After Mr Cook finally managed to convince Mrs Prentice that there were three types of rock: Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic (ROCK CHALLENGE IS NOT THE 4th), we were able to become Rockstar Geologists like James Hutton.
Our challenge, using the knowledge we had gained, was to categorise a sample of rocks which had been provided at 13 different stations. The task was tricky as some were difficult to distinguish, especially between sedimentary and metamorphic. Some of the igneous rocks looked heavy, but when you picked them up they were extremely light, foamy in fact.
Check out January’s Pupils of the Month within P6/7!
Leon C – Leon has dedicated his time and effort to perfecting his role within Rock Challenge. He’s spent his lunchtimes each day working with the teachers, and has taken all their advice on board as to how to perfect his character.
Calum M – Since joining Lochardil in November, Calum has fit into the P6/7 team excellently, making friends with others in the class.
Kieran K – Kieran has demonstrated his ability to be a great listener whilst supporting his friends and peers both in the playground and the classroom.
Well done boys! Keep up the hard work!
REMEMBER: Your Rock category, and website homework. Check the blog post below for more info
They will then need to input their User ID and Password which is on their user details slip given in class today.
Each pupil has two challenges to complete by Sunday 17th February 2013. If you have a problem accessing the internet, you can use the computers within school at lunchtime before Friday. Each game will take around 10 minutes.
I am able to track your scores – make sure you try your best! Let me know if you’ve got any problems!
James Hutton, a Geologist during the Scottish Enlightenment, discovered that he could estimate the age of the Earth using Rocks. Later this week we will be clasifying rocks using his categories.
See you tomorrow,
Mr.Cook, Mrs.MacLeod and Mrs.Prentice
Reminder: Bring ALL of your outfits/props for Rock Challenge on Monday, as this is our first dress rehearsal.
Today’s blog has been written by Jamie.L, Molly.F and Cameron.McC. P6/7 have visited Bibleworld, a mobile interactive learning resource, at the IRA the past two days.
Bible world was a fun experience for all young pupils, and we all learnt a lot. It was split up into 6 sections.
The first section was about: How the world was created and how we live. We got to look at the different planets and facts about them. We also learnt about how we can keep the world as God had made it.
The second section was about:
Christian music and famous Christian singers. It was a musical interactive zone where the music gave us a clue to answer questions from stories in the bible. It was very fun and we really enjoyed it.
The third section was about:
A library when we had to find out the missing books in the old testament, and the new testament. It was very interesting to find out about these things as some of us did not know anything about this.
The fourth thing was about:
A museum in which we explored the different types of ways people used to write. We also found out that the monks wrote some of the bible in a strange way, this was called cuneiform. This was done in symbols, it was written with a reed stylus and it was done on clay.
The fifth thing was about:
A plane, we got to watch how all the different countries lived and how they react to getting the bible. It was really cool and interesting.
The sixth thing was about:
A quiz where first you answered a question and there were boxes you had to open; and in them were things you had to answer questions about.
We have all learnt something new and have enjoyed this experience.
Cameron McC, Molly F and Jamie L
We’d like to wish you a great weekend!
Mr.Cook, Mrs.MacLeod and Mrs.Prentice
Mr Cook promised he’d put this link onto the blog…
We used it today in maths. Try it out- it’s really fun! There are lots of different patterns that you can make in each of the villages of Tesselation Town.
REMINDER: Rock Challenge costumes for tomorrow. P7 will be at Bibleworld in the morning- there will be NO snack from the canteen for P7- bring this with you to Bibleworld.
As promised, here is the blogpost from Aimee, Finlay and Morven on their trip to Eden Court.
We visited Eden Court yesterday (Finlay, Aimee and Morven) where we met Mr Batty, a specialist in lighting.
He showed us how to work the lights, furthermore we got a tour around Eden Court.
We went up to the highest point of the Empire Theatre so a lady could tell us how the spotlights work. We found out that the spotlights can change colour.
We learnt how the lights could dim, in addition to the fact that they could become bigger or smaller.We also went on the Empire Stage, and underneath it where the orchestra usually sit when they are performing.
Aimee had a chance to use one of the spotlights. She made the light bigger and smaller, dimmer and brighter. The spotlights are about 1 metre long; but are really light although they look heavy.
Finlay, Aimee and Morven
See you tomorrow,
Mr.Cook, Mrs.MacLeod and Mrs.Prentice
Reminder: Bring in your outfits for Rock Challenge by FRIDAY. We will be starting our dress-rehearsals as of Monday. If you’re requiring pieces for your outfit- speak to one of the P6/7 teachers.
Tomorrow afternoon, P6 will be going to Bibleworld. Just a reminder that there is to be NO home lunches tomorrow.
We’d love to hear what your personal project topic is. Comment on the blog and let us know!
Our technical team: Finlay, Morven and Aimee went to Eden Court today. They will report to you on the blog tomorrow to tell you what they learned.
See you in the morning,
Mr.Cook, Mrs.MacLeod and Mrs.Prentice
REMINDER: Let us know what your topic is for your personal project by commenting on the post below
Three weeks today, we will be performing on Eden Court theatre stage. We have been extremely busy rehearsing during class and at lunchtimes, designing scenery and props both during class and at lunchtime, as well as organising and creating our costumes.
BUT, we still have work to do.
NEXT WEEK will be our last time to make sure our performance is PERFECT. We will be having dress rehearsals all week from Monday. For the dress rehearsals- you need to bring in the outfits you will be wearing on the night.
We would kindly ask if you could bring in ALL outfits and props which you are bringing from home by THIS Friday, 1st February. They will be stored for each scene in Mrs Prentice’s room. Bring items in a plastic bag, and you can label them, before placing them in the cupboard.
You will need ALL outfits each day next week!
See you tomorrow,
Mr.Cook, Mrs.MacLeod and Mrs.Prentice
Today we handed out our Personal Project guidelines to each pupil. There are two separate information sheets, one for P7, another for P6.
P7 will be competing for the Rosebowl, a prestigious award which is awarded to the BEST P7 Personal Project.
P6 will be competing for the P6 prize – this being great preparation project for next year.
This year, you are allowed to do a topic of YOUR choice for the project. Think carefully, this should be something that you’re extremely interested in, which will hopefully produce the best results.
We’re advising you to choose a topic by Friday 1st February. Post your topic on the blog when you know.
The project is due on Friday 26th April 2013. It seems like a long time, but it will come around quick!
REMINDER: WATCH OUR VIDEOS FROM THE PAST TWO WEEKS BELOW
It was great to see all those sporting a bit of Scottish glamour today in honour to Robert Burns.
Thank you to the Pupil Council for putting together the Burns’ Trivia! It was obvious that our knowledge of Burns was okay, however our awareness of Scottish words was a bit of a stramash!
The EXCELLENT problem solving that James.H and Morven.R created in memory of Robbie Burns, followed number patterns- an area we’re covering in maths, as well as symmetry. Cameron Mac and Luke M got 1st prize which will be available to collect Monday!
Click below for the ‘Continents and Oceans’ game that Mrs MacLeod played during Geography:
REMINDER: P7 parent/carer meeting for the IRA is TONIGHT (Thursday) at 7pm in Lochardil Primary School Hall.
Tomorrow, we’re going to be going all out for Burns. There will be a quiz in the morning, a maths task themed for Burns, and the opportunity to wear something tartan. There will be a donation box for ‘Kilts for Kids’ for those who would like to make a donation.
BLOG HOMEWORK FOR FRIDAY: Write a sentence for each of the Enlightenment figures you learned about last week on the BLOG COMMENT BELOW: Alison Rutherford, Robert Adam and James Watt- saying ONE thing that you have learned about their work during the Enlightenment.
See you tomorrow,
Mr.Cook, Mrs.MacLeod and Mrs.Prentice
BLOG HOMEWORK FOR FRIDAY: Write a sentence for each of the Enlightenment figures you learned about last week on the BLOG COMMENT BELOW: Alison Rutherford, Robert Adam and James Watt- saying ONE thing that you have learned about their work during the Enlightenment.
Today we learnt about the success of Joseph Black- a chemist who discovered carbon dioxide. Once we had agreed on what carbon dioxide is, a gas; the impact it’s having on the world, global warming; and some of its sources, car fumes; we were able to try and grasp what it might ‘look like’.
But how could we create carbon dioxide, and capture it? Well… Steve Spangler had an idea: (watch the video below)
Mr Cook was reluctant to do the science experiment as it looked a little ‘foamy’. Mrs Prentice had offered, but SUDDENLY ‘hurt her arm’. Mrs MacLeod had ‘cut her finger’; therefore Mr Cook left with no choice. With his marigold gloves, safety glasses and apron, he was able to do the experiment.
At first he showed the reaction between bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. He then showed what it would be like for 50ml of vinegar, keeping all of the other variables the same, before showing 100 ml.
We then got into groups and tried the experiment ourselves. Each group had to measure out a different amount of vinegar, but keep each other item the same. We found that when we reached 125ml, it POPPED!
WE have recorded our answers in the table below, and made our conclusions.
Mr Marigold ended with one final experiment, showing what 200ml looks like- WATCH OUR VIDEO BELOW!
BLOG HOMEWORK FOR FRIDAY: Write a sentence for each of the Enlightenment figures you learned about last week: Alison Rutherford, Robert Adam and James Watt- saying ONE thing that you have learned about their work during the Enlightenment.
As promised on Friday, the video of Alison ‘performing’ our poems can be found below. You will need the password, which we gave you in school today, to watch the video. If you’re a parent/carer and would like access- please email the address below for the password, and we will have it sent to you.
On Friday, Lochardil Primary (P6/7) were in the Inverness Courier for their fundraising efforts regarding The Archie Foundation. We’ve also received a certificate of thanks from The Archie Foundation. This will be put in the achievement book, and the certificate hung up in reception.
P6/7’s final visitor this week was Alison Cockburn, (Formally known as Alison Rutherford before her marriage) Edinburgh poet and socialite. We were lucky enough to have an ACTUAL visit from Alison. She told us about her friendship with Robbie Burns, her parties in her Edinburgh town house, and her love for the English language. With Alison, we wrote an acrostic poem. We read her version of ‘Flowers of the Forest’, and created our own ‘Flower Acrostic’. Mr Cook was unfortunately at the dentist, so missed her visit…
Our poems are below, click on each image to enlarge:
The second Enlightenment VIP we have had visiting P6/7 was Robert Adam, famous architect and designer during the Enlightenment period. His designs were iconic, and have lasted with us into the modern day. Mrs Prentice showed us some of the techniques which Adam used. We’ve begun creating our own Robert Adam style doors, which will house some of his fantastic patterns. Check back to the blog when we have completed them for pictures.
Our first VIP this we met during ‘The Scottish Enlightenment’ was James Watt- the man who improved the Steam Engine. Mrs MacLeod showed us how steam is formed within the kettle, and the power it creates. James Watt realised that when placing a cold metal spoon next to the kettle, the steam quickly condensed back into water. He used this as a basis for improving the steam engine.
Reminder: Specialist Group C are SWIMMING tomorrow. Remember your swimming kit!
Thank you Billy (from Construction Skills) who came to do a Tetrahedron Building workshop. Billy taught us that there are lots of skills in the construction industry that are developed when completing activities. Some of the skills which we had to develop were: Problem Solving, Listening, Team Work and Talking.
All of the teachers have argued that each of their own register classes were the best, but Billy managed to slip out of the school before he told us who was the best register class. We think it was wise- we don’t want to start a riot!
Check the blog tomorrow, to see what we have learned the past two Thursdays, about some of the key people during the Enlightenment.
Reminder: Billy will be back from Construction Skills tomorrow to work with Mrs.Prentice’s class. There will be NO PE tomorrow, so you do not need kit!
Our challenge today was to re-write the history of ‘The Scottish Enlightenment’ using our own words. We had to focus on interesting vocabulary, connectives, openers and punctuation; which would not only give the main points, but also engage the reader.
Here is one example which we felt met most of the criteria…
‘The Scottish Enlightenment’ – James.H (P7)
‘Over 300 years ago a revolution swept across Scotland. This period of time in the 18th century, known as The Scottish Enlightenment, is often described as Scotland’s ‘Golden Age’. The Scottish people of that age excelled in many different fields of knowledge suchas economics and philosophy, and became world-renowned for those subjects. There were many different individuals who changed Scotland (and the world) forever. They came up with ideas to make the world a better place; bear in mind these ideas were often controversial. Before the Enlightenment period Scotland was very poor. So how did we become so good?
The first thing that helped change Scotland is that many of the scholars travelled abroad and brought back new ideas from their destinations. This helped to improve Scottish Universities. One example is the founders of the outstanding Edinburgh University medical school, who travelled to the world’s best medical school in Holland.
Secondly, after the Reformation, the Reformers put schools in every parish so that people could read the Bible. The children were around nine years old and went to school for about four years. Also, when the parliaments united the Scottish people lost their political rights, and while that infuriated the country, it also meant the intellectuals didn’t have to take sides. In turn, that meant that there was a flow of free information.
Finally, the Scottish universities were the best in the UK. They also had five of them- the most in the UK! The universities were open to ideas from across the globe which helped make them successful. In the 17th century the universities were only of minor significance, but by the 18th century they were changed fundamentally. Another change was that the universities had more than one teacher, known as ‘Professors’.
All of these points- and many more- helped fuel the Scottish Enlightenment and shape the world as it is today. If Scotland were to have another golden age it would, once again, change the world forever. 300 years have passed and since then we still think about the time. I think that without the Enlightenment we would live in a very different world today.’
Check the Enlightenment video by clicking the link below:
You may be thinking it’s too early for Burns… BUT The Scottish Enlightenment did not just happen… inspiring people made it happen.
Specialist Group A made this ‘larger than life’ portrait of Robbie Burns in Art with Mrs Prentice on Friday. We’ll learn a little more about how Robbie contributed to The Scottish Enlightenment next week.
Another one of those people was Adam Smith- an economist who used the philosophy of morality to make the big bucks. We found out today that he improved the standards for his workers, to improve the quality of their work. We’ll find out a bit more next week by what Adam Smith meant when he said: ‘To feel much for others, and little for ourselves.’
See you all tomorrow,
Mr.Cook, Mrs.MacLeod and Mrs.Prentice
Rock Challenge information letter went home today. It is important that this is read, as it contains all of the information for our performance on the 19th of February.
This morning, P6/7 were delighted to present Kim from The Archie Foundation with a cheque for £520.85. We heard today that our donation will go towards the new children’s ward within Raigmore Hospital.
Over the past two sessions 2011/2012 and 2012/2013, P6/7 have organised many enterprise and fundraising activities. The profits from each of their ventures- such as the Coffee Morning, Hallowe’en disco, Nails N’ Nibbles and Bottle Full of Change- have been combined to help us give this donation. We have also been able to donate £500 to the ‘Be Your Best- Rock Challenge Foundation’ the past two school years.
Thank you to everyone who has supported our events, making our donation possible!
Look out for our photograph in the Inverness Courier over the next week.
See you all tomorrow,
Mr.Cook, Mrs.MacLeod and Mrs.Prentice
P6/7, from both 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, have supported The Archie Foundation, in conjunction with the Be Your Best- Rock Challenge charity.
Our enterprise activities such as our coffee mornings, Hallowe’en discos, Nails N’ Nibbles and bottle-full of change have not only provided us with spending money at Loch Insh (P7) and our entry donation to Rock Challenge, but also provided us with a surplus which is to be donated to The Archie Foundation.
We now have our final total, which will be handed over during our cheque ceremony on Monday.
£528.50 will be given to a representative from ‘The Archie Foundation’, whilst being photographed by The Inverness Courier. A letter detailing this went home today.
Have an excellent weekend. Good luck in any sporting events, such as the Football team in the winter league!
Mr.Cook, Mrs.MacLeod and Mrs.Prentice
SWIMMING: Group B, it is your LAST swimming session tomorrow!
What a fantastic day today was. The founding figures of ‘The Scottish Enlightenment’ would be proud to see how hard Scotland’s children work in school on a day like today.
THANK YOU BILLY (Construction Skills Scotland) for working with Mrs MacLeod’s and Mr Cook’s register groups. He’ll be back next Thursday to work with Mrs Prentice’s. Then he’ll be able to choose the winner out of the three.
Without even knowing it, you developed some of the skills which were demonstrated by those who made the enlightenment a success. You developed knowledge and skills today in: technology, architecture, poetry, engineering, history, team work, listening and talking whilst working with Billy, Mr Cook, Mrs MacLeod and Mrs Prentice.
We can’t reveal ANY photos or videos until next week, as it is a SURPRISE what the other groups got up to. Remember- shhh- don’t tell anyone in any other register class, you want your register class to win!
Let’s hope next Thursday is an even bigger success!
See you all in the morning,
Mr.Cook, Mrs.MacLeod and Mrs.Prentice
It was great to see our final number, Tidal Wave, come together today. Having the WHOLE of P6 and P7 on stage doing a rehearsed routine has a massive impact on the audience. Lunchtime rehearsals will start next week to finalise each of the songs.
Over the next two Thursdays, Billy Skinner from Construction Skills will be coming to visit us to do a technological problem solving. As we are doing this in 3 groups, it gives us plenty time to learn some more about the key figures of The Scottish Enlightenment.
Mr Cook’s register class will be starting at 1pm- Packed and School lunches only please tomorrow.
Research Homework: Find out the names of each of the three Wise Men
P6/7 are glad to be back! It sounds like everyone had a fantasic Christmas break, but back at school is where the fun is set to begin.
This term is an extremely busy term for us. Over the next 5 weeks we will be preparing for Rock Challenge at Eden Court on February 19th. We have the choreography for the main body of our performance, however we have to complete our final number in which we will all be on stage.
This term we will also be studying ‘The Scottish Enlightenment’ as our topic. We found out today that The Scottish Englightenment was a period of time in the 1700s (18th Century), in which Scotland was famous for: philosophy, chemistry, geology, architecture, poetry, engineering, technology, economics, sociology, medicine and history. During this time, also known as ‘The Golden Age’, many people contributed to this, and over this term, we will be learning about their successes.
We have separated our topic into three areas in which we hope to research:
Inventions and Science How did the scientific and mathematical developments of the 18th century impact the world at that time?
The Arts Why was Scotland so influential, with regards to the arts, during the 18th century?
Education and Thinking What made our education system and our way of thinking stand out from the rest of the world?
Our overall outcome is to: Create a written/multi-media project about an influential person/time in Scottish history. We will be doing this in class individually, in pairs or in small groups.
We are having a think about a fantastic excursion which will support our topic. If you have any ideas/expertise about ‘The Scottish Enlightenment’- please do get in touch!
See you tomorrow,
Mr.Cook, Mrs.MacLeod and Mrs.Prentice
We’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas!! By the sounds of the comments on the last blog post, some of you have got some lovely presents. We’d love to hear what you all got from Santa.
Mr Cook was on the nice list- clearly he got his punctuation right this year!!
Just about to open all of your lovely gifts- thank you again!!
