Summer Learning Journey, Week 3, Day 4

DAY 4: Like a Scene Out of a Movie

Activity 1: The Southern Lights [4 points]

Once in a while a very special event takes place in New Zealand. It is a show of beautiful, bright lights that appear in the sky over the South Island. The lights are called the ‘Aurora Australis’ or ‘Southern Lights.’ They are similar to the ‘Northern Lights’ that are often seen in places like Northern Canada, Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The southern and northern lights are so stunning that they often leave people, who are watching them, speechless.

For this activity, you are to write a short acrostic word poem about the beautiful lights. Hazel has written an acrostic poem about summer to give you an example.

S - Sun outside,

U - Umbrellas in the sand.

M -  My friends and I, having fun,

M - Making sandcastles,

E - Enjoying ice cream on a hot day,

R - Racing to the beach!

On your blog, use the word ‘LIGHTS’ to write an acrostic poem about the Southern Lights. Be as creative as you can!

L - Life experience.

I - Incredible colours.

G - Gorgeous views.

H - Heart stopping light.

T - Thankful sightings.

S - Special time.

Activity 2: The Seven Sisters [4 points]

In the middle of winter, a very special cluster (group) of stars appear in the sky over New Zealand. This cluster is called the ‘Matariki star cluster.’ It re-appears in the sky each May/June and signals the start of the Māori New Year. Many songs (waiata) and stories have been written about the cluster. One of these is called ‘The Seven Stars of Matariki.’ It was written by a New Zealander named Toni Rolleston-Cummins. She is from Maketu. Click here to listen to Toni read her story.

On your blog, write a short summary of the book. What was it about? Try to summarise the story in 6-8 sentences.

There was a boy called Mitai, he lived with his seven older brothers, he lived in a village called Maketu. One day the boys went hunting and they heard such amazing singing,the boys followed this sound to the top of a hill and found the most beautiful girls with golden hair. All the boys fell in love but not Mitai, He said that strange pretty woman will only bring harm but the men just ignored them and took the ladies but to their village. They all became husband and wife, but Mitai did not like his brothers wife's. The girls did not do anything they just sang and comb their hair, the borthers did not go hunting they would only get seafood for them because they would only eat seafood. They were so bewitched they did not eat, cared for there gardens or even worried about their appearances, because of that they were skinny and their good works just disappeared. One day the oldest brother returned from fishing and notice that his wife was missing so as the others, because of that he told Mitai and then Mitai became really suspicious. He waited out of one of the brothers whare then he saw 6 birds on a branch and then another one came to join them, he turned into a bird and followed them. They turned into the women, then he heard the plan to starve the brothers. At first the brothers did not listen, and then said something to smack some sense into his brothers, they had to get rid of their wife's so the next day they hid and waited for the bird wife's to come then they came and the brothers caught them into a net. Mitai turned in a bird and flew them to the heaven. The woman turned into the seven stars of matariki.

I am so sorry I wrote so much for you to read.

ctivity 3: Crazy, Cool Clouds [5 points]

Have you ever looked up into the sky and seen a cloud that had a really cool shape? I certainly have, and so have dozens of other people. Take a look at the three pictures of crazy, cool cloud formations below.

From left to right: Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3

Clouds are formed when small drops of water stick together. To learn more about clouds and how they are formed, you can watch this cool video. Once you have learned about clouds, please choose your favourite cloud picture.

On your blog, tell us what you see in the photo. What shape(s) do you see? Be sure to tell us which picture (1, 2 or 3) you have chosen and describe what you see in lots of detail!.

I choose picture 2. I think that it looks like a tornado.It looks like it is about to spin into your area. And it looks like it is above the city or town. And if you look closely you can see that bits are Gray and the some bits are white. It starts of wide at the top and then become Skinner when it goes down.

Summer Learning Journey, Week 3, Day 3

DAY 3: Taking Flight

Activity 1: Bird of the Year! [4 points]

Aotearoa New Zealand is home to many different kinds (species) of native birds.  Sadly, about a third of our native bird species are at risk of disappearing forever (becoming extinct).

Each year, Forest and Bird New Zealand hold a ‘Bird of the Year’ competition where people can vote for their favourite native bird. This year, the winner was the kererū (or woodpigeon).

Go onto the Bird of the Year website, look through the native birds on the site, and choose one that interests you.

On your blog, write a short description of your bird. Where does your bird normally live? What does your bird normally eat?  Post a picture of the bird underneath your description. Be sure to attribute your picture properly.

Tui:

The Tui is found all over New Zealand. There is a large subspecies(It is below species) to the Chatthan island. The Tui's eat nectar and they also eat tiny insects.

Image © Neil Fitzgerald by Neil Fitzgerald www.neilfitzgeraldphoto.co.nz

I could not find the licence.

Activity 2: Flying Foxes [4 points]

Not only is New Zealand home to many native birds but we also have a number of native bats. Some of these bats are really small while others are much larger. None, however, are as large as the largest bat in Australia. It is called the flying fox (pictured below) and it has a wingspan of up to 6 feet or 2 metres. Wow! That is taller than most of us!

Flying foxes usually sleep during the day and hunt for food at night, using their ears to guide them through the darkness. Like other bats, they have the best hearing of any mammal. It is their ‘superpower.’

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? If I could choose, I would like to be able to fly. It would make it possible for me to fly back to Canada and visit my family whenever I wanted. How amazing would that be?!

On your blog, tell us what superpower you would like to have and why you’d like to have it.

I would like teleport.

I think teleportation would be cool because you could go visit family and then if you forget something you could go back and get it. People would not need cars. It would be fun because you would never be late.

Activity 3: Wind Beneath My Wings [10 points]

Birds and bats are just two species of animal that are able to fly. Did you know that some fish, squirrels and snakes are also able to fly? Check out the ‘Top 10 Flying Animals of the World’ website to learn more about these incredible animals.

Once you have explored the site, choose one animal and create a digital learning object (DLO, eg. a poster) that tells us all about the animal. Be sure to include at least three interesting facts and a picture or two of your animal! Please follow these instructions for attributing your pictures properly.

On your blog, post a final copy of your DLO..

Summer Learning Journey, Week 3, Day 2

DAY 2: The Air Up There

Activity 1: Bee Informed [4 points]

One of the most important, but least talked about, animals in New Zealand is the bumblebee. It was first introduced to New Zealand in 1885 to help pollinate a special plant called the ‘Red Clover.’ Today, bumblebees do many other important jobs, including the pollination of greenhouses and orchard crops. If the bees did not pollinate the plants, they would not survive.

For this activity, we would like you to bee-come detectives and to learn more about the mysterious, and often ignored, bumblebee. We will provide you with five sentences about bumblebees from the NZ Bumblebee Conservation Trust website and it is your job to fill in the blanks with the missing information about bees. Choose the phrase/word that makes the most sense from the list at the bottom. (Each phrase/word can only be used once).

To earn full points for this activity you must type all five sentences and then fill in the blanks for each one. Post the completed sentences on your blog.

Unbee-lievable Facts about Bumblebees

• The word ‘bumblebee’ is a compound word (bumble + bee). The word ‘bumble’ means to Move and act awkward.
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• Bumblebees can fly very quickly. They can reach ground speeds of 3.2 kilometres per hour (km/h).
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• Bumblebees are very strong! They carry up to 90 percent of their body weight in food with them to avoid starvation.
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• Bumblebees can do more work and carry more pollen than other bees, including honeybees. In fact, they can do up to 50 times as much work as a normal honeybee.
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• The number of bumblebees is declining in New Zealand due to a number of factors, including the  removal of wildflowers and flowering tress, habitat loss,extensive use of pesticides. ...hum, buzz, or drone.

Activity 2: Carbon Sinks Don’t Stink! [4 points]

Every day a chemical compound called carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced and released into the air.  If it isn’t removed, it can become toxic for humans. Fortunately, there are a number of places where CO2 is absorbed (removed from the air). Two of the most common places are forests and oceans. They are called ‘carbon sinks’ because, like a sink, they gather, clean and drain things away that we don’t want. One of the largest carbon sinks in New Zealand is a forest in the south-western part of the South Island. It drains away 60% of our unwanted carbon!

Let’s imagine that you could design a sink that could gather up and then drain away any foods that you don’t like. On your blog, tell us what you would put in your special sink. If it was me, I would put rice pudding, brussel sprouts, custard, parsnips, and seafood chowder in the sink. Yuck! What about you?

On your blog, list all of the foods that you would put in your special draining sink..

1. Broccoli.

2.mushrooms.

3.Fish.

4.Tuna.

5.Blue cheese.

6.Sardines.

7.Cauliflower.

Activity 3: Flying Fungi [10 points]

In the middle of winter it can get quite wet and damp in New Zealand, can’t it? When it gets really damp, it is common for things like mould and fungi to start to grow. We can often see them on the walls, ceilings or floors of our houses or outside on footpaths, buildings or roadways. Some types of mould and fungi are so small that they can’t be seen. Some of these tiny fungi/mould can be found in the air. They are called ‘airborne fungi’ and they can be unhealthy for us.

Let’s imagine that we tested the air in your classroom and found 7 different kinds of mould. Eek! The cleaner says that it takes 5 days for each mould to be eradicated (removed). If the school had to remove each mould one at a time, how long would it take to remove all the mould from the classroom?

On your blog, tell us how you would solve this tricky maths problem. Be sure to also post your final answer in days or weeks.

If there is 7 moulds and it takes 5 days for each one to get rid off you just have to do 7x5. So the answer is 35 days.

35 days

Summer Learning Journey, Week 3, Day 1

DAY 1: A Heated Debate

Activity 1: Togs or Trackies? [4 points]

New Zealand is a pretty lovely place to live, isn’t it? Apparently, New Zealand (NZ) is also a pretty lovely place to visit. In 2017 approximately 2-3 million people came to visit NZ as tourists. Some of them chose to come in the middle of our summer, while others braved it and came in the middle of winter! When do you think is the best time of year (season) to visit NZ?

If you would like some help making a decision, feel free to read the Go New Zealand website. It has lots of information about the seasons in NZ!

I, personally, encourage my friends and family from overseas to come and visit NZ in early spring. The weather is usually warm and dry and the tourist attractions, beaches and holiday spots are less busy than they are in the middle of summer.

On your blog, tell us what time of year you think is best for tourists for come and visit. Be sure to share at least three things that tourists could do while they were here in NZ.

I think Summer. The reason I think summer is because you can go for a swim at one of our amazing beaches or pools. You can go on boats and trips around the islands. Also you can on native bush walks.

Activity 2: You are my Sunshine [4 points]

People in New Zealand love spending time outdoors. Unfortunately, the sun is very powerful and the rates of skin cancer are incredibly high in New Zealand. In fact, they are higher than anywhere else in the entire world! To protect ourselves against skin cancer, we need to be careful about how much time we spend in the sun. We have to be ‘Sunsmart.’

Read the Sunsmart website.

On your blog, list five different things that we can do to protect ourselves from the sun this summer!

1. Put sunscreen on.

2. Wear a sunhat.

3. Go before it gets to hot.

4. Cover up when you are outside.

5.If you are not playing outside stay in the shade.

Activity 3: Burning Up… [15 points]

While it can get hot in New Zealand, especially in the middle of summer, it gets even hotter in places like Dallol (Ethiopia), Dasht-e Loot (Iran), Tirat Zvi (Israel), Kabili (Tunisia) and Bandar-e Mahshahr (Iran).

The hottest temperature on record in each place is: Dallol: 41oC; Dasht-e Loot: 71oC; Tirat Zvi: 54oC; Kabili: 55oC; Bandar-e Mahshahr: 51oC. Crazy ‘eh?!

For this activity, you are asked to use this information to create a graph. The graph should have a title along with the names of each city and their hottest recorded temperatures. You can draw the graph by hand or use a computer programme like Google Draw to create your graph. It’s completely up to you!

On your blog, post a picture of your graph..

Summer Learning Journey, Week 2, Day 5

DAY 5: Wasting Away

Activity 1: Off the Menu [4 points]

Fishing is a really common activity in New Zealand. In fact, people have fished in New Zealand for centuries. Unfortunately, over the past few decades some people have caught too many fish in one area and left the region without enough fish to refill (replenish) the stocks. When this happens we call the area ‘overfished’ and it is closed to all private and commercial fishing. If people are caught fishing in these areas, they are required to pay a fine (money). The maximum fine for fishing in a restricted area is $100 000.

What do you think about this rule? Is it fair that people are charged up to $100 000 for overfishing?

On your blog, tell us what you think about this rule and why you think it!.

I think it is good because people should not over fish. Because there won't be enough for everyone. But if you did not know about about it they should not be fined. But if you are not allowed to fish in that spot they should put a sign there. I think they could out the fine money a little bit lower because that is a lot of money.

Activity 2: The Black Drain [4 points]

Approximately two-thirds of all rivers and one-half of all lakes in New Zealand are too polluted to swim in, according to a recent article in an online newspaper. One of the most polluted is the Tarawera River in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand. Pollution enters the river from a local pulp and paper mill, from local farms and through the local sewage system. Many other rivers in New Zealand are also polluted with waste from businesses and farms.

Use Google to help you find two other polluted rivers in New Zealand.

On your blog, tell us:

1) The names of the rivers. 2) The location of the rivers. 3) What is being done to clean up the rivers (if anything).

1.Avon River. Is in Christchurch, to help they are planting trees and plants.
2. Waikato River. Is in Hamilton, to help the council might put warning signs up.

Activity 3: Faded Glory [5 points]

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system, made up of 2900 individual reefs. It is so big that it can actually be seen from space! The reef is located on the east coast of Australia and many people believe that it is millions and millions of years old. For most of its life, the reef has been a healthy, vibrant ecosystem. Over the past thirty years, however, it has changed dramatically. Much of the beautiful bright coral has become bleached and has lost its colour. Sections of the reef have also been damaged by tourists, cyclones and the introduction of new, damaging invasive species.

The Australian government is working to protect and preserve the reef. Each year they spend about $200 million dollars repairing and protecting the reef. It is a lot of money and they could really use some help raising the money (funds) required to repair the reef. This is where you come in!

On your blog, list three different ideas or strategies for raising funds to preserve the Great Barrier Reef. What could you do to fundraise here in New Zealand?

1.Perform Kapa Haka.

2.Clean beaches and pick up rubbish so you can get sponsors.

3. Bake sale and sausage sizzle.