Only 4 Weeks Left?!?!

It is hard to believe that I have already been here for four weeks time is going way too fast! We have been so busy we just keep going and going and going a lot like the energizer bunny. We have os much to see and o and then not to mention that I am teaching all day on top of that. We are busy girls and this week was not any different!

This week in school we have continuing with our Communications unit and poetry. This week we talked about Mail, Television, and also the telephone. I had gotten letters from my kindergarten students in the mail and I thought this was a perfect way to incorporate communication between both classes that I have taught. Before I left I also had my kindergarten students draw a picture that I would give to one of the older students to write back to them. So this week I matched my older class up with my kindergartners and my older students were so excited to get a little buddy. Every time I said a name and who their buddy was they would clap and cheer! The letters have been coming along and they have made them so nice and have really been putting time into making their cards perfect for their little buddies. They also got into groups and are making their own advertisements for the class that we are going to record on Monday. They were coming up with some great ads about the Packers, their school, and a pencil case. We will see what they come up with but it should be really fun to watch!

My students working on their buddy letters!

The students are also working in partners to research and then present on one electronic equipment that has helped in communication over the years. They had to first choose a partner and then had to choose a piece of technology from a list already given. With the information that they have collected they will be taking pictures from the internet and ones that they will take themselves to create a photo story to present to the class. They really have a great knowledge of technology and have been teaching me a lot as we have worked through this project together. Below is a picture of some of my students researching with their partners on iPads from the school.

This week had some really trying times with some of my kids so when it was Friday we knew that we needed a relaxing night. Elizabeth came over to my house to watch Finding Nemo with my host mum and her son Cory. It was a really great night with a movie that is a must see at all times but especially when you are down under! We also had some yummy ice cream but we were so tired and had to get ready for our busy day on Saturday. We also found a Starbucks coffee here and treated ourselves to peppermint mochas to get in the holiday spirit and it was sooo good!

On Saturday morning we decided to get a cup of coffee at a little cafe just down the street. It was delicious they gave us our iced coffee in a nice little milkshake cup which I had never had before. We also had a scary little bird friend that completely scared both of us trying to sit on our table. I think we definitely embarrassed ourselves enough there so we then moved on with our day. We were going to spend the day with amanda who is Elizabeth's cooperating teacher. Our first stop was to pick up our race packets for our 6k on Sunday morning. We got a lot of neat things in our packs along with a race shirt. Our next stop for the day was meeting Amanda's parents for some Chinese food at a place called Yum Cha which is is a Chinese style morning or afternoon tea, which involves drinking tea and eating dim sum dishes. It was such an awesome thing to experience. We sat at a table and the middle piece could be spun so all the food was set there and we could move that to gat to what we wanted. Luckily we were with Amanda and her parents so when the waiters and waitresses came by with all different types of food to choose from they decided what we would like and set it at the table. they would then write it on the bill which we would bring up to pay for later. It all happened so fats but everything was delicious. At first when they would keep getting more and more food I thought we would never finish it but by the end of lunch we ate pretty much everything. They also had ice cream that they brought for dessert that was in a ball. the outside was like a clear wrapper that you could eat and then the ice cream was inside it was very interesting.

Next stop was a place called Kelly Tarlton's which was an underwater shark and penguin encounter in Auckland. When we first got to the place it was only a little building but we then found out that it was underground and the tunnels where the fish swim over were actually used sewer tanks that they fixed up to benefit everyone. Our first stop was going down steps to get underground. We had to get through a spinning ice tunnel to get to the penguins. And when we finally made it to the penguins they were so cute just like in Happy Feet there were penguins everywhere in their own little home. Some were molting and some were taking care of their eggs in their rocks nests.

We then got to walk through the tunnels where the sharks and fish swam all around our heads with just plastic between us. There were so many different sea animals that were so beautiful. Here are just a few pictures that showed the great animals we got to see throughout the day.

After this we drove around town with Amanda to some places that we hadn't been before and got to have some KiwiYo which was delicious and I put some fresh kiwi in mine so I was being very healthy! Then that night I had another easy night with a movie and we were treated to fireworks right in our backyard that was put on for a celebration.


One of the main things that I have wanted to do while here was run in a road race in New Zealand. We searched a little online but couldn't find anything until on Monday Jan found a sculpt 6k run I knew we had to do it! I ran it by Elizabeth and she was all in so this morning we had to be in Auckland in a place called Brittomart (which is like a shopping area) by 7:30 am. We were up and ready to go not sure what to think because I hadn't run much since I did the half-marathon in May so I was just ready to do it for fun and we did have fun. It was an all women's race which was exciting to see all the women bonding together. We started off running and walked a little but we had fun and got fresh fruit ice cream after with Rachel which was soo good and i think we deserved it!

This week we will be talking about Thanksgiving in Room 11 which should be exciting my students have been looking forward to it! I am planning on teaching football which my class will love because they are very competitive and love sports.
A new school week begins tomorrow ready or not.

Cheers.
Miranda

Bethels, Devonport, and the Zoo oh my!

Got my toes in the water...

Friday after school my host mum Jan and Rachel who Elizabeth lives with brought us to the beautiful Bethels beach. We had no idea the beauty that was literally in our back yard. With a short drive from Swanson we made it to Bethels Beach. It was so incredible it is hard to put into words. On the west coast all the beaches have black sand which is completely different than what we are used to at home. It was also very sparkly like glitter was thrown everywhere but the pictures did not turn out so I just took a bunch of mental pictures instead. Rachel said that we were going to be doing a little hike all the way up to a pine tree on the top of a huge mountain. (See picture below) Needless to say we were a little  worried I am not much of hiker but I was excited for the challenge.

When we started Rachel also said she hoped we weren't afraid of heights which was another great way to get me up a mountain. We continued on stopping for photos now and then. It was a very gradual climb and we sometimes had to go through bushes and wilderness like real adventure girls which is now our new nickname. After a climb I was sweaty but at the top and let me tell you it was definitely worth it.

After our hike we then did a little more exploring and it brought us to a cave and wonderful beach. They told us that many people like to go surfing here because it is away from all the people but it can be very dangerous with the rip tides and when it gets really windy. There were no surfers when we were there and it was a calm night. Here are some pictures to describe everything because it is so hard to put it into words but these pictures can definitely tell the story.

Can you find the fisherman??

Saturday
On Saturday we got to sleep in a little and caught the train to Auckland to explore town a little more and also to go over to Devonport. We accidently went here once when returning home on a ferry and we thought hey this looks like a nice place lets go there. We took a small tour with Rod a really enthusiastic (not really) bus driver who brought us to two inactive volcanoes on Devonport. He told us about their rich history especially with the Navy and shipping industries. It seems like they were always ready for war but nothing ever happened. Our first stop was at North Head which had some underground tunnels and we could see Rangitoto Island which is a volcanic island that is  complete circle. We didn't have much time to explore but we did go in the creepy barrack things which gave me a very weird feeling but it was beautiful and such a warm day filled with sunshine we even got some color. It feels so nice but the kids at school think that it is so hot but we want to soak it all up before we have to come home to snow!

Rangatoto

Mount Victoria-Our second stop

North Head-We were standing on the volcano

Our second stop on the tour was Mount Victoria. This was up some winding roads to the top of a very high mountain. Rod told us that these volcanoes have not gone off for a very very very long time so we had no need to worry. I felt very safe in Rod's hands even though he made us move very fast form place to place. This also had some military things with a huge canon that we got to go under ground to pretend like we were actually there. We also had a really great view of the Auckland skyline. We ended our day by hopping on a ferry back to Auckland for some shopping and gelato a great way to end a wonderfully gorgeous Saturday.

Sunday
It's Sunday Sunday going to the Zoo on Sunday. Well today we got to go to the Auckland Zoo with Jan and Cory. We also met up with some of Jan's friends. We couldn't wait to go to see how similar the zoo was to the zoos we are so familiar with at home. We also had a mission to see a kiwi which is a bird and which the people from New Zealand are named for and also penguins. Everything else that we got to see was a bonus. When we got there we got to take some fun pictures in front os a green screen very funny did not buy but definitely worth a laugh. Our first stop was at Grass City where we saw some zebras, ostriches, and the giraffes were being fed. It was very cool I guess you could say the zoo was very open all outside placed in trees which made it seem like we were still in nature for the animals.

We then say the Asian Elephant Burma. It reminded me a lot of Water for Elephants I was just looking for Robert Pattinson to come out from behind the building but no luck the elephant was still awesome. Burma is all alone and will be getting a mate soon which made me happy for her. It is just so amazing to see these animals and how magnificent they are up close.

The kiwi was really one of the only things we wanted to see however they are very hard to see as they only come out at night and very shy which made our mission nearly impossible. We went to the exhibit which was in a building completely in dark which was something I have never seen. There was a little light in the glass container with a moon and then stars on the ceiling almost like you were outside on a warm night. We did see some kiwi birds however they stayed in the shadows so we didn't get any pictures we could have but people were hogging the space and then tapped the glass moved away and said oh they must be done eating rude no you scared him away for everyone else. It was still very cool to see a    symbol of the New Zealand people.

We also got to see some really cool other animals and here are a few pictures I took of my favorite ones!

Here are the penguins! If you look closely you will see the on on the left is missing its fin it had a little stub so we named him Nemo. He still seemed very happy and we wanted to take him.

We saw the baboons and a baby one he looked like he was just born so cute but the monkeys scare me who knows what they are thinking.....Rise of the Plant of the Apes it could happen. Look closely and see the baby in the middle you can click on the picture to make it bigger.

Finally we have the red panda named Amber and the emus. They were super scary creeping me out with their red eyes. I don't really like birds anyway so I was not feeling these scary guys also there was only a little fence separating us.

Overall it was a really busy weekend with a lot of great fun with great people. Now to start another week with my students we will see what it brings you never know with these crazy kids but it is always fun. Have a great Sunday and week everyone!

Cheers.

School Week and Athletics Day

Hello everyone I hope that you all are doing well and have had a great week! This week we have been very busy in Room 11.

Well to start I have had full control of the class this week so it has been a little scary but so far it has been great I have had to take some time to get use to the older students who are definitely very different than the kindergarten kiddos that I have worked with since August. The older students are challenging always keeping me on my toes making me think all day!

Monday we started off our poetry unit in which I will be teaching the students 10 types of poems and they will create several in a draft book then  put them into a colorful book with illustrations. I played a youtube video of what poetry is with some great music that they really enjoyed. Then I asked them why they think poetry might be boring which a lot of them said it was I told them poetry isn't always like that and that i would show them that they all could do it. We also played a little bit of Run DMC's It's Tricky to show rap has poetry in it which they loved and they have been singing it all the time. I also introduced the beginning of our communication unit which will end with the students presenting a photo story with a partner on an electronic equipment that has helped communication. They use an inquiry based approach which starts with a knowledge attack done by the teacher where they learn information on the topic then using a big question they go from there to work on their own learning.

Tuesday we did a really great lesson on the election process. I was surprised on how much they knew about the candidates and how excited they were to learn about everything America. We watched the book Grace for President on youtube and they at first laughed at some of the funny voices given to the characters but at the end everyone was cheering for Grace. The book really gave a great description on how to run for president and the process of voting and what each state contributes. My cooperating teacher even said he learned a lot including myself it was a good political review for me and got me in the patriotic mood even though we are far away. They then got a chance to vote between two books each student being a state and then getting the correct electoral votes to say which our favorite book is in the class. They loved it and we also looked at scholastic to see who the kids voted for in the kid election. We also voted in our class and Barack Obama might like that it was a big win in our class 29 to 1 for Mitt Romney haha! We also started with our first poem form which was Haiku's. For something different I decided to take them outside to be one with nature when writing this form which is all about the outdoors they loved it and came up with some really beautiful stuff.

Wednesday the kids were anxiously waiting to see the results of the election but were not out until the next day so we just got to watch live updates from nbc. For our communication we learned about the first types of communication with the cave paintings. So we played pictionary with the teams the students work with in the classroom. They are split into five groups each a sports team in New Zealand all day the students are working to be the top team by getting and losing points during the day from me so they were very excited to play and try to win points. They had so much fun trying to communicate without talking but only drawing pictures.

Thursday they were all very excited about the election results so we watched a clip of President Obama's victory speech they thought he did a very good job and that there were a lot of people there most of them said they would have been nervous. They were very interested in some of the presidents so we had a little bit of a political conversation again and I talked about how I was student council president with one of my best friends (Shout out Zoe "We are going to paint the town!") and how we ran together to get elected. Who knew this would be such a hot topic but the wanted to know everything I did and how I changed the school Mr. Adams would be very proud. We continued with our poetry where we learned about acrostic poems and I did one with them about my dog Libby. They helped me make it about here asking what she is like I think we described her quite well.

Lovable
Intelligent
Barky
Brave
Yappy

We also got to do a little more investigating into communication with morse code. I even got to learn a lot about this when planning so I was very excited to teach. They were so thrilled when I introduced it. We watched some youtube videos including the alphabet and messages. I gave each student a copy of the alphabet and then they wrote their name in morse code along with a secret messages that they had to give to someone to crack. They had so much fun doing this they even made some messages about me nice ones of course!

Click on the picture for a better look!

Friday was a very exciting day at Swanson Primary we had our whole school (2nd grade to 7th grade) athletic day. My cooperating teacher is in charge of athletics so he was very busy getting ready for everything with a little help from our class. The students have been training for athletics for many weeks prior so this was a very big day to show what they could do. There was sprints, long distance, tug of war, shot put, discus, high jump, and long jump. At the school each student is put into a house either red, yellow, blue or green very similar to the Harry Potter movie which made me feel like I am student teaching at Hogwarts. I was in charge of sprints and relays with two other teachers one that is in our grade level and the other is from South Carolina. My job was to place the students 1-4 so then they could get points for their house. They made an 8 lane track on the infield with spray paint it was a big job but a fun and beautiful day was had by all. I was in the blue house and it can right down to the wire with points with us and red but in the end we lost coming down to the last relay race but it was awesome to see how much the kids love sports and cheering on their teammates the young and old students alike.

Below is a video of a race. It was a final so everyone was cheering on their house color to win. Look at how excited blue is! Woohooo

Blue Team! Woohoo

Coming soon our trip to Bethels Beach, Adventure time in Devonport, and the Auckland Zoo!!
I can't believe it is already the third week time has been flying by.


More to come Cheers.