Rock Report

At the start of term 4 we will be switching Science topics to the Earth and what it is made of.  We will be having our final project of the year about rocks and gemstones and what makes them so useful.  This information will help us with our final English task which is writing a persuasive exposition on the same topic.

Please see below for the information:

You will need to answer the following questions and present your information neatly in an A4 format.  Be sure to answer the questions in full sentence answers.  Good luck and happy digging for information!

 Definition of a mineral.
 Definition of a crystal.
 Definition of a rock.
 Example of 3 different minerals or rocks.
 Example of 3 different crystals or gemstones.
 Choose 2 minerals or rocks.
Find out what their uses are (for industry - such as coal which is used to power machinery).  Mention as many as you can find.
Which countries are they found in?
Explain how they are found.  (Are they mined?)
What makes them?
Include a picture or drawing of what they each look like.
Find at least 1 interesting fact about each rock or mineral.
7.  Choose 2 crystals or gemstones.  
Find out what their uses are (for industry - such as diamond which is used for cutting hard objects or decorative for jewellery).  Mention as many as you can find.
Which countries are they found in?
Explain how they are found.  (Are they mined?)
What makes them?
Include a picture or drawing of what they each look like.
Find at least 1 interesting fact about each crystal or gemstone.

Include a list of sources for the information you have gathered using the referencing sheet attached.

This information will help you write an exposition during class.  You will use this report to convince others why the minerals and crystals you chose are the best or most useful in the world.

The sheet I will send home looks like this:

Some time will be allocated for in class research but the students will need to do some as a part of their homework.

Due: Monday 28th October 2013

Extreme Reading Challenge

With Book Week beginning Saturday 17th of August, I thought an extreme reading competition would be fun.
Take a photo of yourself reading in an extreme location or way and print it out and bring it to school.  A prize will go to the most creative and extreme reader in each category.  Bring it to school by Thursday 22nd August.
Below are some examples of 'extreme reading'.

Happy Book Week

Term 3 Art

The below website showcases a variety of artworks using only recycled materials.  It will amaze you, I guarantee it!!!!Our term 3 Art lessons will focus on a single piece of artwork, made with recycled materials.  So get busy looking and find what style or medium (products) you wish to construct or use and start collecting the items you'll need.  We start week 3.

Visit the website:

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/recycled-art-masterpiece-made-from-junks/

Photography Competition

While on school holidays I thought you might like to spend some time in nature photographing God's creation.  If you do - there is an added incentive...

Open to Years 4 to 12           Closes: Monday, September 2


Full competition details are on the website below - click on the 'Focus Environment 2013' link on the sidebar.


CATEGORIES

♦ Celebrating Human Energy
♦ Protecting our Planet‘s Sustainability
♦ Respecting Biodiversity Information


TO ENTER

Enter online at: www.chevronaustralia.com
♦ Entry is by online submission only.
♦ Students may enter one, two or all three categories.
♦ Each entry must include a caption summarising the purpose or message of the photograph to reflect its category.


PRIZE

Each winning student receives a cash prize for themselves and their school:
♦ First prize:       $250                        School prize: $1,000
♦ Second prize:   $150                      School prize: $750
♦ Third prize:       $100                      School prize: $500

Good luck and have fun!!!

Great Golden Time

This week everyone got some 'Golden Time'!  That's a new record for us.  Many students finished every part and got the whole of free time while some others did a job or two and then joined in the fun.
What a proud teacher am I!!!

We went back to Kindy this Golden Time with play-doh, foam blocks and craft.  The students had fun making animals and even a special feast for me (I was very excited!!!).  Thank you for the pizza, sweets, cake and cup of tea - I am such a lucky teacher having such wonderful students.

Hopefully we can keep this good homework streak running!  It's good to remember that what you practise at home - strengthens your learning in school.

I sent home a scavenger hunt list to find some items we'll need for the following weeks.  Happy hunting!

Sustainability

We watched a video on waste and what happens to it today.
Some things the children learned, we put on the board.

We are slowly learning to be more waste wise.

This week we had a mapping activity outside and the children were shown the sight of our future garden bed.  They were very excited.  Hopefully we'll start it towards the end of term.

It's all physics to me...

We had so much fun on our excursion to the city on Friday.  We started off at Scitech to get our hands on all the energy and forces information we've been learning in Science (and more).  Everyone had a great time pushing, pulling, lifting, throwing, flicking, spinning, pedaling, and much more.
The 'High Voltage Show' finished off our visit with more than one bang.  We were delighted with a machine that had 2000 volts of electricity (running through me!)  Plus seeing lightning bolts of electricity spark from Tesla coils.  We had some brave volunteers from the audience to demonstrate.

From Scitech we ventured into the city to the Cultural Centre where we had lunch.  Then it was an Art Gallery tour and a peek at the WA Museum.

Then it was home on the train again.  The Transperth Customer Service Team were magnificent!  They met us at every stop and helped us all get on and off as a group.  Thank you!
And thank you to all the wonderful parent helpers - we couldn't have done it without you!

The children had a great day and have already made suggestions for the next excursion (breathe Miss Brooks, breathe).