European countries projects

Fourth class have been learning all about Europe.

The first thing we did was learn about the continents of the world. We learnt that Europe is the continent Ireland is in. We learnt the names of some other countries that are in Europe. We also learnt about the European Union. We know now that it is like a club that the governments of European countries choose to join. They join in the hope of receiving benefits in return for money (mostly from taxes).

Then it was time to find out if anyone in our class is from a different European country other than Ireland. It turns out there is a lot of girls in our class who are from other European countries! We divided up into groups and started to research and compile projects on:

• Lithuania
• Poland
• Slovakia
• Romania
• Belgium
• Moldova

These countries were chosen because they are the countries other than Ireland that girls in our class are from. We used the school Chromebooks and atlases to help us find information. 

Here are the finished projects:

In art, we learnt about the life and work of the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. We learnt that his work was abstract and that he worked mainly with the primary colours. We created our own pieces of art inspired by his. Have a look:

 

                                  

Beebots

Beebots are small robots that can be programmed to move in a variety of ways. Last month, we completed tasks with Beebots such as helping them escape a maze and having them write a certain letter. Have a look at our pictures:

Snowstorm in a Jar

Fourth class did an experiment called 'snowstorm in a jar'. We wrote out our method and materials in our copies to link with our genre of procedural writing in English. We used baby oil, water, alka seltzers, glitter and paint for this experiment. This experiment works for a few reasons. Because oil is less dense than water, the water will naturally sink to the bottom of the jar. When the Alka-Seltzer is dropped into the jar, its interaction with the water creates pressure in an upward direction, and the oil pushes it back down. This pressure back and forth is part of what creates the snowstorm. The other element is the interaction between water and sodium bicarbonate in the Alka-Seltzer, which generates carbon dioxide gas. 

Winter/ Christmas art

To create our Winter landscapes, we mixed a shade that we thought the sky would be on a Winter's evening using the colours blue, white and purple. We used sponges to apply the paint to our paper. We ripped another sheet of paper and stuck this on to look like our snow. Our trees are made from ripped crepe paper. We also added some glitter because we think Winter is a magical time of the year!

We also used our knowledge of pattern to create some funky reindeer. Have a look:

Our snowmen love Winter so much that they are gazing up at the stars in the night sky:

We also drew delicious looking gingerbread houses:

Reading with first class

Fourth class went into the boys and girls in first class to do some paired reading with them. Both classes really enjoyed it! 

Procedural writing

Fourth class have worked on procedural writing for the past five weeks. We decided we would create our own board games to make procedural writing more exciting. We wrote out the materials needed and the method on the back of our board games so that our classmates will be able to play them when we stay in for break on rainy days. Here are some pictures of us at work and of some of the finished products: