Sharing our IPs by Reuben and Cooper

Today the whole syndicate gathered together in P1 to share some of the student's Interest Projects. Korban started off with a magnificent project about Mohammad Ali. He used Book Creator to present his project. He had a lot of information and some really good quotes.
The other presenters were:
Riley - Martin Crowe
Cooper - Jim Henson
Reuben - Michael Jackson
Amber - Hannah (her sister)
Emily - Sir Edmond Hillary
Kaizen - Mr K!
Kaylee - Miss Harris
Willow - Mr Willis
Eti - Martin Luther King Jr
Bryson and Connor - Sir Edmund Hillary

It was great to see that people chose lots of different ways to present (both digital and non-digital). Some of the different apps that were used for the digital presentations were iMovie, Book Creator, Explain Everything, Green Screen and Pic Collage.  For the non-digital presentations we had some colourful posters and big books.




We think that the sharing stage is really important because we all got to see what others had been researching and we learnt lots of new stuff!  It also gave us ideas about what we need to focus on for our next project.

"I enjoyed doing my Interest Project because it was about Jim Henson and I like puppets. My favourite part of doing it was presenting my iMovie to everyone. I like speaking to the audience! The most difficult part for me was probably researching the stuff because I couldn't find the answers to some of my questions"       

Cooper

"My IP was about Michael Jackson and the reason I chose him was because I like his music and got into him last year and thought it would be a good IP to do - to find out about his music, charity work and family. Finding the information and writing the information into Docs was probably the easiest part of the process but took the longest time. I really liked putting the presentation together because I used some special effects and a green screen"

Reuben

Badge Winners

After the presentations the teachers awarded 'Creative' 'Connected' 'Curious' 'Courageous' and 'Caring' badges to some of the students!  Congratulations everyone!

By Reuben and Cooper!

We've Just Finished Wonder!

In Room 14 we have just finished reading Wonder. It is a story about a boy who was born with a deformed face named August. He was always home-schooled until he turned 10 years old and enrolled at a public school. The story is about the many challenges he faces. 

We thought it was fantastic. In fact, we each completed a survey yesterday and as a class our average rating for Wonder was 9.8/10. 

We were also surveyed on our favourite character.

We know that some other classes are currently reading this book, so we won't give away the ending, but we do recommend it!

Interest Projects: Update

This week during IP workshop it was great to see the progress being made with our student interest projects.

Last week Mandy ran a workshop on Blogger, which a number of children opted into as they wanted to set up a personal blog to document their IP journey. These blogs would be used as a self-reflection tool and also as a way to share learning with peers, teachers and whānau. It was nice to see those children who set up blogs last week, along with those who knew how to set up blogs from previous years, giving their time and expertise to coach others in setting one up this week.

Despite being independent inquiry projects, this term's IP format is providing ample opportunities for peer support and collaboration. Another example of this was James and Reuben visiting Te Harakeke classes during IP workshop this week, explaining their project plans, how they have been using their time, sharing their progress and answering questions other students may have.



Now that students have their IP plans, most are currently finding information using a variety of sources. We are looking to develop our note taking skills while gathering as much information as possible.

Term One Interest Projects: What Makes A Hero?

What does make a hero? 

Over the next few weeks Team Te Harakeke will be exploring this question. We have begun interest projects for the term, which we were introduced to in a team assembly last week. The focus will be around heroes, where all children are choosing someone of interest to them who they believe to be a hero to find out more about. Some children will choose people they know, maybe in their families or in our school community, while others will be investigating people who are well-known around New Zealand and the world.

Every Thursday morning we will have an interest project (IP) workshop. This will be class time designated to be working on our projects. We hope to encourage collaboration, run inquiry and ICT workshops, and promote a community of independent inquiry where we can foster the development of some valuable learning skills and attitudes.

We have a 3-step format for our interest projects that all children will follow. (1) They need to create a plan for their project, (2) they need to document their progress each week, and (3) they must share their learning with us at the end.

We can't wait to see what everyone discovers and shares with us. With so many examples of people who we consider heroes, we hope to answer the big question together... "What makes a hero?"

IP introductions

Some of us have been meeting with our teachers to make our plans and get 

our wheels in motion.

Keep an eye out on our blog and Twitter accounts for updates.

More Than Names And Faces

This week all of the children in Room 14 were asked to bring to school a personal treasure to share. As we get to know each other better, we want to look past the names and faces that make up our classroom community, and learn about what really makes us unique.

It was fascinating to see and hear about what each of us considered to be a 'treasure'. Some of us brought to school our current favourite toys or games, while others looked to more sentimental items such as old soft toys or artifacts and photos that remind us of loved ones who have passed away or special experiences we have had.

The back-stories behind the items were so interesting and it was a great opportunity to learn something interesting about each other. We learned that many treasures we have actually cost very little, even though we can sometimes think that expensive stuff is important to have for us to be happy.

We talked about how something that is a treasure to one person may hold no importance to someone else, and we discussed the reasons why this might be. These are great understandings for us to have as we look to further explore our diverse cultures and identities this term.

What is one of your personal treasures 

and why is it special to you?

(Feel free to share in a comment!)