Our World-Wide Blog!

It was very exciting to get comments from Scotland and Cape Town. Thank you for your comments. We have plotted where you live on our map of the world.

Intergrating Our Inquiry Topic

Room 7 has been practising doubling and halving numbers. They worked together in small groups to solve this problem and then create some of their own problems to share. (Click on images to enlarge)

At reading time we read a play called "Fat Cat" by Janice Leitch. The play was about a family who fed Yum Yum their cat too much. This was because each person in the family didn't realise that their cat had already been fed.
The children practised the play in groups and planned a roster system to overcome the family's problem of over feeding YumYum.

What is an "Equine Therapist?"

Karen Burrows is an equine therapist. She works with horses, paying particular attention to the muscles, hooves, saddle area and teeth.
She gave us some excellent safety tips around horses. For example, approach a horse by it's shoulder so it can see you, and if it gets a fright it will jump forward and you will not be in it's way.
Karen clearly explained to us how to keep horses healthy. Room 7 used the information to make triaramas of the things they learnt which they considered important, and anything else they may still be wondering about. (Click on the image to enlarge)

Finding Out

Laura and Kendal are in their second year of training to become vet nurses. They assist the vet when our pets are not well and monitor them after surgery. Not only do vet clinics help our animals get well, they also help to re-home animals. Laura and Kendall mainly look after cats and dogs, birds, rabbits, rats and mice.

Some Room Seven children were given the opportunity to ask questions.
Here is what they wanted to know:

Caitlin asked, "What is your favourite part when you are working with pets?"
Answer: "Seeing dogs get better and keeping pets company."

Abby asked, "Why can't rabbits eat lettuce?"
Answer: "They can, but don't feed them too much."
Some children wanted to investigate this answer further on the net.

David asked, "How many times have animals been sent in that are really sick and had to be put down?"
Answer: "Many pets have to be put down due to old age, suffering and sometimes owners don't have the money to pay the vet bills to make their pets better.

Jorgia asked, "Why can't dogs eat chocolate?"
Answer: "If dogs eat a lot, it is toxic or poisonous to them."

Many children didn't have the opportunity to ask their questions.
So afterwards they wrote them on "Our Wondering Wall."

Thanks Room 12 Otatara School

Room 7 enjoy reading all the comments posted on this blog.

Thank you Room 12 for leaving such thought provoking and positive comments for us to read.

Tuning In

What makes you a responsible pet owner?
What makes a contented pet?
These questions are the" big idea" for our Inquiry topic this term.

First of all Room 7 had to decide on "What is a pet?".
So they brainstormed in small groups, and then as a class sorted and classified their thoughts and ideas into categories.

"Responsibility" was the label that was agreed on for the largest group of ideas. (Click to enlarge)


Pets are animals that are "owned" was the next heading, followed by animals that can be "trained and tamed."(Click to enlarge)




The last two categories were labelled pets keep you "company" and "fact hound" (a fact about pets). (Click to enlarge)




Next, the children used the "Placemat Strategy" (a strategy for thinking and working collaboratively).








In groups, they recorded ideas on what pets look like, feel like, and sound like. (Click to enlarge)