Term 2 Highlights.

Retrotech exploration: 

Our Inquiry topic for the term allowed us to look back in time at the idea of technology.  We began with a whole class discussion filled with wonderings and curious questions, followed by big picture realisations for the learners.  Our favourite quote of the day was "So...everything is technology pretty much?"  Then it was off to the East Coast Museum of Technology to explore this broad area further and in a hands on way.  The outcome was a greater appreciation for the evolution of technology and the need or purpose that drove it's creation in the first place.  As a class we had a focus on what materials are used to make different technological objects and why.  Learners researched an item and produced some thoughtful posters to illustrate the current and past versions of an item, it was fantastic to see parents reading about these technological items at our end of term celebration in the hall. 

Life Education with Harold and Anna

The time spent in the Life Ed bus was a great learning curve for our Room 4 learners.  Our focus was all about social relationships and how to get along.  It was fantastic to hear the retelling of the main ideas learnt. The key words that cropped up about communicating were passive, aggressive and assertive.  The next step was to have them consider the reactions of others when their behaviour is passive, aggressive and assertive and role play this.  

Gymnastics

A big pakipaki to all the learners who used their growth mindset to take a chance and practice for a Gymnastics routine and present it at the Gisborne Gymnastics Festival.  It showed how much resilience you each had in the tank and the personal effort you had to make, ka pai to mahi! 

House of Science learning

We have been loving learning more about science using the amazing House of Science Kits this term.  Big ideas such as space, distance, momentum, underwater pressure, electric circuits were so thrilling for the learners and all of the wondered tangents and thoughtful observations that were triggered by these experiences were the beginning of many fantastic learning opportunities.  

All in all a jam packed term of learning across the curriculum and amongst the many opportunities and choices, some hands on, some orally presented plays, original art and so much more was a new found love of POWER WRITING.  I snuck the next picture as the learners were all so absorbed in their personal power writing challenges but I didn't want to disrupt them at all.