GOAL REFLECTION 18/06/25

WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF THIS WEEK?

  • I realized that I’m naturally curious and like to know what’s going on around me. I found that I can shut out disruption and do my work (Mr White told me to add this)

WHAT SKILLS OR STRATEGIES HELPED YOU SUCCEED?

  • Asking questions when I didn’t understand something, especially in subjects like math, helped me improve and stay on track.

WHAT COULD YOU HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY TO IMPROVE YOUR PROGRESS?

  • I could have spent more time practicing badminton. That would have helped me feel more confident and make fewer mistakes.

WHAT POTENTIAL CHALLENGES MIGHT COME UP IN THE NEXT WEEK, AND HOW WILL YOU HANDLE THEM?

  • I need to learn the new words and the vocabulary list they gave me next week because I have a spelling bee competition in Term 3. I also have assessments coming up. To get ready, I will practice spelling, learn the meanings of the words, and study a little every day.

HOW WILL YOU STAY MOTIVATED AND FOCUSED?

  • I’ll stay motivated by paying close attention in class, setting goals, and supporting my classmates when they need help. Helping others also keeps me focused and encourages teamwork.

What I’ve learnt about Matariki

Matariki is the Maori name for the star cluster also known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters. For many Māori, it marks the beginning of the Māori New Year, which is celebrated with a period of remembrance, reflection, and planning for the future. The reappearance of the Matariki star cluster in the winter sky signals the end of the old year and the start of a new one. 

Māori history & sexuality blog

From the text I read, I think Māori were very open about sex and relationships before Europeans came. It made me think about how different Māori life was before people tried to change it. I found it interesting that Māori didn’t think sex before marriage was bad. I was shocked to read that same-sex relationships were okay to Māori but not to the Europeans. What stood out to me the most was how the missionaries covered carvings and changed songs. My opinion has changed because I didn’t know Māori were so open about these things. My opinion has changed because now I see how much the Europeans changed Māori ways. When Europeans came, Māori health and well-being may have changed because their beliefs were not respected anymore. The spiritual side of Māori life may have changed because their stories and culture were made to seem wrong. Māori health may have changed because they were made to feel shame about things that used to be normal.

Egg parachute experiment – Titan

Aim: 

  • Why did we do this experiment? What science ideas were we investigating?

We did this experiment to learn about forces, gravity, and air resistance. 

Research: 

  • Include the link to your planning + any other research you did about what makes a good parachute. Why did you choose to design your parachute how you did?

We saw that big parachutes are better because they catch more air. That’s why we used a big plastic bag. The sponge helps protect the egg when it lands.

Method: 

  • Numbered steps of the experiment. Should include planning, building, and dropping your parachute. Include photos of your parachute.

1 We got all the materials.

 

2 We cut and tied strings to the plastic bag.

 

3 We taped sponge and egg carton together

 

4 We dropped the parachute from high up.

 

 

Results:

  • Did your egg break? How long did it take for your egg to fall? How did this compare to the rest of the class’s parachutes?

Our egg did not break, we don’t know exactly how long it took to fall, but it worked well and was very creative compared to the others.

Discussion:

  • Why did some of the parachutes fall faster than others? Link this to the formula for forces (F = ma)
  • Were the forces balanced or unbalanced when your egg was falling? Link this to air resistance and weight.

Our egg didn’t break, and even though we don’t know how long it took to fall, our parachute worked well and we worked hard creatively.

Conclusion:

  • How would you improve your design next time? Why would you do this? Reflect on how your experiment went.

Next time, we would try a bigger parachute or time the fall.

Our parachute worked, and we were happy that the egg didn’t break.

 

Extension task:

https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1TfTOTFMNPs-Hfn7pFfB64OSfBv-rt3YEvoNknNCkpUM/edit?usp=sharing

Egg parachute experiment with Emmet, Ella and Marsali – Titan

Our Mission: design and build an egg parachute. Protect your egg at all costs!!

 

Your Mission Plan
How are you going to protect your egg? By making sure it will not break and try to make a parachute that slowly falls.
How are you going to slow down your parachute? (Hint: think about how you could increase air resistance and decrease weight due to gravity) We slow down the parachute by making it big so it catches more air. This air pushes up and makes it fall slower.
What materials do you need?
  • Strings
  • 1 plastic bag
  • Tape
  • Sponge to protect the egg
  • Egg carton

GOAL REFLECTIONS 19-05-25

  • What progress have I made toward my school goals so far this year?

I improved speaking in English and doing the maths a bit.

  • What strategies or actions have helped me move closer to my goals?

Listen attentively to teachers.

  • What challenges have I faced, and how have I worked to overcome them?

I am really bad at maths so I try to listen to my math teacher and I also whenever I speak in English I sometimes don’t know what to say so I overcome it by practicing speaking English and note down the words I don’t know.

  • What next steps will I take to continue improving or stay on track?

Practice everyday and listen carefully.

 

Paper Plane Experiment Blog Post 08-05-25

What was the purpose of the activity?

  • The purpose was to learn about the different forces that act on a flying paper plane.

What design did you use for your plane? Did you find something on the internet, or create your own?

  • I used a design from a YouTube video (this one), but I didn’t fold it properly.

How well did your plane fly?

  • My plane didn’t fly very far and didn’t stay in the air long.

Name as many forces as you can that acted on your plane.

  • The forces were thrust (my throw), lift (air pushing up), drag (air pushing back), and gravity (pulling it down).

How does the size of these forces change as the plane travels?

  • Thrust is strong when I throw the plane, but it goes away quickly. Drag and gravity keep slowing it down. Lift was small because my plane didn’t fly well.

When you threw the plane, were the forces balanced or unbalanced?

  • They were unbalanced when I threw it because thrust was stronger than drag.

When the plane is flying, are the forces balanced or unbalanced?

  • The forces start to balance, but gravity wins in the end and pulls the plane down.

Draw a force diagram of your plane when it is flying.

WHO IS NEWTON? – 30-04-25

SIR ISAAC NEWTON

Born – 4 January 1643

  • He was born in  Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire, England

Died – 31 March 1727

Some of the areas of Science that he studied/researched.

Physics

  • Newton’s laws of motion, which describe how objects move, are fundamental to modern physics. His law of universal gravitation explains the force of attraction between objects with mass. 

Astronomy

  • Newton’s work in astronomy included studying the motions of planets and their orbits. He linked universal gravitation to Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. 

Mathematics

  • Newton is credited with the invention of calculus, a powerful mathematical tool used to describe change. He also made contributions to the theory of equations, series, and other mathematical concepts. 

Mechanics

  • Newton’s laws of motion and his work on gravitation provided a basis for understanding the mechanics of objects and systems

Optics

  • Newton studied light and colour, making significant discoveries about the nature of white light and inventing the refracting telescope. 

Major achievements or discoveries he made.

Laws of Motion

Newton’s three laws of motion describe how objects move and interact, forming the basis of classical mechanics.

Universal Law of Gravitation

This law explains the force of attraction between any two objects with mass, including the reason why objects fall to the ground and why planets orbit the sun. 

Calculus

Newton independently developed calculus, a powerful mathematical tool for describing change and motion, which has become essential for physics and other fields. 

Reflecting Telescope

Newton designed and built the first reflecting telescope, which revolutionized astronomy by overcoming the limitations of refracting telescopes. 

Theory of Light and Colour

Newton’s work on optics, including his experiments with prisms, revealed that white light is composed of different colors and provided a new understanding of how light interacts with matter.

Other interesting information about Sir Isaac Newton

  • Isaac Newton was a smart English scientist and math expert who changed science.
  • He is most famous for his laws of motion, gravity, and light. He also helped create calculus, studied colours, and was interested in alchemy.
  • He discovered gravity when he saw an apple fall from a tree.
  • He became very famous and was even made a knight by the queen.
  • He invented a type of math called calculus.
  • He built one of the first telescopes that used mirrors.

REFLECT ON TERM 1 GOALS

  • DID YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS?

-NO

  • IF SO-WHY NOT?

-My goals was to pass every subject and solving math problems without wasting time on solving them. I didn’t pass on one subject and I’m still working on how to solve math without wasting time.

  • WHAT DO YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON THIS TERM? – MORE FOCUS? PRACTISE WRITING? DISTRACT OTHER LESS?

-I need to focus on studying, practice math and practice communicating in English properly.

Types of Human Cell – 9/04/25 – Kxianzy & Marsali

Choose a specific type of human (animal) cell & research and write up some information about that type of cell. You should include the following information:

NAME THE TYPE OF CELL.

RED BLOOD CELLS

WHERE IN THE BODY IS THIS TYPE OF CELL FOUND?

Red blood cells are found in the blood. They travel through blood vessels all over your body.

DOES THIS CELL HAVE A SPECIALISED STRUCTURE/SHAPE/PARTS THAT OTHER TYPES OF CELLS DO NOT HAVE?

Yes, Red blood cells have a round, flat shape like a doughnut without a hole, do not have a nucleus, unlike most cells. They’re flexible, so they can squeeze through tiny blood vessels. Red blood cells also contain a special protein called hemoglobin that carries oxygen.

WHAT FUNCTIONS DOES THIS TYPE OF CELL PERFORM?

Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body and also carries carbon dioxide (a waste of gas) from the body back to the lungs to be breathed out.

ARE THERE ANY SUB-TYPES OF THIS TYPE OF CELL?

Red blood cells all do the same job, but they can be grouped by blood type (A, B, AB, O) and Rh factor (positive or negative). Everyone can have the same or different types of RBC. These types are important for blood transfusions.

ANY OTHER INTERESTING FACTS.

Red blood cells live for about 120 days before they are broken down in the spleen and liver. They are produced in the bone marrow and are the most common type of cell in the blood.