TE AKO RITENGA - JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

We continued our Inquiry into learning about Te Ako Ritenga on Friday.  We are getting so good that the teachers say we are ready to self manage our way through the process.  That means when we feel that we have finished our WONDERings we can go through to EXPLORE.  The same applies for EXPLORE.  When we have learnt everything we feel that we need to know we can move through to the ACT stage.

Friday's HOOK was the story of Jack and the Beanstalk!

During EXPLORE, we tried to answer all our WONDERings.  We watched You Tube clips of how to make weak structures strong.  There were lots of other activities where we could EXPLORE the story Jack and the Beanstalk as well.  Some of us worked together to put on a puppet show.  There were a few activities that focus on the book.  We asked the teachers if we could use the Lego and the blocks to try and make a safe way to get the eggs down.

Braxton made a castle out of Lego.  He used the cards with the characters printed on them, to act out the story.  Creative thinking there Brax!








Harlem and Guy made castles from Lego too.  Look at Guy's super proud smile!
Great learning guys!

The boys found You Tube gave them some super ideas for making their invention strong.

Ryla and Ruby worked together to read the book and colour in the characters as they appeared in the book.

Christopher has success making the Jack and the Beanstalk jig-saws.

 Miharo, Shyloh and Nevaeh spent ages EXPLORing the different materials that they could use to make their invention.

Mika and Layla B drew some creative designs on the whiteboard table...

 EXPLORE in Piako Rua ... busy and productive learning times!

 After we had EXPLOREd all that we needed to, we moved through to the Rainbow Room to ACT.  We drew plans of our invention and began to make it and set to work.

At the the of the process we REFLECTed on our invention.  We had to decide if our invention met the success criteria that the teachers set us right back at the start of the process.

We are loving all the challenges we are been talking part in over the week!  

So much so, the teachers think we might even do some more next week!  

Yay!

The Challenge - By Quinn B
When it was Friday we had a challenge for Jack's eggs.  His mother said to Jack, "sell that cow."  This man walked past Jack.  "That is a lovely cow.  I will trade you for these beans.  They are magic beans."
So his mother was super angry.  She chucked the beans out the window.  When it was dark, it grew and grew and grew.  In the morning he climbed the beanstalk and went into the castle.   He stole the golden eggs.

MAKING BOATS

We had a blast at school today.  

Not only did Belinda bring her fire truck to school, but we made our boats!  Mrs Lunn showed us some photos of the boats the Maori people used to come from Hawaiki to New Zealand many, many years ago.  We had a close look at these ocean going waka and Mrs Lunn challenged us to include on feature of a waka on OUR boat.





The teachers were very impressed with what we came up with.  Many of our groups made a boat with two hulls to make them more stable.  Lots of us put sails on our boats and a few groups put a paddle to help the teddies steer their ship.  We were very good at modifying our designs to incorporate the newest Success Criteria

Then the teachers set up a testing station for us to test our boats.  They were very impressed with how well our boats meet the Success Criteria.

Here are a few photos of us in action...

We had a wonderful time building our boats.  This activity provided us with an opportunity to practise our problem solving strategies, our negotiating skills and our ability to cooperate.  The teachers were very proud of us AND our boats.

NEW TOYS

The teachers went shopping in the weekend and got us some new toys for our classroom.  

There we so many new toys to choose from that it was like Christmas in Piako Rua on Monday morning when we helped the teachers unwrap all the toys!

Liam played happily with the new cash register

Oliver H, Alec and Layla B practised their fine motor skills by threading laces around some woodland creatures

Here is Holly introducing our new dinosaur the Stegosaurus to T-Rex in Whisper Island

Neaveh, Brooke, Isabel, Ruby and Ava T were thrilled with the new furniture and dolls for the dolls house

Keira and Miharo were developing their fine motor skills pegging the washing on our new airer

TEAMWORK AT READING TIME

 Mrs Lunn took photos of these lovely happy kids working together in reading time. 

 Look at those happy smiley faces!

Ruby, Charlie and Holly P after finishing the Alphabet Ice Creams

Kazma and Lloyd building a Word Tower