On Tuesday, 6D thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Allerton High School. We worked with a high school science teacher Mr Alcock and learned all about lab safety. We studied an image (similar to the one below) and found multiple lab safety issues! Our biggest learning point was that we always tuck our chairs in during experiments to ensure that we can move quickly in case of emergency. How many can you spot below…?

We then recalled the meaning of ‘hypothesis’ – ‘proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation’. We enjoyed testing our own hypothesis, using popping toys and measuring the time taken for the toy to pop up. We varied the amount time which we pressed down onto the popping toy.

Mr Clayton delighted to announce that this year we will be running a Science Fair in school!

This will take place on the afternoon of Friday 28th March in the school hall and will be open to children in Key Stage 2.

Please see Google Classroom for more information.

Sign up form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16B5JqGLKXLvBlRmhJ_wSJpBUsSMBKjEzSwfbC00zkIM/edit 

I cannot wait to see your entries!

Miss Davies

This week has certainly been a busy one. World Book Day was such fun – we enjoyed seeing the range of outfits come through the door and were excited to join the ‘Footy and Booky’ National Literacy Quiz.

We also felt inspired to enter the story-writing competition in which students adapts an original fairy tale… 6D came up with all sorts of fantastic twists – Jack’s mother going up the beanstalk, a land where the gingerbread gets revenge and a world where three little wolves are hunted by the big, bad pig. The competition closes on Monday morning so students have the weekend to complete their stories and illustrations.

We have enjoyed producing prints using our mixed media creations and a linoleum roller. The results were layered over an oil-pastel impression of one of Kandinsky’s art works.

We found the mixed medium challenging to print with, given the varied thicknesses of the different mediums. However, we enjoyed experimenting with the new technique.

Today, we began our new Art unit on Synesthesia. We looked at works by the artist Kandinsky and learned how he could experience one sense through another. We looked briefly at some of his most well-known works – in which he generated shape and colour based on sounds.

We then had a go at creating some fantastic tunes on our chromebooks. Have a go by following the links below!

Music lab: https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Kandinsky/ 
Play a Kandinsky: https://artsandculture.google.com/experiment/play-a-kandinsky/sgF5ivv105ukhA 

Next, we listened to a range of music and used the different pitch and rhythms to inspire us. We drew a range of our own shapes and textures in our Art books.

Yesterday in science, we carried out an experiment involving bulbs and cells. We hypothesised that an increased number of cells would increase the brightness of the bulb. Although we had some anomalies due to our equipment, we generally found our hypothesis to be true. We learned that this was due to the increased voltage created by the cells. The greater the amount of electrical energy in the circuit, the brighter the bulb.

Well done to Skylar, Summer and Ruby for helping collect rubbish during lunchtime this week. A big thank you to those students for helping to keep our ACE community nice and tidy!

Last week in music, we had the pleasure of listening to a range of modern and older compositions. We discussed the rhythm, tempo, dynamics and texture of the pieces. Well done to all of 6D for their thorough analysis!

The start to the Spring Term has certainly been a chilly one. I want to start by saying a massive thank you for braving the snow and ice this week.

In Maths, we have started our new unit on ‘Converting Measurements’ and enjoyed a practical lesson on Thursday. In this lesson we discussed the difference between volume and capacity and then carried out an experiment to measure the capacity of different hollow objects around the classroom. Although our tables got a little messy, we thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of making each object as ‘full’ as possible, without spilling onto the table’s surface.

In Writing, we continued our ‘earthquake’ shared write planning. Students came up with an array of different public, eating venues. From train station cafes to fish and chip takeaways, the stream of ideas was fantastic!

In PSHE and Geography, we began to break down the concepts of prejudice and discrimination and applied this knowledge in our lessons on the Holocaust. Students mapped the various locations of the German Concentration Camps. They were shocked to find how dispersed these were across Europe and, furthermore, how many had been constructed well before World War II began. We further learned about Kristallnacht in PSHE and how the assassination of a German diplomat, Ernst Vom Rath, was used to Nazi advantage.

In Music, we began our composition unit and refreshed our knowledge on the different types of musical notes, major and minor keys.

Today, we had the pleasure of eating our Christmas Dinner, singing some Christmas Carols and wearing our Christmas jumpers but something else really stood out.

In PSHE, as part of a warm up activity, students were asked to draw a small figure and write something about themselves which positively influences others. Many of the students found this a challenging task and asked for my help. Each time they asked me, another student wanted to offer an answer on that student. Eventually multiple voices were interjecting lovely comments about the student who was unsure what to write around their figure. Following this, I asked all of 6D to get out of their seats and go around other students books, adding why they appreciated that student. Soon enough, the pages were filled with lovely comments about each individual. It reminded me what a truly special students make up 6D.