Ruru - Night Hunter

We have been exploring the picture book “Night Hunter” by Katie Furze and Ned Barraud.  We turned our pieces of writing into a piece of poetry.  The poem had to look, feel and read like a poem.   This was a real brain teaser and a challenge for us to think outside the box !  

Our focus was building our Oral Language, Reading and Writing for effect. We were working on identifying and responding to language features like strong verbs, alliteration, and onomatopoeia that we could find in this picture book. We made connections and added as we went.

By reading this story, we were able to collect vocabulary and dissect simple sentence structures to create a poem. We looked at some different pieces of poetry that illustrated different text structure. In plain language it had to look and sound poetic. We looked carefully at the language features that enhanced the writing and we talked about and described how we could communicate meaning figuratively, in a way that made sense for our different ages and stages.

How did we explain this to the students ? We used the words - "showing not telling" or inferencing. We made links to our reading.

For some students not having a 'set structure' like a simple or a compound sentence or paragraphing really caused some confusion. We gave a simple structure as a scaffold for each part of our poem that supported what we were trying to achieve.

Our poems had to:

1. describe the night.
2. describe the ruru flying & hunting.
3. describe the animal being hunted.
4. describe the emotion or suspense in the final 'catch'.
5. a conclusion that bought the reader back to a peaceful and satisfying conclusion.

The first step for the students was to inject themselves into a dark night. They had to connect with the story and what they knew about Ruru. We used lots of discussion and 'piggy backing' - sharing of ideas. Our writing ideas floated on our sea of talk to start with.

The students set off, pencil in hand to go for it. From what we managed to record we either, added more, edited by removing all the 'weasel words' and insignificant detail or we edited by adding interesting vocabulary or missed details that would help paint the picture in the readers mind.

Here are some examples from different ages and stages.

 

Tautoru Teamwork

This term, we are focusing on an important life skill. It is so important to develop the ability to collaborate and cooperate in many areas across the curriculum.  Our students work together in different and varied ways a lot so that they learn to solve problems, share their thinking, and support each other.  Whānau days are another example of collaboration but across the school.

So what's the difference between collaboration and co-operation? 

Collaboration is when we work together on a project, like building the best block tower or creating a group poster. Everyone brings their own good ideas!

Cooperation is all about being a helpful and respectful team member—taking turns, listening carefully to our friends, and sharing our classroom resources. Essentially this is also about dialling up our Fairness.

How do we think about these 2 things in a learning context ?

Co-operation is the WAY we collaborate with each other. These skills sit in the centre of all our foundations, our local curriculum, our Positive Education and Wellbeing Strategy and our Positive Education Flourish Model.

This week, working collaboratively has demonstrated the beauty in the ability to share ideas in writing. Our students were learning from each other. This has meant everyone could add something new to their kete of knowledge. We have seen individuals and small groups shine, dialling up a whole load of different Character Strengths.  Extending students' thinking and improving their content and ideas has been a focus in writing and something we have managed to do in these collaborative groups.

These are essential skills for life at school and beyond!

“The World Next Door: Uncovering the Secrets of Creatures and their Habitats”.

"All things need the same thing to survive"

This term we are aiming to carry on our focus of culture and identity but from a very different perspective.  The perspective being that of creatures and their environments.  We will be venturing into an inquiry around habitats and ecosystems.  Instead of just reading about nature, our students will be exploring, questioning, and discovering the incredible interconnectedness of life on Earth and in particular starting in our very own neighbourhood.  We are lucky at Worser Bay School to have a local curriculum that is based on some very different environments.   We have bush, sea and rock pools all at our doorstep.  

We will be able to make links to our Pou and the stories and knowledge they share !

Our Inquiry journey began this week by delving into our thoughts and opinions on What living things need to survive?  We posed the provocation that ‘All things need the same.’   

Students worked together to discuss and make connections to what they already know .  They all quickly recognised that most living things have certain requirements to stay alive. They made links to our learning about plants needing sunlight and water and through their own experiences they know that animals need food and shelter.  Some of our keen scientists even knew about microscopic organisms.  This understanding of life becomes a great foundation for this Inquiry.  

Students will be investigating different habitats, from our school to some diverse environments like deserts and rainforests. We want them to know that living things are incredibly suited to their particular habitat. For example, they noticed the strong beaks of birds designed for cracking seeds, the camouflage of insects blending into their surroundings, and the adaptations of plants to conserve water in dry areas.   We will be able to make some direct comparisons between what we observe and see at Centennial Bush Reserve and what we discover in the rock pools at Worser Bay.  We will be looking and listening for those authentic questions that led on to new learning.  I wonder if this bush has the same insects and plant life as Otari Bush ?  or the bush area close to my house ?

Our inquiry into habitats and ecosystems won’t be just about memorising facts; it will be about fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and developing gratitude and an awareness of our living world.  We hope to make lots of links around the continents just like we did with our Arts Celebration.   Watch this space as this Inquiry evolves. 

Let us know what wonderings your children are talking about ?