Necessity is the Mother of Invention

It has been a busy couple of weeks in Room 2 as we have focused on the art of innovation and design. 

             Last week we came up with designs to meet two briefs.  In the first task, the kids had to design a butterfly trap.  In order for it to be deemed successful, it had to meet certain criteria.  First and foremost it had to trap the butterfly safely - not damaging its fragile wings in any way.  There needed to be some kind of storage facility in the contraption, it need to pay homage to the old style butterfly net by incorporating some form of netting, and it had to be user-friendly for single operator use.  

            The kids, who were working in collaborative groups, had to pitch their designs to their classmates.  They had only one minute to 'sell' their idea.  Following the presentation, they accepted five questions from the floor.  The questioners were looking to find weaknesses in the design. Designers had the right of reply.  It was very intense but also fun.

              In the second task, the kids had to design systems to get people quickly and efficiently around a busy airport.  Their design had to include buttons, safety had to be prioritised through thoughtfully applied safety features, their design had to be based on current technologies (no more than fifty years in the future), and any 'vehicles' had to fit an average sized kiwi family (four or five people).  Some of the thinking was out of this world!  The ability of the kids to think divergently in order to solve a very complex and real world problem was truly impressive.  

                 This week we have discussed the reason for inventions and inventing (and also scientific exploration and discovery).  Inventions are about addressing human need; about identifying and resolving problems that hinder us from moving forward.

                 Today we considered problems that we see currently exist in our homes and in our school.  Again we worked in collaborative groupings to brainstorm all the problems, and by extension all the possibilities.  An automatic pooper scooper was a fantastic idea, and what about our school lunch orders being delivered via zip-line to Mrs Coombes?  Kids loved the idea of an automatic bed maker... and why wouldn't they?  Isn't walking the dog a total pain?  Why hasn't anyone ever designed a robotic dog walker?  These are the big questions...... Forget what is the meaning of life?!

                We will start with concept drawings soon and will begin researching the possibilities to see whether our ideas have popular appeal or are even 'do-able'.  

                Gee whizz, it's all go, go, go in Room 2 as we race towards the future.

    

An Audience with Stu Duval

What an awesome afternoon!  Today the Senior School had the pleasure of hearing Stu Duval give a taste test of his upcoming novel - working title 'The Flax Cross'.  

               Man, it was awesome; it possessed so many of the elements we explored when we studied narrative.  There was the protagonist, Red McAllister, who is sent to Botany Bay in Sydney for stealing bread thrown out by a London baker; the menacing antagonist in the form of the Reverend Scree, who has clawed hands and dresses all in black, and Red's love interest, the beautiful, but downtrodden, Sarah. There was excitement, there was drama .... there was true and enduring love.  I won't give away the story, but needless to say we were all captivated, and a few tears were even shed. I think there will be no argument when I say we are all waiting with bated breath for Stu to finish the writing and editing process, before sending it off to his publisher. 

                There was a quiz and prize at the end of the session.... So which class won?  Well, that'd be the best class in the school, of course.  Thank you Cailan and Jacob for your efforts in winning us this original Stu Duval artwork.  You guys rock!!!!

Pounding the Pavement - teaching the legs who's boss

Cross-country training has begun in earnest (every Tuesday and Friday).  There are those who love it (admittedly few) and those who hate it, but everyone in Room 2 managed it with a smile (it could have been a grimace, I guess?) when cross-country kicked off on Tuesday.

Those who dig deep, set themselves a goal to run hard, and then manage to run a lap or two without stopping always beam with a certain pride, and that was evident during the first warm down.

There are those who can't quite manage the whole course yet, but with the determination to improve their fitness it won't be long till they are running like pro marathon runners (okay, maybe not quite, but still...).

Go hard Room 2! :-)

Wallets - our designers are hard at work!

The wallets have to house at least three plastic cards

Rulers and scissors a must.  Those without creative and critical thinking need not apply

Joseph shares a prototype.  Happy, he's ready to move on

Skylar and Cailan - the road to success is paved with 'nearly theres'

Nadia works alongside her plan and prototype.  She's nearly there!

Design, failing fast and focusing on the real reason we learn mathematics

How often does it seem that maths is taught in isolation and for seemingly little purpose? Probably more often than it should be. (As adults we might 'get it' but kids don't necessarily understand that maths exists out there in the real world and is all around us all of the time)   Maths is a beautiful language but sings most loudly and clearly when we breathe life into it by applying it to solve real life problems.  Today the maths was the real deal and everyone was excited.

           In Room 2 we have been applying our measurement knowledge through the design of a wallet that can carry an iPhone, cash and cards.   The kids have been given the dimensions of a smart-phone, a credit card and a ten dollar note in order to build prototype i of their wallets. Their final design should be user-friendly, show accurate measurement (in terms of functionality) and look good. 

              Today we discussed the concept of  'failing fast'.  So what does it mean to 'fail fast'? In short it is an acknowledgement that in the process of failing we are one step closer to achieving a more successful outcome; through innovation and improvement a better end product results; through risk taking and not being limited by a fear of failure we can uncover novel design solutions. In short you try something out, and if it doesn't work, you fix it.  We encourage this approach in writing - in fact good editing and reshaping is seen as essential, so by extension, why don't we encourage improvement in design (applied mathematics)?  

            Today some kids realised their first prototypes were too tight, too big or too ugly. Not one kid got upset.  With a positive mindset the kids only see the progress they are making and how much closer they are to achieving their aim.

             Tomorrow the children will continue to refine their designs and start prototype ii.  

Watch this space!

Allie has her measurements recorded and has decided on her initial design

Cailan carefully considers the design brief and ensures his measurements are accurate

Brayden has an innovative design.  The ability to think 'outside the box' is termed divergent thinking.  Divergent thinkers
are able to come up with multiple solutions to a problem with relative ease.

Ishika is working on prototype i.  Newsprint is used initially because it is inexpensive but gives an indication of how well the final product might meet the brief

Failing fast means that problems can be quickly identified and resolved

Brayden works methodically when approaching the brief.  He is careful to ensure all requirements are addressed in his design

Oh humble whiteboard... How do I love thee? Let me count the ways ...

If there's a piece of learning equipment that is the most useful and most utilised in Room 2 it has to be the humble whiteboard.  

       They are used daily in Mathematics and are a brilliant tool.  The kids can write down their strategies without fear of having their 'mistakes' forever captured in their books.  A lot of kids don't want to see their 'nearly theres', and so whiteboards are brilliant for application and practise of new skills and learning.  They allow a kind of risk-taking that comes with knowing that mistakes can be erased quickly and that there will be no record.   Likewise the poster-like qualities of the board (large lettering, bold colour)  allow the kids to flash (the act of flicking their hidden board around to show me their answers) their successes proudly when working on the mat.   

                 Another great thing about whiteboards is that they give children permission to be messy - with a whiteboard they can focus on the important thinking stuff without being bogged down by the neatness (a potential constraint) that is generally expected in book work.  They allow a kind of freedom that often results in bolder and more creative thinking.

                The photos attached were taken over the last two days, and show work from Reading and Mathematics.  Whiteboards are also used during Spelling and also for doodling while I read to the class.  (I wonder how many people know that research shows that doodling improves listening comprehension?!)  

All hail the mighty whiteboard!

               

Yay Nessa.  You go girl!

Yup, that'll be the scenario where the mad cat woman decides to build an enclosure for her hundred cats.

Cailan writes a definition for the term 'seed bank'.  Rock on, Cailan

Unpacking tricky vocab proves no problem for Jared

Carol discovers that if you want to swim Cook Strait you've got to be committed.

ANZAC Day - unlocking the secrets of my family history

I learned a lot today, so a huge thank you to all the kids in Room 2.  

             The memorial plaque my great great grandmother received is colloquially known as the 'death penny', and was sent out after World War I. It was given to the next of kin of deceased servicemen and women.   Thanks for providing that interesting information, Fiona, Carol and Nadia.

 BaiLin, Jake, Jacob and Nicholas explained some of the symbolism. I thought the most interesting part was that there is a lion (the symbol of England), tearing apart an eagle (the symbol of Germany).  The anger the allies felt must've run deep after the war.  I also learned the design was chosen after a competition, and that the winning designer was named Carter Preston.  Thank you boys for your thorough research.

My great grandfather's hat caused great excitement.  Lots of my boys wanted to have their photo taken wearing it.  Naturally, I obliged.  The hat is known as a 'lemon squeezer'.  This was news to me.

Courtesy of Tandia, Jasmine and Ruby, I learned my great grandfather, David Honore was a rifleman and trained in Wellington

David's brother Fritz was killed in action on 26 October, 1918.  He was also a rifleman, was in the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, and fought in the 4th Battalion.  Thank you to Ruby, Jasmine and Tandia for researching this.  It was sad to consider he was so young when he died, and also that the war ended only weeks after he had made the ultimate sacrifice. 

Which 5 items should Room 2 take to a deserted island?

There were 4 points of position set up around the room (at north, south, east and west).  The four positions were Agree, Disagree, Maybe agree and Maybe disagree. Mrs Wallace explained the rules of the debate (not debate in the purist sense of the word), and the kids moved to that position that reflected their point of view.  The kids changed position as their views were shifted as a consequence of compelling arguments.

   

Jacob asserted that water purifying tablets were a must.

Jake refuted the claim, explaining that water could be boiled, but the class sided with Jacob.

Cailan was certain that a fishing net was an essential item; eating is essential in your bid to stay alive he explained.  Nadia agreed that a fishing net was important but also felt that it didn't deserve a top five position.  In the end, the fishing net didn't make the grade. 

A steel bucket was an absolute must.  As Jake pointed out, it has multiple uses; like carrying things, boiling water, cooking food and, that fact upped its value.  Who could argue with such strong reasoning? The whole class agreed.

Samuel wanted to bring medical bandages, but Ruby pointed out that there were natural alternatives for bandages, and that many plants also had additional medicinal purposes. The bandages didn't make the cut. (The cut. Get it?)

Karthiga wanted to see insect repellent take the final place on the top five list. Brayden didn't believe that insect repellent deserved such a high ranking.  He argued that Bear Grylls didn't use it, instead preferring to opt for long sleeves and tramping pants.  Fiona retorted that you were likely to end up with heat stroke if you wore that in the tropics.   Kees added that mosquitoes were mostly likely to feast on you at night, and that the smoke from the fire (you'd started using your steel and flint) would keep them away.  The kids who didn't believe insect repellent was essential put up a strong fight, but in the end it was decided by the majority that repellent had to be there.  

Top debaters in Room 2?

Jacob, Fiona and Jake - all passionate, logical and articulate.

Well done!

Items in our Top 5 (as decided by members of Room 2)

Machete

Metal bucket

Flint and steel

Water purifying tablets

Insect repellent

Just Sayin'

You guys rock!

Who am I?

I am considered the greatest poet of all time.  I was born a long time ago (well before anyone even conceived of the idea of a camera), in a place called Stratford-upon-Avon.  I wrote the plays Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and King Lear.  They call me The Bard because, seriously, I am that good at writing.  Just sayin'.

If you think you know who I am, please email your answers through to Mrs Wallace by Monday morning.

By the way, we are going to be working on writing good poetry this term.  We will learn about tone and tension.  We will also practise using simile and metaphor effectively.

Here is a poem I wrote to help people understand about poetry and poets.

About the Poet

she had an artist's mind

but not an artist's hand,

and as a consequence,

it's true,

she often
wrote

but never drew.

(Yes, the lower case 's' is on purpose!)  (Yes, I know it's not that good, but it only took a couple of minutes!)