Science – Making Paper

Over the past three weeks, the tamariki have learnt what is needed and the steps involved in paper making with Whaea Anahera – check out our class site link.

The students started off their learning with a Kahoot and KWL chart so they could talk about what they know and what they would like to learn about the paper making process.

Then they read a journal story called Making Paper by Trish Puharich which describes how a class turned waste paper into an interesting, new kind of paper. The students worked in groups to read and summarise how to make paper using a flow chart. The students then worked together to talk about each steps and make a poster to show others what to do. The students discussed how making paper is related to Science then last week they each had a go at making their own paper in class, which was engaging and a lot of fun ! Ngā mihi to Whāea Anahera!

Leah, Alex and Sylvie have written about the paper making process and the tamariki are going to share their own experiences on their blogs this week. Stay tuned!

 

(Canva Poster by Whaea Deb)

 

Rubrics can help to guide and improve our learning

Today our class learnt about rubrics and how they can help guide and improve learning.

The students were asked to think about something that they love to play with at home, it could be a toy,  bike, scooter etc. They wrote this item on a sticky note and had a moment to think about why they chose it. The tamariki were then put into groups of 3.

One of the students from each group were given the rubric (below) and an explanation of what to do with it. They went back to their group and were not allowed to show it to their group.

The first speakers spoke for 1 minute about their item and the students with the rubric gave them feedback using the words ‘kakano’ and ‘tipu’. The speakers were confused and unsure of what these words meant. The questioning began … What does kakano mean? How do we know what we’re supposed to do? Why can’t we see the piece of paper?

This was answered with. ‘What difference would it make if you saw the piece of paper?’

The tamariki said, “if we had the piece of paper we would know what we were supposed to do” and “we would know what we could do to improve”.

The rubric was then shared with the first speaker (but not the other group member) and an explanation given as to how to use it. The speaker (armed with this new information) spoke one more time. The  group member who had NOT seen the rubric was instructed to watch carefully to notice anything that the speaker was doing differently second time around.

The feedback included, “This time *** used a happier voice”, “*** stood up and used their hands while they were talking” and “*** added more details about their toy”.

Finally the last speaker was given the rubric and lightbulbs were going off all around the classroom! The tamariki then discussed how rubrics can help them with the statements below:

When asked what they would be aiming for if they were using this rubric, all answered rakau. We look forward to learning more about rubrics to help to guide and imrpove learning in Te Manga.

Scientists Observe and Notice!

We are learning about physics, chemistry and biology by exploring each science and looking at how they help us understand the world around us.

To kick start our Science Discovery the students practised their observation skills by looking closely at different items related to Science. The students chose 5 items and had to decide if they were related to biology, chemistry or physics and explain their thinking. In small groups the students discussed their observations and came up with key words related to each science.

Next the students took part in a ‘Science Explorers Adventure: Scavenger Hunt’.

Biology – Nature Detectives
The students headed out to the sensory garden to complete the following activity. Find a plant near your classroom that has leaves in different shapes. Look closely and observe the leaf’s texture. Can you find any insects on the plant? Take note of the color and shape of the insect. Task: Draw a picture of the leaf and any insect you observe. What do you think the insect uses the plant for?

      

Chemistry – The Mystery of Mixing
Two containers: one with baking soda and another with vinegar. You’ll need to combine these ingredients to observe what happens. Task: Use a spoon to add some baking soda into a cup. Now pour in a small amount of vinegar. Write down what you see and feel (bubbles, temperature change, smell). Can you think of another situation where you’ve seen bubbling or fizzing in your daily life?

The students recorded their results and got into groups for discussion! To be continued …

Te Manga Year 4 Speech Finals

We had our Te Manga Speech Finals today. Sylvie, Sophie, Leah, Alex, Shelby, Aria and Billie-Jean presented their speeches to Te Manga, Te Tinana and whānau who came to watch. We were lucky to have Whaea Tiare and Miss Sarten as our judges. Each of the speakers spoke at an amazing standard and there is no doubt that our class will be well represented at the Te Ahu speech finals next year. Please click on the link to watch the speeches that were presented today – LINK to SPEECHES

Please note, we have recorded everyone’s speech and these will be posted to our student blogs next week.

Te Hiku Film Festival 2024

The movies have been played on the big screen at the Te Ahu Cinema in Kaitaia on Wednesday 11 September 2024. This is one of the lucky movies to be chosen from our school. Congratulations to everyone involved in the production of this movie. Please click on the link to view other Te Hiku Films. Please enjoy and feel free to leave a positive, thoughtful and helpful comment below for the students.

Our class made two movies this year. Mānawatia a Matariki was a lot of fun for the class to make but it was a little too long to enter into the film festival. We hope you enjoy our films as much as we enjoyed making them.

Assembly Celebrations – Term 3 Week 5

Week 5 Assembly started off with a celebration for Nova and Esme. Nova came 2nd in the Te Hiku and Esme came 1st in the Year 6 Speech competition. What an amazing achievement! Our class are still working on speeches and cue cards will start coming home for most tamariki on Monday for practice at home! We will start presentations next week and will have our speech final on Friday 6th September!

We had lots of reading certificates this week. Rihana has achieved her 25 nights reading and writing certificates which is wonderful as Rihana started in Term 3! Haramai Rihana. Lykan received 125 nights reading, Harmony and Tairua received 150 nights reading and Jackson B and Isla received 175 nights reading.

Sylvie and Anahera received our class certificates – Haramai ngā kōtiro!

Isla received our class certificate for always doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right place!

Our reading legends Billie-Jean, Sylvie, Alex and Layla received their 200 nights reading. Enjoy those pukapuka ngā kōtitro!

Layla had a great assembly and was also our Caught Being Good for all the enthusiasm she is showing in her learning, especially in our problem solving activities.

Harmony got called up for a values award and ended up being Sir’s helper! Ka pai Harmony!

Toi Oho

Our class and Te Puawai are taking part in the Toi Aho Mana Ake learning programme with Whaea Bethany, Matua Anaru, Matua Hori and Whaea Analise. 

The Toi Oho approach is to create moments of joy through kemu Māori, uplifting the mana and mauri of tamariki through easy access to te reo and creativity to empower them to be self driven in their own hauora, identity and happiness. 

We have had a wonderful start to the Toi Oho program and the students absolutely love the activities and energy that it brings!

Check out our Toi Oho site – Click on the LINK

   

 

Dream Big – Future Olympians alongside our Current Olympic Medalists

Our class have followed the Olympics closely, celebrating alongside our Olympians in all their efforts and successes. The Olympics were on our big screen when the students arrived off the bus and they had an opportunity to watch swimming, Sevens rugby, gymnastics, triathlon, rowing, kayaking, basketball, canoe slalom, climbing, athletics and skateboarding. The tamariki learnt about Te Paea Cook-Savage who was a student at Paparore School and is in the NZ Mens 7s team. Te Paea was in our very Te Manga classroom 14 years ago and now he is an Olympian!

We celebrated each of the NZ medals and learnt about the NZ athletes. We read letters from Hayden Wilde and Lisa Carrington, who talked about the sacrifices that they made to be an Olympic athlete and what success means to them. They talked about the importance of dreaming big, taking every opportunity and never let anyone say you can’t because if it is your goal, there is always a way. Success isn’t about winning or losing, its about doing your best everytime and being the best version of your self in all that you do. These words really reasonated with the tamariki and it is exciting to think who our next NZ representative might be. Check out our wonderful future Olympians!

Paparore Olympics 2024

Our Paparore Olympic Dress up and Olympic Events Afternoon was a whole heap of fun that everyone enjoyed! In the Olympic spirit of ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius,’Latin for ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’, the students participated in a variety of activities  – Shot Put, Discus, Javelin, Hurdles, Football, Hockey, hula hoop shots and running relays. The Olympic Values of friendship, excellence and respect were on display from all the students! It was wonderful to see the enjoyment on the tamariki’s faces and the sounds of cheering for each team member. Team 9 took out Gold, Team 3 took out Silver and Team 5 bronze. We celebrated all our medalists at our Friday assembly as well as 25 tamariki who really stood out as showing the Olympics Values throughout the afternoon. The tamariki should all feel proud of their efforts and ngā mihi to everyone who gave it their best, in true Olympic Spirit!