Wednesday 21 June 2017

New Zealand Needs You!

After learning about the Pioneer Maori Battalion we created these posters that could have been used to encourage Maori to sign up during the First World War.

Spinning Tops

We created our very own moving art - spinning tops. Enjoy


Identify Wheels and Axles

After reading "Who Invented the Wheel and Axle?" on Wonderopolis the Guardians of the Galaxy went on a scavenger hunt to locate examples of wheels and axles at school.

Tuesday 20 June 2017

Wig Day Wednesday

Room 3 participated in Wig Day Wednesday to raise funds for Child Cancer. Great effort Room 3.


Richard Pearse's Flying Machine

After reading "Mad Dog Pearse and the Aerial Machine" Alexis, Charlotte and Kristy travelled back in time to create a news report that may have been heard on the day Richard Pearse flew his plane.

Monday 19 June 2017

Rube Goldberg

For our Inquiry into Functions we investigated the inventor Rube Goldberg.

Sunday 18 June 2017

Richard Pearse Biography

After reading "Mad Dog Pearse and his Aerial Machine" Kristy and Charlotte collaborated on a biography of pioneering aviator Richard Pearse.


A New Life For Old Machines

After reading "A New Life For Old Machines" by Rosemary Hipkins the Avengers collaborated on a SOLO Generalisation map.




Thursday 15 June 2017

Arcade Games

After reading "Caine's Cardboard Arcade May Be Closed But Its Legacy Lives On" from DOGO News the Justice League were inspired to build their own cardboard arcade games.


Wednesday 14 June 2017

Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū: The Pioneer Māori Battalion

After reading Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū: The Pioneer Māori Battalion Charlotte, Kristy and Joshua evaluated the claim "serving in the First World War improved life in New Zealand for Maori"



Te Hokowhitu-a-Tū: The Pioneer Māori Battalion were a group of soldiers who served during the first world war. They were conscripted to fight alongside other soldiers in defence of the British Empire. Many Maori in particular those from Taranaki and Waikato were against Maori joining the war effort. Other Maori, some as young as fifteen signed up eagerly seeking adventure. However did serving during the war improve the life for Maori in New Zealand?

One reason the Maori had a better life after the war was because there was a focus on education. The soldiers were able to help whanau understand opportunities beyond their villagers by teaching them about the world, it’s cultures and the adventures awaiting. The war also helped form a better understanding between the races. Maori and Pakeha formed friendships and connections on the battlefield that would continue in New Zealand. The Maori and Pakeha experienced the same hardships on the battlefield that would help them understand each other better. It is believed that better relations between Maori and Pakeha were formed because of the shared experiences at war.
Although positives that came from Maori going to war there were still a lot of negatives. Even after fighting alongside one another Pakeha still saw the Maori as different. The Maori returned to New Zealand to lower paid jobs.  Maori were still poor, and were in worse health. Serving during the war meant the number of Maori young men also declined. 366 Maori soldiers were killed and more than 700 wounded. Even with their great sacrifices the quality of life for Maori did not improve dramatically. They were still viewed as different and inferior to Pakeha.

Overall the hopes of Maori were not realised. The Maori thought that after serving in the war, they would be viewed as equal and gain respect from Pakeha. Unfortunately this is not what happened. The Maori were still considered different and many stayed poor, had worse health and no land. Maori soldiers that were able to come home to their families shared their new understanding of the world and gained lifelong friendships. However the lives of the Maori people that stayed in New Zealand did not improve because of those that served in the war.



Hand Pump Vs Play Pump

After reading 'Easy as Child's Play' the X-Men used a SOLO hot map to compare a hand pump to a play pump.


In New Zealand if we need water for washing, drinking, cooking and cleaning we just turn on a tap. However in some African villagers they need to go to a water pump to collect any water they may need. In some villagers there are hand pumps, diesel, electric or even play pumps. A play pump is a new invention that has harnessed the energy children generate from playing to collect and store fresh, clean water. Some villagers still use traditional hand pumps but which is better?

Traditional hand pumps can provide 150 litres of water per hour however the play pump can provide a huge 1400 litres per hour. This means the play pump is much more efficient at producing water.

Liam and Connor - Pump water from the ground upwards -
When you push down on a hand pump it compresses air into water making the water come up into a bucket at ground level. In contrast a play pump collects water from underneath the ground and pumps it all the way to a overhead storage tank. The play pump is a better option as it can store water that can be collected at any time rather than having to pump when you need it.

Movement - Sam and Arav
To operate a hand pump you need to push the lever up and down which is not very efficient. On the other hand to operate the play pump all you need to do is spin it around. Kids find it quite fun to play on the playpump and it is less work compared to the hand pump.

Installation Cost- Sativa and Angelika
The installation for hand pumps costs are very cheap as they don’t have very many moving parts or require any machinery but on the other hand the play pump installation costs three times more as much as a hand pump and therefore needs funding by advertising on the storage tanks.

Overall we think that the play pump is better than the hand pump because it is more efficient. It can be used as a roundabout for children to play on providing a fun activity as well as fresh water. Above all the play pump provides a lot more water which can be stored. Although playpump costs more play pumps are much better for the villagers. We recommend that more villages use the play pump as a way to collect and store water.

Monday 12 June 2017

Caine's Arcade Prediction

After reading "Caine's Cardboard Arcade May Be Closed But Its Legacy Lives On" from DOGO News the Justice League made a prediction about Caine's future.


Caine Monroy became famous when he was just 9 for building a cardboard arcade in his Dad’s auto shop. His adventures were filmed by documentary maker, Nirvan Mullick in 2011 and turned Caine and his arcade into a viral sensation. Caine’s arcade went on to inspire the Imagination Foundation, a foundation to find, foster and fund creativity and entrepreneurship in kids.

After the arcade closed Caine said he was ready to pursue his next dream of opening a bike shop. We are predicting whether Caine is likely to pursue his dream.  

Evidence suggests Caine could achieve his dream because his father, George owns a shop and Caine has some experience of watching his father. Caine has knowledge on running his own arcade and knows how to handle money. He might also run a bike shop because he is well known and that would help attract customers.

However other evidence suggests he may not pursue his dream in the future. This is because Caine was given a $230,000 USD scholarship for college which could lead Caine to choosing a bigger and better career.

Overall the most likely outcome we believe is that Caine will pursue a different dream in the future. We think this because he may have second thoughts and may set his sights higher than running a bike shop.  Caine will have more opportunities because of his fame and education at college.

Sunday 11 June 2017

Easy as Child's Play

After reading 'Easy as Child's Play' the X-Men wrote a proposal to companies to encourage them to buy advertising space on playpumps.


We are writing to you about an exciting opportunity for your company. We have available advertising space on water tanks in Africa. Your business could be one of the first New Zealand companies to support a great initiative that helps African villagers have access to clean, fresh, safe drinking water. 

A playpump is a special roundabout that pumps water up from an underground well while providing a fun and unique play area for children. Playpumps are an efficient way to access water while being fun, practical and easy to use. The water collected by the playpumps is stored in sealed overhead storage tanks. It is on these tanks that you will have available space to advertise your product or service. 

Advertising on these billboards would be a great way to help people have access to drinking water, playpumps are also a gathering place for women who are usually responsible for purchasing household goods. Advertising your product here could help you reach a large audience and incredibly help save lives!

If you are interested in this life changing opportunity please contact playpumpsnz.co.nz and we would be happy to discuss this further with you.

Thursday 8 June 2017

Podcast #5

The Page Turner

In Inquiry we are looking at different functions and machines. Inspired by Rude Goldberg we created an ingenious Page Turner.

Kaitiakitanga

In Maori we learned about Kaitiakitanga. Kaitiakitanga means guardianship, protection, preservation or sheltering. It is a way of managing the environment, based on the traditional Māori world view. We also discovered that a kaitiaki is a person, group or being that acts as a carer, guardian, protector and conserver. 

Kristy, Sativa, Charlotte and Alexus created the posters below featuring kaitiaki.



Tuesday 6 June 2017

Thursday 1 June 2017

Samoan Language Week

To celebrate Samoan Language week Mr Tomokino and Mrs Tomokino (his mum) shared some cultural practises with our Samoan fanau. Fa'afetai lava Mr and Mrs Tomokino.