Game Development | DTE

This term for DTE we learned more about robotics and game development. Our main project for this term was to develop a game of some sort to present at the end of the term. We first researched sites that we could program and develop a game on. Some of the sites that we found were the Makey Makey site, Gamefroot and Scratch. 

We used the Makey Makey site to search for some ideas of games that we could do and we looked at Gamefroot and Scratch as possible sites that we could program our game in. Our first idea was inspired by the dinosaur game. We named it Witching hour, we started planning during October so our theme was Halloween. We planned our characters, their purpose and what their role is.

Unfortunately, this idea did not work out due to the limited amount of time we had. Our original plan was to develop this game in Scratch but luckily our amazing teacher suggested that we develop a game in Gamefroot. So we planned a new game once again. 

The name of our second plan is Hypogeal, it is set in an apocalyptic world, where the objective of the game was to go through the terrain and get out underground hence the name, Hypogeal. 

Reflection:

We manage to finish our game on the second-to-last week of school. We then got to present our game to year 6 students that came to tour our school. All in all, I think we did a good job creating our game, everyone did a fair amount of work and our outcome was satisfactory. There were some difficulties with the programming and there are some things that we could've improved on. 

House Fires and Fire Safety

1. How do bush fires start and how has climate change made them more common?

    Bush fires start with people when they leave something - human negligence 

    Bush fires may start due to extreme heat and natural causes such as lightning 

2. What are 3 ways you could fireproof your house if you lived in an area likely to get bush fires?

    01. Fire-resistant glass for the Windows

    02. Invest in a Fire Extinguisher

    03. Gypsum Boards

    

3. When something burns it combusts, what is the difference between complete and incomplete combustion?

    Complete combustion produces both carbon dioxide and water whereas, incomplete combustion produces water, carbon monoxide and carbon instead of carbon dioxide. 

Earthquakes and Tsunamis | Science

Today for science we did a presentation on Earthquakes and Tsunamis, for the presentation I used Biteable. I learned how buildings can be earthquake-proofed and different waves earthquakes can release. I also learned more about how tsunami warnings are carried off. 

Volcanoes and Tsunamis on Biteable.

Essay Planning | English

Shooting the Apple - Hope and Rebellion 

Techniques: Music, Lighting, Colour, Angles/Shots/Movement, Costume

    - Diegetic Sound 

    - Katniss - dark, dim, artificial - grey, black, blues - match peers 

    - Seneca - vibrant, bright - colour variety - pink - more privileged/individuals 

    - Costume - katniss - training suit, tributes all look the same

    - Capitol - individuals - all different, over the top, extravagant

    - Close-ups - see the reactions, Katniss - pensive, shocked 

    - High angle - once Katniss shoots the apple, makes her look weak and vulnerable

    - Atmosphere - tension, Katniss comes out the standout, someone to watch out for. 

Change of Rules - Struggle for Power 

Techniques: Music, Lighting, Colour, Angles/Shots/Movement, Costume

    - Music - minor, slow, dramatic - building tension, emotional intensity as music gets louder. 

    - Lighting/Colour - bright, natural, warm, green, black, greys, shadowed - rising of the sun - new day - new victor.

    - Costumes - not important 

    - Angles/Shots/Movement - high angle, Senica has power according to the camera but the dialogue "Stop!' contradicts that. 

    - Close-ups - emphasize emotions - defiance, the stubbornness of Katniss - Struggle for Power

    - Katniss won't let them have one victor 

    - Peeta won't let them change him

    - Atmosphere - happy because Katniss and Peeta took back control if they died then, then they died on their own terms, didn't lose their humanity.

aspect = technique

• Camera Shots/Angles/movement 

• Colour/Lightning 

• Costume

• Music 

• Atmosphere 

• Dialogue

• Symbols 

• Props 

Reaping Scene - Close-ups, Costume, Music, Lighting 

Task 2: 1-2 Sentences explaining what happened in the scene 

T - Tittle 

A - Author/Director 

K - Key Ideas/Aspect 

O - Outline 

Ex. - Intro  

In the film ‘The Hunger Games’ directed by Gary Ross, techniques are used to engage the viewer and tell the story. In the scene [INSERT YOUR SCENE] film aspects such as [TECHNIQUE 1], [TECHNIQUE 2], [TECHNIQUE 3] and [TECHNIQUE 4] are impactful in creating the mood and atmosphere.

Volcanic Eruption | Science

For the past few weeks in science, we have been working on making a volcano for our experiment. Our experiment was to create a replica of a Volcanic Eruption using Hydrogen Peroxide and Potassium Permanganate. 

Our volcano is similar to the Taal Volcano in the Philippines, it is a caldera type of volcano and is currently active as of now. The types of rocks that can be found around the volcano are Olivine Basalt (a type of mineral) and Andesite. 

Credit: Volcano Diagrams 

Plan: 

To make our volcano, we first decided which type of volcano we would make, a normal dome volcano or a volcano which shows the inside, similar to the diagram above. We first made a border to draw what it would look like inside the volcano, then we started creating the inside by using scrunched up newspaper. We then used some strips of newspaper and glue to smoothen the top. After leaving it to dry, we then painted it. 

Elephant's Toothpaste

To replicate a volcano's reaction we did the elephant's toothpaste experiment. Using Hydrogen Peroxide, Potassium Permanganate Crystals and some detergent we made elephant's toothpaste.

We first tested it out to see if it would work, it worked, but we weren't so sure if the reaction was strong enough. So we tried soaking the crystals in warm water, next adding 1-2 drops of detergent, then immediately adding in the hydrogen peroxide. This made a reaction better than the previous one, so we used this method. 

Aftermath

Please excuse the audio. 

Treaties | Social Studies

This term for Social Studies we are studying the Treaty of Waitangi, this week we researched some treaties to compare to the Treaty of Waitangi. I chose to compare the ANZUS Treaty and made a Prezi on it.

Links - Bibliography 

https://www.britannica.com/event/ANZUS-Pact

https://nzhistory.govt.nz/anzus-comes-into-force

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1945-1952/anzus

https://theconversation.com/anzus-at-70-together-for-decades-us-australia-new-zealand-now-face-different-challenges-from-china-163546

https://archives.govt.nz/discover-our-stories/the-treaty-of-waitangi

Workshop #6 : SEXXXY Paragraphs | English

Scene - "They Don't Own Me" 

Brainstorm:

• Angles/Movement/Shots
• Music
• Lighting/Colour
• Settings
• Costumes/Make-up 
• Characters
• Theme - Rich vs Poor, Hope and Rebellion, Struggle for Power 

What happened

    - Peeta and Katniss are having a conversation about how the games might affect them. 

Angles/Movement/Shots 

    - Over the shoulder - shows speaker, puts us in listeners P.O.V makes us part of the conversation.

    - Close-up - shows the emotion of the two - nervous, anxious. mostly Peeta.

Lighting/Colour 

    - Mood - sad, gloomy - greys, darks, blacks, dim lighting - works with c/u to highlight emotions of faces.

Character/Dialogue 

    - "I don't want them to change me"

    - "I don't wanna be another piece in their game"

    - "If I'm gonna die, I still wanna be me"

Atmosphere - 

• Foreboding
• Reluctant 
• Hesitant 
• Nervous

    - Lighting and Colour (p.2)

    - Dialouge (p.1)

    - Close-up (p.3)

SEXXXY Paragraph:

In the scene 'They don't own me', dialogue is used to create a foreboding atmosphere. Katniss and Peeta are having a conversation about how the upcoming games might affect them. This is demonstrated by the quotes "I don't want them to change me", and "If I'm gonna die, I still wanna be me" spoken by Peeta. These show that Peeta has a sense that he is going to have to do things that he doesn't want to have to do like kill others. This makes the audience feel sorry for Peeta because he is likely going to die to kill others to stay alive. The director did this to make us believe Peeta will die early and that being a tribute isn't something to celebrate but a loss of personal autonomy. This worked well with the dark colours of black and greys which add to the foreboding atmosphere. This aspect can be contrasted to when Peeta joins the Career Pack once in the games because they are cold-hearted killers which is what Peeta didn't want to be. 

Characters Strengths | English

Following the settings blog post we started learning about how characters are developed in a film. 

1. Identify characters strengths in Katniss, Peeta and a character of your choice.

Include:

• How is the character strength portrayed in the story?
• Why is it an important character strength 

Passion Project Reflection | Wānanga

For the past few weeks, we have been doing our passion projects. This was a time where we would focus on things/topics that we are passionate about, we could do a project of our choice of a project that is offered by a teacher. I chose to do a project on Forensic Science which was run by a teacher. Passion Projects ran from late Term 3 till week 2 of Term 4, over that time period we had the time to research, learn and create something to share, after that we had to do a reflection of what we did.

What did you do for your project?

• I did research on different types of techniques used in Forensic Science. 
• Studied different types of blood spatter.

What did you find hard about this?

• I found it hard to find something to study because there are a lot of topics but only a short period of time.
• We didn't have the tools to do the experiments we wanted to do so we had to change our plans and do something that we could do in a week. 

What is the most important thing that I learned during the passion projects?

• I learned about something that I was interested in and something that I think I would use in my further studies.

Here is a little presentation I created to show what we did for the project.

Workshop #5 : Music | English

Tempo - speed of the music - fast/slow/moderate

Dynamics - volume - how loud or quiet it is

Key - major - happy sound, minor - sad sound 

Rue's Death : How is music used to create an atmosphere - Depressing/Sad/Mournful

Minor, tempo - slow, dynamics - quiet, gets louder as Katniss raises her salute and District 11 riots. 

What happened?

    - Rue is killed, Katniss tries to give her body the closest to a burial that she can. 

Colour/Lightning 

    - white flowers (stands out) - innocent and pure (symbol) - Rue has never killed anyone, kind, compassionate, victim.

    -  natural lighting, greens. 

Shots/Angles 

    - medium close-up - Rue and Katniss - see their emotions and facial expressions - anguish 

    - high angle - weak and vulnerable - Rue is an innocent and blameless victim.

Effect of Viewer 

    - atmosphere of remorse/intense sadness, as the volume increases it builds the intensity of the emotions - we see emotions are contagious - hope. 

Directors Purpose 

    - feel Katniss's emotions at that moment - remorse, anger, helplessness, acceptance, rebellion 

    - Symbol of the 3 finger salute is a sign of defiance and anger towards the game makers. - you will not take my humanity, also a symbol of unification with those who have lost loved ones to the games.  

Paragraph: 

Music is used to create an atmosphere of sorrow and remorse in Rue's death scene. In this scene we see Katniss dealing with the slaughter of her young friend Rue. For example, the tempo is slow, the dynamics are quiet and the key is minor to reflect the emotional rollercoaster that Katniss is experiencing. Like the music, Katniss moves slowly and methodically to cover Rue's body in white flowers. As she finishes, the music builds in volume, showing the increasing intensity of her anger and grief towards the Capitol. This makes us understand the pain experienced by the families of the tributes when they are killed each year. This was done to enable the viewer to feel the characters' emotions. This worked well with the use of white flowers to symbolise Rue's innocence and purity and the high angle shot making her weak and vulnerable. Combined with other music we are shown that Rue is a victim of the cruelty of the Capitol. 

Settings | English

What am I learning?

• I am learning to understand the importance of setting to a film.

How does this work show my learning?

• I have created a digital poster to show the important settings that were shown in the movie. 

What am I wondering as a result of this learning? 

• I am not wondering anything as of now. 

Workshop #4 | English

Atmosphere - feeling/mad set in the scene. 

Mood - the way we feel/emotional response 

Location - the area it is set. 

1. District 12 

    

What is happening - Katniss is jogging through the District 

Types of colour/lighting - 

    cold colours - more grey undertones

    dull colours - nothing stands out - blue/grey shades 

    natural colours - palette - greens, browns, grey, black 

    Lighting - cold, dull, natural 

Viewer effect - not welcoming, unpleasant, run-down, dirty, poor 

Directors purpose - shows how unpleasant it is to live in the districts, underprivileged, a good comparison for Capitol.

Other Techniques - setting - dirt roads, houses derelict, old-fashioned transport- wagons, no electricity.

2. The Capitol 

What is happening - The citizens of the capital are awaiting the arrival of the tributes. 

Types of colour/lighting 

- colours  

    cold - white undertone 

- lighting 

    cold (white) artificial, bright 

- palette 

    setting - white/metallics 

    costumes - bright, vibrant, colourful  

Viewer effect - these people are privileged, they are celebrating, they are more advanced.

Directors Purpose - makes us sympathise with the tribute - they have lots and the districts have none, don't like them because they seem over the top and arrogant. 

Other Techniques - 

-costume 

    rich, extravagant, flaunting, over the top 

- settings 

    rich, modern, technologically advanced, clean, new. 

3. The Control Room 

What is happening - People are manipulating the arena via computer.  

Types of colour/lighting 

- colour palette 

    blue/white/dark grey

- colour 

    cold (blue/white) bright - especially white shirt, artificial lighting/colour - cyan/holographic 

Viewer effect - make us feel they are smart but unsafe, 

Directors Purpose - make us feel like they are mindless drones detached from reality 

Other Techniques - 

costume - white lab coats - feels like an experiment

settings - no clutter, lots of techs, only focused on the job. 

Ōtautahi | Social Studies

For the last weeks of the term, we have been learning about Canterbury/Ōtautahi, the history, the places and their significance. Our task was to answer some questions and create a presentation about them. 

 

Reflection:

I think I did a very good job in completing my work, although I didn't finish in the time I expected to finish. I think I can do better next time. 

Workshop 3: Costume | English

1. The Reaping Scene - District 12 

• The children of the district have gathered together for the reaping to select the tributes. 
• Boys: shirts, buttoned collars, shorts, pants, white, colourless, faded, dull, overwashed. 
• Girls: dresses, shirts and skirts.
• Best clothes, probably worn once a year, worn out, colourless, faded. 
• Viewer Effect: we feel sorry for the people, they seem powerless, they live in poor conditions. 
• Directors Purpose: shows us how bad their conditions are, wants us to see them as weak, unprepared, hopeless. 
• Other Techniques: high angle with the faded coloured makes them seem weak, vulnerable, helpless. 

2. The Capitol - Arriving in the city. 

• Katniss and Peeta have arrived by Train in the Capitol.
• The clothes are extravagant!
  
• over the top
• colourful
• vibrant 
• accessories - hats/earrings/make-up/wigs/shoes/bags/dogs
• new - like only worn once, 'fashionable', access to good quality fabrics patterns. 
• Viewer Effect: makes them seem higher rank, privilege, relaxed, we don't like them - an attitude of entitlement, clueless 
• Directors Purpose: shows themes of imbalance of power and rich vs poor. 
• Other Techniques: the setting is crowded, people are happy, buildings are modern, big, well-kept. - Shows that Capitol is privileged 

3. The Countdown - Cornucopia 

• The tributes have just arrived n the arena and are waiting to start the games. 
• Costumes: survival gear, browns, black, dark colours, jackets, pants, t-shirts.
• Designed to look good, to be practical, lightweight. 
• Viewer effect: the tributes looked prepared, fit, athletic. 
• Director Purpose: they are going to die, the outfits are just for the audience (the Capitols) makes it seem more pageant like.
• Other Technique: silence - worried excited to see what happens, anxious, builds tension, makes the audience focus.

Analysing the Plot | English

What am I learning?

• I am learning how to analyse the plot of the film.  

How does this work show my learning?

• I made a Prezi show my understanding of how the plot progresses. 

What am I wondering as a result of this learning? 

• How are camera angles used in the film to create a particular atmosphere? 

MRS GREN | Science

During science, we learned about the 7 life processes, a short name for it is Mrs Gren, each letter stands for a life process. In class we each individually wrote a living thing, we then put it in a box and each picked a paper out of the box. I chose a cow, so I had to create something that presents how a cow goes through the 7 processes of life.

Workshop 2: Angles, Movement & Shots | English

Brainstorm

  - The Reaping Scene

• Katniss volunteers as a tribute when her sister was chosen.
• The children/parents of the district giving the three-finger salute. 
• Peeta is chosen as the other tribute. 

Hope and Rebellion 

• 3 Fingered Salute
  - it's a sign of respect for Katniss from the people of her district. 
  - Katniss is a symbol of hope for a district victor.
  - Katniss is a symbol of rebellion because she steps in for her sister when no one else would. 

Rich vs Poor  

⟶ Symbol - Effie Trinket - extreme, make-up, wig, hat, overly colourful and flashy outfit, proper accent. 

• Technology - Use of blood readers/scanners, projectors. 
• District 12 
  - Children's outfits for reaping are their best clothes, dresses, shirts - collared, boys - shorts or pants, colours of their clothes are very faded from washes and reusing. 
  - The village is falling down around them. '

Angles

• Close-Up - Faces 
• Primrose when reaped - Terror, Fear
• Effie - joyful, confident, excited - close of lips when reading names
• Katniss - panics when Prim is reaped, shock when she stands with Effie.
• Peeta - fear, panic, shock.
• Shallows Focus 
• The people in the background are in shallow focus when Prim Katniss hug. This forces the viewer to watch the characters in focus. 

Viewer Feel 

• Sorry for tributes 
• Primrose - it was her first she has been reaped.
• Katniss - she volunteered, a selfless act. 
• Anger towards the Capitol for the reaping. 
• We consider Effie is annoying, happy, stuck-up, clueless. 

Directors Purpose 

• need to be invested in their journey/suffering
• need to be angry at Capitol so that ew judge them and their decisions later. 
• Effie is depicted as a symbol of people in the District who are clueless - don't see the suffering

Music 

• Starts as we move to pick the boys.
• Minor key, tempo - slower, dynamic.
• Starts quiet then gets louder to build intensity.
• Mood - Tension, morose

Lighting

• Bright, Grey, Natural, Cold 
• Mood - sad, depressed, 

Colour 

• Dull, cold, palette - grey, white, blue, faded, washed out 
• Atmosphere - despair, sorry for the people, poverty, rundown 

Facial expressions are dull, bland and sad matching the lighting and colour.

Drugs Assessment | Health

For the past few weeks in Health, we have been learning more about drugs, our learning objective was to understand what the influences and consequences of drug use are. After finishing most of the activities on the slide we were required to do a research assessment on a drug of our choice. 

We had to include the influences and consequences an individual might have when they have taken drugs. 

Theme Guide | English

Following the theme and ideas workshop, we had to create something that shows our understanding of the themes and ideas that were portrayed in the film. I chose to create a theme guide. 

- What am I learning?
   I am learning how to analyse the themes and ideas of a film.

- How does this work show my learning?
  I created a theme guide to show my understanding of the themes and ideas of the film Hunger Games. 

- What am I wondering as a result of this learning? 
   I am wondering why these kinds of themes were used in this film. 

Themes and Ideas | English

Rich vs Poor - some people have more 

- more money 

- privileges/respect

- food-variety

- resources

- proper housing 

- advanced technology

- miraculous medicines

- good transport

- variety of clothing/make-up 

- childhoods 

Hope and Rebellion 

- hope is the belief that something will get better

- to fight against something, protest, uprise, usually against government 

- symbols of hope: Katniss, Melodic, Motive, Mocking Jay, Three Finger Salute

Struggle for Power 

- Currently, the Capitol has power: President Snow 

- Katniss becomes a rival for power - people look up to her for guidance, she becomes a threat because Snow sees her as one. 

- 'Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous.'

Fear - the people are afraid of rebelling because the last time they tried they failed and they were punished with the Hunger Games. 

Little Hope - becoming a victor 

Dangerous Hope - that the districts deserve to be treated better

Power Of Propaganda 

- information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote the political cause or point of view. 

    - It's not worth rebelling 

    - The Capitol is stronger.

    - Things are good the way they are. 

Peacekeepers

Victor

The Fallen 

Tribute 

Propaganda  people to keep peace and help you.  Glorious Wealthy  Respected  people who die in the games takes away from the reality two brave young people

Reality  Soldiers Violent Keeps people inline  Looks like Storm Troopers Violent To win 23 other has to die Trauma  teenagers who have been killed/murdered sacrifice, punishment to the districts

Rich vs Poor : 

- people in the Capitol vs people in the districts.

- compare opening shot in District 12 vs Peta looking out the window at the Capitol.

- District 12: Poor 

        - houses, rundown wooden 

        - food - very little, see an old man picking at bones 

        - clothing - a pair of good clothes, rest of clothes are worn out, old, grey/black, colours are faded -                                  easier to not show coal dust.

- Capitol 

        - house - large, concrete, metals, accents gold/silver

        - food - a variety of choices, don't have the same things - excess 

        - clothing - fancy, suits, extravagant, fashion, extreme, excess 

Hope & Rebellion : 

- Conversation between President Snow and Senica Crain 

- Conversation between Hamich and Senica - 'Give them something to root for, young love'. 

Struggle for Power :

- Katniss and Peta threatening to eat the berries 

- Death of Rue = riot in District 11 

Power of Propaganda 

- subtle 

- Hunger Games film strip

I volunteer as Tribute 

• Volunteered as a tribute for her sister.
• She has become one of the Brave people
• She protected her sister.