Sustained Silent Reading

Today in English for SSR (Sustained Silent Reading), I chose to read "It by Stephen King", which is now also a major motion picture. Like most of the other books Stephen King has written, it is a horror. The author's purpose is to entertain the reader, and the target audience is any from the age of 13+.

Diffusion

Today we did an experiment to observe how particles spread in water. 

We used a two halves of a petrie dish and poured water into each one (cold water into the lid, hot water in the bottom half). We then sat the two halves on a white sheet of paper to make it easier to see how it changes. Using forces, we put a small amount of potassium permanganate in each half.

Here are some before during and after shots of the experiment:

           

           

As you can see, the potassium permanaganate molecules spread much faster in the hot water then they do in the cold water.

Facts About Monarchs Mindmap

Maori Music for a Modern Audience

Māori Music for a Modern Audience

1. Aotearoa

What style of music is this?

Aotearoa is a pop song

Who performs it and what was their inspiration?

This song is performed by Stan Walker, Roy Hall, Troy Kingi and Maisey Rika. This song was made to celebrate Māori Language Week, and it was inspired by the song Poi E by the Patea Māori club.

What did you like about this song?

I liked the fact that it was all in Maori (though that makes sense because it was written for Māori Language Week) and I like the fact that it was made to sound modern.

What did you like about the music video?

I thought the way they added the clips of the different scenery around New Zealand was interesting.

What is the song about?

As quoted by Stan Walker- "it's a song to celebrate our nation, our landscape, our uniqueness, our language and our people. Here is a version of the song in English:

2. Māreikura

What style of music is this?

The music genre for Māreikura is pop

Who performs it and what was their inspiration?

The song 'Māreikura' is performed by a Māori pop band called Modern Māori Quartet, and Awhimai Fraser.

This is Modern Māori Quartets inspiration 'we, MMQ, wrote this waiata to acknowledge women as the pillars that provide the foundation of our world'

What did you like about this song?

I liked the way the singers voices harmonised, and I also liked the background vocals.

What did you like about the music video?

 The music video was actually just a video of Modern Māori Quartet and Awhimai Fraser recording the song in a studio, which I liked.

What is the song about?

"Women are the doorway to life, the heartbeat of Māori culture and the first voice heard on the Marae. Our song reflects these aspects. It is strong and warm, and ranges musically from traditional chant and haka to a contemporary rhythmic guitar with melodic vocal flow"

-Modern Māori Quartet

3. Wairua

                               What style of music is this?                                              The music genre for Wairua is pop

                Who performs it and what was their inspiration?                  Wairua was performed by a band called Maimoa

What did you like about this song?

I likes how it sounded really modern, and I liked the music (instruments) in the background

What did you like about the music video?

I thought some of the dancing was pretty interesting

What is the song about?

One of the group's singers, who’s also famous for his performance on the hit series NZ’s Got Talent, Tawaroa Kawana says, “Since breaking into the music industry last year with our hit single Maimoatia, we wanted to go down another avenue in terms of uplifting our rangatahi (youth)."

4. Kalega

What style of music is this?  
'Kalega' is R&B/Soul 
      
Who performs it and what was their inspiration? 
The song 'Kalega' is performed by Rob Ruha and The Witch Doctor. This is what Rob Ruha said about their inspiration for the song: Picture glistening coastal views, fresh fish and chips after a swim, ice cream stops and BBQ’s on the beach while your favourite jams ring out the car window and you have ‘KALEGA!’ An upbeat waiata that celebrates a unique slice of Aotearoa heaven – the East Coast, where the word ‘Kalega’ is as legendary as a kina tongue on bread!

What did you like about this song?
I liked that they used both English and Maori in the song. I also like how modern it sounded.

What did you like about the music video?

I thought the scenery in the music video was amazing

What is the song about?
"It’s a song about the great Aotearoa summer pilgrimage back to the beach to chill, unwind and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the city. No matter where you’re from, what you’re day job is or what language you speak, everyone can relate to that!" -Rob Ruha

States of Matter

On Tuesday, our class did an experiment that demonstrated what happens to particles when they are heated up.

For this experiment we used;

• A Bunsen Burner
• A ball and Ring
• A beaker filled with water

To do this experiment, we first set up our Bunsen Burner on a safety mat. The ball and ring sets were made out of brass, and designed so that the ball fit through the ring perfectly.

After our Bunsen Burner was set up, we turned the collar to the blue flame and held the ring over the flame for approximately 1-2 minutes. When the brass ring was heated up, the spaces between each particle grew, making the ring appear to be larger. Because the ring was larger and the ball remained the same size, there was now more space in the ring when the brass ball was in it. We then placed the ring in a beaker filled with cold water and repeated the process with the ball. Just like the ring, the space between the brass particles in the ball grew, and the ball became bigger. This time when we tried to put the ball through the ring, it wasn't as easy 

and the ball only just fit in the ring.

New Musicals

New Musicals
There are new musicals coming out all the time. Here are
a few of them, along with links to clips form the musicals
and what they're about.

Mean Girls
The musical 'Mean Girls' with music by Jeff Richmond. It is based on the book by Tina Fey, and the 2004 film of the same name.

Once on this Island
The musical 'Once on this Island' is a one-act musical with a book, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Based on the 1985 novel 'My Love, My Love' or 'The Peasant Girl' by Rosa Guy, it is set in the French Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The show includes elements of the 'Romeo and Juliet' story and elements of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale 'The Little Mermaid'. It concerns a peasant girl on a tropical island, who uses the power of love to bring together people of different social classes.

Dear Evan Hansen
The musical 'Dear Evan Hansen' is a musical about a high school senior named Evan Hansen who suffers from social anxiety disorder, which affects his ability to socialise and connect with other people, as well as making it hard to make friends.
School of Rock
The musical 'School of Rock' is a rock musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater and a book by Julian Fellowes. Based on the 2003 film of the same name, with a screenplay by Mike White, the musical follows Dewey Finn, an out-of-work rock singer and guitarist who pretends to be a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. After identifying the musical talent in his students, Dewey forms a band of fifth-graders, in an attempt to win the upcoming Battle of the Bands contest.


Anastasia
The musical 'Anastasia' is a musical with music and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, and a book by Terrence McNally. Based on the 1997 film of the same name, the musical adapts the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, who could have prevented the execution of her family. Years later, an amnesiac orphan named Anya hopes to find some trace of her family by siding with two con men who wish to take advantage of her likeness to the Grand Duchess.

Moana

Moana- You're Welcome
What is the song about?
This term in Drama we are working on a joined-class performance on the song 'You're Welcome' from the movie Moana.

This song is about the Polynesian demigod, Maui and the different beliefs about what he did. In some stories, hes responsible for pulling down the sun, in others he was responsible for the invention of coconuts. 'You're Welcome' is pretty much about the stories and legends of Maui.

What is difficult about singing this song?
There's a part at the end that has a really fast pace so I guess that's difficult.

How are you feeling about your performance?
I know the words but I don't like performing (or singing in general).

Maui                                         How Maui slowed the sun:
Maui is considered as the greatest culture hero and trickster in Polynesian mythology. Stories about his adventures are told in nearly every Polynesian land. Maui in most cases is regarded as a god, but in some places he is only regarded as human.

Stories of Maui
The Story of Maui and Tieke
Maui and the Giant Fish