BP Technology Challenge Attempt 2

Team One's effective parachute drop

Following the failure of our first attempt at this challenge we needed to reflect on what went wrong and how we could improve our method of delivering the egg intact to the trapped miner.

These were some of the teams thoughts:

Team One.



Team Two successfully delivering the goods



Problems: "The bag didn't catch air", "the egg was placed on an angle in the basket", "the egg wasn't cushioned enough".



Improvements to be made: "cushion the egg more and make sure it is held vertical in the cardboard basket", "make a bigger parachute to catch more air."



Team Two

Problems: "The drop was too big and the egg wasn't cushioned properly."



Improvements to be made: "lessen or totally eliminate the drop by using the paper as rope held together with masking tape."



 A couple of days later we had another go with much more success. Both eggs survived completely intact. Both teams agreed that Team Two's method allowed greater accuracy and control in delivering the goods.

BP Technology Challenge Attempt One



Team One ready to release their parachute



Earlier this week we worked together to complete this challenge.



Our team has found a person who is trapped in a mine shaft and is badly in need of some pain killers until further help can arrive. Our team had to design a container which could be dropped 4m but would not allow the medicine bottle (a raw egg) in the container to break when it lands on rocks at the bottom.





Team Two ready to release their egg



We were able to use 4 sheets of A4 photocopy paper, 1m string, 1 A5 sheet of thin card, 1m masking tape, a plastic shopping bag and scissors (for constuction only).



Success was judged on whther the egg was totally intact, cracked or smashed when it is taken from the container at the bottom of the cliff.



The two teams devised different methods for delivering the medicine. Team One used the plastic bag to create a parachute to carry the carefully packaged egg and Team Two used the string and the masking tape to lower the carefully packaged egg as close to the ground as possible before releasing it.


Unfortunately both eggs were smashed on the rocks at the bottom of the mine shaft. Now what?





Old Age

How do you view old age? Two different views are explored by different poets. Describe the view of old age as portrayed in "Old Man Old Man" by UA Fanthorpe and "Warning" by Jenny Joseph, and show how the poets convey their different viewpoints. Use examples from the texts to support your statements.


Show clearly which poem you identify with more and why.

World Rowing Champs 2010

Currently the World Rowing Champs are underway at Lake Karapiro. The spotlight is on New Zealand as viewers around the world follow the progress of their rowing crews. This is a fantastic opportunity to show case New Zealand on the international stage. Unfortunately the event attracted some unwanted publicity even before it had begun. Read this linked article to find out about this negative exposure.
Two thefts mar build up to World Rowing Champs
How do events like this impact on New Zealand? How do such experiences affect the athletes involved?

Write a comment from the viewpoint of either;

• a potential tourist to New Zealand
• a rower from the Austrian rowing team
• a rower  from another competing team 

Giving Children a Say

As a child how often do you feel truly listened to? How important is it for future generations to listen to today's youth? Watch the video of Avora Svitak and decide for yourself.

Kimihia Chess Kids

Congratulations to the Kimihia Chess Team who came second in the regional chess tournament yesterday at Huntly College. There, seven students competed against schools from Huntly, Hamilton and from as far afield as Helensville. Throughout the day each student played seven games of chess from which wins, losses and draws were recorded. At the end of the day the Helensville Team were declared the winners, with Kimihia  second and Huntly College third. This placing entitles Kimihia to send a team of five to the National Chess Finals to be held at Pigeon Mountain Primary School,  Bucklands Beach, Auckland, on Monday 18 October. Well done team!
Play chess on line or find out more about Chess Kids NZ

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

With the term almost at an end, and two weeks of holidays to fill, you could  head to the movies to see Jerry Bruckheimer's, The Sorcerer's Apprentice - an innovative and epic comedy adventure about a sorcerer and his hapless apprentice who are swept into the center of an ancient conflict between good and evil. This Walt Disney Studio production is due to be released in New Zealand on the 16th of September in time for the holiday break.. The movie has had mixed reviews, two of which can be accessed throught he links below:
The ViewLondon Review
The Sun Review UK
Read the two reviews, identify the discrepancies and analyse why these discrepancies may have occurred.

Christchurch Earthquake

The recent major earthquake in Christchuch has caused major disruption to hundreds of people. The media has reported on the disaster throughout the week. Give some thought to the accuracy of this reporting. How are reporters obtaining their information and how accurate is it?

There are many articles to read. Do they all report the same information? Are reporters getting their facts straight? Analyse why discrepancies exist. How does this affect the reader?

This is a link to today's news in the NZ Herald. There are more links below to news reports from around the world. Select two articles and analyse them for inaccuracies and discrepancies. Comment on your findings.

Yahoo news
cnn news
BBC news

Solar Energy and How it Affects You!

Today the five students who were successful in the School Science Fair, visited Genesis Energy for a day of investigation into power generation and solar power. With a finite amount of thermal energy resources available to us, more and more work is being done to investigate viable renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, wave, hydro, geothermal and tidal. With a focus on solar energy we investigated the efficiency of photovoltaic cells and discussed practical applications of solar energy. It's amazing to see the scope for this free, non-polluting, widely available resource - our SUN! Below is a video discussing how solar energy can be harnessed to light the way for people currently reliant on kerosene lamps.

What next? How might these changes impact on the jobs we do in the future?



Many thanks to Schoolgen for this opportunity. You may like to have a look at what Schoolgen are up to within New Zealand and Australia. To find out more visit Schoolgen Website

Team Vs Individual Sports

A couple of you have had a go at persuading me to agree with your opinion but so far I'm not convinced. Have a look at these links and see if you can argue your case more strongly. Read both sides of the argument. Both articles make valid points. Which do you agree with most strongly? If you haven't yet posted a comment see if you can write a more persuasive argument than the others.
Benefits of playing a team sport
Benefits of playing an individual sport

...and next time it's your turn to do the research!

Team Vs Individual Sports

Here is our first topic for discussion...

What do you think? Is it better to play a sport as a team or an individual? Why? You can argue either way but remember to back up your statements with examples and evidence.

Have Your Say...

This term we are looking at persuasive writing and endeavouring to convince others that our own opinions are the right opinions! This is a chance for us to have our say on School, National or even International issues or events! When you state your opinion remember to back it up with good reasoning and even some evidence or research which supports your case.

If you have any good ideas for topics that would make a good discussion point for us then please leave me a comment here!

Waikato Science Fair

Huge congratulations to Ryan, Alasdaire and Corbin who were all awarded places in the Waikato Science Fair. Ryan and Alasdaire won 1st place in Exhibit Class:3 Year 7-8 Physical World for their Speedy Shapes exhibit which tested the aerodynamics of various profiles for truck cabs.

Corbin won 3rd place in Exhibit Class:15 Inventions and Technical Innovations (Open age group) for his Doggone Fast quick release dog lead. This innovation on a conventional lead enabled a dog to be released much more quickly by avoiding the need to bend down and undo the lead from the collar around the dog's neck.

What a fantastic effort boys. It is exciting to think we have budding scientists and inventors in our midst.

WFPA Speech Competition

Congratulations and well done to the three students took part in the Waikato Full Primary Association Speech Competition this evening. You all did brilliantly to once again stand up and deliver your speeches confidently and convincingly, this time in front of complete strangers! The other competitors were of a very high calibre and it was an excellent experience to see just what great public speaking is about. Over the next week take some time to reflect on your own speech and what you can learn from those who did well this evening.

Senior Speech Finals

Today the Senior Speech finals were held at school. Well done to all who took part. You showed great courage standing before your peers, teachers and parents and delivered your speeches confidently. Congratulations to Ryan and Sonya for gaining first place in your levels. The two Year 8 and two Year 7 speakers will be going on to the Waikato Full Primary Speech Competition so don't stop practising!

Waikato Science Fair

Tomorrow fourteen students are heading to Hamilton to participate in the Waikato Science Fair competing with students from all around the Waikato. You have worked hard for this so enjoy the day. Make sure you converse with the judges and answer their questions fully and enthusiastically. Have a good look around the hall at other entries, note any you think stand out and consider why they have grabbed your attention or kept you interested. You may be able to pick up some hints or ideas for your 2011 project. Remember you need to be at school by 8am.Good luck.

WaiMath Quiz Night

Well done to our two WaiMaths teams. You all did well tonight and now we know what to expect for next year. Hopefully the judge's answers will all be correct next year and not so much time will be spent trying to work out the first question! Never mind, we can improve our test technique as well as our problem solving speed. These are things to reflect on and improve! You all represented Kimihia brilliantly, as usual.

On line Assessment

Today we had our first taste of on-line assessment. After a few false starts we completed an assessment of your reading skills, not to mention your initial skills at completing a test on-line! It was impressive that a report was available the instant the test was completed and a great  resource to identify individual learning pathways. Look at your report over the next week and we will discuss what it means for you and your learning the next time we get together. Think about what you can do to achieve the next steps.

School Science Fair

We held our school science fair on July 30 and while it was a difficult decision for our judges the winners were....

1st Place Wipe It Right by Emma

2nd Place Chocolate Wars by Courtney and Courtney

3rd Place Speedy Shapes by Ryan and Alasdaire

WaiMaths

For the first time ever Kimihia School has entered two teams in the WaiMaths Quiz Competition. This is a regional competition where teams of three Year 7 or 8 students compete to answer a variety of Maths questions. Having never competed before we are unsure of what to expect, but we are sure it will be fun. Check the time and location details at the top of our blog.