Kapalama Campus Fifth Grade

Aloha and Welcome to our Blog!

I know that good communication between school and home is vital to the success of each student so, please feel free to e-mail me with your questions, comments, or concerns by clicking on the convenient “comments” link right underneath this message.

The students enjoy being haumana here at Kamehameha and as we learn and grow together we know we will be able to…

“Ho`olale i ka`ai a ka u`i!”
Show what youth can do!

Imua e na pua a Pauahi!

Mahalo nui for visiting,

Andrew Chung

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from those three worlds. Since then its scope has become ever broader.

The annual conference now brings together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).

Mission of TED: Spreading ideas.
We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and ultimately, the world. So we’re building here a clearinghouse that offers free knowledge and inspiration from the world’s most inspired thinkers, and also a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other.

Today, TED is therefore best thought of as a global community. It’s a community welcoming people from every discipline and culture who have just two things in common: they seek a deeper understanding of the world, and they hope to turn that understanding into a better future for us all.

*Summarize the video that you watched.
(Remember, the reader has no background knowledge of the video)

*What are the points the speaker is trying to get across.

*Give your opinion of the video. (Make connections with prior knowledge, your life, other subjects, etc.)

*Would you recommend this video to your class?

*What things did you learn from Mr. Hannah’s presentation that left a lasting impression?

*After listening to Mr. Hannahs’s presentation, what do you think our kuleana as Hawaiians is?

*What do you think is your personal kuleana now and in your future?

*Do you have any questions? (optional)

Jared Diamond was born of Polish-Jewish heritage to a physician father and a teacher/musician/linguist mother. After attending the Roxbury Latin School, he earned an A.B. degree from Harvard College in 1958 and his Ph.D. in physiology and membrane biophysics from Cambridge University in 1961.

In Diamond’s best-known work, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Guns, Germs, and Steel (1998), Diamond’s quest is to explain why Eurasian civilizations, as a whole, have survived and conquered other peoples. He identifies the introduction and proliferation (spread) of agriculture and technology as important developments in creating powerful states. Diamond argues that the gaps in power and technology between human societies do not reflect cultural or racial differences, but rather originate in environmental and geographical differences such as the most productive crops and farm animals.

What did you learn from studying Guns, Germs, and Steel that you did not know before?

Do you agree with Jared Diamond’s arguments? Why or why not? Make connections with your previous knowledge of our world.

Do you think it is a good or bad idea that a President of the United States addresses the children. Why or why not?

What are two things that President Obama said that stood out for you. Why? Make connections with your own thoughts and life experiences.

Do you think it was a good speech? Why or why not?

Janell Cannon is a published author and an illustrator of children’s books. Self-taught artist and writer Janell Cannon has always admired animals, especially creatures that have been misunderstood or neglected. Her love of bats, spiders, Komodo dragons, and snakes inspired her work at a public library, where she developed award-winning summer reading programs about these unusual animals.

Listening to Janelle Cannon, what type of person do you think she is?

What makes her a good author?

What did you learn today that could help you in your future?

Around AD 500, Hawai‘i was settled by the Polynesians and around AD 1000 Aotearoa (New Zealand) was settled as well. The migration of the Polynesians is impressive considering that the islands settled by them are spread out over great distances—the Pacific Ocean covers nearly a half of the Earth’s surface area.

Today, Dr. Kepa discussed many interesting topics with our classes, focusing on knowledge systems of the Pacific Islands. What stood out for you in his talk? (For example, Capt. Cook, Tahitian wayfinders, mo‘olelo, Polynesian voyaging, etc.)

How will learning what you did today influence your thoughts about legends and traditional knowledge? How can you apply this knowledge to your life?

Open House

It was a sincere pleasure meeting all of you at Open House. Your concern and love for your child touched my heart and reinforced my desire to do my best for the students.

While driving to school today, I was thinking of how much I love my job. I look forward to stepping into my classroom every morning, and during the day I never watch the clock to see if it is time to go home. In fact, I wish the day was longer. No matter how carefully I plan, I never know what to expect at the start of each day which makes my job very exciting.

I look forward to another fun week of learning. Personally, I get to relearn all the subjects that I daydreamed through when I was a student.

For parents who would like to more about my thoughts on education, please click on the Andy Chung’s Soapbox page on the right.

Students, after watching Shift Happens, please write a response to the the information that you heard/saw.
Parents, after watching Shift Happens, what are the thoughts that you would like to share with your child on being a student in the 21st century?

If you would like to see Shift Happens again, please click on the site under Articles for Parents on the right.