Tag: Inquiry

Learning Conversation

LI: Understand the difference between perspective and contrast .

For this inquiry task, our group analyzed The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas to evaluate how John Boyne masterfully employs perspective and contrast to establish mood and atmosphere. We explored how the narrative is shaped through a child’s limited lens, creating a unique tension as the reader recognizes the grim reality that the protagonist does not yet understand. By examining the sharp contrast between the characters’ backgrounds and their conflicting life experiences, we gained a deeper appreciation for how the author builds emotional gravity. Collaborating as a group allowed us to challenge our own interpretations and connect more profoundly with the text, ultimately illustrating how specific linguistic choices can manipulate atmosphere and evoke a powerful emotional response from the reader.

Caveman Notes


Last week during our inquiry session, our class delved into the efficient art of “Caveman Note-taking,” a strategy designed to help us strip away unnecessary “filler” words and focus strictly on core information. We practiced this by distilling complex facts into primitive, high-impact phrases, such as “Octopus live rainforest,” “Octopus grab branch,” and “Octopus hide.” Once we mastered the ability to capture essential ideas with Stone Age simplicity, we collaborated with our peers to design an engaging Digital Learning Object (DLO). This project challenged us to become the teachers, creating a resource that guides others through the process of understanding and mastering this streamlined writing style so they can simplify their own note-taking.

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.

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.

 

Sundial time

This week we had to reseach about time and use a google draw to make a tool that was used to find out time in the old days. My partner was Micaela, we made a sundial and first, we started on the circle. I did the lines and the shadow. She did the bold and big lines. Finally when everything was finished, we sent it in and added how sundial works.

I enjoyed making the sundial.

I liked the way we used polyline and curve.

I learnt that A sundial was made in very very ancient times .