Taradale+Intermediate

=2009=

BLOGGING
This year we are embarking on a blogging journey - each classroom as well as each specialist area in the school now has their own blog and teachers are in the process of learning how this process will work!

Check out our journey with us at: []

We've chosen to use blogspot to host these blogs. By clicking on the link above, you will go to our central 'hub'. There's heaps of stuff on the main page, and down the left hand side you will find links to all the other blogs. Enjoy!

We've revised and updated our inquiry model - you can view this and the umbrella concepts that guide our inquiries in the powerpoint posted below.
 * INQUIRY MODEL**

Check out our 2009 inquiry overview document for an idea of where we are headed this year in our investigations with our students and our revised planner.

=2008's JOURNEY=

In 2008 Rooms 9 and 13 conducted a collaborative inquiry. The students have been able to choose their own topic of study under the heading "What Concerns Us". Topics range from terrorism to fashion peer pressure to animal cruelty to growing up. We are also focusing on using ICT as a way of presenting our information. The key behind this was the question "Why bother, no one listens to us anyway!". We have decided to use wikis and blogs together to share our learning. The blog is a diary of what we've done, and the wiki is our 'display' space. Check out our pages at: http://isanybodylistening.wikispaces.com/ =Exciting Things are Happening in Room 17 =

 
====**This term Room 17 students are trialling the use of Blogs to share their reflections and learning. Our Inquiry Big Question is 'Where have we come from and Where are we Going? As this is a new area of learning for students and teacher alike we have created a number of tutorials (students for students, teacher for teachers) to share our new learning. **====

===Feel free to check out the links to this page, leave feedback for the students and watch out for updates as we ask 'Where have we come from and Where are we Going? ===

Taradale Intermediate School is the initiating school for the Digital Daze Inquiry Cluster. They have been working on developing and implementing an inquiry approach to support their rich, real and relevant integrated curriculum since mid-way through 2007.

Check out their current inquiry model.

Inquiry Model 2008
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The aim of the Inquiry Unit Planning Table is to share our inquiry learning journey planning with our fellow cluster colleagues. Please feel free to save any documents to use or alter in your own planning. If you have any questions or queries regarding the planning or you have some suggestions you think will add to the planning, please click on the discussion tabs and leave us a message! Thanks!

Inquiry Unit Planning
in 80 Days //(proposed for T3)// || Collaboration unit between two classes based aroundJules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days || Literacy, Social Studies, Geography, Maths, Time Management || //to be added// || [|eBook] - [|A Geography Adventure]-Thinkquest || Creating, Imagining and Innovating** || If I could create my own country to compete in the Olympics for the first time, what would I need to share with the world so they get to know us? ||  || Cross Curricula ||  ||   ||
 * ~ Name of Inquiry Unit ||~ Brief Description ||~ Curriculum Areas/Skills Covered ||~ Lesson Plans ||~ Resources ||
 * The Olympics || Could NZ host the 2012 Olympic Games? || Literacy, Social Studies, Art || //to be added// ||  ||
 * Around the World
 * My Olympics || ** My Olympics 2008


 * Room 5 Term 3 Inquiry**

"How does War influence people's beliefs, moral choices, lives and the future?"

We actually spent two terms on this inquiry. It took a while to finally create an assessment rubric and to work out how to actually finish off and round up all the information the kids had learnt and present this in a way to prove their learning. We finally decided to video a chat show with each student having an opportunity to be the host, and the interveiwee. There brief was that they were an expert on WWII, they set the questions they would be answering, and their response was oral, in front of an audience, they did however have time to answer the questions ahead of filming day. The questions were, 1- Has learning about WWII affected you in any way? 2-How do you think you would have coped during the war? 3-Do you feel more aware of what is happening in the world now? 4-How do you feel about Hitler?

Here are some examples of their chat shows.

media type="file" key="Robyns Interview.mov"media type="file" key="Corey ms interview.mov"

=Olympics - Term 3 Inquiry=

In term 3 room 13 studied the Olympics. Our question was

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"Is Beijing a suitable venue for holding the Olympic Games, given the ideals and values of the I.O.C.?"

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Here is our learning wall at the end of the unit. The 'SO WHAT' activity was to write a report voicing their opinion, and answering the big question. Check out our wiki: http://room13tis.wikispaces.com and view the student pages. Some of the students have published their reports on their own page.

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