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Learning at home
Here are the Middle School learning activities for Week 7, Term 3. There is a Reading, Maths, Language, and Topic task each day. Also check out the ‘Lockdown Fitness’ link under the Week 5 work to make sure you’re keeping up with your daily fitness.
Your child’s teacher will have emailed you to direct you towards which reading and maths group your child is in. Just click on your child’s group for their online reading and maths activities.
Special addition this week: Writing with Murray Gadd
Watch this writing lesson with Murray Gadd and give the activities a go.
A couple of other places you can explore during your home learning time are:
Home Learning TV channels
Some websites that can help support the science and STEM learning your child has been doing at school are below:
STEM Challenges (on our school website)
Lockdown Fitness! Click here for fun ways to mix up your walking!
Middle School Home Based Learning
Government learning from home website - https://learningfromhome.govt.nz/resources
As well as daily activities, here are some websites that you might like to have a look at.
*To get you started this week, check out these videos from the Middle School Teachers*
Science:
The Shrinking Chip Packet with Mrs Job
Shrinking Chip Packet with Mrs Job.mp4In this video, Mrs Job will show you how to make your own little keychain from your empty chip packet. You will also learn why your chip packet can be reused in this very cool way.
Science:
Water Tension with Mrs Krishna
Water Tension with Mrs Krishna.mp4Mrs Krishna shows you how to do a mind bending experiment with paper clips and water. This experiment will help you to understand how an intriguing little animal called a water strider is able to walk on water.
Science:
Balloon Trumpet with Mrs Lameko
Balloon Trumpet with Mrs Lameko.mp4Sorry parents! This experiment is going to create some noise in your house. Learn how the vibrations of your breath can be used to make a little trumpet-like instrument using a balloon and an empty tube.
monday 6th september
monday 6th september
reading
reading
writing
writing
Postcard from Space
Imagine you travelled to another planet.
Write a postcard to a family member back home telling them all about your travels. What did you see? What did you do?
Remember to include descriptive words so that the reader knows exactly how you are feeling and what you are seeing.
When you are finished, check that you have:
Re-read your work to check it makes sense
Checked your spelling
Checked your use of capital letters and full stops
maths
maths
topic - science: volcanoes
topic - science: volcanoes
Optional- Extra science volcano experiment
Homemade volcano
Materials you will need:
10mls of dish soap
100ml of warm water
400ml of white vinegar
Food colouring- red if you want it to look like lava
Baking soda (fill a cup about ½ with baking soda, then fill the rest of the way with water)
Empty 2 litre soda bottle
Note: this should be done outside due to the mess
Combine the vinegar, water, dish soap and 2 drops of food coloring into the empty soda bottle.
Use a spoon to mix the baking soda slurry until it is all a liquid.
Eruption time! … Pour the baking soda slurry into the soda bottle quickly and step back!
tuesday 7th september
tuesday 7th september
reading
reading
writing
writing
The Best Day Ever
Write a story about your best day ever. This story could either be a day that you have already had, or your dream of what the best day ever could be. Remember to include:
What did you do?
Who were you with?
Where did you go?
When is it happening?
Use descriptive words to make sure the reader can really get an image in their mind.
When you are finished, check that you have:
Re-read your work to check it makes sense
Checked your spelling
Checked your use of capital letters and full stops
maths
maths
topic - visual art: leaf art
topic - visual art: leaf art
Go out and explore your backyard or ask a family member to go for a walk to collect some leaves. Then place the leaf/ leaves under a piece of paper and with a pencil or colouring crayon lightly colour or rub over the leaf. You should see all the details of the leaf coming through on your paper!
wednesday 8th september
wednesday 8th september
reading
reading
writing
writing
Your Future Self
Write a letter to yourself when you are 30 years old.
Choose all or some of the following things to include in your letter:
What do you want to tell the 30 year old you?
What are your dreams and goals that you want to achieve by the time you’re 30?
What are your favourite things right now?
Who are your best friends right now?
When you’ve written your letter. Put it in an envelope (you could also make and decorate an envelope if you don’t have one) and ask someone in your house to put it in a safe place. Ask them if they can give it to you when you are 30.
When you are finished, check that you have:
Re-read your work to check it makes sense
Checked your spelling
Checked your use of capital letters and full stops
maths
maths
topic - Science: The life cycle of a Ghost Moth
topic - Science: The life cycle of a Ghost Moth
Aotearoa’s biggest moths are a ghost moth species called pūriri moths, named after one of the trees in which the caterpillar lives. For a creature with no hands, the pūriri moth caterpillar makes a remarkable home. It burrows a number-seven-shaped tunnel into a tree. The caterpillar covers the entrance with a web of silk and bits of bark to keep safe from predators.
Today we are going to learn about the life cycle of a pūriri moth and all the different stages it goes through before becoming an adult moth.
All starts with eggs. The newly laid eggs are soft and creamy yellow. After a few days they harden and turn black.
After 20 days, tiny caterpillars hatch. Each spends about two months on the forest floor, feeding on fungi and dead wood.
When it’s big enough, it searches for the right kind of tree, climbs up the trunk, and tunnels inside. It lives here for up to four years, eating the damaged wood around the tunnel entrance.
The caterpillar turns into a pupa- for up to six months
It emerges as a moth in spring or early summer, usually on a warm night with light, misty rain. Male moths have a wingspan of 10cm. Females can be up to 15cm.
A single female pūriri moth can lay up to 2,000 eggs. The moth dies after a few days, but their eggs will soon hatch.
Now you have all the different stages of the pūriri moth's life, it’s your turn to draw your own lifecycle. Remember to include the numbers to show the order and pictures of each stage. Use the template to help you set it out correctly.
thursday 9th september
thursday 9th september
reading
reading
writing
writing
Fantasy Pet
Write a story about your fantasy pet. You will need to include the following things:
Information about where and when you found them
Their name
What they look like
Interesting things your pet does
Why you are happy you found this pet
Make sure you include WOW words and interesting descriptive words to interest the reader.
When you are finished, check that you have:
Re-read your work to check it makes sense
Checked your spelling
Checked your use of capital letters and full stops
maths
maths
topic - Te Reo Māori: Let’s practise some Māori!
topic - Te Reo Māori: Let’s practise some Māori!
Look around the house, what can you see? TV? Fridge? Maybe an armchair? Today we are going to learn the Maori names for some common household objects. From the list below choose 5 objects in your house and write the Maori name for them. Stick the Maori name on these objects around the house and everytime someone in your family uses this object, get them to practise naming it in Maori.
Good luck! And remember practice makes perfect! This website can help you with pronouncing the words - Maori dictionary.
friday 10th september
friday 10th september
reading
reading
writing
writing
Letter to a Friend
Although all this time at home means you get to spend lots of time with your family, the downside is you don’t get to see your friends every day and chat to them.
Today’s writing task is to write one of your friends a letter. Tell them:
What you’ve been up to
Something exciting or cool that has happened while being away from school
What you’re looking forward to when you get back
Make sure you include WOW words and interesting descriptive words in your writing.
When you are finished, check that you have:
Re-read your work to check it makes sense
Checked your spelling
Checked your use of capital letters and full stops
maths
maths
topic - science: mixing oil and water
topic - science: mixing oil and water
Some things just don't get along well with each other. Take oil and water as an example, you can mix them together and shake as hard as you like but they'll never become friends.....or will they? Take this fun experiment a step further and find out how bringing oil and water together can help you do your dishes.
What you'll need:
Small soft drink bottle
Water
Food colouring
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
Dish washing liquid or detergent
Instructions:
Add a few drops of food colouring to the water.
Pour about 2 tablespoons of the coloured water along with the 2 tablespoons of cooking oil into the small soft drink bottle.
Screw the lid on tight and shake the bottle as hard as you can.
Put the bottle back down and have a look, it may have seemed as though the liquids were mixing together but the oil will float back to the top.
What's happening?
While water often mixes with other liquids to form solutions, oil and water does not. Water molecules are strongly attracted to each other, this is the same for oil, because they are more attracted to their own molecules they just don't mix together. They separate and the oil floats above the water because it has a lower density.
If you really think oil and water belong together then try adding some dishwashing liquid or detergent. Detergent is attracted to both water and oil helping them all join together and form something called an emulsion. This is extra handy when washing those greasy dishes, the detergent takes the oil and grime off the plates and into the water.
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