WPC Bike Ride

 On Tuesday September 22 my class and I went on a bike ride for a William Pike Challenge. It was about 33km long and we biked from Milltown to Kapitea Reservoir.  We started at about 9:30 and by the time we finished it was about 2:30. We had to be at school by 8:10 and left school at 8:30. Since I didn't have a bike Ms Hanley let me borrow her mountain bike for the day. I went with Indi, Emma, Poppy, Lily, Nevey, Tyler, Phoebe, Summer,  Billie and Tim in Scott’s van. Before we left Ms Kemp made sure everyone one was equipped with the right gear.

We drove over the Taramakau Bridge, to Hokitika, past Lake Kaniere and through to Milltown. When we got to Milltown the weather conditions were rainy but it wasn’t too bad. We then waited for all of the bikes to get unloaded and over the gate. Once we started on the wilderness trail I got quite tired because most of it was uphill and there were only small downhill parts. I had to pedal a lot on the uphills otherwise I had to walk.

Our first stop was Cowboy’s Paradise and it was a while away. As I was about to get to Cowboy’s Paradise everyone was yelling at me and saying ‘DON’T SKID’. I was so confused and my classmates told me that a man came out and told them not to skid on the road, while starting to say bad words to them. I was a bit worried and once Ms Kemp got there she said that we should go to the other side of the road quietly. Once we were on the other side a small group and I were at the front and we started biking again. 

We stopped at a road and a truck went along the road. After we crossed two fords (concrete dip with water running through it) and even when I stood up the water shot up and wet my bottom. Our next stop was meant to be a place with tents and toilets but the adults didn’t wait for everyone so then they stopped at Kawhoka Intake. Once we got to Kawhoka Intake we had lunch and when Ms Kemp got there she gave some people a telling off. 

After we ate lunch we zoomed off again to get to Kapitea Reservoir. One part that I thought was boring on the way was a big long road that was straight with a bit of turns. When we got to the end of the boring road we biked up the main road and I just walked up the road. Once we got to the top of the road we started on the wilderness trail again. It was downhill, uphill, straight and turny. I didn’t like it at all and I was in the middle so there were people way in front of me and people way behind me. I got worried and thought I went the wrong way but as I got near the end I saw people. I was tired and I felt like I wanted to just walk. When we got back to school I was happy because I got to go home.

I learnt when I needed a gear change and I also learnt that biking the wilderness trail took a lot of effort.  

My favourite part was when the tandem was behind me and Hamish started beeping the horn. I also liked how Ms Kemp said that when showing leadership you don’t have to be first to finish and I thought it was a challenge.      

Conservation Poem

                                                     I Am Te Awa 

I hear the whispers of the mountains and the waters, 

After all I am te maunga’s daughter,

I can’t bare life without no sound,

I’d feel as if I want to bound

I am the wā kāinga (home) of many living creatures,

They are definitely my main features

First Day Of School

First Day Of School

                            This is my short story that I about someones first day of school.

Paragraph 1 

Paragraph 2

Paragraph 3

Paragraph 4

Sea Week Poem

I Am The Sea

I am the sea, the sea is me

I am the waves that wave violently

I am the foam that lies above me

I am the salt that sits inside me

I am made of the drift wood that floats on top of me

I am made of the ocean organisms that live inside me

I am unable to handle the rubbish that rests in me

I am unable to handle innocent animals dying inside me

Soon enough nobody will see me 

You’ll see only tragic events that are happening to me

Lightning Never Strikes Twice

Room one was learning how to add more language features into our writing. We also had to describe how we would feel if lightning struck twice.

I was frightened as I crouched between a pile of dusty sacks.  Inside the windmill it was dusty and even a stale stench. The wind was howling like a wolf on a full moon. The streaks of lightning hit the itching bolts of the sail. I screamed but it only got louder. The wind wasn’t howling like before.  My foot crept away touching a magic light. Heat waves rushed through my body as I was zapped. Light cloud of smoke crept past the tip of my nose and made me sneeze. My eyes felt like they went out of my skull. The wind stole the door as if it were a thief.

My Descriptive Writing

My cat was at his darkest when he started lurking around in the precious grass.
His eyes greener than ever. His ears looking sharp as they pointed upwards.
His fur looking soft and smooth. The position he was in looked as if he was ready to
pounce right at me. He was a sloth with his slow moments. Everytime he meowed it sounded
 loud like a lion's roar. MEOW! He was a dark lord who looked like they needed more sleep.
His teeth looked sharper than ever now. His eyes focused on almost everything. His head
turning side to side. MEOW! As he moved his head it went Click. He was greedy cat wanting
to eat anything he wanted. Gurgle Gurgle! His stomach grumbled as his eyes went sharp.

My Wonder Letter

Dear, Mum and Dad

I don’t want to go to school because people say my face looks like a puffer fish
that had plastic surgery but then it went wrong. It’s like I was cursed by space
aliens. Why don’t you just learn fractions then you’ll be able to teach me. I will
just get bullied and embarrassed.

I’m NEVER going to school and you can’t make me. I’d rather join Darth Vader
and be a storm trooper. Nobody would stand up for me because they are
STRANGERS. END OF STORY!

August   

A Moment In Time Writing Work

In Ruma Tahi we wrote about a moment in time. I found it quite easy because I wrote about a moment in time last year.

A Moment In Time

I was in the rough waves with my sister. I felt like I was being tackled
except it didn’t hurt that much. Every time a big wave came I jumped like I
was a high jumper so I didn’t get smashed. Every time a wave made go up it
felt like a water slide but not as long. I could feel the little bumps in the waves
every time they passed me. The salty water went into my mouth a few times
and when it did my mouth went dry.

Welcome

NZ Falcon Information Report

The New Zealand Falcon is a threatened bird. It is endemic to NZ. The māori name for the New Zealand
Falcon is Kārearea. The New Zealand Falcon is capable of flying at speeds over 100km.

Physical Features

All ages of Kārearea have dark eyes, long pointed wings and pointed tails. The adults have yellow feet,
streaked cream breast and males are one third smaller than females. When they are perched they
have an upside down teardrop shaped silhouette. Their eye ring is grey-blue. They also have a distinct
moustache and stripe running from the back.

Habitat/Location

Southern Falcons live in Fiordland which is located in the south-western corner of the South Island.
The large paler eastern Falcons live in hotter drier habitats east of the Southern Alps. Some Auckland
Kārearea are found in the Chatham Island and in bushy areas around mountains. They live in scrapes
and on cliff edges.

Feeding Behaviour

The New Zealand Falcon can catch prey bigger than itself. It eats birds like White Faced Herons,
Ducks, Kēreru and Pheasants.It attacks their prey with their claws then drags it to a plucking post.
It plucks all the feathers and dislocates the birds neck then eats the bird. Their diet are a range of
animals like insects, mammals, lizards and birds.

Reproduction

In summer they lay 1-4 eggs. When they incubate their eggs it is done by the female. The male usually
does the hunting and the breeding seasons are July and June. The laying months are July, February,
March, April, May and June.

Threats

Their threats are cats, possums, and humans. We/People are cutting to much trees down so most
birds have no homes were they are safe so their predators are stealing chicks, eggs and are killing
these birds.The NZ Falcon will fight for their babies even if the threat is larger. They have large territories
and are very defensive. They are fearless and are a skilled manu/ birds.

Reducing Plastic Waste

Our class has been learning about the environment this term and we decided to make material bags and beeswax wraps so we can use them instead of using plastic bags and glad wrap. Lorraine and Billie helped our whole class make our own bags.
How to make material bags
 First we got any material that we didn't want/ use, then we cut our base and 2 straps. Thirdly we sewed our base and both sides and one bottom part of our straps while the were inside out. Lastly we turned them out and sewed the straps onto our bags. After making our bags we made beeswax wraps. We all made 2 beeswax wraps each.
How to make beeswax wrap
To make the beeswax wraps we first put baking paper down on an oven tray then our fabric over top of the baking paper and put our grated beeswax on top. After the iron warmed up we put another piece of baking paper on top of the fabric. We then ironed our fabric and made sure the beeswax was spread evenly. It was hard grating the beeswax.

Where To Next Writing

Where To Next?  Connected, Level 4

Turning Old into New

Literacy

Science/Social Science learning goals

We are learning to understand about the environments around us and the negative of positive
impact our actions can have on these environments.

Success criteria;

• identify and explain some of the issues facing our environment today
• identify some of the negative impacts humans are having on the environment
• identify some positive actions people are taking both here and around the world to try and
• help look after our environment.  
• identify some positive actions we can take at school and in our own lives to help our
• environment.
• learn about our local bush track and creek and identify some ways in which we can help
• to look after (kaitiakitanga) these areas.

Reading Learning Goals

-I am learning to use sub-headings to guide me to the main ideas in text.

-I am learning to use illustrations, text boxes, charts and graphs to help me make inferences so
I get more information from the text.

-I am learning to use more than one text, in print or electronic formats, to gather and check the
accuracy of information.

-I am learning to read a wide range of texts (e.g. encyclopaedias, websites, newspapers)  to
gather and check information on a topic.

-I am learning to explain why the author has written a text.

-I am learning to read and understand text that contains academic and topic-specific vocabulary.

Read the text, ‘Turning Old Into New’ and then complete the following activities.

1. Why is recycling a good idea? Recycling is a good idea because it reduces less waste.✓

2. How many tons of rubbish do New Zealanders send to landfills every year?
3. New Zealanders send 2.5 million tons of waste to landfills.✓

3. When rubbish breaks down what gas does it produce?
4. 
   
5.  What environmental problem does this contribute to?When rubbish
6. breaks down it produces Methane gas which contributes to global warming.✓

4. Complete this sentence:  Everything we use is made from  Earth's   Natural Resources✓

5. Explain where these resources come from;

Wood: Comes from trees and plants.✓

Metal: Metal comes from rocks that are mined from the ground.✓

Plastic: Mostly comes from oil.✓

6) How does oil form? Oil forms from the remains of plants and animals that
lived millions of years ago.✓

7) What are some of the things glass can be recycled into? Glass can be recycled
with aluminium cans to make roads. It can also be added to sports fields to drain away water.✓

8) What are some of the things cardboard can be recycled into? Cardboard can be
recycled into newsprint, writing paper, toilet paper and egg cartoons.✓

9) What can plastic with the number 1 be recycled into? Plastic with the number 1
can be recycled into soft drink bottles, pillows and sleeping bags.✓

10)  Attach a google drawing here that explains how number 1 plastics can be turned into
clothing

11) What are microfibres and what is the problem with them? Microfibres are tiny fibres
that comes from our clothing and when your clothing gets washed it goes into the sewers
then the ocean. It kills sea life and more rubbish in the sea.✓

12) What is Earth Overshoot day? Earth Overshoot Day  is a concept created by the
Global Footprint Network. It marks the date each year when people have used all the
resources the planet can regenerate in that year.✓

Glossary - Write what these words mean

Atoms: The smallest particle of a substance that can exist by itself or be combined with
other atoms to form a molecule.✓

Carded: (relating to fibres) Aligned in the same direction.✓

Global Warming: A gradual increase in Earth’s average temperature due to increased
levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.✓

Malt: Barley or other grain that has used for brewing beer.✓

Natural resources: Materials found in nature that can be used by people, such as air, water,
plants, animals, and rocks.✓

Synthetic: Something that is made by people and is the result of combining different chemicals.✓

In class we will be working on projects looking at issues around rubbish and what we can do to help reduce this problem.  

Video Links

NZ Recycling Crises

Diver Filming Swimming Through Plastic

The Pacific Garbage Patch

Keeping Ourself Safe

At school we have been learning how to keep ourselves safe. Constable Jos and Terri have been helping us with this learning. Some things I have learnt is that Stranger Danger is not always true.

Play Summary

‘Play Summary - Term 3 Weeks 1-2

For the next two weeks you are working in groups to practise and perform
a play. This is using our oral language and reading skills in literacy. Our key
competency focus is participating and contributing.

For writing your task is to summarise the main events in your play in three
paragraphs. You must plan your writing first but it is up to you how you do your
planning.  You must also write a fourth paragraph about your experience of
practising and performing your play.

Yr 6

I am learning to organise my text into paragraphs which begin with a main idea and contain
supporting information/detail.

I am learning to make links across paragraphs.

I am learning to use basic punctuation accurately.

I am learning to use dialogue punctuation accurately.

Yr 7

I am learning to use a range of different planning styles.

I am learning to plan my writing to suit the purpose of my writing.

I am learning to organise my ideas into paragraphs where the ideas are clearly related and
where there are links within and between paragraphs.

I am learning to use basic punctuation accurately in my writing.

I am learning to use complex punctuation to enhance my writing e.g. colons : and semi-colons ;
, and parentheses ().

Success Criteria

I will be successful when I can/have

-summarised the play in three paragraphs

-made links across my paragraphs

-used some basic and complex punctuation correctly (speech marks).

Once you have finished your writing highlight these success criteria green if you have met them
and can show them in your work. Highlight green in your work where you have met these
success criteria.

Maui And The Sun

Maui is a demigod and has four brothers. Together they try to tame Tamanuiterā. In the first
part of this story Maui’s brothers couldn’t do any chores and couldn’t hunt for kai
because the sun was moving too fast. They all complain to Maui how they can’t do much.
Maui then said, “ I can tame the sun”. His brothers then laughed at him.

In the second part of this story Maui says, “ I will use the jawbone of our ancestors; Muri
Ranga Whenua”. Maui's brothers then agree that they will help because his brothers knew
Maui could capture the sun. Maui then asks his family, brothers and villagers to collect
harakeke. Then Maui and his brothers weave flax; while Maui chants a karakia.

At the end of this story Maui and his brothers travel all the way to Tamanuiterā .They only
travel during the night, as they don’t want Tamanuiterā to know they are coming. When
they arrived they hid behind trees and in caves. Tamanuiterā then wakes up; Maui then
chants a karakia. His brothers throw the ropes into Tamanuiterā’s hair. Then Maui hits
him with his magical jawbone and Tamanuiterā agrees to slow down.

When we were working together to do our play some of us didn’t participate or contribute.
I think our performance was good but we need to work on teamwork and participation.
The people who did participate and contribute they said their lines at the right time and
focused. I think my group did well at the performance.