We have learnt about Carl Lineaus and how he came up with a way to categorise plants, and then animals. All the organisms in the world have been categorised into five Kingdoms – this week we have been finding out about the Plant Kingdom. We have been learning about some of the different plants you can find in the rainforest. In groups we tried to come up with our own ways to categorise these plants, some examples were – flowers, edible, where you find it, killer, carnivorous, colour, size, petal/leaf shape, fruit, tree, vine. After a lot of discussion and research the groups then decided on their final categories. Below are a couple of the posters that we created.

We are  learning about Adaptation and Conservation in Block 2 – We have created our very own ‘Rainforest ‘ in our classroom. We really enjoy getting the chance to curl up under the canopy and read!

We have learnt about the different layers of the rainforest, and the plants and animals that have adapted to survive in each layer. In groups of 4 we all had a different layer to research, write notes on, and write these notes up to describe the layer we were studying – the Emergent, Canopy, Understory or Forest Floor layer. As a group we then made a group piece of art that we labelled and put our writing next to. These have pride of place in our ‘rainforest’!

In block 1 we were learning about geology – the different types of rocks/stones. We brought in lots of different types and classified them and we even created our very own crystals! Unfortunately they are only salt cystals so not worth very much!

P6b have been investigating rocks! What a geologist does, how rocks are formed, what the different types of rocks are,  minerals and crystals, how rocks are used….

We went on a ‘materials walk’ around our school – below are some examples of the different ways rocks are used in our environment! Bricks, mortar, glass, ceramics, metals, plastics, concrete, gravel… can you name any of the other types we saw?

This block, we are learning how to set up and run a business. We have been having lots of discussions to decide what the best business idea is. We are trying to raise money for Fair Trade. We decided that doing some market research would help us to make important decisions about our business. Please ask your grown ups at home (parents, grandparents, friends of the family etc) to complete the Survey Monkey below.  Please do this by Monday 7th November – it should only take a few minutes. Thanks!

Click here for our Fair Trade Survey Monkey

Think about the story mountain that we have been using in class to help with structuring a story.

Watch ‘The Black Hole’ by clicking on this link and scrolling down to find ‘The Black Hole’.

Think about the following questions:

• What is normality?
• How does the story build up?
• Is there a turning point in the story?
• What is the climax or problem in this story?

Write an ending to the story and post it in the comments for Tuesday 8th November.

We carried out a creeeeepy science experiment today (it was 31st October after all). If you want to try it at home all you have to do is follow these easy steps.

Steps

Step 1: Put 80ml of water in a mixing bowl

Step 2: Gradually add 100g of cornflour (do not mix)

Step 3: Leave to sit for 5 minutes

Step 4: Punch the mixture

Step 5: Try to lift the mixture up and make a ball

What happens

When you run your fingers through it, it acts like a liquid. But when you punch it, it becomes hard and behaves like a solid. (If it doesn’t, try adding some more cornflour.)

How and why

The cornflour particles are suspended in the water, so it flows like a liquid. But when you apply a force to it, the particles lock together, acting like a solid. As soon as the force stops, the slime goes back to being runny.

img_0240

By P7A

We have been learning about the Moon!

Read the comments to see what we have learned so far!

Research the fair trade products and materials available to buy on the internet. In your groups, decide which products would be suitable for us to use in our business.

• What products and materials are available?
• What will we do with the products/materials?
• Will we be able to make profit?
• How much will we need of the product and the materials to make it?
• Will our stock keep well?
• Will our product be something people want to buy?
• How much will the materials or product cost?
• How long will it take to make?
• Will it suit a wide market?
• What sort of budget will we have?
• Are there any events/seasonal occasions coming up that will support our product?