Writers Corner

Room 16 has been working hard on their writing and last week worked with two 
Year 5/6 students on producing fantastic poetry. Check out students writing below:

Ice-Cream

In anticipation I held the chocolate dipped cone in my shaking hand. I was choosing what flavour I was going to have, I went with vanilla and chocolate. The man scooped out the two flavours into the crunchy cone. I quickly scooped it out of his hands and eagerly scoffed it, but stopped right in my tracks when I tasted the oozing, creamy, chilly flavour of the ice cream in my now freezing cold mouth. It quickly ran up to my brain, then I felt the freezing cold sensation of the ice cream, as it slowly dissolved on my tongue. I felt the ice-cream trickling down my throat.

By Finn Howard



I asked the little boy who cannot see

I asked the little boy who cannot see,
And what is the colour you like?

Red rubies flicker in the light of the shimmering sun. 
The sausages on the barbecue sizzle on the lawn.

Yellow is like the shimmering stars in the sky, on a late night.
Popcorn popping in the machine at the movies.

Green is the grass, swaying in the wavy wind.
The leaves on the trees fall down on the light green grass.

Purple is the sweet plums on the plum tree.
The purple flowers stretch and wave, as the wind blows down.

Pink is the colour of the big puffy balloons floating in the air.
The big fluffy candy floss clouds go around my head.

By Grace Opie



I asked the little boy who could not see

I asked the little boy who could not see,
He asked what the colours might be.

Red I said, hot like the burning sun. 
It comes down with a shiny beam. 
Let it warm your bones and heat your heart.

And black the dark and spooky colour.
It will blind you right to the core of your solid heart.

Blue is watery soft and creamy messy like the sea, it will cool you down and fill you 
with joy.

And last of all grey.
Soft like the grey clouds that fall over the town.
The grey that fills your heart with all that may be.

By Bruno Clausen



I asked the little boy who could not see

I asked the little boy who could not see,

What's the colour blue?

Blue shiny see through sapphires, reflecting the sun light coming from the blue sky high in the air.
Blue squashy blueberries with delectable flavour.
Swimming in the blue clear salt ocean water, with a big wave heading towards me.

What's the colour red?

Steaming red hot lava bursting out of a volcano, make sure you don't touch it...ouch!!!
Red strawberry ice-cream.

What's the colour green?

Bright green grass growing and swaying side to side.
Green army jets bursting through the air.

By Jaden Farrow

Trip to Halswell Quarry

Learning Through Action- 'Rocky Road of Discovery'

Room 16 is heading to Halswell Quarry on Thursday 12th September. Students will explore the quarry and investigate the different geological rock types as part of our inquiry study, 'Just One Earth.'

Children will need:
-Shoes suitable for walking
-Sweatshirt and warm jacket preferably waterproof/windproof
-Other clothing if the day is cold
-Medication if necessary - eg. asthma inhaler
-Morning Tea

Thank you for returning the permission slips, and to the parent helpers that will be joining us next week. 

Poetry Competition

Hi everyone

Just a reminder that the Year 3/4 Syndicate is having a poetry reading/recital competition as part of our Oral Language programme during Week 8. Students have now selected their poems and have been practising them during class time. Room 16 will select 2x students to perform at the finals. 

We will be looking for:
-Fluency
-Pacing
-Pronunciation
-Expression
-Volume (BIG VOICE!)
-Props & Costumes

-Ability to entertain an audience

Please encourage your child to read their poem to you and most of all have fun!

Geology

For inquiry Room 16 is learning about geology this term, looking at different landforms, forces and rocks. 

What is Geology

Geology is the study of the Earth, its processes, its materials, its history, and its effect on humans and life in general. Rocks, crystals, mountains, earthquakes, volcanoes, rivers, glaciers, landslides, floods, and many other subjects fall into this broad field of research.

For writing this week we are starting information reports on volcanoes.

What is an information report

An information report is a factual text. It is used as a way to gain better understanding about a living or non-living subject.

An information report:

• uses facts to explain something
• gives details about a topic
• does not contain personal views
• is usually written, but can also be presented orally (spoken)

Below are useful geology links

Volcano Clip

Rocks and Soils

Geology for Kids

Home Learning

Hi Room 16 :)

I hope you are enjoying the range of fun home learning tasks and challenges. 
Here is Grace with the robots she designed for one of the home learning challenges. 
Please continue to bring in your fantastic work Room 16 so we can share it on our blog.

Have a great week.

Miss Toye

Pukeko By Grace Opie

 Facts about pukeko        They are about 51 centimetres long
                               other common names:
                                 Purple swamphen 
                                 
                  facts about Pukeko            Taxonomy                                                                              
                                                                            Kingdom: Animalila
                                                                                                                                                       Phylum: Chordata 
                                                                                                                                                       Class: Aves
                                                                                                                                                       Order: Gruiformes (Ralliformes) 
                                                                                                                                                       Family: Rallidae 
                                                                                                                                                       Genera: Porphyrio 
                                                                                                                                                       Species: porhyrio 
                                                                                                                                                       Sub Species: Melanotus
1. There are many Sub Species of Purple Swamphen. The Sub Species
found in New Zealand is thought to have landed around here a thousand years
ago from Australia.
2. Pukeko are mostly vegetarian but they also eat invertebrates , eggs , frogs , small
fish , chicks and mammals.
3. Pukeko can not fly. They are a dark blue colour , they have white fethers under there tail and long orange legs.
4. Pukeko are good at running.
5. Purple gallinule like living down in the long grass by the rivers. When I go to my grandparents house sometimes I see three or four Pukeko.
6. They are about 51 centimetres long.
7. Other common names: Purple Swamphen , Purple gallinule.

by Grace Opie 

                         
    

                                                                                                                  
                                                                                          
                           

Home Learning

Welcome back to Term 3, I hope you all had a fantastic break. 

Term 3 is all about the launch of our new home learning programme. Students have been given term home learning plans which are stuck into their homework books. There will no longer be a weekly grid. You will notice a reading and maths log that is also stuck into your child's homework book. Please date and sign these daily, so I know your child is completing their reading and maths. Spelling notebooks will continue to come home every Monday and will need to be back at school on Friday. If you have any queries about the home learning there is information about the programme in the August newsletter on the link below. Please don't hesitate to ask me any questions, I am happy to help.

Have a super week. 
http://www.stmartins.school.nz/wp-content/uploads/StM-Newsletter-1-August-2013.pdf