Otautahi - Social Studies

 For the past few weeks, we have been researching our region, Canterbury/Otautahi. We learned the history and such significant and important places within Canterbury and was given the task to make Prezi(A slideshow platform) about it and answer a few questions we were given by the teacher and present it onto our blog.

Personal Rubbish Diary | Social Studies

 Today for Social Studies, after the Rubbish bins research, we were afterwards given the task to record some data of our own to see how much Organic, Recycling and General rubbish I threw out. The day limit was 3 days to track our information and use that data to make a bar graph which I have done and will be shown below this text. It had to be a hand-drawn bar graph so here it is and have a good day.

Recycling Bins - Stuff Article | Social Studies

Today in Social studies we have been looking around the topic based on recycling, as you have read the title our focus was on recycling bins and was given questions about this about how lazy recycling is affecting our community and large amounts of waste ending up in recycling bins causing landfills. 

What % of rubbish can cause a recycling truck to be dumped?

Trucks containing more than 10% rubbish have to dump their content 

What is going into people's recycling bins?

At this point of moment people are STILL putting contents of rubbish which belongs to the red bin, such things that end up in the yellow bing which cannot be recycled are: Large household materials, heavy appliances, bagged waste, soft plastics and other contaminated wastes. 

What is the current penalty?

So far the council have been trying and putting huge amounts of effort into getting people to recycle properly again. Due to the fact that it hasn't been working out they now confiscate bins and has sent out at least 2500 final warning letters, the council has removed around 664 bins in the last nine months. Although 153 bins have been returned. But in order to get the bins back people have to now pay $97.65 and also sign a statement promising to accept and acknowledge by the rules. 

Stuff Article

Newspaper Article | Social Studies

 Today we had been given the task to make a news article to show what the Garbage Patch was and the causes and effects. We have already learnt about the main topic so we just had to share it in a creative way, so here is my Newspaper Article. My newspaper article will display the information of incidents and the tragic things the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has caused.

SIDE NOTE* - A few more pictures and evidence were supposed to be added to my article but couldn't fit so they will be displayed at the bottom of the newspaper article.

 

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch | Social Studies

Yesterday we started on a new unit in social studies called 'Trashing the Planet', we had been learning about waste and GPGP(The Great Pacific Garbage Patch), the impacts on the environment and sea life and ways we can reduce the risk of causing harm to our ocean and marine life. We were given the task to make a slideshow and show our learning with the information we gathered on our own and share it on our blogs to raise awareness about what is going on in our ocean.

Live Aid | Social Studies

Today we have started on a new unit called the Live Aid, this will be our final unit, so far we have learned about who the organizers are and their backstory and what bands they were in, we have learned about Live Aid which is a fundraising concert which relates to how the people live in Ethiopia.  

Bob Geldof

Bob Geldof is a musician and a singer and a lead singer for an Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, while Bob Geldof being in Boomtown Rats he wrote a song "I don't like Mondays" and how he came up with this song was that he heard about the news of a school shooting. This is based on a true story and his inspiration of the song took place. He was also involved in Band Aid which was a fundraising concert.

Midge Ure

 Midge Ure is a vocalist and a guitarist and in a band called Ultravox,  he began his career with a band called Salvation and later on name was changed to Slik and their genre was soft rock/bubblegum. His stay in the band Ultravox turned the band into a success, during these times he worked as a producer and making records. Later on Bob Geldof and Midge Ure were the organizers of Band Aid which again was a fundraising concert.

Song

Bob Geldof and Midge Ure joined up and both wrote the song "Do They Know It's Christmas, their idea was too share a song that raised awareness of how people of Ethiopia are living in famine. The insight of this song came when Bob Geldof went for a tour in Ethiopia, the song was a success and it sold millions of copies worldwide which set a spotlight in Ethiopia. 

Do They Know It's Christmas - Link

Live Aid -Second Part

We are given another task once we finished the maps and did research on Ethiopia and the Live Aid concerts. This will be our last unit for the term and the work I have done so far I am quite proud of and the amount of things I found out was quite enjoyable because I get to know more about history. So back to the topic we have to choose one song that was played at one of the Live Aid concerts. I chose to do one of the songs sang by Freddie Mercury and with his band Queen.

RADIO GA GA

 

              

There is no specific reason on why the Queens chose to do this song other than the fact that they wanted to perform all their songs in Live Aid to raise more money and entertain the big audience, this song was made and released in 1984 and was composed by Roger Taylor(Queens drummer). His inspiration for coming up with this song was from his son who was uttering words from a bad song is what he said, which from there he stayed home locked in his room coming up with lyrics, beats and etc. 

Live Aid would not be considered a type of protest but more of a fundraiser concert, in the end, the 16 hours of Live Aid paid off ending up earning more than $125 million which reached into good hands where Ethiopia economy can now fight famine and other relatable disasters.

 If Bob Geldof was able to raise awareness I think others have the ability to do that as well, one person can raise awareness and start another concert. Although it will take weeks to set up and plan but in the end, it all comes to a good ending where the money raised can go to charity or other poor countries who are living in poverty and such and at the same time people who attend the concerts can have enjoyment in the concert. I believe the fact that one person can make a change if the hard work is put into it and good reasoning of why we have to shine a spotlight on that person/country/place.

I don't have a personal favourite song but if I had a choice of which one I like amongst the other songs would be Bohemian Rhapsody by Queens. 

Live Aid was thought to be the most successful fundraising event in history, with live music and plenty of musicians and celebrities who came and put so much commitment into their performance. The amount of money earned in that concert was astonishing and no one has been able to surpass that amount yet, maybe someone has but who knows. After the successful concert, Bob Geldof was later knighted by Queen Elizabeth ll for his recognition of his work and organizing Live Aid and other concerts that raised millions for those who are struggling to fight famine in Ethiopia and some other parts of Africa.

Significance of WW1 - The Last Post | Social Studies

We have been recently learning a new unit on Anzac, we had to learn who they were, what they are known for, the music they used or played and what is significant about them. This post will explain the well-known Anzac song The Last Post.

When do you hear this song?

The last post song is a bugle song that is played before the 1-2 minute silence, it will also be heard when celebrating Anzac Day, it is also played to honour those who lost their lives in war, it is played on the 25th of April which is the day we dedicate to remember those who sacrificed their lives and who fought for the world we live in today, after the song it is followed by a 2-minute silence. 

Why is this song significant/important to New Zealand?

The song is significant to New Zealand because it is played to mourn those soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our freedom, for our country. It is important to show our respect, honour and mourn for those who fought bravely for their country and remembering them further in the future for the type of world they gave to us.

What is the History behind the Last post - Why was it played and when?

The last post song has been around for many years and is one of the most distinctive, it's very recognizable and how it is played by a single bugler. The last post was not originally used in a memorial context but instead was a plain song that was published and played in the 1790s, the last post was one of the many bugle calls used by the British Army. There are a few calls in the song that were used in the army for commands like wakeup calls, when the day is complete and when to move to the next command given to them. It is sounded at military funerals to indicate that the soldier has passed on his final rest and at the commemorative services which are Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.

My Map

Anti-Vietnam Song

We have started a new topic called Woodstock in Social Studies. We were given the task to choose a song that is related to the Vietnam War. There were 2 options given to us to blog about so I chose to do Give Peace a Chance which was released in 1969, the songwriter was John Lennon who was one of the members of a famous well-known band, The Beatles. In this post I will be explaining the meaning behind the song and why it was made and sang. This was sung at Woodstock.

Give Peace  a Chance

Ev'rybody's talking about
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism, is-m, is-m, is-m

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

C'mon
Ev'rybody's talking about Ministers
Sinisters, Banisters and canisters
Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Pop eyes
And bye bye, bye byes

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Let me tell you now
Ev'rybody's talking about
Revolution, evolution, masturbation
Flagellation, regulation, integrations
Meditations, United Nations
Congratulations

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Ev'rybody's talking about
John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary
Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper
Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer
Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna
Hare, Hare Krishna

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Parihaka - Tim Finn and The Herbs

Today for Social Studies we have started on a new unit, we are now focusing on Parihaka. Parihaka is a community in the Taranaki region of New Zealand, which is located between Mount Taranaki and the Tasman Sea. We had to explore what happened, what were the impacts and the songs made for Parihaka. The song we were given to explore was called "Parihaka" by Tim Finn.

Song: Parihaka

By: Tim Finn & The Herbs

My friend, My friend, I hate to see you suffer,

Events conspire to bring us to our knees,

My friend, my friend, you've taken this the wrong way, 

Rise up, defend yourself, never give in,

Look to the sky, the spirit of Te Whiti,

The endless tide is murmuring his name. 

I know Te Whiti will never be defeated,

And even at the darkest hour,

His presence will remain.

I'll sing to you the song of Parihaka.

Te Whiti he used the language of the spirit,

Then stood accused, the madman and his dream,

He saw the train go roaring through the tunnel,

He heard the voice travel on the magic wire,

But he loved the silence of the river,

He watched the dog piss on the cannon's wheel.

I know Te Whiti will never be defeated,

And even at the darkest hour,

His presence will remain.

I'll sing to you the song of Parihaka.

One day you'll know the truth,

They can't pull out the roots,

Come and take me home,

To weep for my lost brother.

They gather still, the clouds of Taranaki,

His children's children wearing the white plume,

So take me for the sins of these sad islands,

The wave still breaks on the rock of Rouhotu.

And when you taste the salt that's on your pudding,

And when you taste the sugar in your soup,

Think of Te Whiti, he'll never be defeated,

Even at the darkest hour,

His presence will remain,

I'll sing for you the song of Parihaka,

Come to Parihaka,

Weep for my lost brother,

The spirit of nonviolence,

Has come to fill the silence, Come to Parihaka.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What was the main message of this song & what line explains their passive resistance method?

The main message of the songs was to tell about Parihaka and how it made huge impacts to other people who went through this. The line "The spirit of nonviolence, Has come to fill the silence, Come to Parihaka" shows how they showed passive resistance without any bloodshed or fighting, they did this without violence. 

What does 'you can't pull out the roots' refer to?

This line 'you can't pull out the roots' meant that the British couldn't snatch or take their heritage or their culture away from them, the British couldn't remove them from Parihaka.

Give evidence of their determination & how does this song show the significance of Parihaka?

"Rise up, defend yourself, never give in,"

This part of the song shows and tells how the British tried to bring down their culture, their heritage and remove the Māori from their land, but the Māori people didn't give up easily and fought for their land without showing violence or bloodshed. But instead, show passive resistance meaning no violence or brutal force against the soldiers, simply resisting to fight but show peace to them.

"I know Te Whiti will never be defeated,

And even at the darkest hour,

His presence will remain."

This part gives the hint that he will be remembered in these times and onward where Te Whiti will be remembered by everyone, especially the Māori who got affected by this harsh event, that meaning that even though this happened in the past doesn't mean he has to be forgotten of how he handled the situation where his land, his culture and his heritage taken from them by the government by encouraging his own people of Parihaka to defend their land by using friendly and peaceful methods.

Spiritual - Music Through Time | Social Studies

 What is Spiritual?

Spiritual is a type of song or a religious song. They were sung by the slaves and practised them when they had special meetings together which in other words is called the bush meeting. At the meeting, the slaves will practice singing, dancing and chant. These meetings were done outside so the Americans would not find anything suspicious about the meetings. These Spiritual songs were sung to grow the slave's courage and give them hope, they had their own church to sing at and as well as in funerals. But the salves took advantage of this and made secret messages within the song to help them escape.

Harriet Tubman an ex-slave escaped and was very famous for helping thousands of slaves escape, she used songs to send secret messages to slaves. She used the Underground Railroad which was basically secret tunnels or passageways used to sneak the slaves out of the slave state. The underground railroad was a network with secret routes and safe houses to escape the slave state and move towards the free states.

So I chose one of the songs that I want to explain and tell you what hidden messages were or what was behind the song, I chose 'Wade in the Water' because I understood the messages clearly and it was very impressive to me and also truly an intelligent one. The ones highlighted in yellow were the key secret messages...

Wade in the water meant to swim in the water, these messages went to the children instructing them to get into the water and follow a specific trail that led through the water. The reason they made the children go into the water because dogs could easily pick up their scent, in the water it is much harder to track the children in the water. Sure dogs can swim but they cannot pick up their scent if the children were to walk on land the dogs could easily pick the scent because the children did not shower daily making it much easier for the dogs to track them down. Children all dressed in (Red, White, Blue) meant the children themselves who wore the coloured clothes and other messages meant that someone was waiting at the end for them and that they had gotten through safely. It was quite interesting to me how they communicated using music and I liked this song the most.  

_______________________________________

Chorus: Wade in the Water, wade in the water children.

Wade in the Water. God’s gonna trouble the water.
Who are those children all dressed in Red?
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Must be the ones that Moses led.
God’s gonna trouble the water.

Chorus

Who are those children all dressed in White?
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Must be the ones of the Israelites.
God’s gonna trouble the water.

Chorus

Who are those children all dressed in Blue?
God’s gonna trouble the water.
Must be the ones that made it through.
God’s gonna trouble the water.

Chorus

_____________________________________________

In these modern days, it is quite significant during these times and America talk and have negotiations about the impacts of slavery. Black Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter actions use slavery and violence or injustices that happened in the past and continued to be used during these protests. The slave songs are still sung during these times and most of the music was inspired by the slave songs, genres like Blues, Soul, RnB, Gospel, Rap and Rock n Roll.

My Map: