Jess and Susan’s Class: Term 3 Week 10
Dear Parents,
What a week full of fun conversations about all the embarrassing, gross, and extraordinary things our bodies can do!
We started the week with a deep dive into the musculoskeletal system, exploring how our bones hold up and protect our bodies and how our muscles help us move. We made a model of an elbow to demonstrate the relationship between bones and muscles, and spent some time exploring the interactive Britannica website to see how the different systems in our bodies work together.
We also learnt about vertebrates and invertebrates and how they can be classified by looking for a backbone. This led to a fun conversation about the term “grow a backbone,” and we explored its meaning alongside some other fun idioms.
We also had a full day of learning about puberty, during which the children asked some very sensible questions and showed great respect for each other along the way. There were, of course, a few embarrassing moments but everyone (including me) managed that with a few giggles. The anonymous question box will be set up again at the beginning of next term, and we will continue exploring this theme for a few more lessons to ensure we have properly covered consent and how to identify safe adults.
It was wonderful to see the children share their learning during our PIP presentations, and I’m sure you will all agree that the variety of topics and presentations was impressive. It was lovely to see the confidence, enthusiasm and knowledge the children brought to their presentations.
On Thursday, we continued with some handwriting practice before getting into some maths that connected nicely with our Matter and Particles unit this term. We discovered that matter is anything that has mass and volume. After talking a little about volume, we turned our attention to mass, estimating and weighing different objects from around the classroom.
We then graduated to the slightly bigger challenge of estimating and weighing a besser block! We rigged up a system on the monkey bars and discovered that by using a pulley (or a snatch block, as we saw in our video), we could actually halve the force needed at the end of the rope. We experimented with different setups to see if we could decrease the force even further, although this is still a work in progress as we discovered we need a few more anchor points. In the spirit of the saying often attributed to Thomas Edison, we didn’t fail – we just found a few ways that didn’t work! A great reminder that experimenting, problem-solving and trying again are all part of learning.
Otherwise, it’s been a gorgeous week to end the term. We enjoyed lunch up at the Plaza on Friday, followed by a fun movie and a few treats.
Wishing you all a wonderful break, and we look forward to seeing everyone again for the final countdown next term!
Warm wishes,
Jess and Susan