Room 1 happenings

This term we are focusing on writing personal summaries and explanations. The tamariki identified that the explanation type of writing explains how things work or why things happen, the writing is in sequence, and uses technical language (language that relates to the topic). We have looked at some examples but more unpacking of this text type is needed to further understand the purpose, structure and language of writing explanations.

For reading we are reading texts in the 'Connect Series' journals. They have some really interesting maths, science and technology readings. We have reading tasks in class where the children work in groups with the teacher (guided reading), write summaries on the text they have read, independent reading where the children get to select their own text then summarise what they have read. I also spend 10 minutes modelling reading to the children. I have selected a novel by Maurice Gee called 'The Halfmen of O', the children listen intently and have 3-5 questions to answer every 4 chapters. So far the children are engaged in the story and always eager to find out what happens next.

In maths the children are learning strategies to help solve multiplication and division problems more efficiently. The children have been learning rounding and compensating, doubling and halving, trebling and thirding and proportional adjustment strategies in math. Ask your child about these strategies (different groups have been learning different strategies) and get them to show you how to do it. Some children are really grasping the maths strategies and it is great to see the discussions and sharing of thoughts in maths.

We are at the exploring stage of our inquiry learning. is based on ‘how the big wide world works?’. The children are looking at writing down questions that they want to research and find out more information about their chosen big idea. Some of the ideas the children are going to research in more depth are televisions, speakers, gaming consoles, bicycles, typewriters and many other interesting tech devices or objects made on a larger scale using technology.

We have another busy term ahead of us with Year 7 and 8 technology (manual) beginning this week, another Tech challenge for the week and other exciting activities and learning tasks.