We have arrived back at school for Term 3 ready to get stuck into our learning! We are all excited to crack on with our Inquiry and explore big concepts around space, the stars and beyond.
We began this week by having a look at gravity. We thought about what we already know about gravity (turns out quite a lot!).
We compared how different objects fall and tested out gravity (to make sure it's still working after the break). We were all very interested in this, especially when John swung a bucket of water around! We've started forming our own wonderings/questions to explore!
During the holiday break we ran a workshop on Number Talks. This was attended by 30 teachers and principals from 10 schools as well as Maths advisors from the Wellington region. We wanted to share what we have been doing at Worser Bay because it has a big impact on student engagement and achievement.
What does developing a Mathematical Community of Inquiry mean to us?
Mathematics is a creative and challenging real world activity.
Positive beliefs about mathematical ability are essential.
Maths has to be visual and collaborative; with time and strategies to investigate, discuss, explore concepts and reflect.
At Worser Bay School, we have been inspired by the work of Jo Boaler who is a professor at Stanford University. She provides resources and ideas to help students get excited about Maths.
"You have probably heard people say they are just bad at math, or perhaps you yourself feel like you are not “a math person.” Not so, says Stanford mathematics education professor Jo Boaler, who shares the brain research showing that with the right teaching and messages, we can all be good at math. Not only that, our brains operate differently when we believe in ourselves. Boaler gives hope to the the mathematically fearful or challenged, shows a pathway to success, and brings into question the very basics of how our teachers approach what should be a rewarding experience for all children and adults."
For a Number Talk to be successful, students need to be respectful in discussion. We have co-constructed (with our students) the rights and responsibilities for discussion in a Number Talk.
We have had a fantastic term of swimming at the Wellington Regional Aquatic Centre in Kilbirnie. We had useful lessons on different strokes and some of us got to practice special skills such as kayaking, diving and snorkelling. We also had plenty of fun times in the play pool! We are now looking forward to our Senior Swimming Sports in early term 3. He pai ki a mātou te kaukau! (We love swimming!) Check out some of our reflections on swimming and photos below:
I like swimming. I learnt how to properly do my breath stroke kick - Evie R
Swimming has been great. I have learnt how to do all the strokes with the paddles and have got more confident with kayaking - Nell K I loved school swimming because I got to do KAYAKING! At first I hated capsizing in a kayak but the more I did it I now have fun capsizing in a kayak it was so much fun - Pyrenees S
This term we did swimming and I learned how to stand up on my board (kinda) it was fun and I learned a lot from the lessons on how to surf - Talia TS
Swimming was really fun. I've got better at my breast stroke and I still need to work on my arm circles in freestyle - Olivia C
I liked swimming because I am in a group with my friends but after we get to play and its really fun because we can play tag and be sea creatures - Rhosyn F At swimming, I learnt swimming on my back, freestyle and duck dive - Sam M
James and Nicola's Whānau group (with Neil stepping in!) retold the tale of how Maui discovered fire. We did this through the medium of puppets!
First we got into groups and retold the legend. Then we got back together to share, before planning and discussing what we needed to make. We asked, how did we want to do it? What characters will we need? How will we make the settings for the scenes and the backing music?
Everybody played their part in creating the artwork for the show, as well as telling the story. Some were on stage during the performance and some recorded their voices. We also made the background music using GarageBand.
We have made a joint commitment in Matariki for the upcoming holidays… We are all going to read a book these holidays!
The ‘Rules’:You can read a book (doesn’t have to be a chapter book).Think about what you loved about the book? What made it so amazing? Who else would like it?
Our readers!
When we return in Term 3 we will share our book with each other to get new recommendations for our next read!
There were some great discussions about fair tests, largely around counting the seconds or using a watch or iPad to time. We have some budding scientists at work!
