News from Pikorua

The Year 4-5 akonga/students in Pikorua have had an action-packed term so far. It has been great getting to know each other and seeing everyone learning in a range of areas. We also enjoyed getting to meet so many of the parents at our recent parent-teacher interviews. 

Maths in Pikorua has been a mix of problem-solving tasks and a knowledge programme. Both areas have been number knowledge focused and all students have been learning to use number lines and algorithms for addition and subtraction. This week the Year 4 akonga are learning to read time and the Year 5 akonga are learning to measure area. 

The overall Inquiry focus for the year is ‘The Ripple Effect’. Each term we use a different curriculum area to explore this theme. In Term 1 we are focusing on the arts and in Pikorua we have chosen to break into two focus areas, Visual Art and Music. The students have been exploring how visual art and music can make a difference to ourselves, others, and the environment. 

Inquiry has been a slow burn until last week when the floodgates opened. We now have Pikorua 1 learning to play a song or two on the ukulele and Pikorua 2 are either creating a visual masterpiece or researching a famous artist. Next week the classes will switch learning areas. We look forward to sharing our pieces of art with you at our celebration of learning in Week 10. Pikorua 1 is planning on performing one of their ukulele items at the assembly this week if you want a sneaky peek. 

Our current Writing focus is ‘Songwriting’, which also links to the music inquiry. After listening to and discussing a couple of popular songs, unpacking what onomatopoeia, alliteration and similes are, the akonga have started to create their own song lyrics. We look forward to also sharing these in Week 10 at the Celebration of Learning.