Recount Writing ~ My first day back at School

Recount Writing

Past Tense

Adjective/ Verb

Sequence of Events

Time words

Linking Paragraphs

* Awareness of Audience / Purpose

5 W'S ~ Who, What, Where, When, Why, How

Orientation

---

My First Day Back at School

I walked into Glenbrae School filled with eager to see friends, teachers and teacher aides. I shuffled myself up the hill slowly while watching closely for friends. The weight of my bag was making me slow down, but I had finally saw my best friend, Maara. I was super cheerful, which made us have a little sit down and talk about our adventures during the holidays. The bright morning, sunshine breeze was amazing.

First, Maara and I waited patiently and loudly waited for more of our friends to turn up. Soon - after, all our delightful  friends came to school. We decided to catch up a little - which fortunately took us at least 30 minutes. We all walked to our classes, I was interrupted by Mr Nath (My Last Years Teacher), and told all the previous of Room 8 students to all line up and  prepare for the New year and new classes.

All students walked down to the hall and sat down quietly. I was nervous about which class I would be selected into, but then I realised, I’m a Year 8 student and all year 8’s are in the same class - that took away my nerves. I heard all the other students names being called into classes. Finally, my name was called, I am in Room 7 with Mrs Tofa. Mrs Tofa escorted all her students to Room 7, where there we placed our bags on hooks and sat down on comfy chairs.

Mrs Tofa called out the attendance, where students said “Good Morning, Mrs Tofa”. Long after the attendance, each student received a name tag and Mrs Tofa gave us instructions “Turn your card around place it on this table”. We had to each pick a name from the ‘name table’, until we finally realised we only have 17 students. Well, when that didn’t work out I suggested that “We line up and only a few pick a name, and which ever name they get will be the partner”. Technically it did work out until we all were over excited so Mrs Tofa decided she will pick for us.

Until every thing about the name tags was finished, we asked our partners some interesting questions about out 6 - 7 week School Holiday. We had learned all about each other's holidays so it was time to enjoy a little bit of fitness, Volleyball. The teams were very competitive but there had to be only one winner. The courageous winners of the Room 7 Volleyball was the Boys! The girls were very good losers but was determined to win the future games to come. That was my first day back at school!

Waitangi Day ~ My perspective

Why we still need to talk about Waitangi Day

Do we still need to be talking about the Treaty of Waitangi? 50% Yes, 50 % No!

Yes ~ We need to keep talking about the Europeans and what clauses that they had briefly broken/ what type of problems were caused by that. No ~ It’s because, we all want to move on from everything in the past. While watching the video you will learn the very truth about Waitangi.

If I was a Maori Chief, who had refused from signing the Treaty, I would have tried to convince tribes about signing the treaty, which could cause problems. If I was a Pakeha, (Maybe James Busby or William Hobson), I would only want to get it over with.

While watching the clip, it give you more knowledge about Waitangi and everything. You will also see the changes in population.

(all though my statements/perspective maybe inaccurate but, this is my own opinion)

 Image Link

SLJ ~ Summer Learning Journey Day 15 Week 3

Day 15 – Art History

It’s the final day of Week 3 and you are feeling more and more comfortable in the country. You decide that you would now like to learn a bit more about the people and the history of your country so you spend the day exploring the art galleries and museums. There are so many different options to choose from! You decide to start with the local art gallery before moving on to see the national history museum.

Activity 1

When you walk into the local gallery, the first piece of artwork that you see is a painting by Wassily Kandinsky called ‘Swinging.’

While you are looking at it, a staff member at the gallery comes up to you and asks you for your opinion of the painting. What do you think of it?

On your blog please tell us:

1. What do you think of this painting? Do you like it?

Absolutely yes! Abstract paintings are amazing to me, since not long ago Glenbrae School was learning about it.

1. If you could buy it and give it to someone, who would you choose?

I would chooses one of cousins since they love art, puzzles and colours!

If it was me, I would give it to my sister because she really likes bright, bold colours and abstract pictures.

Activity 2

After exploring the gallery you decide to walk across the street to the national museum. It is an amazing place! There is so much information about the history of the country in this museum. It’s hard to know where to start!

After walking for a little while you come across a display with pictures of children that were taken in 1901 (over 100 years ago)! In this picture, the children are working on a local farm, milking cows. They are not going to school. Back in those days, children usually went to school until they reached the age of 12 or 13. They then left school and went to work. Imagine that you were alive 100 years ago. How would you feel if you had to leave school at the age of 12? Would you be happy or sad? On your blog, tell us how you would feel.

Being honest, I wouldn't feel happy, but I wouldn't be sad! I know, that's weird but my reasons are... If I stop going to school I wouldn't feel as happy about learning or even working! If Ididn't I would continue to learn and reach my full potencial towards, anything basically. I do understand that 100 years back, we needed more workers!

Bonus Activity

In New Zealand we have many museum and galleries. One of the largest is called the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa or ‘Te Papa’ for short. Inside Te Papa there is a huge exhibition called ‘Gallipoli - The Scale of our War.’ It has information about a special battle, the Battle of Gallipoli, that took place during World War I. Many New Zealanders took part and many lost their lives.

The battle started on 25 April 1915. We commemorate this battle every year by celebrating Anzac Day on 25 April. Visit the Gallipoli website. It will give you lots of information about this famous battle. On your blog, tell us three things that you learned about the battle.
* There were quite a few protests just like Barbarism!
* During the Gallipoli War, soldiers only had 2 Litres of water per day and now 2016 or 2017 wehave 350 litres of water!
* Each Rifles had only 10 bullets per one gun, which had to be refilled often, but the Turks found a way to refill it upto 5 times each.

SLJ ~ Summer Learning Journey Day 10 Week 2

Day 10 – School Days

After meeting with the local family yesterday you are inspired to learn more about how people live in different countries. You and your family decide to go out and visit a local market. When you’re there you meet a student who tells you all about what it’s like to go to school in their country. The student also gives you a page from their diary that shows you what a typical school day is like for them.

http://dir.indiamart.com/delhi/school-diaries.htm

Here is an example of a school diary for a student from Germany.

Time	Day 1	Day 2
8:00 - 8:45 a.m.	Math	German
8:45 – 9:30 a.m.	History	Religion
9:30 - 9:40 a.m.	Break	Break
9:40 -10:25 a.m.	English	Music
10:25-11:10 a.m.	English	French
11:10-11:30 p.m.	Break	Break
11:30 – 12:15 p.m.	Art	Physical Education
12:15- 1:00 p.m.	Science	Science

Activity 1

Think about your school and what you typically do in a day. Compare it with the diary from the German student. What is similar? What is different? In your blog, tell us:

The differences are that in my own school we start at 8:55 - 9:00 am. Some classes in my School has a different routine.. In my class we have a little talk until 9:15am and then we start on Reading, If we have enough time for Fitness we will have a good run and game. After Fitness we do writing until 11am which is our Interval! After Interval there is SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) for 10 minutes while drinking Milk. Next is Maths until 1pm which is our Lunch. Topic Study is after Lunch and it goes until home time which 2:40pm.

1. Whether you would rather go to school in New Zealand or in Germany

I would most likely want to attend a school in New Zealand but I would still desperately go for Germany for a exciting - packed adventure

Why you feel that way?

Being honest, I would be anxious and nervous! (But still absolutely excited)

Activity 2

Think about your favourite subject at school. In your blog tell us:

1. The name of your favourite subject?

Maths!

2. Why it is your favourite subject?

Because I just normally have a passion for Maths and numbers, I really enjoy having to solve number problems and everything involved with it!

Bonus Activity

Once you have looked at the other school diary, it is time for you to make one of your own. What do you in a normal school day? Use the template below as a guide and post your own personal ‘Day in the Life of…’

SLJ ~ Summer Learning Journey Day 9 Week 2

Day 9 – Meet my Family

Today you are going to visit a local family. The size and the composition of families vary a great deal from country to country. In places like Japan, Canada, Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Germany, families are typically quite small. Most parents have 1 to 2 children and once children grow up and get married they usually live separately from their parents. This is not the case in the United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Malaysia or in Chile. In these countries, the families are often larger and members of the extended family live together for most of their lives. Scroll down to ‘meet’ a typical family from Canada.

Canadian Family

This is my family - the Williamsons. We’re a pretty typical Canadian family. When I was younger we lived in a small town (Almonte) in the province of Ontario, Canada. Approximately 5000 people live in Almonte. It is located 30 kilometres from Ottawa, the capital city of Canada.

My family is currently made up of five people. My dad, Ron, is on the left-hand side of the picture. He is married to my mom, Leslie (she’s the one in the blue dress). My parents have been married for 35 years! Together they had two children, Leigh (the one in the wedding dress) and me, Rachel. I’m the one in the black dress. In this picture my sister, Leigh, has just gotten married to her fiancée, Andrew (he’s the one in the grey suit!). This picture was taken in July 2012.

Activity 1

Now that you have met my family it is time to think about your own family. On your blog tell us about your family. How many people are in your family? Do you have any brothers or sisters? What are their names?

There are several members in my Family! I have one full-sister, One half- sister and One half brother but lets just say I have two sisters and one brother. My Brothers name is Avery. My sisters names are Jordaine and Aarmione. My family are very wild and crazy (In a very, very good way!), we love going out on family outings and just chillaxing with each and another! We are competitive when it comes to paintball, bowling or anything spilt into teams! My family are amazing and I am very lucky/proud to be apart of my family and as you would know my family are hard Islanders! On my Dad’s side we are Cook Island but on my Mum’s we a Niuean! My family are really funny and cool, we obsessed with family time, we just love being ourselves. *I hope this ‘little’ explanation about my family in enough!*

Activity 2

Some families are very large and some are very small. Some of the smallest families are found in China where parents are allowed, by law, to have only one child. This is quite different from countries like America (U.S.A.) where some families have as many as 19 or 20 children. It is rare but it does happen!

In America, there is actually a family with 19 children who have their own television show called ’19 Kids and Counting.’ All 19 children have the same two parents (Jim Bob and Michelle) and every single one of the children has a name starting with the letter ‘J.’ The oldest children is a boy named Josh and the youngest is a girl named Josie. Amazing!

If you’d like to see a small clip from the show, follow this link: 19 Kids and Counting

Imagine that you were one of the Duggar children and you had 18 brothers and sisters. What do you think it would be like to have so many sisters and brothers living with you in one house? On your blog please tell us what you would like and what you wouldn’t like about living in such a large family.

I wouldn’t exactly like to have all these siblings but there is good reasons why!

(Good) 1. You would actually have a lot more fun with all your siblings while playing games of anything other!

(Bad) 1. If you have something really fancy, your younger siblings with obviously take it.

But yeah, I reckon I still would want extra, extra siblings.

Bonus Activity
Choose a family member and conduct a short interview. In the interview ask them five questions about themselves:

What is your name?
Aarmione M.
Where were you born?
December 4th 2002 ~ Greenlane Hospital
How many siblings do you have?
1 but 2 half siblings.
What is your favourite thing about living in New Zealand?
We have diversity and also it’s a beautiful country to live in, no words could explain exactly what i’m trying to say!.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
Well, I wouldn’t just travel to a separate country, I would completely travel around the world, I love travelling and it is a passion of mine!

By the WAY! Merry Christmas to you and your family. I hope all have an amazing day, Take Care and God Bless :)

SLJ ~ Summer Learning Journey ~ Week 1 Day 3

Day 3 - Buying a ticket

Now that you have chosen your country it is time to start planning your trip. One of the first things you will need to do is to buy an airplane ticket. There are many, many airlines that fly around the world. Some of the most common are:

Air Canada Air New Zealand

                               

Emirates             Air Asia

                

When you get onto the airplane you will be asked to watch a short safety video that tells you how to stay safe when flying in a plane. Arguably, the best airplane safety videos are produced by Air New Zealand.
Activity 1
Watch both of the current Air New Zealand safety videos. The first is a video that stars the All Blacks. The second is a video that stars Rhys Darby and Anna Faris (Hollywood actress).  Links for the videos are found below:
Air New Zealand ‘Men In Black’ video
Air New Zealand ‘Safety in Hollywood’ video
Once you have finished watching the videos, go to your blog and list three things that you need to do to stay safe on an airplane.
Make sure to have your seat-belt all buckled when you enter the plane.
Just in case a mask slightly comes down, make sure to secure it around yourself!
When landing in an awkward situation make sure to place yours hands on your head and elbows on your knees.

Activity 2

Imagine that you have been asked to create your very own airline. What would you call it? Design a simple logo for your airline and post it on your blog. You must include a short explanation of your logo below the picture.

 
This is my two Logo’s that I have created, the first one was out of adventures, I was thinking of a TV show that could somehow give me an idea of a Logo for this activity. The TV show was Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and they are a force of power and of course I had to add in the airplane and flight, it gave it a very nice way of presentation! Now, Togetherland was from nowhere, It suddenly appeared in my mind and I thought “eh, might as well use it”, I wish there was more of an explanation but sorry!
Bonus Activity - Airplane tickets can be very expensive. The table below lists the cost of one return ticket for one person from Auckland, New Zealand to the capital city of each country included in the Summer Learning Journey programme. The costs are listed in the local currency (money) of the country and not in New Zealand dollars.

Name of City	Cost of Return Flight
Canberra, Australia	826            AUD              Australian Dollars
Tokyo, Japan	147172      JPY                Japanese Yen
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	7182          MYR             Malaysian Ringgit
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	7219           AED             United Arab Emirates Dirham
Cape Town, South Africa	27296          ZAR             South African Rand
Berlin, Germany	2182            EUR             Euros
London, England	1442            GBP             Great British Pounds
Santiago, Chile	1 582 030    CLP              Chilean Peso
Mexico City, Mexico	90 664         MXN            Mexican Peso
Ottawa, Canada	2064            CAD             Canadian Dollar

Use the XE currency converter website [http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/] to find out how much each ticket would cost in New Zealand dollars [NZD $$]. On your blog, tell us:

How much it would cost in New Zealand dollars to fly to each country.
Australia - $862.479
Japan - $1815.59
Malaysia - $2263.83
Abu Dhabi - $2752.51
South Africa - $2768.78
Germany - $3258.62
England - $2571.22
Chile - $3306.972
Mexico - $6154.94
Canada - $2174.81

2. Which country is the most expensive country to visit ~ Mexico because it costs $6154.94.
3. Which country is the least expensive country to visit ~ Australia because it costs $862.47

Winter Learning Journey Day 6

Day 6 - Activities 1 - 3

Activity 1: For all Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, the athletes from each country must wear a special uniform. The uniforms change each year. Look at the 3 pictures posted below. They are pictures of the uniforms that our New Zealand Olympic teams wore in 2012, 2008 and 2004. For this activity, you are asked to rank the uniforms from best (#1) to worst (#3). On your blog post your rankings and provide a brief explanation of why you ranked the uniforms in that order.

1. New Zealand Team Uniform – London Olympics 2012

          2.   New Zealand Team Uniform – Beijing Olympics 2008

   3.     New Zealand Olympic Team Uniform – Athens Olympics 2004

# 1 I have chosen the 2004 uniform for New Zealand because it is very unique and it actually looks like New Zealanders.

# 2 I have chosen the 2008 uniform to be second because it had New Zealand features and is unique.

# 3 The third one is London Olympics. I would understand why they have picked that but I have actually recommended #1 & #2

Activity 2: The opening ceremonies for every Olympic Games must include formal speeches, a parade of athletes, songs and dances that showcase the culture of the host country. Follow this link to watch the highlights of opening ceremonies for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England.

In the opening ceremony for the London Olympics there were a number of famous English people including the Queen, the Spice Girls, David Bowie, U2, the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney. Imagine that we were going to host the Olympics here in New Zealand in 2024 and you were invited to be on the committee that decides who is invited to participate in the opening ceremonies. As a member of the group you must choose one of the following people to be in the opening ceremony: Richie McCaw (rugby player), Lorde (singer), Kane Williamson (cricket player), Maria Tutaia (netball player), John Key (prime minister of New Zealand) or Shaun Johnson (league player). On your blog, tell us who you think is the best person to choose and explain why you think that they are the best choice!

I would pick Maria Tutaia because I would be an absolute honor to be hosting the Olympics with her. She is my all time favourite Netball Player, I would definitely be more confident to speak with her.

Bonus: Imagine that you are sitting in the crowd at the opening ceremonies for the Rio Olympics this August. The ceremony has just started and all of the Olympic athletes are parading around the stadium in their uniforms when all of a sudden…

In your blog, write an ending to this short story. It should be approximately 10-20 sentences long.

The ceremony has just started and all of the Olympic athletes are parading around the stadium in their uniforms when all of a sudden an invisible white string was placed around the parade stadium. Olympic athletes had led them to fall down brutally. Nervousness and fright came to all athletes as their uniforms were ruined. Most countries had a protest about finding out who had did that mystery thing that had wrecked their amazing costumes. I sat there looking sad & frustrated so I had decided I would find the person who actually put the string there.

I wandered around finding the most suspicious thing I could see, but nothing was to be found.. until, a little girl walked past with a green mask and I had heard something fishy about a little girl in a mask. I walked very slowly making sure no one  was focusing on me, looking at her, suspiciously but also with caution.

A little while later, the little girl saw me walking towards her and I had panicked, she had a very long piece of white string which was nearly invisible, so I kept walking and she decided to walk away. Walking closer and closer she looked at me but when she looked at me, no nervousness came to her face, “What are you doing”, “Why are you holding that string and why are you alone?” I said. “I have been assigned to put a string for the parade for the athletes to not pass but I just noticed that they had feel, this is all my fault”, the girl said (Evangeline). “ We really need to sort this out, let's…”, “GO!” I said with Evangeline rudely interrupting.

Making sure every athlete was ok, Evangeline had apologized and we all decide to pass the Olympics and change the dates. Everyone agreed, especially I did. It was a very fun experience trying to be an investigator. We went home happily and couldn’t wait for the next dates.