Sequences

We have been learning about sequences in maths. As part of this we have carried out an investigation.

Here is a program some of us used.

Homework - 3D shapes

Homework this week is about 3D shapes.

Here's some ideas (remember you don't need to all of them or even any of them!):

• Name 3D shapes
• How do they get their name? Are there any rules?
• Are there 'families' of 3D shapes?
• What 3D shapes are everyday objects made from?
• Sort 3D shapes (perhaps using everyday items) in different ways. Perhaps using Venn or Carroll diagrams
• Find out about Plantonic solids

Homework - water music

This week the homework is a little different and even more open ended.

As part of our water topic we have been composing water themed music at school. The homework is also water themed music.

This could be:

• finding out about music already composed that has a water theme - modern music, classical music (youtube has many pieces of music on it) - writing down the name of the piece of music, who composed it and when, perhaps describing what the music is like, what instruments are used, how it sounds like water, whether you like it etc.

or

• composing your own piece of music - either using instruments and recording it (these can be traditional instruments e.g. piano or other ways of making sounds e.g. plastic bags rustling, tapping glasses with water in etc. - or using a piece of software like Garage Band or soundation.com to compose a piece of electronic music

Composing music

We have been composing music with a water theme using a variety of tuned and untuned instruments. Check out the new VLE for our latest compositions.

We are also going to be using ICT to create an electronic composition. Soundation Studio is a great online music sequencer (a bit like Garage Band). Hopefully we will create some more great music!

Homework - addition

The homework this week is to explain what you know about addition.

Some ideas:

• How do you add numbers? Are there any written methods that help you?
• What about adding negative numbers, decimals or fractions?
• What's the biggest number you can add?
• When do you use adding in everyday life?
• Are there any jobs where you need to be really good at adding? Why?
• What happens if you add two even numbers? What about three even numbers? etc. What about odd numbers?

Wind in the Willows

We have been enjoying reading the book Wind in the Willows as part of our English lesson. If you would like to read the whole book for yourself it is all available online here.

It is also available as an app on itunes either to read or as an audio book.

Fractions activities

Compare fractions

Finding equivalent fractions

Simplifying/reducing fractions to lowest terms

Homework - time

I am sorry that I am so late in posting ideas about this week's homework.

Just in case you still need it, here are some ideas:

• How do you tell the time?
• What about 24 hour time?
• What is the difference between digital clocks and analogue clocks? How does this change how you tell the time?
• Where do you find clocks?
• When/why do you need to know the time? What would happen if no-one knew the time?
• How do you calculate time differences? e.g how long between 7:15 and 9:25
• What are time zones?

Class survey

If you are in Grebes class, please click here and complete the survey.

Maths survey

If you are in Grebes class, please click here and complete the survey.

Homework winners

Each week the children earn points for the quality (not necessarily quantity!) of their homework - from 1 point to 10 points. The best homework of the week is awarded 10 points and gets to look after the homework trophy for a week. The weekly points will also be added together half-termly for prizes.

The children are making it very difficult for me chose the winner as there are so many fantastic pieces of homework each week.

The winners so far are:

Sequences homework: Jessica

Fractions homework: Poppy

Rivers homework: Taylor

There are others who have been so close - keep up the hard work and hopefully they'll soon be a winner.

Length homework

Ideas (remember you don't have to do all of these, they are just some ideas to get you started, so pick the ones that you find most interesting):

• Measure some things, e.g. around the house, yourself!
• Compare measurements, e.g. the heights of the people in your family
• When in everyday life do we measure things?
• What measuring equipment is there? How do you use it? Does it measure some things better than others?
• What are the different units of measure? e.g. metres
• What is the conversion between units of measure? e.g. 100cm = 1m
• Practise converting measures, e.g. 234cm = 2m 34cm or 2.34m
• Find out about imperial units of measure, e.g. inches
• Survey your family to find out which units of measure they prefer to use, e.g. inches or cm
• Find out about how things were measured in the past, e.g. how did the Ancient Egyptians measure things?

Rivers homework

Ideas:

• Find out about the longest rivers in the world (or any other size river!)
• Which countries do they flow through?
• How long are they?
• Which continents are they in?
• Which oceans/seas do they flow into?
• What is the landscape around them like?
• Are there any indigenous people that live on or near the river?
• Do they flow North, South, East or West?
• Are there any famous bridges over them? Or other landmarks?
• Do they flow through a famous city?
• Do they flow through any important lakes?
• Where is the source?
• Where is the mouth?
• Does the flow change at different times of the year? Why?
• Is the river a tourist attraction?

Fractions homework

Some ideas:

• Draw pictures of different fractions.
• Find fractions of different shapes or numbers.
• When are fractions used in everyday life?
• Name the parts of a fraction.
• What types of fractions are there?
• What are equivalent fractions?
• How do you simplify fractions?

Harvest Festival

The Harvest Festival this year is on Monday 3rd October at 10am.

We are singing a song called Drop in the Ocean. It can be found here on SingUp so you can practise it at home if you want.

Sequences

Ideas for sequences homework:

Sequences can be number, shape, pattern etc.

Make lots of different number sequences and write the rule for each.
Make shape sequences using graphics software, or paint, or print them
Make other sequences using objects and take a photo of them.
Explain some common sequences like odd numbers.
Find out about famous number sequences like the Fibonacci sequence.

Here is a website about sequences - some information is easy to understand, some very complicated! (but still easier than if you look up sequences on Wiki)

Crossing the river

Can you work out how to get everything safely across the river? (click here)

Can you get all the people across the river? (click here)

Egyptian games and stories

Here

Robots to the rescue

We are finding about about how robots can be used to save lives.

Here is an article about how the Scorpio 45 was used to save the lives of Russian submariners trapped on the seabed.

Here Kinect is being used to help create a robot able to find people after earthquakes.

What other rescue robots can you find out about?

Horstead Trip Day 2

We had another great day today.

Everyone got a chance to do the Tower Experience with rock climbing, abseiling and the zip wire - and although some children seemed to defy gravity in their ability to cling onto hand holds, others tried hard to overcome their fear of heights.

We also all went canoeing at some point during the day, with no-one falling in! Team work definitely required to make the boat go in a straight line!

This evening saw the 'Salhouse's Got Talent' with celebrity judges (AKA Rachel, Mrs Ryan and Roger) and compare (Mrs Hibbins) and great performances from James, Maddie and Tori and Melissa - I'll leave it for them to tell you the results.

The children have also enjoyed playing with the vast collection of stacking cups, building ever longer and larger stacks.

Tomorrow we look forward to either archery or the low ropes before returning tired, but with new experiences, back to Salhouse in the afternoon.

Horstead Trip Day 1

We're having a great time. Today we did team tasks and then half the class did archery whilst the others did the low ropes course. I've taken over 100 photos today so this is just a small selection! I'm sorry if I haven't included every child but will try and post more tomorrow.

Here are just some the the children's comments so far...

"been having a good time and fun with my friends"

"there's alway something to do so you don't have to just sit around"

"best school trip ever had - so far!"

Please feel free to add your comments!

Conjectures

On this weeks homework the challenge is to write conjectures but what are they?

Imagine we are investigating what happens when you add even numbers. You might start with some examples e.g.

6 + 4 = 10 even + even = even

2 + 4 = 6 even + even = even

100 + 52 = 152 even + even = even

At this point you might begin to notice a pattern. You could therefore make a conjecture -

Conjecture: when you add two even numbers you always get an even answer

You have not tested every possible pair of even numbers to check this is correct - in fact it's not possible as there are an infinite number of possibilities. So a conjecture is a statement about what you think is happening. You might do more examples and find that the conjecture is not correct so have to make a new one, or the examples may fit the conjecture. However this has not proven that the conjecture is correct only that so far you haven't found any examples that contradict it. The are often ways to prove it is correct but we are not worried about proof at this stage!

Robot Art

We have been looking at the artwork of Eric Joyner. He combines robots and donuts in his art! You can see his pictures on his website.