Mission to the Moon Quick Write

We have started the term off by learning about the recent mission to the moon - Artemis II.  For the first time since 1972 humans have been able to get close to the moon. 

We knew that some of our kids would know lots about this and others would find this new information fascinating. We got straight into using this mission as inspiration for our writing. 

We also used some visuals to engage our imagination and inspire some interesting looking words. We could use these to paint a picture in our readers minds.

We really focused on discussion, honing in on our oral language first.

We know Writing is an incredibly complex task.  Our students are learning to manage multiple things at once:  They are constantly asking themselves:

• What do I want to say?

• Which words should I use?

• How do I order these words?

• How do I hold the pencil? What does a 'b' look like? Which way around again ? What letters make the sound 'ch'?

• Last but not least, punctuation and all those writing courtesies we tend to do automatically as adults.  

Keeping all these balls in the air does not come easy.  We see the impact of these complexities on a daily basis and it looks different for each student.  

We have always known that 'Great writing floats on a sea of talk'.  By focusing on oral language, we can help students master their content and ideas, vocab and sentence structure before they pick up a pencil.  Discussion helps in the composition of our thoughts and ideas so that our writers can focus more on the mechanics of writing.

Our job is to inspire and start the discussion, prompt and push for more and plant 'ideas' that can help little minds wander into new places and spaces.  Encouraging lots of curiosity ! 

Mondays task was a quick write with some simple success criteria. It was a task that is going to be repeated in different ways and it will certainly enhance this terms Inquiry learning. We are going to be engaging our imaginations and the exciting part is not knowing where this journey is going to end up !

Below are some examples of our quick writes. You can see some examples of writers dialling up their strengths of Creativity and some beautiful examples of personal voice shining through. Imagine Pole Vaulting through space !

Our students took some great learning risks and were not held back by not being able to spell interesting words. This part we can tackle in the editing phase. These are some unedited pieces of writing and others are still going through this writing process. Hopefully you can see the potential that we can in these quick 15 minute writes.

Success Criteria worked well as the students knew exactly what their writing needed. It is going to be an exciting term if this was day 1.

Titiro whakamuri, kōkiri whakamua - Learning about our past to move forward into the future

 

Titiro whakamuri, kōkiri whakamua

(Learning about our past to move forward into the future.)

Ko Ranginui ki runga 

Ko Papatūānuku ki raro 

Ko ngā Atua ki waenganui

Tēnā Koutou

  

Nei ra te mihi ki a koutou ngā Mana Whenua o te rohe nei - Ko Te Ātiawa. 

Ngā mihi nui ki a Taupuruariki Brightwell me ngā Kura Ahurea mō a rātou mahi toi me nga pūrākau me te kōrero tuku iho e pā ana ki a wahi whakahirahira - Ko Whetūkairangi.  

I te tau 1842, E ai ki ngā Ōhākī o Te Rangatira - Te Wharepouri, I muri nei, kia pai ke aku taonga Māori, taonga Pākeha, kia tae ake te haruru o tō reo ki ahau i Te Reinga. 

We would like to acknowledge Te Ātiawa and their work through the Kura Ahurea programme and Taupuruariki Brightwell.  This artwork helps us tell the stories and learn about the history of this special place and its surrounding areas including the people that came before.  

In 1842, Te Wharepouri, a great rangatira from Te Ātiawa left a wish for us all .  "After I have gone, be good to my Māori and my non-Māori, let the thunder of your voice reach me in the spirit land. "

The ōhākī ensures that these stories and facts are shared with our kids so that they are understood and can be shared with whānau.  

How fantastic to see so many of our Worser Bay whānau joining our Haerenga this week.

We live and work in a very special place where we experience the awe and wonder of Whetūkairangi on a daily basis. The natural beauties of this place are matched by fascinating mythological and historical stories that surround it.

Our teaching team have been working with Te Ātiawa and Taranaki Whānui - Mana Whenua on a programme called Kura Ahurea. There are many variations of the pūrākau that are told differently across iwi and cultures. But these are the stories that have shaped our place here at Whetūkairangi, and also wider Te Whanganui-a-Tara.

Some of the art on display was created by Worser Bay students in response to their learning. But the wonderful black, red and white art is the creation of the artist Taupuruariki Brightwell and Kura Ahurea. 

The pou in our courtyard are our anchor point for how we connect to our stories, and also the land, sea and sky. We began at our pou together, before exploring the wealth of artwork and information on display around the school. This was a chance to hear, read and retell and the stories of how our environment has been shaped by natural and human forces. History, mythology and immense geological happenings are all in the mix.

By clicking on a QR code, we were able to hear some of our stories being retold by our students: we hope to add more to this library.

With our stories in mind, we headed to the lookout and then down to Worser Bay beach, viewing and visiting many of the places that appear in the stories we had been sharing. 

We are learning more all the time and and are keen to share and continue to build our knowledge and understanding. So this Haerenga is just the beginning.

We will send the links via seesaw so that you can hear our recordings and view some of the resources and beautiful artwork again.  You can also scan the QR codes that are dotted around the school.

"Tuia ki runga, Tuia ki raro,  Tuia ki roto, Tuia ki waho, 

Ka rongo te pō, Ka rongo te Ao 

Haumi ē,  Hui ē , Tāiki e"