no, not the knots!

This week we will be going over some extra skills that the students might find useful on Friday. Today we looked at knot tying, tomorrow we will look at how to read a compass. If you remember we made our own compasses earlier in the year, so we will just need a quick refresher course. Later in the week we will look at  how to bandage wounds.

A few people wanted to continue to work on their knot tying so I thought I'd post a link to a good website I found that has step-by-step instructions and photos.

Below is a list of the knots that we tried today. All of the can be found from animatedknots.com (click on the small icons for different types of knots). If you want to just review a knot then click on the links below.

Knot tying lesson

Over hand

http://www.animatedknots.com/overhand/index.php?Categ=basics&LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Figure 8

http://www.animatedknots.com/fig8_/index.php?Categ=scouting&LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Round lasting

http://www.animatedknots.com/lashround/index.php?Categ=scouting&LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Bowline

http://www.animatedknots.com/bowline/index.php?Categ=scouting&LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Square knot

http://www.animatedknots.com/reef/index.php?Categ=scouting&LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

clove (half) hitch

http://www.animatedknots.com/clovehalfhitches/index.php?Categ=rescue&LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Our assignment into the human body

Human Body Final Project by crdayment

Here is a copy of our latest project outline and its rubric:

Human Body Mini Project Rubric by crdayment

week 15 Weekly letter

It was good to back after the Easter break. The students have been full of energy and focus which helped us get through a lot of work over the week. We started the week with  new units of Maths and writing and a moved focus in our Inquiry. we also took advantage of the great weather and had some open air lessons.

This week in reading groups we all started on new books, we will be spending the next few weeks focusing on novels and getting lost in a good book. This change has been welcomed by the students who were getting tired of reading non fiction books. In writing we have moved from report writing to essay writing (which we will need for our coming POI project). We were introduced to essay writing by us making a statement and then backed it up with three strong points. One of the statements that we had to make was to say if Little Bo Peep should of gone and looked for her sheep (why or Why not?). At the moment we have now started to develop our essay skills further and we have all have began to write an essay about fat - good and bad fats from foods. One we have written down our thoughts and ideas we will look at how to construct our introduction, body and conclusion (week 16).

Learning how to do breaststroke on your chair

To finish up our focus on report writing (we will be continuing to write reports between now and the end of the year) homework was to teach a skill to the class. This was done with some great success with the class not only getting some report writing practice but also learning some fun skills as well. We learnt how to; play a song with a cup, make a paper aeroplane, magic and swimming.

see more here: http://photo.net/no-words-forum/007jbW

In maths we have started our unit on geometry. During the introduction of the unit the class reflected about geometric shapes and where we find them. We also spent time reconnecting to how mathematics and geometry is always around us. we learnt a bit about the golden ratio and golden spiral (find examples here, here and here). We spent time learning the relationships of shapes and generally getting reconnected to shapes and the relationships between each shape

(I will be putting the scope and sequence outline for Geometry soon in a different post)

The spring show will soon be upon us (15th May) so the class sat down to decide what they wanted to do for the night. After some discussion we decided that we wanted to do something that involved dancing, bright colour and having fun. From this we worked out that we will be doing an interesting number that during the main part we will be dancing as a group to LMAO's Party rock anthem. Below is a link to the song on YouTube and as well as a link to the dance moves that we will (if we can get it down) doing. I have asked the students to start looking through their clothes to find things that are bright and colourful, parents think 1989.

 

We continued with our unit on the human body with our focus being on what we should be putting into it. We started writing an essay after we learnt that our body needs certain types of fats. We also learnt how important water is and what signs to look out for if we start to get dehydrated.



Michelle explaining the different colours in relation to dehydration


making an experiment to show what the different colours of urine will look like

optimum hydration--------hydrated--------dehydrated------------seek medical help

Just slightly off topic: a while ago the class was doing persuasive writing. During the unit we had the task of retelling a fairy tale from a different point of view. Last night I found this, it's not exactly what we did but I found it very interesting in the retelling of a classic tale.



This video was found on a website called http://dreamdogsart.typepad.com/

Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

Head, shoulders, Knees and toes

As you all know or now have done, some twice - Leane ;) our new unit of Inquiry is on How the world works where we have been focusing on the complexity of the machine/system that is our body. So far we have looked at our skeleton; what it does and how it is put together, as well as our muscles. Have also learnt how both systems work together so we are able to move. At the moment we are looking at our joints and what role they play.

Last week groups were given a task to build a working leg with some materials (elastic bands, paper clips, dowel rods, rubber tubing, and popsicle sticks). This was a bigger challenge than we first thought, but in the end we all able to make working models (with a little help).

This week taped up our thumbs to see just how much we need them. We discovered that we need them a lot! During the experiment we had some tasks that we had to do, colour in a picture, button up a button, tie a shoelace, zip up a zip and a few others. Some we found only a little bit harder than normal while other tasks were almost impossible to do! I think we all know have a new appreciation of our opposable thumbs! You can find out more about thumbs and who has them HERE



Drawing, a bit hard but something we could do without too much trouble

Exhibiting our advertising campaign open house

Last Friday we opened our doors to the public to show everyone the result of all our hard work over the last  six weeks. We had a great turn out of both students and parents who took time out of their busy schedules to check out our work.

Here are some photos from the great afternoon:

The Two Assignments for our POI

This unit we are doing two assignments for our end of unit projects. the first one will focus on developing an advertising campaign for a product. The second is promote the Year 5 Exhibition.

 

How We Express Ourselves End of Unit Assessment by crdayment

For this project the students have to expand on what they have been doing in class and for homework over the last five weeks. Instead of just making one poster or TV ad they are to make a series (as set of about three or four) of ads for the one product. They could use a mix of media; a tv ad with a poster and flyer, or just use one; a set of posters about the product. They will need to do this at home.

For the second project (Scribd will not let me embed the outline of some reason at the moment) Students have been put into group and will help promote the Exhibition this year. This lets them to use their new knowledge and understandings and apply it in a group environment. It also gives them vital exposure to what they we be doing next year in Year 5. All work will be done in school.

Here is a great pdf from a website that we looked at that shows you how to make good posters

www.Artskills.com

Week 4 and week 3 in review

Dear Parents and students,
welcome to a new week of school! But first, lets look at the week that was...

Last week ended with the handing in of our Inquiry projects which brought the unit to a close. At the start of the unit I asked all the students to write down a question connected to the unit that they wanted answered. Almost all of the students said that what they learnt over the six weeks helped them answer their question. One student who felt that she hadn't found the answer to her question. She was given time to go and research the answer using the knowledge of how cities and infrastructures work.

We also sat our end of unit maths review on Friday as well. We had spend the last week and a half practicing and reviewing so we could be ready for this test. For most, this part was where they demonstrated how much they knew and how well they used their skills of maths to build understanding of things in division that they did not fully know.

We also ended the week with a back wall full of book reviews.

This week we start our new unit in How we express ourselves.

Central Idea: Advertising can influence and affect the success of a product
Lines of Inquiry:

• Advertising is a way of promoting and informing people about products and ideas
• The attractiveness of a promotion will affect how well the product sells
• It is important to know and understand your market

Concepts: Form and Connection
Related Concepts: Advertising, product and consumerism

We will learn about affectingly marketing and promoting a product, as well as branding and having a target audience. We will also be helping Year 5 in the second half of the unit in promoting and advertising the Exhibition.

We have also started a new unit in Maths and in Literacy which tie in very well with this new Inquiry unit. I will write more about them tomorrow.

POI project-rubric and self-assessment

Here is are extra copies of the assignments if you need extra copies.

Cities and How They Function Individual Project by crdayment

Cities Self Assessment by crdayment

A trip into town

Dear Parents,
I am trying to plan a walk around the city next week where we will record the sounds of the city for our Inquiry and music project. Before I can plan anymore I need to find out how many parents are able to follow along to help out for the day. The idea is for year 4 to spend a few hours going to different predetermined areas of the city to record sounds (this could be something like a building site, train station, shopping mall, etc). I was thinking of doing this next Friday morning between 9.00 and 12.30 (back for lunch), we will need at least 4 parent helpers for the day so we can make five groups. If you can help out please email me and if you would like to help out but can do it on Friday please email me with the day that you can. We might find that most parents can only help out on say, a Thursday for example. Why are we doing this? As you know we have started our Inquiry unit about cities and the infrastructures that keep a city running. When I was planning some of this unit I thought that it would be beneficial for the students to become connected to the city and to stop the unit from becoming just six weeks of research. Thinking along these lines reminded me of when I lived in the outback after high school and when I would drive eight hours to Sydney to visit friends. The first thing that struck me every time I got out of my car was the noise the city made and how many different noises there was. This is something we block-out when we constantly live in a city. So why can't we make a type of music using the noise of the city? What would the song of Göteborg be according to the students? I talked to Joel who liked the idea and together we made a plan to make an installation in the school to show others as well. We talked to Joe in art as well and he has developed a plan for the students to build an installation for the 'music'. By doing this we will be letting the students make an audio and visual sensory connection to our unit and to the city as well as to isolate different types of infrastructure and to see and hear how it works. Ultimately we will know if the project has worked if it changes our connection and view of what a city is and it makes others stop, listen, look, and think.


 Regards, Christian.

A new day, a new everything

Last week was a week of finishing; we finished our Program of Inquiry unit on Discovery, we finished our POI projects, we finished our maths treasure maps, we finished our explorer journals, we finished our maths unit on multiplication and we finished the week with a day of swimming.

As class activities goes it was mostly an uneventful week we spent most of it reviewing for our multiplication maths test and finishing off our POI projects and explorers journals. It was though, a week of self motivation and self control. The whole week was laid out to the students on Monday. Deadlines, goals and responsibilities and expectations were talked about. The students demonstrated a great work ethic all week and everyone worked hard over the week completing individual (studying for maths) and group tasks (POI project).

The week finished as you know with a day at Åby swimming pool. As always it was a great day with lots of playing around, diving off the diving board, and getting flushed down the toilet (the big red waterside). Sorry for the lack of photos but I didn't have any pockets in my board shorts (and my phone is not water proof) :)

This week we will be having a 'gentle start' into the new Inquiry unit as we have our Inquiry project to play and treasure maps to follow. Our new inquiry will look at cities and how they function.

Trans disciplinary Theme: How We Organize Ourselves

Central idea: Cities can have a variety of infrastructures to support its’ inhabitants.
Attitudes: cooperation
Profile: Balanced
Key concepts: causation, responsibility, and form
Related concepts: consequences and population

During this unit we will be trying to get out of the classroom and into the city as much as possible. If you have any good ideas or have any contacts with services that influence the makeup and balance of a city please let me know. A few ideas that we have had so far is to visit stadmuseet and I have been talking to Joel about making an installation project on the city's soundscape (sounds of the city). So even if you have the strangest idea please tell me as it just may be the one that we are looking for. 

In maths we have started our new unit on the concept of division. 

Pattern and function

Overall expectations

Phase 3

Learners will analyse patterns and identify rules for patterns, developing the understanding that functions describe the relationship or rules that uniquely associate members of one set with members of another set. They will understand the inverse relationship between multiplication and division, and the associative and commutative properties of multiplication. They will be able to use their understanding of pattern and function to represent and make sense of real-life situations and, where appropriate, to solve problems involving the four operations.

Learning outcomes When constructing meaning learners:

• understand that patterns can be

analysed and rules identified

• understand that  division is

repeated subtraction

• understand the inverse relationship

between multiplication and division

When transferring meaning into

symbols learners:

• describe the rule for a pattern in a

variety of ways

• represent rules for patterns using

words, symbols and tables

• identify a sequence of operations

relating one set of numbers to another

set.

Number

Overall expectations

Phase 3

Learners will develop the understanding that fractions and decimals are ways of representing whole-part relationships and will demonstrate this understanding by modelling equivalent fractions and decimal fractions to hundredths or beyond. They will be able to model, read, write, compare and order fractions, and use them in real-life situations. Learners will have automatic recall of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. They will select, use and describe a range of strategies to solve problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, using estimation strategies to check the reasonableness of their answers.

Learning outcomes When constructing meaning learners:

• use the language of fractions

• model division of

whole numbers

• use the language of division, for example, factor,

multiple, product, quotient, prime

numbers, composite number

When transferring meaning into

symbols learners:

• develop strategies for memorizing

addition, subtraction, multiplication

and division number facts

• describe mental and written

strategies for multiplication and

division.

When applying with understanding

learners:

• use mental and written strategies for

multiplication and division in real-life

situations

• select an efficient method for

solving a problem, for example,

mental estimation, mental or written

strategies, or by using a calculator

• select an efficient method for

solving a problem, for example,

mental estimation, mental or written

strategies, or by using a calculator

This might look like a large amount to cover in a short time but many of the goals and expectations overlap each other and others (such as problem solving) carry on throughout the school year.

In language we have started looking at Tall Tales. We started by having whole class group reading this week about one of the Legendary figures of American folklore Davy Crockett. We also have homework to write a Tall Tail about one of our parents and finally, we (even the EAL beginners) started to write a Tall Tales book using Story Bird. Story Bird is a great free program online and is worth a look at if you have not seen it before. You can also get your books printed into real books if you want to. You can see the website here

It was good to see the French and Australian rugby teams win on the weekend (sorry Sasha)

AAr a compass!

Some students have said that they miss understood the homework in regards to making a compass. So here it is again;

1. Go into Google and type 'how to make a compass' , Leane and I just did this and Google found 35 million results, so you should be able to find something to help you.
2. make your compass, and write what you did, how you did it and the results (did it work?)
3. bring in your observations (short journal) to school. If you like you can bring in the compass as well.
4. Hand in your homework.

So, if you find yourself lost in the forest all you need is a needle and a magnet, or a magnetised needle :)

The narrator mentions that you stick the magnet onto the needle and leave it for a day. You can also achieve the same result from rubbing the needle in one direction for about a minute. Just make sure you are rubbing the right way otherwise you might find yourself heading south! 

POI project

Explorers Year 4 Project: Game Design 

In groups of two create a simulation game about explorers. Two possible examples are a booklet or a board game.

·         This game should include the danger and the difficulties as well as the excitement and the rewards that explorers experienced.

·         It also needs to be relevant to the time that you choose. (example 1500s)

·         Designed for Year 4 students to play.

How Do I Get Started????

1.     Where is your game set? Outer space? Travelling from the earth to Mars? Discovering a new continent in the 1500s?

2.    What research do you need to do? List your burning questions to answer.

3.    What do the players in your game have to do?

4.    What materials will you need to make the game?

5.    How many players will play your game?

6.    How will your game end?

7.    Test your game to check how it works.

·         You will have time at school during lessons to plan and design your game.

·         Your materials need to be at school to work on in class.

·         Some research for the game may need to be done at home if necessary.

Rubric – Explorers Project

Item	Excellent	Very Good	Good	Needs Improvement
Understanding of dangers and rewards	The game demonstrates an excellent understanding that explorers face a variety of challenges on their voyages of discoveries.  (4+)	The game demonstrates a very good understanding that explorers face a variety of challenges on their voyages of discoveries. (3)	The game demonstrates a good understanding that explorers face a variety of challenges on their voyages of discoveries. (2)	The game has a basic understanding that explorers face a variety of challenges on their voyages of discoveries. (1)
Teamwork	Everyone in the group had a different job. Everyone put in the same amount of effort. Group making decisions were used to avoid conflicts.	Everyone in the group had a different job. Some people put in more effort than others. Group making decisions were used to solve conflicts.	Most people in the group had a different job. Some people worked harder than others. Group making decisions were used with teacher guidance to solve conflicts.	A few people in the group had different jobs. A few people did most of the work. Group making decisions were attempted but did not work.
Presentation of game	Looks very exciting and interesting. Very well laid out.	Looks exciting and interesting. Mostly laid out well.	Looks interesting. Mostly laid out well.	Basic looking game. Errors have been made in the presentation.
Game Play	Engaging and fun to play. Rules are clear and understandable. Correct age range. True to time period.	Engaging and fun to play. Rules are clear and understandable after a while. Correct age range. True to time period.	Engaging and fun to play at times. Rules are understandable after explanation. Might be too easy / hard for target age. True to time period	Fun to play at times. Rules are too hard to understand. Might be too easy / hard for target age. Not true to time period.

To boldly go where no man has gone before

Did you know: Shatner did a cover of Pulp's Common People

This week we will be starting our second unit of inquiry. Here is a brief overview of the unit

Transdisciplinary theme: where we are in place and time

The concepts and related concepts that we will be looking at over this unit are; causation, connection, reflection, impact, discovery and exploration

The attitude that has been picked for this unit is communicator

The central idea; Explorers can face a variety of challenges during voyages of discovery

Over the next six weeks we will be looking into and discovering why humans explore, what challenges we face doing it and what are the consequences of our actions. We will be looking into all different types of exploration from Ferdinand Magellan to the new Mars rover. We will also be doing some case studies of explores that have shaped the world (for better or worse), as well as become explores ourselves. This unit ties in very well with both our literacy (journal writing) and Maths (graphing and coordinates).

Here is a sneak-peek of how we will be kicking off the unit. 

At first glance the opening scene to the original movie (1977!) does not have much of a connection to exploration but what the main aim of this is to get students to start to think about what is out there. Where had this ship come from and where was it going? what unexpected surprises await an explorer?

 I remember watching this movie on VHS (or was it Betamax?) at my friends house over and over again each time thinking, 'what really is on a Galaxy far, far away?' If the students start asking these types of questions then we are on the right track.

Maths

As mentioned we will be starting our new unit in Mathematics this week. We will be expanding our knowledge of multiplication as well as learn about grid points and coordinates. Here are all the learning goals for this unit. I have highlighted the one that we will be focusing on over the next two weeks

Multiplication

Number

Learning outcomes

• Model multiplication of whole numbers
• Use language of multiplication

When applying understanding

• Use mental and written strategies for multiplication in real life situations
• Select an efficient method for solving a problem, e.g. mental estimation, metal or written strategies, or by using a calculator.

Pattern and Function

Learning outcomes

• Understand that multiplication is repeated addition
• Understand the inverse relationship between multiplication and division
• Understand the associative and commutative properties of multiplication

Transferring meaning

• Describe the rule for a pattern in a variety of ways
• Represent rules for patterns using words, symbols and tables

When applying understanding

• select appropriate methods for representing patterns, for example using words, symbols and tables

• use number patterns to make predictions and solve problems

Grid points and coordinates

Data handling

Learning outcomes

• understand that scale can represent different quantities in graphs

Transferring meaning

• identify, read and interpret range and scale on graphs

I am not sure when I will be updating the blog again in the next two weeks but I will try to add bits of information as it pops up that I think might help students understand a concept in literacy  Maths or POI. I have a few links on explores and exploration that will be put up when I next have a chance. If you know of any good websites please could you write them in the comments page so I can add them to the list. As much as I am looking forward spending two weeks at home with my newly extended family, I feel a bit sad that I will be missing what is going to be two fun weeks in school. 

See you all in the unknown :)