DOCUMENTATION
Sharing back about
what we want for our classroom...
Discussion about
the categories we have
HOMELY
DESKS
NATURE
THEME – most
groups had this category
Teacher: What theme would we have?
Catlin’s group: We
want a cultures or New Zealand theme.
Teacher: Why?
Caitlin: Because
there are lots of cultures in our class.
Cameron: Yea we
have Mahalia from the Philipines, KJ is Maori, Bridget is from South Africa,
Cassidy, Andrew and Victoria are from England and I am a native from the trees.
Alex: I am a
mixture of cultures.
Caitlin: We need
to represent all the cultures in our class. We could use pictures. We will
need to do research first though.
Monday –
Continuation – drawing our culture
Carl: I don’t have
a culture.
Carl: What if you
were born in England and then moved to New Zealand what is your culture then?
Caitlin: I don’t
know what my culture is, my parents don’t talk to me about it.
Cassidy: I don’t
know how to draw it.
REGROUP AFTER
CHILDREN HAVE A CHANCE TO EXPLORE THE QUESTIONS
Teacher: So what
is culture?
Hamish: Where
people come from all over the world.
Alex: A theme a
country owns to show its individuality.
Caitlin: It’s how people show who they are.
Cameron: It’s
where you come from and what you believe in.
Lily: The places
people relate to.
Dalton: Your blood and where you are from
Isaiah: Different
races.
Abby: Different
beliefs and food.
Teacher: So how would you know a person’s culture when you
walk into their home?
Chelsea: The food in their home.
Lily: The things in the home like pictures and paintings.
Nikita: The colours
Abby: People sometimes have native statues.
Connor: The TV programmes you watch.
Cassidy: The layout of the house.
Cameron: Yes, but my uncle has a Spanish house with Spanish
artwork and he is Maori so that is not his culture.
Teacher: We need
to explore this a bit more don’t we?
Caitlin: Yes
because we can take on parts of other people’s cultures.
Maia’s Picture: I
have drawn a rolling r to show Abby from Invercargil, she rolls her Rs
Abby: It’s like
when you come from England you have an accent.
15 children can draw their culture
15 children can draw someone elses culture -
Teacher noticed
3 children can draw what culture is
Cassidy: it is hard to draw it but I can write it. –
children recognise
Keely: It’s easy to draw cultures but you can’t draw
what culture is.
Teacher: Why
Nikita:
You can’t draw a symbol for what culture is
Carl: But you can draw a symbol of your own culture and someone elses.
13 children could write down what they think culture is
Carl: I can do culture symbols for other people
Teacher: What sort of symbols?
Caitlin and Cassidy: Flags
Darcy: Native animals
Caitlin: Landmarks
Carl: Objects
Nikita: Rugby balls
Lily: Hokey pokey ice cream
Andrew: Marmite
Caitlin: Lots of things that represent our country I guess
Cassidy: Ferns
Lily: Pavlova
Cassidy: We already have a whole list on interwrite on what things
represent nz so why are we going on about this again?
Teacher: So lily you are saying that your culture is Hokey pokey ice
cream
Caitlin: and Andrew’s is Marmite.
Everyone laughs
Andrew: Native objects
Teacher: So are native objects our culture?
Teacher: Can you draw your culture
with one object?
All children: YES
Samuel: If you are trying to draw a Russian person’s culture you would
draw a Russian doll.
Cassidy: Lots of people in this
class are not Maori but they are not from England so how can they draw their
culture? They are from NZ but they are not English or Maori
Caitlin: My dad said it’s European/ NZ
Carl: So then I think that’s me
Caitlin: Sigh, my parents don’t really know what culture they are.
Cassidy: My cousins are Maori but I’m not Maori or maybe I am part
Caitlin: Well maybe I’m part Mexican cause my Mum’s sister is married
to a Mexican.
Maia: I’m part Maori
Nikita: If what Cassidy said is true then I am part German.
Teacher: So you are talking about gaining it through marriage?
Mahalia: I have a Maori Dad, a Philippino Mum and two other dads so it
is quite confusing for me
Carl shared his nephew’s complex family tree and said: so I don’t know what he is or what his culture is.
Teacher: is there a difference
between your family tree and your culture?
Andrew: There is a difference cause
your family tree shows your history and your ancestors but the culture is what
your family is currently.- Andrew Responding
Isaiah: Are tribes culture?
Andrew: I’m the same as Cassidy I was born in England and then we moved
to New Zealand and then we have gone back and forth so I’m not really sure what
I am either.
Teacher: Ethnicity - who’s
heard of it (4 children) – do you know what it means?
Andrew: connected cultures.
Annalyse: Your family and what cultures they have.
Teacher: Hands up if you are confused
EVERYONE EXCEPT CARL
Samuel: Can I please go and get a dictionary.
Samuel: Can I please go and get a dictionary.
Samuel looks up Ethnic in the dictionary – “ to do with racial groups”
Cassidy gets a Thesaurus
Ethnic group or race
Cassidy: That doesn’t help
Cassidy: We could put our documentation on our blog so that our parents
see that we need help with this.
Connor: We need to put a pin on it, we need to go away and think about
it.
9/5/12
9/5/12
Teacher: Who can help us or where can we get ideas to help us with this?
Samuel:I found out that Ethnicity is where your family is originally born. So it is the same as culture. (most children agree with this)
Cameron: The internet and ancestory.com
Abby: Maybe our Grandmas and Nanas cause they will know where our parents are from.
Annalyse: I agree with Abby because my gparents have done a huge story about their family history.
Alex: I agree with Abby because I found out my Nana is Australian.
Abby: i asked them if I was on the right track.
Alex: I asekd what cultures I had in me. - Andrew did the same.
Nikita: What is my culture?
Teacher: Has anyone asked their parents What is Culture?
Cameron: The internet and ancestory.com
Abby: Maybe our Grandmas and Nanas cause they will know where our parents are from.
Annalyse: I agree with Abby because my gparents have done a huge story about their family history.
Alex: I agree with Abby because I found out my Nana is Australian.
Carl: I don't agree because I've never met my gparents and they are not alive so I can't ask them.
Cassidy: I've asked my parents and they said that I am NZ European, so that is what everyone who isn't Maori but isn't English. My parents have been on the blog.
Lily: I've asked my parents and I have a bit of English in me.
Teacher: Hands up if you have asked your parents. 11 children have. So what did you ask them?
Victoria: Was I born in England?Abby: i asked them if I was on the right track.
Alex: I asekd what cultures I had in me. - Andrew did the same.
Nikita: What is my culture?
Teacher: Has anyone asked their parents What is Culture?
Isaiah: I have. My stepmum said it is what you relate to.
10/5/12
Hamish: My Mum said that I was a kiwi
Teacher: Would someone like to respond to Hamish?
Maia: My Mum also said that, because I wear jandals and stuff like that. She says that I eat Marmite like a Kiwi does.
Abby: My Mum said I was a kiwi. My Mum said Culture is what people relate to and what they are.
Andrew: My Mum said I am more Kiwi than British cause I've been here for longer.
Lily: I asked my mum what culture was and she said it is what you relate to and your values.
Dalton: My nana said I am Australian but I act like a Kiwi.
Teacher: Can you explain that?
Cassidy: Our accent.
Andrew: We have a reputation of our accent. eg. Kaora bro.
Alex: Kiwis say Awesome
Abby: Kiwis call them jandals.
Bridgette: I asked my Mum what culture is and she said it is where you come from.
Cassidy: But if you were born in England and you were living in NZ for more time then you wouldn't be more Kiwi you would still be more English because you were born there.
Teacher: So what is your theory?
Annalyse: It's your opinion on how something works
Keely:It's what you think.
Teacher: So Cassidy what is your Theory?
Abby: I think her Theory is that she is still English even though she lives here.
Teacher: Do you think Abby is right Cassidy?
Cassidy: I don't know
Carl: I asked my parents and they say I am British cause I was born there but I don't think I am British cause I don't do British stuff, I have a Kiwi accent.
Alex: My parents said that culture is what you relate to and what you believe in.
Dalton: It's what you've been brought up with and how you would be a different culture because of how you have been brought up.
Bridget: What if you were born on a plane between two places?
Andrew: I was bought up as and English person in NZ.
Andrew: NZ European is your ethnicity it can't be a culture because it is betwen two places European and NZ.
Annalyse: I think the difference between culture and ethnicity is where you were born . I think culture is what you do now, what you eat and how you lay your bed eg. the English just have a duvet but Kiwis have blankets, sheets and a duvet. ( a large number of children agree with Annalyse).
Abby: If you have lived here all your life you are a kiwi.
Carl: I think ethnicity is things you sometimes do with your family.
Cassidy: I think culture is the way you live your live.
Keely: I agree with Abby cause I've lived here all my life.
Chelsea: I think Annalyse was trying to say that different cultures do things differently.
Teacher: Do you have to be just one culture?
21/5/12
Categories of culture:
Language
Food
Clothing
Education
Religion
Beliefs
Landmarks
Entertainment
Alex: I don't think landmarks are part of culture they are just about the country.
Annalyse: I think they can be part of the culture, like the pyramids hold so much of the Egyptian culture.
Abby I agree with Annalyse because the Eiffel tower makes you think of Paris
Cameron: Yea but that doesn't make it part of their culture.
Nikita: I agree with Annalyse because tradition things are held near landmarks.
Hamish: Is the clock tower in Rolleston part of our culture, cause it has names on it.
Cameron: No that is a remembrance landmark.
Cameron: I'm sure that when someone built the Eiffel tower they couldn"t build elevators so it can't have always been a part of their culture that was around.
Andrew: I think landmarks are a part of the culture for example stone henge is a really big part of England its what makes their country knowns
Caitlin It depends on the landmark and how long it has been there.
Annalyse: I agree
KJ: I think it depends on why the landmark is there.
Teacher: In terms of what?
KJ: I'm not sure
Cameron: Well the Roman Colosseum is part of their culture
Andrew: Yea because it relates to entertainment
Caitlin: Yea so it is part of the cutlure if it's purpose relates to their culture!
Lots of children: yea
23/5/12
The cultures we have studied over the last 2 weeks are...
Italian
Japanese
Papa new Guinean
Mexican
Chinese
French
German
Brazilian
Vietnemease
Nigerian
Yamenese
South African
Equodorian
dutch
31/5/12
Hamish: Let’s put that piece of flat wood on the desks it will solve
the problems.
Nikita: Then we could paint it in the cultures.
Caitlin: We could cut it into shape.
Teacher: How?
Hamish: Measure it up and ask Mr Tree
Andrew: We still need to work out a way to attach it to the desk. Hamish, Cameron and Keely measure the desk
Cameron: We could glue it.
Connor: your class next year couldn’t move it if we glue it.
Annalyse: The problem is we need to attach the wood to the desk.
Caitlin: We could use the velcroe my dad got to put on the horse float.
Teacher: Do we want our theme to be cultures of the world or cultures
of our class?
Abby: The world – because we have been researching our class culture so
we know it but it would be good to research other cultures.
Caitlin: I think the whole world because everyone is enjoying exploring
all the different cultures not just the ones in our class.
Cassidy: I think next week we shouldn’t have to do our maths or
spelling for homework I think we should research a culture and bring it into
school to share to get us a step futher.
Abby: cultures of the world is more fun than cultures of the class
Caitlin: yea we don’t have many cultures in our class.
Nikita: If we did the whole world we would a wider variety of cultures
to include in our class theme of culture
Caitlin: And painting the desks.
Andrew: Around the world would be better than the class .
Annalyse: I agree with Nikita, we would only have about five culutres
to choose from.
Maia: I do agree with Annalyse and Nikita because it gives us more
choice.
Abby: I agree with Maia, if we all had to do England because most of
our class are English it wouldn’t be as fun.
Teacher: So are you saying you want to choose a culture to study?
23 children in the class think
this is a good idea.
Teacher: As part of that do we want to include the cultures in our
class?
Abby: You can choose.
Caitlin: We could study it in groups.
Cassidy: You would be studying a
countries culture not the country.
Cameron: We could do it at home and then if we do the same thing we
could bring it in and we would get more information and it could be different
information.
Bridget: I’m responding to Abby – if we all choose English culture and
we were all English Culture then it would be unfair to the rest of us.
Teacher journal:8 children
still think they are English
Annalyse: I think that it is
funny that some of the people that thought they were English had never been to
England.
Hamish: I don’t think some English people are fully English they might
only be a bit.
Abby: I agree with Hamish because they might not have been born.
Cassidy: Just because you were
born there that does not mean that, that is your culture because you don’t act
like that any more.
Teacher: Do you eat English food? Do you believe in English beliefs?
English entertainment.
Andrew: I do.
Caitlin: So you are but some people aren’t.
Connor: Now that I have thought
about it I think that I am kiwi. I thought your
culture was your accent. It is who you are and what you like doing?
Teacher: So who are kiwis and what
do they like doing?
Connor: They like watching the
rugby.
KJ: They like kiwi dip and chips.
Annalyse: What is kiwi dip?
Discussion about this.
Abby: I agree with Connor but accent is still part of your culture, it
is Invercargill accent and English.
Hamish: Accent is part of language
Dalton: You can’t change it if you were born in Australia.
Maia: Kiwis like to wear jandals and
eat marmite
Caitlin: and often we go to the
beach.
Dalton: I still feel like I am
Australian culture.
Andrew: You could still be
Australian but your culture is NZ.
Samuel: Where you are born has
something to do with it as you take some of your culture with you.
Victoria: Pavlova is kiwi.
David: the buzzy bee is a nz toy.
Lily: Camping and gumboots
Alex: Lamb and lamb chops.
Annalyse: Watties tomato sauce, I can’t eat fish and
chips with out it.
Abby: My sister can’t eat any thing
without it.
Rebecca: Fish and Chips on the beach
and BBQs.
Nikita: Ferns and Sheep are very kiwi.
KJ: Kiwi fruit and sheep.
Caitin: Hokey pokey Ice cream and
fish and chips (Fush and Chups)
Keely: Kiwis
Caitlin: Dairy farms.
Abby: My family like Paua gathering.
Cameron: When I went to the Marae, the roof was covered with pictures
of Maori culture, we had breakfast and got up at 6 and had to watch half an
hour of haka.
Alex: I’m contributing to Hamish’s statement, accent might not be part
of language, we speak English as other people do but we say it with a different
accent.
Abby: We could make a culture cubby hole with a buzzy bee and fish and
chip packet etc.
Alex: We have Angus Beef and BLT and we need to hang my NZ Flag.
14/6/12
Cameron: When I was on the Marae we had to greet each other and the woman wore cultural dresses and the men were in front of them and they performed the haka for us and we greeted the men and woman by doing a hongi, it is not just a hand shake you hold hands and touch foreheads and noeses.
KJ: I have been to a Marae where you couldn't speak English.
Cameron: When you hongi you go along the line of people and up on the ceiling at the Marae there are stories on the ceiling about Maori Myths and legends and there is one about captain cook and when the English settled NZ it is also about the treaty of Waitangi.
KJ: Yes and you have hangi and they sometimes dance around it.
Cameron: Hangi is food under the ground, it is wrapped in leaves or foil and it has hot rocks that smoke it. You have to catch the fish yourself, you don't just get it from the supermaket, that is not proper.
KJ: that is the same with eels too and what we call Kumara the English call potato.
Cameron and KJ showed the class a hongi and Mrs S took a phto.
Dalton: What are those big totem poles.
KJ and Cameron: They tell mini stories with pictures and not writing.
Please see our photo babbles of the food we made and brought today. Thank you to all the parents that helped it was a great day!!
After the lunch we discussed camping as a New Zealand tradition that isn't done in every culture due to the weather, snakes, flies and the fact that they may not be able to afford it.
13 children that didn't think they had a culture before say they do now.
Cameron said that camping in Kaiteri is part of his family tradition and cultures as did a number of other children.
Message to all parents: Please read our documentation so you understand what we need help with.
