Rosemary Cook & Diane Scott, Wharepapa South School, RD7, TeAwamutu

Welcome to a group of ideas and experiences from Wharepapa South School.

Wharepapa South School

The Friendly School

A quote:

If we teach today's students as we taught yesterday’s, we rob them of tomorrow.

We would like to share with you

•Numerous rich learning experiences•Student involvement in their learning•Good questions for a rich inquiry•All this and still have fun

You may like to identify where the Key Competencies and

values might have been integrated into this learning.

Our Inquiry Path…

What do we know already? (Wondering and Chatter)

What do we want to know?

How can we find out?

Where can I find the information?

(Who can we ask?)

Talking about what we have found out. (Chatter)

Presenting

THREE SIMPLE STEPS for Inquiry:

INPUT

PROCESS

OUTPUT

The Big Question:

Can birds that live on Mount Maungatautari live in our school bush?

Beginning an Inquiry with a relevant story is, I find, a good way to introduce the topic and motivate the students.

(This depends on the circumstances leading to the Inquiry).

Following the story and lots of relevant discussion/ questioning comes activities:

Plasticine modelling to make animations (lots of oral language and decision making) followed by…

Digital stories (shared writing)

(shared and Independent reading)

The process:

“Input”

introduce and read story:

“Little Kiwi Meets a Monster.”

Who do we ask?

Where can we find the answers?

Where might we visit?

We visited: (with helpful parents)

Our school bush

Otorohanga Kiwi House

Mount Maungatautari

The process:

Investigating

Discussing

Researching

Students went in small groups to investigate if ‘their’ bird could live in our school bush and if so to find a suitable habitat for them.

Graphing was automatically integrated into the activity.

Pukeko Tui

The Output:

The Conclusions

When asked, this little boy said “Yes! Kiwis

could live in our bush, just put a fence around it to

keep the pests out!

This little girl was horrified, “No! the stoats and wild cats would get the kiwis!

And so the discussion continued…

Autumn was an ideal time for a tree study.

The big question: How do trees help our environment?

Collected and pressed leaves were used to make leaf men

(Refer to LEAF MAN picture book)

Brainstorming

Teacher modelled Report writing with a shared story.

Children created individual mind maps before writing.

Poems

Community involvement is vital –

people

have

so

much

to

offer us.

Potato in a bucket weigh in with the Kihikihi Rotarians.

Hanging baskets are a bi-annual activity for junior students. The local Garden Club ladies usually help.

Some books lend themselves more easily for children to make into animation and digital stories. i.e.

The Three Little Pigs ( and other Fairy Tales)

Little Kiwi and the Dinosaur

Little Kiwi meets a monster

The very Hungry Caterpillar

Rabbit Hunt

How Maui Slowed the Sun (Maui series)

Perky the Pukeko (series)

Stories in junior readers etc