Woodmonstas are so cool!

Well done all of you who did such an amazing job of your Matainui work this term. Congratulations. Keep an eye on your blogs for feedback.
Year Sevens - I will miss you over Summer :-(
Year Eights - I wish every one of you all the best for your bright bright futures :-)

Aroha Nui Room 18!!!

Survey Monkey

Here you go, Squiddlers. Complete this learning survey online for Mrs Morresey.
Answer sensibly and carefully - you are having a say in your own learning so don't waste the opportunity.
:-)

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FB7SG9Z

Last full week ...

This week you are required to complete and "hand in" your Matainui stories. I can't wait to read the rest of them!!! Some have already been completed and are amazingly, scintillatingly exciting :-)

Also, I hope to see all yr 8's attending the social tonight in our room at pm to toast each other and start the formal occasion in a fitting manner.

You might like to share some thoughtful words here about someone special from the class. Share specific thing someone has done to help you this year, or something you appreciated about a classmate or teacher at the school. It may be a teacher, sports coach or friend from class.

Let's share a fun, relaxed and productive last few days together :-)

Our Arsenal Supporter loves to Blog

By being given an opportunity to blog to a worldwide audience, our great friend, who has now left us for the Western Penal Colonies, enjoyed writing online to have his opinions and passions 'heard'.

Bloggers Rule the World

MysteryMan tells us why he loves blogging and how it helps him develop his writing skills.

Uh oH ...

Some of you are uncovering conspiracy theories relating to Matainui.
Some of you have discovered major powers that can save the day!
Some of you have written amazing narratives to share with the whole world!!!
Has anyone received feedback from anyone outside our class yet?
Leave your promo one liners here so people can click on your names to link to your brilliant writing blogs :-)

And more WOodmonstas have been transformed...

Who do you think these characters might be?

Leaving quality writing comments

When leaving comments on your peers' [new word for Mr Lyttle] blogs you should evaluate the writing by comparing it to the achievement objectives on this teacher website

The best comments will win a trip to Uzbekistan where you can mingle with fabulous cultural dancers, drink fresh yak milk and dig for fossilized mastodons.




[prize may in fact be fictional]

New characters...

You may also meet characters like this and see artifacts like these.... [clues for art comp too]

EEEk! Mutations abound!

Some of you have been mutated into bizarre creatures...

One of you just stumbled into a swamp in the forest and became:

More clue pics...

These images are all clues to the rapidly unravelling story of Matainui...
Can you interpret or relate them to the story you know so far?
:-)

Mr Lyttle's Maths Homework

Mr Lyttle tells me he has a geometry homework activity for you on his blog. Please visit his blog and do the assignment.
Huzzah!

http://mrlyttle.blogspot.com

And see the happy chappy above? We all want Mr Lyttle to stay a happy camper too, so please pay close attention to his instructions and follow them the first time. :-)
[Or else]
;-)

Ancient Art Challenge

Art Challenge:

• create a poster [any size]
• use colour
• mimic the artistic style of an ancient culture
• demonstrate 'reflection' in the design
• include creatures, characters or discoveries from your narrative
• enjoy it and try to beat me in the race for the three chocoloate bar prizes
  

RaNDom Check...

Please leave a message here if you have written a report or argument on your blog from last term that is ready for marking.

Please also leave a comment here this week saying which day of your island narrative you are up to.

And be sure to research interesting facts and add them to your blog. Then you can incorporate them into your story.

sentinel

sentinel, originally uploaded by mrw00dy.

Look closely for more clues...
All of this can be found on the island of Matainui
[approx. 3000C.E.]

Secrets unravelling

Aliens have been encountered! Temples unearth! Exotic treasures with mystical properties discovered. Mutations abound. Extinct species seemingly reincarnated.
Watch out - not all your former classmates are now as they once were.
Seek out adventure if you want to find the secrets to Matainui. For you see, you have all been there before... Time has indeed been twisted, but you are not in the past.
The outcomes of your Sustainability study have meant that you are now some of the only humans left alive on Earth!!!
Seek out the answers on your classmates blogs. Some of them have uncovered the majority of the tale... but no one knows everything yet!

I have drawn you some clues in a graphic novel. If you are interested I will bring it to school for you to see...

Captive alien

Evolving creatures

Mathematical clues

Collection agents

Major Clue

Fibonacci Sequence

Here is a very interesting mathematical concept to investigate... It also holds a clue to unlocking some valuable secrets on the island.


There is also a question to answer below relating to The Fibonacci Sequence :

edieval mathematician and businessman Fibonacci (Leonardo Pisano) posed the following problem in his treatise Liber Abaci (pub. 1202):

How many pairs of rabbits will be produced in a year, beginning with a single pair, if in every month each pair bears a new pair which becomes productive from the second month on?

from http://www.mathacademy.com/pr/prime/articles/fibonac/index.asp

http://www.mi.sanu.ac.rs/vismath/jadrbookhtml/part42.html from more info on Dynamic Symmetry and the Golden Section

And check out this maths page discussing Pascal's triangle and other info.

Divine Proportion

Symbols, numbers, alphabets, codes...

Some of you are finding things which need to be decoded or unlocked somehow... some of these images may provide clues. There will be more to come...


And this is a dead Inca mummy... Burial sites often house great treasures...

Novel study wikispaces

Each of you is in a novel study group to practice reciprocal reading.
In your group you have a leader. You also need someone to post your responses on your group's wikispace. You need to follow the link and apply to sign up.
:-)
This is a chance to showcase your literacy skills online. I'm sure the BoT, Principal, DPs, your parents, etc will be delighted to follow your academic work online.

http://onmyhonour.wikispaces.com/

http://thecharlotteswebgroup.wikispaces.com/

http://thelostcolonygroup.wikispaces.com/

http://thethieflord.wikispaces.com/

http://theholesgroup.wikispaces.com/

Bright Sparks Awards

Our famous friend, Drumbledoor, is in the finals of the Bright Sparks Competition for 2009 !!!
Hooray!
Please go online and vote for him and his Robotic Room Guard invention.

super speeches!

Speeches are due in week four ... Hey! That's next week!
Remember the criteria. Keep as close as possible to 3 minutes. Use props, tiny cue cards, costumes, humour, researched facts, and whatever it takes to deliver the best speech you can. The best thing about doing your best is that you will make the experience more positive for yourself AND the audience.
Remember all my personal stories about public speaking and do your best to develop this important and highly valuable life skill.
List tips, reasons to succeed and other personal anecdotes here for our audience.

http://arb.nzcer.org.nz/resources/english/oral/1000/ol1520.htm http://www.ljlseminars.com/monthtip.htm http://www.ljlseminars.com/elements.htm

And try to remember some of what made Winston, MLK, Adolf and others such effective speakers.

Think of an act - it's a speech, not a discussion.

Base 10 versus Base 12

In class today I challenged MysteryMan to uncover a reason why a base 12 counting system might be superior to a base 10 system, like ours.
Feel free to be the person to beat Mysteryman to provide me with answers to my advanced maths challenge.
I will provide links to several sites that may help you, but as always, it is best to think critically about the sources of info online and to triangulate your data to see if it is reliable.
One link in particular is clearly someone's opinion rather than hard facts. It is interesting though and does include some valid points worth investigating.

I found this amazing diagram related to someone's musings over base 12.
http://www.milesokazaki.com/imgs/majorminor4.jpg

Here are the other links:
http://www.rattlesnake.com/notions/base-12.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numeral_system
http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.bases.html

Ancient Maths and secret symbols...

On Matainui there are many mysteries to solve. You have been discovering ancient structures, mysterious inscriptions and symbols. Some of you have found artifacts and others have narrowly escaped horrifying demises...
Part of your adventure involves unravelling codes and cyphers. You can reap rewards by posting your theories and research discoveries on your won blogs. Benefits will befall you...

Mayan structures and maths may be of interest. Similar historical facts may also be of use. But don't think it's all about the past, because it's not.

Remember this morning's Mayan maths? Well, the ability to read coded messages in other languages may prove very fruitful if you find structures, caves, tunnels, chambers, or mysterious advanced 'machinery'.

Scenes on Matainui

Here are some scenes from the first day ...

Packing for Survival on the "Return to Matainui!"

We are returning to Matainui to camp for two weeks. We shall travel by sea plane and you may take what you are wearing and a backpack with ten other items in it. Your lunch for the first day will not count as an item. Think about your list and pack for any potential survival situations. You may cooperatively pack to make sure you get more items amongst your group.
Weather will be similar to what we are experiencing in Hamilton at present, but possibly colder and wetter.
Island inhabitants, flora and fauna will be only as you would have found 1500 years ago, before the arrival of humans. Everything you say you want to do on the island will have to be something you can actually do with the equipment you have.
No other adults will be with us. We will travel from Kawhia Harbour in a plane like the one pictured above.
All skills and knowledge you wish make use of on the island will must be posted on your own "Return To Matainui" blog. Show images and descriptions of equipment, etc.
Daily diary entries of your adventures and experiences need to be posted, free of errors.
Good luck!

Links to relevant sites:

Survival items

Fire starters

To Ten Survival Tools

Survival kit ideas

Hexagonal Packaging

As we discovered today, hexagonal packaging is a highly efficient way to use space and i s found widely throughout nature as well as in human-made structures.
Add comments stating examples of places where this pattern can be found in nature. Add one per person to allow others to have a go.

Term 4, Week 1 ... Themes, Concepts, Contexts

Firstly, congratulations to our yr 7 and 8 class citizens. It was genuinely hard to choose. Based on my observations and your votes, it came down to between three and five people for each year level, so well done to the lads who made the grade.
As for this week's homework, you need to post something interesting on your blog that you have written in your own words and referenced any sources you used.
You also need to scan and skim the Room5ian personal blogs to find some quality narrative writing. Look for posts relating to Kakepuku Catastrophe and/or diary writing. Leave your chosen favourite blogger a comment showing your appreciation.



As for Term Four work, it is as follows:

• We have a novel study to work on in groups, based on short novels and with a booklet to work on through a process known as reciprocal reading. Your response work will be posted on a wiki set up by and for your reading group. Instructions will be given in class.
• Maths will be based around geometry and mapping for starters, as well as numeracy based on fractions, decimals, etc later in the term.
• Writing will be around the co-construction of creative stories [narratives] based on your experiences surviving in a fantasy-based life on the Matai Islands.
  
• You will also write and deliver a 3 minute speech [- you can use props and ICT] due in week 4.
  
• Your overall theme will be based on "Relationships" and "Making a Difference". We will write our stories to share with other students who find reading boring or difficult. We could also do something to make a contribution to the disaster relief in Samoa.
  
• In P.E. we will be developing our fitness and skills for athletics. We also need to learn social dancing skills for the Yr 8 formal.
  
  

Learning for noob teacher Bloggers :-)

Welcome to Blogging, teachers.

Create a Google account. Gmail is also useful, but not required for setting up your blog.

Create a blog using services like Blogger or Edublogs.

Why let our Students blog? Clever Kiwi teacher Rachel Boyd tells us why using Youtube :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKoEZJseVXU

Learn from legendary ICT guru SuzieVepser

Blogger support coordinator tells us how to set up a blog. Its very simple :-)

Cybersafety Blogging Guidelines for schools from Netsafe

Join Twitter to create your own Personalised Learning Network [PLN].



Have fun playing a we will be here to support you. You may even get comments from students in
my class or other teachers who keep an eye on this blog.

Youtube links from Slideshow:
How to use...
Twitter
Flickr
Diigo

Woodmonstas Wonder Wiki [and some of your blogs]

It's not so wonderful, but it's a start... and yes, this is what I look like during the holidays.

http://woodmonstas.wetpaint.com/

Well done to The Other Boy and LittleMissRoom18 for editing the site a little.
All trusted bloggers will be given access to the passwords so you can add content. Ability to edit and proofread will be important as well as being responsible, reliable and interesting.
:-)
I wonder if the world famous author of Midnight Baloney or even The MysteryMan might comment.
These are great blogs too ...

http://blogfieldresistance.blogspot.com/

and how could we forget the famous Arsenal Lover! http://gunners4life18.blogspot.com/

At my old school we had a very special blog worth a look.

Why is blogging cool?

Hey Kidlets - tell me here in [English, Spanish or Japanese] why blogging is fun, engaging, encourages you to write and is a good idea for using at school and home.
I'm going to show this to teachers at Ulearn in Christchurch next week.
I am also getting a cup made for the blogger of the Week. It will be handed to the best blogger each Friday and will be based on comments in this blog and posts on your own blogs. Currently you guys are being out-blogged on your own class blog by Room5ians from last year. [oh the shame!]
Blogger of the year in December will keep the cup for good :-)
Encourage each other to go on here to enhance our world famousness :-)

Holiday fun

Hi squiddlers. Today is the first real day of my break. I have one day then I have to work again.
D'OH!
But that's cool because my work is interesting :-)
Today I drew this picture for a design project...



Before that I discovered my wild bantam rooster friend from the gardens has developed a limp so I went down to feed him organic chook food to see if I could catch him to take him to a vet. He is VERY handsome and I got to sit with him a while but he's too elusive to capture at this stage. I will visit him again later today and tomorrow.

Other treats include walking Manny, assembling and using my new barbie [outdoor cooking device, not doll], chopping wood for my cool new brazier, fencing my summer vege garden so my chooks don't wreck it, planning a weekend away for our 8th anniversary and watching interesting documentaries.

What are you all doing?