3, 2, 1...Blast Off! (Science Rockets)

Science Week is fast approaching and this year I am going to do something very similar to last year as the children really enjoyed it.

I had attended an excellent science course during the summer and got lots of new experiments and ideas. So last year, I decided to use rockets as my theme for science week.

Click here to download

Each day we constructed a different type of rocket so by Friday we had made 5 different rockets.

• Mouse rocket
• Straw rocket
• Balloon rocket
• Foam rocket
• Fizzy rocket

I had 4th and 5th class last year so they also guided the younger classes to make some of the rockets once they had learned to do it. Two senior children worked with two children in the junior room to help them make the straw and mouse rocket. My class loved being the 'teachers'!

We also had rocket launches and races outside which the children really loved. It was one of my favourite science lessons as a teacher as all the children were excited to get involved and they had rockets to bring home at the end of the week.

I have put together a pack which contains detailed outlines of how to make the different rockets, prompt questions to challenge the children and get them thinking, an ideas page to integrate it with other subject areas as well as activity sheets for the children.

Just click on the image below to download it!

Happy Science Week everyone!

Here is a nice video that explains rocket launches and landings for children!

Halloween Ghost Treats

Last year, I was giving a little treat to my class at the Halloween Midterm.

I bought some lollipops, wrapped a tissue around it and secured it with an elastic band.
Then I drew on two eyes and a mouth.

It was a very simple idea but the children liked them!

Books Worth a Look #3 'The City of Ember'

This is the third post in Books Worth a Look. (I have purchased these books myself and do not receive sponsorship/freebies for reviewing them!)

Next up is 'The City of Ember' by Jeanne DuPrau. It has been made into a movie aswell so it could be a good one to read with the children and then compare and contrast the film.



I had never come across this book before until the summer when I ordered it online. I feel it is most suitable for the senior end of the school. (It is important to note that the main character has lost her parents and also loses her grandmother during the story).

Theme/Overview
The book is set in the fictional city of Ember which has been built to be self sufficient from any outside world. However, the city is now running out of supplies and the generator is having more and more failures as the city is plunged into darkness repeatedly.  People are becoming more anxious about the future. The main characters need to try and find an escape route to see what lies beyond the city boundaries.

Activities

• Science: explore Electricity and how it works

Check out http://www.primaryscience.ie/ for experiments based on Electricity.

This link has some videos that are worth a look.
http://www.primaryscience.ie/activities_activity_movies.php

Discuss ways to conserve electricity and different ways to generate electricity.

Explore the different sources of light, both natural and artificial.

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• Art: create city scapes of buildings.

I really like these ones make using newspaper.

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• Visualisation: This book would be good to challenge children to visualise it in their heads and illustrate it. They could contrast 'the City of Ember' and the land they arrive in.

• Get creative and plan their own city (Maths and Art). In groups they could construct a city using a variety of materials

• Pack your bags! Discuss what treasured belongings you would bring if you had to move to a new home.

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Check out the other Books Worth a Look posts:

Books Worth a Look #1 The Dot

Books Worth a Look #2 Pax

Fun with the 5 Senses

This month in Science my class were learning about the five senses. Here are some of the activities we did based on the Senses, which I spread over a few lessons.

• Structure of the sense organs

The interactive lessons provided by the Children's University  of Manchester are brilliant. I used some of the lessons on the senses to teach the children about the different parts of the eye etc.

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Experiments/Activities

Eye

Which is your dominant eye?

Where is your blind spot?

Hearing

Identify the sound

I used this video on youtube. 

Smell

What's that smell?

Taste

Blind tasting with and without the sense of smell

Touch

• Feely bag (make it trickier by putting a sock or glove on their hand or use different parts of the body to feel the object to show that our sense of touch is less sensitive on our arm than our finger tips etc. )
• Trace a message on an arm (and guess what they traced)

• Finger prints (chat about how each finger print is individual)

 Find this experiment and more by clicking here.

Sense poetry

I gave a different setting to each child. They had to use the formation of a sense poem to describe the setting without mentioning it. The rest of the class had to guess the setting.

Examples: farmyard, seaside, woods, school, cinema, restaurant

• Discussion/appreciation of not having use of one of your senses

For example, we looked at how Braille is used for those who are visually impaired.

Building Project

Following on from the students' enthusiasm and engagement with the 'Bridges Project' last year, we did a 'Building Project' this year.

I did it in a similar way to the bridge project. First of all, we looked at different types of buildings all around the world and how they have changed over the years.

Then we looked at the types of materials that are used and why (for example why we use blocks in Ireland compared to mud huts in Africa).

We also looked at famous buildings around the world to give the children some inspiration and ideas.

The children then had to complete their project booklet and construct a building of their own!
                                         

Take a look at a few of the finished projects.

The students presented them to the whole school after presenting them to the class.

Integration Ideas

Science: Materials (and how they can be used in construction)
Art: Construction
English: Oral Language, Procedural Writing
Geography: Homes Around the World
History: Change of Buildings over time (contrast photos of your locality: now versus long ago)
SPHE: Differences

Other Project Ideas:

Bridge Project

3D Hot Air Balloons

Last year, I did this art lesson with my class but this year when I decided to do it again I had forgotten how exactly I did it. So I am going to jot it down here for future reference!

Materials

• Various Coloured paper-A4
• Hot Air balloon template or blank page
• Scissors
• Pritt Stick
• Rulers
• Pencils

How to make them them

First off, I gave each child one coloured page. (Giving each child in a group a different colour will help to divide them out easily after)
Placing it portrait in front of them, they marked 1.5cm intervals across the page using their ruler and pencils.

Then they cut their coloured page along the intervals, leaving them with strips 1.5cm in width.
The children can  then share out the coloured paper so they have a mixture of coloured strips.

I gave my class a hot air balloon template but the children can also draw their own.
Fold about 2cm of the strip on each side. Put Pritt stick on the folded part. Place the part with Pritt stick on the edge of the hot air balloon and on the opposite side of the balloon.

Continue with the next strip until you have made you way around the balloon, placing one side north of the previous strip and one side South.

Decorate the hot air balloon with people, surrounding clouds etc.

   

Tips

Try to put strips right  beside each other to avoid gaps.
Ensure children fold the edges of the strips inwards rather than outwards.

Integration Ideas

English: Procedural Writing, Creative Writing
History: the first Hot Air Balloon
Science: how a hot air balloon flies
Geography: Transport

Books Worth a Look #2 'Pax'

This is the second in a series of blog posts on some good books that I have come across while teaching a variety of classes. (I have purchased these books myself and do not receive sponsorship/freebies for reviewing them!)

The second book is 'Pax', a new-ish book to me. It is one that I really enjoyed reading myself. It is written by Sara Pennypacker and has lovely illustrations by Jon Klassen.

Theme/Overview

The main theme of this book is friendship. It is about two friends who are separated, it just so happens that one of them is a boy (Peter) and one is a fox (Pax).In order to be reunited, both of them face many obstacles including war (yet war is not the main focus of the book).  The book explores how true friendships can overcome even the most difficult and dangerous situations.

I particularly liked how it is written from perspective of both Peter and Pax, in alternate chapters. Personally, I would do this with a senior class as it does refer to war from time to time. It is important to note it does deal with the loss of a parent so may not be suitable to do if a child has experienced such a loss.

Activities/Ideas

• Research foxes- create a report piece of writing (click on image to get blank templates)

• Use the book as a stimulus to explore the theme of war (book does not specify which war)

• Fill a backpack (Peter brought some useful items and treasured possessions with him), ask the children what they would bring. They could draw a backpack with their chosen items inside.

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• Visualisations: This story lends itself nicely to working on the comprehension strategy of visualisation. 

• Traits of a good friend: Discuss the important traits of a good friend.

• Friendship recipe: similar to the idea above, choose the most important traits of friendship.

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• My pet: Discuss or complete a project on their pets and their favourite things about them. If some children don't have pets try the next activity.

• If I could have any pet it would be.....

• Read the poem 'The Dentist and the Crocodile' by Roald Dahl

• Do some art inspired by foxes!

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Check out the other Books Worth a Look posts:

Books Worth a Look #1 'The Dot'

Jenga Blocks in the Classroom

I purchased this set of Jenga blocks for only €4 in Tesco's last week.

I try to have a few games on each set, to get extra value for money! For example I have multiplication on one side of the blocks and a division set on the other.
Here are a few ways I like to use them in station teaching or as an early finisher activity.

 Maths

• Multiplication and division tables (useful to leave a multiplication square at the station so they can check answers)
• Addition and Subtraction tables for younger classes
• Fractions: 1/4 of 20
• Percentages: 30% of 10
• Decimals: 0.1 of 20
• Number Sequences or patterns: 12, ____, 14 or 3,6,9, ____
• Rounding numbers to nearest 10, 100, 1000

Gaeilge

Write the root of the verbs on the blocks and the children can change the verb to one of the following:

• Aimsir Chaite
• Aimsir Láithreach
• Aimsir Fháistineach
• Question form/negative of verb

English

• Prefix/Suffix

Add a prefix/suffix to each block and the children have to give a word that contains the prefix or suffix

• Phonics 

Put letters and letter blends (e.g. th) on the blocks and the children have to say a word with that letter sound

• Conversation Starters (Oral Language)

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Ways to play

Remove one piece at a time and keep it of you get the answer correct. When the tower collapses, whoever has the most blocks is the winner.

OR

Place each piece on top after you answer the question. Use a whiteboard or paper to record correct answers.

Feel free to add other ideas for using Jenga blocks in the comments below.

Tantrix Puzzles

On a recent trip to New Zealand, I stopped off at Puzzle World, home to the first 3D 'Supermaze'.

You can also just grab a coffee and try out lots of puzzles for free!

While there, I bought a couple of puzzles including Tantrix, which originated in New Zealand. It is really good for problem solving skills and requires perseverance!

There are many different sets but I bought a basic one for my class. 

In this set, there are varying levels of difficulty starting with a 3 piece puzzle. The number on the back tells you what colour the loop must form. For example, the number 8 is blue so the eight pieces must make a complete blue loop (while the other colours must link correctly too!)

                          

I am looking forward to seeing how the students get on with it on rainy days or as an early finisher activity! 

I have also ordered this more complex one online since coming home.

                                                

You can order from www.puzzlingworld.co.nz but the shipping charges are expensive. I purchased the second set from Amazon.

To find out more about Tantrix and try it out outline, have a look at www.tantrix.com

Books Worth a Look #1 'The Dot'

This is the first in a series of blog posts on some good books that I have come across while teaching a variety of classes. (I have purchased these books myself and do not receive sponsorship/freebies for reviewing them!)




First up is 'The Dot' by Peter H. Reynolds which I will be doing with my new students on the first day of school as I introduce our classroom rules.

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Theme/Overview

The book is about a child struggling with an Art activity (but really I think it can be applicable to all subjects). It is about trying, even when it is difficult and you feel you can't do it...YET!  Even though it may be daunting or make us feel uneasy, making a start is important or as we say in Irish 'Tús maith leath na hoibre!' It ties in nicely with the idea of Growth Mindset. 

It encourages us to be creative in our learning and teaching (that there isn't just one way to do something) which is why I have chosen to read it on the first day back to school.

Activities/Ideas

These are just some ideas to pick and choose from that you could use alongside the book.

• Discuss before reading the story what it feels like when faced with a new beginning or start (first day back to school, new pupil in the class etc.)

• Read the story again but change it to another subject, for example Maths to show the children that the main idea of the story is applicable to more than just Art

• The book could also be a stimulus for an Art lesson for the children to make their 'own mark'

• Chat about how the children could make their mark this year (what they would like to achieve, what they would like to improve on) 

• Do some Pointillism Art using dots and look at artist Seurat

• Do some Kandinsky inspired 'Dot' Art

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• create a class contract for the year to always try our best and 'make our mark'. Each child can sign their name beside their dot (perhaps their fingerprint).

• Design a Growth Mindset Poster for displaying in the class. Have a look here at some examples or click the image for others.

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They now even have an International Dot Day which is the 15th September this year! More details can be found here where they have more ideas for the book.