i hope you had a lovey xmas

i did.
and farewell to our lovely friend gentleman jim who leaves our shores [hopefully not forever] tomorrow.
we shall always remember jimmy - hopefully because he will stay in touch

awesome kawhia weekend!

i just had the best birthday party weekend at kawhia - best friends all came. lots of delicious food n drink was had. the bach is sublime with views to die for. manny loved it. we even had a white stallion gallop down the road and end up outside our deck so we got it fed n watered as it was clearly not being well looked after. all is well.
hope you all have a very fabulous xmas with your families and a sizzlingly super n safe new years holiday.
thank you once again for making my year such a great one. next year i am going to try to set up an e-learning class and may do a post-graduate directed study university paper based around my graphic novel thing.
what are your goals for 2008?
8>)

i love my class - the best class ever - ROOM5IANS!!!

2007 has been like a gift to me - you room5ians have rekindled my love of teaching thanks to your kindness, generosity, quality of thinking, the creative way you have worked and the wonderful things you have shared on this blog and your own.
it has been the most wonderful year. thank you sooooo much.
we shall always remain room5ians!!!!!!!

and don't forget to visit next year. i will miss you and will be looking forward to your help training the 2008 room5ians. they will have to earn that title. i will be organsiing the room5ian t-shirt over summer. get youself a t-shirt with nothing on the front to have room5ian printed on next feb. alternatively, i will post details on here for you to do it at the pre-arranged shop in town over january.

regarding the spud candy drama [my new favourite term is now "spudcandy" - good name for a bandor something] i think that has simply lead to more brilliant room5ians-ness. your sensible comments [room5ian, piglet, kittykat, etc] are yet another example of why room5ians rule.

triathlon on monday

bring bikes, togs, running gear [shoes], helmets etc to class on omndayt for the triathlon.
8>)
remind your classmates, please, if you get a chance

music and forest day

nooo! only a week or so left to go. tomorrow i say we compose and perform a class musical piece. bring your instruments! and we'll plant a forest that we can watch grow for decades to come. bring your trowels!
if you have straw or hay for ratties, bring that too please.
a great day today - well done.
room5ians rock!!!!

last two weeks as Room5ians

but you will be Room5ians forever.
:-)
what have you enjoyed about being Room5ians?
you have been exceptional in terms of behaviour. some fo the work produced has been outstanding.
i would like to thank you for allowing me to have such a wonderul year. i have really enjoyed it.
mr woody

Ratties!

the girls have arrived - can anyone think of cool names for five female rats?
also, if Mrs Barham bans us from having them in class what reasons could you come up with to argue for their inclusion in our lovely room?

blog challenge for 2008

Next year the new yr 7 GATE class will need to be mentored in how to use the class blog correctly. i am looking for peer tutors to stay involved with the Room5ian blog to help lead the way. Who is keen?

crook

well, what a weekend. i was sick all day saturday, then okay sunday morning. i took manny for a walk and he was attacked by a pitt bull mastiff cross [= a giant pit bull] and i dropped my sunglasses breaking it up. manny wasn't hurt, but the owner of the dog must have swiped my sunnies. boo hoo. then, sunday evening, sasha and i got sick at the same time and we spent all night lying awake, scurrying back n forth to the loo. i am feeling better now, having slept until lunchtime. actually i have only eaten two pieces of toast since friday night.
so how was monday at school with out me? did the official research monkeys get their movie done for Annick and Rob. If not, try to do it now....[if anyone sees this]
remember the class party on Wednesday evening.
8>)

Room5ians RulE!!!!!

omigod - i can't believe how cool the official research monkeys are. such inspirational students.
many thanks to those of you who allowed us to go off into the old board room to do our session with Rob and Annick. [i must say it's a shame that some people let us down a bit]... anyhoo - we are on track to develop some very interesting new research, ideas and ways of facilitating learning thanks to the valuable insights or our own Im a Room5ian and her fellow official research monkeys. a big thank you also to the other room5ians who are working so hard and creatively in class to produce scintillating projects.
Luigi and his cronies have been so unbelievably cool in working on developing the animation software "marvin".
please add more examples of amazing achievements by room5ians this week:

[if you work hard at this we can help convince the adults that there is a new and better way to learn...]

check out new clustrmap visitors!!!

we now have people checking us out from canada, alaska, and at least three countries in africa - including egypt! hooray!

Rats!

if 15 Room5ians post here tonight i will get two of the rats for our classroom 8>)

giant sea scorpion!

wow - glad these don't cruise the beaches during summer.... [excuse the sexist title]

BBC news reports:

"Man-sized sea scorpion claw found"

How the creature compares for size with a humanThe immense fossilised claw of a 2.5m-long (8ft) sea scorpion has been described by European researchers.
The 390-million-year-old specimen was found in a Germany quarry, the journal Biology Letters reports.
The creature, which has been named Jaekelopterus rhenaniae, would have paddled in a river or swamp.
The size of the beast suggests that spiders, insects, crabs and similar creatures were much larger in the past than previously thought, the team says.
The claw itself measures 46cm - indicating its owner would have been longer even than the average-sized human.
Overall, it exceeds the record for any other sea scorpion (eurypterid) find by nearly 50cm.
The eurypterids are believed to be the extinct aquatic ancestors of modern land scorpions and possibly all arachnids (the class of animals that also includes spiders).
"The biggest scorpion today is nearly 30cm so that shows you how big this creature was," said Dr Simon Braddy from the University of Bristol, UK.
It was one of Dr Braddy's co-authors, Markus Poschmann, who made the discovery in the quarry near Prum in south-west Germany.
"I was loosening pieces of rock with a hammer and chisel when I suddenly realised there was a dark patch of organic matter on a freshly removed slab," he recalled.
"After some cleaning I could identify this as a small part of a large claw. Although I did not know if it was more complete or not, I decided to try and get it out.
"The pieces had to be cleaned separately, dried, and then glued back together. It was then put into a white plaster jacket to stabilise it."
Super-sized meals
The species existed during a period in Earth history when oxygen levels in the atmosphere were much higher than today.

The fossil was locked in a siltstone from the Carboniferous PeriodAnd it was those elevated levels, some palaeo-scientists believe, that may have helped drive the super-sized bodies of many of the invertebrates that existed at that time - monster millipedes, huge cockroaches, and jumbo dragonflies.
But Dr Braddy thinks the large scales may have had a lot to do with the absence early on of vertebrate predators. As they came on the scene, these animals would have eaten all the biggest prey specimens.
"The fact that you are big means you are more likely to be seen and to be taken for a tastier morsel," he told BBC News. "Evolution will not select for large size; you want to be small so you can hide away."
The scorpions are thought to have made their first scuttles on to land about 450 million years ago.
While some would have taken up a fully terrestrial existence, others like Jaekelopterus rhenaniae would have maintained an aquatic or semi-aquatic lifestyle.

tv studio visit

Tomorrow we are walking to the uni tv studio in the sun with Jimmy's mum and sister, Daniel's dad, Miss Burdie and I. Sasha will meet us there and Mr Sanders will tech us how to use the studio. We are all chipping in for a gift for him for helping us. Don't mess with him - he is grumpy.
You must be at school at 8:20am
You must have comfortable walking shoes to wear, preferably shcool sandals or shoes. Wear correct uniform to school.
You may not wear mufti except during filming.
You will be creative, attentive, obedient, careful, polite, sensible and you will have fun.
If you break something your family will pay for it - not me.
It will be great!

the latest clustrmap

This is the latest clustrmap for Room5ians to view at school. Since our blessed system somehow stops us from viewing it at school, i need to capture an image for you to see. here is Movember's smattering of world wide interest in Room5ian wisdom...
There has been a lot more interest from the mighty USA since JimmyL joined us from North Carolina. Maybe he's famous there - he certainly is here.
Today was another typical Room5ian/Jimmy moment - he sacrificed himself for the sunsafety of others and got in trouble for it - but he didn't complain or blame others. He simply took it on the chin. What a guy!
Who are other thoughtful folk in Room5ian land this week?
Jgirl from the centre table group recommended yorT for a certificate last Friday - I thought that was pretty thoughtful given how he gets told off a bit. It always amazes me how you kidlets are so kind to each other - I love it - it inspires me to be a better person too.
8>)
ROOM5IANS RULE!!!

Our Breathing Space

we can breathe. We can go out in the Sun with out getting fried. We can watch life evolving all around us.
How do we do this when we are on a lump of rock hurtling through space?
We have an atmosphere. Let's find out a little more about it...

questions:

1. how come we have air to breathe?
2. why doesn't the sun fry us?
3. why does our air stay around us instead of flying out into the vacuum of space?
4. why does the air temperature change and how come we aren't frozen like we would be if we left the Earth without a spaceship?
5. where does the ozone layer exist? what is it? how does it help us? is there a hole in it? how did that happen? is it our fault?
6. do we humans have an effect on our atmosphere?
7. what is the greenhouse effect? can we replicate that in class somehow as an experiment?
8. do you like growing tomatoes or chillis or beans?

[I'm hoping you will add todays questions to this post]

here are sone links to investigate:

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/overview.html

http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/sky_blue.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/earth/atmosphere.html

http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/atmosphere.html

http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/layers.html

http://www.cosmos4kids.com/files/solsyst_earth.html

take this quiz when you've done some research... or take it first to find out what you don't know ...

http://www.geography4kids.com/extras/quiz_atmintro/index.html

touched a chord

the japanese snow monkeys in Baraka [a great movie] touched a chord in my heart

8>)

damn

i just write something to you kids that i thought was really poignant - like JimmyL's writing this week - but for some reason blogger had a glitch and i lost it.

suffice to say - you are the best for not giving up, valuing quality, and other such qualities

all of you are Room5ians - the greatest class ever! - unique amongst the fabric of the universe. never heard, or seen, or smelt before. you are incomparable, outstanding, marvellous, super and fantastic!

i hope you will count me amongst you when i proclaim proudly
"I'M a RooM5iAN!!!"

thank you for this year

mr woody / senor becada

In the Land of the Monkey God, a Primate Menaces

By Alistair Scrutton
28 minutes ago


NEW DELHI (Reuters) - First it was the death of Delhi's deputy mayor, who fell after a fight with monkeys on the balcony of his home last month.

Then, 25 residents were bitten, scratched and mauled by a lone monkey which went on the rampage in the capital last weekend.

The monkey reportedly tried to snatch several infants before being beaten back by residents armed with sticks and metal bars.

"Primal Invasion" read the headline in the Hindustan Times.

Authorities are struggling to contain primates that are stubbornly resisting efforts to portray New Delhi as a modern, clean and globalize capital.

The city of 14 million people is growing quickly and experts say monkeys are increasingly being forced out of forests to lead urban lives, putting them on a collision course with humans.

It is a pattern seen across India as the economy booms. Elephants, leopards and tigers are also coming face to face with man as cities sprawl into their former habitats.

Monkeys are a regular sight in New Delhi. They can be seen in groups climbing outside government ministries. Troupes lounge on pavements, oblivious to the chaotic traffic around them.

But culling monkeys has never been an option as many Hindus worship the monkey god Hanuman, seen as a symbol of strength, perseverance and devotion. And when Delhi tried to shift them out of the city, neighboring states complained.

Faced with what many saw as a monkey plague on homes, offices and ministries, this year city authorities started to capture and send them to a sanctuary on Delhi's outskirts.

Delhi government officials say they have caught and relocated around 1,900 monkeys. While there is no census of monkey numbers, officials say thousands still live on the city's streets.

UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK

But a spate of high-profile monkey attacks has made headlines and increased public pressure for the government to act quicker.

"The latest attack was unprecedented," said J.K. Dadoo, environment and forest secretary in the Delhi government. "Monkeys normally operate in groups."

Experts say there is a growing pattern of lone attacks that may highlight the random way authorities are trying to reduce the monkey population in the city.

"Incidents of lone monkey attacks were almost unknown until recently," said Sonya Ghose, founder of Citizens for the Welfare and Protection of Animals and a member of an enforcement panel overseeing the monkey relocation campaign.

"I fear that monkeys are being trapped in a haphazard manner. Monkey catchers are breaking up troupes of monkey families, leaving some monkeys alone without their families."

"Then they have nothing to lose and turn aggressive."

Last year, the Delhi Metro train service hired a larger langur monkey to frighten off smaller creatures after a monkey boarded a train and scared passengers by scowling at them for three stops.

Another langur is on the government payroll to scare off monkeys from Delhi's top federal government offices.

This year, a monkey sneaked into New Delhi's international airport, forcing the partial closure of the lounge for more than an hour as it scampered through the international departures area.

Dadoo said the problem was that some people fed monkeys on Tuesdays and Saturdays, seen as auspicious days for the animals.

"That is when we have most cases of monkey attacks, when people try to feed them," he said.

Ghose said she suspected monkey catchers -- often villagers from outside Delhi who are paid 450 rupees ($11.5) a monkey -- sometimes snatched monkeys in nearby forests and claimed they were caught in the city.

The Delhi residents terrorized at the weekend said the monkey attack was a terrifying experience.

"I thought it was a man at first," Manohar, one of the residents, was quoted as saying in the Times of India.

"It got hold of my son's leg and was carrying him away but I managed to snatch him back."

(Additional reporting by Onkar Pandey; editing by Y.P. Rajesh)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071113/wl_nm/india_monkeys_dc

hotspots

do you know your world news?
does politics and international relations tickle your fancy?
are you a geographer?

where would you say there are political hotspots to watch out for?

today we discussed Pakistan and the state of emergency which General Musharraf has put in place... why?

any other potential hotspots in the world? places that could effect all of us if things went wrong?

AND what about ecological hotspots? perhaps the Amazon Rain forest?

OR how about environmental hotspots? like the ever growing economy of China or India using up resources?

OR countries like America and Australia who refuse to sign the Kyoto Protocol and continue to dispute global warming and the perils of carbon emissions?

please post intelligent justified opinions with references if needed.

the great paddle hunt

the great kayak hunt has begun - i have an average kayak [not yet tried out on water]- but i need a paddle and a life jacket and maybe a spray skirt...
if anyone knows of any second hand stuff for sale let me know please.
8>)

Jandal Day

National jandal day for surf lifesavers
New 5:00PM Wednesday November 07, 2007


Photo / Sylvie Whinray
New Zealanders are being urged to show how they can handle the jandal next month on an appeal day for Surf Life Saving New Zealand.

Kiwis from all walks of life are being encouraged to don jandals on December 7 to support the nationwide street collection for the voluntary organisation.

Surf Life Saving spokesman Geoff Barry said it would be the first time the group had held a national fundraising day and hoped it would become an annual event.

"New Zealand has a drowning rate twice that per capita of Australia, so we need to be doing so much more like increasing public education, expanding our services to increase our beach access and meeting the demand for more equipment and training for our lifeguards."

The national Jandal Day is a joint initiative between Surf Life Saving New Zealand and wine range, Bach 22.

- NZPA

any jobs you fancy?

when i was your age i really wanted to be a wildlife documentary maker and primatologist/zoologist. i was fascinated by the natural world, particularly animals, and i enjoyed wildlife docos on tv. i learnt a lot from being interested and just observing or finding out for myself through books, etc. we had no computers and the internet didn't exist.
sadly i never really pursued it because i didn't really get encouraged to follow my passion. advice was given with the best intentions, and it made sense in many ways, but it was to follow things i had no interest in. the down side of that was that i spent at least a decade of my adult life farting around doing jobs i didn't like until i eventually got the courage to study things i liked at uni and found myself doing this cool job. however, i would rather have been a film maker cartoonist zoologist.
what are your passions and interests that might lead to a career? remember, you will and can change what you do as you go through life. your future will hold many amazing possibilities - there are already so many more things you can do than were possible when i was growing up. the world is your oyster! listen to your heart and dare to dream 8>)

special holidays, festivals, etc

Here in NEw Zealand we have a mix of cultures, religions, etc. Of course, all that gives way to CONSUMERISM, CAPITALISM and the huunger for the almighty DOLLAR.


any idea what these things are? have yo uconsidered what effects our greedy society is having on us , our communities and our planet?

do you care? probably not - you're only little squidlets who need not overly concern yourselves with the ways of th eworl djust yet. however! i know some of you are very socially, morally and environmentally conscious. I feel relieved that there are such good people thinking and acting - perhaps the human race will redeem itself.
8>)

my rant aside, i am wondering what you think about the various things we celebrate here. you may realise it is different in different countries. g-man's speech enlightened us about differences in Spain when recognising birthdays.
halloween has only recently become something we acknowledge here. is it a good thing? what is the point of it? do you have any idea what it's all about? or is it just about threatening poor neighbours into giving you treats? that seems a bit rude to me. of course, i'm all for dressing up and having fun too.

let the discussion begin...

Animal Campers Rule!

animal camp is fantastic! our kids must have been the best group. we did cool things and everyone had a great time - i hope.
feel free to post opinions about animal camp. we'd love to hear from other animal campers who may get into blog use like the ROOM5IANS have.
8>)
thanks for a wonderful week... and the gorgeous kiwi

mr woody

sunday drawing fun

its so nice to try to relax [even though i have a camp to take tomorrow] and doodle on a blustery sunday
8>)
who else has done something creative?

clustermap

our clustermap is going off!
we are getting popular in more places - see america exploding with interest? but which countries would you say were notable by their lack of views? and would you have any theories to share regarding those countries that haven't shown any interest - for example, a major world power, with a huge land mass, has no views - it is a former communist regime that used to be oppressive, but now has more freedom. why might it be noticeably missing from our world fan club? or is this too tricky a question for such little folk who can barely read [according to start tests]
;>)

disaster or not?

the recent STAR test results certianly gave me a fight and had me thinking maybe a change of career might be required, but i have neglected to celebrate those results that demonstrated improvements by some of you - i know paper scissors improved - well done!!!!
does anyone else have a success story to tell from that test?
or could you list other subject areas where you think you may have developed or improved your knowledge or skills? for example, room5ian and spud and many others have developed personal research skills. alpha and primprim have developed wiki skills. kittykat has created amazing writing online to share with others in her writing community. hopefully soon the authors of the cheesey problem might publish it online to get feedback from others and have an international audience.
tell me more
8>)
you guys rock

... p.s. be cheerful in the spirit of the egyptian chicken salesman and love life

Prizes for serious Room5ian Bloggers

you blog, you win!!!
Hybrid CARS!
Beach HOuses!
Private Yachts!
OVerseas Trips, all expences paid!

- [prizes may vary and not be the same as those advertised]

Room5ian and Kittykat will announce the winners each Friday after assembly

TERM FOUR TOPIC headsup

start looking into:

* our sun and moon
* our atmosphere
* the greenhouse effect
* our weather and climate change
* environmental issues associated with climate change and habitat change
* eco house design

Blogger Buzz

Search Blogger for "Blogger Buzz" to find a page dedicated to blogger action groups concerned with environmental issues
8>)

ancient egyptian chicken heaven

now that our dear departed chickens have been mummified, we can move on to embalming and preparation for their journey to the ancient egyptian chicken afterlife.

how will you prepare them?

will you use heiroglyphs? wrapping? a decorated sarcophagus? are canopic jars necessary? will you compose some poultry 'spells' to help them negotiate their way into the afterlife? which 'gods' might they have to encounter to gain access to chicken heaven?

we should help them on their way this week and i would like it to be artistic and based on your inquiry learning.

post ideas here for others to comment on.

Homework

week one homework:

1. See if you can find info to work out why a supposedly 'dead' battery will start powering an electronic device after being rolled and rubbed a bit. I often find this is the case, [as demonstrated today with the stopped clock] and i wonder why... [by Wednesday]

2. Learn the meanings and spelling of your word study list. [by Friday]

3. Complete the All Black World Cup loss P.M.I. and work out a 40-60 second speech, based on that P.M.I., to be delivered in groups tomorrow.

4. Mathmate - due Friday

5. Complete your overdue assignments by Friday - Speeches and last term's inquiry project.

6. Start looking for information on the Moon, Sun, our atmosphere and space travel.

term four topics

a list for you to comment on and add to....

maths - algebra, probability, graphing

PE - athletics, fitness

Language - speeches, reading groups

Topic - animal welfare, animal rights - space and space travel - our planet and its influences - greenhouse effect - environemental issues - eco house design

digital story telling - this is something really cool which we will learn properly from experts.

camps - camps will be cleared up in the first week back. details will be sorted. you will know what you are doing.

hope you are enjoying your hols - i am going to enjoy having a bathroom and laundry back - we've had none for three weeks!

Lamontikon

Hi kidlets - i am sanding and painting my new bathroom and laundry so my head is addled from fumes, but i thought i better post before you came rabid with boredom and terror at the prospect of writing speeches, etc. by the way - don't stress. remember? just do your best.

as for creative interests, my comic thing is getting better and i have had flickr inspiration from a dude who has a cool comic called Lamontikon.
the creator seems to be a very nice chap who wrote to me and i found his work and his comments inspirational. i recommend you flex your creative muscles this week before you head back to school to have your creativity and imagination crushed by the mind numbing horror that is school.
huzzah!!!

This is what the famous author guy wrote to me:

"When I started drawing in my pages-of-boxes style, back in1996, the name Lamont spontaneously popped into my headanytime I drew the little mushroom-headed alien I now thinkof as Lamont. Lamont means "the mountain", and is a symbol for the path to enlightenment, and a place from which the view is spectacular. As I drew, I began to unfold a narrative in which the drawings and the character could work, resulting in Lamont's position as Transdimensional Systems Analyst working for an entity and project which remains uncertain. He sits in his office cube, much like myself, and recieves seemingly random graphic datastreams, representing a multitude of perspectives and points-of-view. "Ikon" is simply a reworking of the word "icon", which defines the little images he analyses, and Lamont himself as a symbolic meme-being. I like the way the word "Lamontikon" resonates with known words like"Satyricon" or "lexicon", or "Paragon" and "polygon". Iguess I just like words and symbols, and I like simpledrawings that move the consciousness past the word andstraight to the concept or the thing it represents.and stuff :~) "


So, I suggest you follow your own creative instincts as he has and see what you can achieve.
respect - Mr Woody

overdue assignments

any overdue assignments [ancient egypt inquiry] must be completed before you return to school - unless you negotiate otherwise with me via this blog or my school email [which you should know and which i will not post here]
happy catch up!

speeches

speeches are due in the first week back so start thinking...
they need to be interesting and exactly 3 minutes long. if they're not you will keep re-writing them until they are. woohoohoohooahhaaaarR!! [maniacal laughter]
>8>)

snow heaven

wow! what a great trip it was!

the ski trip ruled and the room5ians were stars as expected

8>)

mr cooper

long live the prince of cheese!

did mr cooper and Jimmy's mom come in on friday to do the chickens?

manny and i had some of the cheese for lunch today

who wants to come in on a specified day to re-do the chickens?

happy end of term

now that i'm home and preparing for the ski trip i'm a bit sad as i know i will miss you all and hope you have a great holiday. please take care, be happy, enjoy the last three days. be nice to mrs marshall - she is a nice lady. she really likes you kids as do all relievers. you are wonderful.
please get any overdue assignments done over the holidays. please make sure your assignments are worthy of you and that you will feel proud of them - go the extra mile - make it better - do you r best! don't let yourself down. be the best that you can be. i am so proud of you all - i don't want to be feeling like you lost the plot and gave up.
keep watching the blog over the hols if you can - there will be more info at some stage about things in general.
ka kite ano ! aroha nui!
mr woody

p.s. soeone will need to check if there are enough handy towels, salt, etc to do the chicken repacking - don't give up on it!

bullies are scum

sadly humans are not only cruel to animals and destructive of the environment - they also harrass each other!

what is the best way to deal with a bully?

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1352264

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/1352292

best stuff ever ???

• what have been your favourite assignments at school ever?

• and what about this year? what have you enjoyed?

• also, how could speeches be made better for you?

speeches - hooray!

Please start thinking of a topic - brainstorm, mind map, randomly select... actually, talking about something you are passionate about is often a good idea. Alternatively, try being amusing. The audience must be entertained, to keep their interest, even if you are dealing with a serious topic. Avoid making lists of facts to repeat ad nauseum.
The speech must be 3 minutes long exactly.
We will develop the speech in class. You just need to start thinking and researching ideas.
Good luck - try to make it fun!

"Why am i like this?"

You may well ask why you look, sound, smell, feel and act like you do. It's partly because of your genes. Your genetic code is inherited from your parents and makes you the way you are - of coure, you also learn things as you're growing up that make you behave in certain ways. You also have an impact on your health and appearance through nutrition, hygeine and exercise. And don't forget the power of the mind! But still, your genes make you you.
Check out the info associated with this link:


http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/pdfs/extract_factsheet.pdf

savvy teachers use the net

according to the latest news there is something called the internet that teachers could use to engage and extend stutents, personalise learning and more - wow - who are these amazing teachers and where can you find this 'net thing?

8>)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070831/wr_nm/school_online_net_dc

arguments

speeches, arguments, logic, for and against...

arguments aren't just about getting stroppy with someone and trying to prove you're right by talking louder than them - it's about forming opinions and being able to structure a convincing argument.

Are there any interesting points to debate about our choice of chickens for mummifying?

dispicable humans

sometimes i despair at how stupid and evil humans can be...

but there is also hope - think of the people who devote their lives to making a positive difference.

i once dreamt of being a primatologist...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6960475.stm

and this hideous news ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4202734.stm

what can we do to help save our primates cousins? they need our help.

treasures destroyed and rebuilt

here is an article about the destruction and possible rebuilding of a great treasure.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6956327.stm

SPACE

what is out there???

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6962185.stm

what is out there?

this is an accidental post....
you can write something random here.

podcasts and vodcasts

podcasting [and now vodcasting as well] is something that i've never worked out how to do - obviously i know how to make a little video or sound recording, but its the publishing of it that has left me wondering. now it seems blogger are making it easier for us to do. no doubt with the rise of things like u-tube, it has become run of the mill to digital natives, but i still need to learn.
here is a link to some instructions for sharing video via blogger...

http://bloggerindraft.blogspot.com/search/label/video%20upload

i am thinking it could be a good way to publish our documentaries about the inquiry topics you have worked on.

chook money

because we have to buy chooks, salt, plastic bags, rubber gloves, baking soda, paper towels, etc, for ten groups, it will cost me heaps. your little class newsletter sugests 3-5 dollars per student. this depends on whether or not you are in a large, medium or small group.
to be honest, i haven't budgeted accurately and wonder if you could show some working here as to what it might cost per student just for the chickens alone. ten chooks, about $10 each maybe.... 33 students

and its going to take lots of salt, bags, etc on top of that.

btw - the bird pictured is not a chook - it's a wee duckling that was found near a drain at peachgrove - its brothers and sisters were stuck down the drain and no mummy was to be seen.... what will become of them!!!

congratulations to the science fair participants

please leave comments here regarding your own successes and those of your classmates. this years effort was the best i have seen.
8>)

S Group literacy

For reading, can you tell me a bit about your current literature circle work on "The War of the Worlds", please, S Group?

cluster map fun!

Our clustrmap is getting quite exciting. We now have most of the continents represented. If only people would leave us messages so we could share learning and stories.

Room5ians - here is your task - list all the countries we have clustr map visits from.

I'll start...

NEW ZEALAND!

Welcome Open Day visitors

Welcome to Peachgrove Intermediate.

Room5ians - what are the reasons someone might like to choose Peachgrove as their school?

Inquiry project alert!!!

If you feel you are struggling to manage your town inquiry project, you may decide to complete this online webquest instead.
you must discuss it with me, but feel free to begin anyway or even do it as an extra if you are feeling keen.

http://www.iwebquest.com/egypt/ancientegypt.htm

enjoy!

mummy time

here is the link to the chook mummification unit:

http://www.create.cett.msstate.edu/create/classroom/lplan_view.asp?articleID=210#handout1

this is so we can access it at school to modify for our purposes - you do not have to read it or do anything.
it would be helpful if you started to think about how best to organise groups and resources.

this link also has the info for the egyptian novel study unit some of you are doing - it also includes descriptions of the literature circle roles:

http://www.create.cett.msstate.edu/create/classroom/lplan_view.asp?articleID=21

Wednesday's work

Wednesday will see me still battling illness and allowing my antibiotics to kick in. I will come in to school in the afternoon to make sure we are ready for Thursday's four open day groups.
Please join small groups to work out how you would host the yr 6 students to make their stay memorable, fun and about what we do in Room 5 that makes school interesting or special.
Can Prim also lead a committee to make sure the room is looking highly presentable, colourful, bright, interesting and tidy?
Two suggestions i have for groups are origami and heiroglyphic named bookmarks.
Items for explanation are as we listed on the board on Monday - Kakepuku Catastrophe, Narrative poetry with stuffed toy making, etc.

Please also be sure to carry on with your literature circles. refer to your lists of reading strategies to take a note of which strategies you are using during your sessions.
Find those lists and explain them to Mr Cooper.

Maths - warm up games, times table practice, sudoku, problem solving, and measurement as the main course.

I miss you all, but I must get better or this illness will drag on for weeks - and it certainly wasn't nice at it's worst.

Also. things to remember that we must get onto if you're keen on them:

how to spend our winnings
what to do for the class reward
plan the trip to kakepuku
get chickens for mummifying and get started asap

be prepared to state very clearly what your final product for your inquiry unit will be and what you need to be helped with to get you there. it will take careful planning and good time management. you will need assistance.

take it easy.

8>)

magic MATHS!

maths is great - afterall, we like shopping don't we? and working out how much pizza we can all have? and getting to the movies on time? - all using maths.

maths can also be magic - in fact, we can use mathematical language to describe almost anything in the universe. on a simple level, we can investigate the magic numbers appear to have.

have you ever investigated magic squares?

follow the link below...

http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=1337&part=index

and for a safe NZ government organised site with links to lots of NZ relevant maths stuff follow this link:

http://www.tki.org.nz/r/hot_topics/maths_e.php

and for those keen to try out maths games and problems, check out this link:
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/wick_ed/maths/interactives.php

more ancient egypt info for your inquiry study

here are more links for you to investigate:

[please note, some are totally information based and some may have the intention of advertising books for sale, etc. See if you can analyse the sites and evaluate their usefulness]

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/menu.html

http://www.ancient-egypt.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egypt

http://www.angelfire.com/wi/egypt/index.html

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/index.htm

http://www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/egypt/food.htm

I hope some of these sites will provide valuable information for you to cross reference your different sources of information.

And hopefully more than the usual four or five people will visit here and leave relevant comments. Comment about which sites include useful info would be a good starting point.

Well done to regular and purposeful blog users. You know who you are.

8>)

I hereby bequeath you a canopic jar each!

Mummy Time!

righto - enough mucking around - it's time to mummify something!!!!
who is interested in making a real mummy?
it will incorporate science, maths, language, art, technology - the lot!
we will need several dead, plucked, non-frozen chickens, a pile of other stuff, some electronic scales and more.
it will take the rest of term to complete, but i reckon it will be a great way to do all those subjects whilst staying on our inquiry theme.

perhaps we could use our fundraising prize money to buy the necessary ingredients? - just an idea.

Egyptian Inquiry and Literacy

For your Ancient Egyptian Inquiry [or related themes], you will need to read and write reports, or explanations of facts and opinions. This is called transactional writing.
This link takes you to the official explanation of what is required for you to reach level 3 [where most yr 7's should be] and level 4 [where Room5ians should be aiming for].
This is meant for teachers, but you could look at it to help you learn.
We will read non-fiction reports and so forth in school to analyse what features exist that we can identify. By doing that we will be aware of what is required when writing our own reports for our studies.

http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/matrices/matrx_trans_deep_pop_e.php

The next link show you an example of what a level 4 students report might look like. It is re-typed in the students language with all errors included. the writing to the sides shows the explanations of what is being achieved. you can click on a link to see the original work in the students handwriting. you will notice that the presentation is not up to our standard.
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/assessment/exemplars/eng/explanation/wpp_4k_e.php


And btw - apart from a nasty cough and a dribbly nose, i am feeling much better. Will be back tomorrow unless i relapse.

ka kite apopo

chocolate

chocolate covered vocab lesson:


"Chocolate"

Part One: Introduction
The name seems to fit the commodity - the word "chocolate" sounds firm, brittle, with the "crack" of breaking chocolate before melting into the "l" sound.
While thinking about the word's ancestry, it's necessary to recall that most of the world now thinks of chocolate always being combined with sugar and made into a confection.
This was not always so. Unknown outside America until the mid 16th century, the flavour of the cacao bean infused in hot water was rather bitter, which was how Spanish explorers first encountered it and subsequently took the beans to Spain.
Variations developed there - adding cinnamon or vanilla, sometimes sweetening and sometimes not. The popularity of this hot drink spread widely throughout Europe. Adding condensed milk and firming fats did not begin until the 19th century, when solid confectionery chocolate as we know it now, was developed.

Part Two: Where did the word 'chocolate' come from?
Some scholars believe that in its place of origin the ancient name for chocolate was xocoatyl meaning "bitter water," originating from the Aztec language called Nahuatl.
But there is dispute about this - since the Nahuatl language appears not to contain that exact word. Chocolate historians Sophie and Michael Coe believe that Spanish conquerors living in America loved to drink chocolate but resisted the Spanish pronunciation of the Aztec word. Spoken in Spanish it had a "caca" sound at the beginning - reminiscent of the universal children's word for excrement, thus rather unwelcome in elegant society... especially when describing something brown.
To overcome this social disability, a sound from another American language - Mayan - drifted into use to make the original Nahuatl word somewhat more respectable-sounding. 'Choco,' (Mayan for 'hot') slid into use to replace the sound 'caca,' (Nahuatl for 'bitter').
The result was a hybrid of two languages - choco-latl which was socially acceptable when spoken in Spanish, and became the basis for one of the best-known international words.

Part Three: Words Words Words
There are lots of words connected with chocolate. Which ones do you recognize?
Nouns: (in no particular order) chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, cocoa, chockie, choc-bar, chocoholic, cocoa butter, cocoa solids, hot chocolate, iced chocolate, chocolate éclair, devil's food cake, ganache, mocha, sacher torte, chocolatier... (Remember: "chocolate" is uncountable, but "chocolates" - as in "a box of chocolates" - are countable.)
Adjectives: chocolaty or chocolatey, and the interesting chocolate-box - which means being overly sentimental or cutely pretty (for example a photo of a chocolate Labrador with large, sad eyes).

Part Four: Questions Questions Questions
Here are some general knowledge questions.
Which are the top three chocolate eating countries in the world (per capita)? Choose from these countries.
The USA
Norway
Germany
Brazil
Switzerland
Belgium
The United Kingdom
What did the Aztecs add to their hot chocolate drink?
sugar
chili
vanilla
How many cups of hot chocolate a day did the Aztec emperor Montezuma drink?
5
15
50
When did the first hot chocolate cafe open in London?
1657
1757
1857

Part Five: Did You Know?
Did you know that chocolate...
contains 'phenylethylamine' (try pronouncing that quickly), a chemical which is produced by the brain when you fall in love?
contains iron? (Now you have a good excuse to eat it, you need to keep your strength up!)
contains vitamin B? (A stress relieving vitamin. Every busy teacher needs to manage stress, so eat up!)
is a vegetable? (Remember your mother told you to eat plenty of vegetables!)
For more on chocolate, including its health benefits, see the Instant Lessons Chocolate Help and A Slab of Health.
Word Puzzle: How many English words can you make using the word 'phenylethylamine'?
Regards,Max. Vocab.

The Answers:
First Switzerland, and joint second Norway and the United Kingdom.
Chili pepper.
50.
1657

from:
http://www.english-to-go.com/english/samples/MaxChocolate.cfm

see also:
http://www.english-to-go.com/english/samples/criss_crossed.cfm

IDIOMS

try this group activity at school:


Idioms - True and False - Heads and Hearts

This warmer about idioms encourages discussion and should also be a lot of fun!

Level: Upper-Intermediate and above

Language Aims: Learning idioms and discussing and sharing ideas.
Time: 10 - 15 minutes
Preparation: Take list of idioms below to class.

Procedure:
1. Hand out idioms or write them on the board. [or show this on the data projector]
2. Ask the Room5ians to work out the meanings of these idioms. Encourage them to be imaginative and to avoid using a dictionary. Get them to work out the meanings individually.
3. Place students in pairs to compare their answers and choose the one that they both think is right for each idiom.
4. Then put the students in bigger groups - groups of four if possible - and tell them that two of the ten idioms are not real idioms, they are made-up phrases with no idiomatic meaning! Ask the groups to work out which are the false idioms, and agree on the meanings of the true idioms.
5. At the end get them to use their dictionaries to find out the answers.

Idioms:
a bleeding heart
eat your heart out
a heart of gold
a flowering heart
cross my heart
bury your head in the sand
come to a head
cut your head
have your head in the clouds
off the top of your head

rescheduling

i will be rescheduling interviews for those who actually need them for wednesdays and thursdays after school over the next few weeks. i will phone parents to organise it once i'm back at school. i will not be thinking about it over the next couple of days as i am very sick.
please remind them they have just received a report.

now, remember to organise your reading sessions using material provided by the reliever or what i post on the blog.
please keep progressing on your inquiry work. make sure you are answering your subsidiary questions and recording notes and references which will help your assignment. keep planning and working on your ideas for your finished product.

huzzah!

[cough hack wheeze sneeze!]

War of the Worlds

Below are some links to info about the Moon landings.

Could someone search through them, select reasonable passages for shared reading, save to a word document, print out, get Frank to copy enough for a group and use it for readers theatre or literacy circles please?

If you find it too confusing to select the material to read, get mR coOPer or the reliever [i don't know who it is] to help you.

thanks!

8>)

http://www.abc.net.au/science/moon/footprints.htm

transcripts of actual comments by atronauts

http://www-lib.ksc.nasa.gov/lib/archives/apollo/pk/1APOLLO13.PDF

maybe this isn't so appropriate for reading material but it is interesting to read parts of the original Apollo 13 press kit released by NASA

or maybe this might be better for reading lessons - the classic tale - "the War of the Worlds", by H.G.Wells:

http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/www/warworlds/b1c1.html

"soccer makes teacher sick"

actually it was just the cold, wet weather and being soaked in it for several hours while taking soccer for peachgrove kids. fun! but not good for getting rid of colds. now i have swollen glands, a sore throat, sniffly nose, sneezes, coughs, and a wonky head....
SO - no school for Mr WOody tomorrow and therefore no parent interviews either. They will be re-scheduled for a later date.
to ease the hassle of letting everyone know, could those of you who get this please tell your parents immediately and try to get in touch with any of your classmates who you know well enough to phone and who may also have an interview.
many thanks - isn't the internet handy?
i may also be away tuesday so keep looking at the blog for info to pass on to the relievers, etc.
Make sure you look after mR cOoper who will be starting on Monday.
and yes, i know i have written wonky letters - it's my cold making me do it. or is it the flu? hmmm.... do you know the difference? many people over use the term "Flu".
did you know there was a world wide flu epidemic many years ago? it actually killed thousands people!
make sure you do your reading lessons. ask the reliever to whip out some journals or copied pages of text for you to do readers theatre with.
T Group - please work together on the literature circles.
i would also like kitty kat and some careful proofreaders to work as a group on marking more Kakepuku Catastrophes. please be careful with them and leave constructive feedback with your marking schedule.
any photcopying can be done by Frank.
any questions - post them here...
have a nice Monday!

OR....

or we could follow up on your interest in NZ history and Maori art. NZ history is fascintating and unique. i recommend you take the opportunity to find out about it. it is your [most of you] heritage. it is part of your identity.

you are KIWIS [most of you] - and that means you are connected to Aotearoa, NZ, maori, pakeha, tauiwi [spelling?] pacifica and more.

anyway - feel free to disagree - it's a conversation starter

i'd love to do some art and investigate our heritage.

WHO ARE WE?

p.s. did you know that people overseas think we are called kiwis because of kiwifruit, which they call "kiwis"? in fact, we are KIWIS because of our national bird.

in fact, we could go to kakepuku and the otorohanga kiwihouse in term four.

p.p.s. i LOVE being a NEW ZEALANDER

term four topics

think about what you'd really like to study in term four.

today i came into shcool to have a meeting with some nice folks who work for the government and microsoft and are going to provide us with digital learning objects to enhance our classroom programme.

we will get two more session in the ICT suite each week fo rsix weeks. we can tell them what we want to study.

so far i have suggested science to do with "planet earth and beyond".

did you know that there is a new replacement for the space shuttle being developed?

did you know that scientists are planning to try to develop a breathable atmosphere on Mars?

did you know that NASA is planning to try a new moon landing?

Do you think it was a hoax by the USA last time they said they landed on the Moon?

TRUST

please speak to me directly if you have any problems with what is going on in class. i will listen to you. everyone needs constructive feedback and in room 5 i would like to think that we have a warm, caring, trusting environment.
i hope you are all feeling grand and learning something. i realise it is a very different learning environment from what you may be used to but i think there is merit in what i am trying to create for you all. it does rely heavily on your ability to be committed and passionate about what you are doing. i also rely upon you to express your opinions and show task commitment.
i care very much about your educational and emotional well-being.
Many of you are doing such wonderful things that it is a dream class for any teacher.

ROOM5IANS RULE!!!!!

photos tomorrow

bring your sports gear
8>)

blogging with style and readign with panache

the word panache needs an accent, but look it up.

i was very impressed with your literacy efforts today. the reader's theatre group were outstanding! so much better than i expected given the lack of experience.

the two literature circle groups were effective too. i think once you all hav emastered the technique of running your own literacy sessions you will be able to impress the restof the school with your talents. most importantly, you will be learning to self instruct, encourage each other, provide valid feedback in a positive manner and evaluate your own performance for improvement - a valuable skill in today's world and applicable to any situation.

well done troops!

also, some of you created incredibly impressive "word webs" today with all the literacy knowledge you displayed.

congratulations you marvellous things!

p.s. start compiling a list of things you have achieved this year on your personal blogs - things that you are proud of. also state your inquiry goals. note down what your intended products might be.

science fair evaluation

righto you lot- you perfomed better than any other class that i've seen - an excellent science fair with many extraordinary products. i am amazed at what you have achieved.
have your say here.
personally i thought the judging left a little to be desired in some instances, but we also have to be aware of what the judges were seeing that maybe we didn't. also, there are certain limits to how many entries can go in, etc.
be positve if you can, but constructive feedback is good too.

Skipper Bob

Skipper Bob's comment about her Sailing regatta challenge is re-posted here for you to read and comment...

"for a challenge i will be designing a tecnology challenge to build a boat (sail boat) i have not got far but...here are some rules for the boat challenge:you have to have a sailyou are not alowed a motor apart from one to turn the rudders (a long board at the back of the boat which turns from side to side for steering)you can not just buy a fancy modelit must be specified size (i will say size later)can be trimaran (a boat with 3 floating bits joined by a net)catamaran (same as trimaran but 2 bits) or monohull with keel (1 bit and a keel is a heavy wieght down in the water to stop the boat from tipping (like team new zealands buzzy bee)must not be made of papermust be propelled by the wind and inclued a mast and boomhelp!does this make sense?do i use to much sailing language?can you understand the rules????? "
- Skipper Bob

and Room5ians link to this website could be useful:

http://www.huntington.edu/education/lessonplanning/sailing.html

pyramid maths and info

this site has the explanation of how the pyramids were built as well as some activities relating to the maths of pyramids.

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pyramids/story/main.html

please do the activities and enjoy :-)

pOWerfUL people

who are some of the powerful people who have influenced our culture in ages past?

great philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, Socrates and Pythagorus.

powerful families like the Medicis.

city states and merchant empires.

the power of Popes and religion in Europe.

have you heard of The Renaissance?

The Man from Atlantis?

There used to be a silly show on tele called the man from atlantis. Someone mentioned Atlantis today as a mystery to investigate.

Atlantis was a supposed to be a fabulous city that disappeared into the sea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantis

More mysteries of ancient egypt:

http://www.geocities.com/tasosmit2001/ancient.htm

and more...

http://www.ancient-mysteries.com/

and the man from atlantis himself!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_from_Atlantis

;>)

There are also other comic book guys from Atlantis who were much cooler than Patrick Duffy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namor_the_Sub-Mariner

science fair alert!!!

the other teachers in Kakepuku have decided to delay the science fair until next week.
You now have until Monday to get it done. EVERYONE must have a science fair project to go with their observational drawing. Either a wallchart, scientific photography, tecnological innovation or experimental investigation.

CONGRATULATIONS and my apologies to those who worked hard to get theirs done on time. However, you can now feel good that you did the right thing and can concentrate on your next assignment; The mighty inquiry assignment.

I loved the ideas some of you came up with. It is the best thing for a teacher to see kids thinking striving for excellence and becoming passionate about their work. The champions of the future are the people who will be creative, passionate, persistent and hard working.
Their are many such folk in Room5.

Mammoths, Cyclists and Mental Toughness

See info on a baby mammoth that has been found...

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/07/11/siberia.babymammoth.reut/index.html?eref=rss_tech

Have you heard of Le Tour - the Tour de France ? It is cycling's greatest race and we have one Kiwi rider in it. The race has lessons we could learn from it about team work, mental toughness and not giving up.

http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.aspx?id=74773&cat=1042

Mental toughness? What is it? Why is it important and who do you know who exhibits it as a powerful personal trait for success?

I think it will be a key element in the Rugby World Cup - can we beat the Australians? They have such self belief!

science fair due Monday

Please bring all your bits n bobs for science fair on MOnday. DO NOT stick down info until it has been looked at by me at school. Bring your board and glue, titles, pictures, carefully typed and proof read info, references, results, log books, etc so we can discuss how to make it perfect BEFORE you glue anything down. If you have already and it is perfect then don't stress.
I won't be giving any more advice before Sunday afternoon because I'm going to internet free Kawhia for the weekend starting today.
Have a great last few days before school.

oh! Remember to bring resources for the Ancient Egypt knowledge attack as well please.
Mega points to the most organised desk groups.

I can't wait to see your shiny faces again. 8>)

Seattle is cool - why?

I have always heard that Seattle is a cool place. And now it is showing up as the place from which we get viewed the most, outside of NZ, although i have no idea why as no one leaves us any comments...

check out Seattle and make comments regarding why it might be one of the more interesting cities in America. I can think of one reason from the nineties - Grunge music as epitomised by bands like "Nirvana"

Polls

apparently Blogger has a new element available - polls - which can be added to your side bar. i just had a quick look but couldn't find a poll to add under the add element bit of the customise blog layout setting thingy so there will be a prize to the first person to work out how to do it.

i was going to add a poll on topics for term three and four.

please add ideas as comments for now.

and please make your comments meaningful and intelligent - i am going to invite the most sensible bloggers to participate in an advanced online discussion with a university lecturer and expert in online learning, in conjunction with some other GATE kids of your age from nearby schools.

and don't forget to use the wiki - again, use it sensibly.

start gathering resources for your ancient egypt inquiry knowledge attack. bring them to school when you return. by scouring a range of interesting resources we can come up with some really exciting essential questions that will form the basis of our inquiry.

sub topics that may relate to our topic are:

who killed king tut?

why was cleopatra so famous?

who were the pharoahs?

how did they make the pyramids?

magical powers and the mysteries of the pyramids

the curse of the pharoah

mummification

why did they like cats so much?

what's under the sphinx?

where have all the ankhs gone?

heiroglyphs

aliens and the pyramids

what do sirius and orion's belt have to do with the pyramids?

pyramids from other civilisations

what was life as an egyptian 11 yr old like?

geometry and the pyramids

film/documentary making

[the image above comes from this site]:

http://doernenburg.alien.de/alternativ/orion/ori00_e.php

kawhia carving

kawhia carving
Originally uploaded by mr w00dy

you squidlets liked the maori carvings at the museum so here's one from Kawhia. Please excuse the 'rude' bits. That is traditional and not intended to be offensive.
I hope you're enjoying your holidays. I'm super busy!

create your own world

as you grow up, you will realise you have the power to create your world they way you want it to be. make good choices.

"The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create."
- Leonard I. Sweet [never heard of him before, but i like the quote]

JFK once said...

"Some men see things as they are and ask 'why?'. I dream of things that never were and ask 'Why not?' "
- John F. Kennedy [former US president]

wonderful inspirational beautiful NZ art!

so, what did you think? any good ideas for follow up activities? which parts of the exhibition tickled your fancy? [my mum says that - it means what did you like?]

skipper bob posted a grand idea in the aristotle quote post. any others?

share the love of learning...

you are a great class :-)

quote of the day

Quote of the Day

"The proof that you know something is that you are able to teach it."

-- Aristotle, philosopher

where in the world???

name the city in the world, outside new zealand, that has the most views of our blog logged on our clustermap.

[not higher order thinking, but fun nonetheless]

:-)

Week 10 homework and egyptology

1. Think about/do your science fair

2. Consider ways in which social software, like blogs and wikis, could be used to enrich our inquiry unit on ancient egypt.

Inquiry units are designed by you to answer your questions. What fascinates you about ancient egypt? you will develop questions during the knowledge attack phase of the inquiry - the part at the start where you experience heaps of information on the topic then begin to wonder about certain aspects of it - like for me, with my grandad's experiences there during the war. i really wnat to know why he found the great pyramid spooky. and why he thinks there are no ankhs left and that there is something mysterious under the sphinx. he says the pyramids are aligned to mirror a certain constellation. apparently sirius or orion are significant. why?

all very interesting to me. but you might like to find out something else.

i hope to use internet tools, social software, cameras, drawings, cartoons, comics, interviews, documentaries, letters, postcards, make buildings, etc to learn and present my findings.

i can't wait!

Good luck Sportscampers!

To our wonderful Room5ians - "E" and "A"- who are going on sportscamp - well done - we are proud of you and know you will represent our school brilliantly - you rock!
we will miss you this week so please pop in to tell us your tales when you return.
huzzah!
8>)

a wiki is not a blog

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikis

Room5ians - as usual, your enthusiasm and ingenuity are top notch. i must remind you, however, that wikis are not blogs. they serve a different purpose. we don't all need one. in fact, we only really need one for all of us to belong to and contribute to. it could be a forum for our shared knowledge gathering. each of us can add info, edit info and so forth.

we could create one for our massive Egyptian inquiry project next term.

read up on wikipedias wiki entry.

8>)

wikipedia

today i noticed that peachgrove wasn't described in wikipedia. i fixed that. we Room5ians deserve to be more famous. now our blog is linked to the peachgrove description in wikipedia.
please use wikipedia respectfully. it is an editable source of information and those who use it inappropriately will be blocked from access. we do not want this to happen to us as we are becoming world famous as sensible users of web2.0 technology.
thank you for your wonderful use of our class blog this year. i hope to see more of you coming on board soon!
8>)

the toy maker

http://www.thetoymaker.com/
a site for making little paper folding toys and what not.
- not sure if you'll like them - might be a bit basic for you wee clever clogs.

parachutes

okay, so i'm supposed to be writing your reports but this is more interesting....

think about parachute design.

post links to interesting sites about parachutes.

add links to sites with good templates for making parachutes.

think about today's lesson on calculating the area of a circle using pi. can you find similarities between some of the diagrams here and what we covered??? see the image above. do you see what i meant about a square or circle cut out might not make a very effective parachute canopy?

we can use the big white plastic rubbish bags as a source of material to make parachute canopies.

http://www.cit.gu.edu.au/~anthony/kites/parafauna/chute_design/#chute

Congratulations Room5ians!

Wow! you guys are just soooo amazing!
By beating Mr Wilson in the factathon fundraiser you have made history. I am soooo proud of you. WELL DONE!!!
You are setting a fine example to other GATE classes to follow. Even Anthony's class wasn't as fantastic as you guys. [sorry Mantos]

Post your ideas here to see what you want to do with your winnings. try to include some ideas that aren't just to do with gorging yourselves.
opinions posted here count as double votes when we come to voting.

Go you good things!
:-)

other NZ class blogs

you could visit blogs like this one and meet other kids keen on writing and other stuff.

http://room9writing.blogspot.com/

also, have you heard of wiki's?

Miss MArtin, student teacher extraordinaire!

Welcome to Room 5, Miss Martin. We are thrilled to have you in our class. I'm sure the students are looking forward to having lessons with you and will treat you with respect.
We hope you will make a blog and join us here to make comments and give feedback.
Hooray!
:-)

Super DoopeR!

wow - great posts some of you - giving feedback on each other's work - wow - Room5ian - great effort! And your science fair sounds amazing too - you should all talk more about your ideas and give each other feedback. You are so innovative and talented you can learn off each other.

Literature circle for all who are keen on socio-dialogical collaboration.

Anyone interested in Alice in WOnderland? Whats it all about? I bet it's another real code cracker.

Have fun learning people! All ideas and enthusiasm welcome.

http://www.ruthannzaroff.com/wonderland/

world cup year begins in earnest

the greatest team in the world - the ALL BLACKS - Mr Henry announced his first team of the year to take on the understrength French team in Auckland this Saturday - you may as well know i am a fanatical AB supporter.

http://www.allblacks.com/index.cfm?layout=displayNews&newsArticle=6080

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka_of_the_All_Blacks

i love the ALL BLACKS and i hope we finally win the world cup again after a twenty year wait....but no pressure ;>)

homework quiz

a. Name 2 monotremes, 1 prosimian, 3 ungulates, 1 pseudopod.

b. During WW2 who were the leaders of Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the USSR, USA, NZ, Australia, Japan, China, Hungary, Turkey, Greece, Canada?

c. Explain who you think was the most powerful or influential of the Roman emperors.

d. What is 3 plus 2?

e. Who is the coolest person in Room5?