Summer Learning Journey 2018-2019 l Week 3 l Day 4 - Activity 1 - 2

Hey, lovelies welcome to another post, it is almost 2019 and the new year. I am excited to start school again, I am also excited for the new year to start. Well, I hope you enjoy and learn something!

WEEK 3: Up, Up and Away

DAY 4: Like a Scene Out of a Movie

Activity 1: The Southern Lights [4 points]

Once in a while, a very special event takes place in New Zealand. It is a show of beautiful, bright lights that appear in the sky over the South Island. The lights are called the ‘Aurora Australis’ or ‘Southern Lights.’ They are similar to the ‘Northern Lights’ that are often seen in places like Northern Canada, Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. The southern and northern lights are so stunning that they often leave people, who are watching them, speechless.

For this activity, you are to write a short acrostic word poem about the beautiful lights. Hazel has written an acrostic poem about summer to give you an example.

S - Sun outside,

U - Umbrellas in the sand.

M -  My friends and I, having fun,

M - Making sandcastles,

E - Enjoying ice cream on a hot day,

R - Racing to the beach!

On your blog, use the word ‘LIGHTS’ to write an acrostic poem about the Southern Lights. Be as creative as you can!

For more information and examples of acrostic poems, check out this poetry website.

L - Lovely colours,

I - Igniting the sky,

G - Glamorous twinkling,

H - Hypnotic stars,

T - Tantalizing view that can bring you in to,

S - Something traumatizing.     

Activity 2: The Seven Sisters [4 points]

In the middle of winter, a very special cluster (group) of stars appear in the sky over New Zealand. This cluster is called the ‘Matariki star cluster.’ It re-appears in the sky each May/June and signals the start of the Māori New Year. Many songs (waiata) and stories have been written about the cluster. One of these is called ‘The Seven Stars of Matariki.’ It was written by a New Zealander named Toni Rolleston-Cummins. She is from Maketu. Click here to listen to Toni read her story.

On your blog, write a short summary of the book. What was it about? Try to summarise the story in 6-8 sentences.   

I really liked the story, for me, the story showed me how to trust people, be careful of people you trust and responsibilities. The story was mainly about Mitai, I really liked him since he was cautious in people he trusts. Because in the book he had brothers and when they were hunting they met this beautiful Wahine's (women) and they fell in love with them. But throughout the book the wahine's only used them for food and chores, soon Mitai's brothers were weak and they were very skinny.  One day Mitai's older brother came home early from fishing he noticed that his wife wasn't at home. So his brother had asked the wahine wee she was and she grew with rage. Mitai had grown suspicious and asked advice from Te Rawhara.

Te Rawhara had told Mitai a story and he agreed that the wahine must certainly be Patupaiarehe. The Patupaiarehe use to live on Pukemairi until our people came. He told Mitai to follow where they went, so he did and watched them for hours. He was about to give up but he noticed six Tiwaika sitting next to his brother's whare. Then a seventh fly out of the whare to join the others, Mitai transformed himself into a Kereru and followed the birds to the maunga of Ngongotaha, he perched on a tree. The Tiwaika soon transformed into the wahines and they discussed starving Mitai's brothers to death. Mitai quickly returned to his village and warned his brothers of their wive's terrible plan.

At first, they didn't believe him but when Mitai asked them to look at each other and knew that he was right. They went to Te Rawhara to seek help, so he helped, he gave them a magical net he had woven that can catch the Patupaiarehe. So what they did was they hid and when they came out of the Whare they caught them and sent them to the farthest part of the heavens.