SLJ Week 3 Day 5 Activity 1&2&3

DAY 5: Here to Stay

Activity 1: Persistent Pollution [4 points]

In 2016, the World Health Organisation announced that Timaru, a small town in the South Island of New Zealand, had the highest recorded levels of air pollution in New Zealand. Some of this pollution was caused by natural events (eg. fires) but most of it was produced (made) by humans.

Watch this short video on air pollution. It will tell you more about natural and human causes of pollution.

On your blog, share three new things that you learned about air pollution from this video.

1. Green house gasses are the protective layer of the earth from sunlight, which once destroyed it will be more hotter temperature.
2. I have learned from the video that when fossil fuels are burnt to produce electricity the smoke comes from it's process are considered us air pollution or hazardous to our greenhouse gasses.
3. Most of the air pollution came from us such as energy use in agriculture and there are more other types of human-made air pollution.

Activity 2: Changing Climates [4 points]

Over the past decade, the climate in New Zealand (and around the world) has been changing. In fact, the climate has been getting warmer and warmer. While many of us like warm weather, climate change is not good news. Higher temperatures can cause glaciers to melt (leading to flooding) and increase the amount of rain that falls.

Here in New Zealand, we have noticed the change. In fact, we sometimes have torrential (huge) rain storms causing flooding, landslides and road closures. When it starts to rain really hard, Aronui and I usually hide out in our lounge and play games like Yahtzee, Monopoly and Uno. If it rains all day, we will also spend some time reading, watching movies and baking.

What about you? What do you like to do on a rainy day?  

On your blog, tell us about five things that you like to do when it is too rainy to go outside.

1. Play Roblox
2. Watch YouTube
3. Do chores (Washing the dishes, Mop the floor etc)
4. Sleep
5. Eat

Activity 3: Let It Rain [10 points]

Over the past few decades, we have seen an increase in the amount of rain that falls here in New Zealand. We are lucky, however, that most of the rain that falls is regular rainwater and not polluted acid rain. Acid rain is rain that has bad chemicals (pollutants) in it. When acid rain hits the ground it can enter the water system, killing plants and animals. Click here to learn more about acid rain.

Let’s imagine that New Zealand was hit by a massive acid rain storm. Acidic rain fell for three days and three nights. When the rain fell, you stayed inside with your friends and family. When it stopped, however, you and your family decided to go for a walk outside. You opened the door and...

On your blog, write a short story about what happened when you opened the door and walked outside after the acid rain storm. To earn full points, you must write a story that is 8 – 10 sentences long.

We opened the door and we saw the paint of our car fades. The windshield of the cars has a water-drop mark and its hard to wipe off. As we continue to walk, we saw birds and some animals died in the ground. Trees and plants were destroyed. We have heard that there is a food advisory that tells people to not eat products that was affected by the acid rain such as fruits and vegetables. We have saw a newspaper that tells the water supply was affected. It says that we need to purify the water before drinking to make sure it is safe. It is very tragic and we feel sad because we realized that when we not take care of the environment more and more calamities will happen and it is gonna be stronger. So we need to act now and take care our environment because I believe that prevention is better than cure.

SLJ Week 3 Day 4 Activity 1&3

DAY 4: Like a Scene Out of a Movie

Activity 1: The Southern Lights [4 points]

Once in a while a very special event takes place in New Zealand. It is a show of beautiful, bright lights that appear in the sky over the South Island. The lights are called the ‘Aurora Australis’ or ‘Southern Lights.’ They are similar to the ‘Northern Lights’ that are often seen in places like Northern Canada, Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The southern and northern lights are so stunning that they often leave people, who are watching them, speechless.

For this activity, you are to write a short acrostic word poem about the beautiful lights. Hazel has written an acrostic poem about summer to give you an example.

S - Sun outside,

U - Umbrellas in the sand.

M -  My friends and I, having fun,

M - Making sandcastles,

E - Enjoying ice cream on a hot day,

R - Racing to the beach!

On your blog, use the word ‘LIGHTS’ to write an acrostic poem about the Southern Lights. Be as creative as you can!

For more information and examples of acrostic poems, check out this poetry website.

L-Looking at the Southern Lights

I- Increasing the excitement of the stunning lights,

G- Gracefully changing colours.

H- Humming calmly while looking at the sky,

T- Talking about how cool the Southern Lights are.

Activity 3: Crazy, Cool Clouds [5 points]

Have you ever looked up into the sky and seen a cloud that had a really cool shape? I certainly have, and so have dozens of other people. Take a look at the three pictures of crazy, cool cloud formations below.

From left to right: Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3

Clouds are formed when small drops of water stick together. To learn more about clouds and how they are formed, you can watch this cool video. Once you have learned about clouds, please choose your favourite cloud picture.

On your blog, tell us what you see in the photo. What shape(s) do you see? Be sure to tell us which picture (1, 2 or 3) you have chosen and describe what you see in lots of detail!

2: I have chosen the 2nd picture. This picture looks like a tornado and it looks pretty cool. I wonder if it is a real one because of it shape. I also wonder what the people will react about that cloud and thought it was a real tornado. It looks very realistic and weird because it at the top of the sky.

SLJ Week 3 Day 3 Activity 1&2&3

DAY 3: Taking Flight

Activity 1: Bird of the Year! [4 points]

Aotearoa New Zealand is home to many different kinds (species) of native birds.  Sadly, about a third of our native bird species are at risk of disappearing forever (becoming extinct).

Each year, Forest and Bird New Zealand hold a ‘Bird of the Year’ competition where people can vote for their favourite native bird. This year, the winner was the kererū (or woodpigeon).

Go onto the Bird of the Year website, look through the native birds on the site, and choose one that interests you.

On your blog, write a short description of your bird. Where does your bird normally live? What does your bird normally eat?  Post a picture of the bird underneath your description. Be sure to attribute your picture properly.

Kiwi-

Kiwi is a native bird of New Zealand. There were about 12 million of them but of their predators eat is many chicks there are now fewer than 100,000. Kiwis are by the smallest flightless bird in the ratities group. Kiwis normally eat worms and also seeds, berries, and leaves. Kiwis live diverse habitats such as mountains slopes and pine forests.

Activity 2: Flying Foxes [4 points]

Not only is New Zealand home to many native birds but we also have a number of native bats. Some of these bats are really small while others are much larger. None, however, are as large as the largest bat in Australia. It is called the flying fox (pictured below) and it has a wingspan of up to 6 feet or 2 metres. Wow! That is taller than most of us!

Flying foxes usually sleep during the day and hunt for food at night, using their ears to guide them through the darkness. Like other bats, they have the best hearing of any mammal. It is their ‘superpower.’

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? If I could choose, I would like to be able to fly. It would make it possible for me to fly back to Canada and visit my family whenever I wanted. How amazing would that be?!

If I could choose any superpower I want I would choose reading other peoples minds because I want to see what other people are thinking about and I could see if anybody lies about something and it cool.

Activity 3: Wind Beneath My Wings [10 points]

Birds and bats are just two species of animal that are able to fly. Did you know that some fish, squirrels and snakes are also able to fly? Check out the ‘Top 10 Flying Animals of the World’ website to learn more about these incredible animals.

Once you have explored the site, choose one animal and create a digital learning object (DLO, eg. a poster) that tells us all about the animal. Be sure to include at least three interesting facts and a picture or two of your animal! Please follow these instructions for attributing your pictures properly.

Here is an example of a DLO that was created about lions.

On your blog, post a final copy of your DLO.

SLJ Week 3 Day 2 Activity 2&3

Activity 2: Carbon Sinks Don’t Stink! [4 points]

Every day a chemical compound called carbon dioxide (CO2) is produced and released into the air.  If it isn’t removed, it can become toxic for humans. Fortunately, there are a number of places where CO2 is absorbed (removed from the air). Two of the most common places are forests and oceans. They are called ‘carbon sinks’ because, like a sink, they gather, clean and drain things away that we don’t want. One of the largest carbon sinks in New Zealand is a forest in the south-western part of the South Island. It drains away 60% of our unwanted carbon!

Let’s imagine that you could design a sink that could gather up and then drain away any foods that you don’t like. On your blog, tell us what you would put in your special sink. If it was me, I would put rice pudding, brussel sprouts, custard, parsnips, and seafood chowder in the sink. Yuck! What about you?

On your blog, list all of the foods that you would put in your special draining sink..

1. Vegetables ( Broccoli, cucumber, lettuce etc.)
2. Egg ( I don't like eggs)
3. Cooked crab (I really hate the smell of crabs)
4. Mustard or any other condiments except tomato sauce \
5. Cooked sheep or lamb

Activity 3: Flying Fungi [10 points]

In the middle of winter it can get quite wet and damp in New Zealand, can’t it? When it gets really damp, it is common for things like mould and fungi to start to grow. We can often see them on the walls, ceilings or floors of our houses or outside on footpaths, buildings or roadways. Some types of mould and fungi are so small that they can’t be seen. Some of these tiny fungi/mould can be found in the air. They are called ‘airborne fungi’ and they can be unhealthy for us.

Let’s imagine that we tested the air in your classroom and found 7 different kinds of mould. Eek! The cleaner says that it takes 5 days for each mould to be eradicated (removed). If the school had to remove each mould one at a time, how long would it take to remove all the mould from the classroom?

5 times 7= 35

35 days

SLJ Week 3 Day 1 Activity 1&2&3

DAY 1: A Heated Debate

Activity 1: Togs or Trackies? [4 points]

New Zealand is a pretty lovely place to live, isn’t it? Apparently, New Zealand (NZ) is also a pretty lovely place to visit. In 2017 approximately 2-3 million people came to visit NZ as tourists. Some of them chose to come in the middle of our summer, while others braved it and came in the middle of winter! When do you think is the best time of year (season) to visit NZ?

If you would like some help making a decision, feel free to read the Go New Zealand website. It has lots of information about the seasons in NZ!

I, personally, encourage my friends and family from overseas to come and visit NZ in early spring. The weather is usually warm and dry and the tourist attractions, beaches and holiday spots are less busy than they are in the middle of summer.

On your blog, tell us what time of year you think is best for tourists for come and visit. Be sure to share at least three things that tourists could do while they were here in NZ.

I think on spring or autumn because it's not to cold and it's not to hot during that time of year in New Zealand.

1. Have a look and explore the history of New Zealand (Like going to the museum or old historical places)
2. Experience going to the wonderful beaches and beautiful landscapes in the country (Not to busy and not to hot when you go to the beach during Spring and Autumn)
3. Try other different outdoor activities like rugby (sport), abseiling, bungee jump, caving and many more.

Activity 2: You are my Sunshine [4 points]

People in New Zealand love spending time outdoors. Unfortunately, the sun is very powerful and the rates of skin cancer are incredibly high in New Zealand. In fact, they are higher than anywhere else in the entire world! To protect ourselves against skin cancer, we need to be careful about how much time we spend in the sun. We have to be ‘Sunsmart.’

Read the Sunsmart website.

On your blog, list five different things that we can do to protect ourselves from the sun this summer!

1. Put sunscreen before going outside.
2. Wear a hat as possible.
3. Drink fluids to keep hydrated.
4. Stay on the shaded areas.
5. Avoid going out if it's very hot

Activity 3: Burning Up… [15 points]

While it can get hot in New Zealand, especially in the middle of summer, it gets even hotter in places like Dallol (Ethiopia), Dasht-e Loot (Iran), Tirat Zvi (Israel), Kabili (Tunisia) and Bandar-e Mahshahr (Iran).

The hottest temperature on record in each place is: Dallol: 41oC; Dasht-e Loot: 71oC; Tirat Zvi: 54oC; Kabili: 55oC; Bandar-e Mahshahr: 51oC. Crazy ‘eh?!

For this activity, you are asked to use this information to create a graph. The graph should have a title along with the names of each city and their hottest recorded temperatures. You can draw the graph by hand or use a computer programme like Google Draw to create your graph. It’s completely up to you!

On your blog, post a picture of your graph..

SLJ Week 2 Day 5 Activity 1&3

DAY 5: Wasting Away

Activity 1: Off the Menu [4 points]

Fishing is a really common activity in New Zealand. In fact, people have fished in New Zealand for centuries. Unfortunately, over the past few decades some people have caught too many fish in one area and left the region without enough fish to refill (replenish) the stocks. When this happens we call the area ‘overfished’ and it is closed to all private and commercial fishing. If people are caught fishing in these areas, they are required to pay a fine (money). The maximum fine for fishing in a restricted area is $100 000.

What do you think about this rule? Is it fair that people are charged up to $100 000 for overfishing?

On your blog, tell us what you think about this rule and why you think it!.

I think it is wrong and right charging people for overfishing. It's right because people are fishing too much and what if they get all the fish? How about the other people who wants to fish? How about those who have nothing to eat and there aren't any fish? It is also wrong because charging up to $100,000 is so expensive. What if it was a poor man who doesn't have any food, shelter or money to pay that big amount of money.

Activity 3: Faded Glory [5 points]

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system, made up of 2900 individual reefs. It is so big that it can actually be seen from space! The reef is located on the east coast of Australia and many people believe that it is millions and millions of years old. For most of its life, the reef has been a healthy, vibrant ecosystem. Over the past thirty years, however, it has changed dramatically. Much of the beautiful bright coral has become bleached and has lost its colour. Sections of the reef have also been damaged by tourists, cyclones and the introduction of new, damaging invasive species.

The Australian government is working to protect and preserve the reef. Each year they spend about $200 million dollars repairing and protecting the reef. It is a lot of money and they could really use some help raising the money (funds) required to repair the reef. This is where you come in!

On your blog, list three different ideas or strategies for raising funds to preserve the Great Barrier Reef. What could you do to fundraise here in New Zealand?

1. Ask schools to fund raise (In our school we do activities and sell things such as candy, art crafts, hand-made stuff and we donate the money to the school we are fund raising for)
2. & 3. Go around the town and nearby neighbour hoods and tell people what is happening right now about the Great barrier Reef and ask if they could give a donation even if it's big or small.

SLJ Week 2 Day 4 Activity 1&2&3

DAY 4: Spectacular, Spectacular

Activity 1: Planes, Trains and Automobiles [4 points]

Arguably, one of the most dramatic and spectacular (beautiful) places to visit in New Zealand is Milford Sound. It has been referred to as the ‘eighth wonder of the world.’ It is a beautiful fiord (steep valley) that was formed when big pieces of ice (glaciers) melted. The melted glaciers created a beautiful river that is surrounded by dramatic cliffs and snow-capped mountains. People who visit Milford Sound are able to take a boat cruise through the middle of the fiord, walk around the area on the Milford Track or fly above the fiord as part of a private helicopter tour.

Let’s imagine that you had the chance to visit Milford Sound by boat, foot (walking) or air (helicopter). Which option would you prefer?

On your blog tell us which of the three options you would take to explore Milford Sound. Be sure to tell us why you have chosen this option.

I would take an helicopter to explore Milford Sound because you can see a nice view of the place, I can takes pictures and record videos.

Activity 2: It’s All in the Name [4 points]

Rotorua is one of New Zealand’s most popular tourist destinations. It is a city filled with incredible forests, mountain biking tracks, lakes, and geothermal wonders, including hot springs (geysers) and mud pools. One of the most famous geothermal pools is called the Devil’s Bath at Wai-o-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. It is a neon green pool of stinky water.

Over the years, people have suggested that we come up with a new name for the pool. What do you think we should call it? Take a minute to let your creative juices flow.

On your blog, give us a list of three to five options for the name of this geothermal pool. Put a star (*) beside the name that you like the most.

1. Neon Toxic Bath*
2. Monsters Vomit
3. Stinky Wonderland Pool
4. Green Madness
5. Witch's Poison

Activity 3: Picture Perfect [10 points]

While New Zealand is home to some beautiful waterfalls, there are a number of stunning waterfalls in places like Canada and South Africa. In Canada, the largest waterfall is called Niagara Falls. It sits on the border between Canada and the United States of America. Thousands of tourists flock (go) to Niagara Falls every year to see the falls and to have their picture taken in front of this natural wonder. Over the past few years people have started taking ‘selfies’ and posting them online. Do you ever take selfies?

For this activity, choose one of the following three selfies. From left to right: Selfie #1, Selfie #2, Selfie #3

On your blog, write a short story about what you think is happening in the picture. Be sure to tell us where you think the people are and what you think they were doing at the time that they stopped to pose for the selfie. To earn full points, the story must be 8 – 10 sentences long.

Selfie 3- This girl looks like she is taking a picture of her and behind her is a town. I think she went on a vocation. I think she thought about a remembrance and took a picture. It looks like she went to a very a high building and took it there. It looks like she took a very nice picture. She looks like she went to a very fancy town that has a lot of buildings. It looks a bit like Italy because of the colours of the buildings or France. She looks like she had a great time there.