Hauora with Olympians

LI: to draw and label your own Hauora diagram.

In order to be able to perform at their best athletes need to have a four walls of the whare tapawha standing. We created this poster to show what each wall represents and why it is important. I found out that with each wall standing and stable, it always leads to great success. However, if even one wall is unstable, it can be the difference between success and failure. I enjoyed finding out about how the whare tapawha relates to Olympic athletes. 

Hauora and Olympians

Athletes train in both areas, mentally and physically. This is because  both areas need to be stable and balanced. An athlete should have all walls of the Whare Tapa Wha standing, meaning that they are motivated, confident and have self belief. Without these walls standing, or even if one wall falls, athletes will lose their motivation, feel insecure and have low self esteem. As an athlete, being successful is a huge accomplishment. With being an athlete, they need to accept and embrace the unsuccessful times. If an athlete is unsuccessful, they continue to train and are grateful for the opportunity of representing their country. The support of friends and family pushes athletes to become the best they can and lead them to victory.

Farzana & Peyton

Mindfulness Reflection

LI: to practice mindfulness when in stressful situations. 

Mindfulness is training your mind to become aware of not only yourself, but also your surroundings. When it comes to mindfulness, there are two zones. The red zone and the green zone. The red zone is all the negative emotions you feel when stressed. The green zone is all of the positive emotions which help you when feeling stressed. For example, when in a stressful situation, you can clear your mind and stay calm. This is when your mind enters the green zone. In the red zone, you feel waves of negativity overcoming your mind. 

When trying to focus, your mind wanders. Although your body can be present, your mind can be wandering around and thinking about the past or future. With mindfulness, you focus on the present moment and what is happening at that moment. 

The mindfulness practice helps you clear your mind, focus on your breathing and overall makes you content and composed. To do this activity, we faced away from others to be focused. We had a straight back, soft stomach, closed eyes and our hands on our knees. When the mindfulness bell rang, we calmed ourselves and focused on our breathing. When breathing, you are more focused on you and your surroundings.

Simple Machines

LI: to find information about simple machines.

Our focus for inquiry was about making labelled diagrams (information pictures) in order to understand what each simple machines are. The six simple machines are: pulley, lever, wedge, inclined plane, wheel and axle and screw. The pulley is a simple machine that is able to lift objects by pulling the rope that is attached to it. A lever can lift heavy-weight objects when someone pushes the beam down from the opposite side. The wedge can stop objects from moving. An inclined plane is a surface that has an angle on it and can make objects go up or down easily. The wheel and axle helps transfer things. A screw has the ability to pull its surroundings in as it goes into a material and stay put in it. We made an information picture for each simple machines and get a good understanding of each of them. At the end of this activity, we were able to give a breif description of each simple machine. I enjoyed this activity because I have researched about simple machines before and found it pretty easy.

Technological Practices

LI: To use technological practices process to design a toy.

For Mrs Fisi’iahi’s Inquiry lesson, we were focusing on the three last technological processes. They were: build, test and evaluate. We used the required materials in order to build the AUV rover. After this, we tested and compared each group’s rover to see which group was able to scramble across the floor the furthest. Evaluating our results was the last step.

Identify, Investigate & Design

LI: to identify, investigate and design a model of a rover.

The three technological practices were identify, investigate and design. When doing these technological practices, we need to make sure we are doing it properly for a proper trial and error project. Identify means to observe the opening problem. Investigating means to research how to solve the problem or research how to use materials for the model. Design means to draw or create a blueprint/sketch of your model. These three practices help you to build an end product of your model. Our group enjoyed looking into these practices and worked together as a group to come up with a design.

Qualities of a Leader

LI: to unpack what leadership looks like.

Our Inquiry objective was to think and learn about the four important qualities of a good and reliable leader and what leadership looks like.

In our groups, we started by talking about the four qualities of a good leader and the definition of each quality. 

The four qualities of a good leader are: leadership, responsibility, being a role-model and team work.

One we defined each quality, we wrote down as many words as we could that related to the qualities of a good leader.

After this, our group came together to write a 25 word paragraph that talks about the qualities of a good leader. We used the words that we picked out from the list to create this paragraph. 

Finally, we created an infographic poster (using a google draw) to define the four qualities a good leader should have.

I enjoyed writing the definitions of leadership, responsibility, role-model and team because I was able to define them.

Presentation | Hexagonal Pyramid

Our focus for inquiry was to present our shelter to bid for a building contract.

Before presenting, our group practised our lines and went through on how to present. We thought about giving eye contact, speaking loud and clear and more. 

After this, we presented. To get the building contract, we needed to pursuade PBS (teachers representing PBS). After presenting, we got our feedback.

Some of our feedback that we got included: getting a good understanding of what types of storms could occur in New Zealand and using different materials for the storms.

The good feedback we got was that we presented the information well and talked about most of the areas we needed to.

At the end, our group fortunately won the contract. I enjoyed presenting our model of a hexagonal pyramid but found it hard to present to a large group. One thing I would change is my confidence presenting and having a clear voice. I now have a better understanding of pursuasive presentations. This opportunity gave me a clear insight of what I could change in the future when I am presenting.

LI: to create a presentation of your design to bid for the building contract.

Presentation | Hexagonal Pyramid Shelter

Today, my group and I created a presentation that persuaded PBS (Mr Wong & Mr Ogilvie) for a building contract.

The requirements of our presentations were: print design rules, everyone speaks and images and graphics. Our presentation was made more interesting by the information on the slides were made different to the information speaking. 

Next, we practised our lines. The whole presentation needed to be 2-3 minutes long.

We wrote about the pros of our shelter and the how the design is best for the design breif. The design breif contained information about what our shelters were made to protect against.

I enjoyed this weeks work and had fun creating the presentation.

LI: to create a presentation of your design to bid for the building contract.

Shelter Model | Design & Technology

Our focus for inquiry was to create a net of our protection shelter, transfer that net onto cardboard and use those cardboard pieces to create a model of our structure.

First, our company sketched a 3D net with paper. While doing this, we thought of how to use the paper as efficiently as possible in order to save resources. We then measured the 3D net dimensions onto a bigger piece of paper. Our company decided to draw the parts of the net separately to make the process easier.

Next, we transferred the 3D net onto cardboard and cut out the separate pieces. We needed to use as least cardboard as we could so the other companies could use it. After that, we began using the cardboard pieces to create our shelter model.

We placed the cardboard walls onto the base of the shape and held it together using the popsicle sticks and hot glues to help keep a good foundation in order to keep the structure standing. We also used tape to hold the shape of the walls in place.

Our shelter was a hexagonal pyramid and we found it hard to make because it is a complex shape. Our company found it enjoyable to make and plan out the shelter.
LI: to build shelter models.                                                                                                                             

Materials | Design & Technology

Depending on the properties of different materials, they can suit certain situations better. The materials vary depending on the type of natural disaster. 

The materials that are appropriate for a storm are: PVC plastic, chicken wire, plaster, concrete and wool.

PVC plastic is a suitable material for shelters because it is flexible and strong. This material has been chosen to protect against storms because it is firm enough to withstand aggressive wind currents. 

Chicken wire and plaster is used to hold the walls and structure together. This material has been chosen to protect against storms because it can give the structure more protection and strength against strong winds.

Concrete is a suitable material and strong material for the foundation of a structure. This material has been chosen to protect against storms because it provides a strong foundation for an emergency shelter against storms.

Wool is used for many things, however in this case it is used to absorb water and rain. This material has been chosen to protect against storms because it prevents people inside of the shelter from getting wet and causing them to freeze.

It is important to have a good understanding of the properties of materials because this knowledge can be helpful when designing a strong, quality structure.

LI: to prepare materials for construction.

Commenting Thread | Storyboarding

Today Bella commented on my blogpost about storyboards.

A comment thread is the process of having a continuous conversation taken place in the commenting section. We use open questions to get longer answer. To make a closed question open, we can ask why and what. 

Comment threading is a good way to unlock more knowledge about the work put in behind the blogpost. It can also benifit you by making you express your ideas and learn new information about a topic.

LI: To create a comment thread.

Shelters | Model

Our focus for inquiry was to determine the materials and the amount of the materials we would use to build a model for an emergency structure.

First, we brainstormed a list of materials to use for our shelter model. We thought about what materials we would use for different parts of the structural design such as walls, protection layers, windows and doors.
We knew that the maximum height of the shelter models would be 20 centimeters, so we applied that knowledge to measure the correct amount of materials and which materials would be best to survive a natural disaster.

Next, we measured the other dimensions of our structure to find out the other amount of the materials we would use. Our structure's dimensions were 20cm in height, 66cm in length all the way around and 2cm in depth or width. 

We found out the area and volume of the shelter by multiplying the height by the width. To find out the centimetres cubed as the measurement for the concrete, we needed to multiply the area by 2, then convert that to cubic meters.

I really enjoyed finding out the measurements of out materials. Our company also found that figuring out the amount of materials needed was difficult but enjoyable.

LI: to prepare materials order for construction.

Design | Shelter

This week, our company (Shelters Inc) brainstormed ideas for an emergency shelter design. We needed to think of the structural shape and design of the emergency shelter. We also needed to think about what our shelter will be designed to resist. Our shelter is designed to resist strong winds and water pressure.

What programme did you use?

My group used a design programme called SketchUp, that allows people to design and create anything they want in three dimensions. 

What shape did you use? Why?

We chose to use a hexagonal-prism for our emergency shelter design. This is because a hexagon is a very strong shape, and it can deflect wind flow.

What material do you think is best?

We decided to make the shelter out of tungsten because it is strong and polyurethane because it is absorbent. We think these are suitable materials for water and wind natural disasters.

What changes could you make?

Some changes we can make is the size of our shelter. We think that the size could be bigger because the shelter looks small and if it is more spacious, people can put more things in the shelter.                                                                                       

How thick should the walls be?

The walls should be very thick, roughly between a meter thick, and made of tungsten. They should be thick so they can withstand aggressive winds and strong water currents. Also because of the wind or water pressure will not break the wall.

How will people get into the shelter? How big will the opening be?

The entrance of the shelter is 3.3 meter tall and 2.3 meters wide so that in case of an emergency, everybody can enter.

Do you need windows? How big/small should they be?

There should be windows so that the people inside the emergency shelter are aware of what is happening and can identify if it is safe to exit the emergency shelter. The windows should be fairly small, about 1.5 meters so that people can see out of them clearly.

LI: To digitally model an emergency shelter.

Shelters | Inquiry

Emergency shelters are made incase of an emergency or evacuation. They help people to be safe in certain scenarios.

The Smart Shields company has created a shelter that is wind resistant. It is made from PE coated material and steel making it protective. It can stay standing even when the wind is 300kph, which means that the shelter is very strong. The shelter is solely focused on wind resistance which means that it doesn't protect people from different disasters.

The CTCN company created a shelter that protects against extreme and sudden weather change. The shelter can resist floods because it is made out of layers of thick concrete. The entrance is made from metal shutters which prevent water from leaking through the shelter.

Fire shelters are used as a last choice against wildfires. The aluminuim foil bag is heat and fire resistant. These shelters can be resistant up to 2,000 degrees for a minute. The shelter is only good for fires because if another natural disaster occured, it won't protect people from that type of disaster.

Shelters against storms are built underground because storms travel from the ground and up which is why it can protect people from storms. It is made from iron and steel. The shelter has a ventilation system. This shelter is also protective of tornadoes, hurricanes and strong wind.

Shelters are designed to protect people from different things. Some shelters don't necessarily protect people from natural disasters.

LI: To research emergency shelters.

Experimenting | Insulation

Insulasion helps to keep heat contained or controlled.

Plastic, paper and tin have the same average cooling rate. Whereas glass has an average cooling rate of 9. Polystyrene has an average of 8 as the cooling rate. Having a lower number for the average cooling rate means that the material is good at insulating, but having a higher number means that the material is bad at insulating.

Plastic has a zero average heat rate which means that plastic is a good insulator. Paper and polystyrene have the same heat rate of two. A glass's heat rate has an average of 3.5. Having a lower number as the average heat rate means that the material is good at insulating and having a higher number also means that the materal is bad at insulating.

For cool insulation, if the tempature warms up quickly it also means that it has bad isulation. This is because the heat is coming in and the coldness is not contained. A good insulator for the cold is: plastic.

It is important to know the differences between heat insulation and cool insulation because it can help people identify whether something has a bad insulation or a good insulation.

LI: To determine the insulative properties of materials.

Inquiry | Experiments

This week, our session was about applying experiments to get a quality result.

First, we looked at the procedure and saw that the procedure was not specific enough, because of this, we needed to add more detail. We added more detail by specifying how much water we use and how much material we needed.

Next, we chose the materials that we wanted to experiment on. The materials that we could chose were: nappies, cotton, rocks, sand and paper towels. My group chose the cotton material. The experiment was about what material can absorb the most water. 

We then prepared our experiment. We measured 100ml of water inside a beaker, got a tote tray to prevent spillage, and weighed our material to get 50g worth of cotton.

After getting the experiment ready, we started. We poured the water on the cotton and once all of the water was poured, we let the cotton absorb. Then, we took out the cotton and put the excess water in a beaker. We measured the excess water. Our experiment had the results of: 64ml was aborbed and 36ml was not absorbed. 

I enjoyed this experiment and learnt how to conduct an experiment. I also learnt that cotton is an absorbent material.

LI: To determine the absorbency of different materials using experimental materials.

Safety Plan | Fire

This week, we assessed the risk, hazard and consequences that could happen while lighting a fire and making s'mores over the fire, then doing it in person. We made a safety plan for making a fire and for making s'mores. 

First, we discussed the hazard and risks for the first safety plan. Then, we wrote down the hazard and risks. A hazard while making a fire, is the fire itself. However, the cosequences could be getting burnt by the fire.

After writing down the hazards and risks, we talked about what the cosequences could be, how we could prevent it, who is responsible for it and the emergency plan.

Next, we made another safety plan for making s'mores with the fire. We repeated the process but made different hazards. After making the safety plans, we went onto making the fire and making our s'mores.

Mr Ogilvie lit the fire and started to demonstrate how to make the marshmallows. After the demonstration, we made the s'mores.

I found this activity quite hard because I couldn't cook the marshmallows without burning them.

LI: To assess risk with a safety plan.

Safety Plan

In this activty, we built an idea of the possible risk, hazard and consequence. We also created a safety action plan that could help in a situation.

First, we discussed what risks and hazards are. Our idea was that a hazard is a something that can cause harm to people, properties or the enviorment. A risk is the chance that a hazard can cause harm to people, properties or the enviorment.

Next, we made the safety action plan. We thought of a simple activity that can take place in the school. We wrote down the year level, the number of helpers, the numbers of students and the location of the activity. We also noted down the consequences, the hazard or risk, how we could prevent the consequence, the person who is responsible for the hazard or risk and the emergency plan.

I found this activity challenging because it was hard to come up with many consequences and emergency plans. The objective of this activity was to identify the likelihood of a risk and hazard to happen during an activity.

LI: To assess risk with a simple activity.

Risk | Assessing Likelihood

We learnt how to identify the levels of risk. We also learnt about assessing the likelihood of risk.

First, we learnt about the five levels of risks, which are: low, likely, possible, elevated and extreme.

After that, we rated 15 scenarios by the levels of risk. Then we discussed and noted down the consequences that can occur by the scenarios.

Lastly, we applied our knowledge to make our own scenarios and rated the potential risk level for other people to try.

I found this activity educational and learnt more about the levels of risks.

LI: To assess the likelihood and consequences.