More games

One game we enjoy playing is ‘defacing’. This is where we take a page from First Voice, preferably the page of our older sibling, and put our own information in. Then we write our own story in our home language and in English. The best bit of the game is when we cover our sibling’s face and draw ourselves in. Here is an example from Emily.

Here are some other games we played.

The Game

As a part of our games unit, the upper ESOL group read a play called “The Game”. It is a Ministry publication with illustrations by Toby Morris. It is about the 1981 Springbok tour. First we talked about children not being responsible for the policies of previous governments. Then we talked about having the right to our own opinions. We read the play several times, working on meaning and fluency.

Ms Finikin was five during this time. She told us about travelling up to Auckland from Hamilton on July 25, as her dad was worried about how big and dangerous the protests could become in Hamilton.

In 1981, Ms Finikin was 5 and there was this massive protesting. Then Ms Finikin’s sister had her own opinion so she decided to do the protesting with other people. When it was about to get started, Ms Finikin’s dad thought the protesting was dangerous so he decided to go to Auckland, which is 1 hour and 30 minutes away. They waited and had hot chips. After 30 minutes, they heard the car radio so they drove back to Hamilton again. – Emily

Ms Finikin’s sister was protesting and she got blood on her. Ms Finikin’s dad got all her family in the car. Then they drove to Auckland and her little brother threw up and got hot chips. Then they drove back to Hamilton. – Kian

Ms Finikin’s sister was a late teenager in 1981. She attended the Hamilton protest, with the promise that she would not go on the pitch. She got someone’s blood on her when the rugby fans bashed the man next to her.
We asked her questions about that day and she responded.

Why would people protest things? – Kian

Because they may feel that people are being bullied or that a situation isn’t right. People may feel they deserve more (when employees protest/strike for more money / suffragettes). They may feel their rights are being lessened (anti-vax protestors/recent protests in Hong Kong). People may be worried about what we are doing on certain things and want to draw a Government’s attention to a situation (Greenpeace and save the whales/climate change/Maori hikoi-Whina Cooper/Bastion Point)

Why did you think of doing the protests? – Milyn

Because I disagreed with the system of apartheid in South Africa and I did not think we should play rugby with them to put pressure on them to stop the way they were treating the majority of their people

How have the protests influenced NZ policies in time of domestic and international relations? – Tanu (‘s mum)

Are we talking specifically around the 1981 protest or all protest?
1981-domestically, the level of violence (from the police-Red Squad) was something that didn’t sit right with a lot of New Zealanders. We had, what I considered, was a very authoritarian Prime Minister, who used the issue to mobilise the Police, in a way, that I had not seen previously. Internationally, Nelson Mandela acknowledged the impact the NZ protest had in helping change his country.
If not 1981 eg. the Nuclear free movement, impact to ANZUS //bombing of Rainbow Warrior

Was everyone safe? How many people were there? Did anyone get pushed over?
– Emily

The game in Hamilton, where I protested, was called off after some protestors invaded the rugby pitch. When the rugby supporters came out they bashed into a man I was standing by. There were also a lot of reports as to injuries sustained because of Red Squad bashing protestors with their batons. I am not sure of the number of people. People marched up Queen St in Auckland (not on game day). There was also protests on game days in a lot of towns. The Hamilton game got called off. In the Auckland there was a plane dropping flour bags onto the pitch.

For a long time families, on opposite sides, wouldn’t talk to each other. NZ was very divided on this issue.

You got blood on you, didn’t you? – Ms Finikin

I don’t remember the blood, but probably. I should probably have walked back with the main party of protestors but I split from them. It was scary. The rugby fans came out of the ground very very angry. But my over riding memory, the raging, I have always remembered. I was standing by a protestor. The rugby crowd laid into him. One of them (the rugby fans) stopped the rugby guys from bashing him. I said to him are you on our side? His reply was that we were all on the same side. I got a job shortly after. My boss and one of the seniors spent a lot of time talking about the protest movement. I wasn’t prepared to tell them I was one of them.

Here is a huge resource on it.

We did lots of thinking and justifying of our ideas around this.

Should politics interfere with sports?

Maybe, because there is a no and a yes. Because you could make power from sports. You also can know stuff about their country.
No answer: In politics you can make decisions. In sports you can’t do that because you want your country to win, so you cheat. Some of the judges tried to make their country win. – Tanu

No because the politicians always think that people should follow their rules, but athletes who belong to that country, sport is really their life for them. I think that politicians shouldn’t tell the athletes to do stuff because of the situation that they’re in. Politics shouldn’t interfere in sports. – Emily

No, you should be selected to play based on your skills and abilities. – Kian

What do you think? Should the tour have gone ahead? Should the protests have happened?

I think, why do people protest about a game? I think, why do the watchers of the game beat up the protesters who just do no violence? I don’t think the tour should have gone ahead because why would it be a tour to do a rugby game? I didn’t think that there would be protests in a simple game of rugby.
No, I don’t think the protests should’ve happened because it’s just a simple sport playing with other countries.
My other reasons are how is shouting and carrying a sign going to work to cancel a game? – Tanu

1/ I don’t think doing protesting wouldn’t make much difference because I think they won’t change their minds. If there was a whole bunch of protesters, it wouldn’t be safe. I think the protesting is a bit dangerous in some ways because people might get into jail or get hurt.
2/ I don’t think the tour should have gone ahead because there was all those fights going on. All of the countries weren’t safe or calm at all. But I think that the rugby fans would’ve been really upset that they couldn’t see the rugby game.
3/ I think that if the whole wide countries just decided to make a decision it would’ve been more peaceful and not much of fighting. But because of people and how they look like doesn’t mean that you can judge people. – Emily

1/ No, it shouldn’t have happened. It just caused more trouble.
2/ No, because people got hurt and games got cancelled. Too much rage. – Kian

When games go wrong

As a part of our games unit, Ms Finikin told us a story about a time she had a woopsy playing a game. It was in 2001 while she was working at the Massey University English language centre, so her students were adults. She had been doing medieval sword fighting for over a year and was wearing a helmet…..to protect her head and nose.

Ching Ching, Poke Poke

Ms Finikin was sword fighting with her friend. The sword wasn’t sharp. When they played, her friend went so fast the the sword hit Ms Finikin’s eye. She had to go to the hospital. The doctor said, “Don’t do sword fighting without a mask.” Her students kept asking what happened.
Three groups:
1st group said, “You were fighting with an old lady. Then you got hit in the eye.”
2nd group said, “You were praying for a drink and then beer fell on your eye.”
3rd group said, “I think you were sword fighting then it hit your eye.”
In 2001. – By Jack

Ms Finikin went to sword fighting. The teacher decided to teach them something new. They had to cross swords and push. Her friend pushed so hard that Ms Finikin got hit in the eye. -By Alexey

In 2001, Ms Finikin did sword fighting. Ms Finikin’s eye was hurt. She went to the hospital. And Ms Finikin went to Massey University.Her friends were surprised. -By Darshan

In 2001, Ms FInikin was doing a sword fight and she got poked in the eye and she drove herself to the hospital. When she got to school, her students were so much questionish. Then she told them to get in a group of three and one group thought that she got into a fight with an old lady and the second group thought that your were in a sword fight and the third group thought that you were begging for water and a bear (sic) dropped on you.
-By Tamira

When Ms Finikin did sword fighting in 2001, an old lady hit Ms Finikin’s eye and did an accident and all of the people said, “What happened to your eye?” And she said, “Work out what happened.” Then she had to drive to the doctor with one eye, and the doctor said, “Don’t do sword fighting without a mask.”
-By Daniel S

One day, when Ms Finikin went with her friend to try sword fighting, they had curved swords for safety. Ms Finikin’s friend was really excited so they started. Her friend went “Haya!” and poked Ms Finikin’s eye.
-By Sebastian

On day Ms FInikin went to try sword fighting and got poked in the eye and drove to the doctor and the doctor said, “Don’t go sword fighting without a mask.” The next day she went to work and her students asked what happened. She said, “Get in to groups and guess.” The first group said, “You got hit in the eye by an old lady.” The second group said, “Your prayed for water and a cup of water fell on your eye.” The last group said, “You got hit in the eye with a sword.” -By Jack

Rosemary

Rosemary came to school.
She was Ms Finikin’s mum’s doll. One of us asked whether that made her Ms Finikin’s sister.
We discussed whether a 70-year-old ‘Pedigree’ doll is freaky or not. Probably the blonde wig doesn’t help.

We listened to the story about how Ms Finikin’s mum got the doll and retold it.

Rosemary is pretty. The grandparents bought her for Ms Finikin’s mum. She liked it. She was beautiful. Once she made Milly scared. – Darshan

Ms Finikin’s mum had to eat all of her dinner to play with Rosemary for thirty minutes. Rosemary is a doll. When she didn’t eat, her dad got to play with Rosemary. Her dad acted happy. – Jack

Rosemary is a doll. Ms Finikin’s grandparents bought a doll called Rosemary. They named her. Ms Finikin’s mom had to eat her dinner to have her for 30 minutes. – Daniel S

Rosemary is a doll. Ms Finikin’s mum always guessed when she ate her dinner, she could play with Rosemary. – Sebastian

Ms Finikin’s grandparents decided to get Ms Finikin’s mum a doll because she didn’t eat her dinner very well and was very skinny. They had this ticking sheet and, if she ate her dinner every day for a week, she got to play with Rosemary. But, if she didn’t eat all of her dinner, Ms Finikin’s grandpa had to play with Rosemary, and she had to watch. When Ms Finikin’s mum passed away, Ms Finikin got Rosemary. That is my retell story of Rosemary.
– Emily

Rosemary is a toy. Ms Finikin’s mam never ate her food so then they (her parents) bought her a doll. If she didn’t eat her dinner, she didn’t play with Rosemary. If she did eat her dinner, she played with Rosemary. – Alexey

70 years ago, Ms Finikin’s grandparents bought her mum a toy doll and Ms Finikin’s mum could play with the doll every Sunday night if she ate all her food for every night until Sunday night. She could play with the doll for 30 minutes. If she didn’t eat it, Grampa would play with the doll. – Kian

70 years ago, Ms Finikin’s mom didn’t eat a lot of her food. Ms Finikin’s grandpa or grandma thought if they buy a doll for her, if she ate all her food, she will be able to play with Rosemary for half an hour. If Ms FInikin’s mom didn’t eat it, she had to watch her father play with the doll for 30 minutes. – Tanu

Very funny, Peyton and Louis.

Rangoli

During Diwali we found out about rangoli art. We created pictures in the style of it, and researched and justified our opinions about whether we could say we had created actual rangoli art works, or just something beautiful.