We were learning about explanation writing and what it is. Explanation writing is when you explain to someone why or how something happens. We got to pick what question we wanted to answer from a lot of options and I wanted to find out why what causes an earthquake. First we had to do some research notes on google. I found some information on how earthquakes happen and why. Second, we had to plan on what the purpose the main body and our conclusion. Next we had to make a diagram about our question on google drawings. It was quite hard because we had to make it from scratch. Lastly was the writing part which took a while. We had to include 3-5 or even more sentences in one paragraph and technical words.
I found it easy to research for my information on google and put it into my own sentences. Another thing I found easy was to create all the shapes on google drawings and add them onto my diagram and onto my DLO (Digital learning object). It was a bit challenging at first but once I new what i wanted it to look like it got much easier. To help me make the shapes, I had looked at images of it so I had an idea of what to make it look like.
I found it challenging to figure out what to say to add audio onto my slides. I thought instead of me just reading the paragraph out I would try to sum up each part in my audio. When you sum up something, you add all the important parts into one sentence and make it smaller. Another challenging thing to do was finding out what words I should've made red as a technical word. Technical words are words that relate to the topic that you choose. Eg, For earthquake some of my technical words were: Tectonic plates, Shaking and heat.
I really enjoyed doing this because I thought it was so interesting learning about how earthquakes happen and how they're caused. I also thought it would be cool to learn about earthquakes because my parents were teaching me a bit about them too me when I was young. Even in year 2 I remember Mrs Thomas teaching us about earthquakes and how they were caused. Because of this I wanted to extend my knowledge on earthquakes and learn more about them.
I was learning how to be a researcher. To be a researcher I had to organise data/ information I gather and choose the right source for the information I needed. The other thing I needed to do was to formulate questions to help me find out.
Next time I might make my audio sounds more longer and detailed so my reader or listener can learn more about what i'm saying. Also next time I might try and put more work into my drawings so people can understand more what they're supposed to look like. The last thing I might do next time is pick a question I haven't learnt that much about so I can learn more new things while researching.
Cool diagram Eden. Seismic waves is another good technical word to know. I think you may be missing a sentence from stage 3: Aftershocks. You make some great points about aftershocks but don't quite actually say what they are (further shaking/seismic waves that usually follow....). Earthquakes are very interesting? What causes the Earth's core to suddenly heat and cause an earthquake? Are you saying the hotter the Earth's core becomes the more likely it is that the tectonic plates will begin to slide? Do you know what is used to measure the size of Earthquakes? Some Earthquakes can be small and others very big and devastating. It could be really interesting to research major Earthquakes that have occurred in New Zealand (Napier, Christchurch) and understand why we are in New Zealand susceptible to Earthquakes.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the awesome researching Eden! Knowing how to summarise is a really useful skill, well done!