Category: Ako | Learn

The Kokako

LI: To use our smart searching skills 

Our Year 7/8 camp was at Kokako Lodge in Hunua. Our challenge today was to use our smart searching skills to find out about the kokako bird and create an infographic to share the facts we researched in our own words. Something I found interesting about the kokako bird was that the Kokako isnt really good strong fliers but they can get to the places they need or want to go, I also found out that they were classified as threatened which is really interesting for a amazing Bird like the kokako. 

 

 

Kauri Dieback

LI: To understand what Kauri dieback is and how it spreads

For this activity, we were challenged to reasearch about Kauri Dieback, and use the links that were provided for us and our smart searching skills to find out what Kauri die back is, how to spot the diseases, what causes Kauri Die back, and what stops it. We need to know this knowledge about Kauri Dieback so we can do our part in helping and to keep Kauri safe when we go on the hike at camp. For this task I worked with Hasna and we found it interesting because it spreads to wild pigs.

 

 

 

 

 

New Zealand National Flag

LI: To understand the story behind our flag

 

For this activity, We learnt about the national New Zealand flags. We got into pairs to get both sides of our prior knowledge of New Zealand, and then we reasearched about the national flags discovering how our flag has been changed overtime. Something I found interesting is that the New Zealand flag we have representing our country was widely chossen to be our national flag since 1869.

What Learning Should Look Like in LS2

LI: To co-construct ways we can make the most of our learning time in LS2

At the start of the 2025 learning year LS2 had a discussion about how we could make the most of our learning time. For this this task we got into to groups and collaborated together and I collaborated with Melle, CJ, Tejal, Antonia, River, and Taisorn which I enjoyed because we were giving each other ideas and collaborating together. We also gave each other the expectations that were meant to do around the class and what are expected to do. One of our expectations around the class is communicating and sharing ideas with each other, the communication is helping us to gain confidence and make friends, and sharing ideas with each other also helps us gaining confidence and it helps ideas get into bigger ones. This activity was fun because we joined together and had fun as well as learning together.

 

Step it up – Origami Fish

For this summer learning journey task we made a harder fish and this fish is called a Koi fish. Another fact I learnt about Origami is that engineers at NASA use origami in their theories, same as when their designing new models I found that exciting as Origami is one of the first ideas on making new models, and another fact I learnt is Origami has been around for over one thousand years. I enjoyed this task because this task helped me learn more about Origami and how its not just art of a piece of paper.

Cultral Tatto

 

For this task we learnt about cultural tattoos, we got into groups of 3 or 2 and we used our ethnicities and their tattoos for example since im Maori I used Ta moko, and a Moko kauae as Ta mokos represent tane (male) and Moko kauae represents wahine (female). A fact I learnt was that there are very important rules to follow when getting a Ta Moko or a Moko kauae, which helps make sure its done right by someone who knows their knowledge about it. I enjoyed that this task lets us reconnect with our culture and helps us grow our culture.

kick start- Wanted Fish

For this Summer Learning Journey task we had created a warning/wanted poster of a stonefish. I have listed three iteresting facts I learnt about these species. The three facts: I learnt that this vicious animal is fast predators,  another fact I learnt is that they are nocturnal animals (which means they sleep through the day and hunt for they’re prey at night), and the last fact I learnt about the Stonefish is that these are very venomus fishes.

Tech – Observations and insights

For our tech last week we were learning about the parts of flowers and how flower cycles are. We started off together by getting everyone to understand what observation and insight means, observation means to look around carefully, and insight is the power of act of seeing into or understanding a situation. There are a accurate 300,000, to 400,000 different speices of flowers.

First we sat in a group of 3 or 2 and read the text on the book to each other. After we read it to eachother we highlited the different parts of the flowers, the function, and the nouns. This helped our knowledge for later so when our whole class got together we had an understanding of the things, then when we found the functions our partner or group 0f 3 went up and wrote the word and meaning.

Next we sat in a circle and done some of the extension work, one of the tasks included colouring in the parts of different flowers, highlighting the parts of the flowers, and holding a flower to feel some of the parts.

Lastly we got a piece of paper and it had all the different parts of the flowers on it, on this piece of paper we had to, finish the unfinished words, finish sentences, make connections with the flowers we were given to give us hints, and observe the functions of the flowers. After we were done we were given a lollie for the good work in trying, and we made sure our answers were correct by checking with our classmates, when we were done we gave our piece of paper to our teacher and we made sure she ticked our papers off and then we started to pack up.

I enjoyed this task because learning about different types of functions was amazing especially when we were observing different types of flowers.

 

Moari Wardens

LI:To evaluate the facts and make an informed opinon.

For this task we learnt about Moari wardens and provacations, first we asked if moari wardens made a difference? we made a disagree and a agreement on if they do and if they dont, after we made our own opinon and we think yes they make differences because they show younger generation on how to make right decisions. A provacation is something where you have three perspectives on the rights and wrongs about are question and then you will have your own opinon. Do you think moari wardens make a difference?

I enjoyed this task because we got to make opinons about moari wardens.

Information Report: Bengal Swamp Tigers

We used our smart searching skills to find facts about the Bengal Swamp Tiger. Once we had found the information we needed we made notes in our own words. We used these notes to help us write our information reports. Information reports give readers  information on a chosen topic by providing with facts.

LI: To write an information report that imforms the reader about the Swamp Tiger. 

Bengal Swamp Tigers

The endangered Bengal swamp tiger, (Panthera Tigris Tigris), is found on the Asian continent. Their habitat is the mangrove swamps and aquatic landscapes of the Sunderbans. Not many people know these tigers are responsible for the deaths of a number of local fishermen each year.

Swamp tigers have orange fur with black stripes helping them to camouflage in their surroundings. They have muscular bodies (allowing them to boost their grip or pounce onto their prey). Their whiskers help them navigate prey. Their height can be from 2.7 to 3 metres. 

These species are carnivores (an animal who mainly eats meat). The food they consume are antelopes, fish (marine life except for pufferfish and poisonous animals), and wild boars. The tiger uses their whiskers to sense where they should take a bite of crabs and fish. 

They live in between Bangladesh and India. Not many people know Their habitat is being destroyed from deforestation and if we keep taking over their habitat they will be more 

territorial, that is because they won’t be in their natural environment. This can also be caused by pollution. They live in Swamps, Rainforests and Dry lands. 

Have you ever wondered why they swim so fast? That is because they use swimming as a hunting advantage. These beasts attack their prey in stealth mode, they disguise themselves in their surroundings. They also are out looking for prey; they are very territorial. They have nocturnal habitats, excellent vision and hearing. 

Swamp tigers although fierce predators have become endangered. Going forward we need to think about the effect of city expansion. Do you agree?