Year 13 - English - Unfamiliar Text Practice - Limestone & We Are The Tenants

“Limestone”


Question - Explain how the structure of the piece relies on the motif of the journey (recurring references to journeys). Give details from the text to support your answer.



Limestone is a story from the perspective of Clare, a woman who left New Zealand to go work in a corporation in Ireland. From the passage we have been given, Clare discusses how she is looking forward to coming home as she has been gone for such a long time, and that she’s over her job. The prose uses language features conveys this idea in a way to gives depth and meaning to Clare’s mundane life. The use of figurative language and parts of speech describes what Clare is going through and how she’s ready to leave it all behind. An example of this is in the second paragraph, where it reads; “She settles into her seat, buckling herself into the twenty-first century.” My take on this sentence is that she hasn’t been home since the 20th century, and this is the first time she is returning home after the year 2000, and she’s ready to leave the life of business behind her. The use of the metaphor here reinforces this idea. Another example of figurative language in this passage is in the first paragraph. The sentence reads; “She slides into her seat: a window seat so she can look out as the plane climbs over Europe…” This sentence is setting a picture of a plane flying over Europe by saying that it is climbing it. This use of personification paints a much more vivid image in our heads of the plane flying over Europe as it heads for Singapore to make their connection to New Zealand.

Another language feature used in this passage is the use of diction. The tone of this story is that Clare is hopeful and is looking forward to going home after the last couple of years being a mundane slog through life. The tone of the words reinforces this idea when in the first paragraph which describes Ireland’s landscape and wildlife. It begins by talking about how Ireland is a “pristine place of forested hills and snow-topped mountains through which wind the rivers that are named for the old goddesses - Rhine and Danube and Volga - legendary and beautiful from 30,000 feet.” The use of adjectives in this opening sentence describes how Ireland looks for people who don’t live there and highlights the best parts of it. The forested hills, the snow-topped mountains tell us that they are some of the best parts of the country and are worth moving to. The second part of the paragraph, however, would disagree and highlight some of the bad parts. For example, the sentence continues on by stating that Ireland isn’t “shorn of their clutter of rusted cargo boats and effluents and chemical spills and millennia of quarrelsome human history.” This sentence is the other part of Ireland and forms a stark contrast between the beautiful descriptions of the landscape, and the sad realism of it. This contrast is added  after this sentence where it reads “A landscape through which people and all other beautiful animals like bears and bison and shaggy-maned little ponies - roam unhindered by frontiers and the residues of past unkindnesses, a place where memory is short.” This describes how there are two sides of the spectrum which is present in Ireland; the side which has breathtaking sights, the other that would literally take your breath away with how polluted it is. The language techniques like adjectives and listing are paramount to defining the tone of this paragraph in particular, and the tone would shift when the topic changes from what Clare is moving away from to what she is currently doing. These language features describe how Clare’s initial journey to Ireland was full of hope and wonder for the future as she was moving to beautiful scenic Ireland, and the sense of looking forward to leaving it behind as she tries to forget the last few years of mundane work.

“We are the tenants”


Question - With close reference to the text, discuss the poet’s use of imagery to describe the North.

While Limestone is a story about looking forward to coming home to something familiar, We Are The Tenants is a story about dreading going to a land where they have never been before with no other options. We Are the Tenants by Kapka Kassabova is a story about immigrating to New Zealand from "the North".  The use of imagery in this poem paints a picture of a dark, grim reality that some people go through when going through the immigration process. For example, in the first stanza, when it reads: "The hills are packed like cement, the cemeteries lush with centuries of flesh." This description of the North has implications that it isn't quite a nice place, with questionable living conditions and a very negative connotation. Another example of this is also in the first stanza, where it reads: "The seagulls glide, inordinately large and slow, over the vigilant stone, hungry for lost souls." This example describes how there is a morbid atmosphere around and that describing the seagulls as some sort of reaper and really emphasizes this sense of no hope for these people. Kassabova used this technique very effectively.

The use of figurative languages like similes and metaphors adds to the already grim mood and morbid tone to this poem. An example of figurative language that supports this idea is in the final stanza when it reads: "We are the tenants of imaginary floors. No matter how high windows, the ocean of the North remains invisible, like the kingdom of the Pied Piper who will sound, one day, the horn of our departure." The stanza has multiple uses of figurative language and embodies the poem's deathly mood. For example, the use of the simile in this sentence describes how they are being forced out of their homes by someone bigger than them. The Pied Piper, in German legend, was a man that was hired to lure the rats out of people's homes. He wasn't paid for his services, so he instead lures their children out of their homes too. This myth relates to the people in We are the Tenants, who have been forced out of their homes and into somewhere where they don't want to go. Another example of figurative language in this text is metaphors. The use of metaphors is used to extend their description of the North gives it some scary characteristics An example of a metaphor in this text is at the end of the second stanza and the start of the third stanza. It reads: "...the hills answer back with seagull cries and the chimneys of other times prop up the sky..." The hills answering back with seagulls is a metaphor because the poem is saying that they are literally answering back when they can't. It's telling us that the cries of seagulls are coming from the mountains, which the use of a metaphor gives this a more eerie feeling and a negative connotation. 

Compare + Contrast: 

Question - Compare and contrast the attitude to departure and arrival presented in each text. Give details from the texts to support your answer.

Limestone is a story of departure and leaving for home, whereas We are the Tenants is a story about the arrival in a foreign land with an unknown future ahead of them. Each story has its own unique feeling and tones to them to signify what the main characters are feeling and what connotation to get from the text.

Limestone is a story about Clare, who is leaving Ireland to return home to New Zealand for the first time since the turn of the 21st century. The passage is looking at New Zealand in a positive light, giving a sense of belonging and familiarity to it, even if she hasn't been home in a while. We get this idea when in the third paragraph, which reads: "She has a sudden longing for home: that dream of primeval beaches scattered with driftwood, and dark forests, and plains burned to a tawny hide in late summer. That dream she knows to be corrupted by reality: the beach is already threatened with subdivision and the trees with clear-felling, and the tawny plains are bordered by the dry beds of intricate vanished trees." This long sentence describes how Clare remembers New Zealand, and what she knows it will have become in the time she was gone. The adjectives that are used when describing what she remembers New Zealand being gives her a sense of happiness and tells us that she remembers this beautiful country. The word "primeval" describing the beaches means that the beaches, for the most part, have been preserved and have proved the test of time. Now, they are "threatened by subdivision". Limestone is a text of both longing for home but also being unprepared for what to expect, not knowing what it has become, so Clare is just patiently waiting to see what is waiting for her after her long flight home.

We are the Tenants is a different story. A story about moving to a foreign country, and shows little to no hope for them. The author describes New Zealand as this scary land of no hope, as this place controls their every move. The way it describes arriving gives a sense of dread with the uses of metaphors. In the first paragraph, it reads: "The seagulls glide, inordinately large and slow, over the vigilant stone, hungry for lost souls." This sentence describes the seagulls that can be seen when going through the oceans into the country and reminiscent of some spotter for the reaper, the ones who look for those people who are short on luck and won't last long in this foreign country as they "look for lost souls." Another example of language techniques describing the feeling of dread toward the country is the use of a simile in the first paragraph. It reads "The hills are packed like cement..." "The people smile with missing teeth like hosts of a drunk party." The hills being packed like cement make it sounds like the immigrants imagine the mountains like big, tall walls, keeping them from straying too far from the outside world.  The people smiling with missing teeth like hosts of a drunk party give the sense that the people they are being left with have no intention of helping them, and would rather just watch everyone stumble around. These language techniques give We are the Tenants this feeling of dread and forlorn hope as these people enter a world with an unforeseen future.

Year 13 - English - Unfamiliar Text Practice - Critical Response

With close reference to the two texts, compare the ways the sea and things associated with it are important in both texts.


The sea are very prominent aspects in both Glen Colquhoun’s poem Lament and Brian Turner’s prose Dreamers. Both texts view in similar lights as the character whose perspective we are following have lost someone dear to them to the depths of the ocean. Colquhoun views Buck as someone who is very close to the main character, but is not discussed on how close he is. From reading the text, it would be safe to assume that Buck is more than a friend, and something more akin to a lover or a family member that they looked up to. Turner’s Dreamers, on the other hand, is a prose following Kate, who is mourning his neglectful father who was lost at sea. He spent all his time fishing, and not showing affection to his family, when all Kate wanted was to be loved. Both texts showcase the idea of the sea being a dangerous place, but they also have a different tone to them. In the case of Lament, the main character never really got over the loss of Buck, and is taking his loss very harshly. Whereas in Dreamer’s, Kate has accepted that his father that ignored her is gone, and has come to terms with his loss, but still misses him everyday and mourns him. Lament, as the title suggests, have heavy themes of having difficulty coping with loss, whereas Dreamer’s has tones of accepting the inevitable and wishing you had more time with them. The two both share a similar narrative, yet the two have completely different underlying tones. The mood that both texts set are also completely different and unique to each other. Colquhoun did a really good job of setting the mood of his poem, as it uses language features like metaphors, similes and personification to give the setting a dark, gloomy feel that works in conjunction with the melancholic tone that happens throughout Lament. On the other end of the spectrum, we have Dreamers. The text itself isn’t necessarily sad, where it follows Kate’s morning routine followed by her going down to the beach to remember his dead father. With the relevance in mind, we can draw a comparison between the sea in Lament and the sea and Dreamers, and contrast the two in a critical lense. In Lament, the sea brings deep sadness, as the character never got over the loss of Buck, who sounds like he’s been lost at sea. Whereas, in Dreamers, the sea evokes emotion in the main character and makes them think what life would have been like if her father showed the love and affection that she wanted out of his father. Although the fact that her neglective father isn’t returning from the ocean evokes a sense of sadness and repressed anger in the character, there is also a slight feeling of hope or joy when Kate imagines what could have been.

Year 13 - English - Unfamiliar Text practice

Question: A lament is an expression of sadness. With close reference to the text, discuss the style used in the non-italicized section of the poem to convey this sadness.


The title and themes in this poem portray the strong feeling of grief and sadness as the person in the story communicates the emotional hardships they have gone through and the lasting emotional effects it has had on their life. This person has lost someone dear to them, and everything seems to remind them of the person who is lost at sea and isn’t coming back. The use of repetition in this poem reinforces the idea of stylistic sadness. Through the poem, every other stanza starts with the sentence “it does not matter” followed by something that either conveys an emotion or a lack of something dear to them. For example, in the 7th stanza, it opens with “it does not matter if I am happy” and in the 9th stanza, it opens with “it does not matter if I am sad.” This is a stark contrast between the two emotions and suggests that the loss of their significant other has caused the person to tell the story to lose all meaning or understanding for feeling emotion, and just feels empty inside, like a hollow shell, void of meaning. Following on with this, at the beginning of the 10th stanza, the person in the story says “it does not matter if he is gone” which tells us that they are trying to get over the person that they have lost, but is ultimately being consumed by their strong emotions of sadness. The use of repetition is linked with the use of similes because one seems to beget the other. Similes are used all throughout the poem, in both the italicized and non-italicized sessions of the poem. Normally following the opening sentence or is a part of the opening sentence, almost every stanza seems to contain a simile that supports the sad themes that come from losing a significant other portrayed in this poem. For example, in the 10th stanza, the poem reads “it does not matter if he is gone if the forest is short one ordinary tree, or if there is laughter missing from the night like one more gap in a row of teeth.” The use of this simile signifies that something is missing, specifically one thing is missing. One ordinary tree, one more gap. The source of this person’s sadness is coming off of the lack of one person, specifically Buck, the person who has been lost at sea while fishing. This person must have had a big impact on this person’s life and has lost all meaning in life without him.





Still a W.I.P

Year 13 - English - Staney Kubrick and Baz Luhrmann

1. How would you characterise Stanley Kubrick's style as a director?
Stanley Kubrick is a film director with a particular sense of style and is known for his use of multiple film techniques throughout his career. He has become a world-renowned director for his very abstract and serious themes in his films, and how he incorporates his film techniques to portray his artistic ideas and views. Kubrick's film often follows the same limited colour palette which reinforces an ominous, uneasy feel. His use of colours, camera shots and music creates aan abstract image.


2. Why would Luhrmann be called the anti-Kubrick?
   
   Luhrmann could be called the anti-Kubrick because the themes and ideas in his films are the opposite of what Kubrick includes in his films. Luhrmann's films quite often include a "Red Curtain" theme, which was coined from Luhrmann himself, is a film that includes a simple narrative in a highly theatric setting. Films like Moulin Rouge! and Romeo and Juliet are good examples of the Red Curtain theme in effect. The simple love story narrative implemented inside of a world of drama and theatrics is a trademark in most of his films. Kubrick, on the other hand, has a film sense that is contrary to Luhrmann. Kubrick's films are generally very serious and abstract, and have a dark underlying theme and have a constant feeling of dread behind them. Kubrick's films like The Shining, with its abstract ideas and serious tones, and Full Metal Jacket, with the film being as serious as can be to stay true to it's setting. Lurhmann's way of directing acts as a polar opposite to Kubrick, earning him the title of anti-Kubrick.

References: 

DuraSpace. (2016). The Auteurism of Baz Luhrmann
Retrieved from https://tamiu-ir.tdl.org/handle/2152.4/93

Year 13 - English - Character Strengths

My top three character strengths were Teamwork, Humour, and Judgement.

Teamwork:
- What is most gratifying to me about being a part of a team?
I am most grateful for the ability and the opportunity to work with a variety of people with different personalities and methods of thinking. It opens up different perspectives on a topic and enables you to come up with creative ideas.

- How do I feel and act if I carry more than my fair share of the weight for the team?
It's not often that you have to do more than you are tasked with. When I have to carry more, I just get the job done and move on.

- How does teamwork extend into your personal life; for example, parenting, family, partner, and friendship?
Being able to work well with other people teaches you valuable people skills which can help in social situations with friends and family.

Humour:
- How do you initiate playfulness, and how does that change from situation to situation?
I normally get to know the person and see how they initiate humour before I start, to avoid potentially offending people. The situation changes when I'm talking to different people who have different tastes and styles, so I like to take note of people's sense of humour to match theirs.

- How do other people express playfulness, and what have I learnt from observing playfulness in others?
The more you talk to someone, the more you start to learn their style and their sense of humour. By observing someone else's sense of humour, I'm able to start conversations and get along with them more efficiently.

- In what situations has humour been a barrier for you connecting with others?
Humour has been a barrier in connecting with others when the person I'm talking to either don't have a keen sense of humour or the situation isn't suitable for humour. Since I try to include humour in a lot of my conversations, being in a situation that doesn't warrant any can be a challenge.

Judgement:
- How do you express judgement/critical thinking to others?
I express judgement/critical thinking when I'm making a decision by weighing all the options and considering all the benefits and consequences, then evaluating which option best suits me.

- When you are trying to make decisions, what leads you to lose perspective of the big picture?
When making decisions, I sometimes get caught up in looking at the benefits, rather than also considering the consequences of my actions, sometimes resulting in a Pyrrhic victory, where the consequences sometimes outweigh the benefits.

- With what people and in what circumstances is it difficult to for you to think rationally without being confused by strong emotions?
Sometimes, making decisions with close friends can make coming to a conclusion a bit difficult because they can either be a distraction and make choosing an outcome difficult, or they can influence my decision and cloud my judgement so I make a decision that might not be what I want.

Year 12 - Making Wider World Links

Making Wider World Links

1. When was this article published?

The article was published on July 29th, 2019 (wow)

2. What are the areas/people most affected?

North Africa, Medirterranean, and the Middle East. 

3. List 4 statistics and/or facts which stand out from this article. Order them from most significant to least.

• “U.N figures suggest that even before Thursday, some 423 migrants had been killed this year attempting to reach the Italian peninsula.”
• “No words are equal to Thursday’s news that some 150 migrants perished in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya.”
• “Around 140 others managed to survive and were rescued by fishermen and members of the Libyan Coast Nations.”
• “More than 70 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes as of 2018 - half of them children - which is more than double the number from 20 years ago.”

(wow)

4. How does this article relate to Children of Men?

Because the article is all about the refugee crisis around the world, just like how in Children of Men they have a huge refugee crisis because all the countries were torn apart.

5. Thinking about this article specifically, explain why is it worthwhile to study the film Children of Men.

Because the content of this article relates very heavily to many of the themes in children of men. Children of Men depicts an extreme version of the current refugee crisis, but also not too far off, because there is a problem in places like America where children and other refugees are being kept in cages. 

Year 12 - English - Unfamiliar Texts

Unfamiliar Texts

• Analyse the language features (break down the sentences, stanzas and structure and identify the language features used.)

• Identify the main ideas (look for the main ideas in the text, compare the ideas to the question, find the ones that are the easiest to answer in context with the questions.)

• Keep the paragraph structure simple and clear (keep the paragraph structure short and simple, introduction, 2-3 paragraphs, conclusion.)

• Answer the question(s) clear (create a statement/theory based on the big idea you have chosen from the text and then answering the question based on the thesis, also using answer structures like SEXXY)

• Explaining the language features (explaining the effect that the language feature(s) have on the audience)

AIKKE

Year 12 English - The Lifestyle Creed

The Lifestyle Creed

What does the word "creed" mean. Where else do we see this word being used?
Creed means: "A system of religious beliefs; a faith."
I see the word "creed" being used in other media, like movies and video games.

Look up any words you don’t know in this poem and then write an original sentence using the word to show that you understand its meaning.
Oleocanthal: A compound found in virgin olive oil. It is the compound responsible for the burning sensation in the back of our throat when you consume olive
Cruciferuos: Relating to or denoting plants of the cabbage.
Annals of Neurology: The Annals of Neurology is a medical journal covering neurology that was published in 2017.
Amyloid plaques: An amyloid plaque is a cell that destroys connections between cells, commonly found in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimers.


Look up the Catholic Nicene Creed. What is it? Look up the words. Compare them to this poem. How are they similar? How are they different?
The Catholic Nicene Creed is a Catholic prayer. The Lifestyle Creed is a re-written version of the Nicene Creed, but with words that relate to the religion replaced with foods that is related to healthy eating. (e.g, "We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of all that is seen and unseen" is replaced with "We believe in brain boosters, vegetables, the Almighty, Makers of low cognitive decline of all that is seen and unseen.")

Why does the author use cut up bits of text? What effect does it have?
The author used different fonts and cut up texts in the poem because she made a collage of the Nicene Creed prayer with her adjustments over where words related to Catholic belief. In relation with the poem, The Lifestyle Creeed is also saying that God is the key to healthy living.

Why does the author use two different font styles? Compare the way they look. Why did the author do this? What do each of the font styles represent?
The author of the poem used two different font styles in her poem because she wanted the poem to look good, and to flow well. The first font looks like it is used when a word relates to the overall theme of healthy eating (e.g, brain boosters, low cognitive, olive oil, enzymes, etc.) which also are the words that have replaced the ones related to religious belief in the Nicene Creed.

Why do you think the author has juxtaposed the Nicene Creed with words such as “brain boosters”, “antioxidants”, and “good cholesterol”? What meaning is she trying to convey? Is this effective? What effect does it have on the reader?
I think that she has replaced religious words with food and chemicals that are healthy for you because the Nicene Creed talks about how God is good for a healthy lifestyle. The Lifestyle Creed simply conveys the same message but replaces words with religious background with healthy food items. This can also be conveyed as that the author of the Lifestyle Creed is saying that believing in a healthy diet is, in a similiar sense, believing in a religion.

What is the overall purpose of the poem?
I think that the overall purpose of the poem The Lifestyle Creed is to convey the message that the key to a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle is God and a healthy diet consisting of food and chemicals that are good for cognitive and brain functions.

What is the overall tone of the poem? I think that there is an overall positive tone in the poem The Lifestyle Creed. I think this because the poem discusses how to achieve a healthy lifestyle by believing in a healthy and nutritious lifestyle. The Lifestyle Creed borrows many of it's features and themes from the Catholic Nicene Creed, which discusses how to achieve a healthly lifestyle by believing in religion, and then linking the two themes together in a positive way.

What ideas do the last two lines suggest?
I think that the two lines at the end allude that following a healthy lifestyle will lead to a healthier future with better cholesterol.

Do I like the poem? Why/Why not?
It's eh.

Year 12 English - Children of Men

Children of Men Discussion Questions

• Appoint a group leader. The leader is responsible for keeping the group on task and completing the activity in the allotted time.

• Appoint a group scribe. The scribe is responsible for recording the group’s answers and sharing the Doc to the rest of the group.

• Discuss the following questions in your group.

Post the shared work on your blogs (everyone needs to post something).

1. What message does this film relay about immigration and xenophobia
   The government in Britain feel that immigrants are terrorists, because they are coming from ruined countries. They want to protect their country from the immigrants as Britain is the only stable country in the world after global corruption.
2. What effect does Cuarón’s use of long takes have in the scenes where this filming technique is used?
   These long shots show baron land, presenting to the audience how ruined and deserted the world really is.
   
3. How plausible is the future world depicted in Children of Men?
   The world probably won’t go infertile unless a new disease breaks out causing this. But there is a possibility of something else occuring which can cause global corruption, like war.
   
4. How has the lack of children changed society?
   The lack of children in society has caused worldwide depression. It has taken the joy out of the world, and it has made people go crazy out of fear of the world ending as soon there will be no people left on Earth.
   
5. What role does religion play in the film?
   Religion wasn’t very prominent in the film. Although it is not very projected in the film, but in the real world it plays a large role. The film hints at some sort of religion as the devil is mention in a few scenes but it doesn’t have a heavy presence.
   
6. Luke is consistently portrayed as the "bad guy" throughout the film. Is he sincerely a bad person? Why or why not?
   Luke isn’t a bad guy, he is just trying to help get the world back to how it was before infertility and corruption. He wants to create an uprising, and so he is doing it in a way that he thinks is suitable.
   
7. How was a totalitarian government able to emerge in the wake of the infertility crisis in Britain?They were able to control immigration because everyone is scared of the end of the world, and therefore they will believe anything the government says. The government calls immigrants terrorists, and so citizens believe they are immigrants too.
   
8. How does Kee develop over the course of the film?
   Kee becomes braver as the film progresses. Her mother instincts kick in, as all she starts to worry about is her baby and her safety. She becomes more trusting of Theo and relies on him compared to when they first met and she was very standoffish towards him. She was more reserved at the start of the film because she didn’t know a lot about pregnancy and so she was afraid.
   
9. How does Theo develop over the course of the film?
   At the start of the film he isn't very compassionate or motivated as he had nothing to live for, as he has lost his parents, his wife and his son. Meeting Kee gave him hope, hope that the world might go back to the way it was. Meeting Kee and helping her get to safety reignites his activist mindset. Seeing two of his loved ones be taken away from him made him want to accomplish his quest with Kee and do it for them.

Year 10 Project Based Learning 2K17

15/11/17

Law and Order

Jack

Jayden

Sophie

Spencer

Topic: Special Needs

People with Special Needs are mentally and/or physically challenged. We want to raise money for Conductive Education Canterbury and we want to raise awareness in the community by promoting equal treatment.

Conductive Education Canterbury: Facebook Page

We're going to help around the Special Needs community around Hornby and make the community aware of the issue, and hope to raise funds for their branch. We plan to make posters and stick them up in local malls and schools to promote them.

15/11/17
Law and Order

Steps needed to achieve the goal.	What will help us achieve this goal?(Enablers)	Possible barriers and how they could be overcome.	Who is responsible for this step?	Date this step will be achieved by.
Pick a date to go visit them and make a step by step plan on what we can do.	Being given permission to leave school grounds during hours.	Being turned down to visiting them during hours Not being able to make a plan of our actions.	Sophie, Jayden, Jack and Spencer to organise when and the plan of action.	16/11/17

 

Steps needed to achieve the goal.Once we have	What will help us achieve this goal?(Enablers)	Possible barriers and how they could be overcome.	Who is responsible for this step?	Date this step will be achieved by.
Once we have received our plan we can act on it and fulfil our promises and make a change in the community.	Once seeing Conductive, we can make a plan and we can act on it. Seeing Conductive will give us ideas and help.	Plan not being properly organised. We will make sure the plan i well thought and get it all done.	Sophie, Jayden, Jack and Spencer	21/11/17

 

Steps needed to achieve the goal.	What will help us achieve this goal?(Enablers)	Possible barriers and how they could be overcome.	Who is responsible for this step?	Date this step will be achieved by.
Talk to the learning centre at Hornby High about local ideas that we can do at school.	Talking to the people in charge of the learning centre Getting ideas on what we could do locally	They aren’t available and we aren’t able to get ideas from them.	Jayden, Jack, Sophie and Spencer	21/11/17

 

Steps needed to achieve the goal.	What will help us achieve this goal?(Enablers)	Possible barriers and how they could be overcome.	Who is responsible for this step?	Date this step will be achieved by.
Designing posters to raise awareness of all the different disabilities that people have and are affected by.	Design posters and place them around the community (with permission) Advertise Raise awareness	Our posters are poorly made and/or don’t spread the message. We are not able to place the posters around the community and we can’t advertise our project	Jack, Jayden, Sophie and Spencer	21/11/17

27/11/17
Last Thursday on the 23rd of November, my group and I went to visit Conductive Education Canterbury (CEC) to talk about upcoming events and what we can do to help them. We came to an agreement how my group and I would go to CEC on Tuesday the 28th and Thursday the 30th and help around for a couple hours so the teacher aides can take a break while we do cover for them. It would be a great experience for us and teach us about how people with disabilities/special needs cope with everyday life. Some children might have verbal issues, though, and not be able to communicate directly and we'll have to read into their actions if they like certain things or not. They might also have unusual tendencies and do stuff that isn't good for them, like hitting themselves. We've just got to keep them occupied so they don't get into the tendencies while we're here. Gotta remember to take lots of pictures so we have evidence of our visit!

29/11/17

My mate Tawiri

Tuesday the 28th, we had our first session with the children of Conductive Education Canterbury. We walked in thinking it would be a long, boring experience that felt more like a chore than an activity, but when we actually got paired with someone, we learnt that it's actually a fun experience. Some kids had lots of energy to run around and to just have fun in general, regardless of their disability. My partner was non-verbal, but we were still able to communicate because he was able to make situations clear with his hands. He was very energetic, he looked like he could just do stuff for days. Lots of the kids were like this. Some, however, had morning tea and then they just crashed. They were asleep for the rest of our session and were very low maintenance. They had an outdoor area they could run around and work in the garden and such, or they could just stay inside and play with the toys provided, it was all there for them.




1/12/17
Thursday the 20th, we returned to Conductive for our second session and help out. We were supervising most of the children rather than supervising a single kid. There were lots of activities for the kids to take part in this time. There was oobleck for the kids to mess around with, they were able to draw and paint on the fence outside using textile dye, still lots toys for them to play with, everything they love was there! It wasn't as good this time because my mate Tawiri wasn't there this time, which was stink. But I was able to learn about the other kids and do stuff with them and revolving around everyone.

11/12/17
My reflection
My group and I researched special needs and disabilities for our PBL project. Our plan was to advertise the challenges of having special needs and to help an education branch near our school. We advertised the subject by hand drawing posters and hanging them up on school grounds. After promoting our issue, we travelled to Conductive Education Canterbury (CEC) to help around with the children (more in depth entries above). We had fun with our project and I really enjoyed it.

I think that we achieved our goals as a group. We stuck to our plan and we enjoyed doing it. I defiantly feel good about our performance and I think it showed during presentation, even if I was absent while we were presenting.

The experience really taught me about the difficulties they have with every day life. And I think that they enjoyed their time with us. Because sometimes, the thing that children need are people to look up to, someone to take note from, even if they'd never use them. It really opened my eyes to the experience, and I was sure it opened their eyes, too. I learnt a lot from these children.

I think we could've expanded our promotion to the public, so people can see how the times have changed and how they accept the special needs as equal. We could've also spend more time with the children, and maybe show them something they can't normally do. But aside from that, I think we finished our project to a high standard while sticking to the plan, and that's something that can stay the same.

Thanks.

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