recipes

Yippee - Isabella's mum is coming in to help us make bird feeders every few weeks, all through the winter so we can look after our native birds.  Jess said we also wanted to make nectar feeders to put on the posts that Craig put up for us.

Maybe we can make bird feeders this week and sugar feeders next week?

Here is an information sheet from the Otago Museum.  It has a great recipe, information and all the plans we will need. Click on the image to make it bigger.

Term 3 E-Team Newsletter

I am testing out how our newsletter goes with the programme Youblisher.  Try clicking on the image to go to the link, where you can turn the page in the top corner and click to make it bigger.

Book Sell - Georgia

Sellin The Twits - a favourite from Roald Dahl.

Jeremy - Pen Pal Max

Oops - I have done it again.  We must have lots of children practicing walking around sideways.

I love piglets so I might have to go and visit Jeremy.  I hope he brings the piglet to Pet Day in Term 4.

Book Sell - Liam

A great start to a book sell Liam.  I wonder who you think might like to read this book?

Book Sell - Isabella M

I would love to hear more about why this was a great story from Isabella.  Her reading was clear and sounding fluent.  Reading out loud with a photo babble is an excellent way to practice fluency.

Graeson - Callum's Pen Pal

Graeson does not walk around sideways but his Photo Babble came out this way.  He liked the babble so much that he was happy to put it on the blog like this.  Callum, I hope you are good at listening while standing sideways!

Book Review - Graeson

George's Book Sell - Fantastic Mr Fox

Brodie's Pen Pal Megan - Ranzau School

Taniwha Song

Taniwha

Caught being A+ Accepting

These children were caught working as a team today. They are all doing their part to help our class which is our target. We work as a team.

Seeds Book - Eli

Check out this amazing book from Eli.
I can't wait to see the writing ideas he gathers in this book.

Ancient Greece - what do we already know?

Ancient Greece - what do we already know?

Ancient Greece - what do we already know?

Ancient Greece - what do we already know?

Ancient Greece - what do we already know?

Ancient Greeks - what do we already know?

Ancient Greeks - what do we already know?

Book Sell - Jess

Graeson's Greek Writing

Graeson was excited to share his knowledge about the Ancient Greeks.  I love the way he used his writing about the lightning from yesterday in this writing.  Liz gave Graeson a principal's award for this excellent descriptive writing.

Eli's Snowboard - wow!

This is my snowboard that I made at home in the holidays. I got the wood that was left over from our new floor. 













Then I cut it out with the jigsaw. Then I had to sand it till it was smooth. Then we parked Dad's car on the ends to make them curve up like a brought one. 







Then I had to undercoat and spray paint the picture that I found on the internet.  Then Dad put floor polish on it to seal the little gaps. 





The last thing we did to the board was make bindings with old bike inner tubs  and mums staple gun. Finally I got to go test it. 

We went to Arthurs Pass, my ears popped about a hundred times on the way. 

Then we got to go snowboarding.

I fell off about a million times and loved it.
From Eli

Sophie's Seed Book

Hi Allana,

here is my seed book I have 5 seeds in it.  

Sophie

Ella - Ranzau School Pen Pal

Has Sophie followed the safety rules?  Has she told the whole world where she lives, her phone number and her back account number?  NO! Those things are personal information that does not go on the blog.  We only put our first name and the school we go to.

Well done Sophie, I hope all the other children remember this too!

Daniel - Ranzau School Pen Pal

George is famous!

George's entry for the I Love Learning Competition has been published in a teacher's magazine.

He gave permission for it to be used by entering in the competition so no - they didn't steal it and they acknowledged the creator so they are doing well.

Burning Paddock - Georgia

Hi Mrs Taylor

I took this photo because I love watching the paddock burn and I thought that you might want to put it on the blog.   From Georgia 

Quick Write - Lightning Strike

We are looking at how Cornelia starts her book 'When Santa Fell to Earth' by describing a thunder storm.  Most of us have experienced one, but here is another example to help us with our Quick Write description.  We might want to use these descriptions when we write our own myth.  

Holiday Fun - Angus

I went to Tekapo.  I went with Mum, Dad and Hayley.  

I went on the snow tubing and the hot pools. At snow tubing you have to go up a escalator to the top of the hill and get off, and slide down on a tube that looks like a donut. 

It is freaky.

Sell your book!

Out of all the wonderful books you read over the holiday, I know there is one you are just dying to share with the class.  Make a photo-babble to sell your book or look at this book trailer from 'The ins and outs' to get some other cool book selling ideas.

If you want to make a book trailer, you would need to do these things:
1.  Plan the ideas in your draft book
2.  Select the Movie Trailer option on iMovie
2. Add the credits and plan your storyboard
3. Take the shots required to complete your trailer
4. Enter the shots into iMovie by using the storyboard
5. Add any talking required
6.  Save and export your movie

Teacher writing home learning

The teachers all went on a writing course today and I am so excited about what I learned, because we will use it in class together.  


I wonder if you can guess the time of the year my poem describes?


The sun sits low, catching my eyes in a flash
The blue sky lays gently, watching from above
The skeleton trees stand upright like soldiers on duty
The wind whips like a biting razor

Have I used the name of the season in my poem?  How can you tell what season I am talking about?
Image from geograph.org.uk 

Wow - what a brilliant writing seed book!

Isabella has made her writing seed book and sent me a picture of the front cover. It is amazing and has the people who are most inspiring to her on the front.  

Write her a comment and be inspired by her creativity.  


I wonder how your writing seed book is going?  This is a book that you will want to take to your class next year and might even be something you use all your life!  It is important to make it special to you.

10 Books Finished - how is your total going?

I have just finished my tenth book of the holidays (luck they are short!).  
The last books I read two were.......

How are you going with the reading challenge?  Check out the Leap into Books Blog and leave a comment on any of the books you have read too.

Sophie's Home Learning

Before the end of Term, Sophie sent me these images of her making tea for her family, as part of her home learning. What A+ characteristics would she need to use to complete this task?

Writing Seed Book

I have been working on the cover of my Writing Seed Book and here it is.  I use some scrap-booking techniques but you should put all the things on the front that inspire or interest you.  Make this book special to you.

On the inside pages make sure you give each of your treasure or seed ideas a page of their own...... this is the reason why.

Each seed idea is going to have a type of brainstorm, thinking about all the different types of writing we could do with it.  Take a look at the silly picture that looks like me as a kid.  I have ideas about writing these sorts of things:

Description of me as a kid.

Diary in the life of a 1970's child.

Description of my home and farm.

Timeline of the major events in my life.

List of my dreams.

Newspaper announcement of my birth.

Story of a kid with magical powers.

Memoirs of small events in my life e.g. falling off the motorbike, saving a sick cow, catching a magpie for a pet!

We will make a huge list of types of writing at school and use this to help us with our ideas. During the holidays just gather some writing seeds and paste them on separate pages.  

I can't wait for the e-mails of your front covers!

Writing Seeds - Isabella's poem

Isabella has already been working on some writing for her Writing Seeds Book and here it is.  Wow, she really is motivated and it is still only Monday!  I can't wait to see the seed ideas she has in her book!

TEN LITTLE RACE CARS  By Isabella M (July 2nd)

Ten little race cars racing round the race track, 

one lost its wheel then there were nine.

Nine little race cars going for a break, 

one got lost then there were eight.

Eight little race cars racing to the track, 

one stood in a bucket then there were seven.

Seven little race cars one winning the race, 

he was so happy he raced away then there were six.

Six little race cars getting some fuel, 

one got sprayed then there were five.

Five little race cars still racing, 

the crowd of cars set an alarm clock off, 

one got frightened then there were four.

Four little race cars one calling his mum, 

called 111 instead and the police took him away 

then there were three.

Three little race cars eating some chips, 

one burnt his mouth and went to hospital 

then there were two.

Two little race cars watching TV, 

one wanted to watch Wiggle your Wheels 

so he ran away then there was one.

One little race car felt very tired, 

fell asleep for two years 

and when he woke he was big.

Feed the Birds

Nathan and Jeremy were part of the Bird Feeding Team in our inquiry.  They decided that it was important to support the food chain of our native birds until we could establish some more native trees that would feed the birds.  

They searched the internet to see what our native birds needed to eat.  They searched again to find a recipe for bird feeders then organised the ingredients and parents to help.

Three lots of different feeders were made and they attracted thousands of small birds.  The team had to then identify the birds as wax-eyes or silver-eyes. To do this they checked with two different sources - Mrs Winter, the librarian and the Internet.

The issue then became - how do we attract the tui and bellbird rather than just the wax-eyes?  We will also have to keep making bird feeders throughout the whole winter to feed all the birds that had started to visit outside our class window.

How many visitors?

Thanks to a reminder from Sophie - I took a peek at our blog visitor counter and guess what...


Lady Bug Note Generators