Reading to create interactive storybooks

Mr Wong's Reading groups all getting their reading done as quickly as possible so they can create an interactive storybook for learners. More on this later.

Exchanging for different worth

LI: to replace bundles of objects with an object representing a certain amount.

Mr Wong's maths groups have been learning about Place Value. They have figured that tekau is an easy number to count in, especially for large numbers. Now they are learning to exchange bundles of tekau for a new object that is worth the same amount. First they did exchanges of sticks (tahi) for beans (tekau), then they counted how much worth they had accumulated.

This animation animates an exchange of tekau objects into tahi new objects that are worth tekau of the original.

Place value, bundles, and Te Reo Māori

Mr Wong's maths groups are working on Place Value this term. On Monday they started with bundling piles of sticks into bundles of 2, 3, 5, then 10 to understand which amount is easiest to count large numbers with.

The task also involved writing numbers in Te Reo Māori because it is a better language to understand Place Value with, since the structure of numbers easily shows place values unlike English. An example is the number 13, which comprises of 1 ten, and 3 ones. In Te Reo 13 is "tekau ma toru", literally "ten and three". On the other hand English uses a new word, "thirteen", with only tenuous structural and pronunciation links to the number 13. Similarly with multiples of ten Te Reo uses words in a visible and modular manner whereas English invents new words from converted root words e.g. 40 in Te Reo is wha tekau (four ten) but in English is forty.

Some learners couldn't remember their tau (numbers), so fell back on the inferior choice of Google Translate, whereas others remembered to use their Smart Searching skills. Good on them!

Division animation

This blog post is an example of how to make and embed an animation made with Google Slides into a blog post. It is a rough and ready example made for quick rewindable reference for Mr Wong's maths groups. This post is not meant to show correct posting format or style.




1) Make your animation using Google slides.
2) Publish the slide to the web

3) Copy the embed code and paste it into the HTML section of your blog post.

4) Change the delay to about 100ms.

5) Publish and view the blog post to check the animation.

Fortified structures

For the past five weeks or so, part of LS1 has been learning about fortified structures and the nature of technology by developing a table top game.

The premise of the table top game is that a village of people in the very old days where people could only make simple wooden structures, when along comes a bunch of invaders to steal their food and resources. After playing the game (and losing) the villagers researched earthworks technologies to fortify and protect their village. The technology that each group researched and presented was then allowed to be used in their game.

Each week LS1 played this game the winners in most cases were very clear, the side with the more advanced technology. Due to this, the losing side researched more advanced technologies to give themselves the advantage.

Over the four weeks of play, research, and development, LS1 have ended up with an engaging game that has taught them about iron age, medieval, and pre-industrial siege fortification and weaponry. The fortified structures group have also developed an idea of the nature of technology, when technology and society mutually adapt and develop each other cyclically.

Filming with a smartphone

Have you decided to record your movie on your smartphone?

Are you missing a tripod or smartphone mount for your tripod?

Have you got some Lego lying around?

If your answer to each of these questions is "YES", then why not build your own tripod?

This is a tripod I put together in a rush. It is designed for a 156 x 75 x 7.3mm smartphone (adjustable) to be held in landscape orientation. The tripod also has a limited ability to act as a dolly. With minor adjustment, the tripod can also tilt steadily or be set to a chosen tilt angle.

I look forward to reading about your own advances on my idea.

Mr Wong

Structures and Sunsets; silhouette and collage art

Learning Space 1 have been learning about structures this term. As a part of this unit LS1 did some mixed media art. The learners combined digital art with collage, creating cityscape silhouettes digitally (and subsequently printed) and sunsets / sunrises with collage.

Another learning objective for this term is geometry and measurement. Learners challenged their understanding of 2 dimensional shapes by creating silhouettes of a cityscape using simple geometric shapes. Learners found a photo of an iconic part of a city then, using Google Drawings, overlaid triangles, trapeziums, ovals, and more on the buildings to create the silhouettes. 

 

Learners had a limited colour palette to work with for the sunsets. This meant learners had to adapt their ideas of sunsets to the materials present and choose which colours represented parts of their sunsets the best. Learners also had to use simple geometric shapes to represent shapes seen in sunsets. These shapes were then placed on a black backing.

Some learners were absent on the day LS1 did their art, so were tasked with completing the art entirely digitally using Mr Wong's art as an example to work from.