Go New Zealand!!!!

Our promotional brochures are progressing nicely.  The kids are working collaboratively? Check. The kids are learning how to use new forms of technology? Check.  The kids are increasing their knowledge of our unique kiwi culture?  Check. The kids are learning to format their work in a challenging new way? Check. Emirates Team New Zealand won the America's Cup today? Check.

So, all and all, another great day in Room 2? Check!

Or should that be check mate? ;-)  Or check bro? :-)  Or check... heck...

She'll be 'right mate!

What does kiwi culture look like?  

Today the kids had to brainstorm what kiwi culture looks like.  They formed into groups of four, where the rules dictated no discussion was allowed.  Each person had to contribute to the list their ideas on what our culture looks like. Piece of cake, right?  Yeah, nah bro.    

          A voting system was then used to decide on the five most important items on the list. (The photos attached were taken prior to the voting process.)  The kids did not know it then, but from tomorrow they will begin shaping a marketing campaign that will promote New Zealand culture and identity to an international audience. Reckon it'll be sweet as, but they'll have to go hard out, eh?

        The kids will have to decide on a marketing strategy and then present their ideas to a panel that will consist of the teacher (me!) and three of their peers (whose names will be pulled from a hat).  Reckon that they'll be mint,eh?  It'll be choice cuz!

              As part of their campaign, they will have to sell the idea of New Zealand's unique culture, and so in keeping with this, we will also be looking at Kiwi colloquialisms/slang and iconic New Zealand attractions (specifically the kiwi obsession with sculptures of big fruit, veges and animals).   

          Selling our natural beauty would be too easy.  Here's hoping they'll be all good. 

Chur!

Our wallets ARE the very essence of design thinking

Design thinking is the search for a magical balance between intuition and logic, concept and execution

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like.  Design is how it works - Steve Jobs

Design is a behaviour

Design is thinking made visual - Saul Bass

More wallets are completed ...

Hands on learning and application of skills = a more authentic learning experience

Let your imagination run wild - using critical and creative thinking

Feeling proud - necessity is the mother of invention

Ideas turned into reality

Sophie knocks it out of the ball park

The Cat's Tail

Don't worry peeps, it's a pun not an error!

Cats in the city... that was never the intention when I was told to pick a theme/artist for our Visual Arts week... in fact, I very earnestly wrote down that we would study Piet Mondrian (Abstract) and then later on changed my focus to art inspired by James Rizzi (who does colourful cityscapes).  Mrs Fowler, however, had other ideas.  

              In a serendipitous moment, and because she was in rascal mode, she changed my theme to Cats (when I had Mondrian) and then later to Cats in the City (when I had decided on Rizzi).  I did change it back (numerous times, believe me!) but, in the end I accepted that I could no longer prevail against her determined effort.

          I relented and I'm pleased I did!

          In poetry (Term 1) we spent a lot of time exploring juxtaposition - that's the placing of unlike things together to provide contrast - and so this project provided the perfect platform to revisit those ideas but in a visual art context. 

            The juxtaposition is happening in multiple ways:  in the city that is monochrome, while the cat pops in colour, but also in the subject: the city is a symbol of man containing, controlling and altering the environment, while cats, although domesticated, can never been contained despite ongoing human effort.  (For arguments against cats see Gareth Morgan! :-))

           The kids are pretty stoked with their efforts, and I reckon they deserve to be.  Guess this just adds to the mounting evidence that Room 2 really is the very best class at Sunnyhills School.

By Fiona
The colourful motifs were borrowed from the artwork of  Heather Galler

By Karthiga

By Jasmine

The moment of truth ....

Such focus and task commitment, Jacob

Karthiga - sweet taste of success after finding her inner design engineer

Jasmine's wallet has a clear cover for an iPhone.  Her attention to detail is evident in the card pockets

Nadia proudly displays her prototype and the final product

Brayden's nifty catch idea worked a treat!

Joseph holds a prototype and  his wallet.  Well done, Joseph!

Wallets - our designers are hard at work!

The wallets have to house at least three plastic cards

Rulers and scissors a must.  Those without creative and critical thinking need not apply

Joseph shares a prototype.  Happy, he's ready to move on

Skylar and Cailan - the road to success is paved with 'nearly theres'

Nadia works alongside her plan and prototype.  She's nearly there!