Using iPads in the Classroom

We are very lucky in Year 3/1 because we have been given a set of six iPad minis to help us learn in the classroom. The iPads are part of a study into how tablet computers can be used for teaching and learning. 

So far we have used an app called Educreations which records you as you talk and explain things. This is good for improving our speaking. The children have also been very excited about making their own iBook about bees using an app called Book Creator.  They have made a book cover, taken photographs and imported them into their books, written and formatted text, embedded sound recordings they did onto a page and also embedded video recordings they made of fact sentences.

The children have been very quick to learn lots of new skills. Well done and watch this space!

Spider TV

We have been practicing speaking our fact sentences about minibeasts. Here we spoke to the video camera for the first time and watched them to see where we could be better next time. We noticed that we often forgot to say the 's' at the end of spiders and also that we pronounced the Thai 'er' sound and not the English 'er' sound at the end of words. It was a good way for us to learn about speaking English and also help us remember minibeast facts. Here is a short clip by the grasshopper and dragonfly groups who remembered their facts the best. Well done to everyone for being brave enough to get up and speak to the camera - it's not easy!

Learning About Symmetry

We have been learning about symmetry in class. We have learnt that symmetry can be found all around us. We were given a challenge to find out which capital letters of the alphabet have symmetry and which don't using a 'hit and miss' thinking map. We used mirrors to help us check. Some letters were quite difficult! Can you think of letters which have more than one line of symmetry?

Why not play a game to test how good you are at symmetry? Click on this link to play a game which asks do these shapes, pictures and letters have symmetry (are symmetrical) or no symmetry (not symmetrical.)

All About Bees Homework

Next week we are learning all about bees for our final week of information writing. Click on the link below to go to a webquest featuring a video and information about bees. Watch the video and click on the questions next to the video. Can you answer them? Then explore the other websites for amazing facts and information about bees.

To go to the webquest click here.

I look forward to talking to you all about bees on Monday ^___^

Wow Fact Competition!

What facts make you go wow! Look in information books or go on the internet with your parents to find amazing facts about minibeasts and you could win 5 gems. Choose your best wow fact and write it in the comments box below. Only write one wow fact please and remember to add you name. I'll choose the best wow fact and name the winner on Friday. Happy fact hunting!

Can You Classify?

We have been learning how to classify minibeasts. Classify means to put things into groups. We can use a tree map to help us classify. Here we see the Dragonfly group (Fah, Idea, Ong and Phupah) who made an excellent branching tree map that helped them classify nine different minibeasts correctly.

Fah's Information Book

Fah has made an excellent ant information book at home using the computer. Her book is full of interesting facts and pictures. She has also used paragraphs and different headings. Well done Fah - have three gems for such good work!

Classify Minibeasts Game

We have been learning to classify minibeasts. Here is a great game which uses a bee flying around a tree map to classify different minibeasts. Be sure to get a good look at each minibeast when deciding 'yes' and 'no'.

To play the game click here

Number bonds

In maths we have been learning about number bonds to 10, 20 and 100. Learning number bonds helps us answer maths questions.

Click here to play a game of number bonds to 20. If you get it right the mummy starts to dance! (This is a Flash game so will not work on an iPad)

The Millipede Movie

Here is a short video clip of the millipede we found on our minibeast hunt. Watch how the millipede uses its antenna to feel what's around. What do you think the millipede was doing?