World Health

We used SOLO taxonomy three layers of learning to inquire into World Health.

Teacher Poetry

In writing we were inspired by Hillaire Belloc's poem Jim. However instead of writing about terrible things happening to children we wrote about our favourite (?) teachers instead.

Paper Planes Novel Study

The Justice League collaborated on novel study of Paper Planes by Allayne. L. Webster

Double, Double, Toilet Trouble!

After reading Double, Double, Toilet Trouble by Ken Benn the X-Men created a news bulletin based on the text.

Carrot Country

After reading Carrot Country by Jill Friar the Guardians of the Galaxy collaborated on a SOLO sequence map, they also created advertisements for the Ohakune carrots in the article.

What is Smog?

The Avengers read an article on Wonderopolis "What is Smog?". They then collaborated on a cause and effect map and summary.

Pollution is a world issue alongside food scarcity, racism and the refugee crisis. One type of pollution that has a huge impact on our world is smog. Smog is a type of air pollution caused by tiny particles in the air. The word comes from a mixture of smoke and fog.

One cause of smog is when sunlight reacts with nitrogen oxides found in fossil fuel emissions from vehicles. In cities like Los Angeles with lots of traffic there is a greater chance of smog occurring. However car emissions are not the only cause heavy industry and power plants e.g. steel, chemical plants produces also contribute to the production of photochemical smog. Some cities are also more prone to smog because of their geographical location cities in basins surrounded by mountains trap smog in the valley where it can’t be blown away.

The effects of smog can be devastating. Smog is known to  damage crops and cause health problems in farm animals. This can impact the production of food and also affect the ability to export food to other countries. Smog can also cause corrosive damage to buildings and vehicles. The most serious impact of smog though is that it makes breathing more difficult, especially for those with asthma, the young and elderly.

To prevent smog we suggest that governments should plan carefully where they place factories and power plants, factories are restricted to when they can release certain types of chemicals into the air and people should think about using electrical cars and avoid burning of trash.

Smog is an issue for everyone regardless of where you live and everyone can contribute to reducing the amount of smog produced.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Inspired by the advert below, we wrote our very own fairy tales with a twist. Check out more on our individual blogs.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Room 3

Once upon a time there were three bears, who lived together in a house of their own in a wood.

The pines in the wood were several houses tall and reached towards the heavens. Even if there was a moon that night its silvery rays would not penetrate the dense canopy above her. She followed a narrow path, which was made uneven by the knotted roots that crossed it. All the while she listened for wolves but there were only small sounds of rustling bushes and the howl of the wind. Ahead of her in a clearing she saw a cottage.

The small cottage was so old and poor that it was surprising it was still standing. And yet it seemed alive and welcoming, a warm ribbon of smoke rose from the crooked old chimney. The walls were made of stone and the roof was thatched together with straw. The cottage was the only thing in the clearing. There were no other houses around it, and this one would have looked abandoned if not for the smoke. A green gate with paint falling off was the entry to the property. Then came a narrow path with small pebbles, a tiny pond with lilypads and maybe even a frog or two. Vines grew up the weathered brown planks of the arched door. She crept cautiously along the path and peered through the frosted glass of a window.

Goldilocks’ famous long golden tresses were bound together tightly in a harsh braid and covered with a jet black beanie. Her eyes the colour of burnt coffee narrowed as she cased the home. Her raven black clothes camouflaged her amongst the shadows as she efficiently opened the latch of the window. Lifting the window skillfully Goldilocks entered the property without a sound.

Goldilocks listened intently for any sound of the inhabitants. Silence. Striding confidently into the kitchen she encountered a large oak table bearing three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks feeling famished picked up a rudimentary carved spoon and dug straight into the largest of the bowls. Finding the porridge unpleasant and far too hot, she tasted the other bowls. Finally settling on the smallest bowl she greedily devoured every last morsel. Goldilocks now made her way into the lounge area where a welcoming fire smoldered in the hearth. The warmth, in combination with her full stomach, made Goldilocks stifle a yawn. Surveying the room Goldilocks was unimpressed with the primitive possessions of the family so decided to try upstairs. She searched through the bedrooms, but they yielded nothing of value either.  Fatigue overcame her and Goldilocks decided to lie down and rest before plotting her next move. Some time later she was startled awake by the sound of a wrought iron key turning in the lock.

Goldilocks threw open the bedroom window in a panic and clambered down the drainpipe before disappearing quickly into the shadows. The family walked into their kitchen “Who's been eating my porridge?” enquired the father, “Never mind that, ring the police I think we’ve been robbed!” responded the mother.

“So as far as you can tell, nothing has been taken?” asked the officer as he took down the details in his leather bound notebook. “No, but our food was eaten, and someone’s been through the cupboards and drawers, and it looks like someone has been sleeping in our bed” responded the mother through muted sobs. “I think we best get forensics in” said the officer.

The white clad forensic team moved cautiously through the house in order to not disturb any possible clues. The sound of the cameras going off was like a bush full of crickets. “Dust that spoon for prints too” the team leader commanded. “Boss, look what I’ve got here” said a figure coming down the stairs. A small plastic bag was held up to the light containing a single golden strand of hair.

Sitting at the bench the Honourable Judge Rumpelstiltskin presided over the court. Goldilocks was flagged by two burly moustached police officers. In the witness box was the forensic expert. “Can you confirm that the strand of hair found at the bear’s residence matches that of the accused” asked the prosecution lawyer draped in a long black robe. “Yes I can conclusively state that the hair found at the residence matches the accused. I am in no doubt that Goldilocks broke into the bear’s home”.

After a short deliberation, the head juror delivered a unanimous verdict of guilty. The right honourable judge banged his gavel to bring order to the court before announcing “Goldilocks you have shown no remorse for the crimes you have been found guilty of committing, you leave me no alternative but to sentence you to ten years without parole, officers take her into custody”.

Goldilocks spent the next decade contemplating the errors she had made and on her release finally understood something we all know ‘you must never steal’.

Time Flies

Orchard to Overseas

After reading 'Apples Again' by Jillian Sullivan the Guardians of the Galaxy sequenced the journey of apples from orchard to overseas.

Sequence by Rayan

Classroom Possessions

From Paddock to Plate

After reading 'Growing the Dollars' the Avengers worked on a graphic sequence to show the events in the text. Here is Harrison and Nikhil's sequence.

Big Vs Bigger

The Watchmen used a story starter by Bret McKenzie and collaborated on their own version of Big Vs Bigger.

Sean was the biggest kid on the street. I’m talking huge, as big as a bus. He actually lifted a bus once with his bare hands. Sean ruled the neighbourhood. He was kind of a big deal. That was until big Steve, an even bigger kid, moved in next door.

Big Steve was so huge he couldn’t even fit in a regular sized room. His bedroom was an aircraft hangar, and even then his toes would poke out the end. Big Steve’s face was enormous, his eyes were the size of dinner plates and when he had to blow his nose he had to use a king sized bed sheet.

Sean and Big Steve would terrorize the little kids at school. The big boys would pick the little kids up, turn them upside down and hang them from the netball posts until they gave them their lunches. That wasn’t the worst of it though. Big Steve would find the smallest, skinniest kid pick him up and use him like a cotton tip to clean out his ears. The little kid would often be seen walking around stunned with a pointy hat made out of ear wax.

Sick of being terrorized the little kids organised to meet in the basement of the school. The basement was a creepy, scary location but was the one place Sean and Big Steve couldn’t fit. The basement was stuffed with immense spider webs, rusty water tanks, piles of old test papers, dust heaps and rotten old desks. It was here in this dark, dank place that the little kids came up with their plan.

The next day at school Sean and Big Steve approached the little kids as usual. “Give us your lunches, or else!” boomed Big Steve. At this the little kids came together to execute their plan. The kids started climbing up on each others shoulders. One by one they stacked themselves on top of each other to form a tremendously tall tower of kids. The tower of kids now loomed over Sean and Big Steve. The top kids were lowered down until they were waist height to Sean and Big Steve. Many little hands then grabbed onto the waistband of the big boy’s undies and with an almighty pull the little kids hoisted Big Steve and Sean’s underpants up their backs and over their heads.

Some of the little kids who were still on the ground now grabbed the big kids shoelaces, that were the size of tug of war ropes, and tied them together. Sean and Big Steve with their eyes covered by their super stretched undies and their feet tied together screamed out “HELP” as they toppled over and crashed into the school. The buildings were demolished under the sheer weight of the two giants. The hall was demolished, the classrooms were demolished, the office was demolished, the library was demolished and even the toilets were demolished. The principal ran outside to see the chaos and destruction for himself. His face went red with rage as he yelled “SEAN AND BIG STEVE YOU ARE EXPELLED FROM SCHOOL FOREVER!!!” The little kids let out a huge roar ‘YAY!!!!”.

The little kids were overjoyed for not only did they work together to defeat Sean and Big Steve but they had three months off while the school was rebuilt.

From Farm to Fridge

The Guardians of the Galaxy collaborated on a sequence map using information from 'A Hundred Cows' by Jane Buxton.

Loofahs to Sell

After reading 'Loofahs to Sell' by Jill MacGregor the X-Men created adverts to sell the loofahs from the article. Sam and Arav collaborated on this advert.

A Hundred Cows

After reading 'A Hundred Cows' by Jane Buxton the Guardians of the Galaxy defined vocabulary from the text. Mizuki on Boston collaborated on this poster.

Charlie and Maria

After reading 'Charlie and Maria' by Bartha Hill the Avengers collaborated on an Evaluation Map and Summary.

Communication

World Issues

Economy and Trade

Podcast #6

Sativa's Speech

A huge congratulations to Sativa on her incredible speech - We're all very proud of your amazing achievement.

In the Jungle, the Mighty jungle

Having watched the work of the great David Attenborough, we went on a safari ourselves and discovered some rather unusual creatures. Can you recognise who we encountered?

Twenty Fingers on One Hand!

After reading 'Twenty fingers on one hand' by Jill Macgregor the Avengers created a graphic sequence to show the journey bananas take from ground to mouth. Here is Brianna S and Brianna L's sequence.

The Port of Tauranga

After reading "The Port" by Sharyn Jones the Guardians of the Galaxy collaborated on a generalisation map.

Guess Who?

We have been working on our 'show not tell' skills in writing. Can you guess who the people are from our descriptions?

BBQ Wars - Korean Vs Kiwi

The Justice League used the information in "Sam Gyup Sal" by Kat Temitope to complete a comparison between a Korean and a Kiwi Barbecue.

The world is connected in many ways such as through imports and exports, technology and food. Many people when they migrate to another country take their customs, traditions and food with them. Wherever you go in Auckland you have the opportunity to eat the cuisine of many different countries. One cuisine you could try is Korean, and in particular a Korean barbecue. We are comparing a Korean BBQ with a traditional Kiwi BBQ.

Grill - Tvisha and Theo

Both Korea and New Zealand cook their meat on a grill. Kiwi BBQ’s traditionally cook on a rectangular gas, electric or charcoal grill. Kiwi’s always cook a barbecue outdoors to prevent fires. Korean BBQ grills are circular and placed inside a table indoors. Kiwi barbecues are safer than Korean barbecues due to being outside away from flammable materials.

Pork - Joshua and Shreyas

Both Korean BBQ and Kiwi BBQ involve pork. While Korean BBQ uses small chunks of pork and fat, Kiwi BBQs predominantly use sausages. The Sam gyup sal uses less of the pig than sausages as sausages could include any part of the animal. On the other hand, the pork in Sam gyup sal just uses the belly of the pig. The benefits of using sausages over Sam gyup sal is that it's more economical as they don't waste any part of the pig.

Condiments and Sides - Alexus

A Kiwi BBQ and a Korean BBQ are similar in that they come with a range of condiments and side dishes. A Kiwi BBQ’s sides and condiments include the traditional Watties tomato sauce, mustard, Watties BBQ sauce, onions and coleslaw. However in a Korean BBQ the sides and condiments are egg pancakes, kimchi, pieces of yellow radish, spring onions and crab. Korean BBQ seems to have more of a variety of food to eat meaning that you can customise your meal to your own preference.

Serving - Charlotte and Kristy

Both Korea and New Zealand have different ways of serving their meats and salads when having a BBQ. In Korea for a BBQ they serve their food in a lettuce leaf, and then fill the lettuce leaf with pork, and whatever types of sides that they would like. However in New Zealand the meat and sides are usually served in rolls or buns. Korean BBQ’s are much healthier than a Kiwi BBQ, this is because they eat less bread. Korean BBQ is also gluten free.

Conclusion -

Overall Korean and Kiwi BBQs have a lot of similarities when it comes to how they cook the meat, what meat they use, what condiments and sides they have and how they serve their food. Food is a way of connecting with the world, not only through migration but through imports and exports. As Martin Luther King once said “Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world“. In Auckland we have many different restaurants that serve many different cuisines such as Chinese, Malaysian, Thai, Indian and many more. We are lucky to have such variety and be able to connect with cultures from around the world.

Sam Gyup Sal

After reading 'Sam Gyup Sal' by Kat Temitope the Justice League used information in the article to create an advert for a Korean BBQ restaurant.

Seeing through Fresh Eyes

We used the video below as inspiration for some descriptive writing.

The Watchmen took on the role of the people in the video who witnessed the Orangutan, they were challenged to use 'Show not Tell' in their description.

Boston

The stranger who entered my kitchen had long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair hung from his extended front limbs. I was just getting the order ready for table 42 (two steaks one medium rare and the other well done). He sauntered up to my station and stared at the red hot flame. His large chocolate eyes showed that he was frighted of the fire. He started to walk away looking at the other things in the kitchen like knives, busy chefs and bustling waiters carrying plates.

Connor  

I nearly finished my shift I was on my last route before heading back to the depot. It was a successful day I had a full bus, it looked liked the passengers had all been Christmas shopping with bags bursting with toys and wrapping. Long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair hung from the extended front limbs of the next passenger. He took a seat. He sauntered closer and closer to me, the closer he got the more adrenaline pumped through my heart. His large cinnamon eyes expressively showed his confusion at his new surroundings. He stared out the bus window and witnessed all the things that a human being would see every day such as the water fountain, the road and the ice cream truck. When my doors next opened the stranger made his way carefully down the steps and onto his next adventure.  

Mizuki

I was at my favourite restaurant with my friend Sam, to celebrate his birthday. I ordered two chicken burgers with chips and tomato sauce. A creature with long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair came up to our table. He had extended front limbs and sauntered like an old man. His large rich chocolate eye expressively showed his curiosity at these new surroundings. He looked confused watching the people in the restaurant eating their food. He strolled with his great arms and legs. He pushed the door gently and went into the kitchen. He went outside to explore the huge beautiful word

Tariq       

I was in the kitchen getting food ready for table 42. The order was chicken and two steaks cooked medium rare. The order was almost ready to be picked up when  a stranger with long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair sauntered in. His large rich cinnamon eyes expressively showed his shock at these new surroundings. He looked close to the flame. The hairy beast was shocked, he ran away like an antelope running away from a fierce tiger.

Suyash

I was working in my office sending an urgent email to the suppliers when I witnessed a mysterious creature climbing the building in front of our office.  The stranger had long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair hung from his extended front limbs. His large hazel eyes expressively showed his interest at these new surroundings. He climbed slowly with his long arms looking at the lights of the city, amazed. The creature strolled along the city streets and then made his way gingerly onto the 277 bus.

Jacky

Long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair hung from his extended front limbs. The stranger in the dark city sauntered in the restaurant, swung on the light bulb and landed on the floor loudly. It gave me a fright. My mouth hung open wide as I witnessed the beast. My spaghetti fell off my fork and landed in my bowl. His large hazel eyes expressively showed his curiosity at these new surroundings. The stranger walked into the kitchen, the chef was shocked and screamed the furry animal was scared too and quickly strolled out of the restaurant.

Nikhil  

Long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair hung from his extended front limbs. The stranger in the city sauntered like a slow man up to the bus stop. I was driving an enormous 277 bus. I pulled up to the stop, he entered and sat on an old seat made out of wood at the back. His large rich chocolate eyes expressively showed his confusion at these new surroundings. He looked a bit troubled as he stared out of the bus window as we passed wind farms spinning. The curious creature pressed the stop button on the tall yellow handles, I stopped the bus at the next stop and he made his way carefully down the steps and onto his next adventure.  

Rayan

Long, shaggy, reddish orange to dark brown hair hung from his extended front limbs. As I was coming home from work I saw the stranger in the city sauntering through the night like a ghost. His large rich chocolate eyes expressively showed his confusion at these new surroundings. He made his way through the street and went inside a restaurant into the kitchen and watched the red hot burning flame curiously.

The Green Lantern Corps took on the role of the Orangutan. The challenge here was to describe the different sights, smells, sounds he would have experienced. However as they were writing from the perspective of an Orangutan they weren’t able to refer to objects by their name.

Alexus

Precariously I swung my way down to the ground. I made my way through the concrete jungle, wondering what was going on? Hesitantly I crept around. I came to a stop where I could smell food. The delicious scent dragged me to a halt. I came face to face with a giant rectangular plank. Tumbling my way through the wooden plank, I came across a strange place. I could hear a lot of noises from the unusual creatures within. I looked around with amazement wondering what things were about?  My eyes caught a glimpse of creatures that were swimming around in water. Looking around I saw hairless apes eating their food. Making my way through, I was looking around at all the puzzled faces. I watched the sun go round and round. The twinkling lights dazzled from above. I returned home where no strange creatures were found.

Charlie

The jagged object wouldn’t stop moving. With hesitation I carefully stepped onto the grey contraption. Stumbling I quickly got back my balance. Looking around there were strange hairless apes who were stood on their hind legs. The hairless apes look confused to see me in their habitat. My feet felt tingly on the moving rectangle. Wondering how I was going up without taking a step I looked up to find little suns spread out on top of white pieces of log that were placed above me. On a slant the mysterious grey track was heading into something new. I stepped off onto the smooth flat ground. Spotting another long peculiar moving object I decided to try going on it again. I stepped onto the strange machine and in front of me stood a pair of strange creatures talking in a language I had never heard before. Looking back at where I had came from the colorful dressed creatures pointed at me and whispered to each other as the moving ground took me further away. Ignoring the stares I looked outside the window to find bright stars brought down from the sky lining the roads.

Kristy

I hesitated for a moment, before I slowly put my foot down on the long moving object. With a slight jolt I stumbled onto it. It kept moving forwards and wouldn’t stop. Turning my head around I could see the hairless apes curiously staring at me, with confused expressions. Whispers came from out of their mouths and they looked at me like I was some sort of stranger. The strange creatures were talking in a complicated language that I had never heard before, and raising their voices at the smaller apes. As the silver rectangular contraption led me up to the top my hands fell off the edge. I jumped up. Looking up I could see many tiny suns watching over me. Walking across the smooth, cold ground my feet tingled and my legs started to shake vigorously. I spotted another moving floor and decided to have another try, this time feeling more relaxed and confident. On an angle the silver rectangle led me down to the bottom. I enjoyed the ride as there was no walking involved. At the end my long, shaggy strands of hair very nearly got stuck in the sharp, grey teeth. Multiple times I went back and forth between the two moving floors. I enjoyed the thrill of it every time. Staring out of the clear square I could see all the stars brighten up the concrete jungle.

Joshua

Strolling through the clean box and sniffing the air, lots of scents travelled through my nose and I leapt onto a short tree without leaves. Looking around me I saw heaps of hairless apes holding silver sticks. They poked the brown and green lumps and then ate them. Many small suns hung from the canopy. Finding a cave, I entered and found myself staring at fires burning on smooth rocks. Hollow rocks that were split in half hung on small, stiff vines. I went over to one of the fires and wondered how it came out of nowhere. The fire licked a rock that one hairless ape held. It then got tipped over and I saw what those things had been eating. Tipped onto a flat slab of rock, it got carried out. I gazed at the fire in wonder. How did they capture suns? How did they make fire out of nowhere? My mind was bursting with hundreds of questions. I sauntered out of the cave and as I did, the things sitting down turned and looked at me.

Shreyas

Roving through a huge cave, thousands of suns beamed brightly at me.  Apes covered in a very strange colourful hair glared at me with a puzzled expression.  Everyone pointed at me.  I felt unnerved because nothing else swang on the vines.  The strange noise made me feel like shaking and moving around.  I saw a moving floor and got frightened.  I shivered as I stepped on the moving floor.  The amazing contraption transported me.  It felt strange moving without putting in any effort.  Soon I entered a dark cave with creatures floating on a wall.  I saw my home. I saw another creature swinging on trees just like me.  I wondered about the strange floating place.  Then unanticipatedly the magical land disappeared. A strange a scent dragged me toward a box filled with small puffy white things.  I tasted one anxiously and it was delicious.  I shoved all the contents of the box into my mouth in one gulp. I went outside with the rest of the crowd.

Tvisha

Anxiously I stumbled through the crowd of tall and short creatures draped in strange materials. I saw a moving floor and nervously put my foot forward, I stumbled around and after a few minutes I caught my balance and roamed on.  I opened two large moving trees without leaves, I walked through and the place suddenly became dark. Was it night time already? Every step I took I seemed to trip over these weird concrete mountains. I saw my home and those creatures in my habitat. Curiously I sat on a soft rock and stared at the moving things for a long, long time.  A creature in front of me pulled out a small glowing rectangle out of their cloth and stared at it. The moving pictures stopped moving so I trooped out of my habitat in a room and slowly followed the crowd. The creatures stared at me with a puzzled expression on their faces as I stared at the small sun's shining straight at me.

Siya

Nervously I crawled through the crowd of tall and short creatures, I had no idea where I was and what I was doing? It was cold but these weird hairless things were wearing these pieces of what looked like colourful leaves. The hairless apes were looking at  me out of the corner of their eyes. I peered into the clear white rectangular hole and saw a roundish thing with a tiny sun. I put my foot on the moving hard rocks and then took it back, it felt funny then suddenly I stumbled on. It felt so weird moving without walking, as I reached the top I saw the creatures  were putting their foot forward so I did too.

Sativa

I sauntered through the concrete jungle, ignoring the weird creatures around me. Thousands of dazzling little stars blinded me. This beautiful, mysterious land had huge pictures that moved. Everything had turned black. It was like I was in a cave but except it was a whole lot different. The strange living things sat down and laid their eyes on the moving picture. Sounds came from every direction. The glow from the moving picture led me to this sky-high metal tree. A twinkling sun from the top of the box shone at me, I raised my arm to touch it. Nothing happened. My arm had just went right through the sun. Square things shimmered in the dark. “crunch” I had stepped on this yellow, golden crunchy fruit. Taking my very first bite into this mystical, crumbly fruit I was astonished.

How to create a Viral Video

After reading 'What does it mean to go viral?" on Wonderopolis the Avengers collaborated on a infographic to show how to create a viral video.

Do you know a Universal Language?

After reading "Do you know a Universal language?" on Wonderopolis the Justice League used a SOLO hot map to evaluate the claim "The world would be a better place if a single language was spoken by everyone on Earth"

Some legends hold that, thousands of years ago, there was a single language spoken by everyone on Earth. However would the world would be a better place if a single language was spoken by everyone on Earth?

One benefit of everyone speaking a single language is that you could understand everyone easily without needing translation. There wouldn’t be miscommunication through translation such as what happened during the translation of the Treaty of Waitangi. Some people argue that during the treaty translation there was language that conveyed a particular meaning in Māori that had a different meaning in English.

However speaking a single language would mean people would lose a connection with their culture. Culture and language are entwined with each other. Losing your language would mean a loss of identity.

Another benefit of a single global language would be new migrants would find it easier to find employment. Many refugees/migrants struggle to find work due to language barriers however this barrier could be removed if we all spoke the same language.

If Earth chose to have a single universal language it would be boring. A great part of travelling is experiencing different languages. Having many different languages also provides us the opportunity to learn.     

While there may be advantages for speaking a universal language such as English because there would be less miscommunication and migrants would have better opportunities the loss of people’s own language would have a greater impact. Having your own unique language means you have a way of connecting with people of their own culture.

Overall we believe the world is a better place because of the diverse number of languages spoken. With new technologies it is easier than ever for us to connect and communicate with people all over the world, even without speaking the same language.