Bok Choy Summary

W.A.L.T upload our learning tasks and write about them.

Today was our last day reading Bok Choy. Our writing tasks for the last two days have been to create a storyboard and a summary. Below is a picture of my storyboard and summary.




Bok choy is a story written by Paul Mason
The story is set in a chinese village in New Zealand.
There’s a few main characters in the story, Ah sum, mother, Mrs Bishop, William and Jacob. At the beginning of the story Jacob and his mother are stacking firewood and they get interrupted by an old man named Ah sum, who came over to sell some Bok choy to get money.Then Jacob decides to go fishing, as he was fishing he go swept of the rocks and couldn’t get out, all he remembers was waking up in Ah sum’s chinese hut.It’s weird for Jacob because he has never been in the chinese village before, then Jacob realises that Au sum’s very kind and helpful. Soon later Jacob's mother comes to collect him and his mother was very grateful for what Ah sum did and wanted to thank him for his good deed.
As Jacob and his mother are walking home they are stopped by Mrs Bishop, Jacob and mother aren’t happy with this so they stick up for Ah sum by correcting her racist word that she calls chinese cabbage which it is actually Bok choy.
How do you think I did creating my storyboard and summary?

Did I enjoy reading Bok Choy? I did enjoy reading Bok Choy because it had a really good message in it. A old man, a nice old man, Ah Sum was not liked or treated nicely at the beginning. Towards the middle of the story he saves a boy from drowning and people begin to treat him nicer. I like how doing good deeds makes people realise you are a good person?

What was my favourite part? My favourite part is when Jacob's mother sticks up for Ah Sum in front of Mrs Bishop. This is my favourite part because instead of putting down Ah Sum, she protects him as he has protected her son.

I believe the author has written a fantastic story. They've taught their audience an important message which is great.

Ah Sum's Hut

WALT upload our reading tasks and write about them.

Today was my first proper day back at school. Being at school has been different from when we left last term. We have been continuing our online learning that we have been doing at home, but we have been doing it at school instead. Today for reading we read a book called 'Bok Choy' and our follow up task was to create a google drawing, a pencil drawing or our own chosen way to create Ah Sum's hut.

I choose to create a google drawing of Ah Sum's hut. To create his hut I used the shape tools and images off Google to create my hut. In my hut I have stone walls, a fire and a chimney. I've also included a clothes rack with is draped with their wet clothes. Their clothes were wet because they got swept off the rocks. I also have chairs, a table and food that they were eating on the table. Ah Sum and Jacob are inside the hut talking.

I enjoyed making this creation and thinking of different ways to make different objects. To improve my creation, next time I will label the items in my creation so that people know what they are. Below is a picture of Ah Sum's hut.



Have you read Ah Sum's hut before? If not, can you guess what it is about from my google drawing?

Diary entry

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Today we had to write a diary entry from the perspective of the main character in the story. Here is my letter, take a read, let me know what you think.
I really enjoyed this task as I enjoy creative writing and I like putting myself in someone elses shoes to try and understand how they would be feeling.

This week our reading text has been a graphic novel. A graphic novel looks very similar to a comic. I enjoy reading graphic novels because they have very cool images/pictures and they use minimal words, but still manage to tell a great story. Have you read a graphic novel before?

LEGO creation

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I have been reading a text called Harry's War and my reading task for today was to create a scene from the text out of LEGO or materials I could find around the house. I LOVE LEGO so I created a LEGO scene. 

The scene I choose to create was Harry practising at his training camp. In my scene you can see men with guns, army tanks, cabins, medical centres and grass. I choose this scene as Harry really didn't want to go to war or to practise war, but he had no choice.

Do you build LEGO creations? What have you built before?

ANZAC Day Poster

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Today our reading task was to watch a video about ANZAC day and then create a poster online about what we learnt. In my poster I have written about what ANZAC day is, when and why it is celebrated and the background behind it. Take a look, tell me what you learn!

I already knew quite a bit about ANZAC day as my poppa fought in the world war 2, so I've always shown in interest in wars. But some new things I learnt was: it was made a public holiday in 1916, pretty much straight after the war. I also learnt that the ANZACs really struggled in war and found it very hard to fight back.

I would have loved to have been born a little bit earlier and to be able to talk to one of the ANZACs. I bet they have very interesting stories to tell and I'd love to thank them for protecting our country. Would you to?

ANZAC Ted

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Today our reading task was to create our very own ANZAC Ted on a google drawing - a very fun and engaging task! We are focusing our literacy tasks on ANZAC day this week as Monday 27 April was ANZAC Day Observed this year.

I created my special ted using the shapes tool, finding png images online and by colouring it in. Now I want to share a story about my ted.

ANZAC Ted had been lonely for many weeks. He'd sat in the same warehouse, he'd sat on the same shelf, next to the same teddies for what felt like years to him. Until suddenly, a little blonde girl with hazel eyes came running down the isle. "Mum, mum, this is him, the one I've been looking at online. I want him, can I have him, pleeeeease?". She instantly calmed me this girl. She looked so kind and caring. I felt like shouting "YES, she can have me!!!", but for some reason my mouth had been sewn shut. Happiness filled my body as her mum said "sure sweetie". I'd never ever felt like this before? Is this what it felt like to be loved, wanted, cared for?

Within seconds I was snatched up by this girls grasp and was taken straight to the checkout. On the drive home she patted my head, straightened my hat and run her fingers over my plasters... by the way, those plasters tell a story, but that's a story for another day!

I hope you've enjoyed my story and like my very special ANZAC Ted. Have you read ANZAC Ted before? What do you know about ANZAC Day?

Art drawing of a brown bear!

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For reading today we had to draw a picture of the animal we researched about on Tuesday in their habitat. I have done a drawing of a brown bear in a forest. In the brown bears habitat I have drawn a river, trees and included animals such as deer and beavers. This is because brown bears do not live alone, they share their habitat with others.

A brown bear is a large animal, probably three to four times larger than your average human. They two beady eyes, two round ears that sit above their fluffy face and a long snout. Brown bears bodies are covered in thick, brown, fluffy fur. This keeps them warm and snug all year round! You have to be careful if you see a brown bear out, although that's unlikely in New Zealand, because their paws are attached to deathly claws. They're sharp, curved and dangerous! Brown bears walk on all four of their legs, however, did you know that they can stand on their two hing legs? Sometimes making them almost 5 feet tall!! Crazy!

What animal did you choose to research about? What does your animal look like? I'd love to know all about it!

Research Poster - Brown Bear Animal Migration

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For reading today we had to research and create a poster about an animal and their migration patterns.

During my research I learnt that brown bears do not actually migrate to the same area at the same time of the year. Instead they migrate to areas that are nearby where there is an abundance of food. Did you know that brown bears have to eat lots of food because they hibernate over the winter months? I also learnt that brown bears can give birth to up to 4 cubs, but that pairs (or twins in human terms) are most likely.

I found it interesting that bears do not migrate to the same areas at the same time of the year. Animals such as whales, do. Once I had learnt this I found it quite believable as I know bears are solitary animals (they like to live alone), so why would they want to migrate to the same place like other animals?

When I have more time, I'd like to learn more about how and why brown bears hibernate over the winter months!

What animals do you know about that migrate? Can you tell me about their migration patterns?

Rising seas comprehension questions

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Comprehension Questions

What percentage of water on Earth is made up of oceans?
____% of water on Earth is made up of oceans.

Why are sea levels rising?

Are rising sea levels getting better or worse? How do you know that?

What are the effects of rising sea levels?

In what year did the Port of Auckland see it’s highest sea level? What was the sea level at?

How did rainfall effect Australia?

Without researching, how do you think we could help prevent sea levels from rising?


Today for reading we had to answer some comprehension questions about a text. Above is a picture of my comprehension questions and my answers (please note: Miss Thompson has not put the answers up for obvious reasons).


Answering comprehension questions are an excellent way of seeing how much of the text you have understood. When I answer comprehension questions about a text I often re-read certain parts of the text to find the answer. Miss Thompson always tell us "It is not a memory test", so it is important to go back and find the answers if you can not remember. Re-reading and finding the answers makes me understand the text better as I have a purpose for reading and it makes me think critically about the question that is being asked.


Do you have to answer comprehension questions about a text? If so, how does it help you understand what you've read?

Summarising a text

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Our reading task for today was to write a summary about the text we read. We could either create a story board, which is what I have done, or write a short paragraph.

This is my story board summarising the main ideas from Spirit Animals.

The most interesting part of the story so far for me personally was when all of the characters on the boat assumed the animals were friendly. They did not worry about the Seagull or Sharks and the other animals that arrived. I would personally be terrified if a shark was swimming toward me, and I also don't like it when birds fly toward me either!

I've really enjoyed reading Spirit animals and cannot think of what the author could improve on so far. I wonder if they have an audio version that you could listen to? This could be handy for when you just feel like relaxing and listening to something. That could be something the author could consider?

Have you read Spirit animals? What are you reading at the moment and what is it about? I'd love to hear all about it.

Vocabulary Task

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My reading task for today was to choose 6 unfamiliar or interesting words found in my text 'Rising Seas'. I've created a poster that has the definition of 6 words and then them written in a setence.

Completing this reading task helped me understand the text better because if I did not know what these words meant, I could not understand what the sentence or paragraph was telling me. I believe it is very important to know what words mean, and if you do not know, take the time to figure it out. Some ways I figure out words I don't know is by reading on and seeing if the text will tell me, looking at the pictures in the text, using a dictionary or googling it. Sometimes I may ask my teacher, friend or family.

What do you think of my task? Did you know what these words meant? Can you put these words in your own sentence?

Country Research - Australia

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My reading task for today was to read 'Rising Seas' and to research and make a poster about Australia and their weather patterns.

During my research I learnt that weather in different parts of Australia are very different to one another. They often experience very different weather patterns in each state. I assume this is because Australia is such a large country.

What did I like about Australia? I really liked how Australia is a very warm country. Apparently their lowest temperature is around 10.6 degrees celsius. Crazy, considering New Zealand can often go below 0 degrees celsius in winter time. I've thought about asking my family if we can go to Australia when it gets too cold in New Zealand. I hate being cold.

To be honest, I did not find anything I dislike about Australia. It is a country I haven't been to yet, but would love to go there in the future. Have you been to Australia? Where have you traveled to? I would love to hear all about it!

Researching about a country

This is an example blog post to model to students of Tui Whanau what is expected

Bali - Indonesia 

I  choose to research about Bali because I travelled there in 2015 and had an absolute blast. I really enjoyed the culture, the people and the places to visit. I was there for 15 days and did not want to come back. In my time there, I learnt how sad it can be to live in a third world country. Many people, including the eldery and kids, lived on the streets. This was upsetting. I cannot wait to go back. 

All about Bali

Ubud Monkey Forest 

Population: 4.22 million as of 2012

Capital: Denpasar

Famous landmarks:

Uluwatu Temple - this is a Ancient Hindu Temple surrounded by the ocean

Ubud Monkey Sanctuary - Temple complex with many monkeys

Semiyak - Beaches & lots of shopping!

Mount Butar - An active volcano popular for climbing  

Currency: Rupiah ($1 NZD is roughly 9062 rupiah).

This is Bali's flag. Half of it is red and half of it is white.

Uluwatu Temple 

New Math Strategy

This is an example blog post for Tui Whanau.

W.A.L.T use place value partitioning to solve addition and subtraction problems.

For the last week my math group, the triangles, have been working on a math strategy called place value partitioning. When using this strategy you have to split each number into their hundreds, tens and ones, and add them together separately.

I enjoy using this strategy as I find it helps me solve problems a lot quicker and I understand the reasoning behind it. Here is an image of how to use place value partitioning.





Have you used place value partitioning before?

Challenge yourself! Have a go at using this strategy for the following problems.

1. Amy had $134 and she was given another $87 for her birthday. How much money does Amy have now?

2. James had 132 sheep in a paddock on Monday. On Tuesday, 45 had gone missing. How many sheep did he have left?

Let me know how you go!

Explanation Writing

This is an example blog post for Tui Whanau.

W.A.L.T write an explanation piece of writing.

This term for Writing we have been focusing on Explanation Writing. Below is my 'How do bees make honey?' explanation writing.

How do bees make honey?
Honey is a popular, but very expensive commodity in New Zealand and across the world. Taking it off the shelf and putting it in your trolley is easy, but have you ever thought about how hard bees work to produce our honey for us? Did you know that bees have to visit two million flowers in order to produce only one pound of honey?
Bees prefer to collect nectar from flowers in Spring, when they are in bloom. They use their proboscis (straw like tongue) to suck as much nectar out of the flowers as they can. Bees have two stomachs; a food stomach and a honey stomach. Their honey stomach is where they store all of their nectar. Once a bee has collected enough nectar, they return to their hive.
Once at the hive, the enzymes and proteins in a bees honey stomach mix with the stored netcar and turn it into honey. Then the workers bees pass the honey through different worker bee mouths as this makes the honey sticky. Once the honey is sticky, they store the honey in the honeycomb.
Next bees flap their wings as fast as they can to dry the wet, sticky honey out. Once it is dry enough, the honeycomb is seal with a wax lid to protect the honey and keep it fresh.
Finally the bees work is done and it is time for the beekeepers to collect their honey from the hive. Humans then go through many more processes to prepare the honey for sale, so it can fill our supermarket shelves.

I am very proud of all the detail I have included in my writing. I spent a lot time researching and planning so that my ideas are complex and elaborated on. Something I would like to work on time is adding visual images to my writing to support my ideas and make it more eye catching for the reader.


Did you learn a lot about bees and how they make money? Have you written an explanation piece of writing before?

Goal Setting

Tui Whanau has been working on setting one strength goal and one stretch goal.
A stretch goal is something that the children need to improve on and work hard to get there. A strength goal is something the children are already good at and would like to get even better at.

Take a look at our goals below. Do any of them relate to you? Have you set any goals this year?

Kiwi Can

Kiwi Can

WALT:
- Build positive relationships with those we interact with
- Be a fair team player
- Work together as a team to share and celebrate successes and challenges

We attend a weekly Kiwi Can session on a Wednesday. We have been learning our new motto and it's actions "If you argue, sort it out, don't shout, work it out." We have been playing and participating in lots of discussions and games that help us learn our learning intention.

Below are a few photos from a 'grab a cone' challenge and a 'fill a bucket' challenge.

 

Have you played either of these games before?

Team Building

In the first week of school Tui whanau participated in a few different team building activities. The purpose of this was to work together and to get to know each other better. We had to get together in a group of 4 - 6 students and this was our group for all of the challenges.

The challenges we participated in was:
- Spaghetti and marshmellow towers
- Water balloon throw
- building a cup tower without our hands

Here are some screenshots of what the challenge was in more detail:

Here are some pictures of our towers that we were very proud of and had fun making!!

What team building challenges have you done before?

Welcome!

Welcome to Tui whanau's blog for 2020

We are a bunch of fun, diligent and kind year 5, 6 and 7 students. For the past three weeks we have been getting to know each other, learning to work together as a team, and use classroom rotation systems. We've had a great time and can't wait to be posting more about our year to come!

What has your class been doing so far this term?