Te Pahu Challenge - TRAMP COMPLETED!

The TRAMP section of the Te Pahu Challenge is complete! Well done to our awesome students who made it up either the Ruapane or Wharauroa peak! For most of you it was the longest walk you have ever done and it was great to see your positive attitude towards the challenge, as well as your enjoyment of being in the outdoors. We had stunning days and on the Friday we had magnificent  views of the Central Plateau mountains as well as our surrounding district. Well done guys!

Character descriptions

We have started looking at writing character descriptions. The most important thing is to choose characters that are easy to describe. Characters with features that stand out. We looked at some excellent examples of character descriptions and then the students wrote a description of the lady below. They did this in pairs and came up with some outstanding descriptions. Here are some of them:

It had been a long time since we'd been face to face.. She had changed a lot. Her hair was unkempt as it tumbled out of her bonnet. Her watchful gaze pinned me down. It didn't match her unfriendly frown. Deep crevices trailed down her face, with soft hairs sprouting out. Each step she took was long and laboured. Her smell tingling my nose with the smell of rotten cabbages, It was good to see her again. 
Lauren and Krizza

Her wiry, bird nest hair was held together by a velvet scarf. The eyebrows and mouth got swallowed up like sinking sand. Her eyes were fearless. It was like looking into eagles eyes. Her skin was as tough as leather. Her voice cracked before she mumbled. The potent perfume pierced my nose before turning into a sweet apple crumble. 
Sydney and Greer

Her untamed hair crept down her face, escaping the silk head scarf that attempted to hold it in. Her deep wrinkles snaked all over her raisin like skin. She stared blankly into the distance, stabbed with harsh memories that made her cower. Words tumbled out of her mouth in a way no one could understand. Her eyes were a normal colour but glistened with pride and power, showing that fear didn't stop her.
Jack E and Martha

Her skin was as wrinkly as a raisin She had sunken eyes that sat there, fearless. Her soft hair brushed up against her wrinkly forehead. He sunken mouth mumbled as I struggled to hear a word she said. As she walked she had the position of a tilted tower.
Amelia and Bailey.

Her face was like a war zone. The wrinkles were like trenches, dug deep into her face. Wisps of hair made a fluffy halo around her puckered forehead. Her ancient voice sounded like a frog croaking. Her watery eyes peered through the thick sagging brow.
Deegan and Sophie.

The icy eyed lady crept out of her grave to give the innocent boy a death stare. Her bones cracked and crumbled as she stumbled across the graveyard. The full moon shone down upon her, revealing her face, wrinkled like a raisin. Her hair was wild like an overgrown bush, flapping in the whistling wind.
Josiah and Campbell

Flying penguins

We had a great discussion around research, websites, and the news today. We started off watching this short video clip from the BBC on flying penguins (a clever April fools joke). We then looked at some examples of mis-information on the internet.

We discussed how science studies are often shown and spread around by news companies. People make changes to their diet or habits based on this information. However, scientists know that you can't base solid beliefs off one study. We looked at a fascinating graph which showed the variations in studies around food and cancer. It shows clearly that we need to approach information on the internet carefully.

Next time we are going to look at Wikipedia and understand how it works and what the accuracy of the information is like.

Te Pahu Graduate - Researchers

One of the key parts of becoming a Te Pahu Graduate is becoming a great researcher. We live in a world where we are fed information constantly and it is easy to believe inaccurate information. 'Chinese whispers' can really affect the quality of information we are given.

We had a fascinating visit to the Te Awamutu Museum today as research is a massive part of what they do. We were very privileged to talk to the staff who do research and who handle the Museum collections. The students got to go into the back rooms where all the collections are. They had a go at using research to identify some of the actual artifacts in the Museum. They also got to explore the stories behind some of the Museum display artifacts.

We learnt about primary and secondary sources. We learnt about the different sources to do research (e.g. specialists, books/documents, internet) and why some are better than others.

The students are about to head into speeches which will require quite a bit of research. As part of this learning we will use this learning and apply research principles to ensure we are getting accurate information.

Waipa land wars site tour

We had a fascinating tour of two of the sites of the NZ land wars - Rangiaowhia and Alexandra (Pirongia) redoubt.

We first went to St Pauls Church at Rangiaowhia. Rangiaowhia was a Maori village which was the 'breadbasket' of the Waikato for Maori. Lots of produce left the area going as far as Auckland. It was so good that the settlers wanted it and, after sneaking past the defences at Paterangi, made there way there. When they arrived it was just the women, children, and grandparents, as all the males were at Paterangi. There was confusion over who was male and female and so a number of people were killed. Many sheltered in a church that got burnt down. The settlers didn't have the skills of working the land in that area so the settlers didn't have a lot of success and the settlement died out.

We learnt about the building of the church which happened about 10 years before the war. A European helped the local Maori build it and they did it without any nails. The stain-glass window was carried through the bush from Tauranga without breaking. In the grave yard a number of students noticed how many young people people were buried there. This was a result of the poverty and related sicknesses due to the depression in NZ.

We then went to Alexandra redoubt. It is called that because Pirongia township used to be called Alexandra, before postal confusion with Alexandra in the South Island forced the change. There was never a war at the redoubt but it was created and used as a lookout for the potential of a war.