Big Ball Soccer!

We love it!

While half of the Year 3 and 4 students from Room's 4 and 6 have been preparing for the Inter-school Gym Festival the other half of us have enjoyed a variety of fitness and ball games.  Big ball Soccer was the favourite - hands down!  The great thing about this game is that no matter how good you are everyone is able to play!  It's hilarious to watch.  Have a look at the the short clips below (again, they are best viewed as little videos rather than full screen)

Creative Writing

Creative Writing: Really?

In the Wild Jungle

A monkey goes through the trees and a lion follows it.

A gorilla hangs on a branch.

An anaconda hisses at me. I was scared because the snake was getting near my feet.

A tiger roars in the bushes around me, as I listen to where he is.

Below another snake went through the dirt and leaves and moss. 

Above a panther frightens me by standing and staring at me.

Three elephants push down the trees.

As all of these animals came at me, I ran through the bushes and left the jungle to find safety.

Written by no-one in Room 6!

      Room 6 kicks it up a notch!

      A mysterious monkey climbs up the slimy trees while a lemony lion follows.  Then comes a grumbly gorilla climbing on a slithery, skildery branch.  I can hear an anxious anaconda hissing at me.  I hear a tigery tiger roar so loud that it almost makes my ears pop!  

Written by Bayly and Mariah    
    Cont. by Bayly     
      
    Below I hear another spiny snake pushing its mighty way through the moss, the dirt and the leaves. Above I hear a panigar panther.  It frightens me to death by staring at me with evil eyes.  It was freaky.  Three ely elephants push their might down the slimy trees like Big Ben tick-tocking.  All of the animy animals came towards me.  I did not know what was going to happen.  I ran through the jungery jungle.  I sprinted and finally was out of the slimy, slithery, skildery, jungery jungle. 

A golden brown monkey swoops through the creeky jungle while the fierce lion scrambles after it.

A pitch black gorilla hangs lonely on a branch feeling sad.

A gruesome anaconda finishes off an alligator and hisses at me then slithers at full speed.

A tiger roars while it prowls around the jungle.

Below the trees a constrictor pushes the icky moss.

A big black pantha looks evilly at me as I freak out.

Three huge elephants push down the huge trees.

As all of these monstrous beasts charge at me I exit the horrible jungle.

   

Written by Innes and Kai

A bright brown monkey flies through the trees and an amazing lion creeps through below.

A noisy gorilla hangs on a branch.

An anaconda slithers through the forest floor.

Written by Timmy, Angus and Zac.
ont. by 

As I pierce through some bushes a huge tiger creeps.

A snake slithers under thorny branches and brown leaves.

Above, a panther stares at me.  It scares me out of my head.

Humongous, chubby elephants charge at the huge trees.

I spin around and look at all the animals.  I scream and run to safety.

A monkey lurks low through the crispy old trees while a lonely lion lurks behind the fluffy monkey.

A huge black gorilla growls while hanging in the bright green tropical trees.

An anaconda swirls and hisses at me when I was walking through the old smelly jungle.  The anaconda shot out his venomy teeth at me.  I was frightened and petrified because the fearsome snake was slimy, scaly and about to eat me!  “Aaaaaaaaah!” I scream as I run away.

Deep in the jungle another snake went through the slimy, brown, bumpy dirt and the soft, furry leaves and moss.

Written by Greer and Georgiana

Cont. by Greer

A black stripy tiger roars in the prickly bushes around me as I listen to where the stripy tiger would be.

Above a black and orange panther frightens the power out of me by standing and staring its big yellow, feisty eyes at me.

Three humongous, huge elephants push down the bumpy, sloppy, floppy and prickly trees.

As all of these feisty, wild animals came thumping towards me, I run as fast as I can through the prickly, spiky, green tropical bushes and left the spooky old, smelly jungle to find safety.

Cont. by Georgie

A long huge snake cheekily slithers through the yellow summer leaves as it rummages through the old, bumpy, soft moss.

The loud, bouncy, brave panther scares me out of my skeleton.

The mighty mammals push down the marvellous green trees with their elephant bodies.

All the mighty animals charge at me as I triumphantly fought my way to safety.  

  

A chocolate coloured monkey swings through the thick, thorny trees in a humble home of a habitat, while a large, likeable lion lunged behind.

A gigantic, googly-eyed gorilla swoops branch to branch and slips on a fruit-growing tropical branch.

An unbeatable anaconda hisssses at me.  I was petrified because the slithery, slimy snake was getting near my prickle covered feet.

A tremendous terrible tiger roarrrrrrrrrrs in the big, bloated, bulky bushy surrounding me, as I listen to the booming sound that echoes through the jungle.

Written by Olivia and Lily

Cont. by Olivia

Beneath another slithery, striped snake slides through the gooey dirt, the autumn leaves and the green grassy moss.

Above a brown panther frightens my eye-ba;;s straight out of my head by staring onto my frozen eyes.

Three immeasurable, over-sized elephants push down the banana-growing trees.

As all of these animals came thundering towards me, I ran to exit the spooky jungle to find safety. 

An amazing anaconda hisses really loudly at me while I freeze to death.

In the spooky, sticky, mossy leaves and dirt a snake "sssssssss" at me.

A hulk-mongous panther frightens me by standing straight and tall staring at me like a spy.

Three huge elephants stomp and push down the magnificent trees.

Written by Stanley and Joel

The jumping, jiggly, noisy monkey flies through the waving forest as the fuzzy lion pounces behind.

The banging gorilla bangs on the prickly, thorny, long, thick branches.

A slimy, bony anaconda hisses at me. As I worried the bony killer snake was getting near my feet.

A black and orange tiger roars in the thorny bushes as I listen to where he is.

Written by Zaymia and Annie

Cont. by Zaymia

Below a slithering, hissing snake went through the wet moss and the slippery dirt and leaves.

Up above a big panther harrasses me by sitting and eyeing me up and down.

Three fat elephants push down the big trees.

All the viscious animals came towards me I sprinted through the thorny bushes and left the wild jungle to find some safety!

A marvellous monkey swings from tree to tree while the leapy lion creeps below.

The huge, hairy, hungry gorilla swings upside down on the bouncy, bunchy branches.

An amazing anaconda hisses at me.  I was completely frightened because the sneaky, slimy snake was getting near my feet.

A tricky, striped tiger roars in the munchy bushes all around me as I listen to where he is going to capture me.

Written by Abby and Amber

Cont. by Abby

Deep below me a scaly snake weaves through the lime green leaves and dull dirt as it hisses at me.

High above me a pink, perfect panther scares the eyeballs out of my sockets by sitting so still and staring.

Three enormous elephants pull and push powerful gigantic trees to the ground.

All of these mighty, dangerous animals came charging toward me.  I ran as fast as I could.  I sped through the brown bushes and I left the scary, evil jungle to find my safety.

Cont. by Amber

Underneath on the grubby ground the spying snake slithers on the dull dirt and weaves through the mushy moss.

Above me on the bouncy tree branches a big mid-night panther panics me by staring at my wide eyes.

Three gigantic elephants stomped through the forest while pushing down the green-leaved trees.

As these mysterious animals charge towards me I run like cheetah through the prickly, thorned bushes, around the windy river to get out of this terrifying jungle to safety.

A marvellous, funky monkey swings wildly across the prickly vines, while a fearsome lion pads below.

A giggly gorilla hangs happily on a super thick branch.

A sharp-toothed anaconda hisses at me.  I was super scared because the horrible snake was moving closer to my feet.

A ferocious tiger roars very loudly in the bushes ahead.  I listen to where he was.

Written by Riley and Bryn

Cont. by Riley

Below a diamond backed rattler slithers smoothly and slowly between the ditchy dirt, rough leaves and slimy moss.

Above a pitch black panther terrifies me by shining his big terrifying yellow eyes in mine, eye to eye.

Three thumping, pumping elephants trump on top of the thick rolly trees.

As all these thumping, panting, slithering and swinging animals charge I race for my life past the prickly bushes to find help.

     

More yet to come!

  

        

  

    

Year 3 and 4 Hockey - Puketapu Possums v Puketapu Pukekos

Blooming Brilliance!

Puketapu School's two Year 3 and 4 hockey teams battle it out!

Check out the action...

N.B. Videos are best as is rather than full screen!

                                          

The score was Possums 5 to Pukekos 2.

Thank you to our wonderful coaches, managers and parent supporters!

You are all doing a fantastic job and doing our school proud!

Here they are...

The Pukekos              

                                         The Possums

Guided and Independent reading in Room 6

Guided and Independent Reading for 8-9year Readers and Beyond

To be classified as an 8-9 yr old reader or above a student must achieve more than 95% in accuracy and 70% in comprehension.  If they achieve 90 or 100% in comprehension they would be tested on the next level, but 70-80% comprehension determines the instructional reading age.

By this stage students have a strong sense of what they like to read as well as what they are able to read.  They read for sustained periods and they sustain meaning in longer texts over time, e.g. reading chapter books over days.  They are generally reading accurately, but it’s whether or not they fully comprehend what they read that is the key.  Without comprehension reading is useless.  Once the process of reading has been mastered students need to look for sense.  They have moved on from learning to read and are now reading to learn.

In class I have 2 large groups with 8 or 9 students in each who are independent readers. I have 3 smaller instructional groups as well, but those students are still learning to read.  They need to hear themselves read and I need to hear and watch what they are doing and prompt them when necessary to use strategies to decode text that independent readers do automatically. 

At an independent reading  level our instructional reading sessions are all about Guided Reading, where they are silent reading for the most part.  It’s very productive in that it reduces the emphasis on reading aloud and the trappings that go with it.  Reading aloud is seen as a separate skill for plays, sharing writing and poetry and so. 

During a session, after the initial pre-reading tasks like discussing the title page, flicking through looking for clues as to the text type and making predictions, and so on, students are asked to read a chunk of text at a time, in their heads.  Then the fun begins – I question and I instruct.  Questions and instructions have to be relevant, clear, unambiguous and answerable.  I have students referring to the text, skimming, cross-checking, rereading, using what they know about words and sentence structure, and looking for clues to confirm their predictions and inferences.  They are asked to identify and summarise the main ideas, make and justify their inferences and interpret any new words and figurative or technical language.  We talk about the features and purpose of the different text types and use any visual features to help navigate and understand texts.  Discussing their responses to text is the key.  There is a place for reading aloud.  Students love to read out the quote from the text that justifies their thinking.

To parents with independent readers, I encourage you to continue to read with your child regularly and use the ideas I have mentioned - silent reading and talking!  A bit of patience is involved with allowing for ‘reading and thinking time’, but you will be helping your child to read as a good reader does.  The more reading and talking about text content and structure that is done, the more likely your child will be able to organise their ideas for writing and achieve in other areas of the curriculum.

I have a couple of quotes to finish – obvious ones, but quite pertinent I think: 

‘Reading a wide variety of texts will enrich and extend students’ oral language’. (NZ Curriculum)                   

‘At every level, reading more pages in school and for homework each day is associated with higher reading scores’. (US Dept. of Ed.)

My Polluted Beach

Writing Task

Imagine this beach was once your favourite summer holiday destination.

Explain why this was your favourite place to be.

Describe what is happening here. 

How does it make you feel?

I can't dive in the water!  I feel embarrassed to see the beach.  It was awesome when I last saw it but now it is an awful mess.  Now there is guck everywhere.  I cannot believe it.  It was so inspiring, but now it is disgusting.  There is a car that's crashed, a dog pooping, a big tin drum with a crossbones on it that has poison coming out and it is going into the water and killing the fish.  What a disgrace.  I think we can help the beach.  We can make it like a star that can shine!  We can help the poor beach!  People have to stop doing this stuff.  Definitely!  Yes we can do this.  Can you please help?

Written by Kai

I feel disgusted.  We had so much fun wake boarding here and people come along and dump their rubbish and let their dogs poo anywhere.  But why?  I loved this beach - wake boarding on the cool smooth waves and doing tricks, exploring and in the mornings I would surf the monstrous waves.  People are polluting and making CO2 on my beautiful beach.  Now I can't fish or surf.  I can't wake board.  There are toxinsin the water and sick crabs are scattered.  They must think it's a dump.  I wish people would stop it.  It's just not right.  I'm going to stop this at once.  I'm going to clean it up!  I'm going to get my friends and bring shovels.

Written by Luke

Diverse Dice Games.

Below are some worthwhile Games to practice Number Knowledge and Basic Facts.Also, check out the NZ Maths website posted in 'pages' for lots of ideas to bring maths into your child's everyday life. 

Diverse Dice Games!

How you can use simple dice to enhance speed and accuracy in basic facts and number knowledge skills…

N.B. You can use up to 6 dice for some games!

Roll the dice...

·       Add all dice.

·       Add or mult. 2 dice – state family of facts.

·       Make the biggest or smallest number - 2-6 digits.

·         Add 2-3 dice and divide by a single dice- any remainders?

·       Add all dice and double(x2).

·       Add all dice and multiply by 5(x10,÷2)

·       Place value 'coloured' dice – make 100, 1000, etc.

·       Make a number 2-6 digits–name 1, 10, 100, 1000,etc. more or less.

·       Make a number-ask how many 10’s, 100’s, 1000’s, 1/10’s and 1/100’s in that number? 

·        Add 2-6 dice, then multiply by 10, 100, 1000, 1/10, etc.

·       Roll a big number and then round to nearest 10, 100, 1000.

        

Room 6 reports on things they know a lot about!!

Report Writing

Possums - by Sam

A possum is an animal that lives in a forest.

Its body is about 30 cm long and it is round.  It sleeps in the day.  It hunts at night.  It is a marsupial which means it carries its baby in a pouch.  They live in New Zealand and Australia.  They are furry and have a long tail and glowing eyes.  They live in bush areas and up trees.  The fur is worth a lot of money.

Sometimes they end up squashed on the road or caught in a trap. 

Ferrari - by Joel

A Ferrari is a type of sport's car.  

They are very fast and expensive.  Lot's of millionaires have them.  They are very strong.  

I would like to own one one-day.  A green one.

Polar Bears - by Bryn

Polar Bears have white fur.  They are mammals and are the top predators of the Arctic.

Polar Bears can get very big and they are oval.  Polar Bears live in the Arctic in the North Pole.  It is a very cold place with lots of ice.  

It hunts for seals and birds.  It takes a long time to hunt for its food because they need to find it first.

They hide their nose in the snow so they are camouflaged in the snow.  They are very good carers and very good swimmers.

They have black skin to keep them warm.

The Queen - by Sophie

The Queen's name is Elizabeth.

She wears crowns and earrings.  She lives in Buckingham Palace.  Her birthday is on the 21st of April.

She has three children named Anne, Margaret and Charles.  The Queen is very old.  She is rich.

The Queen is the head of the royal family.

Red-back - by Zac

The Red-back is a spider. 

It is poisonous.  It is about the size of a rubber.  It lives in Australia, in the desert. It crawls around and if you hit it it will attack you.  The Red-back spider is cool.  They are fast and they have fangs.  They have eight legs.

I am glad they aren't in New Zealand.

The Piano by Abby

A piano is a musical instrument.

It's very big and rectangular.  You can get a keyboard which is similar to a piano, but portable.  All kids can play it.  It's got black and white keys and pedals.

You can find them in homes, schools, concert halls, theatres and just about anywhere.  They are used to play music, e.g. for a band or at a concert.  Famous musicians often play them or they are played for famous singers to sing to.

I love the piano because they make a beautiful sound.

Baby Lambs - by Molly

A baby lamb is a soft animal that you can hug, kiss and keep as a pet.  

There are four types of sheep - a baby lamb, a teenager, a ewe and a ram.  A ewe has to be thirteen or fourteen to have a baby lamb.  A baby lamb can have blue or brown eyes.  When a baby lamb is born it has blood on it and if the mum leaves it, it will not survive.  A baby lamb has to eat grass and milk or it will die. A baby lamb has four legs, a tail, eyes and fur called wool.

Dirt Bikes - by Luke
Dirt bikes are motor bikes.
Dirt bikes can go up to 1000 km.  Dirt bikes can be yellow, blue, black, red, green or orange.  My favourite bikes are motocross bikes and trail bikes.  My favourite trick to do is a 'whip'.  A whip is a famous trick. You need to be in second gear, go full throttle up a ramp and while in the air you turn the bike on its side. Kids can ride their bikes on the side of the road and cross it.  You need to keep your bike in good condition. If your oil is dirty your bike won't start.  Some bikes have an electric start but most are kick start. Some bikes have gears.  You can buy more gears for $100 each.
I have my own bike.  I take very good care of it. 

Cats - by Jack B.

Cats are mammals.  

They are small furry animals with whiskers, a tail and sharp claws.  People have cats as pets.  Some cats are wild. They eat meat and fish.  They like to hunt mice and they like to sleep. 

Lions and tigers are also cats.

Owls - by Amber

Owls are a type of bird.

Owls have feathers, big round eyes, they have feet like a chicken and its head can turn all the way around which is 360 degrees.  Owls live in forests.  They are magnificent hunters and they hunt at night.  Owls 'hooooot' at night.  They live in New Zealand and other countries around the world.

Some people think that owls are wise.

Black Holes - by Kai

A black hole used to be a big star.  

A black hole is nothing.  They live in space.  They are different sizes. 

They were once a humongous star and it collapsed and disappeared and there was nothing, because it's a black hole.  It sucks other stars into it. 

I know a lot about black holes.

Gigantotosaurus - by Riley

The Gigantotosaurus was a reptile up to 15 meters in length and up to eight or nine tonnes in weight. 

They have short hands ... but there hands were bigger than their brain.  This dinosaur was a South American predator in the Tyrassicc period, which means it lived about 240 million years ago.  This viscious beast would kill Saurapods like the Argentinosaurus then have a big feast.  

This was a top predator.

Turtles - by Bayly

A turtle has a shell and a body.  The colour of its shell is brown and the body is green, browny- green.  The shell helps them to cover their backs like clothes.  It eats fish in the sea and other stuff that is in the sea.They live in the sea and the ocean, which is the same thing.

Dogs - by Ruby

A dog is a furry mammal.  

Dogs have a very good sense of smell and have very good hearing.  Two of the largest dogs are the Kuvu and Schnauzer.  Some dogs are crossed with another breed, e.g. a Bichon with a Schitzu, etc.  

Most dogs live on huge farms to do specific doggy-doodle jobs and only some live in town.

Sheep dogs spend most of their life herding sheep.  Alsation dogs are often Police dogs that get trained by Police dog handlers.

Dogs are amazing!  Luckily I have one.

T-Rex - by Innes

The T-Rex is a kind of reptile called a dinosaur.  

The T-Rex was eight meters long and three meters high.  It was a carnivore, which meant it ate meat.  The name T-Rex means Terrible Lizard.  It had feet like a huge bird.  It had a bigger brain than the Giganotosaurus.  It hunted for Serapods too.

Sad they died out.  

Ponies - by Lily

A pony is a type of animal that is a cousin to the zebra and donkey.  

Ponies are round with four legs and a head on it.  It has a mane, a long tail, four hoofs and square teeth. Ponies live all over New Zealand and around the world.  

To own a pony you need a paddock with grass, shelter(like a stable) and water.  Ponies help people because they carry things.  You can train ponies for shows and they are great pets.

I have three ponies.  They are the best pets you could ever own.

Munchakins by Ella

Munchakins are a small breed of cat.

Munchakins are the smallest breed.  Their back legs are slightly longer than their front legs.  They have long fur.  Their bodies are long too.

They are rare in New Zealand and are bred in America.

They're the best survivors, very playful and sometimes very sleepy.

People want this breed all over the world because they are very playful.

Ponies - by Makayla

A pony is a type of horse.

It is measured by hands.  You can make them walk, trot and canter.  It has got four legs, a mane, and a tail. They come in different colours.

They can live in a stable, on paddocks all around the world.  They feed on hay, apples and grass.  They have a very good sense of smell and are very good for moving stock, going places, exercising and going to shows. A lot of training is needed to do well.

Looking after a pony takes a lot of money and effort.

Dogs - by Simone

A dog is a pet that can usually run fast.

A dog has a very good sense of smell and hearing.  It has a tail, sharp teeth and four legs.

A dog can live in town or on a farm.  Some dogs work on a farm, for the Police and even for the blind.

Some dogs can be cute and some can be fierce.

A good dog has a good trainer.

Owls - by Greer

An owl is a type of bird.

Owls have small legs and are the shape of an octagon.  Owls have big googly eyes to help them see at night when they hunt for small animals.

An owl's head can move right around and they are camouflaged to hide during the day.  Owls are the same colour as their surroundings.  They live in trees, they fly, they hoot and they catch mice.

Owls are soft, fluffy, flappy and fast.

The RingTail Lemur - by Zaymia

Lemurs are a type of monkey.

There are five different types of lemurs.  They are the the Ring Tail Lemur, the Mouse Lemur, the Monkey Lemur, the Red Raft Lemur and the White Lemur.

Lemurs are the size of a normal monkey, are fur-like, have a black and white tail and a white tummy.

Lemurs live in Madagasca and eat at 6.30 at night.  Lemurs sleep in trees and play in the forest.  Lemurs can grip onto trees and hang from trees.  Lemur's like to bounce on its tail. Lemurs are cute and amazing but they can attack people.

Monk-fish by Georgiana

Monk-fish are red, green and grey.  They are round and hidden creatures.

It digs in the sand to be hidden.  It is round and spotty, it has scales and gills.

The Monk-fish is found in New Zealand and they come out in the day to feed.  Monk-fish eat crabs and little sea creatures.

They are good to eat but very cheeky fish because if you catch one it slips away.

Cats - by Mariah

Cats are little mammals and are warm blooded.  They are normally kept for pets.  Some cats are black, brown, gold, white or grey.  Some cats catch birds, fish and sometimes even frogs.  Cats like to hunt and they like to sleep.

The Jet Boat - by Stanley

A jet bat is a type of water machine that goes in rivers.

At the front of a jet boat, underneath, is a hole that sucks in water and at the back are two jets that spit out water at 1,000 km an hour.

The jet boat can go in rivers or in the sea.  When the engine is turned on it roars.

People enjoy the ride that the jet boat gives them.

Labradors - by Timmy

Labrador's are a pet dog.

Labradors kill animals like ducks and chickens.  Labradors are big dogs.  Labradors live all around the world.  You give them breakfast, lunch and dinner.  They sleep a lot.  Labradors help put cattle in yards. Labradors help blind people.

Donkeys - by Annie

Donkeys are in the horse family but they have longer ears.  They have four long legs with hoofs.  They live all around the earth in paddocks.  It can gallop around the paddock and it likes to sleep.  Donkeys eat hay, grass and feed.

You can ride a donkey because my brother and sister have ridden one before.