Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!

I hope you all have a wonderful, family filled Christmas.  In a few days, we will be celebrating a brand new year.  I look forward to seeing you all in a week or so!

This blog will slow down, if not stop, because we are bringing up a learning platform for our school.  If it doesn't have the capability to use a translator,  I'll use the web page with our PTFA to get info for families that would like to continue using it. :) The web page will change to just show learning sites and basic info since we will now be able to post pics of our learning more securely on our platform!

Cheers,
Mrs. T

Publish Post

Year 3/4 & 4 Science - Websites for Friction & Resistance

Lick on any site to link over...This will be updated through the term

From the Hamilton Trust Suggested Websites
Magnetics
http://www.engineeringinteract.org/resources/parkworldplot/flash/concepts/magneticforces.htm

Friction and Forces
An overview: http://www.engineeringinteract.org/resources/discovermore/forcesandmotion.htm
From class:  http://www.engineeringinteract.org/resources/parkworldplot/flash/concepts/friction.htm
An on-line forcemeter to try out at home!  http://www.racemath.info/forcesandpressure/ks2_force.htm


Cheers,
Mrs. T

Science - Year 3/4 & 4 Friction and Resistance Introduction

The sleighs are being built and you can feel the 'friction' building!  This term we are researching Friction and Resistance...so we'll either get stuck or find the way forward slow going.  Either way...looks to be fun and, of course, very hands on.

We explored the forces involved in magnets and have been introduced to a 'Forcemeter'
.
Our vocabulary for the term is:
force    friction     air resistance         water resistance       forcemeter(why not metre Mrs. T wants to know?)
Newtons        gravity        surface area          mass        prediction     hypothesis        conclusion

Please make sure next week!  You will need to bring in a full change of clothes for our swimming lesson!  Yes...your swimming kit and another change of clothes besides your school uniform.  Why?  Hmm...that would spoil the fun and I want to 'resist' that!


Cheers,
Mrs. T

KS2 Astronaut Training Camp - Mission Set!

 Wow!  The team of astronauts came together last Thursday and researched the missions past for the space shuttle and international space station.  I was impressed at how quickly they worked together and decided, not only on what their own mission would be centred around, but which jobs each astronaut would step into.

As it stands, we have.
 3 mission specialists (Brazil, Canada, Japan) - each planning a space walk to study Black Holes.
1 mission specialist (Italy) - planning a space walk and continuing research into the Moon.
Mission Commander (Germany) - continuing research on 'Astronaut Technology'
Pilot (Finland)

Some of our astronaut team was ill and we will be catching up with them this week.  Each astronaut has been researching mission patches used by the Space Shuttle and are working on their own design that will reflect their combined mission.  We will post the design once it is complete.

Our family night and ISS charter has been postponed to December 10th to allow all astronauts time to prepare and ensure the patches are complete.

Cheers,
Mrs. T

KS2 Astronaut Training Camp

(All images courtesy of Nasa.gov)


Wow!  We have grown and the club is considered filled with 9 to insure we can complete the projects scheduled for the next 3 terms.

This coming week we have completed our country assignments and journals are started.  Each astronaut has chosen a country to represent and is working on learning the language.

Currently our project has representatives for the following countries:

Italy

Canada

Japan

Russia

United Kingdom

United States

Brazil

Finland

Germany

Poland

We have included all the countries we currently are working with in our Comenius Project (Finland, Germany and Poland).

Our current term is busy so I will post the outline and work to update as we finalize any events.

Remember, wear your PE kits to TRAIN and bring your journal!

Term 2

• Week 1 (5/11):  Review languages and flags.  Complete country/astronaut links.
• Week 2 (12/11):  Training.  Sign the International Space Station charter. Fitness without gravity.  Research mission project and select.  HW:  Patch design. Training. Pending:  approval for remote tracking station visit.
  
• Week 3 (19/11):  Training.  Continue: Module research and selection.  Begin module design in teams.  Presentation of Astronaut Countries and patch selection at 4.00pm (Families invited...remember to bring a dish from your country to share).
• Week 4 (26/11):  We need walkie talkies on this DAY! (Wear your astronaut kit from this day on.)  Thanksgiving Day in America!  Training and team building projects (Working together at a distance). 
• Week 5:   Training.  Continue Module Design.
• Week 6: Satellite Communication.  How do we talk to things in space?
  
• Week 7: No meeting.  School is OUT for Christmas!  Enjoy.
  

Websites:

 Nasa International Space Station Page  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Comenius   http://www.britishcouncil.org/comenius

European Space Agency    http://www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html

"* The 18 ESA Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

Canada, Hungary, Poland and Romania participate in some ESA projects under cooperation agreements." As of 5/11/09 (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Education/SEMT6BOFGLE_0.html)

Year 3/4 is in a STATE! Changing States that is. Monday 28.9.09

Solid to Liquid to Gas...Changing States

Volcano pic by catbutler

Year 3/4 is  studying solids and liquids.  It's probably natural that we add in a little gas...nothing too smelly of course.  Below reminds us a little of our day, experiments and where to find the websites we explored in class and have listed for homework.  Enjoy!

Today in class we looked at magma and lava and considered how, when cooled, the quickly flowing liquid returns to becoming a hard, unbend-able rock! We then switched over to the cool antarctic and could almost feel our own body slowly stiffen from cold as we viewed the coldest and driest region on Earth.  All materials on Earth can exist in either a liquid or solid state depending on their 'melting points'. 

Magma rock will melt at 1500° C

Water will melt at a much cooler 1°C

We then experimented with how solids of different sizes would 'flow' through our fingers - viscosity.  I hope you share with your families what you have learned.  Here's a question to ask them.. Cars need a liquid of a certain viscosity. What is it?

*****Homework*****

For homework, visit the BBC KS2 Bitesize Solids and Liquids website, try out the "Try This" Melting and Freezing Points and then have a go at the quiz.  Bring in a copy of your quiz effort to share!  If you can't get on the web at home, let me know at school.

 

BBC KS2 Solids and Liquids Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/materials/solids_liquids/play.shtml

The BBC quiz: http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/schools/ks2bitesize/science/quizengine?quiz=solidsandliquids&templateStyle=science

and check out the Celts in the Iron Ages: http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/celts/activities/torc.shtml
  

For a more in depth look into the Changing states, explore these sites:

What is a solid, liquid and gas? Chem4Kids can clear it up!

 The States of Water

Volcanoes from The National Geographic
The Antarctic found on the NG environment page.
Prehistoric Iron Smelting
King Midas Activity
How solids travel at different speeds through different liquids- viscosity

Monday 5.10.09 Year 1's Talk Like A Pirate DAY. Assembly is This Friday the 2nd! Ahoy me hearties!

This Friday, the 2nd of October is our Noah's Ark Assembly!  We hope you come and join us!  We have been working hard to learn our lines and our songs.

Great fun at Lego Pirate Website

Yr 1 Pirate Grub Tasting Day - this coming Monday the 5th of October ***Please Bring a Pirate Fruit.**** 
Shiver me timbers! September 19th was International Talk Like a Pirate Day.  However, seeing that I gave copies of the Lego Pirate Dictionary to all the other KS1 Buccaneers (teachers)...which they copied and sent home with their deckhands/pupils and I FORGOT... we will be celebrating it this Monday the 5th of October.  We will also have our Pirate Grub Tasting that day.

We are in deep in pirate territory.  Capt. Crook has the Jolly Roger hoisted high as we have been drawing and painting  pirate ships, creating our own pirate portraits and giving ourselves pirate NAMES!  Have you met our Pink Pirate, Pretty Pirate, Pirate Red Spots and Captains Black, Brown and  Blue Beard? Arr...they are fearsome pirates who have their own cutlasses!

Pirate Grub Tasting Day - this Monday the 5th of October ***Please Bring Food****
Since we have been reading about pirates that lived long ago and sailed from all over the world.  I will update our log and send home information on Monday on the areas we have been studying. It would be great if you could bring in food to sample from the pirate area of your choice!  We have been reading stories about Pirate Grace O'Malley from Ireland, The Captain's Good from Scandinavia, Robin Hood and the Pirates from England and more.  Our pirates have comes from these countries as well as Germany, Japan, Scotland and Morocco.  So if you can find a fruit that pirates may of eaten in one of these countries, please bring them in on Monday.


Check out our WEBSITE topic (see the right side) to find websites found to talk and play like a pirate!

All right me matey, don't be a landlubber.  Weigh anchor and enjoy the bright sunshine of our weekend.


See you all Monday!


Fair winds,
Capt. Crook &
Capt. Pineapple ARRRRR!

Websites for clubs and classes

Click on Links to go to web page

Year 1 

Pirates
    Lego Pirate Page with Pirate Language Dictionary. 
    Nick Jr Backyardigans and their Pirate GAME!
    International Talk Like a Pirate Day UK

KS2 Astonaut Training Camp

 Nasa International Space Station Page  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Comenius   http://www.britishcouncil.org/comenius

European Space Agency    http://www.esa.int/esaCP/index.html

Welcome and READ FIRST before using or posting

 Hi and welcome to Yellow Pineapple, a blog for pupils and families in my classes or clubs to connect at home. Before we get going, please read all the guidelines first.

• Posts: I try to ensure that each blog is spell checked and grammatically correct. However, I am far from perfect. If you see an error, please let me know. 
•  
•  Comments: You don't need to sign up for anything to post a comment. You can post anonymously. I have to 'approve' each comment before it will show up on the blog. Still, there may be times when something slips through, so please let me know if you spot anything that doesn't belong. As far as comments, the rule is always 'school friendly'. If you don't think you would use the words in school, don't use them here. And... be encouraging. We are all learning.
•  
• The exciting thing about blogging and getting your comments is looking forward to you sharing your thoughts and ideas! That is so exciting! Learning is about wondering, figuring out things work and problem solving. We all make mistakes and that is part of learning! So share what your ideas and thoughts are, agree and disagree with others ideas, but be considerate. 
•  
• Code Names: The world wide web (WWW) is exactly that, world wide. You will notice that you can respond to my posts through comments. To protect the privacy of pupils and families, students can register a 'code name' in my class to let me know who they are. When creating a code name, stay away from using names, birthdays or places that you live. Try choosing a code name of a hobby, sport or animal you like! Staying away from posting 'personal' information on the WWW helps keep your identity safe and strangers away. 
•  
• Posting personal and school names: Don't! I won't approve any comments with personal names or, if I can, I will edit them out. 
•  
• How do I find my club or class information? On the right side is a section called “Post Topics”. When you select your club or class title, it will list all the posts for that class/club in order! So rather than scrolling through all the blogs, you can always go straight to the ones that interest you. 
•  
• Will I e-mail you back? This blog is open to the whole world. You can log your e-mail with me in class. I will not discuss any students by e-mail. You are welcome to visit me in school. I will generally not respond about any class or club information unless you have your e-mail registered with me in school. Why? Just to make sure I don't e-mail any data about a class or club to strangers.

Now that all the info is over, take a look at the “Post Topics”, find your class or club and lets have some fun!

KS2 Astronaut Training Camp

Welcome Astronauts and Families to our weekly training camp.  There is so much we are going to explore in such a short time.  Before we go too far, let me share a little about how our club started...

Years ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I used to work in Satellite Operations.  I worked with teams of people and we supported launches of programs like GPS (yes, like the ones in your car!) and other programs.  Rockets took the satellites into space and we helped put them in orbit around our Earth so they could do the work they were built for.  One time, just one time, we supported a satellite that was launched from the space shuttle!  I was so excited to meet the astronauts that would end up flying in space.  Years later, my family moved to Florida and I worked with some of the Overnight and Camp programs at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Working there I had a chance to see the International Space Station being built, meet and talk with more astronauts, watch the launch of satellites and the shuttle first hand and learn more about the space programs and how they help our current and future lives.

I look forward to sharing my experiences and hopefully encouraging you on a path of curiousity about our solar system and beyond!

It's all quite amazing really and so much fun to explore. So let's get started.

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Here is a look at our proposed agenda:

Week 1:  The International Space Station, country selection and training.

         Experiment 1:  Living in space

Week 2:  Developing our country presentations, exploring the modules and training.

          Experiment 2: Eating in Space

Week 3:  Developing our ISS charter and team selection. International food fair.

          Experiment 3: Building a perfect space craft. (It's 'egg'cellent...hopefully).

          Families invited.

Week 4: Choosing modules and patch designs.  Training.

          Experiment:  NASA Simulators

Week 5:  Training and Module planning.

          Experiment 6:  Eating astronaut food.  Do you have what it takes?!

Half Term
To Infinity and BEYOND!!!

Coming soon:  Building a module, what do satellite's do, blind communication and more, orbit around and up and down...and more!

KS1 Wacky Science Agenda and Resources

 Thank you for joining us in KS1 Wacky Science Club!

Proposed Schedule of Wacky Events and the Resources we'll need

Week 1: Volcanoes
Week 2:  Volcanoes
    ***Bring in a larger than you, white button down shirt to create a science lab coat!
Week 3:  Crystals
Week 4:  Waves and Water
      *** We need for each scientist:  1  plastic empty bottle with a lid (soda pop container), duct tape, metallic ribbon/streams in multi-colours, and sequins.  If you have more than one, please share in case some one else does not.

Week 5:  Mixtures and Solutions Party
      ***  Ribena, see through drinking cups (plastic).
Term Break

Other ideas are:  Creating and testing boats, hair flair, starry skies, dizzy forces, bath a'bomb'inations and more!

Music Melodies

Today we talked about the melody in music and learned that much music is based on just 5 notes!

Melodies from Channel 4 Part 1

The key is "not how many notes you have, but how you use them!"

I didn't know that the number of scales in music is linked to a culture. In western culture we have 12 notes!

Next week we will be doing the same experiment in part 2 of choosing scales, starting with a note and listening to the song we create!

Melodies from Channel 4 Part 2

First post

This post to to check how it works