U+learn+08

Inquiry based on Discovering our backyard with a New Entrant class at Northcote Primary School Term 1 2008


 * media type="custom" key="3600740" ||  || Having made our potato hedgehogs each of the students took a turn to be a reporter. Sitting on the teachers chair they shared their 'new found' fact about a hedgehog. Sharing new knowledge in this way was very engaging for the students.

media type="file" key="MVI_2861.avi" || was a amazing to watch them eat the aphids left on our swan plant! ||  || Having observed ladybugs the natural progression was to draw a ladybug on KidPix. Image drawn by Charlotte
 * After the weekend Grace bought in a large number of ladybugs. It

This showed our developing understanding of what makes an insect an insect.

We also went on to a [|website] and tried to catch aphids for our ladybugs

|| ||  || We shared our knowledge of ladybugs using 'the web' || by writing about them. ||  || One thing that caught our imagination was that during the Winter ladybugs huddle together to keep warm. This is us in a ladybug huddle! || worm house. We looked at a [|website] to learn what to do.
 * We also made pet ladybugs using stones
 * We captured our new learning about ladybugs
 * We read the 'The Worm house' and decided to make a

||  || We used our knowledge to make a worm house and placed this slide show on our classroom blog.

media type="custom" key="3635275" || pretending the tunnel was the dirt and 'we' were a worm making our way through the dirt.Great fun ||  || Grace showed us how to make a 3D worm and we made them and displayed them alongside our written work.
 * One day we came into the classroom through a tunnel

|| watched first hand the life cycle of the butterfly.
 * Having had a swan plant in our open plan space we

||  || We watched with interest a caterpillar hatching out of an egg from [|monarch butterfly NZ trust.]

media type="youtube" key="Ype1Ik-k7VE" height="344" width="425" || retell the life cycle through dance. ||  || I videoed the children as they danced and used these segments when I put together a reflection of our learning. Click on the image to view the video.
 * We used the props from the J rock production of 2007 to

media type="file" key="Ulearn- lifecycle.wmv" || life cycle. ( Max below right - Tara) ||  ||  || so excited. Tara had a look at it and declared it was a moth. The moth / butterfly debate had begun. ||  || We had looked at books and discussed the similarities and differences. We presented this in a class Venn diagram. || ||  ||  || butterflies and placed our Kid PIx images beneath our work.
 * To cement our learning we used Kid Pix to depicit the
 * When Faith found a butterfly in the classroom she was
 * We used Kid Pix to show our understanding of the differences and similarities of a butterfly and moth.
 * We wrote about the similarities and differences of moths and

||  || We highlighted some of our knowledge in the video we made for our families.

media type="file" key="Ulearn - butterflies.wmv" || [|Let's talk about insects] It was a fabulous site to dip in and out of to reinforce concepts and introduce new ideas. ||  || As we prepared to share our learning with our families Tara drew pictures on KidPix and we placed music to it. Music by Starfish Music Company. Click on the image to view the video. media type="file" key="Ulearn - insect6legs.wmv" || office with planter boxes as a way to attract more butterflies into our school. Representatives from each room went to the garden centre to chose the flowers and we all helped to plant them. Click on the image to view the video.
 * Throughout the inquiry we often referred to this website.
 * As an outcome of our inquiry we decided to line our walkway to the

media type="file" key="Ulearn - flowers.wmv"

||  || In term 2 we reflected on our learning in term 1 as we put together a video of the highlights of the term. On the last day of term 2 each child went home with a CD.

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