Poetry By Natasha

Flowers

Flowers grow on plants

different colours I admire

Roses are the best

Acrostic Poem

Magnificent

Understanding

Mature

Magical

Yummy food she makes

Acrostic Poem

Nice

Angel

Tall

Awesome at dancing

Singer

Helpful

Admirable

You

I have different coloured hair than you.

In your lunch you had a pear.

I had a bunch of grapes in my lunch.

But you still love me and I still love you.

I Love Cats

Comforting

Always on your side

Trusting

Smoochy

Room 22

We're perfectly great,

and never are mean.

We've got the awesomest

teacher you have ever seen.

Our toilets are so perfect

because there is no pong.

Our tests so perfect,

that nothing is wrong!

Our maths is amazing.

Our reading is swell.

We're so good at sport,

because we practise so well.

Our teacher never gets angry

and not very mad.

And the other classrooms...

well they sometimes are bad.

By Niko

Asteroid passes earth

Here is a link to an article about the asteroid that we discussed in class this morning:
http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/science/space/earth-s-close-shave-with-asteroid-1.1089948

Maths to do for 'must do' homework

I know some people have asked me about maths work for the 'can do' part of the homework sheet.
This website could be helpful.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/wholenumbers/

It is arranged around different sections of maths e.g. Whole Numbers, Measures Shapes and Space etc. (these are the purple tabs at the top of the page). Within each section there are subsections e.g. within whole numbers you can find: multiplication, ratio and proportions etc.
Each subject has a collection of mini lessons, fact sheets, worksheets, games and quizzes.
You could select parts of maths that you find especially difficult or would like more help with. You could print out the worksheets and stick them in your homework book.
Have a good evening and well done for the great effort with your paper mache solar system today:-)
Ms Watson

Acrostic Camp Poem

Hot pools for healing me up,

At a very good time,

Naughty people not behaving,

Mighty trees really BIG!,

Eating yummy dinner,

Right time to be on camp.

Silly people acting bad,

Pick what you want for lunch to eat,

Running to breakfast so you are not late,

In warm places,

Now to get some sleep,

Groaning because people were homesick

Setting up our cabin

Everything is possible...

Niko has been telling me for a few weeks that I MUST check out the video called 'Everything is possible (New Version)'. I have just watched it and it shows some incredible talents that people perform. I was especially impressed with the soccer & basket ball skills and the rubber dancing guy. Watch for yourself and see which ones most impress you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CVMqTPlYZ8
It also reminded me that we are going to start offering 'cup stacking' as a game that you can practise at lunchtime and then start competing against each other. Miss Smith-Palmer has given me a set to take home and practise with (I am rather afraid of my lack of skills) and she is planning to come in an teach anyone who is interested during wet lunchtimes. Check out the boy who can do it in this video.
See you in the morning,
Ms Watson

Sport, grammar and other Saturday thoughts...

Hi Rm 22,
I know that it is winter when I find myself needing a blanket over my legs while I work on my computer! I hope that you are all keeping warm.
How did sport go this weekend? I know that some of you had some big games (and that Josh had a trip all the way to Hanmer for his rugny!). Post on our wall and let the rest of the class know how the games went.
I have just marked the homework that was handed in on Friday. Some people have put an incredible amount of time and effort into it which is very pleasing:-) I have noticed that a number of you are still finding getting the correct tenses tricky (past, present, future). So, I have re-posted a link to some activities and games that you can use to help you improve this knowledge.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/grammar/tenses/getting_the_right_tense/worksheet.shtml

Land Report Announcement

Hi Room 22,
I know that today is a hard day for a lot of your families.
Please let me know if there is anything that I can do over the following days, weeks, months to support you and your family.
Feel free to pop in for a chat or give me a ring if you have any concerns.
It is great to see some people using our 'wall' to post messages about their families.
Well done for a fantastic day of class work - I am so incredibly proud of the effort you are putting into your work and into meeting your individual goals!
See you in the morning and know that I am thinking of you,
Ms Watson

Emperor Penguin on NZ Coast

Here is a link to an interesting article about an Emperor Penguin that has been found on the Kapiti Coast in the North Island (near Wellington). This is interesting because Emperor Penguins are usually only found in Antarctica!
http://www.stuff.co.nz/oddstuff/5172214/Rare-NZ-emperor-penguin-appearance
If you read this article (and watch the video link on the page) and would like to share the story with the class, just let me know in the morning and it can be shared at current events time.
Ms Watson

Code Cracking

Maddie, Millie and Andrea.
Thank you for you code that you left me under my lunchbox.
I cracked it and I can say that yes, I did enjoy your message:-)
I will welcome any codes from other people in the class (or if you have codes that you would like the class to try and crack - I can upload them onto the blog).
Ms Watson

Would you like to be posting on our blog?

Hi Rm 22,
Thanks for another great day! I was telling Ms Watts after school how proud I was of the effort that you put into your planet projects and your space timeline work. You have once again shown me what creative people you are with the different ways you chose to share your information.
If you have something you would like me to add to our blog either e-mail me: bethwatson25@gmail.com or bring it into school so we can type it up. It might be something you have produced for homework; something you have written (poem/play/story/article/review etc.); something you have been reading about or saw on TV. Anything that you think is interesting and worth sharing.
Have a great night and stay warm.
Remember that the dinosaur challenge is due on Friday!
See you in the morning,
Ms Watson

The Mother Who Only Loves One Child

Hi everyone,our names are Maddie, Angelica, Isabella and Kiranjeet. We are going to write down our camp play for all of you. People found this funny and we hope you do too.

The characters are MOTHER, VICTORIA, CATRINA, LUCY(ONLY LOVED ONE).

Scene: children doing homework, mother dusting house (giving answers to her favourite child as well)

Mum, can you help me?

No Victoria.

Why?

Because I don't like you.

Oh.

(Kids continue homework)

Mum theres this really cool place cal...

I don't care.

But...

Go to time out, we don't talk about butts in my house!

Fine.

Mum, can I have an IPOD TOUCH, a laptop and an IPHONE 4?

Sure darling. Why don't you go get yourself a nice outfit too? Here's some money.

Thanks mum!

Mum, why do you only love one of us?

I don't, I love all of you but I only like Lucy.

Why?

You ask a lot of questions. Oh and because Lucy isn't adopted.

Geez! so thats why....umm I might not say that.

What?

Nothing.

TELL ME!

NO! NO! NO! NO!

Mum, can I come out of time out now?

No. Well sure... I guess just don't talk about butts anymore.

I wont and are we adopted?

Yes.

Where are we from?

I don't know. I found two baskets with babies in them on the doorstep and I acted like a mother to them to stop them from crying but they didn't.

Sorry about that.

You should be.

Oh.

Mum I'm home and look at what I got!

You look a little bit messy.

Yeah well I went to Westfield but there were too many people so I went to Northlands but there were too many people still so I went to the palms.

You do know that the palms is closed due to earthquake damage... right?

Oh so thats why I was the only one there...

Do have any leftover money?

Let me see........ (15 minutes later) yes I have one hundred and fifty dollars.

(Victoria comes in)

Mum I'm really sorry and yeah but I was just upset and confused but I'm really sorry.

You should be now take this money and do the groceries and feed the animals.

Catrina?

Yes?

Go do the dishes and tidy your room.

What can I do?

Nothing..

Thank you MAMA!

I would like to thank all those people who read this and I would really like it if you could post a comment and tell me what you think and how we could have improved.Thanks to you all.

Maddie, Angelica, Kiranjeet, Isabella.

Maths Games!

have you been wanting to do some extra maths practice at home?
Check out this website: http://www.mathplayground.com/index.html

There are words problems, logic puzzles, maths games and lots more!

Have you ever wondered what astronauts eat......

click here and you will be able to see a 10-day menu for a Russian astronaut.
http://suzymchale.com/ruspace/isssozh.html#water
If you scroll down to the very bottom of the article, there is an interesting fact about why the Russian and American water supplies on the space station can't be mixed.

Kindness during the earthquake

This morning I received this e-mail from Misty:

Dear Miss Watson
I would like you to know that Tom and Elena were very kind to me when the earthquake struck.
From Misty

Once again each one of you proved to me during the earthquake what wonderfully kind and caring people you are. Well done. I am very proud.

How was New Zealand formed?

All the earthquakes we have had recently have got me thinking about the way New Zealand was formed. Because we are on two tectonic plates, our mountains were largely formed by the collision of these two plates. I found this video which explains how NZ was formed in a really simple and interesting way. Click on the video 'When Continents Collide'.

Click on this link to watch it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/earth/natural_disasters/earthquake#p00fzsnd


Could you now explain to someone how NZ was formed? Try to explain it to someone in your family, or to the class next week. Maybe you would like to draw some diagrams or write some notes to help you remember the main ideas.

Weekend Quiz

Here's a weekend quiz for you (click on the image to enlarge it). How many can you answer? You might like to do this with your family and you might need to use an atlas or encyclopaedia to help (try not to google the answers!).

Word Builder

I know that we can't do one together as a class until Monday. But give this one a go and see how many words you can make. Post your words on our wall: http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/banksaveroom22

Black Holes

Here is an incredible image of a black hole shreds a star!!

Click on the link here to read a short article about it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13783877
Can you answer these questions?
How did they capture the image of the black hole?
How long can the energy burst from the star be seen for?
What intrigued researchers about this gamma ray burst?
What allows a black hole to become visible?

Weekend Sport

Good luck to anyone who is playing sport this weekend. I had a chat with Kiranjeet when she popped into school this morning and she told me that Friday netball was going ahead.
Post your sports results on our class wall: http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/banksaveroom22
That way we can all see how your games go.

A PRIZE......

Now I have your attention, read on...

I know that some of you have been working really hard on activities from the blogsite over the past few days (and some of you might be doing some work over the weekend). So...if you have done some work e-mail it to me (bethwatson25@gmail.com) or bring it along on Monday.
There will be a prize and/or lucky draw for people who have made this effort (and don't worry, it won't be a sheep like below!).



And, remember, the Dinosaur Challenge is due on Friday so keep working on that. If you have started working on it why don't you e-mail me an update - I can upload this onto the blogsite so other people can hear what you have been up to (you might even like to attach a photo of your project to the e-mail).

More parcels arrived from Book Depository this afternoon so I am about to explore the space flap book that came today:-)

Ms Watson

Friday Maths

I know that it's late in the day and you might have given up on school work for the week. BUT if you haven't, here are some more maths activities that you can work on:

Friday greeting

Hi Room 22,
I have just spent a few hours at school getting ready for school to open on Monday. Everything is tidied up and you will be pleased to know that the 'space' area is all intact and Wayside School is sitting by my chair ready to read to you at 9am on Monday.
If you would like to collect your bags and other items you can come in to school today before 3pm to collect them. Pop in to the office and someone will unlock the area for you.

On Monday remember to bring the following:
- water bottle with water in it (we can't drink the water at school at the moment)
- sanitiser (if you would like your own supply to use)
- warm clothes (the heaters should be working but it's good to be prepared just in case)

I can't wait to see you all on Monday. Some parcels from Book Depository arrived for me yesterday so I will be able to share these new books/activities on Monday (and we can start to use them).

Take care and please let me know if there is any assistance that I can provide regarding your post-EQ circumstances.

Ms Watson

Discovering New Species

Each year scientists discover new species of plants/animals/insects/fish etc. Click on this link and you can see what The Guardian Newspaper decided were the 10 most interesting new discoveries in 2010.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2011/jun/05/top-10-new-species#/?picture=375310609&index=0
I found the Darwin's Bark Spider especially interesting because the fibre in its' web is incredibly strong!
What did you think was the most interesting discovery and why?

Satellite Images

In class we have been learning about satellites and discussing different uses for them. Click on the link below to see some incredible photographs taken from satellites (and read the captions below each image as these explain the significance of the photo).
What do you think is the most interesting image?
How did you decide this?
What did you learn about the earth from viewing these images?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2011/jun/07/satellite-eye-may-2011-in-pictures#/?picture=375376513&index=0

Lunar Eclipse Around the World

Click on this link and view the slideshow images of the eclipse from around the world. Some have been taken at very famous locations.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/gallery/2011/jun/16/lunar-eclipse-moon-gallery-pictures

Maths - Times Tables

How quickly can you fill in these times tables grids? Time yourself!

Word Study - Tenses

We have been working in class on using correct tenses - past/present/future.
e.g. I walked (past) I am walking (present) I will walk (future)

Complete this worksheet below on tenses:



You might also like to check out this website - it has a number of games, quizzes and worksheets to practise using the correct tense. This will really help you with your writing and speaking skills in class.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/grammar/tenses/getting_the_right_tense/

Summarising - Day 2

I have had a chat with Tom on our blog about summarising. He told me that it gives him shivers just thinking about it because he find it difficult.

I explained to Tom that one of the best ways to approach summarising is to imagine that after reading an article, someone asks you to tell them in 30 seconds what it was about.

What would you include from the article?
What would you leave out?

You summarise all the time without realising it:
- When I ask you how sport went in the weekend
- When you tell someone about a good book or movie that you saw
- When someone asks you what you did in the weekend

In each of these situations you are choosing the most important or relevant information to share with your audience (the person/people you are talking to).

If you click on this link there is a really good BBC lesson on summarising:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/teachers/literacy_7_11/text/newsid_1694000/1694088.stm



1. Read through the different stories, starting with the one about windpower.
2. Think about the questions that you are asked and how you would answer them.
3. Now read the article about Harry being made an honourary Bradford City fan and answer the who/what/where/why/how questions.
4. Find another article of your own and use the same process to summarise the article.

Space - crossword

Can you complete this crossword? You might need to draw your own copy of it, or write your answers down on a piece of paper:

Close Up Quiz

What is this a close up of?
Post your guesses on our class wall:
http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/banksaveroom22

Maths - Geometry

Today I would like you to spend some time working on geometry. See if you can complete the following activities (remember that if you click on the image it will enlarge in a new window):

Lunar Eclipse Glimpsed in NZ

Did you know that there was a lunar eclipse that could be seen from NZ?

Here is a link to a short article with some photos of it taken from Avonhead, Christchurch.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5151333/Lunar-eclipse-glimpsed-in-New-Zealand



Do you know what a lunar eclipse is? What is the difference between a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse? Draw some diagrams to explain how each one occurs.

Wayside School

If you click on this link you can read three Wayside School stories. We have read them before, but I think they are just as funny when you read them again!
http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/RTE32.html
The stories have been reorganised so that you can read them as 'Reader's Theatre'. Reader's Theatre is a dramatic presentation of a book in script form. You don't need to worry about learning your lines or using props, instead you just try to read it with as much expression and gestures as you can to make it come to life.
You might like to try one of these stories as reader's theatre with your family, or with other kids who live nearby.
I would love some of you to present your reader's theatre to the class next week.

I know that some of you have been getting up early to watch Wayside School on tv. Here is a link to the start of the Wayside School Movie. What are your thoughts on seeing the characters and the school? Is it how you imagined it to be? Sometimes the pictures we have in our heads of people/places in books can be very different to how artists portray them in cartoons/movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQjRPaY0EHI

Good Morning Rm 22:-)

Good morning,
I hope that you and your families got some sleep last night. It's certainly great to see the sunshine this morning.
I have set up a Message Board where you can post messages about:
- how your family are doing
- a message to the rest of the class
- any questions you have about coming back to school
You can access this message board by clicking on this link:

http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/banksaveroom22

When you enter the page, double click on the page to leave a message. A box should appear allowing you to type a message.



Check back on the blog in a few hours as I am about to upload some new learning activities for today.

Stay safe and keep looking after your families,

Ms Watson

School Opening Update

School will be opening on Monday 20 June.

This is the message on the school website at the moment:

When school reopens on Monday 20 June, children will need to bring a water bottle filled with boiled water as we have no drinkable water. We will be using portaloos until our water supply is restored. We will have liquid hand cleaner available. The liquefaction will be cleared before the children arrive on Monday. All buildings have been declared safe to occupy by a structural engineer.

The school office will be open on Friday 17 June. Children will be able to pick up their bikes, scooters and belongings.

Welcome to our classroom blog

Wednesday 15 June

Hi Room 22,

I have decided to start up our classroom blog site early so that I can keep in touch with you while we are off school because of the earthquake.

Firstly, well done for the brave way you all responded to the earthquakes on Monday. I am sure that I could send you anywhere in the world as 'experts' who could share your knowledge of how to deal with an earthquake situation. I was incredibly proud of the way you looked after each other. You once again proved to me why I think you're the best class at BAS!

I hope that you and your families are safe and keeping warm. Please let me know if your family needs any assistance with cleaning up/accomodation etc.

I am not sure when we will be back at school as we are waiting for the structural engineers to check the buildings to make sure they are safe. Keep looking at the Banks Avenue school website to find out more information. I will certainly let you know when I find out more info.

I have put up some learning activities on this blogsite that you might like to work on over the next few days if you have access to the internet. I am at the South Library at the moment and have just marked a very impressive collection of book reviews from the class. I will have to find a place in the school where we can share these!

If you would like any feedback on any of your work email it to bethwatson25@gmail.com. I can load it on to the blog for you or just give you feedback.

Take care,
Ms Watson

School Opening Update

There will be no school for students for the rest of this week. The teachers are meeting at school on Friday morning and I will hopefully have more information for you after this.

Reading

Make sure that you are doing some reading each day at home. If you have younger brothers or sisters, you might like to read to them.

Summarising
See if you can find an article from the newspaper/magazine/internet. Use it to practise your summarising skills. As you are reading the article, ask yourself the following questions:
- What is this article about?
- What are the main points/ideas in this article?
- What examples does the author use to support these main ideas?

When I summarise I often use a highlighter or underlining to identify the main points so that I can easily find them once I have finished reading it.

Use one of these graphic organisers below to summarise your article:

SPACE

You might like to start a research inquiry into one of your space questions while you are on this earthquake break. If you want to do this, think about how you can use 'open questions' to guide your research. You will also need to think about a creative way to share your research findings - you might record a speech/produce a newspaper front-page/ create a power-point slideshow / write a play....

I have included some space activities below that you might prefer to work on:

Writing

SCIENCE FICTION

Science fiction stories often include:
- space travel
- aliens
- futuristic technology/machines/weapons
- time travel
- set in the future
- a problem that has to be solved (often involving the state of Earth in the future)

However, characters usually still behave like normal human beings.

You challenge is to write your own science fiction story. You might like to use some of the story ideas below (if you click on the diagram it will enlarge):


Think about creating interesting characters that have depth (this means that they are made more real by the way you describe them and their reactions to events in the story). Think about an interesting opening that is doing to draw the reader in. And remember, a story needs a problem that has to be resolved in order to keep the reader interested.

Once you have written and edited your story, you might like to e-mail it to me so that I can upload it onto the blog to share with the rest of the class.

Remember that you can also talk with your family about ideas before starting your story. They might have read some interesting science fiction books or be a good person to bounce your ideas off.

Happy writing:-)

Maths

Here are some maths activities that you might like to do (if you click on the image it will enlarge in a new frame):

DINOSAUR SCIENCE CHALLENGE

I know that some of you have started working on your Dinosaur Challenge projects. This is something that you could continue working on while you are away from school.

This challenge is to:
- Design and/or build a replica of a famous building or monument/structure (you need to include some information about the building's history, design features, significance etc.)
or
- Design and/or build an earthquake-safe building - it might be a new design for your home or a building that could be constructed as part of the re-building of Christchurch

Prize
The dinosaur will go to a student who shows that they have:
- researched the ideas for their building design
- made a model/drawing of the building
- demonstrated deeper thinking in the process
- presented a speech to the class