Marvellous Muffin Challenge

Here's what Mrs Harris's literacy group has been working on:

We worked in teams of 3 or 4.

We published our recipes to create a class recipe book.

Each group shared their keynote presentation, which described their muffins using similes.

We voted for our favourite recipe and the next day we made the winning recipe: "The Magic Mars Bar Muffins".

If you would like a copy of our recipe book, get in touch with Mrs Harris and she will email it through to you.

Ōtautahi Pizza Project - Part Two

We have just completed our Ōtautahi Pizza website and have entered it in the Grow Waitaha DigiAwards under the website category.

The project has taken us most of the term and we have chipped away at it during our literacy sessions. Everyone has contributed in some way, with some individuals having a huge input.

You can read about the project on the website itself. We are really proud of it!

Click here: www.otautahipizza.weebly.com

Get Cinderella To The Ball! Part 1

This term we are putting the spotlight on our How Stuff Works theme, one of the three core themes we are integrating through our learning this year. The key ideas are around observing and investigating how physical and material phenomena can change, and also exploring and acting in issues that relate science learning to our daily living.

This current project that Mr K's literacy groups are working on is connected to The Fairy Godmother's Day Off, the story we have been doing a lot of literacy based work around. Our project has us in pairs designing, building and testing our very own carriage to get Cinderella to the ball. Each carriage must meet a set of specifications, then we will compete in a roll-off down a 2 metre high ramp. The winning team will have created a custom carriage that will roll further than all the others.



We have had to learn about some key scientific ideas relating to gravity, friction and momentum. All groups know that we need to reduce as much friction as possible, as too much will slow the carriage down. Now that we have built a makeshift testing ramp, groups have been testing and modifying their carriages, playing around with weights, different wheels, spoilers and axle placements, to name a few.



There is a lot of buzz around this project, evident through the number of students who found many of their materials at home (mostly in their yellow recycling bins). We are really looking forward to the competition.

Diving Deeper with Ms Nicholls

On Monday some of Koru 1 went to a special literacy session in the library with Ms Nicholls. We were diving deeper into the picture book "We're all Wonders".

Before Ms Nicholls read us the book she told us that for some of the tasks we would need to work together. She asked us the question "How will I know if you're working in a team?". Some of our responses were:

"Communicating to each other by talking to each other and explaining ideas" - Aiden
"Cooperating and sticking with an idea and trying to improve it" - Zeke
"Using good body language and good eye contact" - Archie

Next she read the book  to us and told us to look out for the powerful message in the story. She wanted us to think about the question "What makes you a wonder?" Here's what some of us thought:

"Everyone's different in their own way" - Te Wai
"We're all different and unique" - Jarius

Another question she gave us to think about was. "What's the difference between being unique and being a wonder, what makes you a wonder, think about it being like the word wonderful. What makes you wonderful"?

Then Ms Nicholls explained the different tasks to us. Each task provoked us to show why we are a wonder. We used digital technology and art. Here are some of our creations: