Whose Planet Is This?

Thanks to our research into some important environmental issues, we have developed valuable knowledge about the causes and effects of these. One effect that disturbed many of us was human impact on animal species through deforestation, pollution and overpopulation.

We had class discussions about whether we have the right to disturb animal habitats in order to improve our own. We discovered that many animals we know have been here for hundreds and thousands of years longer than people. Do we have more rights than all other species?

One question we are asking is  - 'Whose planet is this?' 

We thought we would create some posters for others to think about. Check out our USpace pages for more, or you may find some posted around our school.

Where Can Technology Take Us?

See our USpace galleries for a look at the inquiry projects we have been working on about our environment and sustainability. Our learning has had many of us asking some big questions about the world we live in.

Watch this video and respond to the questions below…



When we learned about Christchurch in the past, we discovered that the central city had traffic conductors at intersections. We know that we don't have traffic conductors now because traffic lights have been invented.

Think about how technology can change our lives. 

1. What new skills do you think people might need in the future?

2. We have been learning about many environmental issues through our inquiry projects. Do you think that technology could solve some of these issues? How?

Readers' Cafe

Here is an insight into our Readers' Café. This is something that runs every Friday morning in Room 14.

It simply involves us sharing what we have been reading for enjoyment during the week. 

We do this in our literacy groups. One person in each group is a designated observer. They watch our discussions take place and award secret points for sharing, listening and questioning. Each group winner is then the observer the following week.

This has been a great success for us. It encourages us to increase our reading mileage, search for books that interest us, develop our conversational skills and recommend books to others.

It's always a nice way to end our week, creating a relaxed environment and 'winding down' atmosphere in our classroom.

Wants Vs Needs

Watch this video from Ollie's World:
VIDEO: Grandpa Takes A Stand

Think: What does this story have to do with wants and needs?

Why do you think Grandpa is upset?

You might think that what Grandpa does is a bit strange, but do you agree with him?

Comment and share your opinions.

Petanque Anyone?

Today we tried our hand at a French game called petanque. It's not the most athletic game, but definitely requires some strategy and forward thinking.

It was difficult at first because you need to throw the boules (heavy metal balls) underarm while putting backspin on them. This took a while to get used to. But really the game is similar to traditional bowls, which is popular in New Zealand.

We have a class set, so may look to adapt the rules and integrate it with our maths programme.

I wonder if anyone can find any videos online that show how good the professionals are at this game. Maybe we could learn a few tricks...

Steps To Success - Term Three

This week we have revisited our steps to success. Like last term, we have each identified one skill and one attitude to work on this term. Both of these are things that we really think would help us take huge steps forward in becoming better learners.

We used our brainstorm from here to help us identify what our strengths and challenges are.

There are some great new steps on display. Sometimes the simplest ones can be the most powerful...

"I want to be a leader"
"Don't doubt myself"
"Be creative with my ideas"
"Look for new inquiry challenges"

It's great to see on display that we are moving forward together, we are all individuals with different strengths and that we know ourselves as learners.