Cameron attempting to work out the volume of an Octagonal prism
Room 4 were presented with the challenge of designing a container that would hold a volume of 100cm3. We were restricted with the size of the paper, and everyone was given the same materials to use. Immediately, after a period of discovery; 'trial and error', research into shape and volume and a lesson in measuring accurately the creativity and ideas were exceptional. Some soon realised a cube was not necessarily the best shape... it certainly required 'thinking outside the box'!
Accurately designing our nets
Some complex calculations
Exploring different methods in constructing a cuboid net
In our latest literacy project, room 4 were asked to choose any location from around the world and persuade Mr Marston to take a visit. First, we had to research how to get there via several continents. We then calculated the distance travelled and the total cost of the journey. The next step was to research a city in our chosen country, looking at culture, tourist destinations, food, climate and which ever special features that would persuade someone to visit.
Once we had drafted our writing, we shared our work, then redrafted against our learning progressions. We edited our persuasive advertisements, using rhetorical questions for effect and adding ambitious vocabulary. We rehearsed our speeches and filmed using the Ipad App 'Do-Ink'. Once we had the footage, we imported images that correspond to the content of the speech.
The children have worked really hard on their persuasive piece of writing. We soon learnt the importance of practicing our speeches and not to wear green when filming! Check out the individual e-learning logs to see each individual project.
In Maths, we have been looking at durations of time and calculating which takes longer? We encountered several problems along the way realising some challenges were not as straight forward as they first appeared. The task required extended thinking, teamwork, research and applying a range of strategies.
Sam and Reuben donated $45.00 to The Brook Waimarama Bird Sanctuary. They had raised the money from selling chia seeds and designing Eco-friendly book marks as part of their Genius Hour Project. The boys worked tirelessly planning and manufacturing throughout their Genius Hour project.
The Brook Sanctuary does a superb job in protecting the native birds and animals that live in our locality. If you'd like to learn more, please visit the website below:
The Boys from the Genius Hour project 'Spark Energise' were in the headlines recently. Their project sparked press attention when presenting their homemade low sugar energy drink. The proceeds from their project went to Sporting charity 'Special Olympics New Zealand' and were collected by athlete Lisa Donald.
Special Olympics New Zealand offers a year-round programme of sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The boys are all keen young sports stars, and value the opportunity of sports for all. When interviewed, they explained the project, their product, the problems they had encountered and how they resolved these issues. I
t was also great to see Phil Costley in attendance; the well-known local athlete has been endorsing 'Spark Energise' throughout this seasons race events, and has been a great role model for the Hunter, Ali, Fenlon and Cameron. Overall, Phil, the representatives from the Special Olympics New Zealand and the Nelson Mail were all very impressed by the boys outstanding attitude to their project.
For the past five weeks, the senior syndicate have been randomly assigned to groups of five and asked to design and 'market' a product. Each team had to create an innovative team name, slogan and logo and take turns as 'project manager'.
Each team had to design a unique product, with a catchy name and served a solution to a problem. On the final week, each group presented their ideas to the other teams. There was some outstanding creative ideas, designed and presented with confidence.
It was a fine lesson learnt in working with others, the importance of listening, planning, sharing ideas and delegating responsibility.
