Animation Class: Teaching Tamaki College How To Draw

Today, Alex, Sanujan and I visited Tamaki College to teach a group of students how to draw using Google Drawing, and Slides. There were in the end 5 students in the class, with 3 teachers (Two in the image, and the third taking the picture). We were there for roughly an hour, and had so much fun teaching the students. The first thing that we did was introduce the curve tool to the students. You may ask, "What is the curve tool?" Well, the curve tool is a drawing tool / technique to draw curved lines or shapes. We then went step by step showing a demonstration on how to draw a simple and cute panda. While that was going on, Sanujan would walk around and see if everyone was on track. This continued for the majority of the lesson, and involved a lot of laughs, and enjoyment. There may event be a second session in the future. Although we are sure that that will not be too far away.

                        

Maths: Learning About The Circumference, Radius, Diameter, and Pi Of a Circle

Today for maths, we were learning to find the Radius, Diameter, Circumference and Pi of a Circle. To start of our maths session, Ms Kirkpatrick's maths group, watch a short clip about our topic. Once we've finished watching the clip, we were to completed a series of equations. After that we were to create a DLO, which explains how we solved, three questions, we got in the series. For this task I work collaboratively with Sanujan and Julian.

Maths: BEDMAS Problems

This week for maths, we continued to learn about BEDMAS maths. BEDMAS is an acronym. It stands for the order that you solve BEDMAS problems in. Brackets, Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition, and Subtraction. Our task today, we to in pairs, solve all 20 BEDMAS problems that we were given by our teacher Ms Kirkpatrick. For this task I worked with Sanujan, and we had a lot of fun working together, and managed to solve all questions with little to no issues. Next we created a DLO that showed how to solve three questions. I hope that next term, we can keep this focus, as it is very fun and entertaining to solve.

Inquiry: Testing Our Spaghetti Bridges

Last week for inquiry, we finally got to testing our spaghetti bridges that we had spent the last few weeks constructing. This task was to be done in a group of four, so everyone got into pairs, and were assigned our remaining two teammates. Sanujan and I almost immediately got into pairs, and were given our teammates Jericho and Te Ponamu. We worked really well together, and managed to construct a 25.5 cm long bridge made of nothing but spaghetti, rubber bands, and tape. The specific type of bridge that we had chosen to do was a truss bridge. Not too hard, although not too simple. We knew that the strongest shape was a triangle, so a truss bridge was a perfect selection as it includes many triangles in the structure. So we went ahead starting construction, and had a lot of fun throughout the journey. Then came testing day. In this test, we would have a bag that we would fill with bricks. After each brick, we would record our data and move on. Your objective was to hold all eight bricks without the structure of your bridge collapsing. After many bricks, my group managed to come up to six bricks. We then placed our seventh brick, and unfortunately, our bridge broke. Our bridge manages to hold six whole bricks without the structure breaking, I was truly blown away by how well it managed to be. This was such a great challenge for all of us.

Inquiry: Comparing Bridges

During our inquiry session, we were learning about Bridges, Tunnels and Towers. For this task we were asked make an comparison between the Wynyard Crossing Bridge and The Golden Gate Bridge. I worked collaboratively with Sanujan. If you don't know the Wynyard Crossing Bridge is a bascule bridge in New Zealand, and the Golden Gate Bridge a suspension bridge in San Francisco, California. Before we created this Venn Diagram, Sanujan and I had no clue about the Wynyard Crossing Bridge and The Golden Gate Bridge. To be honest we've heard of the Golden Gate Bridge, but never researched deeply about it. So we got to learn many new things.

Inquiry: Types Of Tunnels

This term, we have been focusing on structures as our inquiry. We have been doing many different activities based on this topic, but this one was about the type of tunnels, and the materials they are excavated into. In the process, we found 4 different tunnels. Hard rock tunnels, underwater tunnels, soft rock tunnels, and open cut tunnels. This activity had to be done with a partner, so I worked with Sanujan. We had a lot of fun working together for this task and others, and I hope that next time will be better.

Inquiry: Comparing Different Structures

Through out our learning sessions in inquiry we've learnt many things about bridge, tunnels and towers. As you can see Sanujan and I have created a 3 circled Venn Diagram making a comparison between bridges, tunnels and towers. In order to complete this Venn Diagram, Sanujan and I were using our smart searching skills to find information for a particular segment.

Inquiry: Comparing Tunnels | Gotthard Tunnel and Water view Tunnel

This term, our focus on inquiry has been structures. We have been doing many different activities about this topic, and this activity was based around comparing two different tunnels. The Gotthard tunnel, and the Auckland Waterview tunnel. To compare these tunnels, we in pairs created a Venn Diagram. If you do not know what a Venn Diagram is, basically, you have two circles put together to have 3 circles. One on the left, one in the middle, and one to the right. In the outer circles, you will show the differences between two things, while the similarities will be in the middle. For this task, I worked with Sanujan, and we had a lot of fun researching, and drawing.

Inquiry: Current Events | Pou Whenua Poles, The 1975 Maori Land March, and The Bastion Point Occupation

This week, we have been learning about New Zealand current events. These are events such as the Maori land march, and the Bastion Point Occupation. But our main focus was on Pou Whenua poles. If you don't know what they are, they are sort of like totem poles, although there are quite a few differences between the two. Pou Whenua poles are carved wooden pillars, that tell stories, and are used by Maori culture to mark territorial boundaries. There were two specific activities to do with this information, although for now I can only show one of the two. One activity that we had done with Pou Whenua Poles was to create a Venn Diagram comparing them to Totem Poles. All of these activities had to be done with a partner. So without any hesitation, Sanujan and I quickly made a pair. In the end, Sanujan and I finished these activities just in time before the deadline.

Maths: Fractions Extension

This week for maths, as an extension to our main task, we were also asked to in addition with solving a problem about cinema attendance, to solve a problem about how many students there are in a classroom, and the amount of people of specific ages. This was a really exciting activity, as it sounded like a real challenge. For this task, I worked with Sanujan, and we finished this in a relatively small amount of time. All of our work can be explained in the DLO.

Inquiry: Ruler Reflexes

This week for inquiry, we learnt about human reactions. We had a small challenge that included simply a ruler, a

partner, and our reactions. Our task was to attempt to grab a ruler as fast as possible. We were given 3 different

reactions to test. Visual, where we had to grab the ruler just by watching it. No count down, go or anything. Next

was aural, where we had to close our eyes, and where only told "GO" for when we could attempt to grab the
ruler. No countdown, no looking, no touching, just a simple go. Finally, was touch. We closed our eyes, no words,
just a tap on the shoulder letting us know when to grab. The partner that I was given was Tiava, and we had a lot
of fun working together. What we needed to do next was graph our data. Although to make it even better, we
were to group up with another pair and graph all of our data in one big graph. So for this, we chose to work with
Sanujan and John. Once we had graphed all 4 of our data, it turned out that to our surprise, that the graph showed Sanujan was the best at test 3. The graph also showed that Sanujan was also the best at test 2. Finally at test 1, the graph showed that John was the best. When putting all of our data together as an average, it turned out that we were the best at test 3, followed by test 2, and ending at test 1. Although once we were done with that graph, we also needed to create another graph showing our speeds. To do that, we used a site that included the times for how long it would take to catch the ruler for each centimetre, as it picked up speed. We had a lot of fun all working together, and in the end, made a pretty great graph.

Tiava Hypothesis: I think that I will be best at Test 2, because I think that signals to the brain will be faster than

sight, or touch.

Jack Hypothesis:  I think that I will be best at Test 1, because I think that my eyes will signal my brain faster than

anything else.

	Tiava	Jack
Test 1
1	19	0
2	0	10
3	27	27
Test 2
1	0	0
2	29	0
3	22	9
Test 3
1	24	0
2	23	14
3	0	9
Test 1 Results	76	67
Test 2 Results	81	69
Test 3 Results	77	53
Results	Test 1	Test 3

Evaluation:

Jack:

I found this interesting, as my hypothesis was for test 1 to be the one I was best at, but instead it was test 3 that I

was the best at. Meaning that my hypothesis was incorrect. I must’ve been incorrect because I didn’t realize that

I sent signals to my brain faster through touch that sight. Although there is a chance of it being just a one off
time.

Tiava:

I found this surprising because my hypothesis was for test 2, but I excelled at test 1. I think that my hypothesis

was incorrect because my body and brain reacts faster when I can visual see the ruler drop than hear the word
go.

Poetry: Charlotte Anne DLO

This week for poetry, our task was to answer a few questions about the poem  The Waitakere Ballads about Charlotte Anne. A women who didn't take anything from other people in the 1870's. She was one of the little women that wore jeans, as everyone knew that women were meant to wear large dresses. This was a group task, so I worked with Sanujan, Mele, and Marieta. Although as an extra task, we also were asked to create a DLO that showed what life was like in the 1870's, by using our smart searching skills. These DLO's can be found on the last slide of the presentation. We all had a lot of fun with this task, and enjoyed working together as a group.

Maths: Money Problem

This week for maths we are busy finishing off work and posting it on our blog. For one of our maths task we were given a maths problem about salary. I worked collaboratively with Sanujan, Ofa and Julian. At first we were doubting each other of which answers we were right or wrong. Then we went over the maths problem with Ms Kirkpatrick. At the end we were all wrong but we learnt a lesson by Occam Razor that If there is no evidence to the contrary, the simplest answer is correct. In this problem we tried to add up all the big numbers without using the calculator and and after we've got our answers it turned out to be right. I think next time we need to agree with each others opinions.

Poetry: Two Day Wonder Re-written

This week we had yet another session of poetry. For this session of poetry we read the poem, Two Day Wonder, by David Hill. This poem shows the differences between feeling sick, and feeling well. This poem included a lot of words that quite a lot of people would never use when writing. So changes needed to be made. Our task was to re write the poem in our own words. Although the poem needed to compare going to school on a day of summer, comparing to going to school on a day of winter, and needed to include more sophisticated words. This was a collaborative task, so I worked with Fraidoon and Sanujan.

Winter

I struggle to wake up, as I resist to get out of my warm bed.

I was stuck in the rain yesterday, now I have a fever, and a boiling head.

I dawdle through the icy smooth floor, chuck on my uniform, and go to boil the kettle.

I felt like I slept for days, maybe I’ll even get a sleeping medal.

I chuck on my bag, and scurry my way out the door.

I need to get to school fast, because I make it back home at quarter past four!

I have half an hour left, so I need to run.

Although I forgot my lunch, looks like I need to purchase a cinnamon bun.

Summer

As I leapt out of my bed I hear the birds carolling and chirping away.    

The bright leaves rush and gush in the breeze as they sway.

The sun peered over me like it was just waiting to give me a hug.

I say hello, stride to the kitchen, and boil the jug.

I assemble and eat my breakfast, and prepare to brush my teeth.

I then walk outside, and put up the christmas wreath.

Then I kiss my mum goodbye and dash my way to school.

But I make sure to check my bag, because that’s the school day rule.

Reading: Harry's War DLO's

This week for reading, we read the story Harry's War. We read this story with my reading group, and had a few DLO's to create. 1. A vocabulary DLO that showed all the new words in the story, 2. an Evaluating DLO that has what we learnt from the text, questions we have after reading, and what the text was about, 3. To create a DLO about the Bulford Kiwi, with different facts, and information about the Bulford Kiwi. For this activity, I worked with Sanujan, Joshua, Jericho, Mataio, Savelina, and Zane.

Inquiry: Mrs Gren DLO

This week for inquiry, our focus was on the human body. To learn about what a living thing needs, we read a short story named Mrs Gren. Mrs Gren is a simple story about an old lady who find everything to be a living thing, because it could more, or breath, or sense, or grow, or reproduce, or excrete, or eat. Mrs Gren is also an acronym. It is made up of Movement, Respiration, Senses, Grow, Reproduction, Excrete, and Nutrition. All the things a living thing needs, or can do. We were to make a DLO with a partner, that explained each word, and what they mean to the human body. If you do not understand one of the words, you can look at the DLO, which explains each one. For this activity I worked with Sanujan, and we had a lot of fun doing this activity.

Reading: The Unfinished Drink

This week for reading, we learnt about the story of Privet Ted (La Tour Mollet d'Auvergne). A poem written for Privet Ted was our main focus, because it told his story. We had two tasks to complete, 1 was to make a summary of the poem, and 2 was to create a DLO talking about Privet Ted's story. For both of these tasks, I worked with Sanujan, and we both decided to make a small animation for the DLO. This poem is both a sad, but happy poem. The sad part being Privet Ted never returning, but the happy part being him not forgotten. The full poem can be found midway through the animation if you want to read it yourself. Although unlike a real animation, this was done with a few different pictures, rather than over a hundred. In the end we think we did a great job, and that it turned out really well. Hopefully you think the same.

Reading: Making A Kahoot

This week for reading, Mrs Anderson though of an amazing idea. This idea was to each make a kahoot about the Treaty Of Waitangi with a group, and present it to the rest of the class. Kahoot.it is an amazing website that allows to create, and play awesome quizzes for free. You can play these quizzes with anyone, without having to pay for the site. Anyone can make a quiz, and getting first place against everyone else is the best feeling of the site. For this activity, I worked with Sanujan, Joseph, Jeremiah, and Mataio. Luckily when playing other people's quizzes, Joseph and I both got a first place victory. This was an awesome activity, and seeing everyone's quizzes was even more awesome.

If you would also like to play our kahoot, you can click this link to play with friends: Kahoot