Student+Learning+Term+3

=__London 2012 Olympics__=

Our big focus for Term 3 was the London Olympic Games. We learned about the history, symbols and traditions of the games and had a go at designing our own torches and medals for the 2020 Pleasant Point Olympics! During a few very rainy weeks we enjoyed watching the games in the library - Go New Zealand!

Ruby Archie Laura

Ruthy We have also been learning how to write information reports. We all wrote reports on London using a website that Miss Morrison directed us to: [|www.londontopic.co.uk] We had to find and select information under these headings: Description (location, population, weather, size), buildings and landmarks, history, things to do and see, food, Royal Family, interesting information/facts. Here are some exerts from our work:

You should know these facts before you go to London. London is 620 square miles. The current population of greater London, without counting visitors there to celebrate the Olympic games, stands at 7,841,045. This city is in Europe, and is the capital of England. Normally it is a very rainy place to visit. The highest temperatures are usually in July and August and can be as high as 73 degrees faronheight. The history of London is really fun to learn about. Thousands of years ago, Great Britain was joined to Europe and was covered in ice. Legend says that Britain was not founded by the Romans as most believe, but in a far more ancient time by Brutus Trojan around 1070 BC, this is about 1000 thousand years before the Roman invasion. London is made up of two ancient cities which are now joined together, London known as the City and the other one is called the City of Westminster. Westminster is where the parliament and most of the government offices are located. Food in London is like the food we eat in New Zealand. On Sunday the main meal of the day is a roast with three or four vegetables and a Yorkshire pudding, A Yorkshire pudding is not actually a pudding, you eat it last to mop up all your gravy. It is made of pancake batter without the sugar, and is the shape of a cylinder. The main meal of the day is normally eaten at midday instead of in the evening. London’s fish and chip shops are very popular just like in New Zealand, the city also has burgers and chicken fast food restaurants. Indian, Pizza and Chinese takeaway are also popular. By Theo

Over 7 million people live in London. London is 659 square miles wide and long. The weather is usually very rainy and not often sunny. London is the capital of England and is the biggest city in England and

Europe.

If you ever go to London there are many places that will spark your interest. You could tell the time on Big Ben, a big clock tower that stands 96 metres tall. Or, you could take a 30 minute ride on the London Eye, a very big ferris wheel on which you can see most of the London area from the top. You could even go to Buckingham Palace, where, if you look closely you might just see the Queen poke her head out the window because it is her London home.

Talking about the Queen she is an important part of London. She is the head of the Royal Family which includes her grandsons Prince Harry and Prince William and Prince Charles her son. Prince Charles is next in line to the throne which means one day he will be king. The Queens full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary and she was born on April 21, 1926 and therefore she is 86. By Laura

Where could I go if I visit London? You could go on the London Eye from which you can see most of London. It is the biggest ferris wheel in the world, WOW! How big is the London Eye? It stands 135 metres high. What is another place I could go? You could go and see Buckingham Palace, it’s Queen Elizabeth’s official and main royal palace and home.

What can I eat in London? The English breakfast of course! That means eggs, ham, bacon, sausages, beans, mushrooms YUCK! and much, much more! What about for lunch? You could have one of their delicious pies. Fillings include, apple, blackberry, rhubarb, cheese, meat and many more. You will definitely like the meats you can have for a roast dinner. The most common meats are beef, lamb and chicken. The least common meats are duck, goose or turkey. Has that made you hungry?

What are some things I can see and do? You can visit the royal place or you could go on the London Eye. I would go shopping at Hamley's-the worlds biggest toy store, or you could explore the museums and galleries all over London or even sail down the River Thames. That would be fun!

Londoners can be very superstitious. They believe that you will have bad luck if you walk under a ladder, if you break a mirror, by passing someone on the stairs or spilling salt. However, if you let a white cat rub against you or find a four leaf clover you will have good luck.

Do you think you want to go to London? I certainly do!

By Ruthy

In Term 4 we are writing speeches so we practised our oral language skills this term to help us present our speeches in Term 4. We researched an olympic athlete (past or present) or an olympic sport and created a Powerpoint on the computer which we then presented to the class. We had to decide what the main ideas were on each slide and then wrote what we would say for each during our presentation and wrote it on cue cards. We then practised and recorded our presentations using the camera in the library. This helped us to see areas we could improve such as speed or clarity. Another person in the class and Miss Morrison evaluated our presentations and gave us feedback. Here are some examples of our Powerpoints:



=__Mary MacKillop Feast Day__=

On Monday August 6 the whole school travelled over to St Joseph's Temuka to celebrate the feast day of Saint Mary of the Cross. After mass and a game of soccer we made Mary MacKillop artworks. Here are some examples:

By William

By Bailee By Molly = = =__Habits Of Mind__=

We have learned 4 new habits this term: Listen, Work With Others, Be Clear and Go Wow.





I need to listen and get involved (Go Wow). Claudia

My goal is to try new things and see if I like doing them (Go Wow). Lucas
I want to listen to the instructions so that I don't waste time asking what to do (Listen). Ruby

Discuss and share with my partner instead of letting them do it all (Work With Others). Theo
I need to let my partner do more of the task (Work With Others). Lucy

I need to make sure I am not mumbling when I am talking so that everyone hears me (Be Clear). William.
My goal is to listen and respond to my friends (Listen). Archie

=Ski and Skate Day.=

On Tuesday August 28, we went to Tekapo to ice skate and Mt Dobson to ski. We had a fantastic day:





=__Fizzing and Foaming__= In the second part of the term we learned about science concepts. Our topic was 'Fizzing and Foaming' with the following two big ideas:

Substances have physical properties that can be described. We can use these properties to group them. When a physical change takes place, a substance changes its form only. (For example, ice may melt to form liquid water, but it is still water.)

Substances have chemical properties that can be described and used to group them. We can investigate the chemical properties of a substance by observing the way the substance reacts with certain other substances. When a chemical change takes place, new substances are formed.

We did lots of different experiments and activities in class to prove the big ideas. Here are some examples:

We combined vinegar (acid) and baking soda (carbonate) to see what would happen:

We learned that a gas called carbon dioxide was created when the two substances reacted. We used the gas to make a fire extinguisher and to inflate a balloon:



We even made currants bounce up and down in a jar:



We had lots of fun with our experiments. In Term 4 we are going to use our new knowledge to trial, package and produce a product.