Papa Wauke

We’ve been learning a lot about our families and families that might be different from our own. Usually when we learn about things we start to wonder about them. What are some things you wonder about your family?

The fifth graders put on a wonderful and very educational performance today!  What did you learn about Kalaupapa?  About Hansen’s disease?  About how disease affects the world?  Why do you think it’s important to know these things?

Last night I got to watch a new Johnny Test! What do you think of T.V shows or cartoons? What is your favorite T.V show or cartoon? Why do you like that T.V show or cartoon? Tell me in this blog post, T.V. Time!

What a wonderful fishing adventure with Uncle Scotty and Kewalo Keiki Fishing Conservancy!  Tell us about your experience.  What surprised you?  What did you learn?  Please provide lots of details.

Today we toured Hawai’i’s Plantation Village in Waipahu and learned about life on the sugar plantations in Hawai’i over a hundred years ago.  We learned about people who came from China, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Japan, Okinawa, Korea and the Philippines.  Each group brought their own customs and traditions, yet they learned to live and work together.  What were some of the things they had in common?  What did you learn about plantation life?  What surprised you?  What do you wonder about?

On Friday we learned a little about Martin Luther King, Jr. and his experiences as a child.  What are your thoughts about what we learned?  Have you ever felt like you were treated differently?  Why were you treated differently?  How did that make you feel?  What if you were treated differently for being Hawaiian?  If you were treated differently for any reason, what could you do about it?

We celebrate the holiday season in unique ways.  We participate in certain activities, eat certain foods and celebrate certain events.  Our holiday traditions are usually based on our ethnicity, our faith and our family.  What are your holiday traditions?  How are you celebrating the holiday season?  Is there any special meaning to what you are doing?

Please reflect on your experiences working in your “village groups” during the last two days.  What do you think went well?  What were some challenges you experienced?  What do you think you might do differently the next time you work on a group project?  Do you think it is important to be able to work with others?  Why?

On Friday we toured the villages of Samoa, Aotearoa and Fiji at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We also took a quick tour through Hawai’i and learned about the voyaging canoe Iosepa. What surprised you? What do you wonder about? Why do you think it was important for us to go to the Polynesian Cultural Center?

Today we heard some wonderful holiday stories at Hale Pelekikena!

In the story about Liko and the Sandman, Liko had few friends and the sandman helped him make new friends.  Do you think friends are important?  Why?  What qualities do you look for in your friends?

In the story about Hala, Mana and Pua, only Pua received Christmas gifts because he was pono.  What does being “pono” mean to you?  How are you pono at home and at school?

Wow!  What a day!  We experienced so many things today at the Bishop Museum.  What do remember that you think is important?  What do you wonder about?  Why do you think it was an important huaka’i for us?

We have been talking and learning about IDENTITY.  What does “identity” mean to you?  What have you learned about “identity” that you think is important to remember?  Why do you think “identity” matters?

Wow!  What an amazing visit we had at the Marine Education Training Center!  We were able to see, touch and really experience the Hokule’a, Hokualaka’i and Makali’i.  Because Hawai’iloa is undergoing repairs we weren’t able to see all of her, but we did get to see and feel her manu, which is being worked on at the METC.

The wonderful crew members welcomed us and shared their mana’o.  And then we were greeted by a very special visitor!  Nainoa Thompson shared his mana’o and answered your questions.  What a morning!  What did you learn?  What did you learn that you think is really important?  Why?  Why do you think this was an important field trip for us?  What do you wonder about?

We have learned A LOT about identity this year.  Take a look at the anchor chart we created at the beginning of the year.  How do you think a class “Identity chart” would look if we created it now? What changes would there be? What is your NEW thinking about identity?  How is it different from what you thought at the beginning of the year?

Today we were able to visit with some of the crew members of the Hokule’a at the Marine Education and Training Center.  Aunty Moani gave us a tour of the Hokule’a and we had the opportunity to see, touch and learn about the Hokule’a.  What did you find most surprising?  What do you think is important to remember?  How is polynesian voyaging connected to you and your life?  Would you like to be a crew member on one of Hokule’a’s voyages? Why or why not?