Strong Verbs

Hi everyone, we are working on improving the vocabulary in our writing.  Check out our new website links on Strong Verbs.  Soon we'll add our own examples of writing using strong verbs.  Strong verbs help us to show and not tell our audience what is happening in our writing.

Practise asking Where is he/she from? using Te Reo.  Check out the websites for help.

Find out the difference between AM and PM

Learn to tell the time: The difference between AM and PM

Achievers in Room 8

Congratulations to Bailey for being awarded Most Improved Player in his rugby team.

More Studyladder awards!  Congratulations to all these students for earning certificates because of their efforts on Studyladder.

The Nukes

On Monday afternoon we had a band called the Nukes.  The whole school came to watch them. There were three people in the band. Ben and Snapper with fingers of fire were the bandsman. Ben and Snapper had a contest to see who was the fastest strummer of their instruments. Snapper won the contest. They played some tunes on their instruments.  It was a great performance.  by Lily and Holly

Music performance

On Monday afternoon we had a harpist come to Birchwood school. She came with her daughter. The harpist told us all about her harps. Then she played us some tunes on her harp.  She told us that the harps cost thousands of dollars and that she was doing some harp lessons with harps to rent from her. Notes for your parents about the harp lessons were in the office.  It was very musical and room 8 enjoyed it. by Lily

To Too Two Song (animated) Learn By Lyrics Homophones

Take some time to watch the two videos about homophones, they might help to sort out some confusion you have with these words.

Their There They're - Homophones

Let's Dance!

Two ex Nelson dancers visited Birchwood and gave us a free dance lesson.  They were keen to show us how easy it is to learn to dance.  Here we are, the whole Middle Syndicate in action.

More Studyladder Awards

Our Seascapes on PhotoPeach

Tree Planting on PhotoPeach

Rod Dixon Kids' Marathon

Physical activity is very important at Birchwood.  This term we have improved our fitness levels by participating in the Rod Dixon Kids Marathon.  Over the course of 8 weeks we ran the equivalent of a marathon.  We did this during our training for the School Cross Country,  during sports coaching sessions and during fundamental skill sessions with Lee Corlett.  A small group of hardy Room 8 runners completed the last lap of their marathon at Saxtons Field and received their well-deserved medals.  Who can you see in the photos?

The X Factor

Liam Malone an ex Birchwood student
visited near the end of the term.  He has no feet.

However we quickly found out that this hasn't stopped him from having an extremely active life.

We saw slides of him playing many different sports ranging from cricket, rugby and athletics to skiing, mountain biking, 

sky-diving AND

diving with sharks!

His next physical goal is to use his new high tech blades to run fast enough to compete in the 2016 Para-olympics.  Liam Malone certainly has The X Factor.
During Term 3 we will be looking at other New Zealanders who are also outstanding in their fields.

The Boring Book

Year 10 drama students from Nayland College recently performed their interpretation of the NZ Post Book finalist The Boring Book in front of the The Middle and Junior Syndicates.  Great entertainment and a special treat to see a number of ex Birchwood students performing.

Natural disasters

Today we have been doing changes of the land posters on the computers.  Some of the topics are floods, landslides, and earthquakes.  We learned that changes can lead to more changes. These are some ways that disasters can change the land: Floods can destroy bridges, causing a lot of rubble to fall down. Landslides can make the land slip. Volcanos can leave a heap of ash on the ground. Here are some pictures of our posters.  by Lily

Sporting Achievement

Congratulations to Shakayla for being awarded Player of the Day after a recent Netball game.

More science!

During Science Week we carried out a practical investigation exploring how a filter lets water through but traps some of the things that are mixed in with it.  This shows us how the ‘sand sausages’ are used at St Clair’s beach in Dunedin.  The ‘sausages’ are used to help keep the sand on the beach.  They let water pass through, but they stop the beach sand, so it isn't dragged away.  This helps stop the waves from eating away at the land.

 

 

 

Celebrating NZ Sign Language Week

Celebrating NZ Sign Language Week on PhotoPeach

Science Week

Science Extravaganza
The whole school went to watch the Science Extravaganza and the crazy science guy. Our favourite part was making elephant tooth paste! It was funny at the start. The crazy science guy had balls coming out of his mouth and at the end he hypnotised us and we saw his head grow! We enjoyed watching all of it and hope they will come back.  We learnt all about chemical reactions.  He also did lots of illusions and told us that magic is just science.
by Holly, Stevie and Bailey

Magic is actually Science!

Preparing to make elephant toothpaste!

Voila!  Elephant toothpaste made by a chemical reaction!

Preparing for EXPLOSIVE chemical reactions!

Explaining the science behind a baby's nappy.

Here is the the Super Absorbent Polymer inside a baby's nappy.

One breath is all it took to blow this up. 

Gravity and moving air in action!

This is going to make the air move!

Now that is one big bubble!

Easy Kids Science Experiments How to Make a Volcano

W
Welcome to Science Week!

Studyladder Awards

Congratulations to Maia, Holly, Joshua, Stevie and Bailey for earning Studyladder certificates.  They have all been spending a lot of time on their learning at home.  A great effort!

Abstract landscapes

Abstract Landscapes on PhotoPeach We have been looking at the way the horizon is layered in a view. We tried to show this when we created our own colourful landscapes.

Trying to Remember

Having Trouble Remembering?

Using a mnemonic is a great way to remember something.  A mnemonic can be a poem, a group of letters or ideas or an acronym.  We are learning to use the following mnemonic to help us remember the 7 continents.  

Eat An Apple As A Nighttime Snack

Explanation

Eat – Europe An- Asia Apple- Africa As- Australia A- Antarctica Nighttime- North America Snack- South America

Maybe you could share some of the mnemonics you use to help you remember things.

What am I? Descriptive Writing

Art by Emily

   Art by Caitlyn

What am I?

Bite into my skin and taste delicious flavours.  Touch soft, bumpy skin.  I look bright and very shiny, colourful too.  I smell fruity, fresh and scrumptious.  Listen to the sound that I make when you munch.  I CRUNCH!

What am I?

I feel smooth and crunchy when someone eats me.  I'm a nice snack when you are hungry.  When you look at me I am bright and shiny, fresh and round.  I am a bit sour and awfully crunchy!  By Cara

What am I?

I feel stiff, cold, round and smooth.  Bite into my skin and I'm scrumptious and fresh.  If you have me for lunch, you will munch and I will crunch. By Pene

What am I?

I feel smooth, cold and slippery.  Absorb my clean, fresh, healthy and shiny skin,  My taste is delicious, juicy and scrumptious.  Hear me when you eat me, I'm crunchy and juicy.  Mmmm!  By Caitlyn

What am I?

I look bright, shiny and fresh.  When you bite me you hear crunch, crunch and a cracking.  If you put your nose up to me I smell fruity and healthy.  I also taste juicy, scrumptious and sweet.  Put your hand up to me, I feel cold, smooth and slimy.  By Tayla

In order to write vivid descriptions we have been learning to use our senses and remembering to include different adjectives and verbs.  For one activity we had to describe an apple.  At first we made lists of a number of different words using our senses and then we selected some of them to use in our descriptions.  To add an extra challenge we were not allowed to use the word apple.  We published our descriptions with some artworks.

I Found a Leaf - creative writing and art

Art by Pene

Autumn

I found a leaf.

It has four pointy ends.

It’s all smooth and soft and it smells very old.

It’s gold, purple and red.

It looks sad.

By Stevie

Art by Katelyn

Autumn

I found a leaf.

It has a long stem.

It’s all soft and pointy.

It’s pinky red.

It looks like a floating starfish.

By Emily

Art by Joshua F

I found a leaf.

It has five pointy sides.

It’s veins match up to the long, pointy stripes and it has a very long stalk.

It’s all wet and moist.

It looks like a floating starfish.

By Pene

Art by Alex

I found a leaf.

It has veins.

It’s smooth and sharp.

It’s green and brown.

It looks the feathers of a dart.

By Kingi

I found a leaf.

It has lots of holes and mould.

It’s soft on one side but not on the other and it’s kind of curved.

It’s pink and it’s orange.

It looks like a floating starfish.

By Caitlin

I found a leaf.

It has sharp, pointy ends.

All the veins are squiggly and zigzagged.

It’s smooth.

It’s gold, purple, it’s pink.

It looks like old pieces of newspaper.

By Shakayla

I found a leaf.

It has lots of tiny veins.

It’s all wrinkles and curves.

It’s beige and pinky, purple and roasting brown.

It looks like a scary ghost.

By Alex

I found a leaf.

It’s curvy and topsy turvy.

It’s got a heap of points and has a bent stalk.

It pinky, red and brown on the front.

It looks like a man with no legs.

By Hollie

I found a leaf.

It has a tiny point at the end.

It’s sharp on the outside and it’s hard and bumpy.

It’s brown and red.

It looks like a piece of rusty metal.

By Georgia

Class achievers

Congratulations to Pene for winning the first tennis competition she has ever entered.  She had to play 5 games.

Congratulations to the first students to receive a certificate from Studyladder.  This certificate recognises they have been doing extra homework.

Congratulations to Alex who achieved great results for Athletics.