All posts by Mrs Maher

P4/5 Science, SSPCA and Disco

On Monday, we all took part in a Science experiment to look at the hypothesis: Can I create a gas using only a solid and a liquid? We used water and oil then added in glitter, food colouring and an alka-seltzer tablet. We watched mixed the items together, watched the chemical reaction take place then let them settle again. We noticed that the oil is less dense and sits on top and the more tablet you add the more bubbles of carbon dioxide you see.

On Tuesday we had a visit from the SSPCA. Lindsey was telling us about how injured birds and wild animals are cared for and then released back into the wild. There was a video presentation, then a quiz and at the end we played Snakes and Ladders, but before going up a ladder or down a snake you had to answer a true or false question about animals- it was great fun!

Last night, Primary 4’s and Primary 5’s had the best fun at the Halloween Disco. We had exciting games, dances and movies then enjoyed a snack. It was wonderful to see you dressed up in your brilliant costumes!

 

I’d like to say a huge well done to everyone for fantastic work and behaviour this week. First, we have been improving our Rounding in Maths and been trying out tricky number challenges that have more than one step to the problem. In PE, we have been demonstrating greater ball skills. We are super excited about spooky Halloween writing next week using WOW words as vocabulary!

Homework Reminder: Anyone who has not changed their reading book may do so on Tuesday via the sign in/out record. Please remember you are free to hand in weekly homework tasks to the tray or hand in your folder on the last week of November. In December, all homework will be assigned to the festivities.

Have a lovely weekend everyone! 🙂

STEM WEEK

Today in our STEM activity groups we took part in a Science investigation – How to make a oil lava lamp.

We used our hypothesis: Can I create a gas using only a solid and a liquid? to carry out the investigation.

We used equipment: measuring jug, funnel, vegetable oil, plastic clear bottle with lid, food colouring, glitter and Alka-Seltzer tablet.

We made predictions: We thought that when the items were mixed it will give a lava lamp effect.

We discussed our method as a group. We came to the conclusion that the solid (Alka-seltzer tablet) reacted to the water and oil to make bubbles of carbon dioxide gas. The more Alka-Seltzer went in the more bubbles and reaction took place.

Some of our liquids even moved around inside the bottle!!

Our results showed us that oil is less dense that water therefore it sits on the top of the water. Also when the gas escapes the water and oil separates into two layers again.

Check out our amazing photos!

Well done for today’s hard work boys and girls! At home, you can shine a torch behind or underneath your lava lamp to see it glow.

Have a lovely October Break and I will see you back after the holidays! 🙂

Macmillan Coffee Morning!

Today we hosted our own coffee morning as part of the biggest fundraising event for people facing cancer. We raised a FANTASTIC ÂŁ610.80 making this year another successful year!

Primary 4/5 had a wonderful time joining the event with our class singing. THANK YOU to everyone who came to see us and for donating.

Homework

Today, children were given a poly pocket to take home containing the homework discussed at the open afternoon/ evening.

They had a chance to choose a book for enjoyment from the class library. This may be returned/ swapped via the class teacher’s sign in/out record.

Reminder: This book should stay inside the poly pocket to protect from damages/ spillages.

They have also been given a reading challenge grid and their Sumdog login. Other homework for e. g. Topic/ Spelling/ Halloween etc. will be given out at various times or where appropriate to support in class learning.

Thank you for your support.

P4/5 ROALD DAHL DAY!

Today Primary 4/5 have enjoyed a day of ‘phizz-whizzing’ activities for Roald Dahl Day. We looked at the characters in a variety of books where they typically involve adult villains, who hate and mistreat children, and feature at least one “good” adult. Our favorites so far are George’s Marvellous Medicine, Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Every year on September 13th we celebrate his birthday as he is one of the most famous children’s authors.

Did you know:

  • 2018 is the 13th annual Roald Dahl Day
  • Roald Dahl wrote 21 books and has sold approx. 1 million each year
  • Roald Dahl went to school in Llandaff, Cardiff until he was 9 years old and went to boarding school in England
  • His mother and Father were Norwegian and he was named after a famous explorer from Norway
  • Roald was a British novelist, short story writer, poet and a fighter pilot
  • In 1939 he joined the RAF and because he was so tall his fellow pilot mates nicknamed him ‘Lofty’

Roald Dahl loved sweet treats – but not chocolate cake nor hot chocolate so we made Wonka treats using the whipple-scrumptious fudgemallow delight recipe. They were… scrumdiddlyumptious!

Please remember to collect your certificate tomorrow for taking part boys and girls!

“If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”

Place Value, Big Writing & Basketball

Primary 4/5 have been working extremely hard on Place value this week by reading, writing and ordering numbers with 3/ 4 and 5 digits.

To make a number we use any of our 10 digits in our number system (0-9). Each number we made had three or more digits. The number 683, for example, is made of the digits 6, 8 and 3.

The position of a digit in a number is very important. We learned how a digit’s value depends on its position in the number. We used place value headings like Tn Th H T U and discussed what the value of each digit in a number is.

TRY OUT THESE TOP GAMES AT HOME:

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/place-value/place-value-charts

http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/me3us/flash/lessonLauncher.html?lesson=lessons/05/m3_05_00_x.swf

http://www.ictgames.com/sharkNumbers/mobile/index.html

Reminder: You may log onto ActiveLearn using the first 4 letters of your first then second name with your password set as woodlandsp45. You have assigned Place Value tasks you can complete at home if you wish.

Today we completed our first ‘Big Writing’ lesson with a focus on the Narrative genre. With our opening paragraph completed, we followed our success criteria to write the next paragraph of ‘My Alien Teacher.’ Some boys and girls got to share their adventure and we discussed the vivid vocabulary, clever connectives, exciting openers and perfect punctuation that we included in our writing. Well done everyone! Check back on Monday for our three ‘STAR WRITERS’

This week, we have improved our basketball skills and techniques by focusing on: dribbling to travel with the ball, hand-eye co-ordination, control of the ball and passing to a partner with an accurate bounce and chest pass.

Check out our photos!

 

Honey Extraction

Primary 4/5 enjoyed the demonstration of honey extraction from the bees. We joined Mr McMullan and were fascinated with the centrifugal force used to spin the honey.

Today we learned to:

  • Look for Less than 20% water on the frame
  • Cut the wax off the frame with a dry knife
  • Keep the knife flat and saw back and forth
  • Put 3 wet frames in the extractor
  • Take time and care when you spin round as the honey shoots out the sides – slow spin at the start
  • Half way through turn the frames around
  • Centrifugal force is used to extract honey into the honey bucket

P4/5 Science & Art

Primary 4/5 have enjoyed taking part in a Science investigation using practical techniques to create a chemical reaction. We learned ‘How to make a lava lamp by pouring water to halfway up the bottle, pouring one quarter of oil, adding food colouring, glitter and Alka-Seltzer.

Our results showed us that the oil and water would not mix unless we were actually shaking the bottle consistently.

Why did the oil and water not mix?

The oil floated to the top because it is lighter (less dense) than water. Oil and water don’t mix because water molecules are more attracted to each other than to oil molecules. (molecular polarity)

What happened when we added the Alka-Seltzer?

The Alka-Seltzer tablet reacts with the water to make carbon dioxide gas. These bubbles attach themselves to the coloured water and caused them to float to the surface.

It was great fun watching the gas bubbles rising. As they rose up it took some coloured water with them and glitter in blobs.

When the blob of coloured water reached the top the bubbles popped, the gas escaped and down went the water. Cool! 🙂

We have brought together a traditional Easter bunny with a modern twist to create some line drawings. Here is our work so far…

Have a lovely weekend everyone! 🙂

Sports Relief 2018

Primary 4/5 are presenting their assembly on Sports Relief on Friday 23rd March.

Sport Relief is a charity event from Comic Relief with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to help vulnerable people in both the UK and the world’s poorest countries.

This afternoon, we planned our Sport Relief assembly with videos, a song, a presentation, a quiz and prizes to be won. Our variety of fantastically fun active and fundraising tasks will all run on Friday 23rd March.

This year, we aim to bring everyone together, raise money and help get active while having fun to change lives.

Meet Precious and watch this digital story about how Sports Relief changed her life!

You can even get involved at home  and DOWNLOAD the App to track your steps and compete against others.

Reminder: Here is a link below to our ‘Sports Relief’ resources, please learn the ‘Step Up’ song and the lyrics can be downloaded too.

https://www.sportrelief.com/schools/primary

The BBC have teamed up in a new campaign with Premier League to inspire children to become more active in their learning with ‘Super Movers.’

If you’re a Super Mover then get involved in our fun videos linked to our in-class learning of Multiplication.

Click below for your Super Movers Fun Times Tables Songs!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/supermovers/42675177

Whatever Moves You… DO IT FOR SPORTS RELIEF 2018! 🙂