Wednesday, 16 April 2014

Room 11 travelled back in time to 1880's to work on a bush camp in the Waitakere Ranges

We learnt what life was like back then and the impact chopping down trees for wood to use for houses, furniture and ships has had on our forest today.  We need to think how we can protect our forests and native wildlife for future generations.

Have a look at our iMovies sharing our day, a big thank-you to Oliver's mum Francine for her wonderful photography on the day.  We used Francine's photos and edited them in iPhoto, some of us also created our own instrumental music on Garageband.


Aiden and Jack's Bob's Bush Camp Movie from Courtney on Vimeo.

Oliver Wyatt and Zac from Courtney on Vimeo.

Shea, Cooper and Maddies Bush Camp Movie from Courtney on Vimeo.

charlize and letisha from Courtney on Vimeo.

Paloma's Prezi on life in the 1880s

Check out this fantastic prezi Paloma created for homework about life in the 1800's.  We visited Bob's Bush Camp and experienced working in a bush camp in 1883.  Life was definitely tough back then.  Prezi is a great online presentation tool and I'm sure the rest of our class will be eager to learn how to make a prezi from our class expert Paloma.

Click here to watch Paloma's Prezi

Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Cyan's Cameo


Waiweka Gorge

The water is fresh. The forest is nice and quiet. The waterfalls flow...splash...splash...splash.It is great to hear tweet of beautiful native birds.  Clean fresh air and sparkling water so fresh you can drink it. When you drive past the view is so so amazing.

Zac's Cameo


Special place: Rarotonga beach 
A beautiful bright day were all the different fish swim suspiciously through the clear water. I lie down in the golden soft sand.
I walk slowly to the water dreaming of fantasy everywhere.
All the Fish swim away like a very small blue dotted shark. I dive into the water as smooth  as a colorful  Dolphin. The water shivers up my spine, thats my special place.


WEATHER VIDEO!


Shea's Project from Courtney on Vimeo.

Shea's reading response activity to his groups Weather themed book.

Saturday, 5 April 2014

The Daunting Dare

An icy chill ran up my back, squashed up in the dreadful ride. I was already regretting this. My heart was throbbing steadily, jolting up, the bold colors of the ride are a blur, looking down to see the pale dots of my friends on the gray-colored concrete.
Pride sweeps through me, I’m at the top and all above me now is the bright sapphire sky with the sun blazing. Anouska counts down,  5,4,3,2,1...

I clutch the metal hand bars, Suddenly we are flying through the air, my head spinning and colors flying.  I think to myself.....this was a daunting dare.



By Letisha

Ethan and Jack's Mammoth Movie



MAMMOTHS from Courtney on Vimeo.

One of our reading groups were working on a non-fiction book about Mammoths.  Check out this iMovie made by Jack and Ethan.

Friday, 4 April 2014

Maya and Naomi's Cameo Writing

A world of freedom

I huddled in my dirty bed in sadness and frustration.
When I looked at my special twin, she’s reflecting all my tears.
I thought of giving up on my dream, but it was too painful to think about.
The piano played a dry tune and the desk looked shattered and destroyed.
Unitil the pen started writing a silly and childish tale.
The shelves of the author’s art, shone like diamonds on a Queen’s crown.
The desk looked like people trying to rebuild their city after it had been bombed.
Everything looked as how it should be; happy, free and brightness inside.
It’s all better when I grab my pen and start to write words that fill me up with joy or words that sink me down to the floor.
It’s the place where I’m free to do whatever I want,
A world of Freedom is one thing I need.

By Maya 

A place of knowledge  

I hop onto a black-berry cozy chair as cozy as blobbing upon a heated pool
Breathing in the the smell of rotten eggs.
My chin resting in between my two knees.
I stare across at my homework in confusion and a mind full of question & answers like my mind is going to explode and all I will  remember is my name.
My eye skid across the page and landed on the word prestige.
I had no idea what that meant so I picked up a dictionary that had been thrown  to the ground and flipped through the pages wildly till I came to the initials “pre” I scanned down the page some words looked like maths equations that had no answer.
Then just like that my mind is crystal clear, I pick up a 
pencil I had been chewing on and begin writing...



Naomi


Thursday, 3 April 2014

My Heavenly Place

MY HEAVENLY PLACE: Musket Cove

The heavy wheels from the plane drop elegantly onto the hard cement below, I grab my bag and jump off the plane.

The Airport greets us with warm arms and welcomes us to Fiji.  We board the boat, Tui our grounds keeper greets us heartily and starts the boat. We travel very fast over the rough waves,the wild wind was whips my hair back.

Finally we arrive I jump straight in our warm pool and bomb epically a dozen times.  The night comes and we drive to a wonderful restaurant called Dicks Place and eat our hearts out. In the morning we might go to Dicks Place again and eat magnificent ,hotcakes, Mango, Cupcakes,LO LO BUNS,and juice.


This is my heavenly place.

By Jack.G

Wednesday, 2 April 2014

Shea's Report on American Indians

AMERICAN INDIANS

WHO ARE THE INDIANS

The term of American Indians is really a mistake.There are lots of types of Indians like Amerindians,Native Americans the Indians built a bridge across Alaska and Russia.The bridge was built 10,000 years ago. Some of the tribes were nomadic and moved around with the seasons.When Christopher Columbus came in to shore in 1942 in America he was sure he had come to India so he called the people Indians.


TRIBES 

The Indians had lots of diffrent cultures and languges and were master farmers.In central and South America the Aztec ,Mayan and Inca formed highly complex civilations.There socities and large cites included a organised government and religions.This was in the place we now call the United States of America.The United States was home to a huge number of tribes.

SETTLERS

The Chickoon lived thourgh hunting and fishing in the Southwest the Pueblo and Navajo managed to farm using irrigration they lived in buildings made with variouss type of dried clay and dried mud brick called adobe in the Great plains,tribes like Sioux hunted for bison and other large animals in the Southeast the Missippian people built villages and flattened pyramids.

WAR

There were many attempts for treaties to be formed between the American Indians and the settlers but eventually they were forced off there lands and their was alot of fighting because of this.  Many American Indians died from the European diseases.  The American Indian fought against losing there land although it was hard as many died from sickness and fighting.

CONCLUSION

The American Indians were treated badly by the Europeans and got hurt in battle and lost their lands.  They ended up living on land given to them by the Europeans called Reservations. Native americans today work hard to save there cultures and keep their cultures alive.