Day: March 13, 2026

Social Influence

LI: To evaluate peer pressure, digital interactions and social influences.

In a world full of followers and influencers, it’s easy to feel like you’re just drifting along with the crowd. Everywhere you look, someone is telling you what to wear, what to like, or how to act. But we took a closer look at how to break away from that “auto-pilot” mode. Instead of just watching someone else’s highlight reel, we learned how to grab the map and become the Navigator of our own lives.

Being a Navigator means you’re the one making the big decisions. It’s about knowing your own values and choosing your own path, even if it doesn’t lead where everyone else is going. We explored how to trust our own compass, deal with the “stormy weather” of peer pressure, and keep steering toward the things that actually matter to us.

Ultimately, we discovered that you don’t need a million followers to be a leader. You just need the courage to stay at the wheel. When you are the Navigator, you aren’t just a passenger in your own story you’re the captain, the explorer, and the boss of your own future.

Multiplication Algorithm

This week  for maths we are working on doing multiplication algorithm in our books , this is Group 3 DLO .

Example ,Think of a 3-digit multiplication algorithm as a “power up” for your math skills. Instead of adding a number hundreds of times, you break the big number into three smaller jobs: the ones, the tens, and the hundreds. You start with the single number at the bottom and let it “visit” each digit on top, starting from the right and moving to the left. If a visit results in a number 10 or higher, you simply “carry” the extra digit over to the next neighbor’s head, like a little hat. You multiply the next set of numbers first, then add that “hat” to the total before moving on. Once the bottom number has visited everyone on the top floor, you have your final, giant answer.

I enjoyed how we worked together if one person didn’t know the answer and that we would help each other to understand what we are doing and how to understand multiplication algorithm .

Tech

LI: Recoding mbots

Today at Tech was all about robotics logic. Our mission was to program mbots using block-based coding apps the app we used were makeblock it helps with coding and to navigate a series of challenges. We had to think like engineers breaking down complex movements into small, precise steps and troubleshooting our code whenever the mBot was dificult to work with as in troubles with the coding we checked if it was secured properly and everything was fine then I realised it was the wheel as it didn’t work, so I had to go get a new one and redo it again  . It was incredibly satisfying to finally hit ‘upload’ and watch our robots come to life as it starts moving we navigate it through the motion sensors . It was fun when we coded the bot to do things like light up and move , me and many of my friends were playing with the mbots and we were racing each other with them for more fun . While it was quiet a challange when the wheels  didn’t work and there were errors other than that this activity was fun and I enjoyed it very much !

What I enjoyed about this activity was coding the mbots and making them move .

Johnny Pohe and The Great Escape

LI: To make an informed opinion

Our task was to create a DLO that captures the dual perspectives of this era. Our group specifically analyzed the immense risks Johnny Pohe took, debating whether his loyalty to the Crown was a way to uphold his mana or if he felt the weight of representing a nation that hadn’t always honored its Treaty promises to his people, questioning whether the risks he took were motivated by a sense of global duty or a desire to prove that Māori were equal partners in the defense of Aotearoa.

Something I found interesting was how the paternership promised in the Treaty was reflected in Johnny Pohe’s life. Despite the broken promises of the past, he fought as an equal partner on the world stage, showing the kind of leadership and mana that the Treaty was meant to protect because he was demonstrating the very equality and partnership that the Treaty of Waitangi promised, proving on a global stage that Māori leadership was second to none.

Expectations at Waitangi

LI: To explore the different expectations the people who were there the day the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840

To understand the ‘why’ behind 1840, we stepped into the shoes of the signatories. We used speech bubbles to represent the formal negotiations and thought bubbles to capture the underlying hopes and concerns of the participants. This helped us visualize the complex gap between what was promised and what was expected .

Something we found interesting was the diversty of thoughts among the Māori rangatira. We realized that not everyone was in agreement; some saw the Treaty as a necessary shield against lawless settlers, while others’ thought bubbles were filled with suspicion about losing their independence and traditional way of life.

 

How we honour the Treaty

LI: To understand what honouring the treaty means

We explored the ways we still honour the Treaty of Waitangi today.The Treaty of Waitangi is important because in 1840 it established a paternership between the British Crown and Māori rangatira (chiefs). It was intended to create a framework for two different peoples to live together under a shared set of laws, while ideally protecting Māori land, resources, and tino rangitira(self-determination).Today, it remains important because it serves as New Zealand’s founding document . It provides a moral and legal roadmap for addressing past injustices through the Waitangi Tribunal, and it ensures that the government continues to consult with iwi to protect the cultural and environmental heritage of Aotearoa.

Something we found interesting was that there are two versions of the Treaty one in English and one in Te Reo Māori. Because certain words like ‘sovereignty’ and ‘governance’ don’t mean the same thing, the two groups actually signed different agreements which led to many of the disagreements we are still resolving today.

 

Addition Algorithm

LI: How to calculate the sum of whole numbers, using Algorithms.

One of our main focus for maths this week is using Addition Algorithms to solve whole numbers. We had to read  the examples carefully and answer questions on our board so that we can get a better understanding. I have created this DLO to show you how you can master Addtion Algorithms too

The Lady who said ‘ Kia Ora ‘

LI: To summarise a text

We read about Dame Naida Glavish, a wahine toia who choice to greet callers with “Kia Ora” instead of “Hello.” Her one action led to a massive change in New Zealand’s cultural identity. We learned about Dame Naida Glavish, a wahina toa whose defiant choice to greet callers with ‘Kia Ora ‘ instead of ‘Hello’ sparked a national movement. This singular act of cultural reclamation didn’t just challenge a workplace policy; it fundamentally shifted New Zealand’s cultural identity and paved the way for the revitalisation of Te Reo Māori in everyday life

We think Dame Naida Glavish was an agent of change because n our view, Dame Naida Glavish acted as an agent of change because she risked her livelihood for her heritage. By standing her ground , she demonstrated that a single, consistent act of cultural pride can dismantle systemic prejudice.

 

First Flight in the Obsidian Night

LI: To write a narrative from the point of view of a baby owl on its first flight

Shadows stretched across the horizon as the air turned crisp and biting against my downy feathers. A sudden, powerful gust of wind shoved against my back, forcing me to sink my sharp talons deeper into the rough, fibrous bark of the ancient branch. All around me, the forest danced wildly, with silver leaves tossing and turning in the arctic breeze. I widened my binocular eyes, scanning the obsidian darkness for any sign of movement. High above, the haunting whistles of the elder owls echoed through the trees, beckoning me to join their dance. My wings felt like lead weights, and a shiver of trepidation rippled through my small, compact body, nearly drowning out my dreams of flight.

Tonight was the night I would fly for the first time, or is it?

Suddenly, the safety of my sturdy branch vanished as a violent gale screamed through the canopy. The ancient wood groaned under my weight, and a sharp crack echoed through the silent woods. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. As the fibrous bark slipped from my talons, leaving me tumbling into the empty, cold air. I was no longer a spectator of the night and I was going to fall headfirst into the unknown below me. The sensation of the wind brushed against my ears as I was falling.

At that very moment while I was falling, my vision became a blur and I could see leaves swooping at me. Whilst my pending doom, my instincts collided with my fear. I fought with the urge to unfurl my wings against the strong wind. The air bellowed with roars in my ears and for a heart stop second, I felt a gust of wind against my wings. I was spinning out of control, desperate to find a way to turn this deadly fall into a graceful flight.

When I felt the dense wind, almost a flicker of desire came to me. I overcame my fears and chose to flap my trembling wings in a desperate need of help. I felt freedom and celebrated in triumph. Looking back at my branch, I learnt that my instincts were stronger than my fear, and the sky was exactly where I was meant to be.

Mrs Anderson read us the book ‘First Flight’ by June Crebbin. We talked about the narrators point of view and used a Gemini Gem to prompt us to think more deeply about what the story might look like when told in the first person. In this activity we collaborated ideas to make a good narrative that is interesting and is captavating to people that are interested in Owl stories .

I enjoyed using the Gem because it helped me understand more of our activity and mape us think more thoroughly about the story and how it might look when in first person ( when a story is told by a character inside it, using pronouns like “I,” “me,” “my,” and “we” )