Geography Trip to Aoraki/Mt CookY11 and Y12 geographers were treated to a great trip in a fantastic location earlier this term. They spent 3 days in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park studying the dramatic natural features of the land, as well as how the park is used by different groups in different ways. The trip included visits from DoC, visiting the Sir Edmund Hillary Centre, a walk through the Hooker Valley (best 3hr walk in the country), and a boat trip around Tasman Lake that got students up close to ice burgs that had broken off the glacier. The trip was expertly designed by Mrs Elrie Jodaan-Oldroyd, and well run with the guidance of Mr Will Struthers and Mr Ben Rawson. DEtective SErgeant Daniel Isherwood spoke to Y10 on Black Markets in NZTo support their learning on black markets, Y10 were fortunate to have Daniel Isherwood give a 40min presentation on illicit drugs and gangs in NZ. Daniel is a Detective Sergeant with the NZ Police and has been involved in various areas of policing for most of his life. He has intimate knowledge of illicit drugs and those whom mostly supply them - gangs - in NZ having led task forces against these. Daniel did a great job of outlining the reason for the various drug markets existing as well as the devastating effects they have on society. There was also a clear message in there to stay as far away from recreational drugs as possible, principally due to not always known what the product is actually made of! Y11 Historians Learning through PlayThe Y11 historians were VERY engaged in their learning recently as they took each other on in a war simulation game called Warzone. The game works a bit like the board game RISK, but is slightly more realistic as it features no dice (therefore no luck) and a dynamic known as fog of war. Fog of war refers to the real world situation of not knowing exactly where your enemy is, how powerful they are, and where they are going to attack.
Students had fun and also partook in some good discussion around the accuracy of the game for real world warfare. This game fits well with the warfare theme of the course called Call of Duty.
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Y13 History Trip to the Otago Gold FieldsThree days. Two nights. An awesome learning and life experience. After focusing on the West Coast Gold Rush for the last few years, the decision was made to return to the Otago Gold Fields this year. Though its a long drive, the history available there, as well as the iconic setting of the Lakes District makes it well worth it. Students had the opportunity to walk the gold fields, speak to experts, search museum archives, pan for gold, see gold seeking machinery in action, oh and go on a 60min jet boat ride! Actually going to the place the history being researched took place is hugely beneficial to students. They also will grow to appreciate the hands-on experience they received - the best available short of actually being a professional historian. Y9 students studying Aotearoa HistoriesThe Aotearoa Histories Unit is completed by all Year 9 ,Social Studies students in Term 1. Students come to us with varying degrees of prior knowledge in this area and the unit is designed for them to build on their existing knowledge and learn about some key moments around the waves of early settlement in New Zealand and the events that unfolded as this occurred. Whilst not a complete list, key content in the course that 9A have focused on includes:
In one part of the unit students learnt about the importance of the Kaiapoi Pa to Ngāi Tahu and the raids by Te Rauparaha. The scale and significance of the raids lead to discussions around why certain events in New Zealand's history are remembered, whilst others are largely just forgotten. Students were amazed at the scale of the massacre that occurred just 15 km North of St Bede's and many wondered why they had not heard of it before. A key piece of work in this part of the unit involved students processing and summarising information for others. Each student was given one of five parts of the history of Kaiapoi Pa to learn about and were set a challenge to present their work in cartoon format to share with their classmates. Some of their work is presented below. The limits of the Storyboard Programme meant they had to use their imaginations and improvise with some images, but all up I was impressed with their efforts. Y11 History - Call of Duty - Started with a roarThe new Y11 History course, known as Call of Duty, has started really well. Both teachers and students are enjoying the varied and highly gamified learning. Students learnt about crucial historical concepts - such as cause, effect, significance, mana - via playing Risk, the global domination game! The first area of focus has been the ancient Greco Persian Wars. Recently they have also watched the film 300 and have analysed how accurately it depicted the Spartan culture and the battle of Thermopylae. Next up is a look at the Vikings and then onto some history games to finish the term. Y10 students studying Black MarketsY10 students have been learning about black markets - what they are, why they occur, and what consequences they have for individuals, groups, and wider society. The economic concepts of Supply and Demand feature heavily in the reason for their existence.
Students began looking at conflict diamonds coming out of Africa which included going through the film Blood Diamond searching for causes and consequences of the market. Currently, students are working through learning they may choose on illegal drug markets. By the end of the term students will also have studied another black market of their choice such as human trafficking, weapons trafficking, or human organs. This course continues to be very popular with students as every Y10 student selected it as one of their four options to cover in Social Studies. y10 STUDENTS real world learning at the A & P ShowThree Y10 classes embarked on a great trip to the A & P Show earlier this term. This was part of their learning around sustainability and innovation in agribusiness. After learning in class about case studies featured on Country Calendar it made sense to take that learning and test it out at an event so diverse in the focuses of the course. Close on 90 students boarded the double decker bus to the showgrounds to spend 3hrs perusing the multitude of agribusiness displays. They were tasked with finding evidence of sustainability and/or innovation within businesses to then report back to the class with. The students certainly saw some of their learning in action alongside enjoying some good food and spending time outside the classroom with classmates. Final Y9 Market day a raging successIt was the turn of 9A and 9M to experience a Market Day and the conditions were perfect - warm weather, blue skies and a horde of hungry students. As with the previous two Market Days students were tasked with creating a product that could be sold effectively to their peers. Invariably, this meant food products. Students worked in teams to design, produce, promote, and ultimately sell their products. It was great to see so much "hands on" learning occurring in the buildup and execution of this event. Students were learning essential economic and business concepts - such as promotion, profit, startup capital and branding - as they strove to make their own profits. Considering the students had no seniors as part of their target market most groups did exceedingly well. On behalf of the students we would also like to thank the student body/whanau in supporting the event. 9R and 9I Market Day!Another term, another successful Y9 Market Day. This term was the turn of 9I and 9R to show off their entrepreneurial chops, and the weather played ball. This was the culmination of weeks of preparation via their "Show Me the Money" Social Studies learning package - an introduction to business enterprise. There were many products up for sale including two sausage sizzles, bake stands, bacon butties, games with prizes, and even a group making freshly blended oreo milkshakes! As evident in the images the market was well populated with curious and peckish students. The students did a great job and everyone enjoyed the occasion. Y13 Historians go to warSomewhat related to our learning, but always related to world geo-political history, both Y13 History classes recently went to war over European conquest. The game is called Diplomacy, and what is great is that, unlike a game such as Risk, there's no luck, just good old diplomacy. Students take control of 1 of 6 European powers at the height of imperialism. The goal is to control as much of Europe as possible by the time we agree to. How they do this is by forming, and eventually breaking, alliances with other European powers. Students always enjoy this hands on competitive approach to learning about geo-political history and how where your country is located completely defines how you go about forming alliances. Pictured with the bust of Alexander the Great, one of the most successful conquerors in history, are the students who finished on top in each class. Y10 Studying Black MarketsThis term ALL Y10 students worked through the Black Markets learning package. You might think it was a compulsory package, but in reality all students opted to do this package.
The unit consists of three parts. Firstly, a study of Blood Diamonds in Africa, particularly Sierra Leone. This includes watching the fantastic film Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a diamond smuggler - a key cog in the wheel of the blood diamond market. Next, students looked at illicit drugs in NZ before finishing by looking at another black market of their choice. For this students selected from a range of markets like human trafficking, human organs, drugs, exotic animals and guns. For each market they studied students focused on the elements of supply and demand, and the characteristics of suppliers and consumers. Crucially, the impacts and consequences of these markets existence was also studied. It was found that 99.9% of consequences of these markets were negative for general society. 9R & 9I Toilet paper fashion showIt is the turn of 9I and 9R to experience the Show Me the Money learning package, a package that develops students business sense and entrepreneur skills. Part of the course tasks them with working as a team, with limited resources (tape and toilet paper) and time, to put together and show a "garment". These classes will now be busy organising a product to develop, promote, and sell at a Market Day in a few weeks time. Term 2 - Y10 students engaging in an immersive financial simulatorIn Term Two our Year 10 Social Studies students undertook the immersive experience of Banqer High to gain valuable knowledge and skills in financial literacy as part of our junior learning package – “Money Wise”. Banqer High is a New Zealand-based financial education platform that provides a hands-on environment for our students to engage with real financial concepts in a safe and fun way. Students in Year 10 Social Studies have built their financial confidence over the past term using Banqer High which has introduced them to a simulated environment where they have (amongst other things):
It is hoped interested Year 10 students will continue the journey of building their financial “tool kit” in a newly created course for 2024 – Money Matters: My Financial Toolkit – as part of our NCEA Level 1 refresh. This course will provide learning opportunities for Year 11 students aligned to newly established unit standards and enriched with the upcoming launch of a senior version of Banqer. Y13 Historians joined by an expert on the Kennedy assassinationY13 History students at St Bede's have been learning about the 1963 Kennedy Assassination for a decade now. Their focus is on perspectives, and there are not many events in history as contentious as perhaps the most famous murder case of all time. One perspective that is always considered is that of Gerald Posner. Gerald is a journalist, researcher, and author of several poignant investigative books. His view, which is not near as popular as most authors on the subject, is that Kennedy was shot fatally by one man acting alone - Lee Harvey Oswald. To have Gerald join us from his home in Miami is a real privilege for both students and teacher. He answered many of our questions, particularly those that seem to suggest something more at play than just one man shooting from a sixth floor window! Gerald did his best to shoot these issues down as the happenstance he believes them to be. Students are currently working on their third and final internal assessment that requires them to explain and evaluate three perspectives on the Kennedy Assassination. Y12 Historians studying the holocaustThis term Y12 historians have been learning about the Holocaust. It comes after learning about the causes for Hitler to come to power, and is seen as a most tragic consequence of that rise to power. As part of the learning students are completing an assessment on three perspectives of real people involved or impacted by the Holocaust in some way. The three perspectives are Oskar Schindler (German member of the Nazi Party, war profiteer come humanitarian), Wladyslaw Szpilman (gifted Jewish pianist forced to live in the Warsaw ghetto), and Heinrich Himmler (head of German SS and architect of the horrible event.
There are two fantastic films that assist the students in their learning. They are Schindlers List (Oskar Schindler) and The Pianist (Wladyslaw Szpilman). Y11 Geography Trip to the west CoastOn the 16th and 17th of May, Y11 geographers embarked on an overnight trip to the West Coast. Their mission was to explore how the weather conditions change as we travel west. We also explored some local natural features and how they formed. Our first stop was in Arthur’s Pass to collect weather condition data, using our anemometers. We continued and stopped at Castle Hill to explore the formation and the current shapes that we can see on the surface of the Earth. Our last stop for Day 1 was in Greymouth, where we did our last collection of data looking at the weather conditions. We all enjoyed a lovely fish and chips feast for dinner. On day two, we continued to our last stop which was Punakaiki. The weather was grey and rainy, which turned out to be the perfect conditions to experience these rock formations in all their glory. The blowholes were a highlight and put on a great show for us. Y11 Historians visit the historic Ripapa IslandOn Thursday May 18th the Y11 historians ventured out to Ripapa Island. This supported their research assessment on the function and significance of this place over time. It is a small island, located just a 10min boat ride away from Lyttelton Harbor, but boy does it have some historical significance. The island has a history of conflict, violence and heartache. Rightfully it has been granted tapu (sacred) status, and so there are restrictions to what one does and how one acts when visiting. The islands history, and significance, predates European arrival, and saw bloodshed as Māori sought to use it for strategic reasons in defending themselves from rival tribes. The island features a fort which was setup to protect NZ from the Russian scare that never really eventuated. The fort had a total of four enormous scissor guns, which can be raised to fire and lowered to load in the safety of the fort. Another part of it's history is the islands use as a detention centre for various groups. This included Māori imprisoned after Nga Pakanga o Aotearoa (The NZ Wars) including the leader of the peaceful Parihaka protests Te Whiti. Also imprisoned there were conscientious objectors during WWI and a clourful German naval commander known as Count Felix von Luckner. The students were graciously shown around by Department of Conservation historian Dave Millward. Y9 Students toilet paper fashion show!As part of their learning in the "Show Me the Money!" package, students in 9S and 9T were tasked with designing, making, modelling and promoting some form of wearable attire fashioned only from toilet paper! Students worked in small groups on this task, which is setup to prepare students for the more substantial challenge of setting up a product to sell to the school later this term as part of their Market Day. Y9 studies survival skills testedY9 students in 9M, 9A, 9R and 9I all had a session this month that tested their survival skills. These classes have been learning about hostile times and places to be in their Places Not to Be package. One of these case studies was surviving a plane crash in the Andes Mountains...as occurred to a Uruguayan rugby team on Friday 13th, 1972. Students were given tarpaulins, duct tape, string, 20mins and some sticks to put together an emergency shelter. As you can see from the images the efficacy of these shelters was wide ranging! Next, students were provided a flint/steel, tissue paper and kindling to start a small fire to cook marshmallows. There was a healthy amount of students surprised by the difficulty of getting a fire going, even with dry tinder. Needless to say, not everyone enjoyed a cooked marshmallow. Students enjoyed this activity and gleaned some understanding on what it might take to survive if they were ever caught out without adequate shelter. y13 historians studying chernobyl disasterFor the first time at St Bede's, Y13 History students have been studying the causes and consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. This infamous event is widely known, but not so widely understood. Students found that design flaws and human error, underpinned by the Soviet culture, led to the disaster, and that the consequences were dire and many. Ranging from the direct deaths of 31 people, to the wild estimates of radiation fatalities, to the cessation of nuclear power growth world wide. And yet, the consequences could have been many times worse had some action and sacrifice not taken place.
The students were fortunate to be joined by two experts in the field. From the University of Canterbury Science Faculty Dr. Steven Marsh joined us in person to discuss the impacts of radiation of the body. Then journalist, editor, and author, Adam Higginbotham joined us from his home in New York city to go over the causes and consequences. Y12 Historians trip to Marlborough SoundsLast week 22 Y12 historians journeyed north to Kaikoura and Picton as part of their research project on whaling in Aotearoa. The first whale ships arrived in Aotearoa in the 1790's, needless to say that these European and American whalers had some of the first interactions with Māori. Whales were hunted primarily for the oil resident in the blubber. This oil was used for lighting and fueled the lights in some of the largest cities in the world for several decades. There was a saying that a well lit city was a safe city, making whale oil a premium product in the days of Jack the Ripper! Students visited Fyffe House in Kaikoura, the historic building, literally built on whale bone, that still remains from the shore whaling station beginning in 1842. Here, they were able to peruse various resources, feel whale blubber, throw a harpoon, and imagine the bay filled with rotting whale carcasses. In Picton, students visited the Edwin Fox Museum. Though not a whale ship, the Edwin Fox is one of the oldest surviving sailing ships in the world, which allowed students to imagine conditions on a whale ship that could be at sea for weeks on end. Students were met here by the supremely knowledgeable educator from Marlborough Museum. Not only could John speak with authority about the whaling history, but he also had various artefacts with him such as whale bone clubs (patu), harpoons, baleen (plastic like material from whales mouths), and muskets. Three students were even able to fire the musket...with no musket balls of course! This learning supported the research assessment students are currently working through and is evidence of the value the faculty places on authentic learning experiences outside the classroom. Y9 Students studying local historyResearching the West Coast gold rush in the West coast sunshine!This Monday-Wednesday Y13 Historians were based on the West Coast doing some hands-on research for the West Coast Gold Rush. The trip included stops in the historic towns of Reefton, Shantytown, Hokitika, and Ross. The trip facilitated students access to plentiful primary source information and knowledgeable people.
Highlights included watching a working stamper battery, a sluicing canon, gold panning in a creek, dressing up, walking through the thick West Coast bush, and handling a 12oz gold ingot worth over $30'000! The students were excellently behaved and represented the College and faculty well. The feedback from students was positive that the trip was both enjoyable, informative, and ultimately useful for their performance in the associated research standard. The weather was fantastic...what is all this nonsense about the coast having bad weather! Y9 Toilet Paper fashion Show!Approximately half of Y9 students are completing their year in Social Studies with a commerce heavy topic called Show Me the Money! This learning is based around embedding fundamental concept and understanding crucial for any foray into business and enterprise. Later in the term students will be required to work in a small team to create, and market, a service or product that they believe could be successful. This means teamwork and creativity - two skills that were on display this week when students were tasked with creating a garment from toilet paper and sticky tape! Students needed to plan not just the design, but also organise music for the 'cat-walk', a blurb for the thinking, as well as assign roles within the team. Check back here in a few weeks to see some of the final products these students come up with for the final challenge. Digital Simulation and 'Zombie-Cash-tastrophe' in y10 social studiesAll Y10 Social Studies students are working their way through a learning package we call Money Wise. This package focuses on upskilling students in one of life's essentials...financial literacy. Some interactive learning that has occurred thus far includes the use of a digital life simulation game known as Banqer High, as well as a board game based on surviving a zombie apocalypse! In Banqer students have control over their finances and life decisions. They open and manage different accounts, cards, and loans. They make decisions on which career to opt for, weighing eventual income over cost of study. Soon students will be able to buy property and shares in stocks...all in a digital simulation of course. Students all seem to be enjoying learning some crucial life skills in this manner. If you have a Y10 student at home please ask him to share how he is going. The board game Zombie-Cash-Tastrophe was designed by Westpac to teach basic budgeting skills around the importance of saving, interest, and the importance of steady income. Hilariously, it is set in a New Zealand that has been overrun by zombies. The goal of the game is to save enough money to buy a helicopter ticket to Stewart Island and safety. Check out the energy this engendered from 10R last week in the video below! Canterbury Y11 and Y12 History QuizzesThis week saw both the Y11 and Y12 Canterbury History Quizzes run. Both quizzes were hosted by St Margaret's College, and involved teams of five students from schools right across the city and province. Some of the content of the quiz was on material students of History would be expected to know, but just as much was random general knowledge stuff. The Y11 team that represented the College on Wednesday evening consisted of Simon Curnow, Finn McColl, Sean Spollen, Xavier Middlemiss and Aidan Walker. They performed respectably, in a field of 15 teams, and ended up in the middle of the pack. The Y12 team that fronted for the quiz on Thursday evening was made up of Isaac Janes, Finn O'Donnell, Wills McIntyre, Ethan Dawson and Y13 masquerading as Y12 Josh MacDonald. This team got off to a slow start, but then had a strong finish to end up 9th out of 19. |