An Teilifís

This week our topic in Irish is 'An Teilifís'. We are looking at tv schedules and discussing our favourite programmes and when they are on. This links in well with our Maths lessons during which we are looking at time and reading tv schedules and train timetables. 

Letter to parents - Ancient Greece project

Below is a letter which the girls brought home today. 

Dear Parents,

The girls will be learning about Ancient Greece when they return to school after the half-term. They have already done an introductory lesson about Ancient Greece. As part of their learning on this topic, the girls will be undertaking a project, at home, about Ancient Greece. The project is due on Monday 14^th March. I would like the project to be presented in a scrapbook. Please find below a list of the topics which we will be covering in school. The girls may like to use these topics to guide them when writing their project. I would like the girls to include a bibliography of the sources they have used. As the girls have learned in school, Wikipedia is not a reliable source and should be avoided. I have included below a list of websites which the girls may find useful when researching their projects.

I would also like to remind the girls that it is not acceptable to copy and paste from internet sites. As you are aware, the girls have done work in school and for their homework on taking notes and using these notes to write reports and instructions and we will continue to work on this over the coming term. I would encourage the girls to take notes on what they have read and then to present their information in their own words. This is a difficult concept for many children and so I would appreciate your support in helping the girls to compose the information they are presenting in their own words.

Topics to be covered:

·         Greek toys

·         Greek clothes

·         Music and mosaics

·         The Greek feast

·         Society in Ancient Greece

·         Slavery

·         At home in Ancient Greece and Greek families

·         Greek gods

·         Greek mythology (including writing myths in creative writing)

·         Temples and palaces

·         Theatre, plays and performances

·         School in Ancient Greece

·         The Olympic Games

·         The influence the Ancient Greeks had on our world.

Useful websites

·         BBC bitesize

·         BBC Primary History

·         Woodlands Junior School Kent

·         National Geographic Kids

·         Children’s University of Manchester

·         dkfindout.com

·         (A little more advanced) The British Museum

On a separate note, we have organised to take the girls to a talk on the 9^th of March (in the Mill Theatre in Dundrum) given by Katherine Rundell as part of the Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Mountains to Sea Book Festival. Katherine Rundell won the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize and the Blue Peter Award in 2014, as well as being shortlisted for many other prestigious prizes, for her book ‘Rooftoppers’. She will be presenting a talk entitled ‘Going Wild: Wolf Stories’ in which she will talk about her novel ‘The Wolf Wilder’ and the wolves of Russia. The girls may like to read ‘The Wolf Wilder’ before going to the talk. The author will also be available to sign the book on the day, and if time permits, the girls may have an opportunity to get their book signed if they have brought a copy of the novel. However, as I often say to the girls, “Pie crust promises are easily made and easily broken” so this will depend on time on the day.

Electrical circuits

The girls put together some simple circuits today using two wires, a battery and a light bulb. Some of the girls experimented with making simple switches too which they made from paper clips.  

Do you know what a closed circuit is? What about an open circuit? Do you know the difference between a parallel circuit and a series circuit? We do!! 

Money

Today we practised adding money in our heads. We each got an envelope with an amount of money written on it. We had to figure out how we could make up this amount of money using different coins. We wrote this down on our envelope and passed it to the next person. Our friend then had to check whether we were right before thinking of another way to make up the amount written on the envelope and passing it on to the next person. 

Knitting

The girls in 4th Class will be learning to knit when we return from the February half term. They will learn the skills of casting on and casting off, increasing and decreasing and changing colour.

We will be starting with knitting a simple owl in two pieces which we will then sew together and decorate with felt eyes, ears, wings etc.

We will then move on to learning how to increase and decrease. To show off these skills the girls will knit a butterfly.

Finally, if time allows, we will make a more complicated owl for which the girls will need to increase and change colour.

I understand that many of the girls already have knitting needles at home and they can of course use these in class. However, if the girls do need to purchase needles, the people in Winnie's craft café in Woodbine Park, Blackrock have kindly agreed to sell us children's needles at a reduced price. The needles they are offering us are called Addi kids needles (or Addi Linos). These needles have been coated so the wool does not slide off them as easily and also make it easier for the girls when they are increasing or decreasing as they can see that they only increase or decrease when they are knitting onto the red needle. If the girls would like to buy them, I would ask that they please bring in €3.00 by Friday (12th February) and I will order them next weekend so we will have them for the week after half term.

Procedural writing

Over the next few weeks we will be learning about procedural writing (or instruction writing). 

Today we worked on writing instructions about how to make a paper lizard. 

First we thought about what our WILF would be for procedural writing and wrote them together. We looked at some examples of these WILF on the interactive whiteboard. 

Then we started making our paper lizards. As we were working we took brief notes on our whiteboards which we could use when we went to write our instructions. 

Next we wrote our instructions into our Reasons to Write. 

Then we looked back at the WILF we had written together to check if we had included everything. We added in anything we had forgotten with our coloured pens and edited and improved our work.

Some of us had time to start thinking about how we would present our instructions if we were writing them up as an instruction leaflet.  

If you are working on procedural writing at home remember this is what we are looking for:

• A title - what is going to be made or achieved by following your instructions?
• What you need - a list of materials, ingredients, equipment or tools you might need to complete the task
• Chronological order ...... that's a fancy way of saying time order. 
• Imperative (or bossy) verbs e.g. open, mix, cook, fold, stick, turn, click
• Time connectives e.g. first, next, then, after, before, later, when, finally
• Present tense: Turn over the paper (not you will turn over the paper); stir the ingredients (not you stirred the ingredients) 
• Clear, simple language - Fold the paper in half is much clearer than gently lay the paper flat on the table, pick up one of the sides and bend this over to the other side. Make sure that the opposite sides line up and accurately and firmly squash the paper in half.  

These top tips can make your writing even better: 

• Make the reader excited - Ask them a question e.g. Have you ever......?  Would you like to.......? 
• Make the reader excited - Add an introduction telling the reader how amazing the final product is. 
• Think about safety - Tell your reader about any steps that might be dangerous 
• Make it sound easy - Tell the reader how easy it is to complete your instructions e.g. In just four easy steps or anyone can make this. 
• Add a top tips section - Add some bonus information to help your readers. These could help them with a tricky part or give them different ways of making the finished product even better. 

Letter to parents - Geography project

Below is a letter the girls received in school today. 

Dear parents,

This term we have been looking at towns and cities in Ireland as part of our Geography work. In class we have focused on Dublin and the girls have thought about what makes our capital city special and have designed lovely posters trying to attract tourists to visit Dublin. The girls are now going to undertake a project, at home, on a county of their choice. I understand that the girls undertook a mini-project in 3rd class on a county of their choice. I would prefer if they chose a different county for this project please.  The girls can present their project on a large poster page (available in Easons, Nimble Fingers and Book Station). Please find below a list of questions that will help them in researching their projects. This list is not exhaustive and if they would like to include any other information that they feel is relevant to their county they are free to do so. They may also find that some questions are not relevant to their county. I would like the projects to be completed by Monday the 15^th of February.

In the period between February half term and Easter the girls will be undertaking a project on the Ancient Greeks. If the girls wish, they may start to read up on the Ancient Greeks this half term and begin to think about what they will include in their project. Below is a list of websites that they may find interesting. I will give them more information about this project closer to the February half term.    

•            BBC bitesize
•     BBC Primary History
•           Woodlands Junior School Kent
•      National Geographic Kids
•     Children’s University of Manchester
•     dkfindout.com
•     (A little more advanced) The British Museum

What is the name of your county?

What is the Irish name of your county?

In what province is your county located?

Name the counties that border your county.

Does your county have a nickname? What is it?

What are your county colours?

Name two big towns in your county.

What are the main sports played in your county?

What are your county’s car registration letters?

Name one famous tourist attraction in your county.

Who is the best known sportsperson from your county?

Name a special song or poem about your county.

Name the biggest mountain/hill in your county.

Name the longest river in your county.

What is the most important industry in your county?

What town in your county was the tidiest town last year?

Draw and colour the county crest.

Are there any other interesting facts about your county? 

Maths and Irish homework - 02.02.16

Below is the Maths and Irish homework for tonight, as the photocopier is not working.

Nora thought of a number and took 6.2 away from it. Her answer was 7.8. What number did she think of?

Mr Murphy's car is 2.95 metres long, but the O'Connor's minibus is 1.2 metres longer. How long is the minibus?

The Nolan family were going on their holidays. They had 3 suitcases. The first case weighed 4.95kg, the second was 5.36kg and the third was 1.8kg heavier than the first. Find the total weight of the 3 cases.

John saved €12.65 in her money box. Linda saved €2.95 more than Joan. They pooled their money to buy a tennis raquet as a birthday present for their friend Melissa.
How much money did they have between them?
How much money did they need to buy the raquet?

IRISH:

Please watch Bia Linn on TG4

http://old.tg4.ie/en/programmes/cula4-na-nog/programmes/bia-linn/bia-linn-tv.html

Here are the questions to answer:

Cé mhéad cailín atá ann? (Remember we’re counting people!!)

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Cad is ainm do na cailíní?

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An maith le Muireann piotsa?

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An maith leis na cailíní piotsa?

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Cad iad na comhábhair san oideas seo?

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Cén fath nach bhfuil cead ag Fite agus Fuaite usáid a bhaint as an siosúr? (06.02)

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An gceapann na cailíní go bhfuil an piotsa blasta?

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