Model-making resources

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

M13 are creating models of their designs for protecting/improving the land at the Island Bay Sea Wall or the South Coast Kids’ Bike Track. They have planned what resources they need and have discussed who is able to supply their resources for their model-making. If possible, could they please bring this to school tomorrow so we can get cracking?!

Nga mihi,

Megan and Amy

The Landfill by Harry

Today we went to the Wellington Landfill. When I got out of the bus I felt annoyed because of the smell. We had to wear yellow jackets because of the traffic.

First we looked at the poster which showed you how much rubbish can be in a yellow bag. 

Then we looked at some of the scrap metal. Each TV, to recycle, costs $25. It costs that much money because they have to take all the parts out and recycle each part differently.

After we looked at the recycle centre we got on the bus and drove to the tip. When we got out of the bus, I was even more annoyed because it was even more smelly. I felt desolate when I looked at the birds. It was like pollution. It wasn't even covered up. When we went back to the bus we looked at the compost. The good thing is, you can use it.

It wasn't better than any trips and it wasn't worse than any other trips so it was an okay trip.

Today we went to the Landfill

Here are our photos... writing coming soon!

Here's a link to the picture Meagan (our guide) showed us picturing what we actually throw away in our yellow WCC rubbish bags.

The process of weathering, erosion, and deposition | By Harry

First weathering: weathering is when wind or water weakens rock or soil. For example, the sea wall was weakened by the wind. The wind blows the water which creates a wave and brings tiny rocks with it. The water is wearing away at the rocks. 

Over hundreds of years the rocks disappear as they become sand particles. This happens to all the rocks in the sea.

Second, erosion. We can erode the land in mines. You would find the rock or crystal and then it would go into a mine cart, travel all around the mine and go back to the start.

The wind can be very strong so it picks up dirt. The water is strong because anything that goes near it can be picked up and washed away.

Mostly dirt and sand is eroded by water or the wind. Then rocks can be deposited down a creek and end up in the sea and then they may be never found again. A delta is a rivermouth that's been building up with sand a lot. When sand builds up because it's come from somewhere else it is called deposition.

South Coast Kids' Bike Track

Can you spot some M13 kids in there, having a great time, cycling up a storm, and planting to beautify and stabalise the land?!

Our local bike track was officially opened yesterday by a great crowd of helpers and supporters.

Topped off with a lolly scramble!

Jamieson's rocks and minerals

This morning Jamieson carefully brought two boxes of precious rocks to school.

Everyone chose their favourite one:

Francesca: "I like this one because it has patterns coming out from the middle"

Breea: "it's nice and smooth; really really smooth."

Amelie: "I like that crystal because it's quite shiny and I like the shape of it."

Breea wrote a poem about it:

Right and white
for everybody
sparkly and rough and hard
a pinch of red
of wool on the head.
I'm gonna call it Mark.
It's pointy on the bottom.
It doesn't hurt too much
a little grazed on the inside
a little grazed on the out.
It's middle name is Sassy
and it cannot be changed
by the law of Wellington's mayor.

 Joe: "I like them because they're quite shiny and they glow and the colour fades together and they're quite unique."

Aliya: "I like this because it's big and shiny and you can hold it easily. And it can't cut people and it's interesting."

Cody: "I like this one because it's shiny and pointy on the top and it looks like it has real crystal."

Noah: "I like all the details of both of the carvings of the mouse and the crocodile. They're both really cool."

Jamieson's dad carved this mouse when he was five years old, and he carved the crocodile when he was only eight!

From the left, we have obsidian, silver in the middle, and rose quartz on the right.

This is a Maori spearhead carved out of obsidian. Cody wrote a poem about it:

Jamieson's obsidian

Shiny and bright
all black, curved and Maori
off the top of a spear.

Luca also wrote a poem about it:

Knife

Its smooth surface
glints like the sea on a dark moonlit night.
I turn its crinkled lining up to the light
and it turns a pale milk colour.
The knife.

This is a fossil egg. Laila wrote a poem about it:

An old man, old and young
was having fun
today.

One day an animal came out
out came a dinosaur,
a triceratops.

Mel wrote a poem about this rock; it's a polished piece of amethyst:

Shining bright
under the light,
it curves and swirls.
Cracks widen
and let out
happiness of purple.
Shining bright
under the light,
swirly whirly twirl.

The ginormous crystal | by Quinn

The crystal shines in the sunlight.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it.
I said to myself, who brought in this crystal?
It is amazing.

How wolves can change the land

Today we watched this clip (again) about how wolves changed the land in Yellowstone National Park. We are learning to take notes, so we watched it five times, adding keywords, diagrams, and ideas to our notes each time we watched it.

Here's our glossary:

and an example of some notes:

The Land Changes

Here are some of our first ideas and wonderings about how the land changes...