Kāhui Ako ki Orewa

Rāmere, te 13 o Whiringa-ā-rangi

Pāngarau- Maths

Because maths is a core subject and taught daily, we could fall into the trap of trotting out the same lessons year in and year out. Of course, if this works for your students, keep going. But it can be useful to add a number of strategies to engage students and encourage understanding. Pinterest has some wonderful teaching resources to inspire teachers and students. This link should take you to some primary school resources. And this link should give secondary teachers inspiration and lesson ideas. And here is a link to a maths kete on TKI to help with maths at home.

Tuhituhi- Writing

Our Orewa Kāhui Ako LPF matrix was based on the developmental increments that students need to move through the curriculum levels in writing. Our individual kura also have their own writing assessment tools for monitoring student progress through curriculum levels. This is very useful for our learners and teachers in developing the next steps needed but what other ways can teachers support their students as they transition through writing levels?

Below is a list of suggestions based on an original list from Murray Gadd and modified to meet our kura, followed by a poster supporting reluctant writers from teachwriting.org.

WHAT TEACHERS CAN DO:

• Expect that (with the right level of support) all students will succeed.
• Make sure students know the next level of skills needed in order to move levels.
• Sharing and discussing annotated examples of expected achievement.
• Make writing tasks authentic to students’ interest in possible writing topics and the level of challenge.
• Demonstrate/model and explain (through teacher think-alouds) what expected achievement looks like and what needs to be in order to meet expectations.
• Scaffold in precise terms what students need to do to be successful at the task – our Kahui Ako posters could be useful for this.
• Differentiated by outcomes and pathways in lessons allow for students to make educated choices on what tasks they should complete in order to challenge themselves and progress.
• Explicit teaching of skills – give precise feedback to students indicating what they have done and what they still need to do in order to meet expectations.
• Give students agency for monitoring their own progress in relation to expectations.
• Make reading-writing links for students, (through shared and guided reading) What do good writers do?

Sustainability Tips

Balloons normally mean one thing: a party. But have you stopped and considered the impact balloons might be having on the environment? This article highlights the impact balloons can have on the environment and on our wildlife. But it also gives some useful tips for class or home projects to create alternatives to balloons.

Link here

Celebrating more success

Kīwaha – Māori sayings

Guyon Espiner and Shannon Haunui-Thompson created a series of short videos that teach Kīwaha in a fun and friendly way. Kīwaha are colloquial sayings or slang and they are great phrases to drop into your everyday conversation even if you are speaking English. They are perfect for using in the classroom/ kura or to impress your friends.

These videos are available on the RNZ website Link

Karawhiua! Give it heaps!

Goals for 2021

There is no denying that 2020 has been a very difficult year. The impact that Covid_19 has had on the world will be felt for years to come. One good thing that has come out of lockdown is that people have taken stock of their lives, and re-evaluated their priorities. Some have taken steps that they have wanted to do for ages, like attend art classes. Some have volunteered their time to shelters and charity groups. While others have returned to a more simple way of life. So as we approach the end of 2020, maybe it’s time to reassess our goals and plans for the coming year. If fitness and nutrition are on your list of goals, this link by Health Navigator NZ might be of interest to you. And remember, be kind to yourself; be kind to others. We are all doing the best we can in a difficult and ever-changing world.

(Adapted from allright.org)

Kāhui Ako Meeting Dates for term 4

22 October: Meeting at Orewa College all ISLs

29 October: Maths/ Digital Curriculum Group PD Day

5 November: Meeting at Orewa College all ISLs

19 November: Meeting at Orewa College all ISLs

26 November: Final