For our new Tech rotation at tamaki college, my group 7B moved into Mrs Roy’s class to learn how to use sewing machines. We practiced using the machines on paper templates to get the hang of them, and we also learned how to stay completely safe while working in the room. It was a great introduction to a brand new classroom!
My reading group recently put together a DLO exploring the characters and atmosphere in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. We deep-dived into the differences between protagonists and antagonists, and compared round characters to flat ones. We also looked at how the mood of a scene can completely change how the reader feels.
It was fascinating to see how the author uses specific settings to make certain moments feel incredibly tense or uncomfortable. Backing up our ideas with examples from the book really helped me understand how writers intentionally shape a story to make us feel strong emotions.
Yesterday afternoon, our school hosted a special event called student-led conferences. It was a wonderful opportunity for parents to come in and view all of our hard work. My brother and I loved showing our parents around the classroom and proudly showcasing our projects displayed all over the walls.
For our literacy project, Me and my partner made this Mood-o-meter to track Bruno’s emotions in Chapters 19 and 20 of the book “The boy in the striped pajamas”.
Bruno starts Excited about his plan and Happy putting on his “costume.” His mood drops to Sad when it rains, and he becomes Worried inside the camp because it is not what he expected. Tragically, when crowded into the gas chamber, he innocently thinks it is just a shelter from the rain. He stays loyal to the end, holding Shmuel’s hand as his “friend for life.”
“This week in reading, we have been studying mood—the overall feeling or vibe of a story. For my project, I created a Google Slides activity that tracks Bruno’s mood throughout The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I used four images to visually demonstrate his changing emotions and the shifting mood of the book.”
LI: To use AI to create an image that shows the contrast between events or characters.
For reading, we have been learning about the concept of contrast, which basically means looking at opposites. A great example of this is Bruno and Shmuel from the book The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. While Bruno looks healthy and well-fed, Shmuel looks thin and bony. For this interesting activity, I created a Google Slide featuring a contrasting image of both characters and wrote an explanation listing the differences between them.
This term, we went on a trip to the Panmure Basin. After our trip, we had a fun activity researching the powerful eight-tailed taniwha, Moko-ika-hiku-waru, who lives beneath the basin’s new footbridge, Te Kōpua o Hiku. One important thing I learned from this project is to use at least two different websites to confirm your information and make sure your facts are correct
We have been creating art based on our trip to the Panmure Basin. While we were there, we discussed the story of a powerful eight-tailed taniwha who dwells beneath the new Panmure Basin bridge. Using an online reference, I created a digital tracing DLO of Moko-ika-hiku-waru under the bridge.
This term, we went on a trip to the Panmure Basin. We saw many amazing views, but the new bridge at the basin was especially stunning. When we returned, we created a drawing DLO of the bridge. I used a photograph as a reference and traced it using the curve tools. I really enjoyed this activity because it was fun and helped me improve my drawing skills.
“In literacy, we have been learning about sentence structures. Sentence structures include simple, compound, and complex. This is very important, because using this in your writing can help you improve a lot. Without using this simple structure in your writing, it will feel like you’ve missed some parts. I’ve created a Google slide, explaining and giving examples of each sentences ( simple, compound, complex. )