Information Reports

Today we worked really hard at getting our final information reports written for our end of unit assessment. Some of us learnt valuable lessons about time management! We hope that you enjoy reading our reports - we were allowed to choose our own topics to research and write about





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Kiranjeet's Final Information Report

Kiranjeet has written a report on Sea Turtles for her final information report. Have a read and learn some new facts about this beautiful animal!

The Plague - New research

This article about new research on the plague suggests that it was humans and not rats who were the carriers of the disease. Have a read and we'll have a chat in class about it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/17/black-death-rats-off-hook

Fun in the Snow!

Angelica sent some pictures of her having fun in the snow.
"We had a great time at the snow. As you can see the golf course was behind us.
I am just happy that i got to play at the snow. me and my sister made a really big igloo with a roof but forgot to take the photo. By the way i did my SRL planning and that i did my draft in my SRL book."

DRESSING WARM AND DRY FOR TOMORROW

At this stage school should be re-open tomorrow. If things change, I will post on the blog about 7am tomorrow morning.
Make sure that you pack and dress to keep warm and dry.

Keeping warm/dry might include the following:
- gumboots (it's going to be wet and slushy, especially as the storm-water drains at school don't work post-quake)
- slippers and/or warm socks for wearing in the classroom (I will be bringing my slippers)
- warm clothes - wear thermals under your uniform to keep you warm (I will be!)
- hat/scarf/gloves/raincoat for the trip to school and for morning tea/lunch if it is fine
- if you have a thermos that you are able to use - bring some hot milo, soup, noodles or something that you can have at lunchtime to warm you up from the inside:-)
- a good book or game to keep you entertained if we have a wet lunchtime

AND...DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR BRAIN AND A SMILE! I'm looking forward to getting back into learning and to hearing all about your snow experiences.

See you in the morning,

Ms Watson

Natasha's End of Unit Report

Here is Natasha's final report for our Information Report Topic. I really like the way she has used sub-headings to organise her information. She has also very effectively summarised the most important pieces of information about Godwits. If you are still at the note-taking/drafting stage, I would make sure that you do some research this afternoon/evening and bring those notes to school with you tomorrow. This will be very helpful for the writing stage (as there is nothing worse than not having enough information - it's like trying to make a yummy sandwich with only bread and a tiny bit of margarine).
Read Natasha's report and think about some feedback you could give her - something she did well and something she could improve on or do differently next time.

Fun in the Snow!

Natasha has also been having fun in the snow. I like the action figure in the snow (I thought it was your dad in a Jeep at first!). She has also been busy with her SRL activities. She has written her weekly goals and has been doing some of the weekly list of activities. Natasha has also finished her end of unit Information Report on the Godwit bird. This is very impressive and means she will get to do 'free writing' for the next few days while the rest of the class finish their reports. Like many of you, Natasha told me that she can't wait to get back to school, which as a teacher is always nice to hear:-)

Cross Stitch

Today I went to Spotlight and got some cross stitch material, needles and thread so that we can learn how to do cross stitch. It will fit in with our Early Canterbury topic and Fabric and Fibre for Art.
If you have any spare embroidery thread or material that your family would be happy to donate to the class, that would be excellent. I will make sure that I have enough for everyone, but we could always do with more, especially the thread!

Perfect Weather for Baking!

I have been out in my car for the first time since the snow storm. There is certainly a lot of snow still around but luckily most of the roads are cleared (it's trickier to find a place to park on the sides of roads!).
I've been doing quite a bit of baking over the past few days and thought that I would post a couple of recipes that you might like to try with your family. It's a perfect afternoon for doing some baking (and the bonus is that having the oven on helps to warm up the house!).

Here's a recipe for ANZAC Biscuits. The recipe includes a summary of the history of the biscuit:
http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/an/Anzac_biscuits

And here is a recipe for Chocolate Self-saucing Pudding. A perfect dessert for a cold night like tonight!
http://www.nzfavouriterecipe.co.nz/recipes/desserts/65-chocolate-self-saucing-pudding

Let me know how the baking goes and send me through any photos of you baking and/or any recipes that you have been using to do some baking during the snow break.

Ms Watson

Fun in the Snow!

Kiranjeet has been having fun in the show while school has been closed. She told me that "The snow was fun and cold!" She made a "funny snowman". I am also impressed that she wrote her SRL goals for the week, and she did her draft of her second information report! Kiranjeet is hoping that school will open tomorrow.
Here are some photos of Kiranjeet making a snowman:-)

No School (Wednesday)

Good morning,
There is no school today but we are planning on re-opening tomorrow (Thursday).
There are lots of activities posted on the blog that can keep you busy at home.
Stay warm.
Ms Watson

The Great Plague

Maddie e-mailed me this evening and told me about a really interesting book she was reading about the great plague. I remember that we also had a chat in class about it and Liam told us about how it actually started with fleas, not rats like people think. I thought that you might enjoy this song from Horrible Histories:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KHlIWpyJrQ

Perhaps you could think of something interesting that you have been reading about that you could turn into a song like this!

Fun in the Snow!

Maddie sent me an e-mail this evening to let me know what she's been up to. She made a snow man but annoyingly someone moved the nose to the top of the head and she didnt have time to make anything else. Maddie said she's planning on doing some more things tomorrow if we don't have school.

If you have some photos you would like to share with the class. Just e-mail them to me: bethwatson25@gmail.com

I haven't heard anything about school tomorrow but will post on the blog as soon as I do. I usually get a call about 6.45am so if you check about 7am tomorrow there will be an update.

Stay warm. I baked afghans this afternoon using Ms Watts' famous recipe - they were delicious!!

Ms Watson

First Four Ships

I know that you have already done some thinking and learning about the First Four Ships. Here are links to a couple of websites that you might like to explore.

First Four Ships: http://www.firstfourships.co.nz/index.php
This website has some great photos and lists each passenger on each ship. If you click on their name you can find out information about that passenger. This is a project which New Zealanders contributed to with information about their family members on the ships.

Canterbury Pilgrims and Early Settlers Society: http://www.pilgrims.co.nz/
This website also has info on the ships and the passengers on them. It includes a number of other immigrant ships that came to Lyttelton around the same time as the First Four.

When you are exploring these website think about the following:
- What age ranges were people on the ships? What was the most common age bracket? Why might this be?
- Were there mainly men or women or an equal number of both? Why might this be?
- What occupations or skills did the people who were coming out have? How might this have helped them/or made things difficult for them when they arrived in Chch?
- What happened to the people once they got to Lyttelton? Looking at the summaries of their lives, did they stay in Christchurch or did they move elsewhere? Why might this be?
- Describe some of the interesting settlers that you discovered when doing your searching.
- What other things did you learn or what questions would you like to find out now that you have explored this website?

Natasha's Leopard Seal Report

Here is Natasha's report on Leopard Seals. If you click on each image it will enlarge it so you can read the text.

Creative Snow

How could you use the snow in an interesting way?
Last night I put out a glass out on my verandah. This morning the glass was filled with snow:-) I squeezed fresh grapefruit juice and lime juice over it and it made a delicious slushy (although it was so cold that my lips went numb and I got very shivery!).



Some thoughts (although you probably have much better ones than me)
- sculpt something interesting in the snow (think outside of just a normal snowman)
- create some artwork using your observations of the snow - it could even be a study of a single snow-flake.
- build a toboggan course with ramps etc.
- measure and graph the snowfall or snow-melt each hour
- find out how much snow you have to melt to get a glass of drinking water (this is something mountaineers have to do)
- build an igloo



Record your activities with photos/drawings/recounts/diaries and share them with the class when we get back to school.

Measurement

Ms Mumm has been teaching the class about measurement. Can you complete the activities below?

Square Roots

Can you work out the square root of each of these numbers? Remember a square root is a number that produces a specified quantity when multiplied by itself: "7 is a square root of 49" because 7 x 7 = 49.
Try these ones:

Equivalent Fractions

Newton and Archimedes have been working on Equivalent Fractions in maths. That means different fractions that have the same value as each other e.g. 1/2 is the same as 2/4. See if you can complete the activity below.

Word Study - it's and its

For word study today we were going to be looking at the difference between
it's - short for it is e.g. it's very cold today
AND
its - it belongs to that noun e.g. the dog lost its bone

Complete the activity below. Write the answers as full sentences.

Report Writing Unscamble Activity

In class we have been learning how to write information reports. Part of this learning has been understanding the different parts of a report and the order of sections in a report. This activity is about Honey Bees. You need to re-order the sections so that they are in the correct order. Once you think you have it in the right order, read through it and see if it makes sense. Click on the image to enlarge it so you can complete the activity.

No School

Good morning Rm 22. There is no school again today because of the snow.
Stay warm and I will post some activities on the blog that you can complete if you would like.
Ms Watson

Ship Diaries of Early Settlers

Some of you have written excellent diary entries imagining that you were on one of the early ships coming out with settlers from the UK.
Self Regulated Learners (SRLs) have a task this week which asks you to write some diary entries from this persepctive.
You might like to check out the two diaries that are on a Nelson Museum website about the voyage of the Clifford. A boat that sailed from Gravesend in England to Nelson between December 1841 and May 1842:
http://www.nelsonmuseum.co.nz/havenahoy/hughes.aspx

Here is the link to the diary written by the Gapper family:
http://www.nelsonmuseum.co.nz/havenahoy/gapper.aspx
Here is the link to the Hughes Log, written by the doctor on board the Clifford:
http://www.nelsonmuseum.co.nz/havenahoy/hughes.aspx

Think about their experiences:
- What was similar/different about their experiences of the journey?
- What things did they choose to write about? Why do you think they chose these things?
- Why do you think they commented so much about the weather?
- What adjectives would you use to describe the people writing the diary and how they coped with the journey?
- Find an entry that was especially interesting for you. Describe why you found this entry so interesting?
- Did anything surprise you about their experiences/entries?
- Any other things you noticed/wanted to comment on

Big Snow Flakes Falling

Well it's starting to get dark and I'm watching big snowflakes falling outside in my garden. Maddie e-mailed me to say that she had been out in the snow but that it was too windy to make any snowmen. I had a similar experience. Angelica was planning on going to the golf course next to her house to play in the snow. Josh said that it was snowing in Kaiapoi and that he had set his SRL goals for the week which is very impressive!
I don't know whether school will be open tomorrow but will post on the blog as soon as I hear anything. It might be like this morning where I don't know until the morning.
I hope that you are all keeping warm and finding things to do. I have made a pumpkin and lentil curry for dinner and have started The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (yes Niko and Thomas - I am ready to discuss it when you both finish the book too!).
Have a good night,
Ms Watson

SNOW DAY

Hi Rm 22,
I'm sure you know by now, but just letting you know that there is no school today because of the snow.
I will let you know as soon as I know about school tomorrow.
Stay warm and see what creative things you can make in the snow! And, if you are a Self Regulated Learner, feel free to get started on your work for the week (although you don't have to as I'm sure the snow is much more exciting!).
Time for hot porridge with cream and a cup of Milo for me:-)
Ms Watson
AND... if you have any great snow photos that you would like to send through. E-mail me them at bethwatson25@gmail.com and I will upload them to our blog so the class can see what you're getting up to.

Teacher (Niko's Song)

Niko wrote this song as part of Home Learning. He is hoping to make a music video to go with it. It is to the tune of 'Every Breath You Take" by Sting and the Police.

Part 1
Every move you make,
Every pencil you take,
Every time you talk,
When you throw the chalk,
The teacher's watching you!

All the time you waste,
When you sheet isn't paste(d),
When there's non-compliance,
if there's physical violence,
the teacher's watching you!

"Hey Ms B I really need a pee!"

"Do your writing first,
and Josh you can't have a Fruit Burst!"

(Sing Part 1 again)

"Hey TC, get down from that tree!"
"NO NEVER, NOT TODAY!"
"Then your Smiggle goes away ________ (the line means for a long time)
"Oh man it's the teacher!"

Snow (By Mitchell)

Mitchell wrote this poem for his homework. It uses similes effectively.

Snow

Cold as an icicle.

Soft as a pillow.

Light as a feather.

White as a sheep.

Ice cold and very deep.

The Snow (By Misty)

Misty wrote a beautiful poem as part of her Home Learning. I loved her use of similes (when you say something is 'like' something else):

The snow fell as quiet as a whisper.

It was as soft as a pillow.

It covered the grass like a carpet.

As cold as a freezer.

It was like having fun at the fair.

Waiting for snow...

Hi Room 22,
I hope that you are all keeping warm and have stocked up on food/warm things ready for the snow that they are predicting. I can across this Calvin and Hobbes cartoon which seems to show exactly what I have been doing all day!

It was great to watch the netball teams play at Hagley after school on Friday. Although neither team won, it was great to see the teamwork and skill development of all the players. I'll try and get back for one more game before the end of the season!
I visited my grandad in Akaroa this weekend and got to see lots of lambs. I even got to hold one that was born on Friday night. We had to help move the ewes (mother sheep) and lambs down to lower ground so that they have shelter from the snow when it comes.
I'm not sure whether school will be open or not tomorrow. We'll just have to wait and see how much snow arrives. But, I will post on the blog when I do know.
Have a great afternoon, it's a great day for doing some baking, playing games or reading books.
Ms Watson

Kiranjeet's Information Report

The Blue Penguin
Penguins live in Antarctica where it is cold and good for them. The South Pole is where you can find them.

Description
Blue Penguins are small, they are only 30cm tall and only weigh 1kg. They have blue backs and a white front. The blue penguin has a flat tummy to slide on the ice to have fun. It also has flippers to swim fast in the water and to catch fish. The Blue penguin eats , squid and krill. It’s main and favourite fish is called lantern. Each year the Blue penguin grows an new coat. Their old feathers fall out. They can’t hunt for food in the water until their new coat grows back. Penguins are very funny animals. They give lots of entertainment to humans.

Penguins communicate with vocalization, they pick up sounds. They have bad hearing so they use their eyesight. Penguins see on land and water. Penguins see colour they are good at smelling. If penguins look to the sun, they can get sunburned. They cover their feet with their flippers. That is why the colours are young and different to Adult penguins.They don’t have layers of fat to protect them from the sun.

Conclusion
The Blue penguin lives in the south pole. They are funny animals

Winter Outdoors Competition

Millie has already started working on her part of our entry for the skiing and snowboarding competition. Here are a couple of poems that she has written. I love the imagery that she uses - I feel like I could close my eyes and imaging being inside her poem - the smells, the sounds, the feel of the place and the animals. I hope that you enjoy them too!

Willow

Out playing with Willow
With just a silent chill
As her tail flicks here then there
As her hooves stomp
I often think of running away
But I know there is no reason to be afraid
And I often think what will I do when she’s gone
Because I know one day she will no longer be there.


What I think

As I first step out
I feel cold and wet from the earth below
But when I reach Willow her breath soon warms me up
Then the first rays of sun start to appear
And then I bring out some food
As her tongue stars to wind
All that is left is just a slobbery wet feeling

Arden's Information Report

AFRICAN ELEPHANTS

INTRODUCTION
An elephant is a big big mammal that has large ears and a trunk. An elephant has a grey long trunk and has big big fat feet. It has big flappy ears. They little little eyes.

Habitat
The African elephants are also known as African bush elephants. Most elephants live in tropical regions, lakes and rivers.

Food
Elephants drink water and use their trunks to spray themselves to keep cool. They eat roots and bark off trees. Amazing, they drink up to 70- 90 litres of water a day.

By Arden Pirker

Elena's Information Report

Elena has published a report on baby elephants.


BABY ELEPHANTS

In so many ways elephants are exactly like humans. They get up to mischief and love to play .



HAVING BABIES


Family members gather around . You can stand up by yourself half an hour after being born .

You are about one metre tall and weigh as much as two people .



HABITAT / FOOD

You will find elephants in India and Africa on dry grass.

They eat grass and drink water. Some eat roots.


by Elena Wilson

Alex's Information Report: Killer Whales

Like Liam, Alex has written an information report about killer whales:

Killer Whales

The killer whales belly is white and its back
is black,it has a dorsal fin and it has a round head.
They live under water but can't live on land and
they breath air.It eats almost anything,from small fish
to big great whales ten times its size.It reproduces slowly,
with a calf about every eight years.it has very sharp teeth,
it has big fins to swim and the stiff dorsal fin makes them
move.They can camouflage when there black and white,
they can do tricks as well.They have a blow hole and
there head is called a melon.The female killer is only
seven years old and already weighs two tonnes.
A female killer whale lasts only ninety years.

Liam ph's Information Report

Liam has written a report on Killer Whales. Click on the image to enlarge his report so you can read it.

Angelica's Information Report

This report is written by Angelica and is about Koalas. Click on the image so that you can enlarge it to read it.

Earth's 2 Moons

Scientists think that earth might have had once had two moons which collided slowly into each other to form the moon that we have today.
Read this article to find out more about this new discovery:
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/science-technology/Scientists-Think-Earth-Once-Had-Two-Moons---126841858.html

RECORDERS for MONDAY!

Hi Room 22,
I hope that you have had a great weekend and that all the sports games went well. I had a lovely weekend at Maruia Springs and it was snowing on the Lewis Pass when I drove home today.
I just wanted to remind you that you need to bring your recorders tomorrow so that you are ready for recorder with Ms Savage. Remember to name your recorder so that it doesn't get mixed up.
See you in the morning,
Ms Watson

Jackson's Wall

Hi Room 22,
Well done for another fantastic day - I was incredibly impressed with your space presentations and am looking forward to the 2 presentations tomorrow and the debate! Mrs McDonald will be coming to help judge the debate at 11am.
Jackson has sent through the link to his wall that you can send him messages on while he is away it is: http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/jacksoneurope
It would be great for you to let him know what you are up to and/or ask him anything about his trip.
See you all in the morning - remember to make sure that you have your spelling sentences/story and your words ready for your spelling test
Ms Watson