3/4 CG 

Almost there!

We are now very close to returning to on-site learning and I imagine many of our students are both excited and a little bit apprehensive. Rest assured, we are just as keen to see you all back in the classroom and engaging with your learning in a more familiar way. While next week and the following week will only be for a few days, it won't be long before the last few months will be just a memory. Please continue to put your best efforts into focussing on each of the remaining remote lessons and we look forward to welcoming you back shortly.

Maths

Last week we continued looking at our maths topic of probability. We have been learning to recognise events involving chance and place them on a probability line. The students have become familiar with the key language of likely, unlikely, certain and impossible. 

This week students had to come up with 1 event for each heading. 

As a continuation of our learning about fractions, students were asked to design their own flag, and many were able to correctly identify the fractions of the rest of their flag. Some went as far as recognising and naming equivalent fractions!

Change

This week for our inquiry topic we have been learning a lot about how the brain works. Last week the students learned about how the brain makes chemical reactions that are when we feel certain emotions.  These hormones are released to make us feel this way. Here is a break down of what we learned: 

• Dopamine - The (good & bad) habit former. An incredible tool when used appropriately!
• Oxytocin - The “love hormone.” Oxytocin makes us social and builds relationships with trust and loving feelings.
• Serotonin - The “leadership hormone.” Heavily related to pride, loyalty, and status.
• Endorphins - The natural painkiller. The runner’s high!

We asked the students to think about a time where they felt scared, happy, grateful, and when they really enjoyed something.  We wanted to emphasize the importance of describing how their body felt during this time. 

Last week we looked at chemical change that included an incursion with the people at Twisted Science where the students were invited to witness polymers in action. The students created their own Flubber! We continued to investigate chemical change with a virtual visit from Dr. Mel (Henry's Mum!) who was able to demonstrate that chemical changes are irreversible and could be identified by a change in colour, a change in temperature, or the production of bubbles. She made a squeeky pop, by mixing a metal with hydrochloric acid to make hydrogen gas, which she ignited with a flame and she inflated a balloon by mixing bicarb with vinegar to make carbon dioxide.

Gratitude Wellbeing 

Last Friday for our wellbeing day, our focus was on gratitude. Gratitude is all about being thankful for the things that you have in your life. Students were given an activity grid to choose from, which allowed them to somehow record things that they were grateful for. 

Cybersafety Incursion

This week students were guided through a number of things to consider in being good digital citizens with a visit by Martin from Inform and Empower. Marty shared his knowledge with the students regarding the appropriate use of social media and in particular understanding that many platforms that seem enticing, have terms and conditions limiting their access to people aged 13 and older. He also encouraged the students to think about what they post online, before sharing information that they wouldn't normally share with people they don't know.

Digital Technology Fun

Wellbeing Friday during Week One invited students to investigate artificial intelligence by seeing if they could draw an image that would be recognised by Google Machine Learning (using Quick! Draw) and then using the Draw App from Google to make images that they could use in their own work. Students were also immersed in Augmented Reality, where virtual animals were 'placed' in the room. We received some impressive pictures!