Welcome to Term 2 2009. Last term was hectic to say the least! This term seems staid in comparison. However this will give us a chance to buckle down to some regular class work.
Coming Events
| Rippa Rugby Tournament | Thursday 7 May |
| Money Game auction | Friday 8 May |
| Mr Wardle away at a course | Monday 11 May |
| Portfolios Home | Friday 29 May |
| Queen’s Birthday Weekend | Monday 1 June |
| Money Game auction | Friday 5 June |
| School Cross Country | Friday 12 June |
| Young Leaders Day (Yr 8) | Monday 15 June |
| Kainui Cross Country | Friday 19 June |
| Feilding High Open Day | Thursday 25 June |
| Money Game auction | Friday 3 July |
| Term 2 Ends | Friday 3 July |
| Term 3 Begins | Monday 20 July |
Theme – Early warning! Next term I am planning a major theme called “People on the Move”. This will examine why people migrate. In particular the study will look at why and how Maori and European people came to this country, but it will also focus on why individual people and families move from place to place. As part of this I would like children to investigate why their families migrated to and or around Aotearoa / New Zealand. To do this they will need to have some background information about where their grandparents, great grandparents and even further back came from and, for those children with Maori ancestry, what their iwi affiliations are. If would be helpful if you could do a little thinking about who your child might contact to help them with this research.
This term our overarching theme is called “The Sun Powers our Planet”. We will look at the Sun as part of our solar system, and how it affects life on Earth. We have started by finding out how plants use sunlight to manufacture food and oxygen and thus sustain animal life. This follows on from the work we did on food chains and webs last term. We will also examine how the sun powers the weather, why we have day and night and the four seasons, what the water cycle is, why humans need the sun to stay healthy and why we need to avoid its ultra violet rays. We will also have a look at the sun in mythology and in art, and how humans can harness the sun’s energy instead of using fossil fuels.
I have asked the children to bring a coke or fizzy can to school, or better still, a used golden syrup can. We will use it for an experiment.
Portfolios – We are aiming to send home your child’s portfolio for viewing at Queen’s Birthday weekend. This will give some children time to finish off assignment work due from last term.
Mathematics – We will start the Term by revisiting Multiplication and Division. Later we will cover Shape, Angles and then Time. We are lucky that Mrs McKay has offered to help out with Mathematics in Room 2. She is taking a small group with the aim of boosting their knowledge of multiplication and division strategies.
Reading – This term the children will be encouraged to widen their reading. To do that I have put together a selection of over fifty novels which range across ten different genre: action and adventure, animals, biography, fantasy, historical, modern classics, mystery, New Zealand, other cultures and short stories. Over the course of the year the children will have to read at least one novel from each box.
Last term the children were introduced to a new reading programme called ‘Reading Box” which is similar to the old SRA system. The children read short graded texts appropriate to their level and then have to carry out related activities. When they have finished they self assess and move on to the next card. They work through the box at their own pace. This was so popular that I want to continue with the programme for a little longer.
Serial Story – Soon I want to read the novel “The Boy in Stripped Pyjamas’ to the class. This is a very powerful book which has been turned into a movie – one of the best I have seen for a while. In the story, Bruno, the young son of a Nazi concentration camp commandant, makes friends with another boy – a Jewish prisoner. Bruno is totally unaware of what his father does or why Shmuel cannot climb the fence to play. The story has a very sad ending and, although there is no violence, it gives the reader a chilling picture of the horrors of the holocaust. Reading books like this one can show children how powerful and engaging good literature can be.
Would you think about letting your child see the film? I would like to show it to them-especially the seniors. Perhaps we could have a viewing with parents one evening. Please think about it and I will contact you when the DVD becomes available.
Writing – The children have begun the term free writing using a series of pictures as a source of inspiration and motivation. We start most days with a twenty minute period of writing before going into our spelling and grammar session. I have been very pleased with the standard of writing and the creativity of the storytelling. Fantastic!
Art – Ms Lindsay has offered to do some mosaic art work with the children. We plan to start this next week and we would like the children to bring an old ceramic plate or tile to school -the more colourful the better. If you haven’t anything at home you can buy plates from opportunity shops in town quite cheaply.
At the moment we are using traditional Australian Aboriginal art as a motivation to paint pictures of the sun using acrylic paint. Next I want the children to learn about painting with water colours.
Music– Almost all the children in Room 2 are now involved in learning a musical instrument at school. Most are learning the acoustic guitar with others learning bass guitar, trumpet or drums. Yours truly is teaching himself how to play the trombone as his challenge for the Term.
Homework -A few children habitually forget to bring their books for marking on the due date. Please encourage your children to keep their books in their school bag. Otherwise, I am reasonably happy with the standard of homework. A growing number of children’s work is outstanding!
I have given the children a glossary of mathematical terms which is pasted into the back of their homework book. This should help them decipher some of the technical terms in their worksheet. A copy will also go into their mathematics folder.
Please keep encouraging your child to RIBIT (Read In Bed It’s Terrific) and take them to the library regularly. Thank you.
Regards,
David Wardle (Contact me at [email protected])
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