Activity 1: The Southern Lights
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!
Lucent
Inpressive
Glistering
Hot
Translucent
Shimmering
Activity 2: The Seven Sisters
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.
It Was About A Boy Called Mitai Who Is Basically Maui. One Day They Go Hunting Had Find The Seven Sisters Who Each Had Long Flowing Golden Hair. One Day The Oldest Brother Came Home From Fishing And Called For His Wife But She Was No Where To Be Found. One Morning He His Behind A Tree Of His Oldest Brothers House And Waited And Waited. He Almost Gave Up When He Noticed Six Bird Sitting Next To The House. When He Saw The 7th Fly Out He Was Super Excited. He Made Him Self Into A Bird And Followed The 7 Birds.
Bonus Activity: Crazy, Cool Clouds
Have you ever looked up into the sky and seen a cloud that had a really cool shape? I certainly have, and so have dozens of other people. Take a look at the three pictures of crazy, cool cloud formations below.
From left to right: Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3
Clouds are formed when small drops of water stick together. To learn more about clouds and how they are formed, you can watch this cool video. Once you have learned about clouds, please choose your favourite cloud picture.
My Favorite One Is The One That Looks A Bit Like A Tornado
Good morning Nici,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on completing another days worth of activities! :)
You've used some great vocabulary in your acrostic poem Nici. 'Shimmering' is a wonderful word to describe the Northern and Southern lights. Have you seen them before? I haven't but I'd really like to.
I haven't read that particular book but, from your summary, it sounds like an interesting story. Matariki always reminds me of an art project I did with one of the classes I taught around the Māori New Year. Do you do anything at your school to celebrate Matariki?
The second cloud does look like a tornado, doesn't it? I like the one that looks like a moustache. Do you ever lie back in the grass and look up at the clouds? My siblings and I used to do that all the time when we were younger, trying to spot crazy shapes in them.
Kia pai to rā Nici (have a good day).
Mikey :)