Maths: To Infinity And Beyond

For the right type of student, this BBC documentary would be absolutely riveting! Includes fun snippets of very young students giving their thoughts on number.

Linkn to COGS - Symbols Systems

Nuwarra Public School has done an excellent job collating resources for Symbol Systems.

Enjoy!

http://www.nuwarra-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/sws/view/1495696.node

ABS Spotlight

A fun activity to do with the class or even set for homework!

It would have fit in beautifully with our Identity unit but would be good for a Maths lesson on data and statistics.

You can enter your own personal details to learn more about yourself in relation to Australia, and the world.

http://spotlight.abs.gov.au/Flash/

Week 2 Reading Task - Modern China - City and Country

This week our reading task focuses on Mondern China - comparing and contrasting the Chinese city and country.

Of course some questions arose during class discussion, here are some links that may assist!

- Education in China - Facts and Figures
- School Life in China - a typical day in a Chinese School with extra links
- Rural School Life in China
- What exactly is a Water Buffalo?

A segment from the BBC Chinese Schools program:

Good Sportsmanship

Today it was the third day of rain in a row, so for the first time in 2.5 years I had to cancel school sport!

I wanted to find some good clips of what is good sportsmanship, so I can have them available for next time. Enjoy!

Text Type: Discussion

This term we will be focusing our writing unit on the text type of Discussion.

The Writing Fun website by Jenny Eather is an interactive writing help site that includes downloads to save for off-line use.

I will definitely be referring to it in class when explaining discussion to the class and undertaking some joint construction!

Here is a one page handout that could assist in a Text Types lesson:
Discussion Texts

I also found this rubric which is easily edited, making a good starting point for thoughts about marking:

Introduction to Symbol Systems

This term our class will focus our study on Symbol Systems and use it as a theme and basis for our classwork and assessment.

Our class will learn that symbols can be personal, cultural and global. We use symbols to communicate in many ways including in Visual Arts and public speaking. We will examine the cultural diversity of countries in the Asia Pacific Region (mainly China) and will compare it to Australia.

We will learn about symbol systems used in Visual Arts and will respond to them by creating artwork for our upcoming art show. We will create:
- An individual artwork that will be used in a calendar
- A class canvas for auction
- A grade art installation that will focus on the theme of recycling.

We will also focus on Poetry and Public Speaking, focusing on the use of simile and metaphor to enhance our writing and speaking. This will culminate in a school Public Speaking competition at the end of Term 3.

Indoor games

I had this list of indoor games ready in case our group got stuck inside at camp. I didn't get the chance to use them, so here they are for future use.

Kids Games

Moving into Symbol Systems

In Term 2 we will commence our COGS study on 'Symbol Systems' with a focus on China.

To gain an orientation to the topic here are a few interesting websites:

National Geographic Kids has a good overview of facts about China including, geography, nature, history, people and culture, government and economy; along with 'fast facts.'
It also includes a video of how development in Northern China is turning farmland into desert!

An excellent page of China Links suitable for Primary students is here.

SMH Education Resources

The SMH Education resources webpage is a welcome opportunity to locate resources to add to a program or extend classroom activities.

NSW outcomes are addressed and specific units of work are catered for, across stages.

At this time, some units of work and activities have been developed around:
- Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds
- Our Changing Environment
- The Communication Revolution
- Living in the 21st Century
- Welcome to Australia
- Premier's Reading Challenge

There are also links to a 'Weekly Assignment,' 'Everyday Maths,' and an online, multiple choice 'News Quiz' based upon each week's Sun-Herald newspaper.

Would be an excellent suggestion to parents who are looking at locating extra work for their child - all activities are designed by local teachers.