Term 4, weeks 3 and 4 in Room 2...

This term is action packed and Room 2 has been zipping along nicely!!  Week 3 starts the testings for data and report writing.  Ms Trow has been undertaking running records on students and is really super proud of their progress over the year :) Students have completed their Peters Spelling testing again with good results.  Week 4 will be full Gloss testing, PAT maths testing and e-asttle reading testing.  Ms Trow has been discussing the students individual testing results as the tests are marked and comparing them to last year's results.  

This term in writing we have been choosing our own goals from the school Level 4 writing goal chart.  Students have written their goal in their writing book and also their success criteria - I know I can do this when I ....  This gives the students ownership and understanding of their learning goals - what they are working towards and what it looks like when they achieve them.  Then when they feel their writing shows clear evidence of them achieving their goals, they meet with Ms Trow and together discuss whether they have achieved them, or what more they can focus on to achieve them.

Maths has started off well this term with the focus on fractions, decimals, percentages and ratios.  So far we have covered (but are constantly revisiting and recapping on) equivalent fractions, mixed fractions, improper fractions and simplifying fractions.  

Home Learning is still continuing and is helpful for students to complete the tasks as they focus on our weekly learning and it is a great way for students to practice and discuss their learning... Home Learning is emailed to students (and a paper copy is available on Ms Trow's desk) every Tuesday and is due the following Tuesday.  With calf club, first aid training, social dancing, athletics and testing, I know some students have been overwhelmed and haven't remembered their Home Learning, however the sheets are there and it is expected they complete the activities over the week.  And there will be rewards at the end of term for those who complete their Home Learning tasks...

Week 3 we had a first aid training day with Caroline from the Red Cross.  We learnt the basics of what to do in an emergency whether it's at home, at school or out in the community.  We covered basic first aid from giving the right information to get help, to burns and cuts and learnt that the 'Recovery Position' is now called the 'Stable Side Position' (as some folk didn't actually always recover in the 'Recovery Position'). We also learnt that if someone is choking to use a 'Tap and Squeeze' maneuver (a modified version of the old 'heimlich maneuver' - which used to break too many ribs and puncture too many lungs...).  

Here is a slide show of Caroline accessing Summa and putting her in the Stable Side Position.  We then had a practise in pairs:

Learning the Stable Side Position... on PhotoPeach


Here's Caroline saving Claudia from choking with the Tap and Squeeze:

We had some relay games where we had to get the procedures correct in our groups:

And after Caroline showed us how to bandage (using Claudine as a model) we tried our bandaging skills... some more successful than others :)

Showing our bandaging skills... on PhotoPeach


And this week's science experiment as 'mini lava lamps'.  Even though they didn't work as expected, we had lots of fun experimenting, observing and predicting...