Learning Outside The Classroom (LOTC) 2018
Mike Kelley inspired art
Our art project was inspired by the American artist Mike Kelley who created a famous art piece called "Memory Ware Flat #18" using recycled plastic, wooden and metal household objects. We worked in small groups to create our own version of these art pieces, and then joined them together into two collages which is on display outside our classroom.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.....
Maths Games
Research has shown that the advantages of using games in the maths programme are as follows :
- Meaningful situations - for the application of mathematical skills are created by games
- Motivation - children freely choose to participate and enjoy playing
- Positive attitude - Games provide opportunities for building self-concept and developing positive attitudes towards mathematics, through reducing the fear of failure and error;
- Increased learning - in comparison to more formal activities, greater learning can occur through games due to the increased interaction between children, opportunities to test intuitive ideas and problem solving strategies
- Different levels - Games can allow children to operate at different levels of thinking and to learn from each other. In a group of children playing a game, one child might be encountering a concept for the first time, another may be developing his/her understanding of the concept, a third consolidating previously learned concepts
- Assessment - children's thinking often becomes apparent through the actions and decisions they make during a game, so the teacher has the opportunity to carry out diagnosis and assessment of learning in a non-threatening situation
- Home and school - Games provide 'hands-on' interactive tasks for both school and home
- Independence - Children can work independently of the teacher. The rules of the game and the children's motivation usually keep them on task.
"Someone like Me" art competition winners 2018!
‘Someone Like Me’ Junior Group Project winners 2018!!!
1st and 2nd class
In our SPHE lesson on ‘Inclusion’, we learned all about including everyone in our games and activities. No matter how different someone is or what disability they have, we should ensure that they are always included in our group.
We decided to show what we had learned in a group art project. We painted 19 children all holding hands to show that they all belonged to the group no matter how different they felt. Each child has a different reason for feeling different, and a speech bubble describes that feeling. Some are obvious differences while others are not. The slogan we came up was:
“My friends include everyone. My friend include….someone like me.”
The photographs below show the progress of our art project – it took us 3 weeks, and we had so much fun!
History Field Trip
Our Papier-mâché projects
By Rory Dolan
In our SPHE lesson on ‘Inclusion’, we learned all about including everyone in our games and activities. No matter how different someone is or what disability they have, we should ensure that they are always included in our group.
We decided to represent what we had learned in papier-mâché art projects. We were split into four groups and we did a brainstorming session to decide what each group would make.
Our group was Rory Dolan, Sam Maguire, Odhrán Kelleher , Tara Geogeghan and Anie Maguire, and our project was called ‘Circle of Friends’. We made five people in a circle joining hands. Three of the children have disabilities – one has lost the use of their legs and is in a wheelchair, one has poor vision and is wearing glasses and another is recovering from chemotherapy and is bald. The other two children do not have a disability, but are different – one is very tall and the other is short. All the children are included in the group and no-one is left out.
Another project called ‘The Basketball Game’ was made by Fionán Mc Intyre, Charlie Edwards, Finn McGovern and Aaron Farrell. This project showed someone in a wheelchair playing basketball with an able-bodied person.
The third project was called ‘Le Chéile’. Lé Chéile means ‘together’, and this group made the two words in papier-mâché and placed them in a circle. This showed that no matter how different each of us are, we will stick together is a tight circle. This project was completed by Megan McCauley, Fiachra McManus, Kevin Heery, Fótla McCaffrey and Darragh Gilleece.
The last group’s project was called ‘Friends’ and again they made four people – some with disabilities - in a circle holding hands. This group was made up of Sarah Maguire, Alesha Donohoe, Amy Cosgrove, Patrick Devine and Sean Brady.
We all had great fun making our papier-mâché projects, and we entered them in the ‘Someone Like Me’ art competition.
More photographs can be found in the Gallery.
Stained glass art
Science/Geography project - 11 Sept 2017
Planting season under way!
All About China
Chinese scrolls
We made Chinese scrolls by using a blow painting method to create a tree, and then finger painting to create the pink blossoms on the tree. We then staplesour scroll to wood and added string to hang them up. We think they look cool!
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Clay models
We made dragons and pandas out of clay, and once they were dry, we painted them.
Valentine's Day
Christmas Art - Chinese lanterns
Mannequin Challenge
In our drama lesson this week, we were trying out a technique called ‘freeze-frame’ where the action in a play or scene is frozen, as in a photograph or video frame. As the Mannequin Challenge is taking the internet by storm, we decided to create our own classroom freeze-frame. See what you think......
(Please note that although this a YouTube video, it is ‘unlisted’ which means it can only be viewed on our school website - it cannot be found on Youtube through a search)
Science Week 2016
By Kate McCauley
During Science Week in November, we did lots of experiments in class. Here are a few of them.
For our first experiment, we tried to prove that a solid material can change into a liquid and then back into a solid, by making rice krispie buns!The solid chocolate was melted into a liquid and then it changed back to a solid in the buns.
For our second experiment, we were trying to prove that the air is all around us. We filled a glass with water, then we got a plastic disc. We put the disc on top of the glass and turned the glass upside down. When we let go of the disc, it stayed on place and the water in the glass didn't spill out - we were amazed! This showed that the pressure of air under the disc was greater than the weight of the water in the glass.
For our third experiment, we created static electricity by rubbing a balloon on our heads, and lifting cut up bits of paper with the balloon.
For our fourth experiment, we were trying to prove that air expands and contracts. First, we put a balloon on a bottle. Then we heated the bottle with boiling water from a kettle, which heated the air inside the bottle. Then, the balloon started to blow up by itself! This proved that hot air expands. Next, we then cooled the bottle with cold water from the tap. The balloon then popped back into the bottle, proving that cold air contracts We heated it again to get the balloon out.
For our fifth experiment, we made a volcano out of clay. Into the volcano, we poured red food colouring, vinegar and baking soda. The vinegar and baking soda reacted with each other and the result was foam that poured out which looked like lava pouring out. This shows that some materials react with each other when mixed.
Science Field Trip
By Bláthnaid Smyth
We went on a minibeast and scavenger hunt on Wednesday 28th September. We learned all about minibeasts in class before we started our hunt. We found 14 types of minibeasts on our school grounds including a beetle, worm, slug, snail, ant, spider, fly, bee, wasp, earwig, wood louse, daddy-long-legs and centipede. After that we went on a scavenger hunt on the Burren road to look for different types of leaves, seeds and fruits.
On our field trip we all wore our hi-vis vests and we practised our Safe Cross Code while crossing the road. We took loads of photgraphs, so check out the 'Gallery' for those.
For art, we all did a painting of our favourite minibeast. Here is our display:
Autumn in Cavan
By Liam Donohoe
