We go to the gallery...

Last Tuesday we visited Auckland Art Gallery, as part of our Inquiry Learning into storytelling through the arts. We took part in a guided gallery session and a painting workshop, and there was some self-guided time too. A big thank-you to the parents who helped out! Here are some photos and reflections from our class.


"At Auckland Art Gallery I saw lots and lots of art work. My favourite piece was the lampshade sculpture. I really liked the video art. I though that the lampshade sculpture was really bright and original. The video was cool because you could hear them as well as see them. I wondered what all the artists were thinking when they made their art."  
 Millie

"I thought it was really, really interesting. I wondered what the art was telling us. I felt interested."
John

"At Auckland Art Gallery I saw amazing art projects made by hand. I also liked the art videos too. I thought they put good details with the art work they did. I wondered if all the art works were really real painting."
Max H

"At Auckland Art gallery I saw pictures, some sculptures, some beautiful art work and hanging tinfoil. I thought that the art was puzzling but fun too."
Bella

"At Auckland Art gallery I saw an underwater albatross bird. I thought the hanging rocks were real rocks, not tinfoil. I wondered how they made the "Ekeko" statue have lots of accessories."
Jet

Ōrākei Marae

Today we headed off to Ōrākei Marae for a powhiri and a haka lesson. Ms Bridgland was our kaikaranga, leading us as we walked onto the marae atea. Once we'd taken our shoes off and gone inside, Matua Paul spoke on our behalf and we sang our supporting song "E Rau Rangatira Ma". The children sang beautifully! After that we had a lesson on the haka powhiri "Toia Mai", and we had a chance to see other parts of the complex, such as the wharekai and gardens. The weather held, and it was a windy but fun day!  Many thanks to the parents who came and helped.

Some Descriptive Writing...

Over the last two weeks, our writing work was focused around observing and describing things. We started with a humble sultana and came up with rich and detailed lists of words to describe it... who knew sultanas make a sound?! From there we wrote about mandarins, our favourite toys, and we capped it off with some hot chocolate. Here are just a few of the pieces...

Morning Treat

by Enay

In the morning I went outside. The cool and refreshing breeze woke me up. I felt the sun shining on me but most of all I liked the shiny puddles. I smelt a chocolatey smell come from the classroom. I went inside and picked up the cup of surprise...and it was a hot chocolate! It was the best I ever had. The taste was fresh and rich.

Hot Chocolate

by Jack

A cool, fresh morning,

with a soft, chilly wind,

the taste of the hot chocolate was creamy and milky,

the colour of the warm hot chocolate was brown,

then it started to steam up to my face...

Autumn Breeze

by Max H

In the breezy, cold, golden autumn sunlight, as soon as I stepped out the door I felt a wind pushing me. It felt fresh, like a surfer surfing. After that I smelled a delicious flavour...it was hot chocolate. I was delighted. It smelled hot and the colour was brown. The marshmallow was all sticky and mushy.

Juicy Mandarin

by Bella

Soft, orange skin with dots all over,

I peel it and a whiff of sour smell strikes my nose, 

I taste the juicy juice in my mouth.

I see lots and lots of little segments.

Autumn Treat

by Samreet

Squishy round orange with spots, an orange does not bounce, but it rolls. It has a green button for the stem, a strong, zesty perfume, and it's a 3D sphere. It is very small, it is also lumpy. It smells fresh and good! mandarins are tangy, mandarins are shiny, too! When I open it, I see white pith.

Delicious Mandarins

by Meg

Smooth, cold, orange skin, covered in tiny spots...

I start to peel it and I could smell all the juice. I see the white, stringy pith. When I tasted it, I thought it was juicy and delicious.

Fun with Science!

As you may have heard, this term we are learning all about crystals. This is introducing us to some basic ideas about the states of matter and also geology. We have been growing two different types of crystals in the classroom: borax crystals on pipe-cleaner shapes, and alum salt "geodes" inside eggshells.  We've learned that crystals form when atoms or molecules line up in a regular pattern, so today we tried making repeating 3D shapes from toothpicks and polystyrene balls. it was going wonderfully until we ran out of toothpicks! To be continued...

Welcome to the 2016 Rm 17 Blog!

Kia ora koutou katoa!Da jia hao!

Here are a few photos from last week. We had a wonderful trip down to the Hobson Bay Walkway, which got our Inquiry Learning about "Our Places, Our Spaces" off to a great start. The other photos are from our Chinese class on Wednesday with Guan Laoshi, and of PE on Thursday. In future posts we will be sharing more photos and student work, so please do have a look from time to time. 

Game on!

The theme for our Inquiry Learning this term has been games. We've been learning about the elements of successful games, and how to play games well. We've had some great sessions outside the classroom, creating games from random pieces of equipment. Working within limits has been challenging but it definitely promoted some creative problem-solving! Here are some photos of us sharing our games with our buddy class last week, and of us out on the field today.