YEAR 3
What strategy should we use to solve takeaways or subtraction equations? Should we use a vertical method or should we use a horizontal one? Which is quicker? Which is more efficient? These were the questions that arose this week in Maths. Some of the children discovered that manipulating numbers in their heads (using place value and partitioning) was much quicker than following rules and using vertical algorithms. Ellie was super excited to tell everyone “I finished 8 using the old method and doubled that number using the new way!”
“We had fun learning about litres and millilitres today,” said Jarek. “The quiz nearly tricked me but I realised that the markings were sometimes 1 ml and then it changed to 2 mls and even to 10millilitres.”
Heads were down and brains were buzzing as the children began writing their profiles based on the book we have been reading in English. First they had to do a little research to get some ‘Fast Facts’ and then they began writing their personal report. We will share them once they are published.
Well done year 3 on another fun week of learning!
YEAR 4
In the ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’ this week, chapters 3 and 4 reveal some very strange happenings 2. Jared discovers a message, written in the dust: ‘Click clack, watch your back’ and Mallory wakes up to find that her hair has been knotted to the brass headboard. Their mother is furious with Jared because she believes he is responsible, but he knows that there is something very strange happening around them. His suspicions are confirmed, when he discovers an old, crumbling book, hidden in a chest. Curiouser and curiouser!
In Mathematics, we investigated counting on and back from a given number in steps of 25, 50 and 100 and recognising patterns. We also used the column subtraction of 3-digit and 2-digit numbers using the expanded and compact methods. Not too difficult!
In Science, exploring ‘States of Matter’, we made our own lava lamps, using oil, water, food colouring and a fizzing tablet. The oil floats on top of the water because it is less dense (lighter) than water. When you add the tablet it sinks to the bottom then starts to dissolve. As it dissolves it makes gas, carbon dioxide. Gas or air, is lighter than water so it floats to the top. The air bubbles bring some coloured water with them to the top. When the air comes out of the coloured water blob, the water gets heavy again and sinks. Amazing!
In our Topic lessons, we learnt that the Magna Carta (Latin for ‘Great Charter’”), signed in 1215, was a document that gave certain rights to the English people. The Magna Carta stated that the king must follow the law! Its influence lives on in the American Bill of Rights, written in 1791. Even more recently, its basic principles are contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, penned in 1948. Remarkable!
In our PSHE lesson, we watched a videoclip, titled ‘Communicate Assertively’. We discovered that some people are passive communicators; other aggressive! But assertive communicators are people who speak up for themselves in a calm way and express their opinions! Assertive communication is the way to go!
YEAR 5
The Year 5 class experienced an exciting and interesting week. On Monday we welcomed Katya and Vanya back with great enthusiasm, and the whole class participated in helping our "new" students catch up on missed work. Our journey of exploring the war in Lebanon continued as we delved deeper into our book "Oranges in No Man's Land". The students empathized with the harsh realities of someone their own age living in quite different circumstances. On Thursday we participated with great enthusiasm in a live Kahoot game set up by Ariel, one of our classmates. Misha Z. turned out to have the best (and fastest) knowledge of Oranges in No Man's Land. Congratulations Misha!In Geography we continued with Climate Zones by studying Volcanoes. Apart from learning about why and where they occur, we can now name a few of the best-known Volcanoes. Our Science lesson revolved around Mixtures and Chemical reactions, and we combined Science and Geography by producing our own volcano in class!The Math lessons took our skills to a new level as we learnt to construct Angles, Circles and Shapes. As we reached the end of Week 3 of the 2021 school year, I can honestly say that I see a major improvement in the learning atmosphere of the class. The students engage in lessons with enthusiasm, and they take pride in completing Assignments and Homework. Thank you to parents and students for working hard to produce such a positive attitude. With this winning attitude we will shift mountains!
