Term 3 Week 9 Cross Country Part One

This is an example of writing after the cross country this term. This student was one of the target writers in the Te Whare Rama programme and completed this writing independently and without needing encouragement to keep working. Connections were made with prior learning to write this as we have been working on a moment in time writing. The learning environement was managed so that all students see theselves as writers and all students willingky participate in writing activities. The teacher sees all studens as writers and input is given as needed based on each student being a writer.

The model has been included as an example of a strategy to promote success as the students know what is expected of them and have a guide to work to. The remember to's were displayed from previous writing we had completed within a moment in time.

The SENSES

I feel

• I feel the fuzzy grass brushing my legs while I was sprinting as fast as I can.
• I feel the slippery slimy water mix while I was speeding down the water slide.

I smell

• I smell the citrus detergent when I slid down the waterslide.
• I smell the strong grassy smell coming from the hay bales which smelt like I was in a farm.

I taste

• I can taste my dry saliva jumping around in my mouth begging for water.
• I taste small portions of mud fling up in my open mouth.

I hear

• I hear screaming from the audience while I cross the finish line.
• I hear batches of wind echoing from around the hall while I climb awhwardly on the hay bales.

I see

• I see cones scattered around the place telling me where to go.
• I see stray twists of hay from theyellow hay bales waving in the distance.

I wonder

• I wonder who made cross country.
• I wonder if the next year year 6 track is the same is this year.

Monday 4th September

This is written in the past tense.  It is a memory of what the cross country run was like. Each sentence starts with a verb.   A verb is an action word.  Every verb has the ing suffix.

there are 4 linked sentences.  The sentences focus on the senses.  The first sentence says what happened and the second sentence adds detail.

I remember,

Dragging my feet through the thick brown mud

Curling my toes as I felt the sticky cold oozing through them

Gasping for breath as I tried to keep running up the hill a second time

Forcing my legs to keep moving me forward

Shivering as slimy soap bubbles slid down my legs

Rolling sideways off the water slide that was turning the grass to slush

Licking  sweat that was slowly melting from my forehead

Tasting the salty and hot liquid on my lips

That was my cross country run.

I remember,

Listening carelessly to the yelling from the younger kids wishing they would be quiet

Blasting noises rapidly and repeatedly in my ears

Splashing viciously into the soggy mud

Feeling the mud giving way beneath me at every step

Ascending painfully up the stacked hay bales

Walking up them slowly one by one

Charging fast through the cones at the finish line

Sprinting quickly with Suhyeok throughout the race

That was my cross country run. 😛 😛 😛

Term 3 Week 8 Teach me Tuesday

Teach Me Tuesday

Ok, so you’re going to be the teacher!

Grab a piece of paper, a pencil and write down what you need to prepare!

• Set a goal about what you want everyone to know at the end of your session and have a WALT in mind (We Are Learning To ...)

• Think about how you will know if your teaching was successful – what criteria can the children use to check they have completed and understood the learning?

• Think through your lesson and make notes about the order of the steps and the time needed for each step.

• Remember that your lesson should be no more than 25 - 30 minutes long – you should aim for 20-25 minutes.  Think about an introduction to your lesson, the main body of your lesson, a conclusion (wrap it up) and then time for questions and answers.

• List any equipment/gear you might need (make sure you bring it from home or if you need me to organise something, let me know beforehand)

Practice your lesson on your family – HAVE FUN!

Teach Me Tuesdays

Friday 7th July 2017

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Each Tuesday throughout Term 3, your child will have a chance at leading the class in some new learning. They will be the TEACHER, this giving the children the opportunity to connect with others and share their special passions, interests and skills.  

Students will first need to decide on a goal - what the class will be learning from them (we call this a WALT - We Are Learning To).  It can be anything such as a dance lesson, teaching a new game, origami, learning a language, a science experiment, magic tricks, How to sketch, How to make and decorate cupcakes … Students will discuss their topic with me prior to their scheduled week.  Please feel free to talk with them at home about what they would like to teach and share with the class.  You may even like to help them plan their lesson.

Students will have a 25-30minute slot to teach their chosen lesson and there will be a question and answer time at the end.   It is important to note that Teach Me Tuesdays should be fun and stress-free.  There is no expectation for students to go to too much trouble preparing their presentation!  

A timetable has been created so the children will know when it is their turn to teach their lesson to the class.

I look forward to seeing the skills and sharing the interest that your child brings to the classroom.

Kind regards

Christine Robson

REFLECTION

TMT was a highlight of the term. The students eagerly looked forward to the presentation each week and all contributed to the learning environemnt with their enthusiasm and their engagement - very high participation levels. All students had a turn. The learning ranged from origami to drawing to cooking to decorating cupcakes to sports outside to language learning to dancing to science experiments. Photos were taken of each presentation and forwarded to the students so they could go into their learning journals for the term.

Would I do this again? - 100 percent most definitely.

What were the benefits? Empowering the students to lead the learning. Giving every student the opportunity to show their strengths and to present the learning in a way that they chose. Oracy levels increased as all students had the opportunity to lead and to be heard. All students, without exception took a turn and there was no trying to opt out.

What were the points to consider for next time? The presentations easily became longer than 20 minutes and fitting more than 2 in an afternoon became difficult. This meant that we ran over into Wednesday and sometimes even Thursday to fit in the students who were on each week. There was a level of familiarity that crept in which was in some ways beneficial as it broke the ice for the quieter students, however some students tried to take over others presentations. There was a need for reminders about how to behave as an audience and what the level of audience participation was to be.

The other two Year 6 rooms have run TMT for two terms, however I think running it over one term is enough.

The students have completed a reflection in a similiar way to what I have and so I will take the points from this into the planning for next year when I run this again for certain!

Term 3 Week 6 STEM

Term 3 Programme

This follows on from the StuntMan project. Students have been selected across Year 6 who are the quieter voices in the classroom; the students who we feel would benefit from small group work developing language and gaining vocab within the context of Movement.

Background Information

Our knowledge of how people learn has grown substantially over the last few decades. We now understand that success in learning requires the learner to be at the center of the experience, making connections across disciplines and also across contextual settings. Children need to be presented opportunities to learn the same material in different settings and through different lenses. The traditional approach of teaching topics in isolation does not support the ways that children learn best.

We can also blend math and science to make learning interdisciplinary using a STEM approach. And the learning becomes more relevant when students go outside to explore nature. By asking the right questions, we can help stimulate investigations where students are identifying objects, making comparisons, making predictions, testing ideas, and sharing discoveries, all while observing their natural environment. Students can also explore sizes, shapes, patterns, and quantities in the process. In this way, children can learn concepts from different disciplines in different contexts, all in ways that are naturally engaging to them.

STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach.

Learning is collaborative and project-based; kids work closely together in a hands-on way to solve real-world problems.

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. STEM is important because it pervades every part of our lives. Science is everywhere in the world around us. Technology is continuously expanding into every aspect of our lives.

http://nz.educationhq.com/news/33914/so-why-the-stem-push/

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/85799549/STEM-programme-bringing-innovation-into-primary-schools

http://www.kauriflats.school.nz/16/pages/9-stem-at-kauri-flats

https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/2016/06/why-its-time-to-get-serious-about-stem-education/

Key Competencies

Using Language, Symbol and Text

This competency is about how we make meaning – how we express and communicate our ideas, experiences, and information. People use a rich mix of language, symbols and texts, including spoken and written language, visual language such as photos and video, the symbols used in maths and science and much more. It is crucial for 21st century learners to have strong capabilities in this area.

Participating and Contributing

You don’t learn much if you don’t participate (learning is active meaning-making after all) and most of us know that you get more out of any sort of interactions where you also contribute. This competency includes contributing in a group, making connections with others and creating opportunities for others in a group. This relates to every part of our children’s lives – in fact some researchers have started calling this idea lifewide learning.

Thinking

Thinking involves using creative and critical processes to make sense of information, experiences, and ideas. Intellectual curiosity is at the heart of this key competency.

Term 3 Goal

For 2 groups of students to explore the concept of movement through a STEM approach.

	Names	Time
Group 1:	Anthony (22)  Cale (22)  Daniel (21)  Thomas (21)  Suhyeok (22)  Caleb (21)  Leo (21)	Wednesday 1.30 to 2.30 and Thursday 11.30 to 12.30
Group 2:	Cindy (22)   Abby (22)   Candice (21)  Eva Marie (21)  Zayliah (22)  Irene (20)  May (20) Yunseo (22)	Monday and Tuesday 11.30 to 12.30

Date	Experience	STEM concepts related to movement	Resources Needed (highlight when we have the resource)
Week 1	Planning and gathering resources Pauline observing and working alongside students in class.
Week 2	Make a spinner	spinning	Cardboard, string
Week 3	Build a car	wheels /friction	Cardboard, straws, skewers Sellotape, scissors
Week 4	Racing cotton reels	“	Cotton reels, drawing pins Rubber bands, beads, iceblock sticks
Week 5	parachute	Flight/Air	String, material, paper plate Small toy
Week 6	Paper glider/pin wheel	Flight/Air	Coloured paper straws
Week 7	Make levers/pop ups	Levers	Cardboard  split pins
Week 8	Soy Sauce fish Cartesian diver Pg 76 Make Science Fun	Floating and sinking	Clear plastic bottles 1.25ml, paper clips,
Week 9	Magic mind power pendulum Pg 88 Make Science Fund	Motion	Sticks, string,  small toys or items
Week 10		Make Merry go round

We need,  felt pens, glue, sellotape

Reflection

From the students the feedback is very positive. Comments:

• It was fun doing different stuff to what we do in the classroom.
• I liked not having to write everything down.
• I wanted to make something every week and this is what I got to do.
• I learnt new words to talk about how what I made moved and I got to show my class what I had been doing.
• I liked working with just some of us and being able to talk about what i was doing.
• It was good not to have a glue gun this time! I didnt burn myself this time.
• My racing car went the fastest. I made modifications to my car and it went faster than anyone elses.

As a teacher:

• The participation levels in the classroom increased as the students had more language to contribute to discussions.
• The projects were engaging and motivating. The hands on aspect was a plus and the students were eager to bring back in to the classroom what they had made to share with the class. This gave them a voice and a chance to talk in front of the class.
• We talked about what the students were doing in the team meetings so it wasnt just a withdrawal class they were going out to.