We returned after our Winter break ready for our last year in school and got stuck straight in to our coursework. It was another busy month both in and out of the classroom as we worked our way through the curriculum with a good mixture of written and practical lessons.
In English we focused on report writing. We studied texts on Polar animals and expeditions. We did some creative report writing both on the chromebooks and in our copies where we researched and wrote about animals. We also read the "Guns of Easter" novel by Gerard Whelan which tied in with our history lessons.
We spent a lot of time on maths this month as we worked through the fractions chapters. We also looked at 2D shapes and trigonometry.
Geography and history both had an Irish theme to them as we learned about the different types of industry in Ireland. We learned all about Ireland's economy and the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. The class were able to give some brilliant real life examples of each sector.
In history we learned about the 1916 Easter Rising, War of Independence, Civil War and how Ireland became the country it is today. We studied what life was like growing up in tenement buildings in Dublin during this period ahead of our tour to 14 Henrietta Street. The novel we were reading helped give us a better understanding of what life was like during this time.
In science we got very practical as we studied electricity and electric circuits. The class worked in groups and figured out how to make simple and series circuits using batteries, light bulbs, buzzers, motors and switches. They learned about what conducts electricity, how to make parallel and series circuits, made their own switches and circuit breakers. They drew labelled diagrams of their circuits and gained a great insight in to how electricity works in buildings.
For Learn Together, we studied and researched the topic of food miles. We discussed the pros and cons of imported food and mapped where some of our food is grown and how far it has to travel before it reaches us. We made use of the chromebooks and the CSO website to research Ireland's imports and where they come from.
On the sporting front we learned the rules and skills of tag rugby in PE. We had hurling/camogie session with Lauren from Skerries Harps and Skerries Town FC were in for coaching.
We celebrated Literacy Week by doing some buddy reading in the library with 2nd class. David O'Neill held a workshop in the hall for both 6th classes on creative writing where the children contributed to a whole school poem about school. We held our annual short story competition where we had some amazing entries. Congratulations to all the children and an extra congratulations to Emily for her winning entry.
The biggest moment of the month was our trip in to Dublin for a tour of 14 Henrietta Street. We had a great day and got to experience history first hand which have us a better understanding of the topics we covered in class. We did a quick tour of Dublin and saw the Garden of Remembrance, the GPO, the Spire and the Portal. More information can be seen in a previous blog post.
