India and New Zealand

After learning all about different countries, we then compared them to New Zealand. We worked in pairs and small groups to look at the similarities and differences - and at what makes each country so special.

Here are some of our comparisons between New Zealand and India. Veronica joined our class around this time and wrote an amazing comparison between New Zealand and China. Enjoy! 

Maddox, Ayden and Luke

Prisha, Ivy, Anica

Ivan, Riyan

Cricket

For the last 4 weeks we have enjoyed taking cricket lessons.  Have a look at some of our thoughts!

We love drums, We love drums, We love drums, drums, drums!

After our amazing drum experience we have been looking at how music and drums have and still impact our society. We have been researching drums and have even had the chance to make our own.

This week we took our drums and we practised making beats - some that we have learned in class, some we learned at our Drum Experience and some we made up! Check out some of our videos of our beats

Will, Blaze, Maddox, Ayden

Eve, Zara, Smrithi, Anica

Breanna, Mone, Ivy

Mika, Anne, Hiroto, Sophia

Ayla, Molly, Prisha

Ivan, Felix 

Dawei, Riyan, Kaleb 

Larry, Luke 

Drum Workshop

Last Friday we had a special visitor come to our school where the whole Middle Syndicate spent a whole hour singing and clapping and beating our drums. Check out some of our sense descriptions about what we saw, heard and felt.

I saw drums in big metal bars, Johnny who told us how to use the drums and my red and numb hands.

I heard very loud drums,

music to play the drums and people shouting.

I felt mad because my hand was hurt and  happy because Johnny told us the Senior’s tune.

- Dawei

I saw wooden drums and the middle syndicate playing drums.

I heard banging drums and loud clapping.

I felt very nervous because lots of people were there.

- Luke

I saw lots of children beating the bass.

I heard the drums beating different beats.

I felt the hard skin covering the African drums.

- Riyan

I saw lots of people playing very loud drums.

I heard people screaming and shouting really loud.

I felt confused because Jonny was making different beats

- Ivan

I saw lots of people beating drums.

I heard people doing the drums.

I felt happy because it was very nice.

- Anica 

I saw kids playing drums.

I heard drum sounds and they were really loud.

I felt my hands and they were sore.

- Petelo

Buddy Class Art

In connection to our inquiry, on Friday we had our buddy class come to do a special art project. We collected leaves and made different creatures that we might see in the bush. We love working with our buddy class! 

Swimming Inspiration

For the last few weeks we have been having swimming lessons with Skills4Life. We have 3 sessions a week and it is an important and exciting part of our curriculum. Because of this we have been using it as inspiration for a lot of our writing. We have written recounts, sense poems, learning logs etc. Enjoy some of our writing about our experiences in the pool!

For the last four weeks we have been taking swimming lessons from Skills for Life. Something I enjoyed was kicking, bubbling, arm circles and the rings. The kicking was splashy, the water went everywhere! The arm circles felt like a whirlpool.

When I first got in it was cold but then I got used to it, then it was warm. Then I got hiccups because I stayed in too long.

It was so fun !

- By Ivy

I see children playing in the pool.

I hear children shouting.

I feel the waves coming over me.

I taste the water, it tastes like salt.

I smell dirty water.

- by Sophia

It looks like prison gates as you walk in. 

It sounds quiet while you are under the water. 

The hot sun feels burning on my back. 

It tastes like disgusting chlorine on my tongue. 

The changing room smells like old pee. 

- By Maddox 

The water in the pool looks like blue jelly swimming in the water. 

In the pool it sounds like silly monkeys splashing in the water. 

It feels like bouncing on yummy jelly. 

It tastes like chilly water in the pool coming into our mouths. 

It smells like smelly togs. 

- By Ivan 

'Splish, Splash!'The pool was so cold! 

It was Wednesday the 7th of February and it in the Sunnybrae School pool. I went with Room 17 and Miss Roding and the swimming instructors. 

We lined up and did our arm strokes. That is how the swimming instructors put us into groups. We did bubble breathing, back stroke and other things that were so much fun. At the end we did the plastic rings. Our instructors threw the rings and we had to dive under to find them. After we hopped out and put on our towels , we went in the changing rooms to get dressed. Then we came out and went to morning tea. I had a great time with our swimming instructors. 

- By Breanna

Brr, it’s so cold in here! On Wednesday the 7 of February in the morning 10:30 am we did our first swimming lesson! There was Miss Roding, me, Room 17 and the instructors. We went to the school pool to go swimming so that we could learn how to swim. First  we lined up and went to the school swimming pool. Next we got changed and lined up on the side of the pool so that we could go and do our assessment . After we did our assessment we got into our groups and they taught us things like: arm circles, dive for rings and much more! When we left we got changed back into our school uniforms, and went back to class for morning tea. This was room 17s first swimming lesson.

- By Smrithi