Tag Archives: Interdisciplinary learning

The Results Are In!

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We tested the last of our wind powered cars today.  Some groups needed more time to make slight modifications to their sail or car structure.  As well as engineering skills being developed here, the pupils were working with a partner to share ideas, make decisions and persevere with the task when it didn’t always work first time.  What a lot of learning going on!

Some cars didn’t get finished in time, but those pupils will still get the chance to test their sail making abilities, using a ready made toy car.

As each car was tested. it was lovely to hear the positive feedback given to each group, along with some helpful tips on how to improve on each design.  Some common themes were:

  • Getting the right shape and size of the sail
  • Can the wheels turn?
  • Is anything on the bottom of the car creating too much friction?  We realised that the car would need even more wind energy to help it to move.
  • How the sail was held up – was it secure enough?

With Mrs Smith, the class have been working on their measuring skills and these skills were put into good use for this task!  There were lots of helpful pupils who were keen to read how far each car had travelled.  Very accurate measuring from all!

All of the cars moved when wind energy was provided, even if just a little bit.  However, the most successful wind powered car travelled a massive 1m 80cm!

Even when things didn’t go to plan, it didn’t matter!  We had fun watching the results and learning from the process.  This car was even pushed over by the wind!

 

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Research Projects

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This afternoon we got the chance to share our learning with each other and the P6/7 class.  For the past few weeks, P4/5/6 have been busy researching and learning new things about Shetland in the past.

Each pupil got the chance to choose an area of local history that interested them and they could decide how they wanted to present their information.  Everyone was encouraged to think creatively about the different ways information can be shared.

In our classroom, we displayed posters, leaflets,  models, and stop motion animations.

Pupils chose to find out about The Braer disaster, Jarshoff, Shipwrecks, Historical landmarks in Shetland, World War 2 in Shetland, The Quendale Mill, Sumburgh Lighthouse, The Shetland Bus, Sumburgh Airport,  Mousa Broch and Whaling.

We also got the chance to see what P6/7 had chosen to research.  It was a lovely afternoon of sharing and learning new things.   How lovely it was to hear so many wonderful compliments being given by everyone!

Swan and Museum Trip 15th May 2023

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What a day!  The pupils in P4/5  had an exciting day in  Lerwick today, learning about life in Shetland in the past.

On our way to set sail with The Swan, some pupils were unsure and feeling a bit nervous.  It wasn’t long before these feelings disappeared as we got busy on deck with the skipper and his 2 crew mates.  We got some hands on learning to see what it takes to sail a traditional vessel, the history of the Swan – and our maritime heritage.

It was good fun, working as a team to raise the sail and have a go at steering the boat!  Some future skippers at Dunrossness perhaps…?  One of the highlights was definitely exploring the bunks downstairs.  Most folk thought it would be quite a comfortable sleep in there, apart from when you would have to put in the extra plank of wood across the bunk opening, to keep you from falling out on a rough night out at sea!  On Wednesday, P6 will have a whole day on board The Swan, learning “the ropes” and working as  a team.  We know they’ll have great fun!

As well as our sailing experience, we spent time at the Shetland Museum, hopping through the ages and discovering the different people who have settled in Shetland over thousands of years.

We learned about crofting and fishing life in Shetland and the different jobs men and women were responsible for.  After our tour, we got a chance to do some “carding” with sheep’s fleece, to make it soft enough to then spin into yarn.  We can certainly see how hard life must’ve been in the past!

Quiz Time!

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In P4/5/6, we have been learning how to build electrical circuits as part of our topic work.  We have also looked at which materials act as conductors of electricity and which materials are insulators.

We found out that metal is a conductor, so we used tin foil to help us build an electrical quiz board for the younger pupils in our school.

We thought carefully about  the focus for our quizzes and tried to keep in mind how to make the questions suitable for younger pupils.

It was amazing to see how many social skills were developed during this process:  turn taking, co-operation, talking and listening, compromising and providing support and encouragement to each other.  Of course, there were opportunities to develop ICT skills too.  It was lovely to see so many pupils eager to pass on their ICT knowledge!  What a team!

To play our games, you need to use an electrical circuit.  Instead of completing the circuit, the  wires at each end connect to our quiz board – one wire to a question and the other wire to the answer.  If the question and answer match, the bulb will light up!  This means that we have completed the circuit!

We can’t wait to show you the finished quiz boards soon and test them out on the P1/2 and P2/3/4 classes!

 

 

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Animations

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During P6 Bikeability time on Monday afternoons, P4/5 have been busy working in small groups to create their own animations.  The plan was to create an animation to help children in the school learn something that they might find tricky.

Our groups are making animations showing alphabetical order, 3 Times Table, Tricky Words and Telling the Time.

We have a couple of weeks left to tweak our animations and then hopefully we can share them with you!

Some people chose to use words and pictures in their animations…

Some groups chose to use items in the classroom to make their animations…

We can’t wait to see the finished products!

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World War II Stories

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We have been so impressed by the efforts of the pupils in P5/6 to find out about a family member or important people who lived during World War II and create a presentation for the class.

Below are just some of the presentations that we got to enjoy this week.  Other pupils chose to create PowerPoint presentations.  It has been fantastic to see everyone developing their presentation skills and having the confidence to give it a go!

We heard about German captures, escapes from work camps, sunken submarines,  medals from the King and so much more!  We have discovered how important it is to pass on these incredible stories and keep it going for the next generation to enjoy.

Well done P5/6!  What a brilliant way to end such a fabulous year with you!

 

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World War II

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Our topic this term has been World War 2.  We have been finding out about The Blitz, blackouts, evacuations and what life was like for people in the UK at that time.

The pupils have also been working in small groups to research a chosen aspect of World War 2.  The groups have chosen to research:

  • The Soviet Union
  • Anne Frank
  • Women in World War 2
  • New Inventions/Products in World War 2.
  • Adolf Hitler

Everyone has been working so hard on their presentations  and we are looking forward to sharing what we have found out with each other next week!

Some pupils have also been conducting some further research at home, finding out about their own family members who lived during the time of World War 2.  We are going to share these on Monday and Tuesday in the last week of term.  I can’t wait to see and hear what they found out!

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Lights, Camera, Action!

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While P6 have been taking part in their Play Leader training on Monday afternoons, P5 have been busy with Mrs Douglas, planning and preparing for their own stop motion animations.

Over the past 4 weeks, Liam, Eveline, Conor and Freya have been exploring how stop motion animations are created.  They have written their own storyboards and spent time creating resources for 2 different short stories.  These stories will be shared with P1/2 when they are ready.

Today the children began filming their stories and quickly learned that it was not going to be a simple task!  It requires a lot of patience, trial and error.  The group are learning so much from each other and it has been lovely to see everyone being so supportive.

Here are some behind the scenes shots of their filming session earlier today.

 

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Group Presentations

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P5/6 have spent many weeks researching an area from our Biodiversity topic and have been preparing a PowerPoint presentation to share their learning.  It was wonderful to finally see their presentations this week and give each other feedback as to what we thought went well and what could be done to make it even better.  Each group looked at the importance of plants and how they benefit society in different ways.

Well done P5/6!

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Shopping

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In P5/6 we have been creating a list of things we would like to use at playtime.  Our budget is £60, so we need to try to find the best deal for each item on our list.

We have been learning how to navigate around shopping websites, using filters so that we can find exactly what we are looking for.  We found out that it was important to check how many items were being advertised and to compare products.  Some products were very cheap but the delivery charge was very high!

Ethan discovered that if he looked a little further and narrowed his search a little more, he was able to find 3 basket balls for the same price as 1 in an earlier search.  Well done Ethan!

Ava and Freya thought they had found a great deal on chunky chalk with 100 pieces in the pack!  It’s a good job they read the reviews as that particular product had a low rating with lots of complaints!  Well done for spotting that girls!

We have noted down all of the things that we think could be bought and now we have to add it all up to check that we are within our £60 budget.  Fingers crossed!

Fiona was looking for chunky chalk to use at playtime. She tried to find the best deal by looking at how many were in a pack, the price and the delivery charge.