Summer Learning Journey

Day 4: Another World War (1939-1945)

At the end of the 1930s, the world has been shaken once more by the start of another World War (WWII). World War Two started on the 1st of September, 1939 when an army from Germany invaded a country called Poland. Two days later, England and France declared war on Germany and WWII began.

Activity 1: An Eventful Experience

WWII was made up of many battles and events. Follow this link to read more about the timeline of WWII.

Choose two key events and find out some more information about what happened on those days. On your blog, write a short summary of two events, including the names of people involved and where the event happened.

Britain, France, New Zealand and Australia declare

war on Germany:

On the 3rd September, 1939 Britain, France, Australia

and New Zealand declared war on Germany. But before

any of that happened 2 days ago Germany had invaded

Poland causing the attack from Britain, France, Australia

and New Zealand.

Key Word two

16th of January, 1941

Establishment of Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF):

On the 16th January, 1941 the establishment of the

Women’s Auxiliary Air Force was made. But later on

Tobruk in Libya goes to British and Australian troops.

Activity 2:  A Call to Arms

Over the course of WWII, approximately 140,000 New Zealanders were sent overseas to serve in the war. Many were sent to fight in huge battles, including the Battle of the Atlantic that lasted for 2064 days (over 5 years)! The Battle of the Atlantic came to an end in 1943, in large part due to the heroic efforts of people like Lloyd Trigg, a pilot from New Zealand. He was awarded a special medal from the New Zealand Government for his bravery. It is called a Victoria Cross (‘VC’ for short). A total of 22 New Zealanders have been awarded VCs.

Click on this link to find a list of VC winners. Choose one from the Second World War, and read about him. On your blog tell us about him. Who was he? What did he do to earn a Victoria Cross medal?

Charles Hazlitt Upham:

Charles Upham was a man who was a soldier, and a

soldier who fought in the Second World War - WWII.

Not only he won a Victoria Cross medal, but he won

two of them. This was caused by his actions that led

him to become the only combat soldier to have one

the awards. He received his first one in Crete in May

1941 and his other one in Egypt in July 1942, meaning

he received a VC the next year later.

Bonus Activity: Women at Work

Both men and women served in World War II. Many women chose to enlist as nurses and be stationed overseas caring for wounded soldiers. My nana was one of those nurses. She (Dorothy) spent much of World War II working on a large Red Cross ship that was stationed off the coast of Cairo, Egypt.   

For this activity, you are going to imagine that you are just like Dorothy and that you are working as a nurse on a large medical ship.

One day you are walking along the deck of the ship when you hear a loud bang. You start to run as you see smoke coming from the far end of the ship. You run towards the room where your patients are waiting to receive treatment from the doctor. Just as you arrive at the door to their room you hear another loud bang and you…

Complete the story provided above. To earn full points you must write, at least, 8-10 sentences. What happens next?

BONUS POINTS: 20



Short story

As I walk along the deck of the ship I hear a

loud bang. Boom! So I start to run but then I

see smoke coming from the far end of the ship

and continue to run towards the room where my

patients are; waiting to receive their treatment.

But just as I arrive at the door to which their room l

ays ahead I hear another loud bang. Where could

the banging be coming from” says another nurse.

I don't know but we have to stay calm and find the

other nurse's so we can stick together and find out what is happening'' I said scaredlySo I run as fast as I can to each room one by one telling

each person to get to the Patient's Room. Bang, Bang! I other

nurses crying trying to pull themselves up again but somehow

the ship just won’t stop.I get hold of anything thats strong so I can pull

my self up.“It’s time to figure this out” I say to myself but, Boooooooosh!

A gush of water comes flying into the ship but luckily I close the

doors in time. “Oh no! A nurse says ,Are we Goona Die?!

And that was the end of Dorothy and the Ship.

Summer Learning Journey

Day 3: The Great Depression (The 1930s)

Unfortunately, the wealth and success of the 1920s did not continue into the 1930s. Instead, the stock market in America crashed on Tuesday 29 October 1929. When this happened, people lost a lot of money and much of the world sunk into a deep, financial depression. The 1930s is often referred to as the ‘Great Depression.’

Activity 1: Dealing with Stress

In New Zealand, many people lost their jobs during this decade. Experts predict that as much as 30% of the population was unemployed. It was a very stressful time for families.

Sadly, many of us still experience stress in our lives to this day. When I feel stressed I try to go for a walk or pop into my local gym for a quick workout. Exercise makes me feel better. What about you?

On your blog, please tell us what you do when you want to relax or de-stress. Do you read a favourite book, watch a favourite television show or talk to someone special?  What are your tips for dealing with stress?

My tips to calm down

1. Talk to My mum

2. play some music

3.talk to friends

The thing that helps me get threw my problems is talking to my family,

We always have a family meeting on Monday and talk about what we are struggling at school.

Activity 2: Offering a Helping Hand

During this period, people struggled to find work both here at home and overseas. It was a really tough time for people living in the Great Plains of the United States because they were hit with a huge drought that lasted for most of the decade. Many crops were damaged and farmers were not able to make enough money to feed their families.

Imagine that you were alive in the 1930s. What could you have done to help these families? On your blog, list three different ways that you could raise funds for families to help them buy food and clothing. Be as creative as you can with your fundraising ideas!

1. Send food and clothing and water

2.Give them 10 dollars once a week

3. Give them a home that's warm

Bonus Activity: Paying it Forward

In the mid-1930s, things began to change for the better in New Zealand. More people were able to find work and receive a steady paycheck. They were still careful, however, with their money and rarely, if ever, bought treats or gifts for one another.

Imagine that you were able to travel back in time to visit a family in the 1930s. What special gifts or treats would you like to bring with you? I would likely bring blocks of Whittaker’s chocolate, bags of Jet Planes and Pineapple Lumps, healthy food snacks, clothing, and games for the children. What about you?

BONUS POINTS: 6

My gifts are clothes and food.

My treats are candy and water

I would likely bring blocks of Whittaker’s chocolate, bags of Jet Planes and Pineapple Lumps, healthy food snacks, clothing, and games for the children.

Summer Learning Journey

Day 2: The Roaring 20’s (The 1920s)

Activity 1: Popular Culture – The Silent Movie

The 1920s saw a massive surge in the number of people going to the movies. Huge new cinemas were built in both Auckland (The Civic Theatre) and Dunedin (Empire De Luxe).  The most popular type of movies showing at local NZ cinemas were ‘silent’ films. Gold Rush is an example of an iconic silent film. It features a famous actor named Charlie Chaplin.

Watch the trailer for Gold Rush. On your blog, tell us what you think the movie is about. There are no words spoken movie so you will need to pay careful attention to what the actors are doing! Do you think you would enjoy watching a silent film? Why/Why not?

Activity 2: Art Deco

In the 1920s a new artistic movement emerged in New Zealand (and around the world). It was called ‘Art Deco.’ The picture to the right is a classic example of an ‘Art Deco’ piece. Take a close look at the painting. Do you like it?

On your blog, give the painting a rating out of 5 stars (1 star = terrible painting, 2 stars = pretty bad painting, 3 stars = okay painting, 4 stars = good painting and 5 stars = amazing painting). After you’ve rated the painting out of 5, tell us why you gave it that rating.

Right: Self Portrait By Tamara de Lempicka

I give this painting a 2 because I want more deatails and I  just don't like when it is just one person.

Bonus Activity: Crossing the Tasman

In 1928, a crew of four men flew, for the first time, across the Tasman from Australia to New Zealand. One of the men on board the Southern Cross airplane was a New Zealander named T.H. McWilliams. His job was to operate the radio in the airplane. Unfortunately, the radio stopped working shortly after take-off and the rain and ice were so heavy that the pilot, Kingsford Smith, couldn’t see out of his front windscreen. Yikes! Fortunately, the plane made it all the way across the Tasman landing in Christchurch after a 14 hour trip.

Imagine that you were a member of the flight crew. Write a poem that describes how you would have felt when you landed safely in Christchurch after such a long trip. Remember, there are lots of different types of poems, and they don’t all have to rhyme. You can read more about different types of poems by clicking here.

BONUS POINTS: 10

Summer Learning Journey

Activity 2: The Right to Vote

At the turn of the century, New Zealand elected its first ever government. Richard John Seddon served as the leader of the Liberal Party from 1893-1906. Prior to 1893, only men were legally allowed to vote. This all changed in the late 1800s when a woman named Kate Sheppard lead a suffragist movement in New Zealand calling for a change in law. Her hard work finally paid off when the Electoral Act was passed into law on 19 September 1893, giving women the right to vote. New Zealand was the first country to give all women the right to vote. There were still countries in the world (e.g. Saudi Arabia) who, until recently, did not allow women to vote.

On your blog tell us what you think about the fact that women were not allowed to vote in Saudi Arabia until 2015. Is it fair? Why or why not?

It is not fair because the woman's do everthing and the men 's don't.

And thats is why woman should be allowed to bots in saudi.

Summer Learning Journey

Week Two: A Period of Change (1870-1950)

Cool Kiwi Fact #2: The longest place name in the world can be found here in New Zealand. ‘Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu’ is the name of a hill that be found in the Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand.

Day 1: The Early Years (Late 1800s – 1919)

Activity 1: St Joseph’s Cathedral

At the turn of the century, there was a great deal of construction happening in New Zealand. Many of the new British settlers wanted to build homes and community meeting places, such as churches. One of the largest buildings to be constructed during this period was St Joseph’s Cathedral in Dunedin.

St Joseph’s Cathedral is just one of hundreds of beautiful cathedrals around the world.

Use your search engine to find a picture of another famous cathedral. Post a picture of the cathedral on your blog. Underneath the picture tell us: the name of the cathedral, where the cathedral is located, when it was built, and how long it took to build.

This cathedral is located at  Georgetown, Guyana

This cathedral was biult on the 24 of August 1892

Cathedral  find information