The Kirkhill Chatter

Well, I think after our busy week we all deserve a long weekend!

We started a small topic on measure this week.  We began by brainstorming all the different ways we can measure things and the units of measurement we use to do this.  We then experimented with lots of measuring equipment to investigate the relationships between these different units.  Did you know that a litre of water weighs one kilogram?  We worked out that that meant that one millilitre of water weighed one gram.  We also investigated the history of measurement – from cubits in Ancient Egypt to the ones we use today.  We were surprised to find out that the original definition of a metre was a measurement which equalled one ten-millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the Equator (through Paris!).  We also worked on finding the area of different shapes, including compound shapes.

In literacy, we worked in groups to complete a research task.  Each member of the group researched a specific aspect of life in a castle before sharing their findings with the others in the group.  The group then had to discuss and come up with their top ten interesting facts about castles.  There seemed to be a lot of interest in how the toilets worked!

In our topic, we have been learning about the very confusing Tudor and Stuart family tree!  We thought that it might be easier to understand if they didn’t all have the same names!  However, some of us have names which have been carried down in our families too.  Some of us have enjoyed looking at the Crown Jewels of both Scotland and England and we are working to create our own crowns, orbs and sceptres.  We are looking forward to placing these in a beautiful display cabinet in our classroom.

We have decided to turn our classroom into a castle.  We have made a start on the wooden panels and the stone walls.  There may be lots of painting next week – so an old shirt or oversized tshirt to wear might come in handy.  We’ll keep you updated on our progress.

We are continuing with our daily mile, and some of us are getting a new PB every day!  We will be working on athletics in gym and will shortly be holding heats for the Gala Sports Day.

Enjoy the holiday weekend!  Just a wee reminder too that Thursday is an inservice day.