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5/6 Light and Shadows Unit

5/6 Light and Shadows Unit

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This term the 5/6 students are learning about light and shadows as part of our Inquiry topic.

Shadows are formed when an object is placed in front of rays of light.  We have learned that the size of a shadow can change depending on how close the light is to the object. Also the type of shadow formed is different depending on the type of object that is casting the shadow.

In transparent (see through) materials – lots of light passes through these objects so if any shadows are formed they are very light.

In translucent materials (some light passes through) – the shadows are darker than transparent materials and can be different colours depending on the colour of the materials.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In opaque materials no light passes through so it creates the darkest shadows.  Wood is an example of an opaque material that light cannot pass through (unless there are holes in it). In the picture below the light cannot pass through the wood so it creates a shadow.

Overall, we have learnt a lot of interesting facts about light and shadows in our topic so far and we are looking forward to finding out more about the different properties of light and shadows.

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What have our Preps been learning about?

What have our Preps been learning about?

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It is hard to believe that our Prep students have been at school for one and a half terms already. They have learnt so much already and their teachers are very proud of how well they have settled into school.

So this is what our Preps are learning about in term two ….

In Reading, the Preps are learning about different letters and sounds such as s,o,m,r,t and u. This helps them to decode the text and helps them to understand what is in the books. The students are encouraged to use the pictures in the books they read to give them clues about what the text is about.

In Writing, the Preps are learning how to write proper short sentences by themselves. It is amazing how well they are writing even though they have only been in Prep for a short time.

In Inquiry, the students are learning about the life cycle of a bean seed and how to grow it. They are finding this topic really interesting.

Overall, the Preps are learning lots of new and exciting things and we can’t wait to see what they learn next. Keep up the good work Preps!

Here are some examples of the Prep student’s good work.

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Storybox incursion

Storybox incursion

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To consolidate their learning of “Then and Now”, Grade 1/2 s had the opportunity to participate in an incursion from “Storybox”. They were so eager and attentive much to the admiration from the teachers  and learnt how times have changed, clothes they wore, the games they played and the gadgets and the gimmicks they used. The best discovery was the bedpan which they thought was a mixing bowl!!!!!!

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Immigration Museum

Immigration Museum

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On Monday 15 May, the 5/6’s were lucky enough to go to the Immigration Museum in the city for an excursion as part of our Inquiry unit. In Inquiry we have been learning about different people who migrated to Australia and how they have influenced life as we know it today. The museum was very fun and interesting. We learnt about all different types of things including giving us a fake passport to fill out with questions about the museum.

There were very cool and detailed designs throughout the museum including the long room which was built to be the grandest building in Melbourne at the time. It definitely looked like the grandest building in Melbourne with the giant ceiling and massive pillars!

Our excursion to the Immigration Museum was a amazing experience and everyone had a lot of fun and learnt lots of very interesting facts.

On the way back to school our second bus was a little bit late – but we all arrived back safely.

Overall, it was a fantastic day and we are thankful to our 5/6 teachers for organising this day for us.

Here are some photos!!

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Government in 5/6

Government in 5/6

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In our 5/6 level we have been learning about the different types and levels of Government for our Inquiry unit. Some of the different topics we have learnt about include the different levels of Government (Local, State and Federal) and the different houses of Federal Government which are The House Of Representatives (Green House) and the Senate (Red House). We also learnt about how laws are made and that there is an incredible 4500 rooms in Parliament House.

To demonstrate our learning of this topic the 5/6 students created a presentation showcasing what we had learnt. Some students completed a poster and other completed a slide show.

Here is some of the work from 5/6 Red.

Enjoy!

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Ash Wednesday (Lent)

Ash Wednesday (Lent)

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Currently, we are in the Lenten season. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (which was a couple of weeks ago) and on this day we celebrated Ash Wednesday Mass in the Community Space. During our Ash Wednesday Mass each person had ashes placed on their foreheads in the shape of a cross to help us remember Jesus during this special time.

Lent is the time leading up to Easter where all Christians decide to make changes to their lives as a way to turn back to God. Christians try to turn back to God in three main ways …..

  1. Prayer – through trying to pray to God regularly.
  2. Almsgiving (giving to the poor – at HT we do this by donating to Caritas)
  3. Fasting – by giving up certain foods such as red meat on days such as Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

By doing these things we are preparing for the special celebration at the end of the Lent called Easter.

The new Liturgy Leaders helped set up and play the Mass slideshow. This was the Liturgy Leaders first Mass for the year so they were really brave to do something like this.

Here are some of the slides from our recent Ash Wednesday Mass ….

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Prep – 2 Melbourne Zoo Excursion

Prep – 2 Melbourne Zoo Excursion

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Two weeks ago on a bright Monday morning (10th of October) our Preps, Grade 1’s and Grade 2’s had a special excursion to the Melbourne Zoo as part of their Science Inquiry topic. The journey was an exciting one for our junior students who were able to travel by bus with their friends for one of the first excursions many of them have ever had. They saw the big cats, elephants, snow leopards, hippos, monkeys, butterflies, all sorts of sea life and of course lots of Australian animals such as kangaroos and koalas. They also had a unique opportunity to get a close up learning experience at the educational centre. Despite all of this for many of the students their favourite part of the day was when they got to eat their food and play with their friends in some of the beautiful green areas of the Melbourne Zoo.

For many students this day could be the highlight of their time at school.

We would like to say a big thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers who assisted throughout the day and to the Prep to 2 teachers for helping to organise the day.

Here are a few pictures of our experiences at the Melbourne Zoo …..

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Year 5/6 Science Incursion

Year 5/6 Science Incursion

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At the end of last term the Year 5 and 6 students were lucky enough to have visitors from Hand on Science to talk to us about electricity and light. These were two of the topics we learnt about during our term 1 Inquiry unit.

The students were able to participate in two separate sessions where in one session we learnt about electricity and the other we learnt about light.

During the electricity session we learnt how electricity works and how it can exist in different forms. During the light session we learnt about how light can travel through objects and how it reflects.

Overall, our science incursion was really educational but also a lot of fun.

Here are a few photos from our recent incursion.

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Help Save the Emperor Penguins

Help Save the Emperor Penguins

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Aryana D in 2 Blue has been concerned with the Emperor Penguins.

The Emperor Penguin is the largest penguin in the world. Unfortunately, they are dying because they have nowhere to live as the polar ice caps are melting due to global warming.

One of the big ways that we can help stop global warming is by using recyclable materials instead of single use plastic. Another option is to reuse items more than once such as to using a refillable drink bottle instead of buying water from the store.

Aryana would like to remind us that we can help save the Emperor Penguins from climate change by thinking about using recyclable materials such as cardboard, cloth bags or even recyclable plastic before we use single use plastic as much as possible.

Here is a poster to help remind everyone about how we can help these beautiful creatures to survive on earth for many years to come.

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Chemistry Science in Year 6

Chemistry Science in Year 6

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This term the year 6’s have been learning about chemistry science. In one of the most recent experiments we tested out how a tablet dissolved in different water of different temperatures. In this experiment we placed a tablet into glasses that had cold, room temperature and hot water.

We discovered that the fastest time for the tablet to fully dissolve was when it was placed in the hot water.

Here are some photos from our tablet experiment.

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5/6 Government Incursion Last week

5/6 Government Incursion Last week

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The 5/6’s had a great time attending a Government Incursion held in our school last week. The students demonstrated that they knew quite a lot after being involved in learning all about the Australian Government throughout Term 1.
The 5/6’s were guided through a debate, similar to what could be seen in the Cabinet.

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Anzac Day Celebration

Anzac Day Celebration

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Hi everyone.

This weekend we are celebrating Anzac Day (25 April). Anzac Day is a time when we take some time to remember the people who have served our country. Here is a slide show that we would like to take the time to explore with your family.

Happy Anzac Day everyone!

Topic Talks 4 Yellow

Topic Talks 4 Yellow

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This year in year 4 we have been doing Topic Talks (a lot like show and tell). At the beginning of each term we are given a list of topics to prepare and research so we have enough information to tell the class about the topic. Some of the topics we have presented this term include researching and presenting a poem that we enjoy (limerick, haiku or Australian), researching an African country and telling the class about a time in our life where we were filled with multiple feelings.

I really enjoyed when we got to tell the class about an African country particularly when other students presented their African country research.

Overall, topic talks are really helpful for learning about different topics as well as learning to speak in front of an audience. I always look forward to seeing these what other students are going to talk about.

Here is a couple of our topic talk presentations about an African country …..

Countries Around The World

Countries Around The World

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Currently in 6 Blue we have been learning about different countries from around the world. We have been doing this so we can get a better understanding of different cultures as well as what their climate, landscapes and food is like. For my project I chose Germany because that was where my Pop was born.  In addition we had a choice to pick any other country and I chose Germany because even though I knew a bit I really wanted to find out more.

Here is a few pictures of our draft and published copy of our writing.

  

5 Blue Geography

5 Blue Geography

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This term in 5 Blue we are learning about other countries in our Inquiry topic where we are focussing on Geography. We are drawing maps of some different countries around our world using a group of key points which help us to remember what we need to include called BOLTSS (border, orientation, legend, scale and source). We are placing these maps into a slide show that we are creating about a chosen country in Europe.

These are some of our hand drawn maps.…..