Monday 6 June 2016

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.











Wednesday 1 June 2016

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...