Novel Study

Since the start of the term we have been doing novel studies. We have a huge selection of books to study.. I chose a book called ‘Arohanui - Revenge of the Fey’. We had to read it and do some tasks that asked about the antagonist and protagonist. One of our teachers, Whaea Chrissy, said to us that it is a really complicated story because there really is no good person and bad person. After you did the normal tasks you were able to do projects. The options were pretty cool. Then a couple of days ago the teachers added a new part called ‘Create.’ You were able to do anything creative to explain what you have learnt. I haven’t completed my task yet only my project.

Duffy Assembly

Yesterday we had our first Duffy School assembly. A fake character named Zinki came in and told us a lot about herself. Apparently she was from another planet and she had landed in the bush. It reminded me of this TV show I used to watch when I was little.. She was R 18 to look at though because of her short as skirt. We sang the Duffy kid song which I guess at points of the song was boring. After that we had to close our eyes and listen to her voice and imagine space, the stars and her planet. We were told to imagine what the planet looked like and I instantly thought about the show ‘Adventure Time’ with the candy kingdom. At the end people were chosen to get a signature from her in the principal's office. It was quite an experience.

This is the Candy Kingdom

Energise: Takeaways

Yesterday in Te Ngahere Whaea Gina came in to talk to us about takeaways. Things including fast food and takeaways. We were first shown what a healthy heart looks like and what an unhealthy heart looks like. The healthy heart had a bit of fat on it and the unhealthy heart had lots of fat on it.She then showed us foods and the amount of fat that you receive from it after you eat it in little glass bottles. We learned lots yesterday and now we are more careful of what we eat. Next time someone offers me junk food like Mcdonalds might refuse it.

Listening to music argument

A couple of weeks ago Te Ngahere had to write an argument stating what we wanted to do in spare time or just anything you have wanted to do while in class. Our success criteria was to write an argument to persuade someone to do something, give me something I want or allow me to do something. I write about listening to music while I work. We had to have 3-4 paragraphs explaining why or how it helped/helps us during class time. It wasn’t too hard if you had a plan and knew what you were going to write for each paragraph. I think that my paragraphs were elaborated on a bit and next time I could elaborate even more to make it the best it could be. This is a draft.


Argument writing

Learning Intention

I am learning to write an argument to persuade someone to do something, give me something I want or allow me to do something

Focus

Entertainment

Relaxing

Listening to music

I think we should be able to listen to music in Te Ngahere. But why? You may think of it as bad. But sometimes people need to just go into their own zone. It can help by eradicating every other voice so that they can focus. Most times people just want to listen to something to keep their mind at ease.

Firstly it helps me focus because sometimes I just talk to anyone near me. When this happens I am never able to finish what I have started. But when I do listen to music and just focus on the music over talking to my peers I do get things completed. It keeps me focused only on the song and my story or work other than so many other voices.

Next it is entertaining. Sometimes the songs that are on are funny in their lyrics or what they are singing about. You can sing along to the song, but not too loud. You can even dance if you feel that happy.

Music can do other than these like it can make you happy, it can release a lot of weight off your shoulders (stress), it can reduce depression. That is if you are depressed. These are only some of the other reasons.

If somebody does the wrong like if they used their chromebook to play their songs inappropriately they should have their chromebook taken from them for the day and if they do it again they should not be able to play music again. Students near and or around whoever does that they can message or tell the teacher.

This is why I think we should be able to listen to music while working in Te Ngahere.

Rubbish DLO

The other day we had a lady named Anouk come in and talk to us about litterless lunch. She talked to us about how to reduce the amount of plastic inside of our lunches. We learned that when rubbish is put into a truck it takes it to a dump. They then proceed to dig holes in the earth and chuck all of that rubbish in. When the hole is full they cover it over and dig another hole. We learnt so much that day and are thankful to her.

Bay Orientation Day

On Thursday the year 8’s had their orientation day to Bay of Islands College. We had 5 periods split into two. But we had one full period. When we got there we had to sit inside of the library and listen Whaea Patsy ( one of the teachers) to see which group we were in. Paihia, Kawa Kawa and Oromahoe. We went to six classes to do six different things. First we had Maori, Performing Art, then Science, wood tech, reo rua, metal tech and food textiles. I liked science the best because it was fun and interesting. That day changed my perspective of the school because I used to think that it was a bad school but now i’m going to Bay.

On Tuesday some of our year 7 and 8 students went to Moerewa to participate in a 7’s rugby tournament. We played three games against Kerikeri, Kaingaroa and Okaihau Hurricanes. Our first game we lost, second game we won and third game we lost again. The day was really fun and tiring. One of my highlights for the day was my try. Before the day ended though, we had a picture with the 7’s world cup. I think we played really good but next time I think we could share the ball.

Sugar count

On Monday Whaea Gina came to our school to talk about healthy eating. Before that she used to come in and do physical workouts with us.  We learnt about liquids you need everyday, sometimes and occasionally. Next to the drinks we had a small ziplock bag with the amount of sugar that is in the drink. We found out that an E2 drink has 22 teaspoons of sugar in it. This was the drink that had the most sugar in it out of all of the drinks that were there. That day taught me about what I was putting into my body. Now I’m going to watch out for what I put into my body more carefully.

Basketball

On Monday and Tuesday one of our teachers took us outside and taught us some skills for basketball like dribbling. We lined up on one end of the court and ran to the first line then the second and lastly the third while dribbling. To achieve success whilst doing this the ball had to be at a 45 degree angle from our leg and it had to be about the height of our waist. It was really fun that in the end we played piggy in the middle using the skills we learnt. Next time I think I could speed up because I have been practicing more.

Report writing

A couple of weeks ago Te Ngahere started an informational report about pests. Our learning intention was to use the correct structure for an informational report. Our structure was a total of nine paragraphs that were pretty hard to do but with the right information it was easy. These paragraphs were first: the animals Classifications, Animal name (what it meant), Anatomy/Appearance, Locomotion, Diet, Habitat, Behaviour, Defence/Offence and Why was it introduced? I think I wrote the structure very good for my first time in a while. Next time I need to write more information in my paragraphs.

Success Criteria:
Use colons and semicolons in my writing.
I need to use words that give the reader detailed and specific information.

Intro:

The rat, a destroyer to animals and plants. An introduced pest that was brought in the 1250 - 1300 in a boat from Polynesia. There are more than 50 species around the world but three species inhabit our beautiful land of Aotearoa. These are the Norway rat, the brown rat and the ship rat.

Classification:

The rat classifications are: kingdom animalia, phylum chordata, class mammalia, order rodentia, suborder myomorpha, family muridae and genus rattus. Kingdom represents what it is animal or not, phylum represents if it has a backbone or not and class represents what type of animal it is like mammals or cold blooded animals.

Animal name:

The name rat is described as a big rodent that resembles a big mouse. A male rats name is buck, a female is a doe and a baby rat is called either a kitten or pup. The rats scientific name is Rattus norvegicus.

Appearance:

Rats are mostly slender and have sharp, curved heads, large eyes and furry ears. The shape of a rat's body is the same shape as a pear. An average brown rat weighs around 230g which is a quarter of a kilogram. Their claws can grow to one centimeter. Their teeth are sharp and pointed. All rats have four legs unless they have been cut off. Rat legs tend to be short and so are the arms.




Locomotion:

Rats scurry along on all four of their legs pretty fast. Mostly three of the legs are on the ground at a time. When it jumps it uses the two back legs to fling through the air. They can jump over 77cm. A rats tail is necessary for survival because it helps them keep their balance. It is important that they move like this because otherwise they will be caught and killed.

Diet:

Rat diets consist of many things. They are pests to the animals in our ngahere. So our birds are in their diet and have been for centuries. So in the wild they eat mostly anything they come across. Mostly this consists of grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, bugs, birds and other small animals that they can kill. Rats are omnivores, this means they eat meat and plants. Rats aren’t fussy eaters and eat everything they come across. Even though a rat kills birds about the same size as itself it is near the bottom of the food chain.

Habitat & Range:

Rats usually inhabit dirt holes in dark places such as underneath houses in basements or cellars. Ship rats originated from India and arrived in New Zealand in the late 1800s. Norway rats originated from Norway and the Polynesian rat originated from Polynesia.

Behaviour:

Rats are cheeky, smart and sly. Some rats are solitary which means they live or hunt alone. Rats make passageways underground from their nest to food locations. They also create burrows to get away from other animals.

Defence/Offence:

The rat defends itself from predators using escape routes like their burrows but if cornered and hungry with no escape they use their claws to scratch. Wild rat bites can be infectious.


Why was it introduced/ How did it get here?:

Rats were brought to New Zealand on the first settlers ships in the 1200s through to the 1300s. The first settlers brought rats unknowingly and didn’t know that rats were onboard.

Conclusion:

Rats are killers and were brought by the first settlers. They were brought unknowingly. They are the brown rat, Norway rat and the Polynesian rat.

Saddleback

For the past few weeks we have been learning about endemic, native and introduced animals, birds and plants  to New Zealand. My group did a bird and our choice of bird was the saddle back. This is our second time doing this type of presentation but this one is much better than the first version. I think this time our information was much more accurate and better presented. It was fun learning about the saddle back because it was so interesting like how North Island and the South island species sounded. Next time I think we could get more interesting facts.

Bay Bush Action

Last week in Te Ngahere two members of the Bay Bush Action group came in and visited. Since our inquiry this term is the Ngahere they came in and gave us some information about it. They had props of a kiwi, possum and a hedgehog. After that we went outside and put some traps around our fence line. While in class we were told that we were going to be the first school that would be rat free. I enjoyed learning about our bush.

Moment In Time Draft

Last week in Te Ngahere week wrote a piece of writing describing a moment in time. We had to describe the forest. Our learning intention was to use the correct structure to describe a moment in time. I think I had some good description about the forest. I enjoyed think about it and in some parts when I was reading it it really felt like I was in there. I’m not sure what I could do next time. This is a draft.


Long lime trunks hangover the huge bush. Inhale fresh fragrances of the sweet aroma. Hear the animals of the forest chirp and snarl. The soils like ice cream so you just melt into it. See the little creatures dash across the ground. Watch as massive leaves sway to the rhythm of the wind. See the moss gradually be blew off the trees.

Ecosystem

Since last term Te Ngahere been working on an explanation piece of writing about “What makes a healthy ecosystem”. Our learning intention was to use the correct structure to write an explanation. I think my explanation was very high in quality than any of my other pieces. I think next time I could use more descriptive words.

What is an Ecosystem?

Ecosystem
A healthy ecosystem consists of living things and non-living things. These living things range from living animals or plants and bacteria. On the other hand non-living things are made up from inorganic matter or things that aren’t alive. An ecosystem is made from different varieties of animals, plants and dead things that are all necessary.

Organic Matter
Every living thing is organic matter, which basically means alive. There are three categories that all living things come under. These are producers, consumers and decomposers. Producers are plants that can make their own food and get energy from the sun, water and C02/Carbon Dioxide. Consumers then feed on producers and other animals. Next are decomposers, it is bacteria that breaks down dead matter.

Inorganic Matter
Inorganic matter are things like rocks or water, non-living things to simplify it. These inorganic objects or mass are used for many things including terrain, absorbents and shelter. Producers use these inorganic material or gases to create energy by absorbing them.

Ecosystem
An ecosystem is very fragile. In other words it means it can’t handle tremendous changes. If something crucial to the environment were to disappear or stop working it would upset and/or disturb the rest of the environment. E.G if producers were to completely be eradicated from existence it would cause great harm to every other thing in the environment. This would happen because every animal needs energy and the only thing that can create energy without eating are producers.

Kaitiakitanga o Te Moana

This was last term :)

Since week seven Te Ngahere  have been learning to make connections between different things we read or view to create new learning. In reading I think I did well  working with my group to find information . I enjoyed learning about the ocean like kina barrens, rahui and other interesting stuff. But maybe next time I think I need to do it much faster and plan it better.

Animation: Food Chains

Last term Te Ngahere had to make animations about food chains. Our learning intention was to find a food chain and make an animation to show how the food chain worked. I think I found a food chain that I can sort of relate like eating the cow. I enjoyed making the animation and watching others creations because it was fun. Next time I could explain what type of animal they are like producers, consumers and decomposers.

Metaphorical poem V2

A couple of weeks  ago we posted our draft metaphorical poem. After we posted that we started on our better version. Our learning intention was the same but we had to improve on it. My new and improved version is much better in my thought than my last one. It sounds better and it has different and better metaphors.

Ezra Is...

Ezra is some louis vuitton slippers soft and comfy,

Ezra is a ferrari slick and beastly,

Ezra is a pair of gucci shoes expensive and stupendous,

Ezra is a bucket with never ending ideas,

Ezra is a book with immeasurable knowledge.

Metaphoric Poem

Yesterday in Te Ngahere we were focusing on using metaphors in a poem about ourselves. We had to write metaphors that described us. We were able to do five or more. I think I did well describing myself and my specialties. We had to start the metaphors off with your name then is.  I think next time I could think of better metaphors about myself. This is my first draft :D

Ezra is a fish speeding through the sea.

Ezra is the internet knowing everything there is to know.

Ezra is a ferrari slick and shiny.

Ezra is a waka long and strong.

Ezra is a wizard controlling his thoughts.

My Pepeha

In Te Ngahere we have been learning to say our Pepeha. We were able to make a digital pepeha on powtoon, google slides and other helpful apps. I enjoyed relearning my pepeha because now I think I know it off by heart a little bit. I think next time I could present it more stylish or add something else to it.