Thursday 26 June 2014

Tennis on Thursday!

Today we were lucky to have a tennis lesson with Gordon.  

We practiced skills with the ball and racquet - some of us found it quite challenging.  We had to be determined and self-aware but it was lots of fun!

Click to enlarge


Have you ever played tennis?

Wednesday 25 June 2014

Monday 23 June 2014

Cardboard cars

We read a book called 'Jack and Billy'.  

We read how Jack and Billy made their own cars out of cardboard boxes.  We decided to give it a go ourselves and make our own cars.  We made connections with our cardboard cars to the cars in the book.






Thursday 19 June 2014

Designing a Duck Feeder

Today in reading one of our groups designed their own duck feeders based on the book they've been reading, "Bread for the Ducks".

Here they are to tell you about them...

Performing "The Crab Hunt"



What we think we did well:
  • "Saying it loud" - Brodie
  • "We did well reading all the words 'till the end" - Joshua B.
  • "We spoke clearly and we read all of the words good" - Hailey

Our next steps are:
  • "Brodie and Aaron should not have said 'Matt'" - Lily N.
  • "Speak a little bit more louder" - Brodie
  • "The next time, we could wriggle a little bit less" - Hailey
  • "Maybe next time we won't play with our costumes" - Lily N.
  • "Next time we shouldn't move, we should stay still" - Brodie

Mrs Chant wonders...

Could you think of a way to move like your characters?  For example, when your character looks under a rock, what could you do with your body?  We call this acting.

Let's have a try...


How do you think we did?

Communicating with people all over the world!

Look at all of the people all around the world that we've been communicating with!  

Do you know what some of these countries are called?

Click to enlarge

Learning the language of Rarotonga

Today Mrs Heather came in to visit us and teach us some Cook Island Maori. 

 We've been learning how to communicate in different languages and enjoyed learning the days of the week with her and singing a fun Cook Island song (which was in English). 

 What languages do you speak?




Thursday 12 June 2014

Feedback on our Re-tell

Today Madi, Jim, Isla and Bella re-told their story in their own words.  We recorded it on this video so that we could watch it back and give ourselves feedback.

Here is the video:




We thought we did a good job of:
  • Collaborating to re-tell the story
  • Collaborating when someone needed help (team work)
  • We spoke clearly
  • We looked at the person who was talking
  • We used with pictures to help us remember it

We thought we could improve on:
  • Giving all the information (like, saying they were going to the park)
  • We could use one or two words from the story to remind us - but we don't want to read all the words.  "If you look at every page and read all the words, you'll get too slow and tired" - Jim

What do you think?

Eric & April teach us about Expression

Eric:  "Expression is when we shout when we read.  We shout because sometimes to make the story exciting."

April:  "You make your voice a little bit louder, but not like screaming.  It makes it interesting"



Wednesday 11 June 2014

A determined Learner!



Vienna continues to build her knowledge in all areas of literacy, Well done Vienna!!!



You are being very determined to  build your knowledge in handwriting


You are practicing your list words that you can used in all your learning! What list words do you know?

Near or Far?

The learners looked at who was the nearest and who was the furthest from each other, can you?

Tuesday 10 June 2014

Strand maths: Time


We were working out what month our birthdays are in? When is your birthday?



We were being very determined!!


We moved along the months of the year and were building our knowledge about all their names.



We collaborated to write the months of the year down.


We also made a lot of connections with phonics and literacy!



We were awesome independent workers!!




Friday 6 June 2014

What I like

I have been doing a learner profile on some of the children, here is some things that they like.  I also did a little one on me as well.

Thursday 5 June 2014

Communication: How to comment on the blog

Today the filming break through group collaborated to make a video to teach you how to comment on the blog.

They first learnt how to comment on the blog, then we filmed each other, decided on the main steps, planned what we wanted to say and then we used the microphone to record ourselves.

If the video has helped teach you how to comment, could you please comment telling us?

Thank you!

Communication in concept learning. Have a look at a wonderful learning!

Today we communicated using drama, music and retelling a story in pictures.  What other way can you communicate in?









Wednesday 4 June 2014

Hieroglyphic Bookmarks

Today we learnt how to communicate in Egyptian Hieroglyphics.

We gave it a go and wrote our name on bookmarks.  Don't they look great?















Communication



We designed and made placemats with information on



We were being determined when planing our learning




Simone you worked independently when planning, well done!!





Can you remember what information you needed to put on your placemat?



There was a lot of thinking going on!




Monday 2 June 2014

A talk on Anxiety. Thank you for coming!!

Anxiety in children and adolescents

By Paul Jeffery, Clinical Psychologist, Private Clinics Australia. Tel 9485 2955

All of us experience a degree of anxiety nearly every day of our lives. Growing up, children

experience a range of developmentally appropriate fears (fears of loud noises,strangers, the

dark, monsters, intruders, fear of failure etc). For most, these fears are transient and respond well to

positive experiences, reassurance and maturity as the child grows. It is now well recognised, however,

that approximately 10% of children and adolescents will develop a diagnosable anxiety disorder by

the age of 20, making it the most prevalent mental health problem across this age range.

The experience of excessive anxiety for children and adolescents can involve:

.Rapid and persistent physiological arousal (i.e. tachycardia,sweating,shakiness, stomach upset,

dizziness).

.Increased vigilance about the feared object, worry, negative self-perceptions, and perception of the

self as unable to cope.

.Behavioural responses such as avoidance, reassurance seeking, oppositionality.

What causes an anxiety disorder?

Vulnerability to excessive anxiety can be inherited, however environmental factors also play a

significant role in the development and maintenance of anxiety.  With the exception of cases of abuse

and neglect, parents are not the cause of anxiety problems in children. Factors, however,such as

parental anxiety, reactions to stress, promotion of child independence and ways of coping can influence

children’s sense of competence and ability to cope.

Child anxiety disorders

There are a range of anxiety disorders with which children can present.

.Separation Anxiety Disorder (marked fear of separation from caregivers)

.Generalised Anxiety (excessive anxiety about everyday concerns)

.Specific Phobias (e.g. fears of dogs,storms, heights)

.Social Phobia (fear of negative evaluation from others)

.Panic Disorder (fear of anxiety itself)

KEY POINTS

*Anxiety is the most prevalent mental health problem in children and adolescents.

*Nature and nurture can contribute to child anxiety problems.

*Anxiety involves physiological arousal, changes in thinking, and changes in behaviour.

*Symptoms vary depending on the disorder.

*Anxiety can be hard to detect, with behavioural symptoms most easily identified.

*Sources of genuine stress should be assessed and dealt with if possible.

*Psychological treatments, particularly CBT, can be very effective for child anxiety.

*Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (e.g. fears of contamination or responsibility for danger

that leads to ritualised checking, washing, ordering etc)

*Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (re experiencing of previous traumatic event).

The anxiety disorders most commonly seen in children include Separation Anxiety, Generalised

Anxiety, and Specific Phobias.

In adolescence, Social Phobia and Panic Disorder can become more prevalent (along with GAD

and Specific Phobia).

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can occur across the

developmental range, however their prevalence is lower than the other disorders.

Anxiety disorders can be associated with other mental health, family, peer relationship, physical

health and learning problems, and are one of the biggest risk factors for development of

depression later in adolescence.

Presentation and assessment of anxiety

Anxiety is an internal experience. Due to their limited emotional and cognitive development,

younger children can find  it difficult to describe what they are afraid of.  For many teenagers, anxiety

can be an embarrassing, isolating experience. Adults can also interpret the behavioural symptoms of

anxiety as a child being naughty, difficult or lazy. The net result is that it can be difficult to accurately

detect and help a young person deal with anxiety.

Some potential indicators include:

.Behavioural inhibition (patterns of avoidance of certain people and situations).

.Excessive reassurance seeking,that can be verbal (questions about what to expect in future), and /or

physical (hugs,seeking physical proximity).

.Strong emotional reactions to certain situations (sometimes fear, but also anger and crying).

.Behavioural problems,such as oppositionality and non-compliance.

.Somatic complaints (stomach ache, headache).

.School refusal (avoidance of school, not including truancy).

If an anxiety problem is suspected or identified, it is also crucial to assess whether the child is

facing any particular stressors at home, with peers or at school. Anxiety problems in children

can often ameliorate if the source of stress is removed.

Anxiety treatment

Australian trials indicate that over 80% of children participating in Cognitive Behavioural

Therapy for anxiety show clinically significant improvement, which persists over several years.

The involvement of parents in treatment programs is also crucial, particularly for primary

school-age children. In more severe or complex cases, a psychiatric assessment and intervention may

be required in conjunction with a physchological approach. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for children

typically involves psychoeducation about anxiety, recognising signs and symptoms of anxiety,

followed by gradual exposure to the feared situation. In addition, children learn to turn around anxiety

provoking thoughts,plan a range of options for relaxing, learn problem solving, identify support

people they can trust, and reward themselves for effort in tackling the anxiety.  Parents play crucial

roles in helping children to systematically face their fears, and supporting their child’s competence

through  encouragement and reward.  Following school holidays,school refusal can become a problem.

In more severe cases, a joint approach between parents,the school,and the practitioner is sometimes

required to help. Generally, once the source of the anxiety is properly identified, parents might need

coaching and support on how to manage the drop-out  at school,the child might need help in coping

with their fear, while schools need to work with parents in managing the child’s initial transition

to the school yard.

Who can help?

Private clinical psychologists/psychiatrists

School psychologists

CAMHS c linics

University mental health clinics