Volcano Eruption

We have been investigating volcanoes over the last two weeks. Here is one in action! A volcano has erupted in Papua New Guinea recently. Here are some links to check it out some pictures:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-28978089

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/29/papua-new-guinea-volcano-erupts-diverting-some-international-flights

What's on this week...? (Term 3, Week 8)

This week we will be completing our science unit 'Beneath our Feet'. In Maths we will begin our unit on time. The students have published Information Reports. Now we in move onto News Reports. The aim is to write them and then publish them electronically (in video format). We continue Mookii World in LAB and we will also complete a top secret Father's Day mission! Our paper mache volcanoes will be dry next week so we will paint them and then explode them!!! YAY!! Have a great week!

Fraction, Decimal and Percentage Pizzas - Yum!!!

Today we made and ate out fraction, decimal and percentage pizzas. I think that there were some very happy children!!! Here are some snaps. Thanks so much to Jo and Tracey for your help.

Fraction, Decimal, Percentage Pizzas

The last two weeks we have been learning about decimals, fractions and percentages. Just wanted to make you aware that to complete this mini unit, we will be making fraction, decimal and percentage pizzas on Thursday this week. The children have designed their pizza (eg 1/4, 25%, 0.25 of this) and we will be making them on Thursday during the hour before lunch. All ingredients were chosen by the students and I in consultation with the cooking notices (allergies/intolerances) provided to me. I will purchase the ingredients for the students. It should be fun and yummy!!!!

Mr.Fraser

Investigating Erosion

Today, as a part of our science unit 'Beneath Our Feet', we simulated erosion in the environment. The children made their own 'mini ecosystems' and then worked out what would happen when you simulated a rain event. Here is a video. We will do some more investigating about erosion later this week.

What's on this week...? (Term 3, Week 7)

It's hard to believe we are already in week 7 and that there are only 4 more weeks to go!!!! This week we will continue to look at decimals, fractions and percentage in maths. On Friday we will make percentage pizzas (I will buy all the ingredients based on what the children choose), so please make sure you have returned your cooking form by Wednesday. In English, we will finish our topic on Information Reports by publishing one of the three draft reports we have written over the last two weeks. We continue our mini unit on volcanoes by making paper mache volcanoes and then erupting them on Friday. We will also continue to look at the world Beneath our Feet in science, taking a close look at erosion and making mini ecosystems to simulate the process of erosion. There is also the usual LAB time (which has been swapped to Thursday), where we will continue our way through the Mookii World. A jam packed week. Looking forward to it... Have a great one!

Book Week Dress Up Day

Monday is our school's dress up day to celebrate book week. I look forward to seeing many of children dressed up as their favourite book characters. Remember to bring book that your character comes from with you.

Photos from this week...

This week we continued to learn about the world 'Beneath our Feet' in science. We also began our unit on decimals, percentage and fractions. Here are pics of some of the kids at work...

 

Work on the 3/4F Science/Enviro Week Sculpture Begins

Work has begun on the 3/4F Science/Enviro Week sculpture. It is starting to take shape. The students will complete this 'food producing' robot (designed to 'Feed our Future) next week.

Term 3, Week 6 Homework

Weekly Spelling Words
Focus: Spelling.

Task: Learn your 10 words. Can you get 10/10 this week?

Reading

Focus: Reading (15-20 mins).

Task: Read at least 4 times a week. Make sure your parents/adult signs your diary.

Maths

Focus: Decimals, fractions and percentage.

Task: Make a decimal, fraction and percentage number line to help you find equivalent (the same) decimals, fractions and percentages (eg. 0.5 = ½ = 50%). See the example below. Decorate your number line with pictures of decimals, fractions and percentages from the newspaper, magazines or printed from the Internet. Bring this to school to use as a resource in class.

 

 

 

Volcano Cloze Activity

Focus: Construct meaning from the text.

Task 1: Complete the cloze activity about volcanoes. Insert a word from the word bank into the correct blank space to complete the sentences.

Task 2: Draw a picture of a volcano that includes some of the facts you learned from these sentences.

Curriculum Day on Monday 18th August

Please remember that Monday is a curriculum day, so students are not to come to school on that day. See you Tuesday...

What's on next week...? (Term 3, Week 6)

This week is a shorter week due to a curriculum day on Monday. We will begin a new focus in maths for the next two weeks, looking at decimals and percentages. We will continue writing information reports in English. As part of our inquiry topic (Beneath Our Feet), we will examine volcanos and write an information report about them. Our focus is on vocabulary this week, so we will learn some new scientific language around the creation of mountains and volcanos and how the Earth works! We will continue the 'Beneath our Feet' inquiry unit, this week focusing on how rocks change over time, using hard mud balls to simulate the process of erosion and change. On Tuesday we will meet with our buddy class and get stuck into the vegetable garden, preparing it for the summer harvest (depending on the weather). We will also have lunch with our buddies. In ICT we continue to work our way through the Mookii World activities in eduPLEX, developing the children's ICT skills and knowledge of MS Office products. Over the next two weeks we celebrate Science and Enviro Weeks and we will be building our scientific food producing sculpture using recycled materials. A busy week ahead!!! Enjoy it!

Week 5 Homework

Here is the homework for week 5. This is due on Monday:
 
Weekly Spelling Words
Focus: Spelling.
Task: Learn your 10 words. Can you get 10/10 this week?

Reading
Focus: Reading (15-20 mins).
Task: Read at least 4 times a week. Make sure your parents/adult signs your diary.

Maths
Focus: Multiplication.
Task: Complete the multiplication sheet.

Types of Rocks
Focus: Information Report.
Task: You might just think that all rocks are the same. However, there are three different types of rocks: Igneous, Metamorphic and Sedimentary. Research these types of rocks and write an information report about them. Remember the format of an information report:

·      Title.

·      General statement (about the subject).

·      Description (describe the types of rocks, use paragraphs and try for 3 sentences for each paragraph).

·      Evaluation (how you feel about the topic).

This website has some good information: http://www.kidsloverocks.com/html/types_of_rocks.html.

3/4F Robot Sculpture

During the next two weeks, we celebrate Science Week and then Enviro Week. We have decided to combine these two weeks and, as you may have read in Mitchat, have a competition to make a sculpture made from recycled products that portrays a suitable environmental message about 'Food for our Future'. To add another scientific element, the sculpture is to be 'robot like'. This week, groups of children designed their robots. We voted on the preferred robot to make as a class. There were many clever ideas on how a robot could help us produce food for the future. We will be making this sculpture in class during science and enviro weeks and submitting it into the school competition. Here are the designs. The winning design is the first one.

 

What's on this week...? (Term 3, Week 5)

Firstly, well done to all the swimmers. You all worked really hard to learn or improve a very important skill. This week we are back to the normal timetable (see below). We will be continuing our science unit, and we turn our attention from soil to rocks. In maths, we continue to look at number patterns as well as multiplication. We will be learning a new writing genre this week - Information Reports. We are already half way through the term!!!!! Have a great week.

Monday
Music
Indonesian (alternating fortnights)
Assembly

Tuesday
PE

Thursday
Library
Art

Friday
Indonesian (alternating fortnights)
Grade 3/4 Sport
LAB

Studying Soil

Today, 3/4F took a good look at soil! The students examined three very different types of soil and wrote down what the features of the soil were. Some of the features were sandy, clay, brown, lumpy, hard, soft, gritty and many others. This generated some good discussion about why soils are different and why this is important for scientists. Here are some pics:

What's on This Week...? (Term 3, Week 4)

This week, our super star swimmers continue to wade their way through their lessons. I'm sure they're all looking forward to their Friday Fun Day! Today we examined three soils, each from different locations, to determine their different features and why soils are different. We made soil solutions from the soil brought in from home ready for next when we will examine them again in detail when the solutions have settled to see what different soils are made up of. In Maths, we look at number patterns and in English we finalise our camp recounts, typing them on the computer and adding some pictures of this fun event. This week's timetable remains the same as last week's due to the continued swimming program. Have a great week!