Excellence Blog Post #6 Technology - Must Do

This week at tech I was in Design and Sewing. I made a pillow that had a turtle on the front of it and with very thin plait fabric, it wasn't very difficult because it only took about 30 minutes and for the rest of the time we had at Lincoln i had mandarin and just was helping other people on their projects since i hadn't been there in awhile.

The learner quality that i showed at Technology was Active Thinking cause even when i didn't have a project to do I help other people with their project so i wasn't just sitting around doing nothing.

I showed leadership at Technology by helping out others instead of mucking around.

Treaty Of Waitangi

Parliment

World War 1

Excellence Blog Post #2 Olympic Games 2017 - Must Do

Last week the whole school area participated in the Oakland's school Olympics. The part that the year 7/8's take part in the Olympics was helping the smaller children that were a little scared or didn't want to do it get excited and to make them want to do it and to get them involved in all the activities and stuff like that.

The learner quality that I showed during the Oakland's school Olympics was Respect by knowing when to just let the smaller children go to a teacher when it looked like they really didn't/couldn't do it anymore.

I showed Leadership at the Oakland's School Olympics was helping a small child when she didn't want to do the games and I got her to want her to do it by helping her with the games.

Reading - Evaluate Texts

In reading we have been learning to make decisions about the usefulness of the text for purpose, by using a variety of criteria to evaluate.

Here is a link to our online modelling book

We have been evaluating texts against the following four criteria:

1. Readability
2. Accuracy
3. Relevance
4. Status

These documents show evidence of my learning during this unit:

• Describing Author's Purpose
• Criteria to evaluate texts
• Evaluating a range of texts

My Next Step: Is to continue to apply this new knowledge and evaluate texts as I read them, checking for readability, accuracy, relevance and quality of language/ information

Review Of Term 2 - Before I Fall

The most interesting book i read in term 2 was "Before I Fall" By Lauren Oliver. This book is about a very popular girl who's life is practically perfect. She has a group of friends that she always hangs out with and she doesn't realize that she is driving this girl insane everyday with what her and her friends are saying about her behind her back, yet her and her group of friends think that what they are doing is perfectly fine. One day her friends and her were at a party and on the way home they were driving and they got in a car crash and from that day on that girl lived the same day over and over again. eventually she realizes what hr and her friends are doing to make the girl go insane and everyday she does everything she can to make her get better...
                                                                      

Term 2 Novel Study

This term I have been reading and studying the novel Silver Stream

I found this novel ok because It was interesting at the end but it took awhile to get into the book.

During the novel I had to complete a thinking map which shows that I can classify how the author has shown the theme of the book.

• Link to Classify Map

National Standard this covers

• Year 9/10 Standard

• I can locate, evaluate, analyse and summarise information and ideas within texts and across a range of texts.
• I have a large vocabulary that is connected to my own knowledge about the world and includes: - academic e.g observe vs watch - subject-specific (specific words about a subject (e.g feline) - technical terms (specialized vocabulary of a particular field.)

Overall I would give this novel a rating of  4/10 and I would not  recommend it to others to read because I don't feel like kids our age wouldn't like it because its too serious and has events in it that we don't know about.

Reason with linear proportions I have been learning 3 WALTS

1.National Standard 1: Combine simple proportions to work out what parts the whole is made up in a unit of 10 like 3 yellow with 7 blue, 5 yellow with 5 blue, 4 yellow with 6 blue. Say what the fraction and percentage of each stack is for yellow and blue.

2.National Standard 2: - Combine proportions to work out what parts the whole is made up of using non-multiple of 10 like 8 yellow:5 blue:4 white with 11 yellow:11 blue:11 white (19:16:15 and 38%:32%:30%)

3. National Standard 3: - Order fractions with unlike denominators by finding a common denominator

My evidence: Link

My next step is: be able to add milliliters and liters together without a calculator.

Current Events Term 2, 2017

WALT: I can successfully research a current event.

Here is a link to our online modelling book for this unit of learning.

The National Standard that I have been aiming for during this unit of learning is:

• Year 9/10: I can read in different ways to find and/or understand information that that is not immediately easy to access or is not organised in familiar ways.

Each week we have read a short text about a current event/ topic. We then formed questions based on what we had read.  After this we researched the answers to our questions and finally we gave our opinions on what we had found out.

Here is some evidence of my learning.

Describe Map One

Describe map Two

My Next Step is to continue to  apply the reading and  research skills that I have learned in a variety of other areas.

Drums and Band - Excellence Blog Post #8

This week I learn't the drum beat to "Heavy" by Lincoln Park. I also started to make u my own fills and beats so that i can create my own songs eventually. I also helped Savannah learn the Lincoln Park song since she was haven't trouble picking up on it. This week we don't ave band since the hall is in use but we may be performing at the open day on Wednesday.

I showed Community at my drum lesson by helping Savannah with a song that she was having trouble with.

I was Goal Focused by even after I finished the song I started to learn more Fills and beats (I didn't just sit around).

Helping Out At The Fidget Club - Excellence Blog Post #7

Oakland's school has a Fidget spinner club that is on every single morning tea in the school hall. students from all year levels can attend this club, but they have to have a fidget spinner, Fidget cube, Bay-blades etc... Sasha and I helped out at the Fidget spinner club yesterday by just making sure that people weren't running around or yelling.

I showed Active Thinking while helping at the Fidget Spinner club by Directing people outside if they didn't have a Fidget spinner, Fidget Cube, Bay-blades etc...

I was Self Aware while helping out at the Fidget Spinner club by not shouting at kids and not "telling them off"

Music Term 2

For Music this term, three things I learnt were:

1. What music artist are from New Zealand and what ones are from overseas.

2. The different aspects of rap.

3. How to create a good rap and how to rhyme well.

Something I found challenging was... when we had to make our own rap it was difficult trying to rhyme every single word that was at the end of the sentences instead of rhyming every second sentences.

E:2, Interview someone who is in a job that interests you - Excellence Blog Post #6

I interviewed my dad (Mike), he is a Landscape Architect. I asked him about how long it took him to get to where he is now and how many years in university he had to study. He said that it took almost his entire life to get to where he is now and he had to be in university for 4 years to become a senior Landscape Architect. While he was building up enough money to create his own business he worked at Lincoln University and at Ready Lawn. He said that he likes his job because its always exciting and he gets to work with a whole bunch of people when he designs with a group.

Drums And Band - Excellence Blog Post #5

This week at drums i started and finished learning the song "Lego House" by Ed Sheeran. this song is probably one of the hardest that I learn't because it has a drag (the means that you have to hit the strum slowly and drag the drum stick across it to make a continuous song). At band I just kept practicing the song we are learning but i'm not sure what its called. Next week at band we may be learning the song "Budapest"

I showed Active Thinking at drums and band because I picked up on the new songs and beats quickly and efficiently.

I was Goal Focused by not giving up on "Lego House" when it started to get a little more difficult.

The 2nd Bake Sale For The Year 8 Wellington Trip - Excellence Blog Post #4

Earlier this week the house captains participated in the bake sale fundraiser for the year 8 Wellington trip in term 4. We had to gather up all of the food and spread it out onto different tables around the school and for morning tea we sold most of the food for $1 or $2 to the kids who brought money for it. There was some food left so we sold all of it to the parents to next day for 50c each.

I showed Respect while helping with the bake sale by helping the kids decide what they wanted if they couldn't decide.

I was Trustworthy because the people who were with me at my stand new that I was giving the kids the food they wanted and putting the money into the correct bucket.

A:13, The Effects That Homework Is Having On Students. Excellence Blog Post #3

I decided to make up my own challenge to do. I did some research and also used most of my opinion to write "The Effects That Homework On Students". Here it is...

Student Led Conference, Term 2

Careers Education C.V. Writing

In CAREERS EDUCATION we have been learning to write a skills based Curriculum Vitae.

A skills based C.V. focuses more on the skills that we have,  rather than our work history.

Here is a link to our online Modelling Book that shows the process we have followed.

Three things that I have learned about writing a Curriculum Vitae are:

1. You should keep it short and simple.

2. Make sure to do bullet points.

3. You need to check your spelling and punctuation.

Here is a link to my Skills based Curriculum Vitae.

Reading Assessment: I can evaluate writer's’ purposes and consider how they have used structure and language to suit these purposes. (Eg: I can make decisions about why the writer has written a piece of writing and how they have used particular structures and words to meet the purpose.)

Assessment: I can evaluate writer's’ purposes and consider how they have used structure and language to suit these purposes. (Eg: I can make decisions about why the writer has written a piece of writing and how they have used particular structures and words to meet the purpose.)

Name:      Choose 3 out of the following texts:  

World’s Largest Artificial Sun	The World will end, said the cat	Mossie
Laundry Folding Robot	Fallen Leaves	Can giant pumps help refreeze the Artic

L5 Author’s Purpose follow up	I can describe the author's purpose in relation to structure and language choices in a text and give relevant evidence (eg vocabulary used)	I can compare and contrast differences in the author's purpose in relation to structure and language choices between different texts.
Text:The World will end, said the cat	The author’s purpose is… Entertainment The specific language/ structure choices that the author has made to support their purpose are… Funny Language. Entertaining. Uncertainty senses of language.	Specific language choices in the 3 texts:	Structure of the 3 texts:
		Similarities They all have Entertainment purposes in the wording. The World will end, said the cat and Laundry Folding Robot both have a sarcastic type feel to the story. The World will end, said the cat and Fallen Leaves both aren’t articles and Laundry Folding Robot is.	Similarities They all have pictures or drawings that help you get the feel of the story or article. They all have paragraphs the link into each and helps the story or article flow. All of the stories are for around the same age.
Text:Laundry Folding Robot	The author’s purpose is… Informative The specific language/ structure choices that the author has made to support their purpose are… Sarcastic type wording Entertaining Researched information Opinion
Text:Fallen Leaves	The author’s purpose is… Entertaining The specific language/ structure choices that the author has made to support their purpose are.. Powerful Strong Emotion in their voice Entertainment purposes	Differences The first story and the last story are for entertainment purposes. The second story is the only informative story out of the 3. Only the second story has the writer's opinion in it.	Differences The first one is set out in an article and has pictures after each paragraph. The two last stories have pictures in the background to tell the reader even more about the story so they can picture it in their mind while the read it.

Text: Sneaky Venus Flytraps Use Prey For Nutrients And Energy

Level 5 - TAuthors’ Purpose Map
I can describe the author’s purpose in a text	I can identify several features of the author’s purpose The author’s purpose is… The point of view is… The intended audience is…	I can identify several features of the author’s purpose; and explain giving relevant examples and evidence. What does it say in the text to show you that: this is the author’s purpose this is the point of view this is the intended audience
The author’s purpose is… P? I? E?	Informative	The fact that the Dionaea muscipula, or Venus flytrap, feeds on unsuspecting insects by luring them into its jaw-like leaves with sweet-smelling nectar has been known for centuries. <--Facts 2. They then monitored the amount of carbon dioxide released with the help of an infrared laser.   < --- Trial and error. 3. has uncovered that the crafty plants use the proteins extracted from their prey,  < -- Research.
The point of view is…	3rd Person	However, scientists thought the prey only provided the plant with essential nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous < -- “scientists” 2. The researchers, who published their findings in the scientific journal   < -- “the research” 3. The scientists believe the large amount of energy<--- “the Scientists”
The intended audience is...	Young Adults	University of Freiburg in Germany < -- Young adults would know about university. 2.who published their findings in the scientific journal New Phytologist < -- Something also for young adults 3.
	I can generalise about the author’s point of view Overall… this article is for informative purposes because… It wants you to know :the truth: about the venus flytrap and the new studies they have found out about it because It is for young adults so they know the nutrients of the weird plant.