Not the ninja turtles-blog post

 In English we were learning about the Renaissance. This Slideshow is a bit of history about four very famous artists during the time. Their art works show the style and life at the time. Here is a link to to the slideshow:

Link to Slideshow

Final reflection and blogpost - Power to the People (Pearl)

 Final Learning Reflection

1. Planning

Our Project Planner (Milestone 1) - Project proposal

Looking back at the planning we did at the start, I think we did a good job of sticking to the plan and completing our work. In the end all the planning helped us understand what needed doing and when.

Having had the experience of this project, if I was planning another project I would plan it all at the start of the week, instead of changing the plan halfway through.

2. Process

Links to our Group Planners:

• Week 5-group planner

• Week 6-group planner

• Week 7-group planner

• Week 8-group planner

• Week 9-group planner

Time management and workflow

Looking back at how well we planned and then recorded each week's and day's work and managed our time, I think we managed our time and plan very well. We got all our work done within the time frame and continued to re-check our plan throughout.

Another time, I would change the format of the planner to make it less confusing.

Collaborative skills

Considering how our group managed our relationships, discussions, decisions, and the way we shared out and contributed to the work, I think we worked well as a group, there were some arguments between group members but we always worked through it. Other than that we worked well to communicate with each other.

In future, I would have the same group because we work really well, we only get distracted sometimes.

3. Research

Our Research Process (Milestone 2) - Research

Looking at our research and comparing it to what other groups did, I think we did a lot of deep research. We looked at a lot of different media like books, websites, people. We also did a lot of experiments during out water testing which was a big part of our project.

Another time we would do more research into hydropower and maybe even visit a dam

4. Planning and Preparing our Presentation

Our Presentation Ideas (Milestone 3)  - Presentation ideas

Looking back now at how we planned and prepared our presentation, I think we made it very appealing and it was interesting how we had our mini hydroelectric generator at our station so we could show people how it worked.

Another time, I would be more prepared. We hadn't really though about how we were going to visually present it, but it all came together in the end.

5. Showcase Day

Our Presentation (Final Product/s)

Embed or link all the slideshows and docs you created - Our presentation

Looking back on Showcase Day, you might want to consider some of the following questions:

I think Showcase Day went well. Lots of people commented positively on our project and were interested in our topic. Sometimes we didn't have somebody at our display but people seemed happy just reading and looking. I also enjoyed looking at some of the year 9 projects because they about more interesting things.

My positives for Showcase Day were when some of the visitors were really friendly and interested

Another time, I would have been more prepared and had a better display. We didn't know how we would display it until less than a week before so we were slighty unprepared. But we pulled it all together in the end.

6. Reflection on the Project

a) What skills did you use, learn or develop during this project which will be helpful in your life beyond school? I used thorough planning skills and also learnt a lot about voltage and hydroelectricity.

b) Would you like to do more of this kind of learning next year?

Yes, I enjoyed working with my friends. But maybe having lots of projects throughout the year because it got boring after a while, especially when we had multiple periods of it in a row.

c) What did you learn from this process that will help with future projects? That you have to do a lot of research and really understand the question. Also having more questions daily so you keep learning more.

d) What advice would you give to the teachers if they are running this or something similar in the future? To not give us so much paperwork each week. I understand the planner but all the other check in's made it hard to keep going with our project when we had to keep stopping and checking in. It also made it feel like there wasn't a lot of freedom when the teachers were keeping track of everything. I also think if we did something like this again to have more of passion project so it keeps everyone interested.

Power to the people week 8- Pearl

 This week our group finished off our generator project. We tested it lots of times and compared the results. 

Then we started working on our presentation after we videoed our generator at work. Also on Wednesday my group and another group went to the Mangapouri stream and water tested again. After recording our results we went back to school and my group looked at the bugs we found under the microscope.

I think we have been working well, we have had some people away but we are getting the work done.

The hardest part has been staying on top of all the computer work.

Power to the people week 7

 This week we got all the supplies to make a mini water generator. Mr Georgetti helped us get all the things we needed. In the science lab we used the tap and a rubber pipe as the water flow, we attatched the generator. Then we set up the wires so we could test the voltage and current. 

We tested it outside and inside again. Each time we got different results but could always light up the little LED. 

We also looked for waterfalls in the area so we can relate this to Otaki.

Power to the people week 6 reflection-Pearl

 This week our group went to the Mangapouri stream and tested the water. These tests include

-Temp

-Flow

-Streambed composition

-invertebrae

-rocks

-clarity

We went to a different spot than we usually do, Mrs Torley took us to the part of the stream where the Mill used to be (The Mill the road was named after). 

We have also talked to some teachers about hydroelectic watermills and how we could make one. We also used a mini generator using a hose as water flow.

Power to the people- week 5- Pearl

Me and my groups question is "How can we use Otaki waterways to create sustainable energy?"

1. What have you achieved/learned/found out since your last post?

Was hydro-power is and how it works, also the different ways to make hydro power depending on the environment.

2. How effectively have you used your time this week?

Very effectively, I have been watching videos about water turbines and generators.

3. How have you contributed to your group’s progress?

I have been doing a lot to research how hydro-power works.

4. Glows: something that is going well in your project: Getting supplies and teacher help.

5. Grows: Something you need to work on: Some in-group fighting and tension.

6. Where could you get help with this? The ctg classes and teachers.

7. What are the next steps for your project? Start drawing up designs for the turbine.

Night Essay

 Essay Question:

Describe at least one important technique used in the text. Explain how the technique created an emotional response in you.

In the Holocaust memoir 'Night' by Elie Wiesel, three events that impacted me emotionally were the time in the cattle car going to the camp, the hanging of the pipel, and the death march. The writer uses a range of language features including very short sentence, metaphor and repetition to describe his experiences in the concentration camps. These emotionally impacted me by enhancing just how cruel the conditions were and making me feel so much empathy for all the victims.

The first part of the book that affected me was the journey to the camp in the cattle car. For me it represents the downward dive in hope. At the start the Jews were clinging to the possibility that they were being transported somewhere nice, to escape the approaching warfare. But throughout the days in the cattle car they slowly start to understand their horrific fate. Mrs Schachter, a fellow passenger, had hallucinations of fire and distressed the cattle car. Her young son tried to comfort her but she was eventually silenced by an almost lethal blow to the head, "Her son was clinging desperately to her, not uttering a word. He was no longer crying." The author used a very short sentence to show how shocking it is that a six year old boy is no longer crying in this situation.

Reading this specific line made me think of my own mother, and how seeing her that way would break my heart. Watching the most important woman in your world, lose the spirit inside her, would shatter anyone. This also made me understand that the men who struck her did it to save themselves from her insanity. I think that this was an example of the dog eat dog world we live in, and how when everyone starts getting desperate, survival instincts kick in.

The second event that affected me emotionally was the hanging of the pipel. Elie Wiesel describes the hanging of a young boy alongside two adults. He writes in violent detail about how the pipel doesn't die immediately because his body is too light,

"'Where He is? This is where-hanging from the gallows ...'

That night, the soup tasted of corpses." .The metaphor at the end is used to show that although the Jews were seeing terrible things each day, this particular death impacted them all very much.

The third event that left an impact on me was the death march. The way he wrote it made me feel exhausted for them. The constant movement in already broken bodies showed the strength they had even when they were so fatigued,

"We were stronger than cold and hunger, stronger than the guns and the desire to die, doomed and rootless, nothing but numbers, we were the only men on earth." The author used repetition to reinforce and remind us of their constant bravery and how even though they had been beaten down in every way they were still so strong.

For me, reading this book shed light on the despairing truth that was the Holocaust. It always just a terrible thing that happened in the past, that never affected me directly. These specific moments, and the whole book, affected me hugely. The language features used in each of the quotes enhanced the meaning and deepened the impact on me. The horrors revealed to me in this book, were disgusting and heartbreaking all at once. What is even more heartbreaking is that the cruel behaviour shown in the holocaust hasn't ceased because of this tragic event. The fact the Neo-Nazism even exists proves that some people's sick views haven't changed. Despite this Elie Wiesel is unfathomably brave for going through a deeply traumatic experience and years later writing a book about it. Hopefully this book will educate generations to come.