In Maths we will be looking at symmetry.

Shape environment changes: Ask children to look at patterns, which involve rotation or reflection at home or during their journey to school. Examples might include designs on crockery, designs on fences and brickwork on buildings. They record and describe the patterns.

Wallpaper design: Ask children to create a design for wallpaper, which involves shapes, which have been rotated or reflected. Back in class they compare and discuss their designs

Symmetry in nature: Ask children to look at the living world around them to find examples of symmetry in plants and animals. They could then photograph or sketch their findings to bring back into school to show to their classmates.

Crest Design: Ask children to design and draw a symmetrical crest for their class base at school. Children could then bring their completed designs into school for display outside the class base.

Here are some websites that you may find useful to use with me!

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/reflection.swf Create your own symmetrical design.

http://greatmathsgames.com/Symmetry/flags/quiz.htm Can you tell how many lines of symmetry are in each flag?

http://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/symmetry-point.html Test your understanding of rotational symmetry!

http://www.innovationslearning.co.uk/subjects/maths/activities/year3/symmetry/shape_game.asp

Can you correctly identify how many lines of symmetry these shapes have?

http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/reflection.swf Create your own symmetrical design.

http://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/symmetry-artist.html Create your own design with the help of the magic mirror!

Literacy

Find an interesting/unusual photograph for a newspaper report:

1. Think up some headlines to go with your picture.
2. You will need to use your imagination. Write down your answers to the five Ws (Who? What? Why? Where? When?)
3. Write a brief newspaper report on the event in the picture

 Finding information from newspapers. Find at least one example for:

Art

We have been looking at the work of the Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso. Here are some links to help you learn more about Picasso:

Blue Period – http://youtu.be/ux-bGaAK9LI

Early works (covering blue rose and cubist)   http://youtu.be/Odqhkt3kYiA

Picasso in action – live painting- http://youtu.be/pNrYupcDlXE

Child Narrated – http://youtu.be/_fNvBJAJw4s

As well as a famous painter Picasso was also a famous sculptor. Use junk modelling to create a Picasso inspired model.

This morning we started our work on Symmetry.  For some people,  it was a wee bit trickier than they first thought. For other people, they found it easy and could see the symmetrical pattern right away.  We all had a go at creating symmetrical pattern and we checked our work with a mirror.

This afternoon we had an introductory lesson to Pablo Picasso. With a partner, we had to come up with 5 facts about Picasson then join up with another pair to find 10 facts. Finally, people offered to take the hot seat and give 10 facts of their own.  Tomorrow we are going to paint pictures from Picasso’s Blue Period.

Today we had penultimate lesson on angles.  We were learning that if you add up the three angles in a triangle they always make 180 degrees (straight line angle).  We cut off the angles of different triangles then glued the angles into our jotters in a straight line to prove, when added together, they equal 180 degrees.   We will briefly  revisit angles later in the year.

This afternoon, in groups of 4, we acted out with our puppets the story of Esther.  This year Purim will be on 23rd March and Jews will remember how Esther saved the Jews of Persia from Execution.  We now know lots about this special story and why and how Jews celebrate  Purim.

This afternoon in Literacy we had different activities:

• the green group was  looking at exclamation marks in their books
• the red group was drawing a sketch of Arthur, a dragon, using clues from the text then comparing the dragon with Nessie and
• the blue group was writing a summary of Dinah’s reactions, behaviours and thoughts on being hypnotised by the Demon Head Master.

Later, we continued our work on angles.

This morning we took part in a Taekwon Do demonstration.  It was great fun!

In the afternoon we heard from Micaela Church,  a Global Citizen  Ambassador for The Project Trust.  She got us thinking about our preconception and reality of living in Angola, a country she worked in as a volunteer.

Our final talk was from Will, a Crime Scene Officer (CSO).  He explained what he does day to day in his job.  It was facinating hearing how he gathers evidence to help catch criminals.

We had yet another informative day with visits from  Jozanne a lawyer, Stuart Coleman from Cumbernauld Colts, Gordon from Sanctuary Housing and Josie from Scottish Prison Service.  We listened attentively and asked some very thought provoking questions.

Today we had a visit from Pam, a microbiologist.  She told us about her job, how she became a microbiologist and then we got to make fake micro organisms from salt dough.

In the afternoon, Marion came to speak to us about her job as a mortgage advisor and then we heard from Austin Osiris and his job as a wrestler.  He told us he learned everything he knows from his mum, Mrs Downs!

Today Mr McCallum came to the school to talk about his job as a joiner and multi purpose engineer.  he showed us the many tools he works with, explained about his job in schools in Edinburgh and answered our questions

.

This afternoon we had a visit from Roger Milliken who told us about his job as manager of the Village nursing home.  He told us to concentrate and listen at school because he didn’t and he ended up leaving school at 16 with no qualifications. Later when he was 27 years old went and got qualifications and became a nurse.