Students in 6L are learning gymnastics for sport.  Here they are in action…

As part of a descriptive writing lesson, students in 6L were given a piece of Turkish Delight.  Turkish delight was what the White Witch in Narnia used to lure Edmund back to her castle and maintain some control over him.  Not to mention the ‘promise’ that he would also rule as a King in Narnia…

We discussed how good descriptions needed to appeal to all the senses…

• Sight
• Smell
• Taste
• Touch
• Sound

Once they received their Turkish Delight they had to write a description that would best describe the treat they had in their hand.

Here are a sample of some of the students’ work…

Here are some photos of the kids hard at ‘work’ (?)…

As part of our unit on Natural Disasters, students worked in Collaborative Clusters to present information on a particular natural disaster.

They had to research the causes and effects of the natural disaster.  They also had to work out the precautions to take before, during and after the natural disaster.

Their report was to be presented to the class using either Powerpoint or Prezi.  Each team also produced a one-page handout which contained information about their natural disaster as well as a quiz, find-a-word or crossword section.

Here are the teams.

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy meet some beavers who don’t seem to act like your average beaver.

As part of a research task, the students compiled a list of facts about beavers (from the Internet) and compared this with a list they made from the behaviour of the beavers in the Narnia story.

It was great walking around the room and hearing the students sharing what they were learning with each other and making comparisons between the fact and fantasy beavers.

Here are some photos of a couple of groups working…

During our Art lesson today we studied different paintings and discussed how they made us feel and why we thought the artist painted them in the way they did.  This is what Felicity said about a famous painting by Salvador Dali called ‘Persistence’:

“I think he feels that time melts away“

I then handed the class over to Ben.  He is a very good artist and he taught the class how to draw amazing eyes.

He was able to teach the class how to achieve different tones and textures by applying hard and soft pressure while shading with their pencil.

Here are some photos of Ben in action and some students working on their art.

Collaborating is such a powerful tool in learning.  Students come with a wealth of prior knowledge that needs to be tapped into and shared with others.

During their investigations on a Natural Disaster, 6L students were able to share things they were learning, useful sites or clarify requirements of the task using Corkboard.me.  Check it out here.

When you go to http://corkboard.me you are instantly given your own corkboard with a unique URL address.  Share this address with your team and you can post information and pictures that is accessible to the rest of your group in real time.  There is also a chat function.

Here are some shots of the students at work…

A regular feature of 6L will be journal writing – capturing ideas and opinions about a variety of topics.

Today the topic was “I think children should be allowed to…“

Here are two great entries:

I think children should be allowed to be themselves around other people and not have to be someone different to impress anyone so they can be popular.

Children should be able to act how they want without other children judging them by what they are doing.  For example, if a girl liked dancing but the rest of her friends didn’t, that doesn’t mean she has to deny liking dancing just because her friends don’t like dancing at all.

If you have to change yourself because your friends don’t like what your hobby is then that is not right.  You should be able to like what you like.

By Lauren M.

I think children should be allowed to have no homework because at the end of the day they have already had enough work and they or their parents could have something on and they can’t fit it all in.

I think children should be allowed to have a magic finger so when they touch something and they think of what they want they immediately get it.  I think it should be allowed so if they’re in a test and they can’t figure out what the answer is they just touch something and they get the answers.

I also think that children should be allowed to tell their mum and dad what they want and they will get it for them.  I think this because if you don’t have a toy and all your friends have it then you are going to feel left out.

By Patrick G.

Our novel study this term is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

After writing some predictions on what they thought the story would be about, the students in 6L worked in pairs to research C.S. Lewis and discover a bit about his life.

Here are some photos of them working hard…

The air was electric as students returned from holidays and assembled in CD Court.

The new term had begun and everyone waited with nervous anticipation to discover which class they would be in.

Who would be their teacher?

Which friends would be in their class?

Thankfully they didn’t have to wait to long.  Students waved goodbye to their parents, dropped off their bags and began the journey that would take them through another year of schooling.

Students in 6L…welcome to the journey.  It is great to have you.

I’m looking forward to the ride!

From Mr Lindsay.

Dear 6L,

I can’t believe it.

You have just left to enjoy 6-7 weeks of holidays and fun with your friends and family.

A new journey begins next year as you start Senior School.

It is a strange thing being a teacher.  We pour our heart and soul into our class and we become almost like family.  Then Term 4 ends, you wave goodbye and walk out the door…and that’s it!

The whole year I have lived and breathed learning with you.  I have tried to instill the values that I hold dear and have been working alongside you, constantly trying to help you achieve your best and inspire you to do better. We have laughed a lot and shared some amazing memories.

And now the school year is at an end.

I will miss you all.  You have only just left and I miss you already.

I wish you all the best and pray that you will pursue excellence in all you do, remembering that God loves you and is always with you (Jeremiah 29:11).

Farewell, 6L 2011.  Make sure you come back and visit me.

Mr Lindsay