My favorite writing peice - trip to queenstown

In february 2013 I was in queenstown; on the 6th of that month I was able to go in a speed boat with my family.  I got to drive it and found the water was smooth and shiny.   I  went full throttle and the boat,  when going super fast, lifted up in the water and made ripples on it as it skimmed across the top . The  water sprayed into my face and the wind made my hair go everywhere.  I also went bisecting which was amazing; the waves made you go up and down and made you twist and turn.  The water was nice and refreshing but chilly. The next morning we went out to do fishing and waited for 30 minutes but we got nothing.  Finally we when back to get the kayaks and then we went kayaking.

T4 Week 5

What has made the difference to my learning this year?

Being at a new school and being more focus

What did I find changing throughout the year?

Being focus and the homework

What are my achievements/successes this year?

Being in the 2nd XI and helping the 1st XI for football

What will I take through to year 8?

Being a role model for other people

My wonderings

I have 3 Ideas for writing and these are my wonderings.

My new bike : I just tell you about my race bike here is what is in it , Orange handle bars, carbon fiber frame and more

Why we will win the rugby world cup : Because our team will be at it's best and no team can stop that.

Who is the best player in the all blacks : For me it's Nonu because it has skill he's fast and scores tries .

Reflection Week 1&2 T4

In school this term we have tests in week 4 so we have been doing revision and study on them.

we have 5 tests 2 of them are maths 1 is science and 2 are on social studies.

I have also been doing a piece of wringing called cats should stay.

My Book Review - Bodyguard

I read the book ambush which is part of the Bodyguard series by Chris Bradford. This book is about the charter Conner who is a bodyguard for the rich and famous who need protecting. He is 15, his dad used to do the job but died; he is fast, smart and has good reaction. I enjoyed this book because he goes on all sorts of adventures it has a lot a action in it and I think people who have read the Young samurai books would like it.

My Social Studies Inquiry - 9/11

copy and paste the link :

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12IYMU0DVdlchGlIo8f1mvrqE0NUYIStb8J6CVyB1VFU/edit#slide=id.p

Reflection T3 W8

This week I learnt about instruments, mandarin, how to make a big chicken in pottery and learning my song in drums called rolling in the river and the thing that challenged me was making my robot in tech.

Reflection T3 W6

T3 W6

I learnt some prefixes and some suffixes and about weight and size in technology

The thing that challenge me the most was trying to find the degree on a pie graph but I figured it out myself.

T3 W4

another thing i learnt this week was

2 things i learnt this week was how to find a fraction on a pie chart and another was facts about 911

1 thing that challenged me was doing my speech in front of the class

Speech

Intro

Why should you look at the drum sticks that are important to Mic Fleetwood and Phil Collins? and I am not talking about chicken drumsticks here because Mic and Phil are famous drummers  in bands.

Drum sticks are just as important as the drums because they also have a big part in making the percussion sound.  If you hit say a table with you hand it makes a flat often dull noise; try hitting it with something harder  and it makes a completely different sound and that is exactly what drumsticks do.

Now in this speech I will be telling you about the history of drum sticks, the different materials  use to make them,  and the different drum stick shapes.  

History

First off let me tell you a little bit about the history.  While drum sticks have been around for thousands of years the earliest version of the drum sticks we know now started to appear 1,500 years ago in Asia.  Changes in drum stick manufacture were slow until about  the last 50 years when big advancements have happened

Some of the earliest version of the modern drum sticks were seen from the 12 century.  Both the drums and drum sticks then were made of heavier wood with the drums covered in thick animal skins.   Drums and drumsticks in this period were used in religious ceremonies and to draw peoples attention for special occasions.  They were also used for military purposes to send signals, communicate and keep order when marching.  Drums sticks and drums were one of the most common musical instruments around this period providing entertainment of a basic sort.  Back then drums sticks were pretty rough and heavy.      

Materials

What different materials are drum sticks made of?

They have been making drum sticks out of wood for centuries but now they have come up with lots of different materials like aluminium, carbon and plastic as well as types of wood.  300 years ago heavy woods were used like ebony that gave a loud sound on the heavy drum skins used then so the sound carried a long way.  This is very true for drums used in the Navy or Army of that period that needed to be heard above a lot of noise from fighting.  

Now they can even be made to glow in the dark or light up with tiny lights inside  plastic sticks.  Coloured plastic is used to make a variety of bright coloured sticks that are light and strong.  Most drumsticks are still made of wood, like my own ones which are hickory wood which is straight, strong and light. This wood absorbs the shock of hitting the drums well so makes it easy to use. It produces a nice loud, crisp sound that is pleasing to hear and works with sounds good other musical instruments like guitars.

Types of sticks and tips

While the actual drum sticks have not changed much in shape they now make them with different  types of tips ( the end that contacts with the drum).  

I have drumsticks with 2 different types of material at the end;  wood and nylon.  The  ends also come is all sorts of shapes and sizes.   The nylon tips are a modern invention and have been made since 1958.  They are a lot more durable but wood tips are still being made and used..  

As I have said there are all sorts of different types of sticks, there are some that do not look like sticks and they are called brush sticks  at all.  They look like brushes at the end.  Now you might be wondering how they make a sound well it just like painting something.   It makes a softer swishy type of sound.

Conclusion

Drum sticks are really important because they have been used for 1000  of year with drums to provide entertainment, warning of danger and to send signals.  They have been used in war, religious ceremonies and for entertainment.  Today almost all drums and drum sticks are used for entertainment and just about every band will have some form of drums and drum sticks.  Next time you see a drumstick have a look at what they are made of because the different materials and shape will produce a different sound.

How I think I did on my speech

I did my speech today and I think I did ok I did speak a little fast but it was not under time overall I think that for me I did really good.

Term 3 Week 2

I did not have enough time to do all of my homework because i was on fixture but i could improve by doing it all at the start of the week

1 thing i learnt this week was learning how to do apostrophes

another thing i learnt this week was how to work out a percentage out of New Zealand's population

Ethnic groups of people

Fincube Review

Fincube,  by  Studio Aisslinger

This Fincube is made  Ritten, South Tyrol, Italy. It is made entirely out of wood and one of a kind.

The outside looks really cool with the wood all around it and the inside is nice and light, with clean lines.  Enhanced with big windows allows the surrounding views to bring the nature inside and wilderness to be part of the living space.  The prototype of this small and transportable house is eco friendly being made of natural resources and is not connected to any main source of power.

The concept of the transportable house has a lot of potential from being a holiday home to permanent and opens up a lot of opportunity to place anywhere.

My opinion is that this fincube is a really good idea and I think they should make more around the world.I like how they have laid out the house and they look like a really nice house/cube to live in.

Review T2W7

What I learnt T2W7

ART: In art I learnt how to draw a really cool bird

MATHS: In maths I have been learning how to look at a 3D object but draw it as a 2D object

WRITING: In writing we did a hundred word challenge (check my blog for my latest one)

SOCIAL STUDIES :In social studies we have to do a presentation and our big idea (sustainable design)

DRAMA: In drama I am getting better at learning a dance we have to learn

I still need to improve on everything but I am slowly getting better

T2W7 100 word challenge

T2W7

As I bite into a pineapple lump the chocolate slides in my mouth and the gooey chewy inside gets ripped so I can see the yellow in it I keep biting until it turns soft. Its turns soft and I started sucking it I only have 1 left so I make this one last as long as I can but then I eat all of it so I put in my last one in my mouth I bite into it and unlike the other one it made my tongue tingle then it stopped and I had just realized it had all gone I had ate all of it in 3 chomps of my teeth.

My Inquiry/Big Idea

POWER/ENERGY

What type of power is most energy efficient?

Electricity is the most efficient source of power, for heating and lighting for example.

It is a clean energy source and does not lose any of its power, like coal does when it burns.  However electricity is now a primary power source like wind and solar energy is.  

The most efficient  generator of electricity is hydroelectric such as a dam which can be up to 95% efficient, although initively it is very expensive to build.

Other electricity generating methods are no more the 50% efficient at best, e.g. the best are solar generators.  Nuclear power plants are also very efficient.  

My questions:

1. Can solar energy be used in domestic places?

2. Could you run your whole house on solar energy alone?

3. Where can you put solar panels around your home?

4. Which way should solar panels should be facing?

5. Is electricity the most efficient power source?

6. What is produced by a wind farm?

7. Is an open fire an efficient heater?

8. How expensive is electricity?

Answers:

1. Yes it can be use as electricity and heating of hot water.

2. Yes you can if you are careful with the way you use it.  On cold, wintery days, the water system may not be as hot as it could on a bright day.  If you have alot of people/user this could drain the energy quicker to not last the day.

3. The best place to put your solar panels is on your roof as this is a high point without shade/shadows.

4. Facing North is the best place to capture the Sun.

5. Yes it is as you can tell by reading my review on energy use.

6. Electricity from the blades of the big windmills to capture the wind.

7. No it is not as it pollutes the air however the beauty of an open fire is that is can give ambience to your home which can make you feel warmer.

8. This will depend on your useage and where you source your energy.  For example solar panels will have an initial layout for cost, but long term it will and should pay for itself.  Energy companies have various plans and their rate will be based on this with your use.

100 word challenge

It was a hot summers day at the beach and the sea hissed over the sand. I opened the lid of the picnic basket and smelled the salami and bacon sandwiches,my favourite. I reached in and felt the soft marshmallows squish in my fingers. The lemonade fizzed in the bottle as I lifted it out. It felt cold and slippery to touch. The lemonade popped like candyfloss in my mouth as I drank it.  I took the lid off the container of salt and vinegar chips,my favourite,and crunched on one. It was salty to taste and dissolved on my tongue in seconds.

100 word challenge

It was a blur of red,it rocked past me, it was the flash. The bank robbers did not stand a chance 100, 200, 300 kilometers an hour he sped towards them.  It was only a matter of seconds and he would be on to them, but a ferocious wind followed him and swept past all the cars, breaking all the car windows. The wind was so strong that I was flung off the path. I got up quickly to see him go but there was nothing to see but people's broken glass doors.  I turned and walked home.

My favourite series

My favourite book series:

CONSPIRACY 365

This series is a run from the cops / fighting. This is one of my favourite series because it is a boy who is trying to find his Dads secret but his Dad died and he has one year to find his Dads secret. However he is also getting chased down by the cops and when he does find it he gets lots of money but other people are trying to get it too.

What I learnt T2W4

SCIENCE:

Last week in science i learnt that copper and aluminium are two of the best heat conductors

MATHS:

In maths I learnt about Integer. Integer are not a fraction they are all whole numbers either positive or negative for an example:-

+7--4=+3

HOMEROOM:

In home room we are learning sustainable design/how to make an efficient but not too expensive home.

My 100 Word Challenge

The bird kicked him off the stump. The Lego man took 2 hours to climbed back up to find the bird was still there, he moaned and groaned as he wanted the food. Again kicked off, he went to another stump and 2 hours later reaching the top the same bird was there. The Lego man realised that he had gone around the stump instead of going to a new one. Now very hungry he ran at the food and ate it, the bird did nothing so he kept on eating, and still the bird just stayed still. Lego man then realised that he was boss of the bird now.

3 Things About Me

Hi my name is Daniel I like to play Football, do Mixed Martial Arts and play video games I also love free time because I can do what I want but what I normally do in that free time is read the Young Samurai series by Chris Bradford.