Working in the Sugar Plantations

Ruth wanted to know why people came from India to settle in Fiji. When asked what she knew about sugar cane processing in Fiji, she knew that sugar cane grew on the islands. To answer her question she needed to further research the history of this industry. This is what she found out:

When and Why Did People Come From India to Fiji? Background on Indigenous People: The first people to come to Fiji were from Africa. The Lapita people settled in Fiji about 2900 years ago. Life for the Fijian people changed when British missionaries arrived. The Fijian people became believers in Christian ways. Britain colonized Fiji in 1874 but allowed Fijian chiefs to govern their people as long as they cooperated with the British Crown. It was not until 1970 that Fiji became independent.

Between 1850 and the beginning of the First World War, 60,500 Indians came into Fiji to work. The sugar refining company CSR brought Indians into Fiji to work in the sugar plantations. They worked hard for very little money. Work in the sugar plantations was tough. Many workers died of dysentery. Those who survived the first three years often died of other diseases later on. The Fijian people could not be made to work under these conditions.

When they were finished working in the plantations many workers decided to stay on and not return to India. Today, most of this country's cane growers are descendants of those early laborers.There are many Indian people in Fiji who have their own houses and businesses. In many countries around the world people have migrated in the hope of a better future for themselves and their families.

Why is the Year of the Dragon so Important?

Lily wanted to tell the others in her group about the Year of the Dragon and why Chinese people are delighted if their child was born at this time. We suggested to her that she may like to do some further research on this subject and share her findings with everyone. This is Lily's Report: Why is the Year of the Dragon Important to Chinese People?

What is so important about the Year of the Dragon? 2012 is the year of the water dragon, and while dragons are linked with fire, for the year of 2012, being near water will be a good thing. People born in the year of the dragon will be very lucky and have a good life. Many people are looking forward to the Chinese Zodiac year of 2012. Couples in China are happy if their child is born in the year of the dragon. What Do We Know About Chinese Horoscopes? All the animals of the world were invited to visit Buddha but legend tells us that only 12 animals came. In order to award the animals for their loyalty, Buddha named a year after each one in the order as they came before him. The cycle of the animal names repeats every 12 years. People born in a certain year are thought to display behaviours that the animal they are born under does. Some animals, like people work better together than others.

MY HOROSCOPE IS THE YEAR OF THE HORSE! These are my characteristics: *People under this sign are independent *May talk too much. *May be popular with their peer group, but can trust the wrong people at times. THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON: *You are healthy, energetic, short tempered and stubborn. *You are honest and brave. *You are quiet and wise and like to to dress up. *You help other people but tend to over do it.

Lily convinced me that I should find out which animal was associated with the year of my birth and what was written to describe my traits. I couldn't believe how accurate the description was. I told Lily that my own daughter had informed me that she was born in the year of the dragon in 1988 and felt very good about it. Lily told me that she was very lucky. What a lot we have learned as a result of Lily sharing her knowledge with us. Thank you Lily.

Japanese Gardens - Written by Ethan

Abstract This report is about Japanese gardens. There are many elements that are special to Japanese gardens. I wanted to find out about them. I found out that the idea of a Japanese garden comes from a love of the beauty of nature.

The Elements Found in a Japanese Garden Some of the elements used are: rocks,bridges,lanterns,plants and sometimes teahouses. The gardens are often set in very scenic locations. This green spacious garden uses rocks

The idea of a Japanese garden has taken some 100,000 years to fully develop. For years Japanese gardens have been havens of peace and beauty. The Cherry blossoms (sakura) remind people that life is beautiful but fragile and brief. There are songs written titled ‘Sakura’. Many schools in Japan have blossom trees in their grounds.

The Moss Garden has been given the name ‘Saiho’. It is a mossy place that is lush and green.

Nature is a very important to Japanese people. They believe that trees have two lives. The first one is when the tree is alive and the other is when it dies and rots and returns goodness to the soil.

Bonsai Bonsai are dwarfed trees in pots. Some Japanese have had a bonsai tree for generations and they are real treasures and valuable. To create a bonsai the grower pruned the branches and the roots so the tree can’t grow any bigger. Zen Gardens Zen gardens are rock gardens. The rocks represent mountains. There are only rocks in these gardens so that means that there will very little weeding to do. Zen gardens were created at the temples of buddhism during the Muromachi period (1336 - 1573) . You are supposed to view these from a garden seat.

Senior ESOL Student Reports

A group of Year 6 ESOL students compiled reports last term. The learning intention required students to reflect on cultural differences, form an Inquiry question related to their own culture and write a short informative report that would capture their Inquiry process. There was much discussion during the questioning and drafting phases. Report writing became our writing focus. Some students created an abstract to draw their reader's attention to their research question. The challenge was not to deviate from the Inquiry focus. The students were encouraged to gather information from a wide range of resources, including their parents. Suma was very fortunate to have her father at hand to share his knowledge of her topic. We all found his knowledge enlightening. While the students used Pages to present their reports, we are unfortunately unable to post Pages directly onto the Blog. The content of each report will be posted as separate elements. It is possible that these students will invite you to attend a presentation of their work one afternoon later in the term in our ESOL room. We will keep you posted on this. REPORT !) Trudy Cai - Question: What is the difference between primary education in a New Zealand and Chinese school? This is Trudy's Report: Chinese School Report completed in April 2012

What Does A Classroom Look Like in a Chinese School?

In Chinese schools there are usually 40 to 60 children in each class School work is very hard and there is a lot of work to do everyday. These are some of the similarities and differences between New Zealand and Chinese Classes
 Similar: 1) There is much reading and testing 2) We learn to read letters and understand them at five 3) The teacher stays the same for a year 4)Primary School is Year 1-6

In China: 1) There is no talking in the Chinese classroom 2) Children may get punished if they talk 3) Children eat in a cafeteria and sit at tables during lunchtime 4) In Chinese schools a bright child can jump up a year ahead of others 5) Only some schools have TV and computers 6) Because children are often called ‘‘little emperors ’‘ and thought to be precious, there is a lot of pressure on them to do well at school 7) Schools teach English or another second language 8) Students know that they must make their families proud 9) The roll in Chinese schools can be up to 3000 children 10) There are between 40 to 80 students in a classroom

Trudy’s view of the differences: In my classroom in China we did not sit and discuss things like children do in New Zealand classrooms. I find it difficult to concentrate sometimes when lots of children are talking because I’m not used to it. I was 8 years old when I came into school in New Zealand so I had been used to a different system. I find the work now is easier to do because there is not as much. Now I have to think about what I know about the subject which is good for my thinking. When I write I use my own ideas. In China we had to write a lot and the practise made us better at writing. We need to write plenty to be good at it. If you were late to school in China you had to stay outside and you had a lot of work to do. You weren’t late for school. I think that children should have to tell the class why they are late and do extra work. We thank Trudy for her contribution to our ESOL BLog.