Today we experimented with friction! We used a range of materials (wood, tea-towel, silk and a cushion) to test out the question, ‘How does the texture of a surface affect the amount of friction?’ We used a ramp and a car and covered the ramp with different textures. We found out that the rougher the surface, the more friction. The smoother the surface, the less friction.
Reading in Crew Elmer.
Activate: We looked at an image and created as many inferences as we could.
“I think they are leaving and going to a new planet because of the toxic liquid.”
Consolidate: Vocabulary recap.
Demonstrate:Practicing reading- To read 110 words per minute and to read with understanding.
Using newton metres to measure classroom equipment
We have now began our Case Study 2 – physics! We first of all, we watched a video introducing gravity, and we also read an informational text about Sir Issac Newton – the scientist who created the gravity law. We were then given the task to use newton metres to measure the weight of objects in class. We really loved this practical activity to kick start our physics.
We each created a table to recorded our findings:
Scotties…
On Friday afternoon, we got to enjoy a ‘Scotties’ session with Scott himself. Although it was initially freezing cold outside and the tasks set were incredibly challenging… we showed great perseverance and worked well as mini crews to succeed!
Another week, another Crew Elmer win!
Last week, Crew Elmer was lucky again to win the attendance award in our Key Stage Two Community Meeting! This meant that we got to enjoy a yummy biscuit treat and some orange juice! As well as some extra playtime where we enjoyed the sunshine, dancing, singing, playing football and being back on our old playground where we could jump on the tyres and climb on the frame. Can we win it for a fourth time before the end of this half term??!! Well done Crew Elmer! 🙂
Moon Phases-Collaborative learning
Today in mini crews, we created the phases of the moon using Oreos cookies. Crew Elmer had so much fun.
‘Dark Nights’…
Two members from Doncaster Council visited our school this week to talk to all of our Year 5 and 6 pupils about ‘Dark Nights’. As the nights are starting to draw in, the volunteers discussed Halloween and Bonfire with us all and how we can ensure that we stay safe during these exciting occasions! We have learnt a lot about firework safety including how to hold sparklers and how to dispose of these safely, we are fully aware that only adults should be in charge of fireworks. We also learnt a lot about fire and how dangerous this can be, especially bonfires. The two adults also discussed anti-social behaviour such as breaking people’s windows, ‘knock a door run’ and swearing in public, and the consequences of these if we get caught. They also talked about ‘peer pressure’ and how common this is as we get older and mix with older children in the local community. They also briefly touched on water (ice) and road safety. They concluded the visit by showing us a clip similar to this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfFenwyoZcg to reinforce how important it is to keep ourselves and others safe during the upcoming ‘Dark Nights’. We learnt a lot from our talk and now feel fully prepared on how to enjoy Bonfire night and Halloween safely!
Demonstration Comprehension in Crew Elmer…
Today we began our lesson by critiquing the best answer for the given question, ‘Why had the engineers taken extra care when building the Vostok?’. We then looked through some ‘reasons to read’ together linked to a range of different HOB lenses such as ‘logical meaning making’ and ‘trawling for evidence’. We took it in turns to read the different questions and unpick the vocabulary used to help us to understand what information was required such as, ‘How long…’ meaning that we needed to look for a time (minutes, years, months, years etc.). We used our skimming and scanning skills (with a little help from our rulers and highlighters) to retrieve the answers from the text. Once we had located the information we explained our answers using the evidence that we had found to support our answer (A.P.E). Mrs Elmer then supported us with recording our answers. Mrs Elmer modelled the first one, we did the second one together and then in pairs we had a go at the final one! We then concluded the lesson by sharing our personal opinion on the story.
Crew Elmer’s Attendance Reward!
This afternoon, Crew Elmer got to celebrate being the first Crew, this academic year in KS2 , to have the BEST attendance score or 99.7%. As a treat Mrs Atherton awarded us with some extra playtime in the sunshine as well as a yummy Twix (Proper noun!) to eat and some tasty juice! What a lovely way to end the week! Well done Crew Elmer! Let’s keep this up! 🙂
Book Talk continues in Crew Elmer…
To begin today’s session we recapped some of the new vocabulary that we identified in lesson 1 of Book Talk such as, ‘override’, ‘pacing’, ‘vast’, ‘mesmerised’ and ‘observation’. We ensured that we all knew what the words meant and discussed how they had been used in the text by the author. We then worked with our partners to read the text. We took it in turns to read sentences/paragraphs/whole pages each. We listened and observed carefully so that we could critique how well our partner had used the punctuation such as commas and full stops in the text. We then went through some reasons to read together which required us to use our skimming and scanning skills to allow us to retrieve information from the text. We were fab at this! We then completed a true or false quiz based on what we had read. We then completed the session by listing 3 facts, 2 opinions and 1 question. Another great Book Talk session Crew Elmer! Well done!