The Intermediate Ball 2013

 Here are some of the thoughts about the ball by  some of our class:

I was a bit nervous before coming to the ball. When I entered, I was excited seeing that there was a magician and a photo booth, DJ, and best of all - the food. Then we had to dance. I got nervous, but then I just did it, and it was fun. After that, there was free-style dancing.  I went into the photo booth with Karmveer and Harshanth  and our photos were really funny. Then I ate lots. When we had to go, I didn't want to - I still wanted to stay.  My favourite dance was Cotton-Eye Joe. I couldn't believe that I got the grand march correct, and the Lady Diana waltz was the hardest out of them all. The magician was really good at confusing us with all of his tricks, and the best trick was when he transferred a ball to someone else's hand. I absolutely liked the food - it was delicious.
Sukhdev

When I arrived at the school hall (in a Jaguar), I felt scared about how it would be. But when it started, I felt like I was not scared any more. I thought that it would be a great night, and it was. I liked it when Mr Yates gave me the pink hat when we were doing the Maxina. I wondered why the magician started making balloons when he should be doing magic. After the ball, I felt like my fear was gone. We had such a great time. My favourite dance from the night was the Maxina. Another thing I enjoyed was the photo booth when Mrs Fowler and Miss  Murphy snuck into our photo.
Karmveer


After school, my mum wanted to take me to the hairdresser to straighten my hair  after we washed it at home. When I got home, she helped me put on my dress and accessories, then she took endless shots of photos of me. At school, I saw lots of Intermediates outside the hall talking to one another.. while their parents were taking photos of them. We to gave our tickets to the teachers and entered through the doors. The hall was filled with black sheets to cover the windows, and cardboard stars were hanging everywhere, with harmless lasers to brighten up the place, and best of all, a photo booth and magician.
Joanna

I felt really nervous when I entered the hall; however, I found my friends and walked wuickly over to them. They were really nervous looking too. Then we did the grand march to start off.
Sheffy

I loved the ball because I got to dance with people that I didn't really hang out with. I really liked dancing with Kiana, Maddy, Tara and Bree. I also enjoyed to food. My favourite dishes were the chocolate eclairs  and the cocktail sausages.
Kylah

I felt so excited when I got there. I thought the ball was going to be lame but OMG, it was awesome. I loved the ball from then on. Moreover, I loved the food. But I wondered how the dancing would go; however, it turned out OK. The people were all smiles and the photo booth was a big hit.
Tara

While I was getting ready for the school ball I was feeling really nervous. While we were waiting to be allowed to go inside the hall, people were taking photos in groups.  I thought that the magician was very talented. The two tricks I saw him do were amazing. I thought that the balloon flower that he made was cool. It was nice that he let me make a balloon poodle to prove to him that I could make them, even though the poodle turned out to be a sausage dog.  I loved using the photo booth because it was easy to use, but it was sad because Diyah was so short that she was only in one photo properly.
Syvannah

An Important Message to Boys

Mwaniki wanted to do his Comic Life poster presentation on cancer, and he decided that to be more specific, he would target his message at the boys.

"I decided to use humour because  not many people are interested in talking about men's bits. (We are all growing up ...)"

Look who hopped (literally) into our school today

Mrs Whitehead in Kea 1 - ever ready with her camera and her clever eye for an excellent photo - took these shots ( and not with a gun ) this morning outside her classroom.

We wonder if Peter Rabbit was on his way to the Poutama vegetable garden.

Can you understand this story about the rabbit - in Spanish? 

¿Qué está haciendo el conejo?
El conejo está corriendo.

¿Dónde está el conejo?
El conejo es debajo del banco.
 
¿Qué tiempo hace?
Está lloviendo. 



Where is the rabbit?
The rabbit is under the bench.

What is the rabbit doing?
The rabbit is running.

What is the weather?
It is raining.


What is the same between questions in Spanish and English? What is different?

(Improvements or corrections  to our Spanish are welcome)

Holes by Louis Sacher - Characters update up to Chapter 20

 It's now Term 4 and we are continuing with our Holes novel study - often making comparisons with our previous novel Private Peaceful. 

As we read more, we are finding out more about the characters we met last term. Here's what we have found out extra  about the characters up to Chapter 20.


Stanley – is Stanley Yelnats IV, is named after his ancestors, his last name is Stanley spelt backwards, he is in the wrong place wrong time, he has been found guilty of a crime, thinks he is 'defective', shrugs one shoulder,  given nickname "Caveman" by X- ray, biggesgt boy in D Group, used to want to work for the FBI, 

Father – is an inventor, he perseveres, he is trying to invent a way to recycle old sneakers, he doesn’t eat when he is working hard on new idea, he sang the song If only to Stanley

Guard – sleeps on the job, wears sun glasses, carries rifle,

Bus driver

Judge – gave Stanely a choice jail or Camp Greenlake

Mother – is optimistic and positive – looks at how lucky they are whenever they seem to strike bad luck, believed in telling the truth,

Warden – is selfish – “owns the shade” and the hammock, makes them dig hole; is a woman, tall, red-haired, black cowboy hat, black boots studded with turquoise stones, has freckles on arms and face,  says,"Excuse me?" doesn't like to be argued with or questioned,  knows all the boys' nicknames, can be nice and nasty,  wears red nail polish made from snake venom,

Kissin' Kate Barlow – (Character from the past), famous outlaw, kisses people after she killed them; she didn't kiss Stanley's great-great grandfather

Great-Great Grandfather : (Character from the past) Stanley's father's 'dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-grandfather, he made a fortune on the stock market, he was robbed by Kissin Kate Barlow and left stranded in the desert - but she never killed him; he stole a pig from a one-legged gypsy who put a curse on him,  named Elya Yenats,  born in Latvia, fell in love with Myra Menke when he was 15,  became very strong carrying the pig up the mountain every day, didn't believe in the curse, felt terrible for forgetting to take Madame Zeroni up the mountain, moved to America, married Sarah Miller,  lived happily but dogged by bad luck, was always looking for Madame Zeroni's son,

Mr Sir – quit smoking, eats sunflower seeds instead, irritable, not fond of campers, has a tattoo of rattle snake, looks tough – wears a cowboy hat, is strict – like Horrible Hanley in PP? Makes sure everyone knows the rules and boundaries, is sarcastic – cruel?scared of the warden, reminds boys that they are not Girl Scouts,

Mr Pendanski – Stanley’s counsellor, seems to be nice – not as scary as Mr Sir, nose badly sun burnt, called Mom by the boys, acts like most American parents (evidence from Conor), gets boys to set goals, realise that they are there because of their own choices, is quite mean to Zero, is scared of the warden,

X Ray - Rex - nicknamed , wears glasses, chooses shortest shovel so doesn't have to dog as big a hole, stands first in line for water, bullies Stanley into giving him anything interesting he finds, next smallest after Zero, says,"Am I right or am I right?", black,

Squid  - Alan – white kid –laughs at Stanley for writing to mother, third in line for water, denied crying in the night - said he had allergies, threatened to break Stanley's jaw if he opened his mouth,

Barf Bag – Lewis – in hospital (Did he get bitten by a scorpion, rattlesnake - or yellow-spotted lizard - on purpose?)

Magnet - Jose - nicknamed, fifth in line for water, likes animals, Hispanic, stole sunflower seeds from Mr Sir,

Armpit - Theodore -  spits, is rough with Stanley - pushes him over, second in line for drinks, biggest boy in D Group after Stanley, black,

Zig Zag - Ricky - long skinny neck, big round head, wild frizzy blond hair sticking out in all directions, head bobbed up and down like it was on a spring, fourth in line for water, cut Stanley's neck with shovel, wouldn't move dirt because Stanley's dirt was on top of it, white,

Zero - has no real name, stands last in line for water, smallest kid in Group D, first to finish digging holes, digs perfect holes, says very little, usually has angry expression, big smile,  like a jack o' lantern, likes to dig holes, can't read, doesn't know any nursery rhymes or TV programmes, black,

Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingstone -  famous basketball player, donated sneakers to auction for homeless people, once lived in a homeless shelter,

Derrick Dunne - school bully, much smaller than Stanley,
 
Myra Menke - nearly 15, head as empty as a flower pot, beautiful, delicate, spoiled, doesn't really know who Elya is,

Myra's father - doesn't care who marries his daughter - just wants the biggest pig,  spoils his daughter,

Igor Barkov - wanted to marry Myra,  57 years old,  red nose, fat puffy cheeks, pig farmer,  offered to trade fattest pig for Myra's hand in marriage,

Madame Zeroni - old Egyptian woman, told Elya stories, dark skin, very wide mouth, had no left foot, spits, advised Elya to go to America, gave Elya a pig to raise, made Elya keep a promise to carry her up the mountain to drink the water, taught Elya  a special song to sing to the pig,  threatened to curse Elya's family if he didn't fulfill his promise, 

Sarah Miller  - married Elyua,  could push a plow and milk a goat, could think for herself, intelligent, asked Elya to teach her Madame Zeroni's song, had son called Stanley,

Looking back: Term 3

 This term, we have had Mrs Irwin share teaching the class since Week 5.
 Here's a selection of comments written about Term 3 - on the last day of the term:

I'm learning artwork with Mrs Irwin because she teaches me a lot of different styles and methods. I'm getting quite confident speaking in front of the whole class. I am also liking Holes  as well. I like making up pictures in my head because I like to have my own imagination about things.
Alisha

This term has been a good term for me because I have learnt a lot. We finished the book Private Peaceful which is my favourite book. The story had a sad ending, but it was written so well. We also had Mrs Irwin in the class for half of the term and we learnt a lot about the America's Cup with her. We have just started ab book called Holes.
Mason

We started by working on Vincent van Gogh and we learnt a lot about him. We also learnt about the longfin eel, New Zealand artists, the America's Cup, and Maori patterns.
Cameron

We did art work with Mrs Irwin that represented our family, and we also did posters about NZ artists. I did Timo Rannali and I was given an A- for it. I've finished reading the Percy Jackson series and finished two of the Roman series books. And I went to the Highwire course - it was fun.
Alex

I have learnt about the different unique patterns used in Maori art. We were watching the America's Cup with suspense until the very end. We lost, Oracle won; however, we are still proud of them.
Vanshika

My favourite part about learning about Vincent van Gogh was also the saddest part for me as well. It was that he was mental and couldn't cope with life so he shot himself - and it took him two days until he actually died.  We finished Private Peaceful, and in the end I didn't get it because it finished too quickly.  I learnt that there are different ways to present information. We have been practising our dancing for the school ball. I learnt that dancing with boys may seem hard at first, but the more you dance with boys the more confident you get.
Syvannah

Mrs Vincent is reading Holes and we've been looking at flashbacks in a story, foreshadowing and conflict with self, others, technology and nature. For homework, I chose the NZ artist Rei Hamon.
Sheffy

I have learnt a lot of things such as how to draw art on the computer on Art Rage because normally it's on paper with a sketching pencil.  I have also learnt many maths strategies such as rounding and compensating.
Aaron

This term I had so much fun. We learnt about Vincent van Gogh's art, and I've learnt about longfin eels which is very interesting; however, I really liked dancing - it was so much fun. Cotton Eye Joe and the Circle Waltz are my two favourites.
Amber-Lee

With Mrs Irwin we did a lot of word study and reading and understanding poems. We got to do art with her; however, her standards are high.
Tara 

The best project I have done was the NZ art project. My artist was Rei Hamon who is famous for his landscape art. The reason I chose this artist is because I was inspired by his realistic art.
Joanna 

I have learnt this term how to draw - like smudging, whisper, e's, x's, and shading. I really like how I have learnt about maths this term, like algebra and geometry, and that was very helpful. I have learnt about the longfin eel as well, like how it has sharp teeth and sensitive skin.
Sukhdev

This term has been short and fun. During the start of the term we continued reading Private Peaceful. It had a very sad ending that I wasn't expecting.
Mwaniki

Last week I had to present my poster in front of the class and I was very nervous, and I don't think I will be ready for speeches in Term 4. We also did our first book review with Mrs Irwin, and I think I did well.
DC

In the America's Cup we were soooooo close to winning the cup. I enjoyed dancing with many students and teachers. I am so pleased with coming 46th in Cross Country. My goal for next term would be to learn my vocabulary. I am not enjoying my maths because I am finding perimeter and area difficult.
Brylee

This term we learnt about Vincent van Gogh and how he changed his paintings from dull colours to vibrant colours. We also have been researching New Zealand artists and do a project about one. I chose Richard John Frizzell- he does cartoon art. He is famous for his Four Square man and his Micky to Tiki. We have learnt vocabulary about the America's Cup, such as regatta, catamaran and yachting. We have had the privilege of Mrs Irwin in our class for three weeks. We learnt a lot of vocabulary and we also had to design our own kowhaiwhai patterns.
Kylah

I learnt that the yachts they used for the America's Cup were called catamarans. We had to choose a New Zealand artist for our homework, and I chose Don Binney. I learnt that he was best known for his striking, crisp paintings - plus I got an A+ for presentation, and an A+ for information. We did some koru patterns for our art. The pattern had to represent our family, and we had to blend the colours. When I finished my art work, Mrs Irwin said it looked amazing, and I was pleased.
Jupman

Today is the last day of term and we are having a celebratory mufti day and sausage sizzle. I also wrote a book review on The Lost Hero. 
Jamarl 

The ball is coming up and the Year 7s have been practising their skills every opportunity they get. This year, the America's Cup was up for grabs, but Team Oracle won it this year. Team New Zealand looked like they were going to win with a score of 8 - 2, but Oracle got 6 in a row and won.
Aiden

In maths we have learnt algebra and how to use a compass and protractor. We have been full on learning dancing and about the America's Cup. Sadly, we lost it, but we still had fun learning all about it. In Spanish we have learnt lots of things, especially songs. And we did art that represents our families.
Karmveer 

I have learnt a lot in dancing, like the Maxina - even though it was confusing at the start. In Spanish, I learnt a lot of new songs with Mrs Lee. My favourite is ¿Qué hora es? (What's the time?) 
Lili

 

Holes by Louis Sacher: Chapters 4 and 5

 On Friday, we read the next two chapters of Holes. We are learning to recognise how information about characters can be given in a story to build our knowledge of them: from what they say and how they say it, and from their actions and reactions. Here's what we have learnt about the characters by the end of Chapter 5 (note: we inferred some of this. See previous Holes post):

Stanley –  is Stanley Yelnats IV,  is named after his ancestors,  his last name is Stanley spelt backwards, he is in the wrong place wrong time, he has been found guilty of a crime  

Father – is an inventor,  he perseveres, he is trying to invent a way to recycle old sneakers, he doesn’t eat when he is working hard on new idea, he sang the song If only  to Stanley

Guard – sleeps on the job, wears sun glasses, carries rifle, 

Bus driver

 

Judge – gave Stanely a choice jail or Camp Greenlake 

Mother – is optimistic and positive – looks at how lucky they are whenever they seem to strike bad luck

Warden – is selfish – “owns the shade” and the hammock, makes them dig holes 

Kissin' Kate Barlow –  (Character from the past), famous outlaw, kisses people after she killed them; she didn't kiss Stanley's great-great grandfather

Great-Great Grandfather : (Character from the past) Stanley's father's 'dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-grandfather, he made a fortune on the stock market,  he was robbed by Kissin Kate Barlow and left stranded in the desert - but she never killed him; he stole a pig from a one-legged gypsy who put a curse on him

Mr Sir – quit smoking, eats sunflower seeds instead, irritable, not fond of campers, has a tattoo of rattle snake, looks tough – wears a cowboy hat, is  strict – like Horrible Hanley in PP? Makes sure everyone knows the rules and boundaries, is  sarcastic – cruel? 

Mr Pendanski – Stanley’s counsellor, seems to be nice – not as scary as Mr Sir, nose badly sun burnt,  called Mom by the boys, acts like  most American parents (evidence from Conor) 

Rex - nicknamed X  Ray, wears glasses

Alan –  white kid – nicknamed Squid 

Barf Bag – Lewis – in hospital (Did he get bitten by a scorpion, rattlesnake - or yellow-spotted lizard - on  purpose?) 

Jose - nicknamed  Magnet

Theodore - nicknamed  Armpit, spits, is rough with Stanley - pushes him over 

Ricky  - nicknamed Zig Zag 

Zero  - has no real name

 Things we want to know:

- Are nick names based on their personalities? 

- How did Zero get his name? Is it because he doesn't talk? Does he have zero personality?

- What will Stanley's nick name be?

Here's some vocabulary to research for Chapter 6:
scarcity          prospect          testify          collapse          torment          mere          destiny          coincidence           humiliating          auction          schedule           despicable          souvenir

Chapter 7:
shaft          impression     defective          scooped     lukewarm      assigned     pried     unearthed        perimeter           forlorn       shallow       runt          doomed       eternity      horizon          deftly     excavated         compacted       preposterous       summoned        dawdle     pier      clod     grimaced              

Watching the America's Cup Live - in the classroom

This morning, we started the day proofreading and editing our Holes novel study blog, but we decided to watch Race 7 of the America's Cup live instead.

Mrs Vincent said we had to listen for new or interesting words from the commentary. Here are some of them:

Note from Mrs Vincent: How many ways could you group these words? sailing terms? verbs? adjectives? alphabetically?

relieved     comprehensively     nose dive      hydraulic     leeway    safely    refining     decade     system     mark     faultless   potentially      smacked     permanent fixture       pressure    knots    classified    grinders    compelling      technique     skimming     tacking   volunteer    pivot    foil    exciting    complex    optimise    foredeck    colleagues    starboard     raising     timing    success    illustration    leading    interview    design    positioning      engineer       generating     stability     mainsail    control     element    leading edge     bid    unload    norm    gybe    dominating    integrity      package    properties    bow    overlap    separation    amazing    fascinating    differential    down wind   


Emirates Team New Zealand won, by the way.

We are also learning about the America's Cup with Mrs Irwin and we have learnt:
- the skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand  is Dean Barker
- the skipper of Oracle is Jimmy Spithill - he is from Australia
- the NZ team manager is Grant Dalton
- the Oracle team manager is Russell Coutts
- there are cameras everywhere on the boats
- the sailors carry knives in case they get stuck on the ropes
- NZ tax payers paid $35 million towards the campaign
- each catamaran costs about $100 million
- the wing of the catamaran is 40 metres
- the hull of the catamaran is 24 metres

- NZ won the Louis Vuiton Cup against Luna Rossa from Italy

The next race is Sunday 15th September at 8:10 am NZ time, and 9:10 am.

We want NZ to win so we can have the next America's Cup in New Zealand. We think this would be a good thing because it would bring a lot of money to New Zealand.

Everyone should wear red socks when the race is on to remember Sir Peter Blake who wore his good luck red socks when he won the America's Cup for New Zealand.




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Our New Novel Study: Holes by Louis Sacher

Because  we enjoyed reading Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo, so much we decided we wanted to do another novel study and compare it with Private Peaceful. We also wanted to see if another novel would have some of the same features as Private Peaceful, such as foreshadowing; conflict with self, others, and technology; parallels between  the first and second parts of a novel; and interesting features such as changing between the past and the present.

We started reading Holes by Louis Sacher today.

We discussed if we had ever felt we had been blamed for something we didn't do. Everyone had an experience of this. 

We looked at the cover of the book and decided that the story would have something to do with lizards, the desert or dirt, blue skies, and maybe  some clouds.  Jason wondered if the clouds would be important, and Mrs Vincent said that the clouds would be something to watch out for in the story, and would be symbolic, as the birds were in Private Peaceful, and that it would be a good idea to note when clouds were mentioned. ("Foreshadowing!" commented Cameron.)

We researched some vocabulary:
shrivelled          hover      crammed      stranded   neglected    barren    desolate
stifling          slumped     descendants      vast      gruff      melody       perseverance     

Which word from the list above means:

grumpy      dried up        hunched over       very hot       float above       packed tightly     stickability  children and grandchildren, for example    tune      stuck somewhere      infertile        lonely      huge  forgotten

We looked at images of these nouns:
rattlesnakes    scorpions     yellow-spotted lizard        log cabin      hammock 


On Thursday we read Chapters 1, 2 and 3 (They are short chapters.) 

We discussed the setting: Camp Greenlake - somewhere in Texas, and Stanley's own home, but there's no lake and nothing is green. ("Ironic!" said Brylee - and we were impressed with her.)

We discussed inference, and we inferred that Camp Greenlake was not a good place for people to be because there was no shade and no lake.   There was also a  chance that you could get killed by a yellow-spotted lizard. We also worked out that it must be an awful place because some people preferred to be bitten by a rattle snake or a scorpion to digging a hole on the lake. ("Blighty!" said Jamarl - and we were impressed that he found the first parallel with Private Peaceful.)

We discussed the theme of perseverance and how Stanley's father persevered with his inventions. We also thought that luck could be one of the themes as Stanley's family had a lot of bad luck - even though the mother reminded them of some good luck that happened. 

We noticed that Holes is also like Private Peaceful (PP) because the story changes between the past  and the present, although only the past tense is used.  PP had a recurring motif of the song "Oranges and Lemons". Conor was the first to recognise that Holes has a recurring motif* of a song "If Only".

*a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work.

 

Some of the class have read the story before but they are not allowed to tell anyone what happens. 

We are already enjoying the book and we are only up to page 10.

Vocabulary For Chapter 4: dazed, juvenile, premises, violation, facility,  burlap. holster, buzzard,

Vocabulary for Chapter 5: assigned, shovel, cot, saliva, sanitary,

Vocabulary for Chapter 6: scarcity, prospect, testify, collapse, torment, mere, destiny, coincidence humiliating, auction, schedule, despicable, souvenir

Longfin Eel Day Part 1

Wednesday was a very educating day. It was eel day. Wai Care Kate and Paul the fishman came to teach us about the special things the longfin eel does. Mrs Whitehead and Kea 1 invited all the other Intermediate classes to visit them to learn more about the longfin eel.  Here are some of our stories and observations.

We were met by Wai Care Kate, an expert from Wai Care. She explained to us about the conditions of streams, such as the Puhinui stream near us,  and how they can tell if it's a healthy stream or an unhealthy stream. Paul the Fishman, a longfin eel expert, told us some interesting in-depth information about the NZ longfin eel, about the Australian longfin eel and some background information about the shortfin eel. He shared amusing recounts about his encounters with this extraordinary creature, and more facts about how this endemic creature behaves.  I believe all of Huia 1 appreciated  Paul and Kate's time, as they have opened up our young brains to a new underwater realm.

Wai Care Kate told us about some of the conditions of some of the streams in estuaries in the Manukau area. We got to use the clarity tubes to see how clean the water is. It felt like looking through a telescope full of muddy water.

We got to pass around a life-size replica of the eels; they were immensely huge and fairly heavy. In the end, we got to look at the eels inside an aquarium.

We looked at some of the other classes' posters and projects and  some of them are amazing - people have put a lot of effort into them.

- We got to ask more questions about the amazing life cycle of the eels. I learnt that  no one has seen the longfin  eels' breeding ground yet.  (Cameron)

- I learnt that eels have scales that go in a herring bone pattern. (Alex)

- I learnt that to find out the age of longfin eel you have to kill it (euthanise it) and take out its ear bone and count the rings on it (like a tree). (DC)

- I learnt that when the eels are going to breed they go into the deep oceans near Tonga. (Karmveer)

- I learnt that the eels can't chew, they have to spin around like a crocodile. (Corbin)

- They rip their food and then swallow it, and they eat small eels. (Aaron)

- I learnt that the NZ longfin eel  comes back to NZ only, the short fin eels go other places as well.

- Paul thinks that the longfin eel's navigation is based on magnetic fields. (Cameron) 

- Eels will eat anything that will fit in their mouths (Lili)

Amber investigates a longfin eel, and a longfin eel investigates us. 

We have just finished reading Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

Spoiler alert:  
Do not read any further if you have started the book and have not yet finished it. You may not want to know how it ends until you get there yourself.


We have just finished listening to Mrs Vincent read aloud the novel Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo.  

By reading this story together we learned:
-  to recognise foreshadowing in a story and to recognise when foreshadowed events occurred later in the story 
- to recognise different types of conflict in a story and to identify if it is conflict with self, conflict with others, conflict with technology, or conflict with the environment 
- to identify themes in the story - such as war, family, time, bullying, and bravery 
- to recognise imagery and symbols as they appeared and recurred in a story and how they are used to link the first part of the story with the second part - such as birds, mud, time, the song Oranges and Lemons 
- the background of the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons
- to know and love - or hate - the characters, and to feel genuine sorrow at the way the story ended
- to compare our own experiences with the characters' and to find similarities and differences 
- to enjoy listening to stories, to enjoy sharing a story together, to enjoy discussing, wondering, predicting, discovering, and confirming our ideas and opinions 

- I can't believe he is going to die.  I thought that Charlie would not die because he's strong and brave. I'm a bit angry that the book didn't continue because it should have ended when Tommo went home so we could see Molly's and Mother's reaction. At the start, I didn't get it much and found it boring, but slowly I started getting it and started enjoying it.  I was really happy when I found that Horrible Hanley died because he was really cruel and I hated him. Overall, I love the story and I will read it again. (Ramandeep) 

- I thought the story would be longer and that Charlie wouldn't die. I really enjoyed the story and there was a lot of drama. I feel a little angry that Charlie died and was happy when Horrible Hanley died. It was a mysterious and really nice story to listen to. I'm wondering if there will be a Private Peaceful 2. (Lili)

- I enjoyed all of the story parts unravelling piece by piece, like pass the parcel. (Jamarl) 

- I am angry because it ended so quickly, and there has to be another book. (Dominic)

- Around the end, I think I picked up more things about the story and I could tell some things were going to happen before they happened. I started to realise that things happened at the beginning of the story  that  also happened at the end. Charlie knew all along that Tommo thought he had killed his father. I think Charlie getting the cane from Mr Munnings was the same as Charlie getting shot at the end of the story. (Syvannah)

- I wish there was a series of books of Private Peaceful. I wish Horrible Hanley wasn't so mean to Charlie and Tommo because they both had their lives ahead of them. It was quite sad when Hanley put Charlie on Field Punishment Number One. I would like to reread the book because I am a little bit lost. It will take me a while to get over it. (Brylee)


- I really think I understand the story and how it all came together. I wanted to hear more and I wanted to know more about what happened back at home - more about Tommo's life and feelings. I 100% understand what the story is about and I now understand more about any novel. (Mason)


- It's really touching and gripping. (Alex) 

- I love this book. I hope one day that someone else could feel about the book as we felt. (Amber-Lee)  

- I felt Charlie didn't deserve to die, just for looking after his brother. (Aiden)

- The times all add up now. After doing so calculation, I worked out that Tommo wrote the book in 7 hours and 55 minutes. (Mwaniki)

- I was teary when Charlie died. I liked the part when Charlie gives Tommo the watch and handed him the responsibility of little Tommo.  It should have ended like this: Tommo goes home and meets little Tommo and tells the family that Charlie has died. Big Joe runs to the church and climbs to the roof and looks at the sky, remembering Father and Charlie. I learnt a lot from this book. (Vanshika)  

- I think the end was really sad because Charlie died and it didn't feel as if the story had ended. When Charlie got shot in the foot and he didn't come back to the camp it felt like he had really died.  I now understand foreshadowing better. (Jupman) 

- The story had many emotional scenes in it which makes the butterflies on the cover of the book relevant to the story. (Alisha) 

- I'm frustrated  because I wanted there to be more of the story. I was thinking that Tommo and Charlie would both survive.  I loved the story and I can understand foreshadowing and conflict.(Sheffy)

- I think that the book should have kept on going because I wanted to know what happened to Tommo. I didn't like how Charlie got shot and I didn't like the ending. (DC) 

- Charlie sacrificed his life for Tommo to live; he is a really brave guy. I was angry because I thought there should be more about what happened to Molly, Tommo, little Tommo, Mother, the Colonel, Wolf Woman and Big Joe. What happened after all that? Horrible Hanley should have died by Charlie and then everyone could have blamed the Germans. I loved it so much and I can read it again. That book is the best book ever. With calculation, Tommo wrote the book 7 hours and 55 minutes before Charlies dies. (Sukhdev)

What was in the letters Charlie gave to Tommo to take home for him? 

We wanted to know what Charlie put in his last letters home, so we made some up for ourselves. Here's some of the things we thought he could have written:

 - to his son, Tommo Junior: 

... I stood up for everyone. Sergeant Hanley said we must run out there and give it our all, and we all thought and knew it was suicide. So I didn't listen. i was looking after your uncle ... (Alex) 

... I'm about to die, but it wasn't my fault. I wasn't a coward - I was protecting my little brother Tommo. He was really wounded and I needed to help him. My time has come. 
From your beloved father, Charlie Peaceful 

- Hello, son. No doubt your uncle and mother are caring for you a lot. I love you, Tommo, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I hope you forgive me. 

- to Molly: 

- Sorry, Molly, but I couldn't leave Tommo behind because  he was wounded, and he's my little brother. I know you would have agreed with me. But don't worry, Tommo will take care of you both, and I know he will. (Jupman)
  

-  Everything Tommo has told you about the execution is true. I died with dignity and I wanat our son to know that. I died singing Oranges and Lemons. Let Big Joe know that I am with Father and am taking care of his mouse. (Cameron) 

- to his mother:  
I disobeyed the sergeant's order because it was a stupid and suicidal order. I had no witness - not even Tommo, as they said he was my brother. (Sheffy) 

- I will not be making it home due to punishments for not following orders from the sergeant when looking after Tommo. 

Joanna's  drawings to show different examples of conflict with self and conflict with others.

Here's a video of some children interviewing some of the people involved in making the movie Private Peaceful.


Here's a video of Micahel Morpurgo talking about how he writes his books - and his thoughts about education.

What do you know about the Panama Canal?

Today Huia 1 learnt about the Panama Canal, which opened 99 years ago on the 15th August 1914.

We learnt King Charles V of Spain decided there must be an easier way to get from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. This is when they decided to make a canal through Panama. The project was delayed for 300 years due to wars in Europe. This project would make a 2,000km trip only 80km.

In 1819,  the government announced the official construction of the canal. The French started the official construction, but failed due to the tropical disease known as malaria.

    In 1904, the USA helped Panama gain independence from Colombia; in return Panama let the USA take over the project. Ten years of American construction led up to the official opening of the Panama Canal in 1914. The project overall cost US$327 million (a lot of money in the time).

    In 1999, the USA gave the control to Panama again,  and in 2007 the construction for the expansion of the Panama Canal began.  

 Unfortunately, the building of this great canal came at a horrible cost. About 26,000 of the 40,000 workers died due to malaria and landslides.

Written by:
Mwaniki, Mason and Karmveer

• We learnt what an isthmus is: Panama is an isthmus and so is Auckland. An isthmus is a narrow strip of land between two larger areas of land, and has water on two sides. Auckland isthmus is between the Manukau Habour and the Waitemata Harbour.
• We learnt that malaria is a disease spread by mosquitos.
• We learnt that there is another major canal in the world; the Suez Canal is between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. 

This week's learning - the sequel

This week's school newsletter.

This week we are also learning about the possessive apostrophe, but we ended up learning  about the apostrophe to show missing letters (elision) at the same time.  The apostrophe of the day today is for not: 

did not = didn't      had not = hadn't      will not = won't     were not = weren't 
could not = couldn't        have not = hadn't       is not = isn't       does not = doesn't 
    
We learnt that: 
- the writer George Bernard Shaw did not like to use apostrophes and only used them when they were needed to make something clear 
-  the apostrophe  punctuation mark came from France
-  the word apostrophe comes from Greek:  apo =  away, and strephein = to turn 
-  the word apostrophe also has a meaning nothing to do with punctuation; it is used in the theatre in plays  when an actor is talking to someone who is not actually present, or is talking to an abstract noun - such as 'honour', or to something which is an object - such as the moon
- the English language has gone through  at least three stages of change
- Old English used to have the suffix -es to show possession or ownership,  eg the cyninges haet meant  the hat belonging to the king; this became the kinges hatte in Middle English, and then the e was dropped and replaced by an apostrophe for the king's hat in Modern English (We should thank the French for that, says Mwaniki)


We are also learning the difference between passed and past. We know that passed is always a verb, but past  can be an adverb, an adjective, a noun or a preposition: 

Best in the class so far: Cameron and Lili, who can write sentences for all forms of passed and past - and identify the parts of speech. Clever!

- it's complicated but when you get the hang of it, it's quite easy (Cameron)
- practice is all you need to get better (Brylee)

Here are some examples of our class's work today. We had to write short sentences to show we understood the different ways passed and past could be used: 

I passed the salt. (verb)  Cameron
I tip-toed past. (adverb) Cameron
We are sorry for our past actions. (adjective) Cameron 
I went back into the past. (noun) Cameron
We sprinted past the house. (preposition) Cameron
I passed the fish and chip shop. (verb) Jason 
The runner passed him at the finish line (verb) Mason
The past years have gone quickly. (adjective) Kylah
Jamarl passed the Percy Jackson book to me. (verb) Alex
A wasp flew past. (adverb) Lili 
In the past, we went to Rainbow's End. (noun) Lili 
She went past the school. (preposition) Lili 
The child was sorry for his past actions. (adjective) Brylee

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
We are now in part two  of the story, and we are looking for parallels that were foreshadowed in the first part of the story, for example, Mr Munnings, Tommo and Charlie's headmaster, was a bully, and in the army Sergeant Horrible Hanley is also a bully.  Charlie sticks up for Tommo when he is bullied by others at school, and he does the same when Tommo is bullied by others in the army. 

Here's the link to the "You can't do correct English under pressure" game. 

This week we have learnt:

--> This week we have been learning more about Vincent van Gogh. 

We have also been learning to select information from different sources: books, videos, websites, You Tube,  and artworks,  and to synthesise  this information (combine, compare, evaluate, select, and  summarise it). 

 We have learnt that:
-  he had mental illness
-  he only sold one painting in his life
-  his paintings went from darker and sombre to lighter and vibrant and swirly
- he used to paint hard-working people
- today his paintings are worth a fortune 
- he saw everything differently to everyone else 
- he didn't want his photo taken; he thought his real self was in his self-portraits 
- he only painted what he saw
- he told his story through his art
- everything he did was done well because he did it with love
- he believed his paintings would one day be worth more than the cost of the supplies he used to paint them
- he loved to paint nature
- his self-portraits were based on his reflection in a mirror
- as an artist he never got any money or recognition in his lifetime
- he wrote a lot,  and many of his quotes are now well known
- he was obsessed with the poor and drawing and painting hard-working people and ordinary scenes
- he liked to write to his brother Theo
- after he died, his paintings got more recognition
- his brother Theo's  wife  worked to get recognition for van Gogh's art
- he did in fact have schizophrenia along with Bi-Polar, and ADD - according to Wikipedia

I find it cool how he can cope with painting with all the mental stress. He really had a passion for painting. (Mwaniki)

 We have also been learning about the longfin eel. We have found information mainly from You Tube videos and other information online, and some books belonging to Mrs Whitehead. We are using our research skills to select, evaluate and synthesise information to complete a project. 

We are also learning to present our work in interesting ways to help show understanding of the topic and for our projects to be eye-catching and clear to read.  

 
The longfin eel:

Did you know that:  
- they are native to New Zealand
- a female eel can grow up to 2 metres long
- a male grows up to 1 metre long
- they will eat anything they see moving in the water 
- the dorsal fin (the top fin) is longer than the lower fin
- one of their main threats is overfishing by commercial fishers 
- they've got really sensitive skin 
- after they breed they die 
- they go to Tonga to breed
- on their way to Tonga they don't eat anything 
- they go through three different stages before becoming an adult eel
- when they are born, they don't know who their parents are 
- the Maori name for eel is tuna,  and the Maori name for the longfin eel is kuwharuwahru 
- their bodies change before they migrate

Here's the link to the site:You Can't Write Proper English Under Pressure.
Congratulations to Sukhdev who completed the game up to Level 8.  

We are learning about Vincent van Gogh

Term 3 Week 1 school newsletter.

As part of our art theme for the second half of the year, we are learning about the life and work of Vincent van Gogh. It just so happens that the 123rd anniversary of his death (29 July) was the first day back at school for Term 3  - so we took that as a good enough reason to choose him as an artist to study.  We started by researching some vocabulary which would appear in a reading comprehension task:

influential, pioneer, post- impressionism, sombre, pointillism, technique, self-portrait, intensity, psychiatric, committed, vibrant, 

canvas, obsessed, quarrel, remorse

Then we looked at this video of some of his paintings and listened to the song Starry Starry Night by Don McLean. 

It helped us understand the reading comprehension story by seeing the video first. We learnt that Vincent sold only one of his paintings in his entire life - even though he painted over 900. We wondered where he stored all the unsold ones.  After reading the story, we watched the video again and were able to work out which ones were his earlier paintings (darker and sombre) and which were his later paintings (brighter and with more  swirls). We understood the words of the song a lot more once we understood that van Gogh suffered from mental illness. We were also able to work out which painting was The Potato Eaters, Starry Night, and the portrait of his doctor, Doctor Gachet. Here are the lyrics of the song Starry, Starry Night, and a summary of what they mean, from vangoghgallery.com: 

Description		Lyrics
Expressing Van Gogh's inspiration for the painting. One line says : "Look out on a summer's day." This is giving Van Gogh's vantage point looking out from the asylum at Saint-Remy. When he first entered the asylum, he painted mainly from his room or the courtyard garden, but later went further afield to paint.		Starry, starry night. Paint your palette blue and grey, Look out on a summer's day, With eyes that know the darkness in my soul. Shadows on the hills, Sketch the trees and the daffodils, Catch the breeze and the winter chills, In colors on the snowy linen land.
		Now I understand what you tried to say to me how you suffered for your sanity how you tried to set them free. They would not listen they did not know how perhaps they'll listen now.
These are references to other Van Gogh paintings. Flaming Flowers: The Sunflower Series Swirling Clouds: Starry Night Field of Amber Grain: Wheat Field with Crows Weathered Faces: The Potato Eaters		Starry, starry night. Flaming flowers that brightly blaze, Swirling clouds in violet haze, Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue. Colors changing hue, morning field of amber grain, Weathered faces lined in pain, Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.
This is Van Gogh's tragic Death. Even though he loved painting, his paintings could never love him back. Van Gogh attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest, which ultimately led to his death two days later.		For they could not love you, But still your love was true. And when no hope was left in sight On that starry, starry night, You took your life, as lovers often do. But I could have told you, Vincent, This world was never meant for one As beautiful as you.
Van Gogh's artistic legacy is contained within his paintings, drawings and writings. They are everlasting and will never "forget" the style that created them. They are Van Gogh's eyes that watch the world. This is all metaphorically speaking though.		Starry, starry night. Portraits hung in empty halls, Frameless head on nameless walls, With eyes that watch the world and can't forget. Like the strangers that you've met, The ragged men in the ragged clothes, The silver thorn of bloody rose, Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.
Finally we come to the conclusion of realizing Van Gogh's eternal struggle.		Now I think I know what you tried to say to me, How you suffered for your sanity, How you tried to set them free. They would not listen, they're not listening still. Perhaps they never will...

Here's a video with more of Vincent van Gogh's paintings, and some of his quotes which help explain his outlook on his life and his art.

We had fun with this interactive jigsaw puzzle  of the self-portrait of van Gogh after he cut off his ear lobe. We know that he cut off his left earlobe, but in his paintings, it looks as if it's his right ear lobe. That's because he painted his self-portrait from what he saw in the mirror.

Here's a short video showing the change in Van Gogh's self-portraits over the years.

Here's a link to some printable outlines of some of Van Gogh's work to colour in.

--

Here's an amazing animation of some of Vincent van Gogh's artworks.

 
Here's a video which changes from a self-portrait of van Gogh to a modern-looking colour photo of him.


Some of our thoughts and questions about what we have learnt so far:

•  I would like to know how much he sold his first painting for, who bought it and where he sold it.  I would also like to know what sort of gun he shot himself with. (Dominic)
• I understand how and why Vincent drew - or rather painted -his pictures, and if you look deeply at each picture, there is always a meaning in why he painted it. (Alisha)
• I think he had a gift, and maybe because no one could see the world through his eyes he felt alone, so he took his life. 
• I like the swirl technique,  the way he paints the poor, and his painting Starry Night . I wonder why his other paintings didn't sell. (Vanshika)
• I would like to learn more about Vincent van Gogh because he is an interesting guy, and he has amazing paintings. I like his Starry Night painting. (Jupman)
• I understand that he had a mental illness. My favourite painting is the potato family. I like how he has his very unique way. (Mason)
• I can't believe a poor man with 2000 paintings became famous. I'm really obsessed with Vincent van Gogh paintings because they are just so beautiful and creative, and he had amazing skills. I love the song; it's just so beautiful. I'm shicked that he could paint the stars which are in the exact place. How could Vincent tell where the exact stars were? (Amber)
• Why did he use swirls all the time? When did he have mental illness? Why di he shoot himself? (Tara)
• Where did he sell his painting. (Jason)
• I understand that he didn't know how he fitted into the world. I don't know why he shot himself. My favourite painting is the sunflower one, and Starry Night. In the painting of his bedroom, I feel sorry for him because he is so closed in. (Syvannah).