Personalised Passion Project Reflection

We planned our passion project last term; we brainstormed ideas of what we could do; we decided that we would create a sculpture that is inspired by a Japanese beast, we call our creation The Beast King. Additionally, we not only made a sculpture inspired by Japanese culture, but we also made it into a sustainable sculpture using environment-friendly materials such as cardboard and newspaper. Our group and I used adhesives such as glue, duct tape and wires to put the pieces together. 

This design embellished a complex design showcasing the history, culture and mythology of Japan. Our driving question was "How can we use sustainable materials (recycle), such as newspaper and cardboard to create art--life-size sculpture?"

The figure was constructed in a way in which is easily severed. Almost puzzle-like, the head, torso, lower body including the hair is detachable for easy access. How such body parts were built systematically and with an essence of a puzzle as well. Taking influence from the Japanese culture once more in the form of construction. "Miyadaiku" is a style of carpentry in which works by making joints in the woods and putting them concurrently; it doesn't use any glue, adhesives or nails. 

To conclude, our passion project was a success because of our hard work, as well as our teamwork. It was such a fun activity because we were able to unleash our creativity and modification. We did encounter some struggles. Which appeared in us needing to adjust and negotiate. However, we worked together and got through it triumphantly

Social Studies: The Gods of the Waters

 

Wananga Reflection

The Soul of the Rose 

John William Waterhouse

From what I can see, this painting focal point is the woman because it's dominating the whole picture, the beautiful girl is smelling the scent of the rose. On the woman's expression, we can see that she looked pleased and out-of-the-world, the reason maybe because of the alluring rose. The woman had pale skin with a touch of blush and ginger hair, tied in a bun. She's wearing ravishing blue clothing with shiny golden patterns, the clothing gives the audience an idea of the woman's attitude and actions. In my opinion, the woman's actions are as graceful as flowers in a field. The background has a very medieval-like aesthetic, we can assume that the painting was set during medieval times.  

Social Studies: Adolf Hitler's Statement about the Jews

In Social Studies we started to study Hitler and the story behind the Holocaust.

 “The Jews were responsible for bringing negroes into the Rhineland with the ultimate idea of bastardising (lowering the quality of) the white race which they hate and thus lowering its cultural and political level so that the Jew might dominate.” - Adolf Hitler

“The Jewish youth lies in wait for hours on end...spying on the unsuspicious German girl he plans to seduce.....he wants to contaminate her blood and remove her from the bosom of her own people. The Jew hates the white race and wants to lower its cultural level so that the Jews might dominate.” - Adolf Hitler

What is the “Yellow Star of David?” and how did it show discrimination? 

The Yellow Star of David is a badge worn to mark Jews, implemented by the Nazis between 1939 to 1945. It displayed discrimination against Jews because they are being segregated, to simplify, they are behind excluded because of their religion. 

Resources: 

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/jewish-badge-during-the-nazi-era

The Holocaust

Two Quotes:

“The Jews were responsible for bringing negroes into the Rhineland with the ultimate idea of bastardising” 

“ (lowering the quality of) the white race which they hate and thus lowering its cultural and political level so that the Jew might dominate.”

This quote from Adolf Hitler, displayed anti-sentiments because he’s targeted particularly Jewish people. Hitler blamed them, insulted them and criticized them.

He stated that the Jews hate white people, that’s why they wanted to lower their cultural and political level, believing that Jews might take control and dominate. I believe that Hitler’s reasoning for despising the Jews is preposterous, because of their race and religion. We are not certain that Jews wants to take over, it originated from his own beliefs and thoughts, which I find delusional. 

Social Studies - THE NUREMBERG LAWS

In Social Studies, we looked at the Nuremberg laws, studied the information and facts from an article and answered the questions regarding the law. 

THE NUREMBERG LAWS 

At their annual party rally held in Nuremberg in September 1935, the Nazi leaders announced new laws based on many of the racial theories common in Nazi beliefs. These "Nuremberg Laws" excluded German Jews from Reich citizenship and prohibited them from marrying or having sexual relations with persons of "German or German-related blood." Additional regulations to these laws deprived them of most political rights. Jews were disenfranchised (that is, they had no right to vote) and could not hold public office. 

The Nuremberg Laws did not identify a "Jew" as someone with particular religious beliefs. Instead, the first amendment to the Nuremberg Laws defined anyone who had three or four Jewish grandparents as a Jew, regardless of whether that individual recognized himself or herself as a Jew or belonged to the Jewish religious community. Many Germans who had not practised Judaism (the Jewish religion) or who had not done so for years found themselves caught in the grip of Nazi terror. Even people with Jewish grandparents who had converted to Christianity could be defined as Jews. 

The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 were the start of a new wave of anti-Semitic laws that brought about immediate segregation: Jewish patients were no longer admitted to municipal hospitals in Düsseldorf, German court judges could not refer to legal commentaries or opinions written by Jewish authors, Jewish officers were expelled from the army, and Jewish university students were not allowed to sit for doctoral exams. 

Other regulations reinforced the message that Jews were outsiders in Germany; for example, in December 1935, the Reich Propaganda Ministry issued a decree forbidding Jewish soldiers to be named among the dead in World War I memorials. 

Adapted from: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005681 

Great Pacific Garbage Patch - Social Studies

In our lesson in social studies, we are learning 'How to understand people's management of resources impacts on environmental and societal sustainability. Within this topic, we learnt about important details such as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch", when it occured, how it occred, how much garbage are there in the ocean, its effects on the human and marine life, what are the movements created in order to reduce the garbage dumped in the ocean, etc. We also had an activity where we comprehend about the causes and effects of the environmental crisis. After brainstorming about the causes and effects, we had to list them down. 

Due to the usage of plastics that have increased throughout the history, there has been continous damage in our natural resources. The more this goes on, we will lose the only place where we can live. 

If we are able to reduce the use of plastics, we decrease the pollution such as gas emissions. When we reduce pollution, our natural resources won't stop to produce more oxygen and energy. 

Trashing Our Planet: The Great Pacific Patch Presentation

The Suicide Squad

 In the movie trailer 4, Suicide Squad directed by David Ayer, it is shown that the author constructed the characters this way to entertain and to give insight to the character transitions, it also compares the characters in the comic and in the movie. 

For instance, we can see "Deadshot" played by Will Smith, from out of the jail, locked up due to the crime he committed, to someone saving the world. We also see "Harley Quinn" played by Margot Robbie, from a crazy maniac in jail to a sexy bombshell saving the world and defeating villains. In short, the villains transitioned into heroes using their skills to accomplish victory.

The purpose of this trailer/scene was to provide a clue and insight into what the movie is going to about and also to intrigue the audience. 

Camera Angles & Shots of Coraline - English: Film Study - Hurumanu

What am I learning?  In film study, we learnt about the "S.E.X.X.X.Y Paragraph", these letters are abbreviations. Each letter stood for "Statement, Evidence, Explanation, Explanation, Explanation, Link". These have meaning in them, as you can see below, there are examples to use them in a sentence and the sentence starters you could use. 

After learning about this paragraph technique, we had to use it in a camera angle and shot of Coraline. Our teacher demonstrated us how to do it, she first started with a statement about Coraline, the statement includes the 'motto' which is the message the movie is trying to tell the audience. Then the wrote down 3 explanations from the movie where it contrasts the idea of the movie then finished it off with a conclusion that links to the film. 

How does this show my learning? After our teacher demonstrated, it was our turn to make 4 paragraphs in 4 shots of Coraline. This is my 4 SEXXXY Paragraphs. I've put the abbreviations beside the sentences so that you are able to see that I have used each technique. 

What am I wondering as a result of my learning? I am actually really happy how my efforts have paid off, I think that I've used appropriate and descriptive words which made my writing not boring. I think that I've specifically and clearly explained the storyline and about the paragraphs which showed what I have learnt. 

Camera Shots	SEXXXY Paragraphs
	(S)In the film “Coraline”, camera angles and shots are used effectively to visualise the theme of “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.  (E) For instance, the closeup shot is used to show the audience the expression of the other mother. In this shot, we can see that the other mother is not pleased. (X) This makes us think that a bad event occurred that made the other mother displeased.  (X)The director did this on purpose to show the true colours of the other mother. (X) This worked well with the combination of colours such as the purple and red on the background. (Y) There’s also a mixture of colour, highlighting the skin of the other mother, the purpose of these colour combinations is to create intense and the feeling of adrenaline rushing.
	(S) In the movie “Coraline”, camera angles and shots are used effectively to portrait the theme of “Be grateful with what you have”.  (E) This is an example of the theme, as you can see, Coraline seemed dismayed, disappointed and as well as annoyed.  (X) This makes us understand the emotions of Coraline. How it feels being ignored by your family and unimportant, also less of a priority.  (X) This was done because the director wanted to give a clue of how the film is going to go, how Coraline’s world will be shown in the next few scenes. To show the reason why it happened what happened. (X) Combined with the monochromatic colours in the background that gave it a moody vibe and the raindrops on the window, it made the scene a little bit more dramatic and it suits the event that’s happening in the shot. (Y) This can be juxtaposed to when Coraline was in the other world with her other ‘family’.
	(S) In the film “Coraline” camera angles and shots are used effectively to picture the motto “Be careful what you wish for”.  (E) Using the other mother, Delma, as an example. As you can see she looks totally different from her appearance before. She has button eyes, short thin arms and monster-like hands. (X) This makes the audience feel frightened and shocked because the wish Coraline had of having a perfect family and lifestyle was actually a big nightmare. (X) The director did this on purpose so that it will give people an outlook or to show the consequences of not being careful on your wishes and that you should be content with what you have. (X) This worked well with dark colours making the scene intense and have a dreadful atmosphere. (Y) This scene and the transformation of character can be compared to when it was Coraline’s first time meeting the other mother. From before, it was warm and welcoming but in a blink of an eye, the other mother became a monster.
	(S) In the movie “Coraline”, camera angles and shots are used effectively to tell the message “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. (E) For example, in this image or shot, Coraline is having dinner with her ‘other’ parents. Compared to her ‘real’ parents, they look very different and act differently, in the real world, Coraline would have an unappetizing and inedible looking meal. But in this shot, there was delicious food, just because they are giving her what she wants (good food) doesn’t mean that they have good intentions. (X) This shot looks normal in a way they portrayed it which makes the audience think they look like a normal and happy family. (X) The director did this on purpose to show that nothing bad is going to happen and that Coraline is in a good place. (X) This worked well with the lighting and colour they have used to create this scene, they used warm colours from the candles, used food that stands out with colours such as the corn and pineapple. (Y) This aspect can be compared to Coraline’s dinner with her ‘real’ parents, when she didn’t like the food. But in the ‘other’ world, the food was what she hoped for. Little did she know, her ‘other’ parents were scheming something bad.

Thank you for reading and I would appreciate feedback :)

'Unnatural Wonder' - Visual Arts

In our lesson in Visual Arts, we were introduced to 'Slinkachu', who is an artist that creates one of the most bizarre artwork. (Read to find out the reason why it's bizarre) 

Three pieces of information about Slinkachu's work: consider its purpose, how it is made, how it is viewed, and why it is interesting and valuable. 

He has a big imagination and is very passionate about art. His art is not drawing on a paper but using miniature figures and small objects to create a scene which he takes photography shot with. His figurines come already made, most of them are made by a German company ‘Preiser’, some can be bought by model shops and online. He would also customise some them, adding elements such as colour - painting those mini-figures, moulding the figures using modelling clays, changing its leg and arm position. For some people, it may be viewed as ‘odd’ but it’s also interesting and intriguing because those kind of artworks are not common in this generation, not a lot of people would think of that idea. The interesting thing about his artwork is that he used small objects that are often seen as less valuable or important. I can tell he is a person who is innovative, someone who thinks outside the box, an intelligent and creative person. One of his photograph/art, he used a bag of Cheetos with Cheetos inside, there were also 5 figurines and one was holding up a flashlight or torch. It's valuable because it’s rare to see someone do that kind of artwork and it can even be displayed at a museum. 

 

All The Budgeting Information You Need! (Key Words + Definitions) - Business Studies

 Today I have finished the presentation about the budgeting keywords and wrote down each of its definitions. This presentation is an important one because it will be marked off by our business studies teacher, Ms Eastwick. There are two blogposts in total that will be done at the end of business studies. I used google slideshow presentation to present my work. I have put down my resources, of course, I did do a little research (since it's an open book test) in the majority of the keywords but no need to worry because I wrote it down in my own words and also listed the websites. 

What am I learning? I'm learning about the budgeting keywords and its definitions and how they relate to customers and successful businesses. 

How does this show my learning? This shows how much I've learnt in a week and how I understand each of it. 

My thoughts about my work? I am proud of my work and how much I've grown and learnt throughout the week of returning to school. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my blogpost.

I would gladly appreciate it if you leave a comment down below, telling me feedbacks which I can reflect on so that I know my next steps. 

Group Party Process - Power to the People - Hurumanu

In our lesson of Power to the People, we have made a logo for our political party. We've also added policies, dividing them into sections. I researched the Labour party and found inspirations on their policy to write on ours. Our group has also started our manifesto.
Next week, we have to work more on our policies, add on our manifesto and start arranging our speech.

Compliments - Wananga

This week, which is week 2, we've been discussing friendships/relationships with other people. We discuss the segments, these segments conclude, your relationship with your family or your whanau, your friends and your boyfriend/girlfriend. It was mostly based on the friendships we have at school. Talking about friendships, we scrutinized the things that we do for our friends and what they do for us. We were asked what we want in a friend. For me, the characteristic I want in a friend is someone who understands me and respects me, that's probably the important thing that I want in a friend. Today's generation, having good friends is hard to find, there have been friendships that have torn apart because of the lack of communication, respect and understanding. Some friendships also end because of a "boy. I think that friends shouldn't fight over a boy because friendship is more important than some boy. Like boyfriends and girlfriends, you also have to be committed to your friendship, treating your friends like your family. 

We were also asked what we want to improve on ourselves for our friend, things that we want to do for a friend. I really thought about it because I know there are times that I wasn't a good friend and I want to improve on that. I was thinking of something that could help my friends and also help me since we're just in middle school and we're still young and we have a long way to go. I wanted to be someone who can help my friends grow, yes, I'm growing too but to be able to grow with your friends is a different kind of happiness. Seeing your friends grow and knowing that you've helped them to become mature and a better person gives you a euphoric feeling. 

I also want to improve on making my friend happier, my friends have been through a lot of challenges in their life and I'm sure that there are more challenges and battles that they're going through once we get older. So, while still in the process of growing up, I want to make good memories with them and give them the happiness that they deserve. 

We were given a paper with a border on it, we were allowed to decorate it, colour it, draw some images on it. I drew an image of me and put colours on it and some sketches. 

After decorating the paper, each of us wrote compliments outside the border. We can't write surface compliments because it's only looking at the appearance of the person, the outside. The compliments that we had to write about is about the inside of the person, their personality. 

I was pretty surprised by how much compliments I got, I didn't know people noticed a particular thing about me. I'm thankful because my hard work has been noticed, my personality has been noticed, the things I've done for other people has been noticed and I feel appreciated because there are still people out there who still care about one's personality. 

There are a lot of thoughtful words written on my paper.  

"You have a genuine smile, thank you for being a supportive and good friend"  It made me smile and happy because I didn't know they noticed my smile, I hardly smile to other people. I didn't know that I was a good friend to others and supportive. 

"You have shown me support in the tough times" I didn't know that I was a student that actually helped my teacher and supported her through tough times. 

"You always listen to us when we're having a bad time. Thank you for being my friend" I didn't know that she was thankful for me being her friend, I'm thankful also because I got to help my friends through hard times. 

This is my paper that has been filled with compliments. 

What is a "Photomontage?" - Visual Arts

In Visual Arts, we have finished our photomontage work, the first week, we researched different types of photographies. We were then given photos that had been printed and were asked to make our own photomontage. Everyone was really creative and I was amazed by how photos that you never expect to see in an artwork can actually make a beautiful one. You could say I now have more knowledge with photomontage and I understand it a bit.

What is a "Photomontage?"
It is an art that contains varieties of photos that has been cut and glued and arranged in an organised manner and present it to tell the viewers a story.

This is the photomontage that I made

Visual Arts

What is Photo-collage?

It is an arrangement of pieces of photographs that had been cut and glued to make a rearranged and overlapped art.

Group Party Process - Power to the People - Hurumanu

In our lesson, we came up with our own party name, slogan, our party colour, we've also made progress with our speech and we started writing down our policies. We haven't done our logo yet because we thought that it's not that most important right now. We will do our logo in the next lesson.
We will show our presentation in the last lesson.

My group members: Me, Rieya, Shiela, Janel, Elisha

How to make Pita Pocket - Home Economics

Pita Pocket is a flatbread made out of wheat flour. It is commonly eaten and made in the Mediterranean Middle East. It is stuffed with varieties of meat and vegetables. In Home Economics we made Pita Pocket stuffed with shredded carrots, lettuce, shredded cheese, bacon tomatoes and our own choice of sauces.

This is my Pita Pocket

My Steps/Method: 

Cut the flatbread in the middle, stuffed it with the tomatoes first then with lettuce, carrots bacon and lastly, the cheese. 

Right board: 
Green Board for the vegetables and fruits
Yellow Board for the chicken
White Board for the flour, cheese, bread
Red Board for the raw meat

Power to the People - Hurumanu - Voting in New Zealand

I just finished making my infographic poster about "Voting in New Zealand". The questions include, how to register, how to vote and how votes are earned. 

I used Canva to make my poster. I'm really happy and satisfied with how my poster turned out. It's very helpful for people reading my blogpost because they get to learn something about voting in New Zealand and it will also help citizen teens who have never voted before and is now visiting and also permanent residents. I think that I have shown my learning really well, I have put all the things I've learnt all together in an infographic poster. 

Sorry for the unfinished sentence on "How to vote", I forgot to add "..the votes" 

Business Studies - Entrepreneurship

I think that this quote will inspire people to work well because it's a very straightforward quote

Quote:

“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work” - Calvin Coolidge 

Exercise - Hurumanu - PE

I have done a little bit of exercise and lot 3kg. These exercises help us to improve our balance, to help us fit and to keep us healthy. We should do exercises when we have free time if we have nothing to do,

or while in quarantine.

These were the exercises I've done.

• 50 squats 
• 20 situps
• Stretching, standing up straight, arms reach my toes (10-20 times)
• Planks
• Scissor kicks 
• Rolling forearm side planks 

The Plague Doctor - Creative Writing

This is my creative writing, it was the last task I had to do about the Black Death in Social Studies. I have included old English so that when reading, you can feel like you're in medieval times and some descriptive words.

Hus = House

Shall = Must or Will

Flagon = A large container which drink is served

Jovial = Cheerful, Happy, Joyful

Dejected = Sad and Depressed

Wifman = Woman

x

I looked up at the sky, the clouds were no longer white or pale grey, instead they were blackened shadows that shifted along the wind. The scene before me was chilling, where I stand used to be a jovial town, now, it is filled with dejected souls. Like it’s been cursed by the wicked. 

 I stopped in front of a patient hus’ door, I tapped the door using my cane, the door creaked open. “Ah doctor, this way please” I scanned her, she was filthy, she had blood on her dress, she wasn’t wearing any footwear, she had a dirty face, poor peasant. 

She led me to the room of the victim, he looked horrible, “This is my son” the lady spoke, “Pleased to meet you” I said, before the victim could speak a word, he coughed, he whimpered, I  heard the lady sobbed. “I will try to do everything I can to cure him” I assured the lady to make her feel a little bit better.

I slowly lifted his arms using my cane, the buboes were as big as an egg, I took out my scalpel, “This will hurt” I told the victim “It does not matter, as long as I can be cured, I will endure everything” I slowly cut the buboes, black blood leaked, the victim hissed in pain.

I rubbed onion on his armpits, “You shall need to drink this” I took out a flagon that had treacle in it, poured him on a cup that was on the table. He took it and gulped until the last drop of the liquid. “You will need to take a lot of rest”.

“I will need to examine you lest you have been infected” I told the wifman. After I had done an examination, I told her to rest. A couple of hours have passed, I have burned logs, they both came to me looking a little healthier “Sit close to the fire, it will cure your fever” I said. “We feel a lot better, thanks to you” The wifman smiled genuinely while sitting on the chair with her son “It is my job, I must take my leave” I said “Thank you again, God bless you”. “Make sure to drink the treacle I left on your table and to take a lot of rest” “Yes we will” I took my leave and went to the next victim’s hus. And that’s what I do everyday as the plague doctor.