Formal Letter Writing Task

Formal Letter Writing

Task One: Transform the letter from informal to formal

Informal Letter:

Hi there.(1)

Well (2), I think that teenagers have just as much right to vote in an election as someone who's (3) as old as the hills! (4) They live in the country too, you know! (5)! And (6) they're (7) the future! (8) So they're (9) bound to care about what's (10) going to happen to the country they live in when they're grown-up. But (11) some people think that teenagers are away with the fairies (12) when it comes to important things like voting. But (13) not all of us are. And anyway you know some grown ups are like that too (14). So (15) I think teenagers should be given a chance.

Cheers, (16)

Andrew

Formal Letter:

Dear (recipient's name),

My name is Andrew (Last Name), and I am proposing that teenagers should be able to vote in the general election. I believe that teenagers have just as much right to vote in an election as an adult. Teens are just as much apart of our country as adults, so why stop them from having a say in their own future? When it comes to important things such as voting, teenagers are known to be careless and hasty, so the stereotype goes, however, I am confident that this will not be the case if we are to allow teens to vote. In defense of all teenagers, I would like to point out that being careless and hasty is also common with adult voters, yet they are still able to vote without issue. In conclusion, I believe that teenagers are mature and heedful enough to be given the great responsibility in voting in their country's general election. After all, teenagers and young people are our future, so why stop them from having a say in the future of their country?

Yours sincerely,

Andrew (Last Name).

Task Two: Create the Format for your Letter

Who am I writing to and why?

I will be writing a ‘permission ship letter’ for parents/caregivers.

Group Debate - Against Banning Plastic Bags

Intro:

Kia ora and welcome. I would like to welcome our judges, Miss Fleming, Miss McCaull. I would also like to welcome our audience, and, of course, our opposing team. Today our group is debating against the banning of plastic bags in New Zealand. My name is Mela Kolibasoga, and I will be presenting our first point, which is that plastic bags are versatile and convenient. This is Awhi Nikora who will be be presenting our second point, which is that plastic bags reduce the amount of solid waste in landfills. Awhi will also be presenting our third point, which is the negative affect that banning plastic bags will have on people's livelihood. Finally, we have Jessica Rolston, who will be presenting our rebuttal.

Point One:

Think about this, what part does a plastic bag play in your daily life? Do you use it to carry your groceries? Maybe you use a plastic bag for rubbish? You may not know it, but we use plastic bags in our daily lives more than you would use a car. Plastic bags are very versatile, they can be used anywhere for anything. From a bag that holds your groceries, to a bag that holds your wet togs from swimming. It’s everywhere, and if you are wanting to ban them, think of the inconvenience it will put you in. Plastic bags are more convenient than paper or reusable bags because plastic bags are water resistant and durable and can be recycled after use.  

Point 2.0

Plastic bags are inexpensive items that are convenient for our everyday use. These cheap, lightweight, water resistant bags are a much more hygienic way for carrying your items from one place to another. Would you want to spend extra for something that isn't as convenient? The average plastic bag weighs 6 to 8 grams and can hold up to 1000 times its own weight, all of which can be purchased for as little as 99c, if not for free. Why spend tens of dollars on other bags, when you can save money and use a plastic bag? With their low prices and durability, plastic  bags are definitely the smarter choice.

Point Three:

Here in New Zealand we have multiple plastic bag manufacturing companies. What might happen to these companies if plastic bags were banned in New Zealand? If we were to ban plastic bags, business owners could face financial problems, workers could be laid off, and ultimately companies could be shut down. Imagine this. New Zealand has officially banned plastic bags, this means companies lose customers. Without customers these companies aren’t making enough money to be able to pay all of their employees, forcing CEO’s and managers to lay them off. The former workers, who have families and homes, are now jobless, with no way to pay for everyday items and necessities, as well as taxes and bills.

Rebuttal:

Kia ora, I'd like to a point at this stage given that the previous speakers have spoken of doing away of plastic bags how can they then justify the negatives of plastic when what  we wear to school such as our school jackets are made out of polyester, which is akin to plastic

Science Infographics

Brown Brother Reading Response

Reading Response

Name: Awhimate

Text Title: Joshua Losefa’s - Brown Brother

Author:  Joshua Losefa    Text Type: Speech

This written text is about:

This speech is about how society sees ‘brown’ people/students. In this speech, Joshua also talks about te stereotypes that come with being a ‘brown’ maori or pacific island student.

I really enjoyed this novel/short story/poem/nonfiction work/ article (please circle one) because:

I really liked this speech because of the language he used, how well spoken he was, his gestures, and because of how ‘real’ his speech was. I found that the way Joshua was explaining the stereotypes was extremely accurate, and I found that as a student I was able to relate to and understand what he was saying easily. I liked that he often changed the pace of his speech and that his hand gestures were simple but meaningful.

In particular, the plot or character or setting or theme or language features (choose one) interested me because:

In particular, the speaker (Joshua) interested me because he is a student, like myself, and I could see that for him, being ‘brown’ and growing up around other students like him, has given him good insight into the topic. I felt that as a student myself with the same observations I was able to relate to and understand everything he was saying.

Overall this text made me re-evaluate/consider/ think/ feel (choose one and provide evidence for your comment)

Overall this speech made me think about myself and other people in society almost put brown students in a box, where they are all the same when actually this is false. Maori and Pacific students may be similar, but they are not all identical. It is wrong for society to assume that the majority of brown students have low grades, play rugby and don’t finish school. This speech has made me re-think how I view ‘brown’ students and has taught me to give in to society's stereotypes.

PPDAC Cycle 2

Problem: I wonder if students at RGHS disagree with banning plastic bags in New Zealand?

I think that the majority of students would prefer to ban plastic bags, rather than keep them.  

Plan: What information do I need to answer this question?

I am going to come up with 3-5 questions which will be able to provide me with a variety of different information. I will go around my class and ask at least 25 students these question, which should give me at least 75 different answers/pieces of data.

Data:

Questions:

• Would you say plastic bags are a part of your daily life?
• How many of these plastic bag uses apply to you? Grocery Shopping, Rubbish Bag, Carrying School Supplies (P.E Gear), Other.
• Keeping this (last answers) in mind, would you like to ban plastic bags in New Zealand, or keep them?

I will ask the students questions one and two to get them thinking about how important plastic bags are, and to support my research so that I can confidently say that plastic bags are important to the majority of people.

Would you say plastic bags are a part of your daily life?

Answer	Tally	Total
Yes	11111, 11111, 11111, 1	16
No	1	1

How many of these plastic bag uses apply to you?

Plastic Bag Use	Tally	Total
Carrying Groceries	11111, 11111, 111	13
Rubbish Bag	11111, 11111, 11111, 1	16
School (e.g carrying p.e gear)	11111, 11111, 111	13
Other	11111, 11111, 11111, 1	16

Would you like to ban plastic bags in New Zealand, or keep them?

Answer	Tally	Total
Ban Plastic Bags	111	3
Keep Plastic Bags	11111, 11111, 1111	14
Don’t Know		0

Analysis:

Link to Spreadsheet

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Graph One: Would year 10 FFL students say that plastic bags are a part of their daily lives?

Before asking this question I predicted that the majority of students would say that yes, plastic bags are a part of their daily lives. After conducting this survey I can see that my hypothesis was correct, as 16/17 students said yes, and only one of them said no.

Graph Two: How do year ten FFL students use plastic bags?

Before conducting this survey I predicted that the majority of students did in fact use plastic bags for all of the reasons I provided. I also predicted that some of them would be shocked when they saw how often they use plastic bags. After conducting this survey I am able to say that my prediction was right. 16/7 students used a plastic bag for rubbish, 13/17 students used a plastic bag for groceries, 13/17 students used a plastic bag at school and 16/17 had another use for a plastic bag. Whilst I asked the girls this question some of them told me about some of the other ways that they use a plastic bag. I found that the most common ‘other’ use was using a plastic bag to carry their wet togs.

Graph Three: Would year 10 FFL students like to ban plastic bags in New Zealand, or keep them?

When planning my survey questions I purposely made sure to include questions that would get the girls thinking about plastic bags and how often they use them, hence why I created questions one and two. I think that this ‘plan’ worked, because the data I received from this question shows me that 14/17 students would like to keep plastic bags, and only 3/17 would like to ban them. This information has shown me that the majority of year 10 FFL students would like to keep plastic bags, which helps my group debate tremendously.

Conclusion

In conclusion, based on the data I received from my small surveys, I am able to confidently say that the majority of students disagree with banning plastic bags. I can also say that plastic bags do in fact play a big part in people's everyday lives, and they are an extremely important necessity that is worth keep. Although the amount of people I surveyed was small, the results I received have given me the confidence to say that if I was to ask more people these questions I would receive similar results, and I would still be able to say that the majority of people would prefer to keep plastic bags in New Zealand, rather than ban them.

Science Block 2

Science Block 2

Use the app to figure out what this image is telling you.

1. NH₂ = One part nitrogen, two parts hydrogen
2. C₂ = Two parts carbon
3. C₃ = Carbon parts carbon
4. CN = One part carbon, one part nitrogen
5. CH = One part carbon, one part hydrogen
6. HCN = One part carbon, one part nitrogen, one part hydrogen
7. C₂H₂ = Two parts carbon, two parts hydrogen
8. C₂H₆ = Two part carbon, six parts hydrogen
9. NH₃ =  One part nitrogen, three parts hydrogen

What is plastic? What is it made of? What are some of its uses?

Plastics are a material that is moldable and bendable, which can be used for making toys, bags, utensils, CD’s, plumbing pipes and much more.

The first plastic was created by Alexander Parks, which he named Parkensine.

American inventor John Hyatt created a plastic called celluloid, which is used to make ping pong balls. To create this he combined nitrocellulose and camphor.

How do plastic bags impact the environment?

In some parts of the world plastic bags have been banned as they are made up of non-biodegradable materials, which can’t be broken down. As a result of this the plastic bags stay on the earth for thousands of years, and often make their way into the food chain when animals eat them, and get sick. Burning plastic bags also harms the environment, as the smoke they release is very harmful, so they go to either landfills or the oceans.

What are some alternatives to plastic bags?

• Canvas Bags
• Jute Bags
• Paper Bags

Are plastic bags biodegradable? Why/why not?

No, plastic bags are not biodegradable. The materials that plastic bags are made out of are not biodegradable, which means that they are never really going to ‘disappear’. Plastic bags cannot be burned either, as the smoke they release causes harm to the environment. As a result of this plastic bags are disposed of in either landfills or the oceans.

Parliament Reading Quiz

Today’s Reading:

https://www.parliament.nz/media/1828/y9-10-card-1.pdf

Reading Quiz

1. What is New Zealand's head of state called?

New Zealand’s current head of state is Dame Patsy Reddy, Governor-General of New Zealand, acting on behalf of the sovereign (Queen Elizabeth ll).

2. Who leads the government?

Our government is lead by the Prime Minister of NZ (Bill English).

3. Why is our system of government sometimes known as the ‘Westminster’ system?

In NZ, our parliament is modelled on the British Parliament, which is why it is sometimes known as the ‘Westminster’ system, Westminister being the area of London that the British Parliament is located. Our parliament has two parts: the sovereign (King/Queen), who is represented by the Governor-General, and the House of Representatives.

4. What is the House of Representatives?

The House of Representatives is a group of around 120 elected members of Parliament from all around the country. These people represent the views and concerns of of the people of New zealand. This shows that we are a representative democracy.

5. Who represents the sovereign in New Zealand?

In New Zealand the sovereign is represented by the Governor-General (Dame Patsy Reddy).

6. What are the key functions of Parliament?

1. Passing new laws
2. Representing the people
3. Keeping the Government accountable
4. Approves how tax money is spent

7. Where does the word ‘parliament’ come from?

The word parliament from the french word ‘parler’ which mean ‘to talk’. Originally a ‘parlerment’ was a discussion, however the talking in parliament is not just a discussion. It includes debate, argument and the presentation of alternative views.

8. Why isn’t the sovereign allowed in the house of representatives?

The sovereign/governor general can enter the chamber where the carpet is red, but they are not allowed to enter the house of representatives when it is sitting.

9. When were the first elections for maori members of parliament?

1868

10. Who puts forward the plan for how taxes should be spent?

The plans are put forward by the government, which are then approved by Parliament.