Harry Potter, Cells and Trip to Taradell

EARLY YEARS

We have been enjoying the warmer weather and the arrival of Spring! We made yummy fruit smoothies in Cooking - the children peeled and chopped fruit to put in the blender with yoghurt - it was very exciting to turn the machine on! We are also looking forward to our performance of The Gingerbread Man in the Project Presentation this afternoon. The children really like the story and act out their roles with enthusiasm.

PRIMARY 29nd March

Primary have been hard at work expanding their knowledge of shapes and space with the introduction of some new concepts such as parallel and perpendicular lines. In mathematics, students have also been continuing their work on their times tables, with many students now moving on past the initial stages. In literacy, we have been reading a new class novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone which has introduced many new words into our existing vocabulary. In sports, we have continued our work on movement and rhythm. Students have been learning to listen to either the beat or the rhythm of a song and move accordingly. A productive week. Finally this week, we have been practicing our weather reports, ready for Friday afternoons project presentations. Hope you enjoy!

SECONDARY

English

In Language we have looked at improving our non-fiction writing by using conjunctions to link our paragraphs, and to adopt a more formal tone through using the passive voice. In Literature we have carried on reading and answering comprehension questions that show a deeper level of understanding and interpretation.

Friday, March 29, 2019

MATHS

This week at level 3 we have worked on inequalities, solving them and how to put the solution on a number line (graphical solution). At level 2 they have continued to operate with fractions in addition to adding and subtracting with the same denominator or not, now I have introduced the multiplication and division. It is much easier!

At level 1 they are working very hard on finding prime factors of a number, and then all the possible factors, and then the common factors between two or more numbers and then the Highest Common Factor (HCF). Also they have learned to find multiples and the Lowest Common Multiple (LCM), which is the first! This part of the mathematics is very useful, they are really going to use it until the end of secondary, at least with mathematics!

With Geometry at level 1 they have learned to classify the triangles by angles: Obtuseangled, acuteangled or rightangled triangle. This, after we have remembered how the triangles can be classified by their sides: equilateral, isosceles or scalene.

At level 2 we have continued on Congruency, but now to identify the conditions that make two triangles congruent.

SCIENCE

On Friday they have done their first Checkpoint Exam simulation. Remember, on Monday 8th, Wednesday 10th and Friday 12th April they will be doing the Official Cambridge Checkpoint Exams: two of Mathematics (with and without calculator) and two of Science.

PHYSICS

We have started a new Chapter and it is about Using Secondary Sources: what are they (books, Internet...), what are Primary Sources (experiments, field observations...), how can we use them properly.

CHEMISTRY

After remembering what is an acid or an alkali, what are their properties, we have started a new Chapter that is about how to measure the acidity (pH-scale) and be able to identify them. I have used a homemade indicator: red cabbage. When the solution is neutral then it has the colour of the cabbage (blue-purple), when it is acidic then it turns pink when it is alkaline then it turns yellow-green. Nice to see all these colours!

BIOLOGY

They have learned that in larger organisms like ours, the cells are specialized for the different functions they carry out, their shape is adapted to this one life process. We have seen that the Red Blood Cells are small and flexible because they have be able to squeeze until all the parts of the body to bring the oxygen; that the Fat cells are round and full of fat to store the energy until necessary; that the Muscle Cells are long and thin and designed to work together; that the Root cells in a plant have a very large area to be able to enter the water and minerals as much as possible.

HISTORY

This week in History class, Eric introduced Clara Campoamor to all of us, he told about her life and why we recall her nowadays. She was one of the main promoters of women’s suffrage in Spain. Then, we went back to the English history and discussed about the four main problems that William of Normandy had to deal with in order to establish his power in that new land. Lastly, we did some brainstorming on historical events that each one of us would like to know more about. Many ideas came to everyone’s mind: Ancient Greece and Roman Empire, European dictatorships, Palestinian conflict, World Wars, religions, Catalonia, the conquest of South America, Titanic shipwreck…