Ext(reme) Writing: Home Learning Week 4

Remember to create an EW Folder in your drive and share it with Mrs Dunn 

We will be exploding moments that matter next week so enjoy this video from OK GO and the detail that is revealed.

Optional: Watch the making of the above video...

Draw an iceberg and see how it floats

 

Iceberger is a tool that lets you draw an iceberg and then watch as it rights itself.

iPhone Rings - no phone needed!

 Enjoy this collection of iPhone rings - no phone needed!

Wellington Writing Workshop

FROM the Wellington Children's Book Association

This is to let you know we are running a writing weekend on the 20/21st March.

Spaces are limited and will fill quickly. So get onto it ASAP.

The flyer and schedule are below.

The link to register is below.

https://forms.gle/uwFdoP24gAQMHnKa7

                                                             

Ext(reme) Writing Home Learning - Week 3

Complete a draft/prototype of one or both of our poems:

• your colour/abstract noun poem
• your poem inspired by 'Tonight at Noon'

            

Due:  Monday 1 March

New Programmes starting this week...

 There will be some Philosophy Block Courses starting.  The first team to enjoy this is Manawanui.  Keep an eye on the announcements for more info.  update - now starting Week 4

Another Block Course starting this week is Springfire.  This programme aims to discover what is giftedness, what is talent, what are the positives and how do we make the most of them at Raroa, what are the challenges and how can we lessen their impact. This is for Year 8 students who have worked with Lynne or Angela.  Each team will have an opportunity to be involved, starting with Mohio and Motuhake.

More Kid Engineers...

 Find more kid engineer projects here...

https://pbskids.org/designsquad/video/inspector-detector/

Kid Engineer

 Kid engineer, Amiyr, invents a seed-launching backpack to help create a more pollinator-friendly neighbourhood.

The Rise of Moulds

 Watch how four different moulds grow...up close!

CARD STACKING TO THE MAX...

 Have you ever played a card game then decided to see how high you could stack the cards? Bryan Berg has made card stacking an art form. He holds numerous Guinness World Records (so many he's lost count), and keeps upping the ante on the difficulty. Stacking a house of cards on a running dryer? Why not!

Murals for the Writing Competition

 Thanks for the request for an online copy of the murals for the 'A Picture Paints a Thousand Words' competition.

Click here to view - I have also added a link to the original post.

Ext(reme) Writing: Home Learning - Week 2

 Read or view the video of the following poem, 'Tonight at Noon', written by Adrian Henri.

We will discuss Adrian's use of detail and paradoxes next week (22 Feb)

Click here for the text

Click the video to view 

"Meet the Teacher" 16 Feb

 Lynne Dunn, the Gifted and Talented Co-ordinator, will be in the Learning Support Room during Meet the Teacher.  Please feel free to drop and say hi.

Where is the Learning Support Room? 

 Head into the staffroom and it is the first room on your right.

Young NZ Writers Competition: Beyond, Beneath, Below

 Your stories must be speculative: that is, either science fiction, fantasy, or horror. They can be uplifting or cautionary. Preference will be given to well-told stories with a New Zealand flavour.

Details can be found here

Poetry Competition: Closes 14 May

 

YEARS 7-8: Two winners will receive a $30 Scorpio Books voucher

COST: $5 per entry

Chance to make submissions for Toitoi Magazine (Writing and Art)

 The next deadline for submissions is 16 April

Writing Competition: Closes 9 July (Report Writing)

If you are interested, see Mrs Dunn to organise a trip to the local quarry.    

ROCK OUR FUTURE COMPETITION 2021

Report Writing

 

1. visit a local quarry 

2. write an essay of no more than 500 words describing your experience at the quarry and what you learnt during the visit.

Prizes:   

• 4 x prizes of $1,000 for each winning school                 

• 4 x prizes of $100 for each of the winning entries

Competition Date:

• the end of Term Two, Friday 9 July 2021. 

Writing Competition: Closes 5 April

                           Writing Competition: Years 7-10

Learn about three moons of Uranus — Ariel, Oberon and Titania, then write an essay of up to 300 words explaining which of these moons they would want to explore with a robotic spacecraft. 

Winning students could win some seriously cool prizes and have their essays published by NASA and the New Zealand Space Agency! 

• Competition closes 5pm Monday, 5 April 2021 

Writing Competition: Closes 26 March

                                                   Writing Competition:

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

Competition for Year 7-9 Students

VIEW THE PICTURES in the Learning Support Room, or click here to view, 

and consider –

• What theme connects all the murals?

• What theme connects all the text?

• What message do all the artists want to send?

• What message would you send in support of the artists’ theme?

WRITE  your response in 300-500 words.

WIN The winner gets books valued at more than $250 from Scholastic and other donors, plus gifts from Whittakers Chocolate and The Body Shop, companies known to be strong supporters of slave-free supply chains. 2nd and 3rd prizes are provided.

 

COMPETITION CLOSES Friday 26 MARCH 2021.

For our passionate readers...

Great opportunity From Read NZ 

(used to be called The NZ Book Council)

Welcome to Rāroa 2021!

Great to have the 2021 School Year underway - welcome back to our returning students.  It has been GREAT seeing you all again!

And welcome to our new students - I am really looking forward to getting to know you and I have loved meeting a lot of you already.

Rāroa wants to make Rāroa work for you, and I am fortunate to be involved in doing that.  Looking forward to the months ahead!

Mrs Dunn/Lynne

l.dunn@raroa.school.nz

 

Toitoi TV

Toitoi magazine is a NZ publication which our students regularly submit writing and artworks to. They have launched a wonderful new initiative - ToiToi TV

How it works:

• Choose your favourite story or poem from Toitoi (we have them at Raroa) 

• Create a video of you reading the chosen writing
• Hold the camera steady or set it up on a flat surface
• Find a simple background and keep noise to a minimum
• Film in landscape rather than portrait
• Introduce yourself and the piece you are reading
• Speak clearly and slowly, with lots of expression

• Email it to editor@toitoi.nz with your details

For our Lego lovers out there...

This mind-blowing LEGO tensegrity sculpture appears to defy gravity! But what's really going on here? Find out the what is causing the lego sculpture to float and how to build your own!

Where Maths and Visual Art Collide

Ben Johnston’s street lettering pops off the wall.  Check out his work.

Writing and/or Art submissions to Toitoi magazine

Toitoi magazine is a NZ Journal for young writers and artists. It is published four times a year. We have been fortunate to have Raroa writers and artists published previously, so if you are interested in submitting a piece of writing (or art) to Toitoi Magazine, the next closing date is... 

 16 April

Please let Mrs Dunn know if you are 

wanting to submit

l.dunn@raroa.school.nz

 Submission Details

Want to read some amazing authors in one place?

The Book of Hopes: Words and Pictures 

to Comfort, Inspire and Entertain 

Edited by Katherine Rundell, with contributions from more than 100 children’s writers and illustrators

Completely free for all children and families, the extraordinary collection of short stories, poems, essays and pictures has contributions from more than 110 children’s writers and illustrators, including Lauren Child, Anthony Horowitz, Greg James and Chris Smith, Michael Morpurgo, Liz Pichon, Axel Scheffler, Francesca Simon and Jacqueline Wilson.

The collection, published by Bloomsbury, is dedicated to the doctors, nurses, carers, porters, cleaners and everyone currently working in hospitals.

 Read the book here

For all you Lego Lovers out there...

A Lego Firewood Factory

and

Fruit and Vege Slicer

Raroa Library Resources

Our wonderful School Librarians, Clare Forrest and Marianne Dobie, have collected some amazing resources that you might like to access.  

You can find them at:

http://raroalibrary.weebly.com/rahui-resources.html

Maths and Music

It’s the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean played on… a bunch of calculators!? The show starts around 0:45, but enjoy the build-up. 

Visit one of my fav places --- Pompeii, Italy

Pompeii, Italy was destroyed during an eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The ruined and partially buried city was rediscovered in 1738 and excavated. Today it's one of the most important archaeological finds of all time. 

Now, thanks to technology and Google Street View, you can explore the ancient city without buying a plane ticket to Italy. Check it out here.

You might like to use this map and this guide as well.

Challenge: What do you see?

Hints below...

# 12 - Minions
# ? - The Simpsons
# ? -  Mickey and Minnie

What can I do now?

Try...

• ScienceFlix
• Science Buddies
• Play Chess with Others: Chess Kid
• Learn a Language: Duolingo
• Great sites to browse
• https://thekidshouldseethis.com/
• https://www.thisiscolossal.com/
• https://wonderopolis.org/
• https://informationisbeautiful.net/
• These 12 famous museums offer virtual tours you can take on your couch
• Here's a link to Google Collections with 500 museums and sites you can visit online including the Eiffel Tower, NASA, The British Museum, The Anne Frank House, London's Science Museum and Natural History Museum (one of my favourites!) The Swiss Olympic Museum,
• Zoo and animal live-streams
• Podcasts: Stuff You Should Know

Smash, Boom, Best  

Wow in the World 

Brains On 

Great site for Daily Challenges in Hands-on Problem-Solving

hatchpbl is an inspiring site for teachers and students designed by a FANTASTIC ex-teacher from Raroa Intermediate (and great friend!)

At the moment, Daily Challenges for students are posted with in-depth resources to support the activity.  I recommend checking it out!


Here's a taste:

Design a physical or digital escape room. Turn your house into an escape room puzzle for your family to solve...or design one for them online.

Link to resources

Design an automaton using any materials you like.

Link to resources

Create a stop motion animation.
You can do this on a digital device or make a flipbook.

Link to resources

Take photos using the forced perspective technique.

Link to resources

Lego Stop Motion

A collection of three delightful stop-motion movies featuring Lego in real-life situations. (Via Kottke.org who also links to some behind-the-scenes footage.)

Drone Light Show