Middle School

Learning at home

Here are the Middle School learning activities for Week 9, 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 and listen to Murray Gadd reading you the ‘Busting’ and have a go at writing something fun and imaginative.

A couple of other places you can explore during your home learning time are:

Home Learning TV channels

Puhinui Library site

MOTAT Youtube Channel and extra activities from MOTAT

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)

Nanogirl Youtube Channel

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.

Free Children's Stories

Free online stories for children of different ages

Sunshine Online

Username: puhinui

Password: Books2015

Once Upon a Picture

Answer the questions underneath the picture.

Story Starters for Writing

Basic FaCts practice

Fact Monster

Answer the questions underneath the picture.

*To get you started this week, check out these videos from the Middle School Teachers*

Science:
Brownie in a Cup with Mr
Jolly

Brownie in a Cup - Kitchen Chemistry with Mr Jolly.mp4

Feel like a sweet treat without making a massive recipe? Mr Jolly can show you a simple way to make a single serve brownie for those of you with a sweet tooth.

Science:
Cloud Experiment with Miss
Oates

Cloud Experiment with Miss Oates.mp4

The water cycle is a fascinating process. This experiment with Miss Oates helps show how clouds work.

Science:

Cocoa Powder Experiment with Miss McCoskrie

Cocoa powder experiment with Miss McCoskrie.mp4

Cocoa can help you get your chocolate fix, but it also does something pretty amazing when you put it in water. Do this experiment with Miss McCoskrie to see what happens.

monday 20th september

reading

writing

Using ‘WOW’ Words

At school, we are always encouraging you to use ‘WOW’ words in your writing. In each of the following sentences, see if you can choose a word that is better than the one that is underlined.

Here are some different words you could use. Or, even better, you could choose your own word to replace the boring word.

Your task is to make each sentence more interesting:

Sam was mad because he didn’t like the movie he saw.
I thought the apple tasted good but the cookie tasted bad.
We had so much fun at the zoo! I was sad to leave.
The weather was nice yesterday.

Here are some extras. You will have to think of your own words to replace the boring words in these sentences:

We made a big cake for my brother’s birthday.
The boy ran home to see the little puppy he was given for Christmas.
The cat brought a little mouse into the house the other day.
My grandma said I had to be careful with the old book.

maths

topic - Science: Become a Weather Presenter!

There are 3 main cloud types you commonly see.

Nimbus is another word used when describing clouds. Adding nimbus means there is rain in the clouds.

Cumulonimbus clouds are the “thunderheads” that can be seen on a warm summer day and can bring strong winds, hail, and rain. Nimbostratus clouds will bring a long steady rain.

Create a weather record like the one below and track the weather 3 times a day over the next week

tuesday 21st september

reading

writing

Describing a Special Person in your life

During this time of learning from home, we’ve been lucky enough to spend some extra time with the people we live with. Unfortunately, this also means we can’t see some other people that are important to us.

Your writing task today is to write a description about someone that is special to you. It could be someone you are living with and see every day, or it could be someone that you haven’t been able to see during the lockdown and miss very much. Tell us about that person.

You will need to include the following information:

What the person looks like → Remember to be super specific so that the reader can get an image in their mind.
What their personality is like → Are they funny, sporty, caring, brave etc?
What they like doing and what they’re good at.
A short memory of something you have done with that person.

If you like, you can also include a picture of the person when you have finished.

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

topic - te reo

Ngā kōrero Māori - Kei te kauta

Handy Māori phrases - In the kitchen

At home, try out some of these phrases when talking about food with your family.

*In the morning ask: Hei aha he kai parakuihi, koe? (What’s for breakfast, please?)

*In the middle of the day ask: Hei aha te kai tina, koe? (What’s for lunch, please?)

*In the evening ask: Hei aha te kai nui te pō, koe? (What’s for dinner, please?)

Have a look in the fridge and cupboards. What foods can you see and practise saying. You could add labels to the food you find.

Try using this phrase and adding the food of your choice.

Hold up the food and say: Anei te __________. ←add the food here

(Here is the _________.)

wednesday 22nd september

reading

writing

Pets in Charge!

Imagine that one of your pets was in charge of you for the day. If you don’t have a pet, just choose an animal that you would like for a pet and you can pretend.

If your pet was in charge of you for the day, what do they make you do?

Make sure you include WOW words and interesting descriptive words and action 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

topic - Science

Have a look at the diagram and think about the question: Why do we have day and night?

Explain why we have day and night using the diagram above. Use the words below to complete the sentences.

a) We live on the planet ____________.

b) Light comes from the ____________.

c) The Earth _______ on its axis once each day.

d) When the Sun shines on our part of the Earth, we are in the ____________.

e) When our part of the Earth spins away from the sun, we are in the ______________.

2. Draw a copy of the diagram from above.

a) Label the Sun and Earth

b) Label the Sun’s rays

c) Colour what half of the Earth would be in the daytime

d) Colour what half of the Earth would be in night-time

You can try this at home with a ball and torch!

thursday 23rd september

reading

writing

I am a Good Person

I am a good person to know because ....

We all have things that make us special and wonderful. Write as many reasons as you can that explain why you are a good person to know.

You could include the things that you are good at, things that you can do well, and the sorts of things you might be able to do for people.

If you are getting stuck, ask your family members what they think is special about you and use their ideas in your writing.

Include as many positive descriptive words as you can.

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

topic - egg carton crafts

Get creative with an old egg carton!

friday 24th september

reading

writing

Senses Poem

Today you are going to have a go at writing a sense poem.

First, you will need a topic. This could be a time of year (season), a special day, a favourite place … any time or place that inspires you!

Next, we’re going to build some lines, so write out 5 sentence headings - ‘I See’, ‘I Hear’, ‘I Smell’, ‘I Touch’ and ‘I Taste’.

Imagine all the different things you might see, hear, smell, taste or touch in your chosen time or place, and write at least one noun by each heading. (Remember that a noun is the name of a person, place or thing). Here is an example:

Now we need a bit more description, so add the next part to each line: ‘The sight is…’, ‘The sound is…’, ‘The smell is…’, ‘The feeling is…’, ‘The taste is…’.

Give it a go! Remember you can ask people at home if you get stuck for ideas.

maths

topic - stem

Make a toy parachute

Using materials you can find at home, make a parachute for a toy.

You will need something for the parachute canopy. You could use a plastic bag, paper bag, napkin or paper towel.
You will need something to tie the toy to the canopy. You could use string, fishing line or cotton.

Top Tip! Make sure the toy is light and not breakable!

Have a go and see what happens. Remember to stay positive and try to improve your design if it doesn’t work the first time.

Page updated

Report abuse