Amazing Machines

We have been reading the big book:

 'The Amazing Machines' by Jill Eggleton. 

In reading, we are using inference to help us understand the hidden messages and our inquiry focus is to express our ideas creatively. We have combined these two focus areas into one by designing our own machines. 

Vocabulary Building

It is important to understand the words we read. We have been focusing on different types of words this term by learning new words, their meanings, compound words, synonyms,  antonyms, onomatopoeia as well as using the words in sentences and in our daily speaking and writing. 

Here are a couple of ideas about our learning

We have been learning these words and we have practiced by completing the task on the right.

Poems help us learn too. 

Compound words

Prefixes and Suffixes

We are building our knowledge of words that can help us understand the text better when we read or that can help us make our writing more interesting. We have been learning more about prefixes and suffixes. Here is a song we have been singing to help us learn.

Here are the lyrics for the song:

Prefix or suffix

Can you hear what fits...

before a root of a word, before the word is heard

That’s a prefix there it sits...

Once it becomes applied, the word is modified

Like dis- discover,

tri- triangle

sub- submarine, subterranean and subway.

Now that the word has changed

there will be something new for us to say.

Can you hear what fits

after a root of a word, after the word is heard

That’s a suffix there it sits

Once it becomes applied, the word is modified

Like -ful eventful,

-ing beginning,

-ness happiness, thoughtfulness goodness and kindness.

Now that the word has changed

there will be something new for us to say.

Here are a few prefixes just for you

anti-, counter-, extra-, hyper-, ultra-, semi-

Just to name a few

Now that we know what suffixes do

-ation, -ary, -able, -ate, -ize

will help you too.

And it’s true some words have two,

Reconstruction, disagreement, unlikely, reaction,

Now that the word has changed

there will be something new for us to say. (X3)

Writing with the help of Creativity

Some examples of student work. There are more on our writing blog. 

Inquiry - Communities use natural resources in a variety of ways

We are learning to collaborate:
Success Criteria

• brainstorm ideas together

• listen to each other 

• respond in a positive manner to the ideas from team members 

• contribute to the discussion

• decide as a team on a way to best use the natural resource

This is our space to work on. 

Pohutukawa Team 

Small groups discussions and sharing of ideas.

Everyone sharing exciting ideas.

Will our ideas work? How much will it cost?

More discussions and wonderings.

Planning on going back to class to put the ideas down on paper. 

Learning Collaboratively

We were working collaboratively on our learning about ANZAC Day. We had to find and share information, agree with our answers and create our responses together on the slides.

 

Vocabulary Building

We have celebrated ANZAC day on the 25th of April. In class, we have also been learning more about this special day. First, we read the book 'Dawn Parade' together. One of the goals we are working on is to expand our vocabulary. We have found a number of tricky words and looked at their meanings and also at the synonyms for these. Here are some examples of this activity. 

By Kate and Keanu

By Charley and Luke

By Dylan and Carmen