Papa Wauke

If anyone had peeked into our room over the last couple of weeks they’d have heard us asking:  “What will happen to Christina and Taft?  What is going on at the orphanage?  Will Christina ever get to experience the world outside?  Where does the secret tunnel lead?”

So many questions!  Lynne Jonell has us wrapped up in an exciting story that keeps us reading and thinking.  Share your thoughts about the story. What connections have you made?  What can you infer?  What do you wonder about?

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?

Today was our last Golden Pencils sale of they year.  Did you publish a book through Golden Pencils this year?  Last year?  The year before?  What was it about?  Please share your thoughts about how you feel when a book you have worked hard on is published through Golden Pencils.  How do you feel when you purchase books that others have written?  How do you decide what books you want to purchase?  Could you tell us about a favorite Golden Pencils purchase?  As a writer, what are your thoughts about the next book you would like to publish through Golden Pencils?  What will it be about?

Today we read “ish” by Peter H. Reynolds.  What do you think were some of the big ideas?  What connections did you make to Ramon?  Have you ever been ready to quit? Did you overcome the feeling?  How?

Today we toured Hawaii’s Plantation Village in Waipahu and saw how some of our kupuna lived when they worked on sugar plantations here in Hawai’i.  What are your thoughts about what you saw?  Were you surprised by anything?  Do you want to find out more about anything you saw or heard about?

In the special Earth Day issue of Time for Kids we read about young people who have made a “green” difference in their community.  What ideas do you have about how you could make a “green” difference at school, home or in your larger community?

What a wonderful message we all received from Chris Bright during ‘Ohana this morning!  I think most of us could really connect to his analogy about going through life’s tough road and meeting some potholes along the way.  What are your thoughts about his message?  Did you make any connections?

The 5th graders worked hard to put on a meaningful performance for all of us.  What did you learn from the play?  What do you think some of the “big ideas” were?  Did anything surprise you?  What do you wonder about?  Is there anything you are inspired to learn more about?

Today we heard the story of Greg Mortensen and the friends he made in Korphe.  We talked about some of the big ideas: Appreciation, Helping/Giving (We all have something to give), Being Resourceful, Moving Forward and Teamwork.  What are your thoughts about this true story?  Any questions?  Connections?  Do you think there are some other big ideas we didn’t discuss?

Wow!  What a wonderful day filled with fitness, foliage, fauna, and fascinating facts!  Mahalo to Mr. Tschillard and Mrs. Kutsunai for planning this day and to Aunty Shari, Uncle Ed and Uncle Kamaile who helped us enjoy it.  What did you observe and learn about that you think is important to remember?  What questions do you have?

Today we talked about some ideas for our Drug Free classroom banner.  What are some of your ideas?  Share your thoughts.  And get ready for a great tug-o-war challenge! =)

Wow!  What a wonderful experience we had “arting” with Kumu Meleanna today.  What is “arting?”  What are some things you learned from Kumu Meleanna today that you think are important to remember as you continue “arting?”

Today we were fortunate to have John Stokes, his family, and Brother Noland lead us on a short hike through our upper campus trails.  Why do you think it was important that we experience this hike?  What did you learn that you think you will be able to use in the future?  Please explain.