Hello everyone!
I hope everyone had a lovely Chuseok! Thank you to everyone who has signed the permission form for our trip to Gyeongju Gyocheon Village on October 22nd so far.
If you haven’t had a chance to complete the form yet, please do so by October 9th, as we need to confirm numbers for the pottery experience. Thank you! 😊
Here is what Year 5/6 have been up to this week:
Maths
Y5
| Addition and Subtraction |
| Aut.2.6 – Multi-addition and subtraction problems |
| Aut.2.7 – Compare calculations |
| Aut.2.8 – Find missing numbers |
| End of unit assessment |
Y6
| Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division |
| Review of unit so far |
| Aut.2.12 – Long division with remainders |
| Aut.2.13 – Solve problems with division |
Literacy
This week in Literacy, we reached the exciting conclusion of Queen of the Falls and turned our attention to the difficult decision facing Annie Edson Taylor. After finishing the story, the students reflected on Annie’s extraordinary determination, courage and ambition, considering what might drive someone to attempt such a dangerous feat.
Putting themselves in the shoes of Annie’s closest friends, the students explored the different emotions they might experience knowing that someone they cared about was preparing to risk their life. We considered both sides of the argument, discussing why a friend might encourage Annie to follow her dreams while also exploring the very real concerns they might have about her safety.
Building on these discussions, the students were given an important decision of their own: would they write a letter supporting Annie’s daring adventure or attempt to persuade her to abandon her plans? Once they had chosen their position, they began carefully planning their letters, developing convincing arguments and considering how to communicate their thoughts and feelings effectively. We also explored the importance of balancing persuasive language with a warm, personal tone, remembering that they were writing as someone who genuinely cared about Annie.
These activities have provided an excellent opportunity for the students to develop their critical thinking, consider different perspectives and strengthen their persuasive writing skills as they prepare to write their letters.
IPC
This week, we made an exciting start to our new IPC unit, Investigators! The students stepped into the role of forensic investigators when our classroom was transformed into a crime scene following the mysterious disappearance of Ddalgi Joe, our class mascot. They carefully examined and recorded evidence including his hat, a cup of warm tea with a temperature reading, a handwritten note, a puzzle piece, a die and a keyring. We also explored what the students already knew about investigation and introduced key vocabulary such as hypothesis, observation, fair test and insulation.
The students also considered the different qualities and skills needed to be a successful investigator, thinking about their own strengths and the areas they would like to develop as they become our Forensic Investigators in Training!
For their first investigation, our investigators were given an important problem to solve: all of the school freezers have broken, but we still need to keep our ice packs frozen for as long as possible to treat injuries! Using their investigative skills, the students set out to discover which of the following materials would be the most effective insulator and keep the ice frozen for the longest: felt, bubble wrap, cotton wool, aluminium foil or tissue paper.
They developed hypotheses and predictions, considered how to make the investigation a fair test and carefully weighed their ice before and after the experiment. Our results showed that felt was the most effective insulator, as it protected the ice from melting more effectively than the other materials.
It has already been a fantastic start to Investigators, full of mystery, careful observation, scientific thinking and problem solving!
Useful Information
Our Term 1 school trip to Gyeongju Gyocheon Village will take place on October 22nd. Please take a moment to read the information and complete the attached Google Form by October 9th.
Have a lovely weekend! ☺️
