Big Band Theory

In only two days we are commencing construction on our band instruments. Using only recycled products and some household items, the students will be challenged to make an instrument for a band. The fun will really occur when the students have to perform a song as an ensemble, watch this space for the clips! So given these materials, which instrument would you build? 

STEM supplies

Today we got into the Christmas spirit and made coil Christmas trees. Don't let the finished product fool you- this was not easy. Each coil had to be made uniform and attached by scoring and slipping. It took patience and perseverance to get the finished sculpture, but we aren't finished yet! Once dried and fired they will be painted and glazed then fired again. It will all be worth it when they are the admired centrepiece at the family Christmas table!

Score and slip

Coiling

This week we will have our very first guest blog, written by an LA8 class member, so until then paper, scissors...

Fun with Freezing ❄️

Ever wondered how we keep things cold? We learnt a lot about insulation in this week's STEM challenge, electrical, housing, medical and most importantly lunch boxes! The students had access to a large array of materials including bubble wrap, alfoil, newspaper, styrofoam, fly screen, egg cartons, cotton wool and plastic sticks. The students are always thinking, always wondering how they can creatively conquer the task- perhaps use a metal lunchbox, maybe sit our group under the air conditioner, or ask the teacher if we can use an ice pack! Yes, it's true, however I see this as being resourceful, using what you have to create an advantage, this is real world problem solving- but the ice pack still was not permitted! Now for the test, each student was given a frozen popsicle. Would it survive the 30 minutes without becoming a soggy puddle? As it turned out every single student had a perfectly frozen popsicle- a job well done, now to eat the test subject! Yum! 

The week concluded with a wonderful extension of our mindfulness journey. The students participated in a morning Yoga session. Until now the students have focussed on single poses, now was the time to put it all together. Challenging yes! Rewarding, most definitely. Such a special way to start the day and just another tool to add to our social and emotional wellbeing toolbox. So until next week it's paper, scissors...

Film Makers of the Future

The future Spielbergs are shining this week as we commence the planning and design aspects of our mini documentaries. We had a brainstorming session where we discussed the features of documentaries. It was interesting to hear some students say that documentaries were boring, we unpacked this and discovered that this related to animal documentaries. Other students loved the work of Sir David Attenborough and especially liked his narration and photography. We refined our brainstorm by including features of "good" documentaries. 

For STEM this week we thought we'd put our reflection and evaluation to good use and re visit the Popsicle Bridge challenge. We made changes to the group dynamics also by reducing the team to just two. Groups of six seemed somewhat unfair for a fine motor construction task such as this with only a few students getting the hands on experience. The students did so much better - they were not going to repeat their previous design flaws. The best bridge for strength held 1.7 kilograms! Next we will build the best insulated lunchbox- what would your strategy be? 

We said "goodbye for now" to one of our class teachers this week. We couldn't let her go without a send off so we put together a flash mob to surprise her. It was truly joyful, the students did their own choreography and gave it their best to surprise and delight their teacher. 

Learning about... learning!

We talk often in class of getting to know each other, truly seeking to understand each other. It's through this we develop empathy for each other. If you have empathy for others you are more likely to show compassion and friendliness to one another. This morning we took a hands on approach to this.

For some learning comes easy. For others, tasks such as reading questions, listening to multiple instructions or reading off the board can be challenging- all this prior to trying to learn and understand brand new information. 

In our morning session, the students were asked to go well out of their comfort zone- "put your pen in your non-dominant hand, then close one eye, now write the following passage..."

"Mine's not neat!"

"This is taking ages!"

"This is too hard."

Yes, it is hard, and this is every moment of every school day for some students. The response from the students was a massive realisation that not everyone learns the same and with over 30 students in our class it means we have to work together to ensure everyone experiences success. Show initiative, help your desk partner and seek to understand each other. 

Stay tuned for the students' videos recounting and evaluating this very different learning experience.

Until then paper, scissors...

Bridging the Gap!

This week has seen us discussing the way we want to see out our final weeks of primary school. Yep, it's getting real- in fact the students spent their iPad session reflecting on all the special moments caught on camera this year. They began putting together their 'Leaver's Placemat' using PicCollage. They never fail to drop my jaw when it comes to technology, but it's not just a matter of choosing a few photos and placing them on a grid. They consider carefully the story it tells, the colour choices that complement it and the use of a banner to bring it together. While it's fun to look back at the adventures and special events days - it's empowering to reflect and realise just how far the students have come in their last year of primary school- their learning, emotional development and for many their physical growth- yep I'm becoming a shorty!

Build a bridge, kids, and get over it. No wait, build a bridge and make it strong enough to carry a bag of marbles. Oh, and make sure it's aesthetically pleasing! The challenge this week was to build a Popsicle Bridge that would stretch over a 30cm gap between the desks. The supplies- 25 popsticks and 1 metre of masking tape. The results as always were varied. Some ended as piles of sticks deep in the classroom canyon but some left us awestruck with their engineering ingenuity. The best result was over 70 marbles in weight- four way tie. It was interesting to observe group dynamics in our fourth STEM challenge, some groups have found their groove and are off and racing while others are struggling with sharing ideas, choosing a plan and executing the best build. This is why STEM is such a rich learning experience- it's the interpersonal skills as well as the technology process that the students grow from. Stay tuned to check out our next challenge, until then- paper, scissors...