This term our inquiry theme has been 'My Voice is Powerful'. Our ākonga have led us down the path of creating a siapo artwork based on our identity. This has been integrated through all our learning and teaching. We have had a lot of discussions and have found some of us know a lot about siapo and some of us have never seen it before. 
We looked at some pieces of siapo and worked in groups to discuss what we thought it was made from and what it is used for.
Then we used our iPads to find out more about siapo and some of us were able to share information that we had learned from our families. We learned that siapo is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree (found throughout the Pacific) and that it takes a lot of people and a lot of time to create. We also learned about the different roles people have in the siapo-making process.
After that we learned about symbols and how they can be used to represent different things. We looked at some symbols that are used in siapo and learned about the meanings of each symbol. Then we had a go at drawing some of the symbols.
In maths we learned about symmetry, reflection, rotation and translation. We looked at how symbols in different siapo are reflected, rotated and translated and learned how to create symmetrical patterns and designs. 
We then created symbols to represent things that are important to us and our families. We created symmetrical patterns by reflecting, rotating and translating our symbols.
