NASA Balloon Launch Wanaka

NASA Balloon Launch on PhotoPeach The unmanned balloon launch will be a test run to help NASA assess Wanaka’s suitability as a permanent launch site. The eight hour countdown and launch will be controlled from the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Texas. At 90m in diameter and 4000kg, this is no ordinary helium balloon. Once it’s inflated and released, it will rise at about 1000 feet (300m) per minute until it reaches 37km above the earth, where it will float for around 100 days before gently descending to land in South America. As this is a test run, the balloon won’t be carrying any scientific instruments. But if Wanaka is confirmed as a launch site, future balloons will carry equipment that will be used to investigate the origins of the universe; assess the effects of cosmic rays on the atmosphere and continue the hunt for previously undiscovered planets.

Diagram of an Earthworm

Today we looked at diagrams and what is important.
Success Criteria:
Write a title
Diagram takes up at least half the space
Pencil used for labels and lines
Coloured pencil for the picture
Ruler used to draw lines from the label to the correct part
Words written at the end of the label line
Diagram is neat, clear and easy to read

Tomorrow we will publish some of our drawings,  We also discussed the functions of the main parts of a worm.  We are going to explain the functions of these parts tomorrow, in our own words.

Watch out for our explanations of these body parts.  We will publish some for you to read.

Sun & Surf Reading Activity

Success Criteria for Our Life Cycles

What does a life cycle need?

• Title
• Labels
• Pictures
• Arrows going in a clockwise direction
• Numbers showing the stages (optional)
• Description of each stage and what happens

Trip to Worm Farm and Waste Busters. on PhotoPeach

Cyclone PAM Education Relief Fund

We have decided  that this is what we want our profit from the lunch wraps to go.  A very worthwhile cause.  We were touched by the images and Kate Lloyd's email which Annie received and shared with us.  

Earthworm Life Cycle

We looked at the life cycle of a worm.  It was interesting to learn about.  No one knew about every stage  of the cycle so there was lots of new learning.  We also learned about how earthworms reproduce.  Very interesting.  We will go over it again as it is very interesting.    Did you know that worms are “hermaphrodites?” That means that each single worm has both male and female reproductive parts.  This is one of the coolest facts about worms! 

Learn all about Worms

We used this website to learn all about the parts of a worm (anatomy) today.  

Wormologists!

Today we became scientists (wormologists).  We observed and researched worms and made inferences about worms based on our prior knowledge and what we had learned when we watched videos and Power points as well as reading websites and books.  We recorded  measurements and labelled the parts of a worm.  We tested and challenged our assumptions.  We used scientific language to describe the parts of the worms we studied.  We did lots of the things a real scientist does! 

 

Worm Wonderings & Observations

Worm Wonderings

Brilliant questions Room 16!

Our Class Enterprise Activity (lunchwraps to reduce wrapping at our school)

We are raising money for a special project .  We are discussing what this project might be.  Order forms have gone home today with the eldest children.  Choose the size and material and pay by cash, cheque or online.  Get your orders in by Wednesday 1 April.    Help us to reduce waste  at Wanaka Primary School!

Mummified Chicken from December Last Year!

Setting Up of Our Can-O-Worms Worm Farm

Our Big Worm Farm on PhotoPeach

Tasty Meals For Our Worms!

We completed a T Chart after learning about what food our worms like best!

We discovered the information we needed by searching on Google (Worm farm, food for worms)

Making Our Worm Farms

Making a Worm Farm on PhotoPeach

Pete & Helen Talk About Our Term 2 Music Programme

Pete & Helen will be working with teachers and students in term 2 for our music programme where we will be focusing on tuned instruments.

Success Criteria for Writing Instructions to Make a Worm Farm

Developed with the children after looking at a variety of models.

Didn't they do well!

• Write a title (may be a question)
• List the instructions in order /sequence (number instructions e.g. 1.  2.  3. )
• List the materials needed  (may use bullet points)
• Use an action word / doing word (verb) at the start of each instruction e.g. add, place, put, cut, tape, remove, return
• Use pictures to show the steps to make it clearer to the reader (optional)
• Use topic words e.g. worm farm words
• Sample words in the margin
• Proof-read my work and correct & sample 2 words in the margin

Try these too if you have achieved the success criteria above…

• Write 2 sentences after the title to explain more about the task
• Poke small holes in the plastic wrap with a sharp pencil (to let in air for the worms)
• Conduct words when trying unknown words  e.g.  shred  ded
• Proof-read and edit independently

How to Make a Worm Farm Model

We used this model to establish our success criteria for writing instructions on how to make a worm farm.

What is ANZAC Day?

Anzac Day is a special day, recognised on 25th April every year in both in New Zealand and Australia. Unfortunately the true history and significance of Anzac Day is becoming muddled and forgotten. Most kiwis can tell you that it has something to do with the First World War, New Zealand soldiers landing at Gallipoli, and poppies, but unfortunately many of the details have been lost along the way.

Click the poppy to find out more...

Ten Facts About the ANZACs

Ten Facts About the ANZACs

Anthem "A tribute to the ANZACs"

Save the Trees!

Do you know how lovely rain forests are?  

All people care about is what trees make out of them. Well, we do need all that stuff, but we don’t need to cut down all the beautiful rain forests, not even the normal forests.

You can use trees for lots of things: timber, firewood, fun, making things, scenery.

WHAT TREES MAKE FOR ANIMALS

They make: 

Protection, food, water, shelter. It is like a woven carpet. If one animal dies then they all die like pulling on a lose thread it all unravels.

HOW DO TREES CLEAN THE AIR?

Trees clean by:

They breathe in CO2 (cabon dioxide) and breathe out O2 (oxygen). This makes it easier to breathe.

 The trees deserve to live, they don’t have to just be cut down for their materials. They’re just like people.  You wouldn’t just kill some for their money! So let them live. 

THEY DESERVE TO LIVE!

Trees Are Important

The use of trees is more than you think, they can be made into all sorts of stuff like paper, card, cardboard, homes and wood. The life of animals is like a colony of bees. If the queen dies the whole colony fails. FORESTS are homes, water, shelter and good hiding spots. We are losing 170 species of animals a day. Trees are really important for everything. Trees make clean-air for us, animals, plants, other sea animals and also stuff like natural resources. Trees save the world by breathing in carbon dioxide and breathing out oxygen. If you care about trees then don’t cut as many down!
By Ryan  Enoka  R16      

A special message from the Lorax ...

THE PROBLEM WITH PLASTIC BAGS ...

One of our reading groups 'Sand' read an interesting article called 'Plastic Fantastic'. They learnt many interesting and alarming facts about Plastic Bags.  They were surprised to see that many other countries are doing a lot more than New Zealand to reduce the use of plastic bags!

Waste Avengers!

Join in the action of this environmental online game with Tommy and the Professor as the Waste Avengers!  Learn about waste disposal techniques to placing waste in landfills by following the mantra: reduce, reuse and recycle.

Recycling

Put your reflexes to the test with this fun recycling game for kids. Sort items for recycling, compost and trash as fast as you can by catching them in the correct collection bin and unloading them when they get full. Watch as banana peels, apple cores, paper, cans and even old socks come through the system.