Fáilte go Rang a Sé
Class Trip to Coole Park
Fifth and Sixth Class went on a class trip to Coole Park. It was a great day out and we learned all about the history of Coole Park and all of the flora and fauna that live in the nature reserve. Aine gave us a really informative tour and organised a scavenger hunt for us. We finished the day off with a picnic and a some games in the park.
Outdoor Art!
We decided to bring the classroom outside and enjoy the good weather! We got to create our unique tiles using a variety of colours acetone and pipettes. It was a great way to enjoy the sunshine and get some work done!
Student Led Conferences
March was a very busy month preparing for our Student Led Conferences. It was a great opportunity to show all the hard work we put in during the year. Our families visited our classroom and we showed them, and told them all about our work. As a class we decided to present our work using different media including Prezi and Powerpoint. It was great to have a choice how we presented our work and learn new skills.
Solar Eclipse
Gary Kenny, (Hannah Kennys dad - 1st class)called into teach us all about the eclipse that took place on March 20th. It was at it's most dramatic at around 9:30AM when the Moon blocked around 93% of the Suns light. Third Class came in to join us. In preparation for the eclipse we made special pinhole cameras to view the big event. We all hoped for clear skies but the clouds came and we had to watch it online. However, it was super having Gary in to talk to us about what causes the eclipse to occur and we worked out lots of fun maths equations that linked to work we were doing on the circle.
Jackson Pollack
We have been learning about the work of Jackson Pollack. Pollack liked to paint on very large canvasses which he laid on the floor. He dribbled paint and sand on the canvas then scratched or swirled the paint with very large paint brushes. Often he would not name his paintings but just give them a number. We had great fun creating our class inspired Pollack splatter painting.
Early Spring Clean
In sixth class we noticed a lot of rubbish beginning to build up outside the school so we decided to undertake an early Spring Clean. It was really rewarding despite the cold!!
Mindfulness and Wellbeing
Fifth and Sixth class are really lucky as we are participating in a course that helps us deal with difficult emotions and situations that we find ourselves in as we get older. We get to keep a journal where we can write in our "weather" for the day. It is really nice to know that sometimes we all feel sad or angry but the the important thing is that we know how to deal with our emotions so we can be happy and confident in ourselves again.
In these pictures Martina was working with us to create a barometer of emotions that we feel and as a group we got to place them on the scale. It was a really fun activity!
In these pictures Martina was working with us to create a barometer of emotions that we feel and as a group we got to place them on the scale. It was a really fun activity!
Drama
Sixth class have been having lots of fun in drama! We have been creating our own dramas relating to World War 1 and World War 11. In the pictures above we were playing one of our favourite games "Martha's Game". In this game one person runs into the designated space, forms his/her body into a statue, and announces what s/he is, as in "I'm a tree." Instantly, the next person runs on and forms something else in the same picture. "I'm a bench under the tree" and the game continues and everyone contributes to our still image.
Making a Lava Lamp
We used water, vegetable oil, food colouring, alka seltzer to create our very own lava lamps. We learned that Chemical energy is energy that is released during chemical reactions. Batteries, food, and fuel such as coal, oil and petrol are all stores of chemical energy, which can be released under certain conditions.
Alka-Seltzer tablets contain two chemicals (citric acid and bread soda) which form a chemical reaction when they meet water, producing carbon dioxide gas as one of its products. Alka-Seltzer does not dissolve in oil. Oil and water do not mix. Oil is lighter than water so it sits on top of water when it is added. The food colouring does not dissolve in oil and is heavier than oil, so it falls through the oil down to the water and mixes with the water.
When you drop the Alka-Seltzer tablet into the oil and water, it falls down through the oil (it does not dissolve in the oil) to the bottom, where it reacts with the water (a chemical reaction) to produce carbon dioxide gas. These bubbles of gas rise through the oil to the top of the bottle because they are light, taking some coloured water with them.
The bubbles of gas burst when they reach the top, the gas escapes, and the drops of coloured water sink back down through the oil. When the movement dies down you can start it up again by adding another bit of the tablet, which will produce more carbon dioxide gas.
When you drop the Alka-Seltzer tablet into the oil and water, it falls down through the oil (it does not dissolve in the oil) to the bottom, where it reacts with the water (a chemical reaction) to produce carbon dioxide gas. These bubbles of gas rise through the oil to the top of the bottle because they are light, taking some coloured water with them.
The bubbles of gas burst when they reach the top, the gas escapes, and the drops of coloured water sink back down through the oil. When the movement dies down you can start it up again by adding another bit of the tablet, which will produce more carbon dioxide gas.
Tráth na gCeist
Rinneamar Tráth na gCeist le Rang a Trí. Bhí spraoi agus craic againn ag obair le chéile!
Winter Show
The Parents Association organised a Winter Show where all classes in the school had to design and create art pieces to exhibit in the show. The parents were really helpful and can in to give us a hand! We worked with Fifth Class in creating a recyclable Christmas tree. It was great fun and really easy with the help of Megan's mum! The show was really magical and we really enjoyed the choir also!
Young Voices in Citywest Dublin
Sixth class were lucky to get involved in the Young Voices concert which took place in Dublin. We had great fun learning lots of new songs and actions to go with them. We practiced with Fourth and Fifth class also. It was really hard work but it paid of in the end and we had great fun in Dublin. There were lots of other schools there and our families were able to come and support us.
Magnetism
We learned all about magnets for the past couple of weeks. We got to work with them and do lots of different fun activities. Sixth particularly enjoyed designing and making their unique magnetic cars and track. It took a lot more planning than we thought but the results were worth it!
Our last experiment working with the microscopes!
Here we were working on our final experiment before the microscopes were sent back to the England. We were investigating how water can change various substances.
Our Class Trip to the Burren
We went on one of the trails in the Burren with an expert in the Corrofin Heritage Centre. We found flowers, did experiments, explored the Karst landscape, collected hazelnuts and encountered lots of frogs!
Science Investigations
We have been doing lots of experiments on living things.
We were testing different items to see if they had starch in them using iodine.
We were investigating how our lungs expand and contract. We used a plastic bottle, balloons and tape for our experiment. It was great fun, we learned about our bronchus, bronchioles, alveoli and our diaphragm and how they all work together to help us breathe.
We investigated the importance of water to living things using potatoes and salt. We made predictions and recorded our results.
History
We have been doing lots of research about the Titanic. We discovered why the Titanic sank. We also did some group projects, it was great getting to work with other classmates. We had to research a passenger on board the Titanic and find out why they were going America, what class they were travelling in and if they survived.
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Lá na gCrann 2014
To celebrate National Tree Day on the 9th of October Rang a Sé went on a nature walk with Rang a Ceathair! We participated in a scavenger hunt and identified lots of plants and seeds. We also took bark rubbings and collected lots of samples for identifying back in the classroom!
Microscope Activity Kit!
Our school received a microscope activity kit and we had great fun examining lots of different samples!
Our Trip to the Nursing Home
Fifth and Sixth class have been visiting residents of the local nursing home doing a variety of activities. This week we had a table quiz, we learned lots of new things like what the Suffragette Movement was.
