Science group A having fun in learning.

Padlet of the 'Arrival of the British'- Inquiry

Created with Padlet

'GetWise' financial literacy

Today we had a visit from Kimble, from the ASB bank, and he was running a course on financial literacy in the library.  He had Rooms 13 and 15 entertained with his anecdotes and information in the hour-long session.

 He admitted not all of the stories were 'true', but they were used to get our students thinking about their own choices and how these could affect their futures.


The second part of the hour was based on taking a Hawaiian holiday, with choices around the package deal, medical insurance options, and being involved in some dramas.  The winning team had the most money left over from the $2000 budget.

A very worthwhile hour and we now know Kimble washed windows when he had the aim of saving for a bike. The low-rider Chevy Impala was a different story!

Ben's Mihi via 'Chatterbox'

Some fun at Science Tech

And no, this is not the trial of the new school uniform.  The bags are 

to keep students dry (no guarantees).

First day of Science tech was Nucleation- not as dangerous as it sounds....? Ask Ben.

Teacher reading- The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I have started reading to Room 13 this fascinating novel by Brian Selznick, about Hugo Cabret, an orphaned boy who lives in the Paris Railway Station. The book's primary inspiration is the true story of turn-of-the-century French pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès, his surviving films, and his collection of mechanical, wind-up figures called The book's primary inspiration is the true story of turn-of-the-century French pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès, his surviving films, and his collection of mechanical, wind-up figures called automata.                                                                                                                                                 Admittedly, the class was a bit taken aback when I told them Part 2 of the story started at page 257 (how long would it take to read the novel?) but at the end of day one we had reached page 80 because of how the book is constructed- lots of illustrations and some pages have very few words.                                                                                                                                                            As we read we build on our knowledge of the story, the characters and the plot by expanding our concept web.  This is to help students understand how they can improve their own writing by determining all the myriad details, and the connections between them, at the beginning of the writing process.  Over the next few weeks the web will grow as I add new connections.

Some illustrations from the book:

Photos from the T.K. House swimming trials- it was NOT all serious!

More photos from the swimming trials-

'Workspace' - an example of how Homework might be issued.

This is a page from the class workspace, a Google Drive enhancement enabling me to outline work, projects and completion dates for any of the curriculum areas.  Students complete the work as per the page, watch clips or find and add their own.  This should be a great tool this year.

Today in history- the Hawke's Bay earthquake, 1931

After watching a video of the Hawke's Bay earthquake, groups had to consider three issues and comment, and recount some facts.  The issues were: benefits of earthquakes; problems following earthquakes; and interesting things occuring after earthquakes (i.e. dead fish when the land uplifts (Pandora Pond)). There was some interesting discussion and knowledge-building happening.
Today's learning will build into an understanding of how landscapes are formed over time by natural processes.

Here they are in all their glory: Room 13, 2016