Aboriginal Australians || Social Studies + Writing

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog.

Over the past two days, I have been working on my social studies work, which focuses on Aboriginal Australians. You might be wondering, Who are Aboriginal Australians? Aboriginal Australians are the Indigenous peoples of mainland Australia and Tasmania. They have lived on the continent for over 50,000 years and have rich and diverse cultures, languages, traditions, and histories. Their deep connection to the land, unique customs, and incredible resilience make them an essential part of Australia’s history and identity.

In addition to our social studies class, we were given a writing task as well, which focused on poetry. As part of this task for Titan, I began by learning about haiku poems. I read through a resource that explained the structure and purpose of haikus, which helped me understand how to make one on my own. After that, I explored a document detailing the instructions for blackout poetry, explaining how to create these unique and artistic poems. Finally, I was required to complete a slideshow which I had to make a Dynamite poem.

Overall, these tasks were both challenging and enjoyable, as they helped me to explore several interesting styles of poetry.

For my tasks, here’s what I had to do

 

My Tasks

Social Studies

 

Writing

 

 

Thank you for reading

Shreeya

Bunsen Burner || Science Class

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog.

Today in science, we learned all about the Bunsen burner. In class, we first drew a 2D diagram of a Bunsen burner, which was quite challenging. Next, we had to write a blog post about each part of the Bunsen burner. I hope you enjoy this blog post. Additionally, we will discuss safety when using a Bunsen burner.

 

Flame:

The flame is blue or orange in colour. The orange flame is called the safety flame. Thus is the flame we use when we first light the Bunsen burner. The blue flame is used for experiments. The blue flame is very hot.

Barrel (chimney):

This is the long tube that carries the gas from the base of the Bunsen to the top. It is then turned into a flame.

Air Hole:

The air hole allows air to travel a mix with the gas. When there is more air in the gas, there is a blue flame. When there is less air, the flame will be orange.

Collar:

The collar rotates around the barrel and has the air hole as part of it. When the airhole is fully closed, there is an orange flame. When it is open, the flame starts to change to blue. The collar must be open when you are doing an experiment.

Gas:

The gas we use in a science lab is butane gas. It is the same sort of fuel used in a BBQ or tramping stove. It is a very safe gas; the gas in a Bunsen burner is carried to the Bunsen through the tube, which is also connected to the yellow gas taps on the benches.

Base:

The base keeps the Bunsen upright so that the flame is always going toward the tripod or beaker they are in the experiment.

 

Safety when using a Bunsen burner 

  • Wear safety glasses
  • Long hair needs to be tied back
  • Check the hose for holes

Scientific Lab Equipment || Science Class

 

Test Tube – Used to hold chemicals when conducting experiments.

Measuring Cylinder – Used to measure precise volumes of liquids.

Funnel – Used to pour a liquid from a big container into a smaller one.

Conical Flask – Used for mixing chemicals. Its shape helps prevent spills.

Test Tube Tongs –  Used to hold a test tube when heating over a Bunsen burner.

Dropper – Used to add a liquid drop by drop.

Test Tube Rack – Used to hold more than one test tube.

Scissor Tongs – Used to support and hold various things in the Bunsen Burner.

Tripod – Used to support glassware above a Bunsen Burner.

Bunsen Burner

  1. What is a Bunsen burner? A Bunsen Burner is a device used to combine a flammable gas with air before the gas is torched. The device produces a flame that is hotter than it would be if the gas and air mixture were not controlled. The Bunsen burner is used in laboratories.
  2. Why is it called a Bunsen burner? The Bunsen burner is named after its inventor, Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, a German chemist who lived from 1811 to 1899.
  3. When was it first discovered? It was first discovered in 1855.
  4. Who discovered it? Robert Bunsen discovered it.
  5. Where was it first used? It was first in a laboratory at the Uni of Heidelberg in Germany in 1855. It was developed by rovert bunsen and Peter Desaga.

Relief Activity – Music Class

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog.

Today in music, we had a relief teacher, so we were given some relief work. First, we played a music game where you have to guess different treble clef notes. If you want to try this game, click here. Next, we completed relief tasks. There was a set of slides, and I had to pick a task to finish before the period ended. First, I explored Music Lab, a fun and creative platform to make music. Then, I completed a task called Reggae. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing my reggae task. I hope you enjoy it, and I would appreciate your feedback.

Task

Music Activity

 

That’s all for my blog

Goodbye👋

Shreeya❀

 

 

Safety in the Laboratory || Science Class

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog.

Today, my science class was held in the biology room. Before we began, it was essential for us to understand the materials required and the safety precautions we needed to follow. This helps ensure that everyone stays safe and has a successful learning experience. In this blog post, I will be writing about the importance of safety in the laboratory.

 

‘Safety Tips’

  1. Place your bag under your desk.
  2. Don’t enter a science laboratory without a teacher.
  3. Always wear safety glasses when using fire or chemical mixing.
  4. Walk into a science laboratory. No running.
  5. No eating or drinking in a science laboratory.
  6. Any breakages need to be reported to the teacher.
  7. All glass goes in the ‘Glass Bucket’.

 

Afghanistan to Aotearoa and Skiing in Afghanistan || Social Studies / Literacy

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog. Over the past two weeks, I have been working on a task about refugees. But before I tell you what I’ve learnt, let’s start with a basic question: What exactly is a refugee?

A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country because of war, violence, persecution, or a fear of harm. Refugees cannot safely return home and seek protection in another country. They leave everything behind to find safety, often facing many challenges along the way.

For my task, I really wanted to challenge myself, so I chose the ‘Titan’ level task. My first step was to read two  passages: ‘Afghanistan to Aotearoa’ and ‘Skiing in Afghanistan.’ After reading these, I completed a follow-up activity that helped deepen my understanding. One of the tasks was that I had to summarise passages by focusing on the who, what, when, why, where, and how of each article, and then craft a brief sentence highlighting the key information I gathered.

Next, my task was to create an informative piece of peel paragraph writing that included ‘From Afghanistan to Aotearoa’ and ‘Skiing in Afghanistan.’

These tasks and articles have taught me a lot about the challenges refugees face and the journeys they undertake.

 

Here is a question that I have to answer as part of one of my tasks.

What challenges do people face when they become refugees?

When people become refugees, they often face a range of daunting challenges that can deeply affect their lives and well-being. They may be forced to leave behind their homes, possessions, and even loved ones, thrust into unfamiliar environments where language barriers and cultural differences can make integration difficult. Access to basic necessities such as food, clean water, shelter, and healthcare is often limited, and refugees may experience trauma from both the events that caused them to flee and the uncertainty of their new situation. Discrimination, lack of legal protection, and difficulties finding employment or education opportunities further complicate their ability to rebuild their lives.

Some challenges they can also face are:

  • Loss of home and personal belongings
  • Difficulty accessing basic needs (food, water, shelter)
  • Language and cultural barriers
  • Emotional and psychological trauma
  • Limited job and education opportunities
  • Social discrimination and isolation
  • Uncertain legal status or lack of protection

Thanks, that’s all for my blog post today.

Shreeya

Wet day sports

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog,

Today, due to the rain, we had to adjust our sports activities. During this time, I completed two tasks that I would like to share with you. One task is about tennis, and the other focuses on the tennis player Maria Sharapova.

I hope you enjoy reading about my work.

 

 

Melting and Freezing || Science Class

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog.

Today in science class, we explored the concept of melting and freezing. In this blog post, I’ll share what we learned and help you learn more deeply into this topic. I hope you find it informative and engaging.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

– Understanding Melting and Freezing
– Particle Changes During the Processes
– An Exciting Experiment
– Melting and Freezing Points Explained
– Everyday Examples of Melting and Freezing
– And much more, so stay tuned,

Enjoy

Melting and freezing

Melting

  • A solid changes to a liquid when heat is added. Particles gain energy and move more.

 

Freezing

  • Liquid changes to a solid when heat is removed. Particles lose energy and slow down.

 

Particle changes – Melting

Solid Heats Up

  • Particles in a solid start to vibrate faster as heat is added.

Breaking Free

  • Particles gain enough energy to break from their fixed positions

Becoming liquid

  • The substance turns into a liquid, with particles moving past each other.

Particles changes – Freezing

Liquid Cools Down

  • Particles in a liquid lose energy as heat is removed.

Slowing Down

  • Particles move more slowly and get closer together.

Becoming a Solid

  • Particles lock into place, becoming a solid.

 

Experiment

Hypothesis: I think the salt will make the ice melt faster.

Materials:

  1. 4 ice cubes
  2. 4 beakers
  3. Salt
  4. Sugar
  5. Baking Soda
  6. Sand
  7. Stopwatch

Method:

  • Place the 4 ice cubes in the 4 beakers.
  • Place the salt on one of the ice cubes.
  • Place the sugar on one of the ice cubes.
  • Place the baking soda on one of the ice cubes.
  • Place the sand over one of the ice cubes.
  • Time the speed of melting of the ice cubes.

 

Results

After 2 minutes, the salt was number 1, sugar was number 2, sand was number 3, and baking soda was number 4.

 

5 minutes later –

After 5 minutes, salt is number 1, baking soda is number 2, sand is number 3, and sugar is number 4.

 

Melting and Freezing Points

What are They?

  • Melting point: The temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid.
  • Freezing point: The temperature at which a liquid becomes a solid.

For pure water, both points are 0°C.

 

Everyday Examples

Where do you see melting and freezing?

  • Ice cream melting on a sunny day
  • Water freezes in a puddle overnight
  • Butter melting on hot toast
  • Ice melting in my drink, that’s te whakarewa.
  • Water turning to ice in puddles outside, that’s te whakatio.
  • Chocolate melting in my hand, te whakarewa.

 

Why does this happen?

Melting

Energy and Particles

When heat is added, particles gain energy and move faster. In solids, this extra energy allows them to break free from their fixed positions, causing melting.

 

Freezing

Losing Energy

When a liquid cools down, its particles lose energy and slow down. They get closer together and lock into place, forming a solid.

 

Māori perspective

Māori Knowledge

Traditional Māori knowledge recognises the importance of seasonal changes, including te whakarewa (melting) and te whakatio (freezing), in food gathering and storage.

 

Questions

  • 1. What happens to ice when it melts?

When ice melts, it turns into water (liquid).

  • 2. Why does water turn into ice in the freezer?

When you put water in the freezer, it will turn into ice. The water comes together, forming the water into solid ice.

  • 3. Why do some things melt faster than others?

Some things melt faster than others because of the differences in mass and melting temperature.

 

That’s all for my blog post

I hope you found it informative and interesting

Thanks for reading

Shreeya

 

Gases || Science Class

 

What is a gas

Gases are everywhere!

Gases are a state of matter, like solids and liquids. They are made up of tiny particles that move quickly and spread out to fill any space. Common gases include air, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.

Fun fact: the air we breathe is a mixture of different gases.

Gas vs Liquids

Gas 

Particles are far apart and move freely. Gases spread out to fill any container.

Liquid 

Particles are close and move past each other. Takes the container’s shape, keeps volume.

Gas vs Solid

Gas

No fixed shape or volume. No fixed shape or volume.

Solid

Fixed shape and volume.

Particles are packed closely and vibrate in place.

Where do we find gases?

Gases are all around us, even though we can’t see most of them.

  • In the air we breathe
  • In fizzy drinks
  • In car tyres

In Māori culture, the wind is seen as a life force.

Gases can be dangerous

Cooking – Natural gas is used in many stoves and ovens

Medicine – Oxygen gas helps hospital patients breathe

Science Experiment –  carbon dioxide is used for making bubbles and reactions.

Comparing matter in te ao Māori

He tirohanga Māori

In Māori culture, water is a taonga and changes state in many important ways, such as in rivers, clouds and rain. Understanding these changes helps us care for the environment.

 

 

 

 

Chinese New Zealanders || Social Studies

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog.

For the last two weeks of this term (weeks 1 and 2), I have been learning about Chinese New Zealanders. To start it off, we first had to choose either Ace Pro or Legend of Titan. I picked Titan, knowing that I could do it.

In my social studies class, my tasks were to:
1. Watch a video of Chinese teenagers talking about coming to Aotearoa.
2. Read about Chinese New Zealanders.
3. Complete our follow-up tasks related to the article (Step 2).

We also had to watch a video on how to write a PEEL paragraph. Then, we made a copy of two documents: one document discussed why parents should set a bedtime for their kids, and the second one compared the experience of coming to New Zealand in the past to now in 2025.

After completing both activities, we had to blog about our work.

In this blog post, I will be sharing my social studies work. I will explain what PEEL is and answer the question: Why do people decide to immigrate to Aotearoa?

Enjoy this blog! I hope you find it informative and learn something new today.

 

What is PEEL?

P: Point
  • It introduces the topic of the paragraph and states the main idea or argument clearly and concisely. 
E: Evidence/Example
  • This can include facts, statistics, quotes, or specific examples to prove the point. 
E: Explanation
  • It demonstrates your understanding and shows the reasoning behind your argument. 
L: Link
  • It either summarises the point, connects it back to the essay’s thesis, or provides a smooth transition to the next paragraph. 

 

Social Studies

This is my social studies task – Copy of Titan

 

Question

Why do people decide to immigrate to Aotearoa?

People decide to immigrate to Aotearoa for various reasons, but a common reason is the pursuit of better economic opportunities. New Zealand has a strong economy with a demand for skilled workers in sectors such as technology, healthcare, and agriculture, attracting immigrants looking for stable employment. Additionally, the country offers a high quality of life, including a robust healthcare system, excellent education, and a safe environment, which appeals to families seeking a better future for their children. Cultural diversity is also a significant draw, as Aotearoa embraces multiculturalism, allowing immigrants to maintain their traditions while integrating into society. Furthermore, many individuals relocate to escape political instability, persecution, or adverse living conditions in their home countries, finding in New Zealand a welcoming and peaceful environment. Overall, the combination of economic prospects, quality of life, and cultural acceptance makes Aotearoa an attractive destination for many immigrants.

 

That’s all for my blog

Thanks,

Shreeya