Science Fair Mania

Kia ora in Te Ngahere we have recently been focussing a lot of our attention on our Science Fair which started last term and ended yesterday. We started our Science Fair with rewinding some of the people in our classes memory by learning about the scientific method. The scientific method is a series of steps that involves creating a hypothesis, Testing your hypothesis etc… For this we had to create an infographic that explains the steps in our own words.

When we started the science fair we had to pick a question or topic first. In my group was Breeze and Mahana and we choose to test the absorbency of toilet paper.

We also learnt about different types of variables like controlled variables which are the part of your experiment that you are keeping the same. In our science experiment the controlled variable was the two sheets of toilet paper we used every time. 

Something I would have done differently was the fair test part because we only used 2 ply and three ply so it wasn’t really fair. I would also try to manage my time a bit better so everything I did was to the best standard.

I think I used my hoe of Tu maia and Kaha to help me not give up and to keep  on track.

Have you ever participated in a science fair?

 

Shrinking Island

 On the first day of Term 3 In Te Ngahere we tried another Taskmaster challenge instead of getting straight into work this challenge was called shrinking Island. We had to get into groups of 4-5 for the first round of this challenge. The rules were simple, you had two sheets of newspaper and your whole group has to be able to fit on the island without holding onto anything. The next round was even harder because the island shrunk by halving the page.

 Once you think all your group are on the paper you are allowed to call to be judged. The teachers then count and you have to be able to all stand for 5 seconds. The challenge was to see how much your island can shrink before one of your group members falls or touches the floor. The group still standing with the small island wins.

After the first go we were allowed to try different groups. One of the biggest things we reflected on was that if you have big feet do not pair up with someone else with big feet but unfortunately some people still did that.

Have you ever tried a Task Master Challenge before?

Cybersmart

 In Te Ngahere we have been learning to create a DLO that catches the attention our readers. The purpose of this was to help make readers want to read our Blog post. Here is my DLO about Technology that I made to add to my post that doesn't have a DLO.

This is my post with no DLO Technology

Do you think this DLO goes better with my post?

Dot Plot Graphs

In Te Ngahere we have been learning to analyze and make dot plot graphs. First we had to look at the data of how far Rm1 threw a tennis ball. Next we had to think of statements we could say about the graphs. Then we had to create our own dot plot using the data we were given from how far rm 2 threw there tennis balls. We also had to read statements and decide if they were True or False.

At first when I read the True of false statement that we focussed on I didn’t understand the word “range” in this case so I couldn’t answer the question because I thought it meant how far they threw the ball. I then found out that to find the range you take the highest Value and the lowest value than you find the difference and that is the range. 

Something I could have done better in my DLO is to refer back to both of the dot plot graphs when I was talking about them so it was easy to understand what I was talking about. To elaborate in my Screencast i just showed the True and false questions but now I know that it would’ve been easier to understand if I did show the graphs too.

Have you ever created a dot plot graph before?

The Great Marble Challenge Take #2

In Te Ngahere we have been creating marble ramps. We had a first run through than we got to re-attempt this challenge a few weeks later. For this challenge we got to give our marble ramp another shot and we could either start from scratch or improve our original ramp. My group decided to work on our 1st ramp. We could choose either a smaller marble or a large one. The marbles were a variable as the smaller marble stopped before the large one and the larger marble continued rolling after the small marble had stopped. We are doing to this to help us to prepare for the up-coming science fair his term. Something I did different this time was using a different sized marble and also we added glue to the bottom to slow the marble down.

My group did really well this time compared to the first time because the first attempt we did only got 7 points and this time we got 21 points which I think is a really good improvement.

The part I enjoyed the most was getting to test out other people's ramp and see how clear their instructions were. 

Have you ever created a marble run or ramp?

Help Save The Kauri!!!!

Last week in Te Ngahere we had the privilege to get a visit from someone called Aunty(Whaea) Stella who came to talk to us about Kauri Dieback. Kauri Dieback is a disease that infects Kauri. First we got to take a look at one of the most popular Kauri Tree, Tane Mahuta and his brother, Kairaru. We then got told a story of how our ancestors cut down so much of the Kauri tree to haul them away overseas that only a small percentage of them are left. Which is why we should try preserve the ones we have left.

Next she told us how Kauri Dieback works and how easily we can spread it by simply walking through the Ngahere. To prove her point she used her own dog named “Oi” as an example by putting his paws in mud and letting him trample on a piece of paper showing how much dirt he could spread in a short amount of time. That is why we should look after our animals properly to prevent the spread of Kauri Dieback.

We were also told that to try stop the spreading Dieback ourselves we need to spray and scrub our shoes clean so that no mud is left using the cleaning stations because the Ngahere is our home and we don’t want anyone walking in like that. 

Do you know what Kauri Dieback Is?

All About The Scientific Method

 

In Te Ngahere we have been learning about the Scientific Method. We have been learning this to help us prepare for the future science fair. 

For this, we had to create an infographic that explains the step of the

Scientific method in our own words. In this infographic we had to

include pictures that are relevant to the step we are explaining.

A way I could use this in the future is to apply the scientific method

to our Science fair project to help make us successful.

Something I did well was choosing appropriate images for my

infographic so they match. Something I could do better is explaining

each step in my own words.

Did my infographic help you learn about the Scientific Method?